Healthy Pony Here We Go! LAST CHALLENGE!!!

[kakenterprise]

Crowning_Glory13-Thanks its definitely been a different experience.  Trainers are tough if you don't do it right it doesn't count.  I'm training tomorrow morning and I was told there might be a surprise... not excited for a new addition to my workout.

I did some cardio on Wednesday.  I've fallen into a bad rut.  I come home from work, eat dinner watch some tv and fall asleep.  I woke up at 9 and I had to rush out to the gym.  I'm just so sleepy.

[MintySocks]

OK I'm pretty excited...
Today something happened I've been waiting a long time for. I have slimmed down enough to take off my wedding ring. I can clean it and polish it again!! It was so embarrassing that I couldn't take it off for like a year because my finger had puffed up.  My husband used to take me to the jewelers every six months to get it cleaned and prongs checked, and we'd make a date of it. I kept having to make up excuses why it wasn't a good day to go, because I was too humiliated to admit to him there was no way I could hand it over. 

TODAY I GOT IT OFF!!! And it goes back on easily!

This might seem a minor thing, but to me it was symbolic of my body being seriously messed up. I don't want to EVER be like that again. And you ponies are the only people I can tell, because I am not shouting about this embarrassing fact on my Facebook page!

[Kiwi]

Aww MintySocks, that is a great accomplishment. It's wonderful to have your body feeling more normal and they want you want and need it to be.

[Loona]

Yay, I'm so happy to hear this MintySocks! it's always so good to see when the work and effort you put into something shows, and this one is even more special because of the symbolical additional meaning it has for you!

uhh, that does sound tough kakenterprise! I know you can't go easy on this if you want to see results, but I don't think I could cope with a tough trainer - I'm just not that type and would take the toughness to my hears and it would just make me give up because of the feeling of that I'm never good enough. I envy people who are facilitated by this and can keep on going you rock!

sugary drinks are addictive indeed! and they make your tastebuds super numb, it takes adjustment to go back to normal afterwards... I know I used to drink tea with 2-3 teaspoons of sugar added to one cup when I was young. it was very sweet, but I liked it that way. after awhile I realised it doesn't really make a difference if I only add 1-1,5 teaspoons, and after awhile I even abandoned sugar from tea completely. now I love this taste, and a sugary tea just feels... strange, too sweet, as if I was drinking liquid sugar. I no longer like it
the same happened with syrups to which you add water and then drink - I used to drink them with a bigger amount of syrup than I do now, and I used to like it that way, but I slowly decreased the amount of syrup, and now if I accidentally add too much I just don't like that too sweet, sugary taste and have to add more water to compensate it. (these are still sugary though, I just told this as an example for the adjustment)

I recommend good quality fruit teas - they are full of flavour, and can quickly make you forget a need for additional sugar I still have some filters of a plum and noni-flavoured tea I bought on clearance sometime in late 2015 (I won't include brand, as I'm pretty sure it is a small one and chances it is available in the US are little) which tastes so sweet it makes you second guess it doesn't contain added sweeteners
also, today I drank the sweetest apple juice ever! and it only contained - apples! I wouldn't have believed if I didn't see the guy throwing the apples into the mixer and then giving the juice to me! it's most likely dependant on the species of the apple as well, and these must have been sweet ones to begin with, but this is also a great example of that added sugar is completely unnecessary if the base of the drink is selected wisely.

the second half of the week meant a decrease in my conscious snacking. I had to work from home (due to the bad weather - rain then hail then below freeze degrees turned the city into a huge ice skate rink :S and my mamagement ordered us to work from home, so that we don't fall and get injured on our way to work and back home), and here I have more options than the fruits I bought at the beginning of the week, and when I got lazy/had too much work to peel a fruit I was able to choose from "just grab the bag and get back to work" biscuits and cookies and such as well :/ luckily I am not in the mood for sweets, so the cookies did not tempt me and the biscuits were at least salty and not sugary, but they are still a worse option than the fruits. oh well, I should have more time in the weekend, so "peeling them takes time" should not be an excuse

my other two goals were also affected by the home office, one negatively and one positively. I did manage to wash my teeth during the morning also on my home days, which I am very happy about, but I did not really go out because of the ice skate roads so I still don't have a yoga mat&can't yet start working out...

[Crowning_Glory13]

Way to go Minty Socks. The little things make us push just a bit harder:) no matter how small an achievement it is a great thing.

I don't like a woe is me rant, so I won't. I will be reading and keeping notes, but I might not post for awhile. Keep up the great work. I am going to stich myself together...pun intended.

[Miniature Sheep]

Well I've been doing alright with maintaining my goals, keeping notes in a diary is definitely a big help. My mind has been wandering a lot during meditation sessions though, so I'm going to try doing a session in the morning as well as in the evening, and hopefully it'll help to clear my mind a bit better. I've been a bit spacey and unfocussed overall lately, not really sure what's causing it. :/

[Artemesia's Garden]

Well I've been doing alright with maintaining my goals, keeping notes in a diary is definitely a big help. My mind has been wandering a lot during meditation sessions though, so I'm going to try doing a session in the morning as well as in the evening, and hopefully it'll help to clear my mind a bit better. I've been a bit spacey and unfocussed overall lately, not really sure what's causing it. :/

My understanding is that the mind wandering and how you pull it back is the meditation.  So don't worry that it wanders, just be kinder to yourself as you pull it back and then you will be more present and pull it back more frequently.  Kind of like a really simple computer game.  This is what I learned at the Buddhist centre.  However I am no good at meditaitng on my own which is why I go to the Buddhist Centre, but my concentration really is shot. In Eastern traditions they would say that the spacey feeling might be because your upper chakras are over energised. Have you tried doing yoga before your meditation practice to ground yourself in the body or doing a 7 point body scan using a chakra visualisation? I just read that back, I bet it sounds really bizarre to anyone not familiar. Heh.

Mintysocks that is amazing, I wish I could fit back into my jeans so much!  Enjoy your ring date with hubby.

Post Merge: February 03, 2017, 03:35:12 PM

I don't like a woe is me rant, so I won't. I will be reading and keeping notes, but I might not post for awhile. Keep up the great work. I am going to stich myself together...pun intended.

Hope it's nothing too serious.  Sending good wishes.

[Ponyfan]

I failed. I drank an extra sugary drink because I was really thirsty and I skipped my workout today.

Congrats MintySocks.


Ponyfan

[Artemesia's Garden]

I failed. I drank an extra sugary drink because I was really thirsty and I skipped my workout today.

Congrats MintySocks.


Ponyfan

So you had a blip but u could think of it as tapering a sugar addiction and having a doms day. You don't have to do the same level all the time

[Miniature Sheep]

Well I've been doing alright with maintaining my goals, keeping notes in a diary is definitely a big help. My mind has been wandering a lot during meditation sessions though, so I'm going to try doing a session in the morning as well as in the evening, and hopefully it'll help to clear my mind a bit better. I've been a bit spacey and unfocussed overall lately, not really sure what's causing it. :/

My understanding is that the mind wandering and how you pull it back is the meditation.  So don't worry that it wanders, just be kinder to yourself as you pull it back and then you will be more present and pull it back more frequently.  Kind of like a really simple computer game.  This is what I learned at the Buddhist centre.  However I am no good at meditaitng on my own which is why I go to the Buddhist Centre, but my concentration really is shot. In Eastern traditions they would say that the spacey feeling might be because your upper chakras are over energised. Have you tried doing yoga before your meditation practice to ground yourself in the body or doing a 7 point body scan using a chakra visualisation? I just read that back, I bet it sounds really bizarre to anyone not familiar. Heh.

Thank you for the advice! I usually do a 10-minute body scan on the Calm app for my meditation sessions, the structure of it is definitely helpful for concentration, so even if I get off track then the next instructions help to bring me back (and the little stars at the end of every session are a great motivator as well!) I've been meaning to give yoga a go for years, it's just one of those things that kept getting lost in the shuffle; it's going on my to-do list for this week - time to make it happen!

[Ponyfan]

I failed. I drank an extra sugary drink because I was really thirsty and I skipped my workout today.

Congrats MintySocks.


Ponyfan

So you had a blip but u could think of it as tapering a sugar addiction and having a doms day. You don't have to do the same level all the time

Thanks Artmesia Floc. I was doing pretty good with not getting extra Cokes until yesterday but today is a new day. I bought Coke Zero I'll give it another chance and see if it tastes better than I remember.

[kakenterprise]

 Loona-thanks it's definitely different.  I know I wouldn't be pushing myself as hard, if I didn't have someone telling me to use the heavy weights or to do more reps. Normally I'd be like no this hurts I'm done, lol.

MintySocks- Congratulations that's a big accomplishment and a great step forward.

 Ponyfan- it happens to us all.  Pops super addictive, I know I crave Mountain Dew all the time.  I don't keep it in the house to avoid it and I'm to cheap to buy it from a vending machine.

I worked with my trainer on Friday.  The new work out surprise was no break.  I went from work out A strait to workout B...  Thankfully it was arms/abs day even though I was super tired I managed.  Can't wait for tomorrow...

[Ponyfan]

I drank a Coke Zero yesterday instead of regular Coke. It didn't taste as bad as I remembered but earlier today I wasn't feeling well. It probably didn't have anything to do with the Coke Zero though

Congrats kakenenterprise on completing your workout, I'm hoping I can still get my workout in today and still be on track for the 5 days a week workout.

Edit: I got my workout in.  

Ponyfan

[Artemesia's Garden]

I worked Saturday morning then had a very packed weekend of social stuff, kept the eating moderate yesterday but had pastries and a big dinner with wine today. Was a lot of fun.That is all. Ha ha no I need to get back on track tomorrow! I have 5 minute sun beds in winter so will do that tomorrow. I will need to cycle a lot anyway tomorrow to get around. I'm aiming to do my structured core and leg exercises and a run too! Will check in how I got on.

Ponyfan hope you're feeling better? I've heard the artificial sweeteners in coke zero might make u ill? What about the fruit tea with stevia idea instead?

[Ponyfan]

I am feeling a lot better now. The only things I did differently yesterday was drinking a Coke Zero instead of a regular Coke and I also drank one packet of Emergen_C because the flu is going around. I don't usually drink diet drinks though. Maybe Coke Zero isn't the best substitute drink for me.  Where do you get the fruit tea? Is it the kind you brew or is it pre made?

Ponyfan