"The only way to survive, to get off the floor, to build, to have ideas,
to create businesses, to have flourishing relationships is with
diversification" and I insert CHANGE. It's written that the Chains of Habits are too light to be felt till they are too heavy to be broken.
I have to admit this is not an easy ride. Changing comfortable behavior and replacing it with a boring painful one ain't fun at all. I have tried a few diet program and I never quit finish. The last one was the GM diet. Boy, was my head confused or what! I thought I would die after the first day. A whole day on fruits, then the second day is just vegies. Well, I stopped on the second day. You see, for a woman whose hobby is eating meat, a fruit only diet wasn't going to make me new. But somehow I knew I had to change.
I wont bore you with the nitty-gritties, but well, after two babies and a petite body that loathes pain, I had to sit and plan my life. You see, I hate exercise. I have always had my perfect body and lived just fine. Till babies came knocking. So I ate like a maniac. Added a lot of kgs and didn't flinch a bit. I was contented. Nothing pained me, I was happy, no one bothered me...it was me, myself and my hippo weight.
Till one day I walked into a mall and saw all the beautiful, skinny b**** and I knew I had caved my body and sold my soul to the devil. I had to bring it back. I had to start with my diet, exercise, my mind and diversification of my thoughts.
You see, as an African (so we have been brought up), skinny is unhealthy. My Dad prided himself on my chubby cheeks. He was proud he raised a little girl with chubby cheeks and a "fertile body". Whatever that meant seriously. A woman is made of curves, ask our ancestors. But wait till a flight of stairs make you breath like a rhinoceros, or be admitted in a hospital due to high blood pressure, or have to undergo two CS surgeries coz your body is at risk, then have a wound that takes a lifetime to heal coz of the layers of fat... then you realize it's no laughing matter. And you have a future to build and share with your children.
Well I had to plan for exercises. Not precisely because of the above maybe. But because I wanted a new me. I was tired of procrastination and a life of the past me. So I started by trying to hit the road, but man, wasn't this hell?
After sitting on my butt though and always thinking of what I could change drastically, I decided on a lifestyle change. I knew I didn't have enough money for surgery(tummy trim lol, I would surely pay for that. Anyone? *wink) so I wrote down a list of do's and don'ts.
Here's a list of the things I decided to change to better my life:
Always remember, Take control of your habits. Take control of your life. As Gordon Parks said, “Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit.”
After all's said and done, whatever habit you are willing to change, remember, “The soul grows into lovely habits as easily as into ugly ones, and the
moment a life begins to blossom into beautiful words and deeds, that
moment a new standard of conduct is established, and your eager
neighbors look to you for a continuous manifestation of the good cheer,
the sympathy, the ready wit, the comradeship, or the inspiration, you
once showed yourself capable of....
Bear figs for a season or two, and the world outside the orchard is very unwilling you should bear thistles.” Kate Douglas.
Have a good one, always!
I have to admit this is not an easy ride. Changing comfortable behavior and replacing it with a boring painful one ain't fun at all. I have tried a few diet program and I never quit finish. The last one was the GM diet. Boy, was my head confused or what! I thought I would die after the first day. A whole day on fruits, then the second day is just vegies. Well, I stopped on the second day. You see, for a woman whose hobby is eating meat, a fruit only diet wasn't going to make me new. But somehow I knew I had to change.
I wont bore you with the nitty-gritties, but well, after two babies and a petite body that loathes pain, I had to sit and plan my life. You see, I hate exercise. I have always had my perfect body and lived just fine. Till babies came knocking. So I ate like a maniac. Added a lot of kgs and didn't flinch a bit. I was contented. Nothing pained me, I was happy, no one bothered me...it was me, myself and my hippo weight.
Till one day I walked into a mall and saw all the beautiful, skinny b**** and I knew I had caved my body and sold my soul to the devil. I had to bring it back. I had to start with my diet, exercise, my mind and diversification of my thoughts.
You see, as an African (so we have been brought up), skinny is unhealthy. My Dad prided himself on my chubby cheeks. He was proud he raised a little girl with chubby cheeks and a "fertile body". Whatever that meant seriously. A woman is made of curves, ask our ancestors. But wait till a flight of stairs make you breath like a rhinoceros, or be admitted in a hospital due to high blood pressure, or have to undergo two CS surgeries coz your body is at risk, then have a wound that takes a lifetime to heal coz of the layers of fat... then you realize it's no laughing matter. And you have a future to build and share with your children.
Well I had to plan for exercises. Not precisely because of the above maybe. But because I wanted a new me. I was tired of procrastination and a life of the past me. So I started by trying to hit the road, but man, wasn't this hell?
After sitting on my butt though and always thinking of what I could change drastically, I decided on a lifestyle change. I knew I didn't have enough money for surgery(tummy trim lol, I would surely pay for that. Anyone? *wink) so I wrote down a list of do's and don'ts.
Here's a list of the things I decided to change to better my life:
- Quit sugar
- Quit french fries
- Do cardios and ab workouts for 40min daily
- Eat less food portions
- Drink 2 liters of water daily
- Minimize on carbs
- For all carbs cravings, drink water or a fruit or a carrot
Always remember, Take control of your habits. Take control of your life. As Gordon Parks said, “Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit.”
After all's said and done, whatever habit you are willing to change, remember, “The soul grows into lovely habits as easily as into ugly ones, and the
moment a life begins to blossom into beautiful words and deeds, that
moment a new standard of conduct is established, and your eager
neighbors look to you for a continuous manifestation of the good cheer,
the sympathy, the ready wit, the comradeship, or the inspiration, you
once showed yourself capable of....Bear figs for a season or two, and the world outside the orchard is very unwilling you should bear thistles.” Kate Douglas.
Have a good one, always!
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