Winning the Race

Last week, during our company meeting, one topic that came up was how Team New Zealand finally came to win the America’s Cup.  The focus of our meeting was about “getting better” by setting small goals that result in big change over time. It was said that Team New Zealand was able to win the America’s Cup by making small focused changes in their performance, and these changes helped them to win the race.

This image really stuck in my mind, picturing the crew working together as a team to tweak their performance really got me thinking about my work and personal performance and how I could kick things up a notch. It also got me thinking about my weight loss efforts.  I love Weight Watcher’s because they embrace this notion of small goals leading to big change.  When you join, you work toward reaching 5% of your weight loss, then 10% of your weight loss, then finally your goal weight.  This makes that daunting weight loss (that seems to take forever) more achievable.

This time around for me on Weight Watcher’s, just like Team New Zealand, I decided to make small manageable changes. I decided that making drastic changes just weren’t sustainable in the long term for me. And as hard as it was to accept, I had to embrace the fact that small changes do not lead to instant results. There are so many diet programs out there that promise a quick fix- lose 20 inches in 20 days or lose 30 pounds in 30 days- and these may work short term, but as soon as you go off the plan, or stop taking the magic pills, the weight loss comes back on.

Those of you who know me well know I am an extremely picky eater. My repertoire of vegetables consists of green beans. I throw caution to the wind by trying wheat bread. And that’s OK. I might not be eating perfect, but I’m eating better. Back in the day, my typical lunch from Burger King was a Whopper, large fries, large coke and an apple pie. Now, I really don’t choose to go to Burger King, but if I do with my kids, I make different choices. I now have a kid’s cheeseburger, apple fries and a small coke. Yes, I still have my coke; I love me an iced cold Coca-Cola! I’d rather have a coke once a week and savor it and have water the rest of the week. It may not seem like a lot, but that’s a difference of 990 calories for one meal. Imagine the impact this small change can make over several meals per week, per year and MAN, you will start to win that race.

Weight loss, is a life change, tweaking small habits over time until you reach and then stay at your goal. For me, weight loss is about making those changes but still living and enjoying my life.

What’s one small change you can make this week that could lead to big results?

Ask for help, make a choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

Baggage Check

A few weeks ago during our Weight Watcher’s meeting, our leader asked the question “besides the scale, how do you measure your success?” There were a variety of great responses- more energy, taking less medication, able to exercise longer, able to play with my kids more, clothing is loose and just overall feeling better. Our leader talked about visual reminders of success. It’s a great way to notice your weekly weight loss successes, big and small; from a five pound bag of sugar to a ten pound bag of potatoes. The first time around on Weight Watcher’s, I lost 40 pounds. I was carrying around four large bags of potatoes, no wonder I was so tired all the time. This time around on Weight Watcher’s, the weight is coming off a lot slower. I’m fourteen years older and my priorities have shifted. Most weeks, after working very hard, my weight loss is .5 pounds. And that’s OK, as long as the scale is moving in the right direction.  

Think about the size of a one pound dumbbell, or a can of vegetables; although they may be small, they still take up some real estate and it’s a great way to visualize the smaller weight losses coming off your body. Last year, when I worked in an office, I used to carry a fabulous purple leather laptop bag. Because I had to walk from the car into the office and up two flights of stairs, I loaded that bag up. It held my laptop, work files, lunch bag, water bottle and so forth.  And let me tell you, that bag was hea-vy! Every day when I entered into the lobby, I was faced with a choice- walk the two flights of stairs, or take the elevator and every day (unless I was feeling seriously spunky); I took the elevator because the bag was so darned heavy. One night after work, I decided to weigh my laptop bag and it weighed eleven pounds!

Fast forward to today.  I have lost 22 pounds- two laptop bags! My visual reminder is my purple laptop bag. I was so tired carrying that extra weight each day that I took the elevator, it was really bogging me down. I wonder, what extra weight are you carrying on your shoulders each day? Is someone or something weighing you down? What can you do to lighten your load? And how can others around you help?

Ask for help, make a choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

What On Earth Was I Thinking?

Last week, I decided to shake things up in my workout routine and try something new. So I scoured the YMCA catalog for something that looked interesting. I decided on a PIYO class which combines pilates, yoga and cardio. Have I ever done pilates? No. How about yoga? A little. And cardio? Well, I am a beast at cardio.

Alarms should have gone off in my brain when I walked into class and it was only the instructor and one other person- signaling A) this class stinks or B) this class is so hard no-one wants to take it. But I took my shoes off and hopped on my yoga mat, enthusiastic and raring to go. After some initial instruction and chatting with the leader about adjusting the routine to my bad wrist and knees, we were off and running.

After the first set, which focused on arms, I thought, I am out WAY of my league. But I’m no quitter, so I kept on going. Then we moved on to legs, and I thought, sweet Jesus, please take me home! My legs were shaking and like jello. We were doing power squats and lunges, combined with quick and repetitive yoga moves like airplane, tree, warrior and a whole bunch of crazy. Sometimes, during the workout, I had to will my body to move. Come on arm, reach down and touch your toe. Come on leg, unwrap yourself from the pretzel pose, you can do it, move leg, MOVE.  I’ve done plenty of workouts in my life, from Tae-Bo to strength training, from Zumba to kickboxing, yet no work out was as tedious as this one.

Did I mention that both the instructor and the other woman were in fabulous shape? Teensy tiny little ladies with muscles to spare. And there I was, extra weight on my knees and ankles, doing my best to…well…do my best. And huffing and puffing, I did.

When I got home, guzzled Gatorade (that I can’t stand the taste of), took some Motrin and got my heart rate down, my husband said “why on earth didn’t you stop if you thought it was too much?” I said “because I’m not a quitter” and “I really wanted to try something new”.  And I think he muttered something about not having common sense and that I was crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, what’s your point?

Looking back now, the whole situation was a bit crazy. I was in over my head and I should have gracefully bowed out. But really, what was running through my head was that I had faced my fear and tried something new. And although I over did it (a tad), I walked through those gym doors and did something scary and out of my comfort zone, and that was the point.

When was the last time you tried something new?

Let’s face it, most of us are creatures of comfort. Yet I wonder, what really cool things are we missing out on? And more importantly, what’s holding us back?

Is there something you’ve been wanting to try? What’s stopping you? Make a goal to try something new this month, don’t wait until the new year, try it now. You’ll be amazed at what you can do, if you just give it a try!

Limitless

Hey blog-o-riffic readers!
Take a look at my latest post written especially for Jon Stolpe's blog Stretched.
And be sure to spend some time in Jon's blog site, he's a wonderful writer and has a lot to share with you!
http://jonstolpe.wordpress.com/
Hugs and friendship,
Tara

Rather Uninspired...

Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself at a loss of what to write about. And believe you me, that doesn’t happen very often as I’m always thinking, dreaming, planning, plotting- you get the drift. I usually have a never-ending list of what I’d like to write about. Why so uninspired?

Well, I think it ties into a big event in our family’s life that happened about 3 weeks ago. We dropped our daughter off at college, freshman year. Our baby girl has flown the nest. And even though she is only 30 minutes from home, I must say, it was a fairly traumatic experience. Now some of you might be thinking, trauma, I can tell you about real trauma- OK I hear you. Some of my friends and family are facing some really tough times right now and my heart breaks for them. But pain is relative to your reality. And dropping Ash off at school was so painful. Nobody warned me of the mixed bag of emotions that I’d lug home with me after I dropped her bags in her dorm room.  

It all seems so final…like you’ve worked so hard over the past 18 years grow your child into contributing member of society and then BLAMMO, they are gone. Sure they are coming home, but as my one friend said “it’s a game changer”. The family dynamics change. The parent-child relationship changes because you realize that your child is now an adult. Holy cow, when did that happen?

You wonder if you did enough, said enough, guided enough, loved enough.

When did we go from wagon rides and pumpkin picking to Barbies and braces? From board games to boys? From plaid dresses to prom dresses and graduation gowns?

Some of you might be reading this and thinking “seriously, Tara, get a grip” and some might be thinking “awe honey, I’ve been there”.

Right now I’m trying to reconcile the fact that things are changing and will continue to change- understanding that not many things are constant.  

One thing I do know for sure is that God has got his hands on Ashlee (and on me) and with his guidance we welcome this new chapter in our lives. And suddenly I find myself feeling rather inspired! So check back with me in a few weeks and I’ll share with you what new challenges have come my way. J

Make the choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

Moving the Finish Line

Well, what can I say? It’s been a while since I’ve taken the time to put pen to paper. And, it’s been a while since I slowed down to take care of me. I have not been on Weight Watcher’s program since July fourth. I’ve been trying my darndest, given our summer of travel, to grab something healthy on the run, and to exercise in between activities.

Last week, I decided to go to Weight Watcher’s to face the dastardly scale, just to check in and see how much damage I managed to put on--- and much to my delight, I only gained .5 pounds. Given my recent love affair with Bakers of Buffington graduation cake and the fact that we’ve had to eat out a lot and make the best of it, I’ll take that half pound gain.

When life gets too busy or overwhelming, the first thing that goes out the door for me is my eating. I would usually say “the heck with it”! What was different for me this time around, is awareness.

I am aware that I am 21 pounds thinner and that no matter what--- I want to finish what I started! I am aware that I feel healthier than I have in years. I am aware that when I put good foods in my body, I feel friggin’ fantastic! I am aware that when I exercise, I sleep better at night and am more mentally sharp the next day. I am aware that I am a fighter, not a quitter, and that getting side tracked doesn’t end the journey.

Think about this, endurance and long distance runners cannot see the finish line, even though they know it’s ahead. And as they venture on, their bodies might start to give out, muscles screaming, but their minds are clearly focused on that finish line. And that mental focus is what keeps them moving toward their goal.

I like to view life as a constantly moving finish line. There’s tons of room on the open road for growth, yet we’ll hit plenty of road blocks along the way. The key is to not let that road block end your journey. It may delay you by a week, or maybe a couple of years. It may re-route your plans altogether. I like to look at road blocks as opportunities and ask myself, what does God want me to take from this?

Our summer of travels may have side tracked me from my weight loss, but I had a wonderful time with my kids, husband, family and friends.

Whatever obstacle you’re facing right now, know that it came into your life at this time for a reason. God is very intentional. Ask yourself what new opportunity can grow from this burden? Maybe you’re elbow deep in it and it’s not evident right now.  Just keep on marching toward your finish line, and as it moves, take a deep breath, reflect and refocus, adjust your pace and know that you are exactly where you are meant to be! 

Make the choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

Home, Home on the (Marshallton) Grange

What a gorgeous day today! Keep it coming Mother Nature! We love it!

This time of year sends me back to my childhood, to the simpler days of summer. Riding my big wheel, jumping rope, making mud pies, playing Little House on the Prairie- all on a breezy summer day.

It also reminds me of the Peach Festival. Every summer, the Marshallton Grange held its annual Peach Festival. It was a night filled with simple joyfulness. Bumpy hayrides that you wanted to go on again and again. The anticipation of the fish pond, throwing your clothes-pinned hook over the top, waiting for the tug to retrieve that special prize. The freshness of the peaches over melted ice cream. Picking a numbered pocket from the pocket lady’s apron, wondering what was inside.  Taking part in the cake walk, hoping that you would take the cake (hey- is that where that saying comes from?).  Playing hide and seek or catching lightening bugs until it was time to go home, and then begging that the hayride would run just one more time.

These are memories from a simpler time, life seemed much less complicated. Time stood still and those slow simmering summer days would go on forever.

It makes me wonder if we have over-complicated the whole weight loss thing? What if we looked at food in a much simpler way? What if food became a way to nourish our bodies? Not a reward, or a punishment; not something to control or lose control of- just plain ol’ nourishment.

Nourishment implies a simple goodness for our bodies. When we put good foods in, we get good things out- like improved health, increased energy, reduced medications, better sleep, glowing skin. It means going back to the basics- enjoying more fruits, veggies, lean meats/protein, low-fat dairy and water and less processed foods, fast foods, fried foods, soda and sweets. It’s going back to what nature has provided us in the purest form.  We know this right? It’s the food pyramid from WAY back in elementary school. Boy those food pyramid people must have been geniuses because it really does work (btw- I had to spell check genius, oh the irony).

It’s not the concept that’s difficult, it’s making it actually happen. It’s flipping the mental switch and then committing to the change.

But let’s not get overwhelmed here. If you begin to make small daily changes, great things will start to happen. Swap out an apple and peanut butter for your morning bowl of cereal. Have a side salad in place of french fries.  Have a half of brownie instead of a whole one. Swap out whole grain pasta for regular pasta.  Eat the chicken sandwich without the roll. Make slow changes that are maintainable and reasonable for the long term.

I challenge you this week to savor the simplicity of food by choosing foods that are good for you. PAY ATTENTION to the way your body feels after eating. Energized ? Healthier? Happier? STOP AND THINK about the foods you’re putting in your body. And I promise you, before you even know what’s happening, your life will start to change.  And your body, just like the hayride, will be begging you to do it again, one more time!

Make the choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara