Warning: If you do not want to hear someone whine or discuss weight loss, fitness or the like you had best jump off my blog right now… Still here? Then proceed at your own risk.

For the past two years I have relished cold weather season. R E L I S H E D.

Because I love snow? NOPE. Because I cherish the holiday season? NOT EVEN CLOSE.

It is because, for the past two years, I have had serious body issues.  I don’t even want to look at a pair of shorts LET ALONE a swimsuit. ((shudder))

I have had to jump through some crazy hoops to keep myself covered up. (Two boys who have a healthy obsession with pool water will do that to you.)

I’m going to be honest with you, when I hit 37 my body just changed.  The word “changed” doesn’t actually represent what I am trying to express. It is more accurate to say that my body BETRAYED ME. Suddenly I gained easier than I lost. Suddenly my clothes no longer fit. Suddenly I could run a marathon but couldn’t loose five silly little pounds. Suddenly I felt old and tired. Not to mention tired and old. I began to yo-yo diet…

I’ve had awhile to ponder the state I have been residing in and I’ve come to the conclusion that I am finally ready to move forward.

You would think that self-loathing would have given me motivation months ago… but you would be wrong.

The more I ponder it, the more I realize that if your mind isn’t into it… you will fail.  You can’t just go through the motions on this one. There is no auto-pilot. No “phoning it in.” You have to be ready. Your mind must be a steel trap.

I’ve been watching my girlfriend Lori transform for quite some time now. Lori has lost over 100 pounds THE GOOD OLE FASHIONED WAY.

She is amazing. She is tenacious. She is DETERMINED.

Her mind is focused.

And I plan to join her.

Because I believe that I have found my focus. FINALLY.

Post 2 in the Resolution Report series

This weekly report is my accountability to the world as well as a way to help others stay motivated on their own journey to fitness or ahem, a bikini body. I’ll share what I am learning along the way in the tips, techniques, resources & trends section of the posts.

Before I give you some actionable ideas, let me just report that I have lost four pounds in three weeks. YAY! Now, the critic in me thinks I should have lost at least six but hey, I’ll take it!  I’m trying train my brain to get over weighing my success in POUNDS and instead focus on STRENGTH  and BODY FAT loss. Not as easy as it sounds. (I’m half tempted to chuck my scale to avoid the temptation.)

At this moment, my body fat is at 28.2% and my BMI is 24.5.  My goal is to hit 21-22% body fat. I have a way to go, as you can tell.

My upcoming week focus and action items: Hitting my daily water goal and taking those before pictures

TIPS, TECHNIQUES, RESOURCES & TRENDS:

PULL OUT THE CAMERA: You know, a couple of years ago when my husband and I were really focused and on a roll, we took pictures every week of ourselves in bathing suits so we could see the changes that we were making in our bodies. As mortifying (MORTIFYING!) as those pictures were in the beginning, boy did they motivate us to keep our focus. It was thrilling to see visible changes. I have to admit, I’ve been avoiding the camera since January 1. I know that it is time to take that dreaded “before” picture. Sigh. I encourage you to pull out the camera and document your journey. It will keep you motivated and accountable.

FIND AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER: Finding someone to keep you accountable and in essence act as a “cheerleader” is a priceless resource. In this case, tough love can be a blessing.  My partner is Lori. I just emailed her all of my measurements. Talk about vulnerability! Couple that with the fact that she herself has lost over 100+ pounds (not to mention the fact that she is my running partner) and you can imagine how she will help keep me on the straight and narrow.

HIT THE HEAVY WEIGHTS: Obviously I am a cardio girl. I would rather run than do most any other kind of exercise. But there is no denying how rapidly I see results when I hit the weights. (No wimpy weights either. That is just wasting your time, ladies.) I’ll be reporting more on this in my journey but let me just leave you with this little factoid: for each pound of muscle you have, you burn 50 extra calories per day.

EXPERIMENT: Now, obviously I am not a trainer or dietitian so remember these are my own trial and error recommendations… Protein supplements and shakes are very helpful when  you embark on a fitness and weight loss program. I’m a big fan of Myoplex Light (20 g of protein) and Slim Fast High Protein ( 15 g of protein) shakes. I try to substitute a meal with a shake a couple of times a week. Taste wise, I must admit that I prefer the Slim Fast products. They make me feel like I am “cheating” a bit more. Plus, mmmm… chocolate.  And their snack bars really satisfy when I need a sweet fix.

Why is it that I am so busy from an overabundance of work/family obligations that I can’t find time to eat yet don’t manage to loose A STINKING OUNCE?

Why is it that I can clean for days to prepare for my in-laws visiting but my mother-in-law can find hours worth of things to clean while she is here?

Why is it that my son claims that he brushes his teeth every morning but that his toothbrush is a permanent, hard, cementy mess that wouldn’t even be fit for scouring toilets?

Why is it that when I actually have quiet time to sit down to write a blog post I find that I have nothing to say?

ANYONE?

I am THE WORST when it comes to drinking water. I just HATE it with a fiery passion. (The one thing I have in common with Oprah, besides reading.)

And now, one of the number one things this W.W. diet has me doing is GUZZLIN’ H2O.

I spend all of my time in the bathroom these days. Productivity?  Out the window, man.

Bodily functions aside, you can’t deny that getting your recommended water intake IS beneficial.

Not convinced about its importance?  A little cynical? Fine then. Let me share with you some of the things I have learned about good ‘ole H2O:

HEALTHY BRAIN
Wanna fight “Momnesia?” Drinking water keeps your brain functioning properly. Not drinking enough water can be a key element in the cause of headaches, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.  Basically this means that I should have been chugging Evian instead of mountains of chocolate to feed my depression.  Alrighty, then.

HELPS RAISE YOUR METABOLISM
You should know by now that your metabolism is important. Duh. (I’ve been fighting my metabolism for years!) Your metabolism is the means by which the food you consume is turned into energy. The process begins with your digestion where the nutrients in the food is prepared to be absorbed by the body and thereby transformed into energy. Appropriate water intake is crucial to maintaining good digestion, which in turn keeps your metabolism firing. The consumption of water creates better utilization of the nutrients you consume which TADA! results in more energy. And hello, drinking water helps you reduce hunger.  It is just a fact.

RIDS YOUR BODY OF TOXINS
Goodbye junk! Our poor kidneys, we just forget they are there don’t we? The sole purpose of our kidneys is to remove “waste” from our bodies. They flush out all of those disgusting toxins and purify our bloodstream.  Left in our system, toxins make us feel sluggish and unwell and can also put a harmful burden on the other systems in our body. Drinking water regularly lessens the burden on your kidneys and keeps us “pollution free.”

LOOSING WEIGHT
We all know that drinking water is important if you’re trying to lose weight. I mean, every single diet program agrees on that. Come to think of it, it is probably the ONLY THING they all agree on.  Why? Studies have shown that thirst and hunger sensations are triggered together. If there is even a slight dehydration, your  thirst mechanism may be mistaken for hunger causing you to eat when all that your body is actually craving is fluid. Not only that, but since food contains water, if you don’t drink enough you may be subconsciously propelled to eat MORE to consume the necessary water supply. The obvious problem here is that you are given the undesired effects of increased calorie consumption. Water is calorie-free, my friends. So obviously, drinking more water can help you prevent overeating and achieve weight loss.

REVIVES AND FRESHENS YOUR SKIN
Here’s a biggie for all of us out there who are seeing wrinkles creep up on us… If your skin is not properly hydrated, if will look dull and lifeless. Period. Basically, you’ll look like crap. When skin is hydrated it is healthy and plump and more radiant. A fact: Water stimulates the circulation of blood, fluids, and the necessary elements inside our body. It also controls and regulates the skin’s natural balance. It has the power to hydrate, revitalize, detoxify, and oxygenate the skin.  Simply put, deprive yourself of water and you’ll see the difference in the mirror. Ewwwww….

So get over it and drink your water already!

This is the fourth post in a series to focus on

Fitness Fridays! (More here…)

I’ve found some new fitness inspiration this week. I’m giving myself permission to take BABY STEPS. You see, I can’t run right now. I have some sort of injury which has caused me to lay off the running for awhile.

Instead I am focusing on three things:

• relaxation
• water consumption
• high concentration of vegetables & fruits

I’m shooting for 9 glasses of water per day, 60% of my diet from veggies & fruits and heavy doses of sleeping in and walking/meditating. I’m even taking an afternoon break from the office to go outside and walk around the block. It definitely clears my head. And I’ve been working on spending more time with God.

You know, it is amazing the progress that you can make when you give yourself permission to take it slow. My body is responding well, too. The bags are gone from under my eyes, I have a spring in my step and I even feel lighter.  As a matter of fact, I’ve lost 2.8 pounds!  Yippie!

Next week I will add weight training back into the mix along with more walking/cardio, water and veggies. I am hoping to report some good weight loss next week as well!

Tags: Fitness, Fitness Fridays, Inspiration, relaxation, weight loss