It’s been close to nine months since I started my journey to a healthier lifestyle and I’ve just hit another milestone – 45 pounds lost. That means only 30 more pounds to go and then keeping all that weight off for good. The change has me feeling emotionally and physically better. I have less pain in my knees and am able to do all kinds of things I could not before. Because of that, I am enjoying new workouts, like Boxfit and Yoga. Plus I am eating healthier foods and it shows in things like my cholesterol levels and blood pressure. I am so happy I took that first step to get healthier and am determined to keep on going! If you’re on a similar journey, please take a moment to share how you’re doing.
#TransformationTuesday – Inspiration for the holidays and a lifetime
My transformation continues and I’m happy to say the scale keeps on going down. Ready to hit another milestone soon and go for another one. If you’re on your own journey, I hope it is going well for you, but if it isn’t going as you wish, just remember anything is possible. To help you with that thought I’m sharing this amazing inspirational video that was shared with me! This man’s transformation is amazing and if you don’t cry while watching this video . . .
Here is Arthur and his Incredible Transformation.
Arthur's Incredible Transformation! from Dallas Page on Vimeo.
#MotivationMonday – Getting Organized for a New Phase in Life
So there are big changes coming to my life and one of the things I’ve been tackling is getting organized for that new phase in my life. What does that involve?
Downsizing the house as well as all my stuff in the house. It’s been quite a chore so far to sort out what I’m keeping for our new smaller space. It has been especially difficult with the clothing since thanks to my weight ups-and-downs I have clothes in different sizes that I’ve kept. New Goal: Get rid of it.
Planning for next year’s writing. My June 2020 Hallmark book, SOUTH BEACH LOVE, is done and I’m just waiting on edits. #3 in the At the Shore series, NEVER A BRIDE, will be out in January 2020. I’ve got a mess of books in The Calling is Reborn series to re-release as well as writing FIGHT TO LOVE which many of you have requested. I’ve also got a new book to write for Sourcebooks and I’m excited about this one since my goal is to include many of my family’s stories about our escape from the communist dictatorship in Cuba and the liberty and success we have found in the United States. To keep all that in order, I’ve gotten out the calendar and a notebook to track what I’ll be doing, namely a new release every month, whether they be new stories, traditionally published, or indie re-releases.
Getting healthier. As you may know from visiting, I’m committed to losing weight and getting healthier. I’ve been good about keeping to a workout routine and also watching what I eat. Next year may prove to be a challenge as I’m going to have to change up that routine, but my goal is to adapt and stick to it.
Original Image by William Iven from Pixabay
#WorkoutWednesday – The Bear Crawl
I haven’t shared progress in a month and am sad to say there’s been little progress. In fact, a setback with all the wedding prep and celebrations. But I’m back at it and trying not to get frustrated, which happens often on this health journey of mine. For today I’m sharing an exercise that I’ve heard a lot about and have to try: The Bear Crawl. When you watch this video you’ll think, looks easy enough, but I’m told it’s not. The nice thing about it is that it works all parts of your body and you can do it anywhere you have enough space. No weights or fancy equipment to do this exercise. Always a good thing if you’re not near a gym. If you see me doing this on the beach next summer, join in!
Thanks to Jason Thomas at www.ironwarriortraining.com for the Bear Crawl Video!
Original Image by Rain Carnation from Pixabay
#MotivationMonday – Forgiving Yourself
My wonderful friend Jayne came over this week to help me assemble some wedding favors and while we worked we talked about our respective struggles to lose weight. Jayne was an inspiration to me with all the weight she lost and when I mentioned a setback this week in my weight loss goals, she offered this pearl of wisdom she had learned from her weight loss group: You have to learn to forgive yourself when you suffer a setback like that.
Think about it. If someone does something you don’t like and you call them on it, but they apologize, you forgive them, right? You don’t beat them over the head over and over again about it (we hope).
So why do we do that to ourselves and not just about weight loss? We do it over our jobs, friendships, husbands, children, etc. We sometimes hold ourselves up to standards that are unreasonable and which may lead us to self-doubt or worse, self-loathing.
So today’s Motivation Monday is about being able to forgive yourself. If you’ve fallen down, dust yourself off, get up, and try again with a fresh slate thanks to forgiveness. I did and was able to get back on track!
#TransformationTuesday – An Unexpected Hard Month Vlog
I’m doing something a little different today with a video chat about this month! In short, I had expected that July would be the hard month on account of the two back-to-back conferences. To my surprise, August is proving even harder for a number of reasons that I’m sharing in the video! Hope your transformation is plugging along well if you’re on this journey with me.
#WellnessWednesday #WorkoutWednesday – WOO HOO I met my goal!
This was not an easy month for me on my transformation journey. I was at two conferences back-to-back which meant totally different workout schedules and a much harder to control environment with respect to my eating. At the first conference, I did not have access to a gym facility so I turned to longer walks and even some jogging. I am so not a runner. Think of the tortoise and that’s me, but I did it.
At the second conference, I had access to a gym and with my trusty roommate, I managed to get in some aerobic exercise almost every day. However, I was sitting more than usual and the last two days were difficult in light of various meetings that involved food. Mostly carbs. YIKES!
Despite that, I managed to meet my goal of losing another five pounds in July. I actually lost an additional .6 pounds. Since April 1 when I first started sharing my journey, I’ve lost 27.2 pounds! WOO HOO!
At the last conference, a number of people asked how I did it and so I’m here to share some wellness and workout tips!
On the wellness issue, I’ve virtually cut out diet soda and all fake sweeteners. I use a minimal amount of sugar in my coffee. I hydrate by drinking lots of water and thanks to my Sodastream, carbonated water and one diet soda with dinner.
I’ve cut out carbs like pasta and bread and instead have more fruits and vegetables. I keep my meat portions to between 4 and 6 ounces depending on the nature of the protein.
My daily goal for calories is between 1200 and 1300 and I do allow myself a sweet snack after dinner, usually chocolate or some kind of “thin” cookies. My favs are the Cranberry Almond Thins and Oreo Thins.
As for my workout regimen, once I reach Penn Station I walk to my office in the morning and back at night. That’s almost three miles of walking right there. I also make it a point to get up from my desk every hour and take a short walk around the office, usually to drop off papers.
At night I head to my local Y. Two nights a week I do cardio, usually the elliptical for 40 or so minutes. The other two nights I do strength and balance training. I am a real clutz and need all the help I can get and I am much more balanced and I feel much stronger.
Friday is a free night to just be a couch potato.
On Saturday and Sunday, I take long strolls along the boardwalk, usually one in the morning after a writing marathon and another in the afternoon or after dinner. I confess that sometimes we go and get ices or ice cream on that walk, but usually something small. Moderation is key.
So that’s it! That’s how I’ve been transforming myself and getting healthier and stronger. If you want to do it, you can too!
