Refocused

Good Saturday morning!  I hope everyone is enjoying this amazing weather :)  My morning got off to a wonderful start with some delicious veggie sausage and scrambled eggs with onions, peppers and topped with chipotle goat cheese.

Paper plates are a busy mom's best friend

After breakfast, I went to the gym and had an amazing workout with Patrice.  She attacked my legs pretty hard.  The last set I did on the leg press was 240lbs and of course, that was followed but four-step lunges with 15lb weights in each hand.  We shall see if I can walk tomorrow!

My mommy can lift more than your mommy ;)

Originally, I had a 7-mile run scheduled for today and 60-minutes of cross-training tomorrow but I am going to put off the run until tomorrow.  I'm going to try to catch up with the Lake Ridge Runners, which is always a lot of fun. 

So, I have been getting down about myself and my progress and I think that I have lost sight of the purpose of this blog and my real goal.  I want to be a better role model for my daughter and I want to show her how to be fit, strong, and happy.  I don't want to constantly worry about being a certain weight or dress size because that's not a healthy way to live.  I need to refocus on the right decisions that I am making, instead of beating myself up over the poor choices. 

Remember, positive affirmations?

I also think that I have  been focusing on my running more than I should be too.  Don't get me wrong, I love running and what it does for me mentally and physically.  It was just devastating when I had to stop running last year and then gained 35lbs.  Now, I am trying to cross-train more and discover more ways of being fit rather than just running.  This also reminds me of the goals that I set for myself when I began working out with Patrice.  I only have three sessions left with her!  It's probably a good idea to do a test-run of these to see how I am progressing before the second assessment.

How do you refocus on your goals?

Skinny is as Skinny thinks?

I can see the eye rolls now!  But seriously, I think this idea has some merit to it.  All my life, I have branded myself the fat girl.  I have proudly proclaimed that I could win any eating contest when given any opponent.  The negative self-speak was not only for my precious inner thoughts but also thoughts I shared with others (I'm sure making them very uncomfortable).  I thought and acted like a fat girl.

As most of you know, I have been reading Jackie Warner's book This is why you are fat (and how to get thin forever).  She has a really interesting chapter entitled "Metaphysiques" which discusses the mind-body connection in conjunction with health.  She stresses that thinking positively about yourself and your actions will help you to shed pounds and achieve overall good health. 

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So back to thinking about myself as a "fat girl."  This type of thinking gave me the permission to eat what I wanted, in any quantity that I wanted and to simply blame it all on "that's just the way I am."  I used to constantly remind myself that I have no will power and I will never have the body that I wanted.  I was completely right!  My momma always taught me to believe that I can achieve anything that I set my mind to and I had set my mind to being helpless and fat.

Now before you get your panties into a royal wad, I'm not saying that genetics and disease don't play a part in the grand scheme of things.  I know they do.  I have taken thyroid medication for hypothyroidism but we tend to use those conditions as a crutch to keep us in our current state. 

I really do believe that to have an effective change in your diet and exercise habits, you will also have to have a healthy change in your the way you think about yourself and your actions.

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Yes, that's right....you may even want to try some positive affirmations!  During your healthy lifestyle journey, focus on what you are doing right because the small accomplishments are the building blocks to achieving big goals.

• I ate fresh fruit instead of cupcakes
• I parked at the back of the parking lot
• I took the stairs at work
• I took the dog for a long walk

When you acknowledge what you are doing right, you will be more encouraged to continue to make those decisions.  When you dwell on what you have done wrong, then you will be more encouraged to give up.

Do you think your overall health could be affected by how you perceive yourself?
~Andrea