It was a great ride. I met so many wonderful people on this blog, I changed, I shrunk and grew (positively) both, and it was worth it.
Blogging is defunct now, for the most part. I realize there are a few stragglers out there, go you!!!
It's time. I guess this blog really stopped a few years ago, and I tried to rekindle it but it's not in me and there's just not an active weight-loss community within the limited blogging realm like there used to be.
Times change.
I will find my way, because I always do, I have great determination, work ethic, and desire.
In 127 days I will have a master's degree, and will be entering the workforce. I eagerly anticipate this, as I have so much to give. I also am looking forward to more free time that is not spent studying, commuting, interning, and sitting in class--that time will be spent regaining my fitness.
I am going back to what works for me: calorie counting through Calorie King, using my Fitbit, and my several hundred fitness DVDs including Cathe Friedrich, kettlebells, etc. (Not fluff, but tough stuff.)
That is me, that is who I am.
I wish everyone who has ever read this blog health, wealth and prosperity. I want everyone to succeed. I am eternally grateful for all the love, support, and kindness along the way. I hope I was able to make a difference in the lives of others through my support as well.
Goodbye, blogging world. It was a wonderful ride. Time for new adventures.
With gratitude,
Jo
3.15.2018
3.08.2018
Today's Thoughts
Exercise.
Get some.
What?
I have an entire gym in my basement, and I own a couple hundred fitness DVDs, most of which I love. We bought a gym-quality treadmill off Craigslist several years back that still works beautifully. I have a Schwinn indoor bike, but I don't like it at all. I have a weight bench, dumbells, several barbells, a water-filled punching bag, gloves, a TRX knock off, bands--you name it, I have it. Oh, I forgot my most beloved: several kettlebells.
I never go in that basement except to do laundry.
Why.
Why would I turn my back on something I love so very much. I love getting sweaty, working out, and that huge release that comes with it! I can eliminate anxiety by working out, and it is proven exercise is an excellent "pill" for depression.
What gives?
Obstacles
1. Time
Horrible schedule, it just is. I like routine, and my routine is chaotic.
2. Energy
3. Desire--because homework is always there, exhaustion is always there, and household chores are always there all waiting and vying for my attention
4. Attitude
5. PAIN
low back, hip, knee, and the feet that will never heal
6. Clothes
I have tons of cute workout clothes in several sizes but the size I need :p~~~
*I don't need cute, I just need comfortable
7. Confidence
cough, cough, cough
Yes, this is shattered. No longer can I do pushups on my toes, or swing heavier kettlebells, or even walk for long periods on the treadmill. My fitness level has dwindled.
8. Pride.
I bruised my pride by letting my fitness slide.
9. Pain.
Yeah, I already mentioned this. I have a lot of physical pain, and I have a bad attitude about it.
So, fix it.
How!
I'm in that contemplation stage.
I will dig deep, and figure things out. It's a must, because I don't want more pain than I already have AND I know that I can reduce a lot of the pain I do have by losing some weight.
It seems so easy, but for some reason it's not.
Get some.
What?
I have an entire gym in my basement, and I own a couple hundred fitness DVDs, most of which I love. We bought a gym-quality treadmill off Craigslist several years back that still works beautifully. I have a Schwinn indoor bike, but I don't like it at all. I have a weight bench, dumbells, several barbells, a water-filled punching bag, gloves, a TRX knock off, bands--you name it, I have it. Oh, I forgot my most beloved: several kettlebells.
I never go in that basement except to do laundry.
Why.
Why would I turn my back on something I love so very much. I love getting sweaty, working out, and that huge release that comes with it! I can eliminate anxiety by working out, and it is proven exercise is an excellent "pill" for depression.
What gives?
Obstacles
1. Time
Horrible schedule, it just is. I like routine, and my routine is chaotic.
2. Energy
3. Desire--because homework is always there, exhaustion is always there, and household chores are always there all waiting and vying for my attention
4. Attitude
5. PAIN
low back, hip, knee, and the feet that will never heal
6. Clothes
I have tons of cute workout clothes in several sizes but the size I need :p~~~
*I don't need cute, I just need comfortable
7. Confidence
cough, cough, cough
Yes, this is shattered. No longer can I do pushups on my toes, or swing heavier kettlebells, or even walk for long periods on the treadmill. My fitness level has dwindled.
8. Pride.
I bruised my pride by letting my fitness slide.
9. Pain.
Yeah, I already mentioned this. I have a lot of physical pain, and I have a bad attitude about it.
So, fix it.
How!
I'm in that contemplation stage.
I will dig deep, and figure things out. It's a must, because I don't want more pain than I already have AND I know that I can reduce a lot of the pain I do have by losing some weight.
It seems so easy, but for some reason it's not.
Please Comment!
If you are an active blogger, either weight loss or fitness, please share your blog in the comment section so I can follow.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Blogging is Dead
So it took me one evening of searching for active weight-loss blogs to discover this beautiful, wonderful media is dead.
That's sad.
I closed my Facebook account almost a year ago, then had to open a new one due to school--that's where my cohort meets. I am not feeling Facebook anymore. To me, it's dead.
I don't want to do Tumbler, or Twitter, or Snapchat, or anything else that's out there. I don't care what is new, what is great, what is popular. I'm an old crudgmegon, I guess.
Call me behind the times, but I shall remain here. I like to write, and so I shall.
It's all okay, because I'm not out to be popular, get tons of hits, or be a sensation. I don't want a fancy website, I don't want to do giveaways, nor vlogs, fancy photos, or any of that.
I just want to express my journey in written form.
It's all good.
Dare to be different. I don't care what people think of me, but I will do my best to help others. And myself.
Blogging may be dead, but I am not. I shall remain.
That's sad.
I closed my Facebook account almost a year ago, then had to open a new one due to school--that's where my cohort meets. I am not feeling Facebook anymore. To me, it's dead.
I don't want to do Tumbler, or Twitter, or Snapchat, or anything else that's out there. I don't care what is new, what is great, what is popular. I'm an old crudgmegon, I guess.
Call me behind the times, but I shall remain here. I like to write, and so I shall.
It's all okay, because I'm not out to be popular, get tons of hits, or be a sensation. I don't want a fancy website, I don't want to do giveaways, nor vlogs, fancy photos, or any of that.
I just want to express my journey in written form.
It's all good.
Dare to be different. I don't care what people think of me, but I will do my best to help others. And myself.
Blogging may be dead, but I am not. I shall remain.
3.07.2018
New Name!
GOJOMOJO
formerly 282.5 Get Tough.
It needed a new name, I needed a new name--something far more positive, a positive driving energy/force to propel me forward.
That and I just like it better.
Personal Ethos
Ethos
noun
1. Sociology. the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period:
In the Greek ethos the individual was highly valued.
2. the character or disposition of a community, group, person, etc.
3. the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than his or her thought or emotion.
(dictionary.com)
Thesaurus.com has a great list for synonyms of the word mindset.
I firmly believe that overweight and obesity are products of our personal ethos, our mindset, or our way of thinking. Alcoholics Anonymous uses the phrase, "stinking thinking" (leads to drinking) to encapsulate the concept of negative thinking. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an intervention that centers on managing thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Thoughts lead to emotions which lead to behaviors. So our personal ethos is truly important and the impetus that drives us.
So what negative thoughts do we have to discover that we have that lead us to overweight and obesity? How do we rank ourselves when it comes to:
It's a tough pill to swallow to embrace that maybe these three "selves" aren't as high as they could be, and maybe our lack of the "selves" leads us to eating poorly, lack of exercise, and overweight and obesity.
As an undergrad student, I took a nutrition class as my science elective. In that class, I learned you can be healthy when you're overweight. Does that body mass index (BMI) ratio classification of height to weight really mean anything? I personally use it as a marker. I don't like labels as a rule, but in this case the label of the BMI chart hits me hard. I'm in Class II obesity right now. I'm morbidly obese. Labels are ugly, and they can stigmatize, but if we choose to use them positively, they can be strong motivators.
Classifications can be motivators, but so can mirrors. When we look into the mirror do we see disgust, shame, due to fat or imperfections? Or can we look in that mirror and smile and like who we see, but acknowledge that maybe we need to drop a few pounds. Or 100. Can we still see the value and worth we each have, even if we have excess adipose? I certainly hope so.
It all comes back to our personal ethos. What makes us tick? After careful consideration, I have decided to work on my personal ethos, because I believe it is the heart of my obesity.
I have printed out a card and put it in my planner to read each day. It's just a list, but I want this list committed to memory so that I know it, breathe it, and live it.
1. I have value right now in the moment just as I am.
2. I am worthy.
3. I am good enough.
4. I respect myself enough to make healthful choices.
5. I am confident in who I am; am willing to be open minded and change parts I don't like, and celebrate the parts I do like.
6. I love myself.
Oh, how awkward it is to say, "I love myself." If it's hard, find a photo of yourself when you were a small child, step out of your shoes and look at that child as a separate person. Would we dare demean and criticize a small, defenseless child? No! We would build the child up, show the child kindness, smile, appreciate, and love. That's what self-love is, building ourselves up, showing ourselves kindness, smiling, appreciating, and loving.
Personal ethos. It starts on how we treat ourselves. And we want to treat ourselves as well as we would a stranger on the street or someone we were trying to impress. The more we love ourselves, the more equipped we are to love others.
noun
1. Sociology. the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period:
In the Greek ethos the individual was highly valued.
2. the character or disposition of a community, group, person, etc.
3. the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than his or her thought or emotion.
(dictionary.com)
Thesaurus.com has a great list for synonyms of the word mindset.
- noun psychology
- attitude
- ethos
- mentality
- psyche
- behaviorism
- medicine
- mind
- therapy mental
- make-up
- mental processes
- personality study psych
- science of the mind
- way of thinking
- what makes someone tick
- where head is at
I firmly believe that overweight and obesity are products of our personal ethos, our mindset, or our way of thinking. Alcoholics Anonymous uses the phrase, "stinking thinking" (leads to drinking) to encapsulate the concept of negative thinking. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an intervention that centers on managing thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Thoughts lead to emotions which lead to behaviors. So our personal ethos is truly important and the impetus that drives us.
So what negative thoughts do we have to discover that we have that lead us to overweight and obesity? How do we rank ourselves when it comes to:
self-respect
self-esteem
self-worth
It's a tough pill to swallow to embrace that maybe these three "selves" aren't as high as they could be, and maybe our lack of the "selves" leads us to eating poorly, lack of exercise, and overweight and obesity.
As an undergrad student, I took a nutrition class as my science elective. In that class, I learned you can be healthy when you're overweight. Does that body mass index (BMI) ratio classification of height to weight really mean anything? I personally use it as a marker. I don't like labels as a rule, but in this case the label of the BMI chart hits me hard. I'm in Class II obesity right now. I'm morbidly obese. Labels are ugly, and they can stigmatize, but if we choose to use them positively, they can be strong motivators.
Classifications can be motivators, but so can mirrors. When we look into the mirror do we see disgust, shame, due to fat or imperfections? Or can we look in that mirror and smile and like who we see, but acknowledge that maybe we need to drop a few pounds. Or 100. Can we still see the value and worth we each have, even if we have excess adipose? I certainly hope so.
It all comes back to our personal ethos. What makes us tick? After careful consideration, I have decided to work on my personal ethos, because I believe it is the heart of my obesity.
I have printed out a card and put it in my planner to read each day. It's just a list, but I want this list committed to memory so that I know it, breathe it, and live it.
1. I have value right now in the moment just as I am.
2. I am worthy.
3. I am good enough.
4. I respect myself enough to make healthful choices.
5. I am confident in who I am; am willing to be open minded and change parts I don't like, and celebrate the parts I do like.
6. I love myself.
Oh, how awkward it is to say, "I love myself." If it's hard, find a photo of yourself when you were a small child, step out of your shoes and look at that child as a separate person. Would we dare demean and criticize a small, defenseless child? No! We would build the child up, show the child kindness, smile, appreciate, and love. That's what self-love is, building ourselves up, showing ourselves kindness, smiling, appreciating, and loving.
Personal ethos. It starts on how we treat ourselves. And we want to treat ourselves as well as we would a stranger on the street or someone we were trying to impress. The more we love ourselves, the more equipped we are to love others.
Self-Care v. Selfish
Self-care is vitally important to maintain healthy mental and physical functioning. We see the term all the time, it's highly visible in pop culture. That's a good thing until it isn't.
Do not use self-care as a license to be self-ish. Self-care never causes harm to others. Never. Being selfish can.
Off my soap box now.
Take away: It's important to be mindful of how we practice self-care.
Do not use self-care as a license to be self-ish. Self-care never causes harm to others. Never. Being selfish can.
Off my soap box now.
Take away: It's important to be mindful of how we practice self-care.
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