Follow the _Four Day Win_ plan, noting my thoughts and experiences as I go

Goal: stay within my SP target for the next four days

Progress: 1/1

Reward day 1 (Sat): crashing out on the sofa with Dr Who :)
Reward day 2 (Sun):
Reward day 3 (Mon):
Reward day 4 (Wed):
(yeah, I know. But I also know what I’m doing on Tuesday, so no point kidding myself!!)

When I started on SP, I did think it was perfectly compatible with Four Day Win, so, since today is my new Day 1, perhaps time to start rereading that, too.

Part of me REALLY doesn’t want to bore y’all with this, or be treating it like my Number One goal. But… I can tell you what HASN’T been working over the past several years, and this is a different approach to try.

because I did do several of the exercises. It’s not a priority right now. I’m eating healthy food and getting regular doses of dark chocolate, walking 45 minutes six days a week and feeling good about my body and eating habits.

I may write entries here occasionally, but it’s list-simplication time.

I still want to do it at some point, but it’s starting to annoy me being on my list when it’s not an active goal at the moment.

..what with it being me who started the goal and all. But I’ve not been doing the exercises, and I can’t find the motivation to, either. In all honesty I think I would be better served by some kind of talking therapy or coaching to help me in this area of my life. The accountability of having someone there to bounce ideas off and to check that I’m doing what I say I’m going to appeals to me greatly (and so it should, I’m a life coach). I have a couple of potential programmes in mind, and at some point I’d like to take a holiday from some of my other responsibilities, commit to one of them, and really focus on making a concerted effort to heal my attitude towards food and my body.

Maybe I will try this again some time, but for now I have to say that I’m just miserable and want to give a different life change plan a go. Sorry, gals. See you soon.

The concept of four workout levels seems to be helping me. I was doing a Level A or B workout for 60 minutes a day for several months, but that all fell apart and I’ve recently had a fair amount of resistance to getting started again. But the Levels notion is helping because I realize that I have no resistance to Level C exercise and just a little resistance to Level B exercise. I imagine if I keep that in mind and start doing a little more, that eventually I’ll wear down the resistance to doing an occasional Level A workout.

I’d already kind of started doing this, since I joined the gym. But the added component of taking time for myself, for my D workout on a day off of vigorous exercise is really brilliant.

Of course a big reason we don’t exercise is that we feel we don’t have the time, but if you commit to taking the time for yourself every day, then you really can choose the level of activity.

Wednesday I just lay there and meditated and did a few stretches. The next morning I felt the happiest, the most like my old self that I have in maybe months. And I did a very vigorous set of exercises on Thursday. Hmmm.

Side note: I don’t know what’s going on right now, but I am having just about zero resistance to watching what I eat. Maybe because I’m just watching and choosing, rather than ducking a ruler-wielding dictator? I’m actually eating way fewer calories than I could be some days (while staying over 1200).

I’ve done this. It’s an interesting way to look at one’s daily habits and behavior.

It’s not nearly as challenging as I somehow led myself to believe stepping through the door of Stage 4 of the book would be. Jeez. What goes on inside that head sometimes?

I have started a program, which was the stumbling point for me, and now I’m ready to work the last third of the book, if I can find it. It’s yellow. I know that much.

I joined a gym two weeks ago today and have started using it. I hired a personal trainer for 5 half-hour sessions and we did the initial measurements, etc. on Monday. She asked me to log my food and pay attention to calories and for some reason it didn’t freak me out like I thought it might.

I found a great free tracking website called Daily Plate that offers the same thing Weight Watchers does, but in a nicer format, I think. It gives daily assessments of percentages of Carbs, protein and fat, etc. in easy to read formats.

Feels like a great tool.

around the whole concept of picking a program or plan. But I’m moving on this again. I am researching gyms that are available to me. Someone here at 43Things encouraged me to approach it more from the exercise side than the diet side and it makes sense.

Picking a gym is kind of a big deal for me because the closest one is 8 miles away, and there’s the decision whether to go for one that’s nearer work (45 miles away) or home. I was about to go sign up for the one close to work, but realized that there might be a reason for my feelings of resistance.

I’ve narrowed it down to two choices:

World Sports Center
Pro:
-Near work
-Could work out after morning commute, 5:15-6:30 am
-Very cool guy who showed me around the place

Con:
-Far from home (hence NO weekend probability)
-Exercising from 5:15-6:30 which is currently my best writing time
-Very new: not many classes offered, building isn’t finished, could go under soon
-Only one location

24 Hour Fitness
Pro:
-nearer home, encouraging using weekend classes and equipment
-more than 1 location, including one about half-way home and one in the town where I do most of my shopping
-on the commute home, I’m past most of the traffic and could work out in the evening…also preserving my 1 year and 4 month habit of writing at a diner most mornings between 5:15-6:30
-less expensive (at least the first year)
-offers lots of classes
-well established

Con:
-wouldn’t be able to work out in the early morning (placement along the commute route), which actually might not be such a bad thing
-far from work…no chance to pop over in the middle of the day (as if I hardly EVER leave my desk, even for lunch)
-busier

Hmmm. I’m going to print out a free week pass to 24 Hour Fitness and see what it’s like.

I’m excited about this. I remember loving the gym at UCLA. Yay.