Good Morning on Day 4 of CurvySexy! It's New Year's Eve, and we're planning to have some fun tonight, but that doesn't mean we can't set ourselves up for a good night with some solid planning today. It's the perfect day to hydrate and get our water and vitamins in so we have less of a hangover tomorrow. Also, making healthier eating choices during the day and getting a little exercise in means we can enjoy the night even more.
Today, we're going to add two bricks to our already solidifying foundation. We will continue to try and maintain the work and good habits we're already accomplishing while continuing to focus on other small victories we can add to our treasure pile. So let's have a little fun:
1. We've got our 20 minutes of yoga or walk/run, our plank, our kegels, and our core tightener, so let's add some butt pulses. Turn on a favorite dance song, and tighten and release our glutes to the beat of the music. It's a mini dance party! Pulse together, alternate, contract and hold, throw in some kegels or hip rolls... mix it up any way we like or however we're feeling the music. I love to do this in my car while I'm driving. By the time the song is over, I'm feeling it, and we'll be on the way to more toned and lifted cheeks.
2. On the more emotional/spiritual side of things, it's time to add some self-affirmations. If you're anything like me, you feel a little silly doing these, but the truth of the matter is that YOU ARE AMAZING, and that deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated. First, we figure out our motto or mantra, whether it be for this day, week, month, or year, then head to the closest private mirror, look yourself in the eye, and repeat it aloud 3 times. Say it like you mean it! You are strong! You are sexy! You just have to believe it.
To round out this side of things, it's time for gratitudes and our positivity journal, so here's mine:
1. I finished all my grading and submitted my grades. The Fall 2015 semester is a wrap!
2. After only a few days I can already feel the difference in my body from the yoga, and I love it!
3. My husband took care of the dishes so I could finish my grading at a reasonable hour. Teamwork!
After feeling a little disheartened following submission of grades from my other school on Monday, I was really happy and excited following grade submission last night. I really had two great classes full of students who attended regularly and did the work assigned. They all did really well! I find it curious that the difference between schools was so marked. I know that I want to take a look at revising my lesson plans and teaching style over the break. I definitely think I'm heading in the right direction in terms of student-based learning, but there's always room for improvement, and I'm hoping to make some big adjustments.
Well, that's all for today! I hope everyone has a fun and happy yet safe New Year's Eve! Don't be afraid to dance the night away. I will see you all tomorrow in the new year. :)
Be CurvySexy,
Christine
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Positivity
I'm happy to have you here for Day 3 of CurvySexy Fitness! Hopefully you took twelve minutes out of your day and watched the funny yet thought-provoking video from Ted Talks yesterday. I, myself, saw the benefits of positive thinking when I was going through a very difficult time in my life. For anyone who has been there, you may understand what I mean when I say going through my divorce eight years ago was one of the most painful and trying times I've ever experienced. It wasn't something I wanted, but in the end, it was something I had to go through.
But the odd thing is that I also look back at the time as a very good time in a lot of ways, particularly on a personal level. The thing that saved me was that I decided early on that I was going to come out of the divorce a better person than I was going into it. I focused on exercising and celebrating the strength of my body; I used walks or runs to think problems through, make decisions, and clear my head; I kept a blog where I wrote about what I was feeling, kept a list of the things I was thankful for, and focused on the positives after hashing out the painful stuff; I was kind to myself and did things that made me happy; and I spent a lot of time with a great support system of friends and family. There was so much good mixed in with the bad.
Since then, I have gotten away from a lot of that, and while I still generally consider myself to be an optimistic, happy person, I notice that I'm not as care-free and easy-going as I used to be. I'm hoping that implementing Achor's steps for positivity will bring back some of that magic and help me make improvements in other areas of my life. So today, we continue to build and work on making the small, positive changes from days 1 and 2, and we add two small things to begin working on today:
1. Journal about a positive experience from the last 24 hours, allowing our brains to relive it and enjoy the spike in dopamine. This doesn't have to be a long exercise, but it might help to be detailed in terms of sensory details or how it made us feel.
2. We can choose between yoga and a 20 minute walk or run, and continue working on pulling our stomachs in and up and on doing kegels, but today we add a 30 second plank to our exercise routine. I know it isn't easy, but if we push for 30 seconds, we might be surprised to find we can reach it. If we absolutely can't do 30 seconds, try for 15 or 20. We will do this daily, and we'll build on our endurance, but I promise not to escalate too quickly. A strong core is going to be important for all we do in life.
That's it! Not bad, right?
So to fulfill my gratitude and positivity journal:
1. Tuesday night is pool league night for my husband, and we usually have a couple of drinks and dinner at the bar where he plays. Last night I was happy to make healthier choices - a grilled chicken sandwich with no bun and sweet potato fries and water to drink. Although I don't intend to cut alcohol out of my diet altogether (this is supposed to be a lifestyle change after all), I am saving it for New Year's Eve on Thursday when we get together with our friends.
2. I went back to add to a story I hadn't looked at since October when I set it aside for National Novel Writing Month, and I was glad to see, as I read over the part of my first draft that I'd previously written, that I was happy with it. I thought it was pretty good. I also added about 1,000 words to it.
3. We had our first coating of snow the other night, less than an inch total, and yesterday, when my husband left for work, he stopped to shovel the sidewalk so I could get to my car easily later in the day. Also, when he picked me up to take me to pool, he already had the seat warmer on for my seat, which was amazing considering it was 32 degrees out! Sometimes it's the little things!
My positive experience yesterday came at the end of pool league. It was almost midnight, and we were starting to say our goodbyes. A friend of mine, the team captain's wife, hugged me goodbye, but rather than a loose, light hug, she gave me a good tight squeeze. It took me by surprise, but I'm a sucker for a good hug, so I wrapped her up more tightly and squeezed back for a few moments. There's just something about that connection and stopping everything else for a few moments to show affection for someone that brings a huge smile to my face.
Okay, CurvySexy ladies! I'm off for the day, but please feel free to check in with your gratitudes or positivity posts. Keep collecting those small victories!
Be CurvySexy,
Christine
But the odd thing is that I also look back at the time as a very good time in a lot of ways, particularly on a personal level. The thing that saved me was that I decided early on that I was going to come out of the divorce a better person than I was going into it. I focused on exercising and celebrating the strength of my body; I used walks or runs to think problems through, make decisions, and clear my head; I kept a blog where I wrote about what I was feeling, kept a list of the things I was thankful for, and focused on the positives after hashing out the painful stuff; I was kind to myself and did things that made me happy; and I spent a lot of time with a great support system of friends and family. There was so much good mixed in with the bad.
Since then, I have gotten away from a lot of that, and while I still generally consider myself to be an optimistic, happy person, I notice that I'm not as care-free and easy-going as I used to be. I'm hoping that implementing Achor's steps for positivity will bring back some of that magic and help me make improvements in other areas of my life. So today, we continue to build and work on making the small, positive changes from days 1 and 2, and we add two small things to begin working on today:
1. Journal about a positive experience from the last 24 hours, allowing our brains to relive it and enjoy the spike in dopamine. This doesn't have to be a long exercise, but it might help to be detailed in terms of sensory details or how it made us feel.
2. We can choose between yoga and a 20 minute walk or run, and continue working on pulling our stomachs in and up and on doing kegels, but today we add a 30 second plank to our exercise routine. I know it isn't easy, but if we push for 30 seconds, we might be surprised to find we can reach it. If we absolutely can't do 30 seconds, try for 15 or 20. We will do this daily, and we'll build on our endurance, but I promise not to escalate too quickly. A strong core is going to be important for all we do in life.
That's it! Not bad, right?
So to fulfill my gratitude and positivity journal:
1. Tuesday night is pool league night for my husband, and we usually have a couple of drinks and dinner at the bar where he plays. Last night I was happy to make healthier choices - a grilled chicken sandwich with no bun and sweet potato fries and water to drink. Although I don't intend to cut alcohol out of my diet altogether (this is supposed to be a lifestyle change after all), I am saving it for New Year's Eve on Thursday when we get together with our friends.
2. I went back to add to a story I hadn't looked at since October when I set it aside for National Novel Writing Month, and I was glad to see, as I read over the part of my first draft that I'd previously written, that I was happy with it. I thought it was pretty good. I also added about 1,000 words to it.
3. We had our first coating of snow the other night, less than an inch total, and yesterday, when my husband left for work, he stopped to shovel the sidewalk so I could get to my car easily later in the day. Also, when he picked me up to take me to pool, he already had the seat warmer on for my seat, which was amazing considering it was 32 degrees out! Sometimes it's the little things!
My positive experience yesterday came at the end of pool league. It was almost midnight, and we were starting to say our goodbyes. A friend of mine, the team captain's wife, hugged me goodbye, but rather than a loose, light hug, she gave me a good tight squeeze. It took me by surprise, but I'm a sucker for a good hug, so I wrapped her up more tightly and squeezed back for a few moments. There's just something about that connection and stopping everything else for a few moments to show affection for someone that brings a huge smile to my face.
Okay, CurvySexy ladies! I'm off for the day, but please feel free to check in with your gratitudes or positivity posts. Keep collecting those small victories!
Be CurvySexy,
Christine
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Small Victories
Welcome to Day 2 of the CurvySexy Fitness journey. I hope that Day 1 inspired you to make some changes toward becoming your best, sexiest self. It's okay if it wasn't perfect. Remember the journey is about taking a series of steps toward a lifestyle change. It's all about collecting and building on the small victories. Did you drink more water than usual? Did you squeeze in 20 minutes of yoga? Did you say no to that sugary snack or remember to take your vitamins? We can take whatever small victory we had yesterday and grow it by adding to it today.
Today we're going to continue working on the changes from yesterday, and we're going to add only a couple of small things to the list:
1. If we can manage, try for a 20 minute walk or run instead of yoga today. Or if our bodies feel like they need more yoga, that's okay, too. The idea is to do something to feed our bodies' movement.
2. In addition to working on our core by imagining we're buttoning tight jeans, today's we're going to add in some kegels. This exercise is great because it can be done anywhere - no one can see us doing it! It's our sexy little secret! It's great for stimulating blood flow to the genital region, which makes for better orgasms, and can be good for stimulating a male partner during sex. It's also great for returning things to normal for those of us who've had kids. The easiest way to perform a kegel is to imagine stopping our urine-flow midstream. I like to do a combination of pulses (tighten and release) and holding for longer periods of time. To keep it fun, play a favorite song and kegel to the beat!
3. The last thing we're going to add today is a journaling exercise. If you've never heard of Ted Talks, I highly recommend checking out their library of inspirational talks, ground-breaking ideas, performances of art, etc., but for now, I'd like to share one of my favorites: The happy secret to better work. I think this can apply in so many areas of our lives, including a journey to becoming our best selves, and so today we add making a daily list of three gratitudes to our journey.
Since it's early in the day, my list of gratitudes comes from things that happened yesterday:
1. I love the way my body feels during and after yoga. The moments when I release a stretch and relax, even when the pose itself was difficult, tells me just how bad my body needs and craves that kind of attention.
2. I got my final grades done and submitted for one of my two schools. They also involved the most work, so my last day of grading for my other school should be much easier in comparison.
3. I sent my husband my blog post from yesterday, and he was really supportive and encouraging. He did not know I'd been thinking about and planning/preparing/researching for this journey, and he is also on his own road toward being healthier, but his reaction to my blog really made my day.
Please feel free to share your gratitudes in the comments below. I love celebrating the positives in people's lives. Until tomorrow, go forth and kick ass!
Get CurvySexy,
Christine
Today we're going to continue working on the changes from yesterday, and we're going to add only a couple of small things to the list:
1. If we can manage, try for a 20 minute walk or run instead of yoga today. Or if our bodies feel like they need more yoga, that's okay, too. The idea is to do something to feed our bodies' movement.
2. In addition to working on our core by imagining we're buttoning tight jeans, today's we're going to add in some kegels. This exercise is great because it can be done anywhere - no one can see us doing it! It's our sexy little secret! It's great for stimulating blood flow to the genital region, which makes for better orgasms, and can be good for stimulating a male partner during sex. It's also great for returning things to normal for those of us who've had kids. The easiest way to perform a kegel is to imagine stopping our urine-flow midstream. I like to do a combination of pulses (tighten and release) and holding for longer periods of time. To keep it fun, play a favorite song and kegel to the beat!
3. The last thing we're going to add today is a journaling exercise. If you've never heard of Ted Talks, I highly recommend checking out their library of inspirational talks, ground-breaking ideas, performances of art, etc., but for now, I'd like to share one of my favorites: The happy secret to better work. I think this can apply in so many areas of our lives, including a journey to becoming our best selves, and so today we add making a daily list of three gratitudes to our journey.
Since it's early in the day, my list of gratitudes comes from things that happened yesterday:
1. I love the way my body feels during and after yoga. The moments when I release a stretch and relax, even when the pose itself was difficult, tells me just how bad my body needs and craves that kind of attention.
2. I got my final grades done and submitted for one of my two schools. They also involved the most work, so my last day of grading for my other school should be much easier in comparison.
3. I sent my husband my blog post from yesterday, and he was really supportive and encouraging. He did not know I'd been thinking about and planning/preparing/researching for this journey, and he is also on his own road toward being healthier, but his reaction to my blog really made my day.
Please feel free to share your gratitudes in the comments below. I love celebrating the positives in people's lives. Until tomorrow, go forth and kick ass!
Get CurvySexy,
Christine
Monday, December 28, 2015
Beginning
After months of research, planning, and preparing, today is the day I begin my CurvySexy Fitness journey. I created this plan under several premises that I found to be true in my decades of being overweight:
1. Everyone has their own health goals. Not everyone wants to be stick thin or rock solid. Some girls, myself included, love their curves and want to be healthier while maintaining or enhancing those curves.
2. Just because we may not want to run a marathon (or maybe we do, the choice is ours) or fit into the "standard" expectation of a healthy weight doesn't mean we don't want to feel strong, sexy, and healthy.
3. Crash diets and weight-loss fads aren't going to get us there. What we need is a lifestyle change - a series of steps and good habits that we can build upon slowly to create the results and life that we want for ourselves. And we still want to have fun while we do it.
4. It's not just about diet and exercise. It's about happiness, life satisfaction, that buzz of excitement that comes from feeling sexy in your own skin, and being the version of yourself that you most want to be - not what someone else wants for you.
In order to do this we need to decide who that person is. When we close our eyes and imagine ourselves at our best, what do we look like? For me, that girl is curvy, sexy, confident, and kind. She's an amazing English professor and a published writer. Or maybe she's helping others become who they want to be. She has a style of her own - classically edgy with a romantic flair. She lives life to the fullest, and she is in touch with her sexuality.
Who is it that you want to be?
In an effort at total transparency, I start this journey weighing in at 289.4 lbs on a 5'4" body. My body, currently, has limitations. I used to be a dancer, I once trained to run a 5k in its entirety, and I once lost 100 lbs in five months, but it has been a long time since I have made a serious effort. Because of this, I lack the flexibility, stamina, and lung capacity that I once had. But I am sure I'm not alone in this journey, and so we start small and work our way there one step at a time. And today is the first day, the first step. We'll keep it simple.
Today's goals:
1. Breathe - First thing when we get out of bed this morning, do 5 deep inhalations/exhalations. I'm talking about the kind we often see at the beginning of most exercise videos where they circle their arms up over their heads on the inhale and back down on the exhale. We want to feel our bodies stretch and wake up as we breathe.
2. Hydrate - Drink 8 glass of water, plus one glass for every 25 lbs we want to lose. For those of us who dislike drinking water or need a little variety, this can be enhanced in the following ways: add 2 tbsp of no-sugar added cranberry or pomegranate juice, add a squeeze or two of lemon or lime, add fruit infusions, add green tea, or add a partial packet of our favorite flavor of Emergen-C.
3. Exercise - Do 20 minutes of yoga. Find a favorite 20 minute yoga video on YouTube that matches our skill and ability level, and do it either to wake up in the morning or to relax before bed. For beginners or for people who have a low fitness level like myself, I recommend Yoga for Complete Beginners.
Also, begin body awareness in terms of how we carry ourselves. Work on posture and strengthening our cores by drawing in the stomach and abs and pulling our belly buttons in toward our spines. Imagine we are trying to button a tight pair of jeans. This not only pulls the muscles in but also lifts them. The goal is to eventually get to a place where we are doing this all the time without thinking. Until then, practice awareness and drawing them in and up as often as we remember.
4. Nutrition - Begin by making healthier choices in our food. Try to avoid heavily processed or fast food. Try to incorporate vegetables and fruits and lean proteins. Try to limit carbs to whole grain and to breakfast and lunch only. This morning I had steel-cut oatmeal with peanut butter, a splash of milk, and cinnamon, as well as a mandarin orange for breakfast.
Also, consider taking a woman's multi-vitamin, an omega-3 like fish or flax seed oil, and extra Vitamin-D.
I hope my blog inspires you to start your own journey to find and make your best self. I will be posting here every day for the first week, and then checking in at least weekly thereafter. Please leave comments or questions below, and I will happily respond.
Get CurvySexy,
Christine
1. Everyone has their own health goals. Not everyone wants to be stick thin or rock solid. Some girls, myself included, love their curves and want to be healthier while maintaining or enhancing those curves.
2. Just because we may not want to run a marathon (or maybe we do, the choice is ours) or fit into the "standard" expectation of a healthy weight doesn't mean we don't want to feel strong, sexy, and healthy.
3. Crash diets and weight-loss fads aren't going to get us there. What we need is a lifestyle change - a series of steps and good habits that we can build upon slowly to create the results and life that we want for ourselves. And we still want to have fun while we do it.
4. It's not just about diet and exercise. It's about happiness, life satisfaction, that buzz of excitement that comes from feeling sexy in your own skin, and being the version of yourself that you most want to be - not what someone else wants for you.
In order to do this we need to decide who that person is. When we close our eyes and imagine ourselves at our best, what do we look like? For me, that girl is curvy, sexy, confident, and kind. She's an amazing English professor and a published writer. Or maybe she's helping others become who they want to be. She has a style of her own - classically edgy with a romantic flair. She lives life to the fullest, and she is in touch with her sexuality.
Who is it that you want to be?
In an effort at total transparency, I start this journey weighing in at 289.4 lbs on a 5'4" body. My body, currently, has limitations. I used to be a dancer, I once trained to run a 5k in its entirety, and I once lost 100 lbs in five months, but it has been a long time since I have made a serious effort. Because of this, I lack the flexibility, stamina, and lung capacity that I once had. But I am sure I'm not alone in this journey, and so we start small and work our way there one step at a time. And today is the first day, the first step. We'll keep it simple.
Today's goals:
1. Breathe - First thing when we get out of bed this morning, do 5 deep inhalations/exhalations. I'm talking about the kind we often see at the beginning of most exercise videos where they circle their arms up over their heads on the inhale and back down on the exhale. We want to feel our bodies stretch and wake up as we breathe.
2. Hydrate - Drink 8 glass of water, plus one glass for every 25 lbs we want to lose. For those of us who dislike drinking water or need a little variety, this can be enhanced in the following ways: add 2 tbsp of no-sugar added cranberry or pomegranate juice, add a squeeze or two of lemon or lime, add fruit infusions, add green tea, or add a partial packet of our favorite flavor of Emergen-C.
3. Exercise - Do 20 minutes of yoga. Find a favorite 20 minute yoga video on YouTube that matches our skill and ability level, and do it either to wake up in the morning or to relax before bed. For beginners or for people who have a low fitness level like myself, I recommend Yoga for Complete Beginners.
Also, begin body awareness in terms of how we carry ourselves. Work on posture and strengthening our cores by drawing in the stomach and abs and pulling our belly buttons in toward our spines. Imagine we are trying to button a tight pair of jeans. This not only pulls the muscles in but also lifts them. The goal is to eventually get to a place where we are doing this all the time without thinking. Until then, practice awareness and drawing them in and up as often as we remember.
4. Nutrition - Begin by making healthier choices in our food. Try to avoid heavily processed or fast food. Try to incorporate vegetables and fruits and lean proteins. Try to limit carbs to whole grain and to breakfast and lunch only. This morning I had steel-cut oatmeal with peanut butter, a splash of milk, and cinnamon, as well as a mandarin orange for breakfast.
Also, consider taking a woman's multi-vitamin, an omega-3 like fish or flax seed oil, and extra Vitamin-D.
I hope my blog inspires you to start your own journey to find and make your best self. I will be posting here every day for the first week, and then checking in at least weekly thereafter. Please leave comments or questions below, and I will happily respond.
Get CurvySexy,
Christine
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