Wishful Goals ?

Week after week, I keep telling myself "it's time to get back on track", and each week goes by with no progress made.  Then I caught a cold, our temps dropped, and another five pounds seemed to jump onto my hips and ass! 

On Wednesday, I dropped into the gym to make some time on the treadmill.  30 minutes @ 3.0 incline = 1.4 miles.  While that's not my best effort, and I vowed to do better, but I didn't seem to be able to force myself to head to the gym on Thurs or Friday. 

One of the issues is they have a new locker room cleaning schedule; there's a male cleaning staff and the hours are 9-Noon.  Makes it impossible to be comfortable changing into gym clothes, and I can't exercise in jeans! 

This week, I get blood drawn for the usual check up, so my commitment needs to be on increasing my water intake, making sure I get 30 minutes of walking, either at the gym, or pushing Sadie in her stroller, and watching what I eat, including keeping my sodium down. 



Back in 2013, I worked very hard and lost 40 pounds -- and over the course of time, it's all come back.  Mostly because I stopped going to the gym. 

There are folks who start with "counting calories", but for me, I don't think all calories are the same.  If they were, the keto diet wouldn't be so successful.  So with the info I've gathered, I think I have two issues (not including my age):  insulin resistance and a hormonal imbalance.  I've tried the Plexus TriPlex but my system doesn't handle all of it in such large doses.  This is the week where I'm going to try to increase some of.  I have been able to get up to taking two ProBio5 each evening; now it's deciding if I can handle the BioCleanse or the Pink Drink.  We'll have to see how Monday goes!

I'm recording all of this here to use it as my accountability. 
And when I'm successful, maybe it will be an inspiration to someone else!!

Avid Photographer

I consider myself an avid photographer - I love to take photos!!   I'm also an amateur, I take them purely for my own pleasure.

But lately, the inspiration seems to be taking a backseat.  And I'm trying to figure out why.

Did I miss something?
Am I missing something?
Perhaps I'm bored.

Sometimes it seems as if all I am taking are photos of birds, sunrise/set or cactus.  Then again, I *DO* live in the desert.





I guess it's all a matter of ... inspiration. 
Or finding what inspires me.

A few years back, I found a small group of folks like me, and the leaders who ran it would create a different topic every day.  It became a lot of work to force a photo out every single day, but that's part of what makes us grow.  I haven't found anything like that again, but every now and then, I run a search to see if there's something similar.



I was a bit inspired on a recent trip to the Bay Area:
a yellow rose peeking through the cyclone fence
and the red on this tree against the brilliant blue!

Maybe with cooler weather, I can get out and
find a few things to shoot again.

Finding Inspiration

When you're feeling down, low or blue, how to you find inspiration to get motivated again?

When you're overcome with laziness and procrastination, feeling unmotivated, stuck, can’t get started, remember you're not alone.  It's common to feel that way, and many other humans are right where you are.  But how do you get past it?  How do you overcome these feelings and actually accomplish something?

Inspiration can come from finding a way to help others.  Nothing makes us feel better about ourselves when we can do something for others. Call a friend who might need a positive word, give a smile or a hug to someone who needs them.

Creating a challenge can be an inspiration.  If you're wanting to read a book, don't feel overwhelmed by a whole book, challenge yourself to read just one chapter!  Or take a walk for just 10 minutes.

Clear away everything else that clutters.  If you're finding it hard to cook good meals, is it because you 'forgot' to clean up the kitchen last night?  Or, like me, your desk becomes covered with bits and pieces, and getting started on your writing doesn't happen.  Clean up the clutter, and free your mind.

Surround yourself by inspiration:  Music.  Art.  Great books.  Fascinating people.

Be grateful for the miracle of your life, and ask yourself how you want to spend it. Then get to creating, to making lives better.

 

Don't wait for inspiration to strike.... meet it halfway, and you'll find you're inspired all over again!

(I took my own advice, and got up and out, and snapped off a few pictures for practice, even just one or two can make a big difference ... now I feel inspired to find a lake or mountains in the morning!)

What's Your Inspiration?

Each one of us has things, and people, who inspire us every day. Great people inspire us because we all want to achieve greatness in our lives. Most great people are ordinary people who have set a goal and did what it took to get there. Most of us don't go that extra step to get there, but we can still appreciate those who make us take notice, and inspire us, every day.

Recently, someone told me I have beautiful hands. (I don't see it that way, I have huge hard working scarred up hands...) but those few words make me take notice, and care for my hands, a little extra lotion after a shower maybe, just from that little extra inspiration.

Sometimes finding things that inspire us to get a task done .. is no easy task. When I'm faced with a mountain of laundry, old 70's tunes inspire me to get moving, get going, get it done. When there's a pile of mail (with bills) to be gone through, something classical or new age, like Yanni, gets the task going. And, of course, 80's rock when I'm at the gym. Music is a great motivator and inspiration. Thank you to all the great musicians over the years... "you rock" !! (hehehe)

It's my belief that the best inspiration we can have, though, are the people in our lives. They give us feedback, they teach us, they help us, they laugh and cry with us. Which, in turn, makes us be good inspirations to others in our lives as well. To the many people who have come and gone in my life, to the ones currently in my life, and the ones who are still in my future: Thank you all for being a great inspiration to me!

Of course, the bigger challenge: Who will you inspire today?

Inspirational HUGS to everyone!