Miss Moon Gets Healthy.... And Starts Over (Again!)

Ugh! I hate that I am writing this post, y'all! The past few months have been difficult, and I admit that I used it as an excuse to slack off on my "Get Healthy" routine. And as a result... I've gained four pounds.

Now four pounds may not seem like a lot, but those four pounds felt like such a failure to me. It was the motivation I needed to cut the crap, stop making excuses and get back on the treadmill, literally!!

So I started again last week, and I discovered I felt really great about it. Despite that areas of my life that are not quite as savory, I drag myself to the gym after work, I sweat and push myself and walk away feeling like a rock star!!!!!

I am going to try to keep this momentum up. Last year I dropped two sizes and now that its August... I have less time to match (if not exceed that!). But I resolve to do it!!!

Miss Moon Gets Healthy: October Stats

I'm back with last month's walking stats and my Miss Moon Gets Healthy progress. I did really really well this past month, I think. The only hindrance was the appearance of Super Storm Sandy, because as a result I didn't walk for an entire week during the clean up process.

I actually had the golden opportunity to go shopping to get a few new items for work, and the funniest thing was that I was so hesitant to get a smaller size. It was like I was paralyzed with fear that if I bought these smaller sized clothes, go home and they don't fit... I will feel like a failure. I had to pep talk myself with the obvious statement that if they don't fit, I can return them for a larger size. And the most fabulous thing was that I didn't have to return them. The smaller sized clothes fit me just fine. And it was a bizarre concept to me... I am actually two sizes smaller than I had been for YEARS!!!

I am so very close to my year end goal, and now that I'm working, I understand the importance of keeping the walking going. I don't know if I can realistically walk 20 miles a week, so for November I will shorten the goal to 10 miles a week. Once I get used to the process, I will up the ante. I also would very much like to join a gym by year's end, because once the weather gets colder here in NYC, I'm not going to want to be walking around for an hour and a half a day! LOL

On a side note, my tee shirt says, "My Vote Rocks"... because it TOTALLY does!! And so does yours! So be sure to get out there and vote today!!!!

Miss Moon Gets Healthy... and Realizes She HAS Lost Weight!!!

So Picasa has this new feature (Perhaps it's old and I'm just noticing it) that recognizes faces and groups photos together based on the photos. It was in perusing that album containing nothing but my face (a cringe-worthy at times, but fun experience) that it finally dawned on me that yes, Audrey... you've lost weight!!! Pictures don't lie.... unless you use Photoshop! LOL

I remember reading an interview Ricki Lake had given about her weight loss where she said that for years after she had lost the bulk of her weight it was difficult to look at herself in the mirror and not see her former self. I think this will most likely be the case for me as well. Despite all the evidence that proves I've lost weight, it's still a difficult concept to accept for me.

As a matter of fact, I think Ricki and I might be "weight loss twinsies", because her story sounds a lot like me earlier this year. Fingers crossed I'll have similar results!

This month has proven to be a great one for me, as I've returned to my "Get Healthy" routine full throttle, and I am very excited to see if I can reach my goals for the remainder of the year. And this time next year, wouldn't it be great to post a three picture comparison?!?! Yay!!!

Miss Moon Gets Healthy: With a NEW Way to Reward Herself!!!

At the start of my fitness journey, I would periodically give myself a little treat to reward myself for the hard work I've accomplished. The treat?!? A thick juicy bacon cheeseburger from Jake's BBQ here in Brooklyn. Sooo good! They're on Seamless Web, my Brooklyn friends... check 'em out!

When I would indulge in my treat, it didn't feel unsatisfying, but it also didn't make me feel great either, when I'm honest about it. I didn't feel TREATED... I felt a bit... guilty for doing something I felt was counterproductive to all I'm trying to accomplish. And I've always been a person who believes that good things should be rewarded, and if you choose to reward yourself with a burger, or cupcake, or WHATEVER food you love... I say more power to you!!

I just came to the conclusion that for me... my idea of a treat wasn't a burger. Sorry, Jake's! LOL What really brought home the message of my "A-Ha!" moment was a pin I spotted on Pinterest (That site is a great motivational tool for me, feel free to check out my boards if you haven't already! There's a whole "Miss Moon Gets Healthy" section):

When I saw this, I immediately thought to myself, "This is what I needed to read!!!". I promptly thanked the Universe for the sign that I was making the right choices for my life, and I vowed to pick different treats for myself to reward my workouts. 

And it's really worked out well for me! I'm slowing reprogramming myself to not equate unhealthy food with rewards. Because the way I see it... if junk food is a treat, what's healthy food?!? A punishment! And it really isn't (Except wheatgrass... I'm sorry, but Yecch! lol).

I've treated myself to an eyebrow waxing, those adorable new earrings from Dean + Gray, a new lipstick, and I had to take a moment to include my reward for April.... Do you remember my Quest for THE Bag 2011?!?!? Well......

Not my most glamorous photo, but I was just back from a walk and THE Bag was in the mail, so I had to snap a photo!!! LMAO

What better message that you're on the right path then something you've wanted for OVER A YEAR (!!!!) suddenly becoming a possibility!?!?!? I found it for a STEAL on eBay! And thanks to my wonderful mother (who accepts weekly repayment plans), it's MINE!!! And the feeling I felt when I put that bag on my arm.... was satisfying!!!!

And I looked at my Get Healthy path in a new light. I was tenacious enough to keep checking eBay for over a year until I found THE Bag.... Imagine how far I will go if I put that much zeal into getting healthy and losing this weight?!? I think I do... so let's see how far I'll go between now and next year!