Week 4 (Saturday) Under achievers Club

Okay, so I am munching down a chocolate at the moment (think family size block, turkish delight.. keep getting 2 peices then having to go get too more and then half an hour later sneaking a bit more... sigh).  But anyways...  I have decided to start an 'Under Acheivers Anonymous Club'.

The purpose of the club is to celebrate the small acheivments we make everyday so that we can stop focusing on what we are not acheiving.  It is so hard to value what we do when we see others doing so much more and so much better but as Mish says - it is not a competition.  All of us are starting our journeys at different places and have different paths to travel.  You wouldn't compare a runner doing a 5k run around a flat oval to someone with a disability biking up a mountain trail for 30mins so why compare yourself to others?

I know that myself, I am coming from a place that is very unique.  I have been dealing with agorophobia and a panic disorder for about 12yrs.  I consider myself recovered but still have my demons to face.  I am also studying full-time and at the tail end of completing my thesis, have three children (school age) who have speech and behaviorial issues, a husband who only works part-time 30hrs a week and has no idea on how to run a household, and I am incredibly isolated from family and friends.  But I am also quite fit having already completed the couch to 5k program - being able to run 5k is a huge advantage when trying to shed kilos!  And I have a generally positve personality.  I am sure you can see differences between my life and yours - of course you can - everyone is different.  I have it so easy in someways, harder in others - my journey is unique. 

Although the 12wbt is a 'one size fits all' program, it is not because the program works exactly the same for everyone - it is because the program is adjustable to suit your goals.  Remember right at the beginning when we were setting our goals and Mish talked about how they have to be realistic - it was quite hard trying to find that balance between what I could achieve and what I want to acheive.  But it is here and now that I am seeing the importance of this.  My goal is not to become some fitness freak - I want to run and I am, I want to lose weight and I am!

So although I am not acheiving everything I set out to and sticking to the plan exactly, I am still moving forward and for that I deserve a pat on the back.  I am not failing - I am not giving up.

So for those who wish to join the "Under Acheivers Anonymous Club' our first task is to write a list of what we have done, what we have learnt, and what we have acheived so far on this challenge - no matter how small or incidental that might be.

1. I have taken up swimming and can now manage to swim freestyle for a whole lap, and am learning backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly (kinda lol).  Just signing up was a huge deal for me!

2. I have been running consistently three times a week (I missed one run) and have increased my saturday run to 7km (I am hoping that I will be able to do 10km tonight as my mini milestone).  My times have improved greatly and I my heartrate is steady at a much lower rate then before.

3. I have lost 2.5kg so far, although I have gone up and down a bit, I started the pre-challenge at around 60kg and am now in the 57kg range.  I can see the change in my body and tonight I will do my measurements and hopefully see those centermeters lost.  My clothes feel heaps better anyway!

4. I have tried new foods - I have even eaten a banana which is was a huge food aversion for me!  I am eating breakfast and went the first three weeks without visiting a take-out.  I have been cooking and developed a love for mountain bread!  I spent a whole week on the meal plan without diverting and have been eating 50% of the meals from the plan since then.  And I have resisted chocolate on numerous occasions!

5. I have been helpful and supportive to others on the forums.  And thankyou to those who have sent pm's or responded on my blog as it truely is the most wonderful feeling to have someone say such lovely things and to be encouraging, and to give great advice as well!  The forum and these blogs are wonderful!

Second task for the 'Under Acheivers Anonymous Club'.. write down 3 mini-goals for the week that are achieveable, consistent with your goals, and that will make you feel good!

1. Prepare and drink a 500mL bottle of water each day.  Water is huge deal for me as I am soo fussy about it.  I have a fantastic water bottle (BPA free) and I should be using it.. So I will.  This will be a hard one for me to do but I know that I can do it.  Back up plan is to buy bottled water.. :)

2. Do my Yoga on Friday.  I need to do my yoga - flexibility and core strength are not good and this will go a long way to improving my goal of a flat bikini ready body at the end of the challenge.

3. Print up a mini-poster to stick on my dresser table where I can see it every morning when I wake up.  It will have a picture of a pair of bikinis and a nice summery beach body and a saying.. I am not sure what yet.. but something to motivate me to eat well and live well.

Now to acheive them!