~Sian

I am fortunate enough to live 10 minutes away from a beautiful West Coast beach.  My daughter, Lauren and I recently had lunch there, watching the waves crash and smelling the sea.  Which was delightful.  What wasn’t pleasant at all was the litter that was swishing around the sea.  We saw one seagull with a six-pack rings wrapped around its neck.  It was heart breaking. 

Lauren, friend of all living creatures,  right away wanted to know how we could stop this.  I really didn’t know the answer.   Her suggestion was to put up posters stating ‘No Dumping’.  I thought that was a great idea and it got me thinking about what I am doing for our entire planet.

I recognize I am a consumer of , well….everything.  I have many stainless steel ‘take out’ coffee mugs, but almost daily I am in line to pick up my to go coffee in a disposable coffee cup.  I try to cut back on chemicals in my home but continue to highlight my hair.  (Vanity, it seems take precedence over clean water!)  I would love to bike/ walk more but it is just not practical with two very active busy kids.  I have many cloth bags in my trunk but often I forget to bring them out of the car and into the store.  OOPS!  The point is for me, (and hopefully you) I just have to keep on trying.  I need to focus on what I am doing right and making little changes that is sustainable.

I hope Lauren’s  youthful activism sticks, but I know that other concerns will have a way of taking over.  I also know that I am giving her a great start on how to keep this planet beautiful!

What are you doing to keep our Planet healthy?

Be Fit Be Ready Be Inspired Be Strong

Until next Saturday

~Sian

When was the last time you truly enjoyed your meal?  How often during the day do you mindless eat?  The last time I savored a meal, its tastes and textures was…well, I really can’t remember to be honest with you.  My meals are always rushed- raced through to get the kids off to school; always a mindless thought working at my computer; dinner in between soccer, hockey, dance, swimming lessons, homework..whew!  Who has the time to eat?

No wonder food gets such a bad rap!  With woman getting busier than ever its no wonder eating has been relegated to the role of an annoying necessity(dang those hunger pangs) or to escape from from reality when you are angry or upset or just plain emotional(PMS anyone).  That’s not so great for our ballooning bellies. 

We need to take our time and be in the moment and really savor the right food we are putting into our mouths.  Food is not the enemy-it is fuel for us to function, fuel for our energy levels, fuel to feed our brains and also fuel to fight off diseases/ sickness.

So for the next meal, turn off the TV or computer, put away the book or paper and really savor the flavours, textures of the food that you are eating. Tune into every detail of the experience ,of the cutting of your food into bites, tasting and feeling the food in your mouth. What do you smell? What do you see?  Can you feel your hungry subsidizing?

 Hey, just this afternoon I passed on chocolate chips cookies in lieu of a bowl of fresh fruit, which I enjoyed without any distractions.

One small step at a time…will be rewarded with BIG benefits.  We can do this! 

What is your baby step going to be today regarding your eating habits?

What is your happy weight?

I first saw this in a very very old Shape Magazine at my son’s Barber Shop. I didn’t have time to read the full article but it sure got me thinking.     Happy weight, the article explained, should not be an unrealistic ‘wished for’ weight.  For me that would be 125 lbs, and I would have to live at the gym, hire a nanny to look after my kids and become a full-time diet nut.   Happy weight is a  healthier and more doable weight, the article continues. UMMM, got me pondering some more…..my wish weight has always set me up for failure, from trying to starve myself, to the all protein diet, eating only cabbage soup diet (yuk) and too many unhealthy craziness to mention.  Its not reachable or maintainable or realistic.  To get to my happy weight, I need to eat better,  exercise more and have a lot lot lot more appreciation for my body. 

My body will never be that 18 year old hot, tight body that I once had.  I need embrace all my new moles, stretch marks and even the sun spots that I have, well, deserved throughout my years.  (Tanning with baby oil, I know you did it too)  Weight is only a small sliver of the big picture.  So I need to guide myself to find my happy weight so I can have more time and energy to spend on living life to the fullest..instead of obsessing about this ‘wished weight.’  I know I will be on my way to reaching mine when I feel good about my body and don’t obsess about every morsel that I eat (chocolate…Oh, no!) or a missed workout(I’ll double it tomorrow).  

Happy weight.  Everyone has one.  Whats yours?

Lets stop being so darn hard on are ourselves and to start enjoying the good things that life offers….chocolate, wine and good times!  Embrace those curves!

Be Fit Be Ready Be Inspired Be Strong

Blogging out until next Saturday~Sian

~Sian

Its the beginning of September and everything is changing.  We are saying good-bye to our cute shorts and tanks and dusting off the pull-overs.  The kids are saying farewell to summer vacation and hello to the new school year.  The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler. 

I personally love Autumn.  It is my favorite time of year.  BUT other changes I just have such a problem embracing.

Change.

Why is it so hard to make small changes within ourselves?  I would love to lose this extra weight I carry around, yet I am finding it so difficult to do.  Do I not want it bad enough?  Will it improve my life?  No and No.  I think I will find some magic happiness that will happen if I lose this extra weight but I do know that is not true.  I crave the cozy feeling of the familiar so if I want that darn bowl of ice cream, I’m going to eat it.  Darn it, I deserve it! 

However….

I do know that change is necessary and inevitable if we want to grow and learn more about ourselves.  So instead of focusing on the weight I am going to focus on trying out new experiences.  Joining new races, trying out new classes and hopefully enjoying my workouts once again. 

There is no better time than right now to resolve change….even in baby steps, your job, your attitude and of course your fitness routine!

What is one thing you would like to change in your life?  What are the steps on how you are going to do that?  In the end, all we really want is a healthy, happy, satisfied life. 

Be Fit Be Ready Be Inspired Be Strong

Blogging out until next Saturday~Sian

~Sian

I know we all the have that inner voice that talks to us all day long.  What is yours saying about your body image?  I can say for myself, my inner voice is way too hard on me and it needs to stop right now!

Just the other day at the gym, I sweated through a workout while my inner voice was saying “these weights are too heavy,” and “are those my thighs staring at me in that mirror?’, and ‘ugh, I come here 4 days per week and I’m still the same shape!’

SHUT the **** UP-now!

With all the negativity that my inner voice was spilling at me, I did less of a workout than I should have. My pessimism has been so ingrained in my thinking that it’s almost second nature.

Well, not anymore.

I am going to stop that negative inner voice for once and for all.

I am going to make a conscious effort to only see the beauty that I do have and not the  flaws.   I am going to STOP my unflattering inner voice and choose only bright and happy thoughts about myself.  I am going to buy those darn jeans that I have wanted for ages and not wait until I am 2 sizes smaller.  So inner voice, the next time you want to say something nasty you better think twice because I will squash you like a fly!

Next time I go by the full length mirror…I am going to say out loud…”DANG, you are HOT! ” What are you going to be saying to your reflection?

Be Fit Be Ready Be Inspired Be Strong

Blogging out until next Saturday~Sian