Showing posts with label spinning class. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spinning class. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

July 15th, 2014 Not So Impossible After All

July 15th, 2014 Not So Impossible After All

Embracing a flipped perspective like I did yesterday made today even better. Everything seemed to go as planned, even the not so desirable things, like needing four, yes--four new tires and a four wheel alignment, didn't seem to be as bad as they should have been. My grateful perspective overpowered whatever negative I could have pulled from the circumstances.

My food has been wonderful today. I utilized the Three P's, planning, preparing and packing my way to another successful food day. The most wonderful thing about this is, it's not a chore--it's a pleasure. I'm honoring me by taking extraordinary care. I'm taking pride in my commitment to good choices. And something interesting--I'm making it a source of fun and creativity. When I whip up something in the kitchen, I'm often relying on my creativity. I've never been one to use recipes. Sometimes it fails horribly (remember my attempt to "bake and fake" fried mushrooms a couple of months ago?) but most times it turns out to be something I take great pride and care in creating and enjoying.

I've always been a fast eater. I read a study once about food addicts and one of the findings was how most food addicts in the cycle of active addiction eat really fast. Yes, that was me--and has been me for years. Even when there wasn't a reason to hurry, I would often be the first one finished. This hurried eating, as if the food would be taken away if not consumed quickly, continued even as I started losing weight and eating within a set calorie budget. I've slowed down considerably since I started logging everything in MyFitnessPal, taking a photo and composing a meal description and calorie count Tweet in 140 characters or less (that takes some talent sometimes). Slowing down has allowed me to enjoy the process and experience. I no longer dread cooking something that takes a little more time to prepare. I'm not hurried when it comes to food preparation. I've chosen a different attitude: I'm creating something wonderful, especially for me. Because I'm worth the effort. 

Today was the day I've been talking about: The day I made my triumphant return to the spin studio. Okay--you know what? Let's not use the term triumphant. Yeah-- I mean, it was good, don't get me wrong--but it was tough, very tough. I weigh at least 50 pounds more than when I started spin class during my initial weight loss and slightly more than a hundred pounds heavier than when I rocked the spin class at my healthiest and lowest weight. I knew getting back in there would be a challenge and it was, but not too much. It proved to me that I can do it, even at this higher weight. My backside didn't seem to mind the tiny seat, as if it had muscle memory from all of the spin classes I did back in the day. It wasn't an issue like it seemed to be when I initially started spinning some four years ago. It was an intense workout, as expected--easily the best workout I've experienced lately. Today's class was an intense 30 minutes. Tomorrow afternoon's class will be an hour, but perhaps less intense. The spin class schedule only works for me on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That's the plan. Spin class three times a week and elliptical other days. At least this works for me right now. I'll revisit this plan often and make modifications along the way. I have a giant strength training machine in my spare bedroom and I must get in there and see what it's all about. All in time, all in time.

Life Coach Gerri Helms and I had a wonderful weight loss support group conference call tonight. Occasionally (actually quite often) Gerri challenges me to think long and hard about certain elements I would like to enhance along this road. The biggest thing standing out for me at this point is time management and getting enough sleep. I mentioned how I struggled with getting enough sleep. That's when she challenged me to re-frame this point. How could I turn struggle into harmony? There was a little silence on the line as I contemplated the challenge. Then, suddenly it occurred to me--the solution to bring my actions into harmonious existence with my truest desires. The answer was: Instead of focusing on trying to solve the bigger issue of getting to bed earlier, I needed to focus on the smaller choices I make leading up to my evening. What can I do differently to position myself in a way that is helpful to attaining this goal? I can make sure I get my workouts in earlier, prepare dinner earlier--not wait until late to write this blog, after all--sometimes inspiration happens in the middle of the day, why not seize the moments I can to start a post, instead of book marking the thoughts for a late night writing session? The struggle doesn't need to be focused on "how do I get to bed earlier?" My focus should be "What small, positive steps can I take earlier in the day that will ultimately make getting to bed at a reasonable time easier?" If you think about it, isn't this the way we accomplish all seemingly impossible things? Suddenly we discover they're not so impossible after all.

There will be late nights again, I'm sure. Weekends and unexpected late night work related duties happen from time to time. But most of the time they don't. I must seize most of the time.

I received my total non-fasting cholesterol reading in the mail today. It's one of the many benefits of being a regular blood donor. The picture tweet is below after today's meal Tweets:








Both my blood pressure and total non-fasting cholesterol was categorized as "desirable" according to the Oklahoma Blood Institute. Yes, indeed. I couldn't be happier with these numbers.

Thank you for reading,
Strength,
Sean
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Sunday, July 13, 2014

July 13th, 2014 What Isn't Written

July 13th, 2014 What Isn't Written

Part of sharing the details of my life on a daily basis is the risk of sharing too much. I've become much more seasoned in keeping a level of privacy despite being a "daily diary." Still, if you try, you can draw conclusions by what isn't written. A prime example was my sleeping in today, on a Sunday. I tweeted my first meal of the day shortly before 1pm. I received a very nice message from an acquaintance who expressed concern about whether or not I was a member of a good church. Her intent, sweetness and caring was clearly evident. She wasn't passing judgement, it came from a place of genuine caring. She told me she reads my blog and twitter regularly and has noticed I never mention attending church. She then, very graciously invited me to her family's church, describing their non-denominational style and mentioning how it took her years to convince her husband of 40 years to go, but now he doesn't miss a service. I thanked her for the invitation and explained to her things I normally don't share in my writings.

I'm not ashamed of my faith, I'm just very private about it. This is a non-denominational weight loss blog. I respect other people's freedom of religion and I rarely "go there" for that reason. My faith isn't something that ever needs publicly examined. I have my spiritual moments each day. I pray and I believe. I abundantly give thanks and I don't dare take all of the credit for my dramatic turn around. It's true, I don't have a church home, but I do have a relationship with the divine spirit. I just don't write about it. The fact that this very sweet lady reached out to me like this was touching because she clearly cared very much, even mentioning how much she's enjoyed reading about my wonderful relationship with my mom and grandson Noah. Rest assured, I'm okay, and if ever I decide to once again seek out a church to attend, that nice lady will likely see me sitting in the back row of her non-denominational house of worship. When I have attended, I like sitting in the back. Not because I'm shy, I'm not necessarily. You're able to have a broader perspective back there, where everything is in front of you.

I enjoyed a fabulous workout this afternoon at the YMCA. Turning up the resistance on the elliptical has proved to be a wonderful enhancement! I confirmed the spinning class schedule before departing. Looks like my rear end will be perched atop a spinning cycle at precisely 5:30pm tomorrow afternoon. That's the plan! I'm part nervous and part excited. Mix that together and oh my-- it's a party! I'll be fine. I'm not making any plans in regard to the spinning schedule further than one day out. I need to get in there and see how I do. It was a challenge at my healthiest and lowest weight. I will remember what the spin instructor said to me: "Just do what you can at your own pace." I will. And it'll be good. I can't wait to tell you all about it tomorrow night!

I visited Stillwater this evening to celebrate mom's birthday. I missed the official celebration night on Wednesday, so this was an extra celebration. My Aunt Kelli's husband Tim just had a birthday yesterday, so we were also recognizing him and his. I stopped by Brace Books and More, our big-locally owned and operated independent bookstore, on my way out of town to pick up the book mom requested as a gift. The book was "The Doctors Diet," from the popular daytime television show The Doctors. I felt a sense of irony in buying my mom a book all about weight loss. I joked that I think she has a crush on Dr. Travis Stork, who graces the cover of this latest offering from that show. As I turned to leave the store, I glanced over to see my book nicely displayed on one of the many shelves. Seeing it there made me smile.

We decided to skip the bigger restaurant and visit what has long been one of my favorite fast-food Mexican places. Taco Mayo has some choices I can feel okay about, even though I had some serious mental hurdles to leap, simply because I haven't had any fast food whatsoever in nearly three months--and not that there aren't some good options available out there in the land of fast food, it's just that I was kind of proud of my record. You see, I haven't gone three months without fast food since I was fourteen months old.

I contemplated my dinner options on the way to Stillwater and made my selections in my head prior to arriving. The crispy beef tacos check in at 161 calories, but I didn't want the grease that is often found dripping from those. After all, I was wearing a new shirt! They are incredibly tasty, I'll admit. Taco Mayo always had these crispy ground beef tacos on sale when I was a kid. Twenty-nine cent tacos, then thirty-nine cent tacos were regular specials for many years. It was eating on the cheap--and we loved it so much! Tonight I chose a simple bean tostada, not too unlike what I sometimes make at home, and two white meat chicken crispy tacos with lettuce and tomato only. It was a big, satisfying meal--and I left feeling confident in my choices.

My meal tweets of the day:






And my #lastfoodofday tweet:


Thank you for reading,
Strength,
Sean
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Thursday, July 10, 2014

July 10th, 2014 Go At Your Own Pace

July 10th, 2014 Go At Your Own Pace

I made it through the day without snacking in between meals. Not that, good/well planned snacks are a bad thing, they're not. I've bulked up my meals the past few days since I fell short the other day by more than 300 calories. I'm not a nutrition expert, not even close, but I've listened to enough of them to know I must feed my metabolism! Some say I should eat more than 1700 calories a day and I don't necessarily dispute their assessment, but I'll know when and if I'm ready to bump it up a little. For me, it'll come when I feel like I've raised the bar in the exercise department.

I mentioned yesterday about adding spinning classes to my exercise plan. I did many of these before, but not before hitting somewhere in the 280's, if I remember right. I recently had a conversation with one of the spin instructors at my local YMCA and he asked, "When will I see you back in my class?" I smiled and said "I've got some more weight to lose before I climb onto that seat again." To which he replied, "You can just do what you can in there at your own pace." And this was a light bulb moment for me. He's right. The seat might hurt for a few classes, sure, but my backside will strengthen up quickly and it'll not be an issue, just like it wasn't before. And why do I feel the need to stay on pace with the rest of the regulars in there?? This isn't a competition, after all. Besides, they're regulars! I was also a regular at one point, and what advice did I give to a friend trying it for the first time? "Hey, don't worry--just go at your own pace." It's high time I take the instructor's and my own advice and apply it to me. I'm really looking forward to the incredible workout I know it will provide.

I caught my reflection in a window today and it almost made me emotional in a good way. My reflection was noticeably smaller. Avoiding mirrors, reflections and pictures was a big part of the mental/emotional dynamics of the regain. As if not seeing it made it less than it was. If a family member took a picture of me at my heaviest regain point, I would go out of my way to ignore it--of course, not before reminding them to NOT post them on social media. Why? Embarrassment over the regain, of course! But I'm over that now and it feels incredibly liberating. I still request privacy and control over what pictures others share of me, but it's for different reasons. Since the epiphanies of May 15th, I'm no longer ashamed for being me. And that's bigger than any regain. I've discovered the ability to feel good about myself regardless of the reflection in the window. Still, it felt good to see a smaller me staring back today. Mainly, because it's confirmation that what I'm doing is working well. In the darkness of relapse and regain, the hopeless emotions become very deceiving, convincing us that perhaps returning to a healthy weight isn't possible; isn't an option. But it is possible and it isn't hopeless. It can certainly feel that way, but I'm living proof it isn't.

My food was really good today. Breakfast and lunch was fairly routine and I had planned to cook a nice dinner at home before a friend called asking if I could be a designated driver tonight. I drove and while he did what he was doing, I made my way to the Y for my workout, then I dined on his dime at a very nice restaurant. I'm super picky while eating out these days and for good reason. I found a nice sirloin, some asparagus and sweet potato fries. The server offered to bring bread and I replied: "Please don't, but thank you!" I also ordered the steak to be cooked without any added fat (usually butter), just a dry grill with dry seasonings. It was wonderful. The asparagus was obviously cooked with olive oil and much more than the small spray of olive oil I usually use at home. Instead of 25-35 calories worth of asparagus, it checked in at 112 calories. I will admit, it was the best asparagus I've tasted in a very long time. The sweet potato fries were fried instead of baked like I do at home, so I paired down the serving size until I was confident the 160 cal count I assigned was fairly close. It was a great meal and I feel good about my choices. "Would you like dessert tonight?" she offered. I didn't speak, I just smiled politely and lightly shook my head to indicate a pass. I'm finding incredible strength and pleasure in this new found resolve and control. It's a special kind of place where the feeling of accomplishment is desired more than the temporary high of whatever is on the dessert tray.

Today's meal tweets and a couple extra solely for the sake of amusement:








Thank you for reading,
Strength,
Sean
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