Daily Check-in
This was a delightful day! I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and have been bursting with energy all day! After my Bible study, I blasted off this glorious day with Step, Jump, & Pump. This is one of my all-time favorite circuit training workouts. It is fun, fun, fun with some of my favorite step choreography. The power jigs make me super happy. I smiled during the whole workout this morning! I was so thankful to have enough energy to enjoy it once again. I am a hi-lo lover at heart, and this workout features some of Cathe’s best floor aerobics. I adore all the pivots and turns. I love the music too as well as the bright colors of the outfits.
I stepped on the scale this morning for a mid-month progress check. My weight is holding steady at 220 pounds, but my measurements are smaller. PMS time is just around the bend, so I am not upset about the number on the scale.
This was the first day of my new way of eating. I reviewed my journals and discovered that I had the most energy when I was eating 3 small meals and 2 snacks every day. Earlier this year, I stopped packing my morning snack because I reasoned that I could live without it and save the calories. I feel better physically and mentally when I eat every few hours. My goal is to eat 80 percent clean. That translates to one treat a day. This is a better approach for me than a “cheat day” every week. I am still planning to choose treats that offer some nutritional value like organic granola bars made with no junk ingredients. I started reading The Energy Edge by Pam Smith and decided to enjoy a fruit appetizer before lunch and a fruit appetizer before dinner. Pam encourages people who are prone to fatigue in the afternoon to eat this way. I am not sure why it works, but it does. My energy was consistently high all afternoon, which is very unusual for me. After skimming through The Serotonin Power Diet at the bookstore earlier this week, I decided to eat carbs for my afternoon snack unaccompanied by protein. I have successfully used this approach in the past to break free from seasonal depression. Protein and fat both interfere with the serotonin-boosting power of carbs. The theory behind this way of eating is that the increase in serotonin produces a calming effect and bridles emotional eating.
All that to say, I feel amazing. My energy is still soaring tonight. I ate half of an organic banana before my morning workout. With the fruit appetizers, I ending up eating 8 times today! I just analyzed my menu to ensure that my calories were not way over the top, and I was delighted to discover that my calories and ratios were right on target. This is what I blessed my body with today:
Pre-Workout Snack: half of an organic banana
Breakfast: half of an organic banana, steel-cut oatmeal (steamed), natural honey roasted peanut butter
Morning Snack: organic bake-dried sweet cherries, raw almonds
Pre-Lunch Appetizer: strawberries
Lunch: potato (baked), cottage cheese, cucumber slices in raw vinegar
Afternoon Snack: donut peach, organic cinnamon granola bars
Pre-Dinner Appetizer: watermelon
Dinner: romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, broccoli, cucumber slices, organic kidney beans, organic eggs (boiled), homemade honey mustard dressing (raw honey, yellow mustard), Ryvita fruit crunch crispbread
1,740.0 calories
60 percent carbohydrates/18 percent protein/22 percent fat
42.2 grams of fiber
1,009.5 milligrams of sodium
I discovered natural honey roasted peanut butter in the dairy case at HEB this week. Yummy! It is very smooth and creamy and does not need to be stirred since it is refrigerated at the store.
My hope is to reach my goal weight of 130 pounds by July 4, 2008 (which will be the 5-year anniversary of my fitness journey). I am hoping to be below 200 pounds by the Road Trip. I am hitting my stride with my workouts, and this is more than possible! All things are possible!
I was looking forward to a refreshing water workout tonight to wrap up this lovely day. I prayed for the storm to pass so I could get in the pool. When the sun started peeking through the storm clouds, I drove the club and listened to a Beth Moore CD on Christian fitness. She was talking about the glory of God, and I was delighted to crest a hill and see a breathtakingly beautiful rainbow that arched over the whole city. It was very symbolic. Not only did it remind me of my first day as a believer as well as a glory-filled weekend in Mobile, Alabama, but rainbows represent the promise of a new beginning. I started over this month after hitting a rough patch and stumbling last month. This rainbow is a picture of God’s faithfulness and a beautiful visual reminder to keep pressing on and persevering because there is glory on the other side of the storm:
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1120/3778596/15924682/259742419.jpg
I jogged in the pool tonight and enjoyed a spectacular sunset. Glory! I am ready to enjoy a bubble bath and a restful night of sleep. Have a blessed Friday!
Blessings,
Heather B.
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
