And So It Begins

Last week I hit rock bottom.  

My addiction?  A lifestyle void of real physical activity and a love of all things sweet and incredibly bad for me.

I am not sure exactly what it was that made me realize I had reached bottom.  I didn’t burse a zipper, or blow out a seam in my pants (although that’s surely possible).  I didn’t see a picture of myself that made me shudder.  I didn’t overhear someone talking about my oversized booty.   Something inside me just made me realize that it was time to buck up and get serious about getting in shape.

So – last week I met with the resident fitness expert at the school where I work.  She did a “getting started” assessment, where she learned a little bit about my incredibly sedentary lifestyle, my eating habits, and of course she weighed me and took those dreaded measurements.   I’m not prepared to share it with you – but suffice it to say, I was embarrassed.     Before I left her office I scheduled a meeting with her to set up a workout regime to suit my life.  Then off I went to begin my 4-day holiday weekend – armed only with the knowledge that I was NOT going to treat this weekend like one last hurrah.  Instead, I was going to use it as a time to mentally prepare.  Sure, I would enjoy a few indulgences, but I was not going to be so “bad” that come Tuesday morning, I would be trying to get back to where I was last Thursday.  

Mission accomplished.

The weather in the northeast was beastly this weekend – but  I did manage a nice long walk with some friends.  More importantly, I took the time to stock up the fridge with plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, and even bought several things to bring to work so that I’m not tempted to run to the neighborhood sandwich shop for snacks.

There is no doubt that my quest for fitness will quickly become a topic that no one wants to talk about over dinner (much like my son’s college search efforts, and the kids’ summer reading assignments) – so rather than trying to force the issue ‘round the family dinner table – I’m going to share it virtually – right here, ‘Round the Kitchen Table.   I promise this won’t be all I talk about – but don’t be surprised to see frequent posts with progress updates, obstacles, challenges – and hopefully lots of successes. 

If there is one thing I know for sure, it is much easier to do this with a buddy than it is to go it alone.  So if you’re so inclined, by all means – join me.  Share your thoughts, challenges, words of encouragement, ideas for how to make a healthy lifestyle a way of life.    

And so…here and now…it begins.

Day 1 – The Program

Met with our own fitness guru, Alison (aka Wonder Woman).  I’ve had many “first days” in the gym – but she is truly inspirational.  Rock solid, fit but not over done.  Beautiful glowing complexion. Upbeat positive attitude.  And she genuinely cares.  She isn’t trying to set me up with a program that is unrealistic for my life.  Instead, she’s cautioning me to take it slow, and set reasonable goals.  In short, she  wants to see me succeed.

Started with 20 minutes on the treadmill, mostly just to warm up and see how the machine works.

Alison walked me through all the basic machines for a good upper and lower body workout.  I did one set of each exercise, finished with abs and some basic stretches.

She showed me around the rest of the facility so I could see where to shower, change, etc.  

Quick clean up and change – then back work.

Per Wonder Woman’s direction, 20 minutes after workout, I needed a light snack of protein and carbohydrate.  That translated to:

1 cup Weight Watcher’s yogurt – 100 cal., 6 g protein, 0 fat, 3g dietary fiber, 12 g sugar
1 ½ cup watermelon cubes 
One big glass of water! 

Challenges of the Day:  Going out to dinner tonight – very limited menu selection (if any).  

Strategies to overcome the Challenge:  Portion control.  Drink lots of water. 

Note to self: Working out in the morning is a good thing.   It sets  you up for a good day. J 

No Excuse Rule du Jour:  Even if you can’t get your work out done in the morning, spend a few minutes stretching.

OK – that’s it for now.  Wish me luck – and like I said, please feel free to share your journey with me too!

Can Dreams Really Come True?

As little girls we grow up on fairy tales with all kinds of happy endings.  The glass slipper fits.  The wicked witch perishes.  They live happily ever after.  And so on.

Then life takes hold and we realize fairy tales are just that, and we surrender to the idea that life isn't fair.  You've got to take the good with the bad.  The grass is always greener, etc.

How is it that in the span of just a few decades, our attitudes could swing so far from one extreme to the other? Who says that dreams can't come true?  Maybe we're just looking at it all wrong.

When I started this blog a year and a half ago, I didn't really have much of a purpose in mind.  I wasn't sure what I would write about, or even who would be interested in reading it.  I started this blog for one simple reason -- I have always wanted to write -- and somewhere in the depths of my mind I thought that maybe, just maybe, if I could get myself into the habit of writing -- a writer would be born.  Maybe through this exercise of writing I would find myself -- or perhaps somewhere along the way, I'd be "discovered."

Well -- after 18 months, it is no surprise that I have not been discovered.  Most people have no idea what motivates my missives -- and I can't tell you the kinds of questions I've fielded about my blogging (some of which have been downright rude).

"Why would you waste your time doing this?"

"What if no one is reading?"
And my all time favorite...
"No offense but with all the great writers out there, why would anyone be interested in what you have to write?"

Ouch.  That one packs an extra punch. 

The list of questions goes on -- and in all honesty, they're all extremely valid. I mean really, why in the world would anyone give a hoot about what this 40-something mother from Po-Dunk, PA has to say about anything?    

Your guess is as good as mine.  But you know something? Somewhere out there in this crazy world, there are in fact, people who are interested.  As a matter of fact, I just looked at the Google Analytics for 'Round the Kitchen Table and was astounded to learn that since its inception, more than 2,400 different people, from 53 countries (including visitors from every single one of the United States of America) have read more than 7400 pages of my blog entries!   

I am humbled.

When I started this journey, I may have had some different dreams about what might transpire from this little blog -- but I can't say that I'm disappointed.  Though I am not a writer by conventional standards, I know there are people who look forward to my musings, and miss me when I go on hiatus.

I'm still finding my way, and trying to figure out where this blog could take me, but one thing I know for sure -- this girl's pendulum of positive thinking is swinging in the direction of believing that in their own  unique ways, dreams absolutely can come true.

For those of you who have visited my blog before, or subscribed, or referred a friend, or commented -- I send a heartfelt thank you for helping to keep this girl's dream alive. 

Santa Claus, Where Are You?

If you're looking for a posting about phenomenal shopping deals, or starting Christmas shopping in July, you've come to the wrong place. The truth is, if I wrote about Christmas shopping in July it would be a rant -- and I really try to keep my rants to a minimum. No, this post really doesn't have much to do with Christmas. It's actually just another one of those realizations I've had -- an "ah ha moment" -- and now seems the perfect day to share.

Every year I sit back on December 26 and wonder how I managed to get it all done in those few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s not just me though, the whole world seems to go into overdrive at the holidays – buzzing here, buzzing there. We shop, decorate, wrap, cook, send greeting cards, visit family, visit Santa, get our nails done, bake cookies, attend parties, throw parties, volunteer for those less fortunate, attend our kids’ choral concerts….the list goes on and on.

The month of December is truly amazing – and personally, I always give the credit to Santa Claus. I mean, it isn’t humanly possible otherwise, so it must be Santa, right?

But here’s my question, where, exactly, does Santa go from January through November? Why couldn’t he maybe help out a little during the year, instead of leaving me to spin my wheels all day and get nothing done? What’s different about the month of December?

I thought about this question a lot in January, and I realized that for starters, in December I know exactly what I'm working towards and precisely what I need to do to get it done.

Ah ha...goals.

Of course. It makes sense that when we know where we're going, we can figure out how to get there.

Armed with that nugget of wisdom, in January I laid out a master plan for 2009. This was to be a year of personal growth for me. A year when I would find time for my passions. I'd plow through the stacks of books that have piled up on my bookshelf. I'd do more knitting and scrapbooking, I'd really "dig into" my gardening. I'd take time to explore different things that I've been interested in but have never really taken the time to learn. 2009 was to be "my year."

So here it is -- July 1st -- a great day to check in and revisit those personal goals, right?

Well, the good news is that I was able to locate my list. The bad news is, apparently even with a plan, Santa Claus doesn't like to help out (at least not from January to July).

In all seriousness, initially I was kind of disappointed when I reviewed my progress towards my goals. There was very little that I could check off as even "in progress," let alone "complete." But in asking myself the question, "Why haven't I completed more?" I realized that there are so many things that I have accomplished that I never even considered when I wrote my goals.

Nowhere on the list had I considered flexing my creative writing muscles and starting a blog -- yet I'm faithfully maintaining two! Nowhere had I considered working on my photography, or learning new software programs, or making new friends. Yet these are all things that I have done already this year. I am very happy for those accomplishments.

But still I maintain that Santa Claus has been checked out so far this year. I haven't done anything as amazing as what I can do at Christmastime. So once again, I find myself asking the question, what's different about December? And in asking that question, today I had yet another "ah ha moment."

Santa isn't just about goals - he's also about discipline. He's about planning the work, and working the plan. Call it consistency, sticktoitiveness or productivity, call on Nike's "Just do it" campaign. Santa Claus knows what needs to get done, and he makes it happen.

Later today I'll be updating my goals for this year, because truthfully some of the things that seemed so important to me in January, are a little less important to me now. Sure, I love to knit, and I'd like to try to knit something different than the one and only thing I know how to make (a Prayer Shawl), but I also love to write. I love to read the books on my shelf, but I take equal pleasure in reading the incredible blogs written by so many talented friends I've made in the past few months.

Yes, I'll be doing a mid-year adjustment to my goals, and that's a good thing -- after all, that's part of finding my way. But rest assured, before the week is done, I will have nailed down some core disciplines that I want and need to be a part of my life if I want to accomplish my goals.

Oh yes Santa, I will see you before Thanksgiving. How much rest do you need anyway?