DAY 223 New Spring Challenge! Wanna Join??

Hi Journal & Friends,

Yesterday, instead of burying my feelings beneath layers of food, I chose to acknowledge them and try to deal with them. In the past, I would have numbed them with LOTS of mac n cheese. But without the anesthesia, they sure seemed raw and intense to me!

I received so many wonderful comments, with encouraging words and lots of great ideas and suggestions. Thank you all so much, it meant a lot to me.

One idea stood out, head and shoulders above all the rest: exercise as a way to boost metabolism and weight loss. For the last couple of weeks it seems that everywhere I turn, I keep bumping into that idea... over and over and over.

I had my thyroid tested a couple of weeks ago, and the nurse called yesterday to tell me it was fine... it was not the cause of my sluggish weight loss, not to change my meds. This nurse is a tiny thing, but has always been very nice to me.

We talked awhile, and I made a surprising discovery: she was always made fun of in high school for being overweight, and to this day, in her forties, she has to watch what she eats every single day! 

She said sometimes the body resists letting go of the weight, and needs "adjustment" time. And that exercise can help speed things up. 

There is was, again!

Then she mentioned something that struck me: the body will let go of the weight once it is convinced it is not being deprived, and that it is getting all the nutrition it needs.

Now... I had been so focused on the mental part of this journey, because it IS important and was always my downfall in the past. So I was working at not feeling deprived "emotionally". You know, allowing favorite treats each day... having my yummy flavored coffee... that sort of thing, all within my calorie budget.

It never dawned on me if I didn't get rich enough nutrition while trying to lose weight, that is would be difficult to lose the pounds.

Well, all that is as good a theory as any I've heard yet! It even makes sense to me. I don't feel resistant to the idea at all. In fact, it's just the opposite. It make a LOT of sense to me.

So, I made myself a new plan, just in time for Spring. Today, Saturday, March 20th, is the official First Day of Spring here in the U.S. And the first day of Summer is officially June 21st. That is a span of 13 weeks.

I'm calling it my Spring Challenge, and my mascot is Tigger, springing around on his bouncy tail!

• My daring goal: to exercise EVERY SINGLE DAY for the whole 13 weeks. :-O

• Don't worry, I'm not nutso. I actually am building in balance, moderation. There will be "light" days, and regular days, and double days! I plan to be flexible, and work it around my schedule. But I will do SOMETHING every day, and will count it a bonus day when I do TWO routines in one day. I  will make a game of it, sort of competing with myself, and have fun with it. I might even belly-dance once or twice! ha ha

• Oh, and just to show you how masochistic I really am... LOL... I will also have a GREEN SMOOTHIE every single day for the challenge. Wow, that was actually harder to commit to than the exercise!!!! I wonder what THAT says about my eating habits!

• I will check in every Saturday, since I am starting on a Saturday.

• I will tell one thing each week that I like about myself (thank you Mary, for that one). I already know that one will be a challenge... I am embarrassed just to type that!

• And in addition to the health benefits, I will put some money away each of the 13 weeks, and at the end, when I have made my two goals (13 straight weeks of Exercise and Greenies) I will buy myself something totally fun! I haven't decided what yet... probably connected with either my art or exercise toys. 

There you have it: my Spring Challenge

1. Every day for the next 13 weeks, do some kind of Exercise.

2. Every day for the next 13 weeks, drink a Greenie.

3. Check in every Saturday.

4. Tell one thing each week that I like about myself.

5. Save up to buy myself a fun Reward at the end.

By the way, if anyone else would like to join me... you can choose your own goals (behaviors, not a number on the scale!), check-in day, and reward. And tell one thing about yourself that you like each week. And feel free to swipe a copy of Tigger, too.

Mary, at Wistful Nebulae, has generously offered a prize to someone that stuck it out to the end! We will have a random drawing of anyone still alive an' kicking (perfection NOT required, just participation!!!) and she will send the winner an exercise DVD. How cool is that!!! (Mary said the DVD's are coded for U.S. and Canada)

If you are interested, I'd appreciate it if you mentioned it on your blog, since I didn't give much/any notice on this. It was sort of a last minute thing... sorry about that! Feel free to check in here on Saturdays and leave a link to your update (whatever day it is) so we can cheer each other on.

Thanks to Dayne, at Coach Your Mind,  I am finally asking the right question. Instead of moaning about what IS, about what I can't do.... I am now asking: what CAN I do to help myself??

Mary, at Wistful Nebulae,  told me my focus was wrong... and that I needed an attitude adjustment. Oh, she was so right!! After my check-up-from-the-neck-up, I feel so much better and motivated to DO something, rather than sit around feeling sorry for myself. To focus on the things I am doing right. Thank you, my Friend Mary.

From Dr Phil's book: "Get off your duff and get moving."

My verse for today: "May the Lord bless us and keep us and cause His face to shine upon us and be gracious to us... and give us peace."

My quote for today: "Just because an animal is large, it doesn't mean he doesn't want kindness; however big Tigger seems to be, remember that he wants as much kindness as Roo." --Winnie the Pooh

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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