This week has been very productive for the blog and for me. I've posted several times this week. I got back on the bike for 15 minutes, three times this week. I started belly dancing again. I walked quite a bit. I discovered that organizing my day on a list worked, I am averaging 80% accomplished. I am having a good week, and I also had some epiphanies.
1) I am what I look like - if I want to feel better, I should look better. I am not talking about fancy clothes or a ton of make up. I am talking about simple things, like posture, keeping my hair short (because I hate brushing my hair and now you can't tell), wearing earrings and breathing. Yes, it is amazing how much we hold our breath in a single day.
2) Eat 6 meals a day and you will not feel hungry (most of the time). I have only being doing this for two weeks, and it is true that I am concentrating on quantity first to then go to extreme quality. But I've had more fruits and veggies this week than usual. I started eating salmon again and I am drinking more water than ever (and I have always drank a lot of water).
3) Read a lot and enjoy it more. I have always loved to read. But with life getting in the way, I rarely read for entertainment. Now, I only ask to be able to read one chapter a day of a novel. And I am doing very well. Which brings me to my next point...
4) Do a little bit at a time and you will get more done. On my daily list I go by chapters, not try to finish the whole book in two days. Granted, tomorrow is a lazy day, so I will probably read more, but if you break things into really small parts, you can get more done in a weekly basis. I have heard and read all the experts talk about this, but I had never been able to break things in chunks that were comfortable for me. Now I understand how to tailor good ideas to my lifestyle. And it is really encouraging to see how much I am getting done.
5) Do what works for you. There are many good ideas out there. Like the Dalai Lama says "take what you can use and let go of the rest". I'm sure he did not say it like that but the point is, you take advice or ideas or whatever it is, you tailor it to your needs and whatever does not work, discard it. You need to find what works for you. For example, I am not big on going in public right now to exercise. I am very self conscious of looking ridiculous and being clumsy. So, I am well stocked with every possible exercise video and machine I like, and little bit at a time, I am incorporating them into my day. When I feel more relaxed, I can take a class or two. My immediate goal: to loose 20 pounds so I can sign up for spinning classes close to home. Let's see how that goes. I will keep you posted.
Keep trying.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Whatever image issue you have, is all in your head
Today I was concerned because I was going to an event and was feeling ugly and fat. Then it hit me that the people at this event did not know me when I was skinny. To them I was just another middle aged mom with a little extra weight and very little wrinkles. So why not try to make that person look the best she could look? I put on a red shirt (which makes me look very lively), got a great hat (for sun protection), wore my best jeans and my cutest shoes and was out the door.
Image is all in the head. We spend too many hours trying to look like super models we see in magazines when they don't even look like that all the time. We see a beautiful woman on the street and we want to emulate her. Why? We need to find our own beauty. Define our own strengths.
When I was young, my best feature was my legs. I am short, but my legs were beautiful. I let them go because as I got fatter, they lost their beautiful shape. As of right now, my lower legs look and feel amazing (because of all the walking and exercises that I do) but from the knee up, not so much. So what am I doing? Looking for exercises that will help reshape that area and showing off the lower legs whenever I can. It makes me feel good when people notice them, but it makes me feel even better when I take care of them and make them look fabulous.
Don't waste any more time comparing yourself to other people. If you cannot find many strengths in yourself, look for one. You might have great eyes, or a beautiful neckline, or great skin. Emphasize the one good thing you have on the outside and use all the good things that you have on the inside to get people to notice YOU.
I realize that I am talking about looks and it is a little hypocritical of the person that believes that the inside is what counts. But lately I have come to realize that it is the total package that matters. If you feel good about the image you are showing (and I am not talking about expensive outfits or shoes, but about the traits that make you unique), you will glow. That attracts people to you. Then your personality will keep them glued to you. It is that simple.
Keep trying.
Image is all in the head. We spend too many hours trying to look like super models we see in magazines when they don't even look like that all the time. We see a beautiful woman on the street and we want to emulate her. Why? We need to find our own beauty. Define our own strengths.
When I was young, my best feature was my legs. I am short, but my legs were beautiful. I let them go because as I got fatter, they lost their beautiful shape. As of right now, my lower legs look and feel amazing (because of all the walking and exercises that I do) but from the knee up, not so much. So what am I doing? Looking for exercises that will help reshape that area and showing off the lower legs whenever I can. It makes me feel good when people notice them, but it makes me feel even better when I take care of them and make them look fabulous.
Don't waste any more time comparing yourself to other people. If you cannot find many strengths in yourself, look for one. You might have great eyes, or a beautiful neckline, or great skin. Emphasize the one good thing you have on the outside and use all the good things that you have on the inside to get people to notice YOU.
I realize that I am talking about looks and it is a little hypocritical of the person that believes that the inside is what counts. But lately I have come to realize that it is the total package that matters. If you feel good about the image you are showing (and I am not talking about expensive outfits or shoes, but about the traits that make you unique), you will glow. That attracts people to you. Then your personality will keep them glued to you. It is that simple.
Keep trying.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Short term savings might lead to health crisis in the future
I read somewhere that the recent economic crisis was having a negative impact on the obesity of America. That also holds true for other countries. The simple equation is:
less money = more fat
In essence, people are cutting costs at home by purchasing the wrong foods, thinking that they can survive the economic crunch. As always, humans thinking in the short term and completely ignoring the long term effects of their actions.
I have no problem spending more money on food and making sure that it is high quality. I believe that as the years go by, people might understand more and more what I mean. Yes, it is true that if you purchase cheaper food now, you might save a couple of bucks. But five or ten years from now, you are going to spend a lot more money on medications and treatments that you could have avoided if you pick your groceries based on freshness and quality instead of cheap and plenty.
Another thing that I noticed is how people think that they are saving money by shopping in two or three different supermarkets. They are not considering the money they are spending on gas or the stress that they are causing in their lives by going for two or three shopping trips instead of one. Maybe people should consider the possibility on making different trips on different weeks. The idea of several trips is also bad for the environment, which again, will revert in more expensive things later on.
As more information is gathered about the foods we eat and the types of diseases it generates, we must focus on health now, and try cutting costs in other areas, like maybe getting a bike instead of driving a car, or walking to the shopping court close to home. Those changes will give you more money in your pocket, will help the environment and will make you healthier.
Keep trying.
less money = more fat
In essence, people are cutting costs at home by purchasing the wrong foods, thinking that they can survive the economic crunch. As always, humans thinking in the short term and completely ignoring the long term effects of their actions.
I have no problem spending more money on food and making sure that it is high quality. I believe that as the years go by, people might understand more and more what I mean. Yes, it is true that if you purchase cheaper food now, you might save a couple of bucks. But five or ten years from now, you are going to spend a lot more money on medications and treatments that you could have avoided if you pick your groceries based on freshness and quality instead of cheap and plenty.
Another thing that I noticed is how people think that they are saving money by shopping in two or three different supermarkets. They are not considering the money they are spending on gas or the stress that they are causing in their lives by going for two or three shopping trips instead of one. Maybe people should consider the possibility on making different trips on different weeks. The idea of several trips is also bad for the environment, which again, will revert in more expensive things later on.
As more information is gathered about the foods we eat and the types of diseases it generates, we must focus on health now, and try cutting costs in other areas, like maybe getting a bike instead of driving a car, or walking to the shopping court close to home. Those changes will give you more money in your pocket, will help the environment and will make you healthier.
Keep trying.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
New haircut, bad attitude, a beginning
Yesterday I decided to chop all my hair off. I left the hair salon with about 1/4 inch hair on my scalp. Today, after looking at myself in the mirror, for the 100th time, I realized I have too many gray hairs. They upset me, not because they are gray, but because they make me look frumpy. Today, at some point, I shall eliminate them.
When I got my haircut, I felt free. No more worrying about hairdos, and the sweating, the not looking polished. Then it hit me than in order to look like a girl, I have to wear makeup and earrings... not my favorite things. But in a very weird way, I would rather do that, than brush my hair and see it all disappear after the first wind hits me. Isn't that weird? A woman who has never liked to put makeup on, is looking forward to spending too many minutes in front of the mirror, trying to look good. That would probably be because, I am doing it for me, not for anyone else. That is priceless to me.
The haircut did not get the reaction I expected. That came with a price. I did not want to leave the house last night. In fact, I did not want to leave the house today. The thing about having a bad attitude is that you miss out on a lot of great things because of it. So, today, after feeling sorry for myself for a few hours, I am walking to the movie theater to watch a movie, sporting my new hairdo and smiling all the way there. If the endorphins don't get to me, the change in attitude will.
I explained the New haircut...I explained the bad attitude, now for the beginning. Yesterday I started, yet again, a list of things to do today. I called it the Accomplishments. I am doing pretty well so far. Instead of concentrating on the fact that I did not wake up at 6:30 AM as planned, I am celebrating that I did wake up at 7:00 AM, and so far, all the things on the list from 7 - 10 AM are done. I did a couple of things that were supposed to be done later in the day in order to find the half hour I lost and try to stick to the list. Tomorrow I will have yet another list, and I will keep doing it until it becomes a habit (in say, 90 days). In theory, 90 days create a habit. In theory, you should work with what works for you, no matter what anyone says.
A little while back, someone told me that I should not make lists or try to follow a schedule. The result of that was that I have wasted two months of my life and I am at a point in my life when enjoying life means getting more things done, not less. Yesterday I wrote down what I wanted to do today. From now on, if this is what works for me, this is what I am going to do. I apologize if that is not the way other people do things, but I like to see where I'm going instead of trying to wing it. I hope all affected understand.
Keep trying.
When I got my haircut, I felt free. No more worrying about hairdos, and the sweating, the not looking polished. Then it hit me than in order to look like a girl, I have to wear makeup and earrings... not my favorite things. But in a very weird way, I would rather do that, than brush my hair and see it all disappear after the first wind hits me. Isn't that weird? A woman who has never liked to put makeup on, is looking forward to spending too many minutes in front of the mirror, trying to look good. That would probably be because, I am doing it for me, not for anyone else. That is priceless to me.
The haircut did not get the reaction I expected. That came with a price. I did not want to leave the house last night. In fact, I did not want to leave the house today. The thing about having a bad attitude is that you miss out on a lot of great things because of it. So, today, after feeling sorry for myself for a few hours, I am walking to the movie theater to watch a movie, sporting my new hairdo and smiling all the way there. If the endorphins don't get to me, the change in attitude will.
I explained the New haircut...I explained the bad attitude, now for the beginning. Yesterday I started, yet again, a list of things to do today. I called it the Accomplishments. I am doing pretty well so far. Instead of concentrating on the fact that I did not wake up at 6:30 AM as planned, I am celebrating that I did wake up at 7:00 AM, and so far, all the things on the list from 7 - 10 AM are done. I did a couple of things that were supposed to be done later in the day in order to find the half hour I lost and try to stick to the list. Tomorrow I will have yet another list, and I will keep doing it until it becomes a habit (in say, 90 days). In theory, 90 days create a habit. In theory, you should work with what works for you, no matter what anyone says.
A little while back, someone told me that I should not make lists or try to follow a schedule. The result of that was that I have wasted two months of my life and I am at a point in my life when enjoying life means getting more things done, not less. Yesterday I wrote down what I wanted to do today. From now on, if this is what works for me, this is what I am going to do. I apologize if that is not the way other people do things, but I like to see where I'm going instead of trying to wing it. I hope all affected understand.
Keep trying.
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