Some Thoughts about the Tova Be Toning it Up Challenge
Good morning everybody! It is Monday morning and I have the whole day free. Tomorrow is my flight to Canada and I am freaking out just a teeny tiny bit because I haven't heard from my Air BnB hosts since I received the confirmation in March. Fingers crossed I don't end up homeless when I arrive. I would not be pleased. I packed too many nice outfits. Speaking of outfits, I have had to pack a lot of different outfits for this trip. Usually I go pretty casual when I am back in Canadaland but I have a few important meetings and of course a wedding to go to so I guess my plaid shirts will have to stay in Vienna.
Yesterday was the end of my 5 week challenge that I called the Tova Be Toning it Up Challenge. It was fun, I lost some weight, but I probably could have kicked my tuckus a little bit harder. I am a masochist, but I did not reach my full potential but I was close. So how did I do after the 5 weeks? Not bad. Not bad at all. I lost a total of 5 kilos (11 pounds), I lost 5 centimeters of my waist (a total of 13 centimeters since New Year's Eve), and I lost 6 centimeters off my hips. I'm not thin, but I am definitely thinner. Some of my clothes are looser, I have a lot more energy, and I am feeling pretty great. Most importantly... a little smug.
Losing weight does not make me a better person. Giving up pizza does not make me a better friend. Working out daily does not make me a better mom or wife. But, and I say but, I am a lot happier which I think contributes to making me a better person. My friend always says "Happy people aren't mean." and she is right. The meanest people are the unhappiest. While I have never really been mean, I know that when I am unhappy, I am not being the best person I can be. My weight doesn't define me but it definitely has been a large part of my life these last few years... especially after the autsim diagnosis. Through this challenge, I learned that I could do a lot if I just put my mind to it. There were days where the thought of heading out for a run was demoralizing but in the end, I did it because I wanted to prove a point to myself. The more I exercised, the easier it became and boy, did I sleep so much better these past 5 weeks.
Sure, there were days of exhaustion, but overall, I had a spring in my step and a bounce in my... I guess.. sports bra? I felt calmer, I felt happier, I felt less lethargic and I think that maybe that contributed to better harmony at home and at work. I felt less kvetchy (don't ask my co-workers though. They probably would disagree. Office Twin texted me last night and I called him a twat so definitely don't ask him.) and more energetic. I guess I was still obnoxious, but in a less Emo way. I made better food choices, I explored healthier alternatives, I embraced fruit. While there were days that were not great eating wise, I didn't once binge and I didn't once throw my arms up in the air and said "Fuck it!" and then annihilate a pizza. This was a big step for me and something I want to continue. Speaking of continuing, I don't think I am done with this challenge. Sure, I won't be able to work out everyday but I don't see what's wrong with aiming to workout 5 times a week. I will eat pizza again but that doesn't have to be a weekly event. It truly is about balance and about making better choices and realizing that the shitty part of adulthood is no longer being able to constantly be hedonistic.
As a child, I literally imagined that adulthood would be this magical time of eating chocolate for breakfast and pizza daily. It was this concept of doing whatever the hell I wanted to do with no consequences. Dear Lord, was I wrong. I want to enjoy life but I need to be held accountable for choices I make. I look forward to the summer ahead and to being healthier and making exercise a big part of my life. I enjoyed these 5 weeks and I don't want to undo all the work I have done. I still have a ways to go but I am more on track than I have been in years. One of the best things about this challenge was getting so many messages from people saying they were now inspired to workout more and that was awesome! Communal suffering is good for the soul. Heh.
So there you have it, another challenge completed. Thanks for following along these past few weeks! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I will now spend the next couple of weeks thinking of another challenge. Yay! I won't be bringing my laptop to Canada so this will be my last blog post until I get back. I will be online but I need to really try and take it easy (hahahaha) on this trip and if I bring my laptop, I know I will be spending hours writing and I just need to take a little break. Boo. I hope you all have a great rest of May and see you all online around June second! Toodles!
Yesterday was the end of my 5 week challenge that I called the Tova Be Toning it Up Challenge. It was fun, I lost some weight, but I probably could have kicked my tuckus a little bit harder. I am a masochist, but I did not reach my full potential but I was close. So how did I do after the 5 weeks? Not bad. Not bad at all. I lost a total of 5 kilos (11 pounds), I lost 5 centimeters of my waist (a total of 13 centimeters since New Year's Eve), and I lost 6 centimeters off my hips. I'm not thin, but I am definitely thinner. Some of my clothes are looser, I have a lot more energy, and I am feeling pretty great. Most importantly... a little smug.
Losing weight does not make me a better person. Giving up pizza does not make me a better friend. Working out daily does not make me a better mom or wife. But, and I say but, I am a lot happier which I think contributes to making me a better person. My friend always says "Happy people aren't mean." and she is right. The meanest people are the unhappiest. While I have never really been mean, I know that when I am unhappy, I am not being the best person I can be. My weight doesn't define me but it definitely has been a large part of my life these last few years... especially after the autsim diagnosis. Through this challenge, I learned that I could do a lot if I just put my mind to it. There were days where the thought of heading out for a run was demoralizing but in the end, I did it because I wanted to prove a point to myself. The more I exercised, the easier it became and boy, did I sleep so much better these past 5 weeks.
Sure, there were days of exhaustion, but overall, I had a spring in my step and a bounce in my... I guess.. sports bra? I felt calmer, I felt happier, I felt less lethargic and I think that maybe that contributed to better harmony at home and at work. I felt less kvetchy (don't ask my co-workers though. They probably would disagree. Office Twin texted me last night and I called him a twat so definitely don't ask him.) and more energetic. I guess I was still obnoxious, but in a less Emo way. I made better food choices, I explored healthier alternatives, I embraced fruit. While there were days that were not great eating wise, I didn't once binge and I didn't once throw my arms up in the air and said "Fuck it!" and then annihilate a pizza. This was a big step for me and something I want to continue. Speaking of continuing, I don't think I am done with this challenge. Sure, I won't be able to work out everyday but I don't see what's wrong with aiming to workout 5 times a week. I will eat pizza again but that doesn't have to be a weekly event. It truly is about balance and about making better choices and realizing that the shitty part of adulthood is no longer being able to constantly be hedonistic.
As a child, I literally imagined that adulthood would be this magical time of eating chocolate for breakfast and pizza daily. It was this concept of doing whatever the hell I wanted to do with no consequences. Dear Lord, was I wrong. I want to enjoy life but I need to be held accountable for choices I make. I look forward to the summer ahead and to being healthier and making exercise a big part of my life. I enjoyed these 5 weeks and I don't want to undo all the work I have done. I still have a ways to go but I am more on track than I have been in years. One of the best things about this challenge was getting so many messages from people saying they were now inspired to workout more and that was awesome! Communal suffering is good for the soul. Heh.
So there you have it, another challenge completed. Thanks for following along these past few weeks! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I will now spend the next couple of weeks thinking of another challenge. Yay! I won't be bringing my laptop to Canada so this will be my last blog post until I get back. I will be online but I need to really try and take it easy (hahahaha) on this trip and if I bring my laptop, I know I will be spending hours writing and I just need to take a little break. Boo. I hope you all have a great rest of May and see you all online around June second! Toodles!
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