Surround Yourself

I have thought a lot about this blog post... its a little delayed because quite honestly I couldn't think of something I hadn't already written about... but everyday is a new day and the days in our lives are like snowflakes... they may seem the same at a glance.. but each one is different when you look at the detail...

  

And those details say so much more about us than we can ever know... how we react to them can say a lot about our characters and emphasize what we care about, even if it is a small thing... and we all know small things can set us off...

But that's not what this post is about... just a prequel... lets say today (Sunday) I had a moment... a bad moment where I came undone just a little more around my already frayed edges... I am sure you've been there too... where you have this thing you so strongly believe in and want for others but those others are doing every *&%$ thing they can do to contradict everything you've done... you feel so helplessly out of control of the situation that you feel like there is nothing you can do....sometimes to the point you want to give up... you ask yourself is it worth it...
Yes it is.  Yes you are... and if you are helping someone... Yes they are... because you may be all they have... but that one moment of hesitation... 

...it destroys your calm...

And then someone brings you back... they restitch the edges and help you weave them back stronger then they were before...  that someone for me is my husband... he brings me back every time... he is my voice of reason when my inner one shuts down... my own personal cheerleader... in everything I try to do to better myself he is there cheering me on... putting me "in check" when I am doing something bad for me (which usually revolves around food and thinking unhealthy thoughts) ...and reminding me I am human... not a superhero... even though I want to be... 

So the point of this blog post in relation to our wellness journey is for me to ask you... do you have that person? or persons? Having people cheering you on through your ups and helping you get back up from your downs is just as important as the actual exercise and lifestyle changes you are making.  Because no journey is ever accomplished alone.  Faith tells us that whomever we praise walks with us through all the days of our lives.  But they also put those we love and those who love us in our lives to help us through. 

I have learned from experience that true wellness cannot be done alone.  Because Life itself cannot be done alone.  I am blessed to have my husband, family and friends who supports me and make my life better... in turn making me a better, stronger person.  Because they care for me, I can turn to them for strength when I am not strong enough, for calm when mine is fleeting, and for laughter when my smile disappears...

So who is your person...? or people...? hold them close to you... because you will need them in this journey... there will be days when you want to give up.... don't. 

-M

Nothing Worth Having is Easily Attained

So... its been about 2-3 weeks since we've started... how's it going with the challenge?  Are you incorporating the rules into your life, even if its slowly? Truthfully, for me... its not going so great... You see, I didn't have my mind right... there was always some excuse to eat something bad... another truth is that it was pure laziness... Yea I said it... I am guilty of sloth... Strike me down... Wait don't... I'm ready now though... Not that I am saying that as I am writing this that I'm there.. ready to totally embrace these rules into my life....

But I'm closer than I was yesterday. Are you?

True health and fitness is hard. I mean really.. if being healthy in this day and age were easy, we'd all be one app away from it.  And I'm not saying that it's super hard to get in shape... because people are doing it.  I saw a Subway commercial during the Super Bowl about how their spokesperson - Jarrett - has kept the weight he shredded off for 15 years.  Can you imagine... 15 years we have been seeing this man tell us that by making healthy lifestyle choices (doesn't have to be Subway), we too can be where he is today. Think if you started 15 years ago, for those of us who are old enough... or even a year or six months ago.. where would you be today?

The main reason we started this challenge is because people can exercise their bums off, but still not have the body they want or be as healthy as they need to be... because they do not change what and how they eat.  You absolutely cannot out exercise a bad diet.  For the sake of science (they don't call me dazumbageek for nothing), I kinda tested this over the past few months... I usually exercise 5 -7 times a week, depending on what's going on in my life.  There's always cardio and usually some form of muscle torture (i.e. Desert Groove for my Zumba people).  But I didn't change what I ate too much.  Yes I did make sure to drink tons of water and eat fruit and veggies most days, but not as well as I should have.  So since the LoseNow program in the summer of 2012, I have not lost a pound.  I look like I have lost weight due the muscle I have gained, but I figured I should have shredded more, because of that.  The stuff I was putting in my mouth put a kink in that part of the plan.

So now begins the next leg in my experiment.  I will do my best to incorporate all challenge rules and eat as healthy as possible.  Whatever life has to throw at me - coz we all know that family, children, work, traffic, and just life in general, cause us to lose focus of what we should be doing...  Here's a good example... I not only cook for myself, but for my hubby, it will be challenging to purge my home of "white" processed foods - because he is a rice-a-saurus (if you didn't know.. I'm Filipino - rice is considered a food group).  And he likes the occasional chip and cookie and ice cream cone or two... but who doesn't?  No one said you couldn't treat yourself once in a while... just not a full buffet... right??? I digress... but it can be done... I am willing to make two meals if I have to to get this right.. then maybe I can get him to jump on the health bandwagon with me...

So.. are you with me?  I, like any other person out there, need support too... its always more fun to have others working beside you and bouncing ideas off of them (and feeling your pain coz you both really want that post workout cookie).  I know it will be difficult, but I know it can be done.  I've seen too many success stories for it not to work.

Aaannnnnd.... I'm throwing another wrench in our lifestyle change challenge.  If you would like to join me, I have found some mini challenges that will prolly push you (and me) to the limit of the body's ability to function without expletives coming out of our mouths...  They are starting off as 7 day challenges and I will probably run them every 2 weeks, opposite weeks of the blog posts.  Soooo (cue fireworks) you will be hearing from me every week... lol.. no.   I will post the challenges to the "Mini Challenge" tab on the blog and you can do them as you please.  I suggest only doing one at a time.  I plan on doing them once through, then incorporating them into my non-Zumba days.   The first one is SkinnyMS's arm challenge.  This site has some great stuff on it so check it out: SkinnyMS Summer Arm Challenge.  Give it a go... starting next Monday, 2/11/13.  Do as much as you can without hurting yourself.  Remember, which ever weight you choose, your muscle should show fatigue during the 3rd set.   Respond to this post or ask to join the group Get Fit with Z @ NE on Facebook and let us know how its going... Friends don't let friends workout alone... >insert chinky (yea I said that) grin<

Hope to hear from ya'll...
-M