Second Month Doldrums
Boy, am I ever understanding this week why so many people fall off their New Year's Resolutions to eat well and exercise by the time they hit February. It's been a struggle this week to motivate myself to keep up with the exercise program I've begun. There's just been nights where curling up in a blanket watching "American Idol" and cross-stitching has been so much more appealing.
To my credit, I have managed to do some exercise each day this week, though not nearly as much as I was doing even a week ago (when winter walking and weights still were a novelty). I figure a bit of walking or 20 minutes of weights is better than not doing anything. I certainly don't feel, though, that it's good enough. I feel I have to whip up my resolve again and make exercising an hour a day a priority. I'm hoping starting the Idita-Walk challenge next week will give me some extra drive.
Much to my surprise I've discovered that chocolate is not the food that tempts me most when I'm trying to eat healthy. I've managed to stay away from chocolate for three weeks and I haven't missed it all that much (#1 rule- just keep it out of the house). It's -French fries- that are proving to be my weakness, the one food that I break down and order in restaurants and fast food places when I should know better. Must beware of that or limit myself to one order of fries a week at most. Have had fries twice in the last four days, hmmm, not good.
Maria on my exercise motivation board had good words for another participant over there today. The other woman was feeling similar doldrums to me because she hadn't exercised in two days and then ate a bunch of pizza last night. Maria reminded her that we're in this for the long haul, that a day or two set-back is forgivable as long as we shake ourselves out of it and get back on-course. Maria should know- she had her own doldrums last week, but she's reporting doing weights or yoga everyday this week :). I really love my exercise motivation board for that reason- at any given time people are energized and in a tizzy of activity or struggling to stay up with their program and both perspectives are useful in trying to stay the course yourself. The go-getters provide inspiration and determination, the strugglers provide empathy and sympathy and we know how easy it is to flip from a go-getter to a struggler and back again from one week to the next. Ultimately, though, I like to log onto that board once a day just to see how everyone is doing and leave a message, but I don't like to do that unless I have some exercise to report myself, which is a great motivator in itself :).
I've thrown my scale back into my closet. The headgames that device can play on you are not fun. I played the three pounds down, two pounds up game through most of January, regardless of how I was exercising or eating, so I'm thinking only pulling out the scale on the first of each month might be more beneficial and might show more encouraging results.
Time to shake myself out of the February doldrums and get back in the game. One day at a time.
Thanks for letting me vent here.
Exercise log: A bit of stretching with my students during their dance class today. Nothing else (and fish and chips for dinner :-/). MASH is starting now, though, so I think I'll go down and do some weight exercises.
To my credit, I have managed to do some exercise each day this week, though not nearly as much as I was doing even a week ago (when winter walking and weights still were a novelty). I figure a bit of walking or 20 minutes of weights is better than not doing anything. I certainly don't feel, though, that it's good enough. I feel I have to whip up my resolve again and make exercising an hour a day a priority. I'm hoping starting the Idita-Walk challenge next week will give me some extra drive.
Much to my surprise I've discovered that chocolate is not the food that tempts me most when I'm trying to eat healthy. I've managed to stay away from chocolate for three weeks and I haven't missed it all that much (#1 rule- just keep it out of the house). It's -French fries- that are proving to be my weakness, the one food that I break down and order in restaurants and fast food places when I should know better. Must beware of that or limit myself to one order of fries a week at most. Have had fries twice in the last four days, hmmm, not good.
Maria on my exercise motivation board had good words for another participant over there today. The other woman was feeling similar doldrums to me because she hadn't exercised in two days and then ate a bunch of pizza last night. Maria reminded her that we're in this for the long haul, that a day or two set-back is forgivable as long as we shake ourselves out of it and get back on-course. Maria should know- she had her own doldrums last week, but she's reporting doing weights or yoga everyday this week :). I really love my exercise motivation board for that reason- at any given time people are energized and in a tizzy of activity or struggling to stay up with their program and both perspectives are useful in trying to stay the course yourself. The go-getters provide inspiration and determination, the strugglers provide empathy and sympathy and we know how easy it is to flip from a go-getter to a struggler and back again from one week to the next. Ultimately, though, I like to log onto that board once a day just to see how everyone is doing and leave a message, but I don't like to do that unless I have some exercise to report myself, which is a great motivator in itself :).
I've thrown my scale back into my closet. The headgames that device can play on you are not fun. I played the three pounds down, two pounds up game through most of January, regardless of how I was exercising or eating, so I'm thinking only pulling out the scale on the first of each month might be more beneficial and might show more encouraging results.
Time to shake myself out of the February doldrums and get back in the game. One day at a time.
Thanks for letting me vent here.
Exercise log: A bit of stretching with my students during their dance class today. Nothing else (and fish and chips for dinner :-/). MASH is starting now, though, so I think I'll go down and do some weight exercises.