One Week

I have had a really awful week.  I have been super exhausted, something is wrong with the girly-hormones, Charming and I are in a bit of a money crunch, work was a zoo and I am feeling overwhelmed because Charming got a new job and we are relocating in about a month.  To top it off, I have to sell the concert tickets that I have coveted for my favorite band because of the relocation (and failure to find a replacement date).  Have I mentioned I need to find a new job, pronto?  I am super stressed-out.

In response, my eating has been out of control.  It started with just a couple extra hundred calories here and there.  A couple of deli turkey slices while watching the tube.  A peppermint patty from the secretary’s desk.  But I wasn’t logging it into the Bodybugg system, so Digit had no idea.  As the week has progressed it has snowballed to an all-out feeding frenzy.

This is horrible.  It is making me feel bad emotionally—I feel guilty and disappointed with myself.  I haven’t gained any weight yet, but physically I feel gross.  I can tell the bad food is affecting my body.  It certainly is contributing to my sluggishness.  I am spinning out of control.  And I am kind of freaking out.  The Princess Half is in like 10 months.  I have so much work to do, and I want to complete that more than I desire anything else in the world right now.

For a few months now, I have noticed several tweeples mentioning #7day chip on Twitter.  I honestly thought it was somehow related to Overeaters Anonymous, something I tried once, but it wasn’t for me.  (I should blog about it in the future.)  So I have more or less ignored it.  However, someone I follow on Twitter blogged about starting the #7daychip program earlier this week.  You can check out her blog here.  She is amazing—super inspirational.

It turns out that #7daychip isn’t a certain diet or eating plan or OA.  It is about getting through a week, one day at a time, following your healthy eating choices, whatever they may be.  It focuses on being in control, for just a week.  Of course, you want to do this for many, many weeks in a row, but the focus is ONE WEEK.  People report progress Twitter, using the hashtag, and help each other out.

I have been busting my butt for four months in the gym.  I can do anything for a week, right?  So I am going to give it a try.  Tomorrow, Saturday is day one.  My goals will be as follows.

·         To stick within the calories allotted to me by Digit.  Not to be less than, or exceed the goal by more than 100 calories daily.

·         To report every bite to my trusty sidekick, Digit.

·         To avoid all fast food, even the stuff I have made fit in my diet, like a plain grilled chicken sandwich, I need to stay away from those places. 

·         No candy.  Not even if I report it properly.

·         To pay attention to what I am eating.  No mindless eating.

One week.  One week is nothing.  I can do this. 

Keep Your Gloves Up

Note to reader:  My blog traffic has been dismal.  No one is really reading it.  I have considered abandoning it all together, but I think it is important I keep a journal of this process.  I may want to look back at it someday, and this format is as good as any.  However, the writing may be a bit more self-indulgent.  My posts haven’t lacked authenticity, but have been written for an audience:  shorter, cleaner less free thought, more structured.   Since there are so few readers in the first place, I am going to write more for me.  I apologize in advance for the tangential--edit free nature of this post.  Perhaps when my attitude cleans up (you will understand if you read on) I will return to my normal blogging self.  This one is to purge some emotions.

Image stolen from some women's fitness suply website I failed to make note of.

This weekend I was reading the blogs.  All of these weight loss/fitness goal people are amazing.  So many fantastic stories.  This week (and last) there were tons of about hitting emotional walls.  I know that it is part of the process, I have been there before and even allowed it to end my fitness efforts in the past.  But this time has been different.  I haven’t been overly emotional.  If I have been emotional at all, it has been positive.  Even when faced with villains like the Evil Inner Princess, I have felt intellectually superior to the threat and felt resolved. Recently, while reading blogs of negative emotions, I almost felt smug.  I am doing this, I feel good, nothing is getting to me this time.  I could identify with their problems, but in a historical sense.  Nothing could get me down.

Until today.  Today I finally hit an emotional wall.  Smack!  Face first.  Ouch. (Or was that a medicine ball?)

Based on my trainer’s suggestion to “Get off the damned elliptical”, I used this week to try a variety of early morning cardio classes.  I wish I had reality TV cameras following me, because this would make an excellent video montage.

Monday:  6:50 AM  “Cardio Class”

This class consisted of running in place, fast.  Lots of jumping jacks.  Insanely complicated push ups.  Lunges, squats.  Lifting weights repetitively.  Jumping rope.  Kicking.  Three minutes of an intense activity.  BEEEEEEEP! An obnoxious horn would blow.  Thirty seconds to rest and slug back some water.  BEEEEEEEP!  Three more minutes of some new intense activity.

It was hard.  Really hard.  After an hour I was beat.  The bald guy was really sweet afterwards.  He told me I did great and to come back for step aerobics tomorrow.  The little itty bitty lady asked what I thought.  “This isn’t Zumba,” I said.  She laughed.

Monday: PM

I plugged in Digit.  The number said that while I worked my ass off, the mix of intense cardio and floor work created a flux in my calorie burn.  I was short about 400 calories after work, not normal for me.  I sighed and decided to push harder on Tuesday. 

Tuesday: 6:50 AM “Step Aerobics”

I found out this is actually step aerobics mixed with weight training done while sitting in a chair.  The repetitive lifting makes my arms burn.  I feel I am getting stronger, but not burning calories. Why do we sit?  The cardio/step part was really difficult, it pushed me, which made me happy.  I kept up decently with the step portion, coordination wise.  Better than most people thought I would, apparently, because everyone (including the instructor) told me how impressive my performance was for a first-timer. The bald guy, now identified as Jack, fawned all over me.  I decided he is the new president of my fan club—cardio class region, distinguished from the elliptical region—the original branch. I felt good.

Tuesday:  Midmorning

Facebook Status:  I love the positive encouragement the staff at Baptist East Milestone Wellness Center gives me every morning, but some days I wish they would go Jillian Michaels on my ass.

Tuesday:  Evening

Digit told me I was in a heap of trouble.  I had a lot of calories left to burn.  I spent the night doing housework, laundry, dancing to commercial jingles.  Burn, baby, burn.  I went to bed 100 calories short of my burn goal.  I was pissed. 

Wednesday: 6:00 AM “Kickboxing”

Well dammit, apparently it was time to jump rope again.  And run in place some more.  When we started hitting the bag the instructor showed me how to hit.  This type of hit and that type of hit.  Keep your gloves up, she said.

I was sweating.  We started playing catch with partners using a medicine ball.  My partner had to downgrade from her 10 lb ball because the instructor was concerned it is too much for me.  It was, but mostly because I don’t like to play games where things fly at my face--especially if they are 10 pounds.  SMACK.  The four pounder hit me where I feared it would.  I chased the ball, felt my nose. No blood, it felt like it is one piece.  I thought to myself,  "well, actually that didn’t hurt nearly as much as it scared the shit out of me." I kept apologizing to my partner…for making her use the lower weight, for getting stuck with me.  I felt awful. I was hindering her from her fitness potential. She was nice and didn't really seem to mind.

We moved back to the bag. The instructor passed by “Keep your gloves up, gloves up Jessica!  You have to protect yourself!”  Could have used my gloves when I caught—uh—missed—that damned medicine ball. 

Dee, an occasional member of my Fan Club—Elliptical Division, stepped to my bag.  “Really, keep your gloves up or she will make you do push ups," she warned.  An emotion I am not sure I have experienced before washed over me—amused fear.  I hid my face behind the boxing gloves.  Punch, jab, punch.

The instructor came over and asked (for the fourth time) about my form.  “How would you kick a person?”  I laughed, loud.  “What’s so funny?”  She smiled.  “You keep asking how I would go about inflicting pain on someone.  I’m a pacifist.  I would probably try to hug my attacker first.”  She looked perplexed.  “Point your toe, don’t flex.”  She walked away, turning only for a moment.  “Gloves up!” she barked.  I kicked some more, with shitty form, occasionally forgetting and allowing my arms to fall to my side.

We hit the floor.  Planks.  “Jessica put your butt down!”  Hmmmm.  I laughed internally and readjusted myself.  I asked for it.  Stupid Facebook prophecies. 

Back to the bags.  “Jessica, you can hit harder than that!”  Wow.  Jillian.  Is that you?  “Gloves!  Put your gloves up!”  Dammit, can I just learn how to do the right freaking punches first?  I hid behind the gloves and continued to smack my bag.  I wanted my sweat towel but I couldn't pick it up with the stupid gloves on. 

The instructor opened the door of the aerobic studio leading to the running track.  “THREE LAPS.  RUN. NOW.”  What?  I have to run?  Three laps, that’s like three tenths of a mile!   “GO!”  I took off.  Jack jogged with me the whole time.  Encouraging me.  Go Jack, you shouldn’t wait for me, I said over and over.  Run ahead.  No, he insisted.  Now I have kept two people from making the most of their workout today.  Fantastic.

But guess what? I ran all three freaking laps.  I was proud.  And then we went back to the bags.  “Jessica, I am not telling you again!  GLOVES!  UP!”  Jillian?  Jillian?  Thank you for coming.  Now go home.

I made it through that hell of an hour.  But I still had to lift weights.

Sue, the Group Fitness Director checked in on me.  “How are the AM classes going?”  I started to gush:  I am afraid I am holding people back, I said.  My calorie burn sucks, I said.  The elliptical burn was so high, I said.  I START CRYING…IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WIEGHT ROOM FLOOR.  "I dont know why I am feeling so emotional," I sniffed.  And bless Sue for not taking me to her office, just 15 feet away.  If she had, my little sob soirée would have become a full blown pity party.  I pulled it together.  She was encouraging.  So nice.  They are all so nice there. 

In the shower I wept.  I couldn’t stop.  I struggled putting on makeup to prepare for work.  My face was too swollen (from tears, not that stupid ball) and my heart was too tender. 

I feel guilty.  For sucking energy from other people.  For holding people back.  I feel frustrated because I am sweating harder than ever, feel fitter than ever.  But the scale is frozen. 

I still have to plug in Digit tonight.  I don't think I am going to be pleased. 

I have a lot to think about. 

And I gotta keep my gloves up.

  

Tweeples in the Royal Kingdom

I have had a Twitter account for a while now.  You could find me @jessrandall, and you still can.  But I wouldn't bother.  For @jessrandall, Twitter is an input function only.  I have been following a handful of news organizations, celebrities and such just to get info like headlines, Hollywood gossip and concert dates. Twitter was okay for me.  It gave me something to do if I had down time waiting for a meeting and something to look at if I couldn't fall asleep at night.  I tweet from this account on a rare occasion, mostly because I  am afraid that they will deactivate my account if it doesn't occasionally show some activity.  Tweets are generally uninspired and impersonal.

When I got Digit, I decided I wanted to tweet my results, and I thought I may enjoy tweeting about my fitness journey as I work towards my Disney Princess Half Marathon goal.  So I created @princessjruns.  I started out following Biggest Loser contestants.  And then a few health and fitness people.  A trainer here or there.  Runners.  And people who want to be runners.  People who want to be skinny.   Then I followed a few nutrition freaks and physicians.  And suddenly I was part of this huge fitness community.  Oh, I follow a few Disney fanatics too.

I fell in love with Twitter. 

I am skeptical of using the word community and social media in the same sentence.  My whole career is based on creating community, in the real world.  Social media can often create roadblocks to that process. Community to me is fundamental to happiness--Biblical, spiritual and totally essential to humankind.  Relationships blossom in community and reflect Divine intentions.  It shouldn't be a word used loosely.

But that is what I have found in Twitter. A group of supportive people, dedicated to the same goals I have.  A community.  It is full of men and women who wish to share information, support and inspire one another.  And it doesn't matter that we don't know each other.  Sometimes I think that is actually better.  One person I follow once tweeted "Twitter makes me love people I don't know.  Facebook makes me hate people I do."

There are several benefits to joining the fitness community on Twitter (besides a sense of community, albeit virtual).

• Motivation--listening to others stories helps me stay on track.  Plus when I need direct assistance I ask for it.  I may tweet:  "Help!  I can't get motivated to get to the gym."  In less that 5 minutes I get at least three responses that range from "Go girl! You can do it" to "Maybe an at home workout?  I like this one (link)."  Suddenly I have the strength to strap on my sneakers.                                               
• Reality Check--Guess What?  Real fitness people struggle too.  I have witnessed, via tweets, trainers and fitness specialist totally mess up.  They gorge on brownies after a crappy day, they hit a wall during a workout and quit.  The have shitty days and sing Cee Lo lyrics.  If they can do it from time to time, I certainly can.  If they pick them self up and hop back on the wagon, I certainly can. There is something empowering knowing that even the fitest of the fit struggle in the same ways I do.
• Knowledge IS Power--So much good info gets shared!  I have been directed to many articles about health, wellness, nutrition and fitness that I would have missed without my tweeps!  For example, did you know that if you hang on while on the treadmill or elliptical and leave your arms stationary, rather than swing them you burn as much as 40% less calories?  Wow.  What a waste of time!  I have tested it via Digit, my bodybugg.  It's true!
• Birds Of A Feather--Hanging with people who are like minded, helps keep my brain in the right place.  If I am feeling down or frustrated about my goals, I can turn to my twitter account to refocus, in a matter of seconds.  Plus I can help others too.  I love to respond to people needing motivation or kudos for their success as much as I like to receive it.

So if you are a Twitter skeptic, I get it.  But if you are looking for a place to connect with others on a fitness journey, like losing weight, training for marathons, or keeping your diet healthy,  reconsider. Twitter might not be exactly what you think it is.  For me, it is living, breathing community of kick-ass people who radiate positivity into my world from theirs--wherever they are!

And if you jump in to the Twitter pool--follow me, friend! @princessjruns

Introducing Digit

Rapunzel gets help from sassy Pascal.  Tiana counts on Ray.  Cute little Gus Gus is one of Cinderella’s
many rodent friends.  Rajah is a great companion to Jasmine.  Snow White can always count on
woodland furry creatures. Flounder pals around with Ariel.  Digit the Bodybugg is
this princess’ cutesy critter.  (Images belong to Disney and Apex Fitness.)

I really could have cast my Bodybugg as Prince Charming.  It is here to rescue me and I love it that much.  You may have seen Bodybuggs used on NBC's Biggest Loser, which is where I learned about them, but the show has never really spent any time sharing what it really does.  So let me tell you:  it does everything, and it is omnipotent in a friendly, magical way. 

I guess it isn't exactly magic, but it feels that way.  I copied this from the Bodybugg website about how it works:

• Motion: The armband contains an accelerometer that measures motion from multiple perspectives.
• Steps: The accelerometer counts steps by measuring the distinct patterns created by running or walking.
• Galvanic skin response: When you sweat, your skin becomes more electrically conductive. This measurement helps the device understand how active you are.
• Skin temperature: There’s an electronic thermometer inside your armband that monitors how hot you are.
• Heat flux: When you move, your muscles produce heat. Your armband measures the heat that’s flowing from your body into the environment.

Bodybugg touts itself as a "calorie management system" which is a bit of an understatement.  For me, the three major things it does is:  1) Monitor my body and tell me with over 90% accuracy how many calories I have burned, 2) Allow me to log my food and calories consumed.  It has thousands of foods in the system to choose from and I can enter nutritional information for foods I don't find.  I also can put in recipes and it will figure the calorie content for me. And 3) (This is the best part) it shows me, whenever I wish to log on, what my calorie deficit is.  Well, hopefully it is a deficit.   It presents this info in a great little bar chart.

It does other things too like:

•  Act like a pedometer so I can monitor steps each day.
• Give me nutritional pie charts so I know how much protein, sodium,  fiber, carbs, etc. I have consumed.
• Help to keep me on track by telling me how many calories to eat and how many to burn to meet my goals.
• Allow me to see how effective any given exercise was, by breaking down how many calories I was burning while doing it.  I can look in 6 minute increments.  For example Zumba classes set my calorie burn sky high versus a warm-up walk on the treadmill.  When I review the day I can actually see when I was up and away from my desk throughout the day just by looking at the chart.
• Tweet my results to put my success out there in the cosmos.  I could Facebook it too, if I wanted.

And so much more!  There are message board communities to join, a health and fitness library to pull articles from--it even suggests a diet and plans meals!  I don't use all of the features it has--but there are a ton.  When I first activated it, I got a free "coaching" session on the phone with a Bodybugg rep, so it was easy to learn about everything it is capable of.

The Bodybugg is super light weight and straps to your left arm.  I honestly don't even realize I am wearing it most of the time.  I wear it all day except when I am showering or in the pool.  Some Bodybugg users wear theirs to bed, but I choose not to, at least not since the first few nights.  It has gotten to know me and already knows how many calories I burn while sedentary and figures it that way so I don't think it is really needed.

I have the basic model, but you can also upgrade to a digital watch, which allows you get real-time instant numbers.  There is also model that will communicate with your iPhone or Droid.  Although I don't have that model, I can still enter my food online on my phone, which is great. (This app is currently only available for iPhone and Android users.)

For me the Bodybugg system has been the most helpful tool for a healthy lifestyle.  It is based on a principle we all know is true--calories in versus calories out.  It takes out the guesswork out of weight loss and for me, those charts are total motivators.  Most importantly, it gives me a sense of control.

It isn't cheap.  I was glad to get mine as a gift.  You can purchase them at http://www.bodybugg.com/.  At the time I wrote this post (a couple weeks in advance of it posting) the basic model was $169, including 6 months of online access.  I think they run specials from time to time.  The advanced models are a bit more expensive, but the upgrades may be important to some people, especially athletes needing instant...digits.

And by the way, Digit is pink!  How perfect for a sidekick to a princess. 

Bodybugg did not request this review and has not compensated me in any way to review this product.  All opinions expressed in this blog are my own.  Should Bodybugg or another fitness product want to send me product or coupons, I would be happy to share my honest thoughts about how a particular item worked for me, and would disclose such perks to readers.

A Chapter Guide

Storybook princesses have exciting tales woven over chapters.  So do I.  Here is a key to what you may find in each chapter.


By Royal Decree

Goals & Announcements

Cutesy Critter
Every princess has an adorable creature to help her out.  Mine is a Bodybugg I call Digit.

Princess Ponderings
Personal reflections about my get-healthy journey.

Regal Goods
Healthy products, services and such discovered by this princess.

Nobel Ambitions
A bit of inspiration.

Villains
Roadblocks & Evil Spells

Glass Slippers and Tiaras
Silly Storybook Stuff

Real Royalty
What makes a princess?