Hey Ya’ll, guess what??????????????????
IT IS SUMMER!!!
DO THE DANCE! JUMP UP AND DOWN! 🙂
A few of my friends and I were talking on facebook and came up with the idea of starting a fb page for a support group to anyone, like us, that want to get their exercise routine back on track and take better care of themselves so here it is…
Our New fb Page: Frendz on a Mission to a Better Life
I’m excited to be involved in this support group! This Facebook page is about being healthy
and happy. It is in no way about being skinny and starving yourself just to look good in a swim suit this summer. Many people have different definitions when it comes to the words healthy, sexy, confident and happy. To me healthy means I will eat foods that are good for me. Sexy means I will feel confident and good about myself. When I take care of myself, my family and my responsibilities my confidence grows and develops into a healthy, happy life pattern. The test for me is when I look in the mirror and see the person looking back at me do I feel proud or embarrassed? Do I see an honest person with good morals? Do I look happy, truly happy? I have my good days and my bad days but for me, right now, it just seems to always be a struggle. I strive for a routine that I will want to follow for the rest of my life. This routine will not happen on its own! There are many issues to consider and many obstacles to overcome but as long as I don’t give up and keep believing in myself and my ability to learn then all will come to be… and I’m going to keep telling myself that! Your stress affects your health. Your mind set can affect your health. If you allow yourself to get depressed it will affect your EVERYTHING! So chin up! Put down the cell phone, back away from the computer, put the TV remote control down and get up!
Walk! Walk! Walk!
Walking is the best way to start an exercise program. If walking is an option for you then pick out the where and when and get moving. The sooner you do it the better. The longer you put it off the more your mind builds a wall against it. It’s called procrastination and it cripples our minds! Saying I’ll get to it or in a little while does not end up happening.
Trust Yourself, You Know You Better Than Anyone Else!
Some people like to tell others that they look great and don’t need to lose any weight. The only person that should be the judge of whether or not they need to lose weight is the person who has to carry it around all the time. Do you feel good? Is the additional pounds causing physical conditions/problems for your health? Have you had to start taking medication because the weight and lack of circulation is causing your body to function incorrectly? Are you destroying your knees because they are not strong enough to carry the weight? Do you acknowledge any of these conditions? Or are you lost in denial and are fine with doctors replacing knees, having surgery on backs, hips coming out of joint and eventually needing surgery, high blood pressure, erratic cholesterol levels both needing medication to control, thyroids out of whack, strokes and heart attacks. There are many physical problems that could possibly be avoided by eating healthy and practicing a regular exercise routine.
Always consult your doctor before starting any type of strenuous exercise routine and always take your prescribed medications as instructed by your doctor. If in doubt or have questions then always consult your doctor.
It is your job to remember how far back it has been since you really felt good. How long has it been since you felt healthy and strong? What size were you? What did you eat back then compared to now? How many times a day did you eat then vs. now? What was your daily routine then vs. now? Make a list if there are several differences. Now mark which ones you believe is possible to work back into your life. Obviously if any of these are unhealthy, such as partying, drinking or smoking then you would not include these items. Now take a good long look at your schedule and life to see where you can fit the good habits back into your life. I have always been one to want to stretch every morning when I awake but for some reason I stopped doing it, why? I don’t know but I remember it felt so good so that’s one that I want to start doing again! It lengthened my stomach, arms, back, calf and thigh muscles. And it felt AMAZING! I used to drink a lot of fruit juice, loved it, but now I hardly ever do so there is another one for me. And I used to go dancing. Now that one puts me in the bars/clubs drinking, smoking and not making good decision all the time so I will be passing on that one. Okay, now that you see how I did it, now its your turn! MAKE THAT LIST!
What Should We Weigh?
How much weight is too much for you? What did you weigh the last time you felt good 
about yourself and felt healthy and strong? My first response for the past 26+ years when asked what is my ideal weight to feel extremely sexy has always been between 127-132 (size 3-5). In the past 5 years it has been bumped up to between 135-142 (size 7-8 in jeans) but after exercising for almost 4 months back in 2012 I was able to go from 174 down to 142 and I don’t think I would even want to be any lower than 140 at this point in my life. Now keep in mind I was doing the P90X workout almost daily and lots of yoga too(I LOVE YOGA!!!) so I was building muscle and not just starving myself into smaller sizes which destroy muscle in the process. I am not a fan of diets that strip your bodies of nutrients and try to trick your bodies into flushing out excess anything in a short time and in large quantity.
When I lost my weight…
Over that 4 month period I lost approximately 1 pound per week. The confusing thing was that even though I only averaged 1 pound per week I was looking really good!? This was because I was shaping and building muscle which in turn was burning up and using up the excess stored fats in my body. After the first 10 pounds was gone it felt amazing! Excess fluids built up in our systems when we don’t do anything to activate our digestive system and motivate our metabolisms can make you feel extra heavy, get tired really easy, cause back pain, leg pain, abdominal pain from gas getting trapped in your intestines and just make you feel like exercise is not possible! The best thing you could ever do for yourself and your family is to get up and GET MOVING! As long as you pay close attention to your body and pace yourself in a healthy routine you will never regret it and end up wishing you had done it sooner!
How to Get Started Exercising….
Back in the year 2012 I weighed approximately 174 pounds. It would go up and down a little from one week to the next but I seemed to just stay there. I felt almost handicapped by that extra weight. I also smoked cigarettes and had for over 20 years. When I made the decision to stop smoking and start exercising I couldn’t jump up and down without peeing on myself and I couldn’t do one push up (not even the girlie ones) so I modified the motion by bringing one knee forward and you know what… after about 1 week I was able to do a 
push up on my knees (the girlie ones – both knees touching the floor supporting your weight while pushing upper torso up/down with arms) and then the next week, yes by the 2 week mark, I was able to do a real push up with no body parts touching the floor. I was amazed and inspired. I was already feeling better after just two weeks! After almost 4 months I had lost 20 pounds and felt like me again. Then I fell off the truck, started smoking cigarettes again and have not exercised since. I am still at the 152-155 range so I’m not terribly miserable but I’m just not happy. I went to the beach with my kids and ended up putting a shirt on over my swimsuit and then added shorts too shortly after getting there. I don’t know about you but I really don’t like feeling self conscious about my body especially when I know I can do something about it but literally choose not to on a daily basis by now getting up! Sad!
Where Am I Now? Where Are You Now?
I now weigh 153 pounds today, yesterday was 152 and the day before that I swear it said 155! 
Up, down, up, down… time to get control over my body and see what I can do about stopping the aging process I’m seeing on the backs of my upper arms! Not to mention people GRAVITY DOES WORK! And if you don’t use it you will LOSE IT! I feel sluggish, have very little energy and have a tendency to drink coffee, take sips of a 5 hour or go grab a mocha frappe from McDonald’s to try to have some artificial energy… and… I’m having a difficult time finding the motivation to get up and be active. I work in front of a computer. My lack of a social life also puts me in front of a computer for interaction with my friends. I have no cable TV, only internet services, so that puts me in front of my computer for any movie time. My point is if I don’t start working out my butt is going to continue to grow, my circulation will continue to get worse, my eating habits will most likely continue to get worse due to a general lack of enthusiasm and lethargic life pattern. I honestly feel like I’m slowly killing myself by not taking care of myself.
Time for Change!
Create a plan, commit to the plan, share the plan with friends and family so it’s harder to quit or give up on yourself and then
Ready? …………..Set…………… GO!
Judy's StopNShop 