Thoughts
Ok, busy weekend and Monday means I didn't blog, so here I am catching up again.
I did not feel like doing yoga on the weekend, but I did it anyway. I always know that once I'm doing it I will feel good and be glad I did it. Saturday was Self Love and it was 41 minutes of work. I did feel good though. I had a busy day with chores and family fun and a nice dinner at a garden restaurant, where the entire setting just outside the eating area is the most serene, beautiful garden. We saw a hummingbird and bluejay and the food was so so good and included some delicious homemade soups. It was an awesome day.
Sunday we skipped church for a much-needed day at home. My husband has been working 55-65 hours a week so on his precious few days off each month he rarely gets a chance to rest and take care of things he can't easily do during the week. I did my yoga, and got some housework done, something that has been horribly neglected lately. Then I spent a lot of time talking to the girl whose DNA matched my dad and I, her DNA expert had it narrowed down to one family of 3 boys, my cousins. I contacted one of them and he said his older brother was stationed at the military base at the time when the girl was conceived. The brothers weren't on talking terms so that left it up to me to contact the dad. He was dumbfounded, but did finally connect with her and they have been talking now. It's bittersweet to have a completion to the mystery, but I'm so happy for her that she found her dad, and now our family is a little bigger!
Monday I started work at noon so I got to sleep in. I noticed how that plays into my not wanting to do yoga. On the days I sleep in, I feel lazy, but if I have to get up and know I'll be doing my usual morning routine, I don't feel like that. Anyway, yesterday was "Surrender" which sounds like it would be a gentle lesson, but it was more about giving up the focus on the results and being in the moment and making the movements count. There was a lot of abs and legs being used and I sure felt it! Yesterday was busy at work and I didn't get a lunch break so I didn't blog. By the time I got home around 7pm, I ate a nice dinner and then relaxed with the family.
This morning I got up at 4:15am and it didn't really feel like a challenge. I felt like I slept so good last night that I was really well-rested and ready for the day. Today was about "Thought" and how it really directs everything we do and experience, and Adriene told us to be more mindful of our thoughts and how they shape our reactions to things. The physical work was manageable, but boy I can't really do the whole grasping my hands behind my back, I think I have too big of 'batwings and I have to struggle to keep my hands clasped. I'm hoping this is something that has the potential for getting better over time. I think my skin has lost a fair amount of elasticity, so I'm not holding my breath about that skin tightening up, but who knows!
This morning my husband was telling me about these two guys he works with, they are both more than 300 pounds and last year they challenged each other to a weight loss competition. They both lost weight and were doing well, but then when the challenge was over, both slid back into their old ways with food and ended up gaining back all they had lost and then some. This is no surprise to me, to simply will yourself to stick to a certain restrictive diet for the sake of the end result without putting any time into fixing your mind, it always leads to a rebound. It's not easy, you have to read the right things and connect with them in order to figure out why your brain and body don't always work together. It's not easy to say no to something you really think you want. This morning as I was out with the dog, my stomach starting growling hardcore and I could smell the donuts being made at our local grocery, half a block away. I started to plan how and when I could indulge in donuts. Then I reminded myself that this is the automatic part of my mind seeking high carb, high fat food as a survival method and if I were smelling the same smell after having eaten I would be aware of the oiliness of the smell, and I would remember how dense and over-sweet they are, and how they make my stomach feel awful when all that fat and sugar sits there like cement in my stomach all day. And, sugars give me heartburn almost immediately, which is a horrible feeling. So I went inside and had my breakfast and didn't think about donuts after that. That's me being mindful. I had the opportunity to go get a donut if I really wanted one, but I knew that wasn't my true self wanting the donut but my "lower brain". It's all part of the restructuring of my brain that I feel confident will make this whole journey accomplishable once and for all.
Enough babble for one day. Happy Tuesday, have a great week!
I did not feel like doing yoga on the weekend, but I did it anyway. I always know that once I'm doing it I will feel good and be glad I did it. Saturday was Self Love and it was 41 minutes of work. I did feel good though. I had a busy day with chores and family fun and a nice dinner at a garden restaurant, where the entire setting just outside the eating area is the most serene, beautiful garden. We saw a hummingbird and bluejay and the food was so so good and included some delicious homemade soups. It was an awesome day.
Sunday we skipped church for a much-needed day at home. My husband has been working 55-65 hours a week so on his precious few days off each month he rarely gets a chance to rest and take care of things he can't easily do during the week. I did my yoga, and got some housework done, something that has been horribly neglected lately. Then I spent a lot of time talking to the girl whose DNA matched my dad and I, her DNA expert had it narrowed down to one family of 3 boys, my cousins. I contacted one of them and he said his older brother was stationed at the military base at the time when the girl was conceived. The brothers weren't on talking terms so that left it up to me to contact the dad. He was dumbfounded, but did finally connect with her and they have been talking now. It's bittersweet to have a completion to the mystery, but I'm so happy for her that she found her dad, and now our family is a little bigger!
Monday I started work at noon so I got to sleep in. I noticed how that plays into my not wanting to do yoga. On the days I sleep in, I feel lazy, but if I have to get up and know I'll be doing my usual morning routine, I don't feel like that. Anyway, yesterday was "Surrender" which sounds like it would be a gentle lesson, but it was more about giving up the focus on the results and being in the moment and making the movements count. There was a lot of abs and legs being used and I sure felt it! Yesterday was busy at work and I didn't get a lunch break so I didn't blog. By the time I got home around 7pm, I ate a nice dinner and then relaxed with the family.
This morning I got up at 4:15am and it didn't really feel like a challenge. I felt like I slept so good last night that I was really well-rested and ready for the day. Today was about "Thought" and how it really directs everything we do and experience, and Adriene told us to be more mindful of our thoughts and how they shape our reactions to things. The physical work was manageable, but boy I can't really do the whole grasping my hands behind my back, I think I have too big of 'batwings and I have to struggle to keep my hands clasped. I'm hoping this is something that has the potential for getting better over time. I think my skin has lost a fair amount of elasticity, so I'm not holding my breath about that skin tightening up, but who knows!
This morning my husband was telling me about these two guys he works with, they are both more than 300 pounds and last year they challenged each other to a weight loss competition. They both lost weight and were doing well, but then when the challenge was over, both slid back into their old ways with food and ended up gaining back all they had lost and then some. This is no surprise to me, to simply will yourself to stick to a certain restrictive diet for the sake of the end result without putting any time into fixing your mind, it always leads to a rebound. It's not easy, you have to read the right things and connect with them in order to figure out why your brain and body don't always work together. It's not easy to say no to something you really think you want. This morning as I was out with the dog, my stomach starting growling hardcore and I could smell the donuts being made at our local grocery, half a block away. I started to plan how and when I could indulge in donuts. Then I reminded myself that this is the automatic part of my mind seeking high carb, high fat food as a survival method and if I were smelling the same smell after having eaten I would be aware of the oiliness of the smell, and I would remember how dense and over-sweet they are, and how they make my stomach feel awful when all that fat and sugar sits there like cement in my stomach all day. And, sugars give me heartburn almost immediately, which is a horrible feeling. So I went inside and had my breakfast and didn't think about donuts after that. That's me being mindful. I had the opportunity to go get a donut if I really wanted one, but I knew that wasn't my true self wanting the donut but my "lower brain". It's all part of the restructuring of my brain that I feel confident will make this whole journey accomplishable once and for all.
Enough babble for one day. Happy Tuesday, have a great week!
You are doing great!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame about the two guys that lost but slid back down the slide to unhealthiness. It really is a lifetime journey...as much as we don’t want to accept that fact...it’s a lifetime commitment!!!
MaryFran, you are so right about the commitment! I think intention is important because if the goal is set to a short timeframe, there is very little motivation to continue on afterword. I have experienced this firsthand, join a competition and do great but once it's over I go back to my old ways. I am moving past all that type of thinking now, aiming for longer goals so that my behaviors become habit. Mind over matter, or sometimes matter until mind aligns.
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