As of 1:09 a.m. today, I will be entering the last year of my forties.
I can't wait to watch it unfold. I have set some major and some minor goals for myself and I would like to accomplish them before I reach that milestone a year from today.
I am hoping that I will be more organized with my time and living a more balanced life. I am hoping to be ready for whatever twists and turns this year may take.
I am hoping to have reached all my health goals by then as well. I have stepped up my efforts these past few weeks and am really feeling strong.
When we hit these milestones, we tend to take stock of our lives and review our failings. I don't want this year to be about what I haven't done in my life. I don't want it to be about fixing mistakes I've made.
I want it to be about moving forward. The past has brought me to this point in my life but I don't need to look behind me to know where I am going. It doesn't mean I will forget or shut out those experiences. I will focus on the present and the future and hopefully not make the same mistakes. And the hard and gritty stuff? I am grateful for it because I know it has made me strong enough for this journey.
My life thus far has prepared me for whatever the year will bring. I am ready. I am pretty sure I am ready. But just in case...
I know that I have been neglecting this blog because I have been quite busy trying to get some new ventures off the ground. However, yesterday, I was inspired by something that occurred at work I would love to share it with all of you.
As I continue on my journey to good health, it becomes more and more obvious to people that something about me has changed. Some notice my haircut. Some notice my "new" Kate Spade glasses that I got last summer. Some want to know where I am going all decked out.
When you get healthy because of changing your diet and exercise habits, things about your appearance begin to change. Your skin looks better. Clothes fit better or you buy new clothes that actually fit. You put more effort into looking good. As I am in the appearance business, people tend to comment. If not directly to me, at least to my coworkers. They ask what you are doing differently. They ask for pointers and advice and recipes.
At least that has been my experience since I began this journey last January.
Yesterday, someone came in to the salon (I may have mentioned that I am a hairdresser and makeup artist) and handed me a flower pot filled with happy spring flowers. I was baffled since this gal isn't even my client. She said "You will understand when you read the card."
"Thank you for inspiring me! Keep up the great work!"
It was what I like to call a "George Bailey" moment.
She proceeded to say that she had been stuck for a long time and seeing me, and also her own hairdresser who had been an inspiration to me all along, losing weight and getting healthy helped her get unstuck. She looks amazing and works out regularly and changed her eating habits. And now she will inspire someone else.
It made me realize that, just like George Bailey, we all touch peoples lives without even knowing it. This has a rippling effect that we can not even begin to fathom.
While I look for inspiration every day from all that I see and read, I sometimes find it in the most unlikely places. Yesterday, I was humbled to know that i was able to be that inspiration for someone.
We are all ripples in the water and we never know when we might be making a difference to others just by being. What an honor to be able to be made aware of it.
Today, if someone has inspired you, let them know. And don't forget to pay it forward.
This post has been a long time coming.
Computer issues and life issues made it difficult for me to get around to posting.
I am in getting ready for some big changes. More big changes.
I have been continuing on in my journey to good health.
I am still getting healthy, losing weight and just began working out at a gym.
I went through a huge bout of depression over the past few months and had a difficult time finding my way out. I have been sad and depressed before. I have suffered loss and grieved and was sad for prolonged periods of time. But I always came out of it. This was different.
I was sad and crying and in my own head but there was no specific reason for it. Yes, I had lost some loved ones. Yes, I was under the usual stresses. Who in this world doesn't deal with all of this? But when I tried to get my head around why I was so sad, I just couldn't see it. I was going through the motions and smiling at the world but inside, I found myself feeling lost and sad and worried and not knowing why.
I could blame the winter and the lack of sunshine. It may very well have been chemical or hormonal but it felt like I there was something wrong with me.
I survived. i still feel the sadness but not nearly as deeply as before and for shorter bouts. Perhaps I should have sought professional or medical help but, since my insurance has yet to kick in, I waited it out and talked to some dear friends.
I continued to try to eat properly and stopped and started exercising several times over but I was feeling like the lethargy and depression were winning.
Over the past several weeks I have done some minor detoxing and started to pay more attention to what I am eating. I also joined a gym and am working once a week with a personal trainer.
Maybe it's just that Spring is in the air or maybe the longer days are helping. It is twenty degrees and gray today but the sun is in and out and we turn the clocks on Sunday so I have hope for a sunny Spring.
There will be some changes coming to this blog very soon and I am planning some things for my future that I believe will be of use to many.
If I am absent from this blog it is because I am busy with all these things going on. I have to accept that something has to give sometimes and for now it will have to be Fluffy Girl. I am not abandoning her. I am improving myself so I can be present in my life.
Stay tuned! The best is yet to come!!
Hello, old friend. Good to have you back. Oh, Inspiration, how I've missed you!
I know, dear readers. All five of you have been waiting and wondering and wishing I would post already.
I'm BAAAAACCCCKKKK!!!
Be careful what you wish for. I am sure to ramble and babble on about not much of anything.
If you are reading this (and I am so grateful to my four or five staunch supporters!) you have survived the holidays, as have I.
It was a rough go but I managed to make it through with no major illness and only a few minor injuries.(most involving knives and stoves) The cookies, got baked, the halls were decked, the tree trimmed and the gifts wrapped.
I think I am finally coming out of my my post-holiday-wish-it-wasn't-over-where-did-the-time-go?-funk. Well, except for the Christmas tree which still stands, beautifully decorated, in the middle of my living room window.
Most other remnants of Christmas have been taken down and I am packing it away a little at a time.
It is time to get down to the real reason I m writing this blog in the first place. So many of you will be wondering how I fared on my weight loss journey. I am happy to say, that, in spite of the many temptations, several indulgences, and a few cookies, I made it through and managed to come out of it with looser pants.
When I say "indulgences" I mean that I allowed myself a tiny bit of leeway in some areas.
Money-wise and time-wise it was difficult to always purchase organic food but I tried to keep it clean for the most part. Some days I ran out of time and never got around to using my Nutribullet for my morning "blast". Exercise was next to impossible due to the fact that I just couldn't get my ass moving. No excuses there. It's been an issue since it got cold out. Stopping and starting and not being consistent. I am hoping to change that over the course of the next few weeks.
As far as my "cheats" as some people call them, I prefer "indulgences" because it was a conscious choice, my "cheats" were not so bad. I had potatoes a few times (mashed once). I had bagels and cream cheese on Christmas morning but it was my plan all along and Christmas Day I did not really have anything too unhealthy except for one cocktail. Alcohol was another indulgence but I tried to compensate for it by drinking tons of water and green tea and being sensible the next day.
This is the first year that I made it through the holidays without once feeling like I was so full I could vomit. I have come to loathe and despise that feeling. I don't ever want to feel it again.
All in all, I am pretty proud of my food habits. A bit disappointed that I didn't make the time to fit in more exercise.
I am hatching some new plans for the coming year to get truly fit and healthy. I know the road ahead will be long but< I am coming up on exactly one year since I started this crazy ride and I am far from satisfied.
I will be revamping my life, my healthy lifestyle choices and hopefully will reap the benefits of choosing to live a healthier lifestyle.
Wish me luck and stay tuned!
