A Brand New Day

Leaving my SilverSneakers classes yesterday, I saw the cops beside a car just across from mine.  Apparently, someone smashed out the entire, very tinted window, of a young man’s car and stole his wallet while he was in the gym working out.  This occurred in broad daylight, somewhere in the noon hour.  One of my students told me that her friends car was broken into the same way, while she was at the park where Mitch and I run on Monday evenings.  Sadly, this has been happening at gyms and other places where people workout, for as long as I can remember.  Especially at gyms, where people may watch your pattern and KNOW that once you go in, you aren’t coming out for at least an hour.  Since there is really not much we can do to avoid this, I beg you NOT to leave your purses, laptops or other valuables in your car.  You may think you are safely tucking them beneath your seat, or in your trunk, but you really have no idea who is watching you.  I have often heard that these are gang related crimes and if so, the “perps” are probably pretty fearless.  At this time of year, especially, people are desperate for money, so please be smart when you park!

After speaking with an old friend yesterday about weight loss, my mind has been spinning about how to best get on the path.  What if you have a treadmill that just sits and gets used as a clothes hanger.  How do you really get psyched about getting on it and getting fit?  After teaching and training for 30 years, I should have most of the answers, but it can all be so overwhelming.  So my first tip would be to say, make it LESS overwhelming.  As with all changes in life, take them one small step at a time.  Set a long term goal, but then set very short-term, realistic goals.  While you may want to lose 50 pounds, perhaps thinking I would like to lose 5 by December 1 is more do-able.  This might seem scary with Thankgsiving thrown in the mix, but IF you stick to letting yourself eat what you want on just that ONE day and returning to counting calories (or points) the next, it should still be achievable.  Writing down everything you eat AND drink and tracking calories/points is really helpful.  Drinking ridiculous amounts of water to stay satiated and to cleanse the system is paramount.  Keeping some key food items in the house at all times will keep one from reaching for something they shouldn’t.  Since Carol turned me on to those La Tortilla Factory wraps. At only 50 calories for the small ones, and 7 grams of fiber,  my house is NEVER without them.  They also offer me 5 grams of protein which may not sound like a lot to some of you, but since I have discovered I don’t need nearly the amount of protein I once believed, 5 grams helps towards my days total.  I always have one in the morning with either vegan cheese or peanut butter.  A mid morning snack is usually a “bar,” in my case a Larabar at 230 calories.  Making enough at night, to have leftovers the next day for lunch, definitely helps keep me honest at lunch.  Often I have a lot of leftover veggies, too, which go really nicely on one of those wraps.  Once again, the very low calorie, high fiber and water content of the veggies allows us to eat A LOT of them.  So good for our health, they are a win/win/win situation for someone like myself, a vegan who is always calorie aware.  (I finally don’t actually count them anymore!!!!)

As for the treadmill, JUST DO IT!  Start with a very short, easily attainable, amount of time–10-12 minutes would be a perfect way to start.  Just enough to get the heart-rate up in a training zone and boost the metabolism.  Perhaps by week 3, you are up to 15 minutes.  Maybe on the weekend you might be really energetic and do 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 again in the evening.  Maybe some days you add a push-up or two…a couple of crunches…ANYTHING more than you were doing before will go a long way towards both short and long term goals!    When I started swimming laps last spring, I started with just 2 or 3, which took a minute, and then each week I added just 1 or 2.  Before I knew it, I was swimming 30 laps every other day.  I am now swimming about 35-40 a couple of times a week and I LOVE IT!  When I started running it was just a few seconds at a time, followed by a minute or so of walking.  Since Mitch and I go together every Monday, I have watched him get to the point he got to last night–leaving me in the dust!  Way to go, baby!!!  Competitive that I might be,  I was thrilled to seeing your soaring past me.

As we approach the holidays, stress levels rise and according to today’s Sun-Sentinel stressed out people are seeking yoga.  Great idea!  The paper says lots of studios have opened up locally in just the past year or so.  My friend Debbie at Fusion Fitness and Yoga celebrates her one year anniversary of the studio this month.  Yoga will take care of your body, your mind and your soul.  As Carole and I talked about yesterday, the principle of DO NO HARM carries over into all aspects of life.  Thanks, Carole for the “conversation” and for being my “pseudo” sister for the past (almost) 53 years.   I love you.

Wherever you are in your fitness program, your weight loss program, your life…Always remember you are NOT who you were. Today is NOT determined by yesterday.  It is a brand new day and we get the gift of a clean slate and a fresh start.  I savor that gift and hope you do, too.   All things are possible if you set your mind to achieving YOUR goals.  Together there is NOTHING we can’t accomplish.

Biggest Loser tonight.  I have the “skinny” on next season.  Let’s meet right here, tomorrow, and we’ll discuss all 🙂