Winding down...

With the 100-Day Heart Challenge winding down, I've taken some time to reflect on the progress I've made over the past 75 days (give or take).  In those areas where I can visually see the improvement, I'm encouraged that the areas that I can't see have seen some positive changes as well.

I've also seen myself become somewhat less rigid in my determination--I'm more susceptible to reverting to my old habits if I let myself.  Especially with the soda.  Initially when beginning this 100-Day journey, one of my goals was the complete elimination of soda.  I'd still like to get to that point eventually, but I've found it extremely difficult to do.  I still love the stuff--especially the carbonation burn in the back of my throat.

Still, my current diet when compared to what it was is night and day.  I'll occasionally reward myself with a trip to In-N-Out or Del Taco, but I've found it's only slightly more inconvenient to make something at home that is much healthier--and it usually tastes so good!

Life hasn't gotten any less hectic.  In fact it's probably gotten worse--and will continue to do so for the next few months with me buying a new home and seeing some job assignment changes here at work.  But I've seem myself become less and less likely to react negatively to the stress when it comes to eating.

I'm looking forward to the final results, but I'm anxious about losing the training sessions and the nutrition classes.  What an asset and resource they have been throughout this experience!  Fortunately there are a great many other resources I can tap into.  I find myself hopeful when considering the path my life will take with the new habits I've developed.  I actually think I've convinced my kids that the end of the 100-Day Heart Challenge doesn't mean we'll be eating like we were before it began.

With roughly 25 days 'til the final weigh out, I hope to be able to find there's even more room for improvement and change.

A quote I picked up back when I was on my mission, and I forget who said it, but it went something like this: The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want at the moment.  I've shortened it some and posted it around my home and office to remind me that those words are very much applicable to what we're trying to accomplish here:

"DON'T SACRIFICE WHAT YOU WANT MOST FOR WHAT YOU WANT AT THE MOMENT"

Ramblings

Monday: ran 10 miles in American Fork Canyon and almost stepped on a rattlesnake.  When they say these snakes can blend in to their surroundings, they ain't just a-kidding!  I don't know what got my heart racing faster--the run or the snake!

Tuesday: hiked to the top of Timp.  It's been a while and I didn't have much else going on so what the heck.  Should have started earlier, but still had a good time.  Lots of flowers up in the meadow.  It's perty this time of year up there.

Wednesday: back to work, but Happy Birthday to me!  Daughter #2 took me to lunch and daughter #1 took me to dinner.  I think I went significantly over my calorie limit.

Saturday: Sogonapmit Marathon.  Did much better than I though I would.  I actually enjoyed myself and I think I can attribute much of that to the workouts I've been going through with McCade.  The first half is all up.  The second half you just retrace your footsteps back down.  Ended up with a negative split by 15 minutes!

It really was a good week, but you'd have been hard pressed to convince me.  I wasn't eating as well as I needed to--above and beyond the birthday stuff--and my mind likes to play games with me anyways.  Woe is me, woe is me.  Seriously, sometimes I'd really like to just smack myself up the side of the head.  I'm starting to realize how much of an emotional eater I have been (and still can be).

Your Attitude determines your Altitude

You've probably heard that before.  I've heard it so many times it almost makes me want to puke.  To purposely include it in this blog just seems wrong.  Making it the title is even worse!

But it's true.

At 6:10 this morning I had to wake up my daughter to get her home to her mother so I could be at my appointment at the Wellness Center at 7:00.  My daughter loves her sleep as much as I do--and she didn't seem all that cheery during the 5 mile drive.  My only advantage over her this morning was the 5-Hour Energy that was beginning to circulate through my system.  I love my sleep and I dislike mornings.  We both made the best of it and I made my way to my workout.

Working out at the Wellness Center with me were Grady and Socorro.  Both of them were going through their routine with their trainers.  Tuesday I had to reschedule my appointment and McCade shared his time set up for Angie with me.  I felt like I was intruding.  But it was enjoyable to see what positive attitudes everyone involved in this 100-Day Heart Challenge have.  Everyone is so excited about the results their efforts have so far produced.  Our trainers are so helpful and encouraging.

And it's kind of contagious.

I don't struggle as much to get up and do something at 6 a.m. as I used to.  And I just feel better generally.  There are results I can actually see due to this challenge, and it's those results that make me want to work extra hard to make sure the results I can't see end up looking good at the end of the 100 days.

I think we got this!

Motivation

This morning's nutrition class wasn't so much about nutrition. Today we got into the psychology of what it is we're trying to accomplish.  The obstacles and barriers that get in our way.

Turns out what's mostly in my way is me.

My choices.

My mind.  And those little voices in it that say it's OK to have a Pepsi today cause it's been a really-really long day.

Thoughts, left on their own, are like water--they'll take the path of least resistance and go as low as it can.  I think that's where the saying, "Get your mind out of the gutter" comes from.  Maybe.

Anyways, my motivation--the reason I need to be more proactive in the choices I make--is this:

and this:

 and this:

and this:

Penance for an off day...

The Carpenter's had it right, mostly.  I actually enjoy a good rainy day.

Yesterday--Monday--was a tough one.

I woke up later than intended and didn't get in a morning run, and the heat and humidity later in the day made it easy to take a pass then as well..

I was doing pretty well with my eating throughout the day, probably eating more carrots than I actually should have.  If you eat to many carrots, will your skin turn orange?  But I felt hungry.  Whole wheat pasta is supposed to help you fill fuller with less on account of the fiber content, right?  I thought so too, so that's what I made for dinner.  And all that I had eaten up to that point came right in close to my total recommended calorie intake for the day.  Except I was still hungry.

And I had a coupon for a free chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-a!

I should have put that darn thing through the shredder!

Cause I drove to the Chick-fil-a and got myself a free chicken sandwich (and waffle fries and a fruit punch).

And a guilty conscience with some self-recrimination for dessert.

I'll tell you why I don't like Mondays!


So, what did I tell McCade at my training session this morning?  "You got to make me hurt this morning, McCade!"  I knew it was time to bump up the intensity some, but I felt like I needed to work extra hard to make up for the trip to Chick-fil-a.  I'll be darned if he didn't take me serious, too!

The speed and incline were both increased on my hill-repeats and extra weight was added to most of my weight training exercises.  I had to step off the belt on the treadmill a couple of times to catch my breath, and McCade had to "assist" me with a couple of the final reps on one or two or the weight exercises.  I can lift my arms above my shoulders now, but for a while there this morning it was a difficult task.


Did I really consider this morning's workout as a type of penance?  Not so much.  Like I said before--I knew I needed to bump up the intensity of my workouts some or I'd simply plateau.  But maybe I did a little bit because while nobody expects perfection day in and day out with this challenge, I expect myself to have a little more control over my response to "perceived" hunger pangs.

4th of July

Probably my favorite holiday--it usually means get-togethers and barbeques.  And so it was.

Cookies, brownies, hamburgers and hotdogs, and salads.

And soda.

The soda was my assignment, but I didn't have any.  And I only had one hamburger, a small dollop of the cottage cheese/jello salad and only a few Doritos.  Of the cookies and brownies: I only had one.

Of each...

And there were a few options...

Still, it was a successful week: I'm down a few pounds overall and I unintentionally wear my pants like my son wears his. Time to cinch up the belt. Me likey!

Went on an awesome hike/trail run Saturday.

McCade gets to put me through the wringer tomorrow morning--and to that, I say, "Bring it!"

Curve Balls

WARNING: I’ll probably overdo this blog thing.  Case in point:

We think we know exactly where that ball is going, and then…

Swing and a strike.

Stupid curve ball!

Curve balls are a common occurrence in probably every aspect of our lives.  Even the 100-Day Heart Challenge.  Stuff happens.  Things get in the way and try to derail our best intentions.

Last night was one of those 100-Day curve ball nights.  Curve balls create stress.  Stress that says, “Hey—you’ve got crap happening and you don’t need to deal with all that healthy eating or exercise, at least for a couple of days, right?”

Sure (said the spider to the fly).

Last night my granddaughter was admitted to the hospital.  Not a huge deal (we hope); mostly precautionary: 24 hours of observation and IV fluid replacement.

I remember these kinds of things when it was my own kids.  It didn’t matter if was a mountain or a mole hill—“something is wrong with my kid and I’ll drop everything ‘til all is well again.”  Note: the stress level doesn’t decrease with grandkids.  At least not for me.  If anything, it’s gotten worse.  Now I’m not only worried about the sick grandkid, but I’m also worried about my kid and how she’s dealing with the whole thing.

But I digress.  Sorry.  I tend to do that a lot (and ramble on about nothing).

With all this going on last night and today, it’s been very tempting on a few occasions to drop the ball, at least temporarily.  Dinner at Wendy’s or pizza delivered by Domino’s would have been very easy and convenient.  Cancelling my training session this morning with McCade so I could get an extra hour of sleep sounded soooooo good at 12:30, 2:30, 4:15, and 6:00.

The smoke from the fires could have been another swing and a miss.  It’s too smoky to run outside.

A baseball game. 

Weeds in the garden. 

A book I’m so close to finishing.

Big and small.  Important and trivial.  They all compete for my time and attention.  And many of these things should rank very high on my priority list (if not the top spot).  But if I cut bait on the first snag that comes along, I'm not really making those lifestyle changes that this program is all about.  I need to learn to deal with what life gives me and still make those heart-healthy choices.

Look at me waxing all pontifical… (eyes rolling)

All I intended/wanted to say here is this: I found a legitimate reason to cut a corner on one meal and one training session, but I didn’t.  No one suffered a lack of attention as a result.  Sure the boy wasn’t as happy with dinner (a frozen pizza from the freezer) as he would have been with pizza delivery, but he survived; and I spent some quality time with my daughter and son-in-law at the hospital.

I think it’s human nature for us/me to look for or make excuses when we really don’t need to. 

There’s got to be a lesson in there somewhere.

Way excited!

A bout with Rheumatic Fever when I was 11 or 12 has kept me fairly aware of heart health and my particular need to take care of my own heart.  My grandfather died in 1985 of heart failure--and as a child, he also had Rheumatic Fever.  Grandpa was extremely limited in his last years and required supplemental oxygen.

I'd prefer not to have to pack an oxygen tank around with me

But I also want to be able to look as good in swim trunks as grandpa did at 62.

Sorta.

So, I was pretty excited when I got the news I was in the 100-Day Hearth Challenge.  To be honest, I really didn't think I'd ever be selected because I'm already fairly active: I run.

Marathons.

Where I totally stink at the heart health is in my eating.  And there's a reason for that--but no good reason.  My marital status went from married to not 8 years ago and suddenly I had to fend for myself.  Fending for myself, at least in the food category, for much of that time has involved a close and personal relationship with Del Taco, Wendy's, sometimes McDonald's, and more recently, In-N-Out Burger.  That and the 32oz to 64oz (and beyond) daily Pepsi habit I've had since high school (all hail the Big Chill!).  Even with all my running I have been unsuccessful in getting my weight and cholesterol down to respectable levels.

So, here I am, 3 weeks in and only one Double-Double and 3 plain old bean and cheese burritos from my old stand by's.  Oh!  And zero carbonated beverages!

And exercise.  If I thought I had been (exercising) before, I was sorely mistaken.  Apparently I need to exercise muscles other than those used to run.  Who knew?

My trainer is awesome.  Props to McCade.  I'm very excited and hopeful for what we'll accomplish before this thing is over.

Most of all, though; I'm looking forward to making changes to my dietary habits.  Already I've found that it doesn't have to be a difficult process fraught with bothersome calorie calculations and confusing conversion tables.  Just a little time and a willingness to get out of the drive-thru.  Plus, I figure I can save a few bucks here and there too!  Bonus!

Here we go!  Join me on this journey, will you?  And who knows--maybe I'll set myself up for a BQ opportunity as an add on.