I don't typically make "New Year's Resolutions" per se, simply because I believe that true change comes when you are ready to make it any time of the year. When you feel change is achievable from within yourself and are ready to seek it out and work for it…change will come. I do, however, periodically set goals for myself like most other folks out there. Sometimes I share them, sometimes I do not. I do find that some goals I set for myself require a little built in accountability - those are typically the biggies....the ones you share, those closest to your heart.
For those of you that know me, you know that I have struggled for quite some time with my weight. I was at my heaviest in 2003, after going through some life changing events where I quit taking care of me and my health. My health at that point in my life was not a priority for me and it showed in my outward appearance and in my attitude toward life in general. In 2004, I decided to make some changes in my life. I was an unhappy and unhealthy person. I began a journey seeking weight loss in the beginning. As time has progressed, though, I now seek health. Weight loss like self confidence and pride in one's self is simply a byproduct, in my mind, of becoming a healthier version of me -- part of the whole package
Throughout this journey, I have tried countless weight loss methods, different diets, exercise, diet pills, under eating, over eating……..you name it. If it boasted some sort of result and I found out about it, I tried it, no matter how crazy or worthless. I managed to lose a great deal of weight over time, 115 pounds to be exact. Now, there's about 40-50 pounds of that that I gain and lose. Unfortunately, I have been in that cycle over the past 3 or so years. Last June, I began working out with a trainer who has become a wonderful friend and inspiration in a boot camp setting and saw results in my ability fitness-wise and have since experimented with different types of exercising and really loved it. She helped me think more in terms of gaining health rather than loss of weight.
Then I had a setback in March of this year, though. I had to have surgery that progressed into another subsequent surgery and a final diagnosis during the summer of Crohn's disease…..Crohn's Colitis to be exact. During that time, I was unable to keep a lot of food in my system and due to what the doctor describes as "Extraintestinal Manifestations" of the disease, I was unable to exercise. In my case, I experienced severe and crippling arthritis in all my major joints and limbs. As a result of the diagnosis, I landed myself under the regular care of a GI doctor who has helped me regain control of my digestive system and has worked with me to find some medications that have helped me to feel more normal.
In the fall of this year, I began exercising again but have struggled greatly with my nutrition. I have needed some sort of accountability and to find renewed strength from within to refocus on my journey toward that healthier Nicole. Well, earlier this month I came across a post on a fitness and nutrition blog I read regularly, Catapult Fitness, looking for someone to enter the 7th Turbulence Training Contest and help share the results with her blog readers. I replied to the post via email thinking negatively to myself there is no chance that you'll be selected to do this! Well…..LO AND BEHOLD……I have now registered and begun working toward my goal of really and truly attempting to win! I weighed and measured and my daughter, Natalie, even took my before pictures on 12/27/09 (and yes, Rose the wiener dog did try to steal my thunder in the pictures). So now my before pictures are going to be preserved for posterity on someone else's little piece of the internet and that scares the heck out of me, but in exchange she (Susan) is going to work with me nutrionally and has introduced me to Turbulence Training workouts that I can do in the comfort of my very own home to achieve my goals.
I will say that just since 12/27/09, I have now lost 2 pounds (Hey, we all have to start somewhere and today is only 12/30/09, not too shabby!) and have eaten remarkably clean thus far this week. Susan has let me be very high maintenance in asking lots of nutrition questions and has been so encouraging and helpful. I am looking forward to all the knowledge and healthy habits I will gain through this process, if nothing else ever comes of it. I have already noticed small changes and have had a few small victories: I have had NO Crohn's related symptoms or issues since Sunday (that's H-U-G-E), I have not had 1 diet soda since then, I have been drinking TONS of water, have read Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet Recharged book from cover to cover and am doing my best to slowly incorporate the clean eating philosophy into my daily lifestyle, have exercised each day, sat down at the actual dinner table and had a clean and healthy meal with my 7 year old daughter rather than an unhealthy one with her in front of the television, have not felt overstuffed and bloated as a result of eating crummy……….the list goes on and that's only a total of 3 days! WOW! Just think what I can accomplish in this 12 week long endeavor during the contest timeframe!!! Hopefully I can, at the very least, achieve healthy eating and exercising habits to last a lifetime and be a healthier, happier version of my former self from here on out. If I achieve that and that alone, then I come out a winner!
So, back to my goals…I have set both large, overall goals that sometimes seem just beyond my reach, but none the less two things I would like to strive for and small goals as well.
Overall goals:
1.) I would like to lose a grand total of 80 pounds from where I was when I weighed on 12/27/09.
2.) I discovered kettlebells this year and have a lot of fun challenging myself with them and would LOVE to become certified with kettlebells. Everyone has to have something grande to strive for, right?
Now for my small, short term goals:
1.) Eat clean for one solid week -- NO diet sodas, NO sweets
2.) Stick with clean eating, journal my food, perform Turbulence Training at home 3 times each week and begin boxing on 1/4/09 for a total of 12 weeks
3.) Lose 8 pounds by 1/24/09 -- That is 2 pounds per week which is a healthy and completely attainable goal, I believe.
So far I have kept this little blog of mine sort of quiet and to myself as I wasn't sure what I really wanted to accomplish with it…..well, I am going to use it to tell about my 12 week journey to begin with and we'll see from there. Wish me luck, I'll need all I can get!!!!
Happy New Year! I hope 2010 is a wonderful year for us all!
Nicole
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