Wow, right now it seems as though life is speaking real loud….I’m trying to get the message, but I’m not so sure that I am!

As we all know in life we get thrown curve balls, things that pull us off track.  Life cruzing along nicely then out the blue…WHAM!!!  And you’re running through life, not really present, not really anything, except going through the motions.   I really feel as though I’ve taken a couple smaller curve balls in the last few weeks…and here’s what I’ve learned during this time.

People have reached out to help, whether it be a hug, their time, talking…and my first reaction was to deflect it!!  That only lasted a milla-moment, none-the-less, that was my first thought.  I tucked the thought and through tears and frustration have accepted the help.  I’m thankful that I recognized it so I can be even more open to receive next time!

I’ve also learned to take as many time-outs as needed to remain present, calm and focused.  I know my reacting or over-reacting is not going to do any good.  It won’t even make me feel better.  A cry will, which I’ve done…but I have taken many time outs, sat still, went outside and listened to the birds, layed on my bed, read a motivating story.  I do something that brings me back to reality, my values, and start thinking in a solution focused manner.

Lastly, I learned how powerful our emotions are connected to how and what we want to eat, and to overcome that!  When I felt myself spinning almost out of control – ABSOLUTELY I wanted to reach for food…lets face it, it’s that 5 minutes of happiness.  That’s all it is, and I know that.  So I did not reach for food, cause I want even more than 5 minutes of happiness!!  This is when I really take that time out just to sit still.  Doing this  has supported me to get through the times when life is speaking loudly and in a much more positive manner.

Over the last couple of weeks I have had many people speak to me about their eating habits, how unhappy they are, and how they would like to lose the weight.
I noticed that there were a couple common issues.

The first one is that people eat less, thinking food is the enemy and if they eat less of it, they will weigh less! I get it.  It’s a psycological thing…cause they do realize that that is not working for them. Instead, you should eat more often throughout the day (5-6 smaller meals) and choose natural and healthy foods.

The other common issue I noticed is people get so caught up in what got them there in the first place, that it’s all they talk about. Then when it comes to doing something about it, they don’t know where to start!! May sound simple…but just start! One meal at a time, one day at a time.

I want you to know, I’m speaking from experience…I’ve been overweight, unhappy, couldn’t believe how much I ate out. My reality check came when I knew I was going to be a mom, and I wanted more for me and my kids. I knew what I ate wasn’t good for me, I knew I had to change! I also knew I was better than that overweight, unhappy person. That the real me was hiding inside!! I believed I could make a change and I did, one day at a time. As hard as it was at times, I stayed consistant and I learned from every good and bad experience with food!  I didn’t keep doing what was making me feel like crap, only what made me feel good and it has paid off tenfold and more!!

You’re never alone in this journey, that’s the other common thread I noticed. Reach out…someone is there for you…I promise!

I just  came home from a group ride.  What a great ride it was.  We rode just short of 60 kms and really only experienced a head wind once!!  Nice! 

Our group has a variety of fitness and bike experience levels in it.

As one of the coaches of our group, I strongly emphasized the importance of riding as a team at the start of our ride…hmm what’s that saying “strength in numbers?!”  Everyone nodded in agreement…they were in as part of the Team!!

10km into our ride, one of the less experienced riders was way at the back and huffing and puffing…not a good start to a long ride!  I asked her on a scale of 1 – 10 how hard are you working?  She replied an 8 -9.  I quickly stopped the rest of the group and asked the same question of everyone else.  Their responses were 4-5.  That’s a huge difference!!  We talked about the importance of riding as a team and a pack to allow everyone to work at similiar exertion levels.  How all of us together create the energy and power to sustain a comfortable pace to include everyone!

We completed the rest of the ride strong as a team, with a huge smile from the person that needed her team the most!!  I think it was a great lesson that we all learned a lot from…That gives me more than 5 minutes of happiness!!

What a fantastic Easter weekend I had with my family!!

I took the kids to a hotel to get away and do something different. On my part, it was much needed!! I relaxed fully and totally enjoyed myself. Relaxing is not always something that comes easy for me.

Over the weekend, I was reminded of something… I enjoyed more treats than normal, had a drink or two more than I usual, and simply had and did what I wanted whether it was healthy or not. I live a very active lifestyle so it did not impact me in any way. But I was reminded of how easy it is to slip into an unhealthy way of eating! After just 48 hours of enjoying what was around me and not being as conscious of what I was putting in my mouth (okay I was, I just didn’t care about that this weekend), I noticed how my body and mind started to crave it!! It was a scary reminder…the mind is powerful!!

Come Monday, I got back to my normal way of eating which is about 85% healthy 15% whatever….

I’m excited to be sharing some of ‘my stuff’ and how at the end  of the day what I really want is to be happy!!  In my experience happiness is contagious…believeing it sometimes is the challenge!!

Today I shared a story with a Chamber of Commerce group I belong to and my purpose was really to create some awareness – my story is this:

My daughter who is seven years old was dropped off at home this morning by her dad.  She had her Tim Hortons breakfast in hand…and excited to enjoy!!  After watching her pull out a 6inch toasted buttered bun, medium hot chocolate and a iced cinnamon bun…I thought to myself…he (her dad) must not know what he is feeding her.  She asked if I would like to have half of her cinnamon bun…I gladly said YES…only cause I could then throw that half out and she or anyone else would not be consuming it!!  Not to worry, I didn’t hurt her feelings and throw it out in front of her!  I then decided to look up exactly how many calories her breakfast was…. 1100 CALORIES!!  Wow!!  That is almost her recommended daily caloric allowance!!

I shared with her dad how many calories he bought for her for breakfast, as I’m guessing he wasn’t aware of that. 

When I shared this with the Chamber group this morning…I could tell by there expressions and reactions, it created awareness in them as well!!  

Being aware of what we are actually eating gives us the ability to change what we are eating if we choose.  Sharing that with people makes me happy!!