Week 1 Almost Over! Progression in a Good Way!

Tomorrow will be one week since I started back on my journey toward a healthier me. I'm very proud of myself. I worked out Wednesday through Saturday and then picked it up again Monday. I also kept to my diet, no cheat day. AND, I know it's only water weight to begin with, but I lost 4.8lbs already!!! So excited! :) 

On the weekend, I always go out to lunch with my parents, but I never choose the lighter/fitter options. I will be making healthier choices at restaurants moving forward. Already started this past weekend by choosing chicken with veggies and rice instead of a hamburger with fries or some such thing. I felt much better about myself for doing that too. My intention is to also cut out red meat, but I have to clear out the few items I still have in my freezer. After that, no red meat. I bought an instant pot this past weekend. Been wanting one of those forever it seems. I have steak chunks, organic, ready to cook tonight!

After three days of working out and eating right I already feel so much better. I don't wake up feeling gross, I don't feel bloated, and my mental state is different as well. I'm happier, less angry at the world, and just overall feeling good. This is why I started it. To feel better. To enjoy life rather than hating it because I'm miserable. 

There's also a new Facebook Group I started with a friend called Fit Force. It's a secret group on FB for now, but we intend on opening it up to those with an open mind looking to join. The group is for support, suggestions, tips, recipes, and sharing our ups and downs on our healthier us movement. Interested in joining?  --->  Fit Force  

Have a wonderful Tuesday! *kisses*

~J.R.~

Day 3 - Doing it for Myself & No One Else

Good Morning, all! Day 3 of my determination to get healthy. I wanted to slip last night, but I forced myself to grab Skinny Pop mini popcorn cakes instead of grabbing something unhealthy and fattening. I can already sense a difference and I've only been doing it for two days. I don't feel anywhere near as bloated as I did before. 

I receive an email newsletter every day from SparkPeople. They have blog posts, recipes, etc. for people who want to be healthy. I found one of the blog posts to be rather inspiring. It touched a chord with me because like most people, I'm afraid to try new things and fail or try them and look dumb. But the blogger is very correct in her statement:

"Remember that everyone isn't watching you the way you think they are. Part of my fear with yoga class was that everyone would be judging me. In reality, no one was paying an ounce of attention to what I was doing. They were there for themselves, just as I was. Do you feel self-conscious when you go to the grocery store and you're stumbling over the labels in the natural foods section? No one is analyzing what goes into your grocery cart. Are you worried your dinner companions will be judging the healthy meal you order at a restaurant? Chances are they're focused only on great conversation and good company. Be confident in your choices because you're doing it for you and no one else."

Original Post Here

She hit a spot with me because I do think about that stuff. I do think people are watching what I'm putting in my cart at the store. I do think that people are watching me eat at a restaurant and thinking about how fat I am. But in reality, most people don't even care that I am there or what I'm doing. I have to remind myself to be confident and to move forward because this is about me, not anyone else.

Unfortunately, I did not make any step toward my writing, and all excuses aside, it was more my lack of energy than anything else. I know the determination to be healthier will impact my writing in a good way. I'll have more energy and be more mentally awake. My journey toward a better me will be a positive in both directions.

Wish me luck to remain strong through Day 3. The popular idea is that after 21 days you're good! Well, I am 2 days and a handful of hours into those 21 days. And I CAN DO THIS!!

~J.R.~

How Day 1 Went & Day 2 is going... :)

Good Morning, everyone! Hope Thursday is treating you well!  

Day 1 went well for my lifestyle change. Good news, I kept to under my calorie goal and did 45 minutes on the treadmill. Bad news, I ended up with a bad headache after the work out because of the strain on my shoulders, even just holding the bars didn’t seem to stop that from happening. It made it very challenging to stick to the right foods. Chewing crunchy things like animal crackers seems to help some times, but those are added calories. And it kept me from holding true to working on my WIPs for the hour I scheduled.

I woke up and still intend on hitting up the gym, but the headache brewing at the moment may keep that from being a reality. I’m going to push myself to go anyway, but maybe cut down on the time or go as long as I can. I have to try and work out my shoulders to strengthen the muscles there as those are what causes the majority of my migraines. Tension.  

I’m using MyFitnessPal.com to track my calories and exercise, so if you are on there and want to friend me, my username is jrloveless. The more friends, the merrier, and the more support we can provide each other. I’ve been using MFP for years and it’s a great tool with a lot of resources and a lot of support in the forums. If you haven’t, you should check it out.

Anyway, back to work and back to pushing myself to go a step further today!

“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier

~J.R. ~

I woke up this morning...

Me right now. 

I have been trying to update at least once a week with relevant information to my writing or the author community. Unfortunately, I got sick a couple weeks back and missed that week and then the next week I went on vacation to MegaCon Orlando and didn't have a chance to write anything. But, here I am. Tired as all get out though as my sleeping pattern hasn't been the best.

I've always been a yo-yo dieter. Jump on the diet, fall off the diet. Mostly due to migraines, but also due to my lack of discipline with myself. I started gaining weight when I was 11 years old and haven't stopped. I hit my heaviest weight ever about five years ago. I've since lost over 66lbs and then gained back 25lbs.

But this morning, I woke up and I felt awful. My lower back hurt, it was rough getting out of bed, and it was hard to catch my breath doing basic things. I knew it was time to stop letting my migraines and my lack of discipline define how I took care of myself. I lost over 50lbs in six months two years ago and managed to keep that off until the last eight months when I just stopped caring about what I ate again and stopped being active.

A friend of mine gave me a motivation calendar for my desk at work for getting fit. Some of the phrases and quotes are quite inspirational. I think the best is: "Discipline is just choosing between what you want NOW and what you want MOST." There is never a truer set of words and they could be applied to many aspects of your life. Including Writing.

My writing hasn't been kept up on either and I need to rectify that. Truly rectify it and not just talk about it. The same for getting myself healthier. I need to make better choices everywhere in my life and I need to stop making excuses. No one is going to do it for me. It's not going to just magically happen. I have to want it and I mean truly want it. There can be no more, "I have a headache so that makes it okay," but it really doesn't.

My first act today was to eat right for breakfast and to start drinking more water. I'm on 7 glasses for the day already. I also brought my gym bag to work and I am going to go walk on the treadmill for as long as I can. I know I felt so much better physically when I was working out and I slept better, too. I went to the gym four to six times a week, depending on my schedule. I know I can do that again. It's an hour a day. One hour. And the same needs to apply to my writing. One hour... it's not a lot to give! There's 24 in a day!!

Nothing is accomplished in life without determination, grit, and desire. I have all three when I truly want something and I want this. I don't want to let another year slip by without having something for my readers. I don't want to continue to wake up every morning exhausted because I couldn't sleep well or my back is screaming. I don't want to go through the day and avoid the stairs because it leaves me out of breath just because I'm so out of shape. I need to do this! I CAN and I WILL do this!

~J.R.~