March 02, 2010

OK, so I could lie and say that week one is over, and I did great and I’ve lost a couple of pounds and I am officially a fitness convert.

“I love exercise – it is amazing, and oh, did I tell you how much I love water, and zucchini and sweating?”

Actually, after having two babies and my now-crazy hormones, I’m sweaty in a t-shirt in -20 weather, but that’s beside the point really. The truth is this past week has been spent feeling sorry for myself, hating on exercise and my fat self every possible moment that wasn’t spent thinking about this huge task that I have before me.

I try to wake up every morning with the best intentions and a positive attitude, but then something goes way off track. Do you ever get up in the morning with every intention of having a perfectly healthy day, only to ruin it with an awful lunch or a crappy dinner? Do you kick yourself afterward or do you just cut yourself some slack? Evidently, you’re just supposed to get right back on that horse and go again, because eventually it will stick.

However, if you’re like me, kicking yourself when you’re down is the order of the day.
I’ve succeeded in the past, so I know it’s possible for me. I’ve done it before, although not necessarily with the healthiest methods, but I did lose a ton of weight after baby #1 and I felt great and happy and shopped like a mad woman. I miss that. Shouldn’t that feeling be enough to get back on the horse? How about knowing that I purposely avoid events that I’m invited to, because I just don’t want people to see me in public. And still with the mirrors – I can’t remember the last time I REALLY looked at myself in the mirror. Looking at a mirror but not at yourself, is a well-practiced art form that I have perfected.
You know what? I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I talk too much. I can talk myself out of ANYTHING – hence why I’m where I’m at. I can do it, no I can’t, don’t eat that, just eat it one last time, who cares if I’m fat, it’s what’s inside that matters. Can you say BS overload?

So Week One is officially a BUST. But I’m trying again – I may fail a lot, but I seem to never give up. That’s something, no? And since this is my game, I decide to veto Week one altogether, and start fresh today – good luck to me. The plan is to exercise every day – I will learn to love exercise if it kills me! (And we all know the Diet Coke and junk is going to get me well before the exercise ever does!) Also, in terms of food, in an effort to make all the must-dos a little less overwhelming, I’m going to try and focus on 1-2 things per week and then add to it each week. So this first week, the goal is NO JUNK FOOD of any kind (that includes the obvious junk we all need to avoid) and DRINKING WATER as my main beverage of choice.

So to sum up:

 Exercise every day
 NO JUNK FOOD
 WATER as the main drink
 Week One can bite me!
 

Labels/Tags: Maria Stanley, phat mummy, losing weight, diet, exercise, water, junk food

Posted by MariaS at 10:59:09 View Comments | Click Here to Comment

February 22, 2010

I think we need therapy.

Back in the day when I was in public school, I HATED gym class. Hated it. I was that girl, the one who LOATHED gym class because I could barely survive one round of dodge ball. Remember the days of having to climb the rope in gym class? Yeah, I was sick that day. I was also picked last for every team sport, every time! My classmates would look at me, apologize for having to do it, and then drop me like a hot potato, for the other kid who was better at four square. Even though I was very thin back then, I was never mistaken as physically capable – I just couldn’t fool them that way. I guess that happens when you wear jeans to gym class.

Fast forward to high school and that mandatory Grade 9 gym class – ie. the bane of my existence. Can you guess how much I loved that class? (Insert painful groans and sarcastic eye rollage here). Superior levels of hate were involved. Let’s put it this way – I was excellent at score keeping. Back then, the happiest day of my life was the end of that grade nine class, knowing it would be the last required gym class FOREVER. Or so I thought.

And then came that part of my life, university and beyond, when people CHOSE to go to the gym to workout. And I realized – the Gym is like that boy that you went to grade school and high school with, who would always ask you out, but could never get you to say yes. Because he was annoying, and because he made you sweat.

Unfortunately, as you get older (or in my case, OLD), you have to work out, in some capacity. You have to, or you get fat (and/or out of shape – also known as FAT). Seriously, all those models and actresses who say they don’t work out are lying – and if they are in fact telling the truth, it’s because they don’t eat, so they don’t count.

I hate the gym. I do. For all those people who love it and can’t live without it, well to you I say, that’s so nice for you. Enjoy. And to those of you who hate it, I welcome you to my club.

Geez Gym, can’t you take a hint? Go away. I don’t need you. I can do it on my own, at home.

Despite my hate/hate relationship with the gym, I really do believe that you don’t really need it, in order to succeed at weight loss – I’ve done it before, alone, and at home and had great success. The physical activity is what is important – the environment in which you do it, is just a minor detail. In a time where there are thousands of workout dvds, programs and endless fitness equipment and paraphernalia available to us, success can happen at home. It’s really all about motivation and planning.
 

So, I would love to hear your thoughts – about working out at home vs. the gym. What do you prefer? What are your secrets for success when working out at home? How do you stay positive and motivated during the process? Leave a comment below and let’s discuss.

Please Note: Due to scheduling conflicts, and the inability to coordinate my availability (being a SAHM) with the gym’s availability and hours, I will no longer be using the gym to work out. Instead, I will be going back to my original plan of working out at home. I will use today’s date, Monday, February 22nd, as day one, and will have a progress report every MONDAY from now on, detailing what I’ve done for the week, in terms of diet, exercise and weight loss. If you want to join me, no matter what program you plan to follow, make today your first day too!

Labels/Tags: Maria Stanley, phat mummy, losing weight, diet, gym, working out at home

Posted by MariaS at 04:01:49 View Comments | Click Here to Comment

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