Blogger challenge - week 10

What are the benefits you have noticed in the way you look?

I had to think on this question as although to everyone else my looks have changed I have to say I don't always see it.  It's not that when I dress and look in the mirror I can't see it, instead its in my head that I still see where I was especially when there are parts of my body that still need toning.

The obvious response to this is I now no longer have to shop in the larger departments of stores instead I am a normal size 12 and able to wear current fashion and look good wearing it.  I am definitely not as rounded in the face as I used to be either and my legs don't rub together and I only have one chin!!!

What are the benefits you have noticed in your mindset? What breakthroughs have you had along the way?

Currently my head is not in the game.  It's really hard to answer this question with all the doubts and thoughts going through my head at the moment.  I have learnt that I am an emotional eater and that when temptation is put in front of me my will power muscle can falter.  But isn't that life that we can monitor and moderate our food and not go back to being a binge eater?  Or if we do binge we can acknowledge it work through it and move on, although the binging becomes less as time goes on

I've also used the JFDI principal to do my exercise or the 10 minute rule recently to ensure that I am working out, and yes it does feel better to just do it even when it seems just to tough to get motivated in this cold Melbourne weather.

This challenge actually helped me find another piece of my road map as well.  It's refreshing to reflect and to see a whole picture than focussing on a single point.  Saying the right thing is easy especially when it helps people think all is ok, the hard thing is to say what you are really going through and accept the help especially when you don't know how to help yourself.

What are the benefits you have noticed in your fitness levels?

I don't remember ever being this fit.  Although as a child I did a lot of exercise, it was easier to walk or ride to school than to catch a bus that didnt take you door to door.  It was about 2km or so to school each way but the fitness was taken for granted.  As soon as I could drive all forms of exercise went by the by.  So to actually be able to run for 5km is beyond belief.  I never ran as a child, it was not my pick of exercise, that doesn't mean I didn't play chasey or the like it just means I didn't really compete in running activities.

I also have noticed that exercise makes me feel better.  When I am down and out a run or a walk can clear my head and make me forget.  When I feel lethargic or tired exercise doesn't take it away but makes me feel like I have accomplished something.  When I wanted to quit foods/smoking exercise took the cravings away.  In fact exercise has been an important part of this journey and when I let it go everything else started falling apart.  So the 10 minute rule and the JFDI principals are having to come into play until I can forget them because exercise is just a normal part of my day again.  I so enjoyed it when I started so going back to basics seems to be order of the day.

And finally, what benefits have you noticed in your health? 

My health has improved so much, I am no longer lethargic all the time, I am able to do things that seemed to be impossible previously or that I just didn't even consider in my life before. I haven't had a cold this year, I have had the sniffles or felt off colour don't get me wrong but I have not fallen pray to any illness this year (touch wood).

My mental health?  well sometimes I do think it needs to be looked at, depression runs in the family and I see that it's previlant in my own health.  

Emotional health is good.  Things at home are great, things in life are great, things at work are great.