It’s JUNE! The results are in!
Well, it always seems like I start my blogs like this now! It’s been a little while! What can I say? I’m leading a full life and balancing it all is just a lot. When you are running your own business by yourself, many things just have to wait.
Today, I wanted to share a little about the last 12-13 weeks. I have been working with an amazing group of Christian women, who, like me, found themselves addicted to alcohol. It has been an ongoing journey of discovery, and learning to let go of something that we have been conditioned to do. It isn’t their fault they became addicted to a highly addictive substance. Wine is no longer serving them, and this happens to many of us in mid-life. Taking a break from alcohol has so many health benefits—from sleeping better and weight loss to less anxiety and depression. And, for me, a richer, more fulfilling relationship with my Creator. Alcohol dampens everything. When you are comfortably numb, you are numb to everything, and that includes your connection with God. We have been working through a beautiful devotional called "The Plans He Has for Me" and a 13-week program called "Choose Freedom." It has been life-changing, and I truly believe that these women are going to let go of alcohol completely. But, it takes time.
I personally have been working through the devotional by using it to address my food addiction and my feelings of "unworthiness" and "not being enough." Letting go of the thoughts and beliefs I have around food. I have been a longtime Weight Watchers member and I have been up and down the scales for years! When I let go of alcohol, I lost weight and have kept off 12-14 pounds for the past 4 years. I thought this is where I’m supposed to be at this time of my life with my weight. A little overweight, but not that bad. A year and a half ago, I cut out a lot of sugar and processed foods, but I wasn’t doing it in a sustainable way. I lost 5 pounds and then gained it back. My mindset and thought process were all about deprivation and how I was going to be missing out! Sound familiar?
Anyway, not only have I been doing the devotional, but I also started working with a personal trainer and doing her program called Transformation 4 Life! I was taught how to figure macros. If you're like me, when you hear the word macros your eyes glaze over. I had to push into my resistance to learn. I don’t know why the word "macro" sets me off, but apparently, there is something there. I had to figure out my "whys" and establish some goals. I had to look at the habits that I had created to self-soothe. These patterns are from decades of learning to eat the wrong way! Anyone heard of the food pyramid? All lies created by Big Food. I wasn’t eating horrible food. I was just eating too many carbs and not enough protein and healthy fats. I was also eating too much!
I was already working out and lifting weights 2 to 3 days a week and walking. I was just staying stuck. Not seeing progress. It was time to shake things up. So, through the program, I decided to up my lifting to 4-5 days a week and keep up my walking. Then, halfway in and just starting to see progress, I sprained and chipped the bone in my ankle. I found chair workouts and didn’t miss one workout. Seated cardio too! You gotta love YouTube!
Well, I was hooked on the progress and feeling better! And for the first time in my life, I was feeling a shift in my mindset. Using food as fuel instead of a numbing agent. Now you might be thinking she is working out a lot. Not really, 30 minutes lifting at least 4-5 times a week and cardio 2 days a week. 30 minutes a day is nothing! I know that you are spending at least 30 minutes a day on your phone. If you don't, you are a modern-day unicorn! This life is a work in progress! You take steps forward and then have a misstep. You learn and then you fail. When you fail, you learn more.
So, on to more goals around my health and fitness! My goal is to live my best life at every age! Here’s to 56!
Two YouTube Trainers I follow are Nourish Move Love and Get Fit with Rick.
For more information on Transformation 4 Life please reachout to me and I will put you intouch with my trainer, Shelly! She is amazing!