How to Celebrate?

Not to count my chickens before they hatch, but I've already been thinking about what I should do to celebrate once I make it to 100 pounds lost.  Monica asked me the other day what I would do once I stepped on the scale and saw the number I wanted to see, and it's gotten me thinking.  I have a big reward planned for after I make it to 100, but it's not the kind of thing I can do the same day.  I weigh in on Fridays, so I'll be headed to the office shortly after weighing in (unless it is Friday, March 11, because then I'll be headed to the airport later that day to fly to England!).

So, this is where you come in.  You can vote in the poll below and/or make suggestions in the comments.  How should I celebrate?

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Endorphins

"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't."


Ah, the motivational words of Elle Woods.  I'm sure there were many important lessons to be gleaned from the film classic Legally Blonde, but this is the one that continues to stick with me.


It amazes me how a good workout never fails to clear my mind and turn my day around.  Today I was at a breaking point, ready and willing to use food to comfort me and solve my problems. Instead, I called a friend to talk me off my food-ledge and then put Bons on a leash and went for a long walk. Before I was even out of the neighborhood, I was feeling better.


This was not my first such experience. I may have even blogged about it before. Time after time I am amazed by the way a workout can change my attitude completely.  That's part of the reason I love my lunchtime workouts so much. It benefits both mental health and my work to get out of the office and clear my head.  It changes my perspective of whatever I'm thinking about or working on.  


It makes me think I should go back and watch Legally Blonde again to see what other life lessons I could ascertain. Maybe I should try the bend and snap?

Whatever it Takes

A couple of weeks ago, Abi, friend and weight loss mentor, emailed me to tell me that her husband had said that I need to do "Whatever it takes" to make it to 100 pounds, because he felt I had some sort of mental block.

Whatever it takes.

At first I asked if that meant he was advocating starvation, but he wasn't.

My second response was kind of "Isn't that what I've been doing?"

But since then, I've kind of taken "Whatever it takes" as a personal mantra.  When I come rushing back to work after a solid lunchtime workout at the gym, I think "Whatever it takes."  When I turned down a free breakfast biscuit after already eating a healthy breakfast at home, I thought "Whatever it takes."  When I think I'd rather skip an evening swim because I haven't been home much lately, I think "Whatever it takes."  When I came back from a weekend away and set to work making my weekly meals right away, before unpacking or before I caught up on my television shows, I thought "Whatever it takes."

I think you get the picture.

I'm still not perfect.  I've still caved in the presence of the leftover Valentine's Day candy that has been present around the office.  But I really want to make it to 100 pounds before I leave for England in 2.5 weeks.  That's 3 weigh-ins and 4.5 pounds to lose.  I just have to stay focused and determined.  I can do this.

Why I Want to Lose the Last Few Pounds

Top Ten Reasons

To kick it into high gear and make it to 100 pounds lost

1. It is a life goal of mine.
2. I feel better physically and mentally when I am eating well.
3. Self confidence is one of the best feelings in the world.
4. I want to wear a size 14 (and maybe even a 12!) some day in my adult life.
5. Summer weather will come some day.
6. I don't want to get diabetes.
7. I'm going to Europe in five weeks!
8. It will help me run my triathlon.
9. I've got a big, exciting reward planned for when I make it to 100 pounds! 
10. My blog readers would be so proud.

A Little Inspiration

Need a little inspiration today? Check out some of these quotes about reaching your goals. If one jumps out at you, write it down on a notecard and post it somewhere you will see it!

"Success doesn't come to you, you go to it." -Marva Collins

"Success is a journey, not a destination." -Ben Sweetland

"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got."

"Seventy percent of success in life is showing up." -Woody Allen  

"Success comes before work only in the dictionary." Anonymous  

"Success: willing to do what the average person is not willing to do." Anonymous  

"What you get by reaching your destination is not nearly as important as what you will become by reaching your destination." 

"Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success." -Dr. Joyce Brothers

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want." -Ben Stein  

"I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature." -John D. Rockefeller 

"Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going."


Do you have any favorite quotes that inspire you to keep going? Share them in the comments section!

Motivation

*Photo courtesy of my friend Stefanie who found it on the world wide web.