October 4th: Winning doesn't have to hurt

[maxlharris]

Does it?

Ultimately, when you are in the groove, it's not that hard. It's actually pretty easy. When you are in the zone, the workouts are fun, the food is good, the temptations don't tempt.

If you ask an Olympic skater about 4AM practice, I suspect they will not say it's hard or it's miserable. They will say it's a step to the goal, and probably, more often than not, they want to take it.

Read Dan Gilbert's "Stumbling on Happiness". It's short on suggestions, but one of the key things is that you can be happy with whatever circumstance or you can be unhappy with whatever circumstance. People will say, and believe, they are happier having lost a limb than they were with it (qv Suppan, the start of Murderball). We might think they're nuts, but how can we judge till we've been there. This is wandering from the point.

If you're clear on the goal, clear on the plan, the steps shouldn't be painful. They should be closer to joyful. If the goal is something you really want, why not?

It doesn't have to be painful. Winning can be fun.

[Josiane]

Great thought Max, that's what I call PMA, Positive Mental Attitude and it works. It's hard sometimes to have it but it's worth the mental work.

Hello everybody. Just to tell you that I won't be posting until the 18th/19th of october as I am on holidays from tonight.

Have a nice time and talk to you then :)

[Ammy]

Have a good time Josiane!!
I'd LOVE to go on Holiday!!

Busy day AGAIN today...lots of stuff has been piling up at work while I was getting the new employee started. Not bad though, I MUCH PREFER to be extremely busy!

Having bagels delivered here today...darn bagels!!

[Claudette]

Wow, Max, great thoughts that REALLY hit home with me. I am going to keep those to review. Joyful is how I feel now, I can see my goal around the corner.

Meals, snacks on planned today.

Last night, went to early Birthday dinner with favorite Aunt, sister. I planned what to order before I went, then ordered it. Didn't sucumb to the appetizers as they picked the ones I could take or leave. Proud of myself.

Another busy day at work, still one person down in our department. Government, you know, hurry up and wait..... in the mean time, we are barely keeping our noses "afloat".

Will check in later for late posting of totals.

[hawk]

In the shakiest, there is a core of steel.

I opened the french door this morning at 5 am to let Gus out and ended up quickly grabbing the door handle to keep my balance. My left leg's nerves still wants to have their own way. Dang it!!!!!!!!

Later, I dreaded it but knowing I have to do it,
I forced myself to go down to the workout room to ride the bike. I set the interval on a 5 which produces more resistance than I want and then
Let the battle begin.... The pain in my legs became almost unbearable.The burning ache make me feel like throwing up. I looked down and had 10 minutes left. I wanted to quit. My mind is a battle ground. We battled (my mind against my body)until the last minute. The beeper went off. The results of the intervals were displayed and the ear to ear smile splitting my face as the feeling of victory begins to be reality. There is the joy of becoming stronger than I was yesterday and winning today leaving me feeling SO incredible. I did it. I made it. I will do it again Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will punish my upper body. I'm still walking off the numb feeling in my feet. I will feed myself protien . I worked too hard to waste it on carbs.The food is great.

There's both for me . Pain and joy. If I work hard enough, there will eventually be less pain and hopefully more joy. I hope I won't take it for granted like I did the last time this RSD thing happened 7 years ago and I mostly got over it.My left leg was cold and had a slight tinge of blue this morning when I woke up. It's looks better now. For me I can only win when I hurt. I accept it. It's my reality.

For most who work out the pain is mostly in the beginner stages when
delayed onset muscle soreness happens. I actually look foreward to it now
because I know I worked out hard enough.

My friend who was an olympic skater in training in the 6th grade was thrilled to be up at 4 am to be on the ice. She lived for it. Her only beef was that she could not be a regular school student and had to be tutored alot. Most of us just would not sacrifice like that. We would not put forth the effort. I admired her.

The hard is not in the work out . The hard is in getting to the workout. Once you are there you will be proud you accomplished it. When you are sucking air into your lungs and pushing yourself, you will gain a sense of achievement that's hard to compare anything to .You will be joyful.

[Ottawa]

"For most who work out the pain is mostly in the beginner stages when
delayed onset muscle soreness happens. I actually look foreward to it now because I know I worked out hard enough."

Hawk, way to go!!!

There was a saying part of which said to "Wear your pain like a radio. You worked for it and it's yours."
It sounded a little odd, and related to more than just working out, but there is an achievement in overcoming adversity or stumbling blocks. I don't know about "wearing pain like a radio" but whether its DOMS, or just the strain of having to do "just a few more" it is always an accomplishment.


Today will be an ontrack day. Either volleyball at lunch or a walk with a friend through a nearby forested area looking for Puffball mushrooms. I'll get weights in later. I have always wanted to a Puffball and we were too late finding them last year so hopefully we find one in the next week or two.

[Benay]

Morning all. Yesterday on track on al fronts.

Saw the Dr about my systolic BP and to get new BP meds. He said that for my age and general level of decay a Systlic BP of 140 to 160 is not to be worried about. He is concerned that my Diastolic BP is in the 50's and 60's which he thinks should be around 80. I shared this with my brother who is 5 years older than I am (even more decayed therefore) and he says his cardiologist is worried if his Systolic goes above 135 and his Diastolic goes about 60. Go figure. No wonder we have trouble selling the low carb diet! We can't even get consensus on blood pressure values!

Benay

[Dharmalisa]

I'm still reeling from taking the 'Insulin Resistance' quizzes. Seems I'm high risk, mostly because of "family" history, not because I myself have ANY signs: I have low blood pressure, HDL chol is 94, Trig. are 54, waist-to-hip ratio is .8 so I'm not 'apple' shaped, and my highest BMI ever was 28. I've having a hard time believing that genetics play such a HUGE role is these things. I've always believed that diet and lifestyle trump genes hands down.

Sorry for the rant.....maybe I should try gratitude that I've been able to avoid any serious consequences considering. I truly am grateful that I'm carb sensitive because it would be so much harder to avoid them if I weren't, and bottom line is I believe most carbs are harmful.

OK - deep breath - today is weight training day and I've got DOMS from Tuesday. Like Hawk, I suffer through the pain of my workouts because the feeling of accomplishment at the end is worth it!

I've got some homemade (delicious) vegetable beef soup, cheese, yogurt and whey protein for before and after my workout today. It's a good day.

[Anniesnan]

afternoon everyone!

day going well - meals good:D

Late night last night, so my tail is dragging a little, but I'm M&S anyway:D

[Dharmalisa]

WOW I just wanted to say Mike's newest blog entry is AWESOME!! If you haven't already, check it out.

[Ottawa]

Thanks Dharmalisa,
He always does a great job and it's nice when he tackles a big one.

Thermodynamics and weight loss (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/?p=963)



This is a YES day (4/31), with supper already set to cook and exercise in. Between the class workout yesterday, a bit of strength work in the evening and getting ready to head out to volleyball at lunch I realized that I was definitely hungry. A little more than hungry so I grabbed some protein. I'm a little rigid and wanted to follow the 23/1 until tomorrow but realized that I needed something (can of tuna and 3 turkey pepperettes) before the game so today is an 18/6 and dinner is beef, salad, and a bit of yogurt with berries and ground flaxseed.

It is a bright sunny day, possibly the last volleyball we'll play without shirts, and there can't be many more days as warm as today. We still have not had frost in the city which is amazing. This Monday is our Thanksgiving and a touch frost is always here before then (something about "frost on the pumpkins").

FD Total: 2029
Fat: 142
Carbs: 51 -27 = 24
Fiber: 27
Protein: 158

[Gaelen]

I'm still reeling from taking the 'Insulin Resistance' quizzes. Seems I'm high risk, mostly because of "family" history, not because I myself have ANY signs: I have low blood pressure, HDL chol is 94, Trig. are 54, waist-to-hip ratio is .8 so I'm not 'apple' shaped, and my highest BMI ever was 28. I've having a hard time believing that genetics play such a HUGE role is these things. I've always believed that diet and lifestyle trump genes hands down.

Dharmalisa, it would be great if diet and exercise could trump genes, but sometimes genes are just holding stronger cards. That doesn't mean diet and exercise aren't worth it--with your genes, you would be in far worse shape if you didn't limit carbs and make sure to get enough protein. But that's one of the reasons that, for instance, some people who eat low carb still need to take blood pressure medicines...their attention to diet and exercise alone doesn't get them into the safety zone.

PP also says something very telling that many folks too easily forget--once insulin sensitive, you will likely ALWAYS retain some level of sensitivity. Your choices are to eat the way that reduces that sensitivity, or be sensitive, for the rest of your life. Insulin sensitive is, in that way, a bit like an allergy--you're always going to be susceptible to the dangers of metabolic syndrome. But you DO know how to stop that in its tracks, and knowlege is power.

On plan today...if not on time. Fingers crossed that I can get out of work by six!

[Shadow]

Max - You're right - when you get it together, it's just the way you live, not something that hurts. Good thing, huh ;)?

Josiane - Have a wonderful vacation :D!

[oceanblueLA]

Hi all--

I'll keep it short because I'm exhausted. Thanks for understanding.

I agree... winning doesn't have to hurt. Sure, it can be hard. You sometimes feel deprived or too tired. But if you persevere, those feelings pass. When I'm in the zone, as I am now, nothing can knock me out of it. Because I choose to be there. Okay, sometimes I'm coasting on the tailwinds of momentum. And when you're out of the zone, sometimes it's hard to get the momentum going. But once you get there, it's easy. Not to say I won't wake up tomorrow and have a hard time not thinking about the toast on someone's plate. Or groaning as I think about the exercise I need to do. But I'm choosing not to make it hard right now. And after a while, the active choosing becomes habit. I'm hoping the habit becomes a habit. ;-)

Today is a YES for me. I kept my food choices on point. I walked and swam. So I'm 4 for 4. And looking forward to tomorrow.

Have a good night!

Blue

[Feelix]

Sarah has had an carb overload day.
I'm not going to say I failed today. I am not going to say that tomorrow is a failing day. What I am saying is today i ate more carbs than I wanted to.

Where did I lose it? Potatoes and Chocolate.

Why? Sabotage. After reflecting on my day. I realize that's what it was.

Today I broke down and joined a gym.
I have been trying to keep up with slow burn video with my weights at home. I have been trying to do a little cardio on my mini tramp. I have not been doing it regularly since being back from my trip. Although trivial, I find it hard to follow along with the video with the speed i want to because I am constantly having to change the weights. The pressure of preforming by myself alone is not inspiring. So I joined the Hospital Wellness Program. They do offer classes, aquatic classes and the regular gym equipment.

I finally made the committment because I found out that they have NO CONTRACTS and

1.Cybex training equipment, Free weight area already set up and all i have to do is show up
2. Sauna, Swimming Pool, whirlpool, steamroom
3. PEOPLE - I will not be alone. For me this is very important, I have lived as a hermit for the past year and having people around I motivating just thinking about it. :-) I think it's a good sign.

With the gym membership you must do blood work, that means fasting for 12hours. After I left the lab I went grocery shopping and bought all PP friendly stuff. I was so proud, I came hope ate sushi and cleaned my living room. (Very Proud) I am baking chicken for supper and a dark chocolate bar jumped down my throat before i knew what happened. GRRRR.

So tomorrow starts a whole new day. One with a gym membership and a desire to change and challenge myself in a fun way.

[Claudette]

Today, #4, on plan in all aspects.

I am soon turning in to read my 15' of my technical journal. All is planned for tomarrow.

[oceanblueLA]

Hey Sarah--

Good for you! It sounds like you need to be around people for support and joining a gym will certainly do that. You took a huge step today and you should be very proud. The chocolate bar incident... well, that happens. But you stopped at one and have already refocused for tomorrow. That's huge!

Let us know how the blood work comes back. And how you liked Day One at the gym.

Blue

[Anniesnan]

I have to report a NO for Thursday. We went out to dinner, and while I made good choices, I am not sure "how" to count.

It was a delicious Italian place, and I'm glad it is nowhere near where we live. Very, very thin sliced eggplant, rolled around spinach and goat cheese with parm on top and steak in a red wine reduction.

[Shadow]

Way to turn things around, Sarah :thumbsup:!

Today was a yes - and it felt so good :D!

[gitfiddle]

I have to take a NO for today because I didn't plan a good lunch. I was offered a Panera lunch and even though I threw parts away, I didn't throw enough to stay under.