October Update

It is hard to believe that October has come and gone, 2013 is truly flying by. I'm here to give my October update, which probably won't be much of an update at all.

In September, I fell of the wagon...hard. It is like I lost all motivation to be on this journey. I told myself, as I always do, that October was going to be my month. October came and 28 days passed before I committed to this journey once again.

I am an emotional eater and earlier in the month it seems like everything that could be dumped on me, mainly schoolwork, was dumped on me. It is like I was buried under an avalanche of tests, projects and more! Tuesday, was the first day I have had where I could come home and actually relax (which really meant I could come home and watch QVC) but it is also the day I decided to pick up the October issue of Fitness magazine that had been sitting on my ottoman and actually complete a workout.

Not only was I impressed with the workout which featured Jeanette Jenkins, I finally figured out why celebrities want her as their personal trainer, she knows her stuff (not to mention, she re-tweeted me; talk about excited). On paper, the workout looks like a breeze, but once you get into it, it is one of the most intense workouts I have experienced from a magazine.

For the past five days my eating has actually been better. I am logging everything that I am eating or drinking and have avoided sweets. If I am craving a soda, I go with a diet one, although that is very rare. It wasn't until today that I discovered I can eat a mini piece of candy and be as satisfied as I would if I ate the entire bar.

The last 5 days have been more successful than this entire month has but that just serves as my motivation for November. I realized that I haven't updated my measurements in a while, so that and a goals for November post are currently on my list. Hopefully November will be successful in terms of weight loss, life and school work. I only have one more month in this semester and I am ready to bring it!

Honesty

I have to say that honesty is a trait that a value highly. As much as I value it, there are times when it comes from the people close to you that it really stings.

Up until a month ago, I was logging regularly on MyFitnessPal. Some unexpected events occurred and my logging to a back seat. I have really struggled with getting back into the habit of logging everything that I eat and every exercise that I complete. But, I know that in order to be successful, I have to get back into what I was doing.

Yesterday, I happened to state (in front of my main supporter) that I couldn't get the numbers on the scale to go down. Their response, 'well you have been hitting the breads kind of hard'. Talk about an eye opener.

I will admit that I have let some of my old habits creep back into my life, which was never a good thing. Truth be told, I have been hitting the breads (and other carbs) very hard. To have someone actually mention that is what I was dong (from their observations alone) was pretty hurtful. It wasn't necessarily their comment that hurt me, it was the fact that their comment made me realize I was hurting my body by reverting to my old ways.

I tell myself time and time again that today is going to be the day that I begin working out again. Then their comes the main excuse,  'everything is picking up in the semester and I rarely have time to myself'. That alone should tell me that I have to make time for myself, no matter how much work I am buried under. Even if it is just 30 minutes a day, that is enough time to get in some type of exercise.

I downloaded a few apps from Zen Labs, LLC this past week and since they can be done indoors (the push-up trainer for example), I figured I would start there and then as the semester calms down (hopefully very very soon, a little over 1 month left!), I will be able to get back outside and start C25K over.

All of these ideas and plans sound great in my head and they are things that I want to do. I just hope I can start committing to what I blog about.

My Fall Fashion Picks

I've said it numerous times, Fall is my favorite time of the year! I love sweaters, scarves, boots and more. But, there are times when some of the latest trends are not made for all body shapes and sizes. I search and search for things that work well for me and when I find them, I purchase multiples.

Here are some of my Fall fashion picks that I hope to capture in pictures as the season gets underway. Each of these pieces pair well with others, are extremely comfortable and compliment all body types.

1. The Liz Claiborne Denim Henley pairs well with just about anything. I paired it with a pair of khaki pants earlier this week but can't wait to pair it with skinny jeans or black pants. A denim shirt is something that can be dressed up or kept casual.

2. These A.N.A. boots are my favorite fashion item so far. I never thought I would go with boots that had laces and zipped up but I suppose my tastes have changed. I love wearing these with boot cut jeans. I tried to pair them with skinny jeans and they made my legs look funny, it may have been the particular pants but I will be trying these with skinny jeans again.

3. Because of my height, my skinny jeans are always paired with boots (whether tall or short). I haven't specified any brand of skinny jeans because all of my jeans come from J.C. Penney or Old Navy. Both retailers have a pretty good range of sizes and the jeans fit well (meaning, you don't have to wiggle to get everything in).

4. I love these Mossimo Ankle Boots because they are easy to slip on and the taupe color goes well with jeans or any pair of dress pants. I like the fact that I can wear these boots to the office, to class and when out with the horses; they are that versatile.

5. I normally don't rotate my handbag any more than seasonally. I am known for taking the largest (and heaviest) handbag in my family but I decided to lighten things up for Fall. This seasons handbag is the Large Pocket Satchel from Dooney and Bourke. I was skeptical once I got home with my purchase because I am so used to having a larger bag, but I think this one will surprise me (and my shoulder will thank me later).

These are five of my fashion pics that will definitely be put to use this season. As I add to my collection, I will post updates.

Burnout

burnout [noun]: the condition of someone who has become very physically and emotionally tired after doing a difficult job for a long time.

For me, the definition says it all; I am burned out. I don't know when it happened, but it did and I don't think there is any turning back now.

There are times when I like to sit back and examine my life thus far, I try not to go back too far, maybe a few years or so. In doing this, I can see how things have (or in some instances, have not changed). When I was a freshman in college my approach to life changed. I was blessed to be able to go to college and I was blessed to have a support system at home that was rooting for me.

I remember how excited I was for my classes during that first semester that I even surprised myself. I remember taking a History of Jazz class and being one of two students who constantly answered every single question asked. The more classes I began to take, the less questions I answered.

Today, as a senior in college, I have yet to answer a question in any of my classes this semester. It's not that I don't know the answers, I answer the question in my head correctly no sooner than the professor asks it, I am just too tired to do much of anything (yes, even answer a simple question).

It's the same for weight loss. I started this year on a good note. I was going to the gym, logging everyday and eating healthier. I was starting to see some real progress. Then, life started to get busy. I stopped going to the gym, even going as far as cancelling my gym membership (best decision that I made this year I believe) and I started to fall off of the wagon. I was sneaking in a little too much "cheat food" then catching myself and eating healthier again. This was a steady process; on the wagon, off the wagon, on and off until I took a break from logging for a week.

I would log one or two meals, but never my largest meal. I was eating honey buns like they were the last food on earth and I gained about 4 pounds. That next week, I worked my butt off and lost 3 of those pounds and each week following I continued to either lose a pound or a few ounces.

Then, life became busy once again and I stopped logging all together and found that it was hard to pick back up. I haven't exercised like I want to (I would have been done with C25K by now if I had stuck it out) but no matter how busy my schedule gets, there are still 24 hours in a day.

I have been logging pretty regularly for the past week. Yes, I missed one day but MyFitnessPal lets you know how many days you have been logging and today I hit my 5th day. I plan on working out again in the near future, as soon as this rain (which I absolutely love) moves on to other areas.

I don't think I will ever fully recover from being burned out. While there are things that I can do to help this recovery process, I know that if I don't keep busy, I will start reverting to my old habits; which is never good.

Right now, I can only take it a day at a time and try my hardest to take a few minutes each day for myself to do something I enjoy. I also have to look at the fact that this is just college, I haven't even begun to experience burnout in the working world.

DIY Project

I have stated several times that I have a few DIY projects that need to be completed. For one, I was supposed to complete my weight loss progress jars a few months ago. That was something I started in my head but failed to actually put in motion. Following that, there were several weight loss related DIY projects that I wanted to start, but never did.

This past weekend, as I was on my way home from my weekend trip to the mountains, I passed by a set of chairs sitting at the end of someone's driveway. I wasn't driving and was able to see that although the chairs were at the end of the driveway, they had a free sign on them (although the sign was laying flat by now).

To make what would other wise be a long story short, someone picked up the chairs for me and this post serves as my official announcement of my next (and soon to be completed) DIY project. Resorting these soon to be decorative items.

I have no idea where I am going to start. I believe I saw a post on Instagram where someone redid their entire backyard patio area, but of course I don't remember who they were.

I know my first stop will be Michael's but I have no idea where I will go from there. My hope is to remove all of the rust, change the color of the paint (once the rust is removed) and re-do the lattice on the seat and back.



Of course this won't be a one day job, I am thinking about stretching it out over 3 days. There is no need to rush it, which was my problem when it came to my weight-loss related projects. I had a great idea, but didn't time myself to the best of my ability.

I would love to have these chairs done by the end of October, but no later than Thanksgiving.

As times goes on, I will post my updates and (hopefully) post my finished results in a couple of weeks!

My Mountain Mentality

There are times when I really know how to complain. I mean I can go on and on about things until I think my point has been achieved.

I spend so much time complaining over certain things that I never spend time looking at how blessed I am or even relaxing.

It seems like there is never enough time in the day to set aside for relaxation. If I do, I end up falling behind in my work and if I don't I am left exhausted and unable to focus on simple tasks.

This past weekend I vowed that I would take some time to relax in the mountains, although I knew that I would be taking along my books to complete my classwork. All in all, I had a pretty relaxing weekend, until it came time to travel back and I was left with fatigue.

Being in the mountains is not only peaceful but it gives you a sense that you are on top of the world. It allows you to escape what it bothering you, if only for a minute. Walking down to the river and actually thinking about your problems floating away can do a person wonders.

The moral of this story is something that I need to finally do. I need to stop stressing about every small thing that goes wrong and start realizing how blessed I am to make it through these small challenges.

I stress the fact that I am tired, but I am blessed to still be here.

I'm too concerned with the fact that I want this and that, but there are people who have been furloughed and don't know when their next pay check may come in so they can provide for their family.

I complain because my car and I aren't on good terms, I blessed to have a car that even moves.
There are so many times when I complain about what I don't have when I should be thankful for the things I do have. The same goes with relaxing. I won't have the opportunity to live this day again and I truly need to learn how to take my "mountain mentality" and transfer it to my "everyday life" mentality.

I never take the time to let all of my wants, wishes, concerns, etc. float down the river like I did this weekend. This weekend wasn't about what material item I wanted, what grade I wish I made on an exam or how close fall break was. This weekend was spent being thankful for all that I have.