Goals!

Happy New Year's Eve!

It is best to start any project like this with a baseline. I don't have my weight at the moment because I don't feel like digging out the Wii board today and that's my only scale. I'm figuring I probably weigh about 180 so we'll go with that number until I do a proper weigh in - though that number could be off a bit in either direction.


Tomorrow begins the year - it will be interesting to see how far I get in one year. My goals are very simple and have little to do with the numbers on a scale. I’ll be measuring those numbers only because they are part of the whole - tangible evidence of progress. I have only one weight related goal and even that is less about weight and more about shape.

Right now, I couldn’t zip this dress up without destroying it. I want to be able to wear it.

My other goals are a bit different. I want to get my heart rate into a healthier zone. I want to be able to ride 20 miles without feeling like I’m going to be sick and fall over. I want to go play paintball and not be huffing and hurting at the end of the day (being a smaller target would certainly be a plus too though).

In order to accomplish anything - I must have my starting measurements. I am posting them without shame as I know they will not be this way for long.

Starting from the top down:

Bicep: L = 12”, R = 12.5”
Bust: 41
Waist: 38
Hip: 39
Butt: 45
Thigh: L = 25” R = 25”

Now, the lovely part of doing these measurements is that it proves I haven’t lost nearly as much progress as I had thought. Yes, I’ve gained back some - particularly in the bust - but I haven’t gained nearly as many inches as I’d feared. My measurements in April of 2011 were: Bust: 39, waist: 37, hip: 38.5, thigh: 26. The other things I apparently didn’t measure. So - I’m not starting from where I was in February of last year - this only means I have less road to travel to get where I want.

Tomorrow the march towards Healthy begins... Have a safe and happy New Year!

~Sarah

The Tools in My Bag of Tricks and Obstacles in My Path

T-2 and counting... nearly to the start! I admit, I'm entering this with some excitement and just a dash of trepidation. Mostly that I'll do everything right and still feel like a walking slug. Today, I'm posting about two things apparently - the tools I have at my disposal and the other factors in my life that can make or break this journey.


In today’s preparatory post, I’m going to go over the tools I have available to me for this year’s journey. I have access to pretty much everything I need to make this succeed. The only true variable is me. Am I dedicated enough, driven enough, willing enough to complete this? I hope I am but there’s no guarantee.

I have a decently equipped little home gym. We’ve been accumulating things for a few years to put it together. I don’t like going to a gym. It’s hard enough to do this, let alone doing it under someone’s watchful eye or in front of unshaded windows. I’m not comfortable enough to do that. Yet. When I reach a certain point and my goals begin to shift from health to strength, a gym may become an option. They are certainly better equipped for that than I.

The tools I have at my disposal:
Wii with Wii Fit, Wii Sports, and a bunch of other things that won’t be useful for these purposes.
Stationary bike with variable resistances
20 lb. Kettle bell (this is probably my favorite)
8 lb dumbbells
heavy bag
weight bench (this is my husband’s and I probably won’t really be using this)
Yoga mat (and some experience with yoga)
mountain bike
5 lb ankle weights
smart phone with calorie tracker app (I’m currently testing out one called “Calorie Counter” and I’m quite pleased with it so far)
ipod (to help with the monotony that is exercising...)
subscription to Shape (as well as about 3 years of back issues.)
On demand w/a decent selection of workout videos to break up the muscle routine
and lastly, the Internet. Seems a little silly to think of it as a tool for getting healthy but the information I can find, the communities, and of course this little motivation, are all available via the Internet.


As for the other factors - some I can control, some I can't. The kids - I have to learn not to snack with them, especially not joining them in ice cream, chocolate, and candy. The husband - he was mostly super helpful the last time, except that when he gives "advice" on how to exercise, it generally makes me not want to do any of it so I'm going to have to be a little deaf to said advice. I know he's trying to help, I know he loves me and wants me to feel better, the problem is mine, not his. And lastly - or at least the last one I can think of today - my environment. Today - my house is a disaster still recovering from the Christmas onslaught. The first week of the year, a good chunk of my exercising will be done in cleaning (and if you don't think that counts - you haven't seen my house!). I still plan to ride (stationary at least) or swing the bell every single day - but the bulk will be spent in giving this environment of mine a thorough scrub. If nothing  else - it will be one less distraction for later on. Plus, I need to find somewhere to put my new sewing machine (that I am totally going to use to alter all the clothes that are going to be too big by the end of the year). Apart from trying to make a career of this writing thing and working with and for my support group, there is nothing else holding me back. Well, if you don't count me anyway.

Countdown To Day One

It's not quite start time yet, but I've got work to do to prepare. I am at this moment probably as unhealthy as I've ever been. I've made a few efforts to get better in the last two years, but each time, life got in my way as it often does. I "forget" to exercise or flat out find reasons not to do it. I am 32, with two children, and live the fairly sedentary lifestyle of a writer. I am overweight, yes, but more importantly, I am out of shape and unhealthy. I don't exercise as much as I should and I eat too much.

I gave up caffeinated coffee almost two years ago, switching entirely to decaf and I drink it black except at my motherinlaw's house. I keep my caffeine limited to soda, my soda limited (mostly) to Coke Zero, and I try to limit that (but I could totally do better). I don't eat a lot of junk but Friday nights are my cheat night - something decadent to munch on with my friends when we gather to watch Supernatural.

I am a stress eater. I eat when I'm upset, PMSy, depressed, sad, nostalgic, and pretty much every other down moment. I turned to comfort food a lot after my youngest son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (an autism spectrum disorder). I turn to comfort food pretty much every October around the anniversary of my mom's death. Heck, I turn to comfort food when it's too sunny, too hot, too cold. Any reason will do. The thing I learned during my last attempt at this healthy thing is this: you can love food and still be healthy. That's what I want.

I'm looking to lose weight, certainly. I don't want to find myself edging into diabetes like my father and honestly, I'd really like to feel better about my shape. I'm not looking to look like a cover model (too skinny). I am curvy and I want to keep my curves dang it - I like them. I just want all that space between the curves to be less pillowy and more firm. You know, hourglass not body pillow.

So - what am I planning to do with this space? I don't want to bore you with calorie counting and number crunching. I may post recipes I find or create that are yummy and healthy. I will likely post great odes to the foods I'm avoiding. I may talk about various exercises or equipment. I may discuss how miserable I am or how much my body hurts. But hopefully, by the time we reach my deadline, I'll have reached my goal.

My goals are easy: drop enough weight so I am completely out of the danger zone, drop my resting heart rate to a far far better number than it is now, feel better. Not feel better about my shape (that's MY issue, not my body's issue). Feel Better. I want to feel better overall. Not feel tired every day at 2pm. Not feel like I'm dragging by the end of the day. Plus, they say exercise helps with mood and I could definitely use that.

So - in a few short days, I'll post my start points and then comes the hard part. I'm hoping that by keeping this daily (hopefully) journal, I can stay on track better than I have in the past. Last year I did make it four months and made huge progress but I've lost all the progress I made in the last five months. Hope you'll come along with me.

~S