Slow and Steady Maniac

2015 has not been a stellar fitness year for me. It started out with one of the coldest winters on record which meant I was stuck inside with my neuralgia and had to find creative ways to exercise from home. Then I fractured the same foot bone- twice! Two weeks ago I had vein surgery on my lip and I find myself once again on exercise restriction.

Yet ironically enough, I’m in the best physical shape I’ve been in 18 years. 2015 could have been the year that I threw in the towel. Old Tara certainly would have. Old Tara would have gleefully used these limits as a perfect excuse to cozy up on the couch, read a good book (or ten) and binge watch some great shows. She would have succumbed to that all or nothing attitude- well if I can’t get a good calorie burning workout in- why bother?

New Tara? I’m not having it. I worked too hard to get to where I am- healthy, well, energized, and comfortable in my body. New Tara realizes that small slow changes make a lasting impact and eventually get you to your goal. I'm a slow and steady maniac! 

Today I walked on the treadmill at 2.5 miles an hour for 30 minutes. This is vastly slower than I’d usually walk. I could say that I ONLY walked a little over a mile or I ONLY burned 207- calories- why bother? What difference is it going to make? Will it make a difference in my weight loss/maintenance this week, maybe? The difference is that I choose to keep moving. It keeps me emotionally and physically well- my mind, heart, lungs- every single organ gets stronger, better with every step.

2015 has been a test of my willingness. Am I willing to do what it takes to stay well? To find new ways to move my body while stuck inside this winter? Yes! To buy a stationary bike (Craig’s List) when I’m only allowed to use a bike while wearing a boot and stuck inside this winter? Yes! To show up at my personal training appointments while wearing said boot, knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to work as hard yet knowing that I was still working? Yes!

My past few weeks of post-surgery recovery have been way worse than expected. To quote my husband “I was sold a bill of goods.” Truthfully, I expected to be down a week. Last week, when I was sitting in my doctor’s office getting my stitches removed he asked if I had any questions and I asked “when can I exercise?” Now don’t get all judgy of me here, I’m not an obsessive compulsive exerciser, I just know that exercise is a part of my overall wellness regimen. If we could take a moment of silence here to remember old Tara who looked at exercise as a chore, exercise as overwhelming, too embarrassed by her size and physical limits that she wouldn’t even go to the YMCA…

So the doctor answers that he’d like me to rest for two more weeks and normally this would send me into an emotional tailspin and I’d go into an overeating-feel-sorry-for-myself-binge for two weeks. Not this time! I’m walking it, slow and steady. Not focusing on what I can’t do, focusing on what I CAN do.

Often I think that we don’t start something because we can’t do it well enough (or at least that’s how I feel sometimes). So we don’t.even.try. Gosh if we stepped back and looked at that, we’d realize how counterproductive it is.

When life’s obstacles get in the way, just keep going. Don’t try to keep up with others, just do you. Make the choice and find a way to be the best, healthiest version of you.

Commit to the choice. Ask for help. Continue with courage.  

Hugs and Friendship,

Tara

I Love Fall

Is anybody else reading this glad it’s back to school time? Being a working mother of two, I know that back to school brings mixed emotions for Moms, Dads and all caregivers alike. Me? I always tended to do the happy dance when back to school came around. Not to say that I don’t love my children as much as Beverly Goldberg (great show on ABC check it out). I love my schmoopees! I also love getting back into a routine.

Fall is such a great time to get back to a predictable wellness routine or to start a new one. Not just because of the awesome play on words “fall into a routine” but for many reasons. Let’s start with the weather, we get to leave behind that awful humidity and breathe in that crisp air. Each day as the leaves change we get a front row seat to the amazing beauty around us. It’s such a great time to get outside and get our bodies moving.  Fall brings to mind abundance and gratitude. As the seasons change, we get to experience a whole new variety of fruits and vegetables.  Nothing tastes better than a meal prepared from farm to table. What a cool excuse to go out and visit a farmers market and to support the local economy. I don’t know about you but Fall just reminds me how grateful I am to be alive, to be given one more day to do life with my friends and family.

When I was a Weight Watchers leader I used the season change to remind my members to take a pause to check in and see how their wellness routines were going.  It’s a good time to evaluate and re-calibrate. Since weight loss and overall wellness is a lifetime gig, sometimes we can get off track and we don’t even realize it.

As the season changes, I encourage you to take a look at the wellness program you are following. Is it working for you? Are you working it? I mean really doing the work? 

The list below is what I use as my wellness report card. They are the guidelines I use to keep myself on track. Yes, they happen to be the Weight Watchers guidelines and although I don’t work for Weight Watchers anymore, I do believe that the program is practical and doable for life. You may have your own guidelines to add/subtract, the important part is that you check in with yourself and see how you’re doing:  

·         (5) fruits & veggies

·         (1-2) servings of lean protein

·         (2-3) servings of non-fat/low fat dairy

·         Swap out processed foods for whole grains

·         (30+) minutes of activity per day

·         (6) servings of no sugar added liquids (avoid diet sodas if you can)

·         (2) servings of healthy oils

·         Multi-vitamin

·         Limit eating out

·         Watch your sodium & sugar intake

·         Be sure to have an occasional indulgence (key word: occasional)

·         Keep an eye on portion sizes

·         Keep a journal of what you eat and drink (no fibbing)

My kids call me the President of NerdCo and when it comes to school and learning, I don’t deny it. I love to learn, about myself, about others, about everything! I think that this love of learning has served me in my wellness journey because I want to get better. 

Not perfect, better.

Before the holiday chaos and deliciousness, before the New Year’s resolutions, take some time for you. Take a look at where you are and where you want to be, then put a plan in motion to make it happen.

There is no better time to Fall in love with being a healthier version of you.

Make the choice. Commit to the choice. Ask for help. Continue with courage.  

Hugs and Friendship,

Tara

Awakening

It’s funny, when I started seeing a personal trainer back in May- I did a fitness assessment and as part of that assessment they asked two questions:

1) What is your biggest obstacle?

2) What is your level of confidence?

My biggest obstacle was patience. I want results and I want them NOW. My level of confidence was high. I had a “can do” attitude; I was psyched and ready to go!

Yet when I got to the gym I thought to myself- what am I doing here? Gyms are only for fit people. As I was talking to my trainer he said that’s one of the reasons people never sign up, because they wait until they are fit enough to do well. Isn’t that ironic? It’s like cleaning your house before the cleaners arrive.  I felt that way at church too, that I couldn’t lead or participate in a group because I didn’t have enough spiritual knowledge. I let that fear hold me back for years- ridiculous! Now I see that I am a work in progress. God is OK with that and that the goal is progress not perfection.

I was talking with a friend of mine about our weight loss struggles and she mentioned that in high school she used to be an athlete. I responded back that there is still an athlete inside of her; she just lost touch with it. That got me thinking, could I be an athlete? Highly unlikely as I was always more of an art, poetry, dance kind of girl. Yet I posted the word athlete to my vision board a few weeks ago.

If an athlete is a person trained or gifted in exercises or contents involving physical agility, stamina or strength; why can’t I be one?

Before I signed up at Passion for Fitness, I had many excuses as to what I could or could not do. I could not do squats due to bad knees. I could not do much arm work due to bad wrists. As I was working out on Monday- doing kettle bell squats, wall squats, planks, bar push ups- I had a little out of body experience. I was looking in the mirror thinking- who IS that girl? She’s doing everything she said she couldn’t do.

I wonder how many times you’ve stopped and started something because of a preconceived notion that you couldn’t do it. Or worse, have never tried something new for fear of failure.  

Have you ever tried something new because someone believed in you? I’ve been fortunate throughout my life that although I had some tumultuous moments, there has always been that one person who believes in me, who encourages me to just give it a try. This is why I like to invest in people, to show them their possibility and their unique gifts.

What would it take for you to try something new this week?   

What if I told you that you have an all-loving God who has faith in you? He’s your biggest cheerleader. He doesn’t care if you stumble, he’ll love you through it.

What can you do this week that awakes your soul? That makes your heart go pitter-patter with excitement?

Do that!

Take pride in how far you have come and have faith in how far you can go.

Make the choice. Commit to the choice. Ask for help. Continue with courage.  

Hugs and Friendship,

Tara