I just want a CUP CAKE!

I am officially on week three of my new lifestyle change! I have been losing weight which is awesome, a total of 13 pounds to be exact, and it feels great. I haven't noticed an extreme difference in my appearance, but my clothes fit a lot better, and some of them not at all. But even though I see the numbers dropping and I am feeling encouraged about my everyday achievements, I still can't help but crave a cup cake. How silly, right?! To be sensitive to all readers, lets just say, "It's that time of month," and I would kill for a bite of sugary goodness, badness(?). Even though I desperately want to sink my teeth into a fluffy cup cake, I haven't! We call that discipline!


 I have always had a hard time sticking to a diet plan or food program, until now. I feel like I have been earning back my respect and the confidence I have in my ability to be dedicated and to accomplish my goals. I have not cheated, splurged, indulged or gone off track. For me, that is HUGE! It reminds myself that I seriously can do this how lifestyle change. I notice myself caring less about the number on the scale, and more about making a commitment to live different. The weight I lose is just a reference point of whether or not I am staying on track. I am not obsessed, for the first time, with trying to be skinny. I am not striving for the ideal body, but I am striving to look and feel the best I have ever felt! That is something I can be proud of!

Post Suggestion: We're all going to crave our favorite foods at some point, so instead of giving in every time, focus your attention on your goals. So far, every time I have wanted to cheat by eating a cup cake, I have reminded myself that eating that will only satisfy me temporarily, but it will set me back from my goals for much longer. 

Enjoy your life right now, so you don't look back and feel like you've missed out 
Sheena

Get Some Fresh Air

With this new eating program I am on, I can't do intense exercising because I am not eating enough to support a heavy workout. But I CAN walk! (Not having an intense workout is only temporary, I will be able to build back up to my desired workout plan!)

So, I decided that after my veggie filled dinner, I would go on a walk. Summer is coming soon and I know I won't be able to get fresh air as comfortably as I can now, so I am taking full advantage of it!

It was a perfect night to spend outside - The breeze was brilliant and the sun was shinning! I am trying to become more consistent with walking after dinner because I want to create a habit of staying active. I was even able to finish a bottle of water on the walk. Which is always a plus!

Post Suggestion: It is totally fine if you aren't able to do a rigorous exercise program right from the start. Try staying consistent with walking 30min to an hour each day and work your way up to a more quick passed workout routine. You'll be glad you

Stay active & Take a walk!
Sheena

It's Important How You View Yourself

The popular soap company Dove has created this beautiful shot film of how woman view themselves. It is such a shock to see how we often describe our flaws. Completely forgetting to remember the beautiful things that make us unique. This video was actually quite sobering, because I know I have told myself some of the same things that these woman said. My sounds more like... "My face is to round, my eye lashes to short, my bone structure isn't soft..." Sometimes we need to take a break from being so nitpicking about ourselves and simply enjoy the beauty and uniqueness we all exude, in our own ways!

Post Suggestion: This might sound awkward, but make a list of the features of your face that you like. We can sometimes overlook giving ourselves reminders of the positive assets we have. Spend more time being thankful for how you were created and spend less time wishing that you were created another way. You're uniquely beautiful. Own it!

Stay inspired and stay passionately beautiful
Sheena

Next Step To Sucess

It's been a few days since I've updated about the progress I'm making - but here goes nothing!

I officially finished the week long cleanse, just yesterday, and I am feeling pretty good. I haven't been sleeping as well the past few days for some reason, so I am having mixed feelings about how the cleanse turned out. On one hand I know that physically my body is much healthier now since I've removed dairy, sugar, meat, and caffeine. I don't feel so weighed down and lethargic, while at the same time I've been really tired because of the lack of sleep I've been getting. Oh the joys of trying to create a regular routine for myself!

But all that aside, I have some exciting news! Today is the first official day of starting the Medifast food program. I am excited and still a bit skeptical, but I am trying to have faith that if I stick to the schedule that I will see results! So I ate some eggs at 6:30 this morning, I'll be having a shake in about 30 minutes (9:30) and then at 12:00 or 12:30 I will have soup. Then I will eat a granola bar at 2:30 when I get home from work and then prepare my "Lean & Green" meal for dinner. I will be having Mexican style lean ground turkey over a bed of lettuce and cucumbers with a side of grilled asparagus. I am hoping to keep up this positive pattern in order to reach my goals!  

Post Suggestion: When you are around people who are eating greasy, sugary, good looking foods it is a good idea to remind yourself of your goals. And don't sit there thinking about how much it sucks that you "can't" have those foods, instead remind yourself of all the things you want to accomplish. You'll feel much better not eating what everyone else usually eats and sticking to the specific foods you can have! You can do it. It is worth all the self control and resistance!

Stay encouraged and go for a walk!
Sheena

Creating Healthy Environments

On my quest to get healthy physically, I am also learning to create healthy balances in other areas of my life. You know, the day-to-day junk we all deal with! I haven't always had the easiest time with speaking up when I need something. I have found myself not always being able to verbalize my needs to people. Consequently, this usually leads to me stuffing my hurts, desires, and genuine needs until I have an overwhelming amount of anxiety and stress about how my life looks. As I have gotten more freedom with understanding that my needs in life are valid, I have been slowly learning how to speak up for myself. Well, yesterday was a prime example of how I am trying to create a healthy environments. My work environment as well as a healthy church environment. Talk about dealing with stuff all in one day!

It started after I got to work, myself and another employee {my good friend} decided that we didn't want to complain {anymore!} about all the frustrating things we've seen happen within the office. Instead, we decided to go to the source... My boss! I was so nervous to confront the things that have been causing a lot of tension among people in the office, but I knew it was necessary. So I expressed my needs with transparency and was honest with my boss about how I've been feeling. After I was able to confront my feelings and what I was really desiring out of my work environment it became easier to go to my boss with an open-mind and hear his side. I don't know if I'll see a drastic difference around the office, but for myself to even confront the situation I was facing was a huge burden lifted off my shoulders. Like I mentioned previously, I had a similar experience with the church I am involved with. A group of leaders were able to sit down and confront the issues at hand and I felt that it was a start to a new beginning.

Needless to say, yesterday was a "Getting healthy" kinda day! Even though everything was somewhat emotionally draining I was able to handle all of that with a gallon of distilled water and my lemon & syrup mixture! I have been making sure I carry around a bottle so that I don't have the desire to gravitate to munching on something else.
Post Suggestion: After setting your physical health goals, take some time and make a list of other areas in your life that you would like to see become healthy as well. Personally, I have been figuring out all the things I have said I wanted to do or change and I am actually following through with them. Understanding the areas that suck the life out of you will allow you to put together a plan of action of how you can change the things you don't like. It's all about getting healthy, so start today and keeping going tomorrow!


Stay encouraged!
Sheena

When Life Gives You Lemons...

When Life Gives You Lemons, Do a Cleanse!

So I have arrived at the anxiously awaited Lemon day! The third and forth day of my cleanse consists of only drinking liquids. To be exact, I am supposed to drink (2) 32 Ounce bottles of a lemon, water and maple syrup mixture. Yum! So far, I have been doing alright, although I faced my biggest temptation yet. I came home from work yesterday after having a very successful day of eating healthy. Only to smell the sweet aroma of everything a birthday party's consist of. My sweet friend was having a birthday party at my parents house and she laid out a beautiful array of chips and dip, buttery croissants, and a creamy white chocolate bunt cake! Can I tell you, that nothing at that moment could have convinced me that my brown rice pasta and sauteed mushrooms were as satisfying as a big bite of that cake! So as everyone is sitting down laughing, eating and being merry, I stood over a hot stove of bowling water waiting impatiently for my pasta to cook. In my mind I kept repeating to myself that the reason I am doing this cleanse and starting a new lifestyle for myself, was for all of the times I did take a big bite of cake and didn't choose something healthier. So instead I sat and ate my food I had prepared for myself. A delicious way to curb the hunger I was feeling. I know this may sound crazy, but I was still able to laugh, spend time with the company that was over and I stuck to my cleanse. These small changes are pretty impressive compared to my normal routine, I was so pleased that I stood my ground and kept my eye on the prize!

After dinner, I decided to cook up my mixture for today's liquid portion of the cleanse. If you remember from my previous post, it is all about PREPARATION! So I took the time to chop up my 15 lemons and measured out the syrup to water proportions. I finally finished, and it felt good!

It is really quite comical to think about all the worrying and the nervousness I felt about tackling this cleanse. The crazy amount of mental stress I was putting myself through has almost entirely subsided. For such a long time I have created my body image and the struggle to lose weight as a giant that I have yet to conquer. Because often I feel like an ant at the foot of a huge mountain consumed with my thoughts of how I couldn't possibly conquer this continual struggle I've faced. But I hear my dad's voice in my head cheerfully saying, "One day at a time Sheena!" & as simple as that sounds, it is so true!!! I can't do this week long cleanse all in one day, I can only do what is on the list for today. Simple logic but sometimes complex to actually implement. I am taking this cleanse one bite at a time.

Post Suggestion: Don't think about the 10 steps you'll EVENTUALLY have to make, instead focus on the 1 step you can take at this moment. I know it may sound crazy, but sometimes the only step I can take is to drink a big gulp of water. & as simple as that step is, it actually gets me closer to achieving my goals! Amazing concept right?! So make realistic goals for yourself then distinguish what you can accomplish at this very moment and what your long term accomplishments will be. Separating these two will give you the freedom and peace of mind to take little steps to making a big difference in your life! 


Keep going... 

Stay encouraged & find ways to keep yourself motivated!

Sheena

Bring It On Day No. 2

I finished the first day of the cleanse! Phew, what a relief. I know the toughest part has yet to come, but to accomplish the first day by sticking to the exact foods recommended, I think it's a job well done! So as I munch on my rolled oats and fruit, I am excited to take day number two by storm!

What I've learned so far: Preparation Sets You Up For Success

Since I get up for work at 6:00am I have to prepare all my food the night before. This allows me to eat the It's all about understanding my weakness and capitalizing on my strengths! That will lead me to accomplishing my goals. 

foods I need and it doesn't take up extra time in the morning preparing everything. I know myself well enough to know that if everything is organized and prepared ahead of time I am more likely to follow through with eating right. When I am in a rush and feeling like there is "nothing" to eat I tend to gravitate to the worst possible foods! Yes, sugary goodness and anything that has lots of carbs. Can you say, unhealthy!

Also, with the cleanse I have noticed that I am a lot more tired, which is naturally one of signs of your body detoxing. While typically I can go! go! go! I am learning to slow down and rest. I feel like for the past 5 years I have not been able to get enough sleep. Because I have always thought that, "I don't have time to sleep." When in actuality I wasn't making enough time to sleep. Research shows that if you aren't getting adequate amounts of sleep it will make it a lot more challenging to lose weight. (READ MORE) So I putting the research to the test! I am attempting to sleep more. A lot more. I know it may sound boring, but in the past two days, I have been more well rested then most days. In fact, I often times have to force myself out of bed when my alarm goes off at 6:00am. But not this morning! My eyes popped open at 4:30. I was able to fall back asleep till 6:00, but I wasn't tired when I got up. If you know how it feels to get a great nights rest, you'd understand how wonderful that feeling is!

In the past two days I have been conquering my mental blocks of failure and not achieving my goals, while making enough time for me to slow down and rest/sleep.

Post Suggestion: Plan your meals a week in advance. If that is to much, plan each day the night before. Either way, prepare your meals ahead of time. Incorperate more veggies & fruits then you'd normally eat. Leave out the coffee and go to bed early! It will help, I promise!

Stay encouraged and keep going...
Sheena