It’s Friday! There’s just something so refreshing about having a couple days to do what you want, on your own terms, isn’t there? I love it. The weekends are my time to regroup, get miscellaneous house stuff done and spend time how I see fit. Before you take off for the weekend, I wanted to update you on the “Stand-Up Desk” experiment and leave you with some encouragement …
Stand-Up Desk Day #1
Yesterday was my first full-day of standing up at my desk and here are my observations …
– H2oā Ya gotta go! I drink a ton of water throughout the day and since I’m standing now, I had to make trips to the little girls room more often. Probably healthier that way but just a difference I noticed.
– Improved Posture: This is GREAT for my back and posture so far. No slouching. The combination of typing and standing makes me keep my shoulders back. I also usually encounter lower back pain and that didn’t flare up. I’m also pretty sure I’m strengthening my core …
– More interaction with my team – This is really cool! Because I was already standing, it was super easy to just walk over to someone’s desk to discuss a project. I think it got my team up and moving more too.
– My team thinks Iām weird(er). – I keep telling them it’s part of my ‘charm’ …
– Extra Oomph – Daniel surprised me by stopping by and bringing an extra thick mat for my feet. This was not only totally sweet on his part (brownie points!) but it also proved VERY necessary as the day went on. My feet were tired but not anywhere near what they would have been if I hadn’t had that extra cushion.
– Energized throughout the day – The ability to desk dance added to this I’m sure. Also, I’ve decided desk dancing >; car dancing for sure.
– Tired – end of day I was pretty wiped out. That might sound like I’m out of shape but I think this feeling is pretty standard after making a dramatic shift like this.
Enjoy the Moment
Last night I was feeling a little “down.” This is a rarity for me because I’m usually happy and optimistic. I think it was the combination of standing all day and not being productive when I got home. It left me feeling lethargic and like I was wasting time. I’ve also been thinking about my health/fitness goals and feeling a little discouraged because I’m pretty much in the middle of those goals right now. I’ve already accomplished A LOT but I was finding myself discouraged at the thought of how much further I have to go …
Then, as us optimists regularly do, I stopped myself and looked at how far I’d already come: I am more in-tune with my body than ever before. I love my life. I’ve lost 18 freaking pounds so far and feel amazing. I’m healthier, more fit and just plain happier. (Read more about my success after completing the Whole30, here.)
So I’m encouraging you to enjoy where you are on your health journey. Keep doing what you’re doing and be a little bit better each day. Set goals but give yourself the time and grace to work your way to those goals. Goals worth achieving aren’t earned over night. You’ve made so many improvements, you owe it to yourself to enjoy the progress you’ve made!!!
(Preaching to myself over here and hoping it helps you too)
Drop that Scale
This is easy to physically do but mentally it may be one of the more challenging things you ever do. Hide your scale. Throw it away, give it to a friend, put it in your car — whatever it takes. You are not what you weigh. You simply are not. You are not your pants size. You choose how you feel and whether or not you let a number make you feel inadequate in anyway.
I now weigh myself once a month. It gets easier the more you say NO to the urge to do it and instead listen to your body. I can say from experience you’ll be happier and maybe even lose more weight then you would have weighing yourself, feeling discouraged and eating that cookie. Need more convincing? Read this.
Now get out there and enjoy your weekend! Please š
~ Kate