300 miles in 3 months challenge

I was on FB today and one of my friends told me about this cool challenge. It is a physical activity challenge that would require you to walk, run, swim, etc. approximately 25 miles each week. To further break this down, if you exercised 6 days out of 7 days, giving yourself a day off each week, you would have to do approximately 4 miles daily. Get yourself a pedometer and count all your walking throughout the day. I know, for sure, when I was working in the ER, I must have easily put 2-3 miles on each shift. On average, if you walk 2000 steps, it is about one mile. You can do this!

The challenge will start on October 1, 2001. Get your pedometers and your walking shoes ready to roll! Go to my facebook wall and accept the challenge! (This is an optional Task. I do highly recommend it, however. Don't forget to keep track of your miles / steps!)

Let's do it together! It would be very rewarding and the added benefit of health and weight loss, well...just plain ROCKS!

Much love!
Melissa

Pulling It All Together....one step at a time.

The last post I shared was a doozie! I know it was a lot to think about. I can not stress the importance of really giving some time to thinking about what your BEST SELF looks like. Take your time creating a vision of her in your mind in a physical sense. That is the easy part. The more difficult task is feeling who she is within. Remember, she is already in existence, but has been hidden away.

You are on your way to creating a vision or a "why" you are willing to work hard at changing some of your behaviors. It is not easy to change behavior, especially for those of use that have arrived in the "mid-life". We can do this, one step at a time. Remember to keep a journal to stay on task and have a record of your progress.

My hope for all of us is to embark on a journey that will encourage self-recognition, self-acceptance and self-growth. Growth is at times painful, but even more so it is rewarding. The end result is an amazing metamorphosis.

You are not alone. I am here for you and with you. My heart is full of nothing but good intentions for all of you who chose to come along in this very special journey to your BEST SELF.

Much love,
Melissa

Who is your BEST SELF?

Ever since we were little girls, we have had dreams. When we were young it was fun to day dream about the woman we would someday become. Let's do that again. Take some time to imagine your best self...picture her physically in your mind. Once you do that make a journal entry exploring the following questions. Write down your answers in as much detail as possible.

Task 4: Journal Entry to discover your BEST SELF

~ Describe her physical attributes in detail. (Go ahead, shoot for the stars. This is, after all, your very best self.) Is she thin? I she curvy? Is strong and muscular? Describe her face, her skin, her hair, her smile. Describe the shape of her body. Look at her arms, her shoulders, her posture, her chest, her waist, her hips. How about her booty and legs? What does she look like? How does she appear to you? Is she confident? Is she friendly? Daring, kind, engaging, interesting, interested? Does she glow when she is inspired? What inspires her? Does she illuminate the room when she appears? Who is she? Really deep down inside. What are her hopes for her life? What is really important to her? Her family? God? Her friends, her job, what really matters to her? Is she a doer or is she a dreamer? How will she be remembered 100 years after she leaves this earth. How does she wish to be remembered?

There are so may facets to your BEST SELF. Take your time with this. Revisit this exercise often. Feel free to change your description as she evolves. She is rare. She is unique and she is waiting to be born.

This is an exercise of true love of self. We may not always love what we see in the mirror or what we hear our voices speak or a minds think, but we are totally free to be whoever we want to be....she is in there. She is aching to meet you when the time is right.

Truly yours with love and kindness,
Melissa

One Step Closer to Meeting Your BEST SELF...

For today I leave you only with this thought to ponder.


"Every day do something that will inch you closer to revealing your Best You." One great way to immediately see your inner beauty is practicing acts of kindness. When you are kind to others, that inner glow instantly shows through. Try it. You will love it!


A Kind Reminder~

Don't forget to get organized. Pick out the perfect pretty notebook or journal. Take your measurements and just start moving...every day. Set a section of your BYBS journal to jot down how you feel before your workout and again after having completed it.

When In Doubt, Just Keep Moving!

That pastry is only as good as your next workout. Balancing calories in with the right amount of physical activity is the name of the game. However you chose to look at it, exercise is as vital to physical health and sanity, in my opinion, as oxygen is necessary to life. Don't stress if you can't find the time to do your normal workout, just do something, most days of the week. Always take one day off from vigorous exercise to rest and regroup. It is a proven fact that if you exercise regularly and it is part of your lifestyle you are more apt to make better food choices. Exercise have a huge impact on your mood, your choices, your energy level and in general how you view yourself. You are more than worth the time it will take to get a quick workout in?

Task #3 Keep a journal of your workouts. Also log how you felt before you got your workout in and how you felt right after you finished. I would be willing to bet that in no time at all you will be seeing a strong correlation between exercise and having a great attitude.

Don't make me come drag your butt to the gym or outside for a walk to adjust your attitude. You can do this! You will see!

Much love,
Melissa

Time for Tea....

Do you set aside a small space in your day to just be with yourself and your thoughts. I suggest having a daily "tea time" to ponder what you are grateful for or what inspires you. Take a few minutes to be mindful and present with your thoughts. This is a great way to turn around any negativity that may have gotten hold of your good intensions.

I had my tea time and on my Yogi Tea bag I saw this. "You can run after satisfaction, but satisfaction must come from within."

BYBS (Become Your Best Self) Challenge

Task #2

Facing the Music....this is the one we ALL loathe. Break out the measuring tapes ladies! It is time to discover the baseline YOU.

Supplies Needed:
1 notebook (preferably something pretty)
1 measuring tape
A camera for the dreaded "now" pictures (optional, but recommended)
Oh, did I mention a scale (also optional, especially if you obcess over your weight)

Measure the following:

Chest
Waist
Hips
Right Thigh
Left Thigh
Beginning Weight

Ok. I know this is a bit painful for some of us, but really, no one is judging you. We are all joining in to love and support one another. I am so proud of you for taking this first step. Come now, put your hand in mine and let's do this together.

With much love of wellness....
Melissa

Become Your BEST SELF Challenge!

Task #1. OK ladies...Make the decision to invest in you. You deserve this special attention. It not going to be a simple task for any of us who live busy lives. It is easy to put everyone and everything else first. It is actually less difficult to invest in others. This is your time. Are you ready to join in? Please inbox me and let me know you are in! I want to hear from you sooner than later. Go to my facebook page to let me know you are in. If you and I are not yet established FB friends, just request my frienship and attach a note saying I AM IN!

Look for more to come....There will be a step by step plan for your success in becoming your BEST SELF! We will be addressing nutrition, exercise and of course, my favorite, nurturing your inner self.