Demand Reality

I believe it's time.  It's time the fashion, movie, advertisement, {insert here} industry to start believing that women who are not a size 0,2, 4 are beautiful.

When I was in college I decided I wanted to be the first designer to have a runway full of only size 6s and above.  I felt so strongly about it my bones ached.  Only, problem?  I don't actually make clothes. Nope, not a designer.  Just someone who is so obsessed with Project Runway in a previously life I must have designed for royalty or something.  

So, as I came to grips with the fact that I would never show with Versace, Gucci, and Chanel, I worked to calm my heart while I waited. waited for someone who saw the world in the same way I did to make the statement that things need to change.

I enjoy the rising awareness of the blond plus size model.  I love that Jennifer Lawrence loves the way she looks (and, yes, she is skinny!), and I love that the high school girl petitioned Seventeen magazine to only show women with real sized figures.

But then I turned on E! and saw Giuliana Rancic and just wanted to feed her a peanut butter sandwich through the TV on the spot.  Sweetheart, Holocaust-like bone structure is so not attractive.  Seriously, Bill, feed your woman something with some fat...and on a regular basis.  Seconds after I had that thought, I saw Kelly Osbourne.  She is gorgeous.  If we, the world, could work on celebrating real-size beauty (shape differences, size differences, healthy realities) we would be in such a much better place.  ...and I don't mean going to the "My Big Fat Fabulous Life" size either, which suggests to viewers you're either going to be skinny and happy or you can be super fat and heavy.  No.  I'm talking putting a spotlight on health, and sizes 6-12 that are represented by healthy, curvy, true-sized women.

That is all.

The Double Sided Edge of Procrastination

Sometimes you know what to do and do it.  Other times you don't have any clue what to do so you do nothing.  The one, though, that makes you walk on a very sharp edge is when you know what to do and you don't do it.

That, my friends, is procrastination.  And if you're not careful you can fall down the wrong end of that blade!

Procrastination is the voice that says, "Just check Facebook again" or "Maybe I should go get the mail" or "I should probably see if I have more emails..."  That, my friends, is procrastination, and it can be like the black hole of TV and just cause people to waste away.

Some will argue that procrastination can cause you to produce your best work.  I'm not disagreeing ... when you have a hard deadline.  Procrastinating on a paper knowing it's due Friday at 5 is different because you have to produce something by Friday at 5 or risk a zero, so whether you start it three weeks early or the night before.  Knowing there's a final day and time can sometimes make people who procrastinate produce their best work.

No, I'm not talking about that kind of procrastinating.  I'm talking about your WISH LIST.  The things you wanted to do with your life, or day, or month, or year....but had no hard deadline nor had to get done for any reason.  Those are the ones where procrastination can snatch your list and make it disappear while making you think you're enjoying your days.  These are the times when procrastination turns into regrets 10, 20, 30 years down the road.

Want to work on alleviating that regret and working to fight against procrastination?  Start by giving yourself just one item to accomplish today, big or small.  Then another, and another every few days.  When you can do them for a week, reward yourself!  Take yourself for another cup of coffee or a mani-pedi.  Just make sure it's a reward you don't usually treat yourself to "just because".  Otherwise it won't feel special and you won't feel like you really are taking your life back!

So here's to living for the now...not for the now and easy.  Because, let's face it, you're 10-year older self will love the new stories those life choices create.

Happy New Year! Happy Eating!

It's 2015!! WOOT!  Happy New Year all!

First I want to give a big THANK YOU to all my amazing readers out there.  You are the most amazing people, and I hope you know that you inspire me to continue writing.  I hope that your 2015 has started off full of smile, wonder, and laughter.

And, if you're in the midwest, sadly, a LOT of cold!

So, for those of you stuck in the cold, it's a bit more challenging to get your outside "workout" in.  I put it in quotes because it's always best to do your moving in normal clothes doing everyday things, like taking the stairs, going for a walk on your lunch break, parking further away, taking your dog an extra block, etc.  However, in the cold, if you're like me, your entire thought process is OMG GET BACK INSIDE! :)  Therefore, you may find yourself a little more sedentary than normal, and after the holidays, it's important to think about ways to stay healthy.

So where do you turn first when looking at your health?  Your FOOD!  Yes, your food is the majority of everything: weight, health, physique, emotions, energy.  You name it, it stems from the food you eat.  So how do you take back your life?  Take back your food choices.  Think clean, whole food options.  Think colorful.  Think NATURAL (i.e. the non-GMO version, the wild-caught, the organic fruits and veggies).  Opt for the whole food options such as an orange instead of orange juice, a full chicken breast with skin and bone vs slices of chicken "breast" deli meat, real asparagus vs anything from a can or freezer.  The more you can find it like it would come in the wild, the better it is for you.

And, as I like to fondly remember from a book-mentor of mine, 3 meals, only snack if you are so famished you'd literally eat your arm, and make sure you eat in a quiet area.  NO TV.  Pay attention to your food, and it'll reward you.

*hugs* and Happy New Year!