Tag: Active Life

Your Morning Motivator

Published on by Christine2 Comments

This week I’ve struggled with staying motivated. If you struggle too, let me help you out today. 🙂

During my Miracle Morning, I was writing/thinking about ways to give to others. I realized one simple way I can contribute to the happiness of others lies within the energy I carry.

I think there are two types of people (and I’ve shifted between both):

Energy-Givers and Energy-Suckers.

We all have the power to give positive energy to others simply in the way we carry ourselves. The words/ideas we choose to give voice to. How we deal with adversity. We can give literally give the gift of positive energy to another person. Just think about how you feel when you spend time with someone with an infectious laugh, it’s impossible not to laugh too. It’s contagious. 🙂

Just as we can give it, we can also take it away.

Have you ever woken up happy and uplifted and throughout the course of your day dealing with negative people, your mood slowly shifts? Discouragement seeps in, and even the smallest annoyance in life transforms into anger. That shift in energy is then transferred to another. It’s a virtual wave of negativity.

The exciting news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. If you want to change a negative environment, you can right this second.  All it requires is a shift within your perception and mindset. THAT is within your control.

On the heels of Thanksgiving, I’m starting this day out with gratitude. I’m grateful for so much in my life, but most importantly the hard stuff. As I look back on the toughest times in my life, I’ve realized it’s uniquely prepared me for this stage of my life. From my day-to-day living with a gracious heart, to raising my beautiful children (who were born with a sense of good and wonder), and within my career which means the world to me. Everything I’ve learned, I can now transfer it to living an authentic life.

Even on the bad days, I will greet it with a smile because I am very aware how much another person’s kindness, positive energy, and uplifting attitude helped me during my darkest of days. It really is a gift. There are no words to adequately describe how much small acts of kindness touched my heart during times of struggle.

It’s a shiny patch of sunshine within the darkness. And because I deeply appreciate and understand what others gave to me, I can now be that shiny sunshine if I want to. That’s ridiculously amazing.

I think because I spent some time grieving in silence, I can instantly recognize it. So I smile. Big crazy smiles. ha! I can clearly see another’s strengths, pain, desire to just be better, doubt that lives within their abilities…all of it. And I know that I can at least remind them of their worth. There is no one on this earth more worthy than another. We are equally deserving of happiness and pride. Isn’t that the heart of the pursuit of life?

So today I choose to be an Energy-Giver to all I come in contact with. To start a small ripple of uplifting that can transform into a tidal wave of positive. You never know how that energy can transform and take momentum. If you ever doubt this, just think about how someone else helped you move forward when you were stuck.

too-often

I hope you all have a great day 🙂

I hope you choose to smile even if your heart is hurting.

I hope you choose to rise above whatever adversity you are dealing with.

I hope you recognize your worth. Your strengths. Your natural gifts of talent.

I hope you feel gratitude every time you look into the eyes of someone you love.

I hope you give the gift of positive energy.

And when you do, Positive OUT becomes Positive IN.

There’s  a whole lot to smile about.

From my heart to yours,

Christine

Throwing out the F-Word: Fat

Published on by Christine12 Comments

Now that Christmas and New Years is behind me, I walked into my bathroom with the clear intention to step on the scale. I pulled that devil scale out its lair with dread, and tentatively stared at it for a bit telling myself that it really didn’t matter what number I saw, it was time to get back to work.

I stepped on it, and looked away. Well this is stupid, I have to see the number. And there it was, a number I hadn’t seen in years since I’ve reached my goal weight…160 pounds. I felt a little panicky, how did I manage to gain 10 pounds in just one Christmas season?

I walked downstairs to make a coffee, inwardly fighting the positive with the negative. I have a goal now, no big deal…but, I can’t fit my jeans! I need to get to work NOW. My daughter’s little voice interrupted my inward banter. She sat at the counter colouring a picture of a Disney princess and without missing a beat of colouring she asked. “What’s wrong Mom?” I replied flippantly  “I can’t fit my jeans, I ate too much chocolate over Christmas!”

Now, I’m going to share the next part of the story with hesitation, because I feel a lot of guilt over it. It’s that crippling Mom guilt and it’s replayed over and over in my mind ever since.

My sweet little girl looked up at me and with sadness in her eyes she said “When I was in Kindergarten, A girl told me I was fat. Do you exercise so you won’t get fat?”  I just stood there stunned. I didn’t realize that my own thoughts about my body image would be transferred to my daughter in that moment and that she equated exercising with the need to not be “fat”.

And that began our conversation about foods that give you energy and vitamins, staying active to be healthy and to have energy, and that she is most definitely perfect just as she is.  I told her that I too was told I was “fat” in school, and she giggled at me and said “but you’re not fat, you are thin!” Those words broke my heart, because if I can’t accept my body, how am I going to expect my daughter to accept hers?! We are going to throw out the word “fat” within our household, it’s officially the F-Word.

I share this story with you today, because I know that like me, there are many Moms out there who struggle with raising their children to have a healthy self-esteem.  I believe it’s THE hardest part of the Mom gig…both in raising sons and daughters. With healthy self-esteem, comes self-respect and healthy decisions. A strong self-esteem will aid in preventing my kids from making decisions where they put themselves at risk…because they will value themselves far too much to be dragged down. In some ways I’m thankful I didn’t have a lot of self-esteem growing up, because it’s now a huge priority in how I raise my children. I believe I understand those issues a little better given my past. But there is no way, I will accept that for my own children.

I need to find a healthy balance, because I also want to raise my children to take care of their bodies. To be active (which in their world means playing and running outside),  and to eat healthy foods. To equate all of that with taking care of their bodies, rather than relating it to aesthetics.

So these are my thoughts today, and I don’t have all the answers, but I am analyzing what I’ve done wrong, and the things I’ve done right. I am holding myself accountable, because like it or not, my kids are watching me. They are learning from me.

Active fun is on the menu for Winter. 🙂

To all you Moms out there: If we want to raise healthy, balanced children with self-respect…we better work on that within ourselves.  If you are reading this post riddled with Mom guilt, and you have insights on this topic (or if you share in my struggle), I would love to hear from you! Drop me a comment.

From my heart to yours,

Christine