When I think about how much we as women are ‘expected’ to do and all we are expected to be I believe we need to give ourselves permission to do less, where we can.

Recently I’ve given myself permission to do less. I considered for a few months offering one on one personal training. I love training, working out, helping women get healthier but realized that the demand of training clients one on one or on a repeated schedule didn’t align with my vision for freedom and flexibility. I like to be on my own schedule and work in my own time and personal training wouldn’t allow me. I felt a little bit of guilt when I made this decision, but ultimately that was replaced with relief. 

Every Opportunity Isn’t An Opportunity

As opportunities come to do more, sometimes we must make the conscious decision to instead do less so that we can ultimately have more and create a life by our design and not by external demands.

As a creative and intuitive, I have often struggled with this. Use my gifts? Don’t? Which ones in which ways. Will the use align with my vision for my life and my wellness? Will it align with my vision for my shero life? This kind of check in is key if you are on your own shero’s journey because well-meaning distractions and misplaced opportunities can easily take you off course.

Decide What To Do Less Of

I encourage you to write out all the things you ‘do’ as part of your work, life, career, and voluntarism. Sit with each one and feel into it from your heart. Does it give you a heaviness or icky feeling or does a surge of energy go through, or maybe nothing at all. All of those physical responses, when guided from a heart space, will help lead you. 

If you know how to use a pendulum,  you can also use one to confirm your feelings in a way you can see. 

There’s a freedom that comes with midlife and the experiences we’ve already lived through. You know what makes you tick, what lights you up, and what saps your energy. Decide to do less of those things that don’t give you what you want so you can have more of a life you love. You know…that one with more wellness, joy and love.

Join my free Facebook Group for Midlife Women
Wellness Guidance and Story Guidance

The post Do Less – Permission to Decline appeared first on That Shero Life.

Wondering how to get started with a wellness journey or healthy lifestyle? How to keep going without giving up? Whether it’s even worth it? I hope this post shows you a few things and encourages you to do it. Now. For you.

Before I started exercising again I had actually decided I didn’t like to exercise. I legit told someone this 2 weeks before I found myself staring at myself in the mirror ready to make a change.

ANSWERING THE CALL

How do you get started on a wellness journey? How to get started with a healthy lifestyle? It can be difficult getting motivation and sorting through all of the information. Most people need some very uncomfortable reason to make a lifestyle change. Though it shouldn’t be the case, it often is. If you’ve gotten a wake up call like me and wondering about answering it and how, I hope this helps.

In episode 3 of That Shero Life podcast I do a solo episode sharing my journey and giving advice and tips on getting started and staying the course of a wellness journey.

You may want to start your own wellness journey or healthy lifestyle and aren’t sure where to start or how. In this episode I share my experience on my journey along with some key lessons on getting started on and staying on your own wellness journey.

I’d love to hear from you about this episode and know what other things you may be curious about for solo episodes, which I’ll be doing regularly between having guest co-hosts.

Listen Now:

——————

Free Facebook Group: Epic Living for Women in Midlife and Beyond.

Have me give a wellness talk to your group.

Free Guide: Smart Moves to Power Through Menopause. 

Follow Bernette on Social Media

• Facebook Group
• Facebook Page
• Instagram
• TikTok
• YouTube

The post Ep. 3: How to Start a Wellness Journey (Lessons from My Journey) appeared first on That Shero Life.

In this second episode Corbie and I chat about being intuitives and psychics, getting past the past and using our gifts and all of who we are in our lives. It’s a great conversation with lots of nuggets you’ll want to nibble on. You’ll also want to listen all the way through for the message I give Corbie and to learn what the examined life is all about.

About my guest co-host for this episode, Corbie Mitleid

Corbie Mitleid has always been “the different one.” A writer and visionary in a medical family, she made her own path rather than take one cut for her by others. 

The path wasn’t easy. Two marriages, which didn’t last.  A search for the Partner Who Understood. A succession of jobs. A series of spiritual paths. Out of the blue, breast cancer three times. Life asked Corbie to survive divorce, abuse, poverty and life-threatening illness. But through it all, she learned the value of the Examined Life: meeting challenges and always asking the next question, facing each new situation with strength, courage and humor.

Today, Corbie is a full-time intuitive counselor and inspirational speaker, with a globe-spanning career and clients worldwide. Still, her clients treasure her attitude of I’m not special, you can do what I do.

Corbie Says:

It all comes down to this: I’m not special. You can do what I do. We need to make sure we are clear on what we want to tell Spirit we did while we were here. We want to get clear in our relationships, and we want to get clear with Spirit in whatever form we see It. We stop believing in what we’re told by society and ask ourselves what WE believe. We learn that no is a fabulous idea. And we forgive ourselves, instantly and repeatedly, for not being perfect or getting it all right the first time. And we get up and try it again. By being as authentic and compassionate with ourselves as we can, we teach others how to do that, and help stop the cycle of unthinking abuse by the world.

Corbie Mitleid

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The post Episode 2: Getting Past the Past and Owning Who You Are with Corbie Mitleid appeared first on That Shero Life.

On the inaugural episode of That Shero Life podcast my guest is Anita Kaiser. 

Anita is a coach who works with empaths and sensitives helping them move through shame and create the life and business that works for them. A journey of authenticity. 

About my co-host and guest, Anita Kaiser

Anita Kaiser is a trauma informed coach who specializes in supporting empaths and highly sensitive entrepreneurs to feel SAFE inviting more SUCCESS into their business.

Anita’s work prioritizes emotional wellness, release of old trauma patterns, and creating a sense of safety in the body through nervous system regulation. Clients experience improved energy, self-trust, and calm confidence to pursue their business goals with more clarity, consistency, and ease 

Nationally Certified accredited EFT practitioner. Yoga instructor. Priestess. Forest walker. Lifelong learner. Anita is a healer who is continually healing so she can create a safe container to support other sensitive women to thrive. 

Anita helps empaths and sensitives move through shame and create the life and business that works for them.

Connect with Anita

Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Insight Timer

Grab Anita’s Freebie – Stop feeling like a burden

Watch or Listen to the Episode

The post Ep. 1: Journey to Authenticity with Anita Kaiser appeared first on That Shero Life.

More Than Weeds

But as you pull out those stubborn roots your back grows stronger, your shoulders build, your body becomes strong enough to carry away the load of things you no longer need to tend in your garden. You feel lighter. You feel able. You remember why that garden exists. The sun begins to shine once more and the season turns. 

Stronger and clear, you’re ready. The seeds that have always been there struggling to grow have nourishing soil, free of weeds and all those viney things that would take their life. Now it’s just you. You and the good soil from which your new and better garden, the one only you have the seeds for, can grow.

Weeding Season Brings Growth and Change

I’ve been there. It’s likely that you’ve been there too at some point. Perhaps you feel like you’re there again. Just know, it’s a season. Seasons bring growth and change. They’re temporary and without them the cycle of life just wouldn’t be. The key is to allow yourself to be in the season.

Today we start our earthly spring in the northern hemisphere. While it doesn’t feel very much like spring in Georgia today, I know it’s here. The signs are clear in the sounds of birds, the blossoms on the trees, and the green poking up through the brown grass. It’s a reminder that what was dormant within, will reawaken, if given time and what it needs when at rest.

Whether you’re entering your spring, your fall, at the heights of summer, or the darkness of winter, be there knowing it’s a season and get everything you can from this season of life.

What season are you in? 

Join my free Epic Living for Women Facebook group.

Learn about wellness coaching.

The post Weeding Season appeared first on That Shero Life.

When you think about “getting in shape”, it isn’t just the number of pounds on the scale (though it’s definitely nice to see it move in a positive direction!), but it’s also how those pounds are distributed and what’s in them. 

Body fat and muscle are two key measures of body composition. If you are just ‘dieting’ your scale number will go down but the ratios of fat to muscle may not change or may even go towards more fat.

This is why resistance training combined with smart cardio is so important in a healthy weight loss journey that includes keeping or building your strength- which is critical as we get older.

So if you’re working out remember to add some kind of resistance or weights to your training sessions. How much and how many repa and sets and timing will vary based on your goals but our bodies need it. That and the right nutrition to support the building of those muscles.

The other way to see the change is to take pics along your journey. Pics can show what a scale can’t. And they are great motivation to keep going. When I started I just started and took a few pics but not with full intention. My before pics kind of suck, but they gave me something to compare to. Below are suggestions for doing your own before (and after) photos.

Interested in changing your body composition? Check out my wellness coaching.

Otherwise, find things you enjoy, allow yourself to go hard, don’t overdo the cardio (especially if you’re perimenopausal or later), stay hydrated, and get your sleep.

If you’re trying to ‘tone up’ and get rid of fat – that’s body recomposition. It’s a great way to get into a healthier shape, especially as we age. Now, go get stronger and healthier!

The post Body Composition and Strength appeared first on That Shero Life.

Let’s talk hearts, ladies! As we move through our forties, fifties and beyond, taking care of our amazing bodies becomes even more important. This means paying attention to our nutrition and cardiovascular health.

Why are Nutrition and Cardiovascular Health Important?

Good question. It’s because heart disease is the number 1 killer of women in the United States. Yeah, you read that right. According to the CDC 44% of women are living with heart disease and it will be the cause of death for 1 in 5 American women. That’s nothing to play with!

So if you’re blood pressure has been high and you’ve been experiencing any of these symptoms (from CDC) go get checked out. 

• Angina— a dull or heavy chest discomfort or ache.
• Pain in the neck, jaw, or throat
• Pain in the upper abdomen or back

Unfortunately, not every woman is going to have symptoms so pay attention to how you’re feeling and don’t ignore the possible symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and a tiredness that just won’t quit. These are also possible symptoms that you might easily write off as something else.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease so getting it under control before it reaches the level of heart disease or a heart attack is key. Prevention, sheroes. Prevention.

For me, it’s personal. At the time of this writing I have a friend in her 50s who has yet to recover from a heart condition. Additionally, before I started my wellness journey and decided to get back into better physical health I was experiencing hypertension and pre-hypertension. This means that my blood pressure had reached 140 (systolic)/90 (diastolic) on multiple occasions. Most often it was over 140 (hypertension) and between 80 to 89 (prehypertension). (Here’s a simple explanation for understanding those two numbers). It wasn’t changing on its own and while I didn’t want to alarm my family, inside my head the bells were going off. I needed to do something! 

As part of my wellness journey I focused on increasing my physical activity and improving my diet – both what I ate and how much. I’m sure I’ll talk about movement and stress in other posts, but this one is about food because you’re going to eat to live and it’s a great place to start. 

So let’s put on our capes and get into it. 

As you know, how we eat and our diet isn’t just about fitting into that cute dress or those jeans, but it’s real nice benefit and confidence boost! Food is about giving our cardiovascular system the fuel it needs to function well and perform efficiently (so we can). If you’ve been fad dieting and following trends, it’s time to get back to basics that will support you and keep your heart healthy for the long haul.

First things first, let’s tackle some nutrition villains:

I don’t like to label any food as bad because some things have their places and can be had in small amounts but some things are really villainous threats to our bodies, especially when they sneak in. Here are a few sneaky threats.

• Saturated and Trans Fats: These clog up our arteries like rush hour traffic, making it harder for blood to pump freely. Think fried foods, processed meats, and baked goods heavy on butter or shortening. If you swap them for leaner protein sources like grilled chicken or fish, and healthy fats like avocado or olive oil you’ll free up your internal highways.
  
• Added Sugars: They may taste like happiness, but too much added sugar can lead to weight gain, inflammation, and even raise our risk of type 2 diabetes – all things that put a strain on our hearts. In the United States we have to be extra careful, reading labels thoroughly because food producers sneak sugar into many foods you wouldn’t even expect. I like the sweet treats too, but it’s easier to manage when you know you are intentionally eating a dessert or piece of candy. It’s the sugary drinks, processed snacks, and added sugars in everyday foods we need to look out for. When possible choose naturally sweet fruits and foods without added sugar. If you want to add some, you can add a modest amount.
  
• Sodium Overload: Think puffy eyes after a salty meal? That’s because sodium makes us retain water, which can increase blood pressure and stress our hearts. This is one of those sneaky villains hanging out at our favorite restaurants, slithering into snacks and canned foods, and generally being a pest. What can you do? Read your food labels for the serving size and how much added sodium there is per serving. Serving size is another trick played. You can also minimize how much processed foods you eat and pay close attention to where there might be hidden sodium culprits (looking at you, salad dressings!). Try seasoning your food with herbs and spices for a flavor fiesta and use salt to bring out those flavors rather than being the base.
  

Now, where are those heart-healthy sheroes?

• Fruits and Veggies: Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, these colorful powerhouses are like a supershero squad for your heart. You can aim for a rainbow on your plate – think leafy greens, berries, citrus fruits, and don’t forget those heart-shaped tomatoes! Or think about your rainbow fruits and veggies through the week. Can you make sure you get every color in within a week?
  
• Fiber Fantastic: Women need about 25 grams of fiber every day and most of us don’t get it. Fiber has great benefits like helping us feel full longer, helping to regulate blood sugar, and fiber even helps lower cholesterol. Whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, legumes (hello, beans and lentils!), and fruits with skin are all fiber superstars. If you’re like me and beans and lentils send your family running, try a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and water after eating them or if you don’t mind the flavor throw some apple cider vinegar in when cooking. Rinsing beans thoroughly can also help with the bloating and gas.
  
• Healthy Fats: Fats have gotten a bad rep. I mean yeah they have 9 calories per gram compared to 4 for proteins and carbs, but it just means you need less, not none. Your body will not work right without them. They really are allies! Unsaturated fats like those found in avocados, nuts, and olive oil can actually help lower bad cholesterol and keep our hearts healthy. Think of them as the bodyguards protecting our arteries. Knowing how much to eat is the key. Because they are calorie dense you only need about a thumb-sized serving with certain meals or as part of snacks.
  

Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to stay hydrated! Water carries away waste and helps maintain healthy blood pressure, so keep a reusable water bottle by your side and sip throughout the day.

Shero, you can own your nutrition and cardiovascular health!

Making small, sustainable changes to your diet is key. It’s not about deprivation – it’s about fueling your body with delicious and heart-healthy options. You have the power over your nutrition and cardiovascular health when you make smart changes. If you already have heart disease seek professional help. You may also want to talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian for personalized guidance if your needs are more serious. My clients get a personalized meal guide (not a meal plan) to help them in making healthier decisions because there are so many choices and just as much confusion. 

In the meantime, let’s celebrate strong hearts, healthy bodies, and feeling fabulous in our forties, fifties and beyond!

Now go forth, sheroes, and own your day with a heart full of health and happiness!

P.S. Share your favorite heart-healthy recipes in the comments – let’s inspire each other!

The post Nutrition & Your Heart: How Food Impacts Your Cardiovascular Health appeared first on That Shero Life.

What I did was unexpected. I decided that my epic life waited but it didn’t have to look like the one I’d started writing. I changed the plot. Sure, the end goal to have some positive impact on the world is still there, especially women, but how I do it…that changed. I looked at the tools I held and remembered one very important thing I’ve built into every book I’ve written. 

You can’t help others at the level of a hero or shero until you (1) acknowledge your weaknesses, (2) choose to make those internal transformations, (3) train for that epic life, and (4) see the transformation on the outside as well. Only THEN, once mind, body, and that indelible spirit are truly in sync through some challenging physical and mental personal growth that demands a stronger spirit, THEN you’re ready to show up and act. 

An Honest Look at Myself

Acknowledging My Weaknesses

My health had suffered over the past three years. I’d put on 30 pounds in that time (The Covid-19 nineteen plus additional pounds from stress and inactivity). This was despite knowing I should exercise.

I flat out didn’t want to exercise, so I didn’t. It was the last weekend in August when I casually said I don’t like going to the gym and didn’t want to work out to one of my neighbors with a nice home gym. And I (thought) I meant it. I knew what I needed to do but I wasn’t doing it. I’m sure no one can relate to that. I’m the only one who didn’t do what I know works.

One Small Action

Choosing to Make an Internal Transformation

Your action doesn’t have to be big. It can be one seemingly small thing. But if it challenges your status quo, comfort, and ways of being, it’s a change and a challenge. And change is hard (and that’s okay). If you’re on a wellness journey maybe it’s something that doesn’t even seem related. For me, it was making a commitment to do something for me consistently. 

My goal was to not skip a single day for at least 30 days. You know what it was? Duo Lingo. Even just 2-3 minutes each day consistently did something for me. Like, yea, you did a whole week, then two weeks. I loved feeling like I was doing something to get better at something I wanted to get better at for me. Every day. 

(Finally) Answering the Long Call to Action

Training for that Epic Life

Less than two weeks later it clicked that I could do something else. I could work on my health and get back in shape. I had to chuckle at myself for my comment about not liking working out. 

When I finally answered the call I felt purposeful. The call went deep inside. It may not be like that for you or others, but that’s how it felt for me. I had to commit. I felt like my life, my mental health, the quality of my very existence, and yes, my magic depended on it.

The Transformation

It’s Inside and Out

Over the next two and a half months (from September 10th to now) I wake up and answer the call again. I say yes to training my body through resistance training and my mind through the discipline of showing up for myself at the gym and with what I eat (and by keeping up with Duo).

Since starting I’ve been happier, less stressed, dropped about 30 pounds, lowered my blood pressure, body fat, have more energy, am physically stronger, and other random ailments have eased or vanished. The transformation is evident inside and out.

A Little Thing Can Birth the Epic

Sometimes it’s just a little thing you do in some area you care about for yourself that sets that wheel in motion. Thanks Duo Lingo.

Many of us, myself included, are like Lafia. Feeling like failures, looking for our magic because we know there’s gotta be something more. And we’re not wrong. We may simply be looking in the wrong place or going in a direction that isn’t going to get us where we want to be. I haven’t won the day yet, claimed every last bit of magic I have, or gotten it all right, but that’s what makes the adventure epic. I know I’m on the right road.

Lafia wanted to make a difference too but first she needed her magic. She had so much desire to get her magic back so she could rule and that desire, that passion for herself, set everything else in motion in a way that meant she’d never be the same. I can tell you this; I will never be the same either.

What if we did just one thing for ourselves that set things in motion for an epic life?

What would that thing be for you?

The post An Epic Adventure Means Choosing a Different Way appeared first on That Shero Life.

This was me at the end of August.

I knew things were shifting but wasn’t sure how. I’d spent years as a writer and was sharing how I do world building at a writers event held at a bookstore. But something was missing. Nope, I couldn’t have told you exactly what. 

It was like I had the idea for this epic story and I knew who the sheroine was supposed to be but I couldn’t get past the middle. She couldn’t get past the same lessons successfully so she could move on to the next level. It was like something she wasn’t able to recognize was holding her back. She had a blindspot. 

There I was, knowing the adventure I’d set out on was meant to be epic but I was thwarted at every turn, like Lafia in Light of the Dark Moon. 

What I did was unexpected. I decided that my epic life waited but it didn’t have to look like the one I’d started writing. I changed the plot. Sure, the end goal to have some positive impact on the world is still there, especially women, but how I do it…that changed. I looked at the tools I held and remembered one very important thing I’ve built into every book I’ve written. 

You can’t help others at the level of a hero or shero until you acknowledge your weaknesses, choose to make those internal transformations, train for that epic life and see the transformation on the outside as well and THEN, once mind, body and that indelible spirit are truly in sync through some challenging physical and mental personal growth that demands a stronger spirit, THEN you’re ready to show up and act. 

And that action doesn’t have to be big. It can be one seemingly small thing. If you’re on a wellness journey maybe it’s something that doesn’t even seem related. For me, it was making a commitment to do something for me consistently. 

My goal was to not skip a single day for at least 30 days. You know what it was? Duo Lingo. Even just 2-3 minutes each day consistently did something for me. Like, yea, you did a whole week, then two weeks. I loved feeling like I was doing something to get better at something I wanted to get better at for me. Every day. 

I knew my health had suffered over the past three years. I’d put on 30 pounds in that time and despite knowing I should exercise, I flat out didn’t want to. It was the last weekend in August when I casually said I don’t like going to the gym and didn’t want to work out to one of my neighbors with a nice home gym. And I (thought) I meant it. I knew what I needed to do but I wasn’t doing it.

Less than two weeks later it clicked that I could do something else. I could work on my health and get back in shape. I had to chuckle at myself for my comment about not liking working out. 

Sometimes it’s just a little thing you do in some area you care about for yourself that sets that wheel in motion. 

Many of us, myself included, are like Lafia. Feeling like failures, looking for our magic because we know there’s gotta be something more. And we’re not wrong. 

Lafia wanted to make a difference but first she needed her magic. Just the desire to get her magic back so she could rule set everything else in motion in a way that meant she’d never be the same.

What if we did just one thing for ourselves that set things in motion for an epic life? What would that thing be for you?

The post An Epic Adventure  appeared first on That Shero Life.

Over the past two months I’ve not only begun a recomposition of my body, but a recomposition of my mind and the spirit that feeds them both.When I stepped on that scale on September 10th and discovered I was less than 3 pounds from 200 pounds and having obesity it was the last straw. 

High blood pressure. Low energy and sluggishness. My complexion and skin. Red eyes. A bulging belly. And then there was the lump I’d found in addition to the fibroid situation I’d been dealing with since the fall of 2022. Enough was enough. I’d ignored my health – physical and mental for too long and like a child not given proper attention, it was going to demand my attention by acting out.

The decision to get healthier and begin a journey to whole wellness didn’t start on September 10th though. I didn’t know, but it had begun weeks before when my husband was retiring. While his schedule was demanding and less predictable, mine needed to be less demanding and steady. As his role shifted, so would mine. Where I’d spent the past 18 years making sure I was home and available, I’d soon share that. 

Suddenly there was the unexpected gift of flexibility. It took me a couple of weeks to wrap my head around this change. I’d spent years writing and doing my creative work from home, with the exception of some theater activity. Even with that, I’d stopped pursuing acting because it was too much on my family. Putting on my own shows required a great deal of balance and I only did it twice, a year apart. That was enough. I stuck to writing mostly. 

It dawned on me as we looked forward to his retirement that writing had filled a space. It had met me where I was. It was an escape from the limited options I had to create and pursue those creations. I asked myself if I loved it. I asked if it loved me. I asked if it was good for me. The relationship is definitely complicated. Afterall, I’m writing right now. 

I have always loved writing, but the relationship has definitely been a little one-sided. Sure, it fed my need to have something of my own, to create, to feel productive. It also gave me overwhelming sadness, insecurity, dashed hopes, and too much spent on marketing and ads. It also supported my weight gain, high blood pressure and other poor health associated with sitting for long periods of time. 

Now, aside from writing a blog post a few times a month and dealing with emails for home and school and medical, I hardly get on this laptop. You know what? I don’t miss it. I love that I was able to write and create stories that will be there. My books will be there and be a part of my legacy (whatever that will be). However, the days of my long-form writing are most likely over. At least for fiction. There’d need to be a pretty strong case for it, like someone stumbled on one of my books and wanted to commission it for a movie or order copies for their whole school system and wanted book two. That kind of reason.

What I thought I wanted hadn’t brought me peace, joy, or ease. It had brought me stress and on top of that I was dealing with more frequent periods of mild depression or the blues. It wasn’t debilitating. It was a weight I carried that I wasn’t living up to expectations. That I needed to be who people expected me to be. That I wouldn’t be good enough or wanted as I was. I don’t mean in my home but in the world. I knew my family loved me but who was I outside of a doting mom and wife? 

All of this combined as I was forced to look at myself, my health, and the truth that I’d been contorting myself to fit into the boxes placed in front of me. The other truth is that I never fit in. Anywhere. At any time. 

Would that be okay? What would it mean if I accepted this and stopped trying, freeing myself from a prison I’d built up for myself?

What if it could be simpler?

What if I focused on me?

What would that be like?

I began sharing some inspired messages I’d received and written down, ending them with Love, Bernette. At the time I didn’t know I was writing them to myself. 

They were the things I needed to hear. Much like the Tell Me poems. I was working on this poetry book and reading through the poems considering how to organize and put them in the book. These were a series of haikus I’d written in 2021. It was what I needed to hear now. All of this was happening at once. I was swept up in a swirling tornado forcing me out of the false comfort I’d fooled myself to believe was satisfaction. I needed to follow my own yellow brick road and find my way home. I needed to find me. I needed to love Bernette.

It was the near tipping of the scale that brought me to my senses that what I was doing wasn’t working. What was my heel click? What would get me back to me? 

Heel Click One

Seven years after publishing my first novel I made the decision that I wouldn’t continue writing as I had or doing readings as I had done for over ten years. It hadn’t really panned out and had definitely made me question myself. It was liberation from other people’s expectations and permission to show up for myself. 

Heel Click Two

Friday I went to the gym with my husband. With him retired it was something to do (and maybe not the worst way to spend an hour.) Saturday night I got on the treadmill and I signed up for a calorie counting and food planning app, Lose It. I didn’t know what to really do with it besides put in what I ate and try to eat better. 

Monday morning I joined the gym and signed up for the coaching consultation. At my consultation, with the support of my ever supportive husband, I signed up for one of the higher coaching programs, choosing to invest in my wellness, my health, my self.

A week later I had my first weigh in and workout and Jess told me something life changing. She says I should keep tracking my food but focus on protein by doing forty percent protein and thirty percent each for fats and carbohydrates. I listened and did it. Consistently. 

Heel Click Three

And then I kept doing it. Day after day, week after week, pound shed by pound shed, fat shed and muscle gained. Every day I woke up with a commitment to myself. To love myself. To get stronger. To be well. To have peace. To show up for me.

I keep choosing these things every day when I wake, 2 months later.

Two Month Results

When I started out on September 10th the scale read 197.6. This was the beginning and I knew if I didn’t get hold of it my BMI would tip over 30. 

Today I weighed in at 176.4 pounds. That’s a whole twenty-one – 21 pounds lost through diet and exercise in two months. I worked for this. I earned it. It makes it all that more precious to me and I am dang proud of myself for getting this far. I’m more than halfway to my goal and only 10 pounds.

Going Forward

For some, it’s around the six to eight week mark when it starts getting hard. The motivation wanes. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to push through the next week and Thanksgiving week without the opportunity to go to the gym like I’d done as if it were my job for the past two months. While I’ve got my own concerns about it, I also have a plan for how to stay on track and continue on this whole wellness journey. 

For one, diet and nutrition doesn’t stop and I’ll be focusing and learning more about how to fuel my body and health by what I eat. Second, family will be coming in and we’ll be hosting the largest Thanksgiving gathering we’ve ever done with about twenty people. This may not seem large, but to this introvert who is completely content with a few close family members, it does feel a bit daunting, especially given my recovery and trying to get a stove and oven delivered and installed before they get here. Thankfully, my stress levels are a lot lower these days.  

I am on a journey but there is no end point. I’m taking it day by day and while I have a goal for a healthy weight, blood pressure, body fat, BMI, etcetera those are just numbers that help quantify how I feel and can use my body to serve my mind and spirit. As I continue on my path I am inspired to learn more about nutrition as I truly believe it’s the linchpin to success.

I know I’m not the only woman like me who desires to be healthy, feel good, and be confident in her body. And I refuse to think ‘we’re too old’ and no longer believe the lie about not being able to do it just because of metabolism. I’m still ten pounds from a healthy normal BMI and I will get there. When I do, I’ll have something more to share with you.

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