REASONS DO NOT ACHIEVE RESULTS

The truth about health and fitness is that we either want it or we don’t.  Let’s face it, we can all come up with reasons not to exercise today or pack our coolers with healthy food to have on hand.  All the reasons in the world are excuses that will eventually catch up to us in the form of illness or injury.  That also is the truth.  What we need to understand is that our lifestyle is our medicine, and that includes what we eat and how we move and rest our bodies.   We can’t continue to walk around in a state of un-health and believe that this is an acceptable existence.  Looking and feeling our best is what we all want, dream about, and talk about, but the action to make it happen never seems to occur.  Look at what is flooding our magazines, commercials, and television shows when it comes to getting healthy.  We need to be living the reality shows of achieving our best body not sitting in front of the tube with our chips watching other people taking action to get healthy. 

Reasons will not change how we look or feel and in fact will only make us feel and look worse if continued as a lifestyle.  Our first step to change this reality of reasons, is to own that we are doing that.  If you are coming up with reasons to stop by the fast food or restaurant, skip out on the workout, and party hardy until the break of dawn, it is time to stand in your own truth and ask why.  Looking at the truth can sometimes piss us off, cause us to throw our hands up with a profound “f” word salute, and that is normal.  It will be in that frustrated moment of anger or other emotion that will open the mind to what in the hell am I doing with my life and body.  It will be that slap in the face that will cause us to get serious about a healthy lifestyle becoming our medicine. 

The only person responsible for replacing reasons with action is you and me.  It is time to rearrange the priorities in our lives because no person is too busy to take care of their health.  Everyone can have their fittest body at any age and I will take on any backlash for making this statement.  A healthy fit body is obtainable and realistic for all of us and should be the goal while we are living this life.  Dependence on prescribed drugs to pseudo fix health issues is way out of hand, and although certain medications are needed for a small percentage of medical issues, I am addressing the general populous that continue to accommodate their “reasons” and unhealthy way of life.  Living a healthy lifestyle is not a half in and half out scenario either because occasional effort equals occasional results.  We want so much to change but are not willing to give the effort and this is the bottom line.  Results can and will happen, but the choice is up to you.

I dedicate this Blog to my husband, friend, love and support in my life.  

Happy Valentine’s Day Babe and I Love You Forever and a Day

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, or if you want to receive my free updates, use the button below to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares.

Stay Healthy!

Darla 

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MY SHOCKING AND PAINFUL COLONOSCOPY

It has taken me awhile to write about this subject and I also have a family medical crisis that I am dealing with, so blogging time has been difficult to fit into my schedule. I shared with the world on my Stay Healthy Fitness Facebook and Instagram that I was gearing up for my 50 club first experience at having a colonoscopy.  I took my husband a few years ago and all went fairly well, and I have also been re-assured by many that the prep is the worst part and the rest would be a breeze.  Sadly, this was not my experience.

Let me share that I have a very high pain threshold, had both of my children without drugs or epidurals, and in general it takes a great deal of discomfort for me to complain.  The prep for the colonoscopy was horrible, and I nearly vomited up the Moviprep solution each time I had to drink it.  I expected that so I was prepared that this was not going to be fun, and within an hour of drinking the solution, my frequent bathroom visits began.  It felt like self-induced stomach flu of the worst kind and I retreated under several blankets after each run to the commode. I had to drink more solution at 3:30am and continue the toilet runs up to the time of leaving for the hospital at 7:30am.  Needless to say by the time I was done, my poo looked like pee, and I lost 5lbs literally overnight, not the recommended or safe way to lose weight, but understand it needs to happen prior to this type of procedure.

I went into the procedure thinking that after the toilet trauma was complete, the rest would be smooth sailing, so I was ready for my short nap and passing with flying colors colon report.  The doctor was great and explained everything thoroughly and the nurses took really good care of me. I was covered with warm blankets, IV in place and ready to move to the procedure room.  Once the IV anesthesia was administered, I fell asleep quickly but what happened next was like an excerpt from a horror movie.  All of a sudden, extreme pain in my stomach started happening and I felt myself screaming that “it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, and to stop, stop, stop”   and I felt trapped in my mind and my body was enduring pain equivalent to child birth.  In the distance, I did hear a loud voice say “do you want us to stop” and I do remember saying “wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute”, and I was thinking if they stop, I would have to do this again and there was no way that was going to happen.  I do not know what I sounded like or how I moved during this process of extreme pain under IV sedation and was hoping someone would help me.  It could be more pain relief was placed in my IV, but I do not know that.  What I do know is that the pain was unbearable and unbelievable.  My colonoscopy was far from a breeze and I felt traumatized by the event.  The doctor did explain in my haze state upon check out that my colon is very compact with many bends, which caused a rigid application of the scope and caused pain similar to childbirth during the procedure.  His recommendation was that I go under general anesthesia for my next colonoscopy. 

It took my body a couple of days to recover from the anesthesia and I did not feel good physically or emotionally about what happened to me.  I had to know if others experienced extreme pain during a colonoscopy and began my research online and discovered that yes, I was not alone.  What a relief that I could read forums of so many sharing my same story and I think this is what bothers me the most.  I believe that in the paperwork received prior to the procedure that it should be outlined that extreme pain with colonoscopy can be experienced, and that measures will be taken to make the patient comfortable in that event.  I went in to my colonoscopy with a positive attitude and came out with post-traumatic stress about the event. 

I am not writing this to say that I am now against having a colonoscopy and do believe in preventative medicine.  I am happy to report that my colon is clear for ten years, but will be investigating different avenues of colonoscopy approach the next time.  I am writing this to inform people that extreme pain can be experienced, and it is not always a breeze for everyone.  I am in the percentage of those who do not respond well to colonoscopy and for those who have undergone and share my experience, you are not alone.  I was shocked to discover this about myself and now as I have always been, remain a voice of information about health related subjects.  It is important to be informed and your own health care advocate and hopefully the documents pre-colonoscopy will be revised to include a thorough statement of colonoscopy procedure expectations.

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Darla

IF THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE, CHANGE YOUR GLASSES

Why do we get so caught up in what is happening on the other side of the fence?  The grass is not greener and to believe it is requires a change in how we are viewing the scenery.  In addition to changing our glasses to take in this new view, our attention requires a full turnabout and eyeful of what is going on in our own yard and life.  He or she is not any better than me or you physically or materially and it is important to realize that to green up our own grass, we need to start taking care of it. 

I am zeroing in on comparison being the thief of joy because that is the darn truth.  We will always be at different levels of health, looks, and financial status and that is just how the world works.  The important thing is to make the best out of what we have, celebrate who we are at this moment, and work on becoming a better self than we were yesterday. I refuse to waste my time worrying about someone else’s grass and let the weeds infest mine.

I do not have the fanciest house, the most expensive car or clothes, the straightest teeth or legs for that matter, but that is all a part of where I am in life and I am happy with that.  I will never have the butt of a twenty something, a few wrinkles have appeared on my 50+ face, and I have hardware in my neck and again, I accept who I am and can only work on taking care of the body that walks this earth.  I am not saying that it is not OK to dream about wanting something because that can be a goal and is fun to think about.  What robs the very life out of a person is becoming jealous and bitter because “Sally Sue or Jimmy Joe” seems to have the best body, clothes, home, car, spouse, and the list can continue forever. 

When the “grass is greener” analogy gets in the way of seeing our life in a healthy way is when disenchantment and unhappiness develops.  Our constant gaze into someone else’s yard is keeping us from taking care of ourselves and becoming who we are meant to be physically and emotionally.  Also, the view is always skewed when looking at the outward appearance of another and what you see is not always what is truly lived. That is the irony of this whole thing because the physical view does not show unhappiness, debt, stress, depression, and all that flare may only be a mask to hide unhealthiness that is not seen.  Now, when a change in our glasses takes place and our focus is turned to taking care of our self physically and emotionally, many times it opens our eyes to the truth and we can finally see the weeds growing in the grass of that other yard.  The best part is our attention will be on tending to our own grass and greening up the areas in our life that will create healthier happier people.  

I dedicate this Blog to my dog Oscar Boy who went to heaven on Monday night. He was a precious part of our family for seventeen years.  I will miss you dearly my Lil Old Man, RIP and I can only imagine you are running free playing with your brother Mayer now. Forever loved ~

My final moments with Oscar, I miss you today

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Me and Oscar a few months ago

Stay Healthy!
Darla

PLAN FOR SUCCESS

Having a plan is so important in our success in life and health.  I think this quote says it well: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”  When something is planned out and written down, not only is the motivation kicked up, but also the personal challenge to reach that goal increased.  Besides, it is a written plan right in front of our face, and not something that we are only thinking about and may put into place someday.  See the difference?  If we are good stewards of our money for example, we are budgeting for expenses with our income and successfully paying our mortgages, rents, and overall bills.  Without that budget plan in place, I am sure we can all agree a huge financial mess would be the result of our irresponsibility.  Planning takes responsibility and a commitment to do what is best for our life and health.  Failing to plan sets us up for failure. 

Let’s get back to the plan and what it takes to put a health related goal into place.  I highly recommend an accountability journal to plan out strategies for exercise scheduling and also a healthy food tracking area to record food intake daily.  I also like to keep track of water intake, sleep and my overall mental game.  Tracking your weight on a scale one time per week is also motivational to see your progress and to ensure that the plan is working.  When the plan fails to function, it is never the goal that changes, but the plan or program.  Finding what works for each of us is a trial, error and fine tuning of our plan until we see the results of our investments. Just as it is exciting to pay down debt with a responsible budget plan, it is equally or even more exciting to reduce our waist lines through our commitment to the plan of adopting a healthy lifestyle. 

Everybody understands the need and importance of money to support our lives and my goal is to convey that our health banks are even more important. Imagine not balancing our checkbooks and leaving out transactions each day to the point of not knowing the balance.  Accounts would be overdrawn, additional fees paid, collectors knocking at the door, and stress increased tenfold.  That same analogy can be applied to our daily exercise and food intake.  If we do not balance our food intake, write down what is consumed, or never record our exercise expenditure, we are setting ourselves up for weight gain, increased risk of disease and illness, increased stress, and eventually doctors knocking at the door. Looking at how important a plan is for success in these terms should motivate all of us to implement them today. 

Living a healthy life is not a guessing game or a wish and we are only kidding ourselves when we run around without a plan.  Success comes when daily habits of eating healthy and moving our bodies are made a planned priority. Do we sweep our money responsibilities under the rug?  Well, I suppose some may but the outcome is always an unhealthy consequence in doing so.  How much more important is our health and that so many people do just that, sweep it under the rug.  Let’s turn the goals of obtaining a fit body into more than just a wish by starting today with a plan for adopting a healthy lifestyle. 

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Herbal Face Food™ is created by J. Michael Zenn, author of the bestselling book ‘Self Health Revolution’

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Stay Healthy!

Darla

user of THE Herbal Face Food and proud to show my images without photo shop or airbrushing. I am 50 years young and celebrate Fit at 50!

YOU DON’T NEED TO TELL ME I AM FAT

In my daily walk of being a trainer and consultant, I work with many beautiful people who want to lose weight and get healthy.  Guess what, they not only know and tell me that they are fat, but carry a heavy emotional burden of unhappiness about it.  I or anyone else does no need to verbally slap them across the face by telling them what they already know.  For some reason our society feels the need to point out the obvious as if the person does not know their own condition.  Who am I or you to judge anyone without walking in their shoes physically or emotionally?  I am blessed on a daily basis with gaining insight into the lives and emotions of those who are fat challenged, empathetic to many of the shares and driven to help them adopt a healthy lifestyle.

A fat person does not need to be told their fat just as a skinny or muscular person does not need to be told what their body looks like.  Standing in the truth of our own mirrors tells that story.  There are strong stated “no excuse” and “your fault” labels placed on the fat challenged and even coming from those working in the fitness industry.  Blanket or general statements of blame seem a bit harsh without knowing each individual’s circumstances in life.  Sadly, strong and hurtful terms can be used as publicity gaining ploys but at the emotional expense of those who are in a fat challenged position in life.

I am not saying that it is a healthy state of well-being to be fat and that it should be an accepted way of life.  That is way off the base of this blog.  What I am addressing is the unfair judgments, statements, and ignorant approach to those who are fat challenged.  All people deserve to be treated with respect and honor and we definitely should not be throwing stones when most of us live in glass houses.  There are many people running around unhealthy and simply not wearing it on the outside of their bodies in the form of fat.  Imagine if everything about everyone was exposed automatically for all to see.  In such a state, I guarantee the judgments would quickly come to a halt and all of us would be running with our unhealthy tails tucked between our legs.

Whether the amount of overweight is twenty, forty, or over one-hundred pounds, the person carrying the extra weight knows and feels that burden without me as their trainer or you as an observer saying anything. Those people dealing with obesity need to feel safe to share what has gone on in their life that has brought them to such an unhealthy state of living.  Some are at the point of owning their sabotage and others are still lost in denial and not ready to make healthy changes.  I do not need to blame or fault anyone because those feelings are always shared honestly with me by those who are fat challenged.  Obesity carries a stigma that is negative and can feel painful for those that suffer it daily.  I like that saying that goes “you have fat, you are not fat” because it is not the abundance of fat that should define us as a person. 

All of us in this life want to be healthy, and even supported through the process.  It is our personal responsibility to create that healthy life regardless of our size and shape, and the healthy choices that we make today will form our healthy tomorrows.  I know what needs to be done and what makes me feel great as a healthy person, and what I offer is support, motivation and education to those who desire to get there.  All of us can find reasons to procrastinate and that is probably a good place to start by asking that question.  Why are you waiting?

GIVEAWAY TIME:

WINNER RECEIVES A FULL SIZE BOTTLE

Want to win a full size bottle of THE Herbal Face Food Facial Serum and have glowing skin like never before? 

Go to my Giveaway Page and enter to win the World’s 1st Organic, RAW, Edible, 100% plants face serum with an ORAC antioxidant rating of over 10 million, making it the most potent and powerful SUPER anti-oxidizing product of any kind. Made from organic plant concentrates, antioxidants and enzymes, which are sourced from all over the world.

Herbal Face Food™ is created by J. Michael Zenn, author of the bestselling book ‘Self Health Revolution’

DON'T MISS MY FREE UPDATES

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, or if you want to receive my free updates, use the button at the right to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares.

Stay Healthy!

Darla

user of THE Herbal Face Food and proud to show my images without photo shop or airbrushing. I am 50 years young and celebrate Fit at 50!

IT’S ONLY FIVE POUNDS…

How many times do we justify being unhealthy with the “it’s only” intro.  Whether it’s only five pounds, two cookies, a bag of chips, one alcoholic drink, or one missed workout, it is easy to get hooked into the trap of “it’s only”.  What happens more than not is “it’s only” turns into a daily use of trying to get away with something that leads us in the opposite direction of our goals.  The five pounds turns into ten, the two cookies turns into five, one missed workout turns into several and you get the picture that is painted with two innocent words.

The “it’s only” dilemma can hit at any time, but I find it creeps back into the picture once results from following a great nutrition and fitness program have been achieved.  Further, I have seen it completely snowball into a return back into old unhealthy eating patterns and sedentary lifestyle.  The two words are not as innocent as one might believe and especially if an inner strength to follow through on the one time “it’s only” behavior is not fully obtained.  For example, let’s look at the time it takes to break the cycle of sugar craving which is generally two weeks to twenty one days, and hypothetically use a person that is two days shy of that goal and of all days, the “it’s only” word comes to mind and tongue as a store bought processed cookie is consumed.  Now, I am all about moderation and do not get me wrong on this, however, when it comes to not fully adopting a healthy lifestyle, this time of weakness can derail all the effort put into those days of breaking a sugar craving cycle. 

Personally, why risk the goals for “it’s only” and especially if there is a struggle of inability to resist unhealthy processed food? There is no denying that two innocent words can take a person from success to digress in short order, and within a few weeks, that person stands in shock and asking “how did this happen?”.  It happened because “it’s only” became the tool that was used more consistently than the healthy choices.  Pay attention to that inner voice that is talking and especially as unhealthy food choices and bailing on workouts are happening.  Also, check your friends and family and listen to what they are saying as well…they can be the worst “it’s only” culprits as you strive to reach your health and fitness goals.  The more we are aware of the two words that draw us backward and how we use them to justify unhealthy choices, the better we will be able to stand up against the negative impact “it’s only” can have on our bodies and overall health.    

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I dedicate this Blog to my fabulous husband and celebrating our wedding anniversary over this past weekend.  I "Love You Forever and a Day"! 

Happy Anniversary to my forever friend and husband

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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, or if you want to receive my free updates, use the button at the right to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares!

Stay Healthy!

Darla