In my first entry I was vague with my objective and reasoning for starting the blog . . . that was due to the unexpected company mentioned above. For weeks I had planned to start red-violet autumn with my first entry scheduled on my 51st birthday, even though distractions got me off-track I was determined to start anyway, even if it wasn't the greatest start (which I might mention is a tough thing coming from a perfectionist).
OK . . . now that I have that out of the way, I must explain my purpose for blogging. In two words motivation and accountability. As I look around, I can see that I'm not much different than other women close to my age, especially those of us who are apple-shaped. It's the constant fight to keep the fat from the middle of our bodies from taking over! Recently I have wondered if it's worth the battle, after-all I'm in my 50's, maybe it doesn't matter any more, but my heart and my head tells me it does.
I have to be honest here, I hate how the fat around my middle makes me feel! My clothes don't fit right and it seems to get in the way of romping around with my grand kids and it makes me feel like a blob! But far more important than all that, is the health issues related to increased fat around the mid-section. We've all hear about it . . . it's nothing new . . . people who carry fat in their mid-sections are predisposed to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. etc. And something I learned this weekend, that was new to me, is women who are over weight increase their chance of getting breast cancer dramatically.
I'll admit, this stuff worries me. This is where my real motivation comes from. I have watched my parents age quicker than they should with decreased quality of life, primarily because of being over-weight and living sedentary life styles.
A few days ago I snapped some pictures of myself in my running clothes after completing my morning workout. As much as I hate posting them I think it is part of being accountable. In my regular clothes I'm pretty good at dressing so the fat-in-the-middle is camouflaged, or at least I think so?? Actually now that I say that I have a feeling that if I took the same kinds of pictures even in my real clothes I would probably look much the same. So who I'm trying to fool?
So what I'm I going to do about it? I'm going to get rid of the extra fat I have on my body! This is another place the accountability comes in. If I post it here, I HAVE to follow through. That's huge motivation for me!
For this week I'm going to commit to a four things that sound simple but will definitely be a challenge for me!
1. Log EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth, using myfitness pal and report in a blog. This will be a huge challenge for me but I know it will propel me in the right direction with accountability.
2. Take body measurements and record on a blog post (You might be wondering why I'm not including a before weight, I'll explain later, but for now I'll say that I have an aversion to weighing that I'm trying to get over!)
3. Track all exercise during the week. This won't be hard for me, exercise in general is easy for me. I actually love it! I do a variety of things. My favorites are running, cycling and hiking.
4. During my work day, take breaks and move my body! (Sometimes my work requires a lot of moving, while other times it can be very sedentary. I have a problem with getting so focused in a project that I forget to move. Sometimes hours can go by before I stand up from my chair and move. When I do this I pay the price! It makes my body feel stiff and achey. This week I especially have a sedentary work week a head of me so this is will be really important.)
To start this off strong I will be posting throughout the week to give me the boost of motivation and accountability I'm looking for. If you should read this blog and want to join me on this journey, I would love to have your company!
Here's to good health!
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