I had an excellent first week on "My Plan", followed by two days of gluttonous hedonism. But hey, it's all about balance, right? I "assumed" my body would be quick to forgive my transgressions considering I've been so kind to it of late, but lo the wrath of a coddled intestinal tract has been none too pleasant! I've been feeling a bit "unsettled" since last night. Was it worth it? Oh yeah!
It all started Friday night (shortly after I hit "publish" for my last blog post bragging about how kind eared I am, and how awesome and sun-shiney everything has been this week). First up - a girl's night out/concert in the park. What's a little wine and cheese and some good Latin sounds? It sounded innocent enough. But this particular group of women, who were once girls together, hanging out amidst the throes of adolescent rebellion, couldn't just call it a night after the relatively innocuous concert in the park (where in typical fashion, more wine was spilled than drank). So we meandered down the street to the Pleasanton Brewery where we got our 80's rock on with "Set in Stone"; a very fun, talented and "authentic" sounding 80's metal band. They played Montrose, Dio, Ratt, you know....all the good stuff! Of course the three of us with the least amount of decorum and self consciousness threw ourselves out on the dance floor like only good, middle aged groupies would. Good times. I did have the presence of mind to remember that I had an early morning run the next day. So by 11pm, I polished off my last beer, wiped the sweat off my face and walked home happy and nostalgic, but by no means embarrassed by my camo cargo pant & flip flop ensemble OR my stellar groupie performance on the dance floor. Yeah...I still rock! (I'm pretty sure).
The next morning came a bit too fast, and I ran a bit too slow and not nearly as far as I think I should have (a mere 2.8 miles, part of it walking). Ok - lesson learned. But no time to beat myself up over that. I had a Dave Matthews concert to attend!
Rob and I picked Laura up and headed over to Mountain View. We weren't sitting with Laura so we wanted to get there nice and early to hang out together, have some dinner and drinks, and do some proper people watching before Dave came on. We actually spotted our "collective first" instance of a woman wearing a booty enhancement product. NOT a good look. As Laura, obviously and undertandably perplexed (as we all were), scrutinized this bizarre "butt shelf", she commented "It's pretty obvious she didn't get that by doing squats or lunges." It was just weird. Ladies...flat can still be fly. Don't do that please.
Anyway - concert venue food, while not the healthiest, sure goes down easy with those giant $12 beers! At least they sell Lagunitas IPA. So garlic fries, Philly cheese steak, a small fortune in beer, followed by a mandatory "after concert" fourth meal at Jack in the Box, culminated in a night of stomach cramps, heartburn and fervent prayers and promises to "never do that again!".
But what a fun weekend! And it's not like I'm going to be doing that again any time soon....at least not until next weekend when we head up to Bend - land of the Harris BBQ and micro brewery. Bring it!
For anyone interested, here is the DMB set list from last night and my brief and non-expert review:
Last Stop - Not a great start. An experimental jam/jazz session gone terribly awry and off key
Seek Up - Awesome (after a slightly too long and manic intro)
One Sweet World - Steeped in awesomness!!
Stay Or Leave - Beautiful rendition of one of my faves. Sang it through and felt it. Thanks Dave!
Crush - A nice song, if over played. Very much appreciated by the ladies judging by all the one handed "soulful-white-girl-raise-the-roof" single hand in the air thing.
Seven - Oh, HELLO! This song is HOT and one of my FAVORITE Groogrux tracks. HOT!
Pantala Naga Pampa - I don't remember this one...I was still cooling off from the last song.
Rapunzel - Beautiful...perfection.
Digging a Ditch - Not my favorite so I went to the bathroom here...
#41 - CRAP! My favorite and I'm in the beer line. If that's not karma...
Write A Song - This song went largely unnoticed by me on the Groogrux album. Not anymore!
Spaceman - Love this song and it was performed...you guessed it...AWESOMELY!
Corn Bread - Another good 'un.
Jimi Thing - It's just not a DMB concert without a little JT.
Shake Me Like a Monkey - My FAVORITE performance of the evening!
You and Me - Except for this one. I cried, we held and sang to each other and I told everyone around who would listen (and yelled really loud if they wouldn't) that this was the song I walked down the aisle too! awwwwww........
Time Bomb - This was good (there was only one "not good" song and that was the first one)
All Along The Watchtower - Carter BLEW up the stage as did the horn section. Wow! A treat. The opening act came out to join the DMB and suddenly there were 5 people in the brass section where before there were two. They had some kind of "blow off". Rashawn Ross (DMB trumpet) took them to SCHOOL, and the new sax player, Jeff Coffin (replacing the late LeRoi Moore) showed what he was made of....lot's of soul and some serious lung power.
Encore:
Sister - beautiful...moving....I have to pee again.
Black Jack - I'll hold it. This is what I'm talking about! New song....awesome!
Two Step - Such a great song from Under the Table and Dreaming. One of my all time favorite albums. Great way to end the show. We were instantly bummed that we opted not to go TWO nights this year. : (
THANK YOU DAVE!
Addendum: Butch Taylor is not touring with them this year (keyboards), he was missed. All right Tim Reynolds....you a'ight. And I completely forgot to mention Boyd "must have sold his soul to the devil" Tinsley - classically trained violinist who now uses his strings for evil (not really...but not classical). He brings tears to my eyes at every show!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
First Week of "My Plan"
I’ve got the first week of “My Plan” under my belt and here are some of my observations:
I love food (no surprises there), and when I eat the right kinds of foods, in the proper amounts and combinations, I feel healthy, energized, and definitely not hungry. Yay!
I also love being active – not too much, not too little – a walk, a hike, a couple of runs per week and yoga every other day or so. This is definitely a combination that is good for my soul!
I’ve decided to let go of expectations for now and just be aware of how I’m feeling, and to listen to my body with a kinder ear. My theory is that if I nourish my body respectfully and move it with gratitude, most of the time, I bet it will be more apt to forgive me if I abuse it a little bit every now and then!
As far as my weight goes, if I don’t lose an ounce more, so be it. I’m doing this for a sense of peace and wellbeing. So far, this week’s combination seems to offer that. Besides, there are a LOT of cute one piece bathing suits out there!
The interesting thing is that I actually did lose two pounds this week. Maybe it’s a fluke; maybe it’s the only two pounds I’ll lose. It could be my body’s way of saying “Thank you sweet baby Jesus, she’s not eating the entire bag of cheese puffs!” I’m curious to see what happens next week. It would be a lie to say: “If I don’t lose an ounce more, so be it.” (oh wait, I did say that) So, maybe not a "lie" per se’, I just know that I can't guarantee that I’ll still mean that statement tomorrow...or an hour from now, for that matter. I’m feeling pretty good at THIS moment. You know how that goes (if you’re a woman).
I’ve stuck with my “around 2,000 healthy calories” per day goal. I didn’t cut out wine OR pork rinds, or anything else that I enjoy (just not gonna happen). Here is an example of my daily food intake:
Breakfast: 16 ounce coffee with a healthy amount of Whole Milk
(50 cals)
High fiber cereal with a handful of berries and 1% milk
OR Greek Style yogurt with berries (straw, blue & rasp)
(250 cals)
Lunch: Whole Wheat sandwich w/Provolone, ½ avocado, fresh spinach, onion, walnuts
(400 cals)
1 oz. hot & spicy pork rinds! (yummmmmmmm!)
(160 cals)
Snack: Cottage cheese and a piece of fruit
OR brie, crackers and fruit
(300 cals)
Dinner: Couple of examples from this week:
Baja Fish Tacos
(400 cals for two)
Eggplant Borani w/brown rice and Challah (garlic yogurt sauce): This is a delicious Afghani dish: layers of eggplant, caramelized onion, green bell pepper and tomato slices (fresh from my mum's garden), sprinkled generously with red chili powder betweeen layers, drizzled with challah (holla for challah!)
(400 cals)
Glass or two of red wine
(250 cals)
Total: 1810 cals
Eating this way feels pretty satisfying and I don’t feel the need to eat much more. Some dinners might have a higher calorie count or I’ll just add a desert (I had one of those brownies the neighbor brought over in exchange for some peaches from our tree - I would definitely have preferred peach cobbler...note to self). Sometimes I might grab a handful of my son’s popcorn or pretzels – it usually ends up around 2000 calories!
So, Hmmmm. I like it!
I love food (no surprises there), and when I eat the right kinds of foods, in the proper amounts and combinations, I feel healthy, energized, and definitely not hungry. Yay!
I also love being active – not too much, not too little – a walk, a hike, a couple of runs per week and yoga every other day or so. This is definitely a combination that is good for my soul!
I’ve decided to let go of expectations for now and just be aware of how I’m feeling, and to listen to my body with a kinder ear. My theory is that if I nourish my body respectfully and move it with gratitude, most of the time, I bet it will be more apt to forgive me if I abuse it a little bit every now and then!
As far as my weight goes, if I don’t lose an ounce more, so be it. I’m doing this for a sense of peace and wellbeing. So far, this week’s combination seems to offer that. Besides, there are a LOT of cute one piece bathing suits out there!
The interesting thing is that I actually did lose two pounds this week. Maybe it’s a fluke; maybe it’s the only two pounds I’ll lose. It could be my body’s way of saying “Thank you sweet baby Jesus, she’s not eating the entire bag of cheese puffs!” I’m curious to see what happens next week. It would be a lie to say: “If I don’t lose an ounce more, so be it.” (oh wait, I did say that) So, maybe not a "lie" per se’, I just know that I can't guarantee that I’ll still mean that statement tomorrow...or an hour from now, for that matter. I’m feeling pretty good at THIS moment. You know how that goes (if you’re a woman).
I’ve stuck with my “around 2,000 healthy calories” per day goal. I didn’t cut out wine OR pork rinds, or anything else that I enjoy (just not gonna happen). Here is an example of my daily food intake:
Breakfast: 16 ounce coffee with a healthy amount of Whole Milk
(50 cals)
High fiber cereal with a handful of berries and 1% milk
OR Greek Style yogurt with berries (straw, blue & rasp)
(250 cals)
Lunch: Whole Wheat sandwich w/Provolone, ½ avocado, fresh spinach, onion, walnuts
(400 cals)
1 oz. hot & spicy pork rinds! (yummmmmmmm!)
(160 cals)
Snack: Cottage cheese and a piece of fruit
OR brie, crackers and fruit
(300 cals)
Dinner: Couple of examples from this week:
Baja Fish Tacos
(400 cals for two)
Eggplant Borani w/brown rice and Challah (garlic yogurt sauce): This is a delicious Afghani dish: layers of eggplant, caramelized onion, green bell pepper and tomato slices (fresh from my mum's garden), sprinkled generously with red chili powder betweeen layers, drizzled with challah (holla for challah!)
(400 cals)
Glass or two of red wine
(250 cals)
Total: 1810 cals
Eating this way feels pretty satisfying and I don’t feel the need to eat much more. Some dinners might have a higher calorie count or I’ll just add a desert (I had one of those brownies the neighbor brought over in exchange for some peaches from our tree - I would definitely have preferred peach cobbler...note to self). Sometimes I might grab a handful of my son’s popcorn or pretzels – it usually ends up around 2000 calories!
So, Hmmmm. I like it!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
S'Mores & Weenies & Wine, Oh My!
I don't feel so hot.
Jacob and I had a fun, albeit short, camping trip in the redwoods this weekend. A good old fashioned mother-son weenie/marshmallow roast with my BFF and our two boys. Laura tried her best, but with a couple of slow-to-heal broken ribs (thanks to whooping cough), sleeping in a tent, in the cold, was a little much. I can't believe she was brave enough to even TRY it!
We will definitely do this again when she's feeling better, but perhaps in a camp ground without so many decidedly "outgoing" squirrels and blue jays. Geeezzz, trying to eat a bowl of cereal felt like a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Birds": "Mom, turn around very slowly...you have 12 Blue Jays surrounding you!" It was scary. And the squirrels were even bigger and badder!
I actually got up early this morning and ran a mile or so to get coffee, then walked back juggling two cups of lukewarm, not so great tasting "camp store" coffees. But at least I ran a little.
I also experienced an "I Shouldn't Be Alive!" couple of moments. I got my finger caught in Jacob's sleeping bag zipper "fob"; an almost entirely closed metal ring (similar to a tiny key ring). I had reached over and yanked the zipper down to open the bag and when I pulled my hand away, the bag came with it. The little ring had punctured my finger and I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how to un-attach myself from it. I tried pulling the piece of metal out one way, only to dig the other side in deeper. Then I pulled the other way, and the opposite side dug in deeper. I had to do a "one-two", back and forth, quick yank and pull to get it out, all the while trying to stay calm for Jacob (but starting to panic and using some "panic language"). Jacob was great though. He asked if he should go for help, and if there was any way I could stop bleeding all over his sleeping bag. Looking back, I suppose I could have carried the sleeping bag around with me until I figured out how to extricate myself from it. But at the time, it really felt like I might die (or at least pass out!) in that tent.
Anyway, now I'm home and feeling the affects of too much "survivalist fare": marshmallows, graham crackers, Hershey's chocolate, Jiffy Pop, Hot Dogs, Funyans and vino. I was diet-savvy enough to pack some "made ahead" whole wheat wraps and fruit salads. I ate those as appetizers while the fire was getting stoked for the dogs and s'mores. Not my original plan, but whatev.
TODAY, I went to Walgreen's and bought a new Memo Book (49 cents on sale!), and beginning tomorrow...I will once again log my daily calories and activities. I've kept (most of) the weight off that I lost prior to the wedding, but now I'm ready to start the next chapter of my journey - another 15 pounds by swimsuit season! (not this one, the next one). I'm also hoping it will make me "lighter on my feet" and improve my running ability! I do have that half marathon in October followed 3 weeks later by the Grape Stomp 10K!
Every day I either run, hike, or do yoga, so I'm not going to necessarily "restrict" my calories (that has never worked for me!), but I will try to keep it at a healthy 2000 a day and see how that works out.
I shall keep you posted!
Jacob and I had a fun, albeit short, camping trip in the redwoods this weekend. A good old fashioned mother-son weenie/marshmallow roast with my BFF and our two boys. Laura tried her best, but with a couple of slow-to-heal broken ribs (thanks to whooping cough), sleeping in a tent, in the cold, was a little much. I can't believe she was brave enough to even TRY it!
We will definitely do this again when she's feeling better, but perhaps in a camp ground without so many decidedly "outgoing" squirrels and blue jays. Geeezzz, trying to eat a bowl of cereal felt like a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Birds": "Mom, turn around very slowly...you have 12 Blue Jays surrounding you!" It was scary. And the squirrels were even bigger and badder!
I actually got up early this morning and ran a mile or so to get coffee, then walked back juggling two cups of lukewarm, not so great tasting "camp store" coffees. But at least I ran a little.
I also experienced an "I Shouldn't Be Alive!" couple of moments. I got my finger caught in Jacob's sleeping bag zipper "fob"; an almost entirely closed metal ring (similar to a tiny key ring). I had reached over and yanked the zipper down to open the bag and when I pulled my hand away, the bag came with it. The little ring had punctured my finger and I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how to un-attach myself from it. I tried pulling the piece of metal out one way, only to dig the other side in deeper. Then I pulled the other way, and the opposite side dug in deeper. I had to do a "one-two", back and forth, quick yank and pull to get it out, all the while trying to stay calm for Jacob (but starting to panic and using some "panic language"). Jacob was great though. He asked if he should go for help, and if there was any way I could stop bleeding all over his sleeping bag. Looking back, I suppose I could have carried the sleeping bag around with me until I figured out how to extricate myself from it. But at the time, it really felt like I might die (or at least pass out!) in that tent.
Anyway, now I'm home and feeling the affects of too much "survivalist fare": marshmallows, graham crackers, Hershey's chocolate, Jiffy Pop, Hot Dogs, Funyans and vino. I was diet-savvy enough to pack some "made ahead" whole wheat wraps and fruit salads. I ate those as appetizers while the fire was getting stoked for the dogs and s'mores. Not my original plan, but whatev.
TODAY, I went to Walgreen's and bought a new Memo Book (49 cents on sale!), and beginning tomorrow...I will once again log my daily calories and activities. I've kept (most of) the weight off that I lost prior to the wedding, but now I'm ready to start the next chapter of my journey - another 15 pounds by swimsuit season! (not this one, the next one). I'm also hoping it will make me "lighter on my feet" and improve my running ability! I do have that half marathon in October followed 3 weeks later by the Grape Stomp 10K!
Every day I either run, hike, or do yoga, so I'm not going to necessarily "restrict" my calories (that has never worked for me!), but I will try to keep it at a healthy 2000 a day and see how that works out.
I shall keep you posted!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
What Just Happened?
I'll tell you what happened....I just ran four miles.
I'm not sure how I managed to do that, given that the mile I've been running has been a struggle.
My friend Tish, who is a marathon, half marathon, triathlon - "veteran athlete" (and maybe just a little bit crazy), invites whoever would like to join her in a weekly run along Coyote Creek Trail in San Jose. It's a little bit of a drive for me, but I thought I would give it a try. I invited my sister in law Nikki to join. We're both signed up for the San Jose Rock & Roll half marathon in October (as is Tish and several other friends).
Given my month long running hiatus (thanks to a wedding, subsequent honeymoon, and a mild bout of whooping cough), I lost a little bit of my "pre-wedding" fitness and haven't felt very confident that I would be able to run a 5K, let alone a half marathon (which I am STILL not committing to running in it's entirety, by the way!). But after working my way back up to a (hellish) mile, I figured if would be fun to get out there with a group of like minded individuals and see what happens.
Before I get to the actual run,I have to tell you about the "magical coffee incident". The drive from Pleasanton to South San Jose is a little long. I needed coffee. My favorite local coffee shop doesn't open until 7:30 and I had to leave Pleasanton by 7, so I was a little bummed that I was going to have to go to the competitor across the street (Tully's - bitter coffee, un-inspired franchise decor). I parked on Main Street in front of my usual place (shout out to Cafe Main) and was about to cross the street to Tully's, but decided to try the door, just in case, it looked like the lights were on?! Lo and behold, the door opened. I heard the angels sing! My favorite coffee, "Majestic", was brewing. The barista said "We're not actually open yet, but I was early today and I've got your coffee ready!" If that isn't the Coffee Gods smiling down on me, I don't know what it is!
The drive was much shorter than I thought. Nikki and I were both a little early, which gave us time to "plot our strategy", which basically boiled down to "Well...let's just run for a while until we're done and then walk?" Sounds good!
Tish arrived soon after and off we went! With the talking and laughing and nice easy pace, we reached the mile marker quickly and I still felt great! Nikki concurred, so we kept going. Then at the two mile marker I was STOKED! We just ran two miles! Nikki ran a 5k in April but hasn't run more than a mile non-stop in a while (working on speed and interval training). We stopped to take a little stretch and then headed back. At first I said "Well, I'm walking back." Mostly because it just didn't register, as great as I felt, that I had more run in me. Nikki was game to do whatever. Tish went on ahead. But after about 20 seconds of walking, Nikki and I looked at each other, a little surprised that we felt so good, and said...let's GO!
We only intended to run another mile (making it a 5k), but we missed the mile marker and by the time we realized we passed it, we were already at the next one signalling that we only had a .50 mile to go! We were just too close to stop at this point, and still felt great! We didn't stop until we got to Tish, waiting for as at the four mile point. Whoo hooo!
Tish is getting back into her training groove, and an 8 miler or more is not a problem for her. It just worked out that she only had time for 4 on this day. Thank god!
For me (and maybe Nikki) the run was pretty epic. I think the wings are starting to unfurl!
I'm not sure how I managed to do that, given that the mile I've been running has been a struggle.
My friend Tish, who is a marathon, half marathon, triathlon - "veteran athlete" (and maybe just a little bit crazy), invites whoever would like to join her in a weekly run along Coyote Creek Trail in San Jose. It's a little bit of a drive for me, but I thought I would give it a try. I invited my sister in law Nikki to join. We're both signed up for the San Jose Rock & Roll half marathon in October (as is Tish and several other friends).
Given my month long running hiatus (thanks to a wedding, subsequent honeymoon, and a mild bout of whooping cough), I lost a little bit of my "pre-wedding" fitness and haven't felt very confident that I would be able to run a 5K, let alone a half marathon (which I am STILL not committing to running in it's entirety, by the way!). But after working my way back up to a (hellish) mile, I figured if would be fun to get out there with a group of like minded individuals and see what happens.
Before I get to the actual run,I have to tell you about the "magical coffee incident". The drive from Pleasanton to South San Jose is a little long. I needed coffee. My favorite local coffee shop doesn't open until 7:30 and I had to leave Pleasanton by 7, so I was a little bummed that I was going to have to go to the competitor across the street (Tully's - bitter coffee, un-inspired franchise decor). I parked on Main Street in front of my usual place (shout out to Cafe Main) and was about to cross the street to Tully's, but decided to try the door, just in case, it looked like the lights were on?! Lo and behold, the door opened. I heard the angels sing! My favorite coffee, "Majestic", was brewing. The barista said "We're not actually open yet, but I was early today and I've got your coffee ready!" If that isn't the Coffee Gods smiling down on me, I don't know what it is!
The drive was much shorter than I thought. Nikki and I were both a little early, which gave us time to "plot our strategy", which basically boiled down to "Well...let's just run for a while until we're done and then walk?" Sounds good!
Tish arrived soon after and off we went! With the talking and laughing and nice easy pace, we reached the mile marker quickly and I still felt great! Nikki concurred, so we kept going. Then at the two mile marker I was STOKED! We just ran two miles! Nikki ran a 5k in April but hasn't run more than a mile non-stop in a while (working on speed and interval training). We stopped to take a little stretch and then headed back. At first I said "Well, I'm walking back." Mostly because it just didn't register, as great as I felt, that I had more run in me. Nikki was game to do whatever. Tish went on ahead. But after about 20 seconds of walking, Nikki and I looked at each other, a little surprised that we felt so good, and said...let's GO!
We only intended to run another mile (making it a 5k), but we missed the mile marker and by the time we realized we passed it, we were already at the next one signalling that we only had a .50 mile to go! We were just too close to stop at this point, and still felt great! We didn't stop until we got to Tish, waiting for as at the four mile point. Whoo hooo!
Tish is getting back into her training groove, and an 8 miler or more is not a problem for her. It just worked out that she only had time for 4 on this day. Thank god!
For me (and maybe Nikki) the run was pretty epic. I think the wings are starting to unfurl!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Goals
I'm running a mile again. It doesn't sound like much, but this is where I left off before the wedding. In fact, I ran my first mile two days before the wedding and then didn't run or hike or do ANYTHING (except a little yoga and a lot of eating and drinking) for a solid month. It feels good to get back to my old "healthier" ways and push myself again! Kristin and I will resume our weekly hikes, starting tomorrow. I wonder how far up Morrison Canyon or the Pleasanton Ridge I will actually be able to climb the first few attempts? This should be interesting (and challenging). Hopefully, the additional cardiovascular work out will help me increase my running time/distance!
And more good news; I smell Fall in the air! This means I have 10 whole months before next year's bathing suit season! : ) While I didn't actually get to parade around (at least not in public) in a bikini this year, I'm pretty happy with where I am and what I did accomplish. For me, it's the effort and perseverance that really matter, not so much the end result. I didn't give up and I didn't let myself down.
I think that goals are something we should strive for, but if we attain all of our goals too easily, maybe we're not setting them high enough? Goals should be difficult to achieve. They should make us put in a good amount of effort, allow us to challenge ourselves and push through obstacles, both physical and emotional, while at the same time not be so difficult that we feel defeated before we even start.
On the other hand, I believe that it's perfectly "OK" for goals to be "fluid". Lord knows I adjusted my goals as our wedding day approached: Lose 25 pounds and have my dress taken in an entire size! Ok, lose 15 pounds and maybe a little adjustment on the dress? Ok, just fit into the @%$# damn $&*@# -ing DRESS!! And guess what? I achieved my goal! I wouldn't call that "copping out" or "failing", I call it being realistic, knowing my limits and abilities, and adjusting my goals accordingly, as I go. It's self-preservation really. If I'm not even close to my originally set goal, I could a) beat myself up over it and feel horrible about myself or b) adjust my goal to something I can come close to, or even actually achieve, and feel great about it!
Equally as important; enjoying the journey and learning from it! One thing I didn't have to learn (because I've always known) is that, while I can be pretty tenacious and go after the things I want (goals included), with a fairly constant degree of enthusiasm (just ask my mom about the pony thing), I tend to err on the side of "least effort required" (i.e. laziness). So to be successful, my goals need to be reasonable, reeeaaalllly reasonable.
I read a quote in Runner's World magazine about aging: "Making peace with the aging process is so much easier when you're in motion." (Kristin Armstrong) I have to agree. The same goes for body image. When you are in motion, you develop an appreciation for your body that transcends the need to look a certain way, or try to achieve unrealistic (for your body OR personality type) goals.
I'm 42. This is the time in my life where self-acceptance trumps self-critical. Effort and joy are in balance. Physical motion and quiet reflection are given their turn in equal measure. All of these ingredients go into the pot, and whatever comes out of it will be delicious! That is my goal.
And more good news; I smell Fall in the air! This means I have 10 whole months before next year's bathing suit season! : ) While I didn't actually get to parade around (at least not in public) in a bikini this year, I'm pretty happy with where I am and what I did accomplish. For me, it's the effort and perseverance that really matter, not so much the end result. I didn't give up and I didn't let myself down.
I think that goals are something we should strive for, but if we attain all of our goals too easily, maybe we're not setting them high enough? Goals should be difficult to achieve. They should make us put in a good amount of effort, allow us to challenge ourselves and push through obstacles, both physical and emotional, while at the same time not be so difficult that we feel defeated before we even start.
On the other hand, I believe that it's perfectly "OK" for goals to be "fluid". Lord knows I adjusted my goals as our wedding day approached: Lose 25 pounds and have my dress taken in an entire size! Ok, lose 15 pounds and maybe a little adjustment on the dress? Ok, just fit into the @%$# damn $&*@# -ing DRESS!! And guess what? I achieved my goal! I wouldn't call that "copping out" or "failing", I call it being realistic, knowing my limits and abilities, and adjusting my goals accordingly, as I go. It's self-preservation really. If I'm not even close to my originally set goal, I could a) beat myself up over it and feel horrible about myself or b) adjust my goal to something I can come close to, or even actually achieve, and feel great about it!
Equally as important; enjoying the journey and learning from it! One thing I didn't have to learn (because I've always known) is that, while I can be pretty tenacious and go after the things I want (goals included), with a fairly constant degree of enthusiasm (just ask my mom about the pony thing), I tend to err on the side of "least effort required" (i.e. laziness). So to be successful, my goals need to be reasonable, reeeaaalllly reasonable.
I read a quote in Runner's World magazine about aging: "Making peace with the aging process is so much easier when you're in motion." (Kristin Armstrong) I have to agree. The same goes for body image. When you are in motion, you develop an appreciation for your body that transcends the need to look a certain way, or try to achieve unrealistic (for your body OR personality type) goals.
I'm 42. This is the time in my life where self-acceptance trumps self-critical. Effort and joy are in balance. Physical motion and quiet reflection are given their turn in equal measure. All of these ingredients go into the pot, and whatever comes out of it will be delicious! That is my goal.
