Body + Soul Challenge, Last Day

by | Feb 8, 2009 | exercise | 0 comments

Ok, so now is the time for me to confess that I kind of blew off the last two weeks of the Body + Soul Challenge. It’s not that I don’t need mindfulness and stress relief and energizing, it’s just more that the more important part of it for me is losing baby weight and getting back in shape. I do want to revisit the activities of the last two weeks at some point, but at this point I’m grateful for getting back on my feet and starting to exercise again.

One great thing about starting an exercise routine in January in Maine is that if you can actually stick with it, then working out when it gets warmer is going to be a breeze. Also, there is the notion that, in May, when I peel off all these coats and sweaters, there’s going to be a buffer me underneath there. Although I was just saying to Dave yesterday that every time I work out, I kind of expect to be All Done at the end of it, and then I’m stretching or doing crunches and I see that the flab is still there and each time I’m surprised. I mean, I just worked out! Shouldn’t I be visibly thinner?

I did lose 7 pounds in these five weeks. Hurray!

Eating: I actually liked a few of the parts of the initial detox week (randomly). I’ve started to eat oatmeal with cinnamon and almonds for breakfast (I’ve always been a Cream of Wheat girl, but the instant oatmeal Henry likes is actually delicious, and to quote Henry when we give him new foods, “It turns out I love this!”). And I also have been making a big pot of brown rice and then just having it in the fridge. Then I microwave the brown rice and some spinach and some black beans and garlic powder. Which sounds like the World’s Most Boring Lunch, but somehow is really good.

And my big recent revelation is that I eat a lot of the time to procrastinate. I could get a lot done in the time it takes me to stop, decide to have some chocolate, sneak away, and eat it. And a whole lot more done in the time it takes me to make and eat cookies. And it seems like whenever I’ve got something to accomplish, I detour toward the chocolate drawer instead. Believe me, I’m still eating that stuff, but I’m a lot more aware of it.

I’ve been doing a kickboxing DVD, which is both ridiculous and also kind of fun. And also somewhat hazardous with children running about. Plus I feel a little hypocritical since I’m always all anti-gun and anti-violence, and now I’m punching in the air while the instructor lady says, “Imagine you’re hitting your opponent in the chin.” But this is the only one that has really made me sweat so far.

Ok! On to the Self Challenge tomorrow!

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