Owning It!

I just got home from a great evening with my friend Lisa... We talked about getting older ;)  getting wiser (!) and making choices we are proud of.  I drove home with a smile on my face thinking about my life :)
Lisa and I both believe that we have choices in life, and our decisions create our futures.  We hope to spread this sense of responsibility to our students and loved ones through our lives and examples.

I started thinking about my life and the path I've chosen.  I took a little inventory and I'm still working on it.  I want to make sure that I don't have any regrets!  So far, I have a few.  I have ignored my own intuition in the past, but I'm doing so much better these days :)  The more true I am to myself, the more successful I have been in following the right path.  Knowing who I am, the TRUE me, is an ever evolving process. 

I want to encourage you to be honest with yourself.  If there is a situation in your life you're struggling through... I'm guessing you already know the solution.  Be brave enough to do what you know needs to be done.  Be honest with yourself about your strengths and give yourself credit.  Be courageous and admit what needs to change. 

Your internal dialogue is incredibly valuable and powerful.  When I don't work out (this is my personal dialogue today), I often think, "I didn't have time today".  Instead, I try to correct myself and say, "I didn't choose to work out today".  See the difference?  I chose to eat today, chose to spend time with a friend, chose to write this blog, even!  But I didn't choose (yet) to exercise.  It's a daily practice of taking ownership of my actions.  When I change my internal dialogue, I change my whole point of view!  I want to own all of me, not just the good stuff.  It seems more authentic...

What do you think about internal dialogue?  Valuable?  Or is it new-age nonsense?

XOXO
Andrea

Can I really lose 2 sizes by next month?!

Every day my Fitness magazine stares me in the face with headlines like:
"Lose 2 Dress Sizes in 4 Weeks!"
"Be a Size Smaller by Summer!"
"New Ways to Target your Trouble Zone!"
etc...
   etc...
        etc...
UM, REALLY???Cause if that was true, wouldn't we have all graduated to children's sizes by now?  What would I be wearing now, a children's size 6?  Come on people!
I used to love Fitness Magazine.  I mean LOVE.  It was the only magazine I had a subscription to for YEARS.  But I'm over it now.  I mean honestly, there are only so many new ways to lose 10 pounds.  There are only so many sizes I can "shed" and only so many odd exercises I can try. 
It's not you, Fitness Magazine...
It's ME
All the bullshit about weight loss plans for your blood type/body type/eating style, strange exercises for that "last stubborn spot", and spending money on workout contraptions.
OVER   IT  
The message is great: Care about your health.
The delivery has changed.  I feel like I'm reading an exercise tabloid. Words like "shocking!"  "amazing!"  plastered across the front of the cover.  sigh.  What happened to all the success stories?  I love those.

I've been through a lot of eating phases and exercise experiments in my time.  I DO think it's good to mix things up.  But maybe I'm just getting old???  I feel like I've heard it all before. 

Right now my grandma and her hubby are here visiting from Oregon.  Grama is 80+ and doing great.  She climbed up to sit by me on the top of the picnic table and have a little chat.  Handed me some homemade dried pears for a snack.  I thought about her garden, canning, fresh apple pies from the tree in the back yard.  The candy drawer for the grandkids to sneak a chocolate out of :)
Such a different kind of life.  Quieter.  Slower.  Peaceful. 

It reminds me to enjoy my family, take my time, take a nap... Work hard, go to bed early, invite others over for dinner and let them help me clean up.
Shop for groceries with the idea that faster is not better, preservatives won't preserve my health, and that I can't eat it at home if I never buy it at the store!

a lil note about exercise:
I'm out of shape!  I had a photo shoot last night and it was SO FUN!  I was jumping around for some shots and the photog said, "Hey, grab a water.  You're out of breath." omg  I was embarrassed.  Guess I need to step up the cardio!  I want to be in a state of functional fitness all the time.  So perhaps it's time for some interval running to kick start things here. 

Nice to be back :)  Hope you're all doing well, working toward being a healthier version of the true you.
XOXO
Andrea