Challenge vs. Lifestyle? I CHOOSE LIFESTYLE!

How are you today? I am grateful.

Grateful for the awareness that I'm experiencing.

So as I stated I am taking part in a 28 day clean eating challenge. Today,  it occurred to me that clean eating is now my LIFESTYLE.

Now granted I'm a couple of days in and when the "plan" is  new you are determined and focused, however I've been really dramatic on some level. It's a level that I have only seen demonstrated in individuals who have SUCCESSFULLY lost weight and keep the weight OFF.

What is it you ask. Here it is. They always have food. They carry their food to school, work, the gym, meetings, to the mall. They have a pretty good idea about what they are going to eat that day. If they go out to eat they are CONSCIOUS about what they are eating.  I'm turning into one of "those" people.

1. I have appropriate food in my car, purse and always something in my fridge. I have snacks at my desk. 
2. I went to a conference this week that provided lunch. I knew that lunch was provided but I still packed my own lunch.
3. Today I went to the mall with my friend and my daughter. I packed snacks for my lil one and I made MYSELF a veggie shake  to take with me. I packed water, fruit and my shake. Now some people would be like "so what?" but these are big things to ME!

Preparing my food is time consuming. I will not lie. However, I can eat at my convenience without waiting for my order to be ready. I don't spend additional money purchasing meals. Finally, it always tastes good!!

Tools are important. Minimally, I need a cutting board, seasoning, an electric grill, an oven, a blender,  travel food storage containers and a bag that can accommodate my food. I also menu plan.

Due to work changes I'm going to invest in a food thermos.

This clean eating  is a challenge but it will become MY LIFESTYLE!

~Shantelle

Water, exercise, clean eating, passion for health check!

The Journey Continues!

Wow! it's been so long since I blogged...

So much has happened since my last post. Great things and not so great things.  2012 was such a difficult year but it allowed for an amazing amount of growth and strength.

So this may be new for some of you and forgotten by most.

I have re-read my blog and I am thankful for it. I am so proud of what I started with this blog and I am glad that I was reminded of it. Now it's time to continue it.

I am proud to report that I have NOT fallen off of my journey. I may look the same to you but I have never grown complacent with the weight. I still regularly drink water from a clear water bottle, I still take my lunch and I often plan my meals.

I have attended the gym more than I ever have in the last year. My friend even helped me to believe in myself that I can make it the gym at the crack of dawn  (read 5:00 a.m.). How you may ask, she accompanied me! Now that is a friend.

I have jogged. I have medical clearance on how long I can run/jog for not to damage myself.  I've tried yoga! I learned to swim! I delivered a healthy baby girl!

I have learned that I need to respect, honor and listen to MY body. I have limitations that I need to take into consideration as I continue on this journey. I have no arches in my feet that can make my back ache badly. Lack of arches throws my knees off  making squats hard on my body.  If I'm not careful, trying to work out like the person going hard in the gym, I won't be able to do much, if anything at all.

Currently, I am on  a clean eating 28 day challenge . I don't eat a lot of processed food generally however I don't always make the best food choices. When I do eat well, I don't exercise. I'm not giving up by any means. Today is successful day 2. The purpose of the challenge for me is to get my mind right and while doing this challenge to make exercise a habit.

Ezekiel bread, quinoa, bulgar, green smoothies  (read Kale and spinach plus fruit) , baked yams,  foods baked, boiled, and  grilled, almond milk, almond butter, egg white omelets, fresh herbs, and  moderation of white flour products and desserts are all parts of the journey that I'm not sure I could have imagined being normal in my world but they have been in my blogging absence.

I'm in a different space than I have been in the past. My energy is positive and grateful. I'm embracing my emotions as they affect my life.

I continue to be passionate about being healthy!

Water and passion,  check!

~Shantelle

Change is hard!!

Today's topic: Courage

Change is hard, but it is also an opportunity for growth. When it is a self imposed change it requires diligence and courage. Courage to continue to the goal that you have set for yourself.

I think that I am finally learning a lesson.

While tragic things may happen not everything is my responsibility.

Other people's choices/mistakes should not affect me to the point that my equilibrium is thrown off course.

I can only do one thing at a time and when I am doing that one thing I should be doing it to the best of my ability. Multitasking is overrated and not as effective as I am led to believe. If I choose to do more than one thing at a time it will be my choice.

Preparation is key!

Prioritizing myself has gotten lost but I'm finding it.

I am claiming my peace, success, and courage to be true to myself on this journey.

Water bottle full, gym bag  packed, lunch bag packed, nutritionist appointment scheduled for this evening.

Passion has returned!!

Change is hard but nothing worthwhile is easy!

~Shantelle

Late nights, early mornings

I am not a morning person. I function well enough for work however moving early in the morning not really my thing. 

Due to recent events I am seriously considering going to work out before work...

At the end of the day I am simply worn out. Granted I can try to plan my day better to finish working earlier but that just may not be realistic...

For the last three weeks early morning meetings and late night appointments have simply overwhelmed me. 

Something has got to give. 

The road to hell is paved with good intentions but intentions aren't going to give me the results that I need.

Honestly I am so tempted to just stop this journey and live life as a plus size woman but I'm not happy here so I guess I will keep trudging on...

Damn this is HARD!!!!

Water check ! passion...

~Shantelle

I'm back!!!

Wow!! If someone told me that February 2011 would be a test of tribulations I would have never guessed that it would have entailed all that it did.

Car trouble, family illness, relationship arguments,  financial struggles, experienced some significant losses at work with regards to great people moving on and changing for the better and  work Arggh!!!

I have cried, stressed myself sick, taken on more than I should have and yes neglected myself. I was reminded to say "no", take control of my schedule and make time for me.

What I have done is consistently is drink my water, reach out to those who are a support to me, and tapped into an inner strength to keep on going. During the last month I have not gained a POUND. I have actually lost three.

I have not made it to the gym as often as I would have liked but today I scheduled attending in my calendar.

If I didn't say that passion for this journey got a lil lost over the few weeks I would be lying. In every journey there will be trials and tribulations because the truth is that's life. In addition to my eating, and working out I really have to find a way to stop multitasking on such a high level that I have several incomplete piles. I also need to create a better work life balance and make the job work for me because right now I am working harder than the job.

My motto used to be one phone call at a time, one piece of paper at a time and I have to go back to that lifestyle.

I'm glad to be back blogging and I am grateful to those that are really vested in me and this journey that inquired about the missing blog posts.

Water check, passion check, gym tomorrow night!

~Shantelle

Obstacles oh my!

Topic: Obstacles

Man oh man! Being sick knocked me off my feet for several days.  So now I gotta get caught up!

First some reflection. I don’t know about you but for me it seems as if I am doing well then something come along to sidetrack me. I was going strong for two weeks. I was in the gym,  making better food choices and feeling really great! Then mother nature came along, snow and ice.  It slowed me down but I kept going. Then I got sick. I have been sick for about ten days. No gym, eating okay not the best, not the worse.  I am still slightly wheezing and congested. I am not contagious,  thanks to the good pharmaceuticals that my doc gave me. I see these incidents as a test. A test to see if I am ready to love me to the fullest. To help my heart work well,  ease the silent pressure on my joints that will eventually groan loudly. 

So I FINALLY met with the nurse at the gym. I got weighed in, my body fat was calculated, my hydration level was recorded, and my biometrics (body inches) were measured. Then if that wasn’t traumatic enough, I took before pictures, because there will be new and improved after pictures. My next appointment with the nurse is for the second week in May. This is a really important step for me because I cannot be focused only on the scale. I need to have measurements taken so that I can have a point of reference other that weight.

 I signed up for the biggest winner at my gym. It is a way to motivate members to join more classes, earn fit bucks and focus on weight and INCHES lost!! I’ll keep you in the loop on how that goes. 

I meet with the trainer for my program on Sunday at 2:00pm to get my program. She advised me that she is designing a program that relies heavily on my body weight. (Has she seen me that’s a lot of weight, sheesh)

I inventoried my pantry and cleaned my fridge to understand what is in my home and what I am putting in my body. Not too bad. I didn’t have too many snacks.  A couple of boxes of cookies were the worse. It  will also help me to meal plan. Balanced thinking, mind,  body and belly J.

Being sick and on steroids, lord is hard work. My appetite is seriously open.  I KNOW I am not hungry but that doesn’t stop me from putting something in my mouth. I have managed to maintained my water intake and walk away from the chocolate on my co-workers desk. HARD WORK!!! I have indulged and paid the price for fried calamari, potato skins and a bahama breeze.

Eating out is where I have to really think about what I am doing. Two very painful episodes. I mean belly aching, not sleeping well and heavy bloated feeling. Poor body, I could hear it laughing at me, “Since  you are not listening then you are going to feel, I DON’T LIKE THAT STUFF!”

What has really helped me during this stupid infection is having soups in the freezer, fruits and veggies on hand, before I got sick.

I found a website that helps me to meal plan and tells me what I need to have to make those meals! I’m in love.

These are the numbers I choose to share.

Body Fat 42.2%

Hydration level 45.6%

Pictures, maybe...

Obstacles are part of life. I cannot allow them to control my destiny! I am going to change the things that can and not worry about the things I cannot. 

My passion for a healthier me is still strong and I am still drinking my water. I look forward to returning to the gym tomorrow.

Passion check; water check!!

~Shantelle

Being sick blows!

Hi all. 

I am not feeling well. Body aching, sneezing, ears are aching, eyes running, congestion, scratchy throat. 

I refuse to use not feeling well as an excuse to eat badly. I will admit that it is so much easier to not think about what I put in my mouth as I struggle to breathe and my body aches.

However, if I succumb to not being conscious about my food choices then every  bad day, my monthly aunt that comes to visit, a special occasion and all of the rest of life's activities can be utilized as an excuse not to take care of myself. 

I have not made it to the gym one day this week but I have been conscious about  what I have been putting in my mouth. I even looked for sugar free over the counter medication so that I wouldn't take in extra useless calories. I have also noticed that I have more of an appetite than normal. So I have been eating more. More fruits, more lean protein. I have had a couple of cookies but not to the point of excess. I do believe that  your body needs more rest and more food when it is fighting germs.

This journey is all about choices. There is always a choice.

Stay healthy all. Being sick blows!

Water check; passion check!

~Shantelle