Beautiful Behaviors - July 2017

@SuperDivvy - in the same boat as you -- about to turn 47 and weighed in at 220 a couple of weeks ago. Just got a mani/pedi yesterday, it's the little "carrot" I'm using to help incent me to stay on track -- I can only get one once I've lost 5 lbs since the last salon visit.

I've been doing a Daily Stoic challenge (based on the book of the same name). Yesterday's lesson was that no one can make you miserable without your consent. Being overwhelmed by work or life or worry is dependent on external sources, which have no direct link to our minds. We see the "overwhelmed" behavior pattern and repeat it, but it's not inevitable. Or, in Hamlet's terms, "There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so."

Hello everyone! Im still hanging around. Glad to see @aleahurst is doing better. I am still doing the water challenge. Im doing pretty good. How are you doing with it?

@Kullerva - love the line from Hamlet. I actually tell my family this a lot. Maybe one day they will listen. LOL

I am back at it in the gym. Yesterday was cardio - run/walk. Today was legs. I will fill it tomorrow. Tomorrow will be cardio again and then arms on Thursday. Friday will be cardio because of softball then rest Saturday and Sunday to start all over next week again. We go on vacation starting Wednesday. Going to make next week's beautiful behavior to not over indulge and to continue the work outs even while on vacation.

Oh and I am shooting my bow every day now so that is really helping with my upper body strength and conditioning. Yeah!!!

I hope you all continue to stay on track. Me...out!

happysherri wrote: »

Fit is not a destination, it is a way of life. *Even when you reach your goal weight or accomplish a look; you still need to move forward.

I love it!! Life is not a destination, it is a way of life. I think that is why people who get a lot of money or lose a lot of weight aren't happy for the long-term. You have to keep moving. I have found that swimming 6 days a week and eating healthy has been a great start. I do need to keep moving forward and finding new things!

I had a great workout this morning and led my lane (we had two lanes). I kept up with the leader guy (who is normally faster than me) in the other lane. I felt good about my speed and people were not catching me. Granted, we weren't sprinting (I am not good at that). I felt great. I am finally under 170 lbs!! Yay!

My swimmers' itch from the lake is awful, it has gotten worse and my friend from swimming says my skin looks like hamburger. I went to the dr yesterday and they gave me a topical steroid. I called today and should get an oral steroid. Argh! I love swimming in the lake, but my skin is so sensitive.

Small victories. I also realized last night that I made it all the way through yesterday without my Adderall. I am dragging a little, so I need it for my fatigue, but am happy I can still work and swim without it.

@aleahurst - you are very inspiring, pushing through your lung problems and hiking, thank you
@Kullerva - love your thinking of choosing to be miserable
@str8bowbabe - congrats on the water challenge

I met with my therapist and she talked me through some stuff with my son and college. I have decided that I need to have a long talk with him tomorrow and set expectations with him. If he chooses not to meet those expectations, I don't have to co-sign loans in January for him. He does need to realize that even though he is 18 and going to college, he still needs to take his meds every day and stick to a schedule to get study help. If he makes bad choices, he will lose his scholarship that he worked very hard for. He will end up at community college not running. I am the only one who can help him right now with student loans and he needs to take that seriously. If he doesn't make it and doesn't pay me back, the most I will take out is $4-5K. I can take that loss. (I lost a lot more married to his father) His dad (who has squandered his money and his life) tried to make his wife feel guilty for not taking out a loan to help my son. I told her that it isn't her responsibility to help him. She has helped raise him, to which I will forever be grateful. My ex is a dick!

Less stress...

I live on a beach and now that the weather is nice I try to catch the sunset every night when my son doesn't have a baseball game. I bring my dog so he can run on the beach and then we take a long evening walk together!

Good morning everyone!

My first couple days of intentional eating were interesting. Stacy's pita chips are best eaten while perusing facebook. However, they left me bloated and vowing to never do that again!

Today, I ate mindfully and really enjoyed the food. It is 8 a.m. and I have not yet gone over my calorie allotment! Yay!

Love to all.

Lea

I haven't checked in for a while - life has been stressful! I'm trying really hard to stay on top of things. The good news is that, fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong in the next two days, my mom's friend with the gorgeous house with the pool and hot tub wants me and my husband to housesit for her for the next week. She is a lovely lady and last time we did this for her she did things like stock the fridge, chill wine for us, and set out individually wrapped scented soaps and candles. It was like staying at an upscale b&b, only getting paid for the privilege. In return we have to keep company with her two elderly dogs, who are well behaved, sensible, dear little beings, and take them for walks in her lovely, walkable neighborhood.

I'm praying my health, which has been dicey, holds out for the foreseeable future. If all goes well I will be completing my evolution into a pool-floatie based lifeform. We went over today to check in and make sure the dogs remembered who we were, and she has bought all new pool floaties just for our entertainment. My husband has promised to make frappe drinks and serve them to me poolside. I've added various strokes and pool related behavior to my frequent exercise list in preparation. How many calories does pool chair jousting with foam noodles burn?

@aleahurst - thanks for the laugh! I hope you are doing better since you got your machine straightened out.
@str8bowbabe - I don't think I've asked, how heavy a bow do you draw? I know my arms were much stronger when I used to shoot with a recurve regularly than they are now. Back in the day, my husband couldn't even draw my competition bow! I should get my light weight "starter bow" out of the back of the closet and set up a target range, my arms are my weakest link.
@katadx - hope you enjoyed the fair! Our local fair is in September, and the last time I went I was too heavy for most of the rides, as well as being concerned about my heart and not able to walk far. This time around I want to enjoy myself.
@DharmainHeels - a beach and a dog sounds beautiful, all right!
@jessiquoi - I'm so sorry to hear about your knee! Not being able to exercise properly makes staying healthy so much harder. Are you able to stationary cycle without it hurting? That ended up being a lifesaver for my knees - my right knee has no acl and a habit of going in and out, but I can usually cycle when I can't do other activities. That whole walking up stairs thing in particular, not good for sore knees.
@nickiphillips1 - Feeling for you with the situation with your son. As someone who spun out in college and lost a scholarship and ended up in state college, I wish I could reach back through time, grab my freshman self by the ears and give myself a good shake. The thing I would tell myself is "Ask for help when you need it!" There were so many people around me who would have been willing to help me succeed if I had only asked - my parents, professors who would have given extra time on assignments or let me drop classes, better friends than the ones I foolishly spent most of my time with. There's not much you can do other than what you're doing, trying to make it as easy for him to be his best self as possible.

Hi everyone, yes baby steps are where it's at! Or sometimes we develop a lot of small habits that are beneficial but only mildly effective, but then some life thing happens that causes a huge shift and all the pieces fall into place. This is all about self-care!

Hi ladies, just checking in. Good to read all your posts. This isn't an easy journey is it? Each day is a challenge. Let's continue to hang tough, and be kind to ourselves.

Today I ate the most nutrient dense breakfast...

I'll report back if it helps.

Love to all.

Lea

@rheddmobile - Alright!!! The pool floatie lifestyle seems to suit your personality. Wish I were there! Ah.

Update: 35 ape arm exercises done! I put a little of breakfast back in the fridge.

@happysherri - hey. If you are too fatigued to work out, please say a prayer for yourself and me and the others here who are suffering chronic fatigue. Thank you!!!

Hi Ladies,

Sorry, I know it's been a while (this is exactly how every entry into my journal starts out...). Staying busy; I guess that's not a bad thing.

My niceness to myself this week was not berating myself after totally blowing it this weekend. We overstuffed our weekend with food-centric activities, with disastrous results. I stayed awesomely in my calories Friday night when we went to our friends' house for dinner. I even passed on homemade pie. Saturday night at game night was less successful...sandwiches, chips, brownies...that snacky stuff really got the better of me. Sunday was worse, though. I just ate without abandon from lunchtime on through afternoon and dinner plans with friends to eat out.

Oh well. Monday was a new day, and this week has been good so far. Just avoiding weighing myself for a while and not beating myself up for there being a limit to my willpower. So be it.

Getting ready for a Seattle trip at the end of August, so I'm trying to focus this week.

Hope you all are having lovely weeks so far. Hang in there!

Amy