Bre - 2 Weeks
Friday, May 4, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Stage Fright
I made a promise to the followers of this blog and Facebook page that I would be as real and transparent as I can, and I feel like a little dose of reality is needed right now. This last few days has been tough for me, it's been almost four months since I started my journey and I feel like I've made some good progress but then again I feel like I haven't progressed enough. We're 11 weeks out from the WBFF show, and maybe to some that sounds like a lot of time but it frankly scares the shit out of me. I'm absolutely terrified to get up on that stage and make a fool of myself. I know the caliber of competitor that will be there from the pictures and videos I've seen and it's intimidating to say the least. I have absolutely no intentions on winning or even placing, but I am so scared that I'll stick out like a sore thumb.
I have lost weight consistently the whole time and have worked out religiously since I started. I just can't shake the feeling that it's not enough, that I can be doing more. I am having a difficult time figuring out where to draw the line between a healthy amount of dedication and an unhealthy obsession. I know I need to do this the right way; I absolutely refuse to come out on the other side of this competition with a damaged metabolism and a workout schedule and lifestyle that's not maintainable. As I struggle with this conflict I know that I just need to keep going and keep doing exactly what I'm doing, it's worked for me this far and it's something that I can adapt into a comfortable level of maintenance when I'm done. I guess I just need to be ok with being less than perfect when I get on stage if it means that I get there with brain and body intact.
When I started this process I had a few people tell me how unhealthy it was, I didn't understand it then but I understand now how someone could let it get unhealthy. Excercising relentlessly and undereating on a consistent basis for a long time can wreak havoc on your hormones. Some girls even take drugs to speed things up and to get that stage perfect figure.
I will not beat myself up anymore. I am working as hard as I can without entering into the realm of over training or obsessive behaviour. My body is adapting and changing nicely, maybe not as quickly as I would like but this is the way it needs to happen in order to save my sanity and my normal physiological functions. I am making a commitment to myself that I will continue to do this the right way. When I get on stage I want people to see the REAL me. I want to show people what you can attain by making healthy lifestyle changes, and if that isn't what it takes to place high in the competition so fucking be it.
I need to do right by my body, my mind, my trainer, my friends, my family, and every girl that is paying attention to my progress. I am making a promise to stay strong, stay healthy, stay focused, and not give in to the notion that I need to be walking perfection when I get on stage. I refuse to let this be a negative experience for me, I'm going to have fun and enjoy the process and if the judges put me in very last place I'm ok with that. I promise you all that when you see me on stage it will be something that every single one of you can attain. No insane diets, no working out for four hours a day, just a chick that stayed commited to her program and put every ounce of effort into it. I started this with the intention on staying true to myself, it's time I get my head on straight and represent who I am.
See you on stage.
Meg
xoxoxoxo
I have lost weight consistently the whole time and have worked out religiously since I started. I just can't shake the feeling that it's not enough, that I can be doing more. I am having a difficult time figuring out where to draw the line between a healthy amount of dedication and an unhealthy obsession. I know I need to do this the right way; I absolutely refuse to come out on the other side of this competition with a damaged metabolism and a workout schedule and lifestyle that's not maintainable. As I struggle with this conflict I know that I just need to keep going and keep doing exactly what I'm doing, it's worked for me this far and it's something that I can adapt into a comfortable level of maintenance when I'm done. I guess I just need to be ok with being less than perfect when I get on stage if it means that I get there with brain and body intact.
When I started this process I had a few people tell me how unhealthy it was, I didn't understand it then but I understand now how someone could let it get unhealthy. Excercising relentlessly and undereating on a consistent basis for a long time can wreak havoc on your hormones. Some girls even take drugs to speed things up and to get that stage perfect figure.
I will not beat myself up anymore. I am working as hard as I can without entering into the realm of over training or obsessive behaviour. My body is adapting and changing nicely, maybe not as quickly as I would like but this is the way it needs to happen in order to save my sanity and my normal physiological functions. I am making a commitment to myself that I will continue to do this the right way. When I get on stage I want people to see the REAL me. I want to show people what you can attain by making healthy lifestyle changes, and if that isn't what it takes to place high in the competition so fucking be it.
I need to do right by my body, my mind, my trainer, my friends, my family, and every girl that is paying attention to my progress. I am making a promise to stay strong, stay healthy, stay focused, and not give in to the notion that I need to be walking perfection when I get on stage. I refuse to let this be a negative experience for me, I'm going to have fun and enjoy the process and if the judges put me in very last place I'm ok with that. I promise you all that when you see me on stage it will be something that every single one of you can attain. No insane diets, no working out for four hours a day, just a chick that stayed commited to her program and put every ounce of effort into it. I started this with the intention on staying true to myself, it's time I get my head on straight and represent who I am.
See you on stage.
Meg
xoxoxoxo
Friday, April 13, 2012
Love is a Choice
I want to talk a little bit about something I've recently discovered a few years into my marriage. We all have an idea of what love should look like, from the feeling that you get when they walk in the room to the way that you argue. What I've discovered is that love isn't so much a feeling, love is an action. In the beginning it's easy to love someone; when a relationship is new you're infatuated with that person. Everything is exciting and fresh, both of you are trying to please and impress each other so rarely is there a disagreement. This is the famous 'honeymoon' phase where everything is kittens and rainbows and sex in your car. There's nothing like it, I remember getting ready for those first few dates with my husband; getting dressed to the nines and pulling out the nice panties. Who doesn't love new relationships?
As the months and years go by, those heart racing moments grow a little further apart and arguments slowly start to creep in. There are moments when you feel that rush of love-induced euphoria but it's not quite the same. Is that a bad thing? Why is it that when these feelings of intense infatuation start to dwindle many of us jump ship and move on to the next new and exciting partner? I think we can all relate to that pattern, many of us have probably done it once or twice ourselves or at least know someone who does.
The tricky part about the honeymoon phase of a relationship is that it typically lasts two years, and in that two years a lot can happen. People get married in the honeymoon phase (I did), they buy homes, they have children. This can make it particularly difficult to deal with once the love-high wears off and things start to get a little mundane. I honestly think that's one of the major reasons our divorce rate is so high, we're so excited and eager to spend our lives with people we really don't know yet. That and people settle, compromise, and fall into convenient ruts in their relationships, but I digress.
When the honeymoon phase is over, in order to make your relationship successful you need to make conscious decisions to act in a way that reflects your love for that person. Love isn't a feeling that exists without constant care and attention, the minute you stop paying attention to it, it deteriorates and eventually disappears. Love is the little things you do for one another; the favorite candy you pick up at the grocery store, the text message that says 'I love you'. We need to keep our relationships in mind, especially when our lives get busy with children, work, and other endeavors. I think that we all make the mistake of believing that we can go about our lives without maintaining our relationships and they'll just be there when we decide to pay attention to them. The sad reality is by the time you realize your relationship has deteriorated it might be too late to put things back together.
Keep your spouse in your heart and mind at all times, do the littlest things to reflect your feelings for them, even when you don't want to. Take a moment to remind yourself of why you love them and act in a way that lets them know you remember. Your family and your home exist BECAUSE of your love for your partner, you both are the catalyst that started it all. Don't let your relationship fall by the wayside because life gets busy. Your union is the foundation that everything else is built upon, when the foundation starts to crumble everything comes down with it. You are doing your children, yourself, and your family a great disservice by neglecting your relationship. Things won't get better on their own, but they might after you give your spouse the thought and attention that your life partner deserves. Love is an action. Sometimes you need to work harder to maintain it, but the reward is unconditional. People who have successful relationships didn't just happen to find the right mate, they act out of love and work at it every day.
Meg
As the months and years go by, those heart racing moments grow a little further apart and arguments slowly start to creep in. There are moments when you feel that rush of love-induced euphoria but it's not quite the same. Is that a bad thing? Why is it that when these feelings of intense infatuation start to dwindle many of us jump ship and move on to the next new and exciting partner? I think we can all relate to that pattern, many of us have probably done it once or twice ourselves or at least know someone who does.
The tricky part about the honeymoon phase of a relationship is that it typically lasts two years, and in that two years a lot can happen. People get married in the honeymoon phase (I did), they buy homes, they have children. This can make it particularly difficult to deal with once the love-high wears off and things start to get a little mundane. I honestly think that's one of the major reasons our divorce rate is so high, we're so excited and eager to spend our lives with people we really don't know yet. That and people settle, compromise, and fall into convenient ruts in their relationships, but I digress.
When the honeymoon phase is over, in order to make your relationship successful you need to make conscious decisions to act in a way that reflects your love for that person. Love isn't a feeling that exists without constant care and attention, the minute you stop paying attention to it, it deteriorates and eventually disappears. Love is the little things you do for one another; the favorite candy you pick up at the grocery store, the text message that says 'I love you'. We need to keep our relationships in mind, especially when our lives get busy with children, work, and other endeavors. I think that we all make the mistake of believing that we can go about our lives without maintaining our relationships and they'll just be there when we decide to pay attention to them. The sad reality is by the time you realize your relationship has deteriorated it might be too late to put things back together.
Keep your spouse in your heart and mind at all times, do the littlest things to reflect your feelings for them, even when you don't want to. Take a moment to remind yourself of why you love them and act in a way that lets them know you remember. Your family and your home exist BECAUSE of your love for your partner, you both are the catalyst that started it all. Don't let your relationship fall by the wayside because life gets busy. Your union is the foundation that everything else is built upon, when the foundation starts to crumble everything comes down with it. You are doing your children, yourself, and your family a great disservice by neglecting your relationship. Things won't get better on their own, but they might after you give your spouse the thought and attention that your life partner deserves. Love is an action. Sometimes you need to work harder to maintain it, but the reward is unconditional. People who have successful relationships didn't just happen to find the right mate, they act out of love and work at it every day.
Meg
Friday, April 6, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The Real Secret
I want you to think about something. We’ve all heard of ‘The Secret’ and the power of positive thinking. We know that the mind is a very powerful thing and that it has a tremendous impact on our physical reality. The problem that I’ve always had with the ‘if you believe it, it will happen’ theory is that it’s proven wrong time and time again. Sure there are instances where it definitely happens; you think about creating enough money to renovate your kitchen and you get a nice big tax return that you weren’t expecting, or you concentrate daily on getting a new car and lo and behold you get a raise at work. Those things happen, but how many times have you hoped and begged and pleaded for something and it just didn’t work out? Or what about people who obsess about things? Why don’t the things they obsess about come to fruition? The laws of attraction would indicate that if you truly believe something, it should come to be in your reality, but the truth is that through practical experience we know that doesn’t happen. ‘The Secret’ repeatedly points out that there is no limit to the laws of attraction, but I’m not sure that convincing yourself that your dog will come back to life will make it happen. Unfortunately that issue doesn’t seem to be addressed in any of the positive thinking books that I’ve read, and I find it perplexing that such an obvious flaw in the theory isn’t discussed at all.
A few weeks ago I watched a documentary that changed everything. It was called ‘The Quantum Activist’, and it’s about a very humble and incredible man named Dr. Amit Goswami. Dr. Amit is a quantum physicist, a pioneer in the discovery and interpretation of what reality is on its most basic level, also known as quantum physics. What was so powerful about Dr. Amit’s message is that it explains completely the paradox that I discussed before. Why is it that if we use the principle of the laws of attraction, many of us do not manifest our deepest desires? He points out that if it was really that easy, we’d all be rich and have luxury cars in the driveway; the truth is it’s much deeper and more profound than that.
We are all connected through consciousness. Each of us as an individual has the ability to connect to our universe through the unconscious mind. It is there, in the deepest, most spiritual part of us that the laws of attraction apply. When we want something for the RIGHT reasons, and it benefits us as a whole society, not strictly as an individual; that’s when the magic happens. Who benefits from having a new BMW? Do you want that car for altruistic reasons? Doubtful. Let’s say you want to start a business that helps others in some fashion, I bet you can make it happen, and I bet you can guess why. When we challenge ourselves and take on pursuits that benefit not only us, but those around us, incredible things start to happen. If you make decisions and choose endeavors that benefit you AND others, success is absolutely imminent.
The law of attraction applies to the unconscious world, don’t confuse it with the desires and wants of the ego (our individual self). You can’t wish yourself a Mercedes any more than I can wish myself a winning lottery ticket. Once you get past the superficial desires and start to focus on what really matters for the betterment of society, you will find that you have an unparalleled ability to incite change in the world around you. Even things that outwardly might seem superficial or individual, such as weight loss or business ventures, will ultimately benefit others. Your weight loss might inspire someone who is depressed and overweight to start their own weight loss journey to health and happiness; your business endeavor might focus on helping others reach their goals.
The unconscious mind is an incredible tool, harness its power and learn to make decisions for the greater good and your life will change dramatically. Everywhere we look we see the symptoms of perceived separation from each other. War, death, hatred; all signs that we’re missing the big picture. You and I are one and the same, our unconscious selves are connected in unbelievable ways. Once you figure that out you can transcend the limitations of our physical world. Don’t believe me? Give it a shot if for no other reason than to prove me wrong. Make decisions from a global perspective; make them from love for yourself and those around you and see the possibilities unfold. Love should be your one and only motivation, keep it in your heart always and watch the most beautiful life unfold.
Meg
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)