God I’m Gorgeous!

Do you ever just look at yourself and think, “God, I’m gorgeous!”? If not, it’s time to start.

I find myself sneaking glances at myself in the mirror and not to critique, but to check myself out. God I look good sometimes!

This is new for me..praise. And it gives me that beaming sense of love the burrows up from my tummy to the edges of my smile. You know, that warm and fuzzy feeling….. I’m in love. I’m in love with myself. My wide hips and round bum, from my collar bones to my cute belly. I wouldn’t say I’m the epitome of beauty that most people would consider: thin with a gap between my legs, a flat belly etc. I used to want that.

I would use that image of ‘the perfect body’ to motivate me to eat right, to exercise. When I have a flat stomach and defined waist line I can wear a bikini, I can be whole and happy. After years of trying it failed, and I’m left at square one. But then I heard about this guilt-free lifestyle, this way of treating yourself with love and patience – like you would a child. A child will rebel if you choose to scold it for simply looking a certain way. It’s cruel, and it is more complex than hating your body.

You’re hating yourself, something so valuable and something that only comes once ever in the entire universe.

Freeing yourself from the trap of self-loathing and bitter resentment the results from a rebellious body that wants only the loving attention it needs to succeed.

If you want to lose weight, that’s fine. But you will find that being at peace with your body now, your body 2 months from now will create a happiness and balance you never thought existed. It may be corny, but falling in love with yourself-ALL of yourself, is a challenge worth seeking.

Take away comparisons, magazines that lead you to creating this mystically perfect body. Look at these people in the eyes and ask yourself if their happy. Spend 10 minutes a day naked. Admire the beautiful skin, the cute freckles randomly printed on your curves and angles, the way your body naturally moves and feels on your fingertips is a treasured person with a mind and spirit like a goddess. Her capacity to love only flows so freely when she loves this gorgeous body of hers.

Perfect is me right now, in this moment, thankful for a smokin’ hot bod.

I’ll be honest with you: I’m really out of shape

I’m an all or nothing kind of gal. I’m either running everyday OR my house is clean. I’m eating really healthy OR I remember my Mom’s birthday. Never both. Never altogether.

I don’t know if you watch the show 30 Rock, but my favorite character, Liz Lemon. Her whole dilemma is to acquire “the package”. The perfect man, being in shape, organizing her life, having a stress free job, etc. Everything WE want right? My favorite of all her quotes is “I can do it! I can have it all!”

And that’s what I want to feel like. That I can have it all. But the more I try the more difficult it is. I’m racing around trying the perfect routine, set schedule, meal plan, workout regimen, phone alert system, APP that I can find that will be my ticket to perfect balance.

Guys I’m as clueless as anyone on how to achieve it. I’ll be honest with you, I’m really out of shape!

In EVERY area of my life. But here I am preaching about balance and healthy food, and yoga and I’m as beginner as they come. Don’t get me wrong-I’m very proud of how far I’ve come: loosing weight, learning new vegetable recipes, exercising more, learning how to take care of myself. But after I give it my ALL, I find I’m giving NOTHING. (All or nothing..get it?)

Where’s the balance? What is this balance I keep hearing about. My professor from college told us that “It’s one thing to know how to do something, and another to do it.” In other words, you don’t know anything until you’ve done it and practiced it. So I’m confessing to you all that I know nothing about balance.

There is one thing that I know: and that’s me. I know who I am and what I like. I know I am an all or nothing person, that I can’t do the same thing for an extended period of time. I know that I like to sweat and then shower because it makes my bones feel warm. I know I love eating junk food when I know I’ve eaten well and have earned it. I like having energy all day long. I don’t like smoothies and I love to drink wine!

Balance is being pleased with the time that you spend on the things that make you feel alive. Now, doing it? Pfft. I couldn’t tell you. But I think the better you know yourself the easier it will be.

What makes you feel alive?

Do it. Take a picture. And post it with #imhappening on instagram or Facebook and you may be featured on my website!

 

Take Care of You

I’m learning very vividly this year, that taking the time for myself is invaluable. It’s in my nature to overextend myself. But this last year it hasn’t been by choice. I’ve been working 6 days a week for almost a …

Have You Been Bad Yet Today?

Bad? Me?? Never!!! Well, I give you permission. Eat that cupcake, buy that burger or sit on your butt today. There’s something incredibly important about being bad. It’s in our nature to want to do those things we know we …

Soap Box Edition

One year, 2 pants sizes and a nasty pair of hand-me-down Nike’s later; this broad ran a 5k.

I know it’s only like 3 point 2 or some-odd miles, but I’m pretty proud of myself. Since these new shoes I can actually last 2 miles on the route without my shins screaming at me. Now that I’m working 50 hours a week, I can honestly say I’m dedicated to exercise. If I can do it in the precious time I have left, I can do anything.

When I think of this last year, I’m a little flabbergasted (yeah I just said that word). I released 40 lbs, eliminated tons of shit from my diet, said goodbye to my dear Big Mac and took responsibility for my unhappiness with myself. I’m learning of the things in my life I can control and the things I can’t. And this is something I have a lot of control over. It’s amazing how much we play the victim in our own movies. “I was born with a genetic predisposition,” “My parents fed me McDonald’s,” “I have a slow metabolism” – as ADULTS people talk like this. Taking yourself out of the victim role and into the hero role, you’ll be appalled at what you can do. It’s time to grow up. Take responsibility for what you have and what you were given and run with it. And the worst thing you can do is compare yourself to other people. YOU have the control to get off your sorry ass and make yourself happy. What you can’t control, well your just going to have to deal with it because you always do, and own up to it, because it could be SO much worse!

Anyway, I didn’t intend to get on my sappy soap box. But I am learning that it’s a process, and what you’re going through right now is supposed to happen. It was intended to so that you could learn something, and take something with you on your next trip. Isn’t that relieving? It’s not happening TO me, but for me. I’m discovering self-awareness and growth like a BOSS. Life is too short, I only have 70 years left, and this is all I have to show for my first 24, so I don’t pretend to be anything but grateful and determined to get better and better. I want to be authentic and content.

“Be as you wish to seem.”
-Socrates-

Good Food Shall Persevere!

So a lot of what I share on here is based off my personal experience. My newest venture is making the most of my food. Nutrition density and perseverance. I’m not rich, and I don’t have money to get Chinese take out and pizza every night (although pizza is an every other weekly event), and my body shan’t afford it either. I’ve found these last months you need but a few core items that will last you several meals, that your body will be happy about.

One, a whole chicken and two, eggs.

For those of you who are vegans, that’s unfortunate, because animal products are incredibly versatile (then again, I’ve never successfully been a vegan).

• A whole chicken you can boil up and use the chicken meat for anything and keep the stock you just made and freeze it for a soup later that week all lasting you at least 6 days. We have a slow cooker, so I slow cooked a huge chicken over night, and the next day the meat just fell of the bones and it had the moistest flavor.

• Eggs, I always buy the big 5 dozen rack, because we eat eggs a lot. When they’re on sale I try to get cage-free organic eggs- the nutrition value is immensely greater than your average eggs, high in Omega-3. I boil about a dozen, and those last me a week maybe more. I’ll make egg salad, deviled eggs, or grab one and go when I’m in a hurry. I make quiches, frittatas, breakfast eggs etc.
• For those of you who are greek yogurt fans, I but a big container of Zoi honey greek yogurt. At my work, Good Health Nutrition Center, they have the big containers for $3.99, which is the cheapest in town- I would know. That lasts me a week, I have a little every morning for breakfast with my hard boiled egg, and anytime when I need something sweet in my mouth.

 

• If you’re a fan of soups, always keep broth, onions, celery, milk/cream, and any veggies you love on hand. I found a build your own soup website. And you can use whatever you have on hand to make a yummy soup!

• Also, bread is a good one to make homemade, it’s so much cheaper and better for you. You can get a bread machine at Goodwill for pretty cheap, I managed to get both of mine there for a good deal and they both worked well. Or if you prefer to be old fashioned, kneading it up and popping it in the oven works wonderfully. Here’s a site that’ll help you in your homemade bread making adventures.
• Another simple tip that I read somewhere, was to keep all your vegetable scraps in a container, and then at the end of the week boil them and make your own vegetable stock for soups or what have you. I’ve started my jar under the sink yesterday.

My next year’s goals are to enter the world of canning. Yes, I’m going to can the hell out of everything! I’m excited.

It’s wise to schedule yourself a ‘Make Day’ once a week to get all of this boiling, slow cooking, kneading and baking out of the way and ready for the work week. Any other tips, suggestions PLEASE post below! I’d love to hear more creative ideas!

Your body needs you

Mind, body, spirit. We’ve heard that before, but is there something I haven’t discovered yet? This being the first six months of my life undergoing physical stress so that I can get my body back to where it belongs, I …

I’m a runner?

So I never thought that I could discipline myself to run consecutively for more than 10 days. I had settled for overweight/obese size 14 for the rest of my life, so never in a million years did I think I could achieve this. Well I have.

I’ve never been the most athletic person I knew, but I sure thought I was close. And that’s sad when your perception of yourself does not line up with reality. Well, I’m trying to fix that.

I got sick a couple of weeks ago. Called in from work & other duties and indulged myself in action movies! I love action movies, especially the ones where the girl kicks everyone’s ass. So I watched Hanna. Highly recommend it.

I found myself feeling really lazy. Granted, I was sick on my bed wrapped up in covers with a neck headache. I still was thinking to myself, what the hell, beth? Why can’t you be fit and awesome? I had an appointment with my health coach and I made it a goal of mine to bust my ass for an awesome body!

7 months ago I weighed 195. Before I started running I weighed 185.  This morning I weighed 172. Whatever I’m doing is working.

At the beginning it SUCKED. Running was hell, and I wished it would get easier. I kept at it, once a week for about a month, twice a week, then I just went for the gold and ran as much as I could.

And you finally know when you love running, when you can take a deep breath in the middle of the run and feel awesome. It was easy now. I just get up and go.

It took hard work, but now I can run everyday without getting unbearably sore the next day. Yay for me!

Thanks to Pinterest motivational boards and a very inspiring friend, I’m motivated to work my ass off for an amazing body. I started this “running every day thing” about 2 weeks ago, and I’m seeing results now! A beautiful pair of seafoam green shorts that I bought at the beginning of the summer were too snug for me then- they fit now!! Whether its because I’m running or toning, it’s working!

I knew it would work, I’m not stupid. But I didn’t know that I would let myself have it. The most rewarding fact is that I did it. I had the balls to fight for a healthier, thinner body, and I’m getting it. Slowly but surely.

Next goal: 5K!

Goin Paleo

So, there’s a million diets out there right? Well there’s also a difference between “Loose weight in 10 days!” and just taking sugar out of your diet kind of diet. The amazing thing is, you don’t have to have someone …