"Happiness" - Week 32

"happiness" - Week 32


Sharing the Smiles


     This week I had a plan.  I wanted to share the love... and the smiles.  There are so many days that we walk our journey and it feels like we've got all the blocks stacked against us.  We can't just go and eat breakfast; we have to figure out the points, the calories or the carbs for it all.  Then there's the snacks, the lunches and dinners that include figuring numbers and stuff.  It all becomes a chore, causing us to lose the joy out of what we're trying to accomplish.


     Well not this past week!  All this week, I made sure to be as positive and excited about life and it's challenges as possible!  And I had some challenges.  Anyway, I met them all with prayer and so much positivity, I thought I'd explode.  I needed a way to release all the happiness I was feeling.  So I now ask you to view the vlog.  I set out on a mission and accomplished it!  


     It was fun and people were very receptive!  You'll see what I mean.  

Be Happy❤Be Healthy!

Week 31- Professional Loser Confession: Looking For Alyssa

Week 31- Professional Loser Confession:

Looking For Alyssa

 I have been lost for a time!  I have had to nurse myself back to health, then go on miles of road before flying to CA to help my brother recover from his stroke.  I then returned to find that I was to go on a quick road trip to Chicago before getting home, finding my home was a wreck from the boys being lazier than ever!  I have spent the last week and a half cleaning and regaining control.  I've also been catching up on all the sleep that I'd lost along the way.

     The thing is, I ate well, didn't get much working out and thought as possible as I could.  I still gained a bit of weight.  BUT I DID LOSE 2.2 POUNDS!  Yay!  The thing is, I'm still lost.  I can't find myself.  I've endured so much, helped others and stayed positive and still I can't find the thinner me inside.  I feel like I've failed myself these past six plus months and still, this morning, I got up, hit church and walked.  I won't stop.

     Who am I?  I know I'm a healthier version of myself.  I've cut red and white meat from my diet.  I am living the life of a Pescatarian and enjoying it.  I haven't felt the need to eat any candy but found so many other replacements that are better for me instead.  I got rid of all the salt in my house, other than bath salts and even those may be leaving soon.  I purchased the entire line of Mrs. Dash and am loving it- the boys are too!  I'm so excited.  I even convinced them to only purchase organic meats and veggies from market instead of the grocers.  I know it's more expensive but I've been doing way too much reading and don't want the toxins... or the chance of the pesticides that I've beed educated on through Environmental Working Group:   <link>www.ewg.org/foodnews/</link>.  Yet, I'm still over-weight!

     My husband, bless him, always says that it's alright.  That I know I have a condition that prevents me from losing the weight as i'd like but COME ON!  I refuse to use that as an excuse.  There are people all over the world that have the same condition and are smaller than me.  What is it that prevents me from getting where I wanna be?  

     I have a Run For Your Life 5K obstacle coming up in August.<link>runforyourlives.com/overview-st-louis-mo/</link> I can't wait!  It's where you run the 5K with zombies trying to pull your flags.  It's gonna be exhausting because you run on pavement, dirt, mud, water and sliding!  I'm thrilled to be a part of something so exciting.  Then in September, I have the Mercy Ministries 5K <link>mmoa.convio.net/site/TR/Run/RunforMercy?px=1116632&pg=personal&fr_id=1461</link>  (please donate if you'd like to help out!  I'm only raising $100)  I'll be entering for the second time.  EXCEPT I will be running this one!  I'm proud of myself.  I may be over-weight but I'm healthy enough to get this done!  Yay Team Me!<em>224</em>

   Even with all of this going on, I think I know why I'm behind so drastically.  I think I'm the reason.  I don't' know what it is exactly but I'll figure it out.  I don't want to keep jumping from one plan to another or resort to liquid tactics.  I want to do this the right way.  I want to succeed and show others that it can be done, just as I see in others on the same journey.  I am looking for ideas.  I am looking for weight-loss tactics.  I am looking for Alyssa.

     If you have any issues with metabolism and your thyroid and have some tips that I can follow and pass alone through my website and Facepage, please let me know.  I'm not stopping - will get back to my thinner, healthier self.  I am just looking for some new ideas in order to get there!  I'll share what I get no matter what friends.

     Thank you for reading and keep Sparking!

Be Happy❤Be Healthy!   

Mercy Ministries - My 5K Jog

http://mmoa.convio.net/site/TR/Run/RunforMercy?px=1116632&pg=personal&fr_id=1461

I am jogging for the first time during my 2nd 5K.  I'm so excited.  I've done it so often on a treadmill but to be on actual pavement and such- I'm scared to death!

I posted the link to the marathon if you'd like to donate.  I registered a while ago and now I am asking for help to raise $100 for the cause.  Please take a peek, even if you can't give.  It would mean a great deal to get their mission out there.

Thank you and remember to
Be Happy❤Be Healthy!

"Excavation" - Week 30 (Revision)

EXCAVATION


     I am so sorry for my technical issues!  Not only did my pdf blog not go as I'd originally planned but then I had a malfunction with my audio when I created my last minute vlog.  


     I am done now and I proud to be done with this darned thing!  LOL  I hope you enjoy and I'll see you soon.


Be Happy❤Be Healthy!

"Excavation" Repair...

I'm sorry folks.  I had the vlog up but my mom caught a mistake in the audio.  I am in the process of uploading the repaired version.  Please hold on for me!

Thanks!

"Excavation" - Week 30

I want to lose my weight but it's not just about weight-loss. There's so much more detail. I'm looking to discover myself. I'm moving to being natural, meditate, become healthier and love who I am. It's all possible and my number one goals!

(thus is tomorrow's vlog topic)

"That Womanly Thang!" - Week 29

That Womanly Thang!

     So as you know, we as human beings go through hormonal modifications.  We have skin issues, were our faces taking on the ill-fated polka dots; training bras; voice changes; chest hairs and menstruation, just to name a few.  No matter what, we all have the same life problems, whether we enjoy it or not.  But that's where the similarities remain.  For both men and women, there are changes that are not shared and can make or break life's journey for an extended period of time.

     For men, it's simple.  I'm not a man and my husband wouldn't be honest enough to tell me so I had to ask around and then do some internet research to see what they really had to deal with.  I found quite a bit of nothing!  For real?  I discovered men (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andropause) and I quote: Andropause or male menopause,^[1] sometimes colloquially called "man-opause", is a name that has been given to a menopause-like condition in aging men. This relates to the slow but steady reduction of the production of the hormones testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone in middle-aged men, and the consequences of that reduction,^[2] which is associated with a decrease in Leydig cells.^[3]

Unlike women, middle-aged men do not experience a complete and permanent physiological shutting down of the reproductive system as a normal event. A steady decline in testosterone levels with age (in both men and women) is well documented.^[4]

  

Unlike "menopause", the word "andropause" is not currently recognized by the World Health Organization and its ICD-10 medical classification. This is likely because "andropause" is a term of convenience describing the stage of life when symptoms of aging appear in men. While the words are sometimes used interchangeably, hypogonadism is a deficiency state in which the hormone testosterone goes below the normal range for even an aging male. Unquote!  What the heck!  They've got it made!

     But women,... That's another story altogether!  Now I'm speaking from experience.  I've just turned 41 (psst!  Don't tell anybody!) and I have experience what most women don't move into until they're at least 50!  Okay some maybe a bit sooner but come on!  I was peri-menopausal when I was 34!  It was a blow that shook my world and sent me spiraling into a fit of depression.  It was difficult because I'd always felt I was dealt a raw deal in most situations in my life- caused by my own ignorance or otherwise.

     Well, first had a slight fight with acne- it was more so that I could grease a bowling lane to perfection.  My skin didn't glow, it blinded with oil!  Then I didn't get small boobs I got huge breasts!  LOL which was both good and bad while growing up.  Then while I wished I had my period like most girls who thought it was cool when they didn't have it- I got the mother-load!  

     My monthly cycle got me time in bed, migraines, vomiting and crying spells.  It was the worst for me.  I had to endure 7 days of torture but I survived until it later changed to 5, then 3 and now a few days every few months!  But that's now.  Let's pull some Wiki-facts and all about what other women go through.

     I quote this information from Wikipedia as well.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menopause)

Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the humanovaries^[1]: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of theuterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining (a.k.a. the menses or the period). Menopause typically (but not always) occurs in women in midlife, during their late 40s or early 50s, and signals the end of the fertile phase of a woman's life.^[2]

Menopause is an unavoidable change that every woman will experience, assuming she reaches middle age and beyond. It is helpful if women are able to learn what to expect and what options are available to assist the transition, if that becomes necessary. Menopause has a wide starting range, but can usually be expected in the age range of 42–58.^[4] An early menopause can be related to cigarette smoking, higher body mass index, racial and ethnic factors, illnesses, chemotherapy, radiation and the surgical removal of the uterus and/or both ovaries.^[4]Menopause can be officially declared (in an adult woman who is not pregnant, is not lactating, and who has an intact uterus) when there has beenamenorrhea (absence of any menstruation) for one complete year. However, there are many signs and effects that lead up to this point, many of which may extend well beyond it too. These include: irregular menses, vasomotor instability (hot flashes and night sweats), atrophy of genitourinary tissue, increased stress, breast tenderness, vaginal dryness, forgetfulness, mood changes, and in certain cases osteoporosis and/or heart disease.^[5] These effects are related to the hormonal changes a woman’s body is going through, and they affect each woman to a different extent. The only sign or effect that all women universally have in common is that by the end of the menopause transition every woman will have a complete cessation of menses.

     Now If you noticed, the range for menopause is 42-58.  I was diagnosed as a full-blown menopausal graduate at age 38!  That sucks!  Then the fun part- all of those wonderful, what I call AFFLICTIONS!  Oh no, I couldn't just get hit with grey hairs and the need to drive a fast convertible.  LOL

     The womanly thing is just not fun, no matter who you are but it is a part of life.  We have to accept the things we can not change and roll with the punches.  Something many articles didn't always share is the inability or difficulty in losing weight.  It's rough and every woman will tell you the same thing.  I read somewhere that every woman gains at least 10-12 pounds a year.  Now add those 12 to my already fussy body and I'm battling obesity for the rest of my years!  Fine, I'm on it!

How about you?  I'm laughing at my life.  Keep laughing with me.  It's healthy and it shows character through the rough stuff.  Remember that which does not kill you makes you STRONGER!

BE HAPPY❤BE HEALTHY!

Growing Older

     Do  you find yourself looking for that Mad Scientist to conjure up the perfect concoction for younger, healthier skin? Are you a product junkie?  Always seeking out a new item that will keep your hair thicker and longer or that whitener that makes your teeth bright as chalk?    We've all been there.

     Let's face it, getting older means our bodies are running down.  Our time is ticking and there's nothing we can do about it.  We have to learn to deal with the sagging neck, the discoloration of hair and skin, liver spots and so much more.  For many of us, it's the worst thing in the world, to grow older.  Other's barely give it a second thought, not caring that gravity is pulling on parts of you that used to have sitting up on its own, yeah?  LOL

     Well, I've always been the latter.  I never cared that I had a few grey hairs on my hair.  I barely noticed the immense gravitational pull in my chest area- mostly because I've always been heavy there.  When my weight sky-rocketed and then took me down to a side 8, I didn't worry.  When the weight came back and I felt like a baby beluga whale, I didn't fret...much.  I didn't think anything of it when my temperament began to grow irritable towards others as well as myself.  Not until my seven year old and husband began to speak out on it.  Aging was never a big deal for me. I knew I was getting older but it didn't matter because I have always felt young at heart.  I didn't care about anything else.  I felt good and that was that.

     But the older I got, the more I began to notice things.  My temperament didn't just get irritable, it became irate!  I was getting mean and yelling at my family for no reason!  I didn't just get a few grey hairs, I began to lose hair- more than ever before and what was left was sprinkled with shiny, amazingly lighter hairs!  I didn't just lose to gravity, I developed my own gravitational pull and sadly, started pulling objects into my world!  I realized that I was getting OLD.     I could accept this fact much easier if it weren't for  losing my hair again!  I had enough loss when I endured the radiation.  But to lose it now?  What the heck- my dad had all of his hair when he died.  My brother still has all of his hair but me and my mom...Oh Boy!  We are shedding like an aged shag rug!

     I don't mind crows feet (which I do not have), grey hairs or even boobs the hang to my knees (I do mind the last one! lol) but I won't stop working to be happy more than anything else.  My thyroid and hormones are giving me a run for the money and I'm not losing much weight but I am blessed.  I have a husband who kisses my hand every day, even from afar, and tells me that I'm the most beautiful woman in the world.  I can't beat that.  I'm blessed with being a grandmother of two and everyone in shock that I even have a daughter old enough to give me that title.  I'm blessed with a son who doesn't give me anywhere near as much stress as my daughter did and I have the best job in the world: Taking care of my family & home!

     I hope that as you grow older, you can be happy with yourself too.  It took a long time for me to even like who I am; to be happy with myself is an achievement that makes me feel like a winner!  You can go for the gold too.  I want you to be as happy as you ever could be.  Do it!

Be Happy❤Love Yourself!

"One Of Those Days?" - Week 28

ONE OF THOSE DAYS?

     Okay, so with this vlog, I show how I deal when I have one of those days.  Now since I now live in the Mid-West, I don't always have the opportunity to enjoy my Happy Place but when I do return home, I'm all over it!  I am an Orange County native, so when it gets hot, I hit the water.  Now I just hit it in my indoor, heated pool.  The thing is, I love the ocean.  I love the beach.  THAT'S my Happy Place!

     I hope that if you do not have a Happy Place, you look for one.  Find it, tuck it into your pocket and use it as needed.  

Be Happy❤Be Healthy!

OOTD's Facebook Collage

This week's topic covered how you handle emotions while battling weight loss and life's added adventures.