My message today is short & for myself.....but feel free to make it your message too

 Oh yes I know her....the old me....and she is not going to win this time!

Sometimes you have a light bulb moment.....

 

       

I can't believe it's been 11 days since I posted anything in this blog....even though I'm not very busy (cause I'm still in this cumbersome boot from my Achilles Tendon surgery), the days just seem to fly by.  I hope you've all been well and are still pushing forward with your "get healthy and fit" goals.

Sometimes when you least expect it a lightbulb goes off in your head and you sit still and think 'oh that's what this is all about...........what was I thinking?'

Last Wednesday I attended a meeting of the weight loss group I belong to "Lighten Up For Life".....a truly wonderful program offered by our "active adult" community fitness center.  The program is similar to weight watchers, but we don't use points.  Basically they teach you how to count calories, journal about what you eat each day, the importance of water, exercise, portion, motivation, finding a cheerleader, nutrition, celebrating your victories and how to cope with your setbacks etc.  The program gives you accountability because on the mini 12-week program you have 3-4 big meeting and then every Wednesday in between the big meetings you go and weigh in. 1-2 times a year they have a big 12-week program where every Wednesday, they bring in a speaker (nutritionist, fitness instructor, doctors etc.) .  I keep going back to each big and mini program mainly because of that accountability.

 But last Wednesday when I went to the first meeting of the most current mini session, I was admittedly not in a great mood when I got there....dreading the initial weigh in and the measurement of hips and waist.  I knew from the way my smaller size clothes were fitting that I had packed on the weight in the last 6-8 months when so much was going on in my life..........you know.....I've mentioned it before.....Achilles Tendon pain, dad being in and out of the hospital, more Achilles Tendon pain, dad passing, Achilles Tendon surgery....the cruise where I was not successful at passing up the 24 hr. buffet...etc. etc. etc.  When I walked in and the fitness director asked me how it was going, my pouty "poor me" self said ..."oh OK" ....






I knew the numbers were not going to be pretty.........and I was right! 






I was afraid it was going to be one of those moments when the scale was going to scream.....ONE AT A TIME PLEASE!  It wasn't quite that bad, but it was bad. 

While I was in line waiting for my turn to get weighed and measured, the woman in front of me turned around and began to tell me how she thought this was probably a waste of money, that she'd done other programs before, questioned why they didn't offer exercise as part of the program and on and on and on....I immediately went to bat for the program defending it and telling her all the positive things about this program...she got weighed and measured and then so did I and we took our seats.

When the fitness director and the program captain started talking my first thought was....well this is my 4th or 5th program....I've heard all of this before...I'm probably not going to hear anything new.  As they always do, they told us that traditionally at the end of the 12 weeks only 60% of those in the room would still be here.  They had us look around the room and try to decide who would be among that 60%.  As I looked around, I saw three women, sitting together join hands (as if making a pact) and saying "YES".  Later in the talk, I looked around again and saw a women roll her eyes at something that was being said............and to my great surprise I had a light bulb moment
I thought about the three ladies.  I thought about the lady in front of me in line.  I thought about the lady who rolled her eyes..... .....and I remembered what had happened to me the very first time I came to one of these meetings.........and I remembered why I had been so successful in that session and I realized that all the events that had happened in my life in the past 6+ months, events that had me not going to the gym, getting very little exercise and definitely not watching what I was eating.......were not the cause of the higher numbers on the scale or the tape measure....I realized that what had happened was that I had lost my commitment to get fit and healthy no matter what life threw at me. I realized that was what those three ladies had wrapped their clasped hands around. I realized that was what was missing in the remarks of that lady and in the eye rolls of the other lady. 

The number one thing you have to do to be successful at weight loss, at getting healthy and fit.....well to be honest at just about anything you do in life...........is to make a commitment to give it your all, to not give up, to try and try and try again......to take can't out of your vocabulary.  Someone else can give you information on how to get to your goals.  Someone else can train you on how to be a success at something.....but ultimately it's up to YOU to put that information into your everyday living, to take that training and run with it.
I remember now, that is what was different about this program....not that it was much different than any other weight loss program out there (and there are tons of them....no pun intended)....but what made the difference that time and what will make the difference this time is I made a commitment to myself to be successful...to face the road bumps that will surely happen in my life (and in yours) and I would not take my eyes off the finish line.

Granted the finish line I'm talking about is a moving line because getting healthy and fit is just the beginning....the real commitment has to be in the maintenance....in staying committed.  Talk to any athlete, any business person, any ballerina, any actor, any singer, any person at the top of their world or profession and more than likely they will tell you that when they slow down, when they take their eyes off the target, they lose ground.  That's just the way it is.  It doesn't mean they can't start training again and get right back up there.....they can....but once again they have to make that commitment.

I like to think about the old adage that when you fall off a horse, the absolute best thing you can do is get back up on the horse....and so it is with weight loss/getting fit and healthy....for some of us it takes a lifelong commitment and you might be surprised to find that someone who is fit and who doesn't look like they need to lose weight also makes that commitment every single day.

I came away from that meeting renewed, empowered, re-committed.  I had forgotten how my trainer, Shepherd Green, was always saying "engage your core", "walk in a room like you own it", 

and I had forgotten how I had previously written about Ernestine Shepherd  
who won the record in the Guinness Book of World Records (at the age of 75) -- as the oldest competing woman body builder and how she has as her slogan: 
                 Determined, Dedicated, Disciplined  To Get Fit 

Yes we have to deal with life however it is laid at our feet and yes sometimes it is sad and tiring but sometimes you have to be selfish and think about YOU.  You are the only one that can do this for you....as I've written before a quote I saw somewhere...YOU ARE THE HELP YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.

Do what I did after I got home from that meeting....I looked at my self in the mirror and reminded myself that I am worth it, I can do this, I want to do this, I need to do this to save my life and live to be old and happy....and I am committed. Go on...nobody's looking........go talk to yourself in the mirror, envision the the person you want to be and... have a light bulb moment.  You deserve it!  You can do this!

More thoughts on Commitment:



 

                                                                                     

    

and...........................this one I love    

  


  

This will take time.....embrace that!

You may or may not know this but I've been a bit down lately....Lost my dad on March 1, had major Achilles Tendon surgery on March 27th....and of course the never ever ending battle with my weight and getting fit and healthy.  You'd think by now that I would be used to it and know that it is and will always be a part of who I am.  And that I must just keep plugging away at it.

I'm trying to make some changes in my current life situation.  Trying to have a happier attitude.  Trying to assure myself that some day the pain of losing my dad will (not go away), but will find a warm safe place in my heart that I can treasure and that won't hurt like the open wound it is right now.  Trying to assure myself that once this boot comes off and once I am able to walk without the walker and once I finish physical therapy.....and once I am allowed to slooooooooooowly once again get back to some cardio exercises that require lower body (and ankle) participation, I will be back on the road to the fit and happy healthy person I was last year.  I believe those things will happen.  For some of you.....that fit and happy healthy person may take looking back a very long way....and may not require just soothing open grief or removing a boot or going to physical therapy....it might take a lot more.  THAT'S OK! It is never ever ever too late to take that first baby step....even if you've taken it before and then took a mile step back....just take that baby step again.

Some of the things I've been doing to try to help my own mental and emotional attitude is to change some pictures I was using as screen savers...

I had one on my screen for weeks ....I was using it to hold on...

Love this picture of my mom and dad....but seeing it every morning was breaking my heart all over again each day.
                                                 I was using them to reflect my feelings,

 

This little girl looked exactly like I felt....

 to remind myself of where I'd been......to encourage myself that I hadn't really gained all my weight back...

 

 Yep that was me!!!

But that made me even more depressed.....so I decided to use a picture of what I looked like last summer...to reset my goal to see that with determination, dedication and discipline we can do whatever we set our minds to do ....and this morning I am smiling because I will get there again....

 I know you've heard the saying that goes something like "if you want to be a successful supervisor or  manager, surround yourself with smart hard workers.   Well I think perhaps the same sort of idea holds true if you want to accomplish a tough goal in life....you have to surround yourself with people who are trying to achieve similar goals..........don't worry about if they are further along than you or even have a tougher row to hoe than you.  The thought in mind should be that you're trying, you're making the effort.  Sometimes it takes printing out posters, slogans, words of encouragement and plastering them all over your bathroom mirror...or carrying them on a little card in your wallet....taping them on your car dashboard.  It's so wonderful to be around people or know people or read the blog of people you know understand you and your struggle....but the most important thing to remember is you have to be your own loudest and most enthusiastic cheerleader. No one else can do this for you...Only you can get yourself healthy and fit.

This morning when I was thinking of what I wanted to write about in this blog, I was reading some other blogs I follow....that led me to some other blogs and to these two poems....I thought they really expressed my feelings about this struggle I'm in....and perhaps the struggle you're in....I've felt the joy this first poem speaks of when I lost the weight and was fit and healthy and I will feel that unexplainable wonderful joy again....and so can you!

When we get out of the glass bottles of our own ego,
and when we escape like squirrels from turning in the cages of our personality
and get into the forest again,
we shall shiver with cold and fright
but things will happen to us
so that we don't know ourselves.
Cool, unlying life will rush in,
and passion will make our bodies taut with power,
we shall stamp our feet with new power
and old things will fall down,
we shall laugh, and institutions will curl up like burnt paper.

"Escape" by D. H. Lawrence, from The Complete Poems of D. H. Lawrence. © Wordsworth Poetry Library, 1994.


 And remember....we didn't put the weight on or get unfit in a day....we won't undo the damage in a day....it will take time.....it will be worth it....that's why I love this little thought by A. A. Milne so much!  (And I know my trainer, Shepherd Green would love this too....it's what he always tells me...)



 “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” — A. A. Milne

Fried things and gooey memories......and back to square one!

If you are reading this....did you know that I can see into your eyes....and what I see is myself looking back at me. I know you might be feeling like you are in a deep hole with your weight loss struggle. I understand that more than you can imagine.  I have fought the weight battle all my life.  I finally found something that worked and was doing well and then my dad got sick and we went on a cruise and I thought the new me could handle all the wonderful food offered...and more time spent with my folks not exercising and worrying....and worrying....and my Achilles Tendon screaming at me, hurting and hurting and hurting....and all the while I'm comforting myself with food, because that is what I've always done....and then my dad passed away...which is tearing me up....and then I had the tendon surgery and the immobility and as I'm sure I've said in other posts, I eat when I'm nervous, stressed, sad and bored.....and I eat just because I love to eat.  Eating has been a part of my life as long as I can remember.  Now I know that may sound kind of obvious...everyone eats; but my dad was in food service in the military from the time I was little bitty.  I was around "good" food since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I remember Thanksgivings and Christmases where we got to pick the mess hall we wanted to eat in....by tasting the dressing and the turkey and the shrimp cocktail, and the pumpkin and pecan pies.....and which ever one we thought was the best is the one we ate at....and the military has a policy that it posts on the wall of their mess halls ....TAKE ALL YOU WANT, BUT EAT ALL YOU TAKE!  That notice is for the troops...who are in training, working out, being active....For a little girl who loved to eat....that was like flashing neon sign.....flashing BONUS! BONUS! BONUS! 

I remember places we lived by the restaurants, as did my dad....because he was so finicky a cook, the places we ate had goooooood food....and even at 64 I can close my eyes and taste the fried chicken at Polly's in Albuquerque, New Mexico and my mouth waters at the thought of the old A &W Root Beer Stands that served the coldest most delicious root beer in a frosted mug and a chopped bar-b-Que beef on bun that would make you want to slap your momma!  I still dream about the pot roast daddy would put in the oven after he'd lightly floured it and seared it on both sides and smothered it with onions to make au jus gravy..... he'd leave it cook on 250 degrees until we got back from church and he'd make either mashed potatoes or rice for our Sunday lunch....oh my gosh was that good.....it wasn't until years later that I discovered I couldn't eat beef cooked like that because the slow cooking takes all the enzymes out and It's so difficult for me to digest...........but I love to make it for John, because he loves it and it doesn't bother him............I smile with my heart when I think of the chicken and dumplings my paternal grandma made when we'd visit and always banana/vanilla wafer pudding with meringue topping that she'd pop in the over right before she served it so it was the most beautiful golden brown and the pudding was just a hint of warm............and then we'd go down to New Orleans to my maternal grandmother and she was all about the best seafood gumbo and hot french bread and shrimp/craw fish boils and chicory coffee with beignets smothered with

 powdered sugar from Cafe' DuMond       --big fat (oh wait someone writing a motivational blog for weight loss should probably never use the words big and fat)---but yes big fat shrimp/oyster po'boy sandwiches.....oh be still my heart!  And I can't begin to tell you how I drool  when I think of the enchiladas, Spanish rice and beans they used to fix for us on Wednesday's at my High School in San Antonio every Wednesday and for dessert they made chocolate cake that was just like heaven.....soooooo good.  Whenever we have a reunion at the school.....I can guarantee you someone or several will bring up those Wednesday lunches. 

I have to tell you there just isn't much that I won't eat.......even vegetables that I didn't care for when I was younger I love now..........so are you wanting to reach through the screen and choke me for mentioning all of that good comfort food and conjuring thoughts and memories of all the foods you love.  Oh and if all of that was not bad enough, as you might have guessed I was daddy's girl and I followed him around the kitchen like a puppy dog and learned to cook when I was really young.....loved cooking then, love cooking now.....John says I sometimes wear myself out because I like to cook big and I like to bake big....and sometimes when we are just suppose to bring a little something to share...I bring enough for the whole group! But the does say give me the sweetest compliment when he says "the hard thing about going out to eat is that there aren't many places with food as good as Peggy cooks"  
Yeh, I know...he's a keeper!

What I didn't grow up with was parents who stressed sports or going to the gym.........now before you think that I'm jumping on the old 'Let's blame it on the parents' I'm really not.  I think when I was growing up, there were girls who ran track and did some sports....but I was always kind of chubby and never quite fit in.....you know the old 'didn't get picked till last when teams were being picked'....I was more of the studying/reading/writing type.  But you know once you're out of high school ....college age...and yes back then "thinking of marrying age"......that's what girls did back then...in the mid 60's, it wasn't long before I realized that even though I thought I wasn't very active during my school days....I actually was (you kind of lose track of how much you use to ride your bicycle all over the neighborhood and walked places before you  were old enough to drive .....and in my case even after I was old enough to drive....my folks had one car....and my sis and I never drove (as far as I can remember) until we got married.  So then it became pretty clear that sitting in a college class or behind a desk all day long and being exhausted when you got home....made for a new loving relationship with the television most of the night (and after all they had shows on then worth watching.....lots of them)....you had your nights planned by the shows on a particular night....and what did you normally do when you watched TV...................yeh you guessed it.....pretty much what a lot of people do now....snack....nibble....munch....munch.....nibble .....snack!

And slowly (or maybe not so slowly) the pounds started packing on.......I know there were the lucky ones who didn't pack the pounds on...........like my sister..........she was slim and trim all her life....up until the last year or so.. and still she doesn't have a problem........the only time I ever saw her plump was when she was about 2-3 years old.....she was a little butterball and I was the 'wafer thin' child....now you tell me...how can that be fair! 

And I began the battle that would last a lifetime........and that will last a lifetime. I've strayed down many a "fad diet" path and got on the sea-saw, roller coaster of losing and gaining weight.  My weight caused a lot of problems in my life.....the worst being.... a neat little package of stress with ill chosen mates, and care-taking of an ill husband along with unhealthy eating habits and little to no exercise.  I am sure that was the devastating cocktail of bad ingredients that when stirred together and given a warm body to grow in, gave me breast cancer. Being overweight robbed me of my self esteem.  Being overweight gave me many night of indigestion and other things that go along with a body so overweight the organs in the body can't and don't function properly.  It was not until I was 62 and decided to retire that this huge burning red flag started waving in from of me  and on the flag it said  WARNING WARNING WARNING.....PEGGY YOU NEED TO GET YOUR WEIGHT UNDER CONTROL, YOU NEED TO GET HEALTHY AND FIT.  YOU ARE NOT A YOUNG GIRL ANYMORE and unfortunately when you pass 60, the body seems to start it's downhill spiral if you don't take care of yourself.....Knees start going, Hips start going, Balance starts going. Some of us develop diabetes, heart conditions, blood pressure problems, torn Achilles Tendon...and oh just a myriad of health issues to numerous to mention.

So it was like a 2 X 4 being slung up against my head.....I knew it was time to get this under control.....and obviously everything I'd been trying up to this point was not working for me......so you know the old saying  "If you keep doing what you always did"...."you keep getting what always got".

Some of you know my story....but because I've had to take a few steps backwards..OK OK.....several steps backwards, I'm going to start from square one and take you step by step....and remind myself what I need to start doing again to get to the fit and healthy and most importantly strong and happy person I was......a place where I was in the best shape of my life....and a time when my spirit was soaring and I felt like for once in my life I had the world by the tail.....and I wasn't letting go...........taking the ride of my life.......and that was just last summer.  Life is strange and so often reminds us of the words to the song "I never promised you a rose garden".  But I'm an old optimist and I believe with all my heart that attitude plays a real big role and that absolutely nothing is impossible if you believe and are determined that you can do it. I truly believe that you can turn health problems around and get fit no matter what your age or what your health condition is right now.

Just remember it's usually when you feel like you're in a hole....that God scoops you up and says ....OK....let's turn this picture around and get you back up where you belong....In my mind it all starts with a deep breath and determined commitment!..... oh and maybe some motivational words from a new friend....

Is it easy?....NO Is it going to be worth it YES YES YES!!!

Come back to visit me....there will be more.

Here's three encouraging thoughts for today:

     

 

Disconnected!

Although I have all the time in the world as I recover from my Achilles Tendon surgery to write in all three of my blogs, I sometimes spend a great deal of time writing in one blog and find that the things I said in it are many of the things I wanted to say in one of the other blogs....such is the case today.  I wrote in my Achilles Tendon Recovery Support Group Blog many of the thoughts I probably would have written in this Fit At 99 blog.  And although what I've written is not words of encouragement and motivation for you....which I know is what this blog is suppose to be, I want you to know that in some way I hope it does motivate you in your own personal struggle. Weight loss and getting fit and healthy ......and more importantly keeping the weight off and maintaining the fitness and healthiness is an ongoing day to day process and what is happening in our lives most certainly does affect how successful we are with those struggles.  Before you read that blog, please know that even though I said what I said in that latest post, I am determine to be back in the game, maybe not soon, but at some point and I'm going to work on whatever it takes to get me back where I was, happy, healthy, weight under control, fit, vibrant and being an inspiration to you.  So please read and enjoy and feel free to comment, make suggestions, and come back soon.  I'll have a more cheerful motivational post here soon! :)  

The blog you need to go to is  http://achillesblog.com/torngoals/

P. S. I seem to be having trouble getting comments on this blog (and maybe no one is commenting???)...so if you leave a comment, would you also send it to peggylee57@aol.com so I can try to resolve the problem if there is one.  Thanks.

Oh and if you know of any other great motivational fitness/weightloss blogs for seniors and anyone for that matter, please pass them on to me at the above e-mail address.  Thanks !  Keep on keeping on..

To Health, Fitness and a Healthy Weight!

For lunch I'm having a small bowl of steamed veggies and a small bowl of fresh fruit! :)

This is my wish.....

One more day to mark off of my year long recovery from Achilles Tendon surgery (of which today is 17 post-op), but the thought in this poster is still burned into my brain.  I'm going to recover, I'm going to be back, I'm going to lose the weight again and get back to the fit and healthy person I was 6 months ago....and then some....and I hope you won't give us either....come on, join me, let's inspire others to not give up!

Heading for Sunshine....

As I heal from my Achilles Tendon surgery.....these two posters inspire me to dig deep down and not let the current immobility get me down. There's a brighter day at the end of the tunnel and I will be back in the gym, back on the walking/running path, working at getting fit and healthy again. The sun is going down on day 11....when twice as much time has past, I will be 22 days closer to being able to work out...Exercise is the only drug I know of that (if you want to get healthy and fit) you hope you get addicted to again.  Look out gym mates....When the doc says OK....get out of my way....you will feel the sweat flying off of me!!! Even if it takes a year to get there ....I'm heading for sunshine!