Taming the Inner She-Jerk

INNER SHE-JERK SMASH!

One of my biggest challenges is the mental part of getting healthier.  I can go for days on a positive swing but the day I have the slightest misstep, I turn into a raging jerk who really loves to stomp all over myself. I hold myself to higher standards than I would an employee and I know my own weaknesses, so I'm pretty damn effective at being mean. 

In an effort to make my weight loss maintainable from a mental health standpoint, I modified an idea I saw on Pinterest.  I've been writing the things I have to be proud of (decisions, accomplishments, etc) on little pieces of paper and dropping them into a vase. When I start going into self-hate mode about my "failures," I can present myself with evidence to the contrary. 

I had initially intended to fill the vase with fun and positive memories from the year since I have a terrible time recalling the little moments.  I'm kinda glad I didn't because I'm really excited about this modification! I think it is a great way to remind myself that one misstep doesn't undo months of progress.

This morning I got to add "Went to the gym by myself when I had an excuse not to go." to my vase.  That's a big one! I burned a lot of calories and got some much needed teyie-time.  I don't want to lose sight of what an accomplishment that is when I am faced with a situation that challenges my goals. 

What do you do to stop the negative inner voice?

Working Out is Totally Working Out

My 30 days are up and I am feeling AMAAAAZING! Now I get to break it down and see what works, what doesn't work, and how I'm going to up my game for the next 30 days. 

Findings:

• Tuesday and Thursday workouts before work totally work.
• Saturday walking has about a 50% success rate.

I know I'm burning a solid amount of calories and getting stronger; I'm not nearly as sore after TRX (even though I'm able to complete more of the exercises!) and I dropped a little over 10 pounds in the last 30 days. I'm sure diet is a large part of that, but I can't discount how much easier it is to eat a reasonable amount of calories when you've just witnessed how hard they are to burn.

My next 30 Day Challenge is going to include some elements from a challenge the YMCA has posed for their employees in the month of April. I'm not an employee and it doesn't count for any kind of reward for me BUT they are some solid tenants to maintaining a healthy body weight.  The scoring is really simple.  Give yourself a point for each time you complete one of the items below in a day and try to earn as many points as possible.

1. Eat a serving of fruit or vegetable
2. Eat a healthy snack during the day instead of junk food
3. Start your day with a healthy breakfast
4. Track your daily caloric intake
5. Prepare a healthy dinner
6. Share a healthy recipe with a co-worker
7. Avoid junk food. Get one point each day you go without eating junk food. 
8. Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day
9. Replace your soda with juice or water
10. Eat a salad

I'm already doing most of this stuff which only reinforced the desire to play along. That being said, I, teyie the amazing, do commit to the following in the next month while earning at least 9 points every day.

Monday- Workout with Mr. Husband
                 6:00 am at the Gym
                 Cardio - at least 30 minutes
                 Strength - at least 20 minutes

Tuesday - Workout with Megan
                 6:00 am at the Gym
                 Cardio - at least 30 minutes

Thursday - Workout with Megan
                 5:45 am at the Gym
                 TRX - 25 minutes
                 Cardio - at least 15 minutes

Friday - Workout with Mr. Husband
                 6am at the Gym
                 Cardio - at least 30 minutes
                 Strength - at least 20 minutes

Saturday - Tentative date to walk with Megan
                  5:45am at various locations

If you did last month's challenge, how did it go? What are you goals for the next 30 days? Are you going to try the YMCA's employee challenge?

Best of luck in completing your "experiments" in working out! I hope you learn a lot and are able to adapt to what really works for you!