Setting the tone and getting in the right frame of mind

I used to think that was a crock of poopy. I hate mornings and my frame of mind was (is) never that spectacular. I never gave it much thought though because how many of you guys wake up perky and ready to run a marathon? 

Me either.

However, now that i'm floundering a bit this summer i'm beginning to realize the power in setting the tone and having the right frame of mind asap. Starting my day off with a healthy, and delicious, breakfast really sets the tone for me. Pumping myself up, reading my white board goals, and focusing on what I can accomplish when I set my mind to it really puts me in a kick butt frame of mind. All of this together helps me overcome those ice cream cravings. Those it's too hot to move so I can't workout feelings. Those lazy days of summer thoughts. Those because it's cooked on a grill it must be healthy attitude.

Sooooo.....yeah. I have a lot to work on. I feel like i've got this journey down pat and then I realize that I have so much more to learn and experience. I guess that's why they say slow and steady wins the race. This week i'm going to work on setting the tone for my day and getting in the right frame of mind. That means getting up with a good attitude, a drive for success, following through with my goals/lists, and playing a lot with Lilly. (She doesn't seem to mind moving in the heat)

I hope that if you guys are struggling you'll take my advice and pump yourselves up! Let's make this summer count! Technically today is the first day of summer so we're right on track. :)

Support

Being supported is a wonderful feeling and extremely helpful.

HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!!!

You do NOT have to have a ton of support in order to be successful.

Yes, it does make it easier but it is not the driving force behind a successful lifestyle change. YOU are! Your strength, determination, willpower, desire, and motivation is what will carry you through to the end goal and beyond. I'm so tired of hearing people say that they can't lose weight or get healthy because they don't have enough support.

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN YOURSELF AND OTHERS!!!!!!

Lead by example. Yes, it will be hard. I never said it wouldn't be. Sometimes I want to drop kick people for eating brownies in front of me but does that make them unsupportive? No! Does that mean I should give in and eat 1 (or the whole pan) brownie? NO! Take responsibility for your own actions. Just because you want to change the way you eat doesn't mean the rest of the world does. And yes, that includes your family and friends. Everyone needs a reason to do this and if they don't have it yet they aren't going to want to do the same things as you. So, suck it up buttercup! If someone eating a taco is going to do you in then you don't have the right reasons and motivation for this journey and no amount of "support" would have helped you anyways.

Have a question? Guess what? There is a search engine for that. It's called Google. You can thank me later.

Need a hug? Ask for one. Heck, here is a virtual hug for you. (((HUG)))

Need a workout buddy? Ask someone. Go to a gym. Drag your kids along. Get a workout video. Put a leash on your cat and become that crazy cat lady who walks (drags) her cat around her neighborhood.

Enough with the excuses. Either do it or don't. Just don't blame other people for your "bad" decisions.

The end.

Time

What do you make time for?

I'm a mess when it comes to time. I'm always late, I let it slip by, I mismanage it, and I don't fill it up with the most important things in life.

My friend Mary, who has an amazing way with words, put it so eloquently in her blog. The one sentence that punched me in the gut was this "How often am I stopping to listen to my children's laughter? " I honestly don't know the answer to that. I have been so focused on cleaning, blogging, losing weight, and being active this summer that i'm letting the most important things go by the way side.

I'm not at all saying that you should say the hell with lists, being healthy, working out, etc. What I am saying that is if you don't make time for your child(ren) you are truly missing out on what this life has to offer. Beauty, laughter, sweetness, fun, joy, love. All that I need to fulfill me is found in my little family of three. This summer will be different in so many ways for me. The biggest will be that I will make more time for the smaller things like listening to Lilly laugh each and every day.

Thank you Mary for this wonderful and powerful reminder of what a blessing it is to be a mother.

Picture perfect

This weekend was a big one for us. We celebrated Steve's 30th birthday! I'm so excited to be moving into our 30's. I have so many dreams and goals to achieve and I feel like this new decade will be a fresh and exciting start in our lives.

Before we left I had to take a few pictures. Lilly's hair did a poof and she looked adorable as usual.

Daddy and Lilly on his birthday!

This picture is the reason for this post. I posted it on my OSC fb page and my personal page and received so many wonderful comments.

I don't wear shorts. Like ever. I have been so ashamed of my legs for the longest time. This summer I decided to say the hell with it and wear them. Yeah my legs jiggle but I am tired of being hot and ashamed all summer long. The comments on this picture made my spirits soar. I was literally in tears you guys. I never look at a picture of me and think i'm beautiful, or stylish, or thin. Those were the words you guys were using to describe me. ME! I can't tell you just how much that means to me and just how much that changed my view point of this picture. It's ok for me to think I look nice. It's ok to put myself out there even though my body isn't perfect. There aren't a lot of people who do have perfect bodies. If they did, there wouldn't be a program out there called photoshop. So thank you, all of you, for making me feel like a million bucks. 

I WILL persist until I succeed!

Well May sucked.

I'm kind of blown away that I let an entire month slip by without losing a single pound. Talk about a waste!

However that is now in the past and I WILL persist until I succeed!

Something that is key for me is being organized and making things easy. I am such a lazy butt so if things aren't prepared for me BEFORE I want to eat it I tend to skip it. That means that I have a hard time eating fruits and veggies because they involve some preparation.

I'm such a loser. LOL.

So, yesterday I got my act together and cleaned out my fridge. I organized it, cleaned and prepped my fruits and veggies, and have everything easily accessible.

I can't even tell you how much that small amount of time/prep helps me succeed through out the week. It is crazy fast/easy to make meals for me and my three year old. It gives me the extra umph that I need to get through my weekdays.

I know a lot of people prep whole meals and either freeze them or put them in the fridge. I may or may not do that. I guess it depends on what foods will keep well that I eat.

I also did my pantry but I didn't take any pictures of that. It's really nice to discover food that was previously hidden by all the crap. I have snacks that I don't have to go out and buy yet! WOOT! My next shopping trip will be so easy now and I really missed that. I love the ease in which I was able to make a shopping list and place all my food in their respective places.

I joined a summer fit group that is also keeping me on track. I say the more the better. Well, except when it comes to fat on my body. I will get these last 30lbs off. I don't care about birthday goals now. I care about succeeding and being a good role model for my family. I care about feeling good and looking good.

I honestly have never gone this far with my "diet" and fitness. I know now that I am able to succeed and change my life. Don't ever give up on yourself. Who cares if you have a bad day/week/month? Get back on track and keep trucking!