Week 16 Operation Get Fit No Excuses Summary

I can’t believe week 16 has finally come and gone! It seems like just yesterday I started my journey to get fit and get healthier. Thinking about all the things that I’ve been through and all the changes that I’ve made in the past four months, 16 weeks, I amaze myself that I have continued on this road. There have been challenges along the way. It definitely has not been an easy path to follow.

This past week I’ve had mental and emotional challenges that I didn’t expect to pop up. I should’ve expected it because everybody goes through it, but I didn’t think that it would happen to me. Padrone‘s birthday was 30 April, and it was a cheat day for both of us. I had a tiny tiramisu and some pasta. I was all happy about it. The next day, I got out and did about a 6 km fast walk to help work off what I had eaten the night before. A few days after that, I woke up with absolutely no motivation whatsoever. It was extremely weird for me. I didn’t say anything to Padrone at first and kept it to myself. I still got out every day and did some form of exercise, either a walk with Padrone,  a faster walk by myself, or some type of indoor exercise. But I wasn’t putting 100% effort into it. I was only half way pushing myself when normally I push myself to go further, go faster, and do a little bit better than I had the day or week before.

It honestly was a little bit of a struggle for me to make myself get up and exercise. Every day for the past 15 weeks, before I’ve enjoyed it and felt guilty when I did not actually get out and do something. But for some reason, my mental motivation, mojo if you will,  just left. I was feeling down and a little depressed. I felt like everything around me was just pressing in on me and that I didn’t know what to do or how to get out from feeling this way.

After a few days, I finally came to a point where it is all spilled out and I told Padrone how I was feeling mentally and emotionally. At first, I didn’t feel any better. I thought I was going a little crazy. I wondered if I was developing some form of depression because of hormones, epilepsy, or some other reason. But then, after finally talking about my feelings openly, I stayed home and I slept for about six or seven hours. I had not been sleeping very well for the past two days. I woke up and I feel like me again.

I don’t know if it was talking to Padrone about how bad I was feeling, actually sleeping really well for the first time in a few days, or just some chemical change my brain, that actually made me feel better, but whatever it is, I feel like I’m back on track now. That’s one reason why I haven’t posted a weekly summary, because I honestly didn’t feel like it and I could not.

When you are going through a down time, a funk, a small depression, or what ever other name you want to give it, you have to realize that it will change over time. Things will look better and will get better, if you just keep going. For me it’s easier to say that than do it, because I’ve been through it and I am not clinically depressed. And for me, it only lasted about four days.

If you feel bad or down longer than that, definitely seek professional help! Don’t be afraid to tell your partner, your family, your friends, someone how you are feeling, because talking about it and getting it off your chest and not carrying that entire burden or weight on your shoulders, will help you. If you’re unable to talk to someone face to face, find somebody online that you trust and say hey can I talk to you for minute? And then explain how you’re feeling. Who knows? They might have an answer that you never thought of to help bring you out of your depression.

Well now that you understand what I’ve been going through, you know you’re not alone. Many of you probably think that I only post the good things that happened to me in life, I post a lot of the bad things too. I write this blog as a way to help myself stay motivated, in an effort to help others that might be going through the same things that I have been, and hopefully, it’s an inspiration to other people to get healthier on their own and take their life back. We are all getting older and we all need to take the necessary steps to live longer, live healthier, and be the best that we can be mentally, physically and emotionally for ourselves, our family, and our friends. I know in 20 years when I’m 65, I want to be the most fabulous, physically abled, mentally abled person I can be and not be a burden on anyone.

I’ve actually found that my epilepsy symptoms improved with the change in my diet along with exercising. Obviously, it’s not a complete cure. But since the type of epilepsy I have is resistant to all current medications, I’ll take any improvement at this point. As I’ve gotten older, my seizures and the other things that happened to me because the epilepsy, have gotten worse. Of course, environment and attitude play a significant role in how your body reacts when you have epilepsy, but exercise and diet also have a role as well.

Other health improvements that I’ve seen for me in the past four months, 16 weeks, have been less reflux, less heartburn, and virtually no nausea. Before, since I had my gall bladder removed over 10 years ago, I had many symptoms of GERDS. But now that I have changed to an all plant-based diet, combined with my exercising, I’m much better. If I’m feeling this many improvements in just four months, I can’t wait to see how good I’m feeling after another four months.

Although I don’t have a specific weight goal in mind, I’m just going to continue on the path that I’m on with my exercising and eating, and see where it goes. I’m very happy so far with the results and I feel much more confident in myself and how I dress, but also on the inside. Sticking with the diet and a new way of life, because let’s be honest, it is a way of life, not a diet, and continuing on is one of the hardest things anyone can do, especially when you were so used to eating all kinds of junk food, fast food, and generally things that are not good for you.

So my goal for this week and the continuing weeks, is just to continue on improving my health, pushing myself for exercise, and maybe changing it up a little by adding some small weights for strength training. I’m not exactly sure where I’ll go from here but I’m continuing on. I know that I’m going to have other times where motivation is lacking or I just don’t feel like doing anything. But I’m going to continue because I know and experienced the results, that this is the best path for me.

Thank you so much for following me and staying with me all this time. If you have any questions, or just want to comment on something, please make a comment on the bottom. Will be back next week for week 17 summary.

If you have any exercise tips, I would love to hear from you. Thanks for reading!  

Release the Negativity

Release on Wiktionary.org is defined as to grant a new lease of; to let back; to let go (of); to cease to hold or contain; to make available to the public; to free or liberate; to set free and to discharge.

In this case, I am talking about letting go. Letting go of the negativity around you and in your lives; Letting go of bad feelings towards yourself for the inability to do something or the way you look; Letting go of the past; Letting go of jealousies and anxieties that keep you from moving forward in the present and future; Letting go of hurt and anger towards people; Letting go of people from your past that do nothing but cause you pain because of old feelings that may you may still feel. Let them all go. Free yourself from the self-imposed negative prison that you have inside you. You will feel like a new person.

Many people come to me for advice about their lives, relationships, and many other things. I tell them my opinion as I see things and they either use it or not. I am not a psychologist or therapist of any kind, and have never claimed to be. I just have a lot of life experience and have faced many different situations that give me a perspective from other people. I never turn my friends down when they need an ear but always tell them up front I can't solve their problems, only tell them what I think about the particular situation.

I have found that my ability to learn Italian is very slow going because I'm always speaking, reading, writing, and communicating in English even though I live in Italy. I get so frustrated at times that I develop headaches and sometimes seizures because of the pressure I put on myself from my own frustration at my inability to communicate or even retain what I have learned already, the way I once did 20 years ago. The way I learn, the very way I think has changed. I don't mean my feelings on things, but the physical way I think.

There are days when my Epilepsy is acting up and I literally have to think about everything I do step by step, before I do it. For example, making coffee is easy and natural and you don't think, you just do it. Well, I am that way also most of the time. But at times, I have to think open the door, grab the coffee, open the top, put it in the machine, close the machine and etc. Do I get frustrated? Yes. Do I put myself down? I used to but now after almost four years healing and being guided and loved by Padrone, I am much better. I have learned to release the frustrations and anxieties that I held on to for so long.

What in your life can you release to help yourself move forward and lighten up? Are there people from your past that you are still in contact with that you shouldn't be? Are there feelings that hurt you for that person? Cut the contact and let the feelings go. You aren't doing your mind, emotions or body any good to hang on to something or someone that only bring you down. Is there someone that just annoys you solely because they breath? Someone that you are jealous of for whatever reason? Someone at work that you can't stand and want to smack in the head with a stapler every time you see them? LET THEM GO!

I understand that we all have people and situations we have to face and deal with that are unavoidable (work, family) but you have the choice in whether you allow them to make you feel frustrated, small, and angry. You have the choice to choose not to go down that negative road, no matter how much that negative person or situation wants to pull you. Make the positive choice and take the positive path. As soon as possible, let go of the frustration, hurt or negative feelings having to deal with these unavoidable situations can put you in.

Do you look down on yourself because of your weight, hair, age, new wrinkles or something else? STOP IT! We are all different. We all, men and women, have many things we don't like about ourselves. But I say love how you look as you are right now! If there are things you want to change, then work on it. but do it for yourself, not for anyone else.

I have changed a lot in the past three and a half years. I have lost and gained weight. Allowed my hair to grow longer. Started wearing dresses and very feminine clothing that I am very comfortable in. My outlook on life has definitely changed along with my growing knowledge of the world around me. Do I look better? I think so. Did I think I was ugly before? No. Do I feel better? Most definitely.

The main thing that has made me much better has been the loving, protected, understanding environment that my fiance, Padrone Marco, has provided me. He has encouraged but not pushed me to change in many of the ways I mentioned above. Most of all, he has allowed me to feel secure with who I am as a person. My outlook on life and my very thinking has grown in many ways, while retaining my own core values that I have always believed in.

Release the negativity and allow yourself the freedom to feel good. Carrying around so much negativity towards people or events can actually affect your mental and physical health. And for what? Because we as humans naturally tend to dwell on more negative items and hang on to the past. Well, its time to try to change your thinking.

It's much easier said than done. Trust me. I live and practice it every day. I have so many things that I can't do or want to do, but because of the Epilepsy or something else, can't. I have learned to live and cope with it. To deal with my limitations but find ways around them. I adapt. Does it take me longer to do stuff? Yes. Do I still have the ability to learn? Yes. Will I give up? No! I have become one of the best adaptive persons that I know. I am very proud of myself for that.

If I can learn and adapt, so can you. Take the time to sit back and just think about who and/or what brings a lot of negativity to your life. Ask yourself how many hours have you wasted, how much brain power, how much hurt, frustration, pain has this person or event brought to you from dwelling on it? When you think about it, you will be amazed at the time and effort wasted.

Remember, life is short. Life is beautiful. We are all meant to be loved and to love. We all have the ability within ourselves to shape our own little piece of this vast world into whatever we want it to be. For some it will be fast, for others it will be slow. Some will have to try and try again. Others will just plow straight through. But you see, that is one of the things that makes life so wonderful; The different paths that each one of us travel and the meeting and crossing of other roads as we make our journey. So why walk the path with so much extra negativity and baggage weighing you down? RELEASE it and travel lighter, in your heart and soul.

We only have this one go around, so fill it with as many rainbows and smiles, as much laughter and love as you can.