Hi,
My sessions with my physical therapist have ended and I am now on my own. I am using my charts to remind me of not only what I have and have not done, but to remind me what is available to do. My PT told me that using stretchy bands is better than hand weights for me to build core strength and endurance. I'm going along with what she said because I suspect that she is right. I have also found a great source for buying the resistance bands online at: http://www.power-systems.com/
I have purchased three additional cords that are shorter than the one I have been using. Being shorter makes it easier to do some exercises rather than having to choke up on the cord with my hands in order to increase the resistance. I bought three because they come in different amounts of resistance. The resistance levels are color coded: green (light weight), red (medium weight) and blue (heavy weight) which makes a set for me. They have others that are both lighter and heaver than the ones I purchased. I find that the green one works best for my upper body and the red one works best for my lower body which makes sense to me because my legs are stronger than my arms. I am hoping to move up to the blue one at some point.
The company (Power Systems) is located in Tennessee and I am in Georgia, so when I order something the UPS man brings it in about three days and I am happy with the service. I have also ordered two circular bands of medium and heavy resistance to use for my hip flexes.
I also bought a set of aquatic gloves to wear in the pool for water exercises. It is like putting a"web" on your hands, so you have to pull a little harder to move through the water when you open your hand. The catalog said they increase the resistance of the water by 30 percent so I am excited to begin using them, soon. I investigated getting some water dumb bells like I was using in therapy but they are very expensive, especially if you need more than one size. I am hoping to adapt the gloves to do a similar thing without the expense (they were only about $7.50). I shall report later, on what I find.. I am also not sure they allow water dumb bells in the pool, but what could they say about gloves? They let you wear water shoes, so I'm hoping water gloves are OK, too.
I think I spent about a total of fifty dollars for all of this and I don't think that is too much since I have spent hundreds of dollars in the past on exercise equipment, that I did not use, by the way. I often did not use them because the routines were simply far beyond my capabilities and I would get discouraged, but, after having done the physical therapy I feel very confident that I now have exercises and methods that are suited perfectly to me and I can continue doing them on my own.
It is very difficult for a fat old lady to keep up with fit young people on the exercise routines that come packaged with many pieces of exercise equipment. They make it look so easy. They are fit and toned and the exercises are easy for them. I am neither fit, nor toned, and am actually stiff and old and very heavy, but my physical therapist has taught me what I can do for myself and I am very happy with that.
There are two things I need to do next. One is buy a seasonal fun card at the aquatic center and the other is make an appointment with my chiropractor. I think I over extended myself in my last therapy session and I have been having head and neck and arm pain ever since. I have been doing cervical traction and the exercises my former PT gave me for this situation and it lightens the pain, but it has not quite gone away yet. I don't know why I have not picked up the phone and called, other than I was hoping that what I have been doing would solve the problem. I think I need a little help so I will call him tomorrow and see what he thinks.
I calculated the price of the seasonal fun card and I will be saving myself about a hundred dollars in fees if I really get me going and using it three times a week like I want to do.
The medical front is not so glowing. I have discovered that the shirataki noodles, when over done, such as in "three times a day" is playing havoc with my kidneys. I have a trace of protein in my urine and I know that excessive amounts of carbs is what causes that. So... the shirataki does not raise my blood sugar, but my body reacts to it as if it were a high carb item anyway. I have now reduced my intake back to once a day and will see if that improves that situation. It may be that I will have to reduce them even further.
I guess I should explain why I was eating them three times a day. One day, I decided to have the shirataki twice instead of once and I lost weight the next morning. I tried the same thing on another day and the same thing happened. So I took a day and tested eating them three times in the day -- with every meal -- and I, again, lost weight. After that I started to eat them three times a day in an effort to speed up the weight loss. It seemed to be working but I also noticed that I did not like how I was feeling when eating it that much.
Also my blood pressure has begun to go back up to it's old really high levels again. I don't know if that is the shirataki or the animal protein I am eating. I am waiting to see if the reduction in shirataki makes a difference but am keeping the protein levels lower, too. Oddly enough, I have grown tired of eating salads and even though I have the ingredients in the fridge, I am not eating them, out of lack of interest. Since I am cooking meat (mostly turkey sausage) a few veggies and the shirataki into a "stir fry" I seem to have no interest in the fresh raw green salads.
When I initially reduced the shirataki back to once a day, I began eating the salads again, and immediately started to have leg cramps in the mornings -- some of them were pretty bad. That seemed really odd to me, but I think I have zeroed in on the vinegar as being the culprit. I purposely stopped using the home made salad dressing (vinegar and oil) and the cramping stopped happening. (Sheesh... if it is not one thing it is another.) Perhaps that is also why the lack of interest in salads... I don't have any dressing for them.
The official Carbohydrate Addicts program allows salad dressing if there is no sugar in the first four ingredients, so I might have to start going that route for a while to see what happens. My own problem with most salad dressings is that they are almost always made with soy oil and I am not interested in eating soy oil -- or soy of any kind unless it is fermented (as per Dr. Mercola's advice). Perhaps I can figure out a way to make a dressing for myself that does not include vinegar. The thought of just using oil is not so appetizing to me at this point in time. I think I have liked using lime juice in the past. Perhaps that might be a useful bit of information to start with.
I'm also taking a stronger dose of the Allopurinol to reduce the uric acid levels in my blood since I was still having gout flare ups in the middle toe on my left foot. I have to take something called Colchrys (I think) if I have a flare up and was really flabbergasted when my druggist told me the price for thirty pills was one hundred and fifty-five dollars. That is a fifteen day supply. I used my mail order Rx from Aetna to purchase a ninety day supply and that came to only $60. What a relief. The druggist said that there are no longer any "generics" for this particular medicine because they have been taken off the market. The lack of competition has made the prices sky-rocket. I had read about that happening but had not experienced it before.
I am very slowly losing weight. At this point in time I have lost 26 pounds and am happy to be continuing to lose weight. I hope I find the perfect diet for me soon. My blog is a record of everything I have tried for more than a year, so you know I've been working on it. I'm wondering when I will finally find the solution that works for me. For now, I shall simply keep on keeping on -- making adjustments as I go.
Reminders to me:
"You can sit there and feel sorry for yourself, or you can get moving."
Goal: Tired, Not Irritated
Goal: Continue to lose weight
Be back soon,
Love you,
Marcia
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Goal: Tired, Not Irritated
Hi!!
I've been to see my physical therapist a couple of times since I last posted. I've upgraded and updated my "exercise/activities" chart and may need to do another upgrade to include more different specific exercises. I've been doing something on the chart every day, so far.
My new "motivating self talk" is: "You can sit there and feel sorry for yourself, or you can get moving." The "feeling sorry for yourself" part came from a very good friend of mine who very gently pointed out this flaw in me. We were in a small meeting of four people discussing some plans and we were all sharing very intimately with one another. It was appropriate, simple, and delivered with humility. I sat and thought about it at the time, and realized that, yes, I do feel sorry for myself, but I guess I never realized that it was a Flaw that could be addressed. My response at the time was the simple acknowledgement that "I am not sure how to not do that."
Recently I've been thinking about it some more and the result is the new motivating self talk. I did not know I had a choice with this, but I certainly, do. I'm not certain what the cure is, or where it actually came from, but I know how to get beyond it in the moment and that is the "get moving" part. I think my former idea of "feeling sorry for yourself" was what I called "wallowing." I think it may also be called "depression." No matter what you call it, the antidote is to get moving. For me, right now, the "get moving" part means to exercise. To just get up out of the chair and do a set of something.
My physical therapist has taught me that I don't have to schedule thirty minutes of exercise all at once, I just need to DO SOMETHING at different intervals throughout the day. It's kind of like eating lots of small meals instead of a few large ones. That is where my chart comes in, which is how I keep track and let me know I've been doing the right stuff exercisewise. I also have bits of exercise equipment just laying out for me to grab at any moment and do a few reps. My stretchy bands are around a post between the kitchen and living room. My hand weights are on a chair in the living room. My Airofit is always set up in the spare room. Isn't that funny? I kind of like it. They are ready at a moments notice, so when I get the urge, they are available and I simply pick them up, think about the "form," position my body, and do twenty reps.
My therapist says that I do not need to build strength at this time, but endurance, which is why I do either two sets of ten, or a set of twenty reps. I'm building endurance. My body actually does like to exercise.
I'm also glad my PT has given me the goal of "getting tired, not irritated." When I first started doing the exercises at physical therapy I did not like the "tired" part. I was more than tired, I was "wiped-out" and could not move for a day and a half afterwards. But by the time the next session came along, the second day after, I was ready to go again. Still not liking "tired" but doing it. Now I realize that "tired" is not a bad thing. In fact, "tired" is a good thing and I am beginning to like the feeling. I feel as though I have done something. Accomplished something. The "tired" is the evidence that I am doing the right things for my body.
The "not irritated" part means that if I feel a pain of any kind I am not to ignore it, I am to make an adjustment to reduce it but keep going. If pushing my foot hard against the wall during a ham string stretch hurts my toes, then back off, reduce the toe pain, but keep stretching the ham string. It means that if raising my straight arm directly over my head using a stretchy band, makes my neck hurt, then back off, and reduce the resistance on the stretchy band.
Right now, I am simply raising my arm over head with the goal of raising it straight up, which I cannot, yet, do. I cannot do the stretchy band, yet, but once my body gets more agile, I will be able to begin using the stretchy band for that one and eventually will be able to add more resistance. I feel perfectly fine about this method and it does not make me feel sorry for myself that I cannot do it with a ten-pound weight in my hand. I'm doing what works for me. Thank God for my therapist and the guidance she has given me.
It is encouraging to feel new strength building in my body. I absently touched the back of my leg this morning as I was waking up and was pleased to recognize that the muscle has gotten a little firmer and fuller there. It was actually exciting to see that what I've been doing is having an effect. In the past, I always thought that seeing the effect of exercise "takes time." But the reality is, it takes "movement" -- the "get moving" part. LOL
Funny how I had to be taught that the goal is to get tired, not irritated, which refers to body aches and pains, not attitude, by the way. My therapist says, the old "no pain, no gain" plan is a bad idea. I work at the "no pain" part and I'm having gains in strength, stability, and enthusiasm. I'm also glad I was able to get started with a physical therapist and not a physical trainer like the ones on the TV show "Heavy." Those folks are pushing through pain and sometimes have to actually go see a doctor and get pain pills. They make great strides in weight lost but they are paying the price in pain. It does not have to be done that way. I'm glad.
I'm glad the Lord is guiding me to better ideas about exercise. I'm glad I like exercise, now. The charts keep me focused and I don't have to depend on my memory, I have a record of what I have, and have not, done. I know when I have not drunk enough water. I know when I need to exercise. I know when I need to eat something and it is OK to eat right now. I used to kind of get mad at myself for getting hungry, but now I check the time that I last ate and can see that my body really is ready for food again, and I don't have to be upset about it. It is OK for me to eat. I know if I am eating the right things, too, because I have a record.
I cannot say enough good about those charts. I'll share mine with anyone who wants them -- just leave a comment with an e-mail address and I will send an Excel file to you -- but there is a part of me that is excited because I made my own, to suit my situation, to fit my needs, and satisfy my tastes. I think that if you make yours to fit your life and the life style changes you would like to accomplish it cannot help but work for you. If you are familiar with Excel you can easily adjust mine to suit you. If you are not familiar with Excel, then I suggest you make your charts however you can and then use them. It is the "using them" part that makes the difference.
Reminders to me:
"You can sit there and feel sorry for yourself, or you can get moving."
Goal: Tired, Not Irritated
Goal: Continue to lose weight
Be back soon,
Love you,
Marcia
I've been to see my physical therapist a couple of times since I last posted. I've upgraded and updated my "exercise/activities" chart and may need to do another upgrade to include more different specific exercises. I've been doing something on the chart every day, so far.
My new "motivating self talk" is: "You can sit there and feel sorry for yourself, or you can get moving." The "feeling sorry for yourself" part came from a very good friend of mine who very gently pointed out this flaw in me. We were in a small meeting of four people discussing some plans and we were all sharing very intimately with one another. It was appropriate, simple, and delivered with humility. I sat and thought about it at the time, and realized that, yes, I do feel sorry for myself, but I guess I never realized that it was a Flaw that could be addressed. My response at the time was the simple acknowledgement that "I am not sure how to not do that."
Recently I've been thinking about it some more and the result is the new motivating self talk. I did not know I had a choice with this, but I certainly, do. I'm not certain what the cure is, or where it actually came from, but I know how to get beyond it in the moment and that is the "get moving" part. I think my former idea of "feeling sorry for yourself" was what I called "wallowing." I think it may also be called "depression." No matter what you call it, the antidote is to get moving. For me, right now, the "get moving" part means to exercise. To just get up out of the chair and do a set of something.
My physical therapist has taught me that I don't have to schedule thirty minutes of exercise all at once, I just need to DO SOMETHING at different intervals throughout the day. It's kind of like eating lots of small meals instead of a few large ones. That is where my chart comes in, which is how I keep track and let me know I've been doing the right stuff exercisewise. I also have bits of exercise equipment just laying out for me to grab at any moment and do a few reps. My stretchy bands are around a post between the kitchen and living room. My hand weights are on a chair in the living room. My Airofit is always set up in the spare room. Isn't that funny? I kind of like it. They are ready at a moments notice, so when I get the urge, they are available and I simply pick them up, think about the "form," position my body, and do twenty reps.
My therapist says that I do not need to build strength at this time, but endurance, which is why I do either two sets of ten, or a set of twenty reps. I'm building endurance. My body actually does like to exercise.
I'm also glad my PT has given me the goal of "getting tired, not irritated." When I first started doing the exercises at physical therapy I did not like the "tired" part. I was more than tired, I was "wiped-out" and could not move for a day and a half afterwards. But by the time the next session came along, the second day after, I was ready to go again. Still not liking "tired" but doing it. Now I realize that "tired" is not a bad thing. In fact, "tired" is a good thing and I am beginning to like the feeling. I feel as though I have done something. Accomplished something. The "tired" is the evidence that I am doing the right things for my body.
The "not irritated" part means that if I feel a pain of any kind I am not to ignore it, I am to make an adjustment to reduce it but keep going. If pushing my foot hard against the wall during a ham string stretch hurts my toes, then back off, reduce the toe pain, but keep stretching the ham string. It means that if raising my straight arm directly over my head using a stretchy band, makes my neck hurt, then back off, and reduce the resistance on the stretchy band.
Right now, I am simply raising my arm over head with the goal of raising it straight up, which I cannot, yet, do. I cannot do the stretchy band, yet, but once my body gets more agile, I will be able to begin using the stretchy band for that one and eventually will be able to add more resistance. I feel perfectly fine about this method and it does not make me feel sorry for myself that I cannot do it with a ten-pound weight in my hand. I'm doing what works for me. Thank God for my therapist and the guidance she has given me.
It is encouraging to feel new strength building in my body. I absently touched the back of my leg this morning as I was waking up and was pleased to recognize that the muscle has gotten a little firmer and fuller there. It was actually exciting to see that what I've been doing is having an effect. In the past, I always thought that seeing the effect of exercise "takes time." But the reality is, it takes "movement" -- the "get moving" part. LOL
Funny how I had to be taught that the goal is to get tired, not irritated, which refers to body aches and pains, not attitude, by the way. My therapist says, the old "no pain, no gain" plan is a bad idea. I work at the "no pain" part and I'm having gains in strength, stability, and enthusiasm. I'm also glad I was able to get started with a physical therapist and not a physical trainer like the ones on the TV show "Heavy." Those folks are pushing through pain and sometimes have to actually go see a doctor and get pain pills. They make great strides in weight lost but they are paying the price in pain. It does not have to be done that way. I'm glad.
I'm glad the Lord is guiding me to better ideas about exercise. I'm glad I like exercise, now. The charts keep me focused and I don't have to depend on my memory, I have a record of what I have, and have not, done. I know when I have not drunk enough water. I know when I need to exercise. I know when I need to eat something and it is OK to eat right now. I used to kind of get mad at myself for getting hungry, but now I check the time that I last ate and can see that my body really is ready for food again, and I don't have to be upset about it. It is OK for me to eat. I know if I am eating the right things, too, because I have a record.
I cannot say enough good about those charts. I'll share mine with anyone who wants them -- just leave a comment with an e-mail address and I will send an Excel file to you -- but there is a part of me that is excited because I made my own, to suit my situation, to fit my needs, and satisfy my tastes. I think that if you make yours to fit your life and the life style changes you would like to accomplish it cannot help but work for you. If you are familiar with Excel you can easily adjust mine to suit you. If you are not familiar with Excel, then I suggest you make your charts however you can and then use them. It is the "using them" part that makes the difference.
Reminders to me:
"You can sit there and feel sorry for yourself, or you can get moving."
Goal: Tired, Not Irritated
Goal: Continue to lose weight
Be back soon,
Love you,
Marcia
Saturday, September 3, 2011
It is Visible if You are Looking for It!!
A lot has happened since I last posted. I visited my doctor and she was very pleased with the progress I have made. I've been watching episodes of the TV series called "Heavy" on Netflix and getting ideas. I can feel my body getting stronger and I want to begin to push it a little more, but I also want to follow my physical therapist's parameters. And I've had my eyes opened with a new chart that I made.
Since I don't have cable-TV anymore I am not "up" on what is current in that scene, but I found the TV series called "Heavy" about obese people who go to a facility for thirty days to be rebooted. I have watched all of the Texas episodes and then the episode where they revisited the Texas people about six months later to see how they are doing. It seems to me that the camera eye view is almost totally focused on the exercise, with only a small percentage of attention on the food -- yet the affects of eating wrong show up instantly in weight gain for the participants. This view point is totally the opposite of my own focus.... so far. (It is easier to film actions like exercise, than it is to document people eating salad. LOL)
They seem to be on about a 1200 calorie a day diet of protein (fish) and vegetables (salad plus a few green beans) from what I can see. They do not go into the details of the food. But they sure go into the details of the exercise experience. At first as I watched I wondered about the people. I wondered why so many were crying and complaining. I wondered why this was so hard for them. Then it began to dawn on me that they are going through huge withdrawals and are initially under a lot of stress.
They are having carbohydrate withdrawals, family and friend withdrawals, and are also being forced to use their unfit pain wracked bodies in ways they never would have (or could have) done on their own. They are in a completely unfamiliar environment and suddenly every bit of bad behavior that they have depended on in the past to get them out of "bad situations" comes out to play. After the first week, though, things usually begin to settle down some, and their eyes begin to open up to the new possibilities for their lives. I think it is awesome and extremely tough to do. My hat is off to these many successful participants who put their lives on the air for us to observe... and to learn from. From what I have seen, nearly all of them are successful -- not absolutely all.
One thing I noticed is that even with their success they often still look like obese people when they are done -- but they have changed. If you were to meet them on the street and know nothing about them, you might only see that they are obese, but a few of them lost nearly a hundred pounds -- that gives you an idea of where they started. One man who weighed over four hundred pounds when he started had ankles that were nearly purple with lack of circulation. One of his legs had a "weeping" wound which is a spot where the skin has simply opened up and liquid seeps out, so he was not allowed to go in the pool until he got his doctor's OK.
Later on, it shows where he has lost at least a hundred pounds (I don't recall the exact specifics) and looks a lot smaller and younger and happier.... but his legs still look purple. Another man had a "lymphodema" surgically removed and he is able to walk a lot better. I guess the reason that these physical conditions have stuck in my mind is because in my journey I wanted to reverse my pre-diabetic state which, technically, happened, but I am not without the disease, yet, and if I falter it will come back like a raging lion. I think the participants were brave and the trainers are awesome.
I've been thinking about what my "weight loss goal" should be. The thought of choosing a number makes me a little crazy and does not work for me as a "goal." I cannot simply use "lose weight" as a goal either. I have tripped myself up in the past with that one. Once I lost a few pounds the goal would be met and I would wander off in another direction. I am comfortable with "continuing to lose weight." I feel able to continue (with the Lord's help) on the path and not wander off. One of the ladies in the TV series said something about "perseverance and grace." and that has really struck me as being motivational for me. I'd like to have those two in front of my face for a while to remind me, and help me stay on track. With my perseverance and God's grace I shall continue to lose weight.
I also want to speed it up a little so I'm beginning to focus on the exercise. I've made up an activities chart for me to keep track of my daily activities. My physical therapist has told me that I can do "three minutes" of one exercise and then in a little while do "five minutes" of another one and continue doing this throughout the day. That way I don't have one gargantuan block of exercise to do all at once -- which can be completely overwhelming to me. I'm more likely to simply sidestep the issue if it looks too hard (overwhelming) for me, but I can do a few minutes here and there, repeatedly throughout the day. Which is the reason for the chart.
Today was day one, and at the end of the day, I had not done any exercise. I would not have noticed that except that the chart has made me aware of the truth. So on day one, I noticed what I was not doing. For tomorrow I want to have some check marks under a few activities that I have done so I shall start earlier in the day to do a few of the "little minutes of activity." They are important and I need to incorporate them into my daily life. I shall begin the exercise again, in the morning.
I shared what I have been doing with a friend and she wants copies of my charts. I am pleased that she likes them and wants them... but I've got enough experience to know that she may or may not actually use them. I've tried to help people in the past with things they said they wanted, but many (I believe, most) people are not willing to actually adapt it to their own lives. I did the same things for years. I've bought many pieces of "weight loss" equipment, but they don't do a thing for the body that does not get on them. In my defense I must say that the equipment is not actually made for people who are completely unfit and outrageously obese -- or, at least, that is what I thought. My physical therapist has taught me to pay attention to the fingers poking into my body (points of pain) and to make adjustments for them. Change something to stop the irritation but keep going. She says that to make improvements I need to get tired, but irritation only makes things worse.
One of the things the successful participants of "Heavy" have mentioned a few times is how much more agile they are now. I'd love to have some of my former agility back. I can see it happening with the PT that I have been doing. If I persevere and depend on God's grace, my agility, balance, and strength will improve. I won't be twenty-two again, but I can improve. I'd like to improve and see where I might go with it. With my perseverance and God's grace I shall continue to lose weight and increase agility and strength.
I'll be checking up on me with my chart, so I'd better be alert and get active! Don't laugh... I think it might work!!
Be back soon,
Marcia
Since I don't have cable-TV anymore I am not "up" on what is current in that scene, but I found the TV series called "Heavy" about obese people who go to a facility for thirty days to be rebooted. I have watched all of the Texas episodes and then the episode where they revisited the Texas people about six months later to see how they are doing. It seems to me that the camera eye view is almost totally focused on the exercise, with only a small percentage of attention on the food -- yet the affects of eating wrong show up instantly in weight gain for the participants. This view point is totally the opposite of my own focus.... so far. (It is easier to film actions like exercise, than it is to document people eating salad. LOL)
They seem to be on about a 1200 calorie a day diet of protein (fish) and vegetables (salad plus a few green beans) from what I can see. They do not go into the details of the food. But they sure go into the details of the exercise experience. At first as I watched I wondered about the people. I wondered why so many were crying and complaining. I wondered why this was so hard for them. Then it began to dawn on me that they are going through huge withdrawals and are initially under a lot of stress.
They are having carbohydrate withdrawals, family and friend withdrawals, and are also being forced to use their unfit pain wracked bodies in ways they never would have (or could have) done on their own. They are in a completely unfamiliar environment and suddenly every bit of bad behavior that they have depended on in the past to get them out of "bad situations" comes out to play. After the first week, though, things usually begin to settle down some, and their eyes begin to open up to the new possibilities for their lives. I think it is awesome and extremely tough to do. My hat is off to these many successful participants who put their lives on the air for us to observe... and to learn from. From what I have seen, nearly all of them are successful -- not absolutely all.
One thing I noticed is that even with their success they often still look like obese people when they are done -- but they have changed. If you were to meet them on the street and know nothing about them, you might only see that they are obese, but a few of them lost nearly a hundred pounds -- that gives you an idea of where they started. One man who weighed over four hundred pounds when he started had ankles that were nearly purple with lack of circulation. One of his legs had a "weeping" wound which is a spot where the skin has simply opened up and liquid seeps out, so he was not allowed to go in the pool until he got his doctor's OK.
Later on, it shows where he has lost at least a hundred pounds (I don't recall the exact specifics) and looks a lot smaller and younger and happier.... but his legs still look purple. Another man had a "lymphodema" surgically removed and he is able to walk a lot better. I guess the reason that these physical conditions have stuck in my mind is because in my journey I wanted to reverse my pre-diabetic state which, technically, happened, but I am not without the disease, yet, and if I falter it will come back like a raging lion. I think the participants were brave and the trainers are awesome.
I've been thinking about what my "weight loss goal" should be. The thought of choosing a number makes me a little crazy and does not work for me as a "goal." I cannot simply use "lose weight" as a goal either. I have tripped myself up in the past with that one. Once I lost a few pounds the goal would be met and I would wander off in another direction. I am comfortable with "continuing to lose weight." I feel able to continue (with the Lord's help) on the path and not wander off. One of the ladies in the TV series said something about "perseverance and grace." and that has really struck me as being motivational for me. I'd like to have those two in front of my face for a while to remind me, and help me stay on track. With my perseverance and God's grace I shall continue to lose weight.
I also want to speed it up a little so I'm beginning to focus on the exercise. I've made up an activities chart for me to keep track of my daily activities. My physical therapist has told me that I can do "three minutes" of one exercise and then in a little while do "five minutes" of another one and continue doing this throughout the day. That way I don't have one gargantuan block of exercise to do all at once -- which can be completely overwhelming to me. I'm more likely to simply sidestep the issue if it looks too hard (overwhelming) for me, but I can do a few minutes here and there, repeatedly throughout the day. Which is the reason for the chart.
Today was day one, and at the end of the day, I had not done any exercise. I would not have noticed that except that the chart has made me aware of the truth. So on day one, I noticed what I was not doing. For tomorrow I want to have some check marks under a few activities that I have done so I shall start earlier in the day to do a few of the "little minutes of activity." They are important and I need to incorporate them into my daily life. I shall begin the exercise again, in the morning.
I shared what I have been doing with a friend and she wants copies of my charts. I am pleased that she likes them and wants them... but I've got enough experience to know that she may or may not actually use them. I've tried to help people in the past with things they said they wanted, but many (I believe, most) people are not willing to actually adapt it to their own lives. I did the same things for years. I've bought many pieces of "weight loss" equipment, but they don't do a thing for the body that does not get on them. In my defense I must say that the equipment is not actually made for people who are completely unfit and outrageously obese -- or, at least, that is what I thought. My physical therapist has taught me to pay attention to the fingers poking into my body (points of pain) and to make adjustments for them. Change something to stop the irritation but keep going. She says that to make improvements I need to get tired, but irritation only makes things worse.
One of the things the successful participants of "Heavy" have mentioned a few times is how much more agile they are now. I'd love to have some of my former agility back. I can see it happening with the PT that I have been doing. If I persevere and depend on God's grace, my agility, balance, and strength will improve. I won't be twenty-two again, but I can improve. I'd like to improve and see where I might go with it. With my perseverance and God's grace I shall continue to lose weight and increase agility and strength.
I'll be checking up on me with my chart, so I'd better be alert and get active! Don't laugh... I think it might work!!
Be back soon,
Marcia
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