It was the Banana Pudding

It's the Monday after Thanksgiving. Who needs to get on the scale to know that they went just a tad bit overboard? Not me. All I have to do is look at the near empty pan of banana pudding and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I need to kick up my exercise regimen! Good thing my Chris Freytag 10lb Slimdown DVD came in the mail over the weekend. With that, my walking DVD, my jump rope, and my hula hoop...Aww shucks! Somebody's gonna be fine as wine bringing in the new year!
Here's what I'm doing this week and beyond to combat the holiday pounds:

• 2 daily 15 minute hula hoop sessions
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator from the roof of my parking garage
• Using my workout DVD over lunch or before/after work
• Eating more veggies, drinking more water, & eating less sugar

What's your plan?

Confession of the Day: Questionable Motivation

"Mommy, I haven't seen you work out this hard in a long time." My daughter commented while we were exercising in our apartment's fitness center yesterday. And, yes, I was working out harder than I had in previous exercise sessions. Ironically, she had no idea that she was behind the intensity--her and her dad.

Yes. Her dad, of all people. Apparently, the Sunday before when he attended church he made a comment about me being a "big girl"! Had my loose lip daughter not felt the need to share this unflatterring information with me I would have been none the wiser, but that isn't the case. She let it out and I had a reaction that even I hadn't anticipated.

Embarrassment. For lack of a better word, that's the closest sentiment that describes how I felt. My ex-husband and I have a history. A big part of that history is him always finding me attractive. Don't get me wrong. This isn't about me wanting my ex to keep having the hots for me, but the last thing I want for him to be doing is looking at me, like "Uggh. She's letting herself go." I wouldn't want any of my ex's to view me like that. Just so happens that he's the ex I'm going to encounter on a regular basis because of our children.

So, yes. I was getting my physical fitness on BIG time to turn this situation around. PRONTO!

Improvision & Rewards: A Fit Life Must Have

I'd planned to hit Zumba class today, but that didn't happen for reasons I won't get into. However, that didn't stop my quest for exercise. Improvising, I call it. I pulled out my Just Dance Wii game and got busy for some about thirty minutes of intense dancing. It was great! I even broke a bit of a sweat, although nothing close to what would've happened at Zumba. Still. Then I rewarded myself with a scoop and a half of Tripple Chocolate brownie ice cream left over from my boyfriend's birthday weekend. Terrible? I'd say NOT. Everything in moderation, right? Right.

LaCharmine Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good!

Available at www.amazon.com & www.createspace.com/3370359
Website: www.lajefferson.com

My Blogs:

A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com
Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

Small, Effective Changes Work!

Sooo....I got on the scale this morning. Something I haven't done in quite a few months. BUT it was good news. Although I still have a little ways to go before I get to where I want to be--about 20lbs smaller--I was glad to see that I've come down from that scary place in which I was heading towards...fast. That wasn't a place that I wanted to be. What's really good about what the scale declared to me this morning was that I don't have to run myself CRAZY to lose weight! It only takes small, yet, consistent changes. For example, since the latter part of August, I've been feeding myself and my family home cooked meals. Why haven't I always been doing that? I'm not sure...Actually, I am. I allowed life to get the better of me. Between my personal interest, church activities, writing demands, children's activities--cooking fell down to the bottom of the priority list. Then I found myself wondering how in the world I was allowing myself and my children to eat so much processed foods when I know it doesn't have a good thing for us! I had to remind myself of the "SUPERWOMAN" that I am. While I may not be able to or desire to cook EVERYDAY I can, at least, make sure we have something HEALTHY to eat at home (i.e salads, chicken sandwiches, soup), or I can prepare meals in advance like I used to. Back in the day, I would bake chicken in the morning as we got ready for the day. I may be a bit older but I still have that in me.

Exercising is the other small change I've implemented.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, it's so easy to exercise multiple times during the week. Crunches, leg lifts, dumbbell curls, push ups--all while watching your favorite T.V. program. Yep, it's that easy. And with the fitness center at my apartment complex, I've been hitting the treadmill approximately three days a week.

The combination of the two is working "small" wonders!

Overcoming Obstacles

Wow! That wasn't hard at all! Yesterday after work, I I hit the treadmill in the fitness center of my apartment complex for forty-five minutes. Then this morning I hit the floor for some ab work--something like 5-10 mins--bicycle crunches, side crunches, leg lifts. Still got to work early on top of that! So, of course, the question is, "Why don't I do this at least 5x's a week, if not everyday? It was certainly easy enough! The answer is just as simple: Excuses! Working, cooking dinner, doing laundry, helping with homework, social networking, writing, watching television, sleeping, etc. One way or another, they're all excuses.

Today in my fitness walk--similar to my spiritual walk, continual--I've been forcing myself to overcome these self-imposed obstacles, a.k.a excuses. In doing this, I find that I am not only less stressed, but experiencing more success. Over the last couple of weeks, my son and my daughter have both commented  that my belly is looking a bit smaller. How cool is that?

LaCharmine Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good.

Available at http://www.amazon.com/ & www.createspace.com/3370359

Website: http://www.lajefferson.com/

My Blogs:

A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com/
Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

"Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

Why am I so happy, you may want to know? Unfortunately, it's not because my stomach was miraculously flat when I woke up this morning! Instead, I'm ecstatic because my gym membership has expired. After they took $250 out of my checking account 2wks ago to automatically renew my membership, without my authorization,
I'm extra glad to be free of them. This time I won't get suckered into renewing again either!

Even though I like hitting the gym when I find the time--not often enough--I found something better, more effective, and more fun. Zumba! If you're into fitness I know you've heard of it. Anyway, the fact that my gym charges an additional fee for their Zumba class I figure I might as well support an entrepreneur who does an excellent, exciting class instead if giving more money to a multi-million dollar corporation.

Now all I've got to to is get to the damn Zumba class!

LaCharmine Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good.

Available at www.amazon.com & www.createspace.com/3370359

Website: www.lajefferson.com

My Blogs:

A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com

All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com

Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

Confession of the Day: Belly Gazing

If it's true that we're predisposed to characteristics of our parents--good or bad--boy oh boy, did I catch a doozy from my dad. Particularly, during my teenage years, I can clearly remember my dad criticizing--that's putting it midly--people, especially women, for being overweight.

"Ughh!" He'd unapologetically say. "These women are just lazy, letting themselves go like that. Who do they think is going to want them with all that fat on their bodies?"

Think I'm exaggerating? I'm not! Seriously! He would even talk about my mother, who wasn't even a big woman. But just the fact that she wasn't as skinny as she was as a teenager and young adult was enough to be on his "unsightly" radar.

But there's good and bad news. The bad news is that I'm not nearly as bad as my dad, but, I do possess his critical eye. And, like my dad, my primary target is women because, unfortunately, society dictates that it's okay for men to get fat. They can still be considered desirable. Since becoming a skinnyfat, when I come into contact with other women, my eyes automatically gaze toward their stomachs. It's become somewhat of an addiction. Anyway, if the stomach is fat I cringe for two different reasons:

1. It's unsightly
2. It's like looking in a mirror at how I look to the outside world.

On the other hand, if it's flat--or close to it--a myriad of thoughts ramble through my mind. Among them are:

1. What did I eat today? What did she eat?
2. Are small stomachs genetic in her family?
3. How often does this woman exercise?
4. Did she have a tummy tuck?

Crazy, right? I know. Believe me, I chastise myself each and every time. But that doesn't stop me from doing the same thing over and over again. It's a vicious, insane cycle!