Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Sometimes we need to take a step back and regroup. I am in the process of doing that now. I have a lot of different 'parts' of me that tug me in many directions. Like a diamond, I have many facets.
I am an artist with fabric, paper, and pen. I am a crafter. I am a writer. I am a wife. I am a mother. I am a yoga instructor (sometimes)….a financier….a gardener…a musician….a costume maker….a member of two quilt guilds….a member of a senior center….a leader of a support group….an avid reader….a chef….a chauffeur….a personal shopper. I exercise every day, and do lots more. You get the idea. Where do I find time for all this stuff???

I am working out what is the most important for me to do; figuring out what I WANT to do, and trimming off where I can so that I am not so overwhelmed. I feel like I am on the cusp of really learning who I am. It is frustrating and fascinating at the same time.

The Minstrel Cid

Lady Ellen, Master Thomas, Minstrel Cid

Recently my family and I went to two renaissance faires. Have you ever been to one? They are based on Elizabethan times, around the 1500-1600's, in England.
We are traveling minstrels; a family of three. We play several different instruments and love being entertainers.

 We like it so much that when we are not performing at renfaires we seek other venues to play at. We finally found a local venue just last week. It was an 'open mike' night where any musician could take a turn at playing on a little stage. This is myself and my husband, enjoying that fun night:

Anyway, back to the renfaires…..It was a long ride to and from the event, and I had a lot of thinking time. I  thought more about not wanting my life to be all about weight loss and exercise. I am so much more than a number on a scale. I do not want to define myself by how much weight I lose or how much weight I keep off. That is a PART of me, but I do not want it to define who or what I am.
I still want to encourage folks. I still want to help where and when I can. I just need to prioritize things differently. I think this has been the source of some of the struggling and depression I've dealt with over the past year or so.

Abby goes to the renaissance faire too!

SO, I have started taking Saturdays off. This changes my usual Saturday routine. I did not go to the support group. It felt so freeing! I did feel a little guilty, but I enjoyed spending time with my husband and son more. All week long they are at work and in school. The weekends were the only time to really see them and to spend quality time with them both! I think I am on to something by getting back to the real me, the person I am and the person I want to really be.

Once you lose weight, you are only changed on the outside. Your inside self is still pretty much the same. If you haven't addressed issues, you will still have those issues. That is why so many who lose weight, gain it back. They were able to rise to the challenge of weight loss, but once there, then what? Did they magically change? Not if they didn't address why they overate in the first place. Maintenance is hard. If you've never been a healthy weight, it is hard to figure out what your 'real life' your healthier-you-life should be. We slip and stumble and slide and fall.

Maintenance means we get back up and keep working on figuring out what that means to us, to our unique self. Do we need to change something else to keep from sliding? Do we need a cane to steady us to keep us from stumbling? Do we need to hang on to the sides of the slide to keep from sliding too fast and too far? Do we need a hand, some help, to get up after a fall?
Learning what it is that we need to fix, change, work on differently, is what maintenance is all about. It will always be a part of us, a part of our new and improved lives. It takes time. So give yourself some!

In health news around the web, it is said that early morning sunshine helps you lose weight! It is something about the endorphins and the way the sun affects the brain. Go get some sun in the morning and see how skinny you get!

Want a good coating for baked fish or chicken? Grind up some rolled oats (oatmeal) and use that instead of flour.

It is spring time. The weather is turning around and walking is picking up. Ziva likes hitting the trails as much as I do! We've gone for several long walks each week. It feels so good!

Speaking of feeling good, exercise is important. If you don't like what you are doing for exercise, try something new! Keep trying different things until you find several that you like. Walking is my base exercise of choice. I also do yoga two days a week. I like that too! I have tried many different types of exercises. The newest one I plan to start is working with a kettlebell. I have no clue if I will like it or not!

Finally, exercise does not have to be an organized specific event. Gardening is exercise. I worked for several hours, with my young son, to join the garden on the left to the one on the right. It was fun and it turned out so good! I really slept well that night.

Speaking of sleep, it is now bedtime. I need to tuck Abby and Ziva in and get some Z's. Tomorrow promises to be a busy but fun day!

Walk On dear readers!

Walker Lady - Reloading

So I stayed off the scale for a month and gained almost ten pounds. Ain't that just a kick in the head? I know I've been skating along for the past year and this weight gain really is no surprise. I just kept thinking the fat loss fairy was going to hang around even though I was eating more and exercising less…a LOT less.

I'd been listening to some older podcasts from Heather's selections on "Half Size Me". This particular episode was from August 2012. She interviewed a woman who had lost 120 pounds and had another 120 to go. She sounded so positive and promising. I went and looked up her blog to see how she was doing now and discovered that she had gained a lot of the weight back. Ack! I feel so bad for folks like that. It is SO common too.

Which plan of attack do I try? What do I change first?

I read that getting as little as 23-30 minutes of sunlight before noon can affect your BMI by 20% for the better!

I am NOT going to be one of those who loses all that weight and then puts it all back on again! I do not want to go back there! I know a wise woman with a lot of great advice. I shall start listening to her again. I hear she goes for lots of walks with her dog.