Jul 28, 2009

Healthy You Challenge Check-In

It's been a crazy few months - studying for the GREs, going through a hormonal meltdown, two vacations (much needed!) and slowly and steadily losing weight.

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I am back though. I want to up the exercise and continue with WeightWatchers to really get this weight loss accomplished. I was a little frustrated that I wasn't "losing fast enough" for a while, until I realized what that meant. It meant that the changes I was making were really sticking. Gone are my days of weight fluctuations and rapid changing habits. The slower I lose, the longer I maintain at a certain point, the more this knowledge is settling into me. I'm going to celebrate that I've lost almost 10% of my original weight and that I'm really making long-term changes to my health, attitude and body. Hurrah!

I was participating in WW through an at work program for the past 4 months. We weren't able to garner enough interest for another session (people want to take the summer off - eek!) so I'm now left to my own devices with an online membership. This Friday I'm going to to center to join the meetings there. Along with this HYC, I find the accountability of seeing my leader each week and stepping on the official scale to be another thing that keeps me successful and committed.

So my goals for this week:

1. Back to the gym! Hit the gym or do some form of exercise at least 4 times this week. Make it to at least 1 yoga class.
2. Track, track, track. It's the only thing that consistently keeps me on track and the scale going down.
3. Carefully think about the snacks I crave and the snacks I eat. My hormones are not the boss of me!

Future - start the C25K in August. It will be my birthday present to myself!

Jul 27, 2009

Summertime means...

When you live in a climate like that of New England, you spend many cold months daydreaming about the warm glow of summer. The promise of long sunny days keeps you sane, warm and alive. Some days, those summer days to come can feel like the only things worth living in New England.

Of course there are many other things I love, including bits of the icy frigid winter months, but summer is a special treat. A rare and fleeting season of romance, cold drinks and long, lazy evenings. The soundtrack to each day consists of the radio playing on the beach or the Red Sox game on the radio or the sounds of crickets chirping in the evenings.

This summer hasn't delivered our normal dose of happiness and carefree romps. We've had an extended early spring feeling - cool days, colder nights, rain and gray and gloom. It leaves me feeling a sense of waiting, or like a sense of ending in that the cold months ahead of winter will be here sooner than I can imagine!

So I'd like to remind myself that summer is still special and all of the reasons that is so.

Corn on the cob
Raspberries
Flip flops
Red Sox
Camping
Fireflies
Ice cream
Canoeing
Grilling hamburgers
Summer ales
Iced tea
Outdoor concerts
Sleeping with a fan on
Tank tops
Ponytails
Freckles
The smell of sunscreen
Fireworks

What's your favorite season and what do you look forward to?