Posts filed under 'Progress'
Commentary: Trust
“Adopt a regimen of health, practice moderate exercise, and take just enough food and drink to restore our strength, not overburden it.”
–Cicero, 44 BC
I just love this quote that my friend Sara once shared. It subscribes to the school of thought that as humans, we need to trust ourselves and our bodies to take just enough, do just enough — but to do nothing to excess. (HA — as Americans, isn’t EVERYTHING we do to excess?!)
Ironically, one of the tenets of the diet/weight loss industry is that we are incapable, as humans, to trust ourselves to just eat enough and exercise just enough.
We fall victim to our cravings, and then we “need” diet plans, diet books, guides, calorie counters, iPhone apps, journals, food scales, regular scales to help normalize ourselves. (more…)
12 comments May 6, 2009
Happy Times
I don’t know what it is about a sexy LBD (little black dress), heels, and fun jewelry … but this weekend I felt good in my own skin. Confident, even.
It doesn’t happen often, but I know that when it does, I ought to embrace it and capitalize on it. I haven’t weighed myself in a really long time, but I don’t really care to, either — especially with my monthly guest, which arrived Monday.
The thing is, I shouldn’t necessarily need a fancy dress or an occasion to spark confidence. That magic can stick in my daily life, if I listen to my body and remember how good it feels to feel good and obey my hunger queues, obey my body’s limits, obey my cravings. (more…)
13 comments May 5, 2009
Right Here, Right Now
You know how sometimes they say what you want is right in front of you, and has been there all along?
Well, it hit me this week that I’m blessed and I’ve got everything I could want right now in life.
And instead of dwelling on something harmful, I’d rather focus on the good.
In spite of tough economic times and hardships all around, I feel seriously blessed.
I have a beautiful family, amazing friends, the most incredible husband, a house we own with a beautiful creek in the backyard (and a new stove coming next week!), a fantastic and fulfilling job and career in PR, a car I own, education/degrees that can never be taken away, travel experience I wouldn’t trade for anything, my health and fitness, and sometime in 2010, maybe even a little one (we’ll see!)
Things really are amazing, and they’re right in front of me. Why is it so hard for me to see it, when everyone else can?!
I wish I knew. Perfect Girl syndrome tends to rear its ugly head, but right here, right now, I’m shoving her away. There’s just no room for her at this table. (more…)
5 comments May 1, 2009
Open Book
I’ve been doing a lot of introspection the past couple weeks. One of the drawbacks about putting your thoughts and feelings out there in the blogosphere is that not everyone will love what you have to say, all day, every day.
Shocker, right?!
Naturally, I know it comes with the territory; it’s a risk I have to take, both as a writer, and also as someone who is trying to overcome a challenge. I have to realize that when I broach touchy subjects (or any subject, really), some people will possibly be turned off by my words, and some people might feel annoyed, frustrated, or upset reading my words …
Likewise, I never know what will be a “good post” or an “eh post.” Some days I see zero comments (but 700 hits) and other days I get a ton of comments on a particular post, or follow-up e-mails.
Comments are good; they create a dialogue, which is one of my blog’s missions. Often your comments (positive or not) lead to another post, and I do that because I’m listening … observing … absorbing.
Deep down, I know change doesn’t emerge from stagnancy … and so I know in my heart that writing/blogging about the good, the bad, and the ugly has helped myself and others. And I do believe that without it, I might not be where I am today on this journey.
That said, whereas before I wrote my thoughts and feelings in a journal and no one but me could read them … now my thoughts are out there for the world to read. And that can be a daunting notion. (more…)
7 comments April 29, 2009
Chew/Spit Free … 6 Weeks and Counting
People say it takes 21 days to create a habit, and I’m guessing it takes a little longer to resist a habit.
That said, I just wanted to share with everyone here that I’ve been chew/spit free for six weeks now! … A tremendous accomplishment, and one of which I am very, very proud.
It doesn’t mean I am confident enough to say six weeks means I’m out of the woods just yet –we all know blips on the radar, pebbles on the road are part of the recovery process–but I am so happy to be where I am mentally right now, in this moment. (No jinxing it, ok?!)
I owe a big thank you to my friends and family and husband who really helped me see that THIS IS IN MY CONTROL. (more…)
13 comments April 21, 2009
It’s All About Trust
With our tax refund this year, my husband and I decided to do something for our future and opened a 12-month CD.
Why a CD? We chose this option because, during these shaky economic times, a CD accrues some interest (more than it would in a traditional savings account) and won’t plunge in value like our 401Ks seem to be doing.
Basically, we will leave this money alone, and let it work its magic so in the future, we have a little something extra for a trip next year or something.
Leave it alone and let it work its magic …
Hm … do you see where this analogy is going yet? (OK, I love to tie weight and money!). (more…)
6 comments April 17, 2009
No Foolin’ Around
Happy April Fool’s!
Yup, this means the beginning of a new month, and, to boot, the first full month of spring. I haven’t seen any tulips or other signs of spring in our garden, but I know it’s coming … and that is such a good feeling after such a brutal winter.
Some of you might know this, but I work at a digital advertising agency. At each monthly staff meeting (held the last Monday of the month), our accountants stand up and say, “It’s the end of the month, get your time in!”
I’m anal about my time — since in my role of PR manager I don’t bill my time to clients, it’s not complicated for me to do; it’s the same code each week.
But every time they make the announcement, I realize another month has, indeed, passed. Four working weeks, four (or five) weekends.
Thirty or thirty-one days have passed. And often I wonder, what do I have to show for it? (more…)
3 comments April 1, 2009
Sad Stat
I read a really sad stat in the April issue of Women’s Health at the gym this weekend that I want to share today, at the beginning of a new week. It was buried on the lower left corner of page 22 in one of those By The Numbers sections.
“19: Percentage of women who say they’re happy with their bodies.”–
Source: Survey by the American Dental Association, Crest and Oral-B.
WHOA. This gave me pause. It was a little teensy newsflash that has legs, will travel … if only anyone else picked up on what a telling stat it was.
My first thought: THIS should be an investigative report in and of itself, Women’s Health, not a miniscule blurb! (And mind you, WH is probably my fave of all the fitness/health mags to which I subscribe).
Don’t you think? I mean, I imagined the numbers to be maybe 50, maybe 60 percent … but only a mere 19 percent? of the women sampled were happy with their bodies?!!
We all know surveys are a sampling and not the be-all, end-all… but how does that translate to the general popuplation? Are you saddened or surprised by that stat, or did you think it spoke the truth? (more…)
12 comments March 30, 2009
Where I’m At
I don’t usually post on the weekends, but my husband is studying and I haven’t been on my laptop all weekend, so I hope you don’t mind a random weekend post.
I do have a post coming tomorrow, but I thought tonight would be a good night to do a recap on what the past two weeks have been like for me.
So here’s a 360 “performance review” of my state of being … mentally, as well as physically.
-I haven’t chewed or spit in nearly two weeks, since I had my realization that I AM IN CONTROL. (more…)
10 comments March 29, 2009
The Help Tab
Like any savvy blogger, I check my blog’s stats each day. I like to know how people are finding my blog, where they’re coming from … and — most importantly — what they’re clicking on.
While it’s always nice to see comments, or to see how many hits a particular entry got … or didn’t get, which sometimes happens, too … the data point that interests me most is how many people are clicking on the HELP page each day.
As it turns out, at least 267 people have clicked on the help link since I added it in late November. That means a lot to me. (more…)
9 comments March 27, 2009
