the Domino effect

I was shocked this morning as I started to compare my photos from a little over a month ago! The left photo was taken at Commitment Day 2013, on January 1st of this year.  The middle about three weeks ago and the one on the right, taken today before my run!

 Pardon the blurry pictures, I did this on InstaFrame but ya get the idea!  Crazy!  I am shocked and saddened that I had allowed some of that weight to come creeping back into my, now healthy life.  How sad.  

But folks, we're all real people and it's a lifelong journey that I'm on.  Obviously I have a relationship with food that will never full go away, but I have the power and MUST choose to be healthy every, single day.  Each day is a new beginning, a chance for me to do better and be my healthiest self.  We ALL have that choice.  We owe it to ourselves and our families.  I must understand and get over the fact that not all people struggle with food the way that I do. When we stop feeling sorry for ourselves and accept who we are and what we're capable of, we will truly see the best part of ourselves!  And guys, my new way of life has trickled down to my family...they see the changes in my behavior, my happiness and it makes them happier too!  So, I've picked myself up and stopped before things got out of control, so I must focus on that positive!

Here's the deal, 
I LOVE to workout.  I love the way it makes me feel, the way it feels to conquer a goal that I've set out to reach.  So for me the working out comes easy.  It has since my journey started over 11 years ago!  

THE FOOD?  That's a different story.  I love carbs.  I'm sure it's partly the Italian in me but I can't go on blaming my heritage for everything!  Or can I?  All foods were served with breads and pastas, so it's not my fault right?  I was raised that way.  UH NO, Marissa...we are accountable for ourselves.  Nobody else is to blame and when we stop blaming ourselves and others and DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE, the results will come!  Sadly, I crave food when I'm happy, sad, bored, tired or any other emotion out there so for me, I MUST ALWAYS BE PREPARED or as you can see, I will fall short and give in to those temptations. 

It's a lot like dominoes-no, not the pizza!

Healthy Living is a lot like dominoes.  

One domino out of place and the entire stack will come tumbling down...it's a "domino effect"

If we START our day with a healthy breakfast, write down and truly think about what we want out of life, we will make ANOTHER healthy decision.  Maybe it's walking on your lunch break, or finding a group of friends to workout after school/work/errands.  Time to think about another domino falling into place, what's for dinner??  Hopefully a healthy choice since you've stayed on track and kept those dominoes in a row throughout the day...no use in spoiling it now, you've worked too hard and stayed focused!  Why quit?  And now it's the weekend, so keep those dominoes in order by preparing and planning the meals for the week ahead!  

And the dreaded "domino effect" can work both ways, so be careful!  If you make a bad choice because you're running around like a crazy person for breakfast, STOP the dominoes from tumbling down.  STOP with that one, bad choice and try to improve throughout the day :) 

*My issue was always giving up and allowing that stack to fall after I had made one mistake, one unhealthy choice!  We should NEVER give up, no matter what is thrown in our direction.  One day it might be not having time to fit in that workout, or m&m's looking too good to pass up, or maybe some fresh, baked bread smelling too good to resist (oh yea, there's my weakness).  We are in control.  

It's always our choice so today, choose to be healthy!  

From personal experience, it can easily get out of control without us even being FULLY aware.  Make today the day you keep your dominoes in a row and allow none of them to fall out of place!  You will be healthier, feel better, look better, perform your workouts with more strength and endurance...the possibilities are endless!

My new, favorite obsession...

Trader Joes, Organic High Fiber O's!  I'm thinking of ordering in bulk and having these babies delivered straight to my door!  I'm kidding but they're seriously good!  They kick my carb craving with a little almond milk early in the morning and I'm ready to face the day...with my game face on!  

*Having foods ready to eat and serve is amazing and takes the stress out of healthy cooking!  My entire family has plenty of options, portioned out in the fridge and pantry!  There's no reason to fall off track when we're prepared!  For me, I must be prepared when that hunger kicks in or I begin to eat or think about eating every, single thing in sight.  Sad but true.  

Commit to Be Fit in physical education yesterday! 

I'm not sure where he gets it from but this kid loves to exercise...run, play, be outside, baseball (he's SO good this year)anything that involves being active so he was SO excited when parents were asked to visit PE for the day.  And a cool thing is that I used to teach PE at this school, so it was a really neat experience for me, being a parent instead of a teacher!  I loved being with him while he stretched, did push ups and sit ups! SO FUN!  And uh, he's one heck of a hula-hooper and he definitely does NOT get that from me :(  We used the stethoscope to listen to our healthy hearts and he climbed the rock wall like a champ!  A very cool day for a Mom and her boy!