Taking Advantage! June 24, 2010

It still amazes me that as I age like fine wine or cheese (I love cheese) how things change. For the record I have to say that my husband and I had an amazing weekend. We were invited to the wedding of a friend in Lockwood, California. For those of you who have never heard of Lockwood it’s probably because the population is only like 250 people. It was like being in a completely different world. The amount of land and rolling hills and pastures we saw was incredible, not to mention the refreshing dip in the lake; which I had to pass on for “other” issues, but my feet and legs were refreshed. I would take the 4 hour drive again in a heart beat, but there is nothing like the feeling of getting home….

I’ve realized the older I get how much I love my home and my time. I remember the times when the last place I wanted to be was home and when I’d make sure to completely book my weekend so I could get the “most” out of it and recently, I’ve had a 180 degree change. I work 40-50 hours a week and I know I don’t have to tell you that those 2 very short days between Friday afternoon and Monday morning are all I have for me. Every once in a while it’s nice to make plans and hang out with friends, but the majority of my weekends from now on are going to be for me. I think I deserve it. In fact I think we all deserve it. We work hard as employees, mothers, daughters and friends. Friday night comes around and when I get home all I want to do is plan “Nothing”. I want to wake up when ever I wake up, have breakfast with my husband/family, clean my house (I know that sounds crazy, but I get such delight after I clean), go to yoga, do laundry and even do the grocery shopping for the week. Sounds like a lot, right?? Well, it is and after all that I feel productive and ready to enjoy my Saturday evening (which most times I can’t b/c I have to be in LA), but on those Saturday evenings that are left for me to fill; OMG….it’s wonderful! And don’t get me started on Sunday…too late….I LOVE SUNDAY’S. I don’t know how or why it is but most Sundays are beautiful. Perfect weather for the beach or pool or just an afternoon snooze on the couch next to an opened window…ahhhhhhhhhh….I could do that right now.

Gone are the days of rushing around and meeting friends and hanging out with groups of people who don’t know what they want to do with their precious time, well, maybe not completely gone. And rumor has it that when kids come along, weekends are non existant; which I will welcome graciously and with open arms, but until then, look out Saturday and Sunday because I’m going to take full advantage!

The Miracles of Makeup… June 8, 2010

 Before I begin I just want to apologize for completely skipping last week. I was so busy over the past 2 weeks that I didn’t even go on Facebook! I also wanted to let you all know that I will be posting every 2 weeks instead of every week. As much as I love blogging, it does take some time and with a 40 hr per week job, acting class on Wednesdays, working out 6 days a week and a part-time acting career; time is not something I have much of. And before I forget we now only have 87 days until I turn 30!!!!! I know I’m not the only one turning 30 this year so please be sure to let me know when you turn 30 so that I can drink to you!! I’ll use any excuse to enjoy a martini 🙂

Shall we begin……

I know in the past I mentioned taking some headshots for my acting career. Well, recently I had to reshoot for some reasons I’m sure none of you are really interested in hearing. The point is that this time I hired a hair and makeup artist and boy am I glad I did!!

I got to see these recently taken photos today and you know the ONE thing I noticed more than anything…the fine lines under my eyes. Now, I know I have them and I’ve come to terms with that fact but what I don’t understand is what the point of concealer is when all it does is cake up and makes those fine lines more noticeable? If I had guts I’d post one of those pictures, but I don’t therefore I won’t. I swear though there is one picture that makes me look like I’m in my 40’s and that’s not an exaggeration! You know we have all seen those “Stars w/out makeup” photos on the cover of “US” magazine…and I have to say some are….ewwwww….

I can honestly say that one of the things I inherited from my mother is my skin; the skin on my body is completely different and I rarely show it, but time after time I’ve said I rather have nice skin on my face than on my body.  Growing up every little girl wants to wear makeup and as an adult I’m sure most women would love it if they didn’t have to wear it. I was always told that if I didn’t have to wear it then I shouldn’t, but I’ve realized lately that it’s been about 2 years now that I no longer leave the house without it. Especially if I know there are going to be pictures taken; you can bet on the fact that I will be wearing makeup. There are those days that I don’t go anywhere or see anyone so of course I let my skin breathe, but even now for work; I ALWAYS wear it. The worst part is on the rare occasions that I haven’t; people always ask me if I’m tired!! So apparently when I don’t wear makeup I look tired, nice to know.

On the other hand I have a husband who hates when I wear makeup. Now I should explain that my makeup only consists of powder, blush and eye color, but if I wear foundation…stop the presses because to my husband it’s TOO much. I know I say this a lot, but I can’t help but be amazed at how we change as we age. For example, when I was nine I loved the smell of lipstick so much that I wanted to eat it and now I prefer chap stick…haha

p.s. I couldn’t pick which cartoon I thought was funnier so I posted both…LOL!!

Opinionated? Never…well maybe. May 21, 2010

Every week I do my best to remain sensitive to certain things that are going on in my life. Some times I have a strong opinion on a subject that has never really bothered me before and I try to evaluate and see if it’s possible that the “strong” opinion comes more from my age than my personality. I’m not really sure if this is making much sense right now so let me give you a few examples and then you can tell me what you think….

This example is a bit of a touchy subject for me right now; I think mainly because I haven’t found an answer yet. At this point I’m only speculating as to what I think may be the real issue.  One of my very close friend’s is getting married and as she’s reading this she knows who she is…Anyway, a few of her friends are putting a shower and bachelorette party together. I’m the type of person who can be a tiny bit controlling, one may even say I’m a perfectionist…Just because I want everything to be perfect doesn’t make me a perfectionist, oh wait…Well, anyway I had certain plans and details that I wanted to remain a surprise, not to mention that I know that my friend get’s a little stressed about events and planning things sometimes and she has a tiny tendency to want to take things over because well we all know that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. That’s her life’s motto! This was the one thing I didn’t want her to have to worry about, the ONE thing I wanted her to know was completely taken care of and along the way certain things have come up that have bothered me. She ended up having to make her own hotel reservation she did this b/c she was the only one who would be able to get a discount, but still; come on! I ended up sharing with her that it really bothered me and she asked why, the truth is I don’t know why. Could it be that the older I get the more controlling I get? Will I eventually be one of those old ladies who is set in her ways and can’t see beyond her own opinions or thoughts? That may be in my future.

What do you think? I know some things aren’t really a big deal, but wouldn’t you agree that the friends are supposed to take care of the details, not the bride.

This was really weird and it happened just yesterday so I have to share. There has been a change in my taste buds. Since I’ve been working out my diet has been a little different. I’ve been eating a slice of toast with some peanut butter every morning for breakfast and a few days ago I also had a banana. I remember that my mom use to eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches and I always thought that was so gross, so what did I do…I put a slice of banana on my toast and I have to say that it was pretty damn good! Most people also thought it was gross, but how strange that I was even willing to try it; not to mention that up until a year ago I didn’t even like peanut butter. Similar thing happened the other day with a margarita. Personally, I’m a mojito, martini fan but I had the best margarita at a local restaurant and now all I’m craving are margaritas. If you really sit back and think how your life, body, mind, opinions and taste buds change over the years it’s incredible to think that you’re even the same person, but I guess in that sense your really not the same person.

I want to challenge all of you this week. I know that there are foods out there that may scare you, but you’re older, more mature and you should try them! Try something new this week. Something you never thought you would ever try and tell me if you liked it. Maybe I’ll get inspired to try it too and hopefully my delicious realization of peanut butter and banana sandwiches will inspire you!

Before I wrap this up I have a saying that I think will help you to maybe understand me a little better…”Exceeding everyone else’s expectations isn’t quite good enough for me”; I just want to exceed my friend’s expectations and at the end of the day if I don’t she may not know any better, but I will…

p.s. the more I write about me turning 30, the more excited I get about my b-day so I decided to start a count down. As of today I have 106 days until I turn 30 and throw myself the biggest party ever!!

“Mother May I” May 11, 2010

Have you ever had a moment when you’re applying lipstick or fixing your hair in the mirror and all of a sudden there’s a small glimpse of your mother? That happened to me for the first time when I was in high school. I was walking down the hallway after the bell and as I approached the double doors I saw my mom, so of course I turned around to see why she was there, except I was alone. That’s when I realized that I didn’t see my mother behind me; I saw myself.  That was 11 years ago and to this day that hasn’t happened since, well I should say it hadn’t happened since 2 weeks ago and it actually happened again today.

Now, I feel that I must tell you that my parents are currently residing outside the US, so there is a possibility that I might just be missing my mom and of course this past week was also Mother’s Day and we weren’t able to spend it together, so that could be a factor as well, but the more and more I talk to other women the more I realize that it’s not just me and that the older “we” women get the more we become our mothers, or at least versions of our mothers.

I want to step back for just a moment and touch on mother’s day because I wasn’t able to celebrate with my mother this year. I think when I was in my early twenties I really started to appreciate my mother and father. I had moved clear across the country to start a new career and a new life on my own and that’s when all they had done for me my entire life really struck me. Even as I think about it now I can’t help but tear up. This mother’s day I did have the pleasure of spending it with another woman who has blessed my life greatly; she gave me her son. My mother in law is an extraordinary woman. I know only but a smidge of the things she went through and the burden she carried as she raised her 2 children alone, but I can see her strength and resilience in her son; my husband and her love and nurturing spirit in her daughter.  I sometimes get a little emotional (I’m sure that never happens to any of youJ) when I see the longing in her for her children as I do when I hear that same longing in my own mother’s voice. I guess all this just makes me see that as a child and even a young adult I couldn’t appreciate the sacrifices my parents made for me. Now I can understand certain decisions they made and things they said and for all they did I just want to thank them and tell them that I appreciate it; all of it.

I know you’re probably saying “enough with the mushy stuff” so we’ll move on. I just felt that it needed to be said and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way about the women in my life. As I was saying, I saw my mother in myself today. It was quite incredible and amazing. I mean, people always say that you turn in to your mother but I always thought they meant it more regarding your personality or certain gestures, but to literally turn into your mother? Obviously, I didn’t transform into my mother, but if it’s happened to you, you know what I mean; it’s weird.

Ok, examples may be the easiest way to explain for those who have not experienced this yet, that’s right I said YET. One of my very good friends looks a lot like her mother, but lately in certain pictures of her (as she’s getting older) I can’t tell right away if it’s her or her mom. Now, imagine looking at a picture and not being able to tell if it’s you or your mom when she was your age. HA- that would get you. Another friend of mine recently mentioned that over the past few years, not only has she started seeing more of her mother in her, but now they “accidently” show up wearing similar clothing! Not sure who makes who change in that situation, but it’s kind of funny.  I won’t keep boring you with my examples, but I’d love to hear some of yours.

This blog is about sharing my experiences and emotions as I ripen in age with people out there I may or may not know. I just hope that in these experiences and emotions you can see a little bit of yourself because at the end of the day we are all women and since we all come from the same planet (Venus…haha) we MUST experience some of the same things and it’s nice to know you’re not alone.

I know my mother will appreciate this cartoon!

Cry Baby May 6, 2010

Ok, so I know 2 weeks ago I was freaking out about not having a baby yet and running out of time, but sometimes kids are just annoying!

Of course we all have a special place in our hearts for the children in our families. I have 3 nephews that I absolutely adore, but what about all the other children that aren’t related to us? I’m sure you all know by now that this might have something to do with age!!

When I was younger I loved all children. Seriously, all kids were great. Recently though my feelings have changed greatly and when I say greatly, I mean GREATLY! I ride the metro home almost everyday from work and if I see a kid in the car I’m riding in I literally get up and move to another car. Now, I know this might sound a bit harsh to some out there, especially if you have children. However, I’m sure most of you will be able to relate to what I’m about to say. See, on the ride home from a long day at work I get tired. One of the things I enjoy doing is sleeping. This was really hard at first, but once I got over the initial fear of people watching me sleep I was fine. Do you know what the worst sound in the world is when you’re peacefully sleeping?

The scream or cry of a child!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That’s right and you all know it too so don’t try to pretend you’re mortified by what I just said. I know that the day will come when I have a child and they begin to scream or cry and people start staring- I will regret that I ever said this, but for now is it too much to ask for a quiet, peaceful ride home? Does anyone out there feel the same or what? Even if you have kids you have to admit that hearing another kid cry or whine is annoying.

I’m going to use my dog as an example here. Now, I understand that children are quite different, but just for the sake of an example; say EXAMPLE. Ok, so I feel that my dog is very well behaved and trained. I mean we paid good money and took time out to train him as best as possible. This means that  when we go to the dog beach and we play with him we expect that other dog owners will play with their dogs. Unfortunately, a lot of dog owners use this as a time to take a break from their dogs. So while their relaxing or chatting with a friend their dog is bothering and annoying my dog and us, who are playing with OUR dog. A similar situation happened to my sister in law at the playground of a McDonald’s with her kids. She’s watching her kids play when some other kid comes over and hits my nephew’s hat off his head. Now let me ask you…where was his mother? Ah ha, so can you kind of see my point here?

If not, then here it is…

I know at times it might be difficult to keep your children from screaming and crying in public places, but you must know that people with no children (like myself) will probably judge you for it. At least do your best to watch your children and make sure they don’t cause trouble because another mother might not be as polite as my sister in law was to the mother who finally came over and asked if there was a problem-“Yeah, there is a problem…Your kid is being a little jerk”.

Also, do your dog a favor and play with them at the beach or the park- don’t make someone else do it unless you’re paying them to!!

Size Does Matter! April 28, 2010

Ok, let’s chat…

I bought the cutest pair of shoes about a week ago. Naturally, I got the size that I’ve been wearing since I was 16; 7 ½. They were a bit snug, but they worked…That night my husband and I decided to go to the movies and we wanted to walk (we live in Long Beach and it’s easier to walk than try to find parking). Literally, within a few blocks of the house I realized that was a huge mistake! These new shoes were cutting into the back of my heels. I hate when that happens. Anyway, the point is that I ended up having to get heel pads which made the shoe fit smaller and now I can barely even wear them. Is it possible for your feet to grow?

I’ve been the same height since I was 15 and pretty much the same shoe size since then also so why now? I expect my feet to grow when I get pregnant, but before then?? I tried looking around to see if this was a proven fact, but had no luck. Apparently, some people say that your feet and your nose never stop growing- that’s a scary thought and other sites said that they do stop growing. I guess it just depends on your genes. Maybe to some people this isn’t a big deal, but to me it is. I like to think of myself as petite, but how can I be petite with a size 8 foot. The worst part for me is now I feel like I wasted the money. How bad is it that I want to go back and get a size 8????

**I just had to make the font bigger for me to read what I wrote! It’s like everyday something changes and of course I have to chalk it up to the fact that I’m almost 30. I must say that the more I write the better I feel about turning 30 and starting that new chapter of my life, but the thing is that I won’t stop at 30- I’ll keep getting older and I think that’s the part that I’m really having trouble with**.

Anyway, enough of me rambling on. One other thing I wanted to bring up is my husband. Remember last week in “Make your Mark” when I mentioned how men don’t seem to have it as bad as we do, well I had an interesting revelation this past week…male pattern baldness!

Male Pattern Baldness: A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that begins in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic hormone testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Also called androgenetic alopecia.

My husband saw the back of his head in a picture someone took and he kind of freaked out. He also asked me why I never mentioned it, but how am I supposed to know that the top/back part of his head has thinning hair? Let me make myself clear…thinning hair…NOT bald. Now, I know how I freaked out about my hair thinning so I wanted to make sure I was being sensitive toward him. He wasn’t very happy with the fact that I’ve been using anti thinning shampoo’s and conditioners and I haven’t been sharing with him. So for the past few days he’s been using my anti thinning hair products along with some other products he asked me to purchase…*ahem, Rogaine*. It’s actually very cute how he’s going nuts over this and I must say it does make me feel a little better about all the times I totally freak out.

So as it turns out I guess there are some things men worry about as they get older too and I have to upgrade to size 8. All in all, things could be worse…I could be bald J

p.s. I got an email this week titled “Cheer up girls, it isn’t just you who suffer changes over the years” and it was pictures of famous actors then and now. It really did cheer me up and made me laugh out loud. I’m not able to post it on the blog but let me know if you’d like to see it and I’ll email it to you. It was hilarious!

Make your mark… April 23, 2010

Today I gave an 11 year old girl some very good advice. I told her to start putting on lotion at night because around the age of 16 she’ll notice stretch marks and she won’t know where the hell they came from. Now, don’t you wish your mother or someone would have told you that? If you’re anything like me you probably have stretch marks around your hips and thighs and maybe even in other areas that grew a little too quickly…*ahem* So, this brings me to the question of why my mother never told me to start wearing lotion… or maybe she did and because I was an 11 year old girl I just ignored her.

Either way here I am now 29 years old with stretch marks and no children. That’s another huge misconception; I thought that women with children were the only one’s who got stretch marks, but apparently when we’re pregnant those stretch marks are just added to the ones we already have. You know, it would be great to have a man’s blog about age. I wonder if they experience any of this stuff. So, as of right now here is what I see…

Women- stretch marks before and after child birth

Men- stretch marks when they build muscle

Women- Actually have to give birth

Men- ?????         Exactly…

Interesting isn’t it? Please know that I am not “man bashing” in any way…I love men…um…I love my 1 man J But the facts are the facts and I think women should get 2 Mother’s Days; actually I think there should just be one Mother’s Day and a “Woman Appreciation Day”!!! That would be AMAZING; because as we all know there just aren’t enough days for men to show their appreciation…I might just start a petition.

So here are the real facts…

Stretch Marks are a form of scarring on the skin with an off color hue (we all know that). They are caused by tearing of the dermis and are often the result of the rapid stretching of the skin associated with rapid growth.

Prevention:

Between 75% and 90% of women develop stretch marks to some degree during pregnancy. The sustained hormonal levels as a result of pregnancy usually means stretch marks may appear during the sixth or seventh month, primarily during the 3rd trimester, as that is when skin tends to be subjected to higher levels of stretching forces.

Only one randomized controlled study has been published which claimed to test whether oils or creams prevent the development of stretch marks. This study found a daily application of a cream containing Gotu Kola extract, vitamin E, and collagen hydrolysates was associated with fewer stretch marks during pregnancy.^[7][8] Another study, though lacking a placebo control, examined a cream (Verum) containing vitamin E, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, elastin and menthol. It was associated with fewer stretch marks during pregnancy versus no treatment.^[9]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stretch_marks

I’ll give you one guess as to what I’ll be rubbing all over me when I’m preggers…

Time Flies; Even when you’re not having fun! April 14, 2010

Remember back to when you were in middle school and all you wanted was to be in high school. And then of course when you got to high school you couldn’t wait to get to college? And now we’re all working individuals with only 2-3 weeks vacation every year. It’s incredible how when you’re young all you want to be is grown-up and when you finally become a grown-up it seems like everything speeds up. Anyone else feel like that?

I have days where I just don’t stop and then the days turn into weeks and the weeks turn into, “OMG… it’s already April of 2010!” So what is it that makes our time fly by when we’re older? I’ve pondered this for awhile actually and the only conclusion I can come up with is we’re too busy. Here’s how I see it… when we’re “younger” we don’t have much going on in life. Mainly it’s school and friends but most of our days are spent just hanging out, right? And then we graduate to “adulthood” and we have full time jobs and we get married (or not), but we surely have rent or mortgages, kids maybe, car payments and other bills that keep us working for the next pay check to make ends meet. Our lives become overtaken by a “schedule” and that schedule is what takes us from days to weeks, months and year’s and only every once in a while do we stop and think, “Omg, where did the time go?” The important thing here is not to let it overtake you in such a way that you say, “Where did my life go?”

In my particular case and I’m sure in some of yours it’s your career that takes over. I have a full time job, but in my “spare” time I’m working on my acting career and when I say “working” I mean for free and when I say “spare” time that mean’s the time I would normally spend with family and friend’s.  So, for now I’ve put the “family” part of my life on the back burner, in other words; kids. I have to say that I’m ok with this move to the back, but I can’t help but think that my eggs may dry up. I mean, is there an age when a woman’s eggs are no longer fertile? I’m sure we’ve all noticed that older women are having babies, but it’s not happening right away and in some cases these women need medical assistance; which opens up another huge can of worms. Did you know that a woman’s fertility is at its highest level at age 20-24!!! Well, that ship has sailed!!! And it get’s worse…Fertility starts declining between ages 30-35 by 20%!! I’m starting to feel a bit stressed out and may need to lie down for a few moments….

Ok, so if you didn’t understand what I meant before by time flying by…In the last 5 minutes I just found out that in the next 4 ½ months, when I turn 30 my chances of conceiving drop by 20%!!!!! Ok, seriously I just saw a pregnant woman…it’s like their everywhere! I think it might be time to rethink my plan of action and in all fairness I know the actress Amy Adams is pregnant with her 1^st child and she’s 35 so we know it’s possible but less probable.

So, to recap…the older we get the faster time goes by. To slow it down we need to stop and smell the roses and vacation more often (this is my personal advice) and I need to get home and have some “quality” time with my husband…*wink wink*… Babe- I’ll be home by 10pm-be ready J

For more info visit: http://health.infoniac.com/woman_age_and_fertility.html

Ten Easy Ways to Relax and Rejuvenate:

1. Enjoy a cup of tea
2. Read a chapter or 2 from your favorite book/ Book on tape
3. Exercise (15 mins of yoga)
4. Laugh (Go see an Improv or Stand Up show)
5. Write in a journal
6. Take a day off
7. Take a bubble bath
8. Enjoy a spa day
9. Listen to your favorite music
10. Glass of wine with dinner

For women with children:

1. Get a babysitter…LOL!

Cheapskate! April 7, 2010

So many things change year by year and some thing’s much more unexpectedly than others. For example, a year ago I probably would have never agreed to pay $40.00 for a face cream or $50.00 for a massage, but recently I’ve noticed that instead of thinking what else I could use that money for, I’m thinking…. “What the hell, I deserve it!”

If you’re looking for a bargain, I can find it and I have always prided myself on that. I never paid full price for anything, because somewhere along the way I’d find something just as good, cheaper. Lately, that has not been the case. Now I know some of you out there may think that $40.00 for a face cream and $50.00 for a massage is a great deal and the truth is you’re right, but I would have never agreed with you a year ago. I would have thought “with $50.00 my husband and I can go out to dinner together”. I’m use to sacrificing something “selfish” for something I can enjoy with someone else, but I think I might be coming around…

I don’t know if it’s because the older I get the longer I’ve worked or because there’s something inside of me saying “Life is short; Live it!”  With every passing day I see my youth fading. Now, don’t stop here because you think I’m being ridiculous, give me a chance to explain.

For example, I was in the car with my mother in law the other day and she started to “freak” out a little bit. She thinks she looks old and maybe in her own image of herself she does, but I don’t see that. I see a 40 something woman who looks damn good for her age, but in that split moment, she freaked out about her age. See, whether you’re turning 40, 50, 60 or even 30 all of us experience this “freaking” out at one point or another. So I have the right to “freak” out and reflect…

So, like I was saying…with every passing day I see my youth fading and I want to enjoy the ride. Now, for my “resolution”… If I want to pay $40.00 for a face cream that claims it will reduce the fine lines and wrinkles, well you better believe I’m going to spend that $40.00 and if I decide that I would like a massage because I work hard and I deserve it, well guess what I’m going to do and if I walk by a store and see something I like, there will be no more “I’ll get it next time” because I’ve learned too many times that when you purposefully go shopping to “shop” you can never find anything!! Not to mention, you really do get what you pay for. I bought a pair of “lucky” jeans almost 3 years ago for over $100.00 and they are my favorite pair. No matter how many times I wash and wear them they still look great and I have plenty of examples of being “cheap” with something I buy and then never wearing it or it not lasting very long.

Now, in NO way does this mean I’m going to break the bank. I believe in spending your hard earned money wisely, but you can learn to budget wisely so that you have the opportunity to get a little more “bang for your buck”. When I look back to all the times I sacrificed just to make ends meet, I know I did the right thing, but I can see that I’ve reached a new chapter in my life and I’m looking forward to it!!

So, Melinda…I’ll see you next week for my deep tissue massage…LOL!!

P.S. If any of you out there have experienced something that you feel may be related to your age, let me know. Any new topics are warmly welcomed!

Love of my Life! March 31, 2010

Do you know at what age a women’s metabolism slows down? Well, if you’re reading this blog than I’ll give you one chance to get it right…

If you said thirty then that would make you correct! This is the cherry on top of it all. By the age of 30 you can bet that something huge starts to happen to your body.  If you didn’t notice it before then get ready. In all honesty I have to say that I noticed a change in my weight about a year ago.  First and foremost you have to know one huge thing about me… I LOVE FOOD!! All types of food! If I could I would have my own cooking show on Food Network and I would demonstrate how wonderful cheese and garlic are on basically everything! I love cooking and I love eating and in my lifetime there is only 1 other person that I’ve met that I could say loves food more than I do and she happens to work with me…*ahem* “Elaine”

What I realized was that my body was not burning the calories as fast as I was eating them so I had to change my eating habits. It’s funny because most people always ask me if I’m on a diet and the truth is I always am. Being on a diet for me means that I watch my calorie intake and I sacrifice small things (mini snickers) for the important things (slice of cheesecake)!  The main thing I’ve done is change my workout routine. I went from not working out at all to working out 6 days a week for 1 hour each day and in the span of 90 days I lost 10 pounds. Of course life happens and so for the past 3 months I have not been that dedicated, but I can also say that I haven’t gained the 10 pounds back; nine…maybe…LOL!

So where is the balance? For me the balance is constantly asking myself if what I’m eating is worth it. Is it worth it for me to eat that delicious, fluffy, buttery croissant? Well, some days it is and some days it’s not.  I keep my eating schedule during the week quite consistent; carbs in the morning for energy and time to burn, some fruit with each meal and keep the sweets down to non-existent. I also do my best to workout at least 3 to 4 days a week, even if it’s just a walk in the evening.  The one thing that most women who are older than me have said is that if I keep my body moving and in shape it will keep me looking and feeling younger and how can I argue with that!

After doing some research I found the below link to be quite useful and actually very similar to what I’ve learned and put into practice in my own life. Hope you enjoy the info… http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080111205423AA10XCK

p.s. in regards to frozen meals- the calories might be low but watch out for that sodium!! It’s a killer!!

Difficult Decision