Tag Archives: Confidence

Best of 2010

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This year has been very exciting for me. I graduated in May, I moved to my favorite city, Chicago and I met my Prince Charming, Corey! After a couple of rough years, I can confidently say I learned a lot in 2010. So here are a few things that I want to share with you.

1. Health is not just physical. Your mental health is every bit as important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Surround yourself with positive people, loyal friends, and supportive family members. Think about how you want people to describe you when you aren’t around. Make an effort to be those things and ignore or remove the negatives in your life.

2.  Exercise has to be fun or you won’t stick with it. I have told you all about Corepower yoga and my half marathon in previous posts. In high school I loved going to the Firm in Minneapolis and taking all of their aerobic and cycling classes. I guess it has taken me this long to realize that in order for me to stick with a routine, I need to enjoy it. If you have trouble sticking with something or you only view exercise as cruel and unusual punishment than try something new. Rather than meeting your girlfriends for drinks, go for a hike or rent out a squash court. Rather than going on a dinner date with your Honey, go to the driving range or look up some free ice skating times. If you like to exercise on your own try out a free week at local facilities. Most gyms and yoga/pilates studios offer a free week trial so take advantage and try something new!

3. Take more risks and switch up your routine in 2011. I have been blonde my entire life. The day my roots started to turn a slight shade of brown, I started coloring my hair. I had always talked about going brunette but I always chickened out. This year I finally took the plunge. While I fully intend on going back to my “roots”, it was refreshing to have something different. I also realized it wasn’t the end of the world and it encouraged me to take more risks, like cooking (if you’ve been reading my blog you know what I am talking about!)

4. Confidence is the sexiest, most attractive thing ever, and we should all have more of it! I am a total sinner for this one but I am working on it. Nobody enjoys the “I’m fat” conversation. Whether it is your best friend, a co-worker or your significant other, this is always uncomfortable and NEGATIVE (see #1). It shows on your face without even saying anything. You can always sense when someone who is confident walks in a room. They hold their head higher, they don’t care what people think of them and they are generally a lot of fun to be around. Surprise everyone this New Year with a new and improved, more confident you!

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Bringing me down to earth…

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(From left to right: Mary, Erica (my sister!), Asha, Dionne before the Prom for adults with special disabilities)

Too often we loose sight of the things that really matter in life because we are so concentrated on things that don’t. I am reminded of this every time I visit my sister. For those of you who don’t know, my sister was born blind and autistic. She lives in a group home not far from my parents’ house with three other girls who are also handicapped. While Erica, now 25, cognitively remains at about a five-year-old level, she is a bright, vivacious, intelligent woman whom friends, family and acquaintances have learned so much from.

I often catch myself complaining about petty things, forgetting to be grateful for the simple things in life. There is nothing that can put things into perspective for me and bring me down to earth faster than visiting her. The ability to walk, run, see, hear and move our bodies and minds as we please is a luxury, not a right. It amazes me even more how happy and content they are in a situation where you or I would feel helpless and defeated.

You may find this post uncharacteristic of me (as I typically write in a more humorous tone) but I thought this was important. Stress is a major contributor to weight gain and our lives are full of it. We create it by being constantly accessible to friends, family and work and we are bombarded with negativity on various forms of media. It’s hard not to get wrapped up in it all but since very few get the opportunity to go to a place like my sisters and have this experience for themselves I thought I would do my best to pass it on to you.

Be happy with who you are and grateful for what you have. Take a moment to put your problems aside and imagine a world where you are confined to a wheel chair, have never seen a sunset, or never heard your own voice. Think about all of the things that you have, not what you lack. Enjoy the simple things in life and take a deep breath every once in a while. Remember that good health is body and mind, being emotionally stable is just as important to your health as staying active and eating well.

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Embrace your body for what it is

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Not every body is created equal. In a quick-fix society, corporate America will do anything to make you believe you can lose weight overnight. Billions of dollars is spent each year on diet pills and supplements. But the truth is, there isn’t enough technology in the world, aside from going under the knife that will make you instantly smaller (your body also has its way of proving how unnatural surgery is).

Losing weight naturally through exercise and healthy eating is the only way to take it off, keep it off, and get that body you’ve always dreamed of. People always assume that since I maintain a healthy lifestyle that I am completely in love with my own body. Let me tell you, there are a million things I would change about my body but I have learned to accept it for what it is, imperfections and all.

Everyone is well aware of the media’s “magic marker”, the airbrush that could make Rosie O’Donnell look like Jessica Alba (that might be a stretch but you get the idea). Point is, we know this, yet we continue to compare ourselves to these images. I have recently took up Yoga which is not only a great full body workout but it provides the psychological aspect of positive body image. The teacher always encourages you to be thankful for the body you have and be comfortable in your own skin. Don’t hold yourself to unattainable standards. Once you make the necessary lifestyle changes you will learn to love living a healthy lifestyle. Start to view exercise not as a chore but as something to look forward to.

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