Random Acts of Kindness

I got this message this evening on Tumblr: "Do something random. Take a picture of yourself right now. Don't go put on makeup, do your hair, or anything. Just take the picture and I hope you see how beautiful you are."

So I did :

I am always one that criticizes myself, over analyzes every little flaw, sees the imperfections in myself rather than what I like. But this was just another reminder that I shouldn't do that. I should love myself for who I am. Realize that I don't have to wear makeup when I go out to cover up my acne. Realize it is okay that I have gained some weight over these past 6 months. It is people like this anonymous person on Tumblr that sent me this message that honestly make the world a better place.

So I challenge you, to take a picture of yourself. No makeup. No hair done up. No clothes that make you look "skinnier". No angles that make you look "better". Because you are perfect the way you are.

4 years with my love

Thursday the 17th of January was Spence and my 4 year anniversary. This year was the first year we did not spend it together, but he came up this weekend to celebrate. Saturday we went out to dinner in Waynesville, NC to The Chef's Table. We have been there once before after we got engaged and the food is simply amazing! Not only is the food some of the best I have ever had, they have a huge selection of beer and wine. We ended up getting a bottle of red wine, which we never do, but we felt like being "fancy" because it is a special occasion.We then went back to my apartment and watched the movie "Ted" which neither of us had seen but it was hilarious. Horrible humor but definitely a good watch. Sunday we literally just had a lazy day watching movies all day and cooked breakfast and dinner together. So simple, but it was so perfect for the two of us!

On one hand I can't believe Spence and I have been together for 4 years. On the other hand it feels like so much longer. It is amazing how much we have grown up since we started dating, and how much we have grown together. When we first started dating I never thought I would fall so in love with him, to the point that he is the only person that knows everything about me. He is my best friend, my better half, and just being with him makes me a better person. He is the first person I talk to when I wake up. The last person I talk to before I go to sleep. He is the first person I call when something is wrong. The first person I call when I have good news. It is amazing how two so imperfect individuals can be so absolutely perfect for one another.

Weigh In Wednesday

You always here conflicting things, weigh yourself once a day, weigh yourself once a week, get rid of the scale and gauge your weight by your clothes. I have always been a girl (for as long as I can remember) that weighs herself multiple times a day. Multiple means anywhere from 3 to 10+. In my mind I know that your weight fluctuates throughout the day and that you are going to be heavier at the end of the day, after eating meals, after weight lifting, etc. but for some reason I still did it.

I read somewhere that Wednesday is the best day to weigh yourself because it is the middle of the week. I am not sure how true this holds, but I know I would rather gauge my weight on a Wednesday rather than a Monday after a weekend when I usually eat too much and drink alcohol. Maybe that is the reasoning behind weighing in on Wednesdays, maybe not. But I decided that I will do a "weigh in Wednesday" which will be the only time during the week that I weigh myself. All other days I hide my scale. Even though I know where it is, being out of sight helps me for some reason.

Some may be wondering why I don't get rid of the scale completely. Well, I probably should but there are a few reasons. One being when I don't weigh myself for long periods of time (i.e. 1 month) I always find that I gain weight in that time, usually around 6-10 pounds. This has happened every time I went for a month without weighing myself. Although some of you may think that is a good thing, and that weight doesn't matter (which to an extent it doesn't, as long as you are eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, etc.), it is a comfort thing for me. Also, this probably sounds completely ridiculous, but I like to know how much I weigh so that when I go to the gym I can plug in my weigh on the treadmill, elliptical, or bike. Although the calories burned are not completely accurate and neither would be my weight at that point in time, I would rather have a more accurate prediction on calories burned than not. I guess that is just a little quirk of mine.

So if anyone is a victim of the scale, but still wants to keep in check every once in a while, try a weigh in Wednesday. Other options would be weighing yourself every other week or once a month. If you are brave enough, get rid of the scale completely. I hope to get there one day, but right now, just weighing myself once a week will be the first step!

Full Body Workout

2013 is going to be my year. How? I am going to make it that way. 2013 is going to be the start of a happier and healthier me. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy with how my life is currently but I also know I do not take care of myself the way I should. I get stressed to easily. Do not exercise enough. My diet consists of mostly carbs. And even with eating mostly carbs and completely unhealthy I rarely make my daily recommended calorie limit. I have horrible sleeping habits. Drink too much caffeine and not enough water. But that is going to change this year and I will not have it any other way.

So today was day one of my exercise plan. Some of my resolutions this year included drinking 64oz of water a day (which I have managed to do so far) and exercise 5x per week. When I was visiting my parents I managed to exercise a couple of days (mostly consisting of Wii Fit or going on walks) but I also ate out every day. But that ends today. My plan is to do a full body workout Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and do light cardio Tuesday and Thursday. Weekends I can have off if I want, but it would be better to work out. However, I am not telling myself I have to work out 7 days a week because I don't want to be disappointed in myself if I do not make a 7 day work out.

So today I ran 3.04 miles outside. Not very fast but I am working up to my old pace again and aiming for longer runs. I am also going to try to run outside more rather than on the treadmill.

Side note: I absolutely love the Nike+ app.

Additionally, I did the following workouts. I am sure in the future I will mix it up a bit so that I am not doing the same exact thing every other day but for now it works for me.

Legs:
4x8 squats with 10 lbs dumbbells.
5 lunges each leg with 10 lbs dumbbell raised above head on one side in between each set of squats.
4x10 calf raises with 10 lbs dumbbells.
5 burpees in between each set of calf raises.
3x25 fire hydrants each leg.
4x8 inner thigh raises.

Arms:
2x10 dumbbell curls (10 lbs)
2x10 push presses (10 lbs)
2x10 tricep kickbacks (10 lbs)
2x10 push ups
2x10 tricep extensions (12.5 lbs)
2x10 butterflies (5 lbs)
2x10 front lateral raises (5 lbs)
2x10 side lateral raises (5 lbs)

Abs:
50 weighted side bends (20 lbs each side)
25 crunches
25 Indian style crunches
25 reverse crunches
25 scissors
50 side crunches (25 each side)
25 V-sit crunches
25 bicycles
25 reverse bicycles
25 hand supported V-sit crunches

So there it is. Here is to a happier and healthier me. Bring it on 2013!

Live Life as a Semicolon

I saw a picture of a girl with a tattoo of a semicolon on her wrist that covered her self harm scars. The caption said "A semicolon is used when a sentence could have been ended, but it wasn't." This got me thinking. I am assuming the girl got this regarding her self harm scars. A reminder that her life could have ended by suicide but it wasn't. A reminder that she is still here despite everything she has gone through.

Now a semicolon could refer to many things. A cancer survivor, a car accident, losing a loved one and thinking your world was going to end. Like a sentence, our lives eventually will end but there is hope that in a time where we think the end is near a "semicolon" comes along and gives us a second chance. A semicolon can be anyone or anything. Whether it is your significant other, God, a friend, a doctor, a song, a quote, or a long walk, your semicolon is there to keep you going when you think it is the end.

I have no idea who this girl is but if you happen to stumble upon my blog, I want you to know that I am proud of you. Proud of you for not giving up. And I am thankful for you, thankful that you are giving me a new outlook on life. Our lives don't have to end prematurely because of the circumstances we are in. We need to remember that there is always that semicolon that can keep us hanging long for a little bit longer and help us get through whatever we are currently facing.

So live life as a semicolon. Be a semicolon for someone else. Help them through the bad times and let them know that everything will be okay. Be a semicolon for yourself. Fight whatever you are going through and realize that your life does not have to end now. Just as this sentence does not have to end right now, neither does your life.

Original image found here.

2013

Every year I give myself New Year's resolutions but by the end of the year I always forget what they were. This year it is going to be different. There is a lot of things I need to work on as a person, a lot of areas I need to grow in, and I understand that is not going to happen all in one year, but 2013 is a start. I do not know how many blogs I have had. I always start one saying "this time I will keep up with it" and after a couple weeks I fall behind or it changes into a place for me to vent about things. I want this blog to be a positive place that I actually write about what is going on in my life. My predictions are that most of it will be about school, wedding planning, and health/exercise and I hope that since I set those topics in mind I will stick to them.

This year is going to be about making positive changes in my life and taking better care of myself. Anyone that knows me knows that I am extremely high strung and stress myself out over the smallest of things. I also know how bad stress is for me both physically and mentally and I hope to better be able to control my stress levels this year. I also want to take better care of my health. Drink more water, exercise more regularly, eat healthier, actually take my vitamins. Yes, mostly because I want to be in better shape for the wedding I am in this summer as well as preparing for my wedding next summer, but I also know I will feel better and it is just better for me as a young, healthy person to engage in those behaviors.

I also want to be more grateful, thankful, and strengthen my faith this year. After these past couple weeks with my uncle being in the hospital and myself getting into a car accident I once again realized how much I have drifted from my faith and how much I really need it in my life. I don't know exactly how I am going to approach this, whether it be praying more, going to church more regularly, or starting to read the bible again, but I will figure it out. I know strengthening my faith will make me more whole.

Well I guess this is a good entry for now. Hopefully I will stick to this blog, even if I am the only one who ever reads it.