It's a Matter of Perspective

Last week I had my two best workouts ever.  Tonight was initially disappointing.

As I was finishing up, (and calling myself a wimp), I realized it had actually rained today for the first time in a while, which raised the humidity a bit.  I also realized I hadn't had anything to drink since Bob bought me a Coke Zero at 3:00 o'clock. Those two factors are a recipe for a very wimpy workout.

Then I realized something else.  Before last week, the workout I had done tonight, my wimpy workout, was my "normal" workout.  And three months ago, my wimpy workout was not even within the realm of possibility.  Interesting.

In the matter of one week, my perspective had changed.  I'm demanding more from myself, and I think that's a good thing.

On the flip side, we have to be careful, because our perspective can quickly slide the other way, too.  There was a time, when, from my perspective, eating double-meat cheeseburgers, giant orders of fries, and a couple of glasses of Dr. pepper a two or three times a week was normal.

Any perspectives in your life that might need adjusting?

Set Yourself Up for Success

So...snacks.

I like snacks.

Tonight, I really wanted a snack.  I looked in the pantry for something crunchy and taste-filled.  We had a few bags of chips, some crackers, cheese.  I considered eating a few of these delicacies, but while I was trying to make my decision, I spotted something else.

Crystal Light!  A-ha!  No calories...and tasty! I looked in the fridge and found another treasure:  some kind of fresh, sweet bell pepper. With an almost zero-calorie snack combo, I was set!

So what was the secret of my successful snackage?  Preparation.

Having decent snacks/drinks in the house makes it SO much easier to make a good decision.  If I hadn't had the Crystal Light and/or the peppers, I probably would have had something not-quite-so-good for me.  In fact, I guarantee it.

Do you keep healthy snacks in your kitchen?  How about at the office?  I recommend it.  I know this isn't rocket science, but give yourself good options.  Set yourself up for success.

Family Hiking

The last two Saturdays, Cheryl, Nathanael and I have gone hiking.  It has been a blast!

Last week, we went up to Clarksville, GA and climbed to the top of Pine Mountain to the David G. Archer overlook.  It was incredibly beautiful. (See my previous post for details.)

This weekend we went to Sweetwater Creek State Park.  It was also very cool.  There's some Civil War era mill ruins right on the creek.  The "red" trail, a nice walk to the ruins, is rated "easy".  After the ruins, the trail ramps up to "difficult" as it runs parallel to the creek.  There's quite a bit of rough terrain on this part of the trail as it leads to a small waterfall.  From there we took the "blue" trail back.  Of course, Nathanael thought it would be good to run again.

We're finding it's a great way to get outside, have family time, AND exercise.  We're loving it.

I Call It the E.L.E.M. Method

Now that I've lost a fairly significant amount of weight (63.8 lbs as of my last Saturday morning weigh-in  wahoo!), people are asking me frequently, "What are you doing?"

When I tell them Eating Less and Exercising More (i.e., the E.L.E.M Method), about half of the people say, "Oh," and look a little disappointed.  I really think that should be encouraging instead of disappointing.  It means that they could do it, too!

No pills or supplements to buy.  No gym or program to join.

I'm actually saving money because I'm eating less!

Try out the E.L.E.M. Method...it works!

Hey! Want to Climb a Mountain?

One of the "philosophies" I've developed during this whole process is the one meal/one workout philosophy.  Anybody can eat healthy for one meal.  Anybody can go exercise one time.  So I just worry about the next meal and the next workout.  Put a string of these "one-at-a-times" together, and you get results.  I know that this isn't some big revelation, but it is the way I'm approaching it.

If you're waiting to get started on getting healthy "until Monday", or "after the holidays", or "next week"...don't wait.  Start right now!  Eat healthier at your next meal.  Plan a time to get more active.

Just think, if you had started making changes at the same time that I did back on July 1st, you'd be 3 months closer to your goals.  For some of you, you might have already reached your goals!

Because I'm healthier, today the family and I were able to go to Pine Mountain outside of Clarksville and hike about 1.5 miles up the side of the mountain to an incredible overlook point.  We then ran back down the mountain.  In June, I literally could NOT have done this, even if I had wanted to.  Today, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I can't wait for our next adventure!