What you’ll read below was written when I was about 5 years younger. I can assure you that NOTHING has changed. I still stand by every single word. When I stay on track, doing things as i describe here, I feel SO much better and have more energy, plus keep my weight in check. When I fall off the wagon, however it doesn’t take long for it to weigh on me…I mean, it LITERALLY weighs me downI Eventually, and pretty quick, I get to a point where I just have to say “ENOUGH!” I have to REALLY get back to it…I mean, I already figured out what it takes to feel better at 55…I just need to CONTINUE to do it on the regular!
WHAT?! Wait a minute! Didn’t I already know that? I mean, I hoop and I preach that to everyone, right?
Well, life gets in the way…I’m human. I enjoy food and Netflix. I’m getting older and like to rest more often…I know exactly how I get to this point…every.single.time. It’s been more difficult as I’ve gotten older, too, not gonna lie!
As you read what it was like for me in 2014-2015 below, just know it’s been like that again recently…only difference is I’ve moved my business completely “home” & online for the most part, so there is no “studio” at The HoopShack. It’s made for some interesting adjustments in our house, adding a little stress as we get used to a new normal. My husband still has his stressful job, so to relax, we do like to eat good and watch TV, as I said. Totally normal like many people, right?
That’s pretty much how I get to a point where I know it’s time! I just have to come read THIS blog post, and make some intentional changes based on the success I’ve had in the past, using that list of things below that I mention. I’m not a doctor or nutritionist. I just do simple I can do this, REALISTICALLY. Age is not an excuse. Circumstance isn’t either. Progress not perfection.
So, I’m officially BACK on this wagon! I’m getting back in balance with a healthier lifestyle…but I need to read THIS stuff below, every so often, as my reminder to myself. It really helps me make a renewed commitment as I zero in on my 60th birthday in a few months. I’m not changing a word of the original post, because I love to look back on what we went through and how it all improved…like a journal, a diary. I hope you also find it helpful, or at least, inspiring…
When my husband got laid off from his career job in May of 2014, that’s when I began to devote more time to just hanging out with him and enjoying life. It was easy to do, he was always around and we didn’t want to sit there and be sad while he was seeking employment. We went out to movies and out to eat. No fancy trips or big expenses, but lots of extra food in our local activities. All this fun time with him left little time for my own personal exercise time, and by that, I mean, no time hooping or even walking.
Shortly after he lost his job, we decided to relocate The HoopShack, as you well know, so that took time and energy. I felt like I was spending time with hoops, but I really wasn’t hooping! It was a stressful few months, and what feels better than to just go out to eat and relax after a day of working and moving stuff from point A to point B. I think you know what I mean. Even pizza brought in became the norm for dinner. Anything easy and quick was the answer.
As 2014 winded to a close, he still had no job and my clothes were tighter. I stayed away from a scale as much as possible, but I knew…I had gained a few pounds. I needed bigger bras, even. Yep, let me go there a second. That’s where some of my fat goes…up top, in addition to my waist, hips, bottom and thighs! Oh, this was not what I wanted. If anyone out there knows the pain of spending good money on expensive support bras, only to find out now you need to buy more because you are outgrowing the new ones you bought 3 months ago, then you understand! Never mind that my shoulders and upper back were hurting from the extra weight on my chest.
Sure, I was hooping at training sessions with clients, maybe hooping a few minutes here and there on my own…but NOT doing a personal, daily practice, one like I tell everyone they should be doing. NOT at ALL! I was a hooper hypocrite. I’m admitting it right now!
Finally, when my husband landed a job, it was cause for celebration, so we did travel. A lovely trip the the Bahamas added another couple of pounds to my small frame. At this point I was at 135 pounds. This was in February 2015. I was back to where I started when I first picked up a hoop in 2007.
Maybe I would have made some progress towards changing my ways shortly after my husband returned to his new job, but the week after he started, a car hit the brick wall along the north side of my home, sending bricks and glass into 3 rooms of the house! Luckily, no one was hurt, but dealing with all those repairs, from insurance paperwork to contractor scheduling, has added more stress to life, just when I thought things might get back to some normalcy. It certainly made me forget about being healthy the last several months. I gained a couple of extra pounds since then and recently, I just had to stop the madness. I’m refuse to grow out of my perfectly good clothes! No!
Since earlier this year I have known what I needed to do, but avoided it like the plague. I was just TOO tired! I kept telling myself a little story, a NEW story…a story that I never had told myself before. I think I was trying to justify my extra pounds. I was saying things like, “I’m NOT 47, not as young as when I first started hooping. It’s not going to work the same now that I’m 55…I’ll never get down to 120, so I shouldn’t try.” Truthfully, I really don’t NEED to get to that weight at all. I just want to have more energy and have my clothes fit a bit loose again. I love me some elastic waist pants, a good pair of stretchy palazzo pants I adore, even yoga pants, but sometimes, a good pair of jeans zipping up easily is what a girl wants. No struggle. No reminder of the extra 8 pounds that make them SO tight. Just slip on, zip up and go, you know??!
Well, about 3 weeks ago I made the commitment. I got off the scale one morning, looked in the mirror and said “NO MORE EXTRA WEIGHT!” I decided to make myself a project, a living science experiment. I wrote down a realistic goal to lose those 8 pounds and listed some things I needed to do to accomplish this goal:
- Move EVERYDAY 60 minutes total (breaking it up into 3 -4 sessions HOOPING &/or walking)*
- Commit to getting 10K steps
- Use my heart monitor & activity tracker for accountability & motivation
- Start cooking more, stop eating out as much
- Eat more during the day, less at night
- Quit eating food COMPLETELY after 8p (or 9p at the LATEST)
- Burn more calories moving than those I consume eating (to jump-start loosing a few pounds)
- Really cut back on/eliminate processed sugar, wheat, carbs and crap
- Eat more protein and colorful veggies/fruit (limit on citrus, because of the higher sugar)
- Stop drinking diet sodas
- Drink more water, about the same number of ounces as the pounds I weigh
- Include at least 2 Tbls. Apple Cider Vinegar in a large tumbler of water each day / splash.of lemon & lime juice added
If I do these things, then it will happen. That was my thought, but would my hypothesis be correct?
I burned MORE calories than my weekly target goal AND in less time than it was suppose to take…THAT’S how efficient hooping is!
Today, I’m happy to report that I’ve dropped a few pounds, and my waist/belly is not pooching now. My ankles are not swelling or in pain. I have less aches and pain all over. I feel MUCH better and most importantly, not sluggish! I feel younger again, too.
Wow…not rocket science…jus’sayin…I had to just DECIDE and COMMIT. I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I had read books, watched shows, poured over internet articles and listened to news reports. I even had hoops at my disposal anytime. Actually using them, plus applying all the suggestions and tips I knew was the hard part. Now that I better understand what works for me, I can take a more conscious role in my health.
My activity of choice, hooping, of course and some walking, is so easy to do, y’all! You need only look at any of my videos to see what I do and how I do it. Not a lot of fancy tricks, just basic skills and moving around, dancing here and there. Thanks to the heart monitor, I’m learning what level of hooping is in my “fat burn zone.” I knew it, but just haven’t been doing it. I’m finally back on track…both in activity and diet…my goal is to keep this up so winter doesn’t affect me as bad as in the past few years…starting early to create better habits NOW going into the seasonal changes ahead.
So, I strap on my iPod and headphones and GO…see?
Of course, this takes time out of my day. So, I had to make the time. All this was possible by organizing my day better, wisely scheduling my business tasks/writing/phone calls/computer work/Facebook/other social media time and cutting back on TV. Unplugging from technology and plugging into, well…ME! Getting my butt moving inside AND outside, too.
After almost 3 weeks, I see progress. I’m under my 131 plateau on the scale after months of no success…today, I’m at 128 pounds, I’m just 3 pounds away from my goal. I already notice a difference in the way my clothes fit. If I can even simply maintain this, I will very pleased!
With winter coming, I needed to get into this habit and mindset. I think, most of all, THIS was a motivating huge factor. I’ll be 56 this winter, too…every year it’s going to take more effort to keep up with this, I know. If I create good habits, it won’t feel like such a stretch as I age. That’s the point. That’s the key. Putting them off year after year was not going to make it any easier when I reach 60, or older, so I needed to get started.
THIS is what it takes for me to feel better and have more energy at this stage in my life. I made the choice that I wanted it that badly. I’m fitting it in, even if some of it is before bed or first thing when I wake up (which, by the way, is a great metabolism booster for me, I am finding, so I will keep those hoop sessions up, morning & evening, plus some mid-day hooping) I get up happier and sleep better, so if that magic pill works, I’m going to keep popping it!
OK, that felt good to put it all out there…I’m accountable only to myself…and writing this out helps me process my progress.
If you want to process and have progress, let me know and we can work together on it! You now know I have all sorts of ideas!
It’s NEVER too late to start, y’all. REMEMBER, the hoop meets YOU where you are and it is always waiting for you…and each day is a new day to start fresh!
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It’s important to me to drop 50 pounds.
I’m 51 and I’m not none yet. Can you help me.
Kim, I would be honored to help you! I see you signed up for the waist hoop training and are now part of my email community! WONDERFUL. That’s the first step! Good girl! Have you connected with me on my Facebook page yet? Please do. I love placing a name with a face! Lots of motivation there…plus, a ton of videos to see and get even more inspired! In a few days, you’ll learn more by watching the training videos I am sending you…depending on where you live, we can discuss training options available…and the right size hoop for you, too. I can custom make you one with lots of love! Please stay in touch! Let me know if you have any more questions. You can email me anytime, just reply back from one of the recent ones yu are getting this week! If you are motivated and ready, YOU can do THIS! BIG hug! =) xoxo