Apr
14

Little Things

By lori | Published: April 14, 2012

Ever have the feeling that you really need to get away for about a week and just spend some quality time with yourself? That’s how I have been feeling the past few days. I don’t feel as though anything is ‘wrong’, nor am I upset or anything like that- I just want a little break to spend some time with me without any type of distractions. No Internet, no telephone, no distractions.

Since that isn’t likely to happen, I’ll embrace the great people and space I have around me- and steal quiet moments when I can to center myself and think about where I am coming from and what I’m moving into. I’ve been learning a lot about myself lately- and I still have some to learn. There are a couple of places where I’m not where I want to be- and I know that I need to dig a little deeper to get to the root of why.

A week later- (today) I was finally able to wish Denny and Debbie congrats and a happy life together. I know- it doesn’t seem like much, but it is something I’ve had to let go of. It’s not something that consumed me, but it was something I had a hard time with for many reasons that I may never share here, but I am happy he’s not alone and I do wish them a lot of happiness together. I’m happy for the progress.

I’ve also decided that I want to start training again for a 5k- so that I can complete one this year. Granted- I know I could complete one now- but I want to be able to ‘run’ and for that I need to train. If I’m home during the time- I plan to go to run the Color Run in New Orleans. It looks like an amazing place to do my first 5k- but we’ll see how it works out. It just seems to match my personality- and it makes me smile.

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Apr
11

Whirlwinds

By lori | Published: April 11, 2012

Things have been pretty busy around here- and also my lack of posting has been more carpal tunnel related than anything else- but here I am again, poking my head in the door and saying HI!

Marcel has been struggling with a eczema problem for a while now and it had gotten pretty bad (mostly his own fault for not following the doctors directions- MEN!) and now things are getting better with that or at least I hope so- finally! I also hope he’s learned his lesson with not following directions, but you never really know do you?

Life has been somewhat of a whirlwind of emotions lately- and I’ve been doing pretty good with myself. I still need to start doing some strength training- but I am working on making that goal happen and getting into a routine. I can talk about it until I’m blue in the face- but action is the only way to see results- and results I will see!

I had a few bad days Easter weekend- Denny got married (Denny is my uncle and was Carol’s (My best friend for many years) husband.) Most of you know that she passed away a little over two years ago. I knew he had been dating and knew he was engaged- but the wedding still kind of knocked me off kilter. It isn’t that I don’t want him to be happy or to move on, because I’m a firm believer in being happy and grasping it while you can- and also that I believe we should move on- but there is still a part of me that has a few ‘what ifs’ in my soul. It serves no purpose other than it’s just one of those human emotions that we feel, but it was real and with the help of someone who has become a dear friend, I feel much, much better. I knew that I needed to feel it- in order to heal so that’s what I allowed of myself. Surprisingly, I didn’t go off on a food binge rampage- which I would have done in the past. I stuck close to my calorie range- and went over one day, but it wasn’t a train wreck and I’m happy about it.

Last night- I ran into one of my neighbors who asked if I’d lost any weight. I told her that honestly I wasn’t sure- because I hadn’t seen a number on the scale because I’m not finding the scales important at the moment- but that I ‘felt’ that things were happening but that I still needed to kick things up a notch. We talked a little about life- and the passing of one of our neighobrs a few days ago (she was coming from the wake when I ran into her) and just how fragile life really is.

I’ve made a conscious decision to walk in the light- to avoid negative people and those who are energy vampires. It’s a great feeling!

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Mar
31

Good to Know

By lori | Published: March 31, 2012

I’m still struggling with the carpal tunnel so I’m trying to be good in terms of typing and doing things that make it worse, but since I needed to do some business on the laptop, I decided to log in and write a few words.

I’ve had to take it easy for a few days while it’s ‘that time’ of the month. I did start the week off with burning 1100+ calories after spending some time on the elliptical- walking 3 miles in town at a slow pace with friends, and then ending it with a 4 mile brisk walk with Desere after dinner.

I felt on Monday that my period was coming, but I decided to get in some extra exercise anyway on Tuesday and got on the elliptical. After ten minutes I was nearly bent over double in pain. I stopped, recovered and got back on for another 10, where I went at a slower pace. Later that afternoon I went out with the intention to walk for a while, but I ended things at one mile. It was just to much cramp wise. That evening and the following couple of days I really struggled with the pain, but thankfully it is subsiding and ‘that time’ is almost over- which means back to the regularly scheduled walking, elliptical time and now going to try to add some strength training in hopes that it doesn’t compound my arm /wrist issues.

I’ve still been eating my chia seeds regularly and they are great! I’ve not been having much of an urge to snack in the evenings but last night I noticed that changed. I had company- and I wasn’t hungry- but yet I noticed that I really wanted to munch on something. Today has been the same. I had breakfast and lunch- yet I still had the desire to snack, but thankfully I haven’t.

I finally realized what it was- what it was that I was doing different yesterday and today that I don’t normally do. I have been drinking diet drinks- Pepsi Max to be exact. I don’t generally drink it- because I do believe it makes me want sugar- but I’ve noticed that it has literally given me the desire to graze. The bottle was open though and I wanted to finish it- and I’ll do that, but I’ve learned my lesson about drinking it. Every once in a blue moon may be ok- but it clearly isn’t working for me.

It’s one of those things that is good to know about, because I can change it. So if you happen to find that you are craving more snacks, maybe there is something your’e eating or drinking that could be causing it. It’s definitely worth looking into.

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Mar
24

Change “I” Can Believe In

By lori | Published: March 24, 2012

It has been a busy few days. Fun with friends- long walks and lots of organizing with more on the horizon. All while trying to nurse my poor carpel tunnel arm. Some days I’m successful in that aspect, and others I’m not (like today).

I’m waiting on Desere to come over and I figured while I was sipping on a cup of green tea I would tap out a few lines.

There are things that I know will help me on this journey to change. Not just a physical one, but also one for greater health. Something you may not know about me unless you know me very well is that I do a lot of reading and research on various subjects. If it interests me- I want to know about it.

I like to consider myself eternally curious and I like to be in the know about things. Many things. According to mom, it started when I began to talk and it hasn’t stopped. I pray it never does. With my eternal curiosity comes knowledge and with knowledge comes the ability to learn and apply things to my life and make for a better ‘me’ – something I’m always striving for.

My greatest desire in life has always (for as long as I can remember) been to make a positive difference in the lives of others. At the very core of my belief is that I am filled with goodness and love and I want to shine that light on others and with others—

B U T

Yes, there’s always a but…..

My biggest life lesson thus far this year has been…. Being kind and expressing love doesn’t mean I have to compromise who I am and what I believe to do so.

People have expectations as to how we should live our lives and how we should respond to everything. Those expectations can and do vary depending on the person….

(To be continued in part two…It’s time for Desere to arrive)

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Mar
17

Eat Your Veggies

By lori | Published: March 17, 2012

20120317-192557.jpg For several days this week I was craving a hamburger. Not one from one of the fast food places, but one that I make at home with 97% lean ground beef on a whole wheat bun. I decided several days ago that I would have one this weekend, along with some baked French fries and BBQ sauce. A little indulgence, but done in a healthier fashion.

Then today arrived and I realized I didn’t want the burger. I wanted the beef, but none of the rest. What I really wanted (don’t laugh) was vegetables. Now, I’ve always liked a variety of vegetables but as of late its what I crave. Did I say crave? Why yes, I believe I did.

The above picture was part of my dinner tonight. I had some cherry tomatoes that I tossed in a small amount of grapeseed oil, pepper and dehydrated garlic. I roasted them in the oven until the started to pop. I sautéed red and yellow bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and zucchini with some pepper and smoked paprika powder. When it was cooked to my liking, I added it to my plate and added my super lean ground beef, aka tar-tar. Oh and I also added a little slice of smoked cheese. It wasn’t low-fat, but I wanted it and lemme tell you- it was the perfect addition to my little meal.

I had a lot of veggies left over, and tomorrow I’ll eat them with a baked chicken breast and maybe even a little quinoa.

Dessert was the same as every night- a little yogurt and some chia seeds.

Exercise wise, I took advantage of the great weather and walked a little over three miles. The first two were brisk, but I really wanted to ‘kick it up a notch’ so I left JJ and Marcel in the dust and completed a 14 1/2 minute mile. Walking. Brisk. I thought my heart would best out of its chest and the last quarter mile I wanted to slow down, but didn’t. I rocked it and had rubber legs and a red face after, but I did it.

I’m really itching to do some strength training and also get on the elliptical but I’m really trying to watch my arm, so I wait. All things shall come.

I’ve been a week without Facebook and surprisingly four people I haven’t heard from until today emailed me. It was really sweet and a definite day brightener to an already great day.

Great things are happening and I love it. Plus- I’m craving veggies!! Life is good!!

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Mar
16

Chia Revolution

By lori | Published: March 16, 2012

I’m on a mission! What kind of mission you may ask? A mission to start a Chia Seed revolution. After all, they aren’t just for chia pets anymore- they are a tiny little seed of perfection. A great source of Omega 3 fatty acids (the healthy good stuff that keeps our brains sharp and young), fiber, a great protein source, excellent source of energy, makes me feel full faster so snacking has pretty much gone out the window (which means less calories consumed and better for weight loss). The list goes on, literally.

I’m telling everyone I know about them and encouraging them to give them a try. I have 2 tablespoons a day- (one sprinkled in my breakfast- which is usually oats or yogurt) and one after dinner in yogurt. My good friend Caroline has 3 per day,but right now I feel so great on two, I’m leaving it at that for a while.

In case you are wondering what they taste like- they have no flavor at all, but do add a little seedy crunch. They are very adaptable and take on the flavor of what they are in.

I’d read that they can also take the place of half the fat in a recipe and today I tested that theory when I made Lemon Chia Seed Muffins. They are SO good and you can’t tell there is any fat missing!! So, that’s another plus point.

These little darlings are seriously my new favorite thing and if you try them, they’ll be yours.

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Mar
13

Moving Right Along

By lori | Published: March 13, 2012

Yesterday I woke up to gorgeous blue skies and sunshine so I knew that it would be the perfect day to get out and start moving again. The chia seeds have been giving me massive amounts of energy in just a few short days- so Marcel, JJ and I headed out yesterday for a four mile walk. It went great until the last mile when I really did struggle a bit and wanted to slow down, but I pushed through and made it It was a great feeling!

Today my plan was a little different- to do 30 minutes on the elliptical and a two mile walk. It hasn’t happened but I’m honestly not pounding myself with a lot of negative reinforcement simply because we weren’t home most of the day. I had a docs appointment (and so did Marcel) and found out that more than likely I have carpel tunnel syndrome and need to wear a brace on my wrist for a few months and be careful and see what happens. Otherwise- I’ll be taking a trip to see a specialist to have a nerve test done to see where the damage is and what the coarse (or is it course- neither look correct) will be. Time will tell, but in the meantime=- I’ll do my best to make sure that I wear the brace and that hopefully it heals on its own.

I’ll definitely be posting- but I may not be as ‘wordy’ as most of the other times.

Aside from that tiny little speed bump- I’m feeling good and been learning a few lessons along the way-

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Mar
11

Energized

By lori | Published: March 11, 2012

I went to bed pretty late last night (12:30 ish) and this morning I was wide awake and ready to take on the world at 8. I laid in bed for a while, reading and not thinking about anything, but once I got up and started moving around I knew there were a few things that I wanted to get done that weren’t on my original ‘to do’ list for today.

It’s absolutely gorgeous outside, so I decided that I’d like to do a little cleaning outside and get things ready for some new plants and such. It’s not quite time for them, but nothing has been done out there since the Fall and it was a mess. Marcel was on board to help and within an hour and a half we had everything looking decent. There is still a lot to be done, but a start has been made.

I came in and saw that I had a message from Desere and she asked if she could come over. Unless I’m heading out the door, I’m most always up for some company, so I told her to come on. She arrived a half hour later and while waiting for her to arrive, I vacuumed, did the dishes, made Marcel’s lunch and straightened up a few things.

My afternoon plans were to spend some time working on some other blog posts for my other spaces, but the weather was so perfect and I was enjoying Desere’s company so much that it was much more fun. She left a little while ago- and I sauteed some veggies for the socca that I decided to make tonight. I’m starting to feel a little rumble in my tummy, so I will probably get it in the oven sometime in the near future.

Yesterday I started eating chia seeds twice a day- and I had heard from my good friend Caroline that they really give you energy and shes right. Day two- and I honestly feel like I could take on the world. I’m buzzing around and am bursting with energy- plus last night I slept really great and while I’m sure part of it is spending some time out in this glorious weather, I can’t help but believe that part of it is the amazing health benefits of that tiny little seed.

Day two of the Facebook hiatus- and I don’t miss it at all. I definitely miss some of the people- but I also know where to find them and they know where to find me. I have a feeling that for most- it’s out of sight out of mind and quite honestly- I’m 100% good with that.

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Mar
10

Letting Go

By lori | Published: March 10, 2012

Today I ‘offically’ started my Facebook hiatus and the beginning of restructuring a few things in my life. I’m a firm believer if you don’t like what’s happening in your life that you and you alone have the power to change it, so I am.

This blog is called “The Lighter Side” and the original intention was for it to be a place to share only my journey to health and fitness, but since then (well since yesterday), I’ve realized that part of the journey of being ‘lighter’ isn’t strictly about making the right food choices and exercising, but also eliminating other things that are weighing me down.

For a while I’ve been working on letting go of things that no longer work for my life- including some people. After a lengthy conversation with a good friend, I came to the realization that there are some things that I haven’t let go of because of other peoples expectations. I’ve realized that we give away so much of who we are simply by allowing another persons expectations to control how we make our decisions.

Life is short- in fact, in some cases it’s shorter than it should be, but we live with the expectation that we’re going to be here for a long time- we allow things that are within our control to change to stress us out, we ignore things we should work through only for them to manifest in our lives time and time again and we make simple choices that ultimtely can cut years off our life.

Did you know there are studies that show that living in a constant stressful relationship can cause health problems and can cut as much as ten years off your life? I knew that excessive stress wasn’t good- but I never realized just how big of an impact it could have on our health- things that are perfectly avoidable, so thanks Dr. Oz for that gem of information.

So we want to live long and happy, healthy lives- but yet we cut years and possibly even decades from our lives simply by giving other people control in our lives. You don’t have to believe me- I’m really writing this as a memo to myself, but if you happen to be reading it- I’m happy you’re here.

I’ve had to ask myself what this means for me- how I can apply this to my life- because quite honestly- I don’t think anyone has the right to decide the choices I make for me- other than me. I also really want to be the best me that I can be- and in order to do that- I’m going to have to let go of the things that no longer work for me and stop caring how others will react to it.

Life is short- too short to be surrounded by anything or anyone who doesn’t want to see you be anything other than the best you that you can be- and the expectations from others- that’s their thing. I’ve got to do what works for me and let go of the rest.

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Mar
7

Focus and Hiatus

By lori | Published: March 7, 2012

It’s hard for me to admit- but I have lost my focus on pretty much everything. It doesn’t mean that I can’t focus on certain things, because I can, but its short lived. Very short lived. For someone who really does like to ‘have it all together’ it has been hard to feel like the ‘Just Do It’ concept has failed to work for me. The truth of the matter is- I’ve failed to ‘Just Do It’ because I’ve hit a brick wall.

A while back I wrote here that I had become fearful and that I finally was able to recognize that- I thought that merely ‘getting it’ would be enough. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Granted, for a little while I zipped and zagged along and felt great. Yippee!! I finally understood why I had been feeling the way I’d been feeling so life was all sunshine and roses again. (Insert screeching halt here!)

It doesn’t quite work that way. While I have made an acknowledgement to things- I haven’t worked through them (in spite of ‘thinking’ I had) so I once again found myself completely unfocused and my mind bouncing around from place to place. So- my working out that I loved came to a screeching halt- (forget the fact that it was coupled with a bout of vertigo) and while my eating would be great some days- others were bad, and I do mean really bad. I’m not beating myself up over it- I recognize it and know I’m not where I need to be, but still even ‘knowing’ that hasn’t been enough.

Now- I’ve decided to focus on what I need to do and that’s take some time for myself. That’s meaning a 30 day hiatus from Facebook and a commitment to myself that I’ll spend more time writing here and being real about how I feel.

I’ll warn you it may not be pretty- It will probably deal with emotions about certain life changing events that have shattered me more than I thought- and the fact that honestly (without being diagnosed by a professional) I feel as though I have some sort of PTSD- either that or I’m going crazy, and I prefer to think that it’s PTSD.

SO I need to put it out there for myself- to work through and continue to move forward from this place that I’m in- so that I can live the life I am meant to live- instead of the one I’m living.

This place is public- and as of now it will stay that way- not many people know about it, and the ones I’ve share it with- I trust. I can see who comes and goes and I won’t hesistate to block anyone at all who I think is just here to gather some sort of gossip fodder and if that doesn’t work- I’ll password it and only share with a few people that I trust.

This isn’t about anyone but me- my journey and being a better me that God intended.

For those of you who know me and who you know I consider you a friend- I welcome you.

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