Holiday's Abound with Sweets & Pounds!

I've kept tracked through the years using a basic calendar of what workout or physical activity I am doing.  The calendars go back to 2009.  The last quarter of 2012 has been one of my most challenging holiday seasons with sticking to my workout schedule. Due to physical illnesses (mostly sinus), a pulled back (lasted about two weeks), and not holding as many Fit Club workouts - - I can feel the extra calories that are screaming to die.  My bones and muscles innately are moving inspite of me at times.  I hear that small voice saying "get off your fricken a$$!" However, all is not down the toilet as I created the holiday challenge to curb totally falling off the fitness fiscal cliff.   I'm wearing my pedometer regularly and really like the simplicity of using the Presidential Fitness Challenge website to log in my activity.  Adelita, Jenne, and Paola have been my holiday posse and I appreciate these woman and appreciate their contribution to the health and wellness community.  Above is our progress report to date. 

Make it happen!

HOLIDAY STRATEGIES

Are you going to enjoy the holidays?  Don't dread or fret about your diet and fitness.  Just keep moving.  Stay active and make a daily effort to eat clean.  The beauty of Beachbody home workout DVD programs is - -  the weather can be all crappy, and you might dread going outdoors, or you might dread pulling out your workout clothes and being in public - -  the solution is as simple as popping in a workout and get "down" with it and get it out of the way.  There is a workout called Ten Minute Trainer by Tony Horton.  At the very least, everybody has 10 minutes.  Once your body starts warming up you will want to do more and you will be in a better frame of mind if you start out feeling less then motivated.  I started a challenge with a few of my customers and friends.  My goal is to be conscious and be mindful.  With the overall goal of maintaining my current weight thru the end of the year.

Fitness is politcal neutral

http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/30/qa-with-p90x-creator-and-fitness-guru-tony-horton/

I love this down to earth article by the man himself - TONY HORTON! 

The On Going Physical Transformation

So here is my story. I was a chubby kid growing up.  I don’t remember eating allot but just being a very inactive person.  My sisters had a friend who gave me the nickname Stubber because my hands were so swollen and my fingers looked like stubs. In elementary school I would dread the yearly Presidential Fitness Award program.  Basically there were some physical drills conducted and if you completed them you would get some kind of award patch and certificate.  I remember you had to do a certain amount of push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.  There were other drills like running too. I just remember I was one of the kids that could barely do anything.  It was humiliating and embarrassing to me. This was the time period where habits are formed and our outlook on life is shaped.   Mine wasn’t being shaped very well.  My dad was into body building and entered fitness contest in his early years.  However, I was not interested in pursuing any type of physical fitness or sports. My parents divorced when I was 10 and our household went kind of Helter Skelter. 

I carried my chubbiness into adolescence.  I went through a very rebellious period and was a teenage in the 1970’s and carried my indulgent attitude into my 20s. There were times when I would try to eat right and get healthy.  However, it was always a short lived idea. 

I started to disregard my own self worth and self respect. I just let my health go and my “shadow” side was running the show.  It was a dark time in my life.  My weight would fluctuate and it didn’t matter what I would eat and how much.   It was not uncommon to eat a whole medium pizza in one setting.  Fried foods would be a favorite. My blood pressure was unstable and I was non-compliant with my hypertension medications. The bulge was growing around my mid-section. I became what I never wanted to be: fat & bald.  And now old too! 

Fast forward….pretty much this was the picture of my life regarding the demons of my eating and addictive habits.  I understood the concept of emotional eating. I was familiar about triggers and using alcohol and food as a drug and replacing one addiction with another.  My life was satisfying but I just did not feell good about my appearance. I’ve achieved some personal and financial goals but I was never satisfied because I was trying to compensate by having the exterior stuff.  I am an avid bowler but was feeling the wear and tear on my joints because of the extra weight.  I was not happy with my own physical well being.

 

The P90 DVDs were unopened for several weeks as life events kept me in the procrastination mode.  Prior to seeing the infomercial I had tried several other well known diet programs available.  More money and more guilt down the drain. 

There was always something going on and some kind of challenge with friends, work, home life, and household projects.  I would get these spurts of motivation like - -  I would watch the weight lost reality shows in recent years and would always say to myself “good for them” and manage to get a bit sentimental when they would pick a winner and share the testimonies.  Once in awhile a tear would emerge from my eye.  I would talk to myself and say you can do that.  Within 24 hours it was business as usual.  Hand to mouth and poor lifestyle choices.

Toward the end of May 2008 I was tired of the joint and bone aches throughout my body.  I could not sleep on my side because my hips would hurt from the extra weight.  I was tired of looking at myself and feeling pathetic about my stomach and other body features.  I ran out of excuses for not opening the DVD box.  I was sick and tired being sick and tired.  For me I knew I had to jump in 100% with the P90 program because I am an all or nothing type of person and didn’t want to allow myself any wiggle room.  Half measures would result in half results.  This program was my priority.

I had to detail what I was eating and follow the information and all the material that was provided by Beachbody.  I had to follow the nutrition and workout guides as it was layed out.  The guidebook said I would see results after so many days.  More results later after so many days.  And what do know, it happened.  By following a rigorous schedule of my food intake and “pushing play” I saw dramatic results.  I lost 20 lbs in 10 weeks and saw my body going through a transformation. 

I think there is this physical Renaissance occurring with the baby boomer generation.   As a friend once told me, “if I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself”.  The party boy and fast food years of yester year are in the past.  Mr. Horton and all the success stories of the Beachbody community has set the standard on how I want to maintain my health and physical shape.

I have been so overwhelmed by the results I wanted to “pay it forward” and this is the major reason I am writing this and laying it all out there.  I am grateful for those who have shared their pictures and baring it all on the threads. How brave.  There are success stories all around me.

One cannot put in a few paragraphs events consisting of many years.  Please feel free to contact me so I can fill in the blanks.  Also, do not hesitate to email me should you need support with your Beachbody program.   All the best in your success to your new you!

p:562-856-3585
e:AllanDLee@msn.com

Allan