2006 Update

I’m about 2/3 through the Body for Life for Women audiobook, which has a lot of great advice about finding and keeping motivation. It also seems to have a pretty sensible diet and exercise plan, but the details of those are harder to follow on audio. I may invest in the actual book sometime in the future.

I’ve also already registered for the National Body Challenge, whose website recommended the Body for Life for Women plan. BfLfW is supposed to be a continuing series of 12-week intervals where you revise and revamp at the end of each. The National Body Challenge is only an 8-week program, though. No matter… I’m sure their goal is to get you hooked on a lifestyle change that goes beyond the 8-weeks.

Weigh in for NBC is officially January 14th (though that didn’t stop me from my own weigh in Jan 1), and you are eligible for weekly prizes if you use the discovery.com website to record your weigh-ins, meals, and exercise time daily. Thus, for the period of the NBC, I’ll probably be using that site more than making any record here.

BfLfW also asks that you keep a daily journal, but they want you to record a lot more than just weight, food and exercise. You’re supposed to do a sort of daily motivation check and affirmation. Weight Watchers online is harassing the piss out of me to rejoin, but I’m going to take the advice of BfLfW for a while and not add the pressure of keeping up with calories or points to trying to find the motivation to exercise. One step at a time.

It’s been so funny listening to Dr. Peeke’s advice in the book, because she really does seem to be inside my head. For a while I’ve been on a sporadic exercise kick, which I guess is better than none at all, but never really able to commit myself to doing enough to benefit me…. just enough to cause depression at not seeing results. Finding and keeping motivation will be the keys.

I’d like to record here her advise on this, but I’d really like to listen to that section again before I try to spell it all out. Today is only the 4th, I’ve already begun to implement methods of dealing with stress, drinking more water, getting more daily activity, and watching on portions from her advice, all of which I think will benefit me when in 10 days the hard-core program will start. I have to say again that I can’t be happier to be off Depo and actually experience NOT being hungry! Other than alcoholic beverages, I managed to not really overeat for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year, two real firsts!

Besides just making myself get up and move around more at home, I’ve also started adding in an easy-paced half-hour on the bike during the week before I eat lunch. I’ve always thought people would find it silly to work up to working out, but Dr. Peeke actually suggests it to avoid shock to your mental and physical system… you start building the stamina and the willpower to help you find those target goals and then get on the path to attaining them.

Tonight… must work on finding my mantra. But first… must work. =)

Happy new year.