Fitbit – SeasonedSistah

UPLIFT THE BODY

I am grateful for a strong support team of likeminded FAMILY MEMBERS, FITBIT FRIENDS, and FELLOW FACEBOOK 70 DAY CHALLENGERS who strive to follow a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE regimen. I interact with one or more of them on a daily basis. This keeps me informed, motivated, inspired and challenged to stay on track in my efforts to UPLIFT THE BODY.

I have a FITBIT and 70 DAY CHALLENGE goal of 10,000 steps daily and, with few exceptions, met and/or exceeded this goal.

UPLIFT THE SPIRIT

To uplift the SPIRIT, I confiscated Hubby’s abandoned and ignored MAN ROOM to create a space, for me, to BE IN STILLNESS and MEDITATE.

In the pre-dawn hours, I retreat to the SERENITY ROOM. It is the place, for me, to build the solid foundation, which always seem to sustain me throughout the day.

UPLIFT THE MIND

Always open to learning something new, I agreed to go to a WATER COLOR PAINTING CLASS with the 25-year-old granddaughter. I enjoyed the quality time spent with my MINI ME, but made the CHOICE to not return for a third class.

I am grateful that the NEW ME felt empowered enough to walk away, without carrying the burden of guilt, to something that no longer served to UPLIFT THE MIND.

However, I plan to keep the two partially-finished pieces as a reminder of a wonderful bonding experience with my MINI ME.

For most of my life, I made unhealthy choices. The consequences prevented me from living life to the fullest. I take full responsibility for opening the door to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Now, I am fully committed to living a healthy lifestyle. It all began on June 2, 2015, when I posted this on Facebook:

“Thanks to Brenda and Peggy for sharing their 70 Day Challenge journey on Facebook. Their daily posts inspired me to begin my wellness journey, which I hope leads me to a healthy mind, body and spirit.

The Challenge, for me, has extended beyond 70 days to the remaining days of my life. No longer am I willing to wander aimlessly toward improving the quality of my life. Now, I wake up each morning self-motivated to follow a path that I know will lead to a healthy spirit, mind and body.

As a Challenger sharing my journey on Facebook, I have been further motivated by the positive and supportive comments posted on my page by family members, friends, and even the friends of my children.

Also, I am encouraged, guided and inspired by the comments made by Sister Challengers. The ones that I chose to share are from three women that I hadn’t communicated with in almost twenty years.

“Welcome to the journey my friends. It’s a journey of unimaginable beauty, strength, spirituality and peace.” (PHM)

“Go, Yvonne Thomas, great stats and a great job with sleeping. Many studies talk about the value of consistent sleep.” (BB)

“Go ahead and feel good about it! Smile be smug, and be certain to continue the Challenge.” (DJW)

After only 90+ days of participating in this Challenge, painlessly and effortlessly, I can:

Get in and out of the bathtub
Walk up and down stairs
Lower to and rise from the floor
Squat and kneel

These are things that I haven’t been able to do, without experiencing mild to severe pain, since being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 1993.

To give you a better idea of my Challenger journey, I share a few snippets from my Facebook posts:

Day 1. I meditated for 30 minutes and followed up with a 30 minute mindfulness walk around the neighborhood. In the afternoon, I also did water aerobics for 40 minutes. At day’s end, my Fitbit device reported: 6,703 steps; 2,108 calories burned, 1,466 calories eaten, 72 oz fluids, and 8 hrs. 1 min. sleep.

Day 70. Today, is the last day of my Challenge. I plan to continue this journey toward building a healthy body, mind and spirit. I completed 30 minutes of mindfulness and meditation practices as well as physical therapy home exercises for 30 minutes.

Day 101. By choice, it was a very sedentary day in terms of physical exercise. I didn’t plank, stretch or crunch. In fact, I barely walked. The body screamed for rest and l listened. Attended early morning online church services; and, following this , I enjoyed a day of relaxation.

Lastly, just as my 70-Day Challenge was coming to an end, two of my Sister Challengers invited me to join them in a 30-Day Plank Challenge. I accepted. On Day 1, I held the Plank Pose for 30 seconds; and, by Day 30, I was able to hold three poses over the course of a day, one for 2 minutes and two for 1 minute.