Three Little Words

I admit I didn't see it coming. I was not ready. I had no idea that three words could have this effect on me. I have been afraid of commitment ever since...well that is another story. Now here I am. You turned my head  around with those three little words. I never had a chance.  I wanted it so desperately. You knew that. You played with my weakness, my fear, and my heart. Even with my integrity. I really didn't want to do it; not now anyway, maybe later when I got things together. When I was ready. All because of those three little words: Do It Anyway! Now I just can't get those words out of my head. They are there when I wake up, and I just can not ignore them.

Those three little words are in a book that I found on my book shelf when I was decluttering about a week ago. I am always talking about decluttering. It might seem that I have a house full of stuff piled up ceiling-high with a path through the clutter from room to room. Not at all. It's just that my lifestyle has changed. I no longer work and have no use for the clothes, shoes, accessories, and other accoutrements of a working woman. I always wait until I feel ruthless about getting rid of things I no longer use; then I take care of just one thing, a closet, a chest, or even just a drawer. When I start to get iffy about tossing something, I know I am weakening so I stop. That is exactly what happened when I was clearing a bookshelf the other day. I found a book by Linda Spangle, RN, MA, called 100 Days of Weight Loss. I literally had this book hovering over the paper recycling can when I started looking through it. It ended my decluttering for the day. I have no idea how long I have had this book, but I am glad I have it. I really like it. So far it has been easy to get through each day. Spangle calls them Daily Mini Lessons. There is even a web site where a journal and other forms can be downloaded free. I do not like writing down what I eat every day, but these mini lessons so far have not asked me to do that, and they are thought-provoking and quick. I know at least one works because on Day 3, the mini lesson on exercising seduced me into exercising. I was putting it off as long as I could. I wanted to conquer other things first: drinking water, menu planning, even portion control. Anything but exercise.


Now I am committed to exercise because of this book and my integrity. How could I ignore those words and write this blog honestly? I certainly would not want to be like that lady who used a picture of an attractive Russian mail order bride as her after picture when clearly her before picture looked better than her real after photo. As it turns out, she may wind up on a very restricted diet after all.

So what kind of exercise am I doing? Pilates? aerobics? resistance training? No, no, and no. I am doing a workout called Vertical Abs. It lasts 10 minutes. What can I accomplish in 10 minutes? Well more than I could if I was sitting on my astilbe. A person like me who really hates to exercise would be the one to find a 10 minute workout. I know that I need to do more to see more results faster. But just because I was seduced doesn't mean I have to go all the way the first time. I can build up to 15, then 20 and maybe even 25 minutes per workout. For now I am committed to 10 minutes with Joyce Vedral. Why Joyce and not Gilad, the Isreali Stud Muffin or some hot young babe? Well Joyce is 65 years old. While she may be in perfect shape, she is realistic. She decribes her family's body type as boxes with wheels. When I read her biography, I saw that she has a background similar to mine: single parent working two jobs, one at the former NYC Board of Education (now known as the Dept. of Education). She tried and failed many times including coming in last in a beauty contest. I have never entered a beauty contest, but I like Joyce's spunk. I look at her and think that I could really do something. That is why I am working out with her. She is realistic and for me, very motivating.

One last thing. I am now a daily water drinker. I drink between 5 and 8 glasses a day, most of the time it's 6 or 7 glasses. My glass turned out to be inaccurate. It holds 6 1/2 ounces and not 8. But I am satisfied. I will add to it until I reach 64 oz a day. I have only faltered a few times, and when I did, I seemed to crave water later in the day. My next counter will be for my 100 Day program.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear what works for you. And if you have a few tips, I'd like to post them, with your permission of course.
Marie