August Measurement Results

Weight:     (+) 0 pounds
 Neck:        (+) 0 inches
Chest:        (+) 0 inches
Stomach     + 1 inch
Hips           (+) 0 inches
Up Arm:    (+) 0 inches
Up Leg:      + 1 inch
Calf:           (+) 0 inches

August 2017 can just go away

I dreaded stepping on the scale this morning.  I knew I had to do it if I was going to keep myself accountable long term to my monthly check ins.  I was perhaps surprised to find my weight had not changed.  I certainly did not expect to see the number down after the failure my August turned out to be.  I was full of ambition when I started into August and somehow it all crumbled as the month went on.  A couple of my measurements are also up which was expected, but I'm pleased that the majority did not change.

August has been rough; not only from a activity standpoint, but from a stress standpoint.  I know that when my stress is the highest and things in my personal life feel they are falling apart, this is the time I should go for walks the most.  Unfortunately, I'm not good yet at forcing the issue with myself during these times.  I'm also not good at wanting to be outside when it's hot.  August came in like a lion with hot, humid temperatures and fortunately looks to be going out like a lamb.  The temps have been more than reasonable, but even so, my motivation has not kicked in.  These are the trying moments that will push the issue of how much I want this new life.  Even when a month is bad and the motivation I had before is brittle, will I continue to press on?

I have decided there are several steps I need to take now to get back on track:

Step 1:  Vacation-work has been challenging and I need a break.  It has been months since I got an extended period of time off and I know this has played into my attitude about life in general.  In a week I will be in NC filling my days with walking around and site seeing.  If I continue to eat well, my vacation can actually be a kick start to doing things right when I get home too.

Step 2:  I don't know why I have put off an appointment with my endocrinologist.  I have good things to share with her about what I'm doing for myself and she will want to help me get back on the medications I need to make a real difference.  Plus, since my surgery in May, my deductible has been met, so the visit and medication for the rest of the year should be covered, so this won't play into my stress over financial matters.

Step 3:  Continuing to cook for myself and woman at work seems to be helping financially with food and keeping me on track eating like I should.  Knowing I have a commitment to her to cook healthy food keeps me committed to healthy food for myself.  I have successfully managed to keep on track with food for months now, so I see that as a trend that will continue.  Now I have to step it up one more level and work on eliminating the few unhealthy trends I am keeping too like ice cream every night and candy at work daily.

Step 4:  Getting back to my daily walking routine.  Despite the August set back, I did walk a loop around my office building at one point and compared the time to what I walked in the past.  I proudly noted that my time was faster by quite a bit.  My back and legs also continue to not hurt me like they did when I first started.  I know that change has happened even if it's not as apparent right now.

I set the goals I did because they don't take into account the amount of weight I am losing.  My goals are based on feeling better and being more active.  I know that if I continue to focus on those things, the other things like weight, losing inches, and controlling my PCOS will fall into line on their own.  So I'm putting August 2017 behind me.  I will literally never see the month again.  It's time to focus on September and my favorite season, fall which will be perfect for beautiful walks and bike rides in the foliage.

Color Run 5k

I was tricked by the Ohio weather a couple weeks ago and didn't go to the Color Run event I signed up for.  I was certain the looming heavy rain and thunderstorms would cancel the event.  I ended up being very wrong and as a result, did not participate in my first 5k race.  I'm happy the event sent me the medal in the mail though so I could still earn it.  I decided that this medal would need to be earned as a 5k and I would have to walk the mileage at one time.  It was a good endurance test for me and I'm happy to report that I walked the 3.107 miles with little difficulty but unfortunately not without significant bug bite attacks.

Fall will be my season-July results

July was a rough month.  It was the first full month that I managed two very busy desk at work.  The girl who was out on maternity leave is finally back so this means my life can go back to a more normal pace and routine.  I didn't do much in July as far as kicking up my activity level.  It was a success for me to continue eating well and finding motivation to get a walk in a couple times a week.  The weather also did not cooperate.  If it wasn't raining for days in a row, the heat index was off the charts and it was not safe to be out walking in that heat.  I did good the end of July being more active though.  My determination to earn medals increased which got me out walking 2+ miles each time. I also found new past time enjoyment playing a group game.  Since I'm new to how it works, I have been listening to podcast of other people playing and it's provided me with enjoyment listening to the game being played while I walk.  I credit my loss of inches to this last week.  Despite it not being a great month, the measurements chart gives a different picture.  I am honestly a little shocked at some of the numbers.  No gains and several significant losses.  I don't see significant change to my face other than hair style, but I'll let others be the judge since I look at that face every day.

Weight:     (+) 0 pounds
 Neck:         -  1/2 inch
Chest:         -  1 inch
Stomach    (+) 0 inches
Hips           (+) 0 inches
Up Arm:    (+) 0 inches
Up Leg:       -  1 inch
Calf:            -  1 inch

I have decided to become a Jedi

Last Tuesday I finished off another set of miles to complete 13.11 and earn another medal.  I have been anxious to open the first medal of the Jedi Training Academy set and add it to my wall.  Full Medal Runs offers a set of 4 medals that are Jedi themed.  You start with Jedi Initiate followed by Jedi Padawan.  I also have this medal waiting in a mailer for me to earn it.  The last two medals are Jedi Master and Jedi Quest.  Being a fantasy and gaming nerd, this medal set really appealed to me.  Full Medal Runs seems to cater to the Sci-fi nerds.  They also have a selection of Star Trek medals as well as various Star Wars themes.  I am really impressed with their selection and quality.

I proved to myself that virtual runs are good motivation for me.  It was very hot last week, but I pushed myself to get in my miles so I could feel the joy of opened that mailer and putting the medal around me neck.  Work will not be as crazy and hectic after this next week.  I hope to get back to eating better and working hard every week on being active like I was in the spring.

I also realized last week that walking 2 miles isn't a big challenge for me anymore.  I'm going to have to step up my game.  Either the miles to earn each medal will need to be higher or I will have to walk a certain distance each time.  It was a great feeling to realize that my legs no longer ache and my lower back doesn't both me.  I may not see the big changes yet, but the small changes are proof that I'm on the right path.

Color Run Fail

I was supposed to walk the Color Run in Columbus this morning with a friend.  The key words here being supposed to.  Ohio weather has a way of changing on you at the last moment but Ohio sure fooled me.  With a 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms, I was sure we would get to the start location and find out they were cancelling the event.  I made the decision to not go.  As I climbed back into bed, a storm came through.  Hard rains and thunder.  I was certain I had made the right choice.  As it turns out, my friend sent me a picture later that morning that the rain stopped 15 minutes into the start of the race.  The event had gone on and it appears she had a great time.  Now I just feel silly for not going; for at least not taking the chance.  Fortunately, my money will not go to waste.  I already had my race packet with shirt, bib, and sweatband.  I contacted the support team for the run and they told me if I pay minimal shipping cost, they will send me the medal.  I feel much better now.  This at least means I can still earn the medal even though I missed out on the fun of being at the event.  Next year.  I promise regardless of the weather outlook, I'll take the chance.

I Decide

I sat down a half hour ago to write a blog titled, "Summer Slump."  I was going to write about how bad I have done this summer walking, riding my bike, and overall not being as active as I was in the spring.  As I began to compose the first couple of lines I stopped.  I realized that the point of writing this blog, while it is to capture the ups and downs of being more healthy, was to inspire me and catalog my overcoming my unhealthy lifestyle.  I would have nothing intelligent to say other than some lines of woe is me.  And ultimately I realized I really didn't want to write it at all...

In a split second, I got out of my computer chair, started to strip out of my nightgown, and find clothing suitable for taking a walk around the neighborhood.  Too often I make excuses for my poor health choices; I'm tired, I have had a stressful week, it's getting dark and there's no time to drive somewhere...I decided tonight I would have victory over the slump.  A week of regrets over my eating and activity level was not going to defeat me.  We spend too much of our time wallowing in regrets instead of actively seeking a positive future.

This upcoming weekend, I am walking a 5k Color Run race with a friend and her friends.  It will be my first official race I have entered and the fact it is a fun run with no time restrictions and multiple stops with activities is a positive step toward doing better for myself.  Plus, there is race bling at the end.  Who doesn't want race bling?!  I have three medal right now sitting unopened in a drawer waiting for me to earn them.  Sitting at my computer writing about how bad I have done will not bring me closer to achieving any of my goals.  Slumps are important because they give you opportunities to learn about overcoming.  They are excellent lessons.  But slumps should never be the topic of  what should be your inspiration.

This time around, I am approaching being more healthy in a new way.  It's not about changing habits and lifestyles overnight like I tried to do before.  Like all things, it's not possible to change everything that makes me an unhealthy person overnight.  Life doesn't work like that.  It's one goal you work on until you are ready to add another goal to it.  I used to feel like a failure when I didn't work out every day.  If I missed taking one of my medications I would get so mad at myself.  But I missed those things because I was trying to change too many things at once.

I have been listening to a speaker named Simon Sinek recently and his thoughts on leadership are profound.  One thing he mentions is that when you decide to step up and be a leader, you can't change things in that moment just because you decided to be a leader.  They take time and most of the time, you will only grow by picking on thing to focus on.  He also says that being a leader doesn't take vision or excellent people skills.  More than anything, it takes one thing.  Courage.  It's no different for a person like me seeking to change my life.  All I need is the courage to pick one thing to work on.  Soon, if I really work on that one thing, other things will come into play.

When I got up from my chair and put on my shoes, I didn't know how far I would end up walking tonight.  I picked a direction and started.  A loop and a half later, I learned one loop is a half mile almost exactly.  It's a perfect track for days like this when the slumps start to get me down and I need a victory on my tally chart.