The Weather
Yesterday morning it was chilly enough for me to finally wear my Uggs. I was happy to finally be dressing for winter. The cool, crisp air was very refreshing. Today, however, it feels like summer again. I'm totally loving the clear, blue sky and sunshine; however, I'm definitely ready for cooler temperatures.
An Outdoor 5K
It was an absolutely lovely day to head outside for a walk/jog. However, 2 km into it and I was regretting wearing a heavy sweatshirt (because who expects such warm weather the end of November?). Anyway. It was good for working up an extra sweat.
Today's outdoor training was mainly to accompany my brother during his first 5k. We walked most of it, but I also got him to jog a few portions of the track. It was his first time jogging in ... I don't know, years probably. I'm very proud of him for completing it. We now have a baseline time to go by. Hopefully each time we do it we'll get faster and feel fitter.
Since I was going at a slower pace than I would normally go, I focused a lot on my posture, form, and alignment. It was hard work! Still, I know that you've got to practice these good habits in order for them to occur more naturally.
Brazilian Jiujitsu Practice
D & I are starting more focused Brazilian Jiujitsu training in order to prepare to test for our blue belt next summer. We did a few hours yesterday and almost 2 hours today. It's tough with my wrist injury, but I wrap it up pretty tightly to help me keep it as straight as possible --- I can't wait until the wrist is popped back into place! I'm tired of wearing a brace!!
The Holidays are Here
I've been seeing a lot of posts about the holiday season weight gain. It's definitely something that I'm conscious about too. When I look back at the year, I can see that I've been quite dedicated to my food and fitness, and although I've been social, my socializing has been limited compared to how my end of the year calendar is looking. The dinner parties and events start from this Monday and go on until Christmas. I will definitely have to be cautious about how I proceed.
It sucks that it is so easy to gain weight and so difficult to lose it; however, that's the reality. Instead of fearing it or complaining about it, we can just tackle it. The good thing is, we all know that the end of the year is tough. So, if you've really been good at your diet and your workouts throughout the year, then the discipline that you've been developing over the past 10 months should hold strong and help you get through until the new year without any weight gain. This is the mindset that I'm trying to hold on to.
January Jeans Club 2014
I'm joining a bunch of other bloggers in the January Jeans Club (hosted by Marion at Affection for Fitness and Satu at BodyCapable) and pledging not to gain weight during this holiday season. I know that I've worked hard - I don't want it to all go to waste just because I ate badly.
Earlier this year I was really excited to be wearing a pair of size 10 jeans. Then, as the year went on, those jeans started getting looser. At one point, I was told that they were looking quite baggy so I thought that I would finally go and try on a pair of size 8s. It felt totally surreal to even think about, let alone pick up and try on a pair of size 8s.
I was nervous as I put them on and surprised that I was actually able to do it (though with a bit of pulling and maneuvering). However, they did not look good. Although I could do them up and move around/sit down etc. in them, I wasn't comfortable, and more than that, they just didn't look right. It looked like I had squeezed myself in them, and I had!
So, I took off the jeans and easily slid into my 10s. Oh well, not yet -- but I'm getting closer.
I know that there was a time when I'd go clothes shopping and the fact that I couldn't fit into the size that I wanted to fit into would lead me to binge eat. After all, I was already fat, so what did another burger matter?
Now my attitude is totally different. First of all, I don't worry so much about the size. I think about how something looks. I know that there will be some trousers that I'll have to buy a size 12 in because of the material and cut and for others the 10 will actually be loose. That's just the way it is. There's no denying that the number does have a bit of an impact (this summer I tried on a DKNY dress in a 'small' -- I thought the label was wrong! I ended up buying it because seeing that 's' really made me happy - mind games!) -- but it's not everything.
It's the effort that matters. It's the attitude that matters. It's the reality that matters.
So, I've been the same jeans size for most of this year, but that's ok. I'm continuing to work towards those size 8s!
Yesterday morning it was chilly enough for me to finally wear my Uggs. I was happy to finally be dressing for winter. The cool, crisp air was very refreshing. Today, however, it feels like summer again. I'm totally loving the clear, blue sky and sunshine; however, I'm definitely ready for cooler temperatures.
An Outdoor 5K
It was an absolutely lovely day to head outside for a walk/jog. However, 2 km into it and I was regretting wearing a heavy sweatshirt (because who expects such warm weather the end of November?). Anyway. It was good for working up an extra sweat.
Today's outdoor training was mainly to accompany my brother during his first 5k. We walked most of it, but I also got him to jog a few portions of the track. It was his first time jogging in ... I don't know, years probably. I'm very proud of him for completing it. We now have a baseline time to go by. Hopefully each time we do it we'll get faster and feel fitter.
Since I was going at a slower pace than I would normally go, I focused a lot on my posture, form, and alignment. It was hard work! Still, I know that you've got to practice these good habits in order for them to occur more naturally.
Brazilian Jiujitsu Practice
D & I are starting more focused Brazilian Jiujitsu training in order to prepare to test for our blue belt next summer. We did a few hours yesterday and almost 2 hours today. It's tough with my wrist injury, but I wrap it up pretty tightly to help me keep it as straight as possible --- I can't wait until the wrist is popped back into place! I'm tired of wearing a brace!!
The Holidays are Here
I've been seeing a lot of posts about the holiday season weight gain. It's definitely something that I'm conscious about too. When I look back at the year, I can see that I've been quite dedicated to my food and fitness, and although I've been social, my socializing has been limited compared to how my end of the year calendar is looking. The dinner parties and events start from this Monday and go on until Christmas. I will definitely have to be cautious about how I proceed.
It sucks that it is so easy to gain weight and so difficult to lose it; however, that's the reality. Instead of fearing it or complaining about it, we can just tackle it. The good thing is, we all know that the end of the year is tough. So, if you've really been good at your diet and your workouts throughout the year, then the discipline that you've been developing over the past 10 months should hold strong and help you get through until the new year without any weight gain. This is the mindset that I'm trying to hold on to.
January Jeans Club 2014
I'm joining a bunch of other bloggers in the January Jeans Club (hosted by Marion at Affection for Fitness and Satu at BodyCapable) and pledging not to gain weight during this holiday season. I know that I've worked hard - I don't want it to all go to waste just because I ate badly.
Earlier this year I was really excited to be wearing a pair of size 10 jeans. Then, as the year went on, those jeans started getting looser. At one point, I was told that they were looking quite baggy so I thought that I would finally go and try on a pair of size 8s. It felt totally surreal to even think about, let alone pick up and try on a pair of size 8s.
I was nervous as I put them on and surprised that I was actually able to do it (though with a bit of pulling and maneuvering). However, they did not look good. Although I could do them up and move around/sit down etc. in them, I wasn't comfortable, and more than that, they just didn't look right. It looked like I had squeezed myself in them, and I had!
So, I took off the jeans and easily slid into my 10s. Oh well, not yet -- but I'm getting closer.
I know that there was a time when I'd go clothes shopping and the fact that I couldn't fit into the size that I wanted to fit into would lead me to binge eat. After all, I was already fat, so what did another burger matter?
Now my attitude is totally different. First of all, I don't worry so much about the size. I think about how something looks. I know that there will be some trousers that I'll have to buy a size 12 in because of the material and cut and for others the 10 will actually be loose. That's just the way it is. There's no denying that the number does have a bit of an impact (this summer I tried on a DKNY dress in a 'small' -- I thought the label was wrong! I ended up buying it because seeing that 's' really made me happy - mind games!) -- but it's not everything.
It's the effort that matters. It's the attitude that matters. It's the reality that matters.
So, I've been the same jeans size for most of this year, but that's ok. I'm continuing to work towards those size 8s!
It could have just been the cut of those size 8's. I fit into size 8 almost no matter what brand...but there are a few that I still need the 10's. Explore sizes and brands!
ReplyDeleteHi Ayesha, Congrats to you and your bro for running the 5k together. I'm sure that was your positive influence on him. I think that is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSizes are very funny things. I'm a size bigger for thighs, so if the material has no stretch, then I'm definitely size 10. If there is some ease, I'll be size 8. I keep thinking I turned size 8 from losing tummy flab but teen daughter said it was losing my butt that made that happen (yes, she thinks I lost my butt! No where to be found!) I don't know, but each size has less volume in it. It isn't really 2D inches, it's 3D volume. And yes, the style really matters. I tried on a very high waisted skirt lately--with a waist landing right at the chubbiest part of my tummy--size 12 was tight! Don't worry so much about size and just keep working on trim. You'll hit your size 8s, I'm sure of this.
Sometimes, my gut thinks that you work out so much that your body won't let go of the weight. When I started working out less, I lost weight. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but if your body is trying to gain muscle, well it's doing the opposite of trying to lose weight. I don't know hardly any athletic person who can lose weight and gain muscle at the same time--that's a beginner person's thing. You're way past that. Bodybuilders have different seasons of bulking and cutting. Now, nobody believes that a bulking season requires a person to gain loads of weight, but gaining muscle, as I've found, requires a certain amount of nutritional/caloric oomph to do well in the gym. The cutting season, as I apparently taste-tested this summer, makes a person get thinner by eating a lot less while being a wimp in the gym. I've never made both happen at once for a long time now. And this is the very reason why I have not lost weight for a while--I don't want to sacrifice at the gym right now. :D
We are having cooler weather too and it is much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually very happy with my size 10 jeans. They fit very comfortably and don't bag. I'm all about comfort. :) I hope you can get those size 8's very soon. :)