Thursday, January 20, 2011

yellow polka dot bikini.

Let's tell a story called LOOK AT MY LEGS. This picture was taken four years ago, my freshman year of college with my first roommate on our way to Big Red Welcome. 

Looking at this picture did two things for me: 
  1. Reminded me of the good old days in Neihardt;
  2. Inspired me to print this picture out (with the roommate cut out, of course) and tape in my bathroom mirror as a reminder. Have you seen the Yoplait "Yellow polka dot bikini" commercial? Consider this my polka dot bikini. 




Throughout high school I played sports and swam, and so it didn't take any extra effort to work out the way I needed to. In college, without volleyball and offseason conditioning, I wasn't compelled to work out for an hour and a half every day. I would get in to short-lived "kicks," go to the rec for a month or so, and then stop when classes starting piling the work on. When Aaron and I started dating, I traded my evenings at the gym for evenings with him, and thus, the slippery slope. And being married has been fantastic in about every other way but in terms of staying in shape.

My family's going to the beach this summer, and I am letting the above picture, and my favorite swimsuit on a hanger, be reinforcement to make the right choices. I've been faithfully going to the gym, and I'm going to start kickboxing next week. My goal is to lose five pounds a month until May, at which point I'll have met my goal weight. I decided to post this because I know that people read this, and it's a good way for me to stay accountable on the days (like today) when I come home from work and would rather do anything else than workout. 

In the kitchen, I plan to keep on keepin' on with meal planning. In my head it's much more difficult to meal plan when Aaron's on set because I don't know if he'll eat when he gets home, and if he's not involved in meal decisions I am afraid he won't like what I make, but I've decided that this is a bad excuse. Aaron is a grown up, and if he doesn't like what I make, he can give me ideas for what to cook, so I'm not going to worry about that. And if he has second meal on set, I can take his portion as leftovers for lunch the next day. 

I have a "food/fitness" blog set up, too, where I'm keeping track of these kind of things. I'm excited, and I'm working toward big changes. 

If you have any ideas or tips for me as I start this process, let me know. I'd love to know what you think!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

visit the blog veggienumnum.com and cook some of the recipes : ) delicious vegetarian meals that are realllly easy and good for you! I cook a lot of them and blog about which ones I like : )
Also, it's MUCH easier to workout or run when you have someone else to do it with - perhaps you and Aaron could go together on weekends? Evan and I go together at nights and sometimes weekend mornings! Makes it more enjoyable!

lvillegas said...

so weird that you decided to post this today because I'm writing (but have yet to publish) a post similar! i have my inspiration picture taped to my full length mirror. i started p90x because i have an intense fear of working out in public. good luck though!
oh and advice: don't drink away your daily calories. and i read an article how artificial sweetners (like those in sugar free yogurt and diet cokes) inhibit your body's natural ability to relate taste to caloric intake making you consume more calories.

Anonymous said...

I am doing something similar, too. I saw some pictures of myself from high school when I used to run year round and envied my toned legs! I decided to make a new years resolution to run/work out four days a week to try and get back in shape. Initially it wasn't fun at all, but now I really enjoy how working out relieves stress and makes me have a better approach to things in my life. Good luck with your goal! Whether or not you achieve your "goal weight" you'll end up healthier and happier :)

Lindsey said...

Good for you! I lost a bunch of weight during college (about 75 lbs.) and I've kept about 65lbs of it off for almost 2 years - so I am on the other side of your journey and I want to offer support and advice.

1. Don't just block out foods: Whether you want to lose 1 lb or 100, the best thing I found was to not just cut something completely out of your diet. If you say, no dessert, you will most likely fail. My motto now is everything in moderation and if I want to eat the cookie, maybe I have to only eat half my sandwich.

2. Make simple switches: whole milk to skim, white bread to whole grain...anywhere you can make an easy switch, do it!

3. ADD FIBER! It helps you feel full and regulates your system.

Good luck!