Ready for a Challenge?

So here we are, almost at the end of the first month of 2012! How are you doing with your goals? Are you still focused on meeting the goals that you set for this year? It's so easy to get caught up in "life" and forget the things we need to do for ourselves to improve our lives. So I've been thinking, what if I (and we!!!) set a small term goal for February! This year is a leap year so Feb. has 29 days. What can you do for 29 days straight? Recently one of my closest friends, who is an artist, decided that he would do a tribute to some of his favorite guitarist and draw a different guitarist for 30 days straight. He did it and it was very cool! He really had a beautiful set of art work by the end of the 30 days. I have no doubt that I can make the same commitment to do something straight for 29 days. I believe you can too! When I set goals, I set them to see if I can really do it. I do it to challenge myself and prove how strong I really am. I believe and know for myself personally, that when you start overcoming those "impossible" things.. the journey gets easier. So what is something you'd like to prove to yourself that you CAN DO? Here's some ideas that I had. Journal everything I eat for 29 days straight, don't miss one day or one meal. Workout for 29 days straight, now I'm not talking hardcore sweat your face off workout, but get some sort of activity for at least 30 minutes a day for 29 days straight. Maybe a scale goal, be down a certain amount by the end of Feb. How about, not have any candy or chocolate (or your favorite indulgence) for 29 days straight. I would love to see us challenge ourselves and prove to ourselves that we can do it. Do you know how strong you will feel by proving to yourself that you are stronger than the obstacle you're facing. So my challenge is to take the next week and figure out what goal you'd like to accomplish by the end of Feb. and start that small goal journey on Feb. 1st. If you'd like, you're more than welcome to share that goal with me for accountability and so I can cheer you on :) Here's a little quote I read recently that I really love... "It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward." Let's make small steps and eventually we'll hit our goals!!!

Thanks for reading!!! :)

Are you on the Offense?

To be on the offense means to make an attack, having or showing determination and energetic pursuit of your ends. 


How many times have we made excuses for why we CAN'T do what we need to do to reach our goals? I have been guilty of this. Ugh.. I can't exercise because of the kids, I can't eat healthy because of all the food around me at parties or work, impossible for me to do this healthy thing because I am the ONLY one trying in my house (insert your own excuses here ;) EXCUSES EXCUSES EXCUSES!! At some point we have to take responsibility for ourselves and let go of the excuses. This last week I hit a milestone in my weight loss, I am finally now in my healthy weight range!!! A little over 18 months later and it doesn't even feel real that I am no longer, according to the healthy guidelines, am considered "overweight"... it feels amazing! I am still working on hitting my final goal weight and looking forward to that as well!! I do a lot of thinking and hitting that milestone got me doing some more thinking... I started thinking about all the times in the past I would make an excuse why I couldn't lose weight, I mean it was IMPOSSIBLE because of my circumstances around me (Yeah right.. this was just what I told myself!!) We allow things to just be as they are, not because we can't do anything about it but because we choose not too. I used to say, "Well it was just my time, that's why I lost weight at the time I did.." but really it's because I made it my time. I just as easily could have made up yet another excuse as to why I just couldn't do it. Thankfully I didn't. There is no better time than right now to get on the offense and stop making excuses. It really is amazing the goals we can reach if we put aside the excuses. I just want to challenge you in that, time will fly by and you don't want to be saying to yourself, "Well, I guess I'll do it in 2013" do it now! Just make the choice and start attacking those goals!!!
Thanks for reading my bossy post!! ;) 
It's only because I know it's not impossible to do!!!

"Put down the fork and step away from the cake!"

So here's my history with cake, I've pretty much been in love with it since I first met it! I mean, we go way back! And I don't discriminate against any kind of cake, I love them all!! So when it comes to a party, I'm all about the cake! It's my favorite part of the event! I'd rather skip dinner and have cake than skip the cake, but that's just me!! Well, I was at this sweet baby shower the other day and before I went I had decided that I was going to SKIP the cake (Whaaaat????) You see, I assist my sister as a wedding photographer and I have about 20 weddings or so this year and I cannot have cake at every wedding, that's just overboard! I wanted to see how easy it would be for me to pass the cake up for no good reason, other than just to pass it up. My friend is the cake cutter and here it comes.. the cake! Big delicious slices of cake, covered in what looked to be whipped cream frosting (yum) and she brings it to our table and asks, "Would you like a piece of cake?" I say, with some hesitation of course, "Ummm, no thanks" and she says, "Oh I can cut you a smaller piece" I say, with more hesitation because you know she's going to go out of her way to help me, "Oh, no really.. I'm ok" and then one more time "Are you sure, Mel?" and once again "NOOOOOO!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" well that's what my inside was saying ;) So I sat at the table, ladies around me were enjoying their cake (and they should!) and I seriously considered asking one of the ladies if I could have just a taste of her cake but I resisted because that might've have been weird and my feelings would've been hurt if she had said no! I seriously put the fork down and walked away from the cake that day!! I could've had it, I definitely had the points, but I wanted to see if I could do it based on myself, based on just the fact that I was choosing not to have the cake. I think many times while we're on a diet or a weight loss program, we do things "just because those are the rules" I think it's good to start challenging yourself and see how strong and determined YOU can be because that's what YOU have decided. Now, I know not everyone is as passionate about cake as I am, but maybe there's something else you simply love! Switching out pop for water for a meal, order a side of fruit or vegetables instead of fries to go with your burger, skip the bread or rolls at a restaurant, you get the drift ;) I think it says something for us when we make a choice based on what we think is best for us, it says we are strong! I am a die hard Weight Watchers girl, and they have helped me change my life, but I know that there comes a point that I can no longer do what I'm told to do and follow all these rules, I have to do some things just because I know it's best for me. When I walked away from that piece of cake I felt so proud! I thought, you know what.. I did that and I didn't HAVE to, I did that because I WANTED to :) I want to challenge you, if you're not already, to make this a lifestyle. Don't allow it to just be a set of rules that you follow until you reach your goal.. because then how will you keep up with it? I am encouraged by so many of you and I continue to cheer you on! See if you can pass up something you absolutely LOVE to eat!
*sidenote... I will continue to eat cake, just sayin' :)