Getting better every day!

Today was even better.  Although I didn't connect with my prayer partner so had to do the praying solo... just not the same.  Good but not the same.

Dr. Chet wrote for the 30 pound club (http://www.drchet.com/) the "50 Bit Fills".  These are simple little exercises you can fill in the 30 second bits you have through out the day.  For example, stand up and sit down five time when you send an email.  Well, if you've seen the news, we have had pouring rain here in Phoenix.  Actually, had a tornado spotted (I thought I left that kind of weather in Kansas).  Since my exercise equipment is on the back patio, the rain made it difficult to do my regular exercise.  So I decided to try Dr. Chet's Bit Fills all ran together... WOW I felt muscles that I haven't felt in years.  They are all really silly little exercises that you can do sitting or standing but I feel like I had one of the best workouts I've had in a long time. 

If you work in an office and have difficulty finding time to work out I HIGHLY recommend these exercises.  Plus, these are such a Slight Edge thing to do.  They aren't intended to be done all in a row like I did.  Just one exercise when you have 30 seconds.  Through out the day you may get in 4 or 5 of them but over time they will help you burn calories and strengthen your body.  It's an easy thing to do... it is also easy NOT to do.  Which one will it be for you?  For me...

I'm living on the eighth day, right now!

Heart
check 30 Minute Exercise
check ate fruits or veggies
check followed payoff plan
Soul
NOT Prayed with prayer partner
check Talked to Jeff
check Reached out to one more
Mind
check listened to audio
check read 10 pages
check blog checklist

Day Three - OW!!!

Day two was fairly easy – got everything done early, felt good, went to bed and slept good etc. etc.

Day three, here’s where the rubber meets the road! First hurdle is doing it on day one, getting started, taking the first step...  Second hurdle keep doing it when you’re sore and don't want to. OMG am I sore!!! Sunday caught up with me today! The Fibromyalgia really kicked back.  I'm so glad I have the two ladies in my abandonment group or I think I would give it up about now. That’s why we write goals down, set a time, speak it, affirm it, be accountable…

As I was doing my 30 minutes exercise, I listened to an audio.  It was about writing affirmations.  JUST what I needed to hear.  Do you think that God provides the lessons we need WHEN we need them or do our brains FINALLY hear the lessons when we're ready?  I think I prefer to believe that God makes our brain ready to hear the lesson when we need it!

Here are the nine guidelines to writing effective affirmations:
1. Start with the words "I am", your subconscious interprets it as a command.
2. It should be in the present tense, as if it's already done.
3. State it in the positive, your subsconscious doesn't hear negative words i.e. no or not.
4. Keep it brief!  We can easily remember advertisement jingles.
5. Make it specific and visual.
6. Include an action word ending with "ing".
7. Include an emotion or feeling word.
8. Make it for yourself and not others.
9. Add "or something better" if your affirmation includes a specific physical item, because you never know what God has in store for you.

So I think I did pretty well with my "sign-off" affirmation.  "I'm living on the eighth day, right now!"  Although at the time I wrote it, I didn't think of it as an affirmation but as the days have gone by it's what I've hung onto and been playing in my head to keep going.  "living on the eighth day, living on the eighth day, living on the eighth day..."  Sort of like the Little Engine that could, "I think I can, I think I can".  I felt like I needed a powerful way to close my blogs and I really liked Dr. Chet's sign off of "What are you willing to do today?"  It came to me as I blogged the excerpt of the "eighth day".  (See Ball-Peen Hammer Moment)  It gave me the visual of doing it now, not waiting another day!  It also gave me a sense of living on borrowed time since there isn't REALLY an eighth day.  Let's break it down as an effective affirmation, numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 8 DONE!  I am missing a feeling word, number 7, but it does have an exclamation and it is getting to be a very emotional mantra for me.  Finally, it isn't a physical item so it doesn't have number 9.  What would be "better than" an eighth day?  A ninth day?

Tomorrow I will discuss how I came up with my "soul" daily disciplines.  Until then...

I'm living on the eighth day, right now!

Heart
check 30 Minute Exercise
check ate fruits or veggies
check followed payoff plan
Soul
check Prayed with prayer partner
check Talked to Jeff
check Reached out to one more
Mind
check listened to audio
check read 10 pages
check blog checklist

Day One Down - 364 To Go

Well, here is my checklist for today! I am proud to say it is all done! Sort of, I still have to read 10 pages but I always read before going to sleep so that one is no problem. I did read 10 pages last night so I'm going to check it. I have to say the rest weren't as easy but as the proverbs say, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step."

I did my official weigh in: 160 pounds YUK!!! How did that happen? I know The Slight Edge at work, one unhealthy bite at a time is how it happened. I joined the 30 pound club at http://www.drchet.com/. So far so good... I was on a roll.

Ok here comes the excuse part...

Today is not only Sunday it is also the last day that Jeff was home. For those who don't know, my husband, Jeff, works as a contractor in Long Beach, CA. We live in Phoenix, AZ. It's a long commute. Anyway, he was home from December 24th until today. That in saying the morning was not my typical schedule. I would usually pray with my prayer partner first thing, followed by exercise while listening to audio, followed by a phone call to Jeff. Well, that's what I always "plan" to do. For the last five months I have only gotten in the two phone calls on a consistent basis (and still not daily at that). Possibly another reason for the 160, no exercise? Could be. Anyway, by the time I took Jeff to the airport, I only had two checklist items done. Talk to Jeff and reach one more. The reach one more was kind of stretching it though, I met my son's friend, Brooke as I drove them to the mall. I haven't "met" her before and we "did" have a conversation. Ok that one will have to be a little better tomorrow.

So back to the story...

I'm back at home, by myself and feeling tired. Cue self talk...

"Maybe I should just take a nap, it had already gotten dark, and I couldn't use my gazelle (which is outside). I'll just start fresh tomorrow. NO!!! TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY!!! Where is this going if I don't even start on my first day? Get your butt up Paula and do it."

I rode my bike on its trainer in the garage. I'm proud to say I even maintained an 80% heart rate. My legs now feel like rubber but I DID IT. I also listened to an audio. (A very appropriate one about pounding away at a goal like a battering ram on a castle wall) Then I ate a bunch of veggies and bowl of chili for dinner. I'm proud to say it was ONE SMALL bowl of chili. This was a challenge in itself because my husband made some KILLER chili. The kind you just want to gorge yourself on, but I didn't. Then I sat down, ran a new Quicken payoff plan report and did my checklist. Done, done and done!!! Yeah me!
I'm living on the eighth day, right now!
Heart
check 30 Minute Exercise
check ate fruits or veggies
check followed payoff plan
Soul
check Prayed with prayer partner
check Talked to Jeff
check Reached out to one more
Mind
check listened to audio
check read 10 pages
check blog checklist

Heart

Ok, so where did these goals come from?   Let’s start with Heart, Physical, Health/Finances.  This is fairly obvious.  The most common New Year’s resolutions are: lose weight and make more money.  My reasons have a little more history.

Ten years ago I was bed ridden with Fibromyalgia.  The doctor wanted to prescribe a series of addictive narcotic pain killers that “may or may not help” and he told me that I would just need to change my activity level.  I couldn’t do anything aerobic again, no exercise, no sports, no skiing, etc. etc.  At 36 years old that wasn’t acceptable.  I got busy, I found herbal alternatives, I researched Fibro, and I started walking EVERY day.  I got back into shape.  Then I got pregnant with my little Oops blessing!!  My youngest son is now 7.

After having him at 39 years old, I had trouble with my “baby” weight.  Actually, I gained weight, month by month after having him and the Fibro got worse until I finally stepped on the scale and saw 179!!!  I was officially obese!  (The cut off from overweight to obese for my age & height is 178)  I also had two dear friends that were honest with me.  When I said I had 20 pounds I wanted to lose, they said, “20??? You need to lose at least 30!!!”  (I actually needed to lose 40)  Hence, the abandonment group was born.  We wanted to “abandon” the weight because if you “lose” something that implies that you want to “find” it back again.  (I've just gotten word from abandonment group ladies - they are "in" for the 30 pound club)

The group worked well.  We followed the BLI newsletters from Dr. Chet, which were the basis for the Trim Advantage program in our business http://www.daniels.mychoices.biz/ .  We supported each other through emails and we had specific goals.  Over the next nine months I abandoned 42 pounds.  (I hadn’t been below 140 for 20 years)  I started inline speed-skating with my son and felt like an athlete again.  I have to say I was buff!  Then I blew out a knee and had to give up skating (honestly, I don’t really miss it).  But that was the excuse.  Instead of intensely working out, I have just been maintaining.

So here it is six years later and I have crept back up to 160.  My exercise is sporadic, my eating has way too many treats and the Fibro has “good days and bad days”.   Now Dr. Chet came out with the 30 pound club!  Perfect!  That’s exactly what I need to lose, um, abandon.  That’s how I came up with the goal of 30 pounds. 

Daily disciplines:  I know that 30 minutes of exercise seems to be a magic number.  It is also VERY easy to put into my daily life.  I also know from experience that 30 minutes of exercise gives me at least 3 hours of additional energy a day.  In terms of eating, I have noticed that I have not been filling up on good stuff so I put bad stuff in my mouth.  If I eat more fruits or veggies, first of all, I get more antioxidants and vitamins in my body and secondly, I fill my tummy with good stuff.

That is the first part of Heart, tomorrow I will discuss finances.  

Until then I’m living on the eighth day, right now!