Category Archives: Self Improvement

The Chunky Dunker’s Club, Week 6

Good evening!

Welcome to week 6, of the Chunky Dunker’s Club!!! Can you believe it has been Six weeks already??

Every week I post a new Chunky Dunker’s article ever Wednesday evening, and you have the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! We will discuss hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!!

Tonight’s topic: Staying with the Program When the Program Gets Tough

We are at six weeks in our get fit journey, and I don’t know about you, but there have been a few times that I want to throw in the towel. WHY? I don’t know, there are lots of reason at different times:

  • I’m tired
  • What’s the point?
  • This is taking so much time
  • The weight isn’t coming off fast enough
  • This is too hard
  • Blah! Blah! Blah!

Have you dealt with any of this yet?? Or is it just me? I thought tonight would be a good time to talk about this. To get this out in the open so that we can push through this sixth week so we can keep going on our journey to get fit. How can we make the lulls easier??

  • Get support, reach out and talk to someone who will genuinely cheer you on and help motivate you to keep going!
  • Do at least one thing that you didn’t think you could do before. Once you accomplish that task it will empower you to keep going!
  • Change it up! Is the reason you are wanting to quit because you are bored? Try a new activity, recipe, or something that you have been wanting to do but haven’t taken the time to do yet!
  • Look at the “old you” versus the “new you”. For example, the old me would have eaten that whole box of cookies in one sitting, changes to, the new me was able to eat just two cookies, and walked away.
  • Find something fun to do as exercise, so you trick yourself into burning more calories. For example, tomorrow night I am starting a belly dancing class, something fun, but something that will also get me moving!!
  • Remember why you wanted to get fit in the first place. Me wanting to be able to walk all over Paris without getting tired is great motivation for me to keep going!

What are your thoughts on sticking through to your journey of fitness? Have you had any inclinations of quitting, or giving up? What were some of your reason? Do you have any ideas to add to help the group keep on keeping on?

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts and how all of you are doing. If there is anyone new who has just stumbled onto this blog, feel free to join the discussion in the comments section. This is not a closed group – the more the merrier!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Wednesday Reminder!

Good morning!

Here is your friendly reminder that it is Wednesday!! Trust me, this is the week that I really need a reminder of what day it is today!! I thought I would share just a few pics from my nature walk last night! It is trying so hard to be Spring here, but it is unfortunately, it is still really cold, and there is snow in the forecast for later this week, so I am not sure what all that craziness is about!

Spring I am sooooo ready for you to get here! Sunshine, warmth, everything in bloom, you coy sexy thing!!!  😉

Oh, and before I forget! A reminder that tonight is the meeting of the Chunky Dunker’s Club!! I will try and have our post up by 6:30 this evening, then the comments section will be open for all of your discussions! I can’t wait to hear how everything is going!!! I will see you this evening!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉

A Day of New Labels!

Good evening!

I tried posting this morning, but alas, my other PC was misbehaving!! So, let’s try this again!

This morning after doing my morning pages, I realized that I live my life with all of these labels all over myself that I either have given to myself, or I have let other people put on me. Labels like nerd, dork, chicken, unworthy, fat, etc.

So, today I decided to create new labels for myself. Empowering labels like,

  • Spiritual
  • Creative
  • Healthy
  • Photographer
  • Writer
  • Traveler
  • Entrepreneur

When I hear these new labels they get me excited about the possibilities of what can be, and they feel like they are true to the authentic me. I think that is a HUGE step in my journey to create myself, and all that “Self” entails!!!

What labels have you given yourself? What labels have you let others give you? If you can re-label yourself with any labels you wanted what would they be. Please let me know in the comment section above, I would love to hear your thoughts!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!!

A Great Ending!

Good evening!

This is going to be, yes you guessed it another short post! I just wanted to let you know that I have had a GREAT ending to kind of a not so hot day!!! I got to spend some time catching up with my soul-sistah from Arizona, Alex!!! Alex reminds me to live, laugh, and love life to the fullest!!! She is probably one of the bravest people I know, always marching to the beat of her own drummer! Something that I strive to learn how to be brave enough to do on my own!! She inspires me more than she may ever know. Thank you, Sissy!! 😉 You have made my night!!!

To all the rest of you…

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

A New Morning!

Good morning!

I must confess I had a bit of a rough Sunday, and a bad night trying to sleep. Now I find that I am grumpy. Hrmph! Ok, so this is not like my normal happy-go-lucky self, but I am just acknowledging the feeling so that I can get on with my day!! I am hoping that it will be sunny today! I could really use some sunshine! I am also thinking that a walk through Bush Park might be pretty cool too!!! Think calm, oasis, peace, balance!! Aaaaaah!! Ok, that is much better!!

I have a lot that I want to get done today!! Both at the office and at home today. I have to make a list of all of the projects that are half completed, or not even started and that are causing me anxiety. Then I have to decide if they get to stay on the list, or if I am going to let them go. If they stay on the list, then I have to start actively working on getting each one crossed off!! Life is just too short to have nagging things going on in your home! Your home should be the place that rises up to greet you when you come in from the sometimes overstimulating outside world! That is my goal.

OASIS! HAVEN! SANCTUARY! HOME!!

I am not going to take too long to dwell on this, this morning! I just wanted to throw it out there, so I do not forget! and to really change my perception about this morning, and I think it worked! I feel much better now!

I spent an hour this morning, doing my third day of Morning Pages, from the book “The Artist’s Way”. I think that this activity is going to be a life changer. The practice of doing this seems to help clear my head from all of the nonsensical chatter, and helps me see and hear what it is I want to most be/do/have. It just sweeps out all of the miscellaneous nonsense that I have been letting hold me back.  All of the excuses, time wasters, and whining. It shows me that it is time to put my big-girl panties on and get to work on creating the life that I want, while also living with my eyes wide open to see all of the blessings that are happening all around me, right her, right now! That is an AWESOME gift!!

Alright, I have to zip off to work now if I want a good parking spot – so I am on my way!!!

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉

Sunday Evening Update!

Good evening!

Ok, so I realize this morning I said it was Saturday – WHOOPSIE!! That was just wishful thinking on my part, I am sure!!!

Jason threw his back out today, so all of my semi-grandiose plans changed to just minor, stay-at-home kind of plans, which has still been pretty good!! I have spent some time working on editing the pics for my Look Book. It is going to take me much longer than just one day, but I am soooooo excited to see it when it is finished!! I promise I will take pics and post them when I am done!

That is it, I got nothin’! I think my brain has taken a mini vacation! So until tomorrow…

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

 

 

Saturday of Fashion!

Good morning!

Today, it is time to get creative!!!

I am spending my Saturday morning putting together my own personal fashion, Look Book!! This is a 3 ring notebook of pics of all sorts of things about fashion. Clothing, outfits, hair, makeup, shoes, accessories – all sorts of pics that I hope will inspire and influence my own personal sense of style. So, I am set up with scissors, rubber cement, tons of white cardstock, and over a year’s worth of collected pictures, and cutouts from various fashion magazines!!! I have been collecting them for so long, and the stack was getting precariously high, that I figured I had better do something about getting them put into my look book, or else the whole stack was going to end up in the rubbish bin because I am sick of it all sitting there and not being used. The very thought made me feel ill, so here I am dealing with the seemingly never ending stack by putting it to good use!!!

I will place them into a three-ring notebook organized by tabs:

  1. Outfits – maybe Day, Work, Evening, Formal???
  2. Clothing
  3. Shoes
  4. Jewelry
  5. Other Accessories
  6. Lingerie
  7. Outerwear
  8. Hair/Makeup/Nails/Skin Care

I am not sure what else, this is a living work in progress!! So, once I am finished it might look COMPLETELY different then what I envision now! I will keep you posted! When I am finished I will make sure to post some pics so you can see too!! 🙂

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉

The Chocolatier Is In!

Good evening!

This is going to be a nice and quick post! My sweetie is busy in the kitchen filling our home with the smell of chocolatey goodness! I took a quick peek, and what I saw made my mouth water!!! 😉 Our counters are covered with chocolate covered strawberries, haystacks galore, and a new invention that he dreamed up tonight, which doesn’t have a name yet. They look like haystacks, but they are dollops of crushed pretzels, chopped walnuts, and rich dark chocolate in the cutest little white paper cups – very creative, my love!! I can’t wait to taste one of your delectable homemade treats!! 😉

Anyway, just to give you an update on what I did today…well, nothing too exciting! I spent most of the day by myself, which was kind of a nice change from the norm! I hit St Vincent de Paul’s to check out their book selection, and of course I walked away with 3 books, but one of them is a gift, so I don’t feel too badly about that! Besides they totalled exactly $3.50 – so there you go!!

Next, I headed over to the craft store, which was ABSOLUTELY SWAMPED!!! There were people doing craft classes, and demos in almost every department, but I still managed to spend at least an hour toodling around, looking for inspiration and ideas, and I am very proud to say that I got out of there empty handed – thank you very much – that took the will of a saint!!! 😉

Afterwards, I met Jason for a very late lunch at one of our favorite little restaurants, and have spent the rest of the afternoon at home, watching a couple episodes of Bones, and spending time together just the two of us and our two little girls hanging out! Now he is busy creating all kinds of goodies out in the kitchen! Well, I am going to have to do some extra working out to keep on track with my fitness plan, but don’t you worry! I will behave!!

As for you…

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunkers: This is a good time to say that you don’t have to give up all of your favorites to get fit and healthy. Just remember to enjoy your favorites in moderation. It is all about balance!! GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!! 😉

A Productive Morning!

Good morning!

Whew! This morning has been VERY productive!!! Last evening, I had purchase a book called “The Artist’s Way Morning Pages Journal” by Julia Cameron. Well, you can go read for yourself what that is, but basically it a guided journal that instructs you to tap into your inner-self by writing 3 pages of your thoughts first thing every morning!! For someone like me who seems to constantly be writing, that was a lot harder than I could have imagined!!! You are not supposed to “cheat” and type out the words, you are supposed to be engaging your whole self while you are being tactile with paper, pen, and writing your thoughts out long hand. Well, about a page and half into my writing this morning I was dealing with some serious writer’s cramp!!! All of my years of computer programming is catching up with me because my carpel tunnel is apparently just out of control! However, what came out on paper, kind of surprised me, and I can see how doing this exercise every morning, for the prescribed 12 weeks, could be VERY eye opening to what is going on inside of you. So, when I finished my third page, I had this strange sense of calmness, relief, and accomplishment. When I was finished I reread everything I had just spent the last hour writing, and I am not sure I would call it writing, but it is definitely a true representation of how my brain thinks, and my mind wanders from one topic of conversation to another. I think this Julia Cameron knows what she is doing, and I can’t wait to see what I discover about myself in the coming weeks!! I will keep you posted!!! 😉

Next on my self-appointed to-do list this morning was to get my taxes filed, both federal and state. Check and Check!! This was a lot more time consuming and more expensive than I was expecting, but it is done, and they are submitted, AND I am getting a nice return – WHOO! HOO! But, not that it is done, I am feeling very much at peace. I think balance might be something that may just be achievable!!

Next on my list is take Jason over to his truck, which is at his sister’s place, so he can go get some work done, and then I am going to take myself for a walk, and maybe watch a movie with the kiddos! We will see, I heard that they hadn’t watched Tangled yet, and now that Uncle Jay-Jay has bought it for me, and I LOVE IT, I thought it might be fun to share it with them!!! TOO FUN!!!

That is it for my plans today, but I know that after Jason is done working, we are talking about going out on a date! That should be fun!!! I may have to call our friends Dawn, and Erin and see if they are up for a get together!!! So, we will see where the rest of today leads us!!

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉

A Thought Provoking Quote!

Good morning!

I stumbled upon this quote this morning…

“The one piece of advice I can give you is, do what turns you on. Do something that if you had all the money in the world,you’d still be doing it. You’ve got to have a reason to jump out of bed in the morning.”
~Warren Buffett

This quote has got me really thinking! What would I be doing if I had all the money in the world? Gosh, I think I KNOW who I am, but why is this such a hard question for me to answer?? 

I love:
∙         Blogging
∙         Antiquing/Treasure Hunting/Shopping
∙         Decorating
∙         All things photography
∙         Fashion
∙         Magazines – but this might tie back into my love of photographs???
∙         The idea of traveling

I would be in ABSOLUTE HEAVEN if there was a way that I could combine all of these things into my life/career!! DIVINE!!! Let me know if this triggers any ideas!! 😉

What would your answer be? What would you do if you had all the money in the world??? I am curious!

Have a FABULOUS morning!
~Christina