Chez FitMercy

Today is the Twenty-Second day of the Twelfth month in the year Two Thousand and Sixteen, and when you consider your journey towards weight loss, how do you feel? Sad, disappointed, frustrated or happy, fulfilled and encouraged, I would rather say maybe it's not about the happy ending but the story. Instead of checking your weight today and just realizing that the numbers are higher than the first month this year, I would rather you do an analysis of other things like the efforts you have put into living and staying healthy in 2016. A screenshot of my sparkpage and my weights for the first 8 months

I am concluding the series on managing stress this week. The fifth tip according to the article is referred to as the 4 As i.e. Avoid , Alter , Adapt and Accept . These, as extensively explained in helpguide.org : Avoid unnecessary stress It’s not healthy to avoid a stressful situation that needs to be addressed, but you may be surprised by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate. Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress. Distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts” and, when possible, say “no” to taking on too much. Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life, limit the amount of time you spend with that person, or end the relationship. Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you anxious, turn off the TV. If traffic makes you tense, take a long

Stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium. In other words, it's an omnipresent part of life. A stressful event can trigger the “fight-or-flight” response, causing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body. Never say "there is nothing I can do about it". No! Don't accept stress as a part of your lifestyle, you can deal with it, you can minimize it, stress can be controlled. Some quick tips according to Stress Management by Lawrence Robinson, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Robert Segal, M.A.: Move your body frequently—don't sit for more than an hour Make positive face-to-face connection with other people a priority When you can't change the stressor, learn to avoid, alter, adapt, or accept Reduce your intake of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine Do something you enjoy every day Get all the restful sleep that you need to feel your best. According to the authors, there are a few ti

This is the conclusion of the quiz of yesterday's post and what it could mean to our weight loss journey [ culled from Sparkpeople ] Scoring the Quiz Look at your answers to questions 1,2,4,5,7, 9 and 11, and give yourself 1 point for every True answer, and 0 for every False. For questions 3,6,8,10 and 12, give yourself 1 point for every False answer, and 0 for every True. Add your total points up to get your score. A high score (7-12 points) shows that your expectations about weight loss are more realistic, and you are more likely to reach your goal. Each question you scored a zero for represents a misconception or unrealistic expectation that might be adding unnecessary stress to your weight loss efforts. For example, a zero on Question 11 (you don’t talk to others when you have trouble sticking to your plan) may indicate that you tend to keep problems to yourself, which can add even more stress to the difficulties you are already having. Scoring zero on

I did some stress eating during the week and except intermittent fasting and organizing my home, I was not logging any intentional minutes other than a few strength training and of course cleaning the house. I am going to speak on stress management in the next post. I hope you get yourself ready to de-stress. I am not speaking about any topic [except the quiz below] today other than just let you into what my weight says this week. I weighed in at 167.2lbs , an 0.2lbs gain from last week. I saw this article on Sparkpeople.com and I think I can share it here. To find out whether your expectations about weight loss may be increasing your stress levels, take the following brief quiz. Indicate whether you think the following statements are true or false. To benefit from this exercise, your answer should reflect how you honestly feel most of the time, NOT what you think the “correct” response might be.

“ Cleanliness is next to godliness ” [being clean is a sign of spiritual purity] is an English Idiom, this means that if you are living a right life it should reflect in your level of organization and cleanliness on your body, home, office space etc  What I have realized is that nobody is dirty [you might disagree with me], it’s the secret to permanence of cleanliness that is lost. Let me ask this, is there anyone who doesn’t take care of a place within the home or his/her body on a daily basis? None! So the fact that a home looks unkempt sure doesn’t make a person dirty [except when perpetually so], there are a thousand and one reasons responsible for this. I have some reasons that normally inform the level of our cleanliness: Habits formed while growing up – if parents are not meticulous about cleanliness, kids won’t. Experience – From experience, some people have learnt to be clean or dirty as the case maybe. Time – Availability of time may just be all what some need to b

 “ Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all: He changes the seasons and guides history, He raises up kings and also brings them down, he provides both intelligence and discernment, He opens up the depths, tells secrets, sees in the dark – light spills out of him! God of all my ancestors, all thanks! All praise! You made me wise and strong. And now you’ve shown us what we ask for… .” The above were the words of Daniel when the Lord answered a prayer and I am also thankful with the above words today because God had kept me. [ Daniel 2:20-23 ] I am thankful for life and living I am thankful that I know Christ as Lord and guide I am thankful for my cute little family I am thankful for sustenance I am thankful for multiple miracles that had made me give testimonies before men this year I am thankful for my mom (good health), my siblings and my in-laws I am thankful for my nephews and nieces I am thankful for my job I am th

It could be funny that I normally get inspirations through some routines on a daily basis like when I am taking my bathe, during my morning meditations and when I am doing strength training. Today, the word accountabilibuddy  dropped [I have heard the word before, though].  Accountabilibuddy simply means an accountability buddy . To be accountable in the first place is the ability to be answerable or responsible for an action, it is the will to justify an action or a decision taken. It is that state of not excusing a flaw either it was caused by the culprit or an external force.  To be successful on this weight loss and healthy living lifestyle [even in life], one needs to be accountable for whatever happens. Don't be quick to put blame on others, when you accept the blame, you are being accountable and it is easier to make the right choices the next time such scenario occurs because you don't want to feel guilty anymore. I have heard a dozen blame trading on why some

As I did yoga (Wednesday exercise) this morning, and looking forward to a favourable weigh in, " consistency " came to mind on a topic to speak about. I think the ease by which I slide into some yoga poses brought this to mind.  Consistency is a pattern, a compatibility, lack of deviation, a uniformity that defines anything ranging from behaviours to substances. Doing a particular thing with so much steadiness and constancy without slacking. If weight loss is going to be meaningful then consistency must be the watch word. When exercise/diet is consistent, the weight loss becomes easier and new challenges/heights could be set. Meanwhile one of the major challenges even in life is actually becoming consistent with anything. Life gets in the way and there is a diversion which could in turn lead to deviation from any set goal.

Weight loss journey can be as interesting and as boring, it can be as inspiring as it can be frustrating. It is the desire to keep moving no matter what, that brings the most success. I had been on this for the past 6 years and it is funny how many times I had to lose and regain those tiny pounds but somehow I am nearer to my goal weight now than ever before. Sometimes I lose weight rapidly, other times they come in tiny bits and some days it's like I woke up to gain 5lbs that will refuse to go away irrespective of what is done. In this long journey to great health, I have learnt to keep on keeping on even when the surrounding conditions doesn't permit it.

Fitness or  physical fitness is a general state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports or occupations. Physical fitness is generally achieved through correct nutrition, moderate-vigorous Physical exercise, physical activity, and sufficient rest. It's not how long we will live, but how well. You can be successful without Fitness, but your success may be limited. Fitness builds energy that makes it possible to live with more zing and power. It's the pep you'll need to really go after your passions and goals. Our bodies were meant to move -- they actually crave exercise. Regular exercise is necessary for physical fitness and good health. Once you begin to exercise regularly, you will discover many more reasons why exercise is so important to improving the quality of your life.  Exercise reduces stress, lifts moods, and helps you sleep better. It can keep you looking and feeling younger throughout your entire life. A

Today, take a look at YOU... Just look at ALL you have accomplished! Be PROUD of YOU! YOUR hard work and persistence are paying off! Keep UP the GOOD work! Yes, YOU can do anything you put your mind to do! Google says, pride is a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of one's close associates, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired. It is the consciousness of one's own dignity. Wikipedia however talks about pride as an inwardly directed emotion that carries two antithetical meanings. With a negative connotation pride refers to a foolishly and irrationally corrupt sense of one's personal value, status or accomplishments, used synonymously with hubris . 

A collection of some of my favorite photos, they are not the best but there is something very like ME in those pictures. October 2016 August, 2014 2010, 2012, 2013 I am using these to appreciate who I am and what I have grown to be over the past 6 years of the weight loss journey. It had been a lot of struggle and still struggling but I am closer to my goal than when I started. God forbid I spend another 6 years to get to my goal weight, in fact I have some great plans underway that would ease my journey and I will get a better "after" picture than these. I weighed in at 167.8lbs . An 0.8lbs gain from last week [I am not happy about that anyway], but just as I said the journey to maintenance is starting soon by the grace and help of God and a great determination to do it.

Yesterday was weigh in and it was not too good thanks to wacky hormones (every woman's monthly bane). I weighed in yesterday and I thought it was due to late dinner on Tuesday that showed on the scale but when I tried it this morning, it was worse despite the controlled portion yesterday and taking my early dinner. Now I know it has something to do with water weight. Anyways, the week was not bad and I did everything to be sure the weekend challenge was on point.

It doesn't matter how good the plan or idea, nothing will work for you if you don’t believe in it. And more importantly, nothing will work if you don’t believe in yourself.  YOU ARE WORTH THE EFFORT! Find above the words for week 3 of our challenge, I really love this motivation statement because I have been there.

You're bored. Frustrated. Exasperated. Tired. Just too busy to even think of trying to lose weight. You want to quit.  Don't despair. You've reached the point in your weight-loss project that truly determines whether or not you're going to get to your goal and stay there.

SMART Goals pinterest A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART mnemonic. While there are plenty of variants (some of which we've included in parenthesis), SMART usually stands for: S - Specific (or Significant). M - Measurable (or Meaningful). A - Attainable (or Action-Oriented). R - Relevant (or Rewarding). T - Time-bound (or Trackable). For example, instead of having "To sail around the world" as a goal, it's more powerful to say "To have completed my trip around the world by December 31, 2015." Obviously, this will only be attainable if a lot of preparation has been completed beforehand! Further Goal Setting Tips:  The following broad guidelines will help you to set effective, achievable goals: State each goal as a positive statement - Express your goals positively – "Execute this technique well" is a much better goal than "Don't make this s

I received a mail this past week with a request to discuss the above topic. It's not a very sensitive topic because I am more result-oriented than checking style out during or after a sweat session but I think I got interested along as I wrote. I am a stylish person in my own little way (we had that since we were little), and I think I can be crazy with labels. I love anything that I need to buy to be close to the best if not the best, I window-shop a lot maybe it's the reason I stand out for buying quality. It's in me to save to buy the best not for a show off but I believe that buying the best will save you of future unnecessary expenses (I have tested and tried that on several occasions). I become more conscious of kitting up for my workout sessions and probably answer a few questions so you understand my style.

My weight is up this week because of a new exercise plan.  I weighed this morning first thing after leaving the bathroom and it was a gain from last week, I decided to do my workout for the day which was a high intensity interval training. After the exercise, I bathe and weighed again and it was an increase on the scale. I wish to address this in my post today. I had been discouraged over and over about this issue in my journey towards losing weight. I mean, starting a new exercise plan with great expectations of a cooperation from the scale only for you to sight a bad gain at the first weigh in, urgh...

Overeating is the process of eating excess food in relation to the energy expended by a person. There are a thousand and one scientific explanations that is given to what happens before, during and after overeating. I want to explain overeating as it relates to me. I mostly have this experience when I think I am too hungry or when I enjoy the meal or when the food is my favorite. I think as much as it is easy to explain overeating, it starts from the mind then the mouth and the most effect is felt in the stomach then the waist in that order.