The Comfort Zone

definitely OUT of the comfort zone this morning.

JUST finished a good, hearty 5.  check!!  It's a good feeling to know that it's 8:18 and I've already made this choice for myself.  something really clicked last night when we were watching the Biggest Loser.  Everyone talks about how they now realize that they deserve this for themselves; that they finally want to get healthy for themselves.  It's very emotional, and a powerful experience for them.

And I thought, by NOT doing my 5 daily, what am I telling MYSELF about how i value my own health and well-being?  it's a strong message, i realized.  so without planning it, i popped out of bed this morning and just wanted to send myself a strong message that i CARE!

so it's raining.  and cold.  and i ran in the rain and got wet.  and i'm not going to lie; i DID feel slightly like a triumphant, although perhaps slightly less Italian and muscular, Rocky.  but it was only 5 minutes and guess what?  it wasn't bad!!  it was actually GREAT.

what message are YOU giving yourself today??

much love-
BFF

Mall Walker

hello lovelies.

well there has been much buzz about how no one is "doing their five".  here i am to say i have BROKEN that cycle; for all of us.  why not??

i am now a mall walker.  was running into the mall to do a little work (brought my laptop) in between appointments and thought, "I can take an few extra minutes and  do my five walking fast!"  So i did.  and you know what?  i LOVED it. only stopped once at Steve Madden to look at boots.  but you know, you need boots to walk, so it all kinda works together, right?

walking is one of the answers.  no special shoes or outfit required, and everyone already does it every day! i think it's just about capturing 5 minutes JUST for you; stepping it up to kick up your heartbeat for your five, and breathing deeply and thinking about how you are DOING it.  so empowering!!

much love to all...

BFF

Dearest Mime's,

Ah, how I love the honesty.  Especially when it is SO honest, yet brave and beautiful at the same time.  I hear the pitter-patter of a freshly-bathed boy running around upstairs, so I only have a moment.  But let me just remind us of some of the things we KNOW:

1.)  According to an Unidentified Source (as you know, an U.S. is only that way because I cannot remember what or who the source is), it takes 28 days to make a new habit.

2.)  If you squint, it's more like 280 DAYS.  But that's ok...because of The Journey.

3.)  You don't have to do ANYTHING "real" or "athletic" for the 5 minutes (Gasp!) Remember??  Just flop, jump, skip or do whatever---as long as it is intentionally to count for the 5 minutes---for 5 minutes.

Some ideas:
a.  whilst telling a story about your day to D.H. (dear husband), gesture WILDLY and hop about effusively for effective story-telling.  OR do this as bedtime story for your children.
b.  do anything you want whilst watching the first 5 minutes of your favorite program.
c.  just do laundry MORE enthusiastically, with gusto.

See??  Now, I don't want you to get all caught up in the "what should I do for my 5 minutes today??" thing.  When you are thinking that to yourself, just start jumping around and timing yourself.

Ok, so now I REALLY really have to stop theorizing and DOING IT.  Thank you for pulling me out of the Pit/Bad Place by asking for advice.  You KNOW giving advice energizes me, if nothing else!!

loves
BFF

Large and In Charge

Let's see...would this be an accurate representation of how I am currently feeling? Um, yes, yes it would. Except for the "In Charge" part. So, that leaves "Large". Fab.

I have a huge confession. Not surprisingly to some, I have in fact NOT done my 5 for about 5 days now. I know. I have broken the covenant (correct use of word, yes?).

Why, you say? Um, I may have gotten distracted by a shiny object, or got busy and tired, or drank too much vino in celebration of BFF's birthday, or...well, you know.

I am going to go ahead and say this is all for a very good cause though. That's right. I think it has been a good part of the experiment. BECAUSE it has actually shown me that the 5 a day really work. Within a couple days of not doing it (even when I was literally doing 5-6 minutes a day) I started to feel 'floppy' and 'gross' again whereas before I was 'fab' and 'perf'.

My sweet, sweet Mama has continued to gush over me every time she sees me, exclaiming "See? See? It's your 5 a day!!! Look at you!!! So Skinny!!!" Haven't had the heart to tell her. Could she be any more encouraging? I think not. MWAH, Mama!

BFF and I had a good talk about The Journey when I confessed my sin. We tend to be so black and white. Just screw it! Screw it all! We've messed it up, it's not perfect, let's drown ourselves in ice cream. No, no, we said (with great maturity) Life Is A Journey. Twisty, turny paths. Sometimes double back on yourself, but alas always moving forward. IT'S OK TO NOT BE PERFECT.

Good, I feel better. But, now is the tricky part. Actually starting again. Because I know myself and the absolute hardest part is to start again, although I know how great I will feel, how it works, blah blah.

Any motivation out there? Words of wisdom? TELL ME NOW.

Love.

Good Intentions

Dear Mimi,

Thank you for your lovely letter and words of kind encouragement.  I too enjoyed our conversation on the phone during Vino Hour.  Thanks to KrisJ and your momma's suggestions under the post "Flaky", I was able to combine two Great Loves--talking to you and drinking wine---AND do my five minutes!!  And I didn't even fall down.  So I was mostly just running in place and/or around downstairs, and at the end of the five minutes had to follow my trail and clean up the little splashes from my vino glass.  No biggie fries, because I was so proud to have done my 5 minutes!  What's a little spill here and there.

As to the Prevention magazine and its contents...its whereabouts are questionable at this moment.  I happen to be typing next to a rather large (and growing) pile of papers, magazines, etc. on my desk.  I suspect it is somewhere in there.  When I trouve it, I will write about my findings.

However, I do have one idea for you for your 5 minutes:   Happy Dancing.  It is something that children LOVE too (well, mine does at least) so it ALSO gives you a "good mama" feeling of doing something playful and fun with the kiddos.  A big fave of mine is Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough".  Highly suggest.  Lots of flailing, flinging, flopping; whatever you feel like doing.

Now.  You know that I too am a BIG fan and believer in the "right Outfit concept."  However, I worry that we may allow the outfit to deter us from actually DOING the 5 minutes (ahem, H. Bucket...contrary to your comment to Mandy about making sure she is wearing the right outfit).  So, I want to remind you that even though it IS sometimes about the outfit (as definitely was the case for the marathon), for the 5 minutes in particular, it is NOT about the outfit.  Wouldn't you agree???

loves.

Too busy being athletic

Dear BFF,

I have sadly neglected posting recently, but BUT I am STILL DOING MY 5. Every Day. Haven't missed a day. I swear. How long has it been now? A year? Oh - not yet, you say? My mistake.

Several interesting developments:

- I don't want to freak you out...but BUT I have lost 3 pounds. I'm not kidding.

- I was complimented by someone that is not my husband (it's ok - he was there and approved.)

- I have inspired at least two people that I know of (ok - it's my mom and sister, but still).

- I have gotten you, dear one, to do your 5 for one day at least (whilst conversing with me). This was after a lengthy convo about how I was becoming too successful at the 5 a day.

- I think that's all the developments.

Anyway. Highly enjoyed this email from you this week:

"Had very deep, insightful thought today about how we should love our bodies, blah blah. then caught STARTLING glance of my upper arm in the elevator mirror and scarce could make it out of the elevator before frantically looking for someplace to do triceps. Or anything. must melt THAT!! then had revolutionary thought again about loving our bodies, accepting, something. ehh, don't really remember the specifics."

I am needing more ideas for the 5! What was in the Prevention?? I have been doing a lot of (give or take): situps, pushups, leg lifts, etc before bed because I haven't had time to do anything else before. Walked for lengthy period a few times. I need to go back to yoga, but work, kids, ya know LIFE has gotten in the way.

BUT seriously, doing 5 a day (or more) - it adds up. I am feeling fairly pleased. PLEASE continue your series.

Love,
Mimi

The day I ran a marathon (give or take)

6:00 am: AWAKE. Rush (give or take) to window to see if it's raining, as had been predicted (100% chance of rain) on the news. It does not appear to be raining, although it's still dark, so hard to know for sure.

6:02 am: Am bolstered, even excited, about driving 45 minutes. On Saturday morning. In the rain. To pay money. To run a longer distance than I have before... Miracles never cease to exist.

6:03 am: Think...well, maybe "Excited" is too strong a word. Consider staying in bed. Consider benefits of this. There seem to be several - mainly, not driving 45 minutes. On Saturday morning. In the rain. To pay money to run.

6:05 am: GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE! GET YOUR ASS UP TEXTS FROM RUNNING FRIEND. Ok, am up.

8:00 am: Arrive at race. Tis slightly drizzling. S'okay. Compare running outfits with friends as we "stretch"...or something.

8:15 am: Race begins. Everyone walking! This is good. Maybe in races you really just walk?! No room. Slow. 10 seconds down. I remark to friend "Oh, this isn't bad, I can totally do this!"

8:16 am: Uh-oh. People are actually beginning to run. Looks like we must run too to avoid being trampled by actual runners.

8:17 am: Running.

We actually make it the whole first mile without stopping. Feel Fabulous! Running is AMAZING! Tsk tsk at myself for not having become a runner sooner.

This is the point where I don't remember a whole lot.

These are the things I do remember:

- There are volunteers standing every so often cheering you on. They are cheering for me! Feel important.

- There are volunteers with cups of water that you get to pick up while running, drink, and then throw on the ground (just like in the movies).

- There are signs with children's pictures on them who are currently suffering from cancer. Their names, ages, and illnesses are listed. We are running for them. Every time we pass one, huge emotion comes bubbling up my throat and I come close to completely losing it. Feel honored and overwhelmed to be a part of something so powerful. Thank you Heroes for Children!

- It is over faster than I would have thought. 39 minutes after we started, we turn the corner to arrive at the finish line. Huge crowd of people! Cheering for me! (ok, maybe not only for me). Cross the finish line with J and D to cheers from friends. YEAH!

I'm not gonna lie, I seriously had my doubts about getting out of my comfort zone, putting forth some effort, all that. But this? Was SO WORTH IT. So worth it to do something you didn't know you could do and be a part of a huge group coming together for a common cause.

DISCLAIMER: We did not run the WHOLE time. We ran about 75% of the time, which we feel darn good about.

Pleased. Now I can check "be runner" off my list.