No Excuses!

I was out of bed at the crack of 9:30 and in the pool this morning! I did my water exercises and running for an hour before I got ready for work. I felt so good just knowing that I took time for myself and did something beneficial for my body. This summer has been a slow change in attitude for me. I have come to realize that I won't be here forever and the time I am here on this Earth needs to be of quality. I visit my sister at a nursing home almost every night and watch a lady who appears to be in her early sixties scoot her overweight body in an oxygen toting wheelchair going from coffee pot to coffee pot asking every nurses aide she sees to get her "something." Now this really saddens me that this woman is in this shape at such a young age. I wish that she had turned the "ship" around when she had the chance. I have always made excuses to myself as to why I continued to gain weight, or why I couldn't exercise, but I am done with that. No more excuses! It is up to me and no one else. I have to take the helm of my "ship" and turn it around before I end up like the lady in the wheelchair. So far this month, I have lost about 6 pounds and 7 1/2 inches. ! I refuse to let this ship sink or stray too far off course.

Who's plan, really?

Every now and then when I am flipping channels I will stumble on one of Joel Osteen's sermons and every time I do, I am amazed at how he has the ability to lift me up and remind me that God has so much more in store for me. I have a tendency to get so wrapped up in just "getting life done" that I forget to to slow down and ask my God "OnStar" system if I am going the right way. I would probably make way fewer mistakes if I just took the time to ask directions instead of just setting out by the seat of my pants which is how things usually happen these days. I imagine God sitting there just shaking his head saying, "Really Holli, Really?" But then, because he is my God, he takes my hand like one of my little Pre-K students and says, "Because you are my child and because my love for you is so strong, let's try this another time. Another way." Ever since I decided to open Slender You of Burleson, I have had moments of --Oh crud! What have I done? What was I thinking? And the big one, you're fat. Who's going to exercise at a fat girl's place. Then I stumbled on one of Osteen's sermons that reminded me that just maybe It has been God's plan all along that I open this place. Maybe that's why I have experienced so many hip surgeries and life changing issues. Could those events in my life have really been preparing me to be able to completely empathize with women who can't exercise the way that young people can. Maybe those events happened to give me courage to seek out others who need the help that I need. Maybe that's why I was born when my parent's were older. So I would have an opportunity to help them in their later years when life gets hard and it's tougher to get around. Maybe that's why my baby sister, Joey was unable to speak, so that I could learn to communicate with others when there aren't even words. I have no idea what His plan for me is, I just know that I am doing something that I never even imagined doing and I am helping people that I never imagined helping. Maybe, just maybe it has been in God's plan all along.

Magazine Madness

It never fails. As I stand in the check-out line at the grocery store, I am drawn in by the covers of my two favorite magazines. They always sport headlines about the newest and best way to lose weight and of course, I buy them every time. They are always "researched" plans and usually have Dr.'s names attached to them promoting their wondrous diet book that holds all the answers to the question, "How do I lose this weight?" And every single time, I put the two magazines in my basket just in case this is the week that they publish the "real secret." The thing about it that drives me crazy is that I read the articles and plans and usually think they sound pretty good, but I never try any of them. I think the reason that I don't every try them isn't that deep down I know what I have known my whole life and that is that unless I am going to get some real exercise then I am wasting my time no matter what I choose to do. I wish I could sue those magazine publishers who lure those of us like me out there who spend our hard earned money week after week on the hopes and dreams that they snag us with. If I had every penny that I ever spent on a way to lose weight, a diet book, a diet product, or a magazine touting the newest " weight loss secret" I would surely have about $50,000.00 in the bank! I would probably be slim and fit as well. What should I do? I really like those two magazines, but if I buy them then I am just letting them lure me back to the "what if, zone" and that is not where I want to be. I am sticking with advice from Jillian Michaels who said, "If it doesn't grow out of the ground or have a mother, then don't eat it!" Do you suppose there is an M&M tree somewhere? I'm just asking???????????????????

Anyone got the time?

According to my great-nephew, Caleb, the time for our "swim date" was O:30, yep that's right, as in OHHHH thirty! He described it as the time the sun barely breaks at dawn. Well, I got up just a little later, around 9:00 and put on my swimsuit and sunscreen to get ready to hit the pool for a little water exercise and some fun before the sun when I noticed something. My suit slipped on easier. It wasn't sticking out quite so much. Could all of my little changes be adding up to something positive. Oh well, I didn't think too much about it until I walked in to Slender You today only to hear my associate, Christy tell me that I was looking "good" and asking if I had lost weight. Hum??????????? Could it be that the few real changes that I have made have really gotten me off to a new life so effortlessly? I really haven't done any real structural changes so to speak just small adjustments. For example, I have been eating at subway more than usual. I have been using the Slender You toning tables and walking a couple of times a week. I have been eating a healthy cereal combination every morning and have been slacking off the sweets. Not skipping them altogether, just not every time I turn around. And I have been making time to get in the pool every couple of days. Still drinking water. Could all these little things, when done together, produce results without feeling deprived and defeated? Only time will tell!

Is it really what's on the inside that counts?

I am sitting in my office at Slender You of Burleson looking out at the chandelier that hangs just as you enter the door. As I study it, I am struck once again by it's beauty. When I was putting together the decor for the salon, I knew that I wanted a chandelier, but the ones that I first looked at were much too fussy and frilly for the feel that I was going for. I wanted something that was simple yet complex. I wanted something that was unique, but not to brash. I kept looking and then one day I found the perfect one. A chandelier that was absolutely perfect. Well, as I study it, I am wondering if the saying, "It's what's on the inside that counts," is true in all situations. For example, when you look at the chandelier, the inside wouldn't be near as beautiful without the simple black shade that covers it. Left on it's own, the inside would still be pretty, but it would be totally different. And likewise, left on it's own, it's shade would be boring. That's kind of the way it is with people. The prettiest person with no inner beauty is not nearly as beautiful as a person with a great sense of humor and personality. In looking at that chandelier, I began to equate it with my health. What good is all the cute clothes, make-up, and jewelry if you don't like looking in the mirror because you have let your health go and as a result don't like what you see very much. When we let our insides get out of balance to a point that it messes up the outside, it changes the way we see ourselves and others. When I look in the mirror these days, I see myself as a stranger. Someone that I don't recognize. If I were left to be judged by my outside alone, I would be in sad shape. Thank goodness that I have a little intelligence, quick wit, compassion, common sense, creativity, love, desire, patience, integrity, and a sense of humor to get me by. So while the little black shade is the perfect size and shape to cover that chandelier, it is nothing without the sparkle and shine that reside just inside it. I'll keep working on my "outside" by treating my body right, but I'll try to remember that it really is what's on the inside that counts.

Independence Day

As the 4th of July came and went so did my commitment to eating healthy. I used the holiday to eat pretty much what I wanted and while it wasn't all bad, I reverted to a bad habit that I thought I had kicked. I found myself drinking Dr. Pepper this weekend. I probably had a total of 5 over a 3 day weekend. I rarely drink anything but water or tea anymore and have really been trying to keep the tea to a minimum. But there is just something about a huge cooler of ice cold drinks! This got me to thinking about freedom. Funny, huh? What came to my mind it that with freedom, comes great responsibility. If there is no responsibility the freedom can lead to chaos. I see that in the big picture of our country and in my own little bitty life as well. See, I was given the freedom to manage my own health. I was born with a healthy body. I was born beautiful. I was born full of energy. Somewhere very early in life, I decided to assert my independence in many areas. One area was watching cartoons on my own so my family could tend to my younger sister, Joey who had problems from her birth. I also could get my own soda so no one had to help me when their hands were full. I also was "big" enough to clean my plate so that no one had to get on to me for not eating. I was independent. But I learned no responsibility to balance that freedom. I got into habits of watching hours of cartoons after school and drinking sodas all day instead of water. And I kept on cleaning my plate. Well these bad habits followed me as I grew and even as an adult, I have some of those same issues. I can still sit for hours and watch TV especially if it's hot outside. As I mentioned before, I slid backwards towards the soda demon this weekend and I will still clean my plate at almost every meal. The thing about freedom left unchecked with your body is that you wake up one day like me and realize that much of your "freedom" has been lost when you don't have the stamina to climb the stairs so you can't go to a Ranger game or you can't fit comfortably in the seats at American Airlines Center so you can't go to a concert or see the Mavericks play. You realize that your freedom has been lost when you can't get dressed without sweating. I am trying to incorporate more responsibility into my life due to these issues. I am following a plan that encourages me to drink water and other healthy things. I am focusing on not cleaning my plate if I am no longer hungry. I am limiting the time I will be sedentary, as in watching TV, napping, talking on the phone and such. I am being more responsible with my health in hopes that I can lose some weight and gain more strength and stamina and therefore regain the precious freedom that I took for granted for so many years. It's not to late for you to regain your independence, too!