Saturday, December 6, 2008

Woo! Day 2!

You should know that both excitement and rhyming hurt my head.

When I was in high school I was in an improvisational theater troupe called, ironically enough, "Improv." It was kind of like group-therapy-through-drama (which, looking back now, I think "How is that effective?" and also, "Boy howdy did we take ourselves seriously"). We acted out different scenarios of problems teenagers face (well, faced in the late 80s/early 90s, that is; I'm awfully glad I'm not doing this sort of thing nowadays!), and we'd always leave the dilemma open-ended which then enabled the counselor who lead our group to talk with the audience about how best to resolve the problem. This part was called "processing." I hated that part, but that's mostly because I've always hated talking about feelings. I was raised by a therapist, see, and while most people may have what they call an "inner child," I have an "inner therapist's child," which means that I tend to run the other way when faced with anything that even resembles a discussion of feelings. I have a very patient husband.

Thankfully for him (and I guess my own emotional well-being, blah blah blah), I've gotten much better at it over the years. I've found, however, that while I'm still not totally hunky dory with talking about how I feeeeel, turns out I kinda like problem-solving. I like stewing things over in my mind and coming up with possible solutions.

Holly and I would like for Saturdays to be the day that we process our week (btw, I'm totally making fun of my teenage self by using that word)("process," not "week") and make our plans for the week to come. What was hard about this week and why? What was easy? What can you do to replicate your successes and minimize your missteps? This is also a good time to brag on yourself, since I really believe that focusing on the positive is what does the most good. I think that the negative is useful for examination purposes only--"why did this happen and what can I do to keep it from happening again" sort of thing, and after that we need to move forward.

Since we've only just begun (cue Carpenters) and can't really examine this past week in terms of What Will Bring Us Closer to Winning Our Own Piece of Egyptian Trash, let's look for some positive things that we did this week. Like I'm sure somebody's t-shirt/bumper sticker/piece of flair says, it's not bragging if it's true. What good thing(s) did you do this week?

Also, if you haven't already, make up your plan for this week. Make it as detailed or as vague as you want, but at least consider what's going to happen in your life. I almost never plan my food out in advance (though in my defense, I pretty much eat the same stuff all the time), but I always plan my workouts. I may not actually do the prescribed workout, but at least I've considered what's going on that week and when and what type of exercise I'm going to do. That not only helps me set it in my mind that I am going to workout that week (whether or not I "want" to) , it also makes it easier to come up with a Plan B if something unexpected crops up. So think about your week, look at a calendar and figure out when you can exercise, check to see if you have Your Food in the house--what can you do to set the conditions for success?

In a not-related-to-bossing note, Holly and I are both so happy to have so many participants! Thanks for joining up, and we're looking forward to getting through these holidays together smaller than we started!

P.S. The picture at the top is one I took surreptitiously at the Pyramids.

10 comments:

DolphinDee417 said...

Holly and Sara - I just want to say how thankful I am that you've started this contest. It seems to have come just at the right time for me. I'm finally starting to get my passion for getting healthy back when for quite a while I haven't cared what I looked like or how healthy I was. While it's a small glimmer now I can feel the motivation and desire to be healthy growing. I've gotten myself a treadmill and plan to walk on it 30 - 45 minutes Monday through Friday. I'm also going to log my food everyday either on Fitday or SP. Again thanks!!

Anne N said...

I'm really diggin' the reoccurring "Hope is not a plan" posts. I decided last week that if I don't do something soon not only would I fall off the bandwagon all together, but then I'd have to chase after it and... well... I'm not in the ideal shape to run. So I'd probably sit and mope while the pounds packed on again, knowing very well that I have the tools to not only maintain, but lose that last 10 lbs and tighten and lift what's left.

Anyhoo, I started the aforementioned (not mentioned in this comment, but on your blog) 12-week don't-break-the-chain workout calendar. Surprisingly enough it works better than any exercise plan I've ever made because I'm ridiculously OCD about getting that darn box checked off every day - so much so that I got home from my hubby's work party last night at 11:30 and STILL exercised!

So, long LONG comment short, this week I did really good with exercise. :) Now if I'd just stop rewarding myself with root beer floats....

dcfullest said...

Yesterday I felt out of control. I ate badly and just felt frustrated with myself. It wasn't as bad as it would have been a few months ago-- I still went to bootcamp and pigged out on 3 100 Calories Snacks instead of a pint of Ben and Jerry's.
But, today is going to be different. I am going to jog and walk for the first time outside in my training to run a 5K. And we are having sashimi for dinner, which is so much better.
I just wish I could figure out what puts me into "out of control" state and how to break the cycle faster. Any ideas?

Wendi said...

LOVE the rhyme in the title of the post. And, good news! I already did a little planning before I read this. I have my "walking to do errands" planned out from today through Tuesday. And if it rains or snows, I'll just push those back a day or two. Oh, and I almost always eat the same things too. My husband thinks I didn't grow out of my taste buds from when I was younger. Apparently, I'm all about repetition and monotony. Who knew?! :)

Sun Productions said...

Kick-boxing. The most awesome plan I have ever had for getting in shape. Who knew I'd like punching things?

Sara said...

Denise, I am really glad to hear that you're getting your passion back, and I'm so excited you got a treadmill! Good for you. I can't wait to see your progress.

Annie, isn't it a little crazy the hold those little boxes have on us? 11 weeks in, and I'm still just as excited to make my daily X. It's a wonder I haven't broken out the gold stars yet. I'm happy to hear it's working for you, too. Now stop with the floats already! Or at least make them fewer and farther betweener. Or something. :)

dc, good for you for going to boot camp and modifying what you were eating. I know how hard that is. Have you noticed any sort of correlation between the out-of-control feeling and what's going on around you (time of day, mood, etc.)? Can you tell if it comes from habit (meaning you're used to eating a certain thing at a certain time/for a certain reason, etc.) or maybe in response to what's preceded it? I know that when I'm tired and/or I haven't been eating well for a few days I am much more likely to go into a tailspin. For instance, I had some cupcakes on my daughter's birthday a couple of days ago, and all day today I've been fighting the urge to inhale the kitchen. Cupcakes are one of those foods that set me off, and I've been feeling really out of control as a result. Plus I haven't been getting as much sleep as usual the last few nights, so I know that's not helping. I'm not saying that's necessarily happening to you, but I'm just wondering if you've noticed any sort of pattern that leads up to those feelings. (P.S. Don't tell my mom I'm talking about feelings.)

Wendi, you rock. Way to plan! And monotonous eaters unite! :)

Chantelle, I think that's really cool. I quite certain I would like punching things, too. Holly really likes kick-boxing, but while what I've tried I like, my knees always rebel. Rude. I still haven't found an exercise that gets me out there for the sake of doing it. That's why I have to ply myself with music and tv and magazines. So glad to have you join us!

Tiffany said...

Hmmm, what I've done right this week... Well, I've started the calendar too, and it is crazy how just marking something like that off brings out the motivation in me. I also managed to exercise with cold. And, I joined this challenge! It has been a LONG while since I have felt like really putting a lot of effort into losing weight. The "hope is not a plan" thing really resonated with me. Granted, I've just been trying to keep up with the whole working mom thing, but I am actually excited to see some weight come off, instead of just hoping that the amount of exercise I do will counterbalance my eating.

My goal this week is to really journal everything. It hasn't happened in forever. I think I need to go find dust off my notebook....

Unknown said...

I did two good things to prep- I bought a bathroom scale, and I bought those thingies you put on your shoes so you can walk on the snow and ice and not worry about falling. And my plan for this week include walking the dog daily for 40 minutes, and eating fruits and/or vegetables with every meal.

Sara said...

Hi Tif! Yay for another calendar convert! :) And journaling is a great goal--be sure to come back and let us know how it's going. It's good to "see" you again :)

Leila, that's great--and also serious commitment! Ice and snow are not my friends :) I bet walking with those things burn serious calories! I like your plan. Thanks for sharing it!

Anonymous said...

I have cut and pasted and sent your post to my husband about feeeelings, and the non-expression of them. He will be contacting Kevin soon for guidance.