At the Beginning

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."
~ Aristotle

Today is the beginning of a new adventure for me. Hopefully, a new lifestyle for me. Today I am at the beginning of my first 12-week weight removal segment of the Body-for-Life for Women. This plan follows the original Body-for-Life book, which was geared toward men. After seeing how successful that program was, but how geared it was to men, Dr. Pamela Peeke developed the womens' program.

This is not the first time I've tried a healthier lifestyle plan (I really hate the word "diet", can you tell?). I've done Weight Watchers, and I have belonged to a gym and owned a couple different at-home exercise programs. Apparently just paying the membership to the gym and owning the videos doesn't help you lose weight. Who knew?! The gym was mildly successful, but I could never afford a trainer, and self-motivation has not been my strong-suit when it comes to working out. Weight Watchers worked, but I don't think I was scared enough. Plus, there are some things I just hate spending money on, and every time you turned around you were paying dues, buying this, being encouraged to buy that, etc. And add to that that I was younger than most the people in the room, and it all added up to the wrong environment for me.

One exercise program that did work for me was The Firm. I ordered this in 2003, shortly after graduating college and finding I was less active than ever before, and that I had never really learned how to work out. Believe it or not, it worked! It worked wonderfully! They said in the ads that you would see visible results in 10 workouts or less, and that by the end of 3 months you would feel like a new person. And they were right! I saw a difference in my body, and I felt stronger than ever! However, two weeks before the 3 month mark I took a vacation with friends (MVC 2003, anyone? Yeah...that was a good time!), and I never made myself get back on the fanny-lifter. (No, really...that was the tool that game with the program. And my butt looked great!)

I've used The Firm off and on since then (wow...I just realized that was 6 years ago...time flies), and it always works, but when I ordered it, it came in video format and they're wearing out. Plus, I've never really renewed my dedication to doing it every day.

So here I am again. This time, six years later, I'm married, 5 months from turning 30, minus a gall bladder and heavier than I've ever been. Generally speaking, I am a very happy person. But I've gotten to the point where I don't like to look at myself in the mirror, and I don't like the person I see in pictures. It's not the person I feel like I am on the inside. What to do, what to do? Make changes. That's the only option.

So - here's the scoop. On a trip to the bookstore about a month ago, Tyler, my loving husband, knowing that I was feeling badly about my body, pointed out the Body-for-Life for Women book. While he hunted around for other literary treasures, I sat down and started reading. I read about women who had been where I am - feeling badly about their bodies, and scared for their futures if they don't make a change. I was impressed by the approach - Mind, Mouth, Muscle - and encouraged by the fact that occasional set-backs are okay, as long as you get back on track as soon as you can. As Dr. Peeke says in the book, for women, sometimes the only thing that will get you to tomorrow is chocolate! I know that feeling, and I was thrilled to see a medical professional recognize it in writing! And in the midst of a diet book!

I also like that the goal of this is not to "lose" weight, but to "remove" weight. As they say in the book, you lose things that you want to find another time, you remove things you no longer want.

I encourage all women who struggle with weight, and who among us doesn't, to read this book. I am really motivated by the 3-fold approach and by how she honors those hormones and emotions that women face. Also, each section - Mind, Mouth, Muscle - is broken down into 4 phases of life ranging from the teenage years to the golden years, and she addresses the different social, physical and emotional demands you may feel in each phase of life.

I set a start date for myself - September 21 - and started to plan. The only thing that I kept struggling with was that I was again going to need to self-motivate to work out. I needed to join a gym, or figure out that one piece of weight machinery in the apartment gym. Then one morning as I was laying in bed, I saw an infomercial for The Firm's new program - coined "The Wave."

It's very similar to last time, except now you get a piece of equipment known as The Wave that you use to optimize the workout. It still works on the basic premise that getting your heart rate up, and then lifting weights will build more muscle, more quickly. And it comes with a day-by-day plan for which workouts to do when. And it's now on DVD. (Sing it with me - "I love technology... but not as much as you, you see... but I still love technology." I heart Napoleon Dynamite.) So I ordered it. (Insert mental image of Tyler groggily emerging from the bedroom to find me sitting on the couch, phone to my ear, spending our money on a new workout program, and all before 8 a.m. on a Saturday. God bless that man for putting up with me!)

The best news is that in the Body-for-Life for Women book, Dr. Peeke suggests a workout program, but also encourages you to do what works for you, so long as you're moving on a more regular basis. So - score!

Today I started. At 5 a.m. I started. I'm not sure how much weight I want to lose. For this first segment, my goal is 23 pounds in 12 weeks. It's ambitious, but I really believe I can do it. I can do anything for 12 weeks. (Brilliantly, she added a maitenance plan that you kick into when the weight removal section is over, so you don't just lapse right back into old habits.)

I'll post more details as I go, but that's the gist of it. I'm at the beginning, and I'm feeling good.

XO ~
Nicole

**XO is an imitation of my Mom's many years of signing cards to us with that, not Gossip Girl! Although, I do love the occasional trashy, teen drama. ;)