July 2: The Closet Cleanse + The Hulk + Today’s Mini-Challenge

I accumulate a lot of clothes that I never use. This was the first thing I realized as I did yesterday’s mini challenge. As I kept pulling out items the “No” pile kept rising higher and higher to finally reveal the meager few pieces that I did use. I thought this was going to be a very simple exercise in tidying up but as there was such a stark contrast between the two piles I had to pause and ask myself why this was. I mean, why have so much that I’m not using and be stuck with just a small handful that I actually wore. And then to always feel as though I never have any/the right clothes to wear?

The answer presented itself too quickly in my opinion, as though it was just waiting for the right moment to pounce on me, grab me by the ankles & pound me about like the Hulk did to Loki in an already pissed-off effort to make me realize that ~ it’s because I am always buying clothes for the body I want to have and not the body I have now.

Okay let’s do that again: buying clothes for a fantasy body-size instead of buying clothes in real-time.

Does this happen to you too? We think we’re being motivational/inspirational/supportive when we’re buying sizes that are too small, thinking that we’ll fit into them in X number of weeks because we’re eliminating all the carbs from our diet but the sad truth is …

.

.

 

😱 😱 😱

Okay, lights on now!

I am going to stop this madness rrright now and, with you all as witness (sorta), I am going to ~

1. dress myself with honesty and respect from this point forward
2. get serious about my fitness goals

Which brings me to today’s mini-challenge: articulate this month’s goals. More on this tomorrow.

 

Photo by Artem Beliaikin @belart84 on Unsplash

It’s Been One of Those Days

… when you just have to allow yourself some Nutella.

Happy Weekend folks! ❤

~oOo~

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Losing Weight & Crushing Homesickness

It’s the last Monday of the month sexy people. Time for a fitness review! 🙂

This month I decided to start each weekday with a power walk – how did I do on this?

Before I share my performance report, here are a few of what I have come to appreciate about this challenge:

⭐ It gives me something to look forward to in the evenings. I prep my stuff the night before and I’ve gotten so efficient that I can now make it out of the house in much less time than I used to.

⭐ It gives me the satisfaction of having done something for myself first thing in the day.

⭐ It’s my “me & nature” time, time to just let my thoughts run free without interruption, or to just feast my senses on the beauty of nature.

⭐ It’s kicked my morning cuppa caffeine, since it makes me crave only cold water.

⭐ It’s steered me away from white bread to sturdier fare to better satisfy my appetite.  (Making healthier breakfast choices was also a challenge for June).

⭐ I’ve lost some weight. Which is a relief as I discovered mid-June that I was starting to wear my homesickness around my waist & hips.

All the above have helped me immensely in overcoming my homesickness, which I’ll talk more about in a next post.

Meanwhile, I also said that I wanted to level up by trying running. Well I did give running a try, for 2 weeks to be exact, but it kinda took the fun out of it.  So I scaled back and just focused on brisk walking as it’s enough to get my heart rate up, gives me a good sweat and makes a tall glass of cold water taste like heaven! 💪

I am pleased to report that – save for one morning – I have been on target. 🎆 🎆 🎆

And the best part is that it’s worked out so well, I intend to keep this up for as long as I can. It’s no longer just a 30-day challenge for June. It has incorporated into my daily routine almost effortlessly that I feel it would be nothing short of a waste to stop 🙂

So how about you? What did you bring into your life in June, and how did it turn out?

Mondays Are For Recommitting to Fitness & Vanities 😗

I am convinced that no matter how challenging things may get, there’s never an excuse good enough to not take care of yourself. For me, this is usually in the form of exercise and proper grooming, or what I fondly term ‘vanities’.

Admittedly I have allowed my fitness to fall by the wayside ever since arriving in Indonesia. Diet has especially taken a big hit, so as sleep and exercise. Nevertheless, whenever Monday comes around it always reminds me not to let myself go just because.

The last time I talked about exercise was when I found solace in a huge oval for runners/walkers. I had vowed to make good use of that oval, even buying myself some fancy neon colored Nikes for added fun. However, a consistent schedule has been difficult to lay down. There’s the irregular rains as well as my new responsibilities as a homemaker.

So what’s a domestic diva to do? Yep, purchase a structured exercise program by trusted fitness experts to do indoors at any time of the day 🙂

I’ve slid so much down the fitness ladder ever since my last program that I needed to start with something basic. I also do not have dumbbells yet. So I chose the 4-week Fitness Blender Reach program for flexibility and toning. The combination of pilates, yoga and stretching is perfect to serve as a warm up to a more strenuous program eventually. (I’m already excited about their 4-week bodyweight only program!).

source

The beginning is always the most difficult, it’s easy to postpone or skip an exercise, making sore muscles and/or a loose schedule an excuse. But therein lies the danger as we all know. I started the previous Monday and am happy to report that – with the help of my daughter whom I’ve designated as my coach – I haven’t missed a single day of the program yet 🙂 We’ve also started to add a 5-10 min Zumba routine for some cardio.

On the vanities side, I bought myself a new toy. Ta-daaaah!

I’ve never been particular about curling & straightening before but I figured there’s always space for something new in your life so, might as well 🙂 And it’s purple ❤ ❤ ❤

How about you, how are you taking care of yourself lately?