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Archive for the ‘Positive Living’ Category

Treading Water

Posted in Health and Fitness, Life, Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , on November 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I cannot believe it has been two weeks since my last post. I’ve been extremely busy trying to balance my home life with my new job. Folks, I’m basically treading water. I’m doing what needs to be done each day; however, I haven’t quite gotten into a routine, yet. Thankfully, I do not have to bring any work home with me. Despite the discombobulation, I’m happy. And, grateful! I have a job, and I have a job I really enjoy. Eventually (I hope), my life will fall more into a routine. I just feel like I’m running out of time each and every day, and I cannot accomplish everything I need to do. 

My theory as to why I am struggling with time, or lack of time seems to revolve around the time change, as well as the cold weather. Before daylights savings time ended and it turned cold, I got up at 4AM. This allowed me to exercise and get a big jump on the day and all the day had to offer. Generally, I went to bed between 9PM and 10PM. All was well with the world. Unfortunately for me, this is no longer the case. I’ve been exercising in the afternoons now because I cannot get out the bed, and I refuse to run in the dark when it’s cold. I confess…I’m a wuss. Saturday, I waited until 12:30PM to go for my run. The day was absolutely gorgeous and the temperature was perfect. During the week, I have to rush to get home and run before it gets dark, take care of pets, take care of Andrew and Andrew-related stuff, eat dinner, take care of household obligations, etc. I find that by 8:30PM, I’m ready for bed. Literally, I’m falling asleep doing stuff. I find myself sleeping more. I attribute this to it getting dark early and the cold weather. All I want to do when it gets dark in the evening is hibernate. Maybe, I’m part bear. When I get home at 4:30PM and go to bed at 8:30PM, I’m not getting everything done.

The good news….it’s okay. I just have to be more creative with my time and prioritize. I refuse to use my new job or the time change as an excuse not to exercise, not to get together with family and friends, not to watch The Walking Dead (although I did fall asleep in the last few minutes of Talking Dead). I could have skipped lunch with one of my dearest friends yesterday and missed out on great conversation, as well as eating squid steak (amazing) and sushi; and stayed home to clean my house. However, the time with my friend was more important to me. I don’t want to take my family and friends for granted. Eventually, my house WILL get cleaned (family arrives on Wednesday…amazing how fast you can clean your house when you have company coming to spend the holiday with you.) I took today as my REST day so I could write this blog post. All is well with the world. The key is to stay PRESENT and enjoy the moment.

I’m getting close to achieving my weight loss goal. Last week, I weighed in at 128 pounds. Yesterday, I weighed in at 127.5 pounds. I have two more weeks to meet my goal of 125 pounds. I’m hoping I can do it. I had an endoscope done on Friday. My last endoscope was four years ago. My gastrointestinal doctor wants to see about taking me off the reflux medicine. My esophagus, stomach, and duodenum were normal. Biopsies were taken from all three areas. I should have the results in about fourteen days. She discovered a small hiatus hernia. I have to continue my medication until I see her in two months. She will prescribe a program to wean me off the meds to prevent rebound reflux. If all goes as planned, I can wait five years to repeat the upper endoscopy. Getting off the medication and preventing reflux is one of the factors to why I lost weight. I dislike taking medication, and I dislike the effects of reflux even more.

My dear readers I must bid you adieu until next time. Thanksgiving is in a couple of days. Let the upcoming holiday inspire you to see the blessings you are given everyday. Happiness!

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an action but a habit.” ~ Aristotle

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Sunrise or Sunset

Posted in Health and Fitness, Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , on October 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

On Sunday morning I ran later than usual, so I had the opportunity to experience a beautiful sunrise. I decided at that moment when the first rays of light were coming up that I prefered sunrises. Naturally, this is not set in stone because I can imagine a sunset in the right place can be quite beautiful, as well. At this point in time, I’ll stick with sunrises. For me, a sunrise signifies more than just a new day. It is hope and a clean slate. Whatever mistakes, shortcomings, or failures the day before seem to have faded away. The sunrise caused an intense feeling of gratitude within me. I was given another day. Another day to spend with my family, stay connected with friends, and enjoy the many blessings of the day.

What do you prefer…sunrises or sunsets? Why? I would love to know. Leave me a comment below.

If you noticed, I am a little delayed in posting this week. It was not my intention, but time just slipped away from me. On Saturday night I directed the Showboat Auction at WYES-TV in New Orleans. It is one of my favorite places to work because some of my favorite people work there. I went to sleep later than usual Saturday night, which meant getting up later on Sunday morning. I got caught up in the day’s activities. Sunday came and went. Monday came and went, as well as Tuesday. I had plans to blog at BAM on Wednesday; however, received an early morning call to substitute for Kindergarten. I agreed. You agree to crazy things like spending the day with twenty-one kindergarteners when you need income. They are like ants. Always busy. It is Thursday, and I’m at BAM blogging away. Honestly, I haven’t been blogging the entire time. I’ve been checking e-mail and movie times, while stealthily eavesdropping on other people’s conversations. Okay, stealthily is a bit CIA; I just didn’t make direct eye contact. HA! Unfortunately, I didn’t get any good information. However, there is an early showtime this Sunday for the new Alex Cross movie coming out this weekend.  

Update on Mission Weight Loss:

At Sunday’s weigh-in, I was 132.5 pounds. No loss or gain for the week. As for my run/walk schedule this week, I graduated to running a full thirty minutes. Essentially, this means I can run three miles. I ran both Monday morning and Wednesday morning this week. I always warm up with a 10-minute walk and cool down with a 5 to 7-minute walk. I’ll stick with being a 30-minute runner for a while. I haven’t found a race, yet. I’m thinking it may be early next year. It would be fun to run the Crescent City Classic in 2013. I haven’t run that race in many years. Although it’ a 10K race,  I have plenty of time to train. However, I would like to do a couple of 5K races first. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself.

I also wanted to share with you that I have become quite passionate about red seedless grapes. In the past, I’ve always eaten green seedless grapes. Last month at the teacher preview party for the school’s Book Fair, I ate some red seedless grapes. YUM! No more green grapes for me. Now, if I could just get my hands on some satsumas.

Oh, my wonderful readers, enjoy the remainder of the week. Find joy each day, even in the simple things of daily life. For today, sipping on a Skinny Mocha Latte brought me joy. Happiness!

“He who kisses joy as it flies by will live in eternity’s sunrise.”  ~ William Blake

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A Change or Two

Posted in Health and Fitness, Life, Motivation, Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Oh, how I feel like a writer sitting here at a table in the cafe of Books-A-Million with my laptop, sipping on a skinny mocha latte…observing people, tapping out words galore, getting lost in my thoughts. Aaaah! I could get use to a writer’s life. At this point, my only obstacle is myself. So, how do I go about changing this? How do I get out-of-the-way of myself? What do I need to do to feel more like a writer? These are the questions I must answer, and answer soon. Okay, that sounds a bit dramatic. Soon…really? I’m thinking it will have to be a gradual process. I’m thinking it will occur to me the same way my weight loss journey occurred to me. I have to affirm it, and then keep my word to myself. More on this later.  

In the meantime, I want to discuss a couple of changes. There was a major weather change over the weekend. I admit, I am a bit of a weenie when it gets below 60 degrees. I like cold weather provided I’m not in it for any length of time. So, I have to make a slight change to my running schedule, and I have to get some warmer running clothes. As much as I like to run, I just could not make myself run this morning in the dark, in the cold at 4:30AM. It was 51 degrees. Then, I had an epiphany…run after dropping Andrew off at school since I did not have to substitute today. It will still be cold; however, the sun will be out. So, this is exactly what I did this morning. Now, Wednesday I will not be so fortunate. Either I will have to invest in some warmer running clothes, or I will be running Wednesday afternoon. Now, I do live in Louisiana, and the weather could change back to warmer temperatures by then. So, I’ll just have to wait and see. HA!

I may still get up at 4AM. I could do all sorts of things with the time, especially since I’m not sleeping. Perhaps, I could write on those cold mornings since I’m being too weenified to run.   

Sometimes, I think I prefer routine. Other times, I think I prefer change. I think it really depends on how the change comes about and if I have control over the change. When it comes to my workout schedule, I thought I wanted more of a scheduled routine. I’m finding, except for my runs, my mood and time of day determines what other type of exercise I want to do, whether it is walking, biking, strength training, etc. Running is something I would do every day if I could physically do it. So, I’m again mixing up my schedule. As long as I get at least three runs in per week (four runs would be ideal), as well as two strength training days per week, I am thrilled. So, I’m cutting myself some slack and allowing for more flexibility. This is definitely a change for me, and my lovely type A personality.

Well, my faithful readers, I have lost some more weight. I’m now 132.5 pounds. *Applause!* I have 7.5 more pounds to go before I reach my goal weight. This is a total of 20.5 pounds lost. I’m ready to reach my goal. For the first time in a long time, I’m actually looking forward to shopping for new clothes. My clothes are baggy, even my bras. Hee Hee! I must say that this has been an extremely wonderful change. I feel better physically and mentally. I’m repeating the run/walk schedule from last week: Walk 10 minutes, run 9 minutes. Walk 1 minute, run 9 minutes (repeat twice).

What other changes are in store for me in the next few weeks? Will I finally find a steady job? Will I be able to stay the course I’m currently on and spread my wings even further to discover more of myself? Or, will an unexpected windfall come my way? Don’t laugh! It could happen. Happiness!

Oh, and one final change goes out to mon frere, Moonius Maximus, who officially changes today from 42 to 43 on the celebration of his birth. Love you, mon frere.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” ~ James Baldwin

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Busy Weekend Despite the Rain

Posted in Family, Health and Fitness, Life, Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I had a busy weekend despite the rain. Barry and I attended a wedding Saturday night in Mandeville. My hubby is friends with the groom. I should have taken a picture of myself. I wore a dress and heels. It is rare for me to wear a dress. I don’t even own the dress I wore. Thank goodness my BFF from the 3rd grade has a well-stocked wardrobe. And, since I have lost weight, I can actually fit in more of her clothes. Hee Hee! As for the heels, they actually do belong to me. I bought them for a scene I did for a showcase for one of my acting classes. I managed to not break an ankle. Anyway, we had a terrific time socializing. The bride was gorgeous, the music was rockin’, and the food was yummy. I did eat a little something healthy before the wedding, so I would not be tempted to overeat. It also allowed me to eat the delicious wedding cake cupcake. The bride and groom did not have a traditional wedding cake with multiple tiers. They had one standard size cake at the top followed by four to five steps lined with giant cupcakes to make it look like a huge wedding cake.  They were so big, Barry and I had to split one. YUM!

On Sunday, I spent the day with my parents. We went to the movies to see End of Watch. It’s a movie about two young cops whose lives are changed after making a bust involving money and guns belonging to a notorious cartel. The three of us enjoyed it. Afterwards, we had lunch at Applebee’s. Before leaving my house that morning, I made a list of acceptable dishes I could eat to stay on the right course. I ordered the Weight Watchers Cabernet Mushroom Sirloin. It included steamed broccoli and new potatoes (15g fat/460 calories).  If I wasn’t so disciplined and could afford to SUPER splurge, I would have ordered the Oriental Chicken Salad. Ready for this…the regular (crispy chicken) with salad dressing is 98g fat and 1,390 calories. OOOF! Now, you can order a half-size, which would bring it down to 49g fat and 690 calories. Unfortunately, that is still too much, especially for a salad.

I have completed my 11th week of eating clean and exercising on a regular basis. Due to eating salty fried appetizers and a bowl of gumbo at the wedding, as well as nature NOT calling before my weekly weigh-in, I am back to 136 pounds. I know it is just a pound, and I know it isn’t a fat pound; however, I dislike not seeing a loss. It’s expectation. I’ve only had one other time on my weight loss journey where I gained, and again it was water weight. Never fear, I’m already over it. It’s a new week with lots of potential. My run/walk schedule for this week: Walk 10 minutes, run 9 minutes. Walk 1 minute, run 9 minutes (repeat twice). I’m so close to running a full 30 minutes.

Hope you have many wonderful blessings this week. Try to be as PRESENT as possible. It helps to keep stress away, and allows more room for happiness. Currently, I’m reading Gretchen Rubin’s new book called Happier at Home. Rubin decided to dedicate a year to another happiness project, but this time focused on her home. I have a feeling my happiness project will be resurfacing after reading this book. Happiness!

“The ship of my life may or may not be sailing on calm and amiable seas. The challenging days of my existence may or may not be bright and promising. Stormy or sunny days, glorious or lonely nights, I maintain an attitude of gratitude. If I insist on being pessimistic, there is always tomorrow. Today I am blessed.”            ~ Maya Angelou

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A Gratitude Attitude in Action

Posted in Inspiration, Life, Positive Living, tagged , , , on September 26, 2012| 2 Comments »

I consider myself a person with a gratitude attitude. Most evenings before going to bed, I write at least five things I am grateful for in my life. I have a dear friend who hires me twice a year (or more if work is available) for freelance work. I make a point of taking her to lunch once or twice during the year to express my gratitude. I’m pretty good at writing thank you notes for gifts I receive from family, friends, and students. And, if my family and I receive excellent service at a restaurant, we make a point to show our gratitude with a great tip and a compliment to the manager about the service. I believe these actions can make an impact…maybe small, maybe big.

Recently, while waiting for my car to be fixed, I thought about extending my gratitude to people who help me in other capacities. Our society tends to focus on complaining more than complimenting. When I taught 2nd grade, I use to tell my students to try to receive compliments rather than complaints. Every time my students received a compliment from me or from another adult, I would write a letter on the board until it spelled out COMPLIMENT. Once the word was complete, my students voted on their reward. It could be an extra 15-minute recess or switching places with another student to sit by a friend for the day.  Even as a teacher, I received more complaints than compliments. The compliments I did receive whether in person or in writing, I cherished because they were rare. In fact, I use to keep happy notes from parents or administration in my desk, so on bad days when things were not going well, I would stop and reread those notes. They provided comfort. I try to write happy notes to my son’s teachers to pay it forward for the ones I received over the years.

Granted, people are paid to provide a service or do a job; however, people like to be acknowledged when they do something well or go above and beyond their normal duties. So, I have decided to express my gratitude to those people who sincerely make an effort to make my life more enjoyable and more manageable.

First, I have to thank YOU, my reader. Thanks for subscribing to my blog. I appreciate you allowing me to enter your inbox periodically to share whatever I have to say about my life. You are NOT taken for granted. I consider you a member of my tribe, and I am grateful to you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read what I have written. One day, I will figure out another way to express the gratitude I feel towards YOU, my reader. For NOW…Thank You! 

Next, I will mail out three thank you cards tomorrow morning. One will go to Rae, the service advisor at Toyota. One will go to James, the service tech at Toyota. Both of these gentlemen helped get my car back on the road. I love my little car. It is important to me, as well as my family. It is necessary for me to have it running properly. The last card will go to the owners of an athletic shoe store where I buy running shoes. I have been a customer since I was in high school. The store is about an hour away from where I live, but well worth the drive. The last time I went to the store, they did not have the shoes I needed in my size. First time this ever happened. Henry agreed to order the shoes and mail them to me at no charge. Happiness! 

So, the next time someone does something to make your life a little easier or even a little happier, demonstrate a gratitude attitude. I bet it will bring some positive energy into your life.

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” ~ Randy Pausch

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