Motivation & Inspiration: The Journey To A Healthier You Experiment

The transition from "eating pretty well" to "consciously seeking optimal health" is what I have learned to consider an extremely creative process.  The transition has been incredibly crucial for me considering the circumstances I'm in and since I've adopted that mindset, it's been an enjoyable process as well. 

Now, let's rewind just a little bit and talk about the circumstances: 

A.  I've struggled with the symptoms of PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome for over 7 years. Notice I say symptoms because I have never been diagnosed. I've had several health professionals tell me (off the record) that PCOS is what I've been dealing with but no official diagnosis. Why? With an official diagnosis comes medication and I've taking that route before and am still in the same space. So, I've decided to try something else. 

B.  I am like any other girl. Sure, I'd like to get back into my cute size 2 dresses in the front of my closet. It would be cool to have Michelle Obama arms but I don't loathe myself one bit. I don't look in the mirror and think, "Gosh, I'm so fat and I need to lose the weight asap." I was that way at one point so I know the difference in how I felt then and how I feel know. I've realized that looks really aren't a motivator for me anymore because I like me the way I am now. 

C.  However, I'm a cheapskate. Because I know I need to lose the weight, I don't want to buy clothes that fit me now because they'll be a waste a couple months down the road because I won't be able to use them. So I get upset when it's time to get ready for church and I have nothing that fits. It's an awful cycle but I can't help it! :)

So I've decided that there are so many avenues that I can take on my own to fix every symptom at it's core. It's been an incredibly introspective experience that has given me strength, courage, and wisdom :)

So as long as I'm alive and kicking, I'll always be searching for ways to achieve optimal health. In this case, it's truly isn't about reaching a goal but about enjoying the journey. 

Hair-ful Expectations

                                          

Ever since I made a conscious decision to start laying off the heat and experiment with more natural styles in April 2010, I've been having a ball learning what my hair can do. This natural hair movement is great because it's given me the courage to wear an afro and not look totally strange because everyone else is doing it too! I was feeling kind of  insecure about wearing an afro even just last summer. Big hair is a bit daunting. But hey,  it's a journey. It's takes a while to to see something as beautiful when for so long, you've been trained to believe it wasn't acceptable, beautiful, professional, etc. But Thank God for a new mindset and a new movement!  There is strength in numbers :) This look was a twist out that I really loved. I did it on wet hair hence the shrinkage. I don't believe I used any products either.  I also was playing with my purple cream eye liner which was fun! :)

Attitude of Gratitude: Matthew 21:22.

I have chills. The magnitude of God is overwhelming. He sits so high but reaches down so low. He takes care of His children. If you were to ask me to list some of my absolute favorite things that I own, my iPod would would be #3 on that list: my car, my computer and then my iPod. Those three things were gifts from God to make life a lot easier to handle and I don't take them for granted. I lost my iPod two weeks ago and have been feeling out of sorts since then. I felt as if I'd been walking out of the house every day without underwear. 

Even up to a couple hours ago, I was whining to God about the fact that I had no idea where it was. Funny thing was that I had the TV on the OWN channel. Oprah was talking about how much she loved her iPad and how she really wanted it as a part of her favorite things. When Apple said no to the donation of 320 iPads, she was really disappointed but she opted not to pray about it because she didn't want to bother God with something so minute in the grand scheme of life (I'm paraphrasing). When she ended up getting the Apple iPad donation, she felt as if God had given her the okay. I thought that was sweet so I decided to let go my complaints about the iPod. I do believe God cares about the little things but I also believe He is all-knowing and doesn't need me reminding Him every 5 minutes. 

Last night, I was doing laundry. I decided to start with laundry I didn't finish from last week that was at the bottom of the laundry basket. As usual, I started the washer with the detergent and Fabuloso and proceeded to drop clothes in. I wasn't checking pockets for some strange reason. I just fixed my eyes on the darks and worked on getting them in the washer. As I was putting a pair of swishy gym pants in the wash, something heavy in the pants clanked against the washer. At that moment, I let out an audible "Thank you, God!" He KNEW I would've been incredibly angry with myself for washing/ruining my own iPod that was in the dirty clothes the entire time. I'm just so incredibly grateful. Part of the pant leg was already in the washer. I could've easily thrown the entire garment in the washer with perfect aim so that the iPod wouldn't have hit the side. Geez! I'm so grateful. Thank you, God! It's the little things He does that really make me fall more and more in love. He's just so incredibly thoughtful *sigh*!