Make the Connection

Years and years ago, I picked up Oprah Winfrey's and Bob Greene's book Make The Connection: Ten Steps To A Better Body And A Better Life and the accompanying A Journal of Daily Renewal.  I was sure I was going to lose the weight for good that time. And the time after that, and the time after that... Reading through my old entries in the journal really hit hard. I had logged my weight and measurements in there on the first day of restarts to only fail to follow through. It's been a cycle of ups and downs for so long. Lots of good intentions at the beginning, "Will make daily exercise part of my lifestyle!". Then quickly come excuses. Then, "There's always tomorrow" And then, "Ugh, why did I do this to myself, again".

Going back and looking at those entries, and the entries here on my blog, remembering those feelings and actions, and lack of follow-through on plans is probably the best thing I've done to keep myself on track this past week. 

At this point, I'm tired of this weight, and my body is too. 

One non-scale victory this week, at the last minute, my man asked if I wanted to go for a drive out to the country and see the Neowise comet. It was already 7 p.m., I had just finished working late on a report, and I hadn't yet exercised. I chose to exercise. I could have said, I'll do better tomorrow, but I've that to myself way too many times already. Although I missed a nice time (I've already seen a comet), I have no regrets about 30 minutes of cardio, and 30 minutes of yoga, and a wonderful shower afterwards.

Food-wise: Made a big pot of healthy chilli: some ground turkey and some beans, lots of veggies, lots of spice. No beer (my usual special ingredient). And no cheezies on the side. Ate small meals on plan.

Weight-wise: Scale is a couple of pounds down. 

After re-reading Oprah's book, some of the information is waaaaaaaaaay out of date, especially the recommendation of non-fat foods. She herself is now a member Weight Watchers and is/was a part owner. Bob Greene had his The Best Life Diet for a while, I remember seeing his sticker on a box of cereal a long time ago, but I have no idea what he is up to now.
But the nutrition aspect aside, the essentials remain. Examine your life, find out what your triggers for overeating actually are and deal with them. Get up,  focus,  do what it takes to be healthy every single day.

Just Do Right

Still working from home, and counting my blessings that I have steady employment and income. Cases of Covid are still popping up in clusters here, like from people working in manufacturing/production, those getting together with people outside their "bubble", those hanging out at bars, and larger outbreaks in old age or nursing homes. I heard a couple of friends of friends passed away from it last month--both in their 30s and 40s, both in good health. This is so sad and so scary.

My stress levels have been high lately, mainly because when I have to go out for groceries or essentials, very few people are wearing masks indoors, and coughing like nothing is wrong. That will change soon when it becomes mandatory for those inside any building to be masked up. In many places, I've heard stories of non-compliance, conflict, and violence. Why not wear a mask if it can help protect someone else? I'm doing the right thing, but some simply don't give a flying *uck about others. A friend was espousing conspiracy theories, I told him I'm making him a tin foil hat/mask combo for his birthday--he was not amused. Another Covidiot added to the growing number.

Did I mention stress levels? Yeah. Also I'm pretty worried about my family members, and their health issues. And about going back into my workplace in a month or so. Some colleagues in adjacent sections have in the past have come in to work while sick because their manager hates to juggle who works on the front lines with the public. I'm hoping that manager has wised up?

What happens when stress is up, and I fall back on old coping mechanisms? Weight is up. 197.4 lbs, making it about a 15 lb gain. Why the gain... pretty simple really:

• I've not been moving much at all.
• I've binged on crap (chips and cheezies) to eat my feelings.

And I feel so much unhealthier, with an aching back and joints, and being out of breath doing easy tasks, like bringing up a basket of laundry up two flights of stairs. I even look different! My body literally is screaming at me to stop my behaviour. Now.

Plan:

• Mind:
  +Balance/Perspective: Once a week talking with a counselor over the phone to get help with coping with stress. Thankfully my work pays for some of the sessions.
  +Inspiration/Motivation: Reading a health or fitness book from my collection (Jillian Michaels, Tosca Reno, Dr. Yoni Freedhof, etc)
• Body: Move intentionally 30 minutes per day to start back into a routine. Even if it's a Leslie Sansone Just Walk dvd!
• Food: Stick to the food plan devised my nutritionist. It's full of great options and not terribly restrictive.
• Water: Keep track of intake. It's been slipping downwards and that lack might contribute to feeling hungry when it's simple dehydration.
• Accountability:
  +Bringing out my old Oprah Winfrey Make the Connection Journal of Daily Renewal and will fill pages from Day 10 to day 92.
  (I'll post the story of pages 1 to 9 next time)
  +Posting here weekly to update 
  
  

Getting inspiration in all aspects in my life from the late great Dr. Maya Angelou's wise words. Listen to her version of The Golden Rule, "Just Do Right". ❤