About setting goals and self-limiting beliefs:

You guys, I get a little squirrelly when it comes to goals.  This is a little weird, because for most of my life I’ve been considered a high achiever, but things like degrees and academics and even keeping the house organized come pretty easy to me.  These last few months I’ve been working on two things that really challenge me - losing weight, and building a business.  

Everyone knows losing weight is hard.  I’ve been working hard at it - but I’ve also been hedging my bets and refusing to set a timeline.  Ostensibly this is because my body doesn’t always respond the way I want it to in the time frame that I want - but if I dig a little deeper, it’s because I’m giving myself permission not to go all in.  To skip tracking my food for a few days.  To eat those couple of Oreos.  Because what happens if I don’t meet the goal in the timeline I set?  That’s where things get really deep here - I am NOT a person who doesn’t meet goals, I’m a high achiever.  

This is a self-limiting belief and IT IS HOLDING ME BACK.  So I’m going to go out on a limb right now and publicly do something that makes me really uncomfortable.  I’m going to set a weight loss goal.  An additional 20 lbs before the Warrior Dash on September 15.  It’s a totally doable and reasonable goal but if I don’t work at it it won’t happen - so I’m saying it with all of you as my witnesses.  No squirrels.  Just hard work.  

Do you have self limiting beliefs that are keeping you from making progress with your health goals?  Let’s talk.  We can work on this together

#goingallin #gotgoals #autismmom #autismworld #loveyourbodyagain #skinnyninjapants 

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Mostly Ordinary

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Menopause, and finding your fit.

Most women get to menopause sometime in their late 50's...if they are lucky, even their mid 60's. My menopause journey began at 45. 

Two years ago, I had massive health issues, I had days when it was all I could do to walk up my stairs, exhausted, and constantly in pain, with terrible IBS issues. A first search found large fibroids bursting, and a further search found a tumor in my ovary, the bad kind. I had a full hysterectomy, and I was actually so excited, because I thought I would get my health back.

But then a whole different set of problems began, and I was thrown into full menopause at 46. I didn't even know who I was. I was unrecognizable to myself. Tired, angry, flashes of rage, crying for no reason, hot flashes, insomnia and so overwhelmed. I went to my Dr. for hormones, and instead she prescribed an antidepressant. I was shocked, I was like " I'm not crazy, I don't need that!" Terrified of the stigma. but within a week of taking it, my symptoms started to get better, and in a month, I recognized myself again, and I understood that about half of what I was experiencing was more related to depression from the actual symptoms. Taking the pills allowed me to overcome the depression. It was only then, that I began to be able to fix my health issues.

But I still found that what I had done before menopause to lose weight was useless now. I found an incredible program called 2Bmindset. It taught me to change how I ate to reflect the metabolism I had now. It told me not just what I needed to eat, but when and why ( like no carbs at night...because I don't need energy then), and slowly my lbs started coming off. Everyone around me started knowing the phrases #waterfirst and #veggiesmost, as that became the cornerstone of my diet. Don't worry, I didn't have to become a vegetarian, I just changed what my plate looked like.  I'm not on a diet, and I'm never left hungry. Then I added weight training, and cardio, and upped my yoga game. 

Some days, my eating is perfect, my workout is on point, and I get lots of sleep...and the scale barely moves. Some days, I have chocolate, and bread, and wine...and the scale barely moves. I never lose 5 lbs in a week, or 20 lbs in a month. But I do keep moving forward, bit by bit, fitting in to old clothes again, seeing the scale go down, seeing the inches disappear. 

I've lost weight faster before, but it always comes back, because I'm impatient, and I'm doing things that ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE. I'm going slow and steady now, taking off the 1-2 lbs a week. Sometimes I gain a little back, because I'm building muscle, but my measuring tape shows me I'm still losing inches. I love how strong I am now, and much I've learned about myself and my body.

I'm 20 lbs down from last October, when I first started getting my act back together, but I've really seen the changes in my body from March 24th through now. It took finding the right plan for the body I have now. 

If you would like more information about the program I'm using, just leave a comment. 

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Flowers and Weeds

Sometimes, I feel sorry for those that live around me.  Not because I have kids who like to play outside with their outside voices, or dogs who keep the yard squirrel-free, or chickens who will proudly announce the arrival of a freshly laid egg with a loud chicken squawk!  All of those bring me great joy!  I am that neighbor who's home is tucked in-between those with the perfectly manicured yards, but has all the weeds.  If you saw my yard, it might surprise you to know I love gardening.  I love growing vegetables and eating the bounty of the good earth.  I love studying the blossoms of fragrant roses.  I find weeding oddly therapeutic.
Despite all this, I have a yard that likely embarrasses the neighbors and possibly drives down home prices on my block.  The beauty of my yard is in small sections.  One rose bush in bloom, one planter that is overflowing with herbs, one peony that is drooping over from the weight of pink flowers.  I would love to have that perfectly manicured yard free of weeds, dead patches of lawn and flowers arranged perfectly.  Instead I have grass growing in the flower garden, arugula growing in the driveway, weeds coming up from the rocks and chicken-wire around the vegetable garden to keep the bunnies away.
Tending to my yard is a lot to tending to myself.  I have big dreams for who I should be and what I should be doing.  And in my quest to try to make it all happen, I also have a lot of weeds in my life.  I realize that my quest and goals might be too big.  I will likely never be as educated on current events as I hope, I will run late, my laundry will never be done, and I will miss some swim meets that my children are competing in.  I will eat junk food, sleep less than 8 hours a night, forget birthdays and skip workouts.  With all my weeds, I still have some great beauty in my life.  In my quest for the perfectly manicured lawn, I learning to not to be too disappointed in the weeds.    

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No one can do it alone...at least I couldn't.

Someone asked me the other day what my plan was when I hit my weight loss goals. I think I said something flip about shopping. But my real plan, the vulnerable one? To start seeing what everyone else sees now. To look in the mirror and see what I have achieved, instead of that old body that I left behind, the one I hated, the one that I called names, and treated crappy, and that wasn't happy. That is happening bit by bit, every day! But it never would have happened without them.

These are the women that keep me moving forward, the reason that I'm succeeding this time, when I've always backslid before. The people who hold me accountable, give me advice, share recipes, give me tough love when I'm making excuses, and share my journey. We are all at different places physically, and even in many different places geographically, but I'm so glad I don't have to do this without them.

These are the women that gave me the confidence to have the goal of helping others feel this amazing, and give me the courage to know I can help, even though I'm still working towards where I want to be.

Do you have a success group? If not, do you want to share mine? 

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The Law of Abundance – learning to receive

Most of us think of abundance, in terms of money. Growing up poor, and in some scary situations, I certainly only saw abundance as having everything you needed materially. I thought that would make me safe, happy, accepted. But as I achieved those things, I realized that once I had plenty to survive, those things alone did not make me happy. 

 My problem was that I was not emotionally open to receiving real abundance. So much of what had happened in my childhood made me suppress my aliveness, use self defense mechanisms, play it safe, and close myself off. 

Shame blocks us from seeing and honoring our true feelings. It creates an inner contraction that prevents us from accepting ourselves as we are. But it also isolates us, and cuts us off from the things we really most desire; peace, love, enthusiasm, forgiveness, acceptance, happiness, friendships, health and joy.

Long ago, my therapist helped ton, when she explained it like this:

The sun is the ultimate symbol of Abundance. It is a light that is forever shining, in all directions at all times. It illuminates everything, bringing clarity. It’s inexhaustible light gives life. There is nothing that any of us need to do to “earn” this light. It simply shines on us.

As I grew and healed, I came to realize that abundance is all around us, if we can open up and accept it, and I learned that the times when your fear and insecurity or self doubt will come up and you will want to push everything away...but that is when you need to tap into that abundance the most. Abundance is a feeling. It's something that is already there that just needs to be tapped into. Abundance is gratitude and seeing the richness in every moment. 

Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities.  True abundance of mind, body and spirit came for me only when I leaned that abundance was accepting all that I had already been given...and embracing it. 

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Beating My Carb Cravings

So, I got home from a really intense workout a while ago, which I can't really fuel for before...because it was 108 degrees in there today, and I would puke! Like seriously, I didn't know your hands and the tops of your feet could sweat. I felt like I was in Kansas in July again. This is me even 5 minutes later.

Even though I worked off 800 calories, it is super easy to undo all the good and even take in extra calories when you are that hungry and tired. I get home starving! If I don't have something ready for me, I will just start shoving random carbs in my mouth and not stop until I'm full.

It is Sunday, the end of my week, schedule wise, and I was out of all my usual prepped stuff. I found this bag of Alexa cauliflower risotto in my freezer ( which I don't even remember buying), next to a box of chicken patties, and I nuked the cauliflower while I cooked the burger, and then just tossed in veggies from the fridge drawer; spinach, arugula, shallots and tomato, and added random fresh herbs and pantry spices, and tossed just a bit of feta on it. I'll skip the feta next time, as it was a little salty.

You guys, it is soooooooooo good! Like as comfort foody as a bowl of pasta. The cauliflower is cut bigger than most of the pre-prepped stuff, and so it has a real chew to it, kind of like brown rice.

80 calories a serving...only 240 if you can't stop and just snarf the whole bag. I was stuffed about halfway through, and I had less than 300 calories. That means I'm still down 500 from the workout. WIN WIN all around!

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Don't Overthink It.

Hi, I'm Nina.  I'm a wife, a mom, a librarian, an avid reader, a foodie...but nutrition is super important, and I love Colorado and the outdoors.

I used to overthink everything. I questioned myself, and second guessed myself and generally gave myself major anxiety that was totally unnecessary. I still do it, but not nearly as bad as I used to.

One day my yoga instructor gave me a simple and beautiful affirmation:

Stop over-complicating everything! 
If you need love, be the love, if you need light, be the light
If you are hungry, eat, if you are tired, sleep.
liberate yourself from overthinking everything.

This is going to be a blog about the things I love and the people I love..basically about the things that interest me and happen to me, and about not overthinking it. 

Because of that, it may not always be perfectly edited, it might be rambly and boring, but it also might contain shreds of wisdom and humor that help you through your life being a Super Lit Mom! 

I know several other Fit Lit Moms, and they will be joining me to share their lives and knowledge and humor and experiences with us here also. 

What is a Fit Lit mom, you ask? No clue, but that's what our kids say we are. 

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