A timely reminder

I do not know if this is true, don't even really care. Because it is so moving and symbolic of the love we should have for each other. The love that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us. This video really touched me. And it came at a good time. I was just talking to someone this morning about remembering to ask for help from the one who is always with us and willing to help us. Sometimes, it is a good reminder to pray for all things. I tend to think that I have to do it all myself. That it is what Heavenly Father wants me to do. To be independent. I made out the plan to accomplish my goals and I am working towards them, he gave me my abilities. But somewhere along the way, I forget to be grateful and to ask for help. He is willing to help me and yes all things are made possible through him. I am so blessed. I have been humbled and reminded to be grateful.

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with
me?'. The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'.
They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on
to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's
request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his
father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father
said 'Yes' too.

For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever.
The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86
kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike
ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the
coast of the Big Island . Father and son went on to complete the race
together. View this race at.....

NOW WATCH THIS VIDEO:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513

When I am thin, I will be .........

It has been too long since my last entry. Not because I have given up on losing weight. I have just had way too many things going on. I need to find a way to balance it all. I have had a myriad of mini challenges in the last month. Nothing that is serious and nothing that has made me quit, just life. My life has always had challenges and the way I deal with them is what has made up who I am. I am a fighter a survivor. I have fought my way out of many things and plan to survive this new healthy lifestyle. I have not lost any weight recently, but I have not gained any back either. I really just want to make this work. I have done a lot of thinking in the last month about my life. I have met a lot of people along my path and have built up a pretty good support system for myself. These people have been diligent about checking up on me. So just for them, I want them to know I am doing alright. I am still on the path to a healthier life. I still want to rid myself of the extra person I am hauling around. But just because I am trying doesn't mean that I do not have to face the consequences of my bad choices. I am still fighting for my life here. I am still not the healthy person I want to be. And you know what losing weight may not change that about me. I may still have to struggle with my health. I may still have to treat my asthma and other things that I have blamed on being fat. These things may just be what I will have to deal with even when I am thin. So I need to find a way to deal with them in the here and now. And still be able to fit an active life with healthy food choices during all the struggles. I need to not turn to Mt. Dew or chocolate to feed my woes. There are other avenues that actually make me feel better than they do.

I have met a lady who has lost a lot of weight. She has made me think about what it will be like for me when I lose weight. I know that I have said that I am changing what I have put off because of my weight. But I realize that I still play the games in my head. I still make excuses for myself. Like blaming being fat for everything. It has been an excuse to not participate, to not be liked, to not being included, accepted or desired. It has become a shelter for all that is bad in my life. My shield to protect me from the harsh realities of life. Of things that may have nothing to do with my weight and everything to do with me. It has kept me from changing things that I could change even without losing the weight. It has become a way for me to put off living by basically saying to myself "I will be happier when I lose weight." Losing weight is not the fix all. It is not going to make me someone that I am not. I think I will still have the same personality, the same problems. Maybe even some new ones. This is life, it is time to live now and not wait until I lose my weight.

I have such an all or nothing personality. I throw myself into something totally or not at all. I need to find a happy medium. I need to be able to do all that I want to do, and not be so overwhelmed by it all that I give it all up. I am working on this. I believe this will be the hardest part of my journey, balancing it all. Doing it the way I want to, not trying to be perfect. Accepting that I am human and not a super human with super abilities to do it all and do it all now.

I grew up hearing "If you are going to do it, do it right, or don't do it all." and unfortunately I have lived my life that way a lot. I am not saying that trying to do your best is a bad thing. But my best may not be perfect, and it must fit into my whole life. My life as a wife, mother, sister, volunteer, friend, and as a happy person.

So this is where I am today, trying to find a balance. Trying to find out what I really want in my life. What will continue to make me happy. But then again aren't we all trying to do this?

Stand Firm

A few church friends shared something with me that they heard at their Stake Conference. I hope I can do it justice. I found it an inspiring comment and it really hit home for me. It was something about how all of us are going to have Liberty Jail struggles in our lives. But if we will remember that sometimes all we can do is plant our feet firmly and stay strong, not wavering. Do not worry about going forward, just stay firm and we will get through it. We discussed this and we were all saying how we had always thought if we were not moving forward then we must be going backwards. I have always believed that I had to keep moving forward making strides to the ultimate goal. But sometimes life is overwhelming and it takes all I have to just stand firm. I like that, I can actually think of times when I have stayed the course not going back or forward. But I always thought that I had not done as well as I should have if I had just kept moving forward. But now I can see that sometimes planting your feet and standing firm is an important part of our progression. I can even use this in my weight loss journey. I have not failed if I have not lost weight in the last few weeks. As long as I have stayed firm in my resolve to keep treading along and have not gained back my weight. I feel that is successful. I am going to have trials and temptations, but I need to sometimes just stand firm. Yeah for planting my feet and standing firm to my convictions! I really like this idea. No more beating myself up, or feeling like I am not good enough.

In the middle..........

Wow, it has been way too long since I have blogged. I did not realize it was so long. I have been so busy. I moved my family into a new home. Which we absolutely love!

I have been trying to keep up on my walking and I have been using Calorie Counter to watch my food intake. I have had so many things go on in the last few weeks. My children got out of school which totally threw my schedule out the window. With the move and no school, I was having a hard time getting to EQ. When EQ ended for that session I decided I needed to change it up and attend some night classes. Whew, I really dislike working out at night. I am so tired by then I have no energy. I do not know if I will adjust to this type of schedule. But it is what will work so I can be home with the kids when they are home. That is why I am a stay at home mom. But let me say that if I could get it together enough to find care for my youngest so I could work out during the day, that would definitely be my preference.

So I joined a night class that Mandy is teaching. It is pretty good and it is a different bunch of ladies. I will definitely get a good workout, but I miss my former EQ buddies. I am going to try and attend EQ classes now and then and pay as I go to them.

I went to a friends party the other evening. It was great to see people I haven't seen in awhile. I had a really good time. It was really nice to hear the compliments on how I look. I know I am skinnier, my clothes, weight and measurements are proof. But you know when you look in the mirror and still see the old fat lady that has always looked back at you, it is hard to remember how good you are doing. It has been tough. I am a person who does really well with a routine and I had gotten into a routine of EQ and working out all the time. But then with the move and the kids home, it wasn't working for me. I felt like a failure. I decided I needed to reevaluate ways to get what I want. You know, when you are used to doing for everybody else it is easy to just do for them and forget about you. That is the old me. This is where I usually give up, feeling like a failure and quit. Then I gain all the weight plus some back. Not this time. I decided I needed to find a way to make it work and get what I need/want and still fulfill my family's needs/wants. Mandy even talked to me about alternatives and thus the new schedule was born.

Right now, I feel much better about it. I can do this, even if I do not do it the same way I thought it had to be done in the beginning. I am in this for the long haul and there are always going to be complications and things to work out. I just need to remember that this is a life long change and I need to make it work forever, so here we go. On to the middle part of my journey, I think it just might be the most difficult yet. The part where the new has worn off, the weight is not dropping off as fast, I have to work harder for what I want and life gets in the way.

A Friend sent me an edirections that summed this up, and really hit home for me. I got this after I had made my own discovery. But it just reaffirmed for me that I was on the right path.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED,
TRY SOMETHING ELSE

No, this doesn't mean give up. Quite the contrary, if what you're doing today to reach a wellness goal doesn't seem to be working for you, look at different ways to get where you want to go.

Sometimes you may feel stuck doing things the way you've always done them. By taking a few simple steps, you can make changes in your wellness improvement process.

1. Get more information. What's being said today about good nutrition? Do you need to exercise more than half an hour three days a week to see results? What does the research say about getting a good night's sleep?

2. Change your thinking. Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) said, "The way we see the problem is the problem." If you can't seem to change your thinking on your own, find someone who can help you see your situation with fresh eyes.

3. Take a break. Sometimes a short holiday away from your improvement journey will give you new perspective.

Challenge yourself this week. Look for one new piece of information about the "wellness lifestyle" every day.