listening to my body

I wish I didn't feel so horrible when I don't eat light and healthy. I wish I didn't feel horrible when I neglect to exercise. I wish I didn't feel horrible when I have more than one glass of wine. I wish I didn't feel badly when I eat more than my body needs and begin to put weight on this Fifty-ish frame.

Or do I?

My body is telling me what it needs and what is good for it. I need to listen and give this outer shell for my soul and spirit what it needs and stop giving it more than it needs.  More than ever I feel like I am affected by what I put into my body every day. I have never been able to figure it out exactly, whether I'm allergic to this or that, or if certain foods cause issues with how I feel, but I DO know that if I don't consistently practice moderation I suffer the consequences pretty quickly. My body needs more TLC now... and probably always did.

I feel more achy.
I feel more anxious.
I feel less ambitious.
I look less perky and more old.
I feel more lazy.
I have less energy.
I just .... hurt.

I haven't an excuse. After all I have an EXERCISE ROOM in my home! With free weights, and an elliptical machine, a yoga mat and yoga and pilates DVDs.  I don't need to run any marathons but I do need keep active every day. I'm making it a habit again. What's 30 minutes? Not much and it makes all the difference in my day.

Thank you, Body, for reminding me what I need to do... and what not to do!

body image

I’m beginning to feel more comfortable with being average. This weekend as I scanned the magazines in the grocery store, I found myself a bit overwhelmed (disgusted maybe?) with the amount of magazines with women on the covers with “rock hard” bodies. Nothing new I know, but sheesh… enough already!

Be thin. Flat Abs. Tight tush fast! Bikini body now! So many are having electrifying sex too and if we only knew the right moves we’d be able have electrifying sex every night! Only women read these magazines. Men don’t care. Just showing up and getting naked is all men care about. Really.
Anyway. I digress.

I am hearing more and more lately that women with curves are becoming more popular. I’m not talking about overly FAT women. Just not skinny with boyish figures as we have been seeing for years now. The average body is size 12-14 so many of us feel most of the time like we are way too fat or just don’t measure up.

I kind of feel bad that much of my life has been spent not enjoying food very much because I’ve felt guilty for eating something “bad”. I’ve been beating myself up for years. Magazines with scantily clad women showing off their skinny selves have little value except to make us feel like we are somehow not good enough as we are. I know the female body sells magazines, but I just wish it wasn’t so.


I am hearing more and more about curvy women though and I’m encouraged that our ideas about beauty and health are slowly changing. Trends do change over time. Being healthy doesn’t necessarily mean skinny. I watched an interesting segment on Rachael Ray today that demonstrated how fitness and health doesn’t always have to do with your size.

I've spent too much time stressing about my body and not celebrating all it does to serve me. It may not be the fashion magazine's standard of perfection, but I don't want to condemn it anymore. I want to have a healthy balance of enjoying life and nourishing my body with healthy food and exercise. I don't think we should ever "let ourselves go" but concentrating too much on the outside and not enough on our inside (character) is a bad use of our time.

So I will be happy every day with a body that works well...and strive to treat it well in return.
Now for a glass of wine to celebrate!

helpful changes

I had a little wake up call recently.  You can’t hide your head in the sand forever, at least I can’t.  I went to the doctor for various aches and pains that needed to be checked out and I actually had to step onto the scale!  Yeah, I think it’s kind of mean that they make you do that, but for me it really is a good thing as much as I hate to admit it.

Needless to say my head was violently yanked out of its hole in the sand! 

As I’ve made changes in the last couple of weeks, I’m seeing that the longer you do the right things, like choose healthy, nutritional foods and exercise… it gets easier… just a little tiny bit at a time but it DOES get easier.  And you see and feel results.

Oh, I’m resisting the temptation to do anything drastic like extreme exercise (SO not good for me) and starvation dieting (counter productive).  I want to have and enjoy a healthy lifestyle that can be lived out far down the road.

So… I’m drinking more water…  and enjoying it.  It makes me feel good.  I used to drink none.  Now I carry around a water bottle and sometimes throw some fresh lemon in.  Great for hot Texas weather.

I’ve committed to exercising at least three times a week.  So far it’s been more, but AT LEAST three.

I’m eating fresher, more nutritional foods.  But also eating what I want so as not to feel deprived… but less… and it feels really good!

I’m keeping track on a fun site my doctor suggested.  It makes it easy and helps me with healthy boundaries… which I obviously need!

There are certain things in my life I don’t want to compromise on.  I just can’t.  A healthy lifestyle is one of them.  I won’t be any good to anyone else if I am not taking good care of ME.

Prayer is another.  No compromising there.  I need God to be personal in my life.  I need a relationship with Him.  I need Him like I need the air to breathe.

I don’t have control over everything in my life that’s for sure and I feel the truth of that more strongly some days than others, but I CAN strive to make choices every day that will reap great rewards.

Oh, and I’ve lost four pounds.

healthy ingredients

I’ve had a good week making healthy food choices with fresh ingredients.  A simple sandwich can be made out-of-the-ordinary delicious … and healthy too!  These are just a few of things I used this week.  Yum!

Fresh basil leaves from my garden added to a sandwich.  A little olive oil sprinkled on top makes it sooo good!  Easy to grow in a garden too!

Using hummus instead of mayo on a sandwich.  Better for you than mayo…. and I love hummus!

Guacamole or avocado is another great sandwich ingredient.

 

 

 

 

 

Arugula instead of tasteless lettuce adds a spicy zip… leafy greens are good for you too!  I love it!

Oh, and not to forget cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, fresh corn, and spinach!  I’m trying to add healthy fresh ingredients to my meals. All these things help! 

Time to go back to the organic farm for more goodies!