Well This is New...

I stepped on the scales the other morning and had to do a double take …

I can’t even remember the last time I saw the scales this low. I had to search through my old cellphone photos to try and find one showing the last time I weighed 194.

I finally found it - it was dated 2018. Surreal.

For my birthday last year I challenged myself to do another Back to Basics reset because I weighed 217 lbs and I wasn’t feeling too good about myself. So I started watching what I was eating and I even walked 10,000 steps every day.

I was doing good…. but just walking for exercise alone, especially that many steps every day, DID take a good chunk of time out of my day. So I eventually stopped around Thanksgiving when I caught whatever flu bug was going around at the time. But before I did - I had managed to get down to around 200 lbs even.

17 pounds gone felt wonderful.

With all of the holiday food that followed, I bounced up and down for a while and still somehow managed to get to my lowest weight, 196.5, by around March.

After that - I honestly stopped paying attention to the scales, the exercise, the food, all of it - and of course the weight slowly crept back on. I ended up back over 200 again and while I wasn’t too happy about it - I really didn’t do anything about it.

Over the following months, I did various cooking workshops, more challenges, bought a walking pad, rebounder, and was even given an elliptical. I always try to get my moves in no matter how I do it, but the weight just didn’t seem to budge…. until now.

What Changed?

Somewhere around 2018 I found the Arthur Boorman video on DDPYoga’s YouTube channel, and it was SO inspiring! I mean with over 100 million views on YouTube, it’s gotta be, right?

I caved and bought the DVD set, and tried it…. once.

Then it sat in my cabinet for the next 8 years. Oh I still watched the YouTube videos and still got inspired…. but obviously not enough to get out the yoga mat and actually DO the program.

That changed when I wrote the post 30 Days to Vegfest.

I decided to actually DO the program this time, and do it every day until Vegfest. I chose this over all of the other exercises I have tried because I felt this would work ALL of my body, and not just my legs or add one more cardio routine.

I want to look my best for VegFest so it was finally time to suck it up and just DO SOMETHING. And here’s the key word - do something CONSISTENTLY.

And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.

I do sweat, I do cuss, and it does kick my ass - but I still do it. And this time…. I can FEEL it working.

Is it just yoga? While the program does use many of the traditional yoga positions, it also includes a lot of stretching, old-school calisthenics, and rehab therapy techniques. It’s yoga, but as the t-shirt says, “It Ain’t Your Mama’s Yoga”.

Anyway - sorry to sound like a billboard for DDPY, and no I am not being sponsored. I just wanted to tell you what I have been doing differently. What changed.

This is what changed.

What’s crazy to me this time is - I wasn’t even trying to lose weight. That wasn’t even a goal. I just wanted to tone up some old muscles and maybe lose a little belly fat - and well - you see what happened.

But like I said - I think consistency is the key here - so I picked an accountability partner I know will nag at me if I don’t send her updates every day🤪

If there’s a lesson in any of this:

1. Pick something you think you’ll enjoy doing

2. Do it consistently every day for a month

3. And have someone keep you accountable

And if you DO try DDPY - prepare to get your butt kicked.