Happy New Year! 2013 defined itself as the year that I totally found myself, picked up a few hobbies, and figured out I can pretty much be good at anything I try. I also put weight loss on the back burner, became a lot less obsessed on the aesthetics of healthy food and exercise and more obsessed with the way certain foods and acts of fitness make me feel.
2014 is going to be a pretty selfish year for me. I just have so much clutter in my life (and my home) that I don't have time and energy to focus on what really matters. This will be a year of minimizing the clutter and eliminating unnecessary activities, things, and people from my life. It may sound super selfish, but this decluttering is going to allow for me to truly enjoy the people, activities, and things that mean the most to me, so it's a matter of being 100% present for a select few instead of spreading myself too thin.
One thing I want to do this year is a Pinterest challenge. I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest, it's a great place to keep track of amazing ideas from all over the web. The downside is that it's really easy to fall into the trap of setting yourself up for failure by not possibly being able to try everything you pin and comparing yourself to others by looking at their pins and assuming they are actually doing the stuff. I really want to start doing some of these projects, recipes, and workouts that I have pinned and blogging about the results. No pressure, no set number of pins that I try, just having fun actually trying stuff that I've found and seeing what really works!
As far as food and fitness goes, I'm really going to back off of the obsessive behavior. This is probably the first year I'm not really going to have a goal. I know I love lifting heavy weights. I also really enjoy running and want to add that back because I miss it so. Also want to try some new stuff, namely hit up a rock wall or two while it's still cold outside and move on to absurdly long hikes and/or possibly trail running when spring hits. The biggest change is that I'm really focusing on eating for the moment and moving in a way that feels good at the moment...no big goals, no big agenda, no counting or tracking, just being happy and healthy.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Been here 1 year! New Name, New Look, New things to share!
So, I totally have a new name and a new look! I'm sure you've noticed a transformation in my attitude lately and instead of abandoning "Building a Better Mel", I decided to let it evolve to fit my needs. I am no longer on a journey to make myself "better". I feel like striving for the next big improvement completely dishonors any of the work and improvements I have made so far. "Living Well With Mel" is my outlet to show you who I am right now...not where I'm going or where I've been, but simply what's going on now. Although I've gone through a lot of physical changes, that's not my primary concern anymore. I am becoming more and more fit and working on strength like crazy, but weight, weight loss, and the vanity of watching myself shrink is no longer where I am. I am totally into taking care of myself, my family, and the planet and have developed some pretty cool new interests and hobbies to share! You're going to see a lot of crafting, homesteading, veggie-growing type of stuff here as well as getting glimpses into how I'm keeping myself fit lately. Thank you for sticking with me, I know it's pretty unpopular to dump all of these things onto a blog that started out being so fitness-centric, but it's who I am and what I do now. Love to my friends and supporters!
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Laying Low...
I haven't been around the web much lately other than to interact with certain people in certain circles. Sometimes there's something to be said about being a little less educated on some topics and having a little less information at my fingertips (can someone say she's simplifying some more?). I just feel like there are a whole lot of "experts" out there ready and willing to proclaim that there's only one right way to do everything. Heck, I'm a nutrition professional and it's so easy for me to get wrapped up in the one right way that I forget that we are all human and that this is all just opinion. The way that works for me isn't the way that will work for you and that doesn't mean that either one of us are failures, it just means we think and operate much differently.
I'm finding that this "one right way" mindset is toxic to me and something that just needs to leave my way of thinking entirely. It's no secret to those who know me well that when I get my mind set on something, I go all out. It's just a personality trait of mine which leads to things getting done, but also leads me to start doubting myself and judging others. There is absolutely no room in my life for this sort of thinking any longer. I've lived with disordered eating my entire life. I tend to float around between binge eating disorder, bulimia, and very short bouts of anorexia, followed by guilt because I can't even maintain a poisonous lifestyle for long. In the past couple of years, I've also dabbled in orthorexia and exercise bulimia, so I've pretty much done it all at this point. The deal is, my dress size is smaller, my skin is clearer, and my smile is wider. I certainly feel so much better physically. Combine that with my education and background, and people suddenly start looking to me for that "one right way" to do it themselves. Then they get really frustrated when I tell them that it's all opinion based and there isn't really one way to look and feel better. In the mean time, I'm treading on eggshells hoping that I don't A) accidentally offer advice that will send someone else into their own little disordered way of fueling their bodies or B) remind myself that my results were so much quicker and more obvious when I was hurting myself, maybe I should just start going back to doing that.
That being said, I'm beginning to feel like food is becoming more like religion and politics for me. It's going to start being a topic that's just off limits. You can look at my plate and look in my grocery cart all you want, but don't ask me if a food is good or bad, food should not have the sort of power to be labeled as such, it's just food. I've decided from this moment forward (and actually, I adopted this attitude a couple of weeks ago), I'm going to ask myself if this is what normal people do, feel, or think when it comes to fueling their bodies and burning calories. I guarantee you that the healthiest people on earth with the healthiest body image are not counting calories in vs calories out and wearing heart rate monitors all day, and I won't be either!
I'm finding that this "one right way" mindset is toxic to me and something that just needs to leave my way of thinking entirely. It's no secret to those who know me well that when I get my mind set on something, I go all out. It's just a personality trait of mine which leads to things getting done, but also leads me to start doubting myself and judging others. There is absolutely no room in my life for this sort of thinking any longer. I've lived with disordered eating my entire life. I tend to float around between binge eating disorder, bulimia, and very short bouts of anorexia, followed by guilt because I can't even maintain a poisonous lifestyle for long. In the past couple of years, I've also dabbled in orthorexia and exercise bulimia, so I've pretty much done it all at this point. The deal is, my dress size is smaller, my skin is clearer, and my smile is wider. I certainly feel so much better physically. Combine that with my education and background, and people suddenly start looking to me for that "one right way" to do it themselves. Then they get really frustrated when I tell them that it's all opinion based and there isn't really one way to look and feel better. In the mean time, I'm treading on eggshells hoping that I don't A) accidentally offer advice that will send someone else into their own little disordered way of fueling their bodies or B) remind myself that my results were so much quicker and more obvious when I was hurting myself, maybe I should just start going back to doing that.
That being said, I'm beginning to feel like food is becoming more like religion and politics for me. It's going to start being a topic that's just off limits. You can look at my plate and look in my grocery cart all you want, but don't ask me if a food is good or bad, food should not have the sort of power to be labeled as such, it's just food. I've decided from this moment forward (and actually, I adopted this attitude a couple of weeks ago), I'm going to ask myself if this is what normal people do, feel, or think when it comes to fueling their bodies and burning calories. I guarantee you that the healthiest people on earth with the healthiest body image are not counting calories in vs calories out and wearing heart rate monitors all day, and I won't be either!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
And my Latest Evolution Is....
I've been really thinking about things and happiness, and happiness without things, and looking into a more minimilist lifestyle (can we say tiny houses are just the cutest?!) Been feeling a bit drained, like I'm wasting energy on things that don't really matter, I mean, really, when is the last time someone asked me what my exact weight is? Well, I can tell you, it was March 28, the last day of a weight loss challenge I participated in. Since then, I've gotten on the scale, stayed off the scale, eaten the food, deprived myself of the food, worked out until my body cried uncle, and spent a couple of weeks pretty much bedridden. In the end, I weigh today within a pound of what I did in March. Crazy, huh? Yet I've put so much energy into that number that I've forgotten what's really important.
And a list of what means the most to me (in no particular order):
My kiddo
My sweetheart
My dad
My health
My memories
My tiny little patch of fresh vegetables in the front yard
My handful of friends that either get it, or at least encourage me if they don't
Notice, this list doesn't include the number on the scale, yes, my health is important. Eating healthy foods and exercise just makes me feel good and I really like to feel good. I'm spending FAR too much time and energy on trying to chase that magic number on that ugly machine. If I stop using food to punish myself and work on getting stronger and fitter simply for the sake of being stronger and fitter, not for some sick arbitrary "challenge" that I've set up for myself so I can watch myself fail and make up for it by withholding food, I feel like that number will just fall into place.
Also notice, this list does not include my community, it includes very specific people in my community, yet I've been feeling the need to really put myself out there as the spokesmodel for all things healthy. Yes, my story needs to be told. Yes, inspiring people to make healthy choices feels good, but not at the expense of my own health. That's time I'm taking away from my little patch of veggies or cutting a few seconds off of a mile.
Now, about decluttering and purging stuff around the house...seems like a completely daunting task, but I'm up for it! Might be MIA for a while trying to figure that part out.
And a list of what means the most to me (in no particular order):
My kiddo
My sweetheart
My dad
My health
My memories
My tiny little patch of fresh vegetables in the front yard
My handful of friends that either get it, or at least encourage me if they don't
Notice, this list doesn't include the number on the scale, yes, my health is important. Eating healthy foods and exercise just makes me feel good and I really like to feel good. I'm spending FAR too much time and energy on trying to chase that magic number on that ugly machine. If I stop using food to punish myself and work on getting stronger and fitter simply for the sake of being stronger and fitter, not for some sick arbitrary "challenge" that I've set up for myself so I can watch myself fail and make up for it by withholding food, I feel like that number will just fall into place.
Also notice, this list does not include my community, it includes very specific people in my community, yet I've been feeling the need to really put myself out there as the spokesmodel for all things healthy. Yes, my story needs to be told. Yes, inspiring people to make healthy choices feels good, but not at the expense of my own health. That's time I'm taking away from my little patch of veggies or cutting a few seconds off of a mile.
Now, about decluttering and purging stuff around the house...seems like a completely daunting task, but I'm up for it! Might be MIA for a while trying to figure that part out.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Spring Fever!
Wow, it's really been since January since I've posted? Spring is certainly a time of renewal! I've really been looking at my personal goals and my fitness goals, I've stayed off the scale and stopped letting a 3-digit number define my success, and I've started really branching out physically. I'm also working on some projects professionally and working feverishly to get a thing or two scratched off the bucket list!
A few things are planted in the ground, lots of greens like spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and lettuce, I'm hoping to get my front yard small space vegetable garden the rest of the way planted between rain showers this week. This blog might possibly turn into a plethora of garden pictures and tips before this is all over! The best way to know exactly what you're putting into your body is to see how that food was treated when it was raised, and the best way to know that is to raise it yourself!
This brings me to another point, and that is, this blog. It started out as a "weight loss" sort of thing, but right now, that's not where my head is, so I've been feeling quite reluctant to post about weight-related sorts of things. It's quite possible I've been losing again, people have been commenting on my appearance and my clothes fit me a bit looser (but I like stretchy clothes with little fit, so not sure if that's the best way to measure), the point is, I really don't care about weight loss...I care about health! I care about getting myself as fit, mentally, physically, and spiritually, as I can. Weight loss tends to follow these things, but doesn't even begin to measure the strides I've taken over the past 5 months. I intended this year to be all about fun, about starting new projects, forming new friendships, and really getting out there and enjoying life, but what I'm seeing is that on my quest for fun, I'm enjoying a side effect of healing which is an amazing thing!
I am probably going to lose some followers because I'm not going to post about my weekly losses, my daily calorie burn, or my food journals. These things are terribly important to people who are new to the weight loss journey, but they don't mean much to me anymore. "Building a Better Mel" means just that...helping myself become the best me I can be. That means crossing things off my bucket list, advocating for making healthy and delicious foods available to everyone, getting my gardening in and watching the living foods that I'm putting into my body develop, and getting some super sweaty, intense, and fun workouts in along the way! Expect more posts from me now that I know my direction, honestly, I was terribly lost for a little bit, but I"m back with the energy that a only a rainy spring afternoon can produce. Here's to doing whatever it takes to truly build a better Mel.
A few things are planted in the ground, lots of greens like spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and lettuce, I'm hoping to get my front yard small space vegetable garden the rest of the way planted between rain showers this week. This blog might possibly turn into a plethora of garden pictures and tips before this is all over! The best way to know exactly what you're putting into your body is to see how that food was treated when it was raised, and the best way to know that is to raise it yourself!
This brings me to another point, and that is, this blog. It started out as a "weight loss" sort of thing, but right now, that's not where my head is, so I've been feeling quite reluctant to post about weight-related sorts of things. It's quite possible I've been losing again, people have been commenting on my appearance and my clothes fit me a bit looser (but I like stretchy clothes with little fit, so not sure if that's the best way to measure), the point is, I really don't care about weight loss...I care about health! I care about getting myself as fit, mentally, physically, and spiritually, as I can. Weight loss tends to follow these things, but doesn't even begin to measure the strides I've taken over the past 5 months. I intended this year to be all about fun, about starting new projects, forming new friendships, and really getting out there and enjoying life, but what I'm seeing is that on my quest for fun, I'm enjoying a side effect of healing which is an amazing thing!
I am probably going to lose some followers because I'm not going to post about my weekly losses, my daily calorie burn, or my food journals. These things are terribly important to people who are new to the weight loss journey, but they don't mean much to me anymore. "Building a Better Mel" means just that...helping myself become the best me I can be. That means crossing things off my bucket list, advocating for making healthy and delicious foods available to everyone, getting my gardening in and watching the living foods that I'm putting into my body develop, and getting some super sweaty, intense, and fun workouts in along the way! Expect more posts from me now that I know my direction, honestly, I was terribly lost for a little bit, but I"m back with the energy that a only a rainy spring afternoon can produce. Here's to doing whatever it takes to truly build a better Mel.
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