Sunday 9 June 2013

Forty Something and Getting Healthy: JOURNEY UPDATE......

Forty Something and Getting Healthy: JOURNEY UPDATE......: Good day all! I wanted to update you on my journey to a better lifestyle. I realized that I had been blogging but not about the many chang...

Forty Something and Getting Healthy: Challenges

Forty Something and Getting Healthy: Challenges: Weekly Challenges to help get you more active or eating healthier...... As we enter a new week I have a new challenge for you. Pick thre...

Saturday 8 June 2013

JOURNEY UPDATE......

Good day all!

I wanted to update you on my journey to a better lifestyle. I realized that I had been blogging but not about the many changes that I have been experiencing.

I feel soooo much better about myself; physically and emotionally. I have so much more confidence in myself and my ability as a teacher, mother, spouse, woman, and friend.

I have noticed how my energy level is so much higher; as long as I continue to workout!! I have accepted that working out is not a means to an end but a permanent part of a healthier lifestyle.

At the gym I have noticed that my endurance and strength have increased dramatically just since Easter Weekend when I joined! I can now run 5 minutes straight on the treadmill and my weights are increasing each week or so.

My clothes have been slowly getting bigger. It amazes me how big some of them are and I am still wearing them! Working out in shorts that are really big on me is becoming a bit of a problem....but a GOOD problem!!

I had a goal of fitting into a pair of capris I had bought last summer but never fit into. My goal was originally by the end of June; but I did not feel that I was progressing so I moved that time line to Mid July. After telling my friend Lindsay about this goal yesterday I decided to try them on to see how much closer I was to my goal (you see when I first bought them I could not even do the zipper up half way!). I wore those capris yesterday!!!! I felt WONDERFUL!!

I still don't know how many inches I have lost, or really how much weight I have lost to date. I did not take my measurements when I began this journey and I only weigh myself once a month or so. I don't NEED to know these numbers to know that I am getting healthier each and every day. I feel it and see it in so many other ways!

How is your journey going? Remember that no one has perfect days each and every day. As Julia Havey told me, "As long as there are more good days than bad in a month, you are having success!!"

Watch for another update during the summer. I have set new goals for myself and I will let you know how they are going!

Yours in Health,

Sheri

Sunday 2 June 2013

Counting Sucess Without a Scale.....


How To.....

  Count success without using a scale or measuring tape......   


My journey to live a healthier lifestyle has been very different this time than the multiple times in my past. Any other time I have been chronic on the scale.....weekly if not daily I would torture myself by stepping on hoping for a miracle drop and ultimately end up disappointed, blaming myself, and eating those negative emotions. It was the same with measurements...I was so eager to see results THAT became my focus and not what mattered.....the positive changes both physically, and emotionally that I was making along my journey. For the past 11 months I have not once taken my measurements and only weigh myself once a month or so.

Like many of us, while losing weight, I have not wanted to buy new clothes and so I am still wearing many of my clothes from before I started losing weight. This makes it very hard to "feel" the difference in my body. So I have relied on other factors to continue feeling positive during my journey to better health. I focus on how I body feels....literally!! My hips are no longer sore when I sleep at night; going up a flight of stairs several times a day at school does not take my breath away; bending over to do up my shoes is no longer sore or awkward.

What I have noticed the most is my energy level. As long as I am working out my energy level is high. That is IF I workout! I tend to workout during the week and spend the weekends with my family (my gym is not 24 hours on the weekends). By Sunday evening I am having a hard time staying awake....I feel drained and ready for a nap. If I had ever wondered if working out on a daily basis was a NEEDED component of a healthy lifestyle....I have definitely found my answer! I FEEL great and energized as long as I am working my body.

My biggest confirmation that positive changes are happening inside this body of mine was while I was at the gym last week. I had decided to switch things up with my cardio workouts and try different machines. The treadmill I had tried when I first started and was unable to run for even a minute without shin splints forcing me to stop. Well, after walking at a quick pace for about 15 minutes I decided to see if I could run for just one minute without pain and without completely losing my breath. Well.....I ran a full 3 minutes! I was ecstatic!! A few minutes later, I thought I would try for another three minutes. To my surprise I ran for 5 minutes!! I was so happy I almost started trying right there on the treadmill! I finished my 30 minute workout and then shared my success with the VERY supportive staff at my gym. I have felt amazingly proud of how well I have been doing at the gym and love sharing my news  with friends and family who are supporting me throughout this journey.

The numbers on the scale and measuring tape do not tell of your real successes. It is how your body changes that shows your real success. A healthy lifestyle means you have energy, your skin has a healthy glow, your hair has shine and your joints are not as sore since they are carrying around less weight.

So the next time you are discouraged and don't think you are seeing changes I encourage you to try something you never used to be able to do. Maybe it is running, or a certain yoga pose, or hiking a certain trail. Whatever it is you try you will definitely receive the confirmation that your body is changing in positive ways!

Yours in Health,

Sheri