Sunday, February 27, 2011

I need some me time---

 Let me tell you about a fantabulous woman:) My grandmother, the world's biggest most caring person is known for taking care of everybody and even their grandmother, lol. In fact, the running joke is that when you came home,  you didn't know who was going to be in the house taking residence on the sofa...as my grandmother would often take in family members, people off the street, etc.

Growing up, I saw my grandmother take care of countless people and even heard of her caretaking days pre-Tekeah (you know, before i was born). So keeping that same line of caretaking, my first job out of grad school was a social worker with therapeutic foster care kids...needless to say, I was taking care of other people's childen, and everything in between. I knew their date of births, their last dental, physical, vision, etc. ..all that and then some. I learned as a social worker that when working with people and their lives, something is always going on as people's lives never stop. I mean they never stop!! I also learned during my almost 6 year tenure as a social worker that I created a dangerous pattern of putting others before me.

This pattern left me, sadly overweight, depressed, and unhappy. I can't eat lunch because I "had to do" others people's stuff.  I seemed to always say yes when I should have said no.  As I've transitioned to healthy living, I've realized my worth, my value, and how important it is for me to make time for me and also for me to say no when it is at the expense of my happiness or my mental health wellfare.   Think about this...out of 24 hours in the day, what time have you made for yourself? I know for some you have kids, you have work , you have this....but let me tell you this...because you have all these things YOU MUST plan your ME TIME. You are that important to plan time for you....even if its reading 5 pages of a must read book while using the bathroom (away from the kids, lol,etc). Create that me-time happiness for you---you are that important--and its essential to healthy living:)

Share how you created your "ME" Time space:

I'll start, there is a certain meeting I go to on Saturday mornings, when I could work those days (make some extra money for some future planning lol)...but that time is my time! It keeps me balanced...and unless I'm out of town! I'm there with bells on:)...cuz its my time!














Thursday, February 17, 2011

Baby!! YOUR A FIREWORK!

I was driving in my car last week when I heard this song by Katy Perry...the lyrics hit me like a ton of bricks... the lyrics went like :

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

When I heard this, I said to myself this will be my theme song for my life. I am a fire work. We are good at so many different things and we exhibit so many different colors.We are  all fire works.

That song made me reflect on the years and the times that I did not realize that I was a fire work and literally and figuratively, a spectacular sight to see.  As I have gotten older, and all through this transition to be healthy both mentally and physically, I have realized that sometimes life has so many things going on that our fires are put out or we are either doing so many other things that we suffocate our own fires.  So when we try to exhibit our fire works...they end up as duds. I'm sure you remember as a child having a great fire work only for it to fizz for 2 seconds and then its done. What is left after the fizz?  Smoke or a cloud of sadness...for some us it is depression (I hate depression!! it sucks!!) That depression sucks up our fire works, our energy, our glory, and also our motivation.

So what does this have to do with transitioning to healthy living? We have to push pass the smoke...depressive thoughts, lack of motivation, to get moving.  I know, I know...but i don't feel like it!  Let me say this...you won't feel like it sometimes...but guess what, your body has a natural anti-depressant built in it(my little friends called happy endorphins)....it just takes you to get moving to activate it. Thats right !! FREE LEGAL DRUGS!! already in your body to combat against the depressive smoke that tries to choke your life....they are waiting for your to activate them:) My question is have you took your happpy drugs today?!! If not, its  not too late...I guarantee that you will notice a difference!! *singin....cuz baby your a fire work....:)











Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Greatest Lie Ever Told Is a Lie You Tell .......

I was sitting in one of my meetings last week, when a lady said a statement so profound that it jarred my thinking. She stated that one of the biggest lies that we could ever tell, is the one that we tell ourselves.  I swallowed hard on that one...a hard pill to swallow but the absolute truth.  I even took  it a step further and added this piece to what she said.....the biggest lie that we can tell is the lie we tell ourselves that we CAN'T DO IT.

WE CAN'T DO IT! huh! do we actually say that to oursleves...ummm yuppers!! I know, I've been there. This week I was reminded though of what it was like when I first started going to the gym and participating in the group  strength training classes. I swear I felt like everyone was fit and I was a slug (ha ha cuz I was lol). There were certain exercises that I couldn't do at all. There was this thing with the ball where you are laying on your back, bottom ups, heels on the ball, and you are rolling the ball in and out. I could not get that and actually I thought the teacher was crazy. 51- year old teacher looking like she 30 torturing me with something I couldn't do.  I felt like I couldn't do it and physically I really could only do one before tiring out. But you know what, I kept trying.  Did I get frustrated yes!! Super frustrated!  But, I did what I could. I worked that little 1 roll out I could do lol until the 1 became 2 and the 2 became a full  set of 10:)...and now I can do them.

Saying you can't is a lie, because you can.... our body is so wonderfully made its crazy..it is its own little machine..and if we keep at something long enough our body gives way and gets used to it and expects us to switch it up or increase the difficulty so it can adjust to that....ooooo what a body lol!

So, no more lying to yourself, telling yourself you can't, unless you are saying to yourself that you can't give up....you can't stop trying...you just can't.....

YES WE CAN!!!!!



Thursday, February 3, 2011

HOw Bad Do You Really Want It!-Losing Weight Ain't for the Faint of Heart!

Just this week I was talking with some of my friends over tea and desserts (shout out to Kenny Wesley for an awesome experience at the O street Mansion) about how today's society with the help of technology robs us of problem solving, patience, and hard work.

What do I mean? Think about this...remember when you were in school and we actually had to physically go to the library to gather information for your research projects and piece the project together. Ahh...the good old times lol.  Now, at the click on an internet button you can get full reports and it takes the hard work, patience, and problem solving, out of research papers.

How about when you would go to K-mart or Walmart and pick out a bike from amongst the models. Then when you rung it up, it came in a box with parts. LOL!  We don't want the parts, we just want the bike. In essence, we don't want to work to put it together, we just want the instant gratification of riding the bike.

In this day in time,  with the advances in technology, I feel like we are unsconciously wired up for the click of the button, instant gratification process and we don't even realize it. Even in transitioning to healthy living and achieving weight loss, a lot of us give up quickly because the process takes tooooo long. We want the weight off now!! Hence, the familiar, I want to lose 20lbs by this month! We don't want to do the work but want the results quickly.  I've definitely been there.  I tried weight pills, the shot (I got sick as a dog), no carb diets, etc.  I wanted it the quick way....and it never worked.  I liken skipping instructions and the process as a person putting together that model bike (looks like the bike), but you realized you have an entire bag of screws left.  The bike is good for a while, but it eventually goes to pieces. LOL!

This tid bit here, healthy weight loss is better  when it comes off slowly  because its more likely to stay off. So lets not skip the process, but rather enjoy it and learn about ourselves. I want to be a model bike with no screws loose so I can endure this ride:)


Don't Quit....:)
Remember, the transition may be slow, the weight loss may be slow, but in the end, it all adds up:)

Post your comments:)