Do You Like You?

I said in my first weight loss post that I have battled my weight & had a poor body image for most of my adult life.  Do you know why?  It's not because anybody ever treated me poorly or told me I was FAT or anything like that.  It is because of the images & ideas we are completely inundated with about beauty.  I remember when I was young having certain movie/TV stars & singers that I wanted to look like.  What I didn't realize at the time is that on the TV & magazine covers, we're only seeing them at their very BEST & perfect appearances.  Not only that, they have assistants & stylists that continue to perfect their look.   The problem is that our idea of what is physically beautiful has been so skewed & messed up by Hollywood's standards.  The magazines & photos that we see online are NOT REAL!!  There is a Facebook page that I follow called The Bright Side.  They recently shared an article that really opened my eyes.  The article is about the Photoshopping of photographs.  In this article they share images before & after photoshop.  I couldn't believe just how much editing was done to the images.  And what makes it sadder is that the editing was completely unnecessary. If you're interested in checking that article out, you can click HERE  

It is no wonder that we have people with eating disorders & people who hate the way they look.  We've all been told that we need to be a certain size & wear certain clothes & fix our hair & makeup to the point that most women are not even comfortable in their own skin.  It's such a shame.  Now, I'm sure you're thinking "well, you say all of that, but you still want to lose weight & look better."   You would be partially right.  I DO still want to lose more weight.  But I have finally reached an age where it isn't all about how I look.  Sadly, I had gotten really comfortable with being overweight.  I had tried (& failed) to lose the weight so many times, that I thought this was just my body now. I didn't want to be an unhealthy mom, but for so long I couldn't lose the weight.  Being over 40 has made me realize how fast time is passing & I do not want to spend the second half of my life overweight & unhealthy & unable to do certain things with my family.  I want to love me & love my body.  So, for me, now losing weight is more about getting & staying healthy.  It's not about how I look.  I wish our society would focus more on health & wellness instead of outward beauty.  This is something that Jim & I try to portray to our girls.  They both know & understand that we're trying to lose weight.  But we always talk to them about doing this for our health.  What they don't understand is that all of this is for our physical health, yes.  But also for our mental health.  ;) So, do you like you?  Something to think about.  

Health & Wellness......MY Journey

For most of my adult life, I have battled my weight & had a very poor body image.  In our society it is in our face every single day, every where we turn that we are supposed to look a certain way & be a certain size.  Thanks to Hollywood & magazines our idea of beauty is so skewed & messed up. Thankfully, the older I get the easier it is to realize that the goal shouldn't be to be "skinny" or beautiful.  The goal should be to be healthy.  If we take care of our bodies with a proper diet & exercise we will make ourselves healthy.  Then a smaller body size & a certain kind of beauty will be ours. 

I'll be 42 in 8 months.  I'm determined to make 42 my healthiest year yet.  I have yo-yo dieted & lost & regained the same 10-15 pounds for the past 10 years.  When I got pregnant with Ava, I was bigger than I had ever been.  Thru both pregnancies, I gained very little weight.  BUT I was still bigger than I'd ever been  & I wasn't able to lose the extra weight after giving birth. 

After turning 40 almost a year & a half ago, I decided once & for all to get my health & weight under control. While I have been excited to figure this out, I have hit a few speed bumps along the way.  I've finally had success & have lost more weight this time than any other time I've attempted to lose weight.  I'm still not where I want to be, but I am well on my way & I am already a MUCH healthier version of myself.  Since last July I have lost 41.5 pounds & 8.1% body fat.  I feel like a new person.....and I've lost what equals to a small person. And now I want to share my story.  I hope you'll indulge me & follow along.  I will be doing a series of posts over the next few weeks/months.  I'd love for you to join me on this journey. 


 I will not even pretend to treat or diagnose anything.  I'm simply going to share information & tips & actions & products that have worked for me & helped me become a healthier version of myself.  I will tell you right now, there has been no magic pill, no quick fix, no "easy button."  Just a lot of work, sweat, tears, & real food.  

 
 
This first before/after picture is me in May 2015 & today.  The next picture is me in March 2016 & today.  As stated earlier, I'm not where I want to be, but I'm so much better than I was.   









They say great things happen just outside of your comfort zone.  I've never been one to share too many personal details about myself.  But I'm going to step outside of my comfort zone on this & share this journey.  I'm hoping that it will help & encourage someone else.  And I'm counting it keeping me accountable.  :)  One of my goals, aside from getting healthy, was to become a runner.  Several years ago, I completed the couch to 5k program & was just starting to understand what people mean about enjoying running.  Then I got sick & the weather turned colder.  That turned into my excuse to quit that time.  So, of course, the weight came back & I got down on myself & let it win.  I'm not going to let that happen this time. I am currently on week 5 day 2 of the Couch to 10K program. We are just coming upon my favorite time of year.  And with my recent weight loss, I'm finally enjoying running.

These cool, crisp, fall-like mornings are ideal for running. I will be sharing more details from this beginning of my journey in later posts.  I hope you'll tune in. 

Bucket List

 

Do you have a bucket list?  You know, a list of things you want to do or places you want to see before you "kick the bucket?"  Do you remember a few years ago there was a movie called The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman (two men that have always enjoyed watching)........https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bucket_List While this movie has some really sad & difficult parts to watch, it has a very good meaning & purpose.  Maybe this is something that I'm just now learning to focus on. 
I've found in the past couple of years that I'm trying to be very focused on spending my days jam packed with the people & things that make me happiest to be alive & soaking in every moment I can.........whether this means traveling & big trips OR relishing family game night at home. This line of thought automatically lends itself to thinking of things I want to add to my bucket list.
I've been thinking about simple stuff all the way up to extravagant stuff. So, I decided I'd share my thoughts with anyone who wants to listen.  One bucket list item that I'm currently working on is to regain control of my health & my life by healthy eating & exercising. Along with this, I want to LOVE running. I will get there. ;) Another part of this is to teach my girls how to make exercise a daily part of their lives & how to make healthy food choices.

One of my more extravagant items is to release a floating lantern. I'm not sure what it is, but this idea has always appealed to me. Gotta find out where I can do this!! Monique McLean recently did this with her family in Utah. I had the honor of meeting Monique a couple of years ago at the Thrive Conference in Nashville.  She is in my upline through Young Living.  She (& her family) have such a zest for life.  I'm very thankful to her for sharing her pictures with me to use in this post.  Don't these pictures look like such an amazing experience?!  I'm going to see if I can find available information on where to do this!! 

So, now let's grab by life the horns & really embrace & enjoy every single moment!!!  Now it's your turn....what's on YOUR bucket list????
I can't wait to hear from you!!!!

Back To School...........ALREADY????

I'm sure I'm not alone, I cannot believe that it is already back to school time.  It feels like the summers just keep getting shorter & shorter.    There is a lot of excitement that goes along with going back to school.  Summer is such a carefree & laid back time.........so much freedom & fun.  But going back to school brings its own goodness.  Getting back into a routine, football season, hometown celebrations & excitement.  

Going back to school can also bring a few problems......nervousness, temporary anxiety, sharing of germs, etc...  Today I thought I'd share some natural ways of dealing with things.

Does your family have trouble getting going in the mornings?  Check out this diffuser blend. 

Two of the best ways to support your child's wellness & immunity is by using Ningxia Red & Thieves oil blend.  If you're not already using these two, please go get some NOW!!!  You can thank me later. 

The first day of school brings a lot of excitement & a lot of nervousness.  My girls love wearing their diffuser necklaces & taking oily benefits on the go with them.  Stress Away, Valor, & White Angelica are just a few of our favorites for necklaces.

Starting back to school also means getting back into having regular, early bedtimes.  If your kids are like mine, that can be hard after a summer of carefree, late nights & evenings.  Try this relaxing pillow spray & roll on some Tranquil.  These oils will most definitely promote relaxation & peaceful sleep. 

It is never too early to start thinking about teacher gifts. Lots of people start the new year by bring the teacher a back to school gift.  Whether you take a gift at the beginning of the school year or not, there are tons of oily ideas that any teacher would be thankful to receive.    

So, now you're ready..........go out have a wonderful school year!!!