Monday Morning at the Mall

My morning is actually going along pretty close to schedule. I am sitting in the food court at Southlake Mall while waiting for my truck to be done by Sears Auto Center. Since we came back from NOLA last week, my truck has been starting really slowly. I have diagnosed it as a battery problem and I expect the SAC techs to agree.

In the interim, I am sitting here, letting the world roll on its axis and watching life pass by. Well...kinda - I did talk to my assistant, Renee and my boss, Del. and I took some notes on a ToDo list. I also brought an O Magazine with me. I enjoy this magazine WHEN I take the time to read it. Most of the time, I just pile them up along with the other u -read mags and then end up feeling guilty about not reading them. (Um...yeah...that makes no sense.)

Sent from my iPhone - please excuse any typos.

Faith and Favor

It is because I am so full of faith that I have so much favor.

Polar Vortex

It is seven degrees on the seventh of January....in Atlanta.

Mother Nature, Father Time, Baby Jesus....somebody tell me how we got here.

Oh...wait...it's January, you say.  Um...okay.

At any rate, I've been getting my mind right to get out in this weather for about three hours now.  I think I'm halfway there.

For my first post of 2014, you would think that I had something more substantial to say.

I don't.

However, I'm looking forward to an awesome day.  And more than that, I'm looking forward to a great year - one day at a time.

Toilet Lid Closed

I know some chicks get all riled up because their mets leave the toilet seat up.

I am actually one who prefers that the entire lid be closed. And I've asked M. to close the lid, but er um...yeah...that never happens, in fact, he leaves the seat up.

But whatever, I just close open lids as I pass by them. No worries....

25 Not So Sexy and Not So Cool Facts About the ATL Marathon 10 Miler

1.  I woke up at 409a - 21 minutes earlier than the alarm.  I decided to go ahead and get up because I knew I wasn't going back to sleep.  Plus, I needed to be up for enough time to drink some coffee and some water so that I could get some 'movement' before I left home.

2.  I have exactly ONE hooded sweatshirt.  I spent an hour looking for it this morning.  I did not find it.

3.  Biv was exactly on time to pick me up.  I'm glad I was ready.

4.  The walk over to Piedmont Park was a perfect warm-up. Don't know why so many people were complaining.

5.  The portapotty lines were not that bad.  The portapotties were.

6.  Biv and I had Step and L-Dub with us, in spirit, for the entire race.  However, I did give her a slight side eye when she started 'talking' to them going up that hill in Mile 5.

7.  The first seven miles of the race were not that bad.  Then we hit Peachtree Road and Cardiac Hill.  Cardiac Hill is some bullsht. But y'all knew that.

8.   There was this little blond chick having a ball with her race.  She *let* us pass her going up an incline over in Peachtree Hills.

9.  After Mile 8, Biv was still in great shape.  She was loving my interval plan. I was starting to fade. 

10.  I appreciate the couple that had the Halloween candy out.  Those M&M's gave me life.

11.  I vogued for a little while for the group on Peachtree just before the Deering Road turn.  (I was walking anyway.)

12.  The cop at the corner of Deering Road and Mecaslin Street made me laugh.  I needed that.  That was one helluva hill.

13.  The "Magic Mile" was not at all magic.  Somebody lied.

14.  Crossing the finish line made me happy.

15.  If anybody called my name at the finish line, I probably seemed like I was ignoring you.  I was.  I was focused on the words "Finish Line."  If I looked away, I might have died.

16.  I thought the medal volunteers would have put it around my neck.  They put it in my hand.

17.  The treat boxes were so much better than getting a treat or two in your hand as you go down the line.

18.  I like the Triple Peach medal best.

19.  Um, to the chick that *kept* taking pictures in front of the finishers' screen with her hubby - he was not as geeked as you were.

20.  My hands never did warm up.  Maybe I should have pulled out my hand warmer packet.

21.  I did not come in at the time goal that I set for myself.  But...it's okay.  I still got the same medal.

22.  I'm pretty sure I won my first name category.  (I will come back to confirm this when I know for sure.)

23.  I hate I missed seeing 2V's, but I'm glad I got to see ShaRUNda.  I kissed Taryn on the cheek at her volunteer station.  I don't remember seeing anyone else that I actually know from the run group.

24.  Somewhere along the course, I was pretty pissed at myself for paying for the Thanksgiving Half.  I'm sure that on Thanksgiving, I will be pissed for running it.  After that Half is done, I will retire from races over 10K.

25.  I'm one and done on this course.  Y'all can have it.

Fitness Goals For 06.14.13

Today's fitness goals:
1. Strength Cardio Mix Training
2. 100 oz of H2O
3. Eat clean
4. Record meals and exercise
5. Channel positive energy
#FitFineFabulous #Focused

Gratitude - 06.01.13

Today, I am grateful for:

1. Hometowns - stay connected to your roots.

2. My husband treating my wasp sting. #TwoBenadryls

3. The world turning...

Gratitude - 05.28.13

Today, I am grateful for:

1. Figuring out that going down one more exit on 20W means less traffic to get to my neighborhood.

2. A boss that totally has my back.

3. A leadership team that makes my job less stressful as their manager.

Why I Gained the Weight

I recently watched the episode of Iyanla's "Fix My Life" with the Pace Sisters.  I found in interesting that Iyanla alluded to the fact that the sisters were all overweight and had issues with food because of some hidden emotional trauma and that they were "wearing their pain."

 

At one point, I was sixty pounds overweight.  In 2007, I was able to successfully lose 50 pounds and keep it off for nearly two years.  In 2009, I met my husband.  I slowly moved away from most of my healthy habits.  My nights spent playing softball became evenings spent cuddling on the couch after cooking full meals and eating something sweet as a dessert.  My mornings spent walking/running a perfect three mile route or on the elliptical in my apartment complex's fitness center turned into sleeping in and making full breakfast meals before work nearly every morning.  And I gained back 20 pounds over the last four years.  Being that I have again return to a healthier lifestyle, I found Iyanla's observation gave me pause.

 

So, I have had this interesting relationship with weight loss and healthy living for the past several years.  Seeing this episode of FML, caused me to do something that I have not ever really done before – giving some thought to the questions of why/how I gained the weight in the first place.  And I have come to a conclusion. 

 

While Iyanla's fix for the Pace sisters may make sense for them, it makes no sense for me.  You see, I was not overweight growing up.  I was active in sports and raised by a grandmother whose lifestyle was active by its very nature.  We spent our summer mornings picking fresh beans and peas in the field and our afternoons canning the morning's work.  In the winter, we had a freezer full of food locally raised and our meals were not heavy on meat.  I was active in sports.

 

In fact, I didn't gain a lot of weight until I met and started dating someone who was overweight himself in my late 20's.  I was praised for my thickening thighs and ballooning behind.  I began shopping in Lane Bryant like they were designing clothes specifically for me.  I began telling myself, "I'm not a teenager anymore.  Why would I continue to have a teenager's body?"  I spiraled from an active healthy lifestyle into one that was sedentary and filled with calorie overindulgences.

 

Reality slapped me in the face one afternoon while I was out grocery shopping.  I kept looking behind me as I went down the aisles, trying to figure out who was following me.  Suddenly, I looked down only to realize that what was so uncomfortably tailing me in the grocery store was my own behind.

 

And I was done.  However, for almost two years, I made little to no progress in actually moving back to a healthy lifestyle or losing any weight.  It took some time for me to figure out what ultimately works for me.  I found the site SparkPeople in July 2007.  I was able to use the tools on the free site to learn about healthy eating and healthy lifestyle habits.  I lost forty pounds in about six months. 

 

During that time, I went through some changes in my personal life.  However, I did not regain the weight.  It was until I was "in love" again that my weight began to creep up.  So, no, I am not an emotional eater.  I am a lazy, undisciplined eater who is given to overindulging in fast food, cookies, cake and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and paying more attention to things/people outside of herself than is healthy for me.

 

What works for my healthy lifestyle is being active every single day.  It is paying attention to my eating habits.  It is meal planning and avoiding fast food restaurants.  It is turning down my favorite sweet tea and turning up water.  It is recognizing that there are indulgences that I will continue to allow myself but not going overboard.  It is being actively involved in and paying attention to my health on a daily basis.

Morehouse in the Rain

I sit here, huddled under a plastic poncho so thoughtfully provided after we passed the security checkpoint and collected our graduation programs.

I could be asking myself why I am here. I don't personally know a single soul that will receive a diploma today.

But I know why I am here. I am here to witness history. I am here to be reminded. I am here to be inspired.