Jumping Back on the Bandwagon

I'm slowly finding my way back to exercise and eating properly again. Man, I think I did more than fall off the bandwagon. I'm sure I jumped head first into cake, donuts, candy, and soda. I knew I had to get back on track when I found those same aches and pains that had gone away when I started exercising creeping back up and making their way back into my life. Since I've beaten that unhealthy dragon down once before, I know that I can do it again. I'm going to keep telling myself that I can do this over and over again so that hopefully it will stick this time around.

Motivation and Willpower

Every time I slack off from exercising or eating the way I should I blame it on a lack of motivation and I search to find that motivation that got me to wanting to get healthier. Sometimes I find it and other times I don't. I often sit and wonder what keeps a person motivated to continue to work out and eat right. What gives them that drive and heart not to give up even though temptations surround them. I thought I had found that motivation, but it seems to come and go.

Maybe it's not just about being motivated, but having the willingness to stick through regardless of what is put in front of me. Just because there's cake and donuts at a party doesn't mean that I have to eat them. Although I am motivated not to eat them, my willpower just goes right out the window and I break down sometimes. So, how do I keep my willpower strong and not give in. In the past, it's been something that has clicked in my head, so maybe having willpower is something that clicks in your head and you just get it. Whatever it is, I think it needs to click in my head again.

Better Late Than Never

Well the hot summer days have basically ended. Throughout my exercise and eat healthy journey I have found many excuses to backslide, especially throughout the summer. First it was that I was rewarding myself for doing such a good job. Then it turned into I don't have the time since school is out and the kids are home. After that it became that healthy food was just too expensive now. Finally my excuse now is that school is back in and with homework, I just can't seem to find the time to exercise. But the fact is that all these are just reasons to become the person I set out to change in January and I really don't want to go back to being her anymore.

So, here I go again on my quest to leave that bandwagon full of sweets and non exercise behind me. All I can really say is that it's better late than never to back into shape.

Where's My Fire

Why can't I seem to have that same fire and intensity that I started out exercising with all year long? I seem to have lost it somewhere and I'm having a hard time getting it back. Although I kept it longer than usual, I have found myself slacking off from exercising as much as I use to and sneaking in some candy more than I use to. It's like I decided to take a break one weekend and it has lasted a month. I do seem to bounce back for a few days, but then I'm right back to eating junk and sitting on the couch. I guess it's going to take me slowly easing back into my routine again instead of trying to jump head first. I'm sure I can do it. I just need whatever motivation that got me going in the beginning to kick start me again.

Vacation Eating Blues

Do you ever get the vacation eating blues? I get vacation eating blues every vacation because eating healthy while away can be difficult, because I don't have immediate access to the healthy foods that normally invade my refrigerator. Any time I'm on vacation I make every attempt possible to eat healthy, but it doesn't work out all the time. Every now and then I'll pull up to some fast food restaurant that doesn't have a thing healthy for me to choose. When this happens, I just try to eat less. My motto is less is always best.

Some of the things that I try to do while away on vacation to minimize gaining all that extra weight include ordering a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a double cheese burger and occasionally removing the bread and only eating the chicken. I'll also order apples or mandarin oranges instead of fries or onion rings. Instead of grabbing a soft drink, I'll get a cup of ice water, which does double duty in keeping me healthy and saving me money as well.


I've finally learned that no matter where you are, you can always come up with creative ways to eat healthier, even while on vacation.

The Small Changes

Well, I just got back in town from a conference in DC and I actually learned some new ways of healthy eating. One day of the conference I got to listen to a Certified Holistic Health Counselor who advocates organic foods, fruits, vegetables, exercise, and good health as a way not only to cleanse your body physically, but as a way to do away with emotional stress as well and make you a happier person. A number of the things that that health counselor had to say stuck with me enough to bring home and start trying to see if my mood will be better and my disposition brighter by following her advice.

I'm incorporating more fiber, fruits, and green vegetables into my meals instead of just one or two pieces of fruit a day. I'm also going to actually eat a good breakfast now instead of just grabbing a cup of coffee. Instead of eating while standing and on the run, I'm going to sit down at the table with my kids, a glass of water, and a healthy dish, and eat instead of devour my meal. Hopefully these small changes will lead to bigger and better changes in my life and health down the road.

If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It

Have you ever heard the saying if it ain't broke don't fix it? Well I think that statement rings true. I would say that I've been doing considerably well with exercising and eating better, but sometimes I find myself trying to pick apart my routines or saying to myself that I'm not doing enough and I need to do more. I'm not giving myself credit for the exercise that I am doing and the unhealthy food that I have cut down on. I'm finding out that it is possible to beat yourself down in a negative way and that's just what I've been doing.

Although I have eaten a chocolate bar here or there and haven't worked out as much as I started out in the beginning, I still believe that I'm headed in the right direction. I haven't totally fallen off the bandwagon and I haven't gained anymore weight, so why am I being so tough on myself. Nothing's even broken in my routine because I'm still seeing results, so I really don't need to be trying to fix something by throwing an extra workout into my routine or trying to cut out even more calories than I already do. I'm going to continue to keep it steady. It's been 6 months since I started this journey and I'm definitely in better shape physically, mentally, and emotionally than when I started in January and that is all that counts.

Enjoying a Beautiful Day

With spring in the air and summer just around the corner, these have been great days to get out and walk and stay in shape, but I sadly report that I don't think that I've been utilizing this great weather like I should. I still sit in my house by the window riding my exercise bike as if it were snowing outside and I was stuck in the house. I see neighbors walking their dogs and children playing outside, but why am I still inside looking out at a great day instead of being a part of it.

I've become accustomed to just hopping on my exercise bike and not allowing myself the opportunity to get outside and enjoy a beatiful day while I exercise. In an effort to get out of this routine, I'm thinking about getting a bicycle that I can ride around the neighborhood with the kids. That way I'll still get to enjoy riding a bike as well as enjoy the day with the kids.

Getting Too Comfortable in Backsliding

Lately I've been finding myself slowing straying away from eating properly. I still exercise on a regular basis, but my eating is sliding back into my old routines of an abundance of sugar and sweets. I use to have my days were I would take off and enjoy ice cream or chocolate and then revert back to my healthy eating, but now I've gone from a couple of days of taking a break to a week off. I know that it's okay to back slide every once in a while and that there are going to be numerous times that I don't stick to my plan, but I feel like I'm in a little rut now and I'm not sure how to get back into my routine.

I know that there must be something that I can do to get back into the mood of eating properly. It's as if the taste of ice cream, chocolate, and cakes just won't leave my thoughts or my tongue. I need to know how to get back on track, because I was doing so well before. I don't even know where I began to fall back into my old routine, but I do know that I am starting to become comfortable in it once again and that can be dangerous to my success. I know that I have not completely lost my battle and that I can recover, so I am going to get back on my track to success. I may not know how right now, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Whole Body Transformation

Last Friday I went to Columbus for some mental rejuvenation to go along with my body workout. Since January I have been working out and eating healthier and I'm seeing the results with the added energy, but I hadn't really had a mental workout yet. Well, when I found out that Joel Osteen would be speaking in Columbus, I knew I had to get there. I have watched him on television and his messages of God and hope are nothing short of inspirational.

When I arrived in Columbus, I had no idea what I was in for. The whole event was amazing. Whatever problems or worries I had going in, all disappeared by the end of the sermon. If you have ever seen Joel on television, that is nothing compared to hearing him speak in person. I walked out of that event on Friday with renewed hope, strength, and trust. All negative thinking was gone and replaced with brand new positive thinking. I was glad that I had taken time out of my daily physical workout to get a mental and spiritual workout as well. Now I'm feeling more complete in my whole body transformation.

Too Hot to Walk

Summer is just around the corner and it is really getting hot outside. I was trying to wait until summer so that I could start walking around the park, but it has thus far been way too hot for me. Although my husband thinks that walking around the park in scorching heat and breaking an enormous sweat is good for me. I think it will only make me pass out. So, I've decided to stick to my bike riding inside the house until the weather cools down enough for me to comfortably walk.

Sometimes, late in the day when the sun goes down, I'll walk, but most of the time it's just about as hot in the evening as it was in the afternoon. Even wearing a hat, carrying a jug of water, and having a sweat rag don't seem to prepare me for the heat that I encounter while at the park. If it is this hot now, I can only imagine how it's going to be later once summer hits. I guess I could try getting up at 6 a.m. before work when it's not too bad outside to walk, but then again, I would like to be able to function properly at work, and getting up at 6 a.m., wouldn't allow me to do that. I'm sure I'll come up with some way to incorporate more walking into my daily routine. If you have any suggestions, please send them my way.

Daydreaming to Help My Fitness Goals

Have you ever daydreamed about how you were going to look after accomplishing your exercise and weight loss goals? Sometimes I'll sit and think about months down the road what outfit I'll be wearing, how my hair will be fixed, and what size I will be. It gives me the motivation I need to keep on working out so that I will accomplish that goal.

Daydreaming about achieving my goals is a healthy way for me to stay in the game and not give up. If I can see myself in good shape in the future, then it seems more real to me and I feel like it's not that far away and that I can achieve those goals that I set for myself.

Sometimes I do catch myself daydreaming about what I don't want to look like months down the road. This seems to happen whenever I skip exercising for a while or fall off the band wagon and start back to my old unhealthy ways of eating. However, I can say that those kind of nightmarish daydreams also kick me into high gear and typically I'm back on the right road the very next day. So I say daydream away because they might just provide you with the right amount of inspiration that you need to keep making the right choices.

My Body is Functional

Do you ever get those days where your body just seems like it's going to collapse? You know those days where every part of your body just feels like it's falling apart. Well, I've had a few of those days recently. I know I'm not overexercising myself, because I'm doing my normal routine, but these past couple of days just riding my exercise bike felt like my legs were about to fall off and walking around the park felt like I was pulling 100 lbs of weight behind me.

Maybe all of this is just in my head; some other excuse to keep me from having to work out. If my body were truly falling apart, then I'm sure I wouldn't be sitting here writing about it, but I'd be in the hospital somewhere. Plus, aside from these past few days, I had been feeling great, almost 10 years younger. So I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I was probably just having a few bad days, which I'm sure I'll continue to have from time to time. The key is to know how to quickly rebound and rise out of it, which I have, and now I'm continuing to do a good job.

Kick Tired Out the Door

Today I'm tired and I really don't feel like exercising. I had a long day at work and after that I went out shopping for Easter and didn't make it home until after 8 p.m., so all I want to do is crawl up on the couch and take a nap, but I'm not going to do that. Even though I'm tired and I can think of a million reasons not to exercise tonight, I'm going to ignore those excuses and just do it.

I'm sure that after I'm finished exercising tonight, I'll be ten times happier than if I would have put it off until tomorrow. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and do it no matter how much you don't want to. Only you know if you'll pick up the ball tomorrow and continue exercising and 9 times out of 10 if I slack off one day simply because I'm tired then I'll probably end up trying to slack off tomorrow as well.

Through the tiredness, I am going to find that little bit of energy left inside of me to continue my journey, especially since I've been doing pretty good so far.

Exercise That Frustration Away

Sometimes I'll find myself getting frustrated or mad at exercising and seeing slow results or at something somebody did or said to me. I have found that exercising can help me better deal with my anger and frustration. When I get frustrated over slow results from exercising, to deal with it, I work out more, instead of quitting, and by the end of my workout, I feel a lot better.

There are times when my husband frustrates me, and aside from praying for the strength not to knock him upside the head, I hop on my exercise bike and go to town. This helps me get out all that anger and frustration in a positive way while getting in shape as well.

I can't count the number of times that I have exercised my frustration and anger away and avoided having meltdowns or unnecessary showdowns. So, I say when you need to, just exercise that frustration away. In the end you'll be happier and healthier for doing so.