Thanksgiving Re-commitment

I'm thankful for many things--for the purpose of this blog and project, I'm thankful for the freedom to stop and start and stop and start again!!

Hello Friends, followers & supporters:
Its been some time.  I'm not so proud to report after completion of the 10K in September, I effectively fell 'off the proverbial wagon'. Not in a destructive way, but in a I've-made-progress-and-now-I'm-not-going-to-pay-attention kind of way. So slowly but surely, my progress of August and September faded away and when in the beginning of November I was 'measured' --numbers had crept back up.

I've been here before in this exact place where I'd made  considerable progress, and become disengaged, unmotivated, unaccountable and viola, back at a fitness level and weight that make me feel icky.  NOT THIS TIME!  This time will be different...how/why??, because I have tools that make it easy to right the ship (or wagon if we are going with that analogy), and I've gone public with my challenge so I have accountability and I have a TON of support...

On Nov 7 my numbers were back to July numbers...Shaun gave me a little tough love (thanks! I did really need that)--that he gave me 3 weeks to make progress.

D-day was Friday November 30 and I'm super proud to say that I did it! I brought the numbers down to where they were end of September and we are ready for the last 10 weeks of Project 50.  And by my calculation I have to kick it into high gear if I'm going to get there.  I've got 10 weeks and about 25-30lbs to go. Some simple math and that is 2.5-3lbs per week...there is no more room for error or pizza. (side note, I've definitely learned pizza is my vice) I can leave sweet stuff alone, but put bread and cheese in a circle and I just can't do it...)

Change in Weight

Change in skin folds (body fat)

Over the past 5 months I've also realized, and I even wrote about the importance of goals, but for me its mission critical. I had the 10K goal and that pushed me through August and September and we know from above what happened in October/November. So on November 23 the day after Thanksgiving, I decided to challenge myself to exercise for the 39 days between Thanksgiving and New Year's.  Some of my awesomely supportive co-workers negotiated the goal to be 6x/week with 12/24 & 12/25 off...I agreed. So far, my workouts look like the list below. When I run a short distance, I make a 20 minute commitment...who can't do that?

39 Day Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve 2012 Workout Challenge

Day 1 11/23 run 1.5 miles

Day 2  11/24 strength

Day 3  11/25 Yoga

Day 4  11/26 strength + 1.5 miles

Day 5  11/27 run (fast 1 mile)

Day 6  11/28 off

Day 7  11/29 strength

Day 8  11/30 with Shaun, strength + cardio (which means high knees and squat thrusts sprinkled in...)

Day 9 12/1 -Zetlin  Fitness strength homework

Day 10 12/2-Off
Day 11-16 will be extra challenging as I'm away from home and in very intensive training--stay tuned.

Some general reflections on what I've been doing to help me be successful and have a successful re-commitment...

1. Completed another RESET + lean protein 5 days, this always helps to kick start making better food choices and stopping to think 'why am i eating this, and what nourishment is it giving my body.

2. My amazing husband jumped on board with the no/low carb more veggie lifestyle and wow! what a difference his actions and support make

3. I quit the gym...so I've had to re work my routine (for the months of September and October I totally used this as an excuse--why is it we always search for excuses? I have a functioning home gym now-bosu ball, 10, 15 & 25lb dumbbells. I am kind of liking working out at night at home or in the morning at the gym at the office...

4. I've actively re-prioritized myself and my health. Which seems to be needed every 3-4 months. 

For me it all comes down to a mindset. And I FIRST MUST MAKE UP MY MIND. After my mind is right...the rest is easy, seriously!!!!

For me, its nearly impossible to go on a lifelong streak of exercise and good food choices, what is different this time is the amount of time it took for me to right the wagon (about 4-6 weeks), this in the past has been a measure of YEARS.  That's what's different and that is what will make Project 50 and beyond successful...

I will continue to log my workouts--and have already signed up for the next run 5 mile Krispy Kreme challenge with my good friend, Sarah in Raleigh. I'll skip the dozen doughnuts and just do the running...

Its not too late to joint the workout challenge, this is the time of year when folks slip...hence so many "I'm going  to go to they gym more New Year's resolutions"...resolve NOW--why wait till January 2013?

I'd love to hear your comments and commitments below :)

With gratitude for sticking with me---

Jenelle

What is your gas station?

I've been 'burning the candle at both ends' (excuse the cliche). From time to time I catch myself churning and churning and not really stopping to re-calibrate or look toward the vision--the big picture. The repercussion of that manifests in me as achy bones, feeling puffy, irritable, 'wound up', reactive. None of these words are ways I strive to perceive myself or live my life.

A few weeks ago I completed the Run10Feed10 10k (as advertised in this blog). It felt good to achieve this goal, I worked hard, I woke up at 5 am to run, I ran even though my knee ached, my arches hurt, I wanted to reach the goal. I did it. And now I have no desire to run. none.

"Gas Station"

I worked too many hours. I'd wake up early and work before 'work' and come home and work.  Not taking any time to recharge.  I had forgotten what my gas station is. Its undoubtedly my 90 min moving meditation.  I practice primarily Bikram Yoga--its a preference, I like the detox of sweating, I like the repitition, I like it takes so much strength and mental toughness to complete. My original Bikram teacher, in Winston-Salem would always tell a Bikram anecdote--  "all of our activities in life take energy (gas) and yoga is the gas station",

It fills us up with oxygenated blood, with clearer mind, with a stronger mind-body-spirit connection.  YES PLEASE!!

MY GAS STATION

So, on Sunday I thought--I should really go to yoga. So I went and had lots of 'stuff' emotional and physical come up and out and I felt cleansed and peaceful. I've been back 2 times since then and continue to understand right now, I need this gas station.

And coming full circle to the idea of living and journeying in community (blog about community), a conversation with a friend today crystallized for me that we need to listen very closely to the needs of our body and how we should move it at any given time--and lean into it and try to do right by what is being requested. She articulates our conversation so well here: Vibrant Life Note a quick but powerful read...

So I leave with a challenge for you to find your gas station--the thing that after you've taken part in it, you feel full, buoyant,  alive and prepared. Leave a comment, I'd love to hear what it is for you.

And now on to the good stuff:  Progress, still slow, still steady in the midst of my life having took control for a few weeks...not too bad.  I'd like to think that in times of stress and overwhelm if I don't suffer a set back, its a win!!

So...

STATS: 9/25/2012

Tricep 22 (-4)

Suprailium 26 (-1)

Patella 10 (-2)

24% body fat (yep it went down 1%)...

Weight-I don't have access to a scale right now so I don't know and will have to recalibrate, maybe this is good--I can get scale-obsessed with the best of them.(anyone recommend a digital scale for the home?)

Food Journal: has been quite inconsistent, but I'm now using the Lose It! app again and this week...is good.  Caloric intake goal is 1600 (that's not that many calories, fyi!) the lack of movement in my measurement at the Suprailium (waist) is all food. I have to come to grips that 70% of weight loss is food 30% exercise...

Exercise: As above, yoga as much as possible (3-4 X per week) and Strength 2X/week.

Up next for Project50: When you only have 15 minutes to exercise, Living with intentionality, Sometimes you just need to make up your mind...stay tuned, some day in the life blogs

Thanks for reading and for your patience!

Go fill up! 
 

STATS...slow and steady progress. Keep a Journal??

this was meant to be posted last week...oops!

Numbers keep me honest and humble. Somehow, I'm a little discouraged and motivated at the same time. They are not magnificent in the last month but everything is going in the right direction... Do I want this to be more dramatic of a change? Yes.  Am I still NOT 100% committed to great food choices? Yes. Was I out of town for almost 2 weeks? Yes. So I have to be grateful for the progress in the face of these challenges.

Other measures of success--Clothes are much looser, I am MUCH stronger, I ran a 5k and signed up for a 10k on 9/23.

2 months later (measured 8/29)- The STATS 

Tricep - 23 (-3)

Suprailium - 26 (-1)

Patella - 11 (-1) 

25% body fat.(-1%)-one little skin fold from another % decrease, next time!

Change in Weight (-12.5 from July 2 & -20.5 from Jan)

Various sources including the CDC, the Mayo Clinic quote the preferred pace to lose weight is 1-2 lbs/week.  So lets see where I land in this recommendation:

1.56 lbs/week  (12.5 lbs/8 weeks).

What does that mean, what do we have to do to achieve this pace of weight loss?

"To lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular exercise." (Mayo Clinic).

Well I'll be--guess how one would know this statistic? A food and exercise journal.  Guess who has been discussing this journey for 2+ months and doesn't' keep a regular food and exercise journal? This gal!  

Lets me do a little experiment- I will keep a food and exercise journal for the next month and see if I'm closer to the 2 lbs/week mark. I have never been good at keeping a journal, I know some incredibly wise people who journal and I understand the potential benefits, so here is my chance, at least with food and exercise, to give it an honest shot.  My prediction--food and exercise are so intricately linked to emotions for me that I'll end up writing about a BUNCH of other stuff in this journal...

Post comments below if you have any advice for a novice journal keeper....

 

What have I been up to? Creating Community

Sometimes you have a goal and you fall a bit short--then you have a choice; do you try again or let it go?  Depends on the situation, if the goal no longer serves you--let it go otherwise try again.  

So my loyal readers, I apologize for the less than consistent blog posts. At the outset I promised myself and therefore you a post once a week, I fully intend on delivering. Chalk it up to the lazy days of summer? Not exactly.  I've been busy building community; spending some very quality time with my family, exercising (see milestones below), building a business that will give me some more freedom (financial and time) in the future, making new friends.  But fall is upon us and I do feel the need for routine and some grounding, so back to the weekly blog it is!

Health Milestones: Ran a 5k in Salt Lake City. My goal was under 40 minutes, and I crossed the line, unofficially in 38.  Continued progress to  4 mi and 5 mi runs.

Lifestyle Milestones: I took 2 trips and managed to workout very consistently and make decent food choices, this has NEVER happened before...it was always an excuse, until this time and wow how empowering it was!!!

Business Milestones: Attended the USANA International Convention and was inspired by all of the amazing stories of health. In the presence of some amazing inspiration and brilliant minds-Dr. Oz, John Maxwell, Libby Weaver, Myron Wentz, Dr. Christian Northrup--to name a few. Being present in the amazing energy that is my USANA family and Tribe--Team Northrup was simply electrifying.

What's the secret?  Lean in...wait for it...my biggest lesson so far to ensure progress/success is to surround myself with positive peers (this has come in the form of people reading the blog, of people asking me what I'm doing, liking my workout posts on facebook, my husband stepping up to make my workouts possible). These are people that provide positive peer pressure and are aligned with my goals, otherwise, as I am retraining my mind and body to crave only things that serve it (hard work, by the way)--I make it really difficult for myself. Action steps you can take to create this community for yourself:

1. Set the intention.
2. Tell those close to you your goals and what you need from them to succeed, there is NO way for them to know unless you tell them. They will respect your process if you let them be involved; you might just inspire their own journey.
3. If you don't have a community of like-minded and like-hearted people, create it (or join mine).
4. Set free those that are not serving you. Bless them and let them go.

New Goal:

Sept 23: 10k run10feed10.com I LOVE this model, so happy to have come across this. The run was full but i signed up for the mailing list (setting intention) to find out a week later they are opening another route on this day. If you are in/near NYC come join me or cheer me on!! 

Announcements:

RESET Group with the amazing Dr. Deborah Kern drdebkern.com  
Deb comes with may years of experience in low-glycemic nutrition and optimal health and is a wealth of knowledge--you get her wisdom for free!   If the timing is right for you to embrace RESET, let me know (Jenelle.project50@gmail.com). She will be running the RESET starting SEPTEMBER 16!
visit my previous blog post for more RESET information.

"Push-Up Progression Workout for a Stronger Core" by Shaun Zetlin 
is out on amazon.com, ibooks, barnesandnoble.com in e version and will be out in print September 4th!  Its such an amazing accomplishment by a key member of my community, he trains me in this method and the results are unmatched (in my opinion) visit http://www.zetlinfitness.com/ for more information.

Stats: Coming soon--stay tuned for a bonus post on Thursday! 

One Month Down....a lifetime to go

I've been exercising regularly in the morning 2-3 days a week for 4 weeks. After a night of not being able to sleep-I think I fell asleep somewhere between 1:30 and 2 AM, the alarm went off at 5:45 and (with a little nudge from Christopher), I was off. Out for the run by 6:00. Is it now a habit? So many times I've started working out in the morning only to have a less-than-perfect night of sleep and turn off the alarm and go back to sleep. As recently as 2 weeks ago, I did that very thing, but now I feel like I might have formed a new habit. What do the experts say? Of course I did a little research (its in my bones...) I was familiar with the concept that a habit is formed in 21 days.

The 21 day idea was born from the time it took for an amputee to not 'feel' the missing limb, so its a neuro-muscular outcome, a sensory perception thing, perhaps.  A more systematic study was conducted in 2009 to suggest on average it takes 66 days to form a new habit, depending on the complexity of the habit. 

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A little bit from the PsyBlog-http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/09/how-long-to-form-a-habit.php

This graph shows that early practice was rewarded with greater increases in automaticity and gains tailed off as participants reached their maximum automaticity for that behaviour.
Although the average was 66 days, there was marked variation in how long habits took to form, anywhere from 18 days up to 254 days in the habits examined in this study. As you'd imagine, drinking a daily glass of water became automatic very quickly but doing 50 sit-ups before breakfast required more dedication (above, dotted lines). The researchers also noted that:

• Missing a single day did not reduce the chance of forming a habit.
• A sub-group took much longer than the others to form their habits, perhaps suggesting some people are 'habit-resistant'.
• Other types of habits may well take much longer.

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 66 days seems like a long time. But these healthy habits are meant to last a lifetime so in the big picture 66 days doesn't seem so bad...

A month later- The STATS

Tricep - 25 (-1)

Suprailium - 27 (0)

Patella - 10 (-2)

25% body fat.(-1%)

Change in Weight (-9.2)

HOORAY Progress!!!  

CELEBRATE!!!

I had a bad week. I did not plan very well. I was tired. I missed several workouts. I suffered from post RESET rebound made some bad food choices. Culminating in dinner on Friday night was pizza, pizza is ok. Three pieces of pizza is NOT okay.  So I beat myself up a bit...


The good news about a establishing a consistent work ethic is its not so hard to slip back INTO the groove. Saturday I had a killer workout with Shaun and was on point with food. I was at the gym at 5:45 this morning and had a kick-ass start to this week, so I don't think I've lost too much ground.  And, clothes are out for my run in the morning--rain or shine!


Also, tonight I was thinking about celebrations. Off the heels of reading The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes & Posner  for our book club at work, where the authors devote a lot of time to celebrations as a pillar of leadership. Leaders celebrate those they lead, publicly, enthusiastically and often.  I realized I typically celebrate with food and drink (as many of us do, I assume).  A dinner out, a treat (usually in the form of a coffee drink, or sweet dessert). But it doesn't have to be--and you should, paraphrasing from The Leadership Challenge: celebrate as close to the time of the act worth celebrating. 


As I put away my laundry from yesterday, I was digging in my closet--and found a pair of jeans that I haven't put on in years. They are Calvin Klein favorites and couldn't possibly fit. I mustered up the courage to try them on and there they were, fitting just fabulously! I ran out to show my husband they fit and proceeded to dance around a little bit in them.  It was later that I realized this was the celebration! perfectly, perfect in the moment.  Of course the big picture, goal oriented, dreamer I am--dug deep under the bed to the box of my favorite clothes that are about 2 sizes smaller than where I am now...and learned...there is still a LONG way to go--however, I did pause and celebrate the jeans fitting again :)  

Celebrations do not require elaborate events or planned outings. They can happen in the quiet of your own home.  But the trick is to celebrate anyway--no matter how insignificant the milestone may seem--celebrate it, call a friend, brag, make your significant other look at your butt in those jeans :)  Whatever it is, do it!!!


I guarantee I'll run tomorrow morning, propelled by my celebration tonight!


Leave a comment with your favorite non-food celebration.


Coming soon to Project 50: STATS, supplements, what I'm eating, when life gets in the way, more on community...

RESET

In my first blog I mention my team and my tools-

Let me elaborate. In isolation is not a good place to grow. There is a recent study [for which I cannot find the citation, so hopefully there aren't any fact checkers out there--but if you know what I'm talking about please leave a comment with the link to the study-I'll do the same if I find after posting]. The gist of this study is that people in community are healthier. period. They get less disease, less common colds and the duration of the illnesses they do acquire are less, on average.  One of my favorite wellness pioneers says "Community builds Immunity" and I love that, I believe this--but it took me a long time to get there... when there was something I knew I needed to do was upon me;  having a tough conversation with a loved one, breaking up with a boyfriend, deciding on the next career step, I go inside. Which is not really who I perceive myself to be. I perceive myself to be a pretty open, sharing, honest person--when its about helping, coaching, listening to others; but when its about me deep inside. 

So on my quests to lowering weight I have done Weight Watchers but I'd weigh in and never stay for the meeting, I'd workout but never take classes or entertain a running partner (though many had asked).  And the end result was early success but no lasting results. I'd let myself off the hook and end up back where I started, or worse. When I knew I needed something and didn't know where to start so I joined Team in Training and loved that experience--even though I ran the half and not the full as originally advertized-the non-judgmental support of a team for a common purpose was exactly what I needed and I was hooked on the idea of getting healthy in community. 

Fast forward two years my husband and I went out to lead a low-carb lifestyle, he loses 20-ish pounds and I lose 1 (not fair--but I was really happy for him!) and then hypothyroid diagnosis, the hill was even steeper and around that time I was introduced to a product line that has been important in my success what is it?

RESET (in my words): A 5 day high fiber cleanse meant to normalize blood glucose and insulin levels, rid the body of cravings for sugar-rich foods that cause a spike in blood glucose with resulting release of insulin and all sorts of downstream hormonal effects (the scientist in me wants to unleash itself at this moment, but I will refrain-however if you crave this detail, please let me know). I participated in my first RESET group Spring of 2010--which is a supported community of people  it provided a forum and while I believe I only listened and didn't actively participate-I was there gaining from the community!(I'm not sure I reaped the full benefits of RESET as I was pregnant in June...)

And this past week I completed my second full RESET with success (see the STATS section of this post).  This week I'm leading a RESET group--so I've come full circle from the silent participant to the leader--isn't growth grand! I like RESET because its planned for you all you need are veggies and a touch of discipline and (I) come out the other end feeling really strong and clean and ready to tackle my healthy eating goals.

But don't just take if from me! A childhood friend trusted me enough to give RESET a try last year -- it jump-started her loss of 30 lbs and she's on round 2 this week after falling off the wagon a bit. She just needs to right the course and get back on track.  I love RESET for its ability to be done anytime providing a jumpstart to any wellness goal.  If you are reading and need a little push to get going or keep going...My Next RESET group will begin August 20th send me a personal message to:   Jenelle.Project50@gmail.com

In her words:

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"My first experience with RESET opened my eyes to the effects of excess sugar on my body. I’m not talking about just losing some weight either. I won’t lie—it was really nice to see the scale slip lower each day, but the major difference was how I FELT every day. When I step back and think about it, my first RESET was when the light bulb went off, the “ah-ha” moment hit and I finally understood that what really mattered was how I was physically and mentally feeling every day, as opposed to just watching a decreasing number on the scale. The number on the scale was NOT enough motivation to keep up good habits, but feeling good really is.

The biggest change I noticed was the decreased sensitivity of my teeth. I’m pretty sure I tried every sensitive toothpaste known to man with very little lasting effect. I would chew on one side to avoid anything hot or cold touching certain teeth. After a week of RESET, this completely stopped. What a novel idea…sugar caused my teeth issues, and then removing sugar from my diet fixed my teeth issues. Sometimes, things really are just that simple.

The second biggest change was my energy level. I no longer hit that 2 pm wall at work, where I was so tired and bored and wishing for it to be 4 pm so I could go home and take a nap. I still love a good nap, but it isn’t something that my body begs for every day.

In addition to my "ah-ha" moment, I also learned how important it is to have someone to lean on when you need to muster that extra bit of resilience or that extra bit of will power to get through a challenge. I realized that it is ok to feel weakness, and that your friends will pick up the slack when you're lacking. It's also important to have someone to share your victories with. At the beginning of every month I text my best girlfriend and let her know how many miles I walked/ran for the previous month. And it is always so much fun to send her a picture when I realize that a dress or pair of jeans I haven't worn in ions either fits, or even better, is now a size too large.

There are a lot of ways to lose weight, some are fast, some are slow, some require crazy levels of effort, some are just too good to be true…and when you’ve been over weight, you approach each diet you try with a level of outward skepticism that masks what you are secretly desiring most: That maybe, just maybe, this time things will work.

The seven pounds I lost during RESET were my “kick off” pounds for what would carry me to the present day: down 30 pounds total, with about that many more to go. A few months after RESET, my weight started to creep back up, and I just made the decision that I was going to spend one hour each day on self development. So I started walking. At first it was just a mile at a fairly slow pace, but over the course of 5 months I went from huffing and puffing during that mile walk to finishing my first half marathon. This past year has taught me that weight management is not a destination, but a journey.

I’m ready to RESET again because I’ve slipped back into some bad habits and I want to regroup, refocus and re-embrace the low glycemic lifestyle.

So to sum everything up:
1. Assign yourself the highest priority for at least 1 hour a day.
2. Enlist a champion for the good days and for the bad days.
3. Focus on how you feel, and don't be a slave to the scale.
4. Forgive yourself on the bad days, and rock it a little harder on the good days.

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The Stats:  Skin folds coming in the next couple of week. (I know you can't wait) .   Change in Weight (-5.6) this is a reset week number and so RESET did exactly what its meant to, give me a jumpstart to really seeing changes in my body full disclosure, I've lost 14.6 lbs since January 2012, but part of my motivation to write this blog that what I perceived to be hard work only landed me down 9 lbs in 6 months--for my goals this was not enough...so here we are sharing my journey! Word of the week: enjoy I can feel myself getting drained so I'm just going to enjoy leading the RESET group and love the process :) Change of the week: status quo-I RESET last week (and had a really sick baby) so that was full of change and stress; I'm not implementing anything 'new' this week--just focusing on keeping the momentum from RESET. Exercise Plan: Monday-REST Tuesday-Run (using couch to 5k week 4 schedule) Wednesday- strength workout Thursday-Run and Softball Game Friday-Strength workout-Live with personal trainer Saturday- Yoga Sunday Run Coming soon to Project 50: non-food rewards, supplements, when life gets in the way, more on community...