Generally speaking, I'm a pretty positive person. I get along well with most people and can usually think of something happy to say. That being said, it doesn't always come without effort. Being a single mom and a teacher of troubled children, I encounter my fair share of challenges. To counteract these challenges and to make sure that my attitude continues in the desired direction, I either read or listen to some sort of positive material daily. I have found this immensely helpful in not only maintaining my positive outlook, but finding it takes a lot less effort than it used to.
I'm currently reading Your Road Map For Success by John Maxwell. He has written a number of books that I have enjoyed and pulled useful nuggets of knowledge from. If you haven't read anything by him, I encourage you to choose a title that sounds like it might be interesting and see what you are able to glean from it. I have listed a few of my personal favorites below.
What caught my attention when I was reading tonight is a quote by Henry Ford. It says simply "My best friend brings out the best in me." To put it in context, it was in a passage about how the people you spend time with influence your attitude. If your best friend, or any of the people you spend the most time with, don't bring out the best in you, it may be time to venture out and meet some new people. We do tend to become more like the people we spend time with and we also tend to spend time with those people who are most like us. We can use this knowledge to willingly choose to spend time with positive people who are most like what we would want to be.
This quote made me think about a friend of mine who has found himself in a rather difficult situation. He is living with his girlfriend who has become increasingly abusive, both physically and verbally. It is difficult because my friend has a new baby with this woman and she has 3 children under 5 of her own. He has been supporting her and the kids so that she can be home with them and he knows that if he asks her to leave, he will also be forcing her to find a job. He knows that he does not deserve to be treated in such a way, but also feels obligated to help her and the children.
I have managed to get out of an abusive relationship that lasted far too long, so I can relate to his situation and understand his concerns. I remembered back to the attitude I had when living with someone who was constantly trying to drag me down and I thought about what Henry Ford said. It really is so important to surround yourself with positive, happy people if you want to have a positive, happy attitude. I contacted my friend and told him about the quote and my thoughts about it. I have no idea if sharing my thoughts with him will affect his situation or his thoughts, but I sincerely hope that he's able to surround himself with far more positive people than he is right now.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Day 3 of the Step Challenge
Today was another great weather day and I spent most of the day outside with the kids at school. We played some active games and I brought a lot of our materials outside for the kids to use. All of this added a nice amount of steps to my day. I didn't go for a run today because the black flies were pretty bad yesterday which made running less than pleasant, but I did take my kids for a bike ride down the road. Unfortunately, my son's bike slipped its chain when we were turning around to head home, so we had to walk the bike home and deal with the bugs anyway. Oh well, the end result is that I'm now at 19,564 steps and I still have a couple hours left of the day. I'd like to hit 30,000 and keep my average at the 10,000 steps a day recommended for weight loss.
I have been eating fairly healthy (ok, a few slips here and there) and watching my portion size. I have also been using my wii Fit to track my progress. I have found this is a great tool for motivation and it's a convenient way to weigh myself and record it at the same time. The aerobics and balance activities are fun, the yoga is relaxing, and the strength exercises definitely make me feel every one of my muscles. We have also downloaded an inexpensive (just $10) snowboarding game which is fun and keeps you moving. It utilizes the balance board and you can feel the movements in your calves, thighs and core. I think the wii and the wii Fit are great tools for making exercising fun!
I have been eating fairly healthy (ok, a few slips here and there) and watching my portion size. I have also been using my wii Fit to track my progress. I have found this is a great tool for motivation and it's a convenient way to weigh myself and record it at the same time. The aerobics and balance activities are fun, the yoga is relaxing, and the strength exercises definitely make me feel every one of my muscles. We have also downloaded an inexpensive (just $10) snowboarding game which is fun and keeps you moving. It utilizes the balance board and you can feel the movements in your calves, thighs and core. I think the wii and the wii Fit are great tools for making exercising fun!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Day 2 of the Step Challenge
I did a lot more moving today than yesterday, which is surprising given that I took 15 kids to the airport yesterday for a field trip! But today I was able to squeeze in a quick run after a parent/teacher conference, homework and dinner. It's amazing how quickly the steps added up! I'm now up to a total of 19,352 steps for the 2 days. That's an average of almost the 10,000 steps recommended for weight loss! I listened to the audio book Beyond Positive Thinking by Robert Anthony while I was running. I have found that I tend to run farther when listening to motivational audio books than I do listening to music. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe an audio book gives me something more to focus my thinking on rather than thinking about running and being out of breath!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Official Start of the Step Challenge
Today is the official start to the step challenge at work. My goal was 10000 steps, but that is a whole lot of steps and I fell short of that goal. I was able to reach 6916 steps. I would have thought that it would be easier to reach 10000, but apparently this will be something that I have to work towards.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Building a Healthier Me
I know that I’m not alone in my quest to get more in shape physically. The diet and exercise industry is a multi-million (or perhaps billion) dollar industry because so many of us enjoy eating and may have a slightly skewed idea of what a healthy diet looks like. We grew up eating “meat and potato” meals and being told to “clean our plates” or we would have no dessert.
Americans are more health conscious now than ever and I guess I’m jumping on that bandwagon. I’m tired of always being tired and I’m ready to do something about it. This is not the first time I have attempted to lose weight and this is also not the first time I’ve called it a “lifestyle change” instead of a diet. Whatever I call it, the goal is still the same.
I work for the Head Start Program and the 5 Head Start Schools in my county have all entered a kind of competition. We all received pedometers and will be recording all of the steps we take each day. The school that takes the most steps will receive a trophy and bragging rights. I figure this is a good way to motivate me to take more steps every day. When I am reminded of the number of steps I’m taking, I am much more likely to get up and move. In the 9 hours I have had the pedometer, I have taken 5,978 steps. Ten thousand steps a day are recommended for weight loss. I’m short of that today, but I will shoot for it for my first full day tomorrow.
I never thought I would resort to taking diet pills of any kind, but I have been feeling more and more like I need to have some help jump starting things. I bypassed the regular diet pills and opted to try a detox program. It is intended to boost energy and “clean out my system” in just 7 days. I am about to wrap up day 3 and actually do feel like it is living up to its promises. I am more conscious of the foods that I’m eating (even if they aren’t always the best choices) and of my portion size.
Tomorrow I will record my starting weight (it’s bad for moral to get on a scale at night). I’m not expecting amazing results but eventually, I would like to drop 30-40 lbs. This would put me back to where I was when I graduated high school. I guess I’m not alone in wanting to achieve that goal either!
Americans are more health conscious now than ever and I guess I’m jumping on that bandwagon. I’m tired of always being tired and I’m ready to do something about it. This is not the first time I have attempted to lose weight and this is also not the first time I’ve called it a “lifestyle change” instead of a diet. Whatever I call it, the goal is still the same.
I work for the Head Start Program and the 5 Head Start Schools in my county have all entered a kind of competition. We all received pedometers and will be recording all of the steps we take each day. The school that takes the most steps will receive a trophy and bragging rights. I figure this is a good way to motivate me to take more steps every day. When I am reminded of the number of steps I’m taking, I am much more likely to get up and move. In the 9 hours I have had the pedometer, I have taken 5,978 steps. Ten thousand steps a day are recommended for weight loss. I’m short of that today, but I will shoot for it for my first full day tomorrow.
I never thought I would resort to taking diet pills of any kind, but I have been feeling more and more like I need to have some help jump starting things. I bypassed the regular diet pills and opted to try a detox program. It is intended to boost energy and “clean out my system” in just 7 days. I am about to wrap up day 3 and actually do feel like it is living up to its promises. I am more conscious of the foods that I’m eating (even if they aren’t always the best choices) and of my portion size.
Tomorrow I will record my starting weight (it’s bad for moral to get on a scale at night). I’m not expecting amazing results but eventually, I would like to drop 30-40 lbs. This would put me back to where I was when I graduated high school. I guess I’m not alone in wanting to achieve that goal either!
The Road to a Better Me
Everyone changes every day. We are never the same person for long. The change can either be conscious or unconscious and that is where we come in.
I have been guilty of coasting along the road of life giving minimal consideration to where I've been headed. It's kind of like getting in the car to go on vacation without taking a map. Sure, you'll end up somewhere, but you might not like where you are. It's certainly easier to just let life happen to you than it is to create a plan to reach your desired destination. It is also a means of avoiding responsibility. If we allow life to take its own course, then we can't be held accountable for where we end up. If we are unhappy, then we can moan and complain about the "cards we were dealt" or "our unfortunate situation" or even "our bad luck". We can play the victim because we have given up all of our power.
Several years ago, I started taking responsibility for my life. I owned the decisions that I've made in the past, even if they may not have been the best choices I could have made. I started taking back my power.
I made a few changes to the way I approached life and started on what I like to consider "the road to a better me". There have been ups and downs along my journey, but I no longer have someone else deciding where I will end up.
Today, I am thinking about what it means to be a better me. I am a single mom of 2 (what I like to consider) great children. I own a house and have been able to make some minor improvements both inside and out on my own. I am a teacher for the Head Start Program; working to make the lives of children in need a little better. All in all, I think I'm at a pretty good place in my life, but I am aware that changes will occur and it is up to me to make sure that I am changing in the direction I want to head.
I have been guilty of coasting along the road of life giving minimal consideration to where I've been headed. It's kind of like getting in the car to go on vacation without taking a map. Sure, you'll end up somewhere, but you might not like where you are. It's certainly easier to just let life happen to you than it is to create a plan to reach your desired destination. It is also a means of avoiding responsibility. If we allow life to take its own course, then we can't be held accountable for where we end up. If we are unhappy, then we can moan and complain about the "cards we were dealt" or "our unfortunate situation" or even "our bad luck". We can play the victim because we have given up all of our power.
Several years ago, I started taking responsibility for my life. I owned the decisions that I've made in the past, even if they may not have been the best choices I could have made. I started taking back my power.
I made a few changes to the way I approached life and started on what I like to consider "the road to a better me". There have been ups and downs along my journey, but I no longer have someone else deciding where I will end up.
Today, I am thinking about what it means to be a better me. I am a single mom of 2 (what I like to consider) great children. I own a house and have been able to make some minor improvements both inside and out on my own. I am a teacher for the Head Start Program; working to make the lives of children in need a little better. All in all, I think I'm at a pretty good place in my life, but I am aware that changes will occur and it is up to me to make sure that I am changing in the direction I want to head.
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