New Month, New Beginning: Historical Notes for The Princess'August Fatfighting Tournament

It's a new month in our domain.

Time for a renewal...or just "newal."

What happened in the past in August, and what can happen today in order to make future Augusts so much better?

Let's see what we get with a little help from Wikipedia:


* Some of Ireland's most famous battles have been fought in this month. They include: the Second Battle of Athenry (1316); the battle of Knockdoe (1504); the Battle of the Yellow Ford (1596); the First Battle of Curlew Pass (1599); the Battle of Dungans Hill (1647); the Battle of Castlebar (1798), and the Battle of the Bogside (1969).

Today: Let August be the month of your most famous battles against whatever is holding you back from your best self. Fight against those double-cheeseburger cravings and send them packing. Overcome an addiction to sugary soda. Fight against inertia, and get moving. Take up your sword against the emotional blocks that are keeping you (and me) fat, and finally bury them for good. Your good. Become a warrior this month. Emerge victorious.

* August 6, 1806 Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire lays down the Roman Imperial Crown and renounces all claims on this throne.

Today: Renounce all right to eat what you want, when you want, and abdicate your couch potato status. That's the way to win the crown, ultimately. The fatfighter's crown.


* In 1945 the end of the Second World War was brought about following the August 6 bombing of Hiroshima and August 9 bombing of Nagasaki in the first and only use of nuclear weapons against people. Emperor Hirohito declared Japan's unconditional surrender on August 15.

Today: Bad habits war against your desire to become healthy. Imagine those harmful habits as the collective enemy. Use every weapon you have to win the war. Don't give up until those bad habits surrender, unconditionally, and you get slim and fit.

* August 10, 1822 Ecuador became an independent country.
* August 15, 1945 Korea became an independent country.
* August 15, 1947 India became an independent country.
* August 17, 1945 Indonesia became an independent country.
* August 25, 1825 Uruguay became independent from Brazil.
* August 31, 1957 Malaysia became an independent country.

Become independent of excess fat. Declare that independence today. Make AUGUST 1st the day you recommit to freedom, freedom from obesity. You are your own country, and you need to take care of state business, its general welfare, its defense, it's pursuit of healthful happiness. Does anything taste as good as liberty from fat feels?

* August 14, 2003 United States the Northeast Blackout of 2003 occurred.

* In the United States, August is National Back to School month. Some US School districts and systems return to school in August.

Don't stay in the dark. Get educated about food, about exercise, about your medical conditions. It all starts in the mind and heart, before it moves to the body. Get illuminated. Get smart. LEARN. GROW. If you want to get in shape, you gotta go back to "school."


* August 15, Catholic, Feast of the Assumption

Mary was an exceptional woman, and I can't imagine her getting fat and lazy on some couch. She had too much to do and was too self-controlled. Our Catholic friends believe her body and soul--as one--rose up to heaven, intact, unseparated; that her purity allowed her to rise up and never experience decomposition. While we can't stop aging, we can improve the quality of our lives by virtuous eating and faithful exercise. We can aim to be fatfighting saints. Even if we lapse into sin--sedentary ways, binges--we can accept mercy, forgiveness, and rise up, higher and higher, to a place of wholeness--flexible, strong, unencumbered by rolls of fat. Wouldn't that be heaven of sorts?

If we want to "rise up, intact" , then we need to struggle against the desires of the flesh in the here and now.


* August 15, 1769 Corsica, birth of Napoleon Bonaparte

Let your inner conqueror of obesity be born this August. Subjugate your food cravings. March over your inertia. Charge mightily into your inner fortress and beat down your emotional demons. Conquer everything in your path to good health. Be your own Empress of Exercise and Monarch of Clean Eating.


* August is Women's Small Business Month

Losing weight and getting fit is pretty much like running a business, isn't it? Working constantly, responsible for the results.

It pays off, too, just not always immediately in $$$, rather in feeling good and looking better. (Although studies have shown that thin folks have a job advantage over fat ones, so it does pay off in moolah to lose weight.)

Think of fatfighting as a business: Write down your business goals and objectives. Plot a strategy, both short-term and long-term for success. Monitor the activities of the business with a keen eye, ready to intervene at once when something goes off plan. Make corrections as necessary. Offer rewards for excellent performance. Track revenue and expenditures (what goes in, what goes out, be it calories or money, since some expenditures are tax-deductible for those for whom losing weight and exercising are mandated by a doctor due to a medical condition.) Set money aside for emergencies. Hire staff as needed to fulfill the objectives and maximize profit. Tweak the plan if results are lagging. Be accountable to investors (ie, spouse, parents, friends). Seek support from experts. With time, enjoy a smooth-running operation that, if continuing to be successful, will add to your emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, and financial riches.

* In many European countries, August is the holiday month for most workers.

No holidays for fatfighters. Work, work, work. Sorry. Days off must be few and judicious.


* In common years, no other month begins on the same day of the week as August. In leap years, however, February does.

August starts today. A Friday. Fridays are supposed to be unlucky for beginning sea voyages. Fridays have been associated with "quashed dreams."

Know what? Screw superstition. Friday's are days we say, "thank God!" We should mean it. Thank God for this day, every day. The weekend begins for many on Friday, and that's great. The Sabbath begins with sundown on modern Fridays, and that's a blessing, introducing rest to our lives. We get to do fun things starting Friday night--going to the movies or a play, eating out with pals.

I say Fridays rule! Make this a truly auspicious Friday. A lucky one. Your dream won't be quashed, squashed, or washed away. If you've been putting off your lifestyle change, do it today. A good, good, good Friday. First of the month. A new beginning.

Let's make August fabulous. Let's challenge ourselves. At least ONE pound a week...or more if your body can handle it. Let's be 4 or 8 or 15 pounds lighter come August 31st.

My goals: I'm aiming for six pounds of loss. About 1.5 a week. I figure that since I'm actively building muscle, I gotta allow for a slower scale descent. I"m also aiming for more consistent aerobic work to add to my 3x a week Pilates training.

So, are any of you in for the Royal Fatfighting Tournament for health here at Once Upon a Diet? You won't be challenging other dieters, like knights against knights. No. You're gonna challenge yourself. I'm gonna challenge myself.

Every fairy tale needs a good beginning....or a good beginning again after a lapse...before it can have a happy ending.

Why not comment on what you plan to do and to overcome in order to meet an August fitness goal? And why not pledge to blog at least 4x a week on your progress. It's a good way to keep the motivation mojo going, and it forces accountability. Right?

Ready, set...(straighten that armor)...begin....

~~~

NOTE: My starting weight for the tournament is 272.4

Yours?

~