It's Time for a Challenge!

It's time to get back on track. Since Christmas I have slowly let all the good habits I have developed go, one by one, to the point where I can safely say I have completely fallen off the wagon! My excuse (and that's exactly what it is) is that I have not had a regular schedule. The university I work at has had a 5 week break, and since I work directly with the students, when they are off, I am off. Between 2 weeks in Chicago for Christmas, and going back and forth to Phoenix, to try to make up for all the lost hours and living out of a suitcase the entire time, I have had no real schedule or routine to speak of.

Now that school is back in session, and things are "back to normal" I find myself looking for reasons to start next week. But before I know it, next week will turn into the next and then the next, and then summer will be here and I'll be right back where I started. I have to start this week, even if it's a bit of a weak start. I am tired, I am low on energy, I'm just barely feeling the fire I had not long ago. Every time I turn around, there is something else. I hit the wrong button while working on my blog, and poof! the whole thing is gone. So I have to reconstruct it. Then my Treo (PDA/phone) freezes up and I lose everything- my schedule, all my contacts, everything! My life was in that thing! So, the was quite a project. Is this a sign that I need a fresh start or what?!

And my littlest beauty is really sick; I have barely slept for three days. I'm back to passing out on the couch as soon as the girls are in bed. This morning when I got up at 5:00 in an attempt to go to the gym, my little one started crying. Her sister came in to comfort her; my older one was half asleep so she laid down and told her sister that everything would be OK. But my little one was just feeling so miserable; she cried so hard she threw up all over her sister's face! So I spent the morning calming everyone down, cleaning up and doing laundry. Does that count as a workout? I did dash across the room to try to rescue my oldest from a very rude awakening!

The eating isn't going so well either; we are so broke because of the break at NAU. Our cupboards and the fridge are not stocked as they should be for a BFL Challenge. But if I continue on this path, I'll only feel worse, and possibly depressed and really angry at myself. I don't want to go back to hating myself. I have to push through it and before I know it I'll have the energy to go full force and by next week the money will start rolling in again.

I realize a champion would not let any of this get in the way. Well, I may not be a champion, but I've waisted enough time and energy as it is. I just have to make myself do it; go through the motions until the tiny smolder that remains bursts into flames again.

So here's to the start of a new year, and a new challenge...

Kristin's "BE TRUE" Challenge

start date: 1.22.07
end date: 4.16.07

Objective: I am going to approach this challenge completely differently than I have any Body for LIFE challenge in the past. My main objective is to be consistent with the habits that create a healthy body, mind, and spirit. In the past I have not at all been consistent. In the past, I have focused on the numbers, how much I should be losing each week, what my end goal weight should be, etc. And then I start playing games with myself; I don't follow the program for a few days thinking that I can scramble, starve myself or double up on my workouts, to make up for it. In the end it leads to not very great results, and I'm not creating the life long habits I need to make this a regular part of my life. So my main objective is to "be true", to be consistent. I wouldn't be surprised if, with this approach, I get the best results that I have so far. But the focus is on doing the work, consistently, day by day.

I will still set mini goals for myself; set up little rewards to strive for like fitting into a pair of pants, getting some whitening strips for my teeth, etc. My ultimate goal is to be able to wear my wedding ring again by the end of this challenge.

OK, so I've taken my starting stats and the traditional and humiliating "before" pictures. Here's the breakdown:

starting weight: 161 lbs (up 5.5 lbs since Christmas)

starting measurements:
neck: 14"
chest: 34"
waist: 36 1/2"
hips: 43 3/4"
buttocks: 42 3/4"
thigh: 25"
calf: 15"
bicep: 12 1/2"
forearm: 10 1/2""

Goals:
Every day I commit myself to:

• eating 5 to 6 clean meals
• meeting my nutrition goals: calories 1530-1580, protein 35%, carbs 45%, fat 20%, multi vitamin (Garden of Life, Living Multi 3, times a day), Udo's Oil (to get all my Essential Fatty Acids, will purchase next pay day)
  
• drinking 11 cups of water
  
• working out (six 45 min cardio, two strength training per week- I'm breaking away from the traditional BFL program- I'll have to see how this goes, I really want to get the fat off so I'm cranking up the cardio. I'll still do High Intensity Interval Training for my cardio, but for longer and more often than BFL prescribes)
• logging my food and water intake and exercise in my Diet Assistant program for my PDA that I got for Christmas.
  
• posting on my challenge thread on the fitness forum I belong to, MyBlends, and my blog, even if it is only to post that I worked out, ate clean and drank all my water.
  

Every week I commit myself to:

• having one scheduled Free Day on Sundays; can be swapped with Saturdays, depending on my schedule. NO free days, meals, or snacks during the week.
• taking pictures and posting them regardless of my progress.
• posting my weight regardless of my progress.
• taking and posting my measurements regardless of my progress.
• setting a mini goal for each week.