New week.......new meltdown!

Monday, November 09, 2009

Not that kind of meltdown!!!!

I am focused today and I am making a committed effort to lose weight this week! Here are my goals for the week.

1. Use the tools as provided by Becks.
2. Drink 10 glasses of water per day.
3. Track all food.
4. Consistantly work out this week.

I have all of this more detailed in my personal journal, but I just wanted to put it out here so my friends can hold me accountable! I am going to make this work!



Have a great week everyone!

May your goals come true!

KO

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An inspiring lesson!

Friday, November 06, 2009

My sisters and I went to Michael W. Smith's "A New Hallelujah Tour" last night. I have always liked his music, so I was looking forward to it. We had pretty good seats....8th row...not too shabby. I learned an unexpected lesson. It wasn't anything I hadn't heard before, but Michael put it into a prospective that I hadn't thought of before.



The Past is history.
The Future's a mystery.
But Now is his gift;
That's why they call it "the present".

Now that poem I have heard many times. So I guess his explaining it was what struck a cord with me. And this is what I discovered.

1. I can't do anything about what happened yesterday or last week or last year for that matter.

2. I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow.

3. I can hope for good things in the future.

4. The present is all I have, and all I can control for now. So now is what I need to focus on.

Isn't that true? We can't get hung up on what will or what did happen. What are we going to do now? What choice am I going to make now? Any list I have or make really doesn't mean much. What am I going to do now is all I have control of.

Eases the guilt and anxiety doesn't it?

It gives me hope for a new beginning too. More successes......as I enter each moment...I have another moment to get it right.

Join me?

KO

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The Holidays......Friend or Foe

Thursday, November 05, 2009

I absolutely ADORE the holidays....the sights, the sounds, the smells. I love reading holiday books and listening to christmas music. I love decorating my house for the seasons and buying gifts for my children and grandchildren.



I've already started reading holidays books, and they really start bringing joy to the season. There is really nothing I don't like about the holidays.......so why the Friend or Foe comment?

I'm sure I don't EVEN have to say this........the food......it's like it comes out of nowhere at the holidays. Potlucks and bake sales and christmas treats, it is never ending. And it really is hard to avoid. My will power has been on the blink for a couple of weeks. I really need to get it replaced or overhauled. I wonder if they sell them on Ebay? If anyone sees any good bargins on one......would you let me know.....money is no object!!

I googled willpower to find a nice picture to go with this blog and this is what I found:



No, I can't explain it either so don't ask me........and in the process the ladybug picture was attached to this article, which I felt was worth sharing:

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7 Exercises for Strengthening your Willpower
by Zoltán on October 1, 2009

I Am A Weak Man
Like many of us, I also struggle with self-discipline issues. You know, when you just can’t tell yourself what to do. When you just can’t sit down and do your work (yes, a hot bubble bath always feels better, and no, not just for you). When you just can’t stay calm, when you just can’t say no to the seventeenth chocolate muffin, and when you just can’t do that very last push-up. Yes, most of these “just can’t” issues we often face are caused by or are derived from lack of willpower and self-discipline. I don’t like these times, even in spite of the leisure using which I escape. I think of these times as wasted time. If there’s one thing I don’t like it is wasted time. And I truly believe that you and I have this in common. And by that I don’t mean I never relax. I mean that I like to relax with the feeling that I have done my work. It’s a much better feeling, because you have the satisfaction of the done work, and the pleasure of leisure.

Willpower is Like a Muscle: Tone it, Strengthen it!
“Some psychologists have done research indicating that exercises in self-control, such as performing tasks with one’s non-dominant hand can gradually improve one’s willpower for other tasks.”

Whell, there’s still more study needed until that can be scientifically proven, however, these simple exercises do indeed work. And they do indeed need work. What I’m going to teach you is like a workout. It will sometimes (okay, often!) grow you tired, it will blow your patience away. Running through this article and closing the browser will not make you a willpower champion. However, following my tips and committing to exercising them will show improvement.

The Exercise Routine
The following are exercises designed to be practiced in different everyday situations, like standing in lines, driving, walking, and interacting with other people. I collected and designed them in a way that you won’t even need to sacrifice time to it, you will just have to pay more attention to yourself while doing these activities. Here’s how.

#1. Stand Still
I usually do this when going to bed. It also helps with falling asleep easier and earlier. What you basically have to do is: do not move. Yes, breathing is allowed. No, scratching your nose is not. Once you consciously stop moving, you will realize how many little movements you make every minute. The little scratches, the little kicks in the bed which make your lay more comfortable. Stop doing that for a minute. Oh yeah, that is going to be a quite long minute for you. It’s like lifting weights.

#2. Look Still
Just like with our movements, our sight is changing target very quickly. Even when I am sitting in front of the computer, I sometimes find myself looking away for a few glimpses to other things in my environment. Our challenge is to pick something and stick our very eyes to it. For a few minutes, do everything in a usual and everyday way, apart from not looking at anything but the cactus in the corner of the room. Do not practice this on computer screens.

Hint for beginners (and not just): Exercise this one on appealing members of the opposite sex. The results are not as high as with other subjects, however, a little pleasure is allowed for all of us.

#3. Switch the fork and the knife
We’ve developed habits and motions that have gone deep down to our instincts. Sometimes even the point of the exercise is to make your action instinctive. Now we’re going to take a different approach. We’re going to flip one of our diurnal habits: eating. Put the knife in your right hand, and the fork in the left, respectively (or vice versa if you’re left-handed, like me). The unusual placement of eating utensils will need you to pay special attention to control the movements, and also will need a lot of patience, especially if you practice while very hungry.

#4. Drive behind a slow vehicle
Drive slowly and patiently behind the slow car. It might not be easy, especially when you are in a hurry. Don’t care about zooming cars on the other lane, just stick with the slow car and don’t overtake it. See how long your patience lasts.

#5. Do Not Eat the Sweets
You can begin this exercise by just walking by the chocolate shelf in the store, and not buying anything. It can be quite hard to hold in. When you are accustomed to this introductory phase, and it’s no longer an exercise, rather a routine, buy some of the sweets. Take it home. The thought of possession will harden the exercise, the hold will be harder. Buy those sweets, take them home, put them on the table, and keep them there. Do not eat them. When you feel like you stretched your willpower muscle enough, reward yourself with eating them. This will also develop the reflex that hard work and self-discipline results in pleasant rewards. This is probably one of the hardest to do for me.

#6. Fight a Fear
I have a subtle horror of height.I was never keen on riding carousels with an acrobatic feeling. This summer my friends Szabi, Atti and I sit on a beast called the “Hammer”. I was very scared, yet, I knew I was going to have a great time. I paid for the ticket and sat down. There was no going back. It was totally secure, it was just my unexplainable fear that held me back. I got over it.

Pick a fear that holds you back from having all the fun life is offering. Riding a cool carousel, asking a girl out, eating some exotic food. Then do it. I don’t mean jumping out from the 100th floor. But what bad can happen if you ask a princess out for a dinner? Princesses don’t eat men.

#7. Use Your Non-Dominant Hand
This exercise allows probably for the most variation. It is very similar to exercise number three, in that it is making you temporarily act contrary to a habit in order to gain inner strength. Try writing with your non-dominant hand. Flip the guitar, if you play it, try to pull some melody out of it. Hit that tennis ball with your other hand. The options are endless.

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Not too bad huh?! Well, I will keep working on my willpower, and now that I know that I have to exercise it...........I guess it goes on my list of things to do this holiday season!

Take care my friends,

KO

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Was I asleep when they handed out RUDE???

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

So last night I stopped at Barnes and Noble for a minute.....okay it was more like an hour......what can I say, I LOVE that place! This is the time of year when I only read holiday books, because it really gets me in the spirit of the season.



So I'm a happy girl.....found a couple of great selections, checked out, and skipped to my car...only to see this..(re-enactment)..............



Now this may be a tad closer that how it really was.....okay I'm a little dramatic!... but I can tell you there was no way I was going to be able to get into my vehicle! Trust me I tried!

I toyed with the idea of getting in on the passenger side but I would have to climb over a console, and having had to do that once....it just wasn't appealing.

So I decided to go back into the store and see if I could find the person who can't judge distance very well.....poor guy....needs glasses I'm sure.

I go up to the customer service and ask if there is any way they can help me find this poor, poor guy. So they called out for the vehicle over the intercom and low and behold it happened to be a guy standing at customer service. He apologized and told me he would be right with me.

Well I stood there for 20 minutes! And he showed no sign of leaving. He was way to busy going about his business! I had to get home, so I decided, I guess I'm going to have to climb over the console. It took me about 5 minutes, I broke my headband on the roof of the vehicle, damaged my pride; all the while feeling really MAD! I finally struggle into my seat and I can see the guy in my rear view mirror......oh.....then the tears well in my eyes.

So I back up and try not to look at him.....I'm afraid I'll throw some naughty gesture his way or say something not very lady like. I see him mouth "I'm sorry." But it's too late.....RUDE IS RUDE. I looked away and drove off.

I hope he got what he wanted at the store. I'm glad I didn't inconvenience him.....and all I want to know is.....


Was I asleep when they handed out Rude????

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The Spice of Life

Monday, November 02, 2009

What is your "Spice of Life"?

This time of year really brings out some of the best spices. I love the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, etc.



And as we move into the holiday season, the smell of pine needles really makes me happy!



There are others things that can create for us ...."The Spice of Life". Have you ever heard....Music is the spice of life?



With the holidays upon us, I think we will need all the tools we can get to help us battle against temptation. And what better way than with something we consider......The Spice of Life. It is different for everyone. It just has to be something that distracts us from putting unnecessary food in our mouths. Something that calms the cravings.

For me it's the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon, and pine needles, with a side of music! What is yours?

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