Sunday, September 26, 2010

My Back's a Bummer

This weekend I am being challenged by my lower back. It is tweaked to the point that I am dealing with a muscle spasm that hurts like a you know what! I did a svaroopa yoga (svaroopa mean bliss and is wonderfully gentle and nurturing) class yesterday and walked out feeling like a million bucks. But a few hours later the muscles tightened up again and the agony returned.

The good news is that I saw my chiropractor yesterday and will see her again on Monday. She does the activator method, which is very gentle. I will do more yoga today. Also, I was in my jacuzzi yesterday, will get in again today and have a massage scheduled later today (Sunday).

My challenge is that I want to work out! I believe my lesson is to be gentle with myself and to try to enjoy the beauty of taking care of myself.... All last week I felt my back muscles getting tighter, but I kept pushing through my normal routine. I should have backed off sooner and taken myself to the chiropractor sooner. Oh well, lesson learned!

Desire to learn to be more gentle and nurturing to myself. Discipline to pay attention more closely when my body sends me a message. Dedication to personal growth, in whatever form it comes my way!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Sorry for the Silence!

I apologize I have not posted in so long! I have missed you! On Friday the 10th I flew to Korea on a business trip. I returned home on Friday the 17th just in time to welcome my Mother-in-law for a visit. The trip to Korea was a good one. I tried to log on from there but I could not figure out how to get the screen to display in English instead of Korean characters! So I couldn't post from there.

I have not learned to like Korean food, so I traveled with the energy bites that I like so much. I measured them into 1.5 ounce portions into ziplock baggies. I did the same thing with raw almonds - 1 ounce portions. Then I packed the vacum sealed packets of salmon. So when there was a meal I didn't like (most of them) I simply went back to my room and had a packet of salmon (180 calories) and a packet of almonds (170 calories) for a 350 calorie meal! Yummy and so easy! My energy bites sustained me for snacks and on the plane.

I also kept up my exercise, so all in all it was a good trip.

The visit with my Mother-in-law was good. Unfortunately we do not see her very often. She was a sweetheart about food. She took us out for a lovely dinner and marveled over how I could say no to a basket of fresh hot bread! She also was very happy with our dinner of grilled chicken, grilled brocolli and mixed green salad! It was very easy all around!

So, last night I did the dunk tank for weighing and measuring. It was interesting. I recommend it to you if you are interested in knowing your % of fat and lean muscle mass. I was not thrilled with my % of fat. It was 29%!!! In stark contrast, my lean muscle mass was 20% higher than is normal for my height, weight and age. That tells me that I have been successful in building strong bones and muscles - which makes me very happy!

It was interesting to note that when I am successful in shedding my final 15 pounds, my fat % will be 24% - which will make me very happy!

So onward and downward (meaning the scale) I go on this wonderful journey!

Desire to know more about my body composition. Dedication to schedule and make the dunk tank happen. Discipline to continue healthy eating and exercise to succeed!!!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Happy Labor Day!

I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful 3-day holiday. I have!

I have been pondering this: are M&M's evil? I absolutely love M&M's, even though I am not a chocolate lover. There is something about the crunchy-ness of those little bites of tasty yumm.......and I must confess, on Saturday night I gave in to a craving and ate a bag of them. I wasn't hungry, but I was seriousy craving sugar, so I found them and ate them....almost all of them!

Now it isn't the end of the world to eat M&M's, but I have been reflecting ever since on what was going on that I didn't use one of my other (well developed) coping mechanisms, like sip a nice cup of hot tea until the craving subsides. I have been under stress, helping my Mom through a health scare issue. (It looks like she will be just fine.) So, after much self-talk and examination, my conclusion (not an excuse) is that I was stress eating to try to quell the emotion - fear.

I think it is interesting to examine what we are feeding inside of us when hunger is not an issue. So, don't be afraid to learn from your eating urges. We are all on a journey, and learning about ourselves can be the richest part of the journey. Next time you give in and eat something that is not healthy for you, try to pause and ask yourself why. The answer will give you the strength and information to deal with it in a healthier way when the next craving jumps up and waves its arms in your face! :-)

I am listening to a Jillian Michaels' podcast on breaking weight loss plateaus. Next time, I will share what I learn from Jillian. Better yet, her podcasts are free....check it out, you might enjoy it too!

Desire to keep learning and growing. Dedication to be in the moment and to ask yourself "why". Discipline to apply what you learn to the rest of your journey!