Freewrite on a Wednesday Morning

I have not had a "Wellness of Body" Freewrite in a very long time.

I am back on LoseIt! App. I had a 46 day reporting streak between June 1 - July 16. I even tried to record my first day in England, but it was too much work! Plus, I had met my England goal! Yay! Then I did so much walking and biking that I lost another 1 1/2 pounds on vacation. That is a FIRST for me! I gained five in two weeks when we went to Europe in 2014!

Now I sit five months later, and I gained all the pounds I had gotten rid of prior to England. At my niece's wedding in Cabo, I looked at pictures of us, and I thought, "What happened to me!" I had not been on the scale since AUGUST and had not really noticed that I had gained it all back! I keep making this commitment to weighing my self and maintaining like I did for TWO YEARS after my 30 pounds weight loss four years ago. What happened? (Note: I have kept off 15 of the 30 for all four years though. So, that is the GOOD NEWS)

Life happened! When the fall hits, and I get really busy. I am too busy to record. I am too tired to not eat. I have more anxiety (not a ton, but it is always stressful getting my Kingdom Community up and running and my classes started at OSU). Plus, I go from having more cardio time in the summer (I love to be outdoors exercising) to more strength/Pilates time in the fall, winter, and spring. I was determined to not let that happen this fall after being stuck inside and feeling miserable with my allergies last spring, but I did not follow through on my commitment. I also had something traumatic happen to me two weeks after I got back from the joyful time in England and two wonderful weddings following that. Something came out of NOWHERE, and it sent me reeling emotionally. I had not been hit like that in SO LONG. I think it affected me more than I realized so the overeating (about 300 calories a day) was also a result of that trauma that I think I am still dealing with sometimes.

I am not whining, mind you. I am still in my healthy weight range with a 24 BMI, but I really like to be 22 - 22.5. That is when I feel my best. Many people do not even notice because I am so tall, but I could feel it in my Cabo bathing suit and wedding dresses (we had two dressed up wedding events). I knew I was not at, what I like to call, my "fighting weight." So, my goal is 173-176 range. I keep on gaining back that last 15. I thought I had it licked this last summer. When I can focus, I always do really well!

Maybe I should, as a personal trainer, lead a "Ten Pounds Down" Club or something where I take people through winter cardio and Pilates classes: strength and calorie burn workouts.

I should be at my goal by February 6. We will see when things ratchet up, if I am able to do it. The year I lost the 30 pounds, I had finished homeschooling, and we were not leading a Kingdom Community group. It was also a very dry winter so I walked a LOT between December 23 and April 15 when I hit the 30 pound goal.

All that to say is that I have this love affair with ice cream. I ate a LOT of pints during that five month ascent back up the scale!

So, I can do without ice cream and probably be very comfortable.

I am also not going to meet with a conversant in the winter. I added too much to my schedule. I probably will just meet with Kelsey every once in a while too. We would walk and winter walking is not as fun around here.

I think I will also go at least thirty minutes before my Pilates class and do the elliptical. I have done elliptical four times in the last week, and it has been really fun. I forgot how much I liked it. We do not have fancy cable. So, it is a treat to watch the cable news shows! (Such a nerd.)

SO, speaking of walking. There is a snow storm headed our way. So, I think I will go for a late fall walk now that it is light outside.

I will check in periodically with my BMI checks.

Here is my inspiration from four years ago:

http://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-weight-loss-journey-2013.html

Exercise Duration for the Year

The stats are in for the month of June in comparison to exercise duration since last August. Remember I gained 7 pounds from March to the end of May? Well, see the stats! Look at that big dip in my exercise during the allergy + injury + illness + overeating that occurred! 

Just sayin'! 

Now, compare my yearly exercise duration (2012 doesn't count because I did not get Endomondo until November of that year. I love Endomondo, by the way, but do NOT go by their calorie burn estimation. They overestimate by a LOT, but so does FIT BIT. DO NOT GO BY THE FIT BIT FOR CALORIE BURNS! But I digress.), and you see that year I lost all that weight was 2013! Look at all the walking I did! 

Funny that I compared hiking, and I have consistently done 30 hours every year! I always says I will hike more each year, but that seems to be my limit.

As you can see, I am halfway through the year, and I will never catch up to my high of 2013 when I lost all that weight. I also realized that I did a lot more elliptical in past years. Elliptical interval training (one minute full on and then 1 minute getting my heart rate down to at least 125 for seven intervals on the SNAP fitness longer stride length) burns 574 calories per hour compared to walking which burns between 388 (2.5 MPH - hill) and 487 (3.5 MPH on the flat with fast-walking Michelle) calories. 

I did not do that much elliptical because I was so wiped out in the spring from all the pollen that came from riding my bike to and from class and teaching two classes with open windows! I usually do elliptical more in the spring due to allergies, but I could not avoid it this year. 

But I do resolve to do more elliptical year round! I am going to figure out the allergy thing or really reduce my eating in the spring to compensate for a more sedentary life of recovery on the off work days!

Anywho. There is my newest "look at the stats and apply them to my life and health" entry! 

Health and Wellness Freewite

Well, my journey to wellness of body this summer is going swimmingly (oh, I should go swimming this summer, but I digress)! 6.6 pounds in 21 days. 

I am back down to what was really my "set point" weight for most of the three years after I lost 15% of my weight between December 23, 2012 and April 18, 2013. This "set point" was really easy for me to maintain. It was 10% of my previous body weight.

I had a lightbulb moment this morning. Kim (my Registered Dietitian soulmate who works with Pediatric outpatients [most of whom are obese] at the hospital) and I went to a continuing education workshop for healthcare professions about 10 years ago, and the speaker talked about how we need to only lose 10% at a time and then maintain that 10% for at least three months. She talked about the predilection of fat cells to want to grow back to the size they were before, and they need to find a new normal. Well, I realized it was EASY for me to have that 10%, but that extra 5% was what I struggled mightily to keep off.

So, now I am going for that extra 5% which is now 6%. Other than this little blip in the Spring (see reflection on that below), my weight has stayed at or below that 10% level, but it has never "set" at the 15% level. 

Lesson learned: Strive for 10%, sit and maintain that weight for three months, and then move on to another 10% (Depending on your goals. I only wanted to lose 15%,  Technically I only needed to lose 4% to be at a health BMI, but I just feel better at a 22 rather than a 24.9!)

My little digression about that desire for 22 rather than 24.9:

NO, I AM NOT TOO THIN AT THE WEIGHT!

NO, I AM NOT ADDICTED TO EXERCISE!

First of all, fitness and nutrition are my gig. It is my career choice. So, I love my job. I am not addicted, but I am passionate about health, and I am passionate about others being all that God meant them to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually. So, I want to find that for myself and pass it on to others. 

ALL, and I mean ALL of the research shows that 22-24.9 is the lowest disease risk category. I like to be at 22 so I can have "wiggle" room for special occasions. Why hoover at 24.9 and then go through a Christmas and gain to overweight? Stay at the lowest end of optimal health and fluctuate from there rather than from the edge to increased disease risk?

In addition, that is the weight that I feel and look my best! Here it is:

Me at 22 BMI on January 11, 2014. Last time I saw that weight! 

This is also the weight that I should be at according to the Devine Formula which is what I learned when I was a student in nutrition at Oregon State University. I have emailed with the radiologist who maintains this site:

http://halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

Dr. Halls maintains that there is no such thing as a "large" frame. In college I learned to add 10% according to a large frame and to subtract 10% according to a small frame. He said that is bunk based on his bone scans of his numerous years as a radiologist. So, I go by the Devine formula without adding the 10%. (He suggests that most women go by the Robinson formula, but I am very tall so he agreed that I should go by the Devine formula.) 

PLEASE do not sabotage that. There are many well-meaning people who tell me I am "too thin" when I am at that weight (not my husband, thank the Lord) or that I am "addicted to exercise."  

"TOO THIN" - One thing that looks thin is my face because faces thin as we age (that is why women do Botox). So, I would agree that my face looks very thin at that weight, but my stomach and love-handles are only gone when I am at that weight, and I like those things to be GONE, thank you very much (no muffin top, no hiding the bulges when I wear more form fitting clothes: FREEDOM)!  

Also, people are not used to seeing the weight I was when I played basketball, and that was my best weight ever. They are just used to seeing me in a different way (six years ago I was 20 lbs heavier so it looks "TOO THIN" to them). 

"ADDICTED TO EXERCISE" - Exercise is good people. I lead a VERY sedentary lifestyle apart from my exercise time. I sit and do counseling and discipleship, teach, write, have meetings, etc. My hobbies are sedentary: reading and processing photos. So, I counteract all the sitting by exercising. I do not injure myself at the pace of exercise I do now. (Unless I do dumb things like pull a heavy weight for my lats without warming up like I did in February, duh!). 

Exercise also keeps me very, very sane. It is the way I stay focused and de-stressed. It is the way to keep your serotonin and dopamine levels elevated. Here is the handout that I made for you:

Natural Ways to Elevate Serotonin and Dopamine

In addition to keeping me sane, it keeps me out of pain. I do not have the luxury to be out of shape. If I were, I guarantee you, I would be bedridden. I have too many structural abnormalities, especially in my pelvis, that make exercise IMPERATIVE. I saw the devastating effects of this when I severed the tendon in my big toe in 2009, could not exercise, and my back went out to the point where I was in bed for five weeks. So, many can fudge on this. I cannot. 

In addition, cardio time is prayer time for me! I walk a LOT (and run and bike a little), and that is such great time talking to GOD! I love it. I missed it in the spring when I had such bad allergies and fell down the stairs and had to recuperate. Get me out in nature, and I am a HAPPY CAMPER! 

Moving more is GOOD, The person that suggested I might be "addicted to exercise" is overweight and seems pretty darn unhappy to me as a result. So, I am really working to expunge (Isn't that a great word?) that person's negativity from my mind. It has taken since February to do so. I need to stay away from those kinds of people. They are sabotagers! Sabotagers be GONE! 

Here is my little digression about the spring (7 pound weight gain 11 weeks = overeating 318 calories a day): 

Illness + Injury (fall down the stairs) + Allergies led to Inactivity + Overeating = WEIGHT GAIN!

Yes, I rode my bike to and from campus two days a week and taught six Pilates classes, but the other days were VERY SEDENTARY and Pilates only burns about 130-175 calories per hour. 

In addition, I have always been a firm believer that cardio curbs my appetite more than resistance training (Pilates included in resistance training) and there is definite scientific research to back this up: http://www.realjock.com/article/1306)

For instance, I went for a 10 mile bike ride and 3 mile walk between 5:15 and 7:15 last night, and I had NO DESIRE to eat dinner. I forced myself to do it because I need to eat at least 1200 calories (according to all the health research anything below this is starvation - but there is some research that suggests that controlled fasting at intervals can be healthy for you too), but I was not hungry in the least. 

So, my shift from more resistance (again, Pilates is considered resistance training) this year meant I struggled to keep my weight down. YES, more muscle burns more calories. So, I heartily recommend a combination of the two, but I reduced my cardio drastically this year. It meant less PAIN in my body, but it meant less calories burned overall.

Here is the skinny on why I gained weight then: 

Four hours of Pilates is about 600 calories.
Four hours of walking is about 1600 calories. 
Do the math, I was burning  1000 calories less per week!

I won't give up the Pilates because more Pilates equals less pain, but I need to find a way to add my cardio into my work week. (The treadmill desk while I am working is something I FORGOT to do in the spring too, duh!) 

All that to say is that I GET IT! I am so excited to have this health focus for the summer. I feel strong. I feel fit. I am in a better range even now. 

I need to strategize for the fall though. It is so fun to learn and grow and find balance in life, isn't it?

YAY! 

Facts and Figures Freewrite

I am an "S" on the Myers-Briggs personality type scale. So, I LOVE facts and figures as long as I can treat them with "personal warmth" because I am an SF (ST's treat them with cool objectivity).

So here are some fun things I evaluated after this latest weight course correction (gaining HALF the weight I lost in 2013 BACK with HALF of that HALF being between March 16 and June 1 of this year. I FORGOT to be disciplined. Seriously!]) 

So here are the facts and figures:

I investigated historical data based on 94% accurate BodyBugg (2008-2015) calorie burns and my  LoseIt! member weight data since 2010 (but I preferred BodyBugg because it had all my foods so I was inconsistent with LoseIt! until BodyBugg/Body Media shut down in December 2015 [probably another reason why I gained weight because the BodyBugg helped me make sure I burned the right amount of calories everyday!])

My average calorie burn over the BodyBugg years was 2400 calories.

When I calculated how much I have lost (4.6 lbs in 17 days) with my calories consumed data I have arrived at my average calorie burn the other way. Guess how much it is?

2422!

That is so REMARKABLY close to what it has been historically!

My average calories consumed over the last 17 days has been 1475.

Based on the 2422 average calorie burn,

If I get my average calories consumed down to 1300 (LoseIt! recommends 1384 and anything above 1200 is healthy.)

That will give me a daily deficit of 1122 (Based on 2422 burn – but I could increase since I am doing less low-calorie burn Pilates and more calorie burn biking, hiking, and walking now. I am also remembering to get back on my Treadmill desk - typing on it right now, in fact!)

And I will DEFINITELY reach my goal by the time I step on the plane!

So I am happy to see this is a S.M.A.R.T. goal (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely)! I was iffy because I gained more in the Spring than I had previously thought, but I am on track!

YAY!

I love facts and figures and data.

Freewrite: Sabbatical Update and Analogy

In the early 2000's, I started an accountability group called FACED. We focus on reporting about our 

Food
Academic pursuits (from some it is Attitude toward the day)
Communion with God and people
Exercise
Daily care of self and family. 

I had a contest for weight loss in 2005, and two women, Katrina and Rachel, emerged as the winners. All the other people in the group have dropped off, but Katrina, Rachel, and I still continue to try to maintain a healthy balance in all areas of our life as we FACE each day!

We have a new challenge to report to each other everyday from June 1- July 16. Katrina will be done with her nursing program on that day, and I will be going off to England. I do periodic reflections ("Health Freewrites") about my FACED progress, and this is what I wrote them this morning: 

Thanks to both of you for joining in this new phase of our growth. It is a lifelong pursuit, but we are moving forward even though it is sometimes three steps forward and two steps back! I am just pleased after the possible stress of yesterday that it was a peaceful day with no overeating! And I have had a pint of Häagen-Dazs in the freezer for two weeks with NO DESIRE TO EAT IT! YAY!

George and I both did not realize how much we had the stress of anticipation of this surgery. He is in NO PAIN. He has only taken TWO doses preventatively in 24 hours where he could have had up to FIVE by now. He has no desire to have any more pain meds. With a high potency opioid that was one of our concerns and anxieties. YAY!

God gave me a picture of the cycles of my life in February 2014, it was ABIDE>RIDE>REST. There was a surfboard and the wave of the Spirit. There has been a big ride of ministry since February 2015, especially since March. We have been riding this Holy Spirit wave, and it has been fruitful and fulfilling and fully functioning in our gifts. We have abided and listened to God and obeyed. Not one single thing that we did in the last three months was not in obedience to His voice. We have said, “No” where we needed to also (and we have to say, “No” all the time). That isn’t the issue for us.

Yesterday I heard someone talk about their success (in a secular context) and how sometimes it is just a wave you ride, and it really has nothing to do with you. That is so true! 

When he talked, God spoke to me. I know from my surfing experience that once you stand up on the board and ride the wave it IS just the wave propelling you forward, you have no choice but to ride that wave; BUT one does need to BALANCE on the board. I think that is where I didn't do such a great job of balancing on the board in the midst of such a wave-riding ministry time. I didn’t fall off the board in the midst of the surf (that is a big pain, by the way, you want to stay on that board once the wave catches it), but I wasn’t totally aligned in my body and standing in balance!

This is why I had a five pound gain to a weight I have not seen in three years. I kept the weight that I lost off for two of those three years, but when the fruit and big wave came (February 2015), I forgot to maintain. Little by little it came back (not all of it but enough of it to make me wonder why I had not continued to maintain it). It is only a 52 calorie per day average overeating scenario between April 18, 2013 (the date of the 30 pound weight loss) and June 1, 2016, but it is an overeating scenario none-the-less.

The good news: I used to overeat 250 calories a day. Then it was 125 per day. Now, it is 52. I keep cutting it in half. YAY! I am moving FORWARD!

The bad news: 52 calories per day average over a period of three years still results in a weight gain!! 

We were in the "sweet spot" on ministry, but I want to be in the "sweet spot" of my weight now. What is great is that my husband and my oldest son also want to be in theirs too. Three out of four of us are still in the "normal range" for our weight, but we have that "sweet spot" where we know we just feel better, and we are slowly getting there! Yay! (My youngest is not underweight, but he is very close to being so. So, we are trying to maintain his weight right now, but it is hard when you have your jaw wired shut for six weeks!)

I feel confident that my life is back in balance on dry land (less variables attempting to unbalance me). I am RESTING and WORKING on my posture and balance before I take the board back out in the surf! Stay tuned! 

And I am so grateful for you two for faithfully reporting and helping in getting that balance back! 

Ack!

I was afraid to weigh myself. I have been doing really well for six days (really eight, but I officially started on June 1), but I did not do a starting weight. I knew my spring was full of lots of eating (Mother's Day treats that were showered on me would have been enough to gain all of the weight!)

I am five pounds more than I thought I was! Still within my ideal weight range. Not panicking, 

BUT, I gained five pounds since March 16! That is five pounds in about three months which is overeating about 200 calories a day. Not much, but ACK!

True that I did not weigh myself at the same time I usually do, and I had 32 ounces of liquid and my full breakfast. So I am getting up tomorrow and starting from that weight. I am hoping it is less. :(

I always say I overeat about 200 calories a day. I would always just walk around the block two times, and it would take care of that, but I had allergies all spring (much longer than usual) and then I got sick. So, that could be those five pounds! I am so frustrated with myself.

Part of it is that I am letting other people run my life instead of taking control of it. I am letting people sabotage me sometimes. I don't have to do that. I can say, "NO!" to all of that. 

Breathe. I am going to be OK. Just trying to be honest. I had lost 35 lbs between December 2012 - April 2013 and kept it off for the better part of two years! What happened? I was so careful, but I think the change from less cardio to more Pilates (not intentionally, just not as much time to do both). It does means a pain free life (my back is SO wonderful now - Pilates Pain Free Living!) and a very busy, busy life (too busy) has done me in this last year!

Words from God are: SIMPLIFY and STOP 

That is all changing, and I have to learn to balance. 

And breathe. 

Sixty Slim Down

Spring is always busy. I am not sure why. Five workshops between March 12 and May 5 and 12 weeks of teaching in Sunday School. I am through all the workshops and one more month of Sunday School, and we will be free.

Maybe I am just tired from the school year. I have been dragging the last two weeks. It also might be that spring always brings on allergies that seem to knock me out. 

Spring also brings on extra pounds. I don't exercise as much because I walk less due to the allergies and being busier than usual. 

So, over the next sixty days. I WILL be better (also helps that those holidays where George tends to buy me FOOD instead of something non-edible are all over until our anniversary.) 

So, I will be journaling more about my journey to wellness of BODY here. I may listen to more audiobooks instead of sitting down to read them. I need some Move more and Eat Less Training (MELT) for the rest of the spring and first month of the summer. 

Ready GO! 

P.S. June 1 update: I decided to wait until my classes were over so I started this yesterday and am on a plan with two other people for the next 45 days. That should get me down to my "low" weight again. I am still at an acceptable BMI, but I like to be at the lowest and healthiest BMI for me!

June 6 update: I have a five day streak going in recording and reporting! It is going great. I am biking more, and I am done with my allergies and the cold that followed and plagued me for 11 days! 

Day 1: #100HealthyDays

Day 1 of #100healthydays - loved #100Happydays so much that I am concentrating on healthy heart, soul, mind, and strength now! Come join @redgypsie and me!

ADay photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 2, 2016 at 9:02am PST

Day 1 was good! 

Soul Health: I got up early and had a devotional at www.gospelharmonybookclub.blogspot.com and praised God for all God is doing in the world from Pray for the World and read from Abundant Living by E. Stanley Jones. So great

Heart Health (this is my emotional well-being): Had great interaction with some friends on Facebook. Our annual January 1st walk/hike with George where we discussed last year and this year's goals. Also watched a new drama series called The Man in the High Castle. Oh my, just our cuppa tea (has a little language in it and violence but they always cut away from that so you don't see it, just the suspense). 

Mind Health: Listened to a bit of a book.

Strength Health: Self-Myofacial release, stretching, walk/hiked 4.82 miles, SMR and stretch again, push ups, Pilates, and I did OK on eating. I did have 3 cookies, but I still stayed at a deficit. (Goal to lose 5 pounds. That is all I need to do to be at the low range of my weight!)

Another Reason to do Pilates: Beautiful Bowel Movements

I realized something the other day. I noticed that I have had very regular and easy bowel movements over the last few months. (Sorry if that is TMI.) I have cut down on caffeine in the mornings. I have always thought that was helpful in that cause. 

I realized this regularity was coinciding with my increase in doing Pilates. I have been doing the exercises very consistently since I decided to become certified as an instructor in late June/early July. Before, it was hit or miss, maybe once a week or twice a week. Now, I do it three times on Mondays and Wednesdays and at least once on another three days of the week. 

Could there be a connection between my regularity and Pilates? I went to Google it, and this article gave me my answer: 

 http://www.livestrong.com/article/337331-exercises-to-stimulate-bowel-movement/

Here is the excerpt about Pilates from that article: 

Pilates

Pilates Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images

Pilates workouts put a huge demand on your core for the entire workout, and force you to breathe deeply through discomfort. The near-constant contraction of the abs combined with the tightly controlled movement of the limbs can stimulate the bowels in much the same way as ab work. The breathing techniques can help you relax and focus when nature finally calls. Try the double leg stretch, leg circles or teasers for thorough results.

I will comment that I would NOT try the Teaser until you have worked up to that challenge, even taking a class from a certified instructor (like me!). 

42. Intermediate Mat Manual by Power Pilates

I have done a LOT of reading this year, but it has been more educational than for pleasure. I love it though. I have to get credit for this one since I had to read it and then TEACH it. I passed yesterday, and I am celebrating by entering it here! 

Fifteen Minute Freewrite

I am just going to type away for the allotted fifteen minutes.

I got up about an hour earlier than I expected. I was also going to have to go into work early because I could not find some things I needed for my class today, but I found them under a book. So, I ended up having way more time this morning than I thought I would have. YAY! I think it is funny that I could not find that stuff. It was right on the table, but I searched for probably an hour last night for them.

Today, I am going to have the students use balls to hug the midline and Therabans in order to get a better workout on their legs during the side-kick series. I cannot believe that I ran out of time on Monday. I have never done that before!!!

Today I also have a second mammogram. There was something "inconclusive" on my first one I did last Tuesday (so proud I got in and out of there by 8:40 am when my appointment did not officially start until 8:45!). I am a bit nervous about the whole things, but George is coming in with me to the appointment. So that means I get him for a bit longer this week than I usually do! YAY!

I have to do three overhead squat postural assessments and two one leg squat assessments for a discussion forum in my class. It is a lot of extra work, but it will force me to learn the material. So, I am happy about that. This eTeach is a lot more work than just studying for the personal training exam, but I want to be prepared to walk into personal training right after I finish. So there you go! I will be much better prepared with these things that I have to do to pass the class.

I am very concerned about my nephew. He is in a very bad way. I really want to help him. I don't want to enable though. What can I do, Lord? I will listen to You and obey.

My body is becoming stronger and stronger every day. I love this new level of Pilates exercises that I just learned from Marie. I am trying to teach them to my class. I am not sure if I communicated very well with them this last Monday though. Lord, help me to be a better teacher. I hope my SNAP class has more of the experienced people so I can take them to the next level. When I have new people, and they are strong, I don't know that until they say it was too easy. Boy, I could make it so much harder for them if I knew how strong they were to begin with. I did like that Sue said that she always feels so much better after she does the class. That was great.

I am sitting at my desk typing away with no pain. I am so happy about that. That weird neck/trapezius (or was it the serratus or the rhomboid?) is gone. I wonder if NOT going to OMT helped hit because it was not being manipulated. I think I can definitely go to just having OMT every three weeks or so. I would like to get to doing Massages every three weeks and OMT every three weeks. I really like the massages, and Emiko says I am just tight, and that is how some people are built. I really look forward to doing the flexibility training course after I am done with the CPT exam. That will be continuing education, and I got it at a great discount price. 

Wonder what I will do for a little warm up today? I think standing warm up will be appropriate. I don't want to do it for two long, maybe 5 minutes max. I took too long in the warm up on Monday, leaving me little time for the added exercises. I think I will just add the Open Leg Rocker, the advanced Swan today and do three regular leg plus one Big Finish of the Side Kick Series. Then I am hoping to add the Serratus Push Up and a longer 45 second Front Support. 

Oh perfect, I am looking at my timer, and I am less than one minute. YAY! I needed to write. I am praying I do not encounter that negative man again, and I need to get out of my class very quickly in order to do that. I will have to ask my boss if it is OK to let the people stay in the room if the instructor does not get there in time. I am hoping he is not hostile to me again!!!

BYE! 

Postural Alignment Sensors? WOW!

This is new. So I am not sure what the reviews will be, but this was so fascinating for me to learn about. I am on a mission to help people develop better posture to avoid back pain and strengthen the core. So this is right up my alley! 

What do you think?

Monday Morning Freewrite

Ok, I realize I have a great timer right in front of me in the form of this new and exciting LifeSpan Treadmill Desk! I did most of my Skype meeting this morning with Elizabeth on my treadmill. She thought it was great that I was doing this! I got very hot though with the door closed. That won't be a problem in the winter, but it gets very warm in this room with the door closed. 

I love this thing. I have already put 1 hour 50 minutes into walking, and I have not even gone outside yet. In the past, I would do all the things I do in the morning: devotional time, prayer, answering emails, Bible Book Club, etc. sitting down and not always getting my tail out the door for an outdoor walk. Now, if I am that "lazy," I will still get some cardio in while I am getting all those things done..  WOW! 

I finished my Core Mat I training with Power Pilates. It was INTENSE! I probably did all 18 moves at least 10 times over the course of the weekend. It was fun fitness-wise. I was not sore at all, and I felt strong and uncorked in my back at the end of the weekend; but I was overwhelmed in intensity. It was so much to absorb in one weekend, and I had to unlearn things that I had learned 12  years of doing Pilates through Timberhill Athletic Club, SNAP fitness, and DVD's. I still see that there are variations on style even within the classical Pilates community. Power Pilates distinguishes between "breathing exercises" and non-breathing. The book I have had BREATH patterns for ALL the 18 core exercises, and that is how I have learned in most of the classes that I have taken. So, I need to think that through.

Power is also a lot more staccato in how they lead in their classes. So, I need to think through that because it is not very relaxing for me, and by the middle of the third day, I had a most embarrassing meltdown. I was spent too. It was a lot of pressure and not very fun for me. I went for a little walk, and God said, "You are in your comfort zone on so many things that you do." True. I have discipled women for 35 years. I have led groups for that long. I have spoken in front of many people. For many, that would be outside their comfort zone, but it is like second nature to me. So, God reminded me that the last time I had a meltdown was when I was learning to surf in Sayulita, Mexico (I wore the shirt on Saturday and had the water bottle with me the whole weekend). I had my meltdown about the third day there too. So many PHYSICAL things to remember that were being directed to me VERBALLY. I could not absorb it all (plus my equipment was not correct for me which was their fault). I had one wipe out on the waves, and I melted down. I had also been around people non-stop for three days, and I was spent. I went to my room and traded with Shel for a massage. I just cannot always absorb things so quickly and everything was coming at me so fast that I just lost it. 

But I passed the class, and I realize that I have to make my instructing my own. I am just not a STACCATO type of gal. I am pretty "come alongside you" kind of gal. I had a FIRO-B assessment consultation today for a half hour, and he said that ISFJ's are "masters of the one-on-one" and no one does it better. I LOVE one-on-one. It is where I thrive, but I think that I need to teach these OSU classes. I think they will be really good for me. I think I will do just fine leading them. I just need to get all the VERBAL details down. I already went through a whole "mock" class by myself, and I got the order all right, and I only missed one time where I forgot to say, "head and chest" up.

I want to develop a "gentle Pilates" course for OSU. I think this will be really fun to do. 

Anyway, I have just gone two minutes over my time limit. :) I really want to work on photo album journaling today and just be ALONE for the rest of the day because things will be very relational from Wednesday on! YIKES!

32. The MELT Method: A Breakthrough Self-Treatment System to Eliminate Chronic Pain

So interesting that LibraryThing predicted that I probably would not like this book. I have not posted many of the books I read for fitness. So, I am sure based on all the classics I have read over the years that LibraryThing assumes I am a couch potato! Fitness books have many diagrams showing one how to perform the exercises, so I have not posted them as "reading" because I don't know if I "read" the whole book from cover to cover, but this one, I read all the introductions and most of the exercises (Once I got to the "Maps" I got confused and just ordered her DVD's that I can do like any old fitness DVD). I have been doing fascia release on my feet and a little on my legs for about two years now, but this takes fascia "rehydration" to a whole other level. Her introduction goes into a lot of detail about the science behind all of this, and she tends to repeat things over and over. So, I did not like that about the book.I also thought the "sequences" and "maps" were really confusing. I still don't get that and hope to go to a live class that is being taught in my town on Tuesdays. All that said, I have lived with some level of pain my whole life. Most of the time, I can moderate it by standing instead of sitting for too long (as I type this with my stand up desk), regular massage and osteopathic adjustment, core conditioning through Pilates, posterior chain strengthening through foundationtraining.com, and proper posture through the Gokhale Method. I really manage my pain well, actually. I do not have the luxury of being a couch potato having been through three major car accidents before the age of 19 (hit with my mom but cannot remember what happened, spun around in a 180 on the way to school when I was 16, and totally rolled my car Freshman year in college) and having one leg longer than the other and hips that do weird things causing unilateral sacral flexion without rhyme nor reason (so glad I married into a family with an osteopath!). It is true, most of my passions involve SITTING (writing, Bible Book Club blogging and book writing, photography [most time involves sitting to do post-processing rather than being out in the field shooting], communicating by email with numerous groups of people because of our ministry), but my other passion IS health, fitness, and nutrition (I have a B.S. in Food and Nutrition with a Community Nutrition Emphasis and am a former college athlete). I am becoming certified as a personal trainer and Pilates instructor over the next few months. So, this will be part of my "toolbox" for helping people relieve pain. I am also good at motivating people to lose weight as I have kept most of mine of for two and a half years. Actually, I am just into WELLNESS: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional (see the reason for this blog above). I will be posting more of the books I am reading for my personal training and Pilates endeavors from now on. Maybe LibraryThing will deem that I "like" it after I do that! LOL! 

Monday Morning Fifteen Freewrite

The fifteen minute timer was beckoning this morning. It is a beautiful day for a walk, but it is still pretty cold outside (25 degree F) so I will wait for it to warm up a bit more before I venture out. 

I also have a couple of listening prayer appointments today so I need to sit a ton today so I will definitely need to walk before the first one and between the first and second one.

My back is doing great. I found this YouTube video about how to break up the fascia in your feet (because she says that runners have gnarly feet), and it miraculously releases tight hamstrings, which is a big part of why I have the tight back (not out or in pain anymore just tight if I sit too long or forget to stretch or sit too long and then go running). It really does work which is so weird. But BOY does it every hurt my feet! I have my massage therapist start at my feet now because that is the source of much of my issue. 

So I am on the mend. I am probably at 90% now, and I need to constantly be mindful of keeping myself limber and not sit too long. That is the rest of my life if I want to be free of pain.

My eating has been great! I gave myself grace for Sunday because we had snacks at our Kingdom Community meeting. So I tend to eat more when I am in community, and the stats prove that. I found this really cool article with all this data about weight gain. Nothing was surprising but it was nice to have it backed up with FACTS versus FALLACY which is so much of "diets" today!

I should put a link to that article while I am thinking about it. But I will do it after the freewrite so I can keep on typing as I am supposed to do with a freewrite. 

Speaking of writing, I wrote out the WHOLE story of Noah for the first time. In the past, I have just done "key verses" for the Discovery Bible Study, but it was good to do the whole thing, but it was 9 1/2 pages in my journal. Then I wrote it again in MY WORDS for another 9 1/2 pages. So last week was a lot of writing! ACK!!!

Back to the eating, I wanted to get down to a lower weight before the holidays, and I was too afraid to weigh myself because I thought I had gained a ton of weight over the last month, but I had not! YAY! I felt God said to weigh myself and "Do not fear," and I was so encouraged that I have not gotten out of control. It was just a little bit, and I am very close to my medium frame weight (my goal is to always be within single digits of it and then course correct as it creeps up). So, YAY! I am still in single digits! 

So, I have been counting calories and posting them to Rachel and Katrina and told them I would owe them 100 dollars if I did not do it last week. So, money talks for me, and I did it! 

YAY! I just overeat a BIT when I am not counting. My goal is to not overeat at all AND not count calories, but I am not there yet. I have a hard time knowing where the line is, but when you are only overeating maybe 100 calories a day, that is a very FINE LINE that is hard to know because 100 calories could be an extra orange! Not much at all. So, I continue to count if I inch up.

BUT I am so much better than two years ago when I was almost 25 pounds heavier! I have not gained it all back and have kept most of it off for 1 year and 7 months! YAY! I am going to keep it off forever, but I need to keep on learning little by little. 

Had a sweet time in Kingdom Community praying for each other. It was very nice.

Well, my time is almost gone, and I want to find that article to put a link here. I have to go to Facebook to do it. I need to get up and not sit any longer. Maybe I will go to SNAP Fitness so that I do not have to be out in the FREEZING COLD weather! LOL!  Bye!


12 Graphs that Show Why People Get Fat

Here is the graph about social environment affecting overeating. So TRUE!:

Sitting Detrimental

http://www.trekdesk.com/general-health/743-calculating-the-benefit-loss-of-exercise-caused-by-sitting

My Day So Far

5:20 Get up and make sandwiches for the guys as they go to do farmwork
5:40 Say goodbye and make chai and listen to Mere Christianity
5:40 - 7:25 Bible Book Club posting 1 Samuel and Psalms
7:25 - 7:45 Straighten out my DropBox (some broken links and no icon that links to webpage - lost in computer reboot with Staples due to virus?)
7:45-8:15 Shower and dress (listen to Mere Christianity then Worship) and talk to George

Ate: 2 cups fat-free milk and 2 TB whipped cream

Off to upload BodyBugg

Weight Maintenance

Here are my calorie goals. The consumed calories of 1455 average were only tracked through January 8th at which time I started traveling, and I have only been home 36 hours out of the last 7 days. 

I am just trying to hit my burn goal everyday, and I did not wear my BodyBugg for much of yesterday and a few other times when I was pretty active (one walk I forgot to wear it). So I think I did meet the goal. 

FACED Accountability

I wanted to go a bit deeper about what I do for accountability.  Many years ago, I started a group called FACEyourday. 

Here is the group description:

Get ready to FACE your day with accountability and support from friends!

FACED is an accountability group that focuses on balance in the following areas:

F: Food - What are your goals for eating right?
A: Academic or Attitude - What are you feeding your mind?
C: Communion - How are you communing with God and others?
E: Exercise - What are you doing to tune your temple?
D: Daily Care - What are your goals for taking care of your loved ones and yourself?

Here is an example of my FACED for yesterday that I just sent to my two accountability partners.

Jan 3 - 1156 Deficit 

.2 pounds away from chai tea! Thank you so much. Accountability works!!  

F: 1333 – Finally into a groove of recording again. 19Pro/52Cho/29Fat/11Sat. Calcium 1082 because less milk yesterday (1200 at 50+ years old) 

A: Glanced at Chronicles of Downton Abbey. Watched The Dark Knight with George. 

C: Genesis 3 and the baptism of Jesus in John and Matthew. Yummy! I went on a walk with George instead of a private praise walk.

E: 2489 – Walk, Pilates, Weights, and Elliptical! My first full workout day since October 10! I have NO BACK PAIN this morning! YAY! I have worked back into it slowly with only going 4.4 pounds over my maximum. Pretty good considering my low calorie burn due to my back and Christmas goodies.

D: Dentist appointments made for all. Started taking down Christmas extras (George took the tree down for trash recycling on Monday). Opted out of a family date to watch The Hobbit so I could work out and have some time alone at home (daily care of myself). Glorious!

When I started it with others we had up to twelve members, and that was too big. I like 3-4 people in each group. Easier to respond with encouragement to others!

Tomorrow I will talk about the BodyBugg!

How I Lost the Weight

Make your own free slideshow design

I had someone ask me how I lost the weight, and I had written this email to a couple of friends a few months back. So I am going to just paste it here!

WHY I LOST IT:

I lost it because weight loss was not my goal, maintenance was. Between December 20, 2012 and April 8, 2013, I lost until I was down to a medium frame weight for my height (I was usually within five pounds of the large frame weight, but I think that was too much all those years). I remembered my favorite weight, and that was when I was 19 and playing basketball. My love handles were totally gone then. So, I lost until the love handles went away, and that is the medium frame weight. I also had a rousing email exchange with a radiologist who said that all people’s bone mass are medium frame, and there is no such thing as a “large frame” weight. This is his website for recommendation for your ideal weight. Scroll down to the last box and do the ROBINSON FORMULA. That should be the ideal weight for regular sized women according to this guy (I use the Devine because I am tall): http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

I had the extra motivation of a very tight budget due to George’s job being cut to a barebones salary. So, I didn’t have any extra money for little "treats" here and there, and walking saved me gas money! My LDL, cholesterol, and blood sugar were also a bit high (not in any danger), and my dietician friend says that she recommends a 7% weight loss to get them within normal. Extra motivation really helped me lose too!

(Update: all my blood work came back great Nov 2013!)

HOW I LOST IT: 

I recorded everything for 16 weeks and reported total calories consumed to two other friends by email EVERY DAY. They were free to report when they wanted, but that is what I committed for myself, and I was faithful to do it EVERY DAY no matter how busy I was (and I was very busy).

I also burned at least 2500 calories every day by walking, walking, walking, even in the rain (quitting running was the biggest way I have lost weight because I used to run and take two days to recover due to my back problems – now I just walk three days in a row and burn more calories overall). I committed myself to “Walk for Weight Loss and the World” so I prayer walked and prayed for unreached peoples and for my community!  I did it rain or shine and in the dark even. I made sure I got that 2500 calories in EVERYDAY too.

If I have a busy work day, I make sure I stand a lot and walk, walk, walk. I even walk and do listening prayer, discipleship, and counseling with the women I meet with because one of the things I am also teaching them is that exercise helps with depression, and it really does. I do not go to the gym as much, but I just move a lot more every day. I stand more while doing tasks. If I watch a movie, I move around. I dance around my living room a lot. I am moving, moving, moving all the time!

I do not sit at my computer like I used to (A smart phone has really helped me not sit at my computer as much too.). I quit taking as many photos because I sat too much processing them (also bad for my back).

(Note: the only difference between overweight people and thin people are that they stand more. The article is no longer on the internet, but here is an article about the characteristics of thin people that alludes to this fact: http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/weight-loss/secrets-thin-people.)

Also, I only allowed myself one post for the Bible Book Club for every pound I lost. I wanted to FINISH the Bible Book Club. So, I lost the weight so I could FINISH. Now, I do not let myself have my favorite Chai tea in the morning unless I am under my ideal weight.  (I have modified this since Chai tea is such a wonderful part of my quiet morning ritual. So, I allow myself a single serving of chai without WHIPPED CREAM. If I am at my ideal weight of 173, I allow myself the luxury of whipped cream. That has worked well!) That keeps maintenance because I love my Chai tea (with whip) in the morning!!! LOL!

I also dropped out of one of my book clubs so I wasn’t reading as much; and if I do read, I try to find the audiobook so that I can listen to it while I am walking, working out on an elliptical (I do that sometimes for variety), cleaning, or cooking. I combine working out with pleasure reading that way and am not sitting on my bottom reading a book. Moving while reading is a great thing!

I also got physical therapy for my back so it doesn’t go out as much because I do exercises for it every day. I also get a monthly massage so that my back stays better (my doctor wants it once a week, but that is TOO expensive). So, I burn so many more calories because I am not in bed nursing a hurting back anymore!  (Note: since I wrote this letter, after many months of no pain, it wigged out. So, I could not walk and burn more calories for a couple of months, but I only ended up gaining 4.4 pounds over my ideal weight so I am learning to eat less when I am inactive. Also, I have learned the beauty of self-myofascial release (SMR) with a roller and then static stretching. That and Pilates has kept me pain-free for over two years now. )

Also, I walk or ride my bike everywhere I can (on errands, to discipleship meetings on campus, etc.). Once I reached the goal, I was determined to keep it off and not let it come back on, and I have kept it off for six months (now it is eight months), and I just keep on reporting to those two women! It has been a great year!

I also practice the eight things that help you with your serotonin and dopamine levels (see the VLOG for all about that: http://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/search/label/VLOG). I try to do those eight things every day. Sleep is a big one, and I am getting really good sleep and really efficient sleep.

Also, the BodyBugg helped me keep my calorie burn accurate. Sadly, it was bought out by Jawbone, and then Jawbone discontinued it. It was the ONLY accurate calorie tracker out there. The Fitbit and other fitness trackers are WILDLY INACCURATE for calorie burn so please do not go by their estimates that are based on an algorithm and not on accurate body measurements. I went on a hike with a woman who was a foot shorter than me, and her Fitbit said she burned 1400 calories while my BodyBugg said, accurately, that I had burned about 500. I tracked the data with this device for eight years, and my calorie burn - my calorie intake always = the pounds I ended up losing. I think it was 94% accurate because you wore it on your arm (see slideshow), and it measured four things on your body. Beware of the Fitbit because it makes some people fat! http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com/can-a-fitbit-make-you-fat.html/comment-page-1#comment-359822

You can watch all my VLOG posts for other tips on weight loss! They are all around a minute long. So, not a big time consuming thing to do but helpful tips:

http://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/search/label/VLOG

There you go! Now I have SAT ON MY BUM so long writing this that I must MOVE!!

HOW I HAVE MAINTAINED IT

I already mentioned that I do not allow myself to have my favorite beverage if I am above a certain weight: "No chai tea above 173" is my new motto! (As I mentioned above, I changed that in 2016 to allowing myself a single serving [used to make a double] and allowing WHIPPED CREAM on top only when I am at 173 - like I was this morning! What a treat to have a little WHIP on my chai!)

I examined my pattern weight gain after a period of losing since 2008. I had the data from my Body Media BodyBugg. So that gave me valuable information about what I do. Here is the post with all my analysis of that data: 

"The Good News on My Overeating" 

I had two times since the weight loss where it climbed back up about five pounds. This last time was due to a relapse in my back on October 10th, and I wasn't able to burn a lot of calories because I needed to rest a LOT and could not even stand for long periods of time. All that said, I overate about 233 calories per day during that time period (When in pain, I eat. I also need to eat to keep myself from being nauseated from pain meds.) gaining five pounds. But it is so much easier to "course" correct at five pounds rather than thirty, taking two and a half weeks to lose it rather than fifteen!  So, I am committed to "course correcting" on a regular basis. So, I weigh myself at least every two weeks, but I admit I did not weigh myself between November 25 - December 30 because of the holidays. I was afraid to do it!  But fear is our biggest enemy of weight loss, and I was pleasantly surprised that I had only gained three during the holidays and two from my back injury! YAY!

(2017 update: I lost to goal before England, but I gained again. So, I am committed to maintainance once again this year. It is not good to fluctuate more than 10 pounds for post-menopausal women! See this article: http://www.realsimple.com/health/yo-yo-diet-heart-disease-sudden-cardiac-death)

Maintaining is also easier with the two women who hold me accountable and encourage me. I always have them to email with my "FACEing my day" (see the link to my VLOG videos about FACE.)

(2017 Update: The women quit logging so I felt at a loss. But I am giving my reports everyday to them regardless of whether they report or not. One has reported a few times a week, and the other has not even responded to any of our emails. I am on LoseIt! which has a very nice and encouraging community. Most are losing a large amount of weight, but that is OK. They do have a maintaining group that I hope to be in soon. 2017 Update - As of February, I am in the maintaining group. They are a small group but many have become my friends so we encourage each other. I am still sending my reports to the two I have reported to since 2004!)

As I said at the beginning, maintenance was my goal, not weight loss. I had that mindset from the beginning, and that has really helped. 

(And maintenance still remains my goal even though I lost sight of it when I switched to Pilates over calorie burning exercise. I have loved having no PAIN anywhere, but I have not loved the extra POUNDS that came as a result of the switch in my daily calorie burn. I am dropping one of my Pilates classes so that I can have more time for calorie burn. 2017 update: because of the switch, I was able to get off those last stubborn five pounds. I think four hours of teaching was just right for me. I also have more time for aerobic weight training that strengthens and burns calories while Pilates strengthens and stretches. So, I like this balance much better and will make it easier to maintain.)

I am tired of not maintaining, and this is my commitment for 2017! (And I am doing great so far!)

Carol