I am totally amused today. I feel better than I have in years. And not only do I have a tiger by the tail (as the saying goes), but I'm pretty sure today I have a much more fierce roar than he does. Everyone else in the jungle better get out of my way because today I am Queen. Oh yeah, I rule! Good thing, too, since life is making a paradigm shift right now....again.Okay, to recap: a few weeks ago I was dangerously depressed, I lost my job, my car's transmission had blown up and I was driving a car that had belonged to my nephew and was badly beaten up, and I despaired of ever having life be good again.
This is what has changed: Today I have a new job (I just got hired), I have started college again (holy smokes, my classes are HARD!), my son has decided that college is a good idea and wants to go too, my poor little beat up car makes me laugh every time I look at it. My weight loss is slowly starting up again -- I lost a couple of pounds this week, in spite of having birthday cake this past Monday.
These are the challenges: My new job doesn't pay much. But that's okay. In today's economy and after being unemployed for a year and a half, I'm glad to have a job. My new job will require that I be on my feet the whole time. But thank goodness I've spent the past several months working on my fitness. Yes, my legs, back, and feet will hurt the first few weeks on the job, but I'll get over it. At least I'll be able to do it; this time last year I couldn't have done it. Yay me! My classes are harder than I thought they would be. But that's okay. If I already knew all the stuff, there wouldn't be any need for me to take the classes. I'll just have to make sure I stay diligent in studying every day. We still haven't been able to afford an alignment for the car. So I haven't seen my parents, First Son, Wifey, or Little Man for a very long time. I miss them!
With work and school, I want to make sure I allow time each day for fitness. I've come too far give up the progress I've made or to give up the goals I've set. I'm grateful for the time off I've had to "jump start" the weight loss at my leisure. But now I will have to be much more disciplined and make sure I stick to an actual schedule. I can do this! I just have to want to badly enough to stick with it. Maybe a calendar and schedule it in? Or maybe the same time every day? I don't know. But I'll make it happen. :)
Today's Tip:
Do you love to snack as much as I do? Smart snacking between main meals can actually keep you from making wrong food choices at mealtime. But unless you're careful about your snacking, it can sabotage your dieting efforts. The folks at Eat This, Not That have developed 7 Snack-Smart Guidelines to help snack the right way. You'll want to read the whole list with the explanations, of course. But the Cliff's Notes version is:
- Don't snack if you're not hungry.
- Go for high-protein, not high-carb.
- Keep the salt down, especially for your kids.
- Take the family to the movies (no butter on the popcorn, though!).
- Go nuts and dark chocolate.
- Reward yourself with ice cream (one spoonful triggers the pleasure center in the brain).
- Think dips (the right dips, that is).
