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When I moved with Chuck back to my home town, I found that many of the iconic buildings from my younger years were still here and serving the community. One of them is the Wead Library.
It was built in 1932 and honestly looks and feels the same as when I was a girl.
Today I went there to donate some books that I no longer need. Hopefully someone will enjoy them like I did.
When I look at these two pictures and see the transformation, I’m amazed.
I always smiled even when I was miserable inside. My entire life I’ve tried to overcome a feeling of poor self-esteem. I would eat to medicate myself and then starve to get ready for the summer so I could go to the pool with a cover-up and just dangle my feet in the water.
Working in the operating room, I could wear scrubs which hid a multitude of shapes nicely and I didn’t look too bad (in my eyes) until I found I was creeping into the next size up. Then I ran to the drugstore to get the latest pill and purchased the newest miracle diet book to keep my weight in check. I lived on Monsters & coffee for energy and ate one meal a day. The only exercise I got in was a 20-minute stretching routine that I performed religiously every morning before work.
I don’t know where my life would be had I not found my online coach & started my fitness journey in 2018. I followed her quietly “in the shadows” for a long time before I reached out and even then, I was afraid. I asked her to only sign me up as a customer, so I didn’t have to commit to anything.
BUT I knew I needed something to turn me around because now I had let my health get out of control. Pizza and beer were main courses every week and exercise still was not in my daily routine. I was retired now and didn’t have something to keep me distracted so I became more aware of the changes I was creating by my unhealthy lifestyle. And time continued to pass bringing more birthdays and feeling unhappy with myself.
Fast forward to today- I made the commitment to jump into this new lifestyle with both feet. I wanted to get rid of my unhealthy habits. I wanted to feel good about myself. And I wanted to be the best wife, mother and grandmother I could be. This woman I signed up with helped to get my feet under me and earn the new healthier me today.
Do I get up everyday anxious to work out? “No”
But it’s become as much a part of my life as brushing my teeth. I wish I had committed way back years ago. BUT I was not ready until that day in 2018. YOU may not be ready yet either but when you are, I’ll be here waiting to encourage you and motivate you. AND who knows where that step will take you in your life!
I don’t coach or sell but I’m here to encourage and motivate. I’m always exploring different exercise routines because as each birthday goes by, I’m less able to do the high intensity workouts I did just a short time ago.
DO YOU LACK CONFIDENCE?
I DO TOO!
Here are 3 ways that I work to overcome it:
1. Take that first step! You know the story – a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. Here’s the thing – you may not have the confidence that you can climb an entire mountain. But you don’t have to do that today. Today you need to take that first step.
2. Get over your ego!
It’s not our fear of failure that makes us not move; it’s our fear of looking small. It’s the ego that kills us because we won’t take that first step
3. Control the controllable!
You can’t control it all, but you can control you. You can manage your attitude and the action you take
#confidence #confidenceboost #fearisaliar
I grew up in this area above and moved to the capital of New York (Albany) after graduating High School. I lived there until 1998 and then moved to San Antonio. Each place has had such wonderful memories. I wonder what kind of memories we’ll create here as we age into our golden years.
We had this lovely home in San Antonio, Texas. Now that we’re at retirement age, we’ve moved closer to family in the northeast. With God’s help we managed to find someone who was a perfect fit for our home where we made so many memories. I know in my heart they are very happy there.
One of my favorite things to do is work in my gardens. It’s a form of exercise and meditation at the same time. Here are some of my flowers.
I determined after 40 years of minimal exercise, that I needed to do something to improve my health. So I changed my diet and started an exercise program. It’s a lifestyle change that I’ve found I can live with.
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Transformation Tuesday. It’s hard to believe that I have come so far in such a short amount of time. Actually, I have lost 2.5 more pounds since this picture, but I’m not very photogenic today so you’re getting the one that was taken when I started this month’s exercise routines.
When I was younger, I ate because my parents said the kids in other countries were starving. When I was older (after I went through my years of binge/purge, starvation, grapefruit diet-you know what I’m saying?) I then started eating for comfort.
Stressed = Eat.
Depressed = Eat
Angry = Eat
Oh…and of course there was the traditional alcohol mixed in there. Especially when I lived in the city that partied all the time (Fiesta !!!)
Does any of this sound like you? I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror and I was careful to always wear certain clothes when I was out in public to hide my middle.
When I was getting married, I got down to a size 6 and I remember saying I couldn’t eat anything before the wedding otherwise my dress wouldn’t fit. Wedding day came and I couldn’t eat either because I was afraid it would have a wardrobe malfunction.
The things I did to be what I felt was small enough.
Today I chase health and just by chance that has allowed me to be smaller as well. I am passionate about what I’m doing! I worked in surgery for so many years and have seen people there trying to chase that body they were hoping for. Some of this is physical and some psychological and each of us has to look at ourselves to decide what we need to do but…what I finally found has provided a healthy alternative and its worked. You won’t know unless you try! It comes with a guarantee! Talk to me! There’s a tab to request more information and I’ll get that right back to you
It’s Flex Friday! I’m making small improvements each week.
💜When I was a nurse, you might think that I had developed muscles. We lifted patients and equipment but there was always a lot of help around. Protecting the staff from stress injuries when lifting is very important so…I never seemed to develop muscles. 💜Then I grew into a leader and was at my desk more often and lifting less often. My muscles relaxed into the steady state of 10-20 pounds maximum with no reps. 💜Combine the little to no exercise with gulping down a Vente Caramel Macchiato (with an extra shot) every morning and inhaling lunch (something I grabbed in the cafe or on my way to work) and I had a recipe for unhealthy. Lucky me- I have good genes.😎💜My mother is 93 now and she still is pretty with it most days. She needed knee replacements years ago and refused, fearing she would die on the table.Now she can’t walk without a walker and a great deal of pain. But, as a young woman she had worked her upper body very hard on the farm and got very strong. I have found she still has strong arm muscles even though she only uses them when she walks.💜I have a lot of my mother in me so chances are I’ll live to be her age. In order to be as healthy as I can in 30 years, I need to work out and eat right now ( I should have started much younger)💜If you are a nurse, look at your nutrition and exercise. We learned about that in our training but somehow never use it. We focus so hard on caring for others, we forget ourselves. And our favorite phrase is “I have no time”. But I managed to find time to party with friends, drink beer and eat foods with more fat than I care to think of now. 💜30 minutes is what it takes. You can do it at any time. You can take it with you and stream it wherever you are. Don’t let that “I have no time” stop you. Time marches on and we grow older. We need to take care of ourselves now!
Have you ever said: I’m fat, my hips are too big, I have a pudgy belly, and then throw on an oversized T-shirt to hide it all? I did for such a long time. I was so miserable in my body that I would starve it and take diet pills and do anything I could to change it. When I met my husband, he had no idea what I looked like because I was always in baggy clothes. And I really hated bathing suits, so I wore shorts and a T-shirt to the pool or beach and avoided getting wet.
I grew up in the era of Twiggy and Kate Moss. The perfect size 0 or 2 girl who was likely airbrushed to look so perfect but as a girl I was obsessed with wanting their figures. First, I never considered my bone structure would never allow that to happen- I was born to be 5 feet tall with short legs and rounder hips than they would never ever have even if they were fat. Second-my metabolism was different so I couldn’t hope to starve myself skinny. My body wouldn’t allow that.
It took my entire life to overcome this hang-up and I still have flashbacks. Today was one of them. I still have an issue with my butt. Thank goodness I don’t see it behind me but in this picture, I had flashbacks again. I immediately started thinking OMG I’m fat! And I know I’m not. I just have a different body shape than someone else.
So, I’m posting this because I know I’m not fat. I’m built differently. My conditioning as a young girl is still lurking underneath and I must put it in check every now and then. If I could do one thing, I would encourage all parents to feed their kids nutritious foods right from the start so that they develop a healthy lifestyle. I’d say get your kids to a gym or workout with them at home, so they grow up learning that good health does not require diet food and pills. And talk about the normal body shape as apposed to the magazine model.
If I had grown up in that type of environment, I might not be struggling with this now at almost 65. I’m thankful I found a program that teaches and reinforces good health every day. Of course, it requires effort on my part like making and eating the foods and doing the exercises. But if it is developed early it becomes a habit like brushing your teeth. And my program also includes kids’ menus and exercising.
It’s not too late to start-I’m evidence of that so don’t wait. Get started today!
I have bigger weights to work out with today!
Yes, I actually went out and bought weights and a chin up bar! My plan is to push harder than ever this month to achieve my goal of one pull up on my birthday. I tried yesterday and the only achievement I had was I could pull up about an inch.
I’m not discouraged though, because I must start somewhere. Now I know I may not make that lofty goal but I’m going to try my hardest. I remember how it was in June 2018 when I tried to complete a workout with 3-pound weights. I couldn’t. I went to one pound and still had trouble, so I did it with body weight only at first. That’s where I was and here I am now.
My friends have been able to get to even larger weights. I was disappointed I couldn’t but…I started in 2018 with barely any muscle mass from so many years of severe dieting. I’m happy that I’m developing my muscles now!
Your body is an amazing machine. Feed it well and exercise and it will perform for you!
I know I’ll be very tired and probably a little sore after today’s session but I’m confident that I will get better every day. I try hard not to compare myself like I used to when I was younger. There’s no one else like me. I’m an original. That’s what I hope to instill in my kids and grandkids. Each of us is different and we need to “run our own race”
Healthy is what we should be pursuing. That means we must get off the couch and move every day. It means eating properly. It doesn’t mean to consume “diet” everything but what it does mean is go back to basics and get rid of the junk food we eat way too much of.
I’m learning every day. I still have difficulty with food prepping, but I’ve found that getting even 2 days prepped ahead can make a difference in my eating. So, I try and if you’d like to start, I’m here to help. We can get better at it together!
Goals take work -No matter what they are.
When my goal was to graduate with honors it took work. It took work to become a nurse and also a lot of work to move up in the ranks in nursing.
Now my goal is to be able to pull myself up on a chin-up bar. This will take a lot of work. And it won’t happen just in the exercise area. It must happen in the kitchen as well.
I just finished a pretty intense workout with weights and cardio, and I’m beat. My husband came up and shot a few pictures of me at cooldown and caught this one. It’s not easy but its worth it. That’s what I’m telling myself right now. You need to know that if your goal is to tone up and lose weight it won’t be easy. You have to remember that and tell yourself that you want to achieve that vision you have of yourself.
In the next 30 minutes, I’ll feed myself some protein and after that I’ll prep a healthy lunch of veggies, quinoa and some fruit. I don’t eat meat so I’m using quinoa as my protein.
Water and sleep are another vital part of my self-care. I got 8 hours of sleep last night and I’m working on 64 ounces of water for today.
I’ll also spend some time in the fresh air working in may garden today. My veggies also take work but they’re worth it.
My why for all of this?? Because I want to be the healthiest wife, mother, and grandmother I can be. I spent so many years working for my career that now I want to work for my family. I want to give them the best me I can. Off to eat and get some fresh air! Have a great Tuesday !
Why is she so obsessed with exercising and eating healthy?
That’s what people often ask and then they answer themselves with “she wants to try to remain young.”
Well I suppose that could be part of it but a bigger part is right here in this picture: 2 of my 8 grandchildren, who are extremely active! They are on vacation with their parents and look like they’re having a wonderful time in Maine! I want to be part of their lives for as long as possible! I love these guys and when they visit, I intend to do all the walking, hiking & horseback riding we can!
Not too long ago, I laughed and said to co-workers: “I’m a robot” “I can work 16 hours and go home to be back at work in the early morning”. In those days I could go on 4 hours of sleep as long as needed to get things done when I was on call. Then I reached “burn-out” and started to change my practices. But I’d done it for years combined with fast food and lots of caffeine.
Now…I see the results of doing that. I have little muscle tone and have had to withdraw from sugar and caffeine several times. (they’re a tough habit to break when you utilize them for energy for years). I have difficulty eating all the food I’m supposed to because its higher in fiber and I get full so fast. Every day I must work at it and many days I miss a protein or a veggie. That affects my weight loss and muscle development so it’s a difficult circle that I’m dealing with.
I love these two and all the others not pictured here (2 girls & 4 boys) and I hope I can encourage good eating habits in them. The ads on TV are so delicious looking. The aisles in the grocery stores are set up to tempt adults and children alike. I’m not immune either so I’m thankful for my accountability group. They check on me to see how I’m doing.
That brings up a truth that many may have not thought of-if you don’t eat the food and don’t do the exercises, no one will know-right? YOU will know and when you reach the point of showing how you transformed, it will not show.
I intend to show I had transformation-even if its small. I want to fix the damage I did over those years and bring my best self to every family get-together!
TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY!
☀️Transformations come in all different forms. Some are more noticeable and some are not, Some happen because we try really hard to achieve them and some happen simply because of good nutrition, love and natural causes. ☀️ My grandson is visibly transforming because he has great nutrition, all kinds of exercise, lots of rest and lots of love. All of these factor in to his change!☀️My friend Nicolle transformed in the same time frame because of great nutrition, lots of desire and work, lots of rest and love.☀️My transformation is now more internal than external but again it needs the same nurturing. I need to continue to eat well, exercise and get plenty of sleep. I’m gaining a positive attitude related to my body and food. ☀️A positive, healthy attitude toward food and toward our body is something we all start developing early in life and if we’re fortunate like my grandson, we will grow to appreciate what food does for us and how our bodies perform for us. ☀️I just finished a delicious meal of tofu, kale, quinoa, peppers & onions. I might never have eaten this when I was eating the SAD but now…it’s the way I try to eat everyday!And surprise…my body likes it!☀️If you’d like to take the course I took to eat in this nutritious way -let me know. I can help you get started and encourage you as you learn about the great foods that are out there waiting for us to try them!
Hello MARCH 
!
In my stories last night, I posted a picture of the amazing “worm” moon that I could see out my window! While sitting there watching the sky, I started thinking about the fact that it’s already the 3rd month of the year! Can you believe it?
I felt like January was so long and cold.
And February thought she was March and now …well it’s a mix this month.
Last month I went live on here which was so intimidating for me!
Once I finished I started thinking of all the things I could talk about in a live meeting with you all.
My first one, I think, will be taking that leap to be sugar free! Does anyone have experience with that? I’m discovering there are several thoughts on how to approach it.
And I wanted to thank you for following my stories. Sometimes I think they’re pretty chaotic but my retired life is that way most days.
With the snow still on the ground, I’m dreaming of gardening and maybe getting some chickens this year. The cost of eggs is still pretty high so having them will be helpful for my family and maybe give me a few dollars on the side once in awhile.
With this new exercise program I’m doing we’re reminded to be kind to ourselves and remember it’s not about the skinny but about getting healthier. I want to wish you all a happy and healthy month!
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