So today is the first day of MAKING IT HAPPEN. I made myself a small poster for my frig that says "NOW is the time to MAKE IT HAPPEN." I would be happy to share if you want. My great weakness, bread, has proved to me that after several weeks without it, I still can't handle having really good bread in the house without going crazy. That delicious rye bread from the bakery has called to me all week, and I added slices for no reason at all except that they are delicious. When I awoke today, Sophia's admonition rang in my ear "if we don't do it now with all the support we have, when will we do it?" So today is the day. Last night I ate out, but ordered the 3oz sirloin, grilled. It was fine and enough food. I could have ordered two sides of broccali instead of broccali and a baked potato, but it was OK nevertheless, and I only thought of that this morning. That is an example of coming up with the solution after the fact, but there it will be the next time I find myself in a restaurant.
I feel myself getting stronger when I make a good decision, I just don't know why it takes so long. I know that last week was not a good week, I felt weak and needy, and the saying "no " was just not in the vocabulary. So there was the birthday cake at the 95th birthday party, a small slice but unnecessary, the tasting of the special cheese cake at the dinner I attended on Tuesday night, OK, I did manage to take the smallest piece on the plate, but I really didn't need it at all. Today I feel the strength in my bones, and if I can just manage to remember to drink plenty of water, to wash out the toxins, then the fabulous massage I had on Tuesday will really mean something. I am taking the time to re-read some of the materials that I have in my folder from CHLI. I looked at them before, but now in the midst of change, it is important to put them at the forefront. Everyone has been patient with me, except me, and now I am ready to redouble my efforts to make it happen. Magic is not something you can depend on in everyday life. So I am committing to you, kind readers, that I am making it happen and I will report to you how it is going. Each meal will be a small step on the road, using the Kaizen way. I won't worry about the last meal, or the one coming up, just the one in front of me. I have begun the journey again with renewed vigor. I will not use food for anything but nourishment, not for comfort, not instead of feelings, not for celebration. Paulette mentioned to me that if I am not hungry for the next meal on the agenda, it is probably because I ate too much at the last one. In thinking about it, I have not felt hunger all week. A sure sign that I have to make the effort to weigh and measure, to eat more mindfully, and to dring water.
Looking forward to a good workout today. At least the exercise is going well.
Showing posts with label positive results. Show all posts
Showing posts with label positive results. Show all posts
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Things I'm learning from CHLI
Wow, what a way to clear my head and think straight. Exercise, who'd have thought it. It makes me wonder why jocks aren't more self-reflective. Perhaps it is because they are fixated on winning and ore not in it for the "high".
It is really interesting to be the focus of attention. I don't think I have ever before had such concentrated attention. There is not only instruction about how to do things that will enhance my well-being, physical as well as psychological, but a key factor for me has also been something I will have to call permission. Heretofore, I have to admit that concentrating on myself has been something I have not done thinking that I was behaving "selffishly." And I don't think that anyone really equates selfishness with something positive. But if we turn that around a bit, and look at it from a different angle, taking good care of oneself can be quite generous It makes me better able to do the things that I do for my family. It makes me a more alert and aware citizen who is better equipped to handle emergencies, and is not a drag on the economy because I need more services. Good health and good cheer is contagious, just as unhappiness and depression are. So isn't it better to pass on the positive rather than the negative?
So I want to list here some of the positives that I have noticed about myself now that I am getting exercise and eating better. First, I am happy to report that I have lost 5 pounds since April 2 when I had my first resting metabolic rate. Not too bad. Also, I have added afternoon exercise to my routine, something I had never thought I could "fit into " my day. That was one of the things that Suzi and I spoke about, that by calendaring time for my needs, I was putting myself on the list. I have spent a lifetime fitting my needs into whatever time was left over, and we all know that there is never any time left over. Those little Kaizen steps really work.
By now, I have met with Sherri, my personal trainer, and have started stretching at home. I really did not realize how tight some of my muscles were and that this was the reason for alot of my stiffness and not just age encroaching. It is good to see that there are remedies, not that the body doesn't age, because it certainly does, and things wear out, but we can keep limber in the face of it. And we don't have to emit that grunt when we get out of the car or up off the couch. It just isn't so much of an effort anymore.
Also, people who have been home for a while, or should I not generalize about that and just say that since I have been working at home rather than going out to an office, I got a bit too comfortable at home, to the point of becomming a bit leery of new experiences. It was becomming too big an effort to try something new, or go someplace unfamiliar. Oh sure, I would say "sure, I'll come" and then as I was getting dressed to go, I would hear myself whining in my head about wanting to stay home, and not have to bother to put my best foot forward, or put my foot into unfamiliar waters. I wonder if it is the fear of being judged and found wanting.
I always tell my daughters to get dressed and made up so that you are so satisfied with your appearence that you can forget about it and focus on the new people you are meeting and the new situation you are being introduced to. Good advice ? It always seemed so, but I know that when you don't feel your best, it's hard to get to that place. Now that I am taking off some of the weight, even a small amount so that my clothes fit more comfortably, it's easier to take that advice from myself. Now that I am more comfortable walking and standing up straight, I feel like I present a more confident person in the world.
Also, I referred a couple of days ago to being more alert. It's probably all that fresh oxygenated blood to the brain thats making me better. It's also a few other things: knowing that I can accomplish great things a small step at a time, even though I have done that sometimes in my life, knowing that it is an actual method of getting things accomplished that is tried and true is comforting.
Another valuable lesson that is a mental shift is from the nutrition part of the program. If we are trying to lose weight and sticking to a 1500 calorie diet for example, eating an extra cookie for example doesn't make us weak and shouldn't muske us feel as if we've "blown it". That too often leads to further blowing it. If we've had an extra, that may make that day a maintenance day, rather than a losing day. It doesn't make it a "bad" day, or me a bad person or a weak person or a loser, it just means that I went over the limit for weight loss, and stepped for a moment into the maintenance area, so if I want to continue to lose, I have to step back. I hope that this makes sense to you, that I have explained it adequately, because it have made a huge difference for me. It has meant that I am not either ON THE PROGRAM or OFF THE PROGRAM, but that I am on the program with a small deviation for today, and tomorrow ( or the next meal or whatever)I will still be on the program-- not that I was off the program, or wagon, and have to fight to get back on. I AM on, and I will be on, and I can step away for a moment, and step right back.
It is really interesting to be the focus of attention. I don't think I have ever before had such concentrated attention. There is not only instruction about how to do things that will enhance my well-being, physical as well as psychological, but a key factor for me has also been something I will have to call permission. Heretofore, I have to admit that concentrating on myself has been something I have not done thinking that I was behaving "selffishly." And I don't think that anyone really equates selfishness with something positive. But if we turn that around a bit, and look at it from a different angle, taking good care of oneself can be quite generous It makes me better able to do the things that I do for my family. It makes me a more alert and aware citizen who is better equipped to handle emergencies, and is not a drag on the economy because I need more services. Good health and good cheer is contagious, just as unhappiness and depression are. So isn't it better to pass on the positive rather than the negative?
So I want to list here some of the positives that I have noticed about myself now that I am getting exercise and eating better. First, I am happy to report that I have lost 5 pounds since April 2 when I had my first resting metabolic rate. Not too bad. Also, I have added afternoon exercise to my routine, something I had never thought I could "fit into " my day. That was one of the things that Suzi and I spoke about, that by calendaring time for my needs, I was putting myself on the list. I have spent a lifetime fitting my needs into whatever time was left over, and we all know that there is never any time left over. Those little Kaizen steps really work.
By now, I have met with Sherri, my personal trainer, and have started stretching at home. I really did not realize how tight some of my muscles were and that this was the reason for alot of my stiffness and not just age encroaching. It is good to see that there are remedies, not that the body doesn't age, because it certainly does, and things wear out, but we can keep limber in the face of it. And we don't have to emit that grunt when we get out of the car or up off the couch. It just isn't so much of an effort anymore.
Also, people who have been home for a while, or should I not generalize about that and just say that since I have been working at home rather than going out to an office, I got a bit too comfortable at home, to the point of becomming a bit leery of new experiences. It was becomming too big an effort to try something new, or go someplace unfamiliar. Oh sure, I would say "sure, I'll come" and then as I was getting dressed to go, I would hear myself whining in my head about wanting to stay home, and not have to bother to put my best foot forward, or put my foot into unfamiliar waters. I wonder if it is the fear of being judged and found wanting.
I always tell my daughters to get dressed and made up so that you are so satisfied with your appearence that you can forget about it and focus on the new people you are meeting and the new situation you are being introduced to. Good advice ? It always seemed so, but I know that when you don't feel your best, it's hard to get to that place. Now that I am taking off some of the weight, even a small amount so that my clothes fit more comfortably, it's easier to take that advice from myself. Now that I am more comfortable walking and standing up straight, I feel like I present a more confident person in the world.
Also, I referred a couple of days ago to being more alert. It's probably all that fresh oxygenated blood to the brain thats making me better. It's also a few other things: knowing that I can accomplish great things a small step at a time, even though I have done that sometimes in my life, knowing that it is an actual method of getting things accomplished that is tried and true is comforting.
Another valuable lesson that is a mental shift is from the nutrition part of the program. If we are trying to lose weight and sticking to a 1500 calorie diet for example, eating an extra cookie for example doesn't make us weak and shouldn't muske us feel as if we've "blown it". That too often leads to further blowing it. If we've had an extra, that may make that day a maintenance day, rather than a losing day. It doesn't make it a "bad" day, or me a bad person or a weak person or a loser, it just means that I went over the limit for weight loss, and stepped for a moment into the maintenance area, so if I want to continue to lose, I have to step back. I hope that this makes sense to you, that I have explained it adequately, because it have made a huge difference for me. It has meant that I am not either ON THE PROGRAM or OFF THE PROGRAM, but that I am on the program with a small deviation for today, and tomorrow ( or the next meal or whatever)I will still be on the program-- not that I was off the program, or wagon, and have to fight to get back on. I AM on, and I will be on, and I can step away for a moment, and step right back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
