Tag: Goals

Bucket List, Celebrate Wins, Reflections

What’s On Your Bucket List?

Posted on by Anita Shero

I celebrated the end of Biggest Loser at work with a (deconstructed?) burger.

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I even had a mini-burger the day the day before the final weigh in. So what? Who cares? I put in the effort. I’ve seen results. I’ve already won.

Besides, anything beef is truly a treat because I rarely buy it — and it was on sale.

It turns out I won, shedding at least 12-13 lbs in 3 months. Technically, I lost 17 lbs by the numbers, but I had started off with a suit jacket back in February and at the very end they told me to take off items I usually have on like my shoes. To be honest, it could’ve been close. Easter weekend was the one week where everyone (except me) gained weight, up to 3% worth. The way I see it:

He who fails to plan is planning to fail.
— Winston Churchill

In any case, I imagine Biggest Loser at any workplace is fairly easy to win, depending on whether a (semi-)focused competitor like me joins. The prize was a gift card to TGIF’s. I suppose it’s more fitting than the Ben and Jerry’s gift certificate the YMCA gave out for its Lose It to Win It session.

The end of a chapter: weight loss

Simply because, I am enough.

It’s unfortunate how obsessed our culture is with being thin versus being fit. I went through a trial week at a new gym whereby on the first page, I was asked to fill out:

The weight I was happiest at ___________________________

To which I wrote, “As I am.”

Why would a gym want to know this anyway? In all fairness, it was a smaller, more intimate gym that holds their members accountable for showing up. That is, if members missed two or so sessions, which is a week’s worth of classes, they’d call to check in. Presumably they’d check in with their members’ goals, one of which could be to lose weight. Maybe it has shock value because I imagine someone would’ve asked in person, not on paper.

Reflecting on this more, I’m finding this to be an increasingly thought-provoking line. To answer it, I was happiest when I was about 60 pounds, back when I was in fifth grade. It was a time of exploration and challenge, when I enjoyed the gift of delayed gratification, and a milestone year fraught with transitions. I also did not know my weight back then.

What’s the next quest?

Thanks to Biggest Loser for allowing me have a focus — a commitment to uphold — I’ve started acting on goals in my “when I can get around to it” bucket list. They include:

  • Building a garden in the backyard — starting out with rows of cherry tomatoes for what I hope will be a bountiful harvest
  • Improv class in June — to think on my feet more, tap into some dormant creativity, and not take myself too seriously
  • Sewing class from end of June to August — to hone what I hope to be a lifelong skill and finally take out the sewing machine I bought years ago

The idea for a bucket list was inspired by a fellow friend who’s creating a documentary on how he’s fulfilling his mother’s bucket list after she was laid off from her workplace of 12 years (50+ in the industry). This is truly the ultimate mother’s day gift. Check it out!

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1404267082/duty-free-a-documentary-film

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
― Jim Ryun

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Physical, Reflections

We’re Not Kids Anymore

Posted on by Anita Shero

Remember the times waiting for someone to tell you what to do as a kid — when you didn’t have to think about much and when you needed permission for, well, everything? Time to go to class/practice. Recess is in an hour. You can have X so long as you do Y.

That’s what the poster at the gym reminded me of. It reads: “Lose 15 pounds in time for summer.” In response I thought, It’s a bit late to start now. What a marketing gimmick. Spring and summer is when gyms around here see significant drops in attendance, so it’s common to see classes be dropped until the fall. It’s probably why they offer discounts for joining around this time of the year, second to the push to join on new year’s day (resolutions anyone?).

Summer starts on June 21, which technically means that people will need to lose about 7-8 pounds per month for the next 2 months. In comparison, I’ve been working at Biggest Loser for the past three months (since February), and I’m down 14.5 lbs as of last week — granted midway I realized that eating more to train more and run a half marathon garnered me a net weight of 0 for several weeks. I suppose it’s doable if you’re focused enough, as it’s definitely not for the meek.

So what do we do now? Take charge.

If you don’t like how goals conveniently based on someone else’s calendar pops up,  take the wheel. Look at the big picture, jot down any particular milestones (e.g. attending college reunion), and begin with the end in mind and work your way back. Personally, if I wanted to be fit for the summer, I’d set a calendar reminder to start in February with a goal like walk 10 miles every week as a primer.

Importantly, just because you might be late, it doesn’t mean you can’t start right now. There is indeed wisdom in this Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

I’m over it.

I’m psyched that I’ll be done with Biggest Loser at work this week. When my team went out to lunch at Red Robin last week, I was mindful about the weigh-in at the end of the day so I ordered a $5 dollar house salad. And it was sad…

sad but true
approximately 5-in plate of salad

With tip, I paid $6 for maybe a quarter of a bag (or even less?) of a ready-made salad you can find at the supermarket. The salad looks big on the plate because the plate itself was so small. This is why the design of Biggest Loser is lamentable.

Nevertheless, I made it to the end, in some respects due to sheer luck that my team pulled through when I was at the bottom of the pack. And it so happens that my team was able to pull through and eliminate everyone on the other team. Go team? For a team that goes mum between weigh-in’s unless there’s a challenge encouraging us to chat, it felt more like an individual challenge. That is, even though it’s us against the other team, it’s also me against my own team. Maybe the lesson here is to not analyze Biggest Loser too much.

The end… or is it?

As Biggest Loser wraps up, I stumbled upon another 30 day fitness challenge through Fit With Nina and it starts on May 1. The goal is to stay active and eat healthy based on the point system:

1pt = 5000 steps
2pt = 10000 steps
3pt = 15000 steps
3pt = workout
2pt = recipe share
5pt = post workout video

I hope this helps me stay accountable and maintain my weight.

Yum, yum, yum

If there’s anything I got out of this experience with Biggest Loser, it’s all about my newfound love of foods:

  • feta in salads
  • kale after being massaged
  • walnuts
  • kimchi fried rice
  • european cucumbers and hummus
  • raw carrots
  • congee
  • homemade burgers (lettuce, tomatoes, mushroom, swiss cheese)
  • sweet potato fries
  • roasted beets
  • seaweed
  • boiled eggs
  • brussels sprouts
  • raw cauliflower with dressing
  • sauteed red and green cabbage

The list goes on. Now onward to the next challenge!

A year from now you’ll wish you had started today.
— Karen Lamb

 

 

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Physical, Quests

You’ve Got Nothing But Bones on You… Seriously?

Posted on by Anita Shero

I joined the biggest loser at work because, well… I wanted to be healthier, and I wanted to win. When I tell others, they let me in on a huge secret, “You don’t have much to lose, you know?” Really? #thisis2017

Back in Hong Kong, I’d be considered fat. Not overweight, because that would have health implications. But fat — simply calling it what it is. Being thin or fat is relative. What’s more important here is that I want to be fit, and here’s a way to be accountable to both myself and to others.

Other than the two races I ran last month, I’ve led a fairly sedentary lifestyle. I might’ve made it to some fitness classes (late) for 30-40 minutes every so often, but I’m back to my typical weight hovering over 130 lbs. Back in the fall when I took a 2 week vacation, I was down to 124 lbs by simply walking everywhere all the while eating out — even at two all- you-can-eat places. At the very least, I know that I can lose 6+ lbs .

In the first week, I lost 5 lbs already, but it really took a lot. I logged about 25 miles of jogging and cycling, but mostly jogging. I also spent 2.5 hours shoveling snow and took maybe around 5 fitness classes. I had two delicious burgers for lunch and dinner along the way, and now edamame is my new go-to snack. Some might chalk it up to me being younger, but I really worked for it.

I know I won’t lose as many pounds this week since I’ve been less active, relatively anyway, yet I still want to make a good showing. I took tabata cardio today sweated like the athletes in a Gatorade commercial. I also rediscovered my love of feta and can’t wait to make this kale salad.

If I can’t lose weight every week, I’m aiming for the perseverance award, which is given to the person with largest difference in body weight % from beginning to the end. My goal is to lose about 20 lbs more by the end of three months, back to the time before I intentionally gained my freshman 15. That’s a story in itself.

And hey, who cares if I don’t win anything? So long as I made a concerted effort and did my best, getting back in shape is worth it. After all, a shero is someone who’s fit and not necessarily thin or light.

“Always listen to experts. They’ll tell you what can’t be done, and why. Then do it.”
—Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

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Reflections

Starting Off on the Right Foot

Posted on by Anita Shero

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Happiness guru Gretchen Rubin, the best-selling author of Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Life and The Happiness Project, wrote a timely piece about helping to keep to your new year’s resolutions through a one-word theme. Specifically, “choose one word, or a short phrase, to sum up what we want to focus on for the new year.” Her word for 2017 is repurpose. Mine? It’s rituals.

Why Rituals?

Many people set (new) goals during the new year, and it’s said a majority of them also never truly achieve them. That’s in part because there’s more to simply setting a goal— we also have to set ourselves up for success in achieving this goal, whether it’s ensuring that our goals are SMART or that they’re in line with our values. This one-word theme of rituals is my way of setting myself up for success.

Rituals are about my way of life, whereas words like commitment and discipline can have a black and white view of whether I’ve failed to meet expectations. So here’s my way of integrating a new routine in my daily life:

  • I will spend at least 15 minutes meditating daily by reciting the mantras I’ve accumulated  or watching youtube videos  or taking a kundalini yoga class at the gym.
  • I will set a calendar reminder to log my weight every week.

These goals don’t have anything to do with being a shero… or do they?

What I’m asking of myself at this time is to become more aware and be in the present. I want to ground myself with a solid foundation where other goals and desires can fall into place. By not living in the moment, I’d be living like a chicken with its head cut off. I can’t be a shero if I’m not living intentionally — am I right?

Why 15 minutes? I figure, if I can take time to brush my teeth for a few minutes each day, I can certainly wake up 15 minutes earlier or sleep 15 minutes later (if I happen to sleep in) to fit in this new ritual. Plus, I want to start with something small. For someone who only started paying attention to my own health, I’m fine with taking baby steps.

A tiny change today brings a dramatically different tomorrow.
— Richard Bach

Cheers to a new year!

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