We started the day nice and early at 7am for the Green Mountain Morning Momentum class. This was a combination of Tai Chi, some cardio, and stretching. The class was an hour long and really woke me up. For those of you who know me really well, mornings are just not my thing. And exercising in the morning, well, that's definitely not my thing. But I found myself waking up at 6:30, not hitting the snooze button, putting my yoga clothes on, and going.
After the morning momentum class, we had breakfast. I think I did a much better job of picking my breakfast this morning. They were serving a vegetable fritata, which counted for one protein and one fat. I also added in a banana, a piece of toast with almond butter, and coffee with soy milk. That made for 2 proteins, 3 carbs, and a fat. I wasn't hungry again until lunch time.
At 9am, we had our first class of the day titled, "Mindful/Intuitive Eating: The Principles of Mindful Eating." It's amazing how simple and smart the information is. The major idea of the Green Mountain way of eating is that diets do not work!! We must learn to listen to our bodies and what our bodies are telling us and trust our body. And we have to learn to listen to our bodies without judgement. One of the principles of mindful eating is to eat what you want. Which is basically in complete opposition of every diet that we've ever been on. You can't have that cupcake, you can't have that bagel, you can't have that bag of chips. But if you allow yourself to eat what you want (in moderation) and you eat what makes you feel well, you will not be depriving yourself. Depriving yourself only sets you up for failure. You must give yourself unconditional permission to eat what you want without judgement. Eat it and move on, don't make yourself feel guilty for eating what you want. I brought up the example of the never ending supply of cupcakes at work and how frustrated I feel when I see them and feel like I must deny myself. And the instructor looks at me and says, eat the cupcake. If you want the cupcake, and you really stop and think about it and why you want the cupcake, and you make the decision to eat the cupcake, eat the cupcake and move on. Don't feel guilty for the rest of the day. Don't consider the day ruined now that you had the cupcake. Eat it and move on. OMG LADIES!! It was like a lightbulb turned on in my head. I could go on and on because the class was so enlightening but I will continue with the day.
At 10:30, I had a chance to get outside. I had not actually left the building at all since arriving on Sunday. We took a 2.5 mile walk on what is called the logging trail. It was snow packed but the snow was not deep enough to snow shoe. It was so great to get outside and get some fresh air. The walk really cleared my head and I enjoyed the sunshine and talking to the women during the walk. I also never felt cold, even though it was 32 degrees, once we got walking, we definitely warmed up. I'm going to take my camera with me on the next walk and snap some pictures.
Lunch was at noon. Lunch on Tuesdays is a silent lunch. This allows you to eat mindfully, really focusing on your food and your hunger. I have to admit this was a little hard but overall a neat experience. For lunch we had chicken quesadillas, salad with cucumbers and blackberries, and fresh fruit.
After lunch, we had a class titled, "Emotional Eating: Understanding Emotions That Lead You to Eat." Biggest takeaway, No amount of criticism will ever change our behavior. You can look in the mirror and say, you are fat, you are gross, you are lazy, this will not change your behavior. And emotional eating is not always a bad thing. But it is always using food to deal with your emotions instead of having ways to cope with those emotions that get us in trouble. This class was again very enlightening and I cannot begin to cover in this blog the amazing info we learned.
There are 2 activity options to choose from during the activity hours and, at 2:30, I could choose between cardio circuit blast or a water aerobics class. I changed into my bathing suit and they drove us over to a resort about a mile away that has a pool. Let me tell you, do not think that water aerobics equals relaxing swim. We had webbed gloves that we put on our hands to increase the resistance in the water and boy did they work us! We were doing burpees and squats in the pool! It was quite the workout but also a lot of fun. We even got to relax in the hot tub for a few minutes after the class.
After we got back from the pool and had a snack of grapes and nuts, we had a class called "Stress Management: Nurturing the Whole Self." Another completely eye opening class! We learned ways to destress yourself other than using food.
Dinner was at 6 and I actually showered and put on jeans and a sweater for dinner! Really just because I had to get the chlorine from the pool out of my hair but still. I have absolutely resolved not to blow dry or flat iron my hair for the duration of my stay (except maybe the weekend). For dinner we had panko crusted tilapia, quinoa pilaf, and snow peas and carrots. Delish. The food here is not fat or flavor free, let me just say that. They use olive oil and spices to flavor the food and everything is so good. And to everyone's delight, tonight was baked goods night!! For dessert, we had brownies. Yum. I don't think I have said before but for beverages, we have water, unsweetened tea or herbal tea, and coffee, and a large selection of hot teas. They do have stevia or honey to sweeten your beverages with.
I'm definitely starting to feel the effects of the exercise. Right now the effects are not so great. Those of us new arrivals seem to be moving around a little slower and stiffer today. It really hurts to put my hands above my head lol. That's a good thing, at least thats what I'm told by the seasoned ladies who have been here a while. Apparently that goes away after a few days. There are three flights of stairs you have to take and I think we have climbed up and down those stairs a hundred times a day. I have resolved that by the time I leave Green Mountain, I will be able to climb those stairs without getting winded. Of course, my room is on the third floor, so anytime I need to go to my room, I have to make the climb. These are the little challenges we face here at Green Mountain :)
I have already made some great friends here. The women are so nice and I really like my roommate. I especially love the group exercise classes with them. And mealtimes are fun because you get a chance to talk and chat and get to know the other women.
I don't feel so tired tonight as I did last night. My roommate and I are going to head down to the Okemo Room for the optional evening snack. This is the only meal you have to pay for. The idea behind that is that we sometimes mindlessly snack at night. Having to pay for it makes us stop and consider if we really need it. The Okemo Room also happens to be on the bottom floor which means that we have to go down and back up those blasted stairs to get our snack!
Goodnight all! I hope everyone takes a minute to say an affirmation tomorrow "I will have a good day. I will take a minute for myself today because I am worth it." And remember, don't forget your movement. Something is better than nothing!!
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