Jim and I just got back from our vacation and convention in Florida. Oh it was so amazing. My friend and business partner Donna set us up in a place on Treasure Island which is on the Gulf Of Mexico… a strip of barrier islands on the western coast of Florida.

That’s a picture of the beach! How beautiful. You know, it’s interesting but I never knew Florida had that fine powdery white sand like you find in the Caribbean.

How wonderful (especially for a Canadian) to bury your toes in the beach in March! Jim and I walked for ages every single morning along this very beach, just enjoying the salty breeze on my face, upturned to drink in those precious rays of sunshine. IDYLLIC!!

In fact it was so wonderful that I have decided to spend 3 months there next year. The beauty of working from home is that home is where-ever I want it to be.

I’ve already rented a condo on the beach for next January. (It’s a 3 bedroom so if you want to come and stay a week, just let me know!) and Jim and I have agreed to find a condo we can have year round.

I am so happy about that. I have been complaining bitterly about the Canadian winters for so long now!! It will be wonderful to finally be able to live the way I want.

As an aside, this wouldn’t be possible if I had a REAL J.O.B. like so many people do. If you want to feel really good in the winter, and shake off the depression go to the place in the picture!! ;-)

The Beach at Treasure Island

Cardio is not enough. Add Weights for Strength.

This statement in obvious to most people. If not obvious then it is certainly something you have heard said before! You probably have already heard how weight resistance exercises can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, increase metabolism, help prevent injuries, and look really great after you lose that weight.

Has anyone told you how you will FEEL though? Has anyone told you that you will stand with a more erect posture after only just a few days because you can actually feel your muscles. Has anyone told you that you will feel physically stronger after only a few days, even if there isn't a measurable increase in actual strength. Psychologically when you can feel your muscles your mind associates that feeling with strength, and when you feel physically stronger you also get a subconscious boost in self confidence.

Not only will your body LOOK better after the fat layers are shed, but you will actually feel stronger inside and out. You will walk faster, your posture will be better, you will hold your head higher and straighter, and long before you see a difference in your clothing you will feel a difference in your body, and people will notice a difference in your carriage. That difference will be the feeling that keeps you going back to your workout until it becomes a habit.

I feel fantastic this morning, and I can actually tell you this is why!

Now I want to share a site I came across last evening. You know, there are a lot of inspiring and motivating stories out there. If you travel the internet enough, you will find SOMETHING or SOMEBODY that will help to keep you on track. Here is the personal story of Buffed Stuff. There was something about reading her blog last night that had me dreaming about being THAT fit. It is a state I never imagined for myself before. I don't know if I am dedicated enough to get a 'lifters' body, but if an over 40 woman can transform herself to that, then I can get to looking good in a bikini again!

Talk about middle age spread I gained over 60 pounds in my early forties.I was overweight, tired, feeling old and having health problems. I could either grow worst or better I am a woman on a mission. The quest is good health and being in the best physical condition possible. I'm not looking for the fountain of youth. I just want to reap what I sow. If I eat healthy life producing foods,at least 90% of the time and I train my body with laser focused intensity at least six days per week…how will I age? Will I simply grow older or will I grow better? If I treat my body as a sacred temple, my mind as control center and my spirit as the source of my very being……How will it effect the way I age. Do I go with conventional foolishness(hey your over forty you might as well neglect yourself that is what aging is all about why bother) or do I go with pure wisdom, totally against the grain and choose life? I think I will choose life and my kind of prosperity, A fit body and a happy heart, a soul that is at peace and mind that is totally in control.

Thanks for the inspiration this morning. When I wonder why my muscles are scraming, I have you bookmarked so I know exactly where to find you! :-)

Well yesterday morning before we went out, I was able to do 35 minutes on the exercise bike, and a really good lower body workout. Today I did the bike and an upper body and then this evening I was able to sneak in 25 minutes on the treadmill. Since my attitude adjustment of yesterday I am actually looking forward to the exercise sessions.

On the bike now I am doing a 5 minute warm up and then a few minutes at resistance 3 and 80 RPM followed by 2 minutes of resistance 4 trying to keep RPM at between 95 and 100 so I feel like I am sprinting. I really want to be jogging by spring at latest providing my knees will allow it. So this was sort of my first conditioning workout.

Tonight on the treadmill I did brisk walking with 5 30 to 90 second sprints (well jogs LOL) but it's a start and I feel really great to have a goal like being able to run. I have NEVER been able to, not because of strength but because I have always smoked and have never had the lung capacity to run. I think I will be able to finally. Any way… we're gonna shoot for it! :-)

See you tomorrow!

S\

It is amazing, I feel stronger, lighter, and happier. If you read my post from yesterday, then you know that I finally conquered the exercise demon. I simply changed the way I viewed moving my body. Isn't it amazing what happens when you no longer give over the power, but take it back for yourself?

Today, my muscles feel sore. It's the good sore that comes from DOING something! I am walking with an energetic step. I am standing erect of posture. I feel strong, confident and healthy. IMAGINE all of that in just a day. Just one day that I've been building up for, and laying the foundation for this past month.

This afternoon for a while, and again this evening I browsed the internet, exploring fitness blogs. I have been browsing "loss weight" blogs for the past month, and it is interesting how the energy changes slightly with the keyword.

so while I was browsing tonight I came across a fascinating post from Dave at TheTruthAboutDiets.com. It seems that he has been saying for some time that exercise is not enough to lose weight, unless you make diet modifications as well.

Here is his post… Enjoy!

Exercise Alone Ain't Enough to Get It Done

Anyone who's read my stuff or followed any of my programs knows that when it comes to losing fat, I say that nutrition is more than half the battle.

Well, now there's some very good research that proves this point.

Basically this research took two groups of sedentary people, and gave one group a well-designed fitness program to follow for 12 weeks, while the other group remained sedentary.

They didn't change their eating patterns at all. The results might surprise you. You can read the details in a post from Dr. John Berardi, who was part of the research team.

Here's the link to the post.

If I were to go 2 weeks without losing a pound I would be thrown in to the absolute depths of despair! I would go on a rampage, exercise myself sick, and starve myself and by golly i would conquer that weight!

I am at peace this time that changing weight is easybut changing the habits (i.e. lifestyle) that created the weight in the first place requires much more discipline. I believe I said in a different post that I am laying the foundation upon which the rest of my life will be built.

 So today, given that I am a month old, I did a lot of reflecting. I realize that I've been trying to conquer the exercise demon and I've been not really sure why that is such an issue for me. Like everything though, I  have come to see that it is my attitude towards exercise that has been holding me back.

Exercise is work. Exercise is not fun. If you ask most people they will tell you they do not like exercise. These are the impressions that we have in our mind. My mind, body and soul resists that which I do not like. I don't do anything I don't like any more, and that is the truth about my life now. Luckily I have the luxury of being able to choose in that regard.

So here is how I decided to see exercise… I am approaching as the new me, and I don't look at anything the way I used to. That was another life, a different woman. Now I am a person who honors myself, and the people, and beings that I come in contact with every day. A part of honoring myself is not just putting good nutritious nourishment in my body, but also keeping this vessel supple. What good is fuel if it is not expended. Fuel is meant to be used.

So to continue on this theme, and to follow what I have practiced all of my life, I am only going to do what feels good, and honor myself. What a wonderful decision. I felt like a huge pressure had been lifted. I've got it all figured out.

I had also sent away the other day for a book and DVD set on Yoga… which I have been wanting to explore for a long time. I purchased the set from Monica Matthews Yoga and it came on Wednesday. (The DVD and Manual combined was only $40).

So I hopped on the exercise bike and set it for 20 minutes and started reading. Now let me tell you that I was soon totally engrossed in what I was reading. I find it very interesting that I have been led to explore Yoga given that I am on this journey of connectivity, and exploration of self.

Yoga seems to be the right thing for me philosophically right now as well.

Before I knew it the timer was going off, and I was still reading. How about that! I pedaled for another 10 minutes so that I could end at a place that made sense in the book, and then I decided that I would like to do some lower body work.

I imagined how good it was going to feel to be in control of the muscles of my lower body while I stretched each muscle group. I truly took my time stretching, and being present for the movement, allowing myself to really feel the muscles extending and enjoying the feel of that. When I felt sufficiently stretched, I did some crunches, some lateral leg lifts, some lunges and some squats. Yes I really did enjoy it! When I was done I felt good, and as I stretched out again I took some time to marvel that a simple change in the way I saw something could make such a profound difference in the way I allowed myself to feel about it. For me it seems to be all about choice. "I am not doing this because I have to, I am choosing to do it because it feels good."

You know I even got on the bike later in the day and did another 20. hehe I wanted to read some more and didn't want to waste the time!

I feel like I have crossed another small marker on this journey. You may be wondering what the significance of the journal picture is. Obviously this online journal is very motivating to me, and hopefully inspiring to others, but I have not been really tracking exactly what I am eating nor am I writing down my exercises for the day. I think it might be helpful for me in the future if I have some kind of physical progress record, so I started writing down those things today. Won't it be fun to look back and see what a difference it made that day I decided to love moving my body!

That is what I have been experiencing this past week.

Because I have been working on getting the forums launched (and they Are launched!! YAY – you can click on FORUMS to visit!) I haven't been thinking about my lifestyle change. So what happens…. well I didn't prepare my vegetables and have them in the fridge ready to grab when I am hungry. I didn't make a careful shopping list so I ran out of some of the things I should be eating. I didn't take time out to exercise because I was so focussed on the computer… getting the website ready.

All is not lost. When I lose focus, here are some of the thins I do to get back on track:

1. Recognize (without judgement) that I have slipped.
2. Remind myself of the reasons for the change.
3. Envision myself as the "new me" embracing all the positive changes in my life.
4. Make a list, and put it where I have to look at it.
5. Prepare for unforeseen circumstances so as to not be caught without a choice.

So now I have to go exercise! :-) I will be back later to post a new article and fiddle in the forums!

I'm laughing when I say that because my husband always says, "Well it's better than the alternative." (as he grins impishly). Well it is true that a "GOOD" life is better than the alternative, but it is not always true that "Life" is better than the alternative.

OK so now, back to life. Sometimes we say things flippantly without really stopping to think about what we just said and what it means. Is life really better than the alternative. The answer to that is… "IT DEPENDS".

Imagine being 75, having had a stroke, so you can't walk or talk, heart disease, diabetes, …. imagine living in constant chronic fatique, imagine having endless migraines, shortness of breath, excruciating back pain, muscle spasm, fibromyalgia, lupus or gout. Many of us already have one or more of these illnesses.

Did you know that almost EVERYTHING that ails us as we age can be healed with proper exercise, diet, and ridding ourselves of unhealthy habits like smoking, and clearing our bodies of toxins, and then limiting exposure as much as possible.

It is very noble to want to lose weight. Many of us on this journey want weight loss. I want you to think of all of the wonderful benefits that are going to come from each and every choice you make right now. It's hard to think in those terms. We can not foresee the future, so it is difficult to imagine what our life choices today will bring into our lives tomorrow.

Not even I have a crystal ball, but what I do have is proof that my choices YESTERDAY have had consequences on my health today. Some of those things that you read above are already manifesting them in my body. High cholesterol, evidence of sugar crashing (pre-diabetic signal), shortness of breath during mild exercise, chronic low back pain… these are all indications that my body is reacting to my poor lifestyle decisions.

So as much as losing weight is a priority for me, this journey is more about how I am going to feel tomorrow.

Imagine that your body is an MP3 recorder. Every decision you make is diligently copied down. Every bite you put in your mouth makes a sound, every step on your walk is a note, every thought drums a beat. 10 years from now when you play it back what WILL the music of your life sound like?

On that note, I want you to think about this… there are no mistakes in this world…. only miracles! You started out perfect, and worthwhile and loved. You were created for a reason. That reason has nothing to do with how you LOOK. But if you do not care for yourself with the nourishment that this earth can provide you, and the motion you can provide yourself, and the love that comes from knowing you have a mission… how can you carry out your purpose here. How will you be able to live life later if you don't care for yourself now. Weight loss and fitness and eating well… those aren't chores to be done grudgingly… they are an expression of how you feel towards yourself and others. :-)

I want to leave you with a video put to the music and words of my favorite artist. Before you press play, I want you to go somewhere quiet, and as you watch the pictures, I want you to really hear each word spoken to you and remember that we are a part of something special.

Another day, another half pound!

I went to the store yesterday and picked up another load of fresh fruits and vegetables. The night before last I had quite a stomach ache, and I wondered if it had something to do with all the RAW I was eating, so I gave myself a bit of a rest, and steamed my veggies. Then I realized that I had eaten a banana. I haven’t eaten bananas in years and years, because they have always given me the worst heartburn ever. I had just totally forgotten about that. So no more bananas and back to raw and we’ll see how that works out.

Oh by the way, did you know bananas are not meant to put in the fridge? But I have always found that leaving them on the counter wasn’t the best idea either. I have recently discovered banana hooks. You can hang your bananas as long as you have more than one, and it keeps things neat and tidy, allows air to circulate so they don’t ripen quite as fast, and they look kind of pretty too!

So it seems like I am averaging a half pound a day, which isn’t too bad consideringI haven’t gotten in the exercise groove yet! I seem to be only able to handle these life changes one at a time. So first it was no smoking (conquered), now it is eating habits (nearly conquered), and then I will assimilate exercise. Not that I am totally neglecting it, but it just seems almost overwhelming to do everything all at once (or even to THINK about it.

So here is how I am looking at it, and I think it is something that makes sense for anyone who is trying to totally rehaul their life. My mind is telling me this isn’t just a phase I am going through. I am changing my life. There is no big hurry to do everything today. I do not want to set myself up for failure. So I am taking a new little step every day.

If you are simply on this journey to lose weight then get to it! You need to diet and exercise today, right now, to reach your goal… BUT if you are changing lifelong patterns then you want to make sure that you lay the foundation down first, before building the house. In other words, do it right, one step at a time, KNOW why you are taking that step, and understand that it takes time, commitment, reinforcement, and effort to change lifelong habits and attitudes!

I just tripped across a blog post by Laura Fenamore entitled "You are not fat or thin– You are energy". I have stopped being amazed at how, when you send a thought out into the universe, it comes back to you in concrete form. (You’ve heard that expression "What goes around comes around"… who says my husband can’t be profound! LOL)

So Here is an exerpt from Laura’s post and I think you will see why she is speaking directly to you and I this morning.

For many of us, losing weight has been the distracting focus of much of our lives. It has been our limiting, lying nemesis. Our mind says, IF ONLY I were thin . . . IF ONLY I could lose weight.

Ironically, the problem with this thought, from the very first moment, is that weight simply does not get lost. You can’t hide it under the bed and hope everyone forgets about it – or lose it in a closet full of old clothes that don’t fit; because the one who can’t forget – not for a second – is you. And worse, the thing you do risk forgetting is the vibrant, magnificent woman that you are and the incredible life that you are meant to have right now – at this very moment.

As women filled with self-love, the idea of “losing” weight must be bravely replaced with the larger truth … using weight.

Using weight. That is a truth you can wrap your head around and participate in. Instead of frantically waving a magic wand around your belly or rear-end and feeling like your own body’s victim, you can dance and plant a garden or do loving service for others. You can enjoy and love your precious, active life and refuse to be distracted with self-loathing ever again.

Think of your body as a bank. You have simply deposited extra energy that you are now ready (and more than willing) to lose.  Read The Rest……

What a wonderful thought Laura. Thank you!  I think one of the worst things about this ‘journey’ we are taking (and one of the BEST things about a blogging community like Be Naturally Well is that you feel so alone, and then you discover that you aren’t. Other people feel the same way! Isn’t it so EASY to get caught up in HOW I FEEL? Isn’t it great to find someone who can help us shift that energy and redirect in a way that helps us appreciate who and what we are right now?

I am energy. I can use that stored energy to do all of the things I need to do. That’s powerful stuff!!

A Day to Honor Myself

Yesterday I didn’t blog… Jim and I went out on the boat to the lake again. We left early… around 10:30 AM and it was such a beautiful day! We didn’t start for home until after 7:30 PM.  This picture was taken right around 6:30 or 7. So many days up there it is crystal clear like that, and what a beautiful place to spend some time connecting with yourself, when you are so close to nature!

So in the morning I packed a large rectangular container brimming with fresh cauliflour, broccoli, carrots, cukes, celery, and green and yellow beans. I had boiled some eggs the night before, and packed them as well. I also made a 1 liter thermos full of fruit smoothies. (All fruit … 4 kinds of berries, and a couple of pears, and a tablespoon of raw honey, a cup of soy milk, and a cup of water)

Jim took his "pepperettes’ which are these *disgusting* little pepperoni sticks. We packed several bottles of water, and some Corona ;-) and away we went.

 It’s a beautiful time for self-reflection. Jim and I talk about a lot of different things relating to my work, and his, the family and just whatever comes to mind. We’ve been married for 20 years now and it is so nice to go and have this time together and just appreciate each other, and our life together.

Then we swim, nibble on raw vegetables, and listen to music and just enjoy our surroundings. We are so lucky that most people don’t know about this little lake, so we always have it all to ourselves. Whenever someone comes in on a kayak or a seadoo we feel violated! LOL

Lately I have taken spent a lot of time on reflection. Looking inward to the person in there that I really have neglected for a very long time. This journey has been less about food and weight, and more about me connecting. Connecting to myself, my thoughts, and where I am heading and where I’ve been, connecting to earth and nature and living creatures, connecting with my family and others that I love, and reaching out and connecting to strangers… people who seem to be on this same path… or at least headed in the general direction!

There are some things that I have been doing recently to allow myself to just BE, feel, connect, and reflect.

When I eat… for example I am holding an apple in the palm of my hand and look at it, look at the sunshine glancing off of the shiny surface, imagine the goodness from earth and sun and water that went into the making of it. When I bite into it and chew I imagine that I am tasting a year of sunshine, a year of rains and wind and good nutrients from the soul, and I swallow and feel that nourishment bathing my insides with good healing energy.

This good food has become a gift I am giving myself, a gift the earth has given me and it nourishes me and keeps me well. The energy transfers from the sun to the earth to the apple to me. We are all one.

So I know it sounds "out there" and so different from the way I usually think and express myself that I admit to feeling a little strange. I told my husband, "I feel like I am climbing up on a higher plane… can almost see myself with one leg hitched up and the other one dangling straight as I try to hitch myself up. Something momentous is happening right now in my mind. I’m going with it. My body and soul deserves this new found love and it just feels right!

So last evening while I was still laid back from such an amazing day, I was surfing a bit and came across this blog called This Mama Cooks and she has a fantastic "recipe" for a relaxing detox bath. So today I got some lavender essential oil and I am going to have a lovely relaxing hot bath before bed tonight. I’ll let you know how THAT works out! LOL

Here’s the recipe (actually courtesy of Dr. Mark Hyman)

A Cleansing Soak
Once a week for 20 minutes, sit in a hot bath that contains a handful of Epsom salts, 10 drops of lavender essential oil, and a half cup of baking soda. This combo draws out toxins, lowers stress-related hormones, and balances your pH levels.

It’s time to work out a Workout!

Wow do I feel awesome this morning. I woke up this morning filled with energy and happiness. What a wonderful way to start the day… I had almost forgotten that feeling! I even awoke before the alarm clock! Of course for all you working folks, or Mom’s of tots, waking up before an 8 AM alarm is hardly an olympic medal performance… for me it’s amazing!

Now that I have a general map of what my new eating habits are going to look like, I need to work on my exercises. Going to the gym is O-U-T! I detest doing a weight work out in a public gym, so I need to find a home routine that I will do every day.

I think I will research Yoga, and try a beginner routine today. One of my biggest problems right now is that I have been immobile for so long that yesterday my left hip and lower back were bothering me, and I was having muscle spasms if I twisted too fast one way or another. My muscles need to be gently stretched and then strengthened. So I think maybe Yoga would be a good thing to play around with. If I like it, I’ll see if there is a class at the local community center. Even though I hate weights in a public gym, I probably won’t mind Yoga in the community center. Maybe it’s because a yoga class is likely to be all women. Well, whatever the reason, I’ll just take it a step at a time and we shall see how this journey unfolds!

So how did I do yesterday? Fantastic! I ate raw all day until supper. At supper I tried a stuffed mushroom recipe that I wasn’t too fond of …. it had macademia nuts crushed with lemon, garlic and tomato. It called for cilantro, and I love cilantro but it’s an herb we only use in moderation here and only in a couple of specific dishes, so I think it gave the mushrooms a foreign flavor. At any rate, I ate 1, Justin ate 3 and Jim ate 4 and they were a little larger than golf balls! Funny thing… Justin and Jim both said they didn’t care for them at all. hehe

I also broiled some salmon steaks. That’s one of the great things about living next to the ocean. We get great sea-food. So I will be vegetarian most of the time, but don’t ask me to give up my fish!

 mmmmmmmmm Looking at that picture up there has made me ever grateful for leftovers!

OK so …. YOGA…. LOL back to that! If anyone knows a good site where I could go to learn about Yoga I will be ever grateful. As it is, I will just be surfing the internet this morning looking for what I need to start with, and then I will just dive right in!

I PROMISE to get to my first article on juicing! I’ve been talking about it for a couple of days now, and haven’t found the time to get it together. So that will be a priority. Now I need to go and juice me up a nice big mug of sunshine in a glass to start my day! Enjoy your morning. Don’t forget to acknowledge and appreciate the wondrous miracles and blessings in your life.

I am going to leave you this morning with a revelation that I experienced.

This morning as I was making the bed, I got a glimpse of myself in the bureau mirror. Normally I would look away very quickly, but today I didn’t. I stopped what I was doing and stood up. I looked at myself from the front, and from the side. I saw the large sized body there in the mirror. I placed my palms over my arms, my tummy, my hips and just looked in amazement. I have been avoiding mirrors for many years now, except for mirrors from the shoulders and up so this was a ‘discovery’ of sorts. Rather than feeling disgust, which I would have a few weeks ago, I took time to love and appreciate where I have been and what each of those cells represents.

Each fat cell on my body represents a family get together, a beer or two on the boat, a Christmas dinner, or our Boxing Day bash with our best friends. Some of them represent the pain of a dying relationship, the fear when Mom first told us she had breast cancer, the realization that my baby was a grown woman, capable and kind, caring and responsible. In fact, every single fat cell on my body tells a story, and those stories are my life. In our society, food is the central part of any event. We eat at weddings and wakes, graduations and christenings. We eat when we are happy and when we are sad. we eat when we are stressed, angry, excited, celebratory, meeting friends for the first time, and getting together with lifelong soul-mates. I recognize that there are many times when I will find a different way of recording an event than with food. That doesn’t change the fact that when I looked into the mirror I saw my life mapped out on my body, and for the first time in a very long time I appreciated what that meant.

I challenge each of you to go to the mirror this morning, and see your life in that body. And love it. Doesn’t that make you want to care for yourself?