Shape shifting

Hello friends, my name is Lisa and I'm a shape shifter. No, not one of those creatures that turns into an animal like on True Blood. But I've made it past 40 days straight of exercise, and I'm noticing a difference in my shape.

It first started when I noticed my quads were starting to re-form from the bottom up. I looked down one day, and my saddlebags at the top of my thighs were definitely sticking out in a new way, a good way ... they were a bit smaller as the outline of my thigh is getting straighter! Couple this with my backside firming up as well (and causing more shaping from the top of the thigh), and I'm hopeful this is the year that my thighs will stop sticking out farther than my hips.

I tried on my dress for Charity Ball a few days ago. It's a beautiful red dress that's mostly backless. I have a nice big line of definition down my back! But what you can't see in this dress is that my abs are starting to whittle also. This, with the thigh/hip slimming, might be why my pants are starting to get loose. In fact, I wore a long slim skirt last week I hadn't worn in a good 6 months...I had some slimming garments to assist, but I still used to feel like a sausage in the ensemble, and I didn't on Thursday.

And the bump in my bicep is slowly creeping back in as well. I notice this most when I strap on my arm band for a run.

I have to stay, this is very encouraging to me. It's been a long 44 days. There's been days where I didn't want to do any activity AT ALL. But I did it. And I've lost 4.2 pounds in 2 months. It's not a fast loss, but the changing shape of my body tells me it's a healthy loss, and I'm gaining some cool muscles in the process.

I can't wait to see what shape I'll be in by our anniversary this summer. It would rock if I looked BETTER than I did 10 years ago :)

Respect yourself

In yoga this weekend, our instructor encouraged us to be more forgiving of ourselves. This has been on my mind ever since. Like most people, I am very hard on myself. As much as I've tried hard to become more easygoing the past few years, I still cling to bits of perfectionism. Old habits die hard, I guess.

Take weight loss, for example. I have lost about 4 pounds since Thanksgiving. Instead of being thrilled that I've almost lost a bag of flour's weight, some days I feel like I could be doing better. Then I remember that I went through the ENTIRE holiday season without gaining weight, plus had plenty of days in there when I ate a lot of "bad" foods, and the ugly perfectionist monster is silenced.

What I'm working to focus on instead are the high points. I've been exercising for 39 days straight. I've lost a few inches off my measurements, and I'm starting to physically see muscle changes, especially in my abs and thighs (my least favorite parts). My clothes are getting looser again. I've made my 300 minutes of exercise a week for 3 weeks in a row. I'm eating more fruits and vegetables. Heck, there's a lot to celebrate!

Which brings me back to the point that while we all may work hard to show respect and courtesy to others, we often put ourselves at the bottom of the list and we shouldn't. I try so hard to be positive outwardly, that sometimes the negativity nags and I take it out on me. I shouldn't.

I also started thinking about another dimension of self-respect on my run tonight. We owe it to ourselves to treat our bodies the best we can. It's an ultimate respect. When we sit on the couch instead of working out, or eat junky foods instead of nourishing ones, it's like saying we don't care about ourselves. We're worth it, right? We want to live long lives, spend them with family and friends...heck, even give Jack Lalanne's lifespan a whirl...why not?? But if we don't put ourselves towards the top of the care list, we might not be well enough or live long enough to do all that.

So I'm rededicating myself to my goals and plan. Wednesday is day 40. I've been through my own personal Lent of sorts and am ready for the next level. I'm going to make my best effort to switch to morning workouts in recognition of the fact that I have an extremely busy February, and I don't want to lose the momentum I've gained. It's going to take a lot of willpower, but I owe it to me.

What will you do this week to show yourself a little respect?

Perseverance and Privilege

This week, it's taken some serious perseverance to stick to my workout plan. It was super cold in the evenings. Not wanting to leave the house, I became reacquainted with my old friend Wii Fit. Last night, I didn't want to be active after a very full day at leadership class and happy hour after. But I rode the bike because I knew I should counteract the sitting all day. And today was one of my tougher runs in the past few weeks, but I knew I should stick it out so I would enjoy the race next week.

I've noticed a theme of perseverance in my reading lately. I just finished a set of books about what our grandparents knew and did for themselves that we don't or take for granted. One chapter talked about how to persevere. Then, there's the article floating around Facebook about how Chinese mothers push their children to success. It states that we don't truly enjoy an activity until we are good at it, and its the parent's responsibility to make sure the hours of practice happen to get there. And on my to-read list is Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, which points out how all great successes take about 10,000 hours of practice to get there (e.g. The Beatles).

This really got me thinking how easily we give up when something gets tough. If we let one small distraction, mistake or failure distract us, how do we get to the success we wish to achieve? We can't. We need to recognize we are human, stuff happens, and move on. Sure, every meal I eat won't be perfect. There will be days I don't have a great workout, or maybe don't even get one in at all. But I'll be ready to jump back on the horse and get after it again, because I want to reach my greater goal of being the healthiest I can be.

I encourage you to do the same, because we have the privilege to take control of our lives, and make choices for ourselves. Yesterday in leadership class, we studied diversity. There were a few parts that really made me realize how fortunate each of us is. We did one activity where you had to "lose" a sense. Some people wore blindfolds over their eyes or mouth, not able to see or hear. I had earplugs, so I wasn't supposed to be able to hear. What was interesting as we walked from one building to another, the "blind" people all noticed a plane flew overhead, that none of the others heard.

Later in the day, we heard from a Holocaust survivor. To hear the things he experienced as a 13-year-old boy were beyond imagine. But he is thankful every day for his privilege to live his life.

So as I was struggling through my run, I thought about how many people aren't able to even get out and run. It reminded me that I am privileged to be able to make time for exercise, to get out and do it, and even to experience the pain and soreness that comes with it. And that's what pushed me through that last tough mile.

So when you have a tough day, in health or otherwise, just remember that someone else may wish with all their heart they could be where you are, doing what you are able to do. And that might help you persevere.

Focus and be present

I have been thinking a lot this new year about my revitalized efforts to get healthy. One theme that keeps running through my head is that of focus.

During my holiday break, I took up hot yoga. I've done yoga before and missed it, and the heat adds an extra bit of challenge I love. What I'd forgotten and let slip in my life is the reminder in yoga practice that it is important to maintain focus, be present and concentrate on the moment at hand. Like most of us, I'm a crazy multitasker. Adam often picks on me that he should toss my phone across the room sometimes so I quit trying to do three things at once (this while he watches TV and has a laptop in his lap...but I digress).

So over the break, I began to try and just focus on one activity or task at a time, and fully take in the moments. I avoided wearing a watch as I ran errands. I loved the sense of calm that more fully engaging myself brought. I worked hard to let thoughts that crept in pass like clouds in the sky (as one of our yogis encouraged), acknowledging them but not being distracted.

During and since that time, I began applying this to other workouts besides yoga. I started noticing how my abs work while on the elliptical. I noticed how if I swing my arms just so while I run, my leg strides are easier to maintain. Sure, I still exercise with my headphones on, but I started paying more attention to how my muscles were moving and it was cool (guess I won't entirely become a uni-tasker!) So I decided to apply this concept too towards planning my eating and exercise.

For eating, I do the best I can for that meal or snack. A great example was a work dinner out tonight. It was a meeting I'd been to before, so I knew the buffet would be steak, mashed potatoes, some vegetable, and salad. I decided I'd probably not finish my steak as they are usually so big (estimate 8 oz., that's a lot for little me!), have a tiny taste of potatoes, and concentrate on getting a lot of greens in. What worked out better was I was at the end of the line, so had to start eating while they got more steak, and filled up on vegetables and salad enough that I ate about 5 of 8 oz. of steak and was full. Success!

For exercise, I have a general overview of what I want to accomplish for my 300 minutes a week: at least one run, one day of yoga and one or two days of elliptical with weight lifting after. The rest, I look at my schedule, and try to fill with classes if possible to break up boredom. My fall backs (great on a day like today when the meeting went long) are block walks, the recumbent bike, or the Wii Fit. I wanted to bike tonight, but getting home later meant I stairstepped like crazy on the Wii. I was still puffing so I know it was worth it.

What I think is leading to some success at this point for me is visualizing my day and week (hey if it works for athletes, I'll take it!), determining a framework, but also having a Plan B in mind in case of emergency. I'm also taking it a moment at a time.

After all, if we aren't living in the moment, won't it just pass us by and we'll wonder where it went?

My 2011 plan

Happy 2011 y'all! I like the promise of a new year. It's as if with the turn of the calendar, the slate is wiped clean, and anything is possible. I've spent the past few days thinking what I'd like to see the new year bring.

Like last year, instead of setting resolutions, I'll outline a plan that to guide my days. It seemed to work really well last year, so here goes:

1. Running: I'm already starting out more positively without the pain of last winter. I'd like to work towards a half-marathon before I turn 35. Right now, I'm thinking of the Mardi Gras half in NO in Feb. 2012. To get there, I want to train and race more regularly. My goal: 8 races this year. I already have my eye on them: Rockets 5k in Jan., Rodeo 10k in Feb. (with the Bayou Classic in March as a backup if needed), Memorial Park 4 mi in Apr., either the Astros 5k or the Contraband Days 5 miler (in Lake Charles) in May, possibly a July 4 and Labor Day race, the 10-miler in Oct. I wanted to do last year, and the traditional Turkey Trot in Nov. I'd like to do most of these in barefoot shoes but will see how that treats me.
2. Staying active: My physician says I should aim for 45 minutes a day to keep the hereditary high blood pressure at bay. I'm fine now, but it will creep up as I get older. Staying active and will help with my thyroid issues too (just realizing now I didn't mention either of these in the 2010 review, and they were big game changers for me!). My goal: 300 minutes/week. I know I didn't hit the 200 weekly every week last year, but I think setting my goal high encouraged me to aim higher some days than I would have. Plus, I'd like to take a hot yoga class most weeks this year, so that will be almost a third of the weekly total if I'm successful. As I start training, long runs will eat a lot of that time too. It should be easy to get the minutes, as long as I commit to making them a priority! I'd also like to lift weights at least once a week as well.
3. Eating: I plan to continue tracking through the new Weight Watchers program most days. I recognize it is OK and healthy to take a day off now and then for special occasions (Christmas etc) where it's just not practical to weigh everything out. I am proud that this holiday season, I really worked well on portion control. It's more important to have tastes of everything and not stuff myself! I also want to eat more fruits and veggies, which the plan promotes. My goal: Achieve a healthy weight (under 150) through eating better, watching portions and staying active. I haven't settled on an exact weight number, knowing that the more fit I become, some of that will result in muscle gain. But under 150 is a healthy BMI for my height. And I'm only a few pounds over that now, so that should be achievable! It would also be nice to get closer to my 10-years-ago weight in time for our anniversary this summer!
4. Professionally: I will take the CFRE this year. My goal: to take the CFRE review course in Feb. and apply for the exam by the last deadline of Aug. 26 to test in fall. I will hit 10 years total of fundraising in Oct. (7 consecutive in Apr.), so it's time to add this to my resume. I may need to spread it out to the end of the year though ... the course and exam are both several hundred $$ each. (See previous note about anniversary: we are planning a second honeymoon and are saving for it!)
5. Personally: I want to read more often. I read a few books this year and really enjoyed it, but I've lost this discipline. My goal: to read a book a month (12 total) this year, and make it a mix of fiction and non-fiction. That will keep me from just reading 12 business or self-improvement books!

So this is my plan, and I'd like to stick to most of it again. What's your game plan for 2011?