Wired to Win!!

There are things about myself that puzzle me.  I have some quirky, strange, ticks that I can't explain but am fully aware they exist and have for as long as I can remember.  I'm certain I have a little OCD; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  I am extremely meticulous about counter tops being spotless.  It drives me absolutely crazy when people (my family) don't clean the counters properly.  I have been known to scrub and use my nails to dig caked up crud for quite a long time. I still have no idea why this bugs me so much but it does!

Another strange quirk I have is my inability to stay completely still.  If you were to meet my oldest brother you would see that he and I share the same strange behavior of either rocking or shaking our legs while we are standing.  I'm certain I must rock myself in my sleep.  I have the hardest time staying still which inevitably makes it extremely difficult for me to relax.  I always feel like I should be doing something like cleaning or organizing.  Part of my issue is my mind doesn't slow down because I'm always thinking about the next thing that needs to be done or that I want to accomplish.  It's just the way I am wired.

Some things are just programmed into us.  I'm sure there is way more science behind much of it than we want to acknowledge.  Our DNA, ancestry, genes, (whatever you want to call it) have a tremendous, if not full impact on who we are. 

God created all of us in his image and his likeness and how creative is he.  We are all so unique and beautifully made.  Since God is our Father and he is perfect, why would he have created us any other way than to be wired to win?  I look at Jesus, his son and when you look at his life and death, it doesn't appear that his journey would lead to the ultimate win, the ultimate finish line, to be the Savior and to sit at the right hand of his Father and rule and reign over the world.

As parents, we have such a deep, desperate need to raise our children in such a way that they become the very best they can possibly be in life.  We don't set our kids up to fail; we set them up to win.  If we (being completely flawed and imperfect) do everything in our power to provide this for our children, how much more a perfect God for his children.

God has wired each one of us to be winners in this life.  As Jesus journey clearly illustrates, this manifests in various ways.  We must begin to see our journey as a winning one and not one of defeat. Remember, Jesus cried, he hurt, he questioned.  But in the end, he chose the will of his father and the end result was the ultimate reward.

I remain puzzled at my quirks and fully realize it's just the way I am wired.  I remain puzzled that a perfect God would choose such and imperfect me and set me up to win.  It's just the way I am wired.

I Adore My Daughters

Almost Forty and My Body is Changing!

Well, I am approaching forty and quite frankly, I really can't believe it! I honestly feel like just yesterday I was 23 and pregnant with my third child.  It all happened so fast!!  So, now my body has shifted gears on me and I'm calling this "second gear."  I am choosing to speed up rather than slow down no matter what but there are undeniable changes that are taking place and it would be silly of me not to recognize and pay attention to them. 

So, early last year I started noticing my body temperature was getting higher and higher and suddenly I was on fire when everyone else was freezing.  For thirty seven years I have been carrying sweaters into restaurants and movie theatres trying to prevent the goose bumps that grow on my arms like ant bites.  Oh the many nights of sleeping with my husband with air conditioning, the ceiling fan going, and burying myself in blankets to keep warm.  I look over now and it seems we have reversed roles as I watch him shiver while I am internally com busting.  What is going on?

I've always exercised but I have been consistent for the past year I would say.  This isn't necessarily because I love to exercise (although I do) but it's because I use to be on the exercise "rescue me" plan; work out 2 months before bikini season and I was ready.  Well, the "rescue me" plan has turned into a lifetime plan of maintenance and no longer can I be rescued quickly.  The results come much slower and with a greater price of sweat, exhaustion, and extreme determination.  None of these things scare me but it's simply the reality. 

Another weird thing; I have been breaking out in these strange striped red patches.  It started off as hives a few months ago and then turned into a more non-itchy cluster of red patches or something.  It's hard to explain.  I am living on antihistamines.  Anybody else growing chin hairs?  I'm just asking!! Oh my gosh!!  Between carrying the Benadryl and Anti-Inflammatories (for my knees) in my purse, again, I ask...what is going on?

My eyes have a few more "smile lines" around them.  Why do they call them smile lines?  I am certain mine are from crying but that's another story for another time.  I'm not crying now....hahahaha!!!  Life is good! The bottom line is the changes are happening whether I want them to or not.  The best thing is I can work to help navigate these changes through my spiritual walk with Christ because he is the ultimate power.  I can use the incredible things he's given me to stay in shape like eating and exercise.  I can accept the things I can not change but the things I can, I will and I don't have to take a back seat and let my body have it's way with me.  I will do my very best to honor my body and those around me by taking care of myself.

So, all of that to say, my body is changing, I'm almost forty, I'm in second gear, I feel better than I did when I was 23, I love myself, I love my life, and most of all, I love God.  This is the formula and I'm sticking to it.

How I Lost Weight + Starter Menu

See Full Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBjlQuW5xOs

The basics:
1) Start each day with warm lemon water and end each day with warm peppermint tea.

2) Try to stay away from all "sauces" such as BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, etc. for salad dressings you want to work you're way up to drizzling only olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice or balsamic vinegar on your salad with salt and pepper.

3) Eat a handful of almonds, walnuts or pistachios several times a week.

4) Check labels to make sure you're not eating anything with high fructose corn syrup. (Ketchup, crackers, etc)

5) Work your way up to buying organic. Especially when it comes to milk and eggs and apples.

6) Don't eat processed foods - basically anything in a box or can from the grocery store. (Too many chemicals and preservatives)

7) Aim to stay away from bread (even wheat), corn, pasta, rice - any grains. Steel Cut Oatmeal will be your only exception (for now)

8) WATER, WATER, and more WATER

9) Always keep snacks in your purse. A small granola bar is ok but look for organic.

10) Freeze anything that you make too much of, and out in small individual containers so that you can pull it out another week when you don't feel like cooking. Especially soups.

11) Don't eat SOY anything.

Monday
Breakfast: smoothie with spinach
Lunch: salad (try with albacore tuna in water with chopped celery and VERY  little mayonnaise)
Snack: trail mix
Dinner: chicken breast with sautéed onions and mushrooms and a vegetable on the side such as broccoli or green beans

Tuesday
Breakfast: cantaloupe or fresh cut fruit salad
Lunch: lettuce wrap with leftover chicken and fruit on the side
Snack: Fruit
Dinner: Salmon (great for omega 3's) with your choice of seasonings. Lemon pepper is a good one.  Or fresh squeezed lemon with , dill, salt and pepper. Always drizzle olive oil over it first  then bake on 425 for about 15 minutes but check it at 10 minutes. Side of quartered and baked butternut squash with a dash of cinnamon and olive oil, salt and pepper.

Wednesday
Breakfast: scrambled eggs mixed with leftover salmon and spinach and onions
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken- add raw pieces of broccoli and fruit on the side
Dinner: Sautéed Spinach mixed with red bell peppers and shrimp

Thursday
Breakfast: grapefruit (a great fiber) and fried or boiled egg (great protein)
Lunch: shrimp salad using leftover shrimp
Dinner: baked or grilled curry or jerk chicken breast with whole baked sweet potato and asparagus on the side

Friday
Breakfast: smoothie
Lunch: Cobb salad
Dinner: homemade chicken soup with organic chicken broth, chopped chicken breasts, celery, carrots, mushrooms and kale

Saturday
Breakfast: oatmeal
Lunch: leftover soup
Dinner: seafood fest of your choice with side salad!!

CHALLENGE: visit a healthy grocery store like Whole Foods or an outdoor Farmers Market and look for these new items to add to your grocery list:

1) "grass fed" butter
2) organic chicken (meaning no hormones and pesticides and preservatives)

Video Sneak Peek - Woops!!

So, I have no idea why the "sneak peek" videos aren't showing up.  It's annoying because I keep uploading them and it says complete but it shows up a just blank, white space.  I will work on this over the next few days.  Sorry for the delay!!

How I Lost Weight Fast - Sneak Peek

Hey Guys! So this weekend I will FINALLY finish editing my weight loss video.  Gosh, I don't know why this one took me longer than other videos.  There were just a few things I needed to incorporate to make it just right and I am almost there.  I can't wait for you all to see it!  It was super fun and exciting filming my Zumba teacher, Liliana and the entire Zumba class.  I will post a menu right here on my blog to get you started on this new lifestyle plan of eating.  Here is a sneak peek of the video!  Chat with you soon.  Much love.

What Women Do Is Crazy!!

I have no idea why these thoughts were running through my mind yesterday.  I started thinking about all of the crazy things women do.  Perhaps it was because I couldn't figure out how to get my eyebrows to look like the women I see in the magazines.  I don't know!!  Anyways, here is my list of the crazy things women do.  This is in no particular order...

1. We use a sharp object (razor) to remove hair from our bodies
2. We paint our faces all different colors
3. We comb our eyelashes with thick mud and leave it on all day, every day
4. We bore holes in our ears and now in various places of our bodies...."clearing my throat"
5. We wear pampers (internal or external) when aunt flow arrives
6. We walk on long, hard nail type objects or bricks, depending on your style
7. We iron our hair...literally
8. We grow nails out of our fingers and sometimes have claws
9. We strap ourselves in daily...if you know what I mean??
9. We wrap our hair around hard plastic objects
10. We use aluminum foil with heat (recipe for disaster) on our hair
11. We allow our bodies to stretch beyond capacity to be a nest for our babies

I hope that gave you a good laugh!!  So, here is the bottom line.  I do or have done all of these things and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, being a woman!!  I am proud of who God made me and he gave women years ago the creativity to come up with all of these crazy things.  I am celebrating my womanhood and femininity and I invite you to do the same.

Leave a comment and share any other Crazy Things Women Do!