Weight Loss

AB Challenge Day 4

I did work my Abs yesterday, an easier workout because I ran out of time :-) So, I did 3 sets of 12 crunches with my knees bent and feet up on the couch. Then I did 2 sets of roll-downs. Sitting on the floor, with my legs bent in front of me rolled down slowly. My abs aren't strong enough to let me roll very far, so I put my hands out in front of me for a counter weight. (If you want to do these, make sure you keep your feet on the floor, and you only go down to the point you can get yourself up again.)

Today, my brother and I went for a short walk, then I did my workout:
2 sets of 12 kettlebell swings
3 sets of V-sits
Then I did a little rehab for my shoulder, which has been really bothering me lately.

I also weighed myself today - yikes! It's actually not as bad as I expected, but still, bad. Today I weighed 185 lbs.

I started in July 10 at 194 lbs. I got down to 182 lbs by the end of August. That's 12 lbs in about 7 weeks.That's a lot. And that was part of the problem before. I lost it fast and extreme. But I wasn't committed to a long-term program. So, when everything fell apart is September, I stopped. And surprisingly enough, only gained 3 lbs. But, I'm sure (and I can tell by how I squishy I feel) I lost muscle and gained more than 3 lbs of fat.

But the wonderful thing is we get to start over every day. Today is another day, and tomorrow is as well.

Debby

ABs

30 Day AB Challenge, Day 2
So far, so good!
I did my AB workout yesterday, and, as small as it was, I am a little sore (yeah!)
This morning, I looked at a couple of the abdominal workouts I'd pinned from Pinterest. They are way too advanced for me right now. One of the workouts I looked at "7 moves for 6-pack abs in 30 days" most of the moves looked so difficult, I don't think I could do any of them without using poor form and hurting myself. (And no, carrying an extra 50 punds, I don't expect to get 6 pack abs any time soon). But that's OK, because now I know where to go for some more advanced moves as I get stronger!

So, here is the workout I did:
modified mountain climbers, 10 reps
seated leg lifts, 10 reps
Repeat

Here are the exercises:
Mountain Climbers
Start in a push-up position, hands shoulder-width apart, and toes on the ground. Slowly drive one knee to the chest and back down, alternating legs. Maintain a straight back throughout the exercise. To modify to make it easier (this is what I did), elevate your hands, so your body is at an angle. To make the move more challenging, speed up the leg movement, so you're "running in place".

Seated leg lifts
Sit on the edge of a step or bench. Trying to keep your back upright (don't lean back too much), lift your knees up as high as you can. Keep both feet and knees together. You can hang on to the edge of the bench if you need to. Make sure your abdominal muscles are drawn in throughout the exercise, so you're working your transverse abdominus.

Debby
 All things are difficult before they are easy                Thomas Fuller

Wake Up Sad

My first thought upon awakening this morning was Speck, and loss. Then, when I actually sat up, I automatically looked for her... damn.

Yesterday, I moved through the morning, doing what needed to be done. Then basically did nothing else all day (laundry, Pinterest, tried to watch TV).

So, I need to stay busy. Occupy my mind. And since my other first thought this morning was awareness of my rolls of fat, that seems like a good occupation. I can take today to plan my workout program.

I started well. I thought, let me get going on my 30 day AB challenge, then I'll write in my blog that I've already done my workout today. So far, so good. Except when it came to writing, my post turned into an epic about the loss of Speck. (See previous post).

But I started the day with my 30 day AB challenge! I did 2 sets of 10 crunches on the Dyna-disc (WAY harder than I expected, so that's all I could do). And 2 sets of planks (again, all I could do, because they hurt my shoulder a little.)

I also drank my green shake again (and I found out that if you add too much spinach, you can taste it).

So, I'm off to a good start.

Debby

There is no failure except no longer trying.                         Elbert Hubbard

Speck

Best laid plans....
I was enthusiastic to start my program! I got up on Saturday, inspired to have a "green" shake for breakfast. (Actually just my regular protein shake with frozen spinach added in).
Then my brother and I went to Fresno. Sam's club is having health screenings every month this year, so we went for that. They're checking blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels. (And they'll check BMI and body fat, too, but I didn't need that). It was OK, my blood pressure is still WAY too high, but it was last time I went to the doctor. I think it's my extra weight. (My mom says stress will increase it too, I'll have to check on that.)

But when we got home, Speck had taken a turn for the worse. She had been wandering through the house in the morning, then, after lunch, my mom realized she hadn't seen her. She found her in my bedroom, kind of underneath our chair. Our guess is she'd tried to get up and failed, and just stayed where she landed. So my mom sat there on the chair, with Speck on her lap until I got home (at least an hour later).

It was almost like she'd had a stroke. Her legs just suddenly wouldn't support her. But they weren't paralyzed. I kept her on my lap the rest of the day and evening. She just laid on her side, mostly not even sleeping, just staring. So we knew the end was coming.
I spent all day Sunday holding her, carrying her around when it seemed like she wanted to move, but couldn't move herself.

She passed away on Sunday night about 9:40 PM.
I was, and am, devastated. Even though I was expecting it, I was unprepared. I was shocked at how much I cried (I'm not a crier).

Yesterday, we buried her in the back yard, just below my bedroom (I can see her little grave from my window). My brother had made a casket for her, and Sunday, I had found some fabric to line it. We had dug the grave on Sunday too. (Because we all knew that if she survived the weekend, I'd have to take her to the Vet to be put to sleep on Monday). My brother had wood-burned her name on the top of the casket. We all gathered to bury her.

So, I didn't get anything done over the weekend or yesterday. No workout (although my brother and I walked to the mailbox to mail some orders yesterday morning).

Debby

Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight.  ~Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Trying

I think that one of the hardest things to do in life is to keep trying after failing and failing. How do you convince yourself that this time is going to be different. This time I'm going to make it work.

This is what I'm struggling with this week.
I know that everyone makes New Year's resolutions. And everyone breaks them.
But, after a series of failures and a bout of depression and severe financial difficulty, I am determined to re-start my life.
The tricky part is to quiet the voices in my head saying "you've tried before and failed". So, I don't do anything. The fear of failure is sometimes overwhelming.
My hope is that through thorough planning, I'll develop a strategy that will be "fail-safe". At the very least, a complete plan will make me know what step to take next, even if it's a small step, and even if I don't feel like doing it.

My goal of losing weight is one of the things I'm struggling with. I lost a lot of weight in the summer. Then, some things happened, so I gave it all up. I fell and injured my foot, then about 3 days later I got sick. Neither event was that big a deal, but I had to take time off. Then, I was disappointed in a relationship. And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I never got back to working out consistently, and my diet fell apart. And I gained the weight back.

So, now, how can I start again? I don't want to start and stop. So, I wait until I'm sure I'm ready. And, I realized that I was losing the weight before to please someone else. That never works, especially when the someone stops being part of your life.
 And because of my desire to be a trainer again, my weight loss and getting in shape is tied to that. This causes another couple of layers of fear. As much as I want my old life back (only better), there is fear of putting myself out there again. And fear of failure. And as long as I am heavy, I know I can't be a trainer, so I don't have to try.


(I also know that staring a new routine, exercise or otherwise is a stressor. And adding a stressor, when one is already stressed, is a recipe for failure. So, as long as Speck is sick, I am not going to take too much on. I will keep going, but I do not have the energy to go all-out about anything).

I do know one thing though, status quo isn't going to work anymore. I have to change something. And weight and fitness is one thing that's very controllable. (I may not be able to dictate exactly the amount of weight I lose, and how fast, I can control my exercise and my diet).


So, here I am. Trying.

Tomorrow I will start a 30 day AB challenge. That means I will exercise my abdominal muscles every day for 30 days. (There are a lot of 30 day challenges on Pinterest, and that's where I got the idea. It makes it more fun, like a game.)
Tomorrow's workout:
crunches on the Dyna-disc - 2 sets of 15
plank position - 3 times, hold as long a possible.

See you tomorrow,
Debby


You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.                 Margaret Thatcher

Plans

I'm trying to organize (re-organize) my life.
So I've been writing to-do lists, and trying to set up schedules.
I was doing pretty well with the necessary things for Brown Iris Creations (my jewelry business), but when it comes to the rest of life...

First of all, I tried to set goals for the year. Simple enough. I have a few specific things I want to accomplish, the most important of which is to get re-certified by NASM as a personal trainer. But when I try to take these yearly goals and turn them into day-to-day goals, it's much more difficult.
I know that when it comes to goals you're supposed to plan, and work toward them daily.
But it seems to me that if I work every day toward every goal, I'll need 48-hour days. (I have a tendency to over-reach).
And then there's the planning process- I take forever trying to write out my goals and plans and I feel like I haven't accomplished anything yet.

So, I took yesterday off - from planning and from doing anything that I'd scheduled to do. I worked on cleaning and organizing my living space. I took care of my sick cat (she's 16 years old, and very thin and frail, and she has a cold).

Speck

So, I'll keep trying...

Debby

Saying is one thing and doing is another

A Whole New Year!

I'm Back!!!
Well, sort of. I'm going to try to start slowly, and I'm going to learn this blogging business!
But, for now, Happy New Year! May this year be better than the last!
Dream big! Plan and set goals to make the dreams come true.

Debby

"If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up" - Unknown