A Merry Life - The Pursuit of Healthy & Happy » Inspiration & Motivation

Go. Start. NOW.

Mary — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:40:44 +0000

Hanlie left this comment on my post about swimming yesterday:

I am very keen to start swimming. For years I’ve been trotting out every excuse in the book not to do it – my technique sucks, I’m not fit enough, I can’t breathe, the pool is too busy at the times I’m free, etc. But since I can no longer really walk, swimming is the only alternative. I got some books on swimming from the library, watched a lot of coaching clips on Youtube and I am ready! Now I must just find a good time slot in the evening.

My reply to her:

I have all those excuses too but I still go. Seriously my technique is shit. Ask Kepa. I swim super slow too – he can smoke me in 25 meters. My only benefit is I’m buoyant and can go long distances (thanks to practice because starting I could only do one length). There will always be excuses even when you improve. You just have to start. Go swim Hanlie!

One thing I know: there will always be excuses.

Sometimes they will be reasonable, sometimes they won’t. Sometimes they will be worth allowing, sometimes they won’t. Most of the time they won’t. It’s easy to want to be perfect before starting something but that rarely happens.

You have to start at the bottom and you can’t let starting at the bottom be an excuse. You have to just go out there and try it and suck at it so you can move on and get better. The beginning is rarely pretty but it is necessary to get to where you want to go.

I recognize this in myself a lot.

I wanted to do a triathlon so I went to the pool to start swimming. I sucked and could only go one length of the pool before tiring out. But I stuck with it.
I wanted to snowboard so I went to a mountain and tried it out. I fell so hard so many times I cried myself to sleep the first night and ached the next day. But I stuck with it.

My beginnings are rarely pretty. I’m not naturally talented at many athletic endeavors. I could use that as an excuse. Or my weight could be an excuse. Or any number of things could be an excuse to avoid that first painful and/or embarrassing attempt. But excuses don’t make you better. They don’t let you improve so you can swim for 30 minutes or snowboard for hours or do anything else you really want to do. Giving into excuses and fear gets you nowhere!

You can’t get anywhere if you don’t start.

You can’t get better if you don’t try.

So Hanlie, go swim. Let me know how it goes. And the rest of you? Go try something you’ve been putting off and making excuses for that you think you might enjoy. (I think potential enjoyment is key… some things you might try and realize you hate and they aren’t worth doing which is okay too.) You might not be great at first but I’m 100% sure you’ll get better if you avoid the excuses and stick with it.

There is no better time than now to start. :)

Go. Start. NOW. is a post from: A Merry Life! If you aren't reading it via RSS or on amerrylife.com it has been stolen!!

Don’t Procrastinate!

Mary — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:56:15 +0000

Have you worked out today? Have you made healthy choices?

Or are you procrastinating? Are you waiting for something to happen before you start?

Source: arthlete.tumblr.com via Mary on Pinterest

It’s so easy to put things off. Tomorrow! I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ll exercise tomorrow. Promise.

Source: illbemyowninspiration.tumblr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

But the longer you put it off the less likely it is to happen. One day turns into two and then 10 then 365.

Source: m.weheartit.com via Mary on Pinterest

You know, you can’t wait for the right moment. The right moment is now. If you wait you might never start.

Source: Uploaded by user via Mary on Pinterest

In summary, DON’T PROCRASTINATE.

You know what you need to do. We all do. Go do it!

(And don’t get sucked into pinterest like I did after my workout.)

Don’t Procrastinate! is a post from: A Merry Life! If you aren't reading it via RSS or on amerrylife.com it has been stolen!!

Fear and Motivation

Mary — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:43:17 +0000

Fear of Change

I’m scared to lose weight. I’m scared to shrink. I’m scared to see my body in a way I’ve never seen it before.

I realized these things a couple nights ago. My body has been changing shape and size lately thanks to lifting weights and it’s been hard for my brain to process the changes. I’ve spent over a year around the 211 weight mark with very few changes in my body. I got comfortable there and now that things are changing it scares me a bit. I’ve encountered these feelings before but I really thought I was over them.

In the back of my mind a voice scared of change wants me to stop. It wants me to stay how I am. I’m comfortable here!

But I’m obviously not going to. Oddly enough my fear of change is very motivating right now. It tells me that things are really happening. The fact that I’m scared of them just motivates me to keep going and see what comes next.

I love strength training. I love making my body work and grow stronger. I love exercising and eating well and seeing the changes in my body. It’s scary, sure, but it’s also exciting. I’ll stick with the exciting part.

Lunch = VEGGIES

I’m trying to up the amount of veggies I eat daily since it’s something I always struggle with. I’ve been doing great getting in at least one salad (several cups of lettuce and/or spinach) a day. I also want to get several more servings of vegetables in as well.

So, today for lunch, I’m eating a package of steamed vegetables.

Yeah, I ate a full bag of steamed vegetables. It’s only 120 calories for the whole thing! I also had a small chicken burrito but the main part of my meal was a big bag of steamed vegetables.

I might start doing that more often. It’s super convenient and a great way to get in more vegetables.

Go Slow, Just Go

And lastly I want to share some motivation I shared yesterday on my Facebook page.

So, so true!! I forget sometimes that most people DON’T WORKOUT AT ALL. I’m so used to being active and being around other people who are active and blogging in an active community, that I forget most people just sit around for the majority of their day without ever getting up (or wanting to). It’s pretty motivating to remember that even when I’m running slow (oh, I’m slow) or struggling to bike uphill (hills are my enemy) or feeling like I’m a failure at my workout, I’m still dominating a huge amount of people who won’t even try.

That makes ya feel good!

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New Training Plan + Inspiration

Mary — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 02:40:14 +0000

NEW TRIATHLON TRAINING PLAN

I finally chose my new training plan for triathlon training. I was putting it off for some reason. It focuses mostly on running which is what I need to improve. I’m technically starting on month three of a four month beginner sprint tri plan, but since I already trained for my first one I’m more than able to start there. I chose the plan because it was tailored specifically toward improving running so I’ll be running at least three times a week. Well, run/walking. But my walk breaks will keep getting shorter.

Here’s what my triathlon training for the month looks like:

That is just the cardio training however. It doesn’t include strength training or flexibility stuff or core work – all of which I plan on doing. Plus I will probably take a few extra long bike rides with Kepa once his bike is fixed. I’m super excited to get started on Monday! (My arm better feel fine by then!)

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OUCHIES! MY ARM!

Somehow in the last day or so, without doing any strength training or heavy lifting, I managed to pull/hurt a muscle in my arm. I have no clue how I did it or what I did, but now when I lift my arm it’s painful. It’s actually better than last night which gives me hope that it will heal in a few days and I won’t have to see a doctor. But I also won’t be swimming for a few days.

That’s unfortunate because I’ve been looking forward to getting in the pool all week. However, you have to take what you get and adjust so I decided that this weekend will be good to rack up some biking miles and then swim starting on Monday.

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INSPIRING

Even though people often tell me I am inspiring them I hardly ever believe it. I just can’t process that idea because I haven’t yet achieved my goals. I don’t compare to the people that I consider my own inspiration. I always feel that because I’m stuck with weight loss I’m no longer inspiring at all (and subsequently everyone will stop caring about me and my blog… I’ve got issues). But today, I felt it. I felt like I actually have inspired people.

1 – I went to lunch with Mandy and she told me that my triathlon inspired her and she was going to start biking and training once she moves.

2 – Jewlia wrote an amazing post about how I (and my inspiration BitchCakes) inspire her. She is going to start training and do a triathlon as well!

Apparently I really can be inspiring and encourage people to go for things. I can inspire other people to do triathlons because I’m not perfect. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to wait until some magically moment when you think you will be ready. You just have to decide to do it and then go for it.

I guess that is inspiring. I’m awesome! (Sheryl aka Ms. Bitch Cakes inspire me to own my awesomeness.)

New Training Plan + Inspiration is a post from: A Merry Life! If you aren't reading it via RSS or on amerrylife.com it has been stolen!!

Confessions and A Challenge

Mary — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:00:27 +0000

I’ve been struggling with what to write about on this Monday post. Do I write something inspiring? Do I share a motivating weight loss success story? Do I write about a hot button issue? Rant about Marie Claire and fat people? Or do I just open up and share what went on this weekend? Yeah, that last one sounds good.

So that means it is now time for the confession part of the post. I started off with writing just one but then I ended up with several confessions.

Confessions:

I haven’t weighed myself in a month and I’ve gained 3 lbs.

I skipped my bike workout on Sunday.

I made oatmeal raisin cookies, and ate half of them within a day.

The non weighing thing was intentional. I wanted to take a break from the scale and see how I did without making a big deal about it on the blog. I’ve weighed myself almost daily for quite a while so not stepping on the scale or caring was nice. I thought doing it for a while when I started triathlon training would be a good idea as well, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. But in the end I’ve gained three pounds.

Progress toward being under 200 lbs? Not so much.

The other two confessions sum up this past weekend. I ate too much and didn’t workout enough – I even missed my first training session. Sure I have reasons for it – I overslept for the gym which is only open two hours and still don’t have a bike helmet – but the reasons don’t matter much. It happened. I’m disappointed in the fact that it happened.

This past weekend could be the beginning of a slippery slope for me. Eating like crap, missing training sessions… this could lead me down a really bad path where instead of making progress I end up back where I was. I don’t want that. I don’t want that at all. I know that when things start going well I tend to self-sabotage and I would like to stop doing that.

So I’m ending my quasi pity pary that’s been happening all day today. Instead I’m challenging myself to do better.

The Challenge:

Keeping it simple and just choosing three things I want to accomplish by the end of this year.

1. Eat 4 servings of fruits and veggies a day. My ultimate goal is 5, but setting the bar at 4 means I’ll eat more than I’m currently eating and I’ll manage to accomplish this each day. I need to get more fiber and less sodium in my diet and without counting calories this will be the easiest way for me to accomplish it.

2. Complete every single workout in my triathlon training program in full on the day it’s required. Non-negotiable because this is important to me! I am doing my triathlon in January (and/or April) so I need to make sure I don’t let my training schedule go during the holidays. There will be parties and dinners and bbqs on the beach for Christmas (so I’m told), but that can’t stop me from getting my workouts in.

3. Weigh in and check in each week (Sunday) to stay accountable to my goals of weight loss and training. Weekly check-ins will help me stay accountable to this personal challenge to make it through the year on a good note. I don’t want to have any more years where I “let things go” just to wait for the new year to “make a big change.” No. I’m making these little resolutions now and will keep them so I can celebrate for real at the end of the year. ;)

And it you want? You can join me. Yeah, there is no cute name for the challenge and it doesn’t matter if anyone joins me or not. But if you need something simple to make it through the rest of the year – the part that can be the worst for healthy living – then feel free to make this challenge your own. It would be nice to have company so we can encourage each other. I’ll be checking in on the weekends and if you would like to join me you can too (or pick any other day)… this isn’t formal. Just keep it simple, make it only 3 things you can do through the last two months of the year.

And that’s about it! Some confessions, a personal challenge to make the rest of this year count, and an invitation for you to do the same if you want. I’m determined to make the rest of 2010 great, just to finish up the best year of my life so far with a good note. ;)

Confessions and A Challenge is a post from: A Merry Life! If you aren't reading it via RSS or on amerrylife.com it has been stolen!!

Some Non Scale Victories

Mary — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 12:00:00 +0000

No weigh in today. Nothing much has happened on the scale, but that’s not really the point of skipping the weigh in. I want to skip it to instead focus on NSVs, or non scale victories. Since my weight loss progress is so slow (like half a pound a week) it’s more practical and more fun to do bi-weekly weigh ins to keep tracking my progress. (Unless I lose like a ton in one week and I’ll definitely let you know… but the slow .5 lb losses/gains each week get boring even to me.) That means weigh-ins every two weeks I can focus on something else in between. Anything else positive really.

And there is so much to focus on! I feel like despite some big things that are frustrating right now (mostly money stress and hormonal stuff), everything is going really well.

Non scale victories (NSVs) in the fight to be healthy this week:

Worked out at the gym almost every day! Got in some really good workouts that made me feel good and strong.

I wore pants that fit to the gym instead of my normal big/baggy ones and I realized I’m looking good yo! Getting close to 200 is working well for me. Looking in the mirror when lifting weights and feeling really good about how I’m looking was a great NSV.

Another gym mirror NSV… looking in the mirror I realized I’m starting to see more defined body parts like my calves. Not totally there yet but I’m seeing actual progress in certain places. Yes!

I planned my meals for the weekdays and stuck to it. Meal planning is pretty great! It is pretty helpful to have things ready so I don’t turn to less ideal options. I’m proud of myself for doing this and want to keep it up and extend it to the weekend too.

My favorite pair of jeans that I wear way too often are getting loose! I’m going to soon be fitting into my other jeans that are slightly smaller soon! I can’t wait!

Woohoo! I’m proud of myself for those things and I’m going to focus on them instead of dwelling on what I did wrong this week. I’m making that choice now.

How about you? Have any awesome NSVs this week?

Some Non Scale Victories is a post from: A Merry Life! If you aren't reading it via RSS or on amerrylife.com it has been stolen!!

The Ultimate Weight Loss Reward

Mary — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:00:08 +0000

So far wedding planning hasn’t been much fun – we’ve had trouble finding a venue and photographer (the big things!). But this weekend we finally set a date and started talking about something fun: the honeymoon.

I’ve been stalking wedding forums (because that’s what engaged girls do, right?) and have learned a lot of interesting things… mainly that people register for honeymoons nowadays. We came across a suggestion for Honeyfund where you can register for honeymoon items and decided to register there for our honeymoon. We both want to go to Hawaii so we decided on that as our destination which technically is just a stop on the way home. The sample registries gave us great ideas about stuff we can do and after a bit of research we found specific things to do like a bike ride and kayak tour and other fun active things. After adding a few of these fun experiences I realized it would be the most fun vacation I’ve ever had if we get to do it (and if we don’t and go somewhere else it will still be amazing).

Thinking about the honeymoon and all the fun stuff that we will (hopefully) get to do has motivated me to really get serious about knocking out the second half of my weight loss journey. I really wasn’t motivated by any of the wedding stuff but the idea of a awesome vacation afterwards has me fired up. I don’t want to go on another vacation where I’m not physically able to do things. I don’t want to go on my honeymoon being unhappy with my body. I don’t want to go to Hawaii and be unable to be completely comfortable in a bathing suit. I don’t want to go to Hawaii and get tired of kayayking before the tour is over or tired an hour into a half day hike. I want to go on the trip my fittest, best possible self.

One of the things on the honeyfund list is ziplining. I’ve done this before in Honduras and it was amazing fun.

The only problem was that because of my weight I had to have an extra safety harness thing. It was embarrassing and made the experience a little less fun because I had to have extra help. I would like the next time in Hawaii to be an experience where I’m a normal weight and ability that doesn’t require any extra help. At my current size I’m still able to do everything, but I’m still not to the point where I’m completely happy with my fitness level for activities like we would like to do.

So this hypothetical honeymoon planning has got me motivated. I was hoping to be at my goal weight before that time anyway, but now I see the honeymoon as a potential “reward” for it. In my opinion it would be like the ultimate reward for losing weight and getting in shape. It would be a reward to go on a trip without any thoughts about what I could or couldn’t do or about what would be harder because of my weight. It would be nice to go and just enjoy everything because I know I’m capable of anything.

Having a hugely awesome thing like that to look forward to has me so excited that I can’t sit still, but luckily I can use that energy to exercise!

Do you have a huge goal or reward you are working towards?

If you are married, where did you go on your honeymoon?

The Ultimate Weight Loss Reward is a post from: A Merry Life! If you aren't reading it via RSS or on amerrylife.com it has been stolen!!