So I haven't posted on my lil ol' bloggy for ages! But I've finally decided it's time to update my humble page. If you've followed me on instagram (@iwonderifthisisthelongestname) then you probably know what has been going on. Firstly.... IGOTMURRIEDY'ALL! Lol
Yes, on December 14th (one day after my birthday) I had the privilege of marrying the love of my life before God, family and some of my dearest friends. It was the best day of my life... So far. My husband and I have been dating for just over 9 years now and we're still very much in Love... Thank God.
Secondly: We're having a baby! Yessiree I'm full of excitement, joy and a tiny human being lol We are expecting the little one by June 8th but I'm hoping they come just a tinsy bit earlier.
As for my diet, I have to be absolutely honest it has been virtually non existent and I've been indulging in a lot of unhealthy foods but I absolutely try to incorporate healthy foods and movement to my day as much as possible. I am however completely committed to getting my body back once baby comes and I have recovered from labor.
Well that's all for now my friends.
I hope you've all been having a great year so far.
So again, I've been neglecting my blog :-s but I'm here now so I wanted to post about the latest health venture in my life.
Firstly I'll start off telling you guys why I decided to do this. I recently started working as a flight attendant with WestJet and as great as the job is, it was damaging to my health for a variety of reasons. Mainly because it stressed me out, so I turned to food for comfort but also because the scheduling is all over the place and very unsteady. Flying is unlike any other job I've ever done. It's physically demanding on my body and takes a toll on my sleeping pattern. People don't realize how utterly exhausting it is. I come back from 12 hour work days and all I want to do is plop down on my bed and sleep. As a result I gained about 10-15lbs over the fall and I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life (I'm not sure how heavy exactly since I don't have a scale that works properly but I estimate about 170lbs). To be perfectly honest with you all, it didn't really bother me at first. I was willing to overlook the tight fitting clothes and the chubbiness as long as I could eat whatever I wanted. Then, the wake up call for me was seeing pictures of myself at my cousin's birthday. (Pictures are always the trigger for me it seems). Seeing that image just flipped a switch in me. I didn't recognize myself. In my mind I'm a bubbly, quirky young lady but I didn't see that in the image staring back at me. I told myself it was time to make myself look on the outside, the way I feel on the inside. It was time to get out of this rut and return to the real me.
My first change was my diet. I had heard of the 4 hour body from a friend online a couple years back and I had used the diet before my trip to Europe with great results. By the end of February I slowly started back on the 4 hour body diet which is very restrictive.
Secondly, (and to me this is the most significant) I was inspired by my cousin Sandra to try Insanity. I remember her telling me at a cafe that she could barely move her arms after the first couple days and that intrigued and inspired me. By March 3rd, 2013 I started my Insanity journey.
After a couple weeks of Insanity I quickly learned that the 4 hour body diet needed to be amended so I have enough fuel for my workout. It took a few weeks and a few different tries but I think I've finally figured out a diet and exercise plan that is sustainable and practical. I still don't eat carbs (except legumes) but I have added fruit to the diet. My cousins were also helpful in shedding light on a few things I may be doing wrong or I could change to get better results. For example, on the 4 hour body diet you get one cheat day a week. However, I realized through the wise words of my cousin George that cheat days shouldn't be incorporated until I've "earned" them. I thought that was great advice and so obvious since most of the time after my cheat day I felt so guilty. I decided I'm going to go at least one full month without a cheat day and maybe see how things go after that.
Obviously like everyone else, there are days when I don't feel like working out or I really want a piece of cheese cake. At those moments of weakness I go online and look up stories of people who have had inspiring weight loss and fitness successes. It's a constant battle (although I must say it's much easier to say no to a burger after you've completed such a challenging workout.)
Many mornings I'm practically looking for an excuse not to do my workout but I force myself to do them anyways because I know I'd regret not working out. Even if it was a slower day or my energy level was lower for some reason I still always come out of it feeling empowered and proud of myself.
Currently I've done the full round of Insanity but I'm still not where I want to be. I am currently in the process of doing month 2 again and following that I will try a new circuit training workout called Turbo Fire which is another Beachbody workout program that lasts 90 days. After that I'm not sure what I'll do but I am sure I will find a way to maintain this new fitness lifestyle because it has not only strengthened my body but also my mind.
I'm always amazed by what a little bit of exercise does to us mentally. I challenge you, if you are down in the dumps or just feeling sluggish. Turn on some fun music and dance. A great song that is also meant to be used as a mini workout is:
Give it a try.
I have taken photos of myself before my fitness journey and I will post before and afters eventually. I hope my journey inspires some of you to strive to be the best version of you that you can be, mentally and physically.
My post today isnt as happy as the usual ones. I'm just posting about a pet peeve I have. Nasty girls!! And not in the way you might think. I mean nasty from the inside. You know, those ladies who roll their eyes and kiss their teeth. The ones who think they should come before everyone else. The ones who take all the time in the world but can't wait 2 minutes for anyone else. The ones who stare down other women frowning or mocking. I do not understans these ladies. We all have our insecurities but some women use selfishness to cover up their inadequacies. Ladies please!! Empower one another, be kind, patient, understanding. Please know that the success of one of us means the success of all of us. Let us be supportive and positive. Love is so much easier than hate. It will keep you young for longer and make a difference in the world.
Conversely, I met a wonderful lady on the flight back from trinidad today. Her name is Marion. I was complementing her on her cellphone case and asking her where she got it. Then she gives me a second one she had just like it in black!!! I was so surprised by how generous and kind she was to me and we had just met. She also gave me her contact info and told me she'd show me around trinidad. People like her inspire me. Her kind heart and great spirit were so refreshing. She may not realize how much our short encouter affected me but she really inspired me to be a better and kinder person.
No matter who you meet in life try and take something positive from every encouter. Let even the negative experiences with people move you to make sure you do not behave like those that offend you. Let it make you a stronger person, more confident in knowing your personality can endure persecution without transforming into the one hurting you.
For my first post of 2013 I want to say that everybody has a chance to restart if 2012 was a bad year for you or if you went through some hardships in 2012 like I know I did I just want to say happy new years and may 2013 be the best year yet. this year I'm going to try and be more positive. By positive what I mean is I'm going to try and be more active in pursuing my dreams and work harder towards realistic goals that benefit not only myself but benefit others as well. Furthermore, I really want to try and strengthen my faith this year as well. I believe that nothing can happen without God and that I also believe that God is involved in everything that happens. Moreover I know that everything, (the good and the bad) happens for a reason. This year, in 2013, I also want to try and be more aware off any gossip or negative criticism that I give. On the other hand, I also want to work on being more assertive and more confident. Sometimes I feel like I'm a pushover.
I hope that your goals for 2013 are deeply rooted in what would make you happy and also that you may find a purpose bigger than yourself to fulfill your life and to fulfill the lives of those who surround you. As globalization transforms the world, we see more and more that the global communities are coming together to fight the injustices that are plague humankind. We obviously still have a very long way to go. However, what I have noticed and perhaps many of you have also noticed is that we, as a human race, do really seem to care for one another without any regards to our differences. As this world evolves. I hope that people will come together. And instead of using their differences to divide them I can only pray that people will see the commonalities that unite them.
If you could befriend any celebrity who would it be? Who would you want to have a few harsh words with? There are not many but when they come along I truly feel like I understand their personalities. How strange since I've never actually met them but if you think about it, we judge people in this way all the time. How many times have you negatively judged someone because of what they were wearing or a mistake they made or just their mannerisms. Or alternatively, liked someone because of some revelatory statement that you agreed with? It happens.
For myself I will start by talking about the celebrities I think have
cool personalities. The ones I watch and think we'd have so much fun
hangin' out. Anyone who knows me will know who they are already: Firstly there is Bruno Mars. His music and style are a mixture of motown, R&B, rock n roll and even reggae. It really speak to me for some reason. When I hear him doing interviews or read his tweets I feel even more connected because I often think to myself "That sounds like something I would say". My interest in Bruno isn't really a sexual one at all. He is attractive but I'm more attracted to his personality and talent. I would like to have a game night with him and friends rather than a date night. He also has aspects that remind me of Michael Jackson, another character that I felt I could relate to.
The other person I would love to meet is Ellen Degeneres. She seems like a hoot and a half :) She loves to laugh and dance and she's uber positive. She just seems like someone who is down to earth and fun. I think seeing as her talk show is one of the most successful on TV and youtube now that many other people feel the same way I do.
Now for those celebrities that rub me the wrong way. Well this part I'll keep concise. I am not fond of Flava Flav, The Situation (from Jersey Shore) or Jeremiah from Breaking Amish. Mostly because they treat others wrongly or are self centered.
The winds of change are blowing. They do that every so often. These past few months have by no means been easy. I've dealt with a lot of drama, disappointment and uncertainty. It's been the most stressful summer of my short life so far. I've been looking for guidance and happiness and have been trying to decipher the cryptic message God has been sending me about my plan. Luckily, I have not had to go through anything alone. I've been surrounded by loving voices (sometimes they were helping me and sometimes they were confusing me) but the loudest voice has been God's.
I feel like these last few months have been a test. I've been put under fire to see how I would react. I'm happy to report that, though at times I couldn't see it, God has been carrying me the whole way. Big changes are happening in my life right now and they are absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead for me and my family. I don't want to disclose just yet what the big changes are but I will let you all know as soon as I feel settled.
I just had to write this because I felt inspired to let those of you who are going through a rough time know that NOTHING IS FOREVER. My cousin has a tattoo in Arabic that essentially says "Change is the only constant" and that is absolutely true. Our lives go in seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall but no season is permanent. Hang in there, keep your eyes fixed on the One who gives ultimate peace, strength and love and you will make it through. Also it's important to remember not to let bad things or negative people change your good heart! Sometimes, out of anger, people may say hurtful things but just remember that you can't change what their heart is like but you can affect your own by choosing not to be like them. We are always so quick to pass judgement on others and to want others to "pay the price" for doing something mean or wrong against us but we are not fit to be judges, we are so flawed ourselves.* Work on making yourself better next time you feel the urge to "fix" someone else.
Remember the rainbow is a symbol that God sent to remind us that He is the ultimate judge.
*This is not to say people shouldn't be put in prison when they commit crimes. We should definitely try and keep away dangerous people from regular functioning society but all I'm trying to say is, things are not so black and white (usually, though there are exceptions to every rule). Exert caution when it comes to arguments and misunderstandings and really think about whether "winning" this argument is really going to make your life and yourself better in the end.
As for my diet, I have to be absolutely honest it has been virtually non existent and I've been indulging in a lot of unhealthy foods but I absolutely try to incorporate healthy foods and movement to my day as much as possible. I am however completely committed to getting my body back once baby comes and I have recovered from labor.
Well that's all for now my friends.
