Taking a Break

Hi Everyone,

I am a little under the weather and I need to take a personal break to get my health in order. I am not sure how long I will be away, but rest assure I will return. I am sorry for the sudden departure, but this was unexpected and without going into details, please know that if I could continue to write I would do so. I have given it much thought and know that for the sake of a speedy recovery it is best that I take a short break from blogging. Thank you for your understanding and if I do not return before the holidays I wish you all a very safe and Happy Holiday season!

Love,
Janelle

The 2nd Month of the Year

I claimed this year would be great, but despite my claim to happiness, this year has been a roller coaster. We are only in the second month of the year, and I think I have experienced most emotions known to mankind. I know Life never gives us more than we can bear, but I am convinced that I must have unlimited bearable miles stamped on my heart. I also know some things are meant to make us stronger (so they say), while others are meant to teach us a lesson. Well I must be the strongest, smartest,  life learner yet, because I keep getting a new chapter of life to study. It's harder for me to watch the people I care for struggle or hurt, than it is for me to suffer. I have a "fix it" attitude about everything, and unfortunately all things can not be fixed, nor are they in my control. So for now I lay back in the cut and wait for life to throw me another curve ball. I won't let this bumpy start get me in a funk, instead I'll say, "see you at the end of the month Life, and we can recap our 28 days".
 

Blog Neglect and Too Much Stress

Sorry I have been slacking on the blog post as of lately. This year came in a little overwhelming and I have been under a lot of stress. (Nothing I can't handle) Too say the least I need a hug. That sounds so funny, but its true one time my co-worker gave me a hug for absolutely no reason and immediately I felt better. I love hugs. Over the shoulder hugs, tight waist hugs, little hand hugs, any type. LOL. Seriously, I must send my apologies for not writing. I have so much on my mind that I want to share, but we will take it one topic at a time. I am hoping I can get back to writing shortly.

Sometimes stressing puts everything over the top and the smallest things under a microscope. Your heart beats a little faster, you feel a little tougher, you feel a little weaker, a little smarter, a little less smart, a little emotional, a little less emotional, overall you feel every damn emotion you've ever felt, or at least it seems that way. Randomly thinking, I feel better when I let it out. I am off to get some much needed sleep. If you are a blogger and think I may be interested in reading your work. Please leave your link in my comments, I am always up for a good read.  Good night brownies!

Stress and Lifestyle Changes

The life of a busy woman can lead us to neglect ourselves. Caring for others around us and handling everyday business does not leave much time to tend to our own needs. I recently had a discussion with another busy mom regarding stress.

Many may not realize that stress is the core cause of many diseases and the enabler of pre-existing conditions. Upon doing research on depression and stress I found the two to carry similar traits. In fact my research lead me to conclude that the undefined sick feeling one gets that can't be explained, could very well be stress.

Be advised that I am not a medical doctor nor do I claim to be an expert. I highly recommend if you are dealing with any of these issues you should seek medical attention from your physician.

Letting Go!- Repost 10/17/2009

Sometimes we are so hurt and torn down we don't  realize the extra pain that we cause ourselves by allowing old wounds to remain unhealed. I think the first step in completely healing a wound is realizing that it is there! It's easy to cover scars with bandages and never acknowledge that they exist.

Hurting and healing is one of the most difficult task in self-help. The hardest aspect is allowing yourself to hurt. Often times we guard ourselves after heartache so that no one else or nothing else will hurt us again, With this wall, we not only block pain from coming in, we also block its' ability to escape, keeping it trapped in forever.

This year has been all about setting, achieving and exceeding goals I've made for myself. (Believe me the list is intense). I am down to the last few months of the year, and I can say I have successfully achieved most, if not all. Well late on the list I am adding "letting go". I will no longer hold the wall of protection that won't allow past pains to escape, instead I am breaking down each brick of the wall and allowing bad experiences, heartache, disappointment, etc. to find their way out (with some forced guidance of course).

With my new added task, I'll be even more mentally occupied than expected. But I am willing to block off some time in my schedule for some TLC for myself. This year my expectations have grown, my acceptance has become limited and I am anticipating the best that my new life has to offer.

Three Week Update

It is three weeks into my healthier habits and I must say despite the past weeks birthday celebration I managed to loss 6 pounds. I think I would have lost more had I exercised like I was suppose to. I managed to get some walking done and a few days with the hula hoop, but nothing like I should have. My body still hasn't adjusted to waking at 5:15 a.m. so I haven't been able to rise 10 minutes earlier than that to do my workout in the mornings. The morning workouts are the key because my evenings are jammed packed.

Remember my goal is to lose 2.5-3 pounds a week. So at 6 pounds loss after 3 weeks I am at 2 pounds per week. Not bad, but definitely can be better. The extra pound has to come from me working out. While I won't be hard myself about that, but at least I know where I stand.

I'll check in again in the next 2 weeks with an update. I have about a month to reach my goal. If I stay at this rate it won't be hard. Wish me luck!

It's On

Today was yet another busy and tiring day. Despite the fact that I literally want to pass out from exhaustion, I got so many MANDATORY things done today. I am a procrastinator when it comes to doing certain things. I hate grocery shopping, I hate laundry, and oh yeah, I hate doctors offices. Hence, the reason I had to knock all these to-do items off my list today. Life would be so simple if I did things as they came, instead of letting it all become urgent at once. Anyway, no one is perfect and at least I know my imperfections. That doesn't excuse the fact that they exist, but I am working on it.

Well, I did it. I revamped the fridge in preparation for my work week. Eating healthy is not difficult for me. It is just when I go back to bad habits, I don't know where to start in order to get back on track. Well I started at the start. My problem isn't indulging in goodies, it is picking processed foods for quick eats. We all know processed foods are filled with sodium. preservatives, sugars, dyes, and a lot of non-nutritional things to extend the shelf life. Well since that is my downfall, I stopped it dead in its tracks and loaded up on the good stuff. Take a look below:

I am giving it my all, because I have no other option. Leave me some encouraging tips. Now, it's on!