Get On My Level

"Water seeks its own level." ~ExH.I.T.

Greetings and Salutations! (I've always wanted to "say" that... not sure why.) I come to you a very content woman today as I progress in all facets. Officially 10 pounds lighter, I now can really feel like I am taking steps in the right direction of where my place in this life is going. I am pleased to be making adjustments and doing daily work with someone on my level.

Working as a team is pretty OK, I'm learning... doing away with the selfishness of the past and moving toward a future is healthy and progressive and, I'm learning, a lot of fun. It's nice to stop focusing on the small stuff, and entrust that to Jehovah that he will take care of it in his time, but to keep my mind focused on the big things and keep enjoying where I am in this space and time. I love it. Recently, the mister and I have started working out... together.

"The best way to enhance a relationship is to lead a healthy lifestyle -- as a couple." ~ Jillian (That Deal) Michaels (I adore Jillian... I may have a teeny girl crush on her... teeny.)

It's different and liberating for me to have gone back to leading a healthy lifestyle while in a life with someone... before I've always done it when I kick someone to the curb, get my sexy back as a single girl... then get in a relationship and lose myself in him with date nights, alcohol-infused functions, lazy Saturdays and just being in love and happily fat and all that... so it was nice to get the gumption to return to WW while in a couple, and then see him take an interest in getting himself back young and fit as well. Very cool stuff. Of course now, that adds a bit of pressure for me because EVERYBODY knows men lose weight much faster than we do, so I would be lying if I didn't say, he pushes me because when I want to have a honey bun for breakfast and he chooses Total, I get back on my mental ya dig. Granted, neither of us is (fortunately) anywhere close to being like a gastric candidate or anything, but it's amazing just the energy you get back from doing just a little bit more than you did last week, yesterday... and the different things you have energy for and how it enhances you.

"When you're feeling strong and confident, you also feel a lot sexier—and that'll boost your sex life." ~J. Michaels

I have been getting the baby itch lately... my poor sun wants to see his friends, his cousins, anyone he can to play with... but I cannot, will not, enter into another pregnancy overweight (or unmarried for that matter but mostly overweight) because I just can't keep doing this back and forth anymore with my health. I've got to prove to myself that I AM in control of my own body.
"Make a woman feel like she's the hottest, most feminine person in the world and she'll love you..." I like that one Jillian... to the same effect as women, doing the work to make ourselves healthier and feeling inside that will exude that femininity, brew that sexiness, and we will (more importantly) love OURSELVES... I love myself you guys!!!

I know and understand that there's ways to enjoy life and the things I want in a pair without sacrificing my temple ANY longer. It's just... nice... sure it has it's scary parts and plot twists here and there, but watching the "fairytale" unfold is definitely making me a lot more level-headed.

Photo Source: http://www.geo.uu.nl/fg/palaeogeography/pictures/results_fluvialstyle/02_Meanderende_rivier.jpg

A Dieter's Prayer

Found this on a Spark buddies page... just awesome. lol

A DIETER'S PRAYER

Lord, won't you help me?
It's that time of year.
Winter has come and gone.
Springtime is here.
In this season of flesh,
Won't you show that you care?
Lord, won't you heed
This dieter's prayer.

Teach me tonight
To love cottage cheese,
Grapefruit and celery,
Lord, if you please.
Make me believe
That tofu's a food,
And not something you made up
When you were in a bad mood.

Lord, won't you help me?
Show that you care.
Lord, won't you heed
This dieter's prayer.
Make me believe
That ice cream's just awful,
That the devil is hiding
Inside every waffle.
That mayonnaise is nothing
But a communist plot.
That broccoli is good for you
And chocolate is not.

Keep me away
From the refrigerator door
When life is a trial
And love is a bore.
Save me from nachos,
And tacos and chips,
For what goes in my mouth
Always lands on my hips.
Oh, pizza, oh pasta,
Oh, popcorn, oh, pork!
Get thee behind me
Oh, knife and oh, fork.
And chicken fried steak
From the deepest of south...
Oh, Lord, if you love me,
Won't you please shut my mouth?

Oh, Lord, do you hear me?
Honk if you're there.
Lord, won't you heed...
You know my need...
Oh, Lord, won't you heed
This dieter's prayer?

So how bout we all just DO IT... don't DIET!

One Easter Sunday...

So, I had company in over the weekend and didn't drift far away from the plan. (That's the plus.) The negative is, I missed my Sunday morning workout but positively because I went to a place of worship in honor of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, I woke up this morning and did my Sunday workout and WILL do my Monday workout later today to make up for missing. I said I was going to get all workouts in this week and I meant it. Since I couldn't get cheap heavier weights so soon, I had a lightbulb moment: I used my wrist/ankle weights. I have four 2.5# weights and two 5# straps so I incorporated those this morning to lift 10# and 13# respectively and didn't curse but only on one exercise... fyi, the Bowler's Lunge wid Single Arm Row is the devil!

I've added a couple photos of my new "workout closet." I converted the closet in my study to a little classy storage area of my workout materials and I think it's awesomely great. I find it the best way to keep everything I need in one place so that I don't ever misplace any workout equipment from my body fat monitor to my stopwatch and, most recently, even my scale. Which I am buying new batteries for today. Usually I just weigh in on the Wii, but I find that the scale is a little more accurate... heh, irony.

You will learn I hate the scale. Because of this I will only weigh myself when I measure, which is instructed to do after every 30 days (of which the first 30 officially began today).

I will also be adding photos of the healthy recipes I make so you can see and know what I am eating. Contrary to a very popular belief we cannot just eat whatever we want and workout hard and expect to see the drastic changes in our body that we seek. Which is why under every before and after picture on those commercials you see "results not typical. One thing those people have is usually a personal trainer that sits with them through every workout to make sure they don't cheat on the workouts, are eating what they're supposed to as prescribed by usually a nutritionist who has figured out the exact amount of calories they need or a prepared food service that sends you the exact meals you're to eat for the week. Lucky devils!

Many of us are not as fortunate or just don't have the deep pockets for that kind of luxury so we have to be our own personal trainer and make sure we don't cheat ourselves and fill our bodies with fuel food that feeds and helps us from the inside out. I think of that phrase: I don't live to eat, I eat to live! And the truth of the matter is, what we choose to intake today can affect our health tomorrow. So we have to be cognisant of what goes in. What are the goals I am trying to accomplish by eating / drinking this? Will it help me toward my main goal. I admit, I was not always following this. But it felt SO good this weekend to know I could make better decisions about my food (didn't eat fast food ONCE... I cooked and ate home cooked meals) I had just a few drinks and no had liquor (only wine and ONE beer). It is those baby steps that are going to cement my hard work... and eventually I will have no alcoholic beverage but every blue moon vs. "on the weekends" and then I'll really be something.
I plan to arise out of this a lean, mean, toned machine. Jah willing, I will not fail and I will not be back in this predicament ever again. Nothing outside of something out of my control will return me to my overweight status. And that's what we all have to say.

We control this!

We are in charge of our weight. WE are in charge or our body.

LET'S GET HEALTHIER... for our children, for our families, for our mind, body, soul... for you.

Workout 2 (and 3) on deck. Burn Intervals and Ab Burner later today... (approximately another 40 minutes of activity). Don't forget to eat well, be well, and take your multivitamin! :)

Challenges, Box Braids, and Letting Go to Let God...

I am well on my way to the Promise Land.

In addition, I have been tracking everything all day today both on paper and online and am well w/in my range. I decided to let my body rest some today since I did big sets of cardio and strength yesterday. I usually do a smaller set of cardio on strength days but I needed to blow off some steam so before I knew it I was doing something crazy.

Emotionally, I am not in the best place, but it makes me happy to know that I am dealing with those emotions in a positive way vs. eating up any and everything. I am apart of a "Biggest Loser" challenge in an online community and it's a bit intense. In competitions I tend to get a little "Jillian-like" (Jillian is the new trainer of the black team on the Biggest Loser) and I am working on that. I've always been very competitive. Ever since I was a small child. Not in the sore loser kind of way, I didn't mind losing the few times I did ("Second is not an option”) but more so in the "I trained harder than you, I deserve more than you" kind of way. The thing about competitions though is that they are big on teamwork and that teamwork aspect of the BL TV show is that they are all always in constant communication with the others...living on the same campus. It's hard to recreate that same atmosphere online of all places. We don't have trainers making sure we get up and go, so everything is basically you're accountable for your own actions. SO, because of this it would only be right to have completely fair moderators over the whole shebang. Not so much since this competition began and it made me want to work harder to make sure my team puts up impressive numbers... but already, I see that the enthuuuusiasm has dwindled to a little yawn vs. a big roar! Did I mention I hate to lose? And when I bear witness to those kinda attitudes I want to go crazy on several someone’s.

And I wonder if this is all unhealthy for someone who is studying to be a personal trainer or if this is all NECESSARY for someone who is studying to be a personal trainer. I really don't know. I do know that I am passionate about healthy living and being our healthiest selves and that I can communicate that in person much better than I ever could online via message boards.

I've been in and out of moods lately... I'm not quite sure what my deal is, but I have way too much on my mind. I have been studying and trying to make myself a better person. I have to learn to pray in difficult times to overcome the adversity of an argument so that my words aren't tear-filled and overly emotional. But it's something that's not going to change about me overnight. I do need to continue doing what I'm doing though: studying, building my faith, my knowledge, believing I can make myself better and achieve my goals and leave the worrying to my God.

In the meantime, I enter week 2 of box braids (love them!) and I weighed in today for wonderful news. I was down 2.4 pounds for a total of 4.8. :D My body isn't looking much different. I think that's because pregnancy has changed my shape. But I can't worry about that now. I have begun... to arrive. I will admire the finished product when it makes debut.