Reality

Reality 

by Sandy Michaud

I recently had my intake analysis with the fabulous Kellie Stasiak.  She was welcoming, down to earth and easy to talk to.  This is a wonderful thing when you receiving an analysis of your past, and present state of being.

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Prior to my appointment I had the opportunity to fill out an information booklet.  Here is a hint, the more honestly you answer the questions, the better off you will be.  The trick is to be honest with yourself, only then will you be able to set your goals, and ultimately face the truth about what you need to do to achieve them.

After answering questions and talking about goals, there were a series of tests, from blood pressure, BMI and flexibility to cardio testing.  My outcome?  Well, the facts are that my flexibility is horrible, I’m dehydrated, oh, and I am on the borderline of OBESITY!  Imagine that, couch surfing with minimal exercise for eight years will certainly take its toll on my health, well being, and the size of my jeans.   I knew that I had put on a lot of weight, as the scale revealed to me the few times I actually dared to step on.  My clothes gave me a heads up too, as they seemed to pinch and squeeze in all the wrong places.  Funny thing is, when I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t really see how bad it had gotten.  When I see myself every single day, it’s difficult to notice the changes, especially when I’m in denial. 

“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?”

“You may be fair and true of heart, but your butt is as big as a shopping cart.”

Stupid Mirror!

The battle of the bulge begins, however now that I have my BMI and measurements, the tasks for reaching my goal, don’t seem quite as daunting.  You see, I have a limiting belief about my weight (the number on the scale).  This limiting belief is one that I have built up over years and years of trying new things.  My weight seemed to always be fluctuating, yet even at my leanest, when I was working the hardest, I could never get below 162 (I believe that was a mental block too).   Maintaining my weight in the 160’s seemed impossible.   I had to be so strict just to get down to that point, and life had sort of lost its flavor and fun because I couldn’t relax.  

My reality is that I have always been on a constant merry go round of lifestyle, emotional and exercise inconsistencies. 

I will admit that it sure was easier when children weren’t involved, when I could be more possessive of my time. I could prepare my own foods and not concern myself about what anyone else was going to eat.   I didn’t have to worry about three schedules, on top of my own, trying to fit in work here and there, AND trying to find some time for myself to just decompress, not to mention the time to get a workout in!  Now those were the good ol’ days!  Although even then, when my workouts WERE consistent, my eating was always an issue. 

“My name is Sandy, and I am an Emotional Eater.”

So I’m dealing with two main components, getting my workouts in, and changing my eating lifestyle habits.  The challenge is on. 

To combat the workout challenge, I have a very good friend who is my accountability partner.  She and I have devised a plan to actually pay ourselves to get our workouts in.  It’s truly a brilliant idea, if you think about it.  For every workout, we drop $2 into our personal workout fund.  At the end of 12 weeks, we will take ourselves out on a little shopping spree.  If we miss a workout, we will have to pay our accountability partner a $5 penalty.  Sounds harsh?  Perhaps, but we are serious about making change. 

Our next goal is to meet with a personal trainer every three to four weeks.  That way the trainer can change up our routine and keep us challenged. 

I know for myself that I need to get an eating plan into place.  What has worked for me in the past is to know ahead of time what my meals will be, with meals that are pre-made and ready to go.  My lifestyle has an element of spontaneity to it, which I love, so being fully prepared is Key. 

In wrapping up, my goals for this week is to get at least three workouts in at the gym, come up with an eating plan and put that into action, as well as setting up an appointment with the personal trainer.  I’ll let you know how it goes. 

If YOU need to make some changes, I’d highly recommend meeting with a trainer, and getting tested so you know your numbers.  It’s important to know where you are starting from, so you will be able to easily chart your progress.   

Life is a journey, Embrace it!

As always I hope to see you at the Works!  Thank you for reading.