A Minor Epiphany

I have decided that by deciding to set a bunch of goals for myself in January I was setting myself up for failure. Therefore I am absolving myself of any responsibility for the outcome so far, celebrating the steps I did take, and then starting fresh for the Equinox March 20th.

I think the whole system of New Year's Resolutions is flawed. January in the northern hemisphere is quite possibly the worst time to resolve to do anything except get out of the northern hemisphere.

I did try and I did succeed in my little way. I am down 8 pounds and have managed to at least hold steady at that for about a month. Keep in mind I pretty much stopped moving unless absolutely necessary so that's pretty damn good I think. Bubbly for me.

I started out really well. I did yoga every day and felt AMAZING. Yoga for me is the be all and end all of exercise. If you have never tried, just do it. PVR, TIVO, YouTube, Wii, whatever there are yoga lessons available in the privacy of your own home that you can try for even ten minutes at a time.

I personally, cannot do yoga in a gym setting. There are way too many mirrors and I get distracted my own ass. I just can`t do it. However, when its just me, my Wii and Dirk (what I named my Wii trainer) I am a yoga goddess. Or according to the Wii stats,a Yoga Trainer, myself.

What is great about yoga is that 10 minutes a day can really make a difference. If not a big dramatic change in your body, at least a minor but miraculous change is mind set and posture. Believe it or not standing up straight and not looking miserable makes you look 10 pounds thinner. Not looking like you hate the world is worth 5 pounds on its own. 

The first benefit of quickie yoga is that you are dedicating 10 minutes to yourself. Most folks have no problem making or finding 10 minutes to smoke or grab a latte or have a wank, do the same for yoga. Only ten minutes, no fancy outfits or shoes, you don`t need special mats or crap. Seriously. In a pinch, a towel will do if you really are slacking off and can`t bare to touch your own floors. 

Pop supper in the oven, give the counters a wipe, wander to the room the media you`re using is in and go.

Get out of bed 10 minutes early and do 4 poses in your jammies, underwear or nude, whatever just get out of bed and greet the sun.

Ladies, if you have a man who could witness your morning routine, do him a favor and wear something. Unless you want to be late for work. No man can resist a naked downward dog.

I also made big changes to my eating. I will not say diet because I believe diets are the biggest single cause of blue balls of the soul in the world. Blue balls of the soul cause misery and bitchiness. Therefore diets are to blame for the increasing number of miserable bitches out there. Diets are evil.

I firmly believe in some degree of moderation and by really thinking about portion size and ingredients I have managed to lose weight at a good pace while exercising, and now that I stopped it has helped me maintain that loss. Even while putting bacon in, on and wrapped around everything that will hold still to be baconed.

The single most effective change I made was switching to dinner plates with a smaller serving area. I also try to make dinners that will have useful leftovers instead of meals that I will feel I must eat every morsel or they will go to waste. If I know the chicken will be  used in tomorrows stir fry I am less likely to scorf it down at 11pm.

I buy tons of produce both fresh and frozen. I plan to use the fresh at the beginning of the week and the rest toward the end. This keeps me out of the stores and away from those sweet sweet impulse purchases.

I eat a crap load of yogurt that I make sure is full of active bacteria but I don`t make a fuss about fat.

So I am definitely ahead of where I was in January when I started this Blog and that is good. However I still feel like I have a long way to go but I`m not beating myself up about it. I know where I was derailed, or actually let myself be derailed because I wanted to be.

I got lazy and tired I admit it. I let work and sloth suck the life out of me. I am proud of myself for keeping up with eating well. It would have been really easy to give up and I didn`t. I mastered a lower fat gravy that is delicious. A triumph in itself.

Happy Upcoming Equinox to me.