My journey to getting healthy again.
I recently shared a post in a group on Facebook (Project me) about my personal struggle to get healthy. It received a huge response, which was so unexpected and led me to believe I am not alone in this struggle. The comments were not just supportive. They were heartfelt and so touching (some nearly brought me to tears) that I agreed to share more of my journey. Fair warning, this post is not about romance novels, however it is about loving yourself.
SO as promised .... Here is the beginging,,,
Original Post in Project Me:
I want to share something I've been working on and had a couple weeks of success. Maybe it will help some of you who struggle with the same thing. Maybe I just want accountability. But here goes, I have gained and lost the same 50 lbs. probably 5 times in the past 10 years. This time has been the roughest because I am 46 and with the weight gain has come pain and stiffness, making it hard to get active. I was back up to XXX. Lord knows I hate to say it out loud, but I have come to think of this group as a safe place. The overall feeling of being 2 pounds away from my heaviest at any point in my life including pregnancy, coupled with the empty nest syndrome, and marital issues my hubby and I have struggled through over the past couple years has left my overall self-esteem and womanliness in the pits. This last year I have been climbing out of that pit, looking for new ways to honor myself as a woman, wife and mother. Finding Project me and learning to journal has been a tremendous tool.
One of the struggles I have is sleep. I often just don't sleep. My mind zooms and I lay awake for hours, or get up and wander the house at 3am, dreading the alarm clock saying its time to get ready for work. Well, I made some changes and am happy to report I have slept really good for two weeks, and have lost 4 lbs. this month. That is what prompted me to share what happened.
I have always wanted to try Zumba, but not been able to afford it, or whatever else excuse I could make. Mostly I didn’t want to look foolish because I can’t move like they do in the videos. Well, I decided to goggle a local class. I found one around the corner from my house really really cheap. I have been going for three weeks now, 2 nights a week. No excuses. Then I found a self-care list for September, one of those was doing a guided meditation. When I looked for one of those on Youtube, I discovered multiple ones for sleeping and weight loss. I have been listening at night as part of my bed time routine. I started writing down everything I eat and counting the calories on the website Calorie King, everything, even the creamer in my coffee. I don’t have a calorie goal, it’s just about being aware then making better choices. There is absolutely no way I can be successful long term on a 1200 calorie diet, I know, I've tried over and over. But making better choices, "listening to my body" as Jenny (Penton) says and making myself important enough to find a way to do Zumba and the meditations, I feel so blessed.
I've lost Four pounds in three weeks, and not using some crazy restrictive diet, but just by loving myself enough to do what my body needs and craves. Sleeping, moving, and being aware of what I put in my mouth. Is it really that simple? I just wanted to share. Thank you if you are still reading this long winded post.
So there you have it, the truth about my journey. Come to find out, there are many of us on this path, and here I thought I had it all to myself. :) Just to clarify, I am NOT changing my stance on loving who you are RIGHT now as you stand. That is first and foremost, still my belief. I love my curves, and this amazing body that has given birth, been large, been small, and all sizes in between, taken me on adventure after adventure. I love myself enough to recognize I am loosing the abitlity to move, ever so slightly an inch at a time. And I REFUSE to loose any more. So this is my journey, not to get skinny because I don't care what size I am, I have been small and large and the truth is I was happiest and felt my best somewhere in between. My path leads to a happy me full of movement and energy.
If you are interested in following this process, I will be blogging about it as I go. If you are interested in any of the tools I am using, I will list them below.
If you want to join the Zumba class I found with an amazing instructor, here is her link:
Zumba With Queena
If you need to find a class somewhere else, this is how I found mine:
Find A Local Zumba Class
Meditations I am using (but there are lots to choose from out there):
Michael Sealy
Liberation Mind
Tracking my food, exercise and sleep habits on an insert to my day runner. I use the Happy Planner by MAMBI and they make a four month fitness insert, so I don't even have to carry a second notebook to track my calories.
Here is a link to a video on how I am using it, if you want to check it out. You can pick one up at Hobby Lobby, Michaels or even MAMBI's website.
Happy Planner Fitness Insert Setup
SO as promised .... Here is the beginging,,,
Original Post in Project Me:
I want to share something I've been working on and had a couple weeks of success. Maybe it will help some of you who struggle with the same thing. Maybe I just want accountability. But here goes, I have gained and lost the same 50 lbs. probably 5 times in the past 10 years. This time has been the roughest because I am 46 and with the weight gain has come pain and stiffness, making it hard to get active. I was back up to XXX. Lord knows I hate to say it out loud, but I have come to think of this group as a safe place. The overall feeling of being 2 pounds away from my heaviest at any point in my life including pregnancy, coupled with the empty nest syndrome, and marital issues my hubby and I have struggled through over the past couple years has left my overall self-esteem and womanliness in the pits. This last year I have been climbing out of that pit, looking for new ways to honor myself as a woman, wife and mother. Finding Project me and learning to journal has been a tremendous tool.
One of the struggles I have is sleep. I often just don't sleep. My mind zooms and I lay awake for hours, or get up and wander the house at 3am, dreading the alarm clock saying its time to get ready for work. Well, I made some changes and am happy to report I have slept really good for two weeks, and have lost 4 lbs. this month. That is what prompted me to share what happened.
I have always wanted to try Zumba, but not been able to afford it, or whatever else excuse I could make. Mostly I didn’t want to look foolish because I can’t move like they do in the videos. Well, I decided to goggle a local class. I found one around the corner from my house really really cheap. I have been going for three weeks now, 2 nights a week. No excuses. Then I found a self-care list for September, one of those was doing a guided meditation. When I looked for one of those on Youtube, I discovered multiple ones for sleeping and weight loss. I have been listening at night as part of my bed time routine. I started writing down everything I eat and counting the calories on the website Calorie King, everything, even the creamer in my coffee. I don’t have a calorie goal, it’s just about being aware then making better choices. There is absolutely no way I can be successful long term on a 1200 calorie diet, I know, I've tried over and over. But making better choices, "listening to my body" as Jenny (Penton) says and making myself important enough to find a way to do Zumba and the meditations, I feel so blessed.
I've lost Four pounds in three weeks, and not using some crazy restrictive diet, but just by loving myself enough to do what my body needs and craves. Sleeping, moving, and being aware of what I put in my mouth. Is it really that simple? I just wanted to share. Thank you if you are still reading this long winded post.
So there you have it, the truth about my journey. Come to find out, there are many of us on this path, and here I thought I had it all to myself. :) Just to clarify, I am NOT changing my stance on loving who you are RIGHT now as you stand. That is first and foremost, still my belief. I love my curves, and this amazing body that has given birth, been large, been small, and all sizes in between, taken me on adventure after adventure. I love myself enough to recognize I am loosing the abitlity to move, ever so slightly an inch at a time. And I REFUSE to loose any more. So this is my journey, not to get skinny because I don't care what size I am, I have been small and large and the truth is I was happiest and felt my best somewhere in between. My path leads to a happy me full of movement and energy.
If you are interested in following this process, I will be blogging about it as I go. If you are interested in any of the tools I am using, I will list them below.
If you want to join the Zumba class I found with an amazing instructor, here is her link:
Zumba With Queena
If you need to find a class somewhere else, this is how I found mine:
Find A Local Zumba Class
Meditations I am using (but there are lots to choose from out there):
Michael Sealy
Liberation Mind
Tracking my food, exercise and sleep habits on an insert to my day runner. I use the Happy Planner by MAMBI and they make a four month fitness insert, so I don't even have to carry a second notebook to track my calories.
Here is a link to a video on how I am using it, if you want to check it out. You can pick one up at Hobby Lobby, Michaels or even MAMBI's website.
Happy Planner Fitness Insert Setup
