Week four of the Go Red Better U Challenge was about surrounding yourself with support. My friends, family, and fellow challenge participants and mentors have been a great source of support through this process. They definitely got me through the most challenging week to date. I made a commitment to myself that this journey would be a public journey for me. I risked putting myself out there in daily facebook posts and the response has been so positive! The support I get from high school and college friends and former athletes that I have coached has been phenomenal. They are definitely motivating me to keep going...and believe me, there are days when I'd rather just sit down and skip the workouts.
I'm really working on having a more positive attitude about everything. Those that know me well, know that I don't always have a positive outlook on things. I always see the glass as half empty...I think that's because throughout my life, I've always been the person responsible for having to figure out how to fill the glass. I put a lot of pressure on myself and it wears me down.
The reality is, this has been really hard for me and while I do my best to keep my posts and blogs upbeat, I am constantly fighting the voice inside me that says...you really may not be able to do this. So for those of you giving me positive boosts of encouragement, don't doubt for a minute that I need every single one of those. As for the new positive energy and attitude...it's actually really working for me and making a difference.
As you know, there are always barriers to weight loss and eating healthy but nothing challenges that goal quite as much as the holidays! My biggest goal for week four was to maintain the weight loss I had already accomplished. Being home for the holidays and being surrounded by all my favorite foods and desserts was definitely challenging but I was able to eat in moderation and still enjoy all of my favorites.
I was feeling a little down at the end of the week though and was sure I had gained weight. I really hit it hard on the exercise after Christmas. When I weighed in, I was shocked to see that I actually had lost 0.2 pounds. Not much to cheer about during a normal week but I was really excited about it during this particular week.
Heading into week five, I know I need to step things up a notch to really meet my weight loss goal of 20 pounds in 12 weeks. I still think I can do it but getting a handle on preparing healthy meals is essential. My family and I have picked out some meals to try from the Cooking Light cookbooks I purchased. We have gone shopping and plan to try a few of those this week. Wish us luck and good luck to the other challenge participants. We can do this!
"No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, positively do have the power to change."
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