Fun and Mental Changes

A few years back I joined my local Curves and jumped on the Curves Complete bandwagon with HUGE success.  Since then I moved to an area that doesn't have a Curves, my husband was forced to retire from his job, I started a new job and life has been FULL of fun and mental changes (some not-so-fun).  How do I respond to a whirlwind of changes that gives me whiplash?  I stuff my face and DON'T do what I know I need to do to stay healthy and reach my goals. Welp today I'm giving it another go.  I may not have a Curves near me, but I AM still part of the Curves online community and I have access to some pretty great resources and included in those resources is a meal planner complete with recipes and even an "on the go" menu that I lived on today until dinner.  While not advised to do on a daily basis, having "on the go" options means that you can stay on course when you are in a pinch!  Breakfast:  Dunkin Donuts Ham and...

Ok, its been a little bit blogland!  I've been busy working on my girlish figure and daydreaming about the wedding dress I'm gonna wear next year.  You all know that I was on the Curves Complete program... welp, I finished my 12 week round, took a month off and JUST started another round.  I'm POSITIVE that this is the vehicle to get me to my goal and more importantly - keep me there.  Let me tell you why.  Let me share with you the greatest lesson I think I've ever learned (well, certainly, its in the top 5)! I spent eleven weeks of the twelve week program losing weight consistently.  Some weeks were better than others losing up to 4 pounds in a week other weeks weren't as good because, well, I'm a girl!  Guys have NO IDEA what we go through every single month and it REALLY ruins an entire week ESPECIALLY if you're getting on a scale.  But even with that, I lost EVERY week for 11 weeks.  Then, at my LAST weigh in at the end of my 12th w...

There are moments in life that God allows you, for no real reason that you are aware of at the time, to be a part of something MONUMENTAL.  A moment that changes you, inspires you, blesses you and truly humbles you to the core maybe just to remind you that He cares.  I had that moment last night and am having a little trouble putting the experience into words today. But, I really do want to share the experience with all of you, so I'll start with the obvious and see where that takes me.  I was invited to attend Mildred's 100th birthday party last night. I don't know Mildred very well, but I've gotten to work out with her a couple of times at my Curves.  Yes gang, Mildred is 100 and works out at Curves!  To see this woman working out in the circuit at 100 blows my mind and fills me with inspiration beyond measure.  If you ask Mildred what the secret to living so long is, she'll tell you, "You gotta move Honey!" I don't know what I expected exactl...

Well, yesterday I shared some of my inspiration with you, today I want to share satisfaction.  I've been given the pleasure of sharing my journey of gaining health and losing weight with the incredible ladies that I work out with at Curves and today I got a clear view at how much more I really get and why it is all worth it. A lady talked to me today about feeling alone in her own weight loss journey with no where to turn for motivation to reach her goals... she was even thinking of quitting altogether.  Boy, did I relate!!!  All I could tell her is about the satisfaction that I receive from my own journey with the wonderful Curves ladies. Reality check:  you HAVE to find your own motivation.  This is nothing someone can give to you.  But the miracle that I have found on the Curves Complete program is that once I tapped into that motivation (just to get myself there), Curves has the support and programs in place that is getti...

***CLICK HERE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN MY FAVORITE THINGS BIRTHDAY GIVE AWAY!!!*** Wow!  What an incredible birthday already!!!  So let me give you a little back story for those who may not know.  I am trying to get down to wedding-dress-shopping-weight and started the Curves Complete program at my Curves gym to get me there.  When they called this program "Complete", they were NOT joking!!! This morning I went in to my Curves to take a Zumba class and decided to take a piece of the gluten free birthday cake I made yesterday with a copy of the recipe to my Curves Coach.  She looked at the recipe wide eyed and said, "I bet that you didn't gain a pound from this cake yesterday.  Let's see!  Jump on the scale!"  Now, YESTERDAY was my weekly weigh in, so you know that my current weight was fresh on everyone's mind and I'm not gonna lie here, I just about peed my pants when I stepped up on the scale to find that I lost an additional 2 p...

WOWOWOWOW!!!  So I HOPE you all are missin me!  I haven't been posting much lately because I've got my FULL focus on taking this weight off so that I can go wedding dress shopping.  The good news is that its working.  That bad news is, I'm discovering that gluten was the culprit for the problem in the first place!!!! Years ago, after being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, I had a nutritionist tell me that I shouldn't be eating anything containing wheat and should probably stay away from oats as well.  She never explained exactly why or what it was doing to my body, she only said that there was strong evidence that people with chronic fatigue syndrom were sensative to wheat.  Not putting much stock into what I was told... I mean, come on, it wasn't like I broke out in hives or my breathing became restricted (and quite frankly, I didn't believe that I could live without my beloved bread and pasta), I continued eating what I ...

As you may already know, this is my first week of Curves Complete and, THE DAY BEFORE signing up for the program, I had an accident breaking a toe and hurting my back BADLY!!!  I went to my chiropractor (lightening fast) who has been working with me to overcome the back injury.  I told him that this was my first week of Curves Complete and he said that I could work out, but I needed to take things slowly... so that's what I've been doing.  What I've found during my workout, even though I'm taking the Curves circuit at a snail's pace, is that my heart rate is only SLIGHTLY slower than when I'm working out at 100%!  I'm moving through the circuit VERY slowly (skipping machines that I'm not confident using) and ending my half hour workout SWEATING!!!  I was so worried that this injury was going to keep me from being successful on the program, but as it turns out, giving it your all means different things at different times to different people.  My "a...

WOW!  What a morning I've had already!!!  A friend of mine was recounting some health issues she's dealing with and I was reminded what this upcoming week with Curves Complete really means to me.... how far I've come with my own health.  I'm really overwhelmed with gratitude!  And it all really started with taking responsibility. I will never tell anyone that they shouldn't seek medical advice.  But while seeking medical attention from a doctor,  make sure you take responsibility for your health as well.  And if you're sick, don't rely on someone else to take care of you!  "Cure me with a pill while I do nothing"  is not a healthy attitude!  When we are sick we should do everything in OUR power to heal.  If you're ill and you think that donuts and ice cream will heal you, then you're biggest illness might not just be physical. And I can speak as someone who used to be very ill... while food SHOULD NOT be ...

I forgot to mention yesterday that the owner of my Curves advised that I try out a gluten-free diet for the next 90 days during my first run at the Curves Complete program.  She is suggesting I do that because I told her about the article I read that discussed wheat intolerance being associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.... which I have.  She thought that since I'm "tweaking" my diet anyway, that it might be a great time to try this gluten-free gig and see how I feel.  I couldn't agree more!!!  But where do I start???  I first started online.... OF COURSE!!!  Here's what I came up with:  http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/gluten-free-whole-grains Then I found:  http://glutenfreegirl.com/how-to-live-gluten-free/  and http://simplygluten-free.com/  and http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/high-alkaline-foods-12-perfect-foods-for-optimal-health And great tips here:  http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-well...

I am currently reading a book that I absolutely MUST share! The book is called Fitness and Weight Management Plan and it is just about THE best book that I've read on the subject. The author is Gary Heavin (founder and CEO of Curves International, Inc.)... yes, the 'Curves for Women' guy!!! Now I wouldn't normally bump into a book like this, well, because I don't work out at Curves and because this book is not in book stores, but I have a dear friend who DOES work out at Curves and recommended the book to me. So off I went in search of my nearest Curves and boy am I glad I did! I HIGHLY recommend you pick up a copy for yourself. Mine cost right around $8. The book starts out with a description of the Curves workout, which is good information for anyone looking to join Curves, but I skipped that part and started with the section titled Embracing Change. If you don't get this amazing informative book for anything else... get it for THIS SECTION! I have never read ...