Yes, maybe I'm a little crazy, but this is the truth. When I realized what I was doing, I immediately knew I had to blog about it.
Started half-marathon training last week and this past Sunday was supposed to be a 6-mile long run (okay, maybe not so long for you pros out there), but because of the rain yesterday, couldn't get it done.
So I devised a plan. I was going to get up at 5:30 and get right out early to make up that 6-miler. But that didn't happen quite as I expected either. You know, the kind of morning when you feel like just going back to bed and pulling the sheet up over your head.
Then it started raining again. Really? Come On, Mother Nature! Finally, I had had enough. Grabbed a wind breaker in case the rain didn't stopped, my phone, my headphones, my fuel belt (water), extra towels, and off I went to the park, determined to get this 6 miles in.
The rain stopped just as I got to the park. Wonderful. A little cloudy, cool, felt great as I started out....then the sun came out. Hot, humid, and to top it all off, my GPS was not working on my app on my phone that I used to track my distance.
Anyway, I struggled the entire run. Didn't have the right music on, couldn't see the darned phone to change the music because of the sun. The only way I could estimate how far I was going was to figure out what pace I might be running and then just multiply that by 6 miles.
The last mile was SUCH A STRUGGLE. Seriously, I had gone through all four water bottles on my belt, and I was seriously hot and sweating bullets. My legs felt like lead pipes. But I HAVE TO GET THIS LAST BIT IN.
That's when I started talking to myself, and this is kind of what I said.
Serious, come on, move your butt! You can do this! Just keep moving. Don't you quit! Then I imagined that I had an imaginary running group, Jillian Michaels (sorry, but she was the one who inspired me to start running), Aimee, Heather, Tricia, Marisa, Jen, David, Amanda, they were all with me. Come on, guys, you know who you are. And they were all pushing me, keep going, get that butt moving, come on, you can do this. Look how far you've come, don't give up now. Look at Tricia and Heather up there, don't lose sight of them. Marisa and Jen, Aimee and Amanda were beside me cheering me on and making me laugh at how much I was sweating. David running like a bullet ahead. I just kept going, kept imaging that I was in the middle of this awesome group of running friends and they were all giving me the encouragement to finish it.
And I did. I finally got to the finish line, and then pushed it just a little bit further to make sure I got that 6 miles in.
Turns out when I got home, I had run 6.49 miles and my pace was 11.06, much better than I felt I was running. I swear, I felt I was running at like a 15!
The moral of my little story today is that I need to push myself, and when I think I can't go any further, I push myself a little further still. I can do this and I will!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Change It If It Isn't Working!
So let's get serious. Let's get right to the point. Is something "just not working" for you anymore? What are you doing about it? Nothing? Well, how is that working for you? I know the feeling.
What did I do about it? Nothing. I sat around for months starry eyed but doing nothing about it but complaining. Every week, I complained.
Yes, I am at goal, but that doesn't mean I don't need the same things day after day that got me here. It's key.
Okay. So the nitty gritty. When I started Weight Watchers, I had what I considered a GREAT LEADER! She really was "a good fit" for me, funny, smart, always well prepared for the week's topic, knew the plan, knew how to "guide the group", always had suggestions, and SUPER MOTIVATING. In addition, we always had a little bit of everything at the meeting. From celebrations of weight loss or something new activity we started, struggles we were having, an event or situation we might have difficulty with in the coming week. THAT was so motivating, to hear how everyone else is doing and how proud they are of their accomplishments. That meeting and that leader was just a great fit for me.
I lost a total of 75 pounds doing the Weight Watchers plan and have kept it off for over 2 years. What worked the most for me? Coming to the meetings week after week, getting that charge to start the next week and keep going. That meeting, that leader, that motivation KEPT ME GOING and I was able to reach my to goal.
Sadly, our wonderful leader decided after many years of dedication to Weight Watchers that she NEEDED A CHANGE. Imagine that, wanting a change AND DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!. I was sad to see her go, but completely understood her reasons. Hope that she's reads this post and knows that she is loved, no matter what. :)
So anyway, what happened next? Well, do you mean after the whining, pounding my fists, stomping my feet? Just kidding. There was a lot of negativity about what would happen, how the meeting would go, what would we do. I tried to stay positive, but you know, it just wasn't doing it for me anymore. You now how sometimes you buy the same product for years, week after week. Then all of a sudden out of the blue, the manufacturer decides to change the product, and it's just not the same anymore for you anymore? That's how it was for me.
But what did I do about it? NOTHING. I sat around week after week, tried to stick to what I always did, go to my meeting, come home and start my new week, but didn't have that charge that I needed to get me through, didn't have the motivation and the excitement to continue. But again, what did I do about it? Nothing. Just a lot of complaining about what's not working, how it used to be, how it could be better, but still doing nothing about it.... until this week.
But who's really in control here? YOU ARE! If it's not working, why sit around wasting time instead of finding a solution? Maybe, love my situation, your leader changed in Weight Watchers. If you're not doing Weight Watchers, maybe you've suffered an injury and can't do your normal exercise routine. Whatever it is, if it's not working, does that mean you just give up? Quit? Hmmm.
After meeting a good friend from Weight Watchers for lunch and a lot of discussion (hey, by the way, what a great mid-week charge), we came to the realization that we're just wasting time. I mean, really, by sitting around and watching what's going on and doing nothing about it, where is that getting us? NOWHERE! We need to find a new meeting, a new leader. If it's not working, change it!
So we decided we would "meeting hop", see what's going on in other parts of the Weight Watcher world, venture out beyond our little "comfort zone".
So Saturday morning came around, and off we went to another meeting. WOW! The change in how I felt coming out of this weeks meeting was.... well, how do I best describe it.... POSITIVE! Imagine that. This meeting that we went to covered all of the things that I enjoy in a meeting, celebrations, hearing how other people are doing, discussing the details of the program, discussing difficult situations, new food ideas, as well as talking about getting some EXERCISE! I was totally motivated to jump into the next week full steam ahead!
SO BOTTOM LINE, NOT WORKING FOR YOU? Stop sitting around complaining about it and MAKE A CHANGE, take a leap, trust that YOU CAN DO THIS! YOU ARE IN CONTROL! JUST DO IT!
P.S. After posting this, felt the need to add this. For those of you reading this who are part of my Saturday morning meeting, I hope you all know it is absolutely NOT about you. I love each and every one of you, and even if I do switch meetings, I will still want to come back to the original meeting once in a while.
This was about me and what I needed and what I was paying for. I'm not paying now since I reached goal, but I am RIGHT AT goal, and if I don't start doing what I need for myself, I WON'T BE. I invested a lot of money in this when I add up the weekly fees, and it was worth every penny to me, but not if I end up slipping and gaining the weight back, all because I didn't give myself WHAT I NEED.
What did I do about it? Nothing. I sat around for months starry eyed but doing nothing about it but complaining. Every week, I complained.
Yes, I am at goal, but that doesn't mean I don't need the same things day after day that got me here. It's key.
Okay. So the nitty gritty. When I started Weight Watchers, I had what I considered a GREAT LEADER! She really was "a good fit" for me, funny, smart, always well prepared for the week's topic, knew the plan, knew how to "guide the group", always had suggestions, and SUPER MOTIVATING. In addition, we always had a little bit of everything at the meeting. From celebrations of weight loss or something new activity we started, struggles we were having, an event or situation we might have difficulty with in the coming week. THAT was so motivating, to hear how everyone else is doing and how proud they are of their accomplishments. That meeting and that leader was just a great fit for me.
I lost a total of 75 pounds doing the Weight Watchers plan and have kept it off for over 2 years. What worked the most for me? Coming to the meetings week after week, getting that charge to start the next week and keep going. That meeting, that leader, that motivation KEPT ME GOING and I was able to reach my to goal.
Sadly, our wonderful leader decided after many years of dedication to Weight Watchers that she NEEDED A CHANGE. Imagine that, wanting a change AND DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!. I was sad to see her go, but completely understood her reasons. Hope that she's reads this post and knows that she is loved, no matter what. :)
So anyway, what happened next? Well, do you mean after the whining, pounding my fists, stomping my feet? Just kidding. There was a lot of negativity about what would happen, how the meeting would go, what would we do. I tried to stay positive, but you know, it just wasn't doing it for me anymore. You now how sometimes you buy the same product for years, week after week. Then all of a sudden out of the blue, the manufacturer decides to change the product, and it's just not the same anymore for you anymore? That's how it was for me.
But what did I do about it? NOTHING. I sat around week after week, tried to stick to what I always did, go to my meeting, come home and start my new week, but didn't have that charge that I needed to get me through, didn't have the motivation and the excitement to continue. But again, what did I do about it? Nothing. Just a lot of complaining about what's not working, how it used to be, how it could be better, but still doing nothing about it.... until this week.
But who's really in control here? YOU ARE! If it's not working, why sit around wasting time instead of finding a solution? Maybe, love my situation, your leader changed in Weight Watchers. If you're not doing Weight Watchers, maybe you've suffered an injury and can't do your normal exercise routine. Whatever it is, if it's not working, does that mean you just give up? Quit? Hmmm.
After meeting a good friend from Weight Watchers for lunch and a lot of discussion (hey, by the way, what a great mid-week charge), we came to the realization that we're just wasting time. I mean, really, by sitting around and watching what's going on and doing nothing about it, where is that getting us? NOWHERE! We need to find a new meeting, a new leader. If it's not working, change it!
So we decided we would "meeting hop", see what's going on in other parts of the Weight Watcher world, venture out beyond our little "comfort zone".
So Saturday morning came around, and off we went to another meeting. WOW! The change in how I felt coming out of this weeks meeting was.... well, how do I best describe it.... POSITIVE! Imagine that. This meeting that we went to covered all of the things that I enjoy in a meeting, celebrations, hearing how other people are doing, discussing the details of the program, discussing difficult situations, new food ideas, as well as talking about getting some EXERCISE! I was totally motivated to jump into the next week full steam ahead!
SO BOTTOM LINE, NOT WORKING FOR YOU? Stop sitting around complaining about it and MAKE A CHANGE, take a leap, trust that YOU CAN DO THIS! YOU ARE IN CONTROL! JUST DO IT!
P.S. After posting this, felt the need to add this. For those of you reading this who are part of my Saturday morning meeting, I hope you all know it is absolutely NOT about you. I love each and every one of you, and even if I do switch meetings, I will still want to come back to the original meeting once in a while.
This was about me and what I needed and what I was paying for. I'm not paying now since I reached goal, but I am RIGHT AT goal, and if I don't start doing what I need for myself, I WON'T BE. I invested a lot of money in this when I add up the weekly fees, and it was worth every penny to me, but not if I end up slipping and gaining the weight back, all because I didn't give myself WHAT I NEED.
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