They say that the first three days without sugar are the most difficult. I think I can say with absolute certainty that it has proven true for me. I was going absolutely nuts yesterday craving chocolate (hormonal imbalance + no chocolate = 😡) but today started to ease up a bit. I still want sweets, but I feel like I can see the way out now. Phew! I woke up early today to go work out with a friend, and I credit that with most of my ability to resist temptation today. Knowing that I had worked out earlier and wouldn't want to this evening was a great motivator to eat healthy foods for the rest of the day. I snacked on a peach to get my sweet fix and had a chicken salad with mixed greens and walnuts for dinner. And I'm surviving. I even walked on the treadmill while working from home today! I'm going to give myself a nice pat on the back for that. I won't bore you with the details of today's workouts, but don't worry -- the next time I do a set of Fitness Marshall videos I'll link them, as always!
If you need moral support to bust through sugar cravings, you can lean on me! I'm getting stronger every day...It always helps to pay it forward, though!
Pokemon update (for those of you who care): I finally caught Doduo today at the park while we were working out! I'm also close to doing my mega-evolution spree and leveling up! Types caught: 68.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
The 7-Day Challenge
Behold, my arch-nemesis:
This week I was challenged by a Facebook friend and fitness/lifestyle coach to cut sugars (both cane sugar and artificial sugars) out of my diet for 7 days. This is going to be rough for me, so I might need you to hold my hand. No, my hands. Back. Hold my hands back as I reach for those milk chocolate covered almonds.
Yesterday I got off to a less than positive start with a pinch of Splenda in my coffee. Ick! Once you get used to real sugar again (yes, I switched from it to sugar a while back), that stuff is nasty. Other than that, I ate pretty healthy with the exception of an English muffin with my eggs. Today's coffee is black. Black like my heart (totally kidding here). And it's completely fine. I guess I can drink my coffee black now. Progress! Back in my early college days, I would drown my coffee in milk and Splenda until it was hardly recognizable as coffee. For a time in 2014-15, I actually completely cut coffee out. When I started drinking it again, it was much closer to actual coffee than I had ever had. Just a spoon of sugar. Eventually, I transitioned to agave syrup. Now, of course, I'm cutting even that out, though it is technically a natural sugar and allowed in this challenge. But if I'm going to do it, I'm going to go all the way. No sweetening, natural or otherwise. When I want a sweet fix, I'm reaching for fruit. Still...I might need someone to physically restrain me from those chocolate covered almonds. Actually, I'm going to stop writing now before I start drooling on my computer just thinking about them. Wish me luck!
Also, quick plug -- if you'd like to join the group that is doing this challenge, please let me know! Kendra posts challenges regularly, both exercise and diet.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Just You Wait
I took a walk around the park this afternoon just to get some sun and stretch my legs a bit. I also hatched two Pokemon (Staryu and Exeggcute, in case you were wondering). As for my intentional workout of the day, here's my Fitness Marshall playlist of the day:
1. "Buttons" (Remember this song?)
2. "Me Too" (It's so fun!)
3. "Bubble Butt" (Guys, his grandma is in this video. It's adorable.)
4. "Anaconda" (Do you sense a booty theme today?)
5. "Cold Water" (Yay new one!)
6. "Into You" (Just to start and end with some diva style)
As I said, my stretches/cooldown were to the Hamilton soundtrack. I'm still listening to it right now, because once I start I can't stop.
Want another tidbit of happiness and/or motivation? Ladies and gentlemen, Laurie Hernandez. She's inspired me (and probably countless others) to take challenges head-on, with a wink.
Wherein I Admit My Laziness
I have a problem. I'll be completely honest about the biggest reason I don't exercise regularly - I'm lazy. Specifically, exercise requires me to change clothes. I don't want to do that. Because that means I'll sweat and I'll have to change clothes again. That's annoying to me. But the alternatives suck, too. Either I sweat in my normal clothes or I stay in sweaty workout clothes. It's a catch-22. Getting over this mental block is something I'm working on, because I know it's a lame excuse. I know I'm not the only one who struggles with procrastination and excuses in my personal life and self-care, so here is a quick shot of motivation:
Here's to fulfilling our best possibilities and exiling excuses. To taking action. It's the only way to push forward. I'm sore today, but I'm not going to let that stop me.
Leave Excuses Behind
by Ralph Marston
Excuses are the building blocks of failure. Actions are the building blocks of success.
At best, the energy you put into crafting a good excuse will merely keep you stuck where you are. Yet when you put the same amount of energy into taking positive action, you begin to move ahead.
When you notice yourself looking for an excuse, stop and ask this question. What action could be taken right now that would make the excuse unnecessary?
Excuses give you permission to give up. But that’s not something you really want to do.
Dig deeper, past the superficial impulse to make an excuse. Dig deeper, and connect with the things that matter most to you.
Make a new commitment to what really matters. Leave the excuses behind as you act to fulfill your best possibilities.
© 2014 Ralph S. Marston, Jr.
From The Daily Motivator website
Here's to fulfilling our best possibilities and exiling excuses. To taking action. It's the only way to push forward. I'm sore today, but I'm not going to let that stop me.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
My Story
Welcome, friends, family, and perhaps the occasional random Internet citizen, to my fitness journey. I'll be posting updates to hold myself accountable for my activity. The name of my blog, in case you don't know, comes from the fact that I'm a Sweet Adelines International Queen of Harmony, a title I earned in 2013 with my barbershop quartet LoveNotes. If you're reading this, you probably already know that, but just in case, I thought I'd mention it. There weren't many blog titles available. Trust me, I tried. Anyway, on with the story!
I was a chubby child. My highest weight was 177 in the seventh grade. I was probably about 5'3 at the time. That understandably put a lot of strain on my joints and bones, and I still suffer with some of the issues that developed during that time. I have patello-femoral syndrome (a fancy way for saying your knee bones grind on each other and make funny noises -- and a lot of pain). I've had neck issues since I was six years old and landed a front flip wrong. Now my vertebrae are fusing. I broke my right ankle in middle school, but I thought I had just sprained it. It set wrong and now I have severe issues with my ankle locking, often at inopportune times. My lower back is just a horrible jumble of nerve pain. I can't do leg lifts without serious modification. Often I let these problems get in my way, but then I see my friends and professional athletes who have been through much worse and I think -- come on, Steph. You think you have problems? That's nothing. Just do it.
I was in great shape in 2011 when I was working graveyard shift at a gym. I had to wash and fold approximately 20,000 towels per night (yes, you read that right). Part of that neverending task included gathering all of the dirty towels from the bins around the gym in a giant laundry cart. When you pile the towels up to your shoulder height the bin gets extremely heavy -- I'd hate to know what it actually weighed. The physical demands of that position alone got me into fantastic shape and down to the lowest weight of my adult life. I felt like Wonder Woman. However, because I was constantly in a gym environment and sleeping odd hours in addition to attending regular college classes, I was almost perpetually sick.
Since leaving that position, I have gradually fallen out of shape. At one point I was taking three dance classes in a row at school, but even that didn't quite get me to the same level of fitness. I don't think I'm willing to sacrifice my immune system again for that flat tummy, though. Over the past year or so I have put on a ridiculous amount of weight and fallen into my old depressive state more frequently. My clothes don't fit, and that's where I'm drawing the line. I refuse to let something I have the power to change force me to spend the money I'm trying to save on a whole new, unnecessary expense.
This is definitely not being written as a "poor me" story. This is my journey to cultivating the one body I've been given into something I'm proud of. A body that will work for me when I want it to. Hopefully that includes not being plagued by chronic pain around every corner, but that would really just be the icing on the cake. I want to be strong again, because I know how good it feels. I've also recently gotten into cosplay, and it is extremely empowering. I'd love to imbue a little bit of the strength of the characters I'm portraying into my physical presence. I can only imagine how great that would feel! I'd be honored if you would follow me on this journey. If you'd like to join me for workouts, even better! It's always better to have someone by your side on a journey like this.
Stay tuned! I'm up to great things.
___________________________________________________
Today's workout (so far):
The Fitness Marshall Hip-Hop Aerobics Videos! He currently has 77 videos on YouTube. Plenty to choose from. Now with links to dance along!
1. "Me Too"
2. "Can't Stop the Feeling"
3. "Cheap Thrills"
4. "Work"
5. "Sorry"
Squats and cooldown to Lim Kim's "Awoo" and "Love Game" (check her out -- awesome music)
Evening Update: I started walking on the treadmill and opened Pokemon GO out of curiosity. I was a field tester, but I really haven't played much in the past couple weeks. I'm currently Level 18. I jumped off the treadmill and went for a walk around the [very hilly] neighborhood as soon as a Dratini popped up on my Sightings list. Spoiler alert: it disappeared. But I did get a good mini-hike and caught a Marowak on the way (yay, still got a new addition!). Current count: 65/142
I was a chubby child. My highest weight was 177 in the seventh grade. I was probably about 5'3 at the time. That understandably put a lot of strain on my joints and bones, and I still suffer with some of the issues that developed during that time. I have patello-femoral syndrome (a fancy way for saying your knee bones grind on each other and make funny noises -- and a lot of pain). I've had neck issues since I was six years old and landed a front flip wrong. Now my vertebrae are fusing. I broke my right ankle in middle school, but I thought I had just sprained it. It set wrong and now I have severe issues with my ankle locking, often at inopportune times. My lower back is just a horrible jumble of nerve pain. I can't do leg lifts without serious modification. Often I let these problems get in my way, but then I see my friends and professional athletes who have been through much worse and I think -- come on, Steph. You think you have problems? That's nothing. Just do it.
I was in great shape in 2011 when I was working graveyard shift at a gym. I had to wash and fold approximately 20,000 towels per night (yes, you read that right). Part of that neverending task included gathering all of the dirty towels from the bins around the gym in a giant laundry cart. When you pile the towels up to your shoulder height the bin gets extremely heavy -- I'd hate to know what it actually weighed. The physical demands of that position alone got me into fantastic shape and down to the lowest weight of my adult life. I felt like Wonder Woman. However, because I was constantly in a gym environment and sleeping odd hours in addition to attending regular college classes, I was almost perpetually sick.
Since leaving that position, I have gradually fallen out of shape. At one point I was taking three dance classes in a row at school, but even that didn't quite get me to the same level of fitness. I don't think I'm willing to sacrifice my immune system again for that flat tummy, though. Over the past year or so I have put on a ridiculous amount of weight and fallen into my old depressive state more frequently. My clothes don't fit, and that's where I'm drawing the line. I refuse to let something I have the power to change force me to spend the money I'm trying to save on a whole new, unnecessary expense.
This is definitely not being written as a "poor me" story. This is my journey to cultivating the one body I've been given into something I'm proud of. A body that will work for me when I want it to. Hopefully that includes not being plagued by chronic pain around every corner, but that would really just be the icing on the cake. I want to be strong again, because I know how good it feels. I've also recently gotten into cosplay, and it is extremely empowering. I'd love to imbue a little bit of the strength of the characters I'm portraying into my physical presence. I can only imagine how great that would feel! I'd be honored if you would follow me on this journey. If you'd like to join me for workouts, even better! It's always better to have someone by your side on a journey like this.
Stay tuned! I'm up to great things.
___________________________________________________
Today's workout (so far):
The Fitness Marshall Hip-Hop Aerobics Videos! He currently has 77 videos on YouTube. Plenty to choose from. Now with links to dance along!
1. "Me Too"
2. "Can't Stop the Feeling"
3. "Cheap Thrills"
4. "Work"
5. "Sorry"
Squats and cooldown to Lim Kim's "Awoo" and "Love Game" (check her out -- awesome music)
Evening Update: I started walking on the treadmill and opened Pokemon GO out of curiosity. I was a field tester, but I really haven't played much in the past couple weeks. I'm currently Level 18. I jumped off the treadmill and went for a walk around the [very hilly] neighborhood as soon as a Dratini popped up on my Sightings list. Spoiler alert: it disappeared. But I did get a good mini-hike and caught a Marowak on the way (yay, still got a new addition!). Current count: 65/142
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