We’re working hard to slim down before RWA Nationals in July through healthy eating, exercise, sharing information, and accountability. Join us any time along the way, introduce yourself and post goals, or just contribute to the conversation! We’re here to share!
Today I have the privilege of hosting my own sister, Ella Sheridan, as she shares some motivation from her own journey!
Don't Wish For It; Work For It.
Over the past few months, this has become my mantra. I’ve spent a lot of the last thirty or so years wishing my weight was something it wasn’t, wishing my body was different, wishing everything I wanted wasn’t so hard. And you know what? Wishing got me exactly what I put into it: almost nothing.
About two years ago, I tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder during karate training. It was an accident brought on totally by me, not my partner (I turned the wrong way during a throw). I went to the doctor, went through physical therapy, but the injury never truly healed. Finally, last November, my husband and I decided enough was enough and I went back to the orthopedist, who scheduled me for surgery. The week before Christmas, I was under the knife with a minimum four-month recovery period ahead of me.
Yeah, not an easy task.
Here’s the thing: shoulders rotate more than any joint in the body. Can you imagine how hard it is to function when that rotation is now severely limited by ultratight screws, ties, and anchors? Very hard. I was unable to do any cardio exercise for around two months because the jarring hurt so badly, but I came out of therapy three times a week sweating like a dog and crying because it hurt so horribly just to stretch. I had to do it, though; there was no other choice, not if I wanted to heal and heal right.
As time went on, the therapists and I noticed something that frustrated us both. I couldn’t relax enough to let them take me from mostly healed to completely healed. I didn’t trust them enough not to hurt me beyond what I could bear, and so they could only push me so far. (Honestly, they told me just about every session that they’d never had a patient with such horrible trust issues, lol.) To get beyond where they could take me, I had to do it; if I ever wanted full function of my shoulder again, I had to be the one to push myself, not them. Considering I’m a black-belt karate instructor and need full function to continue teaching, wishing and not working was not an option.
So I did the work.
Every day, my shoulder gets stronger. It might be months before I have complete rotational ability again, but I will get there. And it might be months before I arrive at a good, stable, healthy weight for me, but I will get there. I’m now willing to do the work, not just wish the work was done and I looked the way I want to. We all have to be willing to do the work to be healthy, happy writers. That means overcoming obstacles, sacrificing what we need to sacrifice, refusing to accept our own excuses, and committing to long-term diligence, not just this day or this week or this month.
We have. To do. The work.
Will I ever be skinny? No. Will that wish I had as a teenager of being like all the other thin girls who never have to worry about what they eat ever come true? No. But I can and will be healthy. I can and will be the best I can be in the body God gave me. I can and will…if I do the work.
Challenge: Where could you put more effort into your workouts? Eating habits? Stress relief? Share with us today!
Today I have the privilege of hosting my own sister, Ella Sheridan, as she shares some motivation from her own journey!
Don't Wish For It; Work For It.
Over the past few months, this has become my mantra. I’ve spent a lot of the last thirty or so years wishing my weight was something it wasn’t, wishing my body was different, wishing everything I wanted wasn’t so hard. And you know what? Wishing got me exactly what I put into it: almost nothing.
About two years ago, I tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder during karate training. It was an accident brought on totally by me, not my partner (I turned the wrong way during a throw). I went to the doctor, went through physical therapy, but the injury never truly healed. Finally, last November, my husband and I decided enough was enough and I went back to the orthopedist, who scheduled me for surgery. The week before Christmas, I was under the knife with a minimum four-month recovery period ahead of me.
Yeah, not an easy task.
Here’s the thing: shoulders rotate more than any joint in the body. Can you imagine how hard it is to function when that rotation is now severely limited by ultratight screws, ties, and anchors? Very hard. I was unable to do any cardio exercise for around two months because the jarring hurt so badly, but I came out of therapy three times a week sweating like a dog and crying because it hurt so horribly just to stretch. I had to do it, though; there was no other choice, not if I wanted to heal and heal right.
As time went on, the therapists and I noticed something that frustrated us both. I couldn’t relax enough to let them take me from mostly healed to completely healed. I didn’t trust them enough not to hurt me beyond what I could bear, and so they could only push me so far. (Honestly, they told me just about every session that they’d never had a patient with such horrible trust issues, lol.) To get beyond where they could take me, I had to do it; if I ever wanted full function of my shoulder again, I had to be the one to push myself, not them. Considering I’m a black-belt karate instructor and need full function to continue teaching, wishing and not working was not an option.
So I did the work.
Every day, my shoulder gets stronger. It might be months before I have complete rotational ability again, but I will get there. And it might be months before I arrive at a good, stable, healthy weight for me, but I will get there. I’m now willing to do the work, not just wish the work was done and I looked the way I want to. We all have to be willing to do the work to be healthy, happy writers. That means overcoming obstacles, sacrificing what we need to sacrifice, refusing to accept our own excuses, and committing to long-term diligence, not just this day or this week or this month.
We have. To do. The work.
Will I ever be skinny? No. Will that wish I had as a teenager of being like all the other thin girls who never have to worry about what they eat ever come true? No. But I can and will be healthy. I can and will be the best I can be in the body God gave me. I can and will…if I do the work.
Challenge: Where could you put more effort into your workouts? Eating habits? Stress relief? Share with us today!
We’re working hard to slim down before RWA Nationals in July through healthy eating, exercise, sharing information, and accountability. Join us any time along the way, introduce yourself and post goals, or just contribute to the conversation! We’re here to share!
I usually find that about Week 3 I start to run out of motivation – that surge of energy that keeps me on track with various levels of enthusiasm. Usually because results can be hard to come by with my health issues.
Sine I’m no motivational guru (I need more advice than I can give on this topic), I’ve searched the web for interesting sites and strategies we can all utilize to keep us moving forward.
The Healthy Writer Blog www.healthywriter.com
Calorie Counter www.calorieking.com
Healthy Living Articles www.dailydietmotivation.com
Shape Magazine www.shape.com
Prevention Magazine www.prevention.com
Kaizen Blog (links to diet posts) http://smallstepstobigchange.com/?cat=284
Trackers:
www.sparkpeople.com
www.mynetdiary.com
Don't forget searches on YouTube and Pinterest for diet motivation, exercises, and healthy cooking.
CHALLENGE: Where do you find your motivation? What keeps you moving forward?
Share Your Progress! (even if the #s haven’t changed, we still have lots to celebrate)
Dani Nationals or Bust Health Challenge: Week 1
Something very special happened last week. My sister, author Ella Sheridan, was chosen as a finalist in the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart awards. This means she will be attending an Awards Night and many events at the RWA National conference this summer in July. I was nervous enough about going to this conference, because it will be my first time there as a published author. As a "curvy girl", I've really wanted to get into better shape for it, but kept putting off the start date (we all know how that goes, right?).
Now we both have a reason to hunker down and get moving, but we hate to do it alone. We're hoping you will join us! Whether you are attending RWA Nationals or not, this will be a great time to band together and focus on our health through information, encouragement, and accountability. Participate as much or as little as you like, but the more you make your voice heard, the more encouragement we can offer and the more you'll get out of this process!
So let's begin:
Have A Plan!
We do it all the time with our writing. I'll write 2 scenes a day until... I'll finish plotting and start writing by... We make goals and plans so we can see our target and reach it! There's nothing more satisfying than marking a task off a list (okay, maybe that's just me) or standing at the top of a mountain looking over everything you've worked so hard to achieve. Eyes on the prize, baby! After all, you can't sell a book you haven't written. Just like the general "I'm gonna write a book someday" doesn't get anyone anywhere, so the "I'll just cut back on my eating and exercise" rarely nets any discernible results. So, yes, even you pantsters out there need a plan! We all want to lose weight to look and feel our best at National Conference in July. That's 15 weeks from today!![](http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wsSeTVQ/counter.png"></a>){kind=link}
You don't have to post your plan here, but having one will help you see what you've accomplished and what you need to work on. What you've gotten control over and what still needs more focus. I suggest 1 or 2 options:
1. Decide on a food and exercise plan, instituting it all at once. That's right, from Day 1. It might be a little overwhelming the first week or two (especially after all that Easter candy), but you'll soon settle into a groove.
2. If you need more variety, try creating a very basic plan, then adding on to it each week by introducing a new "focus". For instance, one week you can focus on adding more strength training to your exercise routine, or eating more veggies, or drinking a certain amount of water, or trying a new sport. This can keep things interesting.
Seriously, I'm nobody's motivational guru -- I've failed at more diets than most people have started. So when I post, I'm preaching to the choir here. But I've always worked better in a group and with accountability. I'd love to run into each and every one of you at Nationals and pat you on the back for all you've accomplished between now and then.
SO LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!! Introduce yourself in the comments and post your plan/goals if you want to. Each Wednesday we'll have a check-in for those who want to talk about their progress, problems, or pitfalls. Offer encouragement, advice, or high-fives -- we need them all.
I look forward to getting to know everyone. Invite your friends, and let's look back on these 15 weeks with pride, having found a few new friends along the way.
Dani Wade
I voluntarily confess to being a music fanatic. Next to a good book, an iTunes card is my favorite gift. Now, I didn’t say I was an aficionado – I pretty much have specific things I’ll listen to: Top 40s, some harder rock, a bare minimum of country, and some instrumental movie soundtracks that I like to write to. That’s about it, but its more than enough. Go one day without music and I’m most definitely going crazy.
Music motivates my writing, enriching scenes, evoking emotion. Each of my main characters has a theme song that I listen to when I need to get into their state of mind quickly. This would annoy anyone within listening distance, because I play the same song over and over on repeat. Lucky for those around me, I use headphones.
But I’ve learned that music can motivate me in many areas – lifting me from a bad mood, saving me from boredom, ramping up my speed on the elliptical, and yes, even making housework fun. As long as I can remember, my mother has cranked up some fun, upbeat music while she dances her way through the housework. I didn’t adopt this practice when I moved out on my own, but a couple of Christmases ago the hubby gave me a pair of speakers shaped like red high heels. I could plug in my iPod and listen while I cooked dinner. Then during dishes. Now, I too love to crank it up while cleaning in just about anything. It makes the time pass quicker and gives me something to think about other than the fact that I have to scrub toilets.
What about you? What role does music play in your life? What is your favorite song? I’ll leave you with a video of my current hero’s “theme song”:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3HHZ43jq1U&w=560&h=315]
Dani
I love hearing from my readers! For every comment in the month of March, you are entered into a drawing for a $5 Amazon gift card. Simply comment with your email address. I'll draw for the winner on March 31st!
But I’ve learned that music can motivate me in many areas – lifting me from a bad mood, saving me from boredom, ramping up my speed on the elliptical, and yes, even making housework fun. As long as I can remember, my mother has cranked up some fun, upbeat music while she dances her way through the housework. I didn’t adopt this practice when I moved out on my own, but a couple of Christmases ago the hubby gave me a pair of speakers shaped like red high heels. I could plug in my iPod and listen while I cooked dinner. Then during dishes. Now, I too love to crank it up while cleaning in just about anything. It makes the time pass quicker and gives me something to think about other than the fact that I have to scrub toilets.
What about you? What role does music play in your life? What is your favorite song? I’ll leave you with a video of my current hero’s “theme song”:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3HHZ43jq1U&w=560&h=315]
Dani
I love hearing from my readers! For every comment in the month of March, you are entered into a drawing for a $5 Amazon gift card. Simply comment with your email address. I'll draw for the winner on March 31st!
Those who pursue creative interests are more than aware of the role motivation plays in the process. We love it when our brains and bodies want to throw themselves full force into the work-in-progress. It means inspiration and all-out forward progress.
But what about those times when motivation disappears? For writers, this can mean silence when you seriously need to rack up words on the page. A few of the tactics I turn to are:
1. Music ~ Each of my characters have a theme song, and I can often connect with them by playing it over and over on repeat.
2. A walk ~ Okay, I'll admit this is usually my last choice, but it works really well. Fresh air rejuvenates and clears the head, leaving room for creativity to enter.
3. Brain Drain ~ Sitting down with blank pages and just getting everything on my mind onto those pages helps me move past the clutter. Once I have it written down, I can ignore it for a while and move on to the important stuff.
But I've found there are dozens of ways to help writers move past their lack of motivation, and they've been compiled in the post Is Your Motivation to Write Lagging? by Penny Rader. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do!
http://warawriters.blogspot.com/2012/10/is-your-motivation-to-write-lagging.html
3. Brain Drain ~ Sitting down with blank pages and just getting everything on my mind onto those pages helps me move past the clutter. Once I have it written down, I can ignore it for a while and move on to the important stuff.
But I've found there are dozens of ways to help writers move past their lack of motivation, and they've been compiled in the post Is Your Motivation to Write Lagging? by Penny Rader. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do!
http://warawriters.blogspot.com/2012/10/is-your-motivation-to-write-lagging.html