McButterpants 2.0 in 2016

COMMITMENT AND REFOCUS

I am so ready for 2016…I am going into 2016 ready to take care of myself physically and mentally.  I’m feeling so motivated and excited for the new year.

I’m finishing 2015 on a high note – I went to a 5:30 am hot yoga class which was amazing.  I am going to a new studio that offers many different types of classes – this morning’s was traditional hot yoga and I learned some new poses.  We also did about a thousand planks!    I even tried “flipped the dog” pose – I am sure I looked absolutely ridiculous!

An update on the appetite suppressants – they are working.  I’m not snacking as much and they are really helping with the head hunger.  I’m trying to stay off the scale because I’m back to exercising and we all know that your weight can and will probably go up when you first start exercising.  I think I’m down about 4 pounds, but I can feel a difference in the way my body feels.  Between the eating better and exercising, I can feel my body is changing again – I feel strong and more flexible.  And for me, exercise is great for my head – I feel better mentally and emotionally when I work out regularly.  I also change the way I eat when I am working out – I don’t want sugary or fatty foods – and I drink more water, which helps with the hunger.  In summary – exercise = good.

So out with the old…no more negative thoughts.  And, in with the new…making goals, being happy and content and living life.  2016 will be the making of McButterpants 2.0.

Too much travel!!!!!!

I’ve been home 5 days out of the last 26 days…I’ve been traveling more for work, then took a working vacation with Mr. McButterpants to San Francisco.  I leave again in a week for two weeks.  I told my boss that I need to limit travel starting in April because my son plays baseball and I am not willing to miss any of his games.  She was so nice about it, “No problem, I understand completely.”  Refreshing since so many bosses I have had in the past would not have been that understanding.

Our time in San Francisco was awesome.  We rented an apartment about 8 blocks from the ocean.  We have always stayed downtown or in Nobb Hill…this year we ventured out to the more residential, Outer Richmond.  We worked during the day and explored in the afternoon and evening.  It’s largely residential, so we didn’t have the sirens and city noise we have had in the past.

We walked, walked and walked some more.  We explored Lands End and Golden Gate Park.  We logged over 56 miles in a week…17 miles in one day!  OMG, I could not have done that 75 pounds ago.  I was tired, EXHAUSTED, but I was really proud of myself.  Though we were tempted at times to call a cab, we just kept moving and finding new sights to explore.  It was a beautiful day wondering through a beautiful city.

(One of my favorite spots at Fisherman’s Wharf…I could watch the sea lions for hours!)

We rented a convertible one day and hit the road.  We stopped in Pacifica and went for what was supposed to be a little walk.  It ended up being a 45 minute hike up a cliff.  It was beautiful!  Again, something I couldn’t have done 75 pounds ago!

(Our car is parked in that parking lot…)

I started back at hot yoga when we returned from San Francisco – it had been over three weeks since my last practice.  Wow, it was hard.  I didn’t feel good for a day or two after that first practice.  I have gone two days in a row now and am getting back into the swing of things.  I leave again next week, so I’ll lose it again!  Ugh!!!!

The power of the buddy system…

I never really bought into that work-out buddy theory.  I always thought I was good enough motivation for myself, but that really didn’t work out for me as evidenced by the number of times I would hit the gym hard, then give up after a few weeks.

Since reconnecting with my lifelong friend, we’ve been making appointments appointments to exercise.  We actually put our hikes in our work calendars and we plan our hot yoga sessions in advance.  Knowing she will be there is a good motivator to go.  I rely on her to be there and she relies on me to be there.  We both slack off a little when we know the other person won’t be there.

Last night we were texting with her sister-in-law that is doing the 2,015 for 2015 that I mentioned last week.  They were sending me their miles for the week and both were higher than mine because I didn’t put in any miles that day.  I said, “Underachiever here, I didn’t do anything today!”  Her response was, “The day’s not over!”  That did it for me…I got my ass up off the couch and went to the gym and got in 4.8 miles.  I felt better about myself and about helping the team.  I was amazed at the power of those four words.

I’m now a believer in the buddy system.  I know that my friends will be looking for me at our 5:30 am at hot yoga class.  I know I don’t want to make the call to say, “I’m not going hiking today.”  Or now that we’re doing the challenge, “I’m not going to get to my mileage this week.”  Call it friendly competition, call it peer pressure – it doesn’t matter, it’s motivation for me!

The comparison game…One person is always going to leave that conversation unhappy.

You can compare salaries, square footage of your house, cars, clothes, handbags, etc. It will always leave someone feeling inadequate. A weight loss journey is no different.

It’s called envy.

envy     noun
a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.

My life is mine and mine alone. I don’t share it with anyone else – it belongs to me. So why would I want someone else’s “advantages, success, possessions, etc.”! I have my own “advantages, success, possessions, etc.”!

I haven’t always thought like this. I’ve looked at tons of bodies and thought “I would be happy if I looked like her.” I’ve looked at other people’s houses and said, “I wish I could live there!” I’ve looked at someone’s car and proclaimed, “I would look awesome behind that wheel!” But things are different now.

I don’t recall a time in my adult life that I have felt true happiness or contentment. I don’t recall a time where I wasn’t searching for something – it could have been a bigger house, a nicer car, a smaller body, a different, more attractive face, longer hair, etc. Searching, searching, searching and never finding the “it” I was looking for.

I have identified “it”…”it” is called PEACE.

peace         noun
freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquillity; serenity.

I see glimpses of peace – I am learning to be at peace with myself. Learning to be content with my body, my life, my surroundings and my possessions.  Some days I get down on myself because I haven’t lost as much as I hoped or as much as other people who had surgery at the same time…

I definitely have more peace today than I had a year ago.

Color Me Rad!!!!! I did a 5K!

Yep, I did the Color Me Rad 5K fun run this morning!  I made it – I didn’t run fast, I didn’t break any land speed records and I did walk a few times, but I did it and I had a blast!

It’s been probably 30 years since I ran in a 5K and about a month since I’ve jogged (and at that, I jogged a mile).  I was worried that I would slow my friends down and have to the one that said, “I need to walk a bit”.  But there was really no pressure, we walked when we needed to and walked thru the stations where you get the colored dust thrown at you.  I think we ended up walking only three or four times.

It was a beautiful fall morning with great friends.  I’m blessed and I’m proud of my accomplishment.  This is another one of those times I proclaim, “A year ago, I never would have thought I would do this!”  It makes me happy and proud and brings a tear to my eye when I think how far I’ve come.  It’s another step in this amazing journey.
Look at that smile on my face!  LOL!

Happy Anniversary, Mr. McButterpants…and…I ran a mile. What?

Happy Anniversary!
Mr. McButterpants and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary yesterday.  I am so fortunate to have married my best friend.  We actually forgot our first wedding anniversary, so we pinky promised on our first anniversary that neither of us would get mad at the other if they forgot.  Now it’s a contest to see who can remember!

We had a great day – we started it off with a couple cups of coffee and reading the paper.  We then hopped on our bikes and headed to the farmers’ market downtown (6 miles one way).  We strolled along listening to some great music, sipping some awesome coffee and people watching (one of my favorite activities).  We picked up some great veggies that I made into an awesome omelet when we got home.  We watched some baseball on TV (my Red Sox aren’t doing well, but his Oakland A’s are doing awesome).  He did some yard work and I took a nap.  He made some awesome burgers on the grill for dinner.  We finished the day with a 3 mile walk at dusk with the dog.  No that is an awesome day!  No need for a big celebration or presents – the best gift was being able to spend the day with him.

I ran a mile without stopping!
Yep, you read that right.  I ran a whole mile without stopping.

About 12 years ago, I started training for a half marathon.  I was doing well until I got a stress fracture in my shin and had to stop.  That was the last time I ran.  I like running.  I like the way my body feels after running – it feels more “alive”.

I’ve been playing around with jogging the past month or so.  I started out slowly – running 30 seconds, walking 1 minute and alternating back and forth.  I slowly got that up to being able to run 3 minutes, then walking 1 one minute.  I know I don’t run fast and I probably look like I’m waddling more than running, but what do I care at this point in my life.

Last week, Mr. McButterpants and I were on a walk and I said, “I’m going to run for a bit.”  I took off and felt pretty good.  I ran a quarter of a mile and thought, “I am doing OK.  I can go for a bit longer.”  So I kept running…at a half mile, I still felt good, so I kept going.  Same thing at 3/4 of a mile.  I finished the mile in just over 12 minutes – I know, I’m not breaking any land-speed records, but WOWSA!, I ran a whole mile without stopping and I felt great about that.  I felt really proud of myself.  A year ago, I couldn’t do that, I could barely walk a mile without feeling pain.

My son and I did some running at the park a couple of weeks ago – I love exercising with him.  He has so much energy and has a way of cheering me on that motivates me.  He’s not judgmental or mean, he just pushes me.  “Come on, Mom, just a little farther.”  “You can do this.”  And the icing on the cake at the end is when he says, “I’m proud of you!”  How awesome is that?!?!  He wants to run some 5K events next summer – I think that’s doable.  I’m going to run 1-2 times per week to try to avoid overuse injuries.  I’m going to be smart about it this time.

Have a great week, everyone!