I thought a black-and-white mindset was critical to my success, but after years of hyper-regimented living, a debilitating injury kick-started my pursuit of a fuller, more flexible life. Here’s how I learned to embrace thinking “in the gray.”
Great article from a fellow recovering perfectionist (I hope I am not this extreme!) and how an injury forced her to chill out 🙂
I Was So Afraid of Failing That I Wasn’t Really Living. Here’s How I Took My Sanity Back
Tonight’s meal: done in 5 mins flat and took 5 ingredients. #brinner, anyone? Under 500 calories! #goodeats #healthy
Tonight’s #dinner: lamb burgers with chunky mint tzatziki. SOOO good and under 500 calories! #goodeats #healthy
New #running gear from @orangemud, thanks to a discount from the @everymove app! Seat cover doubles as a transition wrap for changing. Stays put! #fitness
… looks like this! I have maintained a loss of 7.1 lbs, 6.75 inches and 2.2% body fat since my first 24 Day Challenge started 15 weeks ago. However, I’ve backslid a teeny bit these past few weeks (but the vacation was well worth it!). So, I’m rebooting today.Â
So if you notice me without a drink in my hand the next 24 days, it’s because I’m working to get to my healthy goal. I’m pretty close to where I want to be to feel comfortable in my skin. And if I can do that by my birthday at the end of August, big bonus!
So my break pretty much went as expected. I ate foods I rarely do (mmm Twizzlers!). I enjoyed my share of adult beverages. I rested and did some light workouts (probably good for my injury). And I gained 5 lbs.
BUT…I enjoyed myself. And I remember why I’ve classified such things as “treats”…if enjoyed regularly, they will get in the way of my healthy lifestyle. Vacations are special occasions, and now I’ve associated these things that way. I’m happy with that 🙂
It also renewed my craving for the structure I’ve created for myself the past 3+ months. So what am I doing to get back on track?
1. Sunday, I started tracking what I eat again. It wasn’t perfect…still a few too many calories as I was still in vacation mindset. But it was a start.
2. I’m making sure I get active again. I did a walk/run Sunday, hit the gym for weights yesterday, and plan to bike tonight. I’m still not 100% on intensity yet since I’m still healing, but getting moving again feels good.
3. Once I started tracking what I was eating again, it was easier on Monday to get back to a more reasonable calorie intake. That means getting active if eating something a little indulgent. And with my Fitbit back online (yeah, another bump…my Fitbit died Saturday. But now I have a pretty new violet one!), I can see how active (or not) I am during the day at work.
4. Next up will be keeping my sleep schedule on track. I fully caught up on any sleep debt on vacation, but I fudged that a little last night with chores and having to be up today for jury duty (meaning, a longer commute). I’ll get my arms back around that tonight.
5. I’m also paying more attention to my hydration. Got 68 oz. of water yesterday! I did a decent job on vacation, but I know this is key to success moving forward (and maybe why I only gained 5 instead of 7 or 10 pounds).
Overall, I’m still glad I took the break. After being so mindful for so long (nearly 100 days straight), I needed a pause. But I wouldn’t recommend doing the same without a plan to get back to it soon after!
I’ll keep you posted as I reboot.
Thanks Elizabeth for snapping this fun photo at our reunion 🙂
I’ve pretty much stuck to my healthy lifestyle plan for 13 weeks. That’s a quarter of the year, y’all! In that time, I’ve dropped about 10 pounds, my clothes are fitting better (including some I haven’t worn in 10 years!) and overall, I feel just plain better on a day to day basis. Maybe that’s because the conscious eating, exercising and supplements are allowing me to rest better, too.
So in the spirit of rest, I’m on an official “break” from my plan. I just wrapped up one trip (see the photo above from my 20th reunion…how did we get that old already?!?) and I am in the middle of a week off from work, which I’ll spend relaxing and retreating. After tracking what I eat for nearly 100 days straight, I’ve decided to put that on pause.Â
This article sums up why I’m doing this. Basically, it’s good to have an off-season, mentally and physically. Athletes do it, so why not me? After all, I’ll be officially starting training for the half marathon soon (at today’s therapy session, I got clearance to try some very light running this week!).
I believe that this time off will allow me to get back to my healthy ways with an renewed enthusiasm and appreciation. And I’ll have a chance to enjoy some foods that are squarely in the “occasional treat” category now.
This is a lifestyle for me, not just a quick diet to follow until I reach a weight goal. I need to learn how to make it livable, and for me, that includes short, scheduled breaks. With a plan to get back to it afterwards (which I will do with another 24 Day Challenge in about 10 days).
I’ll keep you posted on the progress. Until then, you’ll probably be seeing a few photos like the one above of me enjoying my break!
It’s possible to eat #healthy on the road! Meet the Bam Bam from Snappy Salads. #goodeats
AKA “I’m really glad I bought this exercise ball a month ago!”
Today was my first “real” day of physical therapy at Memorial Hermann’s Ironman Sports Medicine Institute. (Friday’s session was more like an extended exam to zero in on where I hurt.)
I was a little nervous going in as I had been achy all day, starting from feeling a bit of a pain behind my knee when I got out of bed. Today’s workday was not a desk day…so I was more active than I had been in a few days, and my leg was already a little tired. I made sure to tell my therapist all that, so we started on the bike as a warmup.
I did 8 minutes! That boosted my confidence (and told me I should stick with this for my cardio for now). Leah (who is studying to get her PhD in PT) then took me through a workout which was actually pretty fun.
There’s a strip of astroturf in the facility, and first she had me doing some side jogs (basically striding sideways and hopping together) and grapevines (dancers, y’all know these!). A good way to keep my heart rate up but also allowed her to see my range of motion.
Next we moved into exercises that I could easily replicate on my own. There was a series of planks involving a Bosu ball (which I’ll have to try again at the gym), and some bridges with a ball similar to the one pictured above. Since I told Leah I owned one, she put these into my homework assignment.
We finished out with stretches using a cord that resembled a yoga strap (again, excited because I have one of these too!). We discovered my IT band is really tight, so I am your stereotypical runner. A fresh application of KT tape and I was good to go.
So I have a list of exercises and stretches I’m to do daily for the next week, plus try to get in some more cardio. Which means the ball is getting deflated and coming on the road with me!
I’m feeling better tonight than I did when I went in to the appointment, so I’m hopeful I’m slowly progressing along.
Check out Eileen’s and Lisa’s blogs below, where they talk about their summer training plans. Sweatin’ in my Oldies By Ambassador Eileen Wright This morning I set off on my usual comfor…
Officially reshared by the Houston Marathon 🙂
The Healthy Houdat 