SATISFACTION

Watermelons are BACK!!! YEAH

What a fabulous word…YES…I would have to say that I am content with a lot of things.  I do not have to look for approval or contentment outside of myself, worrying about the whole “I am not good enough” thing.  Maybe, when I was younger and not older and wiser like today, I would run around trying to please everyone, and put my own feelings aside and even to a non boundary fault…YUCK YUCK…and OH did I say YUCK.  This journey I call life has blessed me with many discoveries of positive growth and has opened my eyes to seeing all that I have gone through as part of that process.  If you have read my bio, you can understand a bit of what I am talking about.

I want to really dig deeper into my satisfaction though as it relates to my fitness and maintaining ME at 48.  YES…I am serious about my health, maintain a good quality of life, and the outer shell benefits of that…of course…LOVE it.   I would not be truthful with you if I did not admit that.  The point I am trying to make is that I am content…I do not need to look further , to look better, to be thinner, to be leaner, to be more muscular…I am truly content with my work and maintenance feels over the top satisfying .  I can and do get satisfaction each day as I live being the BEST me with all my limitations…I am GOOD.

I have been around the block to hear and see so many people who are not happy even when they reach their goals and even living their goals…meaning a healthy lifestyle…it is still not enough.   It saddens me because that is a deeper issue…the one that haunts within, the one that may creep in from the past or be caused by the past or even the present.  Let me tell you being a positive advocate for counseling, therapy, and woman of strong faith …this would be the time to visit that part of life…to see what the heck is going on to cause such unhappiness and nonacceptance of self.  Been there, done that, and greatly appreciative of all that I have learned and having God on my side through the process…HIP HIP HOORAY, HEALED, and Happily Ever After Content!

Daughters are Fabulous

I look at myself and NO…no longer that 20 something that I see in both my daughter and stepdaughter…absolute peaches and cream skin beauties they are…WOW…I marvel in that for them.  But that is how it is supposed to be…48 comes with love lines, and battle scars that I have earned from my journey of life, having children,  surgeries, and the overall aging process…I mean really…am I supposed to look 20 something... A BIG NO…I am being real here…seriously…and I will not undergo any process on my face to take away the privilege and honor of being ME.  Will I do my BEST to be my BEST…of course…I am trendy, not frumpy, and love to feel sexy.  Being healthy satisfies all those things for me and that is who I want to be…ME. 

I believe in the word “enough”, and when it comes to my fitness…it is good enough.  Satisfaction applies to so many things in my life…the contentment of being healthy is just a part of Darla…I do not believe that the grass is greener on the other side, wanting to outdo the “Jones’” , and that more is better.  I do believe in the saying “I may not have the best of everything but I make the BEST of everything I have”, that less is more, enjoying the simple things, in not sweating the small stuff, and in daily miracles.  It is important for me to feel satisfaction, contentment, and value every moment...If I did not do that…I do not think that life would make sense.  You may see Darla, the fitness expert, but let me introduce you to Darla, the satisfied person.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATIONS

 

 

 

 

 

GREAT MOTIVATION TO MOVE IDEA

 

 

 

 

 

Stay Healthy Quinoa Chicken with Sun dried Tomato & Fresh Basil

 

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

 

Have a Fabulous Week!

 

Stay Healthy!

Darla:)

 

Balance, Life, and Vacation

On Vacation!

If you tuned into my last Blog, you may have figured out that I was going on vacation…well…I DID and had a blast…except for the nasty scrape and bruise to my bootie that I am still healing from …talk about a pain in the backside…YIKES…I will go more into that in a bit.  Let me just tell you that I am a simple gal and when it comes to our boat trips, I pack light because we are usually in swim suits most of the time, don’t wear makeup…don’t need it and rarely wear it anyway, lots of sunscreen…non-stinging waterproof please, Burt’s Bees lip balm, and my MUST have leave in spray conditioner to get out the tangles from lots of swimming;)…Woo Hoo that is what I am talking about…simplicity as it’s vacation BEST. 

When Friday came, I took my watch off and did not concern myself with what time it was for one full week…no time constraint, no schedules…AHHH…such a free feeling to do whatever I wanted, when I wanted without hurry, deadline, and just reading my body for eating times and sleeping…and of course enjoying quality time with hubby, boating fun and the great outdoors.  It truly seems like life should be this simple, this stress free most of the time.  I think it is important to MAKE IT HAPPEN…to schedule those down time moments to really appreciate what life is all about…it is definitely not about the GO GO GO, and  DON’T STOP TILL YOU DROP life…NOT FOR ME. 

One of our Coves

Deer Sighting!!!

Did I freak out knowing I was not going to be getting in my normal workouts…maybe at first and only for a second… this girl was ready to go.  Actually, I was looking forward to giving my body a rest, plugging into some meditation, being creative with active rest, and truly taking in LIFE.  Not that I do not do that on a daily basis, but sometimes, a deeper spending of time to appreciate everything around me is in order.  Also, taking a vacation is a good way to prevent burn out by taking a break from the things that are done day in and day out.  I come back with a renewed sense of being each time…I LOVE THAT.

Was I going to rebel and throw all my healthy philosophies out the window…of course NOT.  Was I going to provide leniency to enjoy things that I typically would not partake in moderation…a BIG YES!  Life is about balance, about living, about enjoying, about BEING REAL…that is who I am…REAL.  Please do not think that I am some super fitness freak who spends hours in the gym working out, and only eating boiled chicken, steamed broccoli and egg whites…WRONG.  Not to say that these items are not in my nutrition plan…but really…if you have seen my recipes, I am very much into great tasting food and lots of variety.  Our cooler was full of prepared meals of Quinoa with sun dried tomatoes, lean turkey meats, marinated chicken, spinach salad…you get the picture.  We did purchase some Organic Flax Meal Chips from Costco and I have to say…impressed with the quality.  Important to intake a little salt when spending time in the heat in addition to lots of water…so a few chips here and there fueled this water girl.  

OUR FAVORITE LAKE SHASTA COVE THIS YEAR!

Trail to Water slide

We launched at Lake Shasta, one of our favorite spots to putt around, swim, and create our own adventures.  Each day, we did what we wanted and were active by taking in ½  to 1 mile swims each day, having pull up contests off the boat dive platform, and hiking around off shore.  Now…getting to the bootie injury…a few minutes of fun for over a week of discomfort…next time I am bringing on the Charmin...lol.  OK…we discovered a Natural Rock Water Slide that existed off one of the coves, and although a bit of a hike to get there…it was absolutely beautiful and tropical looking…so many pools surrounded by golden rocks…BREATHTAKING.  The end of paradise trail revealed the Rock Water Slide…well, a swim across the natural pool and climb up the rocks using a knotted rope was the only way to reach the top of the slide ... I admit I was a bit nervous...it was a thrill for sure...but...the OH NO ...bump bump bump…scraped my bootie on the rocks.  

Water slide! I was able to find this pic online

Accomplished, but man did it tear a half dollar size deep raspberry on my tailbone area…talk about not being able to sit down for a week…there you have it…this bootie will definitely be padded next time.  I seemed to be the only one with the bootie problem as I asked others coming off the slide if they hurt their tailbone…no, no and no…hmmm…oh well.  I did witness people hiking all the way, and deciding not to try the adventure, but all was good fun…always about the journey.  My hubby went down about 3 times…I was happy with my one time adventure especially with my backside burning when it hit the water.  

Coming back from vacation is always bitter sweet, but it does feel good to get home, sleep in my own bed, get my ground legs back, and return to my routine.  I do return with a renewed sense of self as I shared earlier, feeling content, happy, and even more creatively sparked.  I enjoy seeing my clients and firing up my oven for some healthy baking.  The point I am trying to bring home is not how I burnt my bum on the water slide, but how important it is to take a step back, slow things down, get out of a rut, change things up, have some fun, and just be free for awhile, even if it is for a day, or even a week.  I know that balance is important  to my successful and happy life, helps to reduce stress, enables me to clear my head, and spend quality time not only with me but the best part…spending time with my partner, friend, and love of my life.  Now that is FABULOUS in my Stay Healthy Book!

Me with my Fabulous Husband, Don...We Enjoy our Healthy Life

In Your Face MOTIVATIONS

Check out the In My Kitchen Page for my Stay Healthy Recipes

 

 

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding!

Have a Fabulous Week!

 

Stay Healthy!

Darla:)

5 Tips to Ensure That You Quit Smoking

It is really very difficult to quit smoking; most long time smokers will quickly testify to this. Cigarettes contain nicotine in addition to tobacco and other harmful substances. It is nicotine that is actually responsible for the difficulty in kicking the habit. It is a highly addictive substance and the body quickly becomes dependent on it.

You need to be extremely systematic in your attempts to quit smoking or else you will not succeed in kicking the habit. Be sure to try out the following things so that you increase your chances of escaping this bad habit.

• Reduce your intake gradually. It is really very difficult to stop smoking overnight because your body will feel a lot of discomfort. If you get rid of your cigarettes overnight then you are likely to start the habit all over again because you can't do without the nicotine.


• Do not set very high expectations of yourself when you do stop smoking entirely. It is not just a question of will power. You will only feel bad about yourself when you inevitably pick up your habit all over again. In fact, you should expect to have relapses a few times at least before you are eventually successful in quitting the habit.


• Try and reduce your stress levels so that you do not have an excuse to start smoking once you have quit the habit. Take up yoga, meditation or exercise so that you feel good about yourself and have no excuse to resume the habit.


• Stay away from people who smoke cigarettes. If you are exposed to second hand cigarette smoke very frequently then you might reach out for cigarettes without even thinking about it.


• Get all the assistance you need in order to increase your chances of success. There are many products available in the market that can help you achieve your objective by supplying your body with nicotine in order to reduce your levels of discomfort.

It is very important for you to follow these tips to live a healthy life and get rid of your cigarette addiction or at least to reduce it. Even if you are not able to quit smoking the first time around (or even the second or third time) you will eventually be able to get rid of this habit. In fact, you will be able to improve your health considerably if you use these tips to stop smoking entirely.

Find out what you need to do in order to quit smoking for good. Use these tips in order to increase your chance of succeeding if you use store bought smoking alternative products. Also, here are top 10 ways to live a super healthy lifestyle to get you started.

How To Beat Weight When You Quit Smoking

A lot of smokers know that smoking stifles the appetite and may assist with weight loss or weight maintenance. It is precisely for this reason that a lot of image-conscious smokers carry on smoking, even though they do wish to quit. But, is it a given that if one quits smoking one would gain weight? Absolutely not. Not everyone who stops smoking will gain weight. Even those who have the propensity to bulge don't have to, either. There are ways to quit smoking and not gain weight.

Besides the fact that nicotine boosts the appetite, and therefore stopping it decreases the appetite, that's not the only reason why some ex-smokers put on a few pounds. When some people kick the habit they just substitute it eating for smoking. So, there you go. All is not as bad as it initially seems, at face value. There are things you can do to ensure successfully quitting and keeping your body.

Hydration

Drinking plenty of water has long been known to be one way to help keep your weight in check. For a start, water is calorie-free, and sips of water with meals may help fill you up quicker, and averts overeating. Hydration also helps re-condition the skin after all the damage from smoking.

Healthy eating

Eating healthy, not just for ex-smokers, is an excellent way of getting sufficient nutrients into your body, without piling on the unwanted ponds. If one watched one's snacking habits and chose healthier snack options over the sugary and fatty versions, half the battle is won. Fruits and vegetables make very good snacks, as they generally are nutrient rich, with few calories. One good tip is to have numerous smaller meals rather than, say three large meals. This is the mainstay of a lot of weight loss programs.

Increase physical activity

Physical activity will help to burn up the extra unneeded calories, thereby maintaining your weight, or even aiding weight loss. This goes hand in hand with healthy eating. After all, they do say that the most sure way to trim the fat is to eat less and move more. After quitting smoking your lung function and health will improve, further increasing your capacity for exercise. The more physical activity you do the more calories you burn. Increasing physical activity does not mean joining the gym. Simple activities like walking, jogging, swimming and dancing work wonders in controlling weight gain.

Avoid habits conducive to weight gain

Don't fall into the trap of getting rid of one bad habit and replacing it with another. One problem that ex-smokers may face is boredom and comfort eating, which often involves eating the wrong kinds of foods. For example, some people indulge in chocolate or junk food, which ultimately lead to weight gain. other habits to avoid include spending countless sedentary hours playing video games. Spend more time doing things conducive to good general well-being.

From the above discussion, it is quite obvious that it is not the lack of nicotine, per se, which leads to weight problems. Did you know that there are a lot of overweight, nicotine-inhaling smokers out there? I bet you know someone who smokes, but still struggles with their weight. Smoking is, therefore, not the answer to the bulge. Healthy living is. You can quit smoking and not pile on the pounds. Take action and stay smoke-free, with the many ways to quit smoking.