75 Medium - Week 1

This last week, Chad and I started our physical/mental fitness challenges. He is doing the 75 Hard Challenge and making sure to adhere to all of the rules. I am doing the 75 Medium Challenge which is not as strict but still a challenge. The rules I'm following are:

• Track all food eaten each day, stay under 1800 calories 
• Do at least 45 minutes per day of exercise 
• Drink at least 100 ounces of water per day
• Read at least 10 pages of any book each day 
• Take a progress picture once a week

So far, it is going well. The hardest past is the 10 pages of reading because I keep putting it off until the end of the day. I have fallen asleep more than once. Making sure to get in enough exercise isn't too hard, but it is a bit tricky when I work in the temple after work. Last Tuesday, I walked 3 times for 15 minutes. I think I'm going to have to do it that way each time. I don't know how else to fit it in. The rest is a bit easier. 

I know I need to make changes in my life. I am the heaviest I have ever been. Not trying because I don't want my clothes to get too big is stupid. At the rate I'm going, everything people have bought me this summer for graduation and birthday will be too small by the end of the year. My hope is that by doing this challenge, I will have new, healthier habits that will continue through the foreseeable future.

My Odd Dilemma

 I have been struggling with what may or may not be a strange dilemma. I want to lose weight. I hate the way I look in pictures, and I am close to the largest I have ever been. I have a plan to once again start the 75 Medium challenge after I get back from my trip for graduation. (Chad will be starting the 75 Hard challenge again, but I don't think my body can take two 45 minutes workouts a day right now.) It would be wonderful to prove to myself that I can take control of my eating and exercise habits, and my hope is that it would be something I can keep up with for years to come. (The past has proven otherwise, but I would like to give this a try.)

So what is my dilemma? I just bought a few new dresses and stuff for the cruise I went on a week ago. I like these dresses and want to still be able to wear them. One of the dresses is already a bit too big and needs to be slightly altered on top. If I start losing weight, will I have to completely give up this dress that I just bought and like. The other dress is more like a t-shirt dress, so I will probably still be able to wear it if it is too big at least as a swimsuit cover up or pajamas. Some of the other clothes that I bought would have to be replaced. This has been a reason for me to sabotage my efforts to lose weight in the past. 

Even though these are the thoughts that are in my head as I think about doing this challenge, I will try it. I have about 4 weeks to try to rid myself of these self-sabotaging thoughts, and I will do my best to do so. 

Dusted it Off

 

My ex husband gave me a Wii and The Biggest Loser for Christmas as we were separating. I still joke that it was my parting gift because I had wanted it for a while and he didn't want one in the house. 

This game was part of what kept me sane during my divorce. It helped me channel myself to something healthy and positive. Through the following years, I went back to it here and there remembering how much I liked it. 

About a month ago, I tried to play it again, but the two controllers I changed the batteries in didn't work. There was one more I could have tried but didn't because I assumed something was wrong with the console. Last week, Sean changed the batteries in the one last controller. It works! 

Yesterday, I decided to workout with The Biggest Loser. I did an hour of kickboxing. It felt so good! It was hard enough to make me sweat and give me a challenge but easy enough that I didn't want to quit. By the end, I had more energy and knew I wanted to keep up with this program. 

I am now committed to The Biggest Loser workouts 3 times a week for my cardio. I am so excited to be adding this to my routine. 

BurpeeGirl Workouts

 

When looking for a low impact workout on YouTube, I found BurpeeGirl. After one workout, I liked it so much that I subscribed to her channel and now do one of her workouts at least once a week. Last night, I did a metabolic boost with her. It was the hardest workout I have done in a long time and felt great. I was grunting, sweating, and working hard. As I become more consistent in my workouts, I am hoping to workout with her videos more often and hoping to find more that make me sweat as much as I did last night. I will reach my goal weight this year. I am hoping she helps take me there. 

Fresh Start

I know. I start over a lot! I am hoping it sticks this time. 

I have been researching intermittent fasting and reading Fast Like a Girl, and I think I am ready to get going on this. I am starting with 14 hour fasting windows until I finish the book. Then, I will varying my window based on the recommended plans associated with my health issues. I will have to modify it a bit because it says from day 20 until a period starts for part of it, but I have about 60 day cycles. I will see what makes the most sense when I do it. 

I am also making exercise goals again. Chad and I want to run a marathon next year and have our eyes on one that ends a few miles from my dad's house. It is only about 6 months away, and I have a long way to get there. My goal is to get to the gym 3 days a week to train on the treadmill. I'm always concerned about running in the cold. That takes away that excuse. Plus, I can do some weight training while I'm there. 

I really hope this plan works. I hate being this big! 

Yoga Day 7

 

I know. I missed 2 days. Everything is harder when I am off my normal schedule like on the weekends. I'm giving myself grace on this one. 

Today, I did the second to last flow from the runner's yoga series. The one was quite simple, but it felt right. Once again, I was annoyed with Scott's comments. I actually yelled at the phone when he interrupted the rest at the end. I am so glad that I only have one problem left of the series. I can't stand all of his comments. I will be happy to go back to planks and downward dog no matter whet injury I may or may not be dealing with just to not deal with that dude anymore. Why don't I move on? I told myself o was going to complete it and don't want to let myself down one more time. 

Yoga Streak Day 6

 

I was concerned when starting yoga today because I pinched a nerve in my neck somehow this morning, but I committed to this streak and will not give up. Thats right, I have another part of my body in pain. I guess I'm getting old. 

Today's flow was another one from the runner's yoga series. It was fairly good, but a bit harder than the others. I have tight hip flexors, so stretching them is not the easiest. Again, I liked the instruction, but the interruptions were a bit much. I'm getting close to the end of this program, so I'll make different choices for the rest of the streak.