FitNik

We went to the zoo.

I bought a Fitbit because that’s what all the cool kids are doing these days. I succumbed to the pressure.

(For anyone not familiar with this trend, a Fitbit is a mostly water-resistant bracelet one wears daily that tracks the number of steps taken, flights of stairs climbed, number of active minutes, calories burned, hours of sleep, and distance traveled. Ounces of water and food consumed can be tracked too. Fitbit users can connect with other Fitbit users for competitions, chatting, and support. It’s really a pretty cool gadget. )

While I haven’t yet actually lost any weight since I’ve had this clever device, it is motivating, and like anything else, if I use it consistently, it will help.

Which brings me to my point…I struggle to be consistent with any health related activity. I will do really well for a week, sometimes two, before something comes along and I completely lose my mojo. That “something” could be a little bit of stress, not enough sleep, a Game of Thrones marathon, wacky hormones, or even Tuesday. Once I’m off track, days or weeks will pass and then something will remind me that I want to be healthier. Typically, an unflattering photograph of me in a compromising position will do the trick. Until the next “something” comes along.

This cycle is annoying.

I’d love to hear what derails others and how you get back into good habits after a setback.

The Great Garden Massacre of 2015

My plan today was simply to exercise and eat less, nothing dramatic or overwhelming.

I took a walk and did yoga. Actually, it was more like yoga did me. But we’ll get to that another day. (I think they call that foreshadowing in the world of literature.) So, exercise…check.

As for the eating less, I figured that adding more fruits and vegetables to every meal is a good place to start so I served three vegetables and a fruit with dinner. Everything was going along just fine until I blew up a beet in the microwave. That’s more of a problem than you might think. It looked like someone was shot in there. And beet juice, in all its magenta-colored glory, tends to have some staying power. The mess aside, I ate healthier today, as did the rest of my family. So again…check.

Good news! We have a couple of guest writers who have volunteered to share their health stories in future posts. If anyone else wants to very publically share their wellness struggles and victories, email me at shields06@comcast.net.

That’s all for tonight, I have a microwave to clean.

We’re Baaack!

This I cannot do. (Yet.)

It’s been nearly 10 months since my last confession, I mean post. Many changes occurred during that time . I got bangs, put in a new pantry shelf, gained a few pounds, joined a book club.

As you can see, it’s been a busy time. A busy time during which I exercised for about 3.5 minutes.

But that’s about to change. Along with my supportive husband (by supportive, I mean he’s tired of hearing me complain about pants that are too tight) and my new Fitbit, which I’ve aptly named Fitnik, I plan to embark, once again, on the path to wellness. More likely, I’ll set out on that path, stumble a bit, trip and fall, and ultimately find out that in order to lose weight I have to eat less and exercise more. But embarking on a path sounds more romantic.

(My fellow Shrinking Shrink, Jeri, and I would like to invite anyone else who would like to write about their weight loss/gain experiences in a public forum to contact me at shields06@comcast.net. We’d love to make this a conversation about the challenge of health and wellness rather than our own personal yet very public confessional.)

Nikki: Stepping It Up

     Mt. Toomanystairs

One of my new ideas came from a story I heard on NPR last week that said climbing stairs for just two minutes a day can prevent the American average of one pound of weight gain per year.  (click here to hear/read that story)

The building I work in has five floors.  So today I decided that I should climb those stairs and see what two minutes of stair climbing is like.  Here are some notes on my experience:

 

1. It took me just about the recommended two minutes to reach the summit of Mt. Toomanystairs.
2. It took me a little over twenty-seven minutes to recover (i.e. stop wheezing and seeing stars) following my expedition.
3. The air is thinner at higher altitudes.
4. My descent to the bottom was made more challenging by the sweat and tears that blurred my vision.
5. Two minutes sounds like a very small amount of time but when you’re climbing a mountain, is just short of eternity.

I think I’ll try to do this a couple of times a day.  Two minutes of stair climbing isn’t enough exercise by itself but it certainly can’t hurt.

Wait a minute.  What am I saying? It’s going to hurt a great deal.  I think “every little bit helps” is the annoying cliché I’m looking for here.

Nikki: See, What Had Happened…

I got a new job.  Then I tripped, fell, and gained 12 $%#&*@! pounds.*

The last few months have involved some pretty major life changes.  Mostly good stuff but positive changes can be hard too.  Like growing out your bangs.  Exercise and nutrition have taken a back burner to things like Shark Week, finding a parking space within 2 miles of my office, and ordering must-have items from http://www.officeplayground.com/.

For several weeks, I have been thinking about ways to renew my motivation and it has finally occurred to me that eating less, exercising, and then writing about these things were the keys to my early success.  As I have been doing none of these things, it should come as no surprise that the scale is going in the wrong direction.

I’ve set a few new goals and am trying a few new ideas, all to the tune of, “Try getting off your fanny and not eating so much, you tapioca-obsessed master of all things leisure.”  That’s a song, right?

 

*Actually, 17 pounds. But why would anyone admit that on the internet?

NIKKI: Shrinking Hiatus

This sloth is performing a dramatic reenactment of my behavior in recent weeks.

For some time now, I’ve had too much on my plate.  Figuratively and literally.  It’s funny how quickly I forgot all those little nuggets of wisdom (i.e. exercise doesn’t suck, eating healthy is easy, I can plank like a rock star, etc.) and by funny I mean appalling and pathetic.  I haven’t completely thrown in the towel but my efforts to be healthier have been fewer and far between.  For example, I was going to exercise at lunch today but I had two Crab Rangoon and a grain-bin size serving of chicken and broccoli instead.

I have prepared a list of excuses for my inexcusable sloth-like behavior:

1. No-bake cherry cheesecake.
2. I got a new job.  While I like my new job very much, this change has been a big one.  So to deal with this life altering event, my priorities have shifted.  Where exercise, healthy portions, and hummus were my focus before, finding the bathroom on my floor at work, organizing my new desk, and comfort snacking are more important now.
3.  I’ve fallen 22 episodes behind in viewing DVR’d episodes of Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show.  It’s hard to eat carrots or do push-ups with that kind of pressure hanging over my head.
4. I had a sore throat. Seriously, it was like swallowing gravel. It’s hard to get off the couch when you’re swallowing gravel. It’s also hard to swallow when you’re swallowing gravel. Unfortunately, my appetite was only briefly paused before I was back to full-feed.
5. Tapioca. Pudding.
6. There was a bug. In my bedroom. A big one. And when I tried to kill it, it got away and went under my bed. I haven’t found it yet. As such, I have to move to a new home, which takes quite a lot of time and energy, as you might imagine.
7. Laundry. Loads upon loads of laundry.
8. My husband is remodeling our basement.  (I didn’t say “We are remodeling our basement” because that would have been a lie.  I recently picked up a table saw and offered to help paint the walls, but for some reason I was sent back upstairs.)  This made my list of excuses because there is a toilet in my dining room.  The remodel-related supplies are cluttering up my house.  Clutter makes me anxious.  When I’m anxious, I eat.

On the upside, with my new job comes some really great wellness opportunities, including financial incentives to engage in healthy behavior, free biometrics testing (cholesterol, blood sugar, etc.), free and convenient access to exercise equipment and fitness classes on site, discounted memberships at local gyms, and access to physical training and wellness coaches.  This means that now that I’ve finally found the staff coffee machine and hung my diplomas on the wall, I can get back to the business of shrinking.

 

NIKKI: I’m Sexy and I Know It

I don't hate this picture.

If you recall, one of my initial goals was to see photos of myself in any position without wanting to throw myself into oncoming traffic. 

This shot was taken last weekend (Thanks, Mom). Clearly, I had assumed a position most would consider unflattering.  Upon seeing it however,  I felt no self-destructive urges.   I mean, I’m not going to frame it for the mantle or anything.  But I feel like this photo is an indisputable sign of progress.  And perhaps a bit of well-timed motivation.

NIKKI: Key Lime Pie Is Ruining My Life

This week has been no less stressful than last. Changing jobs and remodeling our home at the same time is really putting a crimp in my healthier lifestyle. I haven’t the energy to keep up with all of that chaos plus two spirited children, meal planning, and exercise.  Everything is just kind of a hot mess. Including me.  For example, the last time I put away laundry there was snow on the ground. And Bill Clinton was president.

The irony is that eating healthy and exercising would give me the energy to deal with all the other stuff. But as soon as the going got tough, I bought a key lime pie which is now threatening to ruin my life.  Seriously.

I really, really like key lime pie.

No one else in my house does.

You can see my dilemma.

One might think this is the start of a paragraph describing a foolproof plan for getting my $#!t together.  It’s not.  I have no plan.  All I have is this bad attitude and a stupid pie.

 

JERI: Even hospital food tastes good

When you’re a compulsive overeater even hospital cafeteria food tastes good. I’m here with a family member. Everything is fine, just need to be here a few days. Anyway, I find myself stress eating. I’ve also found myself being very forgiving about it, and not feeling shame.

However at the hotel this morning I did something stupid. Because the breakfast was free, I ate it. Even though it was bad, I ate it. I recognize that as a poor choice, but I’ve moved on.

The good news is that I purchased a FitBit and found that in the past several days I’ve walked between 5,000 and 9,000 steps per day, getting close to my goal of 10,000. I think this is because the hotel is several blocks from the hospital room, even though the walk is all inside.

When I return home tomorrow or the next day, I plan to take advantage of the better weather and walk my dog more and use the treadmill enough to hit my 10,000 steps. I’ll report back later.

Nikki: The Separation of Church and State*

*This post is not about religion or politics or the relationship between the two. It is, however, about boobs.

Please refer to Exhibit A, below.  Exhibit A represents me.  Well, it roughly represents me.  I don’t wear wooden clogs.  And I have way better eyebrows.  But note the labeled parts.  I am pleased to announce that in recent weeks I have observed a distinct separation between church and state.

Exhibit A