I will be the first to admit that I have a sometimes-insatiable sweet tooth. Brownies. Cookies. Ice cream. Cakes. Yep.
Sweet tooth or not, I try my best to eat a healthy diet. Plenty of fruits and veggies, not many bad snack foods, etc etc etc. I often forgo dessert at home {unless I have free time after my son goes to bed, and make a mug cake- which I often share with hubs}.
All that being said, sometimes there is just nothing like a warm, chocolatey, gooey corner piece of a fresh pan of brownies. {...there are four corner pieces... my mouth is watering}
I may have noticed that my sweet tooth has been getting the better of me lately... and yes, the frigid temperatures and frequent snow-fall has somewhat sucked my workout motivation out of me, and no. I'm not happy about it.
BUT, darling hubs told me the other day that I was looking a little "comfortable" {in his defense, he did say that both of us were} and that really kicked my butt.
At first I was pissed. {How dare he?!?}
Then, I got even more self-conscious. {If he thinks I look "soft", everyone else must think worse}.
Then, I realized: If the man I'm married to, and have asked to be honest with me about everything, and have entrusted with the position of my life-long partner can't tell me that I've {maybe} gained a few... who can?!? After all, he also named himself as a guilty party in winter-weight gain, so what's wrong with keeping each other in check and healthy?
The logical side of me is happy that I married a man who won't lie to my face and let me leave the house in a dress that DOES make my butt look big... {or actually let my butt get big in the first place} the emotional side of me is going to get over it- right after she finishes the brownies.
It's time for me to get off my butt, and get back to the gym.
I hope that everyone enjoyed their Fat Tuesday! The hubs and I were pillow-deep in tissues and sick day sniffles, so I took it easy on cooking. {Which is a bummer because I was looking forward to making some amazing Emeril something-or-other full of okra and creole spice...} We had takeout.
So, since it's the first Friday of Lent I thought I'd figure out what my plans were for the next 40 days.
I grew up in a fairly Lent observant house. Macaroni and Cheese and fish on Fridays... gave something up... went to church. The older I've gotten, I've become less of a churchgoer, but I like to think I still maintain traditions and observations. Every year at Lent, I evaluate what I could stand to sacrifice and what I could stand to improve upon.
A few years ago, I stopped giving up chocolate or swearing or... {I felt like a little kid back in the confessional trying to come up with something bad, rather than an adult making a meaningful commitment} and started to come up with something that I could do a better job of in order to make myself the best I could be.
This year's commitment is getting rid of negative self talk. I have a lot of ideas of what I would like to do within my career, personal life, and mommyhood and often talk myself out of them. I let myself think that things are "too hard" before I really give it a go and end up falling short of my potential. It's not good for anyone.
So, my Lenten challenge to myself- and everyone out there- is to give up on the negativity. So often we miss opportunities and fall short simply because we talk ourselves out of it. If we all lived up to our potential, and gave 100%, imagine how awesome things could be.
Good luck!
Positive thinking also helps with stress management...
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| The "Shore Girls" 2014 |
This past weekend was my Cycle for Survival ride in NYC. Just like last year, it was an amazing experience- a room filled with enthusiasm, inspiration, and the most amazing energy you could ever experience. This year was different though, because of who I got to ride with. It was the first year since her diagnosis and treatment that my cousin was able to ride as a Survivor... being a part of her victory ride was pretty beautiful {even though she may say otherwise due to her hate of sweating in public}. I could not have been more proud to be there, and I am already looking forward to next year.
I also got to stroll through the city for the first time in a long time... I haven't been up to New York in a while. In fact, I may not have been up since last year's ride. My hubs and I had planned a date day in the city last summer, but that day ended up being far from what we had planned {more on that another time}. It was nice to walk the city streets and remember just how awesome New York is.
I got to grab lunch at the Kati Roll Company... it was recommended by one of the docs I work with, and I will definitely be stopping there again... Quick, delicious, simple, homemade Indian street food. {YUM!} My only regret is not getting more than one roll.
