Thoughts of a forgotten mind

There are times in our lives when I believe it’s OK to stop, breathe for a while and enjoy the endeavors which surround us. There are other times when we get consumed by our day to day activities that we don’t give ourselves the chance of enjoying life happenings. It seems that it all comes down to having a balance; having the equilibrium of each aspect in our lives.

Too much work leads to living in a cycle that might lead to a stressed and not happy life, on the other hand too much fun leads to a life where in my opinion not much gets accomplished.

So what is the key for a life well balanced? Is there an ABC recipe I can follow? Will I ever be destined to work and not think about other stuff? Well, these past few weeks I started an experiment, and the first lesson I received was that having a balanced life takes a butt load of work. You need to plan and organize, especially if you have a lot of activities to accomplish in one day.

What I did was some kind of schedule, yes like the one I had as a kid so I could remember all the things I had to do, this includes everything, from waking up at 6:00 AM, through finishing a day perfectly at 10:00 PM. There are a lot of activities I included, but today I want to write about the ones that for me mean having a more balanced life:

Start with Breakfast and that is because throughout the years I started skipping it, but what I have learned is never skip breakfast, it really is the most important meal of the day, I started neglecting breakfast because I wanted to sleep more, but I wanted more sleep because the day before I stayed up late watching TV.

By the way don’t watch TV, I  know this sounds ugly, but really if you want to accomplish things in life don’t sit in your couch for 3 hours changing channels until you find something that amuses you, Is not that I don’t watch TV, but if I have a show I like, I make use of my DVR and tape it, then watch it over the weekends, plus I can skip the ads, which in my opinion are a waste of time and make me fat because I cannot control myself when I see that random Pizza advertisement.

Work Out, yes yes everybody tell us how exercise is great for our mind and body, and well it certainly is. Whenever I stop working out I feel tired, depressed and my mind doesn’t function as it should; you don’t have to join a gym if you don’t want to, there are tons of videos that can help you work out, or you can also walk outside, but do try moving your body at least 30 minutes every day.

Read before going to sleep, something you like and enjoy, it can be something funny, adventurous or spooky, try avoiding topics related to your work, because that time should help you relax and unwind from all the things you already did over the day.

Lastly find your passion, a couple of weeks ago I discovered that  mine is swimming, I used to swim while at college and discovered that was the only sport I did not suck at because a) I didn’t get hit with a ball in the head and b) I didn’t get hit with a ball in the head. The feeling that swimming and being underwater gives me, is nothing I can’t compare so I had added this activity to my Sunday’s it is part of my “me time”.

The Benefits of Morning Exercise

I’ve been working out for 3 weeks straight and today I thought that I was ready to write about it. Basically I’ve joined a gym since last December and I was going after work (a couple of days a week). While this “routine” worked for a couple of months I got to a point where I just could not handle it. I just remember feeling tired and not wanting to go anymore.

One night after a hefty dinner I could not sleep, it was 3 in the morning I believe, that guilty feeling for eating a lot and the fact that my birthday was a month away made me say to myself I cannot do this anymore (it was like my AHA moment!) 2 hours later I jump up off bed, got my stuff ready and hit the gym.

What started as an abrupt decision of me going to the gym at that Insane hour became a habit, I only was planning on doing this for a straight month, only to see what it felt (after all I’ve never did this in my life), but honestly I think that this has become my new way of living. I wake up every day at 5:00 am and get ready for my 6:00 am gym time, after that I get ready there and go to work.

Today I want to share with you all of the great things that have happened since I have been doing this:

I feel more awake. Yes people often say that morning exercise really helps you feel more awake during the day. And it really does, my work requires my brain to be awake so since I started working out I completely forgot about “needing a coffee to wake up and start my day”

I think faster and give more accurate solutions. Sometimes there are situations that need to be fixed fast and correctly, before working out early I felt tired all the time and lazy, now I find an easy way out when I have to solve a problem at work or take better decisions.

My breathing has improved. Before this I would say I breathed normally, but believe me when I tell you that every day I leave the gym ready to start my day my breathing is different and feels good, I feel that I can really expand my lungs, which makes me feel pretty alive.

I don’t stress anymore. I used to be a person who could get stressed pretty easily, when I went to the gym after work I went and got out all the “stress of the day” but REALLY, now that I think about it, working out in the morning helps me not to have stress during the day.

I smile more. It is easy to smile when you are awake, have good natural energy and feel awake.

I sleep better. Incredibly I do, I don’t have any more problems with my sleeping habits plus I sleep early because I wake up at a bloody early hour every day.

I eat better (ok I try). I am still lacking a bit on this side, but I believe I become more selective because I do think more before putting stuff in my mouth and if it is a snack and it doesn’t taste good why bother I just won’t eat it.

And basically that is it, I know I have more to go, but today when my alarm rang and I woke up with no hassle and started getting ready without nagging I realized that it already became a habit for me and nothing can beat that.

Have you had an AHA moment lately?

Exercise, Money and Am I a Student?

Hey everyone, so if you are a current assiduous follower of this blog of mine, you might have noticed that I have not been posting a lot. Well basically I’ve been running up and down here and there with a lot of “interesting” things, and today I wanted to share them with you.

Well, first of all you know I’ve been working out in my fitness/health side for some time now, and somehow the past months I got stuck in my weight and was not feeling good. I just knew I needed a change, so one day at 4:00 AM I decided to give a big turnaround to my routine. I started working out early in the morning!! Now this is a big challenge, because my working hours are from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, so I started getting up at 5:00 AM and going to the gym.

This has been a BIG challenge and I’ve been trying to get USED TO my new schedule, which I won’t deny is a bit harsh, BUT the feeling I get every day after I leave the gym ready to start a new day is PRICELESS. No wonder I heard that working out in the mornings is the best thing. On my weight I have not seen big changes, but my clothes are loose now and I feel great, which is the most important thing.

On the other side, well I think I am going back to school (wait, I am going back to school)…I still cannot believe it. Two years ago I finished my Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and I felt that was time to go for my Masters, it all happened very sudden and I’ve actually been given a great opportunity that I cannot reject. So yes, I will be a student again. Not a full time because with a master is very different and this one is great because classes are only on Saturday’s so this will not mess with my weekly goals.

So where does this leave my blog and my YouTube channel? Well I’ve been giving it some thought and I will definitely not be leaving it because I love it, this is my hobby my escape and something I truly love doing, and I know school and work are first (after all they pay my bills and the stuff I review for all of you guys! ?) but I have to be realistic and I know that I will not be posting every day as I used to. Hang in there posts will be juicier!!. Plus thanks to these new activities I have now tons of new Post Ideas for all of you, so it is a win win situation.

On my No spending month let’s say that I’ve been a little overboard with my expenses (just see my YouTube Hauls) but now that my birthday is coming well let’s say that It will be over for some time, maybe until winter comes. But I have managed to keep my savings in good condition still and keep moving forward!!

Wishing you all a happy Weekend!!

Until Next Time,

xoxo

How to Avoid Case of a Grumpy Cat?

Remember grumpy cat? You know the cat that has been floating around the internet and stands out for being negative and sarcastic. Well I think I could say I had a case of grumpy cat myself these past few days. It is not normal on me, I am typically a calmed person and I don’t overreact, but I just could not control myself. Now that I think about it and go back I want to reflect on some things in order to avoid it in the future.

How to avoid a grumpy cat case:

1. First of all I need to start by getting less bothered for others peoples actions. I know, people do things NOT to bother me, their worlds does not evolve around me all the time. So I need to stop taking stuff personal.

2. I cannot please everyone; not everybody will agree in the same, but that is fine because that makes me unique.

3. You never know, simple as that. When somebody is in a rush or angry it is easy to judge but you never know what is going on with the other person. Maybe they have family, financial, marital problems. You just never know, so stop judging.

4. Pick being kind over being right. Yes it is amazing when I am right! But how does it feel if I do it at others expense?…guilty!!! I mean when I tell someone that they are wrong in front of others is just shameful. Sometimes this is subconsciously done; but I need to try to avoid it by thinking before words come to my mouth.

So yep these are my tips hope that they’re helpful as they were for me.

Have you had a grumpy cat case?

Is Willpower Enough for Losing Weight?

A friend once told me:

If you really want to be healthy and lose weight you need to follow this equation:

Now it sounds simple, but in my head and looking at my background I thought that things were different, I mean I thought that 80% was the exercise and 20% controlling what I put in my mouth. Well that hasn’t taken me any farther so now I am under an experiment.

This experiment started last week when the hubs and I felt really down and with no motivation for working out or taking care of our meals. Until he was like ENOUGH I can’t take it anymore, and I was like yeah sure…(in my mind I couldn’t take it either but I was just craving some desert that I didn’t want to listen).

Does this situation ring a bell to you?

After that declaration we cleaned our fridge (with all my pain) and made a healthy groceries list. We redefined our goals for losing weight which resume in:

• We will lose at least 2 pounds per week (until we reach our personal goal)

• We will weight weekly and take our measurements once a month.

• We will go to the gym at least 5 times a week (1 hour minimum).

• We will not eat any junk food, processed food and Sodas are way out of limits.

• We will eat more Veggies and Fruits (that is how we get our sugar from).

• Dinner after gym will only be salad and a small protein portion (tuna or chicken).

Ok at this point I was going to cry LOL. But took the determination of saying, if you want different results you have to do things differently.

My first week just went by and let me tell you my experience, I did have some freaking cravings which are not fun, these cravings were due to the fact that I was in the junk food cycle, you know, the more you eat that type of food the more you desire it. BUT the gratification of seeing my weight in the scale this past Saturday was WORTH IT, I lost almost 4 pounds (even though I must confess that I did cheat twice over the week, but I don’t care).

I am not saying that I am over it, and that from now on things will be easy as pie, but if last year was the time when I became from an exercise hater to a person who enjoys it, this year will be the one when I will become a person who enjoys eating healthy.

In my belief, although willpower is important while conquering losing weight or any other goal (because you have to say NO to the good to say YES to the best), I also think that the words commitment, patience and perseverance play a big role. Why? Well because losing weight is not a thing that happens from one day to another, you have to let go of old patterns and develop a new way of life, which makes you a patient and perseverant person, and you do have to be committed all the time, is not like “I eat healthy on weekdays and have 2 free weekend days to eat what I want”. No it does not work like that, if you do that you are only fooling yourself.

Now, I am starting week number 2 now I want a Krispy Kream donut, but that’s OK because I am human, so what am I going to do? I am going to my fridge and eat a bit of chopped strawberries before hitting the gym. It is all about the choices, and though it takes willpower, I don’t want to restrict myself, because if I do I will fail. So I am just weighting my options and taking the best one. I know a donut right now will bloat me and will give me energy for like 10 minutes, while strawberries will be fresh, low in sugar and will reduce my craving for a longer period.

Feeling Depressed? Hit the Gym

Ok so last week was very hectic for me I must say, if you go a couple of posts back you would know that I was involved in a car accident and I’ve been going on and off dealing with car insurances, yara yara…anyways besides this I had tons of work and a dentist appointment (which was stressful). My mood was awful.

I was only able to fit 3 gym days and yesterday I was feeling grumpy and I didn’t know why? I only felt bothered at everything and very very tired. I didn’t even feel like going to my spin class, but that was when it hit me. I had to go more than ever because I needed exercise to feel better.

So after work I put my sneakers and hit my spin class. I must say I felt great after, and the instructor just puts you in this great mood always. He was saying to us “Smile just for 20 seconds, it’s free and it will make you feel good” so that’s what I did, even if those were the hardest 20 seconds of our strength class, that made me feel amazing.

Of course that you need to hear your body and if you feel physical exhaustion you do need to rest, but in my case most of the times is anxiousness from the day, that I do need to release by exercising. So next time you start feeling depressed and not so good, put your sneakers and go to the gym or just go for a walk, the thing is to do something different than be sitting in front of your computer or watching TV believe me your body will thank you later.

Until Next Time,

xoxo

Is This The Perfect Moment To…?

In the past I remember telling myself this story, “I need to work out and have a healthy diet, but I have so many things to do like school, work, and house chores, that I don’t have time. Maybe I need to wait until I graduate, move, and have enough money to get into a gym and start working out”

In my mind, those were the things that limited me into being a healthy person, now I just see them as excuses, because if life has taught me something, is that there isn’t anything like “the perfect moment”. If we wait and wait to do something just because we need the perfect moment to arrive, that time might never come, and you will be losing valuable time instead of living your life.

Today I know, that if I want to do something the perfect moment to start is NOW, Sometimes we even restraint ourselves of doing something we really want only because we are afraid; of failure, of what others might think, etc. But, I have learned as well that if you are scared of jumping you have to do it because it will help you grow, and you shouldn’t care of what others might think, I mean you cannot please everybody and you are doing this because YOU WANT TO, not because you want people to think this or that.

So is this the perfect moment to….?

Heck Yes!

Until Next Time,

xoxo

Opportunities Come to Those Who Are Ready

Opportunities come to those who are ready to receive them. It’s weird how life acts upon us and gives us opportunities when we are in need of them. Let me make myself clearer, these past few weeks I’ve been deeply thinking about my goals and how some of the things I want to accomplish have changed as time has passed by. A couple of weeks ago my hubby asked me seriously if I was still going for the professional organizer thing or if I was going to be more serious about makeup and beauty.

Flow with the Goal

So the other day my hubby and I were having problems related to our goals, and we came into a disagreement, so I decided to do a tool that could help us find our way back when we are lost in our goal, and this is what we came up with:

I did the draft of the flow which we decided to call “Flow with the Goal” and he did all the improvements to make it look presentable for all of you. I Hope this helps you the same way it has helped us.

Enjoy!

xoxo

It’s Time to Overcome my Traumas

All these past few days I’ve been working with my will on doing the things I have to do each day (exercise, eat healthy, etc.) If you have followed my losing weigh updates you know that I am a person who battles doing exercise, there will be days were I love doing it but the rest will be literally painful.