When I began Nutrition Fitness Life, little did I know that it would take me from blogging about a wide range of health topics to more of a focus on nutrition, specifically sugar addiction. Blogging has taught me more about myself and has been the means to create health goals and the motivation to achieve them. Reading up on health topics, keeping up with posting, navigating through the blogosphere, and understanding the technical side of owning a blog has been a unique and exciting adventure!

And now you may have an idea of where this is leading...

All these wonderful things considered, I feel my blog has run its course. (That was difficult to type!) I’ve been feeling this way for the past couple of weeks now and have given serious thought to my next step.  I think it’s time for me to hang up my blogging hat. I’ve got some exciting activities on the horizon (2 operas and a concert of Italian arias!!!) that will keep me busy on a daily basis, and I feel I wouldn’t be able to devote quality time to blogging. Or if I did, something else would be sacrificed like regular workouts and all that, and I’ve come too far to give up on the healthy habits I've worked hard to establish!

I’ve come to know many of you amazing, wonderful folks, and I hate to just disappear and never talk with you again.  Hopefully I'll stop by your sites for a visit now and then. I’d miss you too much otherwise.  And who knows?  Maybe I’ll pick up this blog again, or maybe I’ll start a new one down the road.  Anything’s possible, right?

In the meantime, you can be sure I still will be committed to eating well, getting in shape, and living life to the fullest... just like the tag line says.

Make everyday count!

Blessings!

.

...Now off with you! ... Before I get all choked up or something!

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I've been in a fog of sorts for quite some time, a sugar fog.  Only recently has this dense, gray world begun to disappear.

I've finally come to a place where I feel confident I can stand up to and prevail against the Sugar Monster.  I honestly didn't think it possible, but now I feel like sugar is finally losing its hold on me.  And I'm grateful, relieved... and humbled.

Where I Was

This is a 180-degree turn from the moody, desperate, foggy, sugar saturated person I once was... and have been for, years! Scary that it took me this long to figure out the connection, but better late than never, right?

And once I DID put 2 and 2 together, I wasn't ready to try to battle the Sugar Monster for probably yet another year.  Too fearful - fearful that I would fail. I had to get to a point where I wanted to put health as my focus and wanted it badly enough.

I also needed more stability in my life before I could work on stabilizing my diet.  For the past 10 years my work environment was continually mounting stress on my body.  I worked long hours, crazy shifts, and often experienced a lot of adrenaline-producing events while on the job.  Those crazy shifts - working nights then switching to days and back again - were what got to me.

I've learned that my body doesn't like change.  Unfortunate maybe, but it's the truth. My body likes to be on a schedule, and if that schedule changes, it affects me as a person.  Throwing off my circadian rhythm by working various hours of the day and night, getting little sleep, and eating poorly was like adding fuel to the Sugar Monster.

Sugar was my go-to substance to keep me going when my head was screaming to lie down. It was my comforter when I felt stressed and rundown.  The more processed junk I ate the more I wanted, and the cycle continued until I felt stuck in it.  I then began to crave sugar ALL the time!

Where I Was Heading

Well, obviously things have changed for the better - oh, not that my previous job was horrible or anything!  It just wasn't ideal for my body.  Now I work more "normal" hours.  I get weekends and holidays off.  I get a lunch break for the first time!  This job is not at all stressful.  My body is on a schedule.  I exercise regularly, and I've cleaned up my diet considerably (and having a blog actually does help in meeting those nutrition and fitness goals)!

After mulling around the idea after starting this blog last fall, I decided in Feb that I was ready to face the Sugar Monster and defeat it once and for all. I was at last making a commitment to changing my focus on improving my health.  I was tired of... well, being tired!  I didn't enjoy living in the sugar fog.  I was fed up with being preoccupied with sweets all day long!  I was disgusted with eating junk when I really didn't even enjoy the taste.  Hey, if I'm ever going to eat dessert, it had better be darn high quality!  Yes, I'll be high maintenance when it comes to desserts thank you very much!

I was also scared of the toll sugar might be taking on my health. I wanted to get healthy, in body and mind!  It was time, and I was finally ready. Thus began the deliberate and slow battle between me and the Sugar Monster, and this time I had a plan and was committed to winning.

Where I Am Now

That brings us to the present and back to what I wrote at the beginning of this post. Now by virtue of my being very sensitive to sugar, I'll always need to pay attention to what I feed my body, how it feels, and what it needs.  But it's absolutely worth the extra effort. And working on improving and maintaining health is supposed to be a lifelong journey, is it not?

Life sure is a lot more beautiful and interesting outside of the fog.

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For example, when it comes to eating healthy and/or foregoing the junk, instead of saying, “I have to avoid junk food and eat more veggies,” replace that “have” with a “get,” and the sentence has an entirely new meaning and mindset.

Or maybe you view exercise as your "have to." That has a negative ring to it, doesn't it?  And that may eventually sap your motivation over time.  Another way to approach this is to think, "I GET to exercise," and soon those workouts will be viewed as a more pleasant experience - at least that's the goal here!

There's a positive side to most everything, and sometimes it takes bringing out that inner Pollyanna to see it, or at least inviting her to visit every once in a while.

Let's take my crazy sugar cravings as an example.  I had to take a good look at myself (which can be difficult), figure out what was going on, how to take better care of myself, make changes, and put forth effort to tame my sweet tooth and stop the cycle of binging on sugar.  In fact, I will always have to be mindful of what I eat/how I feel and not overdo it in the dessert department in order to keep those horrible sugar cravings/binges from returning.  Instead of thinking, "I have to stop eating all this sugar. I'm going to go out of my mind," I can think of the positive side and replace that "have" with "get." Now...

• I get to embark on a new adventure
• I get to do something healthy for myself
• I get to think clearer, have more energy, and maintain stability in my moods
• I get to try new recipes for “cleaner” foods
• I get to become friends with protein
• I get to learn more about myself and how to better care for my body
• I get to save my teeth for goodness sake!

I would do well to apply this mindset more often in other areas of my life.  I'm not a natural at it.  Yet, I am fascinated at how replacing those "have to's" with "get to's" brightens up an otherwise tough or dull situation - all because of one little word.

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I think I can safely say that because I love to sing, I get asked to sing, and I even get paid to sing.

Now, as to whether or not I am an outstanding singer is a matter of opinion. I believe I have ways to go before (or if) that can happen!

One aspect of the singing biz that thrills as well as terrifies me are auditions. I dread them like I'd dread going to the dentist for a root canal. Yet, if I want to get roles, I have to audition.

I absolutely could not pass up a recent opportunity to audition for an opera company. I was required to sing two arias, both in different languages. I had to prepare my resume and meet with the company director, administrator, and choir master.

To calm my nerves I had written out a list of positive affirmations and read them everyday a week prior to the audition.

I wrote out one-liners like:

You love to sing
You are confident
You are calm
You are an excellent singer
You will sing with power and beauty
You will have fun
You are God's child; you have nothing to fear!

After a while, these affirmations slowly sink into the subconscious, and like a self-fulling prophecy, you start to believe them, start to live them. They really did help to keep the paralyzing jitters at bay!

Now, why would I bring this up besides it being a bit of juicy news? I think this exercise can apply to any aspect of our lives that we feel is a significant challenge, yet definitely worth the effort. Things like, preparing for a marathon or just getting in better shape. Maybe even conquering a sugar addiction.

There's probably a dream/goal that all of us have that looks a bit daunting, so why not give the positive affirmations exercise a try? It sure isn't going to hurt, right? Write a list of positive statements that motivate you and help you feel confident. I wrote mine on note cards and kept them with the arias I was practicing. I read them at work, I read them before practicing, I read them before my audition. I made sure I didn't spill them all over the floor where prying eyes could read them (oh, how embarrassing!) and thus cancel out all the good they've done me!

Now it takes more than just positive affirmations to achieve a goal (I did practice my songs... over and over and over), but they CAN help boost confidence and dispel jitters.

So, I survived the audition, and I even left feeling pretty good about it.  The next challenge is for me to put it out of my mind and try to wait patiently for the outcome!

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One of my goals during the vacation was to maintain an exercise schedule, and honestly that was a challenge! I focused more on isometric/strength training exercises in the privacy of the guest bedroom (with the door closed, mind you).

Also, this born and bred Northern girl had the gumption to go for a walk outside in the afternoon... in the sun... in HOUSTON! The crazy thing was I walked for over a half hour, but that was mainly because I couldn't remember exactly how to get back to the house - echem! SO! Needless to say, I returned, red-faced, sweaty, and in need of lots of water. What's crazy is I really enjoyed my walk! (Too much heat affecting the brain, I suppose.)

I did have the opportunity to visit a 24-Hour Fitness Center, which was great! I was able to get in with a guest pass from my mother-in-law (see, they're not all bad!) I had an excellent cardio workout and weight training session, and I loved it! That felt pretty darn good!

Now it's true that when families get together, "interesting" things are bound to be said. And here are a few that I overheard and would like to share with you...

My husband to one of the family:

"I don't eat mayonnaise. I've enjoyed my life without it, so I don't feel I need to start eating it now."

When I overheard this, I paused a moment. What he said stuck with me because I thought of it in terms of sugar. I want to get to the point where I can truly say, "I don't need sugar to enjoy life! I don't need to eat it!"

Two friends of my sister-in-law during her high school graduation party. The two teenagers, a guy and girl, were rummaging through the kitchen in search of a snack. The guy decided on a bowl of strawberries. Upon learning of his choice, the girl stated,

"Strawberries?! That's not real food!"

I was sorely tempted to ask her, "What IS real food, then? A greasy cheeseburger and chips?" (but I remained polite and kept my mouth shut.)

Two guys - again from the graduation party:

Guy 1: "You hear about the tomatoes and salmonella?"

Guy 2: "Dude, what's salmonella?"

I laughed out loud at this, but I was in a different room, so no egos were damaged during the outburst.

And the one that got the best laugh out of all the family members was from my 6-year old nephew explaining why Aunt Susan didn't want to go outside and have a water gun fight:

"She's afraid of water. Cause if she gets wet she'll melt."

The response was an explosion of laughter and a certain aunt who was regretting telling a precocious boy those very words earlier in the day.

Be careful what you say to children because they WILL repeat it!

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Yesterday, I did something I can cross off the proverbial list, something I never thought I'd actually do. I went skydiving!

All I can say is WOW! Crazy, scary, thrilling, amazing kind of wow!

Honestly I was scared, and I even had second thoughts I as read through page after page of release and consent forms that noted in bold, capital letters: SKYDIVING CAN RESULT IN DEATH! My husband and his brother laughed, but I said, "This is serious stuff! I feel like I'm signing my life away!" It also didn't help that they were singing "Bodies" by Drowning Pool. 'Boys!'

I thought to myself, "And why am I doing this?" But then another part of me countered that thought with, "Face your fears! Do something crazy and fun! Expand your limits!" That crazy/fun side of me won.

We all jumped in tandem, which means each of us were attached to an experienced skydiver, who had the parachute. However, my biggest fear was not necessarily the falling, but that the parachute would fail to open! My instructor was really cool, though and calmed my fears. He helped me get in the harness properly and double checked everything, letting me know safety was paramount for him.

I wore a blue suit that reminded me of the Fantastic Four characters. After secured tightly in our gear and practicing the proper jump moves, we ambled out to the propeller plane and sat cramped, in a line, one in front of the other. I was reminded of the movie, Band of Brothers, as they sat in the plane heading off towards Normandy on D-Day. Only in this instance, we weren't being shot at!

At 14,000 feet the plane door opened and one by one we jumped off of a perfectly good and working airplane. I was towards the end of the line and slowly scooted along the narrow bench closer and closer to the opened door, watching those before me make their jumps.

The scariest part for me was seeing my husband tumble away from the plane as my instructor and I positioned ourselves for our jump. "Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed. "I'm scared!" But before I had time to analyze the situation, my instructor, to whom I was attached, was shouting, "Ready! Set!..." And out we jumped.

I screamed, but I couldn't hear my voice because a blast of cool air hit my face and roared in my ears. I arched my back like we practiced on the solid ground and opened my eyes. We were falling through a cloud. I saw the earth below.

Surprisingly, the free fall didn't feel like a roller coaster, where your stomach is slow to catch up with the rest of your body. No, the free fall really did feel like flying. It was loud, the air was cool, and my ears popped a little, but once you get over the fear factor, it's actually a really amazing experience.

After a minute of falling to the earth at 120 mph, we were at the right altitude to pull the parachute lever. And it opened without a hitch - Praise God!

This was my favorite part of the whole adventure - gliding to the ground via a parachute. Suddenly the roaring wind was replaced by silence. I laughed and could hear my laughter. My instructor showed me how to steer the parachute as we glided over farm land, ponds and even a road. The view was amazing! Think of looking out the window of an airplane, only you're not in the airplane!

All too soon it was over, and we landed perfectly on our feet. My instructor and I hugged. "Awesome job!" Then, after getting detached and out of the harness, I went in search of my husband who was beaming. He gave me a hug and kiss. "You did it!" he exclaimed.

Yes, I did do it, and even had the matted, windblown hair to prove it.

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