Focus (Surprise)

Wow. Where did February go?

Oh yeah. My job has had significant changes... including going from what was an essentially 8am - 5pm Monday - Friday shift to a 12pm - 9pm shift with split days off.  While I love the shift, I have some struggles with working with a new team, and figuring out the new personalities and work styles.

It is coming along, but slowly.  There are a number of advantages, and management has been extremely flexible with the schedule I needed in order to sing with the chorus in Scottsdale... having rehearsal night free, and Saturdays for the coaching/retreat weekends.
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In the meantime, I've gained 50 lbs back.  Which means I'm 50 lbs away from where I started.

Ouch.

Today I started the day with coffee, the last of the cream, a 1/2 tsp of raw honey, and 3/4 of a Dark Chocolate with Espresso beans candy bar.

Then... I walked (and even put in a couple jogs from light pole to light pole).  I've walked 3X this week... less than I was walking a year ago... but heading back to making walking a minimum of 3X a week my goal. For Life. For Ever.

I have a tub of Medifast food left over, and I need to basically finish up the tub of food to 'get back on the sugar-free and low-carb' wagon. Knowing I lost 22 lbs in two weeks when I started gives me hope. So, tomorrow being Sunday... I'll start a new week with an old plan that works.

After I run out of the MF food... my plan is to do a lot of vegetable smoothies (Kale, Spinach, Almond Milk, maybe some fruit. ~ have to play with the recipe), and try to keep to an Alkaline-based diet.  The more I read about different lifestyles, the more I'm convinced that Balance in All Things is the way to go. 

And... as part of a maintenance lifestyle ~ I think I'll try to do the 6 days following a balanced, healthy (low-sugar, low-carb) way of eating, and have a "cheat day" -- that allows me to eat anything I want... fruit, dark chocolate, cheesecake... and see how I do with that.
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I've not done another round of "Hacking away at the unessential" - but I will be starting Round Two this month. I want to stop paying for Storage by the end of April.
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Focus for March:
[1] Walking 3X a week (*whew! made it for the first week of March!)
[2] Alkaline forming food choices (reducing acid-causing choices)
[3] Learn 3 Songs for new chorus (one of the songs has a lot of words that go by fast... and the words are learned, now just need to ensure I have the notes correct)
[4] Blog 4X a week (a late start on this one... missed the first week of March - but here's to the second week!)
[5] Clean off the couch in my studio. (I cleared files and the table so I'd have a space to organize the papers and piles of stuff... I have 3 piles of stuff on the couch to go through and toss and/or organize.)
[6] Look at my paper calendar. Every. Single. Day. That I write things down in. Not only "To Dos" but inspiration, things that are coming up to plan and budget for... to remind me to plant good thoughts in my head before going to bed, so I want to wake up and am embracing the more active lifestyle changes I want to make.
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Thought to end with ~ "Live the life you want tomorrow TODAY."
I don't know if this is a quote from anyone, but I want to have shapely arms (a la Jennifer Anniston)... and want to be able to zip line and parasail while in Hawaii... and sit comfortably in my hairdressers chair AND the airline seats. Those are goals and things I want "tomorrow" -- which means I have to make choices to make them happen TODAY. I started walking. Now to start working on the arms.

"This is what a grown up does."