confidence?

This week was difficult for me because I was sick as a dog all week. Today is the first day that I am starting to feel well again.  I was just thinking back on this week and realized some huge positives:

1)  Even though I have been very sick this week I still finished my T-Tapp boot camp, took one day off, and started exercising again right on schedule.

2)  Even though I have been ill, I pretty much kept to my diet but when I didn't instead of beating up on myself and going totally off the rails, I just got right back on track.

3)  Due to my boot camp I am feel really healthy (even with a health problem) and I am noticing that my physical abilities are increasing.  I can do more, have more energy, and am increasing my workouts.

4) My jeans are getting big on me.

5)  Best of all, because I can do the T-Tapp exercises without hurting myself (so I can be consistent), I am really getting into working out again.  Due to this I am starting to feel hopeful that some day I will get back to the dojo.  Dare I say I almost have some confidence that if I keep being consistent with diet and exercise I will get back there!

So, even though I was pretty sick this week it was still a great week.  Hope you also had a great week!

Sept. 22 2012-week in review

Week in review:
I've have had a great week!  My weight is still down.  I have been very consistent with my exercise.  I am on day 10 of a 14 day T-Tapp boot camp.  I have been pretty consistent with my food as well. My weight loss is s-l-o-w but it is still going down.  Maybe I have finally gotten a good equation going on what I need to do in order to lose weight?

Going forward:
I haven't discussed karate much lately.  There is a reason for that.  Because my weight loss efforts go so slowly I start to really develop a negative attitude about my future in the martial arts.  By now, a year and a half into my weight loss journey, most people would have most of their weight off .  Right now, I only have a total of  22 lbs. down over all.  That is not enough weight to be noticed on the frame of someone my size.  And, it doesn't even get me under the 300lbs. mark (although I soon could be there).  My weight is not lost in a straight forward manner.  I lose 3lbs.  I gain back 2lbs. only to then lose 4lbs more the next day. 

The hardest part of a weight loss journey for me is keeping a positive mind set.  On the Monday night's, when I attend Tai Chi, keeping a positive mind set is particularly tough.  Walking into a room full of 20 somethings is tough. It reminds you of everything you are not.  I remember when I was in my 20's there were a few middle aged woman who came through the dojo and all of them told me they were leaving karate because it was too intimidating and embarrassing for them to workout with a bunch of young guys.  I get that feeling now.

Problem is if I keep allowing that attitude to prevail I will never get to my goal.  So, I am going to suck it up and get my butt back to the dojo on Monday nights.  Hopefully, if I keep going eventually it will lead me back to regular classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Tai Chi and Cheng

I went to Tai Chi last night at my dojo. There is just something about the dojo that always feels like home.  We went over our traditional Tai Chi form and I was surprised by how much of it I remembered.  My Sensei has been using the Tai Cheng program and talked to us a little bit about it.  He seems to be getting a great deal from it.  So, now I have more of a desire to save up and get the Tai Cheng program.
At any rate, now I have some extra martial forms to work on daily.  Between doing my Tai Chi and T-Tapp I should start to improve physically-I hope!

Week 3 of T-Tapp

This is my 3rd week of T-Tapp.  My workout schedule looks like this (now that the boot camp is done)
M, W, F- Basic Workout Plus
T, Tr-Step Away The Iches (T-Tapp walking workout) plus review of kata

I have to say that I am really surprised at how much better T-Tapp is helping me to feel.  Never before have I ever made this much progress with a workout in so little time.  It really is amazing.  The best part is that I have not yet hurt myself.  Injury has been the major hurtle to my ability to workout consistently.  It is nice to finally make some progress!!

T-Tapp Boot camp-results

I took pictures today and took measurements.  Before I tell you all of the results, I will first mention that on the inside of my body there has been HUGE change.  All of my aches and pains are gone.  I am standing so much taller.  I have so much more energy.  I really feel good compared to how I felt two weeks ago.  And, to be honest, it feels like I have shrunk everywhere.

The pictures do show change.  It isn't night and day dramatic change.  But, there is definite change and improvement.  The measurements got a little messed up.  My husband's original measurements of me apparently were not done properly on some areas.  So, I don't have a proper total for you.  But, it is about an inch down just about everywhere on my body.  And, I know this is true since my regular jeans are baggy on me.  Shirts that were too tight in the arms are now baggy as well.  And, a pair of Capri pants that I stopped wearing last summer because they were too tight around my calves are now lose in that area and I can wear them again.  My favorite thing that has happened is that my dowager hump is almost totally gone.  I no longer look my Russian grandmother.  Thank God!!

I am not ready to post pictures.  Maybe at some point in the future.

Tomorrow starts the next six weeks of the boot camp.  You do the Basic T-Tapp workout every other day and some kind of cardio workout on the off days.  At the end of the sixth week starts another boot camp consisting of seven days.  It continues in this way until you reach the size you wish to be.  Since my result were so good I am going to keep going with T-Tapp and hopefully make a lot of progress by Christmas.  Wish me luck!

What have I been up to?

About two weeks ago, I posted that I was doing Les Mills Pump and loving it.  Then I hurt myself somehow and had to stop using the program.  I pulled some kind of muscle on my hip and it is still very painful.  On a side note:  My husband is still going strong with Les Mills Pump. He is on week 5 and his body is really starting to change for the better (not that it wasn't already pretty amazing).  I spoke to my doctor about my hip injury.  He feels that at my size Les Mills Pump was just a little too much for me.  I really hope to get back to it at some point.

I wanted to keep working out so I pulled out my T-Tapp DVDs.  If you have been following my twitter account you will see that I have been working out very consistently with T-Tapp.  When starting T-Tapp you do a "boot camp" based on how many sizes you want to drop.  If you only want to drop a clothing size, you workout four days in a row and then every other day for six weeks.  Since I want to drop three sizes or more, I am doing a 14 day boot camp (14 days in a row and then every other day for six weeks).

Today is day 8 of my 14 day boot camp.  Previously, I never gave T-Tapp enough of a chance.  I would do one or two workouts and then quit.  It just seemed too good to be true.  But, as of today, I can honestly say that I am starting to see some amazing results.  After the fourth workout, my jeans got loose. About a half of a size loose.  Then on day five I looked in the mirror and my double chin halved in size.  It was weird, in the best way possible.  The creator of T-Tapp used to work with Chemotherapy patients and developed these exercises to get their lymphatic system moving properly.  This is what I attribute my inch loss to at the moment.  I will take inch loss any day.  While I haven't measured myself yet (will do so next week) it is obvious something good is happening.

I've also been listening to my Slimpod very consistently.  I log that on my twitter account as well.  It seems that consistent listening is helping me to keep going with my exercise.  Having a positive attitude really supports all of the other changes I am trying to make in my life.

After the boot camp is done I plan on getting back to Tai Chi night at karate.  Eventually, I will get back to karate. Right now, I am just taking a little detour in hopes of getting healthy again.

injury

I guess I over did it with the exercise because I have a pain like a knife cutting into my hip on the left side.  Advil isn't taking the pain away, nor is Tiger Balm or a heating pad.  This leaves me with resting for a day or two in order to heal.  This is very frustrating to me!  I was on such a roll.  I do have one workout that I think I can do called T-Tapp.  It is very gentle and zero impact.  So, I guess that is what I will be doing for the next few days.  Oh well......