Oh don’t worry, you can still pick up your old emotion tomorrow, if you want to. But just for today, set it aside. You don’t have to be mean to it, or angry with the feeling. Honor and respect it. But send it on vacation. Just for 24 hours.

How are you supposed to do this? Speak to your emotion. Use whatever tone you want. “Hey, Anger, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to give you a rest for a day. You’ve been working really hard for me, and you’re certainly tenacious about sticking around, and I think you deserve a vacation. So pack a little overnight bag for yourself, and go off to your favorite tropical island for a little rest and relaxation. I’ll collect you tomorrow, though if you decide you want to stay on your island, I will certainly be okay without you for a little while. Oh don’t worry about me; I’ll get along okay without you for a bit. Off you go then. Jolly good.”

Then I want you to imagine your emotion packing a bag and hightailing it to the airport. See your emotion getting on an airplane wearing a loud tropical shirt. Then imagine it flying to an island, getting off, and sitting on a beautiful beach with a book, an umbrella, and a tropical drink. And let it be.

Now come back to yourself. You will not feel that emotion today. You can feel it tomorrow, but you can’t feel it today because it’s off on a tropical island. Today, instead, you’re going to replace that lower vibrational emotion with something you like better. Think of it like shopping for a new emotion at the store. Try it on for size. Take it home with you for 24 hours, and wear it like your new favorite shirt.

You can do this. You probably owe it to yourself in fact. Any time you feel the old emotion welling up inside you, remind yourself that it’s on vacation so you must be feeling something else.

When tomorrow comes, ask yourself if that old emotion is ready to leave its beach or if it still wants to stay on vacation. Give it permission to stay there if it wants to. If you really want to take it back, you can. But recognize that sometimes you two need time apart. So send it on vacation sometimes. Don’t worry, it can take it, and you need a rest sometimes.

And if you have more than one emotion you’d like to send on vacation, send them all on the same flight (may as well get the group rate!). If they need you, they’ll send a postcard.

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Remember To Give Thanks
2. How do you know if a spirit is at rest?
3. Ask Erin: How do I give sincere compliments?
4. Choosing Our Emotions
5. Why I Deplore the Death Penalty
6. 100 Stones in the Worry Bag
7. Can you give psychic readings to your family and friends without bias?

Find a good spot
You will increase the effectiveness of your meditation if you meditate in the same location every time. It will condition your mind to immediately go to a meditative state or to move there faster. Some people like to meditate in bed, but the danger with that is that if you’re going to bed for other reasons, you may end up in a meditative state without really meaning to. So before you decided that the bed is the best place to meditate be sure that’s really in your best interest. If you want to lie down, you can try a couch or a mat on the floor.

A lot of practiced meditators like to set up a spot in a corner or some other dedicated room location. Sometimes they use pillows or a mat or a chair that can recline. You can set up your meditation location with extra goodies like candles, incense, or a CD player so you can listen to meditative music. Make your meditation location comfortable and relaxing. Then, every time you go there, your mind will automatically start going into a meditative state. If you only use that location for meditation, all the better. You can also try meditating outside or in nature. Let the ambient sounds of nature lull you into a relaxing meditative state.

Pick a good time
It’s often a good idea to meditate at the same time every day. Setting a specific time each day to meditate will help you solidify the habit. In my audio program, Raising Your Vibration, I include a morning meditation designed to get you into a loving state for the entire day, and then an evening meditation designed to put you in a state of gratitude in the evening. By forming a habit of meditating at the same time each day you can help trigger a nice deep meditative state much like the trigger you get from meditating in the same location every time.

Make sure you pick a time of day where you will not be interrupted (especially if you have young children roaming the house) I like to do a personal meditation right before I go to sleep because I find it enhances the messages I get from my dreams. Some people like to meditate when they first wake up in the morning because they want to start their day with guidance or centeredness, plus you’re less likely to fall asleep while meditating if you’ve just woken up from a restful night’s sleep. Some people like to meditate midday as a nice pick me up, a quick mind-rest, or as a way to get insights into problems at work. Whatever time works best for you, try sticking with it for a month and you’ll be a more effective meditator.

Try a new technique
There are many meditation techniques out there. Some concentrate on breathing, some on visualization, some on getting perfectly still and quiet in your mind, and some on connecting and communicating with your spirit guides. Don’t be afraid to change up your technique every once in a while. You never know when you’ll find something that works even better than what you’ve been doing. Here are some things to try:

Stare at a candle: Light a candle, keep your eyes open, stare at the flame, and do your meditation with your eyes open.

Listen to music: Put on some relaxing new age or meditation music, or something with Holosync technology or binaural beats. See how that affects your meditative state.

Listen to a fountain: Some people find it very peaceful and calming to listen to the sound of water running.

Concentrate on your breathing: Make one of your meditation sessions simply about being aware of your breathing. Take deep breaths in through your nose and hold it for a few counts, then release your breath slowly through your mouth. Do this for 20 minutes. It will help clean your lymph system which will lead to greater health.

Automatic writing: Sit at your computer or grab a journal or some paper. Get yourself into a meditative state and start asking the universe, your guides, or your subconscious mind some questions. Write down the answers you get. You may see images, hear an inner voice, or feel a specific feeling. Write it all down.

What else would you like to try to enhance your meditation experience?

Set a specific goal
What is your goal for meditating? Do you want peace? Inner calm? Answers? Advice? Insight? Better health? A more focused mind? Mental clarity? A raising of your vibration? Before you meditate, think about what it is you want to accomplish, and select the meditation technique that will best accomplish that.

I like to use meditation to talk to my higher self and my spirit guides. Sometimes I use it to just calm down if I’m feeling emotionally charged. And during my intuitive counseling sessions, I meditate to connect with my clients’ spirit guides so I can answer important life questions. Meditation grounds me and also helps me achieve inner peace. It’s really a powerful tool!

Try a new position
During meditation you can sit, lie down, or even stand. If you are used to meditating in a certain position and you love it, that’s great. But periodically try a new position and see if you get different results. If you tend to fall asleep during meditation, try meditating while sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. If your goal in meditating is to fall asleep, such as if you have insomnia, then definitely do it lying down.

One time I decided to see if I could meditate while exercising! I was walking on a treadmill, and I kept my hands firmly grasped on the rails so I wouldn’t tip over. I closed my eyes and did some meditative breathing, then imagined I was an Amazon running powerfully on a beach. What an amazing experience it was! I felt more powerful, I stayed on the treadmill much longer than I normally would have, and didn’t feel as tired when I got off the treadmill. I started doing that every time I exercised with great results. I also lost track of time, which is one of the reasons I think I stayed on the machine longer than I originally intended. If you try this, be safe!

Never meditate while driving or operating heavy machinery!

Make meditation a part of your daily life and see what results you get. If you’re brand new to meditation, try it for 30 days and check your results. I think you’re going to like it!

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. How to Quiet Distracting Thoughts During Meditation
2. How often and in what way should I meditate?
3. How should we use meditation to help us connect with spirit guides?
4. Guided Meditation as a Tool for Speaking with Spirit Guides
5. Meditation Mind Teleseminar Now Available
6. 5 Good Ways to Ground Yourself
7. How should we talk to our spirit guides?

You can’t succeed if you don’t try
Are you afraid to try a new trail? Does it seem impossible to hike? Does it completely overwhelm you to think about? I didn’t think I could tolerate a hike. I just didn’t think I was physically capable. But I decided to try without expectations. Once I got on the trail I realized the hike was going to be even more strenuous than I first thought, but I was there, committed, and eager to try it. So I told myself to just go as far as I could and that would be enough. The more I walked the easier it became. My only goal was to hike as long as I could. I couldn’t fail at this. I could only fail if I didn’t try. I wonder how many other things I’m capable of doing but haven’t tried yet. Don’t let fear of failure prevent you from going after something you want. Just start going, see how far you get, improve your abilities, and keep going.

Encouragement from others can keep you going
We’re all in this together. You might have to carry your body up the trail alone, but there are plenty of people on the path who are traveling with you. Encourage each other. Cheer each other on. Share resources, help each other. It doesn’t matter if others pass you on the trail. You could just as easily pass them later. It’s not about who gets to the top first. Enjoy the camaraderie of the hike. Share the beauty of life. You are not alone.

It’s about the journey, not the destination
If all you care about is reaching the summit you’re missing the point of life and the beauty of the hike. Life is to be enjoyed, every step of the way. There may be an amazing view at the summit, but there is just as much beauty along the trail. Enjoy the fresh air while you climb. Enjoy the smell of the pine as you traverse the trail. Listen to the twittering of wildlife along the trail. Feel the warm sun on your skin and the cool breeze on your body. Be present while you climb and take note of the beauty all around you. What would happen if you didn’t make it to the summit and you didn’t bother to enjoy the journey? Then your life will be filled with disappointment and it will feel empty. Enjoy the journey because it is filled with its own peaks.

It’s okay to stop and catch your breath
Sometimes it seems like you can’t go on. You can see the path, it’s wide open. But you’re tired, and you just can’t continue. It’s okay to rest. Take a breather. Slow down. Take stock. Ask for help even. The hike I just went on was at high altitude and I had a hard time catching my breath, especially going uphill the entire time. I literally stopped to catch my breath every couple of minutes. At first I was really disappointed with myself, but then I realized that if that was the only way to make it to the top, then I could easily accept that pace. The alternative was to push myself so hard that I passed out and couldn’t continue at all. Don’t let others push you beyond your limits either. Go at your own pace, but keep going.

Soreness happens
Also known as growing pains. When you step out of your comfort zone, when you push yourself, sometimes life slaps you down a little. Think of these as battle wounds; wounds you would never have received if you weren’t in the game at all. Soreness after a hike is an indication of growth, an indication that you’ve pushed yourself to the limit and beyond. And how does the body respond? By knitting you back together stronger, because you’ve told the body where you’re going and what you’ll need to get there and the body responds by making you stronger and more capable of withstanding the rigors you’ll face. So embrace the soreness, the wounds, the injuries, and know that next time you make an attempt you will be much stronger.

***

I can’t wait to hike again. I want to experience all kinds of different hikes. I like the feeling of pushing my body and being out in nature. Had I been in a gym on a stair climber I think I would have stopped at 5 minutes. On this hike, I climbed for 75 minutes. So, I will hike again, but it really doesn’t matter to me if I ever reach a summit. To me the summit is my willingness to hike the trail in the first place.

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. What I learned from Gordon Smith
2. Isn’t there a less painful way to learn spiritual lessons?
3. When Life Appears to Be Against You
4. Understanding Your Life Purpose
5. Can You Use Law of Attraction to Attract a Specific Person Into Your Life?
6. Some Good Weekend Reading
7. Making a Living vs. Making a Life

Being grounded means you are present in your life, not obsessed with the past or future.  It means your energy is planted firmly in your body instead of drifting off into airy-fairy land.  Being grounded means you have stability, security, and control over your life.  It means being ready to handle life’s challenges instead of burying your head in the sand and pretending they aren’t there.  It means you are checked in instead of checked out. 

Being grounded is important so you can face your life instead of running from it.  And ironically, being properly grounded can help you reach higher spiritual frequencies.  Think of it like tethering your energy here while the rest of you explores another frontier; it’s easy to find your way back if you are grounded.

So what do you do if you’re ungrounded?  Here are five ways to ground yourself.  You can do them all or pick the ones that resonate with you.

Exercise
Moving your physical body reminds you that you have one.  Instead of zoning out in front of the tv while a show transports your mind to a fantasy land, get up off the couch and get moving!  Try dancing, aerobics, hip hop abs, weight lifting, or jogging through your neighborhood.  Jump up and down a little, that will get things settled.

Walk on the Earth
Take off your shoes and walk on the Earth.  Not the concrete.  Find some actual Earth.  Run through the grass, take a stroll along the sandy beach.  I don’t recommend rock climbing without shoes though.   The Earth carries an energy that nourishes your energetic body.  But when you wear shoes and walk on concrete you don’t get to absorb that energy.  So get back to nature and let Mother Earth ground and restore your energy. 

Meditation
Sit quietly and imagine roots going from your feet deep into the core of the Earth.  Plant yourself.  The first time I tried this I wasn’t expecting much, but I was amazed at how this actually felt.  Imagine your feet have grown roots, and like a beanstalk imagine the roots snaking their way down into the Earth.  Go all the way to the core.  This will completely ground you energetically.

Sit in hot water
A hot bath or a dip in the Jacuzzi isn’t just relaxing, it’s cleansing.  Take a hot bath with some Epsom salts mixed into the water.  Water is purifying.  Sitting in a warm tub of water will slough off any negative energy that’s sticking to you.  The shower is okay if you don’t have a tub, but while you’re in the shower, you want to imagine all the gunky energy peeling off your body and going down the drain.  Sometimes other people’s energies can stick to us.  You may come home from work with other people’s problems attached to you.  Water will clear that right up.

Sit in Stillness
Be in the present moment.  Sit in a chair or better yet, sit outside on the grass under a tree.  Get quiet.  Just look, just listen, just feel the air gliding around your body.  Notice what you smell.  Notice what you hear.  Just absorb the present moment.  Disallow your mind from wandering to the future or the past.  Just be in the now.  Notice that you are alright, that nothing bad is happening to you, and that you are totally at One with the world around you.

There are many ways to ground yourself.  What is your favorite method?

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for March 30, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for March 2, 2009
3. See a Penny, Pick It Up
4. How do you recover after an emotional setback?
5. How do people look in the spirit realm?
6. 5 Steps to Greater Empathy and Oneness
7. Health Goal Update for February 2, 2009

Steve told me that people with acidic blood have a harder time losing weight than people with alkaline blood.  So with our handy dandy ph strips, I tested my urine and I was at 6.8.  He said the goal is 7.2 and higher.  We were both expecting my urine to be far more acidic than it tested.  But I’m going to add a lot of alkalizing food to my diet to see if that can kick start me and my metabolism.  I’m having some hormonal imbalances as I haven’t gotten my period in over three months after being quite regular, so I’m not sure what’s up with that, and I’m not sure if whatever is causing that is having an effect on my weight loss efforts (no I’m not pregnant; I’ve tested 6 times in the last 2 months).

I tested my body fat with our handy dandy body fat tester and saw it was down .5%, but the next day it was back up .5% so I clearly cannot rely on that!  People ask if my clothes are fitting differently, and I’ve definitely gone down a dress size, but that happened late last year.  I haven’t seen much improvement there for the last 4-5 months.

Counting calories and counting points is hard some days when I eat out, because I have no earthly idea how many points are in a salad at a restaurant.  Could be 5, 12, or 18 for all I know.  So some days I’m knocked completely off course with my points and I just do the best I can.  It’s not feasible for me to eat at home every meal for the rest of the year.  At home I’m happy to weigh and measure all my food, but one meal out and I’m off kilter for the day.

All I can do is keep going, keep learning and keep adjusting my course.  I envy those of you to whom this comes very easily.  I’ve had to remind myself that I can’t be an expert at everything.   You always hear about people who say, “Yeah I lost 30 pounds, but then I gained it all back.”  Ha, I haven’t even lost the 30 yet!  I’d be happy to experience that amount of weight loss and then worry about not gaining it back!

People also ask me what my guides are saying.  I tuned in the other day and got myself a metaphor.  Those of you who have had readings with me will appreciate that I get metaphors too.  In this metaphor they showed me an image of pushing at a door that says, “Pull” on it, and wondering why it won’t open.  Yeah, don’t I feel stupid?  They also showed me an image of a fly trying to get out of a closed window.  You can post in my forum if you have a sense of what those metaphors mean.  I’m all ears.

Please don’t send me an email suggesting any diet or exercise related tips.  Honestly, I’ve heard it all now.  Atkins, paleo, blood type, yoga, meditation, prayer, raw, whole unprocessed, fasting, supplements, liposuction, diet pills, therapy, hypnosis, NLP.  Someone even suggested I go vegan (where have THEY been?).  I appreciate the help and concern, but a man with one watch knows what time it is and a man with 30 is never sure.  I’m going to keep exercising, eat more spinach, cucumbers, and celery, and pull at the door instead of pushing against it.  Sigh.

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for April 27, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for May 25, 2009
4. Health Goal Update for May 11, 2009
5. Health Goal Update for April 13, 2009
6. Health Goal Update for February 9, 2009
7. Health Goal Update for April 6, 2009

The first week after my last update I made some mistakes.  First it was the Mother’s Day dinner at our favorite vegan Thai restaurant.  I haven’t eaten there since my birthday last July, so it was high time.  But I definitely blew my points there.  Later in the week there was a buffet breakfast, a yummy but high fat raw meal with Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes, and then a raw potluck.  You should have seen me at the potluck, though.  I think I was the only person who had white space on her plate.  35 people came, and so did about 25 dishes!  I took 2 nori rolls that we brought, some corn salad, fruit salad, and thai slaw.  And I had a piece of raw chocolate pie.  If I wasn’t watching what I was doing, I could have easily eaten 3 times that amount, but I really reigned myself in.  At the end of that first week I weighed 197.2!  A week later I was at 195.6, so I know I had a really good second week.

I’m very comfortable with the Weight Watcher point plan now.  I’ve found a lot of things to eat that are low in points but provide high satiety.  Here’s an example of a typical day for me.

Breakfast:
3 slices of veggie bacon = 1.5 points
Apple (or other piece of fruit) = 1.5 point

Mid Morning Snack:
Carrot = 0 points

Lunch:
Amy’s Tamale Verde meal (black bean tamale and Spanish rice) = 6.5 points
2 low- fat, low-calorie vegan chocolate chip cookie = 1 points

4pm Snack:
4 vegan chicken nuggets with bbq sauce = 4 points
Cherries  = 1 point

Dinner:
Vegan BBQ Beef sandwich = 5 points
Corn Creole = 1.5 points

Dessert:
Fat free berry sorbet = 2 points

Total for the day: 24 points

I’ve found a wide variety of foods that work well for me.  Vegan hot dogs are only 1 point each.  The vegan bacon is only a half a point for one slice.  Fruit works well for snacks. And I found these fantastic vegan cookies from a local café that contain fruit puree instead of fat and sugar and they are amazing and extremely low in points.  I’m trying to incorporate more vegetables into the diet, and I’ve been doing more cooking, but I have quite a bit of room for improvement there.

I’m finally over my cough so I started going back to the gym.  I’ve been doing the elliptical machine for 30 minutes.  I have to start the weight training again.  For some reason I don’t want to, even though I remember how much I was enjoying it.  Maybe I feel like I’d have to start all over again after losing 4 weeks to illness.

On Weight Watchers you can get some extra food points for exercising, but I don’t take them because sometimes during the day I grab a few crackers or chips on my way back to my office, so I figure I’m using up my activity points with BLT’s (bite, lick, tastes) of random foods.

So, overall I’m happy, and I’m just going to keep right on going.  I’ll update again in 2 weeks.

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for April 27, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for May 11, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009
4. Health Goal Update for March 23, 2009
5. Health Goal Update for April 6, 2009
6. Health Goal Update for February 9, 2009
7. Health Goal Update for February 23, 2009

Oddly and without conscious intent, I haven’t had any fast food French fries for nearly 6 weeks, which as I reported before was quite an addiction for me.  That alone should have lost me some weight considering how often I was eating them. 

I am doing well at keeping track of my points, I hardly ever use any flex points, but I like that they are there just in case.   This week I’m going to concentrate on eating more fresh, raw fruits and vegetables and see what that does for me.

When I realize just how much food I was eating before doing the Weight Watcher program I am not at all shocked as to why I’m pushing 200 on the scale.  All the unconscious eating I was doing really added up.  Snacking and making unhealthy choices really shows up when you remove them from your program.

I’m quite well adjusted to the amount of food I’m eating.  If I’m ever hungry between meals I usually eat a carrot or some sliced cucumber, or sometimes a piece of fruit.  I feel I have enough points and I’m not feeling deprived in any way.  So all in all I’m enjoying the plan and will continue with it.  My official weight Sunday morning was 196.2.  Again.  Sigh.

I’ll update again in 2 weeks.

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for April 27, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for March 23, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009
4. Health Goal Update for March 2, 2009
5. Health Goal Update for April 13, 2009
6. Health Goal Update for April 6, 2009
7. Health Goal Update for March 9, 2009

Last Tuesday I decided to do a Weight Watcher’s style of calorie counting where I basically use their Points system to monitor my food intake.  The first time I did the Weight Watchers program I lost 20 pounds steadily and fairly easily, but I had to stop the program when I found out I was pregnant with Kyle.  I tried going back after he was born but they give 10 extra points to breastfeeding mamas, and I found I wasn’t losing any weight with those extra points.

So, using some information I found online and correlating it with my gender, current weight, and activity levels, I calculated my daily points to be 24.  Weight Watchers uses a formula to derive a food’s point value.  Steve programmed the formula into his calculator and now I can get a very accurate measure of the point value of foods.  Roughly every 50 calories is a point, 12 grams of fat adds a point, and 4 grams of fiber subtracts .8 points, so you want to find foods that are low in fat and high in fiber, and of course low in calories.  I spent a couple of hours making a spreadsheet of foods and their point values.  I weigh and measure my food, use Calorieking.com to find the calories, fat, and fiber, and mark it in my food journal.  It’s vital, in my opinion, to use a food journal so you can see what you’re really up to.  Any time of day someone could ask me how many points I’m at and I’ll know.  That awareness is vital in my opinion.

You’ll note that 24 points equals roughly 1200 calories, which is a little on the low side.  That’s because you also get 35 flex points to use during the week if you want to, and you should still lose weight even if you use them.  If I used all 35 flex points in a week that would make my daily average 1450 calories, which will still result in weight loss for me.   I can use 7 flex points per day or I can bank them and use them all at once, like if I know I’m going to a luncheon or out with friends, or I just have to have something.

I started last Tuesday and weighed 199.2 pounds.  This morning (Sunday) I weighed 196.2 pounds, for a loss of 3 pounds this week.  I intend to use Sundays as my weigh-in day so I can write my blog entries on Sunday and have them post early Monday mornings.  This is thrilling for me because I feel I’ve found something that will work for me.  What I love most is that technically I can have any food I want, I just have to account for it.  Knowing this, I am careful to consume less points at a meal if I know that later I’ll want to eat something that’s higher in points.  Some days I plan out what I’m going to eat in advance, so I don’t just grab something that looks good and end up going over my points. 

I try to keep my breakfasts on the small side because I’m not terribly hungry in the morning, and I prefer to do readings on a nearly empty stomach.

By the end of lunch I like to have eaten 10-12 points, leaving half or more of my points for the second half of the day.  At 4pm I eat a snack that’s usually 2-4 points, so for dinner I like to get about 8-10 points.

I haven’t had any problems with hunger, though by 4pm I do find that I need that 4 point snack.  All in all, the points are working out well.  I’ve only used 6 of my flex points this week.

Another great aspect to the Weight Watcher plan is that you do get activity points.  So when I make it to the gym (I’ve had a cough and cold this entire past week so I didn’t go to the gym) if you burn off 300 calories you get a few extra points during the day to eat, if you want to, otherwise you just lose the weight faster.

You can also eat a ton of veggies that don’t cost any points.  On some days I was eating a carrot around 10am which gave my stomach something to digest while waiting for lunch around noon.  This week I plan to up my intake of raw veggies.

 I’m also learning that margarine and oil just aren’t worth it.  And salad dressing… forget about it!  The ranch dressing I used for my broccoli costs 3.5 points for 2 tablespoons!  I used only 1 tablespoon but gee whiz, it just ain’t worth it.  This week I also ate a piece of rye toast but put a teaspoon of jam on it instead of slathering it with margarine.

I know the Weight Watchers plan isn’t for everyone.  But it works for me and I like the results.  I’m happy eating what I’m eating, and I don’t feel deprived in any way.

I find that I’m still getting 6-8 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.  That’s important to me because of the vitamins and minerals in those foods.  I should be back at the gym sometime this week, so we’ll see what happens with the addition of exercise.  But so far, so good.  I’ll update again in 2 weeks.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and encouragement, and a special thanks to those who are dreaming of me being thin.  Keep it up.

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for April 13, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for April 6, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009
4. Health Goal Update for February 9, 2009
5. Health Goal Update for March 2, 2009
6. Health Goal Update for February 23, 2009
7. Health Goal Update for March 23, 2009

In the past, when I was on Weight Watchers, I was measuring, weighing and counting all day long.  It got to be so tiring that I would eat processed foods that came in a can or box because then I wouldn’t have to weigh and measure.  That led to weight loss but not great health.  Last year around this time I was also counting calories but eating a lot more fresh fruit and vegetables, and I was using www.calorieking.com to get the counts.  That resulted in me losing about 4-5 pounds per month.  All of this combined with my workouts should work for me.

Speaking of working out, I’ve found the sweet spot on my elliptical machine that keeps my heart rate in my target zone of 140-150bpm.  I’m still doing the weight lifting, though I stopped seeing gains on some machines while I have made gains on others.  So I decided to try some other machines that work the same areas where I’ve plateaued to see what happens.  I like these new machines better; they don’t hurt my knees and feet so much. 

In my last update I mentioned an addiction to fast food French fries.  Oddly, and without conscious intent, I haven’t had any fast food French fries in 12 days.  I think just openly admitting my love for the fries did something to me.  I can’t really explain it, but I haven’t had cravings or desires to eat fries for the past 12 days.  Maybe it’s because I’ve given myself permission to have them if I want them, and now suddenly it’s not as big a deal as it used to be.

I also went online a couple of days ago and looked up the calories and fat values for places like Wendy’s, Burger King, and Carl’s Jr.  Once I saw how many fat and calories I was really eating, I just didn’t want them anymore.  This is the principle of Truth at work.  Hiding from these facts did nothing for me.  Maybe my weight loss this week can be attributed to the deletion of the fries from my diet.  Who knows?

I’ve decided to post my health updates every other week instead of every Monday.  This will give me a chance to post more blog entries that are not just about me and my health goal.  I don’t have as much time for blogging as I’d like to have, so I don’t want 50% of my updates to be about my health.  Thank you to everyone who is following my saga, and thanks to all of you who have written to tell me my saga is inspiring you.  That means a lot to me. 

All in all, this has been a great week for me.  Tune in on April 27 for the next update, and in the meantime, feel free to weigh in (pun intended) on what’s been going well for you and your health goals.

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for April 6, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for February 23, 2009
4. Health Goal Update for March 23, 2009
5. Health Goal Update for March 9, 2009
6. Health Goal Update for February 2, 2009
7. Health Goal Update for February 9, 2009

First let’s go over what’s working.  Exercise.  I had to ditch my P90X cardio workouts because they were hurting my feet and knees so badly that I would get sidelined for 3-4 days, unable to exercise, or even walk comfortably until the pain subsided.  Clearly, I am not in good enough shape to be doing this extra intensive workout.  So back to the gym I went, but this time when I got on my elliptical machine I cranked up the resistance to a point where I could achieve my target heart rate, which for me is 140-150bpm.  In the past, I was lucky to get to 120, so this was a big improvement.  Once I got to my target heart range, I wanted to keep it there for 30 minutes.  I have achieved this.  I am now able to exercise on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes in my target heart range.  I’m burning 300 calories per workout if the machine is accurate.  This is definite progress for me.

Weight-lifting.  I continue to lift weights and am making progress in this area as well.  It feels so good.  I had to take a break from the thigh and calf workout, though, because the pain in my knees was too intense.  But I’ll get back to that muscle group as soon as I can. 

So exercise is going well for me, and I am going to keep doing what I’m doing for a while.  It’s time for me to focus on diet.

Protein.  I’ve been eating foods really high in protein because I wanted to see what effect it would have on my energy, weight, and blood sugar.  I’m getting probably 70-90 grams of protein each day.  This is definitely more than I used to get by a long shot.  When I eat foods high in protein I am noticing two great effects.  First, I don’t get hungry for hours.  Second, my blood sugar remains stable.  In fact, all of my blood sugar readings have been in the excellent range.  100 in the morning, and less than 140 two hours after a meal, and often they are like 118 just one hour after a meal which is a miracle for me.  I just feel better when I eat higher protein.  So I want to continue with that practice.

The problem area in my diet has to be when I satisfy my craving for French fries.  They’re my kryptonite.  It might seem obvious that if one is trying to lose weight that one should just skip the French fries.  Try telling that to the pleasure center of my brain!  I am at the mercy of these deep-fried little buggers.  I’m not eating French fries every day, but I would say that 2-3 times a week I find myself driving through a fast food restaurant and eating them in the car while I drive to my next destination.  I think they’re hard-wired into my brain or something.  As a kid, I literally ate French fries 6 or 7 days per week.  Sometimes twice a day.  My mom used to tell me I couldn’t just order French fries when we went out to dinner, so I’d order some chicken, which came with fries, and just leave the chicken on my plate untouched.  My father used to call me a French-Fry-Fessor and told me one day I’d grow up to look like a French fry.  So I’m confessing here in public that even though I know fries are bad for me, I still eat them sometimes. 

I confessed my sin to Steve and we had a long talk about it.  He suggested I just make French fries at home.  Never thought of that, ever!  So I got out two potatoes, peeled em, sliced them into a fry shape, stuck em in a bag with a little bit of oil, and baked them on a cookie sheet.  I shared them with the kids.  They were awesome.  Better than the fast food restaurants, and they were not deep-fried and there was no trans fat.  I know that’s progress, and I feel better mentally about my French fry habit.  In fact, for the last 6 days I haven’t had any fast food French fries.  That has to be a record for me!

But it’s not only the French fries that are doing me in.  I must be eating too much of something because I’m gaining weight, not losing, and I feel that my exercise is good, so it’s gotta be my diet.  The only times in my life that I’ve had success with dieting were when I counted calories, or was on Weight Watchers, or was otherwise monitoring and recording what I ate.  So I’m going to go back to doing just that.  I think for starters, I’ll just monitor calories and fat and see what I can see.  I intend to shoot for 1200 calories per day, but I may go up to 1500.  Not sure yet.  I need to experiment. Expect a report on that next week. 

It was an odd week to be sure.  But I’m still going.  I will figure this out and get this fat off my body.

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for March 2, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for March 23, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009
4. Health Goal Update for February 9, 2009
5. Health Goal Update for March 9, 2009
6. Health Goal Update for February 23, 2009
7. Health Goal Update for February 2, 2009

Weight came down a little this week.  It was 196.0 for most of the week.  Went to a buffet breakfast yesterday and did a little better than I usually do, but it’s clear to me that buffets are a bad choice for me, so I have no plans to go back.  This morning’s weight was 196.4.

I took measurements on the 20th so I could see if I’m losing inches.  Today I checked them all again and they are exactly the same.  Sigh.  I know 10 days isn’t much time so I’m just going to keep checking at regular intervals.

My weights at the gym are increasing, which is awesome.  I can feel my strength now.  I had to carry a couple of 2.5 gallon water jugs into the house and it wasn’t a strain like it usually is.  Also, when I climbed the stairs I could actually feel a difference in my thighs ability to carry my weight.  It’s unreal!  I don’t remember ever feeling a difference in my strength before.  I’m taking the stairs more often instead of the escalator and I’m not winded when I get to the top.  So I know there is some massive improvement going on in that area.

I’m still doing the P90X cardio workouts.  I have to be careful not to hurt my joints though because all during this past week I had knee pain, foot pain, and shoulder pain.  That put a damper on how much I was able to exercise.  I’m all healed up now so I’m raring to get back into those work outs.  I’m noticing that my heart rate does go up to 140-150bpm but not for long.  The exercises in the program just bring me right back down again to 120-130 most of the workout.  I’m already going as hard as I possibly can so I’m not sure what to do.  I took my heart monitor to the gym and tried going on the stairmaster but that didn’t get my heart rate up much either.  I think I was doing it wrong because in the past the stairmaster has been an ass-kicker for me and I usually avoid making eye contact with it.   I might try finding a step aerobic workout that will sustain my target heart rate for longer than the P90X workouts do. I don’t think this is a deficiency with P90X, I think it’s just that I’m not at a high enough fitness level to do the workouts properly.

I keep dreaming that I’m thin.  I can’t tell you how happy this makes me, because I know what that means.  It means I’m a vibrational match for a slim body.  Other people have emailed me to tell me that they are now dreaming of me thin.  It’s awesome.  That’s my vibration going out into the ether and impacting other people’s awareness too.  It means that my slim and trim body has been ordered and is on its way! 

I’m eating more protein and less sugar.  I still eat fruit but not as much.  I’m having raw vegetables with lunch, and keeping the fat down as much as I can. 

Had a talk with Steve a few days ago that I believe will help me get moving in a good direction.  He suggested making one change at a time and gauging the result so I can get a more accurate view of what works for me and my body and what doesn’t.  He also suggested that my body issue is the manifestation of an authority and power deficiency.  In other words, to help me learn authority and power, I have an overweight body, and to begin to solve the problem by increasing my authority and power instead of just tackling the weight itself.  It’s sort of hard to explain and I can’t really do our conversation justice, but what I took from the conversation is to watch and listen to my body instead of trying to follow the advice of experts who don’t know my metabolism, issues, etc.  We’ll see what happens.

Has anyone else out there tried a bunch of different “expert” ways to lose weight and finally decided to figure out what works for you?  What did you discover and how did that work out for you?

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for March 23, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for March 9, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for March 2, 2009
4. Health Goal Update for February 23, 2009
5. Health Goal Update for February 2, 2009
6. Health Goal Update for February 9, 2009
7. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009

My current weight is 197.0.  This is up from my starting weight.  Everyone is telling me that muscle weighs more than fat.  But I still want to see the number on the scale going down instead of up. 

Let’s talk about exercise though.  That has been going fantastically well.  I’ve learned so much.  First, I am continuing to do the P90X workouts I mentioned in my last update.  The first time I did the Cardio X program I couldn’t finish it.  The second time I did it, I finished it.  The third time, I was able to keep with their pace much better.  So every time I’ve been doing better with that.  It’s wonderfully heartening to see myself making progress in this area. 

Besides the Cardio X program, I’ve also done the Kenpo program which was great as it reminded me of my Tae Kwon Do days.  And one day I did the Plyometrics program and that nearly put me in a wheelchair.  All that jumping and squatting.  I was extremely sore for 3-4 days afterward and had to do a lighter cardio workout in between.  But the Plyometrics video really got my heart rate going and I’d love to be able to do it again, I just have to watch out that I don’t overdo it.

I’m also going to the gym to do my weight lifting.  I’ve seen significant gains in this area.  I think I’ve been doing the weight lifting for 3-4 weeks now.   My ab crunches started at 10 pounds of resistance and are now at 20.  My calves started at 60 pounds and are now at 120-130.  Triceps started at 30 pounds and are now at 70.  Similar stories for my back, chest, biceps, shoulders, and thighs.  The other day I was sitting on the couch with Steve and he said, “Hey, did I just see your tricep bulging out of your arm?  No.  Can it be?  Wait, show me your tricep.”  Sure enough, there’s actually some definition there now.  But my body is still covered in fat.  When does the fat disappear and leave behind the muscles?

Basically my new workout is one day at the gym lifting weights and the next day at home doing one of the cardio workouts.  Next day weight lifting and the next cardio, and so on.  Aside from a lot of soreness and my knees hurting from jumping around on them too much, this has been going really well.  I’m so pleased.

We received our heart rate monitor in the mail and I got the chance to use it recently.  This device is awesome.  You strap the telemetry band around your chest and wear this watch which tells you what your heart rate is.  So I strapped that sucker on and noticed my resting heart rate just walking around the house was between 70-90.  Then I started my Cardio X workout.  During the warm up I was at 115-120.  During the jumping jacks portion of the warm up I was at 150!  Then back down again for yoga which put me in the 80’s.  It wasn’t until we got the Plyometrics portion of the video that my heart rate went back to 150.  Same with core synergistics.  That all happened during the middle of the workout, the peak cardio period probably.   For most of the workout I was in the 135-140 range.  I was hoping to be between 140 and 150 the entire time, but the Cardio program isn’t designed that way I guess.

The next day I took the heart monitor to the gym.  I wanted to test the elliptical machine I’d been slaving away on for a year.  They matched.  The number on the machine matched the heart rate I was getting with my device.  And that just proved to me that I was not getting into my target heart rate on the elliptical machine so I won’t be going on that again.  I’ll stick with the aerobic P90X programs.

I’m really happy with my exercise program right now and plan to continue.  There are some other programs in the P90x system that I haven’t tried yet.  I’ll try those this week.

Now let’s talk about diet.  I’m eating a lot more food than I was before.  Is this because of the weight workouts and more intense cardio workouts?  It’s driving me crazy.  Why bother working out so intensely if I’m just going to eat calories to replace the ones I’ve lost?  I’ve upped my protein a lot.  I used to eat fruit in the morning but now I’m eating veggie bacon which is really low in calories and fat and high in protein.  For lunch I eat a protein item like a vegan riblet or vegan chicken along with some vegetables.  But then there are the carbs.  The crackers, chips, and sweet potatoes.  They’re a problem for me.  The other day Steve had some cut up carrots with guacamole that he couldn’t finish and I found myself eating the raw carrots and liking it.  With no guac either.  I think I’m going to cut up some more of those fine carrots and snack on those instead of graham crackers and veggie booty.  Eating out in Los Angeles didn’t help me this week.  There were a lot of things I ate that I normally wouldn’t eat here.  So we’ll see how things go this week and if I can get some of the trip weight off of me.

Fat percentage is holding steady at 35%.

I’m not discouraged at all.  I’m so enjoying the cardio and weight lifting and seeing what my body can do.  I haven’t jumped around like this in ages!  Feels good.  My feet are killing me though, and my knees aren’t too happy, and I know I have to be careful not to injure myself.

My clothes are still fitting way better.  And the other day I climbed the stairs at the gym instead of taking the elevator because the stairs always leave me winded.  But with my heart monitor on I wanted to see what my heart rate was going up one long flight of stairs.  To my shock and delight, when I got to the top of the stairs I wasn’t huffing and puffing.  First.  Time. Ever!   My heart rate was 135 just going up one flight of stairs, but I wasn’t winded.  I think there’s hope for this old girl yet!

How did your week go?  What did you discover about yourself?

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for March 9, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for March 2, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for February 23, 2009
4. Health Goal Update for February 2, 2009
5. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009
6. Health Goal Update for February 9, 2009
7. Health and Wellness: My Primary Personal Goal This Year

First, I discovered inconsistencies with the elliptical machines at the gym.  At resistance level 10 and ramp level 10, I was getting my heart rate up to 140 easily.  The next day, same resistance and ramp level only got me to 114 beats per minute.  No way I could have possibly adapted in one day.  Sure enough, on the third day, third machine, back to 135 bpm.  I wasn’t going easier or harder; the machines just weren’t consistent.  I was annoyed, but it was good information to have.  Steve purchased us an Omron heart monitor, which hasn’t arrived from Amazon yet, but when it does I think it will be more accurate.  So that will help.

Secondly, my weight workout at the gym has been going great.  I’m already increasing the weights.  I’m really putting a lot of effort into lifting the weights, because I know in the past I didn’t push myself much while weight lifting, and I’m done wasting time at the gym.  If I’m going to go to the gym, I’m going to put in 110% effort.  It’s been great and I’m very happy with my progress here.  As an example, my thigh workoutu started at 80 pounds and is now up to 120 pounds.  Calves started at 60 and are now at 100.

Third, Steve got an Omron body fat measuring device.  Our scale has a built-in body fat measure but here again there are inconsistencies.  On one machine I’ve got 36% body fat and on the other it’s 32%.  I’m going to stick with one and just see if it’s going up or down.  You know the saying, “A man with one watch knows what time it is.  A man with two is never sure.”  Same concept applies here.  I suppose the numbers don’t matter as much as the direction they’re headed.  I like the new Omron so I think I’ll stick with that.  According to that device I started the week at 36% body fat and now it says 35.0%.  I’m going to count that as progress, but honestly I want to see if it’s consistent and if it’s going down before I’ll trust it fully.

One evening I decided I wanted to do a second workout.  I’d already done cardio and weights in the morning but I had some time and some energy so I decided the best thing I could do for myself was to go back to the gym for another round.  My dietician also told me that doing another exercise set in the afternoon will help considerably with my weight loss because it spurs the metabolism on again.  But Steve suggested that instead of driving all the way to the gym that I just do the cardio workout on the P90X.  He told me not to expect to be able to do the entire 40 minute workout, but to just do my best.  Since it was more convenient than going back to the gym, I decided to give it a shot.

Much hilarity ensued.  I wish I had gotten it on film.  No wait, I’m glad I didn’t!  In the first two minutes, aka “the warm up,” my heart was ready to burst out of my chest.  No joke.  I figured I had about 4 minutes to live so I wanted to go down swinging.  I kept going.  My kids thought it looked like fun, so they jumped in to do the workout with me.  It was so adorable watching them do yoga and calisthenics.  This workout had everything.  When we got to the yoga I surprised myself by being able to do a pretty good downward dog.  Couldn’t do much else, but I tried every exercise and just did the best I could.  I found that if I slowed down a little it was easier.  So I was doing 17 reps while the people on screen were doing 20.  I was huffing, puffing, and sweating like the three little pigs with the wolf at the door!  It was awesome!  Now THIS was a workout.  Frak the cardio workout at the gym.  No point in doing the elliptical machine, struggling to get to my target heart rate.  The P90X workout does it for me nearly instantly.  I was panting, I was downing the water, I was trying not to collapse on one of my poor children.  And then it was over.  Forty minutes in my target heart rate (or maybe even beyond, yikes!).  I showered, barely able to lift my arms.  I think I skipped conditioning my hair so I could get to the mortuary to pick out my coffin faster.

Now on to other news.  Just like during my raw trial I’m getting a ton of conflicting advice.  Here is a sample.

Eat every 2-3 hours to keep your blood sugar stable and so your body doesn’t go into starvation mode and conserve fat.

Wait until you’re really hungry before you eat so you don’t get unnecessary calories from snacking when you’re not even hungry.

Stop eating by 6pm.

Keep eating small meals until you go to bed.

Work out all your muscles every day.

Don’t work out all your muscles every day or they won’t have time to heal.

Do an hour of cardio so your body burns fat.

Do just 10 minutes of intense cardio, that’s all your body needs.

Eat this, don’t eat that.  No, eat that, don’t eat this.

And so there’s one thing I know for sure.  Everyone is different, and more than one method will work.  I’ve got to find the one that works for me.  So that’s what I’m still doing.  Experimenting to find what works for me.  I appreciate the feedback, and maybe I’ll end up trying everything, but it’s clear that there is not just one way to be healthy and fit.

Diet-wise things are pretty much the same.  I’m eating a lot more protein-rich foods, keeping my fat down, and not over-eating.  I’m still ending my eating as early as I can, which has been around 6 or 7 pm. 

I think the P90X workouts will have a positive effect on me.  I’m going to pay more attention to body fat than the number on the scale.  I think watching that darn scale is really messing with my head.  I know it’s a tool for measuring improvement, but it’s also becoming an albatross around my neck.  At least 4 people this past week asked me if I’d recently lost some weight.  So I know something is going on.  But that stubborn scale refuses to budge.  His days are numbered methinks.  

How are you all doing?  Any new breakthroughs or insights this week?

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for March 2, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for February 23, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for February 2, 2009
4. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009
5. Health Goal Update for February 9, 2009
6. Health and Wellness: My Primary Personal Goal This Year
7. Going Raw Update – Day 15

However, I did have two significant gains this week.  The first is in the area of exercise.  I started a weight workout last week and am having a ball with it.  It feels incredible to actually be using these dormant old muscles.  I heard a few moans and groans, but I got them moving!  I’m doing a three day cycle.  Day one is chest, biceps and triceps.  Day two is abs, thighs, and calves.  Day three is upper back, lower back, and shoulders.  I was sore initially but no soreness at all after the first round.  Is that normal?  Because I was expecting to be sore after every workout.  I am stretching a lot though, after my workouts.  That feels great too.

I am also kicking up my cardio workout so that my heart rate is between 130 and 145 throughout my workout.  In the past I was lucky to see 110.  I’ve had mixed success with this.  Some days I can go 24 minutes at this rate, and other days I’m exhausted and out of breath after just 12 minutes.  I expected a little more consistency, but perhaps it’s a function of what I eat or drink the night before a workout or the morning of.

The second significant gain I made this week was in the area of conscious eating.  I remember one day last week I decided to just wait until I was hungry before eating.  I know that might seem like a no-brainer to some of ya’ll, but that’s a big one for me.  So I had a banana for breakfast at 9am after my workout.  Then I waited.  And waited.  For lunch I cracked open a can of black bean soup and ate all of it.  That was around noon.  Then I waited until I felt hungry again, which happened around 4pm.  This time I had some leftover sloppy joes (18g of protein on a whole grain bun), and a side of carrots.  And then … and then … nothing.  I wasn’t hungry at my usual dinner time (around 8pm) so I didn’t eat.  Steve was scarfing down a huge salad, some brazil nuts, and olives while we watched an episode of Battlestar Galactica.  I took the road less travelled and just drank a glass of water.   We stayed up extra late to watch just one more episode which took us to about 10:30pm.  That’s when I ran into a problem.  Hunger.  Argh!  I was finally hungry but I didn’t want to eat, not right before bed!  I was starving actually.  Steve convinced me to go to bed hungry saying it would allow my body to burn some fat since it didn’t have that shot of glucose.  I checked my blood sugar and it was at 95 (that’s very low for me), and I had some misgivings about going to bed when my blood sugar was low.  I wondered if I would wake up the next morning or just slip into a coma. 

I woke hungry, but didn’t eat.  I went to the gym.  Possibly a mistake.  But I’m still alive.  When I got home and checked my weight I figured I’d be down at least a pound, but alas, I was actually up.  This is why I think my scale has something against me.  How does a person eat like 800 calories in a day and wake up the next morning weighing more than she did when she went to bed?  I’m in the Bizarro universe I tell ya.

But I persevere.  As long as I’m still learning and as long as I’m making progress I will not fear the final outcome.  I’m definitely going to continue this conscious eating thing and only eat when I actually feel hungry.  I’ve successfully gone to bed a couple of days this week with 4pm being my last meal of the day.  Let’s see where that gets me in another week.

In the meantime, I’m going to keep stepping up my workouts and increasing my weights and cardio program.  How did your week go?  And how has your scale been treating you? Mine’s in the doghouse.

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for February 2, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for February 9, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009
4. Health Goal Update for February 23, 2009
5. Health and Wellness: My Primary Personal Goal This Year
6. Going Raw Update – Day 15
7. Going Raw Update – Day 4

Steve and I got a chance to go to the gym together for the first time in a long time.  Usually Steve goes at 5am and then I go at 6:30am because we have small children who can’t stay home alone.  But this weekend my parents were staying with us so we capitalized on the opportunity to go to the gym together.  What I learned there was extremely eye-opening to say the least.  Steve caught a glimpse of my elliptical work out and realized my intensity was very low.  My heart rate would soar to a whopping 110.  No wonder I could easily maintain that for an hour.  I was barely breaking a sweat.  So he had me up my intensity to a point where my heart rate was between 130 and 140.  Oh man, what a difference.  I could sustain that for about 12 and a half minutes before I was unable to continue.  But this is great information because now I can improve in this area and get a more effective work out.

Next Steve took me to the weight section of the gym to show me how to use the machines.  On Saturday we worked on biceps, my back, and the triceps (is that the back of the arm?).  Then we went and stretched for a while, which is something else I’ve never done during my workouts.  On Sunday we did legs, abs, and calves.  Oh my holy God.  I couldn’t even do one proper sit up.  Steve and I both got a laugh out of my efforts.  It was pretty funny really.  But again, this is great, because I can only improve from here.  We went to an ab cruncher machine and that helped a lot because the machine assisted me in doing a crunch.  I think I got to about 7 crunches using the machine.  Next we did some stretching on the mats, and honestly that felt so good I can’t believe I ever avoided it. 

So I’m going to start weight training and keeping track of my progress so I can move up steadily and progressively.  That’s definitely something that’s been keeping me at this plateau.  I’m not exactly looking forward to the soreness my protesting muscles are about to bestow upon me, but I’ll take my lumps and keep right on going.

My biggest gain this week was in identifying an area where I could improve, so I’m really happy about that.  My second big gain was in identifying food which is good for weight loss and also tasty to me.

I’m trying to decide if I should keep posting weekly updates.  I may switch to every other Monday so I can put in some other articles.  I know my health goals aren’t going to be of keen interest to everyone so I’m not sure I need 4 per month.  We’ll see.

And now a request.  Please refrain from sending me information about other diet plans.  It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, it’s that I am seriously inundated with every plan under the sun (including sungazing!) and I’ve heard it all already.  I’m sticking to my current diet plan that John Pierre has set up for me.  I’m going to add in the weight work outs, and just keep right on going.  Please feel free to send supportive and encouraging feedback, and you can also post in my forum about your own successes this week.  That would be fab!

Weight remained the same this week.  Considering the birthday weekend for my daughter which included 2 buffets, some pie, and some vegan ice cream, I feel lucky.  With the more intense exercise and the weight work-outs, I’m expecting this week to go really well.

© 2006-2011 by Erin Pavlina.

Related posts:

1. Health Goal Update for February 16, 2009
2. Health Goal Update for February 2, 2009
3. Health Goal Update for February 9, 2009
4. Health and Wellness: My Primary Personal Goal This Year
5. Going Raw Update – Day 28
6. Going Raw Update – Day 15
7. Going Raw Update – Day 20