A Fork in the Road

I have reached a fork in the road.

Following the PCP regimen is important in my mind, but hasn't been as present in my actions. Every time after I eat something I know is bad for me, and each day of the week that I don't work out, I tell myself that from that point on, I am going to do better. But lately, I haven't been. My diet isn't all bad, but it's not completely balanced and I have been eating out more often. Where I feel that I am really lacking is daily exercise. I have not given myself the time to take a 20 minute break from my work to go outside and do my jump ropes. It's in the back of my mind, but somehow day-to-day it has not been on my top priorities.

So here's my dilemma. I really want to get back into shape, and, even more so, feel more healthy and energetic. There are two directions I could go from this point.

The first path is to admit to myself that, right now, running my home businesses is important and time-consuming, and a PCP regimen is just not going to happen at this point. That doesn't by any means mean that I would give up on good health, just simply stepping back from the PCC and relieving myself of the pressure to get into peak condition at this point in my life.

The second would be to step up to the plate and give the PCP and this community all the effort I can.

I have made the decision to take the first path, to back off from the PCC for now. This will be my last post for now. I have to be honest about where my priorities lie. I will of course keep reading the blog, and cheering everyone on. I think that a few other members of this community are at this same crossroads. I hope we can all support each other, whichever path we have chosen.

Good luck to everyone! I can't wait to read your future posts.

Emiko

PCP Cavities

I went to the dentist this week for a cleaning and to get my wisdom teeth checked up, and I found out that I had two cavities! TWO! I couldn't believe it. I haven't had very many cavities since I was a little kid, so I was surprised that two popped up after improving my diet so drastically.

My dentist asked me if I had been eating a lot of sticky foods or candy, but I have mostly given up sugar since last fall. She then asked if I had been snacking a lot. At first I was going to say no, just because I think of "snacking" as a negative thing... like stuffing your face with junky food all day long. But in reality, I do snack a lot. The PCP regimen has us eating small meals and snacks throughout the day. I asked her, even if it's healthy food, if snacking is bad for your teeth. The answer was Yes.

It turns out that eating many small meals throughout the day provides a lot of opportunities for food to get stuck in your teeth, for long periods, before we brush our teeth at night. And the longer the food sits between your teeth, the more likely you are to get cavities. YIKES! So I asked my dentist what the best solution was, and she said to drink water while you eat, and to brush your teeth some time in the middle of the day if possible. I guess I coulda anticipated that one, but it really makes sense. Too bad I had to figure that out after I already needed fillings.

Hope there won't be any next time... I hate novicane shots!

So drink that water all day long! It's good for you anyway.

Until next week!
Emiko

It's Gonna Be Flabulous!

I just had an old friend visit from out of town. Do you ever start to feel much more aware of yourself when you see someone that you haven't seen in awhile? I find that I start to become much more aware of myself, and my appearance. I think that comes from stopping and trying to figure out how I've changed since I last saw this person. Do I look better or worse? Is it noticeable? Thanks to the PCP, I know that I look better. But I still felt this big shift in my self-awareness, and to some extent, my self-criticism.

I really want to keep improving my health, my level of fitness, my energy. And I want others to see and notice that in me. But sometimes it is easy to get lost in my regular schedule, and those things may slip out of focus. When someone new comes into my life, or reenters my life, if even for a day, I snap out of it. Although I don't really want to become so self-conscious, it can be a timely reality check and help me to refocus my sense of motivation. I seem to have found more time this week to slip in 15 minutes of jumps, a workout, and even some 8-minutes abs. That makes me happy.

I had Adrian take a picture of me this morning in a new PCC pose, but the camera battery died before I could upload it. I will edit in the picture to this post once I can figure out where the heck we put the battery charger. I can't wait to get this picture pool started!

So if you can, snap a picture of yourself for your next post. Don't worry, I'm flabbier than I would like to admit, too. But that's what starting the picture pool is all about! Like Kazue (of PCPJapan) said, "I always tell people the worse your Day 1 photo is, the better. Nothing motivates more than being sick of how you look and seeing the changes happen in front of your eyes." Let's do this thang!


Until my flabulous edit-in,
Emiko

Tardy Observations

Hello, everyone! Sorry this post is so late... I was out of the house almost all of Friday and didn't come back home until afternoon today.

I have been trying to observe myself more closely this week. I feel the need to understand more fully how my brain works, to experience my ingrained habits rather than just be a slave to them. To see more clearly how I craft excuses and reasons that help me to convince myself that I do, in fact, need some chocolate (right now!). Especially with the idea in mind that I might be posing for my first PCC weekly photo on Friday, I thought it might be nice to find a way to feel proud every time I could say no to the chocolate, rather than always delighting in any chance of indulgence.

It wasn't a grand a scheme by any means, just a little thought that I kept in the back of my mind. When I would crave something or think to go out of my way to attain some food that was not healthy, I just took a slight pause to question it. It has been a while since I really paused to question my actions. I don't think I have actually done so - at least not with any consistency - since my PCP. It was kind of a relief. I really do feel like a slave to my habitual cravings and reasonings. It helped me to drop the thought much more easily, and just get on with eating well more of the time.

I am going to hold off until next week to start my PCC weekly photo. I never got the chance to take a picture on Friday or today, and I would rather have a regular schedule with a full week in between each picture. That way, I can really see the changes from one week to the next. But I am excited to get it started.

Maybe someone else could kick off their next post with a photo? No pressure, though! :)

Until next week,
Emiko

Shall We Kick It Up A Notch?

This week has gone by really fast. Mostly I have had my butt glued to my dining room chair, working on designs to build up Adrian and my portfolio. I am happy to announce that we have finally gotten our illustration business off of the ground! But, in the meantime, I haven't really given myself the time to work out. I think about it every day, but before I know it it's 2am and I just have to hit the sack. It has been a crazy couple o' weeks, but I am happy with all the hard work we put in.

So today - after realizing that it was already Friday again - I decided to catch up on the last few days' posts and check in on everybody. But what happened? We are missing two of the last three posts! I guess I'm not the only one having a crazy week.

Anyways, I have been reflecting on how difficult it is trying to keep up with the PCP now, as opposed to my original 90-day project. It feels so different to me. Adrian and I have talked about this since the PCC started, and I think part of the what really motivated me to stick closer to the diet and squeeze in my workouts every day was the weekly Flickr photo. I really wanted to look better each week, and to see my positive progression over time. Also, because during the PCP we all were assigned the same exercises, we had a concrete thing that we shared. Many of our new posts show that our Community is having trouble following the diets and maintaining a regular work-out regimen, so I thought, Maybe we should try something new?

I am not saying that we all need to start posting weekly shots on Flickr again, necessarily. But maybe we could all brainstorm together and figure out a little extra incentive to stick to our plans and reach more goals. Even if the incentive is something small, perhaps simply sharing that one thing will help us follow each other's progress. We would be able to discuss it as a community, and kick our fitness up a notch, as well as encouragement and support for each other.

Any suggestions?

Can't wait to hear 'em!
Emiko

Shifting Gears

Happy Friday, everyone!

I am feeling really good about where I am right now. This whole time, I have been lacking the motivation to integrate the PCP back into my life 100%. But this week - especially after reading
Patrick's last post - I'm shifting into a different gear. I felt like I had made a lot of the excuses Patrick mentioned, and that I truly lacked the motivation to make fitness a priority. Well, something changed. That motivation is really here now.

I knew things were falling into place a few days ago when I woke up and wanted to grab the jump rope. I bundled up in some sweats and headed downstairs and jumped rope in the brisk morning air. After awhile I was feeling really good, and determined. During one of my sets, excited by my heightened willpower, I was reminded of one of David's old posts about being your own personal drill sergeant. I felt empowered by pushing myself, even to do something so simple. I was really energized the rest of the day, because I had gotten started so early - but also, I think, by that sense of determination. I hope things will keep going this way. I am definitely going to begin jump-roping as a morning ritual.

Can't wait till jump-rope makes me this giddy!

Until next Friday rolls around, have a good week everyone!

Emiko

Am I Repeating Myself?

The diet has, once again, slipped for me this week. Not completely - my food measurements and schedule still resemble my diet plan - but I've had some bad moments. I am still feeling remnants of guilt because of the potato chips I ate earlier. I have always been an eat-my-stress-away type, so staying in line is especially difficult for me lately. Things have been stressful lately, with many long work days and other sources of mental stress. The majority of my work hours are spent out and about...away from home, and my kitchen. Like others have mentioned, preparing food is key to staying on diet when you don't have constant access to healthy food, and I just haven't lived up to that.

This is mostly due to my bad time management, but there is also a lot of mental what-have-you going on. Like Amy said in her last post, "my brain just really, really, really does not want to do this." Most of the time I get down on myself for eating junk, but some times I don't even care. That makes me question myself more. I even find myself feeling bad because I don't feel guilty. Shouldn't I feel awful for messing up? Is it this slight lack of guilt that allows me to continue deviating from the diet?

It's just one of those times that I have to put my head down, and push through without criticizing myself too much or giving myself so much room to make excuses. I will try to keep what Patrick wrote about in mind, and just do the best I can with each day.

That's what I have to work with for now. Until next time, good luck this week everyone!

Emiko

Getting Back

Just as I was hoping for in last week's post, I am finally getting back into the rhythm of a PCP lifestyle. Although I am feeling pretty sore today (two words: V-SITS!), my body is responding really well to exercising regularly again.

While I was jump-roping behind my apartment building this afternoon, I thought of a similarity between jumping rope again and getting back into a PCP rhythm: it's only getting started that is difficult. My first set of jump-ropes was really a pain, and I didn't want to keep going. But the second set wasn't so bad, and eventually the repetitive movement was quite relaxing. Similarly, after already going through a 90-day Project, it only took a concerted effort to push me back on track. I just had to get through that initial difficulty and mental resistance.

Go Bruce!

I think that because I fell back into a lifestyle of much more regular indulgence post-PCP, I forgot how nice it is to eat well and exercise every day. As Adrian said to me yesterday while working out, "I forgot how this actually feels good." Hopefully as all seven of us push our way through this beginning stage, we will all get those feelings, and settle into a healthier way of living!

Getting the Wheels Turning

Wow, it seems like so long since I last made a PCP post. I am happy to be one of the lucky seven in this Peak Condition Community. Hello, everyone!

This week I have been taking it slow, easing back into a routine of working out and following a diet again. Adrian and I finally brought the kitchen scale out from the cabinet, but most of my meals were left unmeasured. To be honest, it has been tough to get my body and willpower going again.

Like my fellow PCCers, I have been taking it pretty easy since my 90-day Project ended a couple months ago. Aside from running, I have not done any formal exercise. And I definitely baked and ate a bunch of cookies over the holidays. Eating out has become a regular part of my life, and I am now struggling to cut that out and begin eating strictly from my own kitchen again.

I have been noticing the effects my diet has taken on my body and energy, and I know that once I get back into the rhythm of things I will start to feel good. So that is my challenge this week, to find my groove again.

Tomorrow's poster is none other than my lovely boyfriend and fellow PCP2-er, Adrian! Yay!

Until next Friday,
Emiko