Fitness Friday: What All Successful Weight-Loss Plans Have In Common

(Scroll to the end to read my P90X2 Update.  Or not.  
You may instead want to roll your eyes and go, whatEVER.)

The other night I was lying in bed paging through my husband’s Triathlete magazine. Which means only one thing: I have absolutely nothing else to read.

When, low and behold, amidst the myriad of articles about “shaving time off your swim” and “preparing for Kona” (*yawn*) I found a fascinating article about weight loss. Which is funny to me because, second only to vegans, triathletes are the leanest people on the planet. Why do they need to lose more weight? Are they trying to rub it in our chubby faces?  Aren't they busy enough with their 5-hour bike rides?

Anyway, I wanted to share a snippet or two from this fascinating article,* because it underscores a few things I’ve been telling you for years. Which means only one thing: The articles I find most fascinating are the ones that support my own opinions.

The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) is a national database of women and men who have succeeded in losing at least 30 pounds of weight and have kept it off for a year or more. Here are four things the members have in common:

1. Daily exercise (doesn’t specify what kind—just exercise)

2. Dietary consistency (maintaining the same eating habits on the weekends as they do during the week—this is critical, because most dieters eat more on the weekends and sabotage their weight-loss efforts)

Let’s talk about number 2 for a minute—dietary consistency. What exactly DO these people eat day in and day out that leads to weight loss?

All different things.

That's right. Some lost weight on low-fat diets, others on low-carb. Some used Weight Watchers. Some went vegetarian. In other words, their diets were all over the board—they chose a diet that worked for them.

This supports what I told you last week: God made each of us unique. The diet that works for you may not work for me. The key to your weight loss is finding the diet that makes you feel energetic, while at the same time, ushers your body into its ideal weight range. You may not figure that out today. It’s a trial and error process.

3. Self-monitoring (food journaling, calorie counting, regular weighing or measuring)


4. Several failed weight-loss attempts before succeeding. Did that one surprise you?  It did me.  Again, with the trial and error process!

But here’s the point I found most fascinating:

“The combination of ....variety in successful diet approaches and failures preceding success suggests that people succeed in losing weight when they are psychologically ready, and fail when they are not ready…


Real world and scientific evidence indicate that the specific diet that a person uses to shed fat is not especially important to success in the effort to lose weight. 


What’s far more important, it seems, is the motivation level and attitude of the person seeking weight loss. Men and women who are truly ready to commit to a particular weight-loss strategy are almost certain to succeed, regardless of the diet they choose (provided it’s healthy and realistic). By the same token, those who are not prepared to fully embrace their diet are bound to fail, no matter which diet they’ve chosen.”

This supports what I’ve been telling you for-like-EVER: The mental side of fitness is absolutely critical to your results. If there is one key to your success, this is it, baby--Commitment to your plan.

Q4U:  Are you committed to your weight-loss strategy? Are you fully embracing your healthy lifestyle?  If you haven’t done so yet, make a commitment to yourself today. Then tell me about it in the comments. I promise to cheer you on!!!

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P90X2 Week 4


Total Weight Lost Since Jan 2: 7.8 pounds
Total Weight Lost Since My Highest Weight: 14.4


(You can't see me right now, but I'm throwing a little party at my kitchen table at 5:30 am on a Friday.  I haven't seen this "decade" of weight on my scale since Fall 2009)

Well, I ended Phase One--or what I like to call, “How Many Exercises Can I Perform on One Leg or While Balancing on Some Kind of Ball?” Or HMEC IPOOL OW BOS KOB, for short. I have to admit, I got pretty darn good at most of those exercises. And thanks to about a million balance moves, my core is rock hard. It's still under a thin layer of unwanted fat, of course. But I PROMISE, under that layer of fat, I am TOTALLY RIPPED.

I started Phase Two on Monday. Phase Two is much like the original P90X—lots of weight training, alternating days with plyometrics and yoga. Except P90X2 has me doing it all while balanced on one leg or on some kind of ball—or several balls, all at the same time. There are so many balls involved in this workout. At one point, they expect me to do pushups balanced on 4 medicine balls—It’s like some sort of circus move. To this suggestion, I respond, “hahahahahahaha” and then I drop down to the floor and do some traditional push-ups.

I think in Phase Three, we move to juggling the medicine balls while walking across a tight rope, balancing on one foot over flames.  Kidding.

In all honesty, that’s one of the things I love most about P90X and P90X2—I can modify the heck out of it and still get an incredible workout. I mean, who can do a balance/resistance move like that on the first try?  My husband, that's who—because he’s just all lean and buff and coordinated that way—he's a triathlete, after all.  He eats mere humans for breakfast, and then burns them off on his 10-mile run. No layer of fat on HIS core.  :)

I choose to look at it this way: I have a lot of room to grow in the program. It will be a LONG time before I get bored, that’s for sure. If I ever master that 4-ball push-up move, I’ll post a picture.  And when I can see my six-pack peeking through my fat layer, I'll post a picture of that, too.  Maybe.

*This post is based on "Race Shape Ready?" by Matt Fitzgerald; Triathlete January 2012; pages 78-80.

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Linking up with a community of fitness-minded bloggers (and probably a few triathletes) at Jill Conyer's place!

If I Could Ask One Thing of God Today

Show me the wonders of your great love 

Psalm 17:7

If I could ask one thing of God today, it would be to learn to love others the way He loves me. And I don’t mean in some religious, impersonal, send-your-donation-to-the-address-on-your-screen way.

And I don’t mean I want to love the people on the other side of the globe or even the other side of the river. I mean, I DO want to love them. Certainly, I want to love those people, too. But that’s not my prayer today.

My prayer today is to learn to love the people closest to my heart. The ones in whom I am completely and wholly emotionally invested. The ones with whom I share love every day.

For me, this is so much more difficult than loving the person across the river. Not every day. Some days those closest to me are easy to love. Like when they smile and cooperate and speak kindly. And some days they are not.

(I know this goes both ways. I am no saint. But this is my blog and my prayer, not theirs.)

Today, I need to fully rely on God’s love for me to instruct and lead me in love.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. 

God is love. 

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 

 I John 4:16

I want to learn to love beyond faults, weaknesses and insecurities. To see beyond what is said to me with their mouths and instead get a glimpse of the pain and confusion within their hearts.

To have the wisdom to discern whether Love requires closeness or distance.

Forgiveness or consequences.

Talking or silence.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, 

I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 

 I Corinthians 13:1

To resist my own human nature to attack back. Or worse, to flee. To maintain a self-protective stance. To make vows with my heart that declare, "You will NEVER love like this again. Love hurts too much."

And instead embrace again.

Invest again.

Die again.

And do it all willingly. Joyfully. Because I love them, and that’s how Love behaves. Love never fails, even when it gets a door slammed in it's face.

Within your temple, O God, we meditate 

on your unfailing love. 

 Psalm 48:9

I want God to show me how to die to what I deserve. Or what I think I deserve. Especially when I know I'm right and I’ve been wronged. To restore those caught in sin gently. Oh my…the “gently” part is so very hard for me. Which is why I need Love so badly today.

We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, 

and we can understand how someone good and noble 

could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. 

But God put his love on the line for us 

by offering his Son in sacrificial death 

while we were of no use whatever to him. 

 Romans 5:8 

The Message

The world would tell me to let harsh words and hurtful actions roll off my back. Don't sweat the small stuff. That's life and life is hard. Move on, already.

But is that the way God loves? Does God pretend things don't bother Him and move on? Does He simply choose to stuff His emotions, so He can go about His day unmoved? Where's the Light of Redemption in that?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don’t want to learn to shut down my emotions and shove them in a dark closet, pretending they don't exist. That's not God's way. That's not redemptive for anyone. Not me OR my loved ones.

Instead, what I need from God today is His supernatural power to transcend emotion,

to transcend hurt

to transcend frustration

to transcend sadness

and to love anyway.

To be so filled with the Love of God, that Love cannot help but spill out of me when I’m pierced.

That's how God loves me.

And that’s what I’d ask of God today, if I could only have one thing.

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Linking up with Soli Deo Gloria today.

Fitness Friday: Eat to Lose Weight, and P90X2--Week 3

As if I’m any kind of expert on eating to lose weight.

I am so not.

To refresh your memory, I am the girl who in 2009 gained 12 pounds in 6-ish weeks. And then gained 6 more pounds over the next few months, while trying desperately to LOSE the weight. And then, packed on 5 MORE pounds over the course of 2010.

You do the math. Okay, I will do the math. That's a grand total of 23 pounds in a year and a half. All this, while trying to LOSE weight.

A special thanks to Lexapro. And an honorable mention to my over-40 metabolism. What a great team, the two of you.

Last week, I told you that I had lost 6 of those pounds in 2011 (which, honestly, happened so slowly, I didn’t even notice it until I saw an old journal entry with last January’s weight in it). Yes, it took me a full year of trying very, very hard to lose that weight. I also told you that since starting P90X2 on January 2, 2012, I have lost 5 MORE pounds. Which seemed almost miraculous to me.

Well, now you can make that 6 ½ pounds, 2 inches, and 2% body fat, thankyouverymuch.

That’s 12 pounds of the 23 I gained. Gone. Finally. Adios.

I’d love to tell you that I have it all figured out—that I’ve discovered the magic bullet to weight lost. I honestly haven’t the foggiest. Over much of 2010 and 2011,I tried just as hard as I am trying now, only with little (or opposite!) results.

I. don't. know.

But here is what I have always believed and still do:

1. Diet plays a primary role in weight gain/loss—even more than exercise. Exercise is very important, but diet is even more important.  And by "diet," I don't mean "going on a diet."  I mean, "healthy eating for life."

2. God made each of us unique. What works for me may not work for you. There is a lot of science to support this fact. Some people thrive on extreme diets on either end of the spectrum, where other people on those exact same diets get very ill.  We're different.

3. It is so important to take your time and find the diet that makes you feel strong and energetic, and also gets  you to your optimum weight for long-term health. In order to find that, you need to pay attention to how foods make you feel and continually make minor adjustments.  We're all learning together what works and what doesn't.

That said, here is what I’m currently eating.


No, wait! First, I have to tell you a few more things:

1. I do not keep a food log. I think they are helpful and, for some people, necessary. But I am emotionally allergic to food logs. I am also emotionally allergic to counting calories. And I am emotionally allergic to following overly-structured meal plans.  However, I am loosely following the P90X2 Nutrition Guide. Based on my current weight and my fitness goals, The Guide recommends I eat about 1800 calories/day and is kind enough to map out sample meals--which I am not following exactly (emotional allergies). I have not taken the time to  figure out how many calories I’m eating. I am making ball-park assumptions based on the suggested meal plans.

2. I have been tweaking my diet for years, slowly making more and more adjustments toward a 100% whole foods diet. So, what I’m eating now is really just a slight variation of what I was eating in December. The major changes being the following:

a. For the duration of the 90-day program, I am treating myself like an athlete training for the biggest event of my life. I know this isn’t for everyone, so don’t feel pressure to get all nutty like me. Just realize I’ve spent a lot of time trying to maintain some level of “junk” in my diet, and it has not produced the desired results. Don't get me wrong, I like my share of “junk.” But for a few months, I’m just not having it.

b. I am not eating any processed foods.

c. The only sugar I‘m eating is in the form of raw, local honey and fresh fruit.

d. I am not drinking any alcohol.

e. I am not taking any “free days” or “free meals.”

f. I eating less. I have cut my portion sizes back by maybe ¼ from what I was eating previously.

3. Back in October, I started replacing one meal a day with Shakeology, and continue to do so. For the record, I am not a fan of meal-replacement. I believe you should be able to get all of your daily nutrients from real, whole food. However, Beachbody (the makers of P90X) has what appears to be an outstanding and one-of-a-kind product in Shakeology. I don’t have time to explain all the reasons why, but I will say it is 70 of the most nutrient-dense ingredients on the planet and it tastes fantastic. If you want to watch the advertisement that sealed the deal for me, it’s HERE. (This is not a paid endorsement—I get no money for telling you how much I love Shakeology).

NOW, here is a list of different things I’m eating at each meal:

Before Breakfast: 2 large cups of coffee each made with a tbsp raw honey and some half and half (I don’t measure—but I like my coffee creamy)

Breakfasts : 2 eggs and a piece of fruit or a slice of Ezekiel toast; ½ cup oatmeal made with water and topped with a cup of blueberries; ½ cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt topped with a drizzle of raw honey and ½ cup frozen berries; Shakeology mix with 1 cup almond milk, ½ banana, a cup of frozen berries and a giant handful of raw spinach (you cannot taste the spinach at all—it’s only 20 calories and it’s packed with nutrients!)

Lunches : Leftover dinner (see below); soup (left-over or Amy’s canned); turkey breast slices wrapped around carrot sticks and dipped in mustard; fresh veggies and hummus; giant salad with a small can of tuna and balsamic vinaigrette or Shakeology (made the same as above).

Snacks: an apple and a few almonds (like 6); a cheese stick and some fresh veggies; a cup of plain green tea; a very small portion of left-overs. My snacks are small—like snacks should be.

Dinners: I have made several of the recipes from the P90X2 Nutrition Guide. They are easy to prepare and very delicious. So far, we’ve had Chicken and White Bean Soup; Chicken Enchilada Soup (YUM!!!); Chicken, Broccoli and Brown Rice; and Southwest Turkey Burgers on Whole Grain Buns (Double YUM!). I am making P90X2 Fish Tacos this weekend. I have also made old Fitness Friday Girl Standby Meals like whole grain spaghetti with meat balls, barbeque chicken in the crock pot with sweet potatoes or salmon and roasted veggies. Sometimes—like on Pizza night—I make myself a giant salad and skip the pizza. I add fresh fruit, salad or fresh veggies to every meal. I try to load up on veggies as much as possible. Once a week, we eat out. I stick with the same principles whether I’m eating out or in—whole foods, lots of veggies, smaller portions, no junk.

You may be asking yourself, "Is Fitness Friday Girl hungry during the day?"

Answer: Yes, sometimes. Especially around 4 pm and between about 8 pm and bed.

But here is my little rant about hunger:

I don’t think “avoiding hunger” is a noble goal. I’m talking mainly to North Americans here—where about 2/3 of us are overweight or obese. Constantly filling our mouths so that we feel nary a hunger pang is a recipe for over-indulgence and obesity.

Most Americans (me included) have absolutely no idea what it means to feel real hunger to the point of malnutrition or starvation. We say we want to get to a healthy weight, but as soon as we feel the slightest bit of discomfort, we decide we could never do this for the long-term, chuck our healthy diet and fall back to our old eating habits.

Please hear me. I am not advocating that we deprive our bodies of the nutrients and calories they need for optimal health (Does my food list look to you like I’m starving?) Don’t starve yourself. It’s dangerous, and could be deadly over the long-term.

But, neither do I believe that feeling a little hungry an hour before dinner or just before bed warrants putting more food in my mouth. Mild hunger pangs are not a bad thing, to be avoided at all cost.

Honestly, if I’m hungry and it isn't time to eat, I just think through all the delicious, nutritious food I have already eaten that day. Then I consider all the people in other parts of the world who have never felt the satisfaction of a full belly (the full belly I felt 2 hours prior—not to mention, every day of my life!).

And then, I tell myself the same thing I tell my children when they come to me an hour before dinner complaining they are starving: Dinner will be ready in an hour. Drink a glass of water. Go play.

In other words, I suck it up and ignore it until it’s time for me to eat again—which sometimes is the next day. And that’s okay. Because I am so very, very blessed with an abundance of food. And I am NOT starving. Besides, it’s not good for me to give into my flesh every single time it whines. And, have I mentioned, I’m on a mission to lose the rest of this stinkin’ Lexapro weight?

I’m not yelling at you. I love you. Feel free to speak your mind about my rant or my dietary choices in the comments. I'd love to hear what you think.

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Linking up with Jill at Fitness Friday this week! Go check out a few of the other fitness blogs for more inspiration and less ranting.

For When You Are Weary

"For the eyes of the Lord 

range throughout the earth 

to strengthen those 

whose hearts 

are fully committed 

to Him."

2 Chronicles 16:9a

Fitness Friday: My Number-One Tip for Success

From now until the end of March, I will be giving a weekly P90X2 Progress Report. I will put it at the END of my Fitness Friday posts, so the 95% of you who couldn’t care less what I ate for dinner or if I lost an inch don’t have to read it. You're welcome.

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I am about to give you my absolute, number one, best tip to help you succeed in reaching your fitness goals this year: Name Your Why

Think of every single reason you want to be fit, healthy and/or lose weight, and write it down.

Be specific.

Be honest.

Be passionate.

Be aggressive. B-E-A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E!

That was me, regressing into 16-year-old Cheerleader Sandy. You don’t really have to be aggressive. Unless, of course, aggression helps you name your reasons for being fit and healthy. Then, by all means, get jiggy with your aggression!

This list is for your eyes only. But I highly recommend you keep it somewhere not too far from your vision (which may or may not include the eyes of your house-mates, or in my case, the entire world wide web): Your journal, your bathroom mirror, taped inside your kitchen cabinet, stuck to your fridge, stuck to your computer. Somewhere you can easily access the list. Especially when you are tempted to give up.

I’ve talked so many times on Fitness Friday about how the mental component affects your outcome. Mental resolve is powerful. It can make or break you. It's a vital part of the fitness equation.

So, this is that. This is the essence of the mental component—the mental resolve. And this will help usher you from the excitement of making a New Year’s Resolution to the success of keeping it.

Here is my list as to why I chose a lofty fitness goal for the first quarter of 2012 (to complete P90X2), just so you can see how specific, honest, passionate and aggressive (?) I am.

1. I believe my primary purpose in life is to glorify God. I feel I do that best when I, among other things, take excellent care of my physical body.

2. I love the way I feel physically when I eat pure, whole foods and exercise regularly and intensely.

3. My mom had her first heart attack at the age of 53, when I was just 13 years old. From that point until she passed away at the age of 70, she suffered from serious heart-related ailments, including high blood pressure and cholesterol, additional heart attacks, strokes, bypass surgery and breast cancer (which isn’t heart-related, but still). She ultimately died from complications after carotid artery surgery. Genetics are not on my side. I have wonderful, warm memories of my mom and I miss her every single day; but in those memories, I have none of her living a healthy, vibrant life. I choose to do everything in my power to end that family cycle HERE,  with me.  I want my kids to have different memories of their mother, not filled with lengthy hospital stays and bed rest.  I want to be in a very different place at age 53 (which is only 10 years from now.)

4. I will someday stand before God and give an account as to how I raised my children. I want to teach my children to be good stewards of their health so they can glorify God in their bodies. Like it or not, they watch and often imitate everything I do, including what I eat and if I exercise. I want to model for them a life of health so they can make healthy choices now and in the future.

5. I struggle with clinical depression. Exercise and clean eating is one of the most effective ways to manage it.

6. I love the challenge of a very intense, short-term goal. To me, there is nothing quite like buckling down and conquering the hard thing. Much like a runner training for a marathon, completing P90X2 will give me a great sense of accomplishment. And then I will want to take a long nap.

7. Self-discipline is a fruit of the Spirit. When I discipline myself to eat well and exercise, it automatically spills over into every area of my life. I’m a better wife, a better mother, a better friend and a better Christian.

8. I have hundreds (thousands?) of people who read what I write and watch what I do. I want to be an inspiration to others to eat healthy foods they love, to find exercises they enjoy and to conquer health and fitness goals.

9. I have two bins of beautiful clothes in my basement that I can no longer wear because of my Lexapro weight gain. I want to wear those clothes again. (and then box up all the big-girl clothes in my closet right now!!!)

10. I can tell myself all day long that I’m okay with the 18 pounds (which, at times, crept up to 22 pounds!) I gained on Lexapro in 2009/2010. But truth-be-told, I really, really, really, really, really (REALLY!) want to lose it. I don’t like looking at pictures of myself from the chest down. I don’t like looking at myself in the mirror. I don’t feel good about the way I look on most days, even when I take a lot of time to get ready. I don’t like looking at pictures of me from prior to 2010 and think, “Look how fit/muscular/toned/thin I was!”

And for the record, I did NOT like wearing a skirted tankini last summer, in order to cover up 18 pounds of fat on my stomach and thighs. A skirted tankini is not a bathing suit. A skirted tankini is nothing more than an expensive spandex dress that floats up around your chest in water. It is not comfortable, neither is it conducive to swimming with children in a pool or ocean. I'd be better off wearing a sundress.

I know the day will come when I will need to cover up those areas because of age (sagging, veins, etc). THAT’S NOT TODAY! If I am going to wear a skirted tankini at age 43, I want it to be because it is my favorite bathing suit at the store and I feel gorgeous in it—not because the regular bathing suits don’t fit me.

(I told you: HONEST!)


That’s my list. Tell me one item on yours.

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P90X2 Progress Report, Week 2

This is already a long post, so I will keep this brief.

1. P90X2 workouts are completely unique. I have never done anything like it. Phase One is chock-full of balance and core moves. Many of them on a stability ball or trying to perform pushups on medicine balls (say what??!!?). Plyocide, which is an ultra-intense cardio/jump-training routine is SO HARD and SO FUN! It’s my favorite, for sure. When I’m finished with it, I feel like Tom Cruise expressing my love for Katie Holmes on Oprah. Only cRaZiEr!

2. The diet/nutrition guide is awesome. I’ve made several of the dinner recipes (very easy to make!) and they have all been a big hit my fam—even the kiddos! Next week, I will give you an idea of what I’m eating and what I’m not.

3. And now, the best part…I can hardly believe this, since I didn’t even think it was possible…but since starting the program on Jan 2, I have lost FIVE POUNDS. Remember, it took me a full year to lose six pounds???? A year ago today, I weighed about 10 pounds more than I do right now (however, I was at the very high end of my weight gain—the 22 pounds end).  So, really, I still have 12 pounds to go.  But dude, I would be happy with seven more.  I really would.

Today, all my big-girl jeans are sagging—a feeling I have not felt in YEARS. Thank you, Jesus. Seriously. I can hardly believe it. If you have kept up with my saga of battling this weight gain, you know I’ve tried HARD to lose it. And you may also remember that I had one incident where I dropped 4 pounds in one week, and then put it right back on, even though I was eating right and working my tail off with a personal trainer. So, I don’t want to get too excited here (yeah, um, okay) but I think I may have found the winning combination for my crazy metabolism and stubborn weight.
Finally.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Time will tell.


Related posts:
The Mental Side of Fitness, part one
The Mental Side of Fitness, part two

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Linking up again with Jill for Fitness Fitness Friday!

Time Diet/Facebook Fast

Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom

Psalm 90:12

In launching this year’s theme for my life, this week I’m intentionally focusing on how I spend my time—or more specifically, how I waste my time. I’m hyper-analyzing my day, minute by minute. Kind of a pain, I know. It’s tedious, for sure. It feels a lot like a diet.

You know how when you first make a decision to eat healthy, and there are obvious foods to eliminate from the get-go? Fast food, soft drinks, Krispy Kremes, stuff like that? What? You don’t know you should eliminate those? Have I lost you in this analogy already?

Anyway, once you give up the obvious, the pounds melt off your hips like butter. You’d think you’ve discovered the key to everlasting weight loss.

And then…

Your new habits become routine, and, lo, your body adjusts. Eventually, you stop losing weight—you reach the dreaded plateau. That’s where you scratch your head and go, “This has been working all along, I didn’t change a single thing. What am I doing wrong?” Now, it’s time to look deeper, more intently at your diet—the things sabotaging your efforts are no longer quite as obvious.

Maybe you start a food log. Maybe you begin to count calories. Maybe you measure portions. Maybe you read more about the nutrient content of your most beloved foods. Maybe you experiment with eliminating foods that aren’t terrible but aren’t wonderful either, like bread or cheese or red meat. You pull in the reins even tighter. You’re on a mission.

Some people struggle with food. Me? I struggle with time.

Managing time well has been an on-going battle for me, for as long as I can remember. On and on in the pages of my journals, I call out to God asking Him to help me “get it all done,” and “make the most of my day,” and “set the right priorities.” It’s not just a trite prayer, either. It’s the cry of my heart. Because, mostly, I feel like I can’t quite get a handle on it. Sure, I go through seasons where I simplify and feel like I conquered it—shoot, I even teach Bible Studies on it! But inevitably, I encounter a disturbance in the force, and I’m right back to struggling again.

Like now.

Therefore, I'm declaring a Time Diet. And the first thing to go is Facebook.

Ah, Facebook. Who could have imagined 10 years ago, something like Facebook would take over our lives?  Mark Zuckerberg, that's who.

I don’t play Farmville or anything like that, but I do love to read my news feed, and I love to leave comments and banter with my friends and family. I know that’s not terrible, but sometimes it’s not wonderful either. Time slips away mysteriously, especially since I check Facebook multiple times a day on both my computer AND my phone. It could potentially suck HOURS out of my day—and it has. Not every day, but it’s the only obvious time-sucker I can immediately identify. So, for this week (and maybe more!), I have called a Facebook Fast.

Here are some things I noticed since being on my Time Diet/Facebook Fast

1. I am easily distracted. I’ll start folding a load of laundry and remember I didn’t unload the dishwasher, so I’ll go over to do it. Then, I’ll wonder if anyone commented on my last blog post or Facebook status and I’ll walk over to the computer to check. Then, I’ll think about a song I want to listen to while I’m folding laundry and/or unloading the dishwasher, and click over from e-mails to I-Tunes to play it. Then I-Tunes locks up and I spend an hour trying to figure out what is happening.

On and on and on, day after day. All of that hopping around is wasting a ton of time and making me feel very unproductive. No wonder the days get away from me.

2. Wouldn’t you know, the week I’m off Facebook, I’ve come up with some of the FUNNIEST status ideas. Like this one: “Some kids sneak around to do drugs. My kids sneak around to do soda.” Of course, you’d have to know I forbid soda in the house. And that my kids guzzle it like Buddy the Elf when given the opportunity. Okay, if I have to explain it, it probably isn’t that funny. Never mind.

3. When I don’t manage time well, I forget things. Like the fact that Rebekah is scheduled to get braces this week. That would have been a good thing to remember. I didn’t even have it written on the calendar, and I made the appointment six months ago. Thank God for the “confirm your appointment” message on my answering machine.

4. Even without Facebook, the computer and all-things technological are major time-suckers in my life. I know the computer and my cell phone are good things. I use them for good, productive and godly purposes every single day. But I find myself spending a lot of time trying to figure stuff out.

Sunday, I made a 1 ½ minute promo video for an upcoming speaking engagement, and it took me about 8 hours (!), start to finish, plus additional e-mail discussion time with the sweet ladies who requested it. No lie.

Not to mention, my computer is almost out of memory space, and I’ve spent hours trying to figure out how to clear some. I’ve deleted multiple files, some of which I have no clue what they are or what they do. I-Tunes hasn’t worked properly on my computer for months, so every time I try to sync one of the 6-or-so household I-pods, everything locks up, thus, forcing me to sit there in all my electronic glory restoring and restarting (and using the spiritual fruit of Self Control to resist dashing all-things electronic against the wall and my blond head right along with them.)

I don’t even know what the heck I’m doing half the time—and I waste HOURS doing it. Come to think of it, perhaps I deleted some files that are necessary for I-Tunes to run properly.

Technology is here to stay, so, short of hiring a full time Tech Dude, I don’t really know what to do with this one. I’m open to suggestions.

5. I don’t spend enough time playing with, reading to or engaging my kids. I just don’t. And I don’t like it. I haven’t taken my almost teen-aged Rebekah out for a Starbucks/shopping date in months. I don’t even remember the last time I just hung out with Elijah. Unless by “hung out” I mean helping him with homework or driving him to a Taekwondo lesson.

Last year, I set aside most Thursday mornings to have “Girl Time” with Elliana. I’d take her to her dance lesson, then we’d go to lunch or go to a park or have a play date with a friend or walk around Costco and eat free samples. She still talks about it. Sometimes we pass a certain restaurant and she’ll yell, “Mommy! Remember when we had girl time there and I ordered the mac and cheese?” Then, I had the bright idea to enroll her in a third day of Mother’s Day Out instead of dance this Fall, and voila: the end of Girl Time.

I can come up with all kinds of excuses and tell myself she’s having a blast with her friends (she is) and I’m getting more writing done (I am. Sort of. Wait, am I? And do I even care? Is this what I should focus on right now?) But the truth is, I don’t spend time with her like I should—especially considering I’m a stay-at-home mom and she is a preschooler for only seven more months.

If I accomplish one thing through this emphasis on Time in 2012, I want it to be that I did a better job of cherishing the time with my kids.  I can see after only a few days that God has a lot of work to do on me and my time...

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Q4U:


Do you struggle with time management? Have you ever taken a break from a time-sucking activity (TV maybe?) What did you learn about yourself? And finally, can anyone tell me how to free up some space on my computer or why-oh-why I cannot get on the I-Tunes Store or sync an I-Pod to save my life?????????????  If you are local, I will totally PAY YOU to come fix my computer.  Please oh please oh please.

Fitness Friday: 6 Tools To Help You Slaughter Your Fitness Goals

Quiz Time!!!  What was the Number One New Year’s Resolution made in 2011?

You win, if you guessed "TO LOSE WEIGHT!"

Actually, if you Google “Top New Year’s Resolutions,” you’ll see health-related goals show up multiple times in multiple forms on every list:

“eat healthy”

“quit smoking”

“drink less alcohol”

“manage stress”

Most of us know we need to improve our health, and many of us use the momentum of the new year to make changes. I say, Go FOR IT!

I’m a big fan of setting fitness goals. In fact, this year I’ve set a pretty big one for myself: Over the next 90 days, I am going to complete P90X2.

In case you are not familiar, P90X2 is the successor to the wildly popular 90-Day extreme fitness program, P90X. I love P90X and have recommended it numerous times on Fitness Friday. I’ve already completed P90X twice, but I’m bored and am ready for a new challenge. So, this year, not only am I going to do the daily (insane!) workouts, but I am also following the recommended diet guide AND submitting my final results to the P90X2 people. When I do, I will earn my exclusive P90X2 T-shirt (not available in stores) AND enter to win a chance to be featured in a P90X2 infomercial, which in turn, will make me rich and famous and eternally happy as I prance around in my P90X2 t-shirt, signing autographs as random strangers recognize me on the streets. Oh, the glory of it all.

I intend to slaughter this goal. Seriously, I’m so psyched about it. But, as you all know, it takes more than a ginormous dose of excitement to succeed. Everyone's excited on January 6th. Let’s talk again on February 27th. And again On April 12th. Excitement will only take you so far. To write your own success story, you need tools. Maybe you’ve already set some fitness goals. Or maybe you haven’t, but you know you want to achieve better health in 2012.

No matter if your goal is big or small, you’ll glean something from this


Handy Dandy List of Things That Will Help You Slaughter Your Health-Related Goals in 2012

(or HDLOTTWHYSYHRG2012, for short)

1. Set a realistic goal: I know. Crazy-original, here. But , listen: it’s really important to strive for something you can honestly achieve—especially in fitness. I am only 5 days into the program, and I already know I would never, ever recommend that someone try to do P90X2 unless they were already (a) in excellent shape, (b) had the discipline of exercising daily for at least an hour and (c) enjoyed working out alone while on a stability ball and/or balancing on two medicine balls or maybe even on one leg. This workout is not for beginners, fo sho!

If you are just starting out, it may be more realistic to set a goal of exercising for 30 minutes, 3 times a week. If you prefer to work out with a buddy, it would be better for you to join a class or a gym. Think do-able—which may be small.

Huh? Small? Where’s the glory in that?

Think about it: worst case scenario is that you achieve your goal and then get to set a new one! That’s fun! Besides, I have found that the most lasting changes occur in tiny increments, over time. Glorious!


2. Prepare Mentally: For me, health and fitness is probably 50% mental and 50% physical. When planning to start P90X2, I spent a few hours on You Tube watching promo videos and commentary about the program. I read the entire nutrition guide and fitness guide from cover to cover to see what I was getting myself into. I looked at my calendar and determined the very best day to start and end. I stared at my giant box of new gear sitting in the corner of my dining room and envisioned myself using it.

In other words, this was anything BUT impulsive. By the time Monday, January 2nd rolled around, I was 100% ready to attack this thing. For you, it may be necessary to look through cookbooks and websites to see how you can incorporate healthier meals into your diet with food you enjoy. Or maybe you need to think about how you will rearrange your daily schedule to fit in a jog or a spinning class. Or perhaps you need to grieve the loss of your daily six pack of Coke. Seriously, you will have so much more success if you give yourself the opportunity to adjust mentally to your new habits.

(BTW, for the next 90 days, I’m eating absolutely no junk. I’ve never gone that long without a treat—so, I spent the entire month of December grieving the loss of home-baked goods!)

3. Prepare Physically: I preordered P90X2 in the Fall. And the very next morning, I was in my basement diving head-first into P90X, in preparation. For nearly 11 weeks, I prepared my body for the challenge of the new program. I knew if I wanted to succeed, I needed to be in the best possible shape when I started.

How can you prepare physically for your goal? If you plan to change your diet, you will need to physically remove junk from your home and go shopping for better food. If you want to run a 5K this year, you will need to get off the couch and start moving. If you plan to hire a personal trainer, you need to work out your budget so you can afford it. Do what you need to do to create an environment that encourages you toward your goals.


4. Talk About It: I promise, everyone who knows me well knows I started P90X2 this week. How? I talked about it—all. the. time. Why? For one, I found the more I talked about it, the more excited and committed I became. And B, over the course of the next 3 months, I hope people ask me how I’m doing. I want people to encourage me and cheer me on. I want the accountability. And consequently, people now want me to shut up. What ev.

5. Choose Accountability: Speaking of telling people, I think it’s really important to find someone who will hold your feet to the fire. We do such a good job (especially as Christians) forgiving each other’s failures—we call it “extending grace.” Grace is awesome. I’m pro-grace. I NEED grace when I fail. But when I skip 3 days of workouts because I’m too busy and then eat a plate of chocolate chip cookies because I don’t feel like cooking dinner, I don’t need you to tell me how much I deserve the break. I need you to encourage me to stay the course and do the hard thing:

Sandy, you’ve set a goal. You can do this. Don’t let a plate of cookies derail you! C’mon, you are better than this! Think about how good you will feel if you work out and eat salad!!!

I don’t generally need accountability to achieve my fitness goals—I’m very self-motivated in this area—but I wanted to set up a safety net, just in case I decided to go soft half-way through. That’s another reason why I chose to join the official P90X2 Challenge. I took “Before” pictures and recorded all my measurements. And I have to do it again at 30 days, 60 days and 90 Days. Then I report in at the end. When I’m smelling that plate of cookies or thinking about blowing off a workout, I will think first about reporting those monthly results, and it will help me stay committed.

(Choose wisely, though...if you don't want your husband questioning you when you reach into the bag of Doritos, don't ask him to hold you accountable.  Know what I mean?)

6. Know What You Can Control and What You Cannot: You CAN control what and how much you eat. You CAN control how hard and how often you exercise. But you CANNOT control how your body will respond to those changes. I realize many of us need to lose weight—me included. But setting a goal of, “I am going to lose a pound a week for the next 3 months” is ridiculous—no offense. Go ahead and set your weight loss goal, but realize that each person is genetically unique.

You’ve heard the popular mantra, “Calories in—calories out.” That’s catchy, but it's wrong. The human body is not a math equation. Many factors contribute to how quickly and how efficiently you lose weight—everything from genetics to the amount of sleep you get to how much weight you need to lose to the quality of the calories you eat.

Better to set a goal of, “I am going to lose 25 pounds,” without setting a time-frame—realizing it may take three years. Or, “I’m going to complete this program or finish this class or run this race” and then let your body respond the way it will.

And it will! 

 You just won’t be able to control how it responds or how quickly it responds.

(BTW, it has taken me a YEAR of a controlled and whole foods diet coupled with a variety of physically demanding fitness routines to lose 6 of the 18 pounds I gained in 2009/2010. A YEAR to lose 6 pounds! Where’s the math equation for THAT?)


Q4U: In the past, what goal-setting principles helped you succeed? Would you add anything to this list? What are your health-related fitness goals this year? Share them with me, and I will cheer you on! Also, if you haven't linked your New Year's Resolution Post, there's still time!

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I'm linking up with my friend Jill--aka my P90X2 partner in crime.  Check out her Fitness Friday link up for more inspiration on reaching your fitness goals in 2012!