January 1, 2007
Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year, My Walking Friends!!
I'm having some problems with the blog set up on this site, and had to disable comments, but I couldn't rebuild the site, so now the comments are THERE but don't WORK. LOL. Sorry about that.
But anyway, HEY! Are you still out there, walking?
**The Walking Challenge is now Closed**
please feel free to get involved over at WalkerTracker.com for encouragement and a walking community.
March 1, 2006
A Little Motivation from FlyLady.net
My friend and our walking friend Chris sent this to me a while back, and I thought I'd bring it to you, it's a nice motivating testimony from http://flylady.net/ of one woman's success with walking and weight loss.
Dear FlyLady,Thank you for the recent article about abstaining from our trigger foods that we overindulge in whenever we have them around. I hope my testimony will bless others.
Five years ago before I found FlyLady, I came to the stark realization that my weight was a problem. At 5'5" I was embarrassed to be nearing 200 lbs as I approached 52 yrs old. I couldn't bend over very well, and tired easily. It startled me that 'in 10 years I would be 62'! I didn't have any medical conditions, but at this rate it would only be a matter of time before I would have developed health problems. I felt depressed, and overwhelmed.
Something clicked! I had a serious 'talk with myself' and reasoned "Anybody can walk!!". I made a commitment to just go for a walk 6 days a week for 1-year until my next birthday. It was not easy because I had 'pampered' myself for so long...there was a 'brat' inside, even before I knew FlyLady's secret.
I went out early because I was embarrassed. Each morning my alarm went off at 6:00, but 'she' laid in bed, not wanting to get out from under the covers for my walk. I would force that 'inner brat' to move 'her' one leg onto the floor, and the rest of 'her' would follow. I just turned a deaf ear to 'her' whining or what 'she' FELT like doing!
Before I knew about evening routines, it helped to put out my walking clothes the night before so I could get dressed before 'she' would fully 'wake up' and realize 'she' was already outside walking! My oh my, 'she' had become a SUCH a pampered brat!
After a few weeks, I actually started feeling more energetic, and 'she' even looked forward to the morning walks. 'She' was such a brat that 'she' was continually late -- 'she' hardly knew what time of day it was, and EVERYONE knew 'she' was never on time! So I insisted that 'she' MUST get out the door by 7:00, and be back home by 7:45. That way, 'she' wouldn't sidetrack me from my walking goal.
Every day I wrote my walk (#laps or minutes) on my calendar. But if I really HAD to miss a day, I didn't let 'her' discourage me with 'her' stinkin' thinkin' about the missed day.
Without realizing it, I was doing BabySteps! I weighed myself every day. I didn't let 'her' stop me if I got to a plateau. I started looking at 5-pound mini-goals instead of the whole amount I wanted to lose.
After a few months of progress, I began writing down what foods 'she' was eating throughout the day. I purposely didn't scold 'her', but just closely observed 'her' eating habits for fats, fiber and calories. Without 'her' even realizing it, I slowly replaced more nutritious foods for 'her' poor choices, and I stopped letting 'her' KID me about sneaking cookies when 'she' thought no one else was watching 'her'. Who did 'she' think 'she' was kidding anyways?? Everyone could SEE what 'her' cookies were doing to MY body --all that clutter!
I reasoned, "What if 'she' was kidnapped and left in the wilderness? --THEN 'she' would HAVE TO live without the chocolate and snacks 'she' stashes away all for 'herself'!" So, I figured 'she' COULD LEARN to enjoy healthier food choices instead of the goodies 'she' had been sneaking when I wasn't looking. I even discovered 'her' hiding places and took all 'her' cookies and snacks out of MY kitchen! And I didn't let 'her' buy 'HER' favorite cookies or snacks. DH liked having HIS favorites...that way, HE wasn't deprived and I wasn't tempted by
letting 'her' have HER own way!Gradually I even found nice friends in my neighborhood who liked to walk and stay fit, and it was encouraging to share our health successes. But I didn't let 'her' discourage me if I had to walk alone or if sometimes going around the block seemed boring. I listened to my Walkman, or I prayed or memorized a Verse, and just let myself enjoy the benefits of walking. No whining or complaining from 'her'!
I went through some difficult elder-care crisis, but in that 1-year, I dropped 52 pounds and soon another 8 pounds came off to reach my goal. I went from size 18/20 to 8/10. Even 'she' finally was happy when 'she' heard all the compliments I was getting. I felt so much younger and energetic! I could bend over and touch my toes again! We both felt so proud of 'our' hard work. 'She' wasn't such a brat anymore, and I liked 'her' a lot better once we worked 'together'.
My precious DH is not much for words. I know he was pleased, but I didn't even let other peoples' opinions influence me - good or bad. It kinda hurt 'her' when DH said, "I never thought you'd do it." But 'she' came to realize that it must be hard for DH to live with that 'brat' when he is such a disciplined, hard-working person himself. He really was very patient with 'her' laziness and bad attitude! 'She' finally got off her Franny and stopped defeating 'herself' with whining!
Since then, I have found FlyLady. I NEED that same kind of help with other areas of my life...especially 'releasing' 35 years of things I no longer need or use. I have some Routines in place, my sink, main rooms look orderly, and have a CJ and use a calendar. But I struggle with my stuffed closets, stuffed drawers and boxes of stuff in 2 rooms.
My BO DH calls it 'purging' and does it effortlessly and regularly for himself!! He always knows what day it is, what time it is, what he plans to do today, and punctually eats, gets up & goes to bed! He hangs up his clothes, and now that he's retired he washes his 2 loads of clothes every Monday! I even call our sweet pooch 'Miss Bulova' because he is 'Mr Elgin! What 'guilt' that lays on me!
I'm trying to Fly with you! Thank you for all your encouragement!!
Mrs. Flutter in PA*****************************
FlyLady here: Sometimes we just need to be firm with that side of us who would rather stay under the covers. I think it is great idea to use your calendar to chart your daily new habits. We love to get stars. Go take a walk today!You can also use our FREE Body Clutter Investigator to help you establish your new habits. It is in the Body Clutter section of our homepage, along with our Body Clutter Book, Body Clutter Control Journal and Leanne's Body Clutter Menu Mailer.