Thursday, June 15, 2017

BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: Guest Post by Sarah Stegall: "Change"

Monday, June 16, 2014
Guest Post by Sarah Stegall: Change

The following is a piece Sarah Stegall, BryonySeries web administrator emeritus, posted on a small Facebook group called, Change, which consists of her, my other daughter Rebekah, and me.

Rebekah started the group to keep her accountable in her weight loss journey. One of the unfortunate side effects of my desire to cook good food is that my kids love to eat! Timothy, who at one point stood as wide as he was tall, has often told people he didn't become fat because of unhealthy food, no it was extra portions of homemade sausage and bean soup and half loaves of homemade buttermilk bread that did it.

At any rate, Sarah embarked upon a new eating plan and formulated an exercise regime over a year ago. For both girls, it's a real struggle, for they have weak ankles that give out when walking and flat feet and a host of other issues that most of us never face when getting out there and pounding the pavement.

Nevertheless, the progress Sarah has made has been astounding. As she strives toward her own goals, she encourages - and occasionally head thumps - Rebekah in her struggle, and it is an especial struggle for Rebekah because she loves food so much.

But this is just the background to the selection. The main reason I'm sharing it with you today is not just that its wisdom applies to any of us on life's journey, but the fact that my eldest daughter wrote it and that it's full of of the principals and attitudes I tried to exemplify and prayed my children would absorb during my years of actively parenting them.

To all the people, whom I'm sure have never looked at this blog, who sneered at me for my, what some might call, "extreme" dedication to parenting and building a legacy, this post by Sarah makes me so, so, so, so, glad I did what I did and very, stinking proud that this woman is my daughter.


"Change" post:

My shin splints have been killing me lately, which means no running. I googled and found a site that shows supination and other common foot stances. I definitely have terrible supination in my right foot. That being said, I'm saving for new shoes that should help the issue and get me back running soon.

Yesterday I focused on core and upper body since I can't do what is eat to work into my schedule. I did two ten minute workouts, one for arms, shoulder and back, and the other geared towards the different muscles in the stomach. As I'm starting to plateau, I'm finding I have to mix up my routine and start working to build shape.

The first part is losing weight, the second part is reshaping and building on your new foundation with strength training. I'm still losing weight, just more slowly now. I'm struggling to fatigue muscle groups, because let's face it, it's not easy.

We are programmed to touch painful areas and quit when something feels hard. If your muscles aren't contacting and then shaking from the fatigue, you aren't damaging the tissue to force new growth. Practice a plank or a push up and hold it until your body shakes and you collapse. That is a good place to see results. You'll notice over time your strength improves and your holding time lengthens. A good workout will leave you feeling like jelly. To see the most results, 10 to 30 minutes of cardio first will help circulate the oxygen in the blood stream if you are strength training and will burn calories as it's jumpstarting your metabolism. Anything that forces your heart rate up is cardio.

When you are mindful of your diet (not dieting) and what goes into your body, you will look at food more like fuel and energy, which helps make it easier in choosing smarter choices. I still battle portion control, which is why I find it easier to eat all day (or every two hours). My goals are my own and the struggle sucks. It's easier to eat junk and skip workouts, not to mention inner battles and false negotiation. "If I eat this now, I'll workout harder later." Yeah right! I eat it now and skip my whole workout, haha. I have to constantly remind myself that even though it satisfies the taste buds momentarily, it wrecks havoc on the body and will ultimately sabotage my results and progress.

In the beginning I started this journey alone. Now I have layers of support through co-workers and friends; however not everyone is on-board. I feel like there are two sides; the side that wants to see me fail and the side that is rooting for me. I remind myself that I'm a big girl that made unhealthy decisions and that I alone have to correct that. Nobody is going to put the effort in for me. I'm surrounding myself with positive people with like-minded goals, who encourage progress and are judgment free. Healthy people with healthy attitudes lift others up.

Find what pushes you and motivates you to your dream. Remember that results don't happen overnight and if you cheat, you are only cheating yourself. Rise to the challenge, dream big, have long-term goals, change your lifestyle, and remember that people love you, not food. Ask for help and accept advice with an open mind. Take pictures often and journal your experience; this is a good way to reflect when you feel your progress is slow. Seek healing outside of your comfort zone and don't wait for change to come to you. Live your days guilt free with no regrets and love yourself and your body each day. Even when you can't see what others see and feel discouraged, love you for you.

This is a science and if you follow the steps, success is inevitable. Love you always!

Posted by Denise M. Baran-Unland at 6:04 AM

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