Goals, Goals, Goals

Lately I have been thinking of my fitness goals. I really need to sit down and figure out what all I want to accomplish. I need to set up a plan and follow through. In the past I have continually failed, yet I keep doing the same things over and over again. So when I came across this picture it reminded me that I need to be realistic. I think my main problem was that I was setting my expectations too high and it was not possible or me to achieve them. This would lead to me constantly failing. I need to work at setting small goals that are attainable and that aren't taking me from one end of the spectrum to the other in a short amount of time. Of course I'm going to do poorly if I cannot achieve my goals. If I set the bar too high, I will always be disappointing myself. Now, what I really need to do is to sit down and clearly write out my goals and create definite regulations for them. I need to state them in a way that makes sense, inspires me, but also in a way that I can foresee them happening. 

B and I are following through and going to the mud run this weekend. The only problem is that this has been one of the worst weeks for both of us. We are both sick and in pain, but we know we need to do this race. We might not feel the best, but we will sure be mad at ourselves if we pass up an awesome opportunity like this one. We are worried about the run, but we know we have each other. 

This weekend will also be another turning point (hopefully!) I hope to put a plan in motion for healthy eating and exercising. I plan to set new goals and to make the healthy option the easiest option for me. Right now my life is super busy so I want to make sure that I don't have as many excuses not to be healthier. I want to push myself and also change for the better. 

                                           Sincerely H

Think Positive

 "One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself." Lucille Ball

Sometimes - okay, a lot of times - I (B) get really discouraged. Doesn't everyone? Emotional stress, physical stress, and mental stress all get stacked on top of you until you think you're gonna collapse. Even when everything seems fine, one little failure or hurt feeling can tip you over the edge. Discouragement is something everyone feels, but few are good at dealing with it and coming out on top.

I think that getting caught up it discouragement or self-hate is pretty much my main problem when it comes to health and fitness. I spend all day thinking "Wow, I really need to get rid of my fat thighs" or "I just can't eat healthy, this is so stupid", but thinking those things has never helped me improve. The truth is the more times I say things like that to myself one day, the more times I'm likely to say them again the next. Does that make any sense? Basically, negativity creates more negativity and positivity makes more positivity.

So my goal for the next week or so is just going to be finding ways to keep away discouragement. The choice between optimism and pessimism is always ours to make, and I tend to lean towards the latter. Tomorrow and the next day and the next, I'm going to try to choose positivity. I probably won't succeed every time, but when something stressful or annoying happens, I want to try to stop and make a conscious choice to see the bright side. If I can chose positivity and encouragement over self-pity just 3 times in the next few days, I'll count it as a success. Because in comparison to what I'm doing now, it will be one.

Sincerely, B

 

Weekend Finds...

     Well, I didn't plan out everything I had hoped today, partially because I was busy and partially because I completely forgot. However, I did come across a really good article/ slideshow from Seventeen (http://www.seventeen.com/college/freshman/recipes-for-college-students#slide-1) that had some easy, healthy meals. I'm pretty sure I've seen it before, but it's still a good resource. It is intended for busy college students on a budget, so the recipes are simple and tasty, but they're also fast. This is really nice because with everything that's going on, I don't want to put in a ton of time to make meals. If I had time, I think that would be really fun, but I just don't right now. And since it's for the average college student, the ingredients are normal, easy-to-find products. None of the obscure "super-foods" that you have to search for hours to find, or the random substitutes that even the workers at Whole Foods have never heard of.
      Anyway, besides finding the article, I also found a couple exciting healthy foods when I was out shopping in the last couple days. First, at a nearby Aldi store, I found these amazing whole wheat wraps. They're 100 calories each and apparently have ground flax seed in them. So nice to find inexpensive healthy food! I just hope they're still there next time we go...      Then, from another store (I'm not sure if it was Super Saver or Target or what... I can't remember) I got a box of Arizona tea bags that were pomegranate with acai. The package says it contains "natural antioxidants." I'm not actually sure if that's true, but it's delicious either way.
     Okay last thing for now, because I'm tired and truly can't think clearly enough to come up with anything clever to say, here is one more thing I found. It's a quote I hadn't really thought about before: "If you want something you've never had, then you've got to do something you've never done." I'm sure plenty of you have heard this before, but I didn't until today. It put things into an interesting perspective. In a way it's obvious, but I hadn't really thought about it like that. My lifestyle has to change to something completely different if I want myself to change. Food for thought.

Sincerely, B

 

(Here are the marvelous wraps and tea I got!)

    

Make a Different Choice

    Since H has been writing a lot about starting a healthy lifestyle this week, I decided I might as well join in. She's totally right when she talks about how we just need to stop procrastinating and start making changes. So today I started planning out this weeks meals and making some preparations. I consulted my lovely friend, Google, and gathered ideas for simple, healthy meals. I'd like to think I could just jump right in and make gorgeous, gourmet, nutritious meals, but unfortunately I can't. So I'm just starting with the basics. I got a piece of paper and wrote down ideas/recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I looked up basic cereals, smoothies, and parfaits, and listed a few sandwiches, wraps, and stir-frys. Tomorrow, hopefully, I can plan out each day's meals individually, and make a couple things ahead of time (hummus, chicken, etc.)
    Also, in the last year, I've kind of stopped working out like I used to. It's not like I never work out at all, but I've just stopped making it a priority. I've stopped pushing myself. That needs to change too. Volleyball is good, but eventually it will end, and when it does, I can't just quit exercising! I don't want to get to college and realize I don't know how to motivate myself. I have people around me now, like H, who are willing to help me through, but I might not always have them. I'm tired of wasting my time and not taking advantage of every day. Every day is a day I could change, but I'm not changing. 
    The truth is, with all the craziness that this year will entail, I should be eating and working out a lot better than I am. Sounds easy enough, but like H said, it has to be a commitment. One healthy day, or even healthy week, just isn't enough. I always complain about how much time and effort it takes, but every important thing takes effort. If being fit didn't take any work, everyone would be there. Only the people that work hard achieve their goals. I guess it's about time we put in the work.

Sincerely, B

Just One Meal

Earlier this week I found a picture that really put things into perspective for me. It reminds me that doing something once, doesn't make a difference. I go through my life thinking about things all wrong. Whenever I eat a bad meal, I feel horrible and I am so mad at myself. I feel as though I'm getting fatter by the second. (Ridiculous, I know) The truth is that we are able to have a bad meal every once in awhile and it's ok. At the same time however, one good meal isn't going to make me skinny, or even more fit. Whenever I eat a good meal, I feel good about myself and I think that I am making a big difference. Now, part of that is true, but if I don't continue to eat well, then that one meal really doesn't matter. It's similar to the quote that says, "It took more than a day to gain it, and it will take more than a day to lose it." While it is good to do the little things that will make big changes, if we don't keep working hard and making more changes, we won't improve at all. This is something I really need to work on. I always eat well for a day or two and then I expect everything to change. That isn't how it works at all. We have to keep adding onto our existing good choices, if we want things to get better. Tomorrow I will be attempting to prepare some healthy food items for this week so that it will be easier for me to eat well throughout the week. It will not be perfect at first, but it's another step in the right direction. 

                                           Sincerely H

I'm Tired Of This

I can't believe that I have made it this far without some serious issues. Last year I was sick and tired of looking and feeling like this, but so far all I have done is failed. I know it is impossible to stay away from failure, but the fact is that I have barely been trying for success. I complain all the time about how I look, but in the past year I have not done what I need to do. I can tell you that I eat junk every week, for pretty much the whole weekend. This is definitely not the way to go if I want to reduce my body fat. I always mess up and have a super unhealthy meal and then I use that as an excuse to say I'll just start over clean next week. That isn't good enough. It doesn't go week by week, it goes day by day. This is something that I need to push. I have to accept that I will make mistakes, but I also have to fix them right away instead of using that as a reason to eat junk for the rest of the week. Towards the end of last school year I was really getting fed up with myself, and I promised that by the beginning of this year I would have changed, but I didn't. Instead, I stayed the same and I didn't do myself any favors. I was so angry inside, yet I didn't do anything to get rid of it. I had total power over my life and a good couple of months at home to do it, but what did I do? I was lazy all day, every day and I didn't do a single thing. 

I'm saying now that this ends today. Starting Monday I choose to make a conscious effort. I will not give up and ruin my future due to my laziness. I choose to change my life. I'm serious this time. I'm starting a new school year and soon I'll be heading off to college. I can't keep acting the same way and expect a major change. This road is going to be long and hard but I'm up for the challenge. 

                                           Sincerely H

Update Time!

     Update time! First off, today was super tiring, mostly because H and I were already exhausted from the rest of the week. Today we had school, then a shortened volleyball practice, and then a school Pep Rally. The thing is, even though it's practically fall, it was so hot out today! Not a good day to be outside for a rally. We left early, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was still  miserable to stand out there. The air's so sticky here, and we were already sweaty from volleyball, so it was interesting.
     Speaking of volleyball... Practice actually wasn't too bad today. Mostly because it wasn't as long as normal, but also because I was seeing a little sliver of improvement. I'm finally serving okay and getting more used to the sprinting. It's crazy how you can get better at something after just a week. Even if it's just a little. I'm not saying that I did super good or anything - far from it - but it's still improvement. It makes me think about how if we could just get into the habit of eating right or stretching daily, we could probably improve really quickly. So why can't we seem to get into that habit? Still trying to figure that out... but I just can't seem to give up junk food! One challenge that H and I faced a lot today was cravings. It's always our downfall. Literally all day long we were talking about Dairy Queen and how we wanted a burger and fries and a cookie dough blizzard. The craving just went on and on and on. I ate candy and a little ice cream because I wanted it so bad, but even now, I'm thinking about how delicious some fries would be. (Side note: I usually hear that cravings mean your body needs something, but what does a burger, fries, and ice cream have that my body needs??)
     Anyway, even though I still want to eat all that stuff, I need to remember that I want a healthy body more than I want junk food. Maybe I'm craving DQ today, but I've been wanting a better body for years. Which should I work for?

Sincerely, B

 ((Disclaimer: I'm a little tired and out of it, so this post may or may not be coherent. . .))