Taking A Break...

Have you ever sat down and just been so silent that you cant hear anything around you?
Have you ever had those moments when you just sit and nothing else bothers you?
Have you been so quiet that you are your only company even if there are others about?

Well today Im going to tell you about taking a break, the reason I asked the above questions is that this week I have decided to take a week off facebook...

wow that was the hardest decision I have made in a long time but it came about when I went on a Christianity Explored Course one Saturday and we had to answer a lot of questions about our past, present and even future
it realy struck me that we as people spend most of our lives being so busy that there is seldom time to just sit and be still and in silence or admire the 'real' world around us instead we take out our phones or go onto the internet while in company or by ourselves

For me this was not a challenge set by anyone or at least I believe I took it for myself and just to show that I can do it as well as how much time we actually spend on these distractions around us, now Im not saying everyone lives on facebook sometimes it could just be a simple little thing such as spending too much time in front of the telly instead of spending valuable time with friends or family
sometimes it could even be a computer game/s, it could be the smallest of things we take for granted and just see them as normal.

My husband and I went to a very lovely pub one Sunday afternoon by ourselves just to catch up on how our lives have been, while we were out we noticed so many people were in groups with either friends or family members and while they were able to sit and chat they all were on their phones
there was no conversation at all, no eye contact or no actual bonding time and by the time their food arrived there was not much said at all
We just could not believe we live in a society like this, Im not saying we are perfect and dont do this but I was so shocked when actually out and trying to just be without it for a while.
Another thing was when we went to the cinema and what do you think happened people were yet again on their phones and that was even before the adverts came on, they were with people but they never spoke a word to one another ....

I do find that while having this break I have found that in the evenings I ask myself what can I do as before I would sit hours on end when my 2 boys were asleep just browsing, updating my status or looking at my family's pictures and adventures, life is just so busy lately it just seems it is flying past without us noticing how quick.
To me it was a very good thing when this facebook was first launched, I used it to connect with family, friends who were near, far or from my past but the more I come to think about how much time we do spend on it the more I do wonder if we could all do with just taking a little break now and then?

my blog is not here to make anyone feel awful about going on facebook or anything like it, I will be so glad when I can log back on and see what has been happening in the last week for some reason I feel so lost in the world, I feel I have lost contact with everyone and keep asking everyone what they have been up to when I see them, its exciting to feel I have now got something to look forward to again but yet again Im scared of being dragged into negative, unhappy or things that dont realy make sense to me : (
Id love to know if anyone does read my post / blog/s and what their thoughts and feelings are

thanks for reading and I will tell you how I feel once I am connected again xxx

My story so far

Hi all, Im starting this blog to explain to you about my weight loss journey and other interesting things I feel inspired to write / blog about...
as there are many people out there struggling to lose,maintain or even gain weight in this world,I thought I should start my story and share my progress and so forth with you.

it is weird that you read millions of stories daily about these topics but sometimes its best to just get it all out in the open about what truly goes on with your emotions,feelings rather than shutting it all out from everyone
I have never written any blogs so please be patient with me I do hope that I inspire,motivate, or perhaps even help someone who is in the same boat as myself.

My mission in life is simply to live life to the full with no regrets,no one can tell you how to live your life or what you should or shouldn't do,its ultimately up to you but here is what I can say you only live once so make it count. Your health is in your hands at the end of the day, you can go get help from various people but its what you chose to do with that!
I must say that when I chose to start to lose weight, I never thought that I could do it and it felt that I was not being myself. I wanted to be more, feel better look better and even get more responsible for myself and my family too.
I took the decision to start, its a BIG step for most people just to admit this is the hardest part is just starting

So please do let me tell you all, if you are indecisive on if you want to start this journey just think from your heart,why you want to do it, is it for yourself, is it for someone else? is it for your health? perhaphs something from the past where you have seen pictures and want to just change what and how you look now.
Write all your goals,dreams inspirations down that you would like to achieve and see for yourself
it just takes your true inner thoughts to make up your mind

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS,YOUR HEART AND JUST START : )

Everyone starts somewhere,if you need help just ask me Ill do my best to try help you out
Until then,Ill try post some more blogs about my story as and when I can but until then Id like you to write your goals,dreams,or thoughts down first and think yourself,do I want to do this badly enough and why do I want to do this?

I have started writing now to get all my feelings down, I am a mum of 2 young boys and I know I carried them and gained weight through the process but when I look back I feel I wish I made healthier choices but then again we are all different, I still am struggling immensely with my weight, I have tried several ways to lose the unwanted weight but it just seems that it keeps on finding me again and I just want to tell it to go away and leave me alone - if only hey

I have even watched several television programmes about weight loss and what they do and how they do it - cut out sugars - yeah right easier said than done especially if that is what you turn to when you are low or just not in the mood or when you have had a hard day and just need comfort
they tell you to exercise more - yes but that cost a lot of money and isn't affordable for all, well then again we can try walk a little I guess lol

I have decided to try yet another weight loss group to see how it can help me due to health reasons I have to try, at least I will see what its like.
I have been to a few groups, I wont mention names just to stay safe but when I did attend in the beginning it was super, got the right support and help but when I did not lose weight I felt super guilty and wanted reasons and felt so lost when I heard others losing so much why me I always find myself asking - well I find it realy hard to get somewhere not sure the reasons I guess its just my mind I need to change the way I think and feel

I left this certain group due to someone always asking me when I will get to my weight I wanted to, and also always questioning me and saying how much they have lost and its so easy if you follow the plan - well that night I left feeling worse about myself and guess what I ate some more and more and just felt more guilty about how I look and felt guilty the very next morning again

So here I am again with that same decision to try another group to see if I can manage to keep to myself and try keep it up without letting others get me down and let them tell me Im doing it wrong and so forth
All I can say is that I wish I could have a little genie in a bottle and had 3 wishes
would that help well who knows - can you tell me how you are doing it please I would love to hear from anyone what steps to try take and where to start xxx
I will keep you posted on how things get going but please do stay tuned

Memories - what do they mean to you?

MEMORIES - WHAT DO THEY MEAN TO YOU?

Ive been doing a lot of thinking about the past,present and future but not sure about how to word this topic exactly, well its something we all possess from birth,something remarkable given to us.

Apparently when we reach adulthood, its fundamental but at the same time we wish that there were parts we could erase totally? So true that as we age little parts get erased this is all about memory

A memory can be part of every single little detail of your life ,it shapes who you are as a person and its YOU

How does Memory work do you ask?

Well from when you are tiny your body interacts as you start visually seeing things and will continually change by the experiences you have. Whats stored inside your head is far more than facts or details but it is things that make up your life....

Ive just watched a little clip about memories and they rekon that adults cannot remember anything typically anything before the age of 5, which in sense I would believe is true as you are so young how can you remember things, yes maybe as a young child you will remember things as they pass by day by day but as you get older you start slowly forgetting things as a child and your mind tends to wonder on other things such as the future.

I have several memories, there are many that I would LOVE to just erase totally and forgett about especially the ones where I hated going to school for certain reasons as bullying, I still to this day hated the fact that I was picked on by the boys who believed they were more better,more good looking, knew more and so much more... I bet this must be a part of growing up

but there are also the very sad memories that are contained within me which I keep bottled and very close to my heart,these are things such as close family members who are not with us no more, who I believe were so special that my memory is holding onto what it can and it keeps me close to those people

why is it so hard though? when you are asked about when you were younger that you cant remember that much? does it mean you had a bad experience in certain parts of your life or does it simply mean that you just cannot remember them? well who knows....

I have included this exact picture as it capture so much that I believe to be true - a memory is something that you make, something you want to keep close to you and never let it go perhaps it a person you love,perhaps its a experience you never want to forget?

Just remember memories are there to be made,there to be broken and there to sometimes be forgotten

I also believe to me the best way to try keep a memory close is to have captured the exact moment in a photo,a video or just in a journal perhaps...I do hope some day that people will read my blogs and find something in here to love and some useful information,advice or just something my boys can maybe look back onto some day hence why I say its all about my stories and what just come naturally to me

I wont bore you with photos of me or my life as these are personal but rather just something to help you capture your memories maybe?

Some of my useful tips to keep your memories safe and going:

Personal photographs - these keep the person,surrounding,experiences alive

Journals - write what you do either daily,weekly,monthly or when you want to keep them 

scrap books - this is my ultimate favorite way to just put photos in a fun,experiential method

Just try enjoy each day as it comes to you

Sometimes I do wish there was a thing as a time machine, but then I know we all would just overuse it to erase the bad days and that wont be fair for the people who genuinely want to keep the special times to hand

this blog purely came to me as I was listening to lovely calming music and watching my son sleep...hes growing so fast now and this year he will be turning 5 and to me it feels that time is going by so fast and I do wish I can stop some memories as holding him for the very first time,him walking,talking,eating and even saying mummy and when we realised well he was going to be a big brother too...the day he first met his little brother,the day he kissed his head,cuddled and held him and just how watching both of them at time can be a great pleasure but others a real nightmare - but I again feel this is what keeps us all going, these memories and someone once told me we all need to have a great reason WHY.... I can tell you there are to many to list on this little blog

Well everyone, this is a lasting fact is memories are made to last

so make sure you make yours special, treat everyone you love as its your last day on earth as you never know what memory they may hold of you some day!!!!

thank you all and I do hope someone out there is appreciating my stories and will either comment or just keep coming back for more

until then Make special memories count

Personal Development - my thoughts about it

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Do you know what personal development is about? 

well let me explain to those of you who think its not for you... 

here is a definition taken directly out of google search engine to explain it in detail

Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitate employability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations. 

To me it means a whole lot more than just listening to someone babble on, it means a way of making me grow as a person as I never use to realy think it was that important and why so many people did emphasize they believed its how you develop emotionally,spiritually and intellectually as a person and without it you may be lost in the world.It does come to my attention how many great books there are out there and how does a person know exactly which ones to read? well that is down to the person themselves, it depends what they would like to improve on such as I know that there is books on how to become richer, there are books on what to say to yourself the list is just endless so it comes realy down to either you wanting to improve in that area of your life or just plainly from a friend or colleagues recommendation

I do like the fact that it is totally up to you what you decide to do as well as if you wanted to improve on something there is a lot of help out there, by help please dont think it means that you are falling into a certain category as we all do need to develop in life weather it being in life or just as a person.

so I can say just trust in yourself, do some research and maybe listen to what your heart,head and mind need and well what else can I say some people need it some dont, its like Marmite you either going to love it or hate it

thanks for reading my thoughts so now its up to you and hope to hear some comments or what you would say about it xxx

until next time, I wish you luck wealth and success in life and please do try read,listen to or go to some sort of personal development at the end of the day its there only for you 

Some things to get you started

Now that the holidays are behind us, a lot of us have made some New Year Resolutions and we’re past the holidays and festivities, rest, and a lot of food all around. It’s inevitable that we participated in family meals and social events that revolve around food and lots and lots of delicious, yet unnecessary, fat, salt, and sugar. Now is the time to turn to return to a nutritious routine

Here are some things to try help you get back on track:

1. Start right nowProcrastination only increases the damage because it’s too easy to justify another “I’m starting a diet tomorrow”.

2. Conceal the snacksGive up or cut way back on the snacks and extras that don’t contribute much by way of nutrients. These can be obvious like potato chips, or sneaky like salad dressing. We have a tendency to avoid counting them, but they’re actually a significant player in the weight gain arena.

3. Reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened and alcoholic beveragesSugar-sweetened beverages like juice or soda have significant caloric value, and don’t really contribute much to quenching thirst in the long run: so you just drink more and don’t realize it is like munching candy. Drink plenty of water and herbal or green tea,you’ll not only feel better on the spot, you’ll have no regrets later.

4. No cold turkeys

Don’t start the change all at once and in an extreme way. Remind yourself that you didn’t gain the weight all at once, so it’s reasonable to believe that it will take some time to lose it. It is difficult to almost impossible to maintain an extreme diet regimen for long, and rebound weight gain and related health problems are virtually a sure result.

5. Better fiberPrefer products rich in nutritional fibers like sprouted whole grain breads and cereals, oatmeal, and legumes/pulses. Nutritional fibers can also be found in vegetables and in some fruit peels – but not in processed fruit juice or fruit “drinks”. Nutritional fibers improve the body’s metabolism and the energy output on food digestion. In addition, they balance the blood’s sugar level and provide a feeling of fullness.

6. Tread carefully in high-density areasBe aware of which foods are the most energy dense or “rich,” and keep in mind that a little goes a long way. Foods like nuts can be a highly nutritious part of a diet, and especially important for vegans as a source of protein, but chewing on them mindlessly and virtually without limits – as you might a lighter snack like popcorn – can translate to trouble for your weight goals.

7. ExerciseIt is recommended to take advantage of the vacation time to exercise. If the weather allows it, go for a walk outside, and if not, you can always exercise indoors. 

8. Eat in an orderly fashionHave small meals every 3-4 hours. The stomach is a muscle that has expanded throughout the years, especially after “explosive” holiday meals. The idea is to make the stomach feel like its capacity has shrunk – so the feeling of fullness will arrive even after eating smaller amounts of food.

Dont think about it just start!!!!!

Fitness motivation

Hi everyone

Today I thought to tell you about how to keep going in a area most of us struggle with and that is a exercise or fitness programme, well firstly you will be so dedicated that all you want to do is keep on going
there may be times you feel man why do I even bother, Ill do it later and never get round to doing anything
but trust me - We all will go through various moods and try think of many excuses not to carry on with it
I can talk from personal experience as Im doing a intense workout programme for 90 days
which consists of strict waking up each morning 5-40 and getting going, I do have 2 youngs boys myself sometimes they wake up and moan,cry and groan there are even times I can only do half my workout but I do them because I want to do it

That is what I believe, every person should be ready for it....for me my most dropping moment was when I took photos of myself and saw I can change, I am not happy looking at them they actually made me burst in tears which made me realise how badly I want to change
so before you start any programme find out WHY, find out if you are ready, dedicated,motivated and serious other wise you may fall of the wagon and regret even starting anything

There may even be people who try discourage you from doing the workouts, people may even say why are you bothering - to be honest, just listen to your own heart and feelings and just do it

Ill try post some more things about fitness but until then think of your why and get realy thinking personally it should make you want it so bad youll do it regardless of excuses

My Weight Loss Journey to date: Some daily motivation when things get tough

WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH...

Hi all, thought to discuss when things get tough... how to cope? firstly, well done on all your achievements that you have done so far, ...

Weight loss is not something to look at lightly it is a journey I do believe everyone has a different one and for some it is far more easier than others, some are born with it and others well they have to work a little harder unfortunately : (

I also now have taken some time to think about what I would like to tell you all
I know when I attended a certain group how it felt being put down when all I wanted was support and help and answers on how they are finding it so easy and me struggling deep down my thoughts were always on food - I find out I am a comfort eater and that is such a hard thing to cope with in itself I wish I could just tell my mind to STOP and just do something different but it is super difficult

I have done some research lately and here is what I have found out about when things get a little tough for you or someone you know who is struggling

when you are wanting something sweet try eating chewing gum that is nice and strong
try drinking some water or diluted squash as sometimes you are actually not hungry but thirsty
try going for a walk or doing something to distract you if you can
when watching a film, keep healthy snacks at hand ie carrot sticks etc
try eating something sour ie a gherkin

I have tried all of the above when my weight loss plans were up to standard and they did seem to help but my plan is to try again even when things are getting hard, I will now try again and see where I can go to get where I would like to xxx