Life Doesn't End With 50!

It's already the end of December, and I'm having a difficult time believing so!  It's been an eventful month, visiting sites, going to see family and sharing with friends.  I'm so blessed and fortunate to be able to do all I do!  The holidays are the most difficult times to remain faithful to any diet.  BUT, let me tell ya, if you've been eating clean, and go off it for a minute, you will certainly know it!  I'm doing the best I can to exercise, and get through the cold weather.  All my weights and workout equipment are outside.  I still enjoy running, but since the weather and busy schedule have invaded my spaces, I've decided to try to do what I can indoors.  No treadmill... but I do have a DVD player and several cool workout videos!  Woohoo!

I wanted to share with all my members, a fabulous opportunity to get in shape.  Bodybuilding.com has an awesome contest!  It's the Body Building 2011 Transformation Challenge!!!  "Bodybuilding.com is holding it's annual Transformation Challenge and is offering $100,000 in cash and prizes to winning contestants. Contestants have until January 31st, 2011 to enroll, then have 12 weeks to achieve their best possible body transformation. Bodybuilding.com will offer workout plans and suggest supplementation stacks to help along the way. "  I think that's an awesome win win occassion!  Don't you!  Let's get started!

Trying to stay motivated this month is going to be a challenge.  My birthday is just a few days away, my anniversary, a trip to Rock Eagle for my daughter's 4-h competition... and then There is Thanksgiving.  Before I forget, I wanted to post a before and after picture of myself...

October!

I wonder sometimes what's wrong... where do I need to make improvements to reach my goals. I don't know what to do about all this lose skin, and cannot afford surgery at the moment (It'll come). I read (somewhere) that it's best to wait 2 years after reaching your goal weight before seeking surgical methods to tighten loose skin. You didn't gain the weight over night, and you certainly aren't going to tighten and tone everything over night. I gave up years ago on fad diets, and yoyo dieting! It's about being and living a healthy lifestyle (optimum health). This means you want to be healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually! You can only do this by NOT beating yourself up because the success you hoped would come hasn't yet arrived! If you're discouraged by lose skin, or any other motivation stealers, I suggest you check out the tips in the article above "STAYING MOTIVATED", as well as visit this link for tips on tightening skin naturally!

HALLOWEEN! Ok, candy in the house... this doesn't mean I must consume, right!?

Bodybuilding just sent some awesome information for beginners! I'd like for you all to check it out at your convenience!

September - Where'd the last two months go?

OK... OK... ENOUGH ALREADY! I'm loving the past 2 months of my OXYGEN magazine! I especially love the article on shaping biceps! The air is beginning to cool, and my children are playing in the yard! They keep bringing me beautiful, yellow dandelions, and I'm using the dandelions as book markers when I come across information I want to utilize. "Sneeze" Sweet! I'm seriously thinking of doing the "Eat Clean" Challenge! My precious daughter is completely supportive, saying, "You should do this mama! I'll run up and down the hill with you, and do all the workouts too!" I'm happy to be inspired, and happy my daughter is inspired!

It's the second week in September, and I've been doing the Eat Clean Diet! I love it! It's way easier than I ever thought, and the foods I'm eating taste clean... if that makes any bit of sense at all! My husband seems to be liking it too. The kids, not so much... but they're still young enough, I can make changes, and tweeks to the menu without much notice. In other words, they can have their same foods, just in cleaner form.

In October, hunting starts! KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? Venicen! I can't wait. No vegans, or vegitarians here... sorry! I like my protein. More pictures will come at the end of September. My goal is to take a full body picture and a close up each month. This will better show the metamorphosis I'm going through. (Did I spell it right?) LOL! Oh well!

JUNE 2010

My oldest daughter turned 9 over the weekend! I cannot believe it! What a beautiful young preteen I have. The weekend was a mess, I didn't run like I should, and ate everything available in the house. No... no... I'm not beating myself up over the ordeal! I'm just going to get back on the wagon and try harder from here on out! We went to the lake Saturday, for my oldest daughter's birthday. As I slipped into my suit, I knew "I" had not "arrived" at my true goal. What was funny... the suit I wore last summer, now bagged off my boody. So I've lost it there... hmmmm... and in the boobs... what's going to be left when I get done! I wish the belly fat would go... "Keep eating the right foods, NO STRESS... exercise, and stay away from refined sugars!" HARD WORK, Clean eating... HARD WORK... I'm going to work harder! My husband says I'm fine the way I am. Unless I'm happy with "me" then, its not fine. My self image affects everything in my life, my relationship with my spouse, children... friends.... and myself. I'm gonna get out of this wagon and get behind it and push it over a cliff! I'm gonna win... win the battle of the waddle... the battle of the unhealthy fat around my waste... it's going down... and when it does...it's NEVER coming back!

MID JUNE!

My eating isn't where it should be, and I've gotten a bit discouraged. I continue to run and workout, but the motivation I initially had, I feel is depleating. I'm almost done with school, taken on a few more children, and seem to be extremely busy trying to find things for the older children to do, to prevent boredom! I'm NOT giving in or up... I'm planning to order some more "Clean Eating" books by Tosca Reno (one for feeding the kids and hubby!) and I'm checking in with bodybuilding.com regularly to see what I should be doing for my workouts. I just got my NEW OXYGEN magazine, and that, in itself is much motivation! I'm gonna keep trying and set goals that I can accomplish! I'll git-r done!

I can actually see collar bone, and WHAT... I have a neck! Cool! YEPPERS!! I'm sweatin' like a pig! I'd just got done with a workout and run! You want full body pictures! OK...OK... They're coming in JUNE! I will post before and after side by side so you can see the change! Thanks for supporting me Ya'll!

Tallulah Gorge

My family and I made our usual trek to Tallulah Gorge! What fun! I insisted we go down the 600 stairs to the bottom of the gorge. With three kids in tow, down we go! I was more concerned with the journey back up the stairs, than the journey down. What? Down hill is suppose to be easy. The stairs were so steep, I had to use all my leg muscles to keep from falling down on my face. By the time I did reach the bottom, my thighs were shaking like jelly... only to have to turn around and journey back up again! I must have been insane to think of this idea! It was a challenge, AND I was up for it. So up I go, careful to manage and focus on my breathing instead of the pounding in my chest, and the sweat beading on my forehead and back of my neck... underarms, shoulders, arms, legs... ok... I was sweating like a pig! I did it! I made it back to the top! After the trek was over, I was excited I made it back up all those stairs. It wasn't actually all that bad!

Picture of my family at the bottom of the stairs: Tallulah Gorge Falls, GA

Memorial DAY Weekend is a BUST!!!!

I cannot believe I have eaten 1/2 of what I've actually put in my mouth over the weekend. To other people's standards, I've not over eaten... but to mine, I've over indulged on too many foods and items I should not have. When I went to my grandmother inlaws, it wasn't the cantelope, the chicken breast strips, corn or even the greenbeans I should have refrained from eating... it was the homestyle macaroni and cheese AND cornbread! Wow. Yes, it was delicious as I was indulging in fat and poisonous carbs... The guilt made that few moments of over indulgence, so NOT worth it!

MAY 2010

Saturday, my family and I went to a strawberry patch (Washington Farms...somewhere near Athens, GA) and picked two buckets full of fresh, huge, sweet strawberries! YUM. We almost ate a complete bucket before reaching our home (an hour away). They were so delicious, sweetened naturally, and GUILT free! My husband took video of me picking berries, and standing around watching the children. For the first time in almost 10 years, I didn't feel as if I needed to hide from the camera!

May 3rd, is my youngest daughter's birthday! She's growing so fast! We celebrated her birthday with a vegan birthday cake (my son's allergic to milk, eggs... etc.). Yes, I ate a small piece! It was good. The efforts I've put forth in dieting... one little piece of cake isn't going to detour me! It was a piece of cake (NOT THE WHOLE CAKE). LOL! Besides, I went running that evening and had to literally hold my under drawers up. They were falling down. Good thing I wear shorts to run in, and not a skirt... I would have tripped over them. YEP! AND thank God there was no one else on the track, because I had to stop twice and pull them up and tuck them between my buttocks... hoping the cheeks of my buttocks would keep them in place long enough for me to run a mile! Thank goodness I was blessed with a full set of cheeks... problem with the undies solved!

I highlighted my hair... OOPS! I REALLY should leave that to the professionals (both my hubby AND I agree!). Well, it'll grow, and in a few months I'll let a professional fix it then! LOL! Not discouraged! I'm still one HOT mama!

APRIL 2010

I've posted pictures of what I look like this month in the Pictures of My Contributors section. I need a professional photographer to show my true beauty (laugh).... or hide all the flaws. Last month seemed like a sure bust! I ran, and ran... lifted weights, watched what I ate... and NOTHING seemed to push me forward. Pictures tell a good tale, but measurements tell more. Unfortunately... I didn't measure a THING!!!! So crazy! Anyways, I'm doing that... and will let you guys know the results!

At the Starting Line or ROUND 2 - March 2010

Getting back on the wagon, and trying again... the new and improved ME!!!!

I DO NOT Promote items I do not research or believe in. I attached links to these sites by choice, and am an affiliate. I do get paid a commission if you decide to use them. If YOU DO NOT decide to use these sites, I hope you still come away with some valuable information that you can use in your day to day living. God Bless you all and much success in your own journey of great health, feeling and looking youthful, and just being DEVINE and DELICIOUS to everyone around you!!!!

 Devine (correct spelling "DIVINE") MEANS:

• given or inspired by God; holy; sacred
• devoted to God; religious; sacrosanct
• having to do with theology
• supremely great, good, etc.
• Informal very pleasing, attractive, etc.

Delicious MEANS:

• very enjoyable; delightful
• very pleasing to the senses

Go HERE for a useful food list, HERE to plan a meal and HERE for a sample meal plans. If you'd like to develop your own workout plan, and are not sure of the proper methods or exercises for working particular body parts, please visit the weightloss section of my website and/or go to BodyBuilding, BodyforLife, Oxygen, FitnessMagazine. You can also develop menus there! Good luck! If you want your own guide, THE BEST MOTIVATOR for me is OXYGEN MAGAZINE. I know, I know...it's sickening how those women could have manly, taut... tight, stomach muscles... and look so GREAT! Don't we ALL want to look like that? It IS POSSIBLE!!!! I also promote Body for LIFE because it actually teaches you how to be fit, and shows people just like US that HAVE DONE IT!!!!

See my Good Books and Tools section if you are interested in any of these suggestions!:P

2009 May - October 2009

:DIn May 2009, the elementary school, 2 miles from my house, opened it's new track with outdoor exercise equipment. I immediately took advantage of this opportunity to improve my health. I've always enjoyed running, and found it to be an easy way to shed the pounds.

My first day out, I ran over a mile! I was excited. The first few laps around the track, I could hear people clapping with every step I took. It encouraged me to go faster, and run harder. After I quit running, the clapping stopped. Later I realized, the incentive I thought was clapping was actually the sound of my thighs slapping together with each step. How funny! Well, you know... we all could use inspiration, regardless of where it comes from.

I kept running up until hunting season started! Between May 2009 and October of 2009 I'd dropped from a size 22 to a size 16. I can fit comfortably in a size 14, although they are still a bit snug. When the time changed in November, and the cold air started rolling in, it became difficult to stay on a running schedule. Once hunting season came about and the day light savings time went into affect, I knew it would be near impossible to run on a regular basis. I didn't stop working out, because of the weather. I ONLY lost opportunity to run. I haven't gained my weight back. I've been able to maintain until spring 2010. I didn't give up... Still working on my goals... My next step starts March 2010!