The Joy of Meditation

Yesterday was my friend Joy Kingsborough's birthday  and we spent hour talking about meditation and energy and allowing. She said the Universe wants to support us in our endeavors. And that when we align with our heart, life just seems to flow. You can attract what you desire by putting you attention on it. It's that simple, if you let it be.
(http://howtobewellnow.com)

It was THE MOST incredible hour!  She reminded me of so many things I needed to remember. First, no one is too busy to meditate.  In fact, if you ARE too busy, it's TIME TO MEDITATE. Stopping and getting clear is the biggest gift you can give to yourself and the world around you.

Lately I've been too busy to focus on writing my blog. Or so I thought. Really what was happening was just a shift.  In my mind unexpressed was this thought, 'The official Isabody Challenge is over, now what?'

I felt like I had nothing more to share. This is so not true.  With a few minutes of silence and stillness, it came to me that I still have a journey to share.  I still have inspiration to give. There is much more to learn.

Here is  the lesson for the day.  There is light in each and every one of us, it's time to let it shine. Everyone has a unique message, so get out there (however that looks for you), let the world see how wonderful you really are.

I'm dedicating the next six months to releasing old thinking.  It's time to change!  Out the the old driven 'do, do, do, do. model and in the with new 'allow, be, enjoy' model.

Have a fantastic day!

Perseverance


"You've got to say, if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it." That's what Lee Iococca called perseverance. 

It's a mantra I've been repeating to myself a lot lately. I've reached the 50 lb mark and have been a little stuck for almost a month. I've been struggling to stick to the program, to adapt to the change in my body and to get past this HUGE (and amazing) milestone! 


And to not sink into old eating patterns. Aahh the slippery slope that starts with just one... just one cupcake or one drink or one pizza or one ... way too many 'just ones' = weight creeping on again. I can feel it happening.  (But just a little) I am mindful of the fit of my new 'skinny' jeans. Today there was less of them and more of my body. 


A friend once told me that I couldn't handle being thin. He was right, in a way. I can't. Well, I couldn't.  But I'm learning. As a fat person, I am invisible. Unseen. A cellophane observer of the turning world around me. 

But now, the invisibility cloak of chub has worn thin. People can see me again for the first time in years. I am no longer invisible. There is a certain danger in this that's been causing me to eat more again. On a subconscious level it seems I am anxious to restore my own non-existence. I think this is the reason for the yo-yo effect.


But I am determined to stop it this time. 

Perseverance is the key. That along with motivation and courage. And the willingness to face head on whatever fears and shadows are lurking in the psyche.


FEAR.  False Evidence Appearing Real  (I just learned that from Karynne Boese of dreamliving.org, isn't it fabulous???)  


Fear, like shadow, disappears when light is shined on it. 

Knowing this is the key to reaching all your goals in life. So today, remember this ... no matter what your goals are, YOU CAN ACHIEVE THEM!  Just keep going, even when you think you can't go any further ... take one more step!

Lessons from the Past

Funny how the Universe brings people back into your life at the perfect moment. I've been struggling with some very core issues regarding my weight.

Ideas that somehow solidified back in 6th grade and stuck.

Things like I'm a FAT (I was teased mercilessly by two mean boys in my class - who taunted me and called me ELEPHANT on a daily basis) And my other favorite, because I couldn't stick to a diet I was a failure, unable to achieve any goal I set.

Yep. I spent much of my life under the shadows of this stuff! It sucks growing up large in LA.

But alas, I've done the work and those ghosts have long gone, or so I thought. While cleansing, there are occasions when these thoughts still rear their ugly heads.  Here's where Universal timing comes in.

A few weeks ago, while I was knee deep in the muck of my past, I got a call out of the blue from my 6th grade friend Kim P.  (We'd re-connected on Facebook, which was very cool!)  We talked for about 45 minutes.

Here's the irony.  I remembered myself as the fat girl who was a sloth and did nothing.  She remembered an athletic girl who wasn't rail skinny, but who was thin and active and healthy.  She reminded me I was always swimming and riding horses! Seriously, her perception of me was 180 degrees of what I thought of myself.  As mine was of her.

I always thought she was so thin.  She had these long, lean legs and to my recollection was seriously skinny!  But in her mind, she was the fat one!  Can you believe it?

She also reminded me that when I left in 7th grade and came back to visit, I was 'totally skinny.'  She was right, it was after my first ever crash diet .... at age 13 I created the Dexatrim and Tab cola and Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup diet!  Yep, I wouldn't eat all day, I'd take Dexatrim and drink Tab to suppress my appetite and finally, at dinner eat a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup!  My poor parents!  I remember being perpetually hungry and mean as a rabid dog!  Hey, but I was thin! LOL!

Can you say not sustainable???  Thankfully now, I am an adult making better choices.  My paradigm has shifted ... from THIN to HEALTHY.  I am grateful to Isagenix every day for providing me with a healthy option to release not only the weight, but also the baggage from my past!

Anyone else out there want to share their craziest crash diet??

Groovy Exercise

Yesterday was about the struggle, today is about the triumph!  I've started exercising.  I made it a game.  Burst training is AWESOME!  For me, there's no excuse for not being able to do 10 minutes a day every other day, none.  I've been at it consistently for about a week and a half, and it's so much FUN!

I LOVE jumping rope.  It's my thing.  It has been since I was a kid. In fact my neighbor and her daughters joined me yesterday.  We had a jump-fest, which was followed by a little hula hoop action!  So much fun.

Last week I walked the stairs in Santa Monica for the first time with my friend and fellow Isa-teammate Beth, her her hubby-to-be Randy and my Staffie Molly. Again, so much fun!  It was something new.  Going to the beach, breathing fresh air, meeting new people and hoofing it up and down a gazillion stairs!

To make it even better, we went on Friday midday -- so it felt a bit like I was ditching -- the naughty aspect of this appealed to my impish nature!

Tomorrow I'm planning to hike in Griffith Park.  I'm working it into my schedule.  I book it like it's an appointment with a client.  So far so good.

So here's my tip for those of you like me, exercise-resistant.  Make it a game.  Phone a friend. Listen to your favorite music. (preferably something with a beat)  Bribe yourself.  But do whatever it takes to get moving!  Have a fantastic day!

Struggling with Eating (Part 1 of 5)

I haven't written in a while because I've been struggling with the eating. Not exactly the strong finish I wanted for the Isabody Challenge, but it is what it is ...

I feel like the hero at the end of the journey ... you know the one who comes so far and must face the final ordeal before crossing to the next level.  That's where I'm at.

First of all, what is it with the feeling of never being full, the concept of never enough or not 'done'?

Ever since I wrote about emotional eating, it seems the ghosts of the past have haunted me.

Don't get me wrong, amazing things have happened too ..

Let's start with the tough stuff and get it out of the way... I have a potato chip obsession. In the past two weeks on three separate occasions, I've eaten a whole bag of Lay's Potato Chips!  (I can't believe I'm confessing this in public, but here it is... )   I call it Food Temper Tantrums ... acting out.  I was angry, I didn't even know at what ... maybe it was at life, maybe it was at the constant challenges of being an entrepreneur, maybe it was because I just wanted to be done with the diet.  Oops, done with the diet???

Seriously, did I just say that???  Goes to show you how deeply damaged my 'fat' head is.  Isagenix isn't a diet. It's a way of life.  It's a way of putting balanced nutrition into your body, so your brain chemistry is prepared to deal with the struggles of weight release.  Not everyone is like me, broken with a 'fat' head.

But for those of you who are, you understand where I've been at. Struggling to really confront the past and face it head on, to call out the shadows of the secret trough eating society,  and to figure out the mystery of not enough and never done.  I'll let you know when I have answers, because to date ... still there's nothing.

I will say that one moment at time, I'm fighting this battle. I'm counting successes not failures.

Like yesterday .. in Rite Aid, and all of a sudden straight in front of me - Doritos Nacho Cheese  - my high school go-to food drug!  Weirdness happened.  I'm transported to being 15 again, and making a beeline for the chips!  Seriously!  My inner teenager almost commandeered my brain and my wallet.  ALMOST.

Until the adult me, wearing the healthy well-fed, chemically balanced Isagenix brain put a stop to it.

Just like that. No the answer was no. Not no never, ever, ever ... just no not today. For some reason that made a difference.  Small shifts, consistent mindfulness ... this is how to meet weight-release goals.

One situation at time, one challenge at a time, one choice at a time.

I'll be back with more on this soon. Part 2 is about exercise ... and making it fun!

Burst Training

 I'm down to the final four weeks of the Isabody Challenge and it's crunch time.  Serious crunch time.  No more excuses for not exercising!

I started burst training today ... totally challenging and completely fun! Everyone's asking me it is exactly and how is differs from traditional training ... Well, it's a high intensity workout for short intervals of time. It's much easier for me to be motivated when I know it can be over in about 5-10 minutes!  There's no excuses with this kind of training!  It's only 5 minutes!

It can be running, swimming or like for me, jumping rope!  Anything that gets your heart pumping quickly!  I'm a huge fan of jumping!  I put on the Ipod and just let myself go!

With summer coming why not give it a try?  What have you got to lose but 5 minutes of your day?

Spring Cleaning

Spring is here and it's time for a little cleaning. The emotional kind!  Yep that's right, this past week has been all about dealing with emotional challenges without eating!  (OMG, this is a transformation!)


I'm calling this Spring Cleaning ... it's the process of recognizing the emotion behind the eating and working to really understand it and bring it to light. Emotional eating is a shadowy subject.  But a few things are known for sure.

When you're craving salt many times it's because you're angry.  When you're craving sugar it's to mask some kind of sadness.  Usually I crave both!  Like yesterday at Trader Joe's ... it was one of the frustrating days in general, where nothing goes according to plan, where parking is a struggle, the store is packed and has nothing I came for save for organic apples!

Suddenly I heard the evil muppets saying, 'just take a look around.  oooh there are some yummy salt and vinegar chips .... aaahhh and some Druid circles ... those would be good right now.  At least this trip won't be for nothing. "  Yikes!  I almost fell for it!

Then I stopped for a moment and realized, ok, I'm sad they don't have Daffodils for my Mom and I'm pissed off because I have to get up and go tomorrow at the crack of dawn to get them!  (hence the sugar and salt)  Once I shined a light on the emotions the voices of the muppets all but disappeared!  And miracle of miracles, I chose NOT TO EAT!

Thanks to my new-found awareness, I was able to sweep away the cravings and stay on track.  My 'willpower' was fortified with knowledge of my emotional makeup.  This is the purpose of Spring Cleaning!

How will you clean your emotional closets this season?