Post: #1

About 15 months ago my husband and I committed ourselves to adopting a healthier lifestyle. We now eat a very low carb, high protein diet. I have lost 87 lbs. and have about 75 more to go. Surprisingly, I have learned to eat and enjoy many things I never believed I could although my rampant sweet tooth is always right there under the surface. My efforts to exercise regularly have been difficult because I had a total knee replacement last April that never healed properly. After a lot of PT, acupuncture, and Qi Jong therapy the Dr. finally believed there was something wrong. I had arthro. surgery 3 weeks ago and had a lot of scar tissue removed. So far I haven't felt any relief but it's early yet. When my knee lets me I go to water aerobics 3-4 times a week and would like to start (but have been procastinating) a gentle yoga program for the days I don't make it to the pool. Enough details... My goals are to continue to eat healthily, lose 75 more lbs., exercise faithfully at least 5 times/wk, and continue working on my personal growth with my therapist (another area where I've made great strides but have a long way to go).
I wish everyone a successful journey with Celes and hope we all develope some lasting habits over the next 21 days.

Post: #2

wow, amazing results so far! I endorse the gentle yoga completely. If you can find a therapeutic yoga class near you with a good teacher who has been trained in yoga therapy dealing with injuries, it can be incredibly helpful to getting injuries moving again without reinjuring it.

Best wishes, looking forward to the journey with you!

Post: #3

PattyW,
Thanks for the encouragement. I never thought about therapeutic yoga. I just read about the gentle yoga class in my YMCA program booklet. I think it would be great if I could find someone who specialized and could get me started and then help me along as my knee imptoves. I'll do some research on Monday. I'll look for your posting(s) to get to know you a little bit. I'd like to have a fellow traveller to talk to during 21DHL. Happy New Year!

Post: #4

Pre work for 21DHL
1. Ideal Vision
Ideally, I will weigh 150 lbs., eat 3 healthy meals per day, and eat small healthy snacks only when I'm hungry. I will allow myself 1-2 sweet treats per week but only on days when my calorie count is low. I will actively exercise (water aerobics, yoga, etc.) 5 times/wk and passively exercise (slow, quiet dog walks, playing w/dog, etc.) the other 2 days of the week. To me healthy living also includes addressing your mind as well as your body. With that in mind, ideally, I will be open to learning (reading, taking university courses, participating in short term learning opportunities, etc.). I will meditate daily. I will continue working with my therapist to grow and learn the "real" me, what I need/want, and how I can be the best person I can be towards others. I will develop meaningful friendships and spend time with people who bring me happiness.
2. I want to achieve my Ideal Vision with uninterrupted commitment, discipline, enjoyment, and fulfillment. I know that parts of my vision will take quite awhile to accomplish but much of it I've already started and am well on my way.
3. My Key Action Steps:

1. Three healthy meals/day (approx. 1200 calories)
2. Up to three healthy snacks/day (approx. 250 calories), eaten only when I'm hungry
3. as my knee heals, progress to water aerobics 3/wk, yoga 2/wk, and walking the dog 7/wk
4. read for pleasure 1 hr/day
5. read for education, homework or personal growth at least 1.5 hrs/day
6. meditate at least 20 mins/day
7. continue to audit university classes 4hrs/wk
8. participate in online learning opportunities
9. follow growth challenges (explained in a later post)
10. attend weekly therapy and Qi Jong appts.
    

4. Actions

1. continue shopping for healthy foods, no junk food
2. eat out no more than 2 meals/wk and maintain healthy diet while doing so
3. each Sunday, schedule weekly exercise program depending on knee healing. Also schedule time for pleasure reading, educational reading, class homework, meditation, therapy and Qi Jong
4. begin daily walk around block with my dog. Increase one additional block each week.[/b]
5. get up 1/2 hour earlier than needed
6. each morning start day following growth challenges
7. each day carry out 21DHL task
8. end each day by posting to 21DHL journal, gratitude journal and daily diary. Review goals worked on each day. Pray to the Lord.
   

[b]Whew!!! That sure was a long post. [/b]

Post: #5

Celebrated extended family Christmas tonight and of course there was lots of rich, yummy holiday food. I deliberately skipped lunch ( I know, I know. Not a good idea) so I would have a little more "room" to share in the meal. I did pretty well - ate mostly shrimp, lean beef, green beans, and salad in relatively small portions. I knew today was going to be difficult when I signed up for the challenge but now the holidays are over and I can commit myself to my goals 100%.

On a positive note, I walked about 1/3 of a mile, cane and all. I was in quite a bit of pain afterwards but was proud that I did it. Tomorrow, will do an hour's worth of yoga at home and another walk. I also completed my personal growth challenges today and felt good that they were in the forefront of my mind all day. Will write in my daily journal, my gratitude journal, meditate, and pray before I go to sleep and then will have made a good effort at following the challenge on this first day of the new year.

Re Celes' daily task for today:
Although I have heard over and over how important it is to drink approx. 8 glasses of water a day, I've always had trouble with it because I'm just not a big drinker. I didn't read Celes' task post until about 2:00 so I was already off to a late start. I followed her formula and I need to drink 96 oz. of water a day. Today I "forced down" about 55 oz. But tomorrow I will get an earlier start and aim for the full 96 oz. It's not going to be easy.

Hope everyone had a joyful and peaceful New Year's Day. Keep up the good work.

Post: #6

I've always been a scheduler and list maker as well as a person who fills her life too full. As a result, I list/schedule everything I need/want to do in a day. Now that I've added 21DHL and some New Year's resolutions I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to keep up. I am an insomniac (my Dr. and I are working on the problem) and live a life with too little sleep and rest. Sorry to sound so negative because I've had 2 very successful days following my vision and action plan. I should rejoice in my current accomplishments and keep reminding myself to live in the moment but my little overly self-critical and excessive worrier mind voice is a continual source of difficulty for me. Getting that little voice under control is one of my personal growth goals but I have a long way to go. ENOUGH!!!

Today was a day of positive self-discipline and I accomplished alot. I ate well, practiced yoga, went for the longest walk so far on my bum knee, did my morning and evening devotions and journaling, started my calorie/fat spreadsheet and worked really, really hard to drink that 96 oz. of water. Only made 72

I hope all of you are feeling a sense of accomplishment and I know if I can get 4-5 hrs. of sleep I'll be able to worry less about keeping up and rejoice more in the positive steps I've made already.