What is "Success"?

Hi there! Today was a good Fun in the Sun-day. It included lots of walking. Walking around parks, walking around the neighborhood, walking through the grocery store, y'know. Thrilling stuff.

Also, I sold a ton of my old clothes and made $40. Fab. And of course I'll use that money to buy MORE clothes. It seems like even though I keep buying stuff, the list of things I need continues to grow...;)

In other news, I'd like to share with you the graphic of the day:

This picture, which I love, encapsulates my entire summer health journey. It also looks pretty similar to my current weight loss graph (a.k.a. it's pointing UP right now. Bad.)

Somehow I gained almost a full two pounds in just 3-4 days of a non calorie-counting lifestyle. On these days, I exercised, used good judgment for portion control, and tried to drink lots of water and stay active, while still indulging a little on the "good stuff" like a dinner out at McAlister's and ice cream with friends. I did all the things I would do if I were trying to stay healthy and maintain my weight, yet enjoy my life and not obsess over weight loss. And I GAINED.

This just makes me very distraught and worried for the future. Am I destined to be overweight? Can I ever live a normal life and still maintain a healthy weight? Must I incessantly document every food I eat and work out six days a week in order to look normal? Will I ever achieve success by hitting my UGW (ultimate goal weight) and staying thin and healthy for the rest of my life?

I have no idea.

But, like this lovely graphic shows, success isn't a simple, solitary event that just comes up out of the blue. It's not just: Get healthy, see results, gradually lose weight until the perfect day arrives when you reach your goal weight and look like a goddess. 

It's more like: Get healthy, see results, gradually lose weight, remember that cookie cake exists and eat a few pieces of it, gain some weight, work out again and lose some weight, and then maybe one day reach your goal weight and not resemble Jabba the Hutt.

The point: Being healthy and losing weight feels amazing. Seeing your measurements get lower and lower rocks. However, conquering your fears, trying new things, and achieving little victories are worth more. They attribute to making you a better you and will make you feel more successful than any petty measurement of your body mass. Success isn't a number on a scale. It's a journey. It's a state of mind. And it takes time.

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I'm feeling very bittersweet going into the last week of camp, which will lead right into the last few days of summer. This summer has been really eye-opening and special for me and I'm sad to see it end. I'll miss all of my co-workers. My beloved, adorable little campers, who touch my life every day. I'll miss family dinners with my mom and dad. My cat sleeping at the foot of my bed. The warmth that encompasses me when I truly feel at home. 

But, there are new adventures to be had and new memories to be made. And life begins where your comfort zone ends.

So. Let's go out with a bang and have a fabulous finale of summer 2013. And let's celebrate hope, courage, and new beginnings.

-Ellen

Fun in the Sun-day: Kayaking!

Today Josh and I went kayaking! It was so much fun. And a great active activity/date idea! Kayaking burns 145 calories in just 20 minutes (which is about how long I was out there)! It definitely gives you an arm workout. And it's so awesome to try new outdoor activities that don't involve risk/danger, or running :) 

 I also bought school supplies today! Weird, I know, because it's still the end of July and school doesn't start for over a month. But I love love love buying school supplies. Like a child. In fact, I wish I was a child so my list could include awesome stuff like markers, glue sticks, and play doh. But I was content with some jungle animal folders, notebooks, a new pencil case, colorful pens, mechanical pencils, and an adorable backpack (below)!!

And, as always, I had to purchase a planner. I love my planner. Writing stuff down and creating strict deadlines for myself is the only way I can keep my grades up. In a way, this applies to weight loss. I lose the most weight when I carefully schedule and structure my workouts, and religiously log every food I eat into the MyFitnessPal app. If you can plan it, you can achieve it :)

Speaking of achievements, look who's down 9 pounds today! This girl! (Well, technically 8.6 pounds.) That means I've lost exactly 3 pounds this week! Yeah! In one week! Did I mention this eating plan/workout schedule is THE BEES KNEES?! If you would like to drop a few and go back to school looking your best, I'd highly recommend it. (Here's the link if you wanna try it!) I'm so proud and happy and excited to see how much more I can lose before move-in! :)

Tomorrow starts WATER WEEK at camp! Woohoo! Let's pray for sunny weather and no water balloon related injuries :)

-Ellen

Let's Get MOTIVATED!

Hey guys! This morning I woke up and remembered that I have to work out. My thoughts went a little like this: Well. I have to work out today. What should I do? Running? It's too hot. Workout DVD? It's only 20 minutes. Maybe. Meh.

As you can see, I wasn't exactly thinking about how thrilled I was to have a healthy day.

So, I decided to come up with a list of ways to get motivated to exercise, eat well, and stay on track with a healthy lifestyle! Hope this is helpful :)

5 Ways to Motivate/Re-motivate Yourself!

1. Do the MATH! 

The other day, I got home from work and flopped onto my bed. In my mind, I was done for the day. Exercise? No way, Jose. Then, after a few minutes of playing around on my iPhone, I came across an app designed to calculate body fat percentage, BMI, BMR, and Waist-to-Hip Ratio. Just for fun, I plugged in my measurements. I found that my BMI is slightly too high and my body fat percentage is a little higher than I'd like, as well. Physically seeing those numbers and the risks they held for me motivated me to get up and get active! Here's an online calculator that can help you do the math!

2. Do some fashion pinning!

Of course we all know that the Health&Fitness section of Pinterest can offer us invaluable health advice, inspirational quotes, and a myriad of other helpful tools. But, for me, the Women's Fashion section is far more motivational. See a cute dress, bikini, or sweater? Yeah, it looks great on that model, but if you keep sitting on the couch, it's not gunna look so great on you. I know the promise of looking better in cute clothes is a great motivator for me! So, if you want to get motivated, do some pinning!

3. Do some Instagram creepin.

Okay, well, let's not call it "creepin." How about "searching"? Search for the hashtags #beforeandafter #beforeandafterweightloss #weightloss and I guarantee you will find something that inspires you. If you put down the donut and pick up the whole grain toast, maybe one day you can have a picture as inspiring as, say, this:

 4. Create a Motivation Board/Wall!

Seeing is believing, right? If you have to walk past a motivation board every morning, chances are you will feel more inclined to stay on track. I haven't had a chance to do this yet, but it sounds like such a great idea! Pick some inspirational quotes, print off your workout schedule, highlight your goal weight, and add anything to this board that you know will get you off your butt and into the gym. I love how this example has a bikini physically on the board. I know seeing that would make me wanna do a few extra crunches!

 5. Promise yourself a reward for after you finish.

I love rewarding myself for weight loss. Even though the ultimate goal weight is far out of my reach, rewarding myself for little victories makes the task seem much less daunting, and makes the goal seem closer and more concrete. But rewards don't just have to be for lower numbers on the scale. I have a much less formal rewards system for when I work out that I like to call eating more food. Some days, I'm tempted to skip my workout and just eat less food. The problem is, I usually skip my workout and then eat the same amount of food. To motivate myself to exercise, I've started thinking about one specific food I'm allowed to eat if I go through with my workout. So today, since I'm going to work out, I get to eat a Weight Watchers ice cream bar! Yay! 

Also, if you feel like food isn't the best motivator for you, give yourself a different mini-reward when you finish. Have your chipped nails been driving you crazy? Tell yourself you have to do 100 jumping jacks before you're allowed to re-paint them.

And in the end, you know what's more rewarding than a manicure or an ice cream bar?

LOOKING AWESOME AND BEING FIT!

That's what I wanna feel like stepping onto the scale!

Hope this helps! Now I gotta go work out :) Guess writing blog posts is a bit motivational, too :)

-Ellen

Miraculous Weight Loss from the Gods

^ That's the only way I can describe the good fortune that was bestowed upon me this fine day.

Or, miraculous weight loss from fasting/loss of water weight/inaccurate reading yesterday/a million other things. But, nevertheless, seeing the number on the scale drop 2.4 lbs in one day has me believing that it's too good to be true. Or at least too good to last.

If this number stays, then I have lost 6.6 pounds. So, basically, 7 pounds. Hooray! But, as is common with fasts, I may gain a bit of that weight back after resuming a normal caloric intake, which I did today.

 For once, I actually spent my Fun in the Sun-Day outdoors!! I went to an outdoor music festival from 3:30-9:30 with Josh. We saw Cher Lloyd, Ed Sheeran, and quite a few other groups perform! For the most part, I actually really hated Cher's music, which I hate to say because she seems very sweet and I am obsessed with her song "Want you Back." However, Ed Sheeran blew me away! I'm very impressed by his unique style and the artistry he displayed during his set. Not to mention, he has a killer voice. And, unlike most of the other acts, his performance was 100% live. Amazing how uncommon that is nowadays...

Workout Updates: I decided to switch things up today by doing the Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD with Bob Harper. I did Levels 2&3. I thought Level 2 was a great workout but Level 3 left me thinking Really? That was it? It went by very quickly and was completely based on resistance band training. Not my favorite, but at least it wasn't very difficult. In total, I worked out for 25 minutes. Quick and easy. Burned a little over 200 calories and ate a little over 1300. Good day for me :)

Back to the grind tomorrow!
-Ellen

PS. YAY for 3000 views!
Thanks for reading! Please leave me comments :) :) 

Lazy Sunday

Ah, Sundays. During the school year, I dread them all week long. There's always homework to finish up, meetings to attend, and errands to run, when all I feel like doing is sleeping and snuggling in bed. Bleh.

But, during the summer, they are simply the best.

Since my summer classes have ended (Praise the Lord) I no longer have to wake up and do 2+ hours of homework every Sunday morning. I just get to sleep in as late as my heart desires, scroll through Pinterest, and leisurely make my way downstairs for breakfast and my daily workout. Then, I get my errands done if I need to, eat a nice dinner at home, and relax watching Food Network Star and Cupcake Wars, two of my favorite shows! (Note: I don't recommend watching these shows while on a diet...too many temptations! Luckily, I'm usually able to satisfy my cravings with a small piece of dark chocolate.)

Today I did a little bit of shopping as well. Got some new clothes to make sure I'm lookin' cute during my upcoming Cali trip! I also went to the grocery store and got plenty of healthy breakfast and lunch materials. I even got almond milk, something I haven't tried before! Looking forward to putting it in my Honey Bunches of Oats in the morning :)

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Health Updates: I planned on doing Jillian Michaels + 20 minutes of additional cardio today. I ended up doing the JM Level 3, and then a 10 minute segment from the BL cardio DVD. The only reason I stopped was because I was starting to get dizzy...weird. I also didn't eat much today. Around 1100 calories, I'd say. That's not enough and I'm sure it's not the healthiest thing to do. BUT. I ate too much yesterday. Hopefully the two days balance out.

Looking forward to a 4-day work week, then tons of traveling adventures!

-Ellen

(I'm not going to even bother calling this Fun in the Sunday...not doing so well with the themes! Ah, well. I'll continue updating daily but may not stick to those!)

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H O O R A Y !

Today I reached my first benchmark. I've officially lost 5 pounds!

 I feel so proud and accomplished! Even though this is just the first benchmark and I have many more to go, reaching this goal has really empowered me. As Jillian Michaels says in her 30-Day-Shred videos: "When you realize how strong you are physically, it will flood over into other aspects of your life." I think this statement is so so true. I never thought fitness would do anything for me besides help me to lose weight, but I was wrong. 

My fitness journey has taught me how amazing it feels to achieve success after working hard to reach a goal. It's taught me that I'm stronger than I believe myself to be, physically and emotionally. And it's taught me that, with perseverance, anything is possible.

If you remember from a few weeks back, I set some goals and set up a rewards system for when I reach certain benchmarks:

 

So, as you can see, my reward for getting rid of these first five pounds is a shopping spree! After the craziness of Josh's birthday and science week at camp, you can believe I will be hitting the mall ASAP. Can't wait!

Also, I'm going to California in a couple of weeks, and I plan on working extra hard before I take off! That way, I can enjoy the vacation by indulging in some delicious Sprinkles cupcakes and other LA cuisine without feeling too guilty for it.

Feeling renewed, excited, and proud today. Can't wait to continue this crazy health journey!

-Ellen ♥

Today I'm playing catch-up! Enjoy the double post :)

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Sorry for missing a day yesterday, folks! It kind of went by in a blur. I woke up and the first thing I did was check the scale. As you'll notice by my ticker on the right sidebar, I'm now down 4 pounds! Yay!!! 1 more until my first benchmark and my shopping spree :) 

After that, I was very motivated to work out. So I did my last day of Level 1 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Then I hung out at Josh's, and watched yet another Star Wars movie (The Empire Strikes Back, if anyone's interested. I liked it better than the first one.) I also had a nice yummy dinner with my family. My mom makes an excellent shrimp stir fry! Finally, we watched the Tony Awards and I went to bed early in anticipation for the first day of CAMP! Once again, I failed at spending the day outside. Whoops.

 

Today was....the first day of CAMP! It went so well! No rainstorms, boo-boos, or tantrums. It was fun to see some of the returners as well as meet the new kiddos! I had a really great day and I'm excited for the rest of the summer. 

Mindful Monday: I am feeling great about where I am with my fitness! Sooo close to the 5 pound mark. I can do it!

Workouts and Health Updates: After camp, I knew my energy levels were winding down, so I needed to work out ASAP so I wouldn't put it off and then never do it. So I immediately went downstairs and started Level 2 of the JM DVD. Ho, ly, cow. I know I've said other workouts are tough, and I've made comments like "I've never worked out that hard!" but this took the cake. (Ah, geez now I want cake) 

ANYWAY - It was hard. I did almost all of the moves full out and my heart rate was through the roof. After I finished, red and panting, I knew that I would have to immediately run upstairs and shower or I would lay on the basement floor until I fell asleep or possibly died. So I sprinted up the two flights of stairs, showered, and now I'm relaxing with my cat in bed. Aaaaaaaah. 

Can't wait to get up tomorrow and do it all again! :)

-Ellen

P.S. I changed my activity level on the MFP app to "active" because at camp I run around like a chicken with my head cut off for most of the day. This means I get to eat an extra 100 calories a day. Chyess. Excuse me while I eat this Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich...

HI READER!

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love for you to follow me on Pinterest! 

I've been updating my Health & Fitness board with tons of recipes, motivational quotes, and exercise ideas that you may find interesting and helpful! :)

Also please leave me a comment if you enjoy my posts!

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I should really start calling this Fun in the Rain day because it is almost never sunny for a full day around here!

But, I did not really complete my Sunday "mission" because I was barely outside at all.

Most of my day was spent eating candy and watching movies in a dark basement.

(Just bein' honest here.)

Since Sunday is my rest day, I used the time I would've been exercising to do homework (lots and lots of it) and didn't do anything even remotely active. I am very scared that I ate too many calories today (I really think I did) so I think I'm going to do some late night exercise tonight after my shows are over. Or perhaps wake up at the crack of dawn (6:30!) and do a two-a-day tomorrow :(

I'm usually very good about sticking harshly to my calorie limit on days when I don't exercise, but the gloomy weather and the temptation of fun-size candy bars, my will power rapidly faded away.

DON'T BE LIKE ME! Don't erase all of your progress by taking a lazy "cheat" day and eating all the calories you worked so hard to burn off.

Fresh start tomorrow, folks. Wish me luck!

-Ellen :)

PS. If you've noticed, my weight loss ticker hasn't budged for a few days. For the last 4 or 5 days, I've stepped on the scale and my number has been EXACTLY the same...down to the decimal. I started my weight loss journey 3 weeks ago, so losing 3 pounds in 3 weeks isn't horrible, but I'd hoped to lose 4-5 by now. I'm going to try really hard to push myself this week so I can reach my first benchmark! 

Unfortunately most of my Fun in the Sun day was spent indoors because I had a five page paper to write and it was also rainy for most of the day.

But! I was able to spend most of the evening outside! Josh and I took a short walk around the neighborhood and then, after dinner, played around with his little siblings and some of their friends at the basketball court. I'm not the best "knockout" player in the world, but I still had a good time :)

I decided to have one rest day from exercise every week so I don't get too tired out, and chose to sit out Sundays. So I didn't do any formal exercise, but I did get some physical activity in.

Like I mentioned a few posts ago, Memorial Day weekend at my house is all about food. It's been tough to avoid it. I managed to have a healthy dinner last night, but today I didn't eat super well. I still stayed within my calorie range, but my margin of error wasn't very huge, which makes me nervous. And the quality of foods I ate wasn't so good. I gave myself too many treats today because I didn't eat my first meal until 3:00, thinking I couldn't possibly eat too many calories during the day. (Foolish.)

Ah, well. Tomorrow morning I'm going to wake up, work out, and get back on track.

Enjoy your day off tomorrow :)
-Ellen