exercise - cafe mocha reflections

Business As Usual

August 27, 2012 by Whitney 10 Comments

Monday morning and I have plenty to do today….IEP meeting for my daughter, go to the school district to take two utilities, even though I brought them the deed to the house to prove residency. They have strict residency requirements, but here’s the crazy part, I completed all the paperwork including my new name, my husbands information and when he went into the parent portal, they still have my old last name and work information. They didn’t list his job at all, and that didn’t make him happy. He said he was calling the district today, he does not want them to think he’s unemployed. Lawd, let me get to them before he does.

I went to see Sparkle with some friends Friday and didn’t take one picture, I’m slipping. I thought the movie was good, Whitney Houston did a good job of playing the strict, bible thumping mother of three daughters. Jordan Sparks is very talented, she has beautiful range with her voice. I saw her in concert four years ago when she opened for Alicia Keys, and to be honest with you I can’t remember her performance. But do you know who did wonderful in the movie….Mike Epps! He played the part of a flashy comedian who stole Sparkle’s sister from her boyfriend by flashing a diamond ring in her face! It was funny, me and one of my friends sang during the whole movie. I’m gonna take the girls to see the movie, I like to use movies and situations on TV as teachable moments for them.

I stayed home all weekend except to take my husband to and from work. I’ve got to get busy though, we need to find a church home. We decided together to find a new church home, he said he just didn’t feel comfortable at my old church and I can respect that and agreed. It’s our goal to attend church as a family, worship together and that means attending a church that we both feel that we can accomplish three things, learn the word, hear the word and a place to worship.

My hair is graying faster as each day goes by, I had set a goal of no chemicals for one year. I’m currently researching adding henna to my hair, and searching for a salon that specializes in natural hair care. Actually I may contact my hair stylist I used, I believe she can do my hair. We’ll see, but I definitely need to cover some of this gray. You really can’t see it in this picture, but it’s coming in more. I took this picture about a month ago. Gray hair has a mind of it’s own, a little harder to manipulate, but I can still control it with Eco Styler Gel, love that stuff.

When I was packing for the move, either me or the girls gave away my Nike’s. I want to start walking again now that I’m settled. I bought these, and I figured one thing out, Nike’s are too narrow for me. These are K-Swiss and are very comfortable. My knees were killing me when I finished walking and that was because my darn shoes were too tight! I can and will start my walks again, thank goodness. I have been very relaxed (lazy) when it comes to diet and exercise and now that everything is back to normal I will get my schedule together.

How was everyone’s weekend? Anything special coming up for the holiday this weekend? We’ll be home, taking it easy, chillin. Have a great day, and encourage someone today.

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Filed Under: Currently, Family, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: church, diet, exercise, hair, movie, weekend

Motivation and a Push

May 21, 2012 by Whitney 7 Comments

I’ve been slipping lately….feeling like I’m all over the place. I haven’t exercised all month. Yes I know, and believe it or not I miss it. On Monday’s, I always go to Rene Syler’s Good Enough Mother to listen to her Monday Morning Motivation and today it was about things we need to do for personal growth. Rene was on point with her advice today because I haven’t been focusing like I need to. The first thing I did this morning was get out my planner and write down my agenda for today. I’m sticking to it! It’s amazing, because without it, I would spend 20 minutes working on a project, stop in the middle of that project and go to something completely different which to be honest with you, was either a social network that would totally distract me or something around the house. I like this, I’m focused and calm, working and listening to some jazz as I write. One thing I decided to do was to schedule time to do my social media and read other blogs, and really stick to that one. This activity can and does take hours because I get caught up reading and socializing, which can last until 10:00 pm. That’s late because I start my day at 5:30 am.

Since I started blogging and building my brand, one of the things I do is take plenty pictures of myself. I had my daughter take a couple of pictures of me yesterday after church and decided two things; to continue exercising and invest in a good camera! I walked 2.3 miles this afternoon and although my knees are killing me, I’m glad I got out and walked. I use the app Pedometer to keep track of how far I walk, time, steps, and calories that I burn. I also use Lose It! to keep track of what I eat and my weight. I usually take pictures with my iPhone, which sometimes it takes very good pictures. I have a Kodak 35mm, 10.3 mega pixel camera that I’ve had for about 4 years. I used it the other night when my daughter had a concert at school, and it was awful for distance. Later this year, I’m going to have some pictures taken by a photographer.

Menopause is a time in a woman’s life when her body changes and I’m determined to not let it get the best of me. I remember my OB-GYN told me that I would gain weight, cry for no reason and have mood swings with menopause, and I’ve experienced all of those symptoms. I want to be a healthy, happy middle aged woman with goals and aspirations. Keep praying for me while I achieve my goals, build my brand and tackle menopause! Have a good week everyone!

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Filed Under: Entrepreneur, Health & Wellness, Menopause Mania Tagged With: entrepreneur, exercise, health, menopause

Transition…My Weight Challenge

April 5, 2012 by Whitney 4 Comments

Hi, update on transition….it’s wonderful. I’ve been working on several things this year, and I must admit I am starting to see clear on my future and vision. One other thing I want to add to my vision is finally getting this 50 pounds off that I’ve been working on for the last year. I’ve let go of the past hurt and expectations for my weight, and what everyone else thinks I should look like. I want to lose this weight for my health, and I don’t want to be a burden for my children when I get older. I also want to encourage my girls to eat better and take charge of their health before they get my age.

On August 6, 2003 I had weight loss surgery. I was a whopping 397 pounds, unhealthy, unhappy and probably about to die. At the time, I didn’t think I had any other way to go, I didn’t have the motivation to lose weight on my own. I had the surgery 4-1/2 months before my mother died. I wanted to make her proud of me for finally taking responsibility of my weight. I was very sick right after my surgery for the first three months, but got better and the weight started coming off. Two years later, I had lost 180 pounds, and was overjoyed. Both of my parents were deceased by the time I lost the weight and I felt cheated, I wanted them to see my success. Still trying to be that little girl and please her parents. The surgery was just a tool I realized years later, I still had to put in the work to lose the weight.

Jump to 2010, because the other 5 years will take many posts to tell…I was about to make another life changing decision and move to St Louis with my fiancé. I eat when I’m under a lot of stress, and slowly started gaining weight. I got up to 263 pounds and was very unhappy. I was unhappy with not working, had a lot of stress because I was trying to sell my house, get adjusted to living in a new city, making sure my girls were adjusting, etc. I would eat and wouldn’t pay attention to what I was eating, and wasn’t exercising at all. I decided it was time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get my life in order. The first thing I did was find a church home, then I ordered Zumba for the Wii game system and started doing it everyday for 20 minutes. Within a month, I had lost 15 pounds on my own! By the time my birthday came last July, I had lost 43 pounds and then my fiancé lost his mother unexpectedly, and along with that came financial challenges, and I started gaining weight again.

One of the things I’m learning that I didn’t apply last year is that when stressed, I need to do something to relieve it, like pray. I truly take my problems to prayer, hand them over to my father and live according to his word. I found something that I enjoy, which was starting this blog. I am happy to say that I’m back to exercising and making better choices when it comes to food, and I’m on my way again. I exercise five days a week, work part-time and work on my blog. I have a clear vision, I have it on paper and I’m putting my plan to work. I appreciate any support given, but I’ll be 50 in three months, and I will bring it in with my new outlook and vision. Let’s encourage and inspire everyone around us. Love ya!

Whitney

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