a moment to refocusonlife

Hi Everyone!

“There are two cardinal sins from which all others spring: impatience and laziness.” ~~Frankz Kafka

It turns out that I completely agree with Kafka. To be successful with anything, we cannot be impatient and we definitely cannot be lazy. Combine impatience with laziness and any house of cards that we have built will come crashing down around us! It’s been nearly 13 months since I began losing weight. It seems like it took forever to lose the weight, but I can tell you it took me a lot longer than 13 months to have gained that 88 pounds in the first place!

Many times, I hear people ask why it takes so long to see results when exercising and eating right, but think about that, I lost 88 pounds in 12 months (I’ve been maintaining for a while now), so that means I lost 7.3 pounds per month. That means I lost approximately 1.83 pounds a week or a quarter of a pound a day. When you look at it in that manner, does it really seem like an insurmountable problem?

So, make sure you look at the big picture, but never forget to break that big picture down and refocus just a bit on the smaller, more significant goals that make each day a new journey!

Impatience and laziness will make goals seem just out of our reach. So, buck up, plan for the long term and get out of that seat to realize those goals! 

a moment to refocusonlife

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

This past weekend, I had a near death experience. Yep, that’s right; I nearly drowned at the National Whitewater Center. I have the scraped knees to prove it!

Been a LONG time since I had one of these! 

I have a fear of water, so I knew better than to try to whitewater raft again before I ever suited up to jump in the raft. But, I was with Mark and I promised him that I would give it one more try (this was the 4^th and the last try). 

I have a deep-seeded childhood based fear of water. I can actually pinpoint back to a specific moment in time in a swimming pool at Myrtle Beach, SC that caused my lifelong fear. I have overcome this fear to be able to enjoy riding the Sea Doo’s at Lake James, take a cruise, and generally enjoy water in my own comfort. And, of course, I shower twice daily, so it’s not a crippling fear, but it will stop me from whitewater rafting again.

The point here is this: I faced my fear on Saturday. I may not have conquered or overcome the fear, but I did not let it stop me (at least at first—there was NO WAY I was getting back in that raft after nearly dying even if the guide was in danger of getting fired for leaving me on the side of the river). I’ve watched many weightloss and inspirational shows, I’ve read many articles, and basically they all say the same thing: you have to conquer your demons to be able to effect change.

So, today, I ask you to refocusonlife for a minute, decide what your biggest “demon” is and try to figure out how you can conquer that demon! Meanwhile, you can find me with my little inflatable wings and rubber ducky in the bathtub with the water running in the fetal position, sucking my thumb and asking for my Mommy.

Have a great day y’all!  

a moment to refocusonlife

Hi Everyone!

This past weekend, we rode our bikes at the Greenway. On Saturday, we rode and rode and rode. When all was done, we had ridden about 12 miles. We were enjoying the ride, seeing the sights, hanging out with the kids, and I truly wasn’t thinking about the fact that I was riding so far and exercising. When we finished, Mark said, “We just rode 12 miles”. I couldn’t believe it; he had to prove it to me.

Turn Around, don't Drown! 

On Sunday, we decided to go ride again. This time my brain was focused on the fact that I had ridden 12 miles on Saturday. I was not physically able to ride that far. We rode about 4 miles before we stopped and called it a day. I was physically exhausted. What was the difference between the 12 mile ride on Saturday and the 4 mile ride on Sunday? Why couldn’t I ride as far on Sunday?

It’s called mind over matter. On Saturday, I was focused on enjoying the time with my family and riding. We stopped occasionally to talk, but it was a grueling 12 miles. I didn’t think about the fact that it was 12 miles. On Sunday, it was just Mark and I riding as Lauren and Christian were enjoying their friends and free time. We focused on the exercise. I focused on the distance. My mind was constantly focused on the actual exercise instead of the enjoying the experience.

If we would spend more time living in the moment, refocusing on life, and just enjoying the things that surround us, things would probably seem less difficult. This applies to work, home, exercise, and a whole range of experiences. Next time you are dreading exercising, try to get some friends to go with you somewhere that you can enjoy the scenery. When you’re not focused on the “work” at hand, it seems a lot less like work, but the benefits are the same! And, it’s good for the psyche!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

a moment to refocusonlife -- a milestone!

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Holy sweet lord, look at my starting weight!?

Yesterday marked a milestone for me. It was my one year anniversary of the beginning of my weightloss journey. I began on 7/8/2012. And, what a year it has been! I’m down 88 pounds and 34.11% of my original body weight. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful I feel. How different I feel. How much more energy I have! And, I realized that weight truly does play a huge role in the onset of problems so numerous that ain’t nobody got time for dat!

What I do have time for is the fact that today is a milestone for me as well…as I’ve moved into completely uncharted territory. Where do I go from here? How do I maintain what I’ve achieved? What’s the next step? I’ve never lost weight, achieved my goal, and been at goal for any length of time. I always wind up losing the war. But, this feels good. This feels different. I CANNOT lose this war or even lose a single battle!

7/6/2013 Pretty in Pastels...

So, I’ve set a new goal. Mark (sorry babe) and I will participate in the Warrior Dash in May of 2014. I don’t even know where to begin. What kind of training is required? What kind of shape do we need to be in to participate? Should we set a time goal or just an “I need to finish this” kind of goal? It’s a place to focus. Also, in that training is the thoughts that I’ll run the Hike for Hope +5k next year.

What’s that you say? I’ve been “running” the Hike for Hope for years, but in 2014, I plan to be a participant and support it thru that means, rather than thru the organizational means. I can’t wait! I can’t wait to see the event from a different perspective!

I’m so excited about the endless possibilities. I’ve set my mind to it. I’ve set the goals. Now, again, it’s time for action. How achievable are these goals? I start today. Today is the day that I find out the answers. Every day is the chance for a new beginning. Today is the day.

Well, it appears that I’m asking more questions than I am giving answers this week, so I’ll finish by saying, will you all follow along?

a moment to refocusonlife

Happy Tuesday Y’all!

A Beacon of Light! 

Well, it’s Tuesday. It’s raining. And, my annual weeklong vacation is over for another year. Can’t say that I have much to look forward to, but I’m going to try to swing that around and focus on the positives.

1)      I have a job that allowed me to go on vacation and it was waiting for me when I got back!

2)      Thursday is a paid holiday! (Happy 4^th of July!)

3)      Friday evening begins a fun filled weekend!

4)      After going thru the 500 emails, it wasn’t nearly as overwhelming at it might have appeared on the surface!

5)      I’m already planning the next vacation! Shhhhhh…don’t tell Mark!

So, next time you get down, give yourself a pep talk and try to pull yourself back up, refocus on the positive and look at the bright side!

And, if you need some pretty pictures to look at, check out my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/refocusonlife. I’m going to try to start posting more things there and keeping it fresh. I have to get back into my photography! Vacation reminded me how much I truly love it!

Have a safe and happy holiday and week!