unbelievable.....

so it takes an idiot (or two or 100) to break me out of my writing funk, but I needed to share that I'm not happy.....
It would seem logical that I would be upset, like so many of you, about the senseless bombings that occurred today. People lost their lives, limbs and sense of security.....
we have all been plunged back into a state of "what if..."
The thing that is sticking with me...the thing that's really pissing me off, is that someone ruined someone else's day. They took a moment that should have been spectacular and turned it grey...
I work with hundreds of people....many of them have huge goals. The Boston Marathon would be the top of several lists of dream runs.....
My members have become my family.... they work hard to reach their goals. They sacrifice day in and out to get to the place where they want to be. They eat right and run and cross-train and STILL find the time to be amazing husbands and wives and parents and friends. They go to work every day to take care of the things that need to be done. But they have dreams and they work for their dreams.
And it makes me angry beyond belief that some one could take a day full of promise and fulfillment and throw it out the window.....
God bless the runners and the supporters and the families of those who were in Boston today.
Help us to be strong and to move forward....always reaching for our goals. Always striving to be the best we can be.
Congratulations on the victory that should have been yours as you crossed the finish line.........
Own it. Be proud of it. Do it again.....

Old habits....

...die hard, don't they?
Over the last 7 weeks I've struggled to establish some habits in my life.
Habits I hoped to make a permanent part of my day (in no particular order of importance)...
~ Sleep in
~ Exercise Daily
~ Drink more water
~ Organize my home and office
~ Journal Daily
~ Read
~ Establish a regular bedtime
Great goals, right? The progress report follows.....
~  I still wake up at 4:09am EVERY day.
~ If you count teaching class, then yes.
~ YES! I've learned that I can avoid my coffee cravings by drinking warm water throughout the day. I'm actually enjoying this (but I still have a daily glass of wine)
~ Fail.... I've rearranged my schedule so I have office hours and still struggle to keep up with paperwork. I find it's created time for cleaning and MORE meetings, but has had little impact on my organization.
~ Blogging was my tool initially and I thought it was going well. But then I allowed myself to worry about being "good enough" to publish it daily. I missed one day, then 2 and then another and it seemed that the late night "mind-writing" disappeared. I tried to keep a journal at home where I could get things down on paper first..... that lasted about 3 minutes until I fell asleep with a pen in my hand
~ Occasionally. I'm a power reader. If I open the book today, I'll finish by tomorrow, which doesn't lend itself to sleep or enjoyment most of the time.
~ Bedtime is better, but as with everything else, if something better comes along, my schedule doesn't matter.

So as I laid in bed, wide awake at 4:09 this morning, contemplating life, I was thinking about the habits I have successfully walked away from.....

I quit smoking in March, 2007. I started smoking when I was young. STUPID! I quit a couple dozen times over the 20 years that I smoked, twice for over 2 years (once for each baby). But, it wasn't until I was faced with a 9 hour plane ride with 20 of my son's classmates, that I decided I was done for good. Commit lozenges, a good case of jet lag and fear of discovery was all it took for me to give it up for good.

I've quit eating processed foods. My shopping cart used to be full of "just add water and a half a stick of butter" products. Creamy, tasty and easy, right? Fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, right? Good for my family, right? Even after I started down my weight loss path, I'd buy an occasional box or bag to make dinner easier. Not any more...if it gets sauced or spiced in my house, it comes from the fridge or corner spice rack. And convenient means reheating something that was cooked the day before.

I have successfully broken habits that are bad for me, so why can't I permanently create habits that are good for me? Obviously it falls into the all or nothing category. I have discovered that when it comes to permanent change I have to do more than just want it and plan it, I have to DO IT (Like the water thing).
So, instead of trying to revamp my entire life and reaching this point of re-evaluation every 9 weeks, I'm going to focus on the most important ones today and tomorrow and the next day until they become who I am again......
~ Exercise. I will move every day, in some way, starting today. 10,000 steps is the minimum but certainly not the ideal and sweat is required for it to be called exercise!!
~ Journal. When I take the time to write down my food and my thoughts, I am infinitely more successful. I will be writing here every day for a while. You'll get my food, my exercise and my thoughts all in the same place. Accountability, right?

As soon as these two fit into my life, I'll go back and get some more.....

Today.....

I'm a facebook fan.
I love "watching" the activity in my friends lives and I love the opportunity to
connect with like minded people through different business and blog pages.
There is a page I like a lot because the people writing and researching the posts think
like I do.... They are matter-of-fact, scientifically based, no BS kinds of people. The page is Metabolic Effect and a recent post caught my eye and I "clicked to read more".....

"If you don't get results following a "program" whose fault do you think that is? Is it the fault of the program or is it your issue? The answer to this question tells you almost everything you need to know about yourself and the chances of success at body change....." ~ME

Initially, it irritated me. Why would someone say that to a client? Why would you encourage them to move on???
I spend hours every week helping people change not only their bodies but also the way they live. I know that anyone can  lose weight, become more physically fit and improve their overall health if they are willing to exercise and eat healthy. I also spend hours wondering how many people will stay committed to the Goals program and how many will sign up for the next 9 week Challenge. I meet with Mardi and Sandy and some of my coaches to talk about ways we can be "more".
But as I re-read the ME post a few things became clearer to me...
I know...

~ It's simply not possible to begin an exercise/eat clean program and not lose weight
~ It is possible for ANYONE to participate in the programs we offer at GIM
~ It has to "fit" in your life
~ You have to be ready to change

I also know....

that includes me.

I jumped on the Challenge bandwagon with the rest of the group 4 weeks ago. While I was away on a mini vacation this weekend, my fellow challengers went through mid-point testing. They "checked in" with the scale and body comp machine and they timed their push-ups and sit-ups. Several had some great results! Some had decent results and some are kind of where they started.

Where am I?? In the middle group. I'm down 10 pounds from my start, but I know it could be more.
I know better than to blame the program, but like so many others I continue to fall into an "all-or-nothing" rut. Week one, I worked out 7 times and walked- and hurt my back. So, week 2, I took it easy and week 3 easier and week 4 went on vacation........
I've eaten as I always do (clean) but, without the discipline of workouts and a "wine free social calendar", I haven't had the results I'd like.

So.... do I change my goals? Do I make a stupid and drastic move & cut nutrient groups out of my diet? Do I go crazy on a treadmill?

NO!!!

Back to the basics for me. Today is my Monday. All day long.... and so is tomorrow and the day after that....

"Not getting results? Then change. Confused? Then figure it out. Don't blame the program, blame yourself. If you are blindly following a program without adjusting to your needs along the way, then it's not the program's fault, it's your own. Go ahead and follow another program if you wish, but chances are until you learn this lesson it too will fail you." ~ME

I've written my grocery list, planned meals in my head and my workouts on my calendar.
So, how is this different than it was before? How do I know it will work this time??
I put a backup plan in place in case I decide to sleep in or a meeting runs longer than it should.....
I have two workouts scheduled- EVERY DAY
I want this, I need this.....

Today is my Monday, how about you?