Hello world 🙂 As I’m writing this it’s at the end of the weekend…. a weekend that has been near perfect weather. A weekend that has breathed the promise of fall and changing seasons and all things cozy.
Forget the fact it’s still warm enough for shorts…..
The sun was out and after so many weeks of mostly rain and dark cloudy days, this sunny weekend was a balm for my soul and I know, many others.
This meant some long overdue work outside in the yard and it was wonderful to just be able to work outside in the sun and feel the wind on my skin and hair.
There was some time spent cutting grass…. I don’t mind using a push mower and honestly enjoy the work of pushing it everwhere. We’ve got a lot to cut so it can keep me busy.
Ready for work… need your grass cut ?
The electric company was also out cutting trees back this week and left some oak trees cut laying off the side of the road. Well, actually, it was down the hill…. so it was run down, grab chunks of wood, and back up the hill with it.
Me… I’m thinking… I should go get those, drag them home, and get hubby or my son to get the chain saw and cut them into more manageable pieces that we can use later for our fireplace ( eventually we’ll get one or two cold days :-P)Â and I love having a fire on those cold dark nights.
So I apprehended the red flyer wagon laying around my grandkids use occasionally and loaded it up and dragged the wood back home.
Uh… yeah.. it was a little workout haha
It was overall one of those satisfying, working weekends.
Don’t over look the fact that doing some extra movement outside can be a fun part of keeping fit 🙂
Oh… but then… food.
When I’m not doing athletic things or other activities, I am a wicked baker. So there’s cookies…..
I made two kinds. Hubby had requested oatmeal raisin but then I just wanted something chocolate …so…..
I’ll share recipes below. Find all of my tasty dessert recipes on Pinterest. ( you can also find lots of exercise tips and workouts too 😉 )
I’d never made a chocolate cookie recipe where you melted butter first, then stirred everything else in. I loved how fast and simple these were and sooo good too 🙂
Aren’t they pretty ?
In other weekend fun….
One of the things hubby and I enjoy doing is going for breakfast dates at a local place in town. The building is old. It’s not fancy. During the winter it can be stupid cold in there ’cause their heat is sketchy at best. On any given morning you’re hoping you can score a table because the place is packed and sometimes you are wrestling for the last fork in the utensil holder.
The food is good and the coffee is too.
This past week I couldn’t help but again get distracted people watching and observing.
Couples, families, friends meeting for coffee the place hummed with a low key activity and bright energy.
It’s one of the cool things about living in a kinda smallish town… the local eating place. The place that isn’t fancied up… it’s just down home cozy.
That’s one of the things I love about my home town. These small areas that still feel “homey” in the mix of growth and things changing so much.
Not only can you meet new people but it’s often a place to catch up with friends you may not have seen in awhile.
For a social person like me….well.. it’s a good fit 😉
A cozy corner you can sit and watch the world go by in….
Oh… and so like… Halloween is this week.
Stay tuned… perhaps in next weeks post I’ll have a pic of my costume. Let’s just say I’m putting my own spin on Glinda the Good Witch from Wizard of Oz.
Am I the only one who mooches candy of their kid while you’re out making the rounds to houses gathering candy? Please tell me I’m not 😉
Actually now days I’m mooching it off my grandkids hahaha
Of course once Halloween is over, it seems like things are full speed to Christmas. My kids have already begun to present their gift lists to me.
How early do you start shopping ?
And finally… that approaching duathlon…
Got a solid brick training session in on one of my days last week. Out on the road in the dark early morning, fog still in the air, I really wanted to be inside drinking coffee.
But somehow, there I was, out on the road taking off for my first run. I kept it short. A 2 mile run, followed with a 10 bike ride, then a 2 mile run.
I’ll tell you, it’s always that last leg that I have to intentionally and purposefully dial in on my mental muscle. I guess because at that point I know I’m close to finishing and I have to remind my legs, we aren’t quite done yet.
I have to stay focused and sometimes that’s hard when I know finishing is so close!
Finished for the morning!
I’m actually anticipating a training week ahead that doesn’t involve wet stuff outside! Although I know race day can offer up anything, I’m hoping for perfect weather like we had last year.
That’s a wrap for this week….
It’s another busy week ahead with lots going on. What will be keeping you busy? Have you tried any new recipes? Had any new adventures?
Hey boys and girls. Happy Monday! So many things I could talk about in todays edition but I’m going to just focus on a topic that’s been on my mind a lot this week and left me musing the ways of our world and how disturbing a current situation is.
So I guess I should just say today’s post is going to be a little heavier and a whole lot of me thinking out loud on some dark things.
So what’s on my mind, exactly?
Well, if you live in the states, you’d have to be under a rock to not know what’s been going on in the political arena of our nation.
We (were) in the process of appointing a new Justice to our Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh.
If you live somewhere in the rest of our vast world, I’m sure there is possible news of it where you live as well.
In a nutshell, things were moving along, literally hours from him being appointed when a woman materialized proclaiming he had sexually abused her some 30 odd years ago… like when they were in college.
Say what?
Ok.. but first.
Before I go any further I’m going to establish this…… never, ever is it right or appropriate for someone to touch, handle or take advantage of a person, man OR woman against their will or wishes. To cross boundaries they’ve not been given permission to cross is unacceptable.
Yes, I’m including men because if women hold back from saying anything about what happens to them, men for sure will not speak. And yes, it does happen to them but there’s always the stereotypical thought that a guy would be ok with it and would want it ’cause well, he’s a guy.
There’s a meme that circulates around that I guess, some find to be clever or funny. It’s pictures of Hollywood women in glamorous, yet low cut, backless, thigh cut dresses. The caption says something stupid like… “If you don’t want people touching your critters, don’t make your barn look like a petting zoo” and supposedly someone’s grandmother said it ( yes they can say some funny things) I don’t find it funny… it makes me angry every time I see it.
Not only is it stupid, it’s putting the blame on the person and how they may or may not be dressed and not putting the blame on the person who’s putting their hands on someone against their wishes.
Let’s put the blame firmly where it belongs… and it’s not on the victim.
AS IF… how you may be dressed gives someone a right to touch you. This is the screwed up mentality that has to be dealt with today.
No matter your gender, any unwanted, non consensual advances directed towards you are wrong.
Now with that being said…..
I guess I’ve been troubled over so many aspects of what has turned this important appointment into a circus by grown men and women who are a part of our government running our country.
Shameful behaviors all because at the root they’ve never gotten over the election results.
Shameful how a man has been placed on trial…although they try and pretty it up calling it a “job interview”. It’s reminded me of the old time lynchings when white men went in angry mobs to find the black man they were so convinced had done an offense because he was well, black.
Did they have facts? evidence? Anything conclusive?
Often, not likely.
Shameful how he’s been ridiculed for having a righteous anger over having his name, his family and his reputation dragged through the mud. How dare he be angry? As if… how dare he be upset over all that was going on? How often I’ve heard the holy than thou people bring that up.
Shameful that a woman who decided she had to “share her truth” …. ironically at this very moment in time…… has not been given any more protection from the onslaught that has come from bringing her story forward.
Even if it does lack huge gaps and has some perplexing questions to it.
I’ve watched numerous news stories with women screaming in the streets already proclaiming he’s guilty. They are wild eyed and on a mission.
This is my gender. Sometimes I’m disturbed my by gender.
They have no evidence. They have no facts. They have no personal accounts or interactions with either of these people. At best they have what the media has regurgitated and fed them.
But by damn, he’s a man, and he’s guilty.
I understand many carry pain and angst over personal experiences, but personal experiences aren’t what’s used to proclaim a man guilty.
And I don’t want someone going off telling me I don’t understand. Yes, there are all types of abuse, inappropriate behavior, and wrong doing that happen against people who wish otherwise.
Growing up, I always looked older. People saw my height and made an assumption I was older. My mom was constantly keeping the male species in line with me.
I remember when I was young, 13-14, a family friend being a bit to flirty and hands on with me at a party. I remember an Uncle ( slightly drunken at the time) making comments about my barely there breasts in a little dress I happened to have loved. I remember spending time at the track during the Fair ( I adored horses) and many would let me hang out and brush them and a man far to old wanting to hold me in a hug longer than necessary which to this day I can still remember how uncomfortable it made me. These are just a few situations I’m sharing,
I was far from my woman skills which would take me years to hone, to learn how to handle and deal with anything like that.
Every one of those people trespassed where they shouldn’t have, whether it was with comments or their hands.
As a woman today I am confident in my abilities to put people in their place. Do I deal with things still?
All the time.
There’s a fine line between an admiring look and someone leering at me. I’ve been followed in the grocery store multiple times. I’ve had someone stand so close to me in line they told me my hair smelled good… I thought I’d need security that day leaving I was so creeped out.
I’ve seen men with their phones out not being subtle that they were taking a photo.
So yeah, I deal with stuff.
I say all that to put myself in with those who have dealt with inappropriate behaviors too. Yes, I know many have dealt with much more. But what I shared was as unwanted as what any one else would not want.
Yet, I’m disturbed over the absolute head hunt of a man when there has been no hard facts or evidence.
Where has fairness or reason gone to?
It’s hard to hear things like “college party”, “heavy drinking” etc and not think.. how is that different then from what we hear going on today? And how if people were judged on being in college and drinking and it played into their lives 30ish years later would that affect their jobs? their lives?
Many people live a heavy partying lifestyle in younger days and mature into responsible, law abiding citizens.
Again, I have no “personal” facts or information on this subject, I am merely an outsider observing and thinking out loud.
And really, the majority of people will only cast outside opinions driven largely by emotion and their own personal experiences.
That… does not make a man guilty.
I know my gender.
I’m surrounded with some cool women. But then I’ve been exposed to some that make me raise my eyebrows and wonder… what the heck?
I know stories can be turned. I know anger can breed revenge. I know unreturned desires can lead to petty behaviors. I know willing sex can be turned around on the man to get even or make a point or even proclaim rape.
Again, I do not have personal information on the woman involved in this situation. I’m not judging her. I believe something happened to her.
I’m just saying… things aren’t always what they appear to be painted.
So I watch all of this unfolding, troubled, as I know many are. Troubled over how all of it seems odd, how people are acting so horribly, how people to the far left think nothing of a respected man and his family being dragged through hell and back thinking “he deserves it” when they know nothing, and at this moment, there isn’t any hard evidence or witnesses supporting it otherwise. Troubled over how it feels like a modern day lynching as I referred to earlier.
As I write this, there is an “official” investigation under way before any possible progress moves towards him being seated on the Supreme Court.
I feel fairly certain, even with the FBI involved, there will be that group who will still not be happy, still not accept the answer and still continue to stir up trouble and angst, no matter what the answer is.
And like many others, I feel like, good. Do the investigation. Then no one should be able to complain, right? Ha.
It is important to cover all important angles before something as big as a new Supreme Court Justice is ruled on.
An honest inquiry gathering facts is far better than the crazed frenzy I’ve seen displayed on the news reports.
But more troubling than all this….
I have a lot of wonderful men in my life. Much like Brett Kavanaugh is to many people in his life and his work.
It is troubling to think that years from now a woman could go back to some random party, ( to use words in the news ” a drunken party” or a “drunken college party”) and with years gone by and an alcohol ladled mind, bring charges against one of them.
Far fetched? Maybe.
If you asked Mr. Kavanaugh a couple weeks ago, he would’ve thought it a bit far fetched too I’m sure, yet here he is.
Just as women need protected from sexual assault, and unwanted advances and all that go with it, men need protection too.
So I’m left mulling all these things around in my head this week. Wondering what the answer is, not just for this situation, but for our society as a whole.
How do we protect women? How do we protect a man who would be innocent? What if all our lives ( those things from our past) were dragged out and waved around to our employer? If we did this with others in high political positions it’s fairly certain many would be ushered out the door.
How many could stand under the examine and be able to walk away still holding their job? If drinking and college partying are criminal, there’s a whole lotta people in the same boat.
I’d be way more concerned if this was still his behavior and what he participated in today.
Where have we gone wrong to feel self righteous in finding a man guilty without evidence to support it?
So my thoughts continue to roam, unsure of what the answer is, or will be. I do know that we need to have a level of human decency in the process. I do know that wild behavior,  driven by personal emotions, isn’t the answer.
What I do pray is that righteousness and justice prevail and that those in charge have clear wisdom in all that goes on in this process.
As stated, these are my thoughts, my musings, on a highly volatile topic.
Now….
Your turn to weigh in. Thoughts? Is there a cut and dried way to deal with situations like this? How do we help victims and protect those who may be innocent?
I read a post recently by two bloggers who are really hustlers in the blogging world. They write with a purpose to help other bloggers be successful at what they do. They offer tips, tricks and ideas on every aspect of blogging.
Some of it to me is well, really, common sense.
Blogging at it’s most basic concept ( in my mind) is casually chatting with a friend over a  cup of coffee.
I talk and chatter, as the blogger, and the reader gets to engage by commenting and responding back.
Blogging isn’t complicated when you know the direction you wish to go, then set out to be good in that direction of what you feel called to write on.
Oh. And ideally not bore your readers into an early death. Boredom is the kiss of death.
Please, please, please I don’t wanna be boring haha
In one of the posts written by the author, they discussed being you, authentically you, with your readers. ( I promise, I don’t hold back) but they indicated sharing about who you are so when the reader comes to your posts they have a better idea of who’s behind the writing.
So that being said, I thought we’d step away from our usual programmed affair and I’d bring some “real me” stuff into it.
The blogging world
it still kinda surprises me when people follow me whether it’s via Word press, e-mail, or on my social media accounts.
Part of me is still like…. they want to read my stuff. How cool IS that? Maybe because in a world with millions of people, and so much clamoring at our attention, it’s nice to know people will take some of their valuable time to read my posts.
So.. thank you…
I’ve always enjoyed writing in one way or another. Words come rather effortlessly for me and ideas often clamor to escape my head. As I’ve moved along in this it has become easier and easier to find my voice and use it.
Basically, I can speak my mind.
I “toyed” with the idea of starting a blog for several years ( AH! do you know how daunting that seems?! and IS for someone who is not a techie person? ) but when a small local paper I was writing health and fitness articles for unceremoniously gave my little humble area to a …guy…. and thanked me and sent me off….
Well… let’s just say anger, annoyance and irritation were just the catalyst to move me to blog world. I have always kinda been that way… make something bigger and better than what I thought was so good before.
And really.. what’s better than going from your local town and surrounding areas… to having the entire world be able to read my ramblings?
So within a few weeks I had figured out all the basics to get my page set up , found some tutorials for things that were stumping me, and well, have faked the rest haha
No, not really. I am a quick study though so that helps.
With a bit of nervous apprehension I hit that publish button on my first post and well… here I am 3.5 years later…find my very first post here….
I’m still learning and I’m open to being taught new things in this process.
I don’t overthink things or make the idea of blogging into more than what it is.
I’m not hung up on all the techie stuff and trying to figure which SEO’s will propel me into the mainstream of reading.
Although, thanks Google, my post on the keto/dash diet has consistently sat in the top search positions for awhile now…. so there’s that 😉
Mostly, though, I just like to have fun with writing. And hopefully educating… and motivating… and offering up a healthy dose of sassiness while I’m at it.
Besides being a writer, who am I?
I have a quick wit, I’m far to sassy for my own good at times, sarcasm can be a second language, I laugh at things I probably shouldn’t laugh at, I’m clever on a lot of levels, I will tease unmercifully with people I like, I’m to soft hearted sometimes, but can be as tough as nails when I have to be. I’m stubborn and a bit hard headed but it can serve me well at times. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to use my voice and not shy from it, but have learned the value of remaining silent if I need to be.
I’m extremely social and feed off energy of others. I don’t usually meet a stranger which works well for me on a daily basis. I love meeting new and interesting people who have something different to bring into my life. Basically, I prefer not to stay in my same social “bubble”.
I’m random. If I wanna do something I do it. There’s adventure in that.
Why yes, yes I’ll do a random selfie showing off my new nails and promoting a current blog post on my social stories.
I don’t go with the flow and I find conformity largely boring.
I’m not afraid to jump into a new challenge or take on something I’ve not done.
I’m Texas born and bred, I’ve never left the area or gorgeous state I was raised in. I’ve seen my town grow way to much, way to fast, but it’s still home and I can’t dream of being anywhere else.
I got married, had kids and made permanent camp here.
As weird as it is, all my kids are adults now, some married, and I’ve got some precious grandbabies too.
I’m a homey kinda person meaning I enjoy things like cooking and baking ( from scratch) I was taught the ropes by a mom and grandmother who knew their way around a kitchen and taught me the art of not just cooking but doing things that make a home, “home”.
Christmas is hands down my favorite holiday and I love the creativity of decorating and creating fun visual areas through the house to look at.
A small snap of my favorite Christmas treasure… my antique cardboard Christmas village with original Barclay skaters
My daughter in law told me one year that my house was the kind where people should be able to come in and roam around looking while eating cookies… such a sweet compliment.
I love black coffee and on some days I drink copious amounts of it. Coffee is my legal drug 😉
In my mid 40’s I started dabbling in exercise. The bug kinda bit when I turned into a runner… yeah… who accidentally starts running? haha
The trend continued as I fell more in love with exercise and how I felt. I learned more about myself and what I can do in the process. It was a heady experience knowing what my body could be trained to do.
Along came cycling and now who would’ve thought, I’ve turned into a multi sport athlete.
Out doing what I love….
I was working on losing some weight and the exercise regime certainly helped. So did learning more about what I put in my mouth. It has been a slow determined process but I’ve taught myself a lot about nutrition and now willingly make better food choices for my overall health and wellness.
I started sharing my experiences on social media, people were interested and started following me, which lead to me wanting to branch out and do more, thus began my blog.
And well, here we are.
The main focus I have here at Sassyfitnesschick, is to talk sane, sensible, and practical health, nutrition and exercise.
There is so much nonsense when it comes to these areas and I want to be a voice of sanity in the tidal wave of craziness.
I want people to know they don’t have to suffer and go through extreme things just to lose weight and get fit. I want to teach that they can slowly adjust eating habits and patterns that will lead to permanent changes. Or that exercise can start slow and easy ( as it should)
I just feel bad when I see good people desperately clinging to things that will ultimately get them nowhere or worse, spending LOTS of money of products that promise them the golden ring but all they do is throw away their money and are still fat and unhappy.
Of course there will be some times I’m just gonna talk about life because as I’ve shared with you, there is more to me than “just” my passion for sharing sanity in the realm of health and fitness.
Send a boat. Seriously. Send one. The rain has been going on here long enough and I’m starting to feel like if I should sit still to long I may get moldy.
In the south we hate to complain about rain ’cause when it’s done, it goes and we don’t see it for awhile, but I think we’re all ready for a break. The ground just can’t hold anymore and smooshes under you when you walk.
Yes, I just used smooshes. Enjoy that 😉
I’ve come to the realization if I’m running or cycling I’m gonna get wet from more than just my sweat. I’m ok with that, mostly.
Have you ever been on a bike, flying along, with water flying from the sky and it’s all over your glasses?
I’ve yet to figure how to make that all work as I need/ prefer to have them on.. tricky though.. with water on them and not wanting the wind in my eyes.
Speaking of my athletic shenanigans……
I took off on Friday with the intent of doing a brick session, meaning a run/bike training work out.
The weather guy had promised a “mostly dry” day ahead. I pondered that statement when I walked out and felt light, misty rain hit me.
No big deal. I grabbed my bike and other gear, got set up and took off to do my 5K run.
Finished off the run. swapped gear, and got on the road for miles on the bike. It always feels good to settle in and have time to drink something and catch my breath from the run.
It was still fun and games…until….
My mind moved ahead to the route I was taking as the miles dropped under me. I approached a road that I turn on and ride into the cul de sac before looping back the way I came.
There’s a house that sits on the corner and the people there have a couple dogs. It’s not usually an important thing to me however one of them last summer decided it wanted to chomp my thigh when it chased me into the cul de sac and I had to really slow down because of all the loose gravel.
It took me a couple rides down that road before I started to relax again. So whenever I ride I’m always aware.
This was my mental status on Friday. However as I approached to turn on the side road I saw one of the dogs through trees in front of the house…. immediately aware…
Oh my gosh they are out and loose.
It’s funny…well not funny… but my mind began to immediately seek out the best way to avoid conflict.
First, I’m obviously not turning up the road as planned. If I kept going straight it took me down a huge hill that immediately dropped into a sharp, fast “S” curve. As much as I love playing daredevil off those hills. the idea of doing it with dogs chasing me didn’t seem prudent.
I determined to come to a stop as quick as possible, unclip, and hopefully put my bike between us.
I guess I wasn’t aware of this, but now instead of having two dogs, there were four, ( when did they get more??) who began barking and heading towards me, including one who snacked on my thigh last year.
It just happens so fast….
Before I could fully stop to unclip, he came charging up and yes, again, chomped me in the thigh.
By now the owner was calling all of them and they were scampering off sniffing grass and what not.
Shaking I got off my bike, my upper thigh already throbbing, blood running down my leg.
Then damn it, tears.
It hurt, but seeing four dogs coming at me had been a little unnerving. I can’t explain how my brain was processing things, but IÂ couldn’t get it all going in time to avoid the bite.
Tears because I was angry as I knew my ride was over, that I’d need to go home and tend to myself. Angry because I already felt like I’m behind in my training and this clipped the rest of my training time.
Angry because that stupid dog bit me….again.
The owner was like… “Oh that’s bad bite.”
Really??
I’d say as it was a full mouth bite.
At that point I just wanted to get home. She asked that I wait while she herded them inside.
Here’s what you need to know. I live in areas where the roads are mostly quiet and there aren’t a lot of people up and down them. It’s great training ground. Plenty of hills, inclines and flat roads.
Being outside with your dogs with you, not in a fence, isn’t awful, necessarily. The problem is, if someone comes along and you have a dog that already goes after someone on a bike, he should never be loose. I mean, realistically, they don’t know when someone will come along and well, then, it’s to late.
After getting home and cleaning up, I sent hubby a lovely leg photo. Probably not the kind of leg photo he may have preferred as this one was a thigh with teeth marks, bruising, and blood. Let’s just say I won’t win any great leg contests right now 😛
Of course, he wanted me to go to the clinic to be seen. Which of course I did.
Something I hadn’t really planned into my day.
Before I got back home, the owner was sending messages that they were calling authorities, that the dog would be quarantined and was current on shots etc.
Damage control?
The thing that concerns me with all of this is…. the dog was very focused and intent on what it was about. Headed right into me to bite. I carry a lot of heavy muscle on my thighs and it took the impact and still had damage. But what if I was a smaller person? Or worse, a kid on a bike? They might not stand up under it as well.
So I’ve got some decisions to make and things to consider with this.
I hate having to deal with it. I hate that my leg is swollen and tender and I seem to hit it on everything. I hate something making me feel insecure. ( after last years event it took several times that way before I didn’t feel tense riding there)
Could I not ride that way?
Yeah, I guess. But why shouldn’t I be able to ride a public road without fear of being attacked? It’s not my responsibility to keep my dog under wraps.
and this is the second time…..
Anyway… that was my exciting way of ending my week…
In the ways of work…
it’s been a busy week in my vintage furniture world. I sold several things this week, picked up another custom order and got the coolest table and chair set… that I want to keep. That is the cool thing about doing this. If I find something I love, I rework it, and it gets added to my collection.
I’m going to freshen it up and it will be a unique kitchen set, It’s legs and details on table…. so gorgeous!
I’m telling you… you just can’t go down to the local furniture place and find things like this anymore.
Oh and I also got some fun fabric for my chair projects.
I scored a set of 8 antique harp back chairs that I’m getting this week. I guess we’ll see what I do with them…
I know we are approaching Fall….
my daughter in law asked me the other day if I was going to decorate for fall. I told her when it’s not 99 degrees and feels like summer.
I just want a little bit of a weather change, that’s all. Just a bit of crisp in the air.
The warm, muggy, humid, sauna like weather we’ve been having has not put me in a festive mood wanting all things Pumpkin Spice
Speaking of that…shame on Starbucks for getting greedy rolling out Pumpkin Spice in August,
Are you kidding me? August?
Not feeling it guys, not feeling it.
The grey days though have put me in the mood for soup and cozy foods. One favorite around here is taco soup. Toss all the ingredients in a crock pot and whoever shows up can grab something to eat. It also reheats well too.
I’ve got another busy week ahead…per usual…. and as always new adventures wait.
Smiles for a new week ahead
What does your week ahead hold? Are you ready for fall and a change of seasons?
One of the most overarching things I hear ( and read) are from people who want to eat healthier, who desire to do so, but often seem at a loss of where exactly to begin.
I mean, really, it shouldn’t BE hard, right?
Get the good food, eat the good food.
Why on earth are chocolate covered donuts in the basket??!
Seriously though…..
As I write this I’ll toss out the disclaimer that I’m certainly no expert on perfect nutrition. I openly and freely share my vices with you….hello powdered sugar donuts and salt and pepper kettle chips 😛
I have just learned how to control my behaviors associated with those things. I’ve learned that those foods don’t support my athletic or health goals. I also don’t deprive myself so if I want something, I have some of it and move on.
On the whole of my day though, I make constant choices to choose wisely in what I eat.
It has been a learned process.
Some days are awesome other days are …..meh.
Ok so now that we’ve got THAT outta the way, lets continue.
You aren’t a dummy, really.
When it comes to eating and nutrition you really are largely a product of what you’ve been raised in, what you’ve been taught, and what you’ve been exposed to. Ok and you do have a healthy amount of “free will” as a grown up in your food choices as well.
You can “choose” to buy a candy bar and coke in the gas station… or you can “choose” to buy water and a banana or pretzels.
Huge difference in calories and nutritional content.
So free will goes a long way to helping us become more successful in our efforts to eat better.
I totally understand environmental factors. I didn’t grow up with a focus on healthy, moderate eating.
I grew up with good food, cooked by a mom and grandmother who knew what they were about in the kitchen ( skills they taught me to which I’m grateful) and food was all about not just eating, but comfort, family, and eating, plenty!
Seconds were just expected and a given. Everyone ate till they were in the food coma stage.
Of all things I’ve learned/taught myself these past years is to stay away from that mentality. It is a feeling I don’t like experiencing anymore, nor want to.
So some beginning steps towards getting smart with food is to understand your background environment ( what food was for you in your family, how it was treated, foods that were prepared etc) and accept your food behaviors today.
No one makes you eat anything you don’t want or more than what you need.
In the beginning….
Ya know, when our Creator landed us here a zillion years ago, eating wasn’t complex. I have no personal experience with this but eating then was probably what it was designed for.
Food was fuel.
You ate to get fueled and you didn’t eat again till your tank was running low and you needed it. Repeat process. Spend time running from wild animals to survive ensured you got your cardio in 😉
Of course our early ancestors didn’t have all the processed, fatty, sugary non-essential foods we have today or I’m pretty sure they woulda been having brownies for dessert too.
One thing is still the same though.
Food is fuel. We need it to survive and to have adequate energy to get through our days.
It’s WHAT we choose to fuel or bodies with, how much, and how often that has become the issue.
It’s eating to eat and not eating because we have genuine hunger and need to fill our tank.
We eat to feed our eyes, mouth, and minds very often, without as much thought to what our stomach is saying.
Are we really hungry?
We’ve been given natural signals to indicate we need to eat yet many people go through their days never being aware of those signals because they never let themselves become hungry.
Back to the basics.
There are a few things you can do that can help you get smarter with your eating. They aren’t complicated or really hard, but they may feel that way as you have to intentionally work to adjust your thinking and behaviors.
Ready?
Eat when you’re hungry. When you’re authentically hungry, feed your body. You get no extra points for ignoring your hunger or pretending it isn’t there, so eat. Â If you aren’t experiencing those hunger signals, find something else to do.
Eat just enough. Now this can be a fine line to walk for all of us as we tend to eat and think we need more but if we give our bodies a little time to process what’s been taken in we would realize that we’ve had enough. One thing I’ve learned and been amazed over is how little food it really takes to satisfy my appetite and end my hunger. The same is true for you but you may have to teach yourself new patterns and behaviors with it.
Be mindful and intentional.This is where your food choices come in with the other points above. Assuming we’re all adults here, each one of us knows and makes choices over the foods and drinks we consume in our days.
No one *makes* me go through a fast food drive thru or *makes* me buy non-essential, empty calorie foods at the stores.
I am responsible for what I do.
Same goes for you.
I’m at a point in my journey now where if I want something, I am fully aware of the choice I’m making. For those of you who still operate in a zone of feeling “guilty” over food, ( find my post on food guilt here…  https://sassyfitnesschick.com/2018/07/07/food-and-guilty-feelings/    ) this becomes very freeing as you know you’ve made a purposeful choice and not just been swept away because you’ve deprived yourself for so long.
Making different, healthy choices won’t be easy in the beginning. Work on listening to your body and eating just enough to feed your hunger, even if your food choices aren’t the best.
As you master the first two habits, you can begin to change things you’re doing. DON’T make sweeping, broad, extreme changes to your eating all at once. You will be setting yourself up to quit in 24 hours.
Small steps are the best steps.
DO think about the foods you consume. Make a list if you have to. Which are healthy and offer good nutrition to your body? Which are non-essential empty calorie foods that don’t promote good nutrition ?
What non-essential foods could you swap for something healthier? Don’t forget what you drink too.
What non-essential. empty calorie foods do you consume that you could learn to live without or have on a less frequent basis?
Are you willing to try new things? To change you must be willing to step out where you haven’t experimented before. Add in a new fruit or vegetable to your week. Find a healthy recipe or learn to swap out higher fat ingredients for less fat options.
One of the biggest swaps I’ve made is using my non-fat, plain Greek yogurt in recipes that call for sour cream or mayo. Sometimes with the mayo I only use half to half yogurt. Not only do you cut fat and calories, you get a little extra protein thrown in too. I also use this when making dip for veggie trays and as well as other sour cream based foods.
Look at how much added sugar or fatty foods you consume and see if you can eat less of it or make healthier swaps for something you like.
Learning to be intentional about what you put in your mouth will be your biggest challenge and your greatest victory to healthy eating.
Once you begin to master that, eating healthier begins to feel like an easy choice.
Why? Because when you build new habits, they tend to take over the old behaviors.
Undoing and changing a lifetime of learned behaviors is a purposeful and intentional choice made day by day, but with time and consistency you will be on your way to healthy smart eating and permanent lifestyle change.
What steps have you taken to becoming a smarter, healthier person?
Hello world and welcome to another edition of Monday Musings!
It’s been a crazy weekend and as I write this ( late Sunday evening) it feels amazing to finally sit and get comfy and chill for awhile.
I’m listening to thunder in the distance and the sound of rain falling outside on my deck. Heaven knows we really need the rain here so I’m grateful for that. I also kinda like the sound of evening storms. Do you ?
We hosted my grandsons 6th birthday party this weekend so we were all pretty happy the rain held off all Saturday for his party. We had one of those huge inflatable water slides and probably didn’t need any extra water to go with it 😉
On a side note… you know it IS true…. grandkids are all the amazing things your friends always whispered to you before you had them.. but you thought they were lying or crazy or some other adjective.
Anyway, we did the party, he had a blast and that’s what matters.
I still have an obscene amount of balloons gracing my dining room….
I love doing small things to fill in at my shop. I scooped this little wood caddy up on a local garage sale site this week.
It was kinda…. well…. sad… but I was already envisioning it’s future beauty….
Pathetic, right?
But then… just give me a little time with something and then this happens…..
Does it even look the same now ??
Look inside… I love this…
Uh…yeah it was a pain in the butt cutting out those squares but so worth it 🙂
I think it came out super cute… such a bright cheery little thing now compared to its former self 🙂
Oh and I’m pretty excited to have had several people contact me to do custom orders for them. Meaning, they have a piece they want me to do some wizardry on.
One girl has a 7 foot buffet. For the love of heaven… nothing small….
I had been chatting with her answering questions, looking at pics and she messaged one night asking if I had an estimate together. I took a deep breath, finished it off, and sent it thinking she’d either decline my price or take it.
The next morning her message simply read… “When can I bring it by?”
Ha… I guess I got the job.
My weekends need to be productive ’cause I’ve kinda signed on to help my son at his shop for awhile since the woman who typically is up front is off gallivanting on a month plus long vacay.
Which means I’m like… a working outside the home kinda woman…Â most of the week.
Gah.
So my mornings start with me hitting the floor early to get my workout in, showering and eating yogurt and berries while I get ready at Ninja speeds so I can get in to the shop at a reasonable time.
My “boss” knows I’m training for a duathlon so he’s willing to work with my training schedule 😉
Oh yeah speaking of that…..
I already rode up this sucker, now the fun part 😉
How about a look down one of the hills I ride on the regular? and don’t be jealous of my snappy Cannondale bike.
So I get some training in before I go to work…..
My son has a small engine repair shop. I run the front taking in orders, checking people out, answering phone and doing anything else he throws at me.
Like helping him lift a heavy generator into the back of a truck.
Those “Practice”  squats and deadlifts in my workouts do have pay offs for real life 😛
I had forgotten how… “fun”…. dealing with the public can be in customer service ways or how people can have such high demands and well, gosh, they can be horribly rude.
One customer… “well, I’m not happy. I had this in here for repair recently and it doesn’t seem to be working now.”
Me: “Ok, well when was it in? If it’s recent then we can fix it under warranty, no problem. ”
Customer… “yeah it was in March I think.”
Me: ” Uh… so you mean like about 6 months ago….”
( I always use my smile when I’m dealing out an obvious statement to Mr. Customer)
Then you find out they were using it and ran over a rock or a stump…. like no.. we are not responsible for fixing your stuff for free when you trash it, just because you had it in here 6 months before…
And yes, yes they do expect that.
Or they want stuff fixed but don’t want to pay for what needs to be done, like fix it for free or do just enough to make it work but not do the actual work to fix problem so they can come back and complain.
The other day this man was ranting about a charge for a pick up and delivery fee ( which is the cheapest in town for this service) he’s… older… one day he’s asking me if I’d come cut his grass and telling me he’d make me zucchini bread and the next he’s ranting about the charge and how he’s gonna write negative reviews on us and blah, blah, blah, I just casually tell him no worries we’ll be fine, and may I please have his card number?
Threats are always great too.
When he called back to ask about the exact charge to his card, I told him, as I asked if he’d like a receipt I heard a weird noise and realized he’d just simply hung up on me.
Ah yes. The world of customer service.
I’m constantly amazed not just working there but out in the rest of the world, how horribly awful people can behave to workers behind the counter….like they have a given right to treat them badly…. just because….
I’ve seen to many people go off on baristas at Starbucks over a drink. Like for real. Even if it’s not right, can’t you be decent, talk nicely, and state the problem?
Didn’t your mommy teach you to be polite and respectful ?
The world would be a nicer place if we all took a deep breath and smiled a little, right?
Saturday morning… coffee n braids 😉 I love my Starbucks baristas.
How has your week been? Any new adventures? Any thoughts on the world of customer service? How do you feel when someone is acting poorly to a person behind the counter?
It seems when it comes to the subject and actuality of weight loss and health improvements there is a common thought that it should be big, bold, and dramatic to be counted as worthy and notable.
What? You only lost one pound this week?
Throw in the towel.
Have you ever seen one pound of fat? You may rethink that idea.
Yet, we approach our attempts to lose weight and get healthy like that, we dismiss the seemingly not so important looking for something bigger and more grand.
We want that dramatic 5lbs gone in one week like the ad on social media promised. We want to be able to run faster and longer after just a month of starting to run. We think we can lift heavy like the guy at the gym ( only he’s been at it for a lot longer so he can lift more than you)
Stop being dramatic
I really write that in a joking way, but really, stop looking for the big and dramatic as “proof” there’s something going on for all your efforts.
When you or I or anyone decide we are going to take steps to start changing our lives, our bodies, or our mindsets, it will take time.
You don’t want some of those “instant” results. They just don’t last.
Progress IS progress.
Why have we been trained to think if we don’t always have big impressive things going on, it’s not worth our effort?
I was out on a ride a few weeks ago thinking about how I have to work my way back up to a level that I had last year before the duathlon. Sometimes I think it’s “unfair” that if I back off ( as I have to at a point ’cause I can’t stay in peak forever ) that I have to begin to build back up to that level of fitness again.
Like, why can’t it just permanently stick?
Ok in all fairness, even in my not “peak” condition, I still have a higher level of physical fitness than someone who doesn’t work out, but IÂ also have tons of room for progress and improvements in my game.
This was brought to my mind a few days ago in a new way as I took on a fairly huge hill, scaling it quickly and barely being out of breath that I had made progress since I started getting back at it a little over a month ago.
Building up your fitness level takes time, consistency, and uh, some more time.
Trust me, I took a brief moment to celebrate that victory at the top before I was plunged down the backside of that hill at full speed, before I turned around to head back up.
I was making progress.
The self improvement game
Maybe my progress is more than you want to think about or nothing you’d ever do. But you’re still gonna have ways of assessing how you are doing when it comes to your health and fitness goals.
We need to stop dismissing small victories as if they are nothing, when the reality is, they lead to larger victories.
Trust me, it took lots of smaller hills and lots more miles before I got to the point I am today.
If you start to focus and pay attention to those small things you will not only feel more grateful for what you are doing but you will appreciate reaching the bigger goal even more when you get there.
It’s such a journey for me to mentally look back at what I’ve had to do, to get to where I am today. I can see those smaller things so much more clearly as learning opportunities.
As you move forward whether it’s a process of losing weight, training for an event, or just wanting to be able to do something new on your own, be aware of those small steps leading you there.
What does progress look like ?
Each of us could answer that in a hundred different ways. But overall, progress should involve a forward movement towards our specific goal.
Let’s consider losing weight. Setting aside the scale, or clothes fitting looser, which is everyone’s overall idea of “success” and “progress”.
Maybe there are other areas you haven’t considered….
Have you learned to listen to your body better and eat when you’re hungry and not just bored?
Or learned to eat enough to satisfy you without being self indulgent?
Did you bypass the fast food place on the way home for a “snack”?
What about making better food choices over poor ones you used to have?
Are you learning to speak kindly to yourself if you are used to speaking negative self talk?
Have you learned more to value and appreciate your body even if you don’t like something about it?
Do you celebrate more moments of self awareness and stopping yourself from impulsive choices?
Can you step on the scale and see a pound lost and celebrate that as being a bit closer to losing a 5 lb. goal?
Have you let go of old, tired food “rules” and “guilt” to embrace living and enjoying life, which also has food as a part of it?
Have you learned to see food as, food? And not label it “good” or “bad”?
What about in the ways of physical fitness?
If you couldn’t even get the desire to get off the sofa before but now you are at least going for an evening walk, do you see that as progress?
Do you see overcoming obstacles that challenge you and you push through as progress?
If you could hardly walk a mile when you started but now are doing 3 and considering signing up for your first 5K, well yeah, I seriously hope you see that as… progress 😉
Do you do strength training? Can you lift things now that used to feel like you could barely squeak out 5 reps before you fell apart?
Do you feel stronger?
Can you lift more, go longer, push through things you previously didn’t?
You my friend, are making progress.
Of course we don’t want to dismiss things like…
good lab results at the doctor as evidence of changes going on in you from the choices you’ve been making.
Or the fact you have better mental clarity, feel less anxious, are more focused and perhaps are sleeping better because of choices you’ve made.
Perhaps you’ve gotten your relationship with food in order. Maybe now you have it in the proper place it belongs and you call the shots, not food.
And ok, yeah, it is cool when you’re jeans get looser, let’s be honest.
So many things we do are actual steps to progress and improvement with our health and fitness. We just need to learn to appreciate them and not minimize them as not as important as “just” losing weight.
If we take a careful look at all we do, it can encourage us to continue to press on in our journeys and not become weary and frustrated and make the ( not best) choice to give up and go back to our old, unproductive, unhealthy ways.
Choose to see progress and not instant results. It will make your journey far more enjoyable.
Tell me. Do you look for progress in yourself, or do you want to jump right to the end results quickly?
Have you ever heard the term “going bananas” as a bit of speech to indicate things are crazy in life? Lately, I feel like that’s how things are, in a good way, but just trying to accomplish all I want to do in a day. I have to remind myself not ALL things must be done.. this is where lists come in handy… mental or written. Those pesky tasks need to be kept in some sort of organized order or they can make you feel, well, a little bananas 😉
If you haven’t snapped to it yet, bananas are what’s on todays food spotlight.
Random factoid first… did you know this humble fruit, botanically, is actually a berry?
Yeah, I didn’t know that either.
Whatever.
It’s tasty and makes a great pre workout snack in my belly that usually prefers no food before endurance sessions. Bananas are a great source of carbs, water and sugars to help athletes who are working hard. Eat one before or after for those healthy benefits.
Nothing like a banana to fuel me pre or post workout 🙂
Oh… and a quick shout out to Constantly Varied Gear for my cool new sports top. Hubby and a lot of my friends often call me a beast in regards to my athletic shenanigans so I couldn’t resist ordering it.
Check them out, Constantly Varied Gear, for cool athletic wear.
Now… those bananas… they make a great snack whenever but lets check out some more facts on them.
Health benefits
Bananas are rich in fiber and potassium. They may also help prevent asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease when incorporated into a healthy diet.
Potassium is an important mineral as it helps maintain fluid levels in the body and regulates the movement of nutrients and waste products in and out of cells. Potassium also helps muscles to contract and nerve cells to respond. It keeps the heart beating regularly and can reduce the effect of sodium on blood pressure. Potassium may reduce the risk of kidney stones forming as people age. In turn, healthy kidneys make sure that the right amount of potassium is kept in the body. One medium sized banana contains 422 milligrams of potassium.
Bananas are naturally free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
Bananas provide a variety of vitamins and minerals:
Vitamin B6 – 0.5 mg
Manganese – 0.3 mg
Vitamin C – 9 mg
Dietary Fiber – 3g
Protein – 1 g
Magnesium- 34 mg
Folate – 25.0 mcg
Riboflavin – 0.1 mg
Niacin – 0.8 mg
Vitamin A – 81 IU
Iron 0.3 mg
Fresh bananas are available year-round. Unlike other fruits, the ripening process of bananas does not slow down after they are picked. Bananas should be stored at room temperature.
The warmer the temperature, the faster bananas will ripen. However, to slow ripening, bananas should be refrigerated. The outer peel of the banana will darken but the banana itself will stay intact longer.
To encourage faster ripening, place the banana in a brown paper bag at room temperature.
My Mom used to say bananas just got more ripe, that they didn’t really “go bad”. I had to part ways with her on that thought watching gnats carry one off….
Not really… but to me there is a point where there is no way I’m eating that banana…. “ripe” or not.
Actually those super over ripened bananas make freaking awesome banana bread. I have one recipe that uses whole wheat flour… it’s actually the only recipe I use for banana bread ’cause it’s just… that… good.
If I don’t forget, I’ll post it in here for you 🙂
Nothing like a crusty, well used recipe, is there??
I am super selective in how I like my bananas and I think many people are, not just weirdo me.
They have to be this perfect, just right shade of yellow. No green anywhere (gross) and it can’t be heading into a darker yellow ’cause they seem way to sweet to me then and I just really don’t enjoy them like that.
Don’t bananas have a whole lot of sugar?
Bananas are on the sweeter side compared to other fruits. One large banana has about 120 calories and 17 grams of sugar compared to I cup of strawberries with 53 calories and 8 grams of sugar. However, in the context of watching sugar in your diet, it should be more of the refined sugars you are concerned about ( those found in soft drinks, table sugar, and other refined added sugars)  not natural occurring sugar as found in fruit. When a nutritionist might say to limit sugars in your diet, they mean added refined sugars. Eating a piece of fruit there’s no “added” sugar.
Plus some of the carbs in bananas come in the form of dietary fiber…. 3.5 grabs per large banana…. about 15% of your daily needs.
Green bananas contain a type of carb called resistant starch . (As bananas ripen, the starch turns into sugars, making the banana sweeter.) Because resistant starch isn’t easily digested, it reduces the amount of sugar released into the bloodstream, helping control blood sugar. Research also suggests that resistant starch helps maintain the balance of healthy gut microbes.
Let’s talk more about eating them….
Do you know bananas make great add in’s to baked goods for a rich moist ( cake, brownies whatever) you can substitute half the amount of oil with mashed bananas. So if you needed a cup of oil, you could do half oil and half bananas. This reduces calories and fat but still gives that full flavor.
One fun and tasty way to eat them as a cool frozen treat is to slice them, dip in dark chocolate and freeze. I can’t tell you how delicious they are. I first stumbled across them in the frozen section at store and then wondered why I was paying for something so simple to make 😛
Bananas are also great tossed in homemade smoothies, giving added texture and creaminess along with the health benefits from the banana.
Topping oatmeal, plain yogurt, or peanut butter and toast with banana slices is an excellent way to add nutrition and sweetness without added sugar.
Of course there’s the standard muffins, pie, custard, breads…. yummy….
How about a couple recipes? I thought this peanut butter banana bar looked awesome
In summary bananas are not only a tasty, low calorie snack that can be used in a variety of ways, they are loaded with tons of nutrients and minerals that our bodies love.
And of course, I don’t think you can go wrong with it pre or post workout for an energizing snack 🙂
Your turn now… how do you like bananas? Do you use them to cook with or just eat as is? Do you have any recipes you like using them?
So today is my birthday, the day I came crashing into history.  Another chance to spin around the sun once more. The older I get the less I view that as something I’m entitled to. It’s a gift pure and simple and one worthy of celebrating, appreciating, and giving thanks for.
Before I get going on this I do wanna give a shout out to Chunky Tribe Creations for working with me on creating this fun birthday tank using one of my signature hash tags. She was super sweet and went out of her way to be helpful with my…uh… unusual request. Find them on Facebook and check out their page. Black is one of my favorite colors and I love how the pink and white compliment it and pull it all together.
A special birthday shirt because, why not?
I “technically” won’t roll to my new age until the evening of my birthday, according to my mothers meticulous record of my birth day.
I love how vintage, old and cool my baby book looks now.
I’m vintage. Nifty.
You can see I came into this world longer and bigger than most of my petite 6 or 7 lb counterparts.
I kinda never slowed down and grew into all of my 6’0Â height by middle school… awkward at best and not knowing what to do with all of me.
Fast forward a very good number of years and I am more than comfortable in my skin and taking up all my space on this planet.
I don’t shrink back, try to be small, or less than anything I am.
I guess that’s one thing about getting older, right? Getting to where you know who you are and owning it. Making no apologies for anything or to anyone for being yourself.
It’s a matter of simply being comfortable in your skin and embracing and loving yourself.
And yeah, it’s really ok to love yourself. If you don’t, how do you expect others to?
Age brings wisdom… or so they say….but there won’t be grey hair to prove it
I guess you don’t get to this point in life where you haven’t learned a thing or two… or at least you should have. I have a lot of younger friends and I enjoy their enthusiasm, energy and zest for life. It sometimes doesn’t take long though for me to realize in chatting with them that I do have words of wisdom and advice that I can offer. Sometimes I relate to situations, other times it’s a matter of just being able to see things in a more clear, objective way.
Hey, I guess age does have it’s benefits, right?
My daughter in laws often tell me the same thing, that they appreciate my wisdom. I love that they come to me when they need advice, counsel, or to just talk.
I think being older often lets you see things in a more objective manner, to discern them differently or a little more rationally.
I’m not afraid to use my voice
I think when you’re younger, you may hold back or not feel comfortable speaking your thoughts, ideas, objections or view points.
Being older I’m not afraid to let go, or to hold back. I’ve learned silence can be powerful but I’m not afraid to speak my mind and call it like I see it either.
I can see black and white, but I also know there is a grey ground too when it comes to topics or thoughts and ideas.
Having a blog and being active on social media has certainly given me a broader platform to use my voice and to speak out loud, to live out loud, and that feels powerful.
Speaking of power….
getting older means you know yourself better, what you can do and accomplish and you’ve learned what you’re made of by now and that’s pretty empowering. The more struggles, trials, life learning events and other fun stuff you go through only builds and strengthens you in a deeper way.
My first tattoo ( ha and supposedly, “only” tattoo) was a wrist bracelet that says “strength”. It is one of my life words. When I see it, it’s a constant reminder of what I’m made of, what I’ve been forged by, and that I have strength for all things I deal with in life.
I have earned this in these years of my life, this deep strength.
Don’t sweat the small stuff….
If there’s one thing I quietly observe in the world around me is how often people waste time on things that don’t matter. They waste time on unnecessary drama with people they love when they could be loving them or enjoying that time together instead of camping on stuff that just doesn’t matter.
Through social media I often observe people throwing dirty laundry and drama out for the world to view. It’s rather sad, but more sad is that they are wasting time that could be spent loving, laughing, and appreciating the lives they have together.
Remember, none of us are entitled to anything. Don’t squander it over the small stuff that doesn’t matter.
I’m older and I’m really ok with that….really.
I had to laugh the other day when my daughter asked my age and came in a number of years behind where I am.
She said” I’m sorry Mom, I just forget, I don’t think about your age!”
And I don’t either. It’s rather irrelevant to me. I do what I want and do what makes me feel good, alive and what’s fun.
I don’t ever plan to be hindered by some age card or held back in any way.
I have to roll my eyes when I see some copy and paste post going around about older women and how they look at 20 something aged women wishing they were still there or looked like them or whatever… hahaha… no.
Don’t get me wrong. My 20’s were great. I was happy, I was happy with life and all that stuff. I was starting my family and tending babies and running a household. Â Life was good.
Life is still good.
But the reality is I’m in better physical shape now then I was then. I’m also way more confident, stronger, smarter and in touch with myself than I was then. I know what I’m about, what I want, what I don’t want.
I don’t wish to be something I used to be, to do so only takes away from what I am now.
Reflecting back on this past year….
As I write this, I’m thinking back over this past year, ways I’ve grown, things I’ve accomplished and learned.
In the ways of my family, they’ve grown and some have married, started new households and new jobs. I’ve graduated my final one from high school last year and watched her start her second semester of college.  I celebrated another year with a man I’ve been with most of my life now.
I not only went out and trained for my first multi-sport event last year, the duathlon, I took first in my age group. Never would I have seen myself doing that, yet I did, and I’m going after it again this year.
I also stumbled into a new hobby/new business at the beginning of the year as I started flipping old antique furniture. I had zero experience with it but it turns out I’m pretty good at it and people like it so I’m gonna see where it continues to grow to.
Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks??
Unapologetically me.
I guess on the topic of getting old I can just say that I’m unapologetically me. I won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, yet there are others who love every weird, funny, smart, quirky, sassy vibe about me.
And that’s cool in both directions.
I’ve learned other peoples problems or hang ups they may have are their own, not mine. It’s irrelevant to me and my life.
I will never march to the beat of someone else’s drummer. I will always go against the flow and I will never intentionally conform to someone else’s standards or thoughts.
Now on with the celebrations….
Ok so I’ve kinda been working the birthday thing all week, even though as I write this, the 11th is the “official” day.
I think birthdays are worth celebrating no matter how old you get.
Cake… heck yes. My daughter made me an amazing German Chocolate one that we all devoured. Toss some ice cream on it too.
I love presents and all those unexpected treats. No, I’m not to big for gifts.
Metallic rose gold Converse 🙂
Speaking of gifts… my daughter knows of my Converse love and gifted me with these lovelies to sport around. How pretty are they ??
Of course I shared with you in my Monday Musings post this week, hubby totally surprised me with a Go Pro, to which I’m in the process of assembling and getting all put together.
Then it will be off for some adventures with it. 😉
Being older has some other advantages…..
Like… I have no idea what the most popular mini van, “sport” van, or SUV is no days… I traded mine in for a  Charger R/T Max almost 2 years ago and I’ve never looked back. I know more about it’s 0-60 abilities than I do features on new vans 😉 #nomoremomcars
I skim into the grocery store peacefully getting what I need while I pass Moms with kids hanging off baskets or crying babies. Bless them but I’ve been there, done that, free now.
I can come in a total mess from a workout and get ready in record time. Although my mane of hair definitely takes the longest, I learned a long time ago less is more with makeup. All the things young women go through now days with makeup, I’ve got no time for that. You’ll just have to look at my awkward “un contoured, un bronzed, un highlighted” face 😉
50ish and unfiltered. Hubby asked me one morning what I was doing… I was actually heavy into strength training… he got this little gem in his phone. This might make him more cautious about asking in the future 😉
I’ve got more “me” time. All my kids are grown, self sufficient, get themselves up and off for work, tend to their own needs, or better yet they live in their own homes. I can do things during the day I want to do.
I can stop for a coffee and read on the patio at my local coffee hangout…one of my fav leisure activities. Coffee, reading, and people watching.
Also, another birthday puts me closer to getting a Senior citizen discount on my breakfast… so there’s that 😉
In the year ahead….
I’m not gonna get all deep and introspective on you. My approach to my new year is simple….
Take no prisoners.
Take challenges, take risks, work hard, don’t be afraid to fail when attempting new things, seize new opportunities, live fearlessly, believe strongly in myself in what I can do, love with abandon, let go of what is useless, embrace the things that matter, be kind, accept some things are what they are, work hard, and never let age be an excuse to not accomplish something new.
I think that’s a crazy fine way to head into another year of being #50ish.
I’m not sure how this has happened but here we are on another Monday again. Did the week sail by and I missed it or what?
Or… is it true.. the older you get the faster time goes?
And I’m getting older.. but more on that later…
In this weeks news we finally had rain! True it came in on the afternoon of July 4th and probably shut down lots of outdoor celebrations but it’s hard to complain when the grass has been crunching under foot for over a month now.
But then we had rain the next few days too so that’s a total win.
*** And in a side note as I’m preparing to launch this post, it’s been storming here since early morning hours. Am I the only one who loves waking up to the sound of a thunder and rain on the roof?
Can you go wrong with a pink rainy hoody? I think not.
And rain means getting to break out those rainy day garments that mostly hang out in the closest… for a girl who likes fun clothes and gear… it’s a win/win thing.
Speaking of fun stuff….
I kinda have a birthday later this week. Due to logistics of getting all the fam together we had the big celebration this weekend but I plan to milk the upcoming week for all it’s worth 😉
Hubby surprised me.. totally caught me off guard with his gift….. check out what I got.
Why yes, that’s a GoPro. Now I gotta figure out all the operations of it.
I’m not sure but he may have been worried about me trying to make a video while holding my phone, flying off a hill on my bike, or the fact I’ve talked about paddle boarding and having my phone out on the open water 😛 I love that he supports my adventurous nature.
Anyway, I feel fairly certain you’ll be hearing more about this in the future… once I read all the directions 😛
On the topic of reading….
When I’m not flying down the road on foot or bike or flipping furniture or just doing life, I really do like to read.
I’ve always loved words and I’ve always enjoyed reading. One of my favorite things I did during the summer as a kid was go to the library and drag home bags of books to read.
Once I had kids, it was something I enjoyed taking them to do during the summer.
My kids are grown now but I still love going. There is something about walking in and seeing rows and rows of books, and that “library smell” that whisks me back to earlier, simpler days of my life when I could get lost for hours in a book without a care in the world.
Don’t get me wrong, I can still read for hours but gosh, adulting often comes calling and I have to abandon reading till those things are done.
I love all kinds of books but I really love books I can get lost in with a good story line that don’t demand anything from me but that I enjoy them.
Summers really are meant for carefree days spent reading, aren’t they?
Summers are also meant for easy foods right?
I made this new baked bean recipe recently and it was a huge hit. Note it makes a pretty good amount so you can feed a lot of people.
I also experimented on the fam with this dinner recipe last week. It was easy and well liked so it may get used again….
During the summer I’m all about what I can put together easily, what feeds lots of people and is nutritious and tasty too. The longer days have me involved in projects and I like having meals that don’t take forever to put together.
Oh and on topic of food… if you missed it…. a post over the weekend was on food, eating and guilt. Something many struggle with and is a part of our dysfunction with food. If you missed it you can find it here…… https://sassyfitnesschick.com/2018/07/07/food-and-guilty-feelings/
Speaking of projects….
you know I’ve gotta tell you about some of my furniture adventures, right?
Vintage harp back chairs
So I got this group of 4 chairs yesterday, and how nice, someone has actually sanded them and made new board seats which speeds my work up 😛 I love old chairs to flip, each one is a fun project unto itself. I can hardly wait to see what clever ideas come to mind for them.
Petite Vintage Vanity
I got this cute little vanity with a stunning mirror about a month ago. I just finished it’s transformation. I love how simple and clean it looks now.
There are some pieces I really want to keep…. this is one of them… but hopefully it will be going to a new home soon.
I’ve been busy at work on it and can hardly wait to show you… it’s going to be so gorgeous! Nothing feels more rewarding than transforming something ghastly into something beautiful and usable again.
Moving along…..
My week ahead will be full with all the usual life stuff and in the mix of that finding time to read, write, and work on my projects that is slowly becoming a fun little side business.
My birthday is actually Wed so I have plans to do things that I love doing and to enjoy the people in my life who make me happy.
I was reading the other day that we all move through our life doing things that we (personally) enjoy and we learn to make room for doing those things that matter to us.
I try and take care of the “necessary” stuff in life ( ugh like cleaning) but get it done quickly so I have more time for the things that make me happy and give me joy. I hope you have time in your days for doing things that bring you simple joy.
Now tell me what adventures you’ve been on this week. Have you got any good reading suggestions for the summer? Tried any new healthy recipes? What are things you do in your life that bring you a simple joy to do them?
sassyfitnesschick 