When the going gets tough…..

So it’s over 100 degrees here in Missouri and this girl doesn’t want to even try to get used to it. It’s basically miserable and an excuse to not workout, right? OK, so maybe not but it’s been mine lately…..ironically, in my mind, it was too hot long before this heat wave. I tend to get home at night and feel exhausted from work and just want to sit around watching TV and basically doing nothing. Guess that type of thinking doesn’t get your results.

I have a great mentor who’s been where I am and I see my future self in her. What a great combo….I love talking to her and feel special that she takes the time out of her new, busy life to talk to me and give advise. It’s amazing how someone believing in you can make such a difference. I’m truly thankful for her…..

She understands that I just don’t want to work out some days and I shouldn’t feel guilty about it. She always says "you shouldn’t sell yourself short of what you could be. Don’t let yourself get in the way of a better future….get up and DO something about it. It’s time to start loving yourself enough to change the things you hate about yourself!" Great points to ponder and take to heart…..

No matter what I’m blessed…at least I have a chance to change things. So here’s the motivation I needed to….get going!

"Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it."
…..now it’s time to start moving…..with no excuses…..

Rewards???

So I was listening to the radio on my way to work this morning and heard a McDonald’s commercial where they said to “reward” yourself with a breakfast sandwich today.  Shockingly, my first reaction was “what?”….that’s no reward! 

My whole life I’ve “rewarded” myself with food and now it’s the battle to get the remnants of the so called “rewards” off!  LOL….. It’s amazing how our society, in general, considers eating a big “reward” for something great!  It’s no wonder that when we are feeling down, we turn to food to help us feel better – to recapture the good feeling that we had that one time we were “rewarded”. 

There are lots of restaurant commercials on each day that tempt with delicious looking food and great deals.  It seems to be the one thing people revolve around….family dinners, dates, time with friends, needing to get out of the house so head to your favorite restaurant.   Now, while these aren’t necessarily a bad thing, it does all come down to moderation and watching what you put into your mouth.  I’m the worlds worst when it comes to maintaining control around my “favorite” foods.  It’s easy to overeat while you are catching up with friends (or nervous about your date) so paying attention is a challenge. 

Of course I’ve gotten off the real subject of my post and that is rewards…..so, what are appropriate rewards for something great (or even good)?  We are a society of instant gratification and rewards truly do make the world go round.  I personally can never wait for the reward (like a pedicure, hair highlight, facial, massage, etc) when meeting goals so I end up getting them whenever I want.  I guess through this whole process, the thing I’ve learned is that true “rewards” are living each day healthy.  Each day where I don’t wheeze at the top of the stairs or can tie my shoes without passing out…..that’s a true reward.  Living each day happy and thankful….that’s a true reward.  Being proud of myself and the little accomplishments….that’s a true reward. 

Guess I get lots of small rewards daily and never even noticed…..so I think that I will thank McDonald’s today for reminding me of the daily rewards I receive….and no, I won’t be “rewarding” myself with anything from their restaurant! 

 

Pushing through it...

WOW!  I'm so sorry that I haven't blogged in awhile.  Last week I was sick with a summer cold and this week had been crazy at work so far.  Always some excuse, right? 

Well, needless to say, this week hasn't been a good week for sticking to goals for me.  I will have you know that even though I was sick and not focused on eating right, I did see my SMART goal post-its everywhere!  It kept my goals in my mind the whole time so I remembered exactly what I wanted to get accomplished. 

Work has always been a hard thing for me to plan my time around......there are days when all I want to do at the end is sit down and "veg" out b/c it has been such a crazy day!  I'm sure that everyone has similar things that make them exhausted besides their jobs (namely children or other commitments). 

The thing is ... we HAVE to stay on task no matter how hard it is....it's worth it and we owe it to ourselves!  Part of loving yourself is taking care of yourself - therefore, it needs to be a priority!  So here's to pushing past the struggles and excuses!  For this week alone, I will focus on what I need to do and will worry about next week when it comes.

"Never give the devil a ride, he will want to take over the driving"  --Anonymous
......so very true, no room for him in my car....

~ SMART Goals ~

So today I was reading some articles on setting attainable goals and how they relate to weight loss.  Now, all this "research" stems from the new show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition that I watched on NBC Monday night.  The trainer (Chris Powell), who is undeniably easy on the eyes, has such a knack of working with the morbidly obese with care, compassion, and motivation.  He doesn’t let them give up on themselves and helps them every step of the way – even moving in with them for 3 months to get them started building new habits in their own environment.  *Man wouldn’t that be nice!!*

You have to set goals in order to know where you are going.  Many people set goals every day without even realizing it.  Some set themselves up for failure at the start of their goal but not setting a SMART one….

So, to set a smart goal, it must be:

SPECIFIC –  You must state exactly what your goal is and be as specific as possible.  Use the word "will" instead of "want".

MEASURABLE – Your goal must be measurable and quantifiable.  So basically, you have to be able to see or prove that you accomplished it.

ATTAINABLE  – You must be able to achieve this goal within your daily time and financial constraints. Even if it starts out small, it’s better than what you are currently doing and it will eventually grow.

REALISTIC  – Keep your goals realistic!  Don’t expect more than you are willing to commit to this process.

TIME SENSITIVE  - Give yourself a specific time and date of when you will reach your goal.



NOTE:  Now take the paper with your SMART goal and hang it where you will see it every day – the refrigerator, bathroom mirror, desktop … maybe even all three of these places.

KEEP THE COMMITMENT IN FRONT OF YOU!

 …..This really opened my eyes for some reason.  Sure, I’ve set goals in the past but never once did I post that goal in front of me so that I can see it daily and be reminded of what I’m working for.  I always tucked it away so that no one else could see it (in case I failed).

So, I did this as soon as I could tonight.  I literally have post-its all over the place!  Now, I’m challenging you to do the same…..make your goal known and post it so you won’t forget what you are working towards!

"People often say that motivation doesn’t last.  Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily." - Zig Ziglar
……bring on the daily reminders….

**Nightmares**

OK, so I thought that I would outgrow the nightmare stage in life but apparently, there is
no age limit.  The sad thing is that this time, I know exactly what is causing them…..poor
eating choices.  I began to notice this once I had been eating really well for a period of
time and losing weight – then I started to get lazy and fell back into poor eating habits.  It
was then, that I noticed the weird, crazy dreams – some border on nightmares and others
are just too crazy to even comprehend!  (Such as last night when a random lion was
trying to get my dogs so my aunt and uncle were hiding the dogs in a hotel room….see
what I mean?)

I guess the point of this is that I know eating poorly will give me nightmares and no
quality sleep.  I get up the morning after tossing and turning only to tell myself that I
have to eat better today if I want to get any sleep tonight….but, as the day drags on, I
tend to forget about the lack of sleep from the night before and continue to make poor
choices.  Thus, the never-ending cycle continues.

So, starting on June 1st (yes tomorrow), I’m going to CHOOSE to make healthy
choices each and every day.  I’m not naive enough to think that this will be an easy
task, especially for a junk food addict such as myself … but with good intentions comes
some sort of reward/progress.  It’s the first step (again) towards my long-term goals – which I’m
definitely going to accomplish this time around.  Feel free to hold me accountable – it
will only help me stay on track!

“Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win.” -- Bernadette Devlin
…..and so the battle begins….

Really?.....Age 32 already??

So today's my birthday.....

I'm not one of those people who hate their birthday or cry when it comes.  I enjoy it for what it is and go on but today, for some crazy reason, I started to reflect on things.  Honestly, there were so many things I thought I would have at this point in my life or would have accomplished by now.  I guess I can only point the finger at myself though because I'm usually the one that derails the train. 

So, after spending the day with my wonderful mother and doing lots of girl talk that we don't get to do often enough, I sat down to ponder and create a new list of things to accomplish - possibly even more realistic ones.  There are a few that have no timeline (healthy living, maintaining friendships, travel, etc) and there are some that I plan to accomplish in the next few months to a year (lose weight and get in better shape, build up a bigger savings, meet Mr. Wonderful, etc.).  The point is.....I still feel like I have plenty of time to accomplish them.  No pressure, right?

This blog has been on my mind alot in the last few days.  Writing it kind of feels like bearing my soul which is the equivalent of walking around naked in my mind.  Trust me, that's not the prettiest of pictures........  But, I decided to do this for a reason....to chronicle daily things in my life and possibly share some amusement, to share in my journey of weight loss and a healthier lifestyle,  and also to describe my struggles and triumphs in all areas of my life. 

I'm thinking that after these first few posts, I won't be doing as many generic topics and will pick a specific thing that was going through my mind that day.  I guess we will have to see where this goes......

"Sometimes you have to forget what you feel and realize what you deserve"
..........some of this started today....

Roll The Credits....wait I'm not ready....

The next "sequel" is starting - although I'm unclear on which chapter I'm on now.....they all tend to run together at times.  I think I'll call this one -- "Finding The Happy Medium in Life."  Sound generic?  Better than -- "Sanity, seriously who needs that anyway?"  HA!  But I digress....

I'm trying something new.  Call me indecisive, adventurous, insane, a glutton for punishment, smart, delusional, confused, etc.....but whatever you call me, it will have to be quick because I'm onto a new challenge. 

This blog is going to truly be a mixture of EVERYTHING!  My life, my annoyances, my humor, my struggles, and my new journey.  I'm attempting to climb a mountain here....seriously!  Welcome to my journey....I hope you can relate or even just laugh.....Enjoy!