When Life Gives You Curves...Flaunt Them...

I have a new found appreciation for mine....so here I go flaunting all my curves....

MY lady lumps, MY life story, well....just ME 

I have a new found out look these days...I have new freedom, more joy and even more peace...even though there are still storms raging.  A friend sent me a quote that really sort of explains my situation right now...Sometimes God calms the storm...sometimes He lets the storms rage and calms his child.  

A year ago, I wouldn't have had the appreciation for this statement, but today, I do.  There have been lots of storms the past several years and especially this past year for me personally and there are still some going on but...I'd say that for the first time in a really long time and maybe for the first time ever, I know that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, I'm at peace and I'm the strongest I've been - emotionally, physically and most important spiritually.  

Does that mean I'm done growing and learning, or that everything in my life is perfect and solved -heck no!  It simply means I know I'm on the right path to my destiny and that God has taught me how to be calm in the midst of the storms.  There are still some unknowns in my life - like when and where I'm going to move when we sell our house in the spring and who am I going to move with?  Or how I'm going to cope with not living with my nephew and getting to see him everyday and all the new things he does.  But, it doesn't have me worried, it has be excited for the endless possibilities for this girl!

As you know...I took on a big challenge for this year when it comes to my weight loss - despite all that is going on.  My goal this year - to loose 85 pounds.  Well I'm happy to report that a week and a half in - I'm 7% of the way there (thats 6 lbs loss)!  Yeah!  

What have I done to do this?  Well, I got my eating back on track and am following my plans - like not snacking after dinner (I think I only broke this once this past week), more fruit and veggies and lean protein, less wheat carbs, more water and of course I've resumed my workouts.  I've started doing my weights again and incorporated some new exercises, including my least favourite- burpies (they are horribly and I hate them and am praying that I learn to love them - some how - God is a God of miracles, right????)

For me, the past week or so has been about facing my past, dealing with it and leaving it behind where it belongs.  Over the weekend I started packing and purging as we prepare to sell the house.  I went from 20 boxes in my storage room to 4!  

As I unpacked I came across something pretty neat - my old football jersey from when I was in college.   Why do I mention this you ask....well when I got this jersey, I got it on game day of my first game and it was soooo tight (and it was a XXL). I was so embarrassed and so ashamed to wear it!  So after the game was over I realized... I had to alter it.  I went and bought a pair of shorts that matched the colour/material and had to have inserts put in it so that it wasn't so tight - and even after that...it was so tight and I was so embarrassed.  This is how I grew up.  Nothing normal fit me.  I had to modify so many clothes because things didn't fit right.  Not only was I a tall girl but I was a big girl and nothing fit right and I spent so much time just ashamed.  Well...I tried on that jersey and I was swimming in it!  Which was really neat! Here's a pic - just for fun - of how big this thing is on me.  In the pic on the right you can see one of the panels I had to have inserted...not cool...but this picture is...remember this was still super tight when I had to wear it...

So often I forget where I started and how far I've come...I actually saw someone this week who I haven't seen in a year and she actually took a double take cause she didn't recognize me.  That was pretty neat.  Sometimes we focus too much on where we have to go, that we don't stop to think how far we have come.  Whether it is weight loss, or your career, or your personal development, your faith, finances, and so on - we need to stop for a moment and see how far we have come and give ourselves some credit.  This is something I haven't done too much of.  So, I challenge you to do this - take a picture of where you are now and look back at where you came from.  You might be surprised at how much you have accomplished and have a new found appreciation for yourself as well as all your hard work. 

I also got some interesting news this week...Because of my car accident 2 years ago, I've basically been in pain all day everyday which is really annoying!  I've been to multiple chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists, physio, etc. and still the pain has persisted.  It makes me nauseous sometimes it's so bad and it has limited what I'm able to do in regards to fitness.  Well, after a recommendation from a friend, I went to see a new chiro yesterday and had my first adjustment today.  Turns out my neck vertebrae looks like what they call the 'stair effect' which essentially means my neck is not straight and I've actually damaged some tendons as well.  My hips were 20% off (ie. they were twisted) and a bunch of other crazy things.  Well this new chiro says she can help and after 1 treatment I already notice a significant difference.  She also mentioned that she thinks my cortisol (sp?) levels are likely really off because my body is fighting so hard against the pain that when my pain is gone, I will likely see an increase in weight loss - ie, this pain...well it's certainly not helping and in fact likely hindering my weight loss.  Imagine how much more I'll be able to do when I'm not in pain!!!  So, it's dually exciting news! So my instructions after my first treatment - no weight sfor 3 days...sooo some lighter exercise for now....

Our family is also preparing for something else coming up next week, so if you think of us, please do send up some extra prayers....My mom is going in for a hysterectomy as they found pre-cancerous cells.  The good news is that they caught this early, so we are very thankful for that.  So if you remember, please keep my mom in you prayers for an effective, smooth and good surgery and a speedy recovery.  My mom is an amazing, strong, loving, compassionate and generous woman and we are so thankful for her.  She will learn to be pampered by her daughters for 6 weeks during recovery, so this will certainly be a role reversal for her.

So as always, lots is going on but...I'm good!  You may have lots going on in your life but if you maintain a positive outlook, it really does help.  Let me challenge you that if things seem dim right now, or if thing seem really hard, think about your progress in a variety of areas in your life and remember that 10 steps ago, things may have seemed hard and look at you go now!  If you think it's time to re-group and maybe set some new goals, go ahead and do that and make some plans on how you are going to get there...

Thats in for me ...for now....now go flaunt your curves - whether they are your lady lumps (or manly lumps? - ok, that just sounds weird, lady lumps is much cuter) or your curvy life story.  

Sarah 

~Isaiah 61