Attention please!

 

I was reading a random advice column that I came across while I was perusing Google search for something completely unrelated to the topic of the advice column. I read it anyway. It was something about a couple who were just not interested in each other any more. Not sexually. Not emotionally. Not anyway. The person seeking advice asked the advice columnist why their mate wasn’t paying any attention to them any more. The answer came back in the form a question that just seemed to trigger in me a moment of personal enlightenment.

 

When’s the last time that you paid any attention to yourself?

 

Boom! Something in me just clicked! I had been getting into an ice cream eating binge since the end of my last show, ASSASSINS, which ended in October, all the way through thanksgiving. Mmmmmm. Ice Cream. Small bowls, at first, which just had me repacking those small bowls with more ice cream because I didn’t get enough the first time. And then a glass of Moscato, or an Old Vine Zinfandel at supper, or in the evening. Or maybe a craft beer, just because. And then,  another small bowl of ice cream for desert before bed. Because it tastes so good.

 

 

And all of a sudden I was 10 pounds heavier at the start of December, than I was at the end of October. Oops. It might not have been that I hadn’t been paying attention to myself, as much as I had been indulging myself in fat making ingredients, and paying too much attention to my tastebuds, and not enough attention to my health and appearance. I do like to eat tastey foods, but I had been overdoing it with sugars and sweets.

 

 

It’s funny, in an ironic sort of way, how different things, ideas, and phrases can ring a bell that wakes you up. That advice columnists’ answer to the person wondering why their mate no longer paid any attention to them did that for me. If I knew what column it was I would give the advice columnist credit, but it was really random. What I remembered was that answer.

 

30 Days of Change

 

So, what did I do to change things? First, I put down the spoon, and stepped away from the ice cream. And also cut down on too much wine, and other sugar filled beverages. That ended up being a lot easier than I thought it would be. Then I looked for some sort of exercise routine that I could do without having to lift weights. It didn’t take long to find the 30 days of Change fitness program at IMGURFit, by Niela Rey.

 

 

I checked it out and thought, I can do pretty much all of these exercises, and the ones I’m not familiar with I’ll learn along the way. Having Youtube videos to look at for exercises that I’ve never done also helps too. I could also see that the 30 day program was incremental, providing physical and cardio building blocks in the earlier workouts that would act as foundations for later workouts. The 30 Days of Change program also provides beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, so depending on where you’re at in the physical fitness spectrum, this 30 Days of Change program probably provides the right amount of challenge, without being so tough that you give up before you get through the 30 days.

 

Does it Work? What’s changed?

 

I’m 17 days into this program, as I’m writing this post.  At the beginning of the 30 Days of Change I couldn’t run a tenth of a mile, without having to walk.  17 days into this program and I’m running 3 miles. That’s just me. If you decide to do this program, take it at your own pace, and level, so that you keep doing it. It’s no good if you get injured, or it’s too tough that you give up before you start experiencing the health and fitness, and psychological benefits.  So, take it at your own pace. No ones checking on you, but yourself. Do it for yourself, but do it in such a way that you keep at it.

 

Or find another way to fitness that works for you. Dance Class, Hiking. Cycling. Swimming. Long walks. Something physical that works your muscles and your cardio.

 

What have the physical benefits been for me?

 

17 days into this 30 Days of Change and my legs, butt, abs, core, chest, and triceps are stronger, my cardio and endurance is constantly improving, and I’ve lost 6 lbs. Some of the weight lost is fat, and some of the weight retained is muscle. I’m in better shape physically, now, then I was 17 days ago. That feels good.

 

Eat Better

 

I also find that I’m more conscious about what I’m eating . Lucky for me there’s a Barons Market right across the street from where I live with great salad bar items to choose from. The soup bar isn’t too shabby either. Great quality food items. And the price is fair for the quality that you get.

 

 

 

 

What will it take for you to pay attention to yourself ?

 

A random advice column triggered a need in me to pay more attention to my health and appearance,  to take a look at myself with a critical eye, and do something about what I saw, and what I ingest. With New Years 2017 just a few days away  I hope that you can find your own reason to take a look at what you need to do to make your life better. Positive change doesn’t have to be difficult, or sudden. It can happen incrementally, once you decide to pay attention to yourself and move deliberately, and positively, in that direction.