Motivation!

[Azrael]

Big congratulations, DnE!

[Weertangel]

My mom gave me some good fysio-fitness exesizes(sorry for the bad spelling) that i have to do 3 times a week, since i'm sitting home couse i don't have a job(still looking though) and i get fat easy(no thanks to my meds...).
So far they work well since i'm not getting a fatter, and i do try to watch with what to eat, but sometimes one can't resist eh ;)

[Dirty n Evil]

I'm currently down to 191 lbs. - only 1 pound off from my original long term goal. I have since amended that goal to hitting 180, so I still want to lose another 11 pounds. Still, I'm feeling pretty good about myself. I don't have a lot of the same cravings I used to, especially soda. Soda seems so strange to me now, and the couple times I have consumed a little it's not appetizing.

Every day my meals consist of a bowl of healthy cereal with two scoops of raisins and two scoops of dried cranberries added, along with a glass of OJ. For lunch, I eat 3 sticks of celery. For dinner, I usually eat a small bit of some sort of meat and a fair sized side of veggies.

And after yesterday, I'm honestly all fired up to try and get into shape to play goalie again. I'm so ticked off at the guy offering me only $100 for my goalie gear, I'm determined to get into goalie playing shape. Spent an hour today going my old goalie stretches, building up my old flexibility. I might not be able to play like I have a slinky for a spine, but I'm still more flexible than most folks I've ever known.

The trickiest part about playing goal is I have to get my back and my forearms back into shape. The pose that goalie holds through most of the game is very unnatural... knees together, feet apart, and leaning forwards at the waist at about a 45 degree angle. To hold that, your back needs to be in phenomenal shape. The hand that holds your goalie stick needs to be monster strong, too. When you think about the fact that you're squeezing tight on this 2½. stick of wood about 5½ feet long for about a full hour? That's rough. I practiced through the motions you make with your stick as a goalie for about 15 minutes straight... and then even though it's not necessary, did the same thing with the opposite hand so that I didn't build an asymmetrical musculature.

I do well when I have a plan to proceed forwards with, and I have a plan about getting back into playing goalie now. I must have a contrary streak, that I get so fired up into doing something when someone ticks me off when I'm going the opposite direction.

[Radbaron]

is Tampa Bay hiring? You might be able to afford a real car ;) ;)

[Dirty n Evil]

That has been a joke in years past... but now, I'm almost the same age of our two goalies COMBINED.

[Azrael]

Go for coach. Can't do any worse than Melrose.

[Asaryu]

Just looking through this old thread and I'm so proud of you, DnE... I should bring you over to be my personal trainer so that when I'm all "I'll just have this snack" you can smack me with your hockey stick and tell me I'm bad...

hmm.. maybe this is the wrong thread...

[Dirty n Evil]

Well, the funny thing is... what really motivated me wasn't negative reinforcement, but positive. It's easy to be harsh on yourself, to reprimand yourself for eating that candy bar or having seconds at dinner. But I believe what's helped me more was mentally rewarding myself for the good decisions. Feeling good about having a smaller portion, having some hummus and vegetables instead of sweets. I really saw it as every little step I took towards being healthier was a good thing, rather than as this rigid and draconian lifestyle that I couldn't eat outside of. So, at best you would end up with me as more of a cheerleader.

...and that's a scary mental image, so let's forget I brought it up. ;)

[Asaryu]

If I were any good at photoshop....

[yiraheerai]

*raises thread from two-year death*

[Dirty n Evil]

So, for the last eight months I've been pretty stressed out and bummed out. I had those two horrible dating incidents in October and November, I knew my old pharmacy was closing two months before it happened, but then I worked at the pharmacy 30 miles away for six weeks before they laid me off. And of course, I was unemployed for three and a half months. I don't handle stress well. Between the depression, the lowered physical activity of not working, and starting to eat a diet that was much cheaper under food stamp budget (but much unhealthier), over the last eight months I have put on quite a bit of weight. I'm back to 213lbs from the 185lbs I had been at. Almost thirty pounds heavier again.

While I was unemployed, I had no energy at all. It was a chore to get up to feed my cat. I kept telling myself, "When I get a job I'll feel better and I'll get back into my old ways." However, now that I've been at the new job I encountered a new hurdle - I didn't have the motivation. You see, a lot of my motivation for getting in shape was in hopes of being in good shape when I finally found someone. Only... and I really, really hate admitting this to myself... at 42 and single for over a decade, I'm probably never going to find someone. There went my motivation. My brain thought to itself, "You know, it wasn't easy getting in that shape. It was actually a lot of work, and we're still recovering from the strain of the last half a year. And wouldn't you rather be a bit plump, single, and happier than in athletic shape, single, and wishing you could have some ice cream?"

However, tonight I realized something. There was something that I have to get into shape for... and it's an activity that will help keep me in shape. I can get back into hockey.

It actually works rather well for me. At my job, I have Friday's off, and every night I work I get out at 8 pm. I live 7 miles from the ice rink, but my job is even closer. Most Friday's they have an afternoon "pick up" session that I can use to help get myself into skating shape again. They also have a "skilled beginner league" that plays on Sunday nights, with the earliest game being at 8:30 pm. I can have my gear in my car, and go directly from work to the rink.

Yeah, I'll be twice as old as some of the kids that play out there, but I think this will be very good for me. Hockey was often very good for me relieving stress, so it might help me in more than one way. The tricky part of all of this is that I'll have to get in good enough shape that I don't show up and pass out from being too winded in the first fifteen minutes. Also, the league ends in about five weeks, so I'll have probably that long to get good enough to not make an ass of myself once I get onto the ice. So... for the short of it is I'm going to be pressing myself pretty hard for the next month or so. Wish me luck!

[yiraheerai]

Best of luck! Motivation can be a very hard thing to come by. I hope this serves well as one for you.

[Azrael]

Good luck, DnE, have fun. No going Slap Shot on the young'uns.