health

Rules for Scales

lisabrookfield 3 Comments

Ok, so last week I talked about being a serial dieter and reluctant fitness monkey and vowed to approach things in a new way with the Hells Yah Diet and Fitness Plan, which I now will call Hells Yah Lifestyle (HYL) . There was a lot of response to this post. It seems I’m not the only one who has these thoughts combined with the binge dieting and I’ll try anything exercise history. I even got some new followers, which is always exciting for me. Even when I know that they are spammers and not going to read a word. I can tell because their recent posts are things like; About Me or How to make money from home. Still, the number is going up and that is exciting! Thank you for not deleting this from your inbox and at least getting this far.

Last week, I told you that it wasn’t about losing weight (not entirely true) but, feeling good (still totally true.) The truth is, I want to feel energy and heath in my life. I think, I’m going to have to drop a few pounds to achieve these goals.  So, there is a weight element to this feel good idea of mine. What I meant when I said, ‘not about weight’ is that I wasn’t going down the calorie counting, fad diet, weird exercise path I have taken in the past- as laid out in last week’s post.  Because as well as feeling energy and health, I want to feel JOYful. And bean sprouts and lycra don’t cut it in JOYland, not that there is anything wrong with bean sprouts and lycra, they have their place and can be very useful. I gotta be me in this new way. And me likes beautiful, aromatic, lovely food  and chocolate- often with coffee and moving oughta- no hasta be fun. HYL should feel inspiring and awesome. It must not be a grind. I’m determined to be lighter, in every sense. Though sometimes, I lose track of this driving force. I get off path. I get bogged down.

So,  I weighed my self obsessively this week. Daily. There is a triumphant thrilling fist in the air, ‘Yes’ when the number goes down and I like this feeling. It’s like gambling.

I’m talking to the scales, ‘come on, show me the money.’ And then, ‘How the hell did I gain 4 pounds in 24 hours? Is that even possible? Would it be less if I peed first?’

There with just that one set of numbers, my mood has plummeted. I am no longer strong and triumphant. I am perplexed, depressed, defined and defeated by the three numbers on the scale. Reel it in Mrs., this is not joy, this is not health, this is not light. So, I made rules for my scales, for my sanity, for my being. I had to. I am obsessive by nature. It was the only way I could control the need to check, confirm I am doing well or not well. I have to limit myself to a weekly check-in (link to illustration below). I hope that one day, I will not need this external confirmation. I hope that one day, I will just know because I feel energy, health and joy. Until then, Onward…

Oh, and feel free to print the ‘Rules’ for your own scales or maybe you will make rules that work better for you- for whatever you need to go easy on yourself about. And I invite you to forward this post to someone you think might like it or get it or need it.

Rules for Scales Flowchart  <———-Have a look.

New Year, New Leaf

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IMG_1956Well, New Year and  time for promises and resolutions right? The list of things I’m definitely not doing this year and the things I must do. It all seems so punishing and doomed for failure. Thoughts lead actions this is true enough and making clear statements about intention is a strong tool. But, what if we are perfect as we are and there is nothing to improve, only acceptance of our wonderful, unique flawed selves and all the coolness around us? I have no grand gestures for this year, only the wish to greet and accept the experiences and great gifts that will be with open arms. I may give a nod to forgiveness of self and work on being kinder about my mistakes. I am certainly going to take more naps, because they are just good. But, of course I will have lapses in my nap goal and have to forgive myself for being hard on myself and so I think my resolution for 2013 will be cultivating my imperfection. At this, I can not fail. Here is a nice little editorial piece re-printed in the Chicago Tribune, from Boston Globe writer, Ellen Goodman on cultivating imperfection in the garden. I love the parallels.

What One Man Can Do

lisabrookfield 9 Comments

Today, training for this 5K thing started. I actually did some jogging. It was cool to sweat and breathe and feel really hot and Great to finish. My coach has given me a method of switching up between running and walking in timed short bursts. I did this for like 45 minutes, because I was counting the time in my head- not the most accurate- in fact it was in no way accurate, which is why it took 15 minutes longer than it should have. I will require a timing device of some sort, not my Iphone. Anyway, here are the video diaries of today’s post. Along with a scene from the movie The Edge staring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin.

In my mind this morning, Anthony Hopkins was shouting, “What One Man Can Do, Another Can do!”  I do realize that a little jog and killing a man hunting bear are slightly different but ,it helped me go further than I thought I could.

So, I’d love to hear about your challenges and how you are achieving them. What gets you over the hump? Have you killed any of your bears lately? Until later, Thank you for checking in with me.