Celebrate the WIN

Celebrate the WIN

Stepping on the scale on Monday, I was happy to see I’d lost 3 lbs! Woohoo! I apprehensively step on the scale at 6am first thing every Monday morning. I must admit, the win set the tone for the rest of the day.

I chose to elect Monday as the one day I weigh myself and keep on track or adjust what I need to do for my health that week. Mondays are the beginning of my work week, and I’ve got a full week ahead. I don’t like Mondays. It’s always the most challenging day to get out of bed after enjoying the weekend, and my mind is full of my to-do list.

I chose to celebrate the WIN and did a little happy dance. The win gave me a spring in my step, a smile, and a renewed determination to continue what I’m doing right! My colleague even said “You look great. I can tell you’re losing weight!” I was over the moon.

Don’t the small wins add up? I know they do!

Don’t you love a win? Of course, you do! EVERYONE does….

Let’s celebrate small wins! It’s a journey to changing habits and feeling better and getting our health back. Keep up the small steps. Do not give up.

CELEBRATE THE WINS!

Here’s to our health.

Deanna

Treat your body as you want to be treated

Our emotions are a powerful driver of what we eat. When we aren’t eating we are thinking of what we will eat for the next meal, or what we will cook. We even snack in between meals when we probably aren’t really hungry, but thirsty! We assume when we feel hungry the need is for food, but I’m sure 90% of the time our body is asking for water! We eat and eat and eat… it’s the western culture. We do not deprive ourselves – even if we eat healthy food.

If you really think about it for a minute, it’s our emotions that drive our eating. Stress, sadness, depression, feeling unseen or heard, the need for love, desire, and I could list 100 more…. Eating with emotions is slowly killing us, making us obese and unhealthy. I’ll write more on this topic later.

Back to overeating. Do you think our bodies need to eat so much? Think about it for a minute. Do you think our ancestors ate like we do? They hunted and gathered and probably didn’t eat for days until they hunted and collected again. Food was even more scarce in the winter – hunting was even harder so eating was few and far between. They had strong bodies and none of them were obese or had gut issues. I could be wrong since I wasn’t living back then, but have to think I have a point to some degree.

Have you tried fasting? Have you tried not to EAT ALL DAY LONG? Our bodies are used to eating so much that the liver and pancreas can not keep up with the demand of their time. They are overworked and tired. We don’t need to eat so much.

If you compare the overworked and tired feeling to your job, then you will begin to get some sort of understanding. I had a job once where I was working 70 hours a week, and in the beginning, I didn’t mind doing it for the “cause” of the organization, but then I slowly began to get sluggish, tired, have brain fog, and didn’t even want to get up in the morning to go to work. It took a heavy toll on every part of my being. I couldn’t keep it up but my boss demanded I do it.

This is the same for your body. It’s tired, overworked, and can’t keep up with the 24-hour pace of the job. But you are demanding your body do it by eating all the time. Yes, you are that boss! You may not want to be that boss, but your eating habits demand it.

I lived in Germany for 3 years and loved the way Europeans feel about work. I was the foreign money teller back when each country had its own currency. I loved the job. When I started, I was given 6 weeks of vacation to start, plus 2 bonuses per year – one in June (vacation bonus) and one in December (Christmas bonus) which was a full month’s salary. That would NEVER happen in the United States. Countries abroad believe in a happy employee. They believe people need a break from their job, promote vacations and in doing so, the employee comes back rested and happy. Happy employees become faithful employees. Happy employees want to show up for work.

Give your body a break. Let your stomach get empty – you won’t die! Don’t eat breakfast and slowly push back your first meal to 11 or 12pm. Eat a big healthy salad with protein. Chew your food 32 times before you swallow it. This breaks the food down so your stomach doesn’t have to work so hard. Take your time when you enjoy this meal. Savor the taste and time away from your job. TAKE A BREAK and give your body a break. Treat your body as you want to be treated. Love and respect.

Here’s to being Happy and Healthy.

Deanna

Don’t Make This Mistake

Don’t make the same mistake I did!

NEVER ever stop exercising!

Yes, that’s me on the right with my best friend Ann. We were water skiing that day out in Arizona during our college years. What fun!!

When I was young, I thought I was fat, but I wasn’t at all fat! I swam a mile a day the summer before my sophomore year in high school because I liked a boy! I was friends with his family and his big sister, so she and I swam laps 3-4 days a week for the whole summer. I got SUPER toned in my thighs and arms. I drank lots of water and said no to sweets 95% of the time. I loved being so fit! The boy I liked was on the school tennis team, so I played tennis with him. I had so much fun, and I kept active all the time…. well except during piano lessons! LOL

In my freshman year of college, I went to Arizona State and the campus was bigger than I could have imagined coming from a small school. I had to hustle to get to class, or even ride my bike to the other side of campus felt like a bike race. Walking, biking, water skiing, tennis, swimming, and reading a good book on Sunday afternoons were all great memories of an active life.

Getting married, having kids, and getting a divorce made me eat and lose the desire to be active or exercise. Life happens. Before I knew it, I slowly added on weight. DON’T do that! If you are young, listen to me. You might think it won’t happen to you, but if you STOP moving that great body of yours, you will lose it! Those gorgeous curves will get bigger curves. It’s not healthy and it certainly isn’t easy to get off after you neglect your body yearly.

If I can say one thing, please listen to me on this. Your health is the ONE thing you MUST keep working on. The one thing you never stop working to be better, do better and be amazing.

Here’s to happiness and great health!

Deanna

Stick to 1 Day

I have always been obsessed with my weight. I was a chunky child, lean in H.S. due to exercise and swimming, and back to body difficulty after having two babies. I still have a need to get on the scale to see my weight every day, but I’ve learned to pick 1 day – and stick to getting on the scale 1 day every week.

I grew up in a military family. My dad was a Marine for 30 years, so we had rules and routines that as a family we stuck to. I made my bed every morning after I got up. Saturday was cleaning day. My older brother and I knew every Saturday without fail was cleaning day. We had chores to do before we could even go outside and play with friends. There were no exceptions even when we spent the night with a friend, those chores would have to be done when I got home. My parents picked a day and we stuck to it. Mom did laundry, we stripped the sheets off our bed, I did all the dusting, and my brother vacuumed. Mom folded our clean clothes, place them on our bed, and we put them away. We knew the rules. You’ll laugh, but I still clean every Saturday and still make my bed every morning – without fail. 🙂

I believe the same should be for weighing your body. Pick 1 day, same time, weigh naked, and stick to it. I don’t feel weighing every day is healthy for your mind. As we all know, weight can fluctuate based on so many factors. Plus, let’s face it, we all want that number to go down every day when we are trying to lose weight, and it may be disheartening when it goes up. We don’t want to feel defeated or lose our focus when we weigh – right? Heck no! Pick 1 day – weigh and keep going doing better every week.

Here’s to better health –

Grace and love,

Deanna

Not all things are Equal

Science tells us for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I think we all can agree not all things are equal. I live in a career based on consistency and math so everything has to balance. This got me thinking about exercise… and falling off the wagon.

Toasting the Happy Couple

My handsome and smart son got married this past weekend. His new bride is beautiful, intelligent, and the best part is; she loves my son with all her heart. (A mom can tell) I am thrilled to watch them start their new life together. The wedding was outside beside the largest natural lake in Indiana so you can imagine the backdrop of the wedding was scenic. When the kids began to share their written vows, (kids being 30 years old, so technically not kids anymore) we all sat silently with anticipation of their heartfelt vows to one another. Being the mom of the groom, I had a front-row seat and got my phone out to record this moment in time. My son started his vows, well thought out and meticulously written down so he wouldn’t forget what he wanted to share with her. During this moment, I kid you not, a Jet-Ski whizzes by the wedding venue loud and proud drowning out his vows for a moment. Like any good husband-to-be, he didn’t wavier! They both shared loving vows to one another. However – A Lakeside Wedding Venue does not equal jet ski fun under the sun!

The dinner and celebration continued under a huge tent on the side of the resort/hotel. The guests started out with flutes of champagne and strawberries. My arm was graciously twisted to join in with several flutes as all the guests toasted the happy couple. The meal was superb and so was the desert. Now here’s where every action has an equal and opposite reaction…. Alcohol, heavy food, and sugar will have an opposite reaction to my healthier lifestyle change.

While I loved being in the moment celebrating with everyone, I also felt horrible the next day. All I wanted to do was be lethargic and sleep. I am sure part of that was also due to a very long day from sun up to late in the evening. It took me a few days to feel normal again. Falling off the wagon sets you back. What little weight I’d lost, now back on. I felt sluggish and weighed down. Now I feel I’m starting all over again and my progress was for nothing.

There’s a famous quote I love – “Our jobs don’t define who we are. What defines us, is how well we rise after falling.” ~ Maid in Manhattan, The movie.

Doesn’t that quote say it all?!? I get back up, dust myself off, and do a better job going forward! I do NOT give up! Giving up is not an option! I get back on the proverbial wagon and continue towards my goal.

Here’s to better health!

Love and Happiness-

Deanna