Going slow does not prevent arriving.
Nigerian Proverb
Nigerian Proverb
It's been a month and four days since I started minding my own fitbitness and you'll never believe this but I'm still not fit! I can however report that I'm fitter than I was a month ago. How do I know this you might ask so I'll share the answer.
Tonight we took our dog (Tempe) for a walk. The same walk that nearly had me coughing up a lung and dying only a month ago and I wasn't even winded. In fact, we added quite a distance to the usual walk and still no terrible exertion. That, my friends, felt pretty great.
The free weights are starting to pay dividends as well. Chores that exhausted me a month ago hardly phase me now.
Building muscle is a two edged sword. As I was pointing out to some friends recently, when we first start adding muscle, it only serves to push the fat out further and can make us appear larger instead of smaller until we hit the tipping point where the muscle is actually helping burn fat. At that point the sculpted beauties start to emerge from underneath it all and make us proud we did the work. Outlasting the frustration is the key to success.
I've even had some "step" setbacks recently. The cold I was sure I'd kicked to the curb recycled itself into a sinus infection which left me sluggish (worst re-purposing ever!) and I fell short of my 10,000 steps for two days. (I still managed to hit the 8000 range.) Add to that losing a dear loved one and I reverted back to my "food as Valium" mode for the same two days. I missed the Fitbit "party on my wrist" that reaching goal brings, but not enough to keep me from moving on.
In the past, any backsliding would have resulted in a self-beating with the loser stick and giving up on my goals. The new loving myself as I change attitude short circuited that pretty quickly. Yes, I had 2 bad days. That's in the middle of a pretty long streak of good ones. Two bad days can't take away from me all the progress I've made. It can't deny me the stamina I've built or the momentum that has taken on a life of its own.
The battle of the bulge will not be won in a day - a week - or alas even a month, but that doesn't mean that it will not be won!
Join me? We can do this!
As a nutritionist and exercise trainer until 2011, I've never seen muscle make anyone look fatter. Muscle takes up little space compared to fat, so if you're not gaining weight, the body becomes more compact--but in time, not in weeks. Changes are slow as the metabolism picks up steam. Look at four months or more to see significant muscle development. Aerobic changes are faster. Feeling stronger is faster, too, because the muscles awaken (neuro-muscular activity). For me, the psychological empowerment and deep relaxation were immediate. I transformed by body at the age of 50 from a soft dumpling to a lean machine with beautiful feminine curves and muscles. Full transformation took about a year and included losing 20 lbs. My husband and I had a wonderful time getting fit together and comparing our progress. It's been harder for me to maintain my discipline without my training partner, but I don't give up and I remain strong. Just not as lean as I used to be.
ReplyDeleteI get food as Valium. Sigh... Did a little too much of that this winter.
Sorry for the delay in response Elaine. Life happened recently so I've been away. Thanks for the encouragement. Good to know I'm not too old for the total transformation. I would imagine it would be hard without your partner. :( I'd be happy to have you kicking my backside anytime you'd like however!
DeleteI hope when the muscles awaken they wake me up too! It's been a LONG week. :) You can join our "Doing This Diva's" facebook page if you think the accountability would be helpful for you. It's an intimate group of 5 so far and we share our gripes and glories.
That Nigerian Proverb hits home. This post just gave me hope that my bulge will soon be gone. It may take me a long time but I'll get there. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome Lux. I have a small group of ladies on FB called Doing It Divas where we share our ups and downs and encourage each other. If you'd like to join us, let me know. Love yourself. It's the answer. I'm sure of it! Just read a blog post today that reaffirmed it.
Deletehttps://cannebodyhearme.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/the-after-myth/
Thanks for reading!