Tuesday, January 4, 2011

The Reflex

So, is your New Year's Resolution to get fit and fabulous?

To trim up?

To lose some weight?

To go down a size or two?

To wear something fabulous that you don't QUITE fit into?

To lower your cholesterol?

To improve your cardiovascular fitness?

To get stronger?

Break a bad habit? (smoking/nail biting/drinking)

If you said "yes" to any of the above, you obviously are not alone...just check out the gym these days and you will see more people crowding in to burn off their holiday "cheer".

I've noticed it at my club...and Dimples said he was swamped today at work.

I found 2 really good quotes about New Year's Resolutions:


People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas." ~Unknown

and

New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. ~Mark Twain

Last year was the first time I actually kept a resolution. I told myself, as I always do at 12:01 am January 1, that I would lose some weight that year. But of course by 12:02 am January 1 I was usually putting something vvery bad for me in my mouth...

But last year it took me 2 months to start to make good on that resolution.

When I think about that, I realize it wasn't so bad...because I DID do it...just not right away.

You have to be ready for change...and I gave it a passing glance at that point but come March I was ready to full on stare at it and get it going.

I had to have something stimulate me to get started.

As I often do when I write these blogs, I looked up what "reflex" means...

So here, from Dictionary.com:
re·flex   /adj., n. ˈriflɛks; v. rɪˈflɛks/ Show Spelled[adj., n. ree-fleks; v. ri-fleks] Show IPA
–adjective
1.Physiology. noting or pertaining to an involuntary response to a stimulus, the nerve impulse from a receptor being transmitted inward to a nerve center that in turn transmits it outward to an effector.
2.occurring in reaction; responsive.
3.cast back; reflected, as light, color, etc.
4.bent or turned back.

My stimulus in March: that trip up the stairs when I coulnd't catch my breath...

My response in March: I stopped putting bad food in my mouth...

My stimulus now: Dimples, Spinderella, JayVee, J'taime Jamie...

My response to those stimuli? Sweat, hard work, pain...and Advil...and ice...and hot baths...weight/fat loss...gain of muscle...

Often times when I am finding it hard to "dig deep" and make a push in spin class I call upon a mental stimulus to help me get there: I picture the black dress that belonged to my mother that I very much want to wear.

Sometimes I am also lucky in that I have the Amazing Katherine (my sweet little Gold medal winning Special Olympian friend) spinning next to me. She always urges me on...she tells me I can do it...she is my own personal cheerleader and I love love love her for it...she is a GREAT stimulus to have next to me...I swear my legs go faster when I hear her say "you can do it, Anice"...

Dimples does the same thing...he will ask me to do 15 of something and sometimes by number 13 of the whatever he has asked me to do I am ready to throw in the towel...and he urges me on...tells me I can do it...stimulates me to finish the exercise. Like today when I had pulled him up the hill 4 times with the big rubber band and I was just wanted to plop down on the grass...he sweetly tells me "it's just 20 more yards" and I grabbed the band and off we went...I can do 20 more yards.

I have to find all kinds of ways to motivate me to stay on my diet and get to the gym.

Sometimes I ask myself "WWOD"? (What Would Oprah Do?)and I think of her and how she runs a mega-empire and gets up every morning and does her workout. She doesn't look like Jillian Michaels or Jackie Warner, but Oprah looks good...and I totally relate to how she looks/feels...

For the gym I just have to make an appointment with myself and tell myself that I can't do anything else until I get the cardio done.

I also pick classes I love love love and schedule them as part of my day.

Dimples is easy...I have to meet him since we set a time...but I always look forward to our sessions so that is not a problem.

Now staying on my diet...that part takes more stimulus from me...

I succumbed to the cheese orgy the other night. It was totally my fault. I bought the damn cheese...my friend had a healthy veggie tray out but I kept going back to the cheese...

So sometimes I tell myself: "nothing tastes as good as thin and healthy feels"...that usually works...except if I am looking at a cookie...

Sometimes I just think of the calories that something has in it (like said cookie) and then I think of how long I have to stay on the spin bike to work it off.

Dimples reminds me all the time about putting the right kind of calories in...he is not counting "wine" as the right kind of calories...dang...

So I budget up my calories and try to "spend" as many as I can on good things instead of one or two bad things...like today I knoshed on a slice of flank steak and an apple for my post-workout snack instead of having something like some cheese and crackers...or popcorn (we have one of those huge buckets of the stuff...but it is not worth a trip to the ER)...or a cookie...

Just remember that you do it the way that works best for you...what works for me may never be the right motivivation for someone else!

So make your resolution and make a plan...and find your stimulus so that your body will react and go.

And don't feel bad if you don't do it this week...but do it soon so that you get started so you are quicker to your goal...and if you need motivation, email or message me...I will be your cheerleader just like the Amazing Katherine is for me!

Inspiration Song: "The Reflex" by Duran Duran...let it motivate you to walk or run faster, go harder, get stronger...

Bye Darlings...respond to your stimulus!

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