Never Lose Hope

I read the quote below and it 

really was what I needed today.  

~Hope Springs Eternal~ 

Something I have heard my whole life, 

we must learn to never lose hope because of the events in our lives. 

Embrace these events  that cause you to take a step back and ponder what you have done, the decisions you have made, and the chance to make course corrections and do things differently.  ~JmF~

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Every mistake, breakup, and setback in life is an opportunity to do it better next time.  

So keep your head held high.  We can live without a lot of things, but hope isn’t one of them.  Cultivate hope by latching onto stories of triumph, and words that inspire.  But most of all, listen to the quiet whisper of your inner strength when it tells you that this is only temporary, and that you will get through this stronger than you were before."  

from 11 Things You Forget You're Doing Wrong

Daily Persistent Intentional Action

Persistence always wins. 

 As Winston Churchill once said, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”  It may take more than one swing to compose an efficient hit, so make sure not to give up on strike #1.  And remember, a river cuts through rocks not because of its power at a given moment, but because of its persistence over time.

I read this and it hit me once again that the only way to fail is to quit--it's not just a saying or adage or idea  that I need to apply simply to my business but to my entire life.  If we don't persist at the things that matter, our relationships, our health, our loved ones, our businesses, then we lose the focus that we so need in order to keep what is important in the forefront.  For the short term, losing focus, not being persistent at what we want for our lives may not appear to have lasting impacts but small actions and decisions compounded over time, lead to massive results--good and bad--this principle doesn't just apply to a penny compounded daily for 30 days-- 

I have decided to choose Philippines 4:8 as my focus verse for my life for now--applying it's principles to my work, my business, my relationships and my personal walk through life.   Read it and you will see why as always the Word is truth and is never void :) Think about how meditating on the words and applying them to your life would create a quantum leap in the quality of your life.  

Daily Persistent Intentional Action. 

~JmF~

 

BlueBerry ViMuffins

Made these last night, I thought they were yummy!

Use a Silicon pan   Makes 6
Mix together
3 Eggs ( or eggwhites if you want to reduce fat)
1 tsp oil or 2 tsp melted butter
2 tsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tsp Agave Syrup or Honey
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 C coconut flour
1/4 Cup ViShape Protein
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 C baking Stevia or 1/2 Cup baking Splenda 1 C fresh blueberries ( I used less

Heat Oven to 400
Mix Wet ingredients in a bowl
Mix Dry ingredients separately, then mix the dry into the wet
Mix until smooth
Either fold the blueberries into the batter gently or since I had Bar shaped silicone forms, I just pressed in the blueberries after I poured the batter into the form. 

Divide Batter evenly into 6 muffin cups ~Silicon works best but if you don't have Silicon, use FOIL muffin cups or heavily sprayed muffin tins (paper sticks and who wants to eat paper?!)  Bake for 15 minutes on 400 degrees. I always put my baked goods on for 12 minutes then check the last 3 minutes.  Non-wheat baked goods sometimes need less time baking.  Allow to cool then remove from form.  I sprinkled a little sugar on top when they first came out of the oven, that is totally optional.

Estimate breakdown is 110 calories a muffin~the recipe I modified said 100 calories a muffin but I used half the blueberries called for and I added the protein (180 calories over 6 muffins)

Procrastination and Goals

Procrastinating on the goals that matter to you.

There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.  Follow your intuition.  Don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do.  When there is love and inspiration, you can’t go wrong.  And whatever it is you want to do, do it now.  There are only so many tomorrows.  Trust me, in a year from now, you will wish you had started today.~ Marc and Angela Hack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I like to think that I am not a procrastinator but in reality I am...Just like this moment--I know I must exercise this morning yet here I sit, thinking and writing about it--time is passing by--time that will never be retrieved


........there is no tomorrow, only yesterday and NOW.  We don't know the number of our days--or the quality--or who will be with us in that time. 

Start today.....right now.......

So hitting save, share and getting on with my day--because I know that by doing what I SAY I am going to do and doing it, I will feel better for it--rather than SAY I'm going to do something and then not do it--
~JmF

Words From Unexpected Places

I don't think I received the fortune cookie at PF Changs that is in my photo for no reason--I am refocusing and aligning my feeling and actions with my thoughts--

August 18 2012 Rambling Thots

Every step in the right direction, no matter how small, is significant!

Been an interesting last few days-not that anything has been HUGE or different, just things going on in my head.  I see where there is a lack of consistency in my thought life-what I am pleased about is that I recognize the inconsistencies much more quickly then I used to and I change my thoughts when I see that what I am thinking is not inline with what I want.  I can't allow what others think, do or say affect me--they are not even talking about me anyway!  That can be freeing for sure!  People think, act, say and do out of their own belief systems, out of their own fears and out of their own desires/shortcomings etc.  If someone is unhappy is that really my doing?  Heck no! Just as I am responsible for how I "feel" so is everyone else! 

Don't allow how others think, feel, say or do affect who YOU are today, what you feel, think etc!!  Don't give your power away ever! Especially to others who don't deserve it and probably have no clue they were wielding it anyway, not knowing or caring that you GAVE IT TO THEM!

Course Correction

I have been thinking about what I have been doing the last 3 weeks and know that I need a course correction--not just in my physical being but definitely in my mental and emotional as well.  I tend to go at things really hard and in that, ignore the other 20 things that I was doing..it's sometimes not until the tower falls that you "see" that you have been ignoring the foundation and it cracked.

So read this a few minutes ago........I don't think my path is wrong, it's just that I need to be operating with a full wheel--a chair with 4 legs--right now I am teetering on a 4 legged stool that has 3 broken legs..


"Change your path when you must, but keep moving forward. – There are thousands of possible paths one could take up the mountain of life.  You get to choose which one you take, and you can jump from one path to another if you run into a hazardous road block.  All of these paths are unique, but lead in a similar general direction, so it really doesn’t matter which path you start off on.  The only mistake you can make is by wasting time running around at the base of the mountain, telling everyone that your life path is wrong." (From 10Ways to Write a Life Story Worth Living)

I have stopped doing things that only 4 months ago brought me joy, happiness and I have gone back to my mindset of work work work, not enjoying the moment, that nothing happens unless I do it...blah blah blah, it goes on and on.  An Island, I can do it all myself. 

It sucks.

So today it's Monday ( is it just me or do a lot of people start things on Mondays because in the work week it is 'the beginning' IDK...........

• I am working on getting clutter out of my life--it is an outward and visible sign of where I am emotionally--not pretty at the moment......so one area a day gets de-cluttered...
• I have stopped playing my guitar, I did last night, God, my fingers were sore but I have missed doing this one thing for myself.....so Facebook will just have to have less of my time...it doesn't feed me, playing does.  I am also not going to care if people thing I don't play well enough-the only opinion that matters is mine and if I put something up on my Youtube Channel then it's there for me not everyone else.
• I am going to commit, not just "say" I'm going to exercise......I need to do this for ME, my health, not anyone else, not the challenge, not my business...only for me because if I'm not doing it for ME........it won't be a long term habit.
• I am changing up my eating pattern. I "know" I should be eating more, I think what I'm eating needs to change and that I need to find a happy medium between the 1350 I was eating and the 1800 the Metabolic Rate Calculator says I should eat--
• I have stopped reading-everything it seems except ViSalus related posts and this needs to stop--I understand that what I focus on grows however I need to grow a lot of things and what I've been doing has not been working. I have some great books on Kindle that I need to read.
• I am looking at the events and activities in my life that I believe I "MUST DO" and working through them....I can't do everything and I also can't care what others think about me not doing some things.  We are all give 24 hours a day--I can't do 36 hours worth of stuff...all the time management in the world can't do that---my sleep, emotional health, relationships are all suffering.

So that's what I'm doing........
Exercise More, Eat differently, and take care of what feeds me so that I don't burn out--because if I stay on the path I am at the moment,
I will have a total mental and physical collapse.  Not Acceptable!

Best Part Of The Day

I love early morning, the quiet of nature, allows me to collect my thoughts and plan my day/life before the demands of the day of others invade my life.  There are so many things that I think about in the morning that I would like to make changes about, things in my life that are not serving me, actions I take that frustrate me and I know the only way to make things better is to do something different.   

So Planning the day, it all starts with what I think about.  

I am happy and grateful for the time I spend in the mornings reconnecting with who I am, not who I think I ought to be.  Taking care of myself needs to become more important-not something I SAY I should do but something that I DO-evidenced by my choices, decisions and actions. 

I am grateful for my health and that I have the ability to change it and make it even better. 

That said, here is today's health plan:
Vi Shape Shake
Roast Beef
Vi Defy/Raspberry Neuro
Nectarine/Yellow Pepper
Vi Shake
Chicken Marsala ( going out for dinner so need to plan for this

3 sets 8 reps Arnold Presses 
3 sets 8 reps Flies
3 sets 8 reps squats 
3 sets 8 reps curtsy squats  
3 sets 10 reps crunches
Modified push ups



 

Live A Life Of Gratitude

"Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: 

it must be produced and discharged and used up

 in order to exist at all."

William Faulkner

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Live a life of gratitude, I am choosing to be and do this today-focusing on what I am grateful for, giving thanks and not focusing on what I don't have or haven't done.  What you focus on grows. 

 

As I sit here writing, it is kind of astonishing how "not simple" this can be~ we are so programed in our nature to focus on the negative, to whine, complain about what it is we don't have in the here and now when we need to see with our eyes, hearts and minds those gifts already given to us.  It seems that the things that mean the most are also those that are taken the most for granted. 

 

Is it REALLY important that the scale number goes down today and if it hasn't to be bitchy or is it more important to be thankful I woke up, I am not in pain, I am breathing, I have air conditioning, and that I have two amazing children that love me regardless of what an ass I can be?  We all have struggles--I am grateful for my husband~ even in the times when things may not seem to be going well, how many people out there are not in a relationship that is important enough for them to work through?  

Yes I am sitting here typing, taking care of me instead of rushing to work--and I choose to be thankful that I have that place to go to~it serves it's purpose and is a bridge to even better places.

 

What are you thankful for today?~JmF

Never Lose Hope

Never Give Up. It is the only way to fail. That is my mantra today...

I will not lose hope of a better future,
a better body, a better life,
a better way to work,
to make my dreams become reality

I will never give up on my dreams,
or on myself.

Wanting to stay accountable, if only to myself.  I am still tired, almost as tired as when I went to bed.  I think it's emotional, an emotional tired.  I go all day and then I am exhausted.  I shouldn't be so tired at 4 am tho--

I woke up this morning and made my coffee--doing walking lunges back to the bedroom to get ready for work, will do some squats at the sink--anything to get started--I need to do something everyday even if it's not what I "think" is the "right" or "enough" exercise to do.....anytime I make the effort to change my mind, to act even when I don't "feel" like it is a victory for me..

~Coffee with non fat milk, vitamins-Yeah, remembered the iron
~Vi Shake with frozen peaches, strawberries and whatever else is in that mix made with unsweetened almond milk

~Homemade plain yogurt with strawberries
~1 grilled chicken thigh
~1 nectarine
~Pro/Vi-Defy
Ah, forgot going to lunch today--sushi place, oh how I don't like Sushi.
need to replace the grilled chicken thigh at lunch with something else..... maybe garlic chicken and only eat half of the lunch portion and only  an oz of the rice.........that should work.

Dinner will be a Vi Shake............

I like cheese--it is fast and easy but I should not be eating it as often as I do... it's a thin slice at 100 calories.

Weighed today, I didn't gain didn't lose, status quo but that will change, I must keep in mind the focus and the goal.

Another Day

Yesterday was a successful day in that I am SO glad I decided to do a bit of strength training in the morning, because by the time I got home, I was exhausted and didn't feel well.  I actually took a nap for about 30 minutes-SO NOT ME! 

I did succumb to about 1/4 cup of gelato, but accounted for it in my calories as well as a Reeses..nothing to be proud of, it is what it is. What gets me is that I already Understand why I do these things to myself, almost a self sabotage of my eating plan...I didn't gain so much weight when I was younger by just eating food because I was hungry--I was eating to fill a void.. I wonder how many people do that and don't even understand why...

For me it is multifaceted, yes, it's a stress response coupled with some deep seated identity issues--I don't eat this stuff because it tastes good--heck LOTS of healthier things taste good, I made those choices and decisions because I was stressed--an excuse is what it is, an excuse to beat myself up with food because I was unhappy.  I allowed a fleeting emotion to control what went into my mouth.  How stupid is that?  Lately my emotions are far from fleeting--

but that's for another blog and story.......................

So woke up at 345 am this morning, remembered last night to set up my coffeepot--even bigger then that was I remembered to reset the clock as we had a power outage yesterday afternoon.......  so did some squats and walking lunges before I turned on the computer.  The scale was down .4 from yesterday--anything is welcome at this point--being in my late 40's my metabolism is just a joy--the whole hormonal thing, etc etc

Plan for today:
I CHOOSE to not work late
I CHOOSE positivity despite how I "feel"
I CHOOSE to eat in a way that benefits my body and will not feed into my depression....

Coffee with non fat milk and stevia-right now
Water water everywhere until I've drank 110 oz
Vi Shake on the way to work  Today's flavor probably simple with some spinach and half a banana and pro/neuro, I like that one best it seems
Chicken Thigh
Half Red Pepper
10 strawberries
Small Chef salad from Safeway
Vi Shake to recover--I WILL do my cardio and more exercise today

Dinner, up in the air, I don't like to eat dinner, I tend to want to eat earlier in the day then when Mark finally decides to come home.  I like to eat by 5--so I eat alone

August 6th Muse

It is early morning, the sun in Arizona has not quite risen, the clouds uncharacteristically hang low in the sky.  I got on the scale today and didn't see any results of the good things I've been doing the last 16 days.  I will not falter tho.  I went into the kitchen and got my food ready for the day, waited for the coffee to brew and decided that I didn't need to wait for later to get things started.  So did the following with 5# weights except the walking lunges- I increased the weight from 3#:

2 sets of 8 Arnold Presses
15 walking lunges
2 sets of 8 squats
2 sets of 8 bicep curls
2 sets of 8 forward lunges
2 sets of 8 reverse lunges

Later today I will do some cardio and abdominal/core exercise.  





 Breakfast:  Vi Shake with .25 frozen banana, 1/2 cup fresh spinach, 1 Cup NSA Almond Milk and 1 PRO 1 Lemon Neuro

Food Packed for Lunch and snacks:
15 cherries
2 chicken thighs grilled
small box of Strawberries
1 large nectarine
Vi Shape ( always at office)

Dinner: Vi Shake

A change of Theme so to speak......

I have been on a journey in weight loss starting at age 3 months--seriously, I was gaining weight too fast and the pediatrician put me on a different formula mix (back in the day when mom's not only did everything around the house, they also made the baby formula)

I was an overweight kid, started Lean Line and Weight Watchers in 4th grade and have basically been on some sort of weight management program since--

Yo Yo dieting has nothing on me! I topped out in 2002 at a whopping 340 pounds--
Using every tool known to man, I managed to drop down to 178 pounds --

Whew success at last--
Not so much....we all know that weight loss and body image starts in our head.

So, feeling terribly fat, size 10 weighing 178 pounds--I fell into old behavior patterns and regained 65 pounds back....

So over the years since I've been struggling with those blasted pounds I regained--thank goodness I halted it at 65 lbs.

I am on a quest to improve my physical, mental and emotional health.  I will be posting here my intake, exercise and progress--success is a journey, not the destination for sure--daily consistent steps in the right direction, regardless if I can "see" change, it is in the doing that change will come.  I will also be posting thoughts, feelings, frustrations, writing etc.  Be prepared, it isn't all pretty but it's all real.