Old Man Winter leaves behind a lasting impression, doesn’t he? The thing is, I’m not always fond of where he touches.
Two of my daughters and I met at the bar yesterday and commiserating about winter weight gain over drinks. The bar was adjoined to our kitchen counter and the drinks were iced tea. But it was strong black tea, does that count?
We compared winter weight gain woes (how long exactly was this winter?) and took inventory of things we wanted to tone and tighten. My girl crush, First Lady Michelle Obama, has created an arm fetish in our household, so arms were at the top of the list. I’m pretty sure our cat, Alexa, laughed at us as we held our arms out to compare lack of definition. I won! Um… lost?
Fortunately, another of the many things we three share in common is a LOVE for The Biggest Loser, so we’re very familiar with the concept of taking aim at something and working for it – even if that work has to fall under the category of HARD.
My oldest daughter got pen and paper and wrote out a walking schedule as the youngest and I came up with more ways to eat healthy and tried to schedule time for pilates, yoga, and arm weights. We all signed our name to a piece of paper which included our goals and put it in a place for safe keeping. Each week, we’re going to weigh in and see how we’re progressing.
This way, we’ll know when we need to step things up (literally). I have this feeling that my girls are going to work my butt off…. at least that’s what I’m counting on.
If you have a support system around you, count your blessings. If not, then your journey will simply be a little more challenging. Fortunately, if you have a computer and the internet, you can find support in many online weight loss and fitness forums. Prevention.com has an outstanding online community, as do iVillage and Gimme 20 . You’ll find people who are in your shoes and would love nothing more than to help you wear your’s more comfortably.
Finally, Jillian Michaels (she of The Biggest Loser fame) has an online program that sounds phenomenal. It’s only $4 a week (billed quarterly) – with the first 7 days free. Visit Jillian Michaels to see the details.
If you’re trying to get fit and/or lose weight, support is a key weapon. Try very hard to get the support you need from your loved ones. If, for whatever reasons, they simply aren’t able to provide this support, you can find support online.
A final word, don’t be too hard on your loved ones if they don’t give a great deal of support – they may simply not know how. It’s hard to tell someone you love that they can’t have that piece of chocolate cake that’s as big as their head. Also, watch out for something that is as human as it is harmful: Blaming others for things we’ve done and expecting them to fix it.
We all paint our own portraits. The brush is in our own hand and the paint is on the smock we’re wearing. If we don’t like the way something looks (how are you doing, arms), we have the paint and the brushes – all we have to do is fix what we don’t like!
I don’t have a forum or message board set up on Self Help Daily, but I’d love to hear about your own goals and what you’re doing to achieve them. Just leave comments – I’ll respond to each one, of course. You can also e-mail me any time, or give me a shout out on Twitter (@JoiTaniaSigers).
If Old Man Winter left his hand prints on you, make today the day you start wiping them off. When the old guy rolls around next time, we’ll be ready for him. Best of luck!
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Support is crucial for weight loss. Not surprisingly, it is often family and friends that do the most damage to our diets (either intentionally or because they are not eating healthy themselves). Look for a good support system and you’re a lot more likely to achieve results. (And don’t forget to be your own cheerleader too!)
Positively Present’s last blog post..ray-bans and rainbows: seeing life through a happy lens
For me I found that you not only need the love and support from your friends and family… you need to have self love and respect for your self to be successful. This is something I learned by reading Kelly La Sha’s latest book “Liquid Mirror.”
Positively Present, I love the idea of being your own cheerleader! I’ve tried to stop saying negative things about or to myself. For example, I was shopping recently and tried on a beautiful pink top. The sleeves were TIGHT, and as I started to bemoan my arms – I flipped the switch and simply asked, “Why in the world do they make sleeves so tiny these days?”
I avoided any dressing room drama and left feeling okay with myself – annoyed, rather, with the designers and their penchant for tiny sleeves!
Becky, self love is extremely important for everything in life. Without it, we never feel like we’re worthy of the better things in life or capable of self improvement. Liquid Mirror sounds fascinating!