Getting back up

Okay, so it wasn't the healthiest day for me.

I am extremely sore from yoga yesterday----in a good way. It actually motivates me to do more when I'm sore because I know it's working! Therefore, I thought I needed to skip the gym today.

Seriously----my hamstrings are KILLING me. I can barely walk and I have had trouble picking things off the floor all day. My biceps hurt. My triceps hurt. My back hurts---upper and lower. And not just a little sore---I've been annoying everyone with my moans and groans all day.

One of the things that hurts the worst are the sides of my torso, which I didn't even know could be this sore!

AWESOME!!!!!!

So I didn't go to the gym today and that doesn't feel good. I think I should have gone anyway---even if I didn't do much---just so I wouldn't get out of the habit. My day doesn't feel complete now that I didn't go.

Then----foodwise, today I had some issues. I am feeling bad. It really feels like I'm coming down with something. I've been coughing, weak, throat is getting sore, I'm sneezing and just feeling very low energy overall. When I feel bad, I want comfort food. I look to food to make me feel better. I also had a TERRIBLE day at work and wanted comfort from that.

Here is my confession: for breakfast, I had a McSkillet burrito from McDonalds and a vanilla iced coffee. For lunch, I had a chicken sandwich from Burger King and a chocolate chip cookie. Okay, two chocolate chip cookies.

Then I was back on track for dinner.

But that fast food totally comforted me from my sickness and my bad day. It tasted good and even more importantly it made me FEEL GOOD. It totally made me feel better. I have probably used food all my life to comfort myself for all kinds of negative emotions and feelings.

I fell today, but I got back up. I'm still going.

I just have to be aware of what I'm putting in my body and why and not give in to temptations so easily.

Tomorrow is a new day!

Yoga

Thanks to my awesome friend Tracee, I have now started doing yoga twice a week, in addition to my six days of working out at the gym. We do yoga together in one of our living rooms---whichever home is more convenient for both of us on that particular day.

Tracee knew I hadn't done yoga in many years and when I did yoga before I was in much better shape. So she started me off slowly.

"Oh, this is so much easier than I remembered!" I thought. "This is just stretching and relaxing!" Even though I couldn't do all the poses yet, it was still less physically demanding overall than I thought it would be.

Well, Tracee---who is very experienced in yoga---was just bringing me in slowly. She didn't want to scare me away in the first couple of sessions. Today, I was reminded of what yoga REALLY feels like! Today, she cranked it up.

We did yoga at lunch and it was no longer the beginner yoga. My heart was racing. I was sweating. I was working hard. I've only been back in the office for about an hour and I can already feel the soreness setting in.

Whew! Now THAT was YOGA!!! Wooo-hoooooo!!!

It feels really, really awesome.

Thank you Tracee!!

Getting to the gym

I did not want to go to the gym tonight. At all. I was tired. There is an ice storm coming.

But there is one thing that is getting me to the gym---my 16-year-old son. He LOVES to work out and go to the gym. He's becoming a little obsessive about it, actually. At our new gym, anyone under the age of 17 has to have a parent with them at all times while they workout. This rule is becoming a real blessing for me.

Because of this rule, if I don't go to the gym, my son doesn't get to go to the gym. So everyday, the first thing he asks me is, "When are we going to the gym today?" Then he'll ask me everytime he sees me, "We're still going to the gym today, right?" And when it gets close to whatever time I told him I'd go, he'll find me and say, "Okay, let's go to the gym."

It is kind of annoying at times because I know there is no way I can ever NOT go to the gym, except for the ONE day off a week I negotiated with him. I would disappoint him too much to tell him we aren't going any of the other six days of the week. Plus, I don't want to do anything to discourage his own love for fitness. I don't want him to ever have the problems I've had.

So it does force me to go to the gym when I don't want to go. This is, of course, a good thing. And it's getting me to the gym.

I went 6 days in a row last week---Tuesday thru Sunday. Took Monday off. Then went back tonight. I did cardio for 45 minutes straight on the treadmill.

I have never done that much on the treadmill because I get sooooooooo bored. But I've discovered that bringing a book to read is like magic on the treadmill!! So I'm reading "The Shack" and walking on the treadmill to stay on there longer. I even got the whole exercise "high" feeling today. It felt really good.

Then I did weights. I'm doing great. Just gotta keep plugging away.

Week 1 results

I officially started this journey on Monday, January 19, 2009. During the next 7 days, I was far from perfect, but I ate healthy about 75 percent of the time. And that is a good start.

I also worked out 6 days in a row at the gym, which is awesome.

Yesterday, 7 days later, I weighed in again and was pretty shocked to see that I lost 7.6 pounds!! Woooo-hoooooo!!!

I just have to keep going. As long as I keep going, I will be successful.

New blog

I am restarting my journey towards health and fitness in 2009 and I need lots of love, support and encouragement from all my wonderful friends and family to succeed!

I have tried this several times before in the last 3 years, but I have failed miserably. I am now getting myself back up, dusting off and trying again.

"Failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."----Winston Churchill

I want 2009 to be the year I conquer this. I have done the work on the inside. Now it's time to focus on the outside.

From fat to fit in 2009. Welcome to my journey.