Attitude Adjustment

When I was growing up, my parents had a quote by Charles Swindoll* about attitude sitting in an 8.5 x 11 frame on the desk in the kitchen. It was printed on parchment paper and began with "Attitude by Charles Swindoll" in big, bold text. Whenever we children gave off too much of the wrong attitude (usually when we were asked to do chores and weren't overly enthused by the prospect), my parents would point to the attitude poster and say that we needed to work on our attitude.

I never read what that poster said. Not once.

I'm sure my parents thought I did read it, as they asked me to read and re-read it many times.  But somehow when you're a pre-teen and teenager and your parents think you need an "attitude adjustment," and you are clearly a misunderstood angel at all times, the last thing you want to do is read a quote about the importance of attitude following a strongly worded suggestion from your parental unit.

But I've been thinking a lot about attitude lately. Attitude makes a big difference in how you approach anything, but especially weight loss.  If you begin your journey expecting to fail then, guess what, you're going to fail.  If however, you choose to believe in yourself and your wondrous and perfectly made body, then you have a better chance at succeeding.

Yeah, yeah, you've heard this all before.  But have you ever heard Mr. Swindoll say it?  Me neither, (remember, I never read the framed quote in my parent's kitchen? Sheesh, we need to work on your reading comprehension) so I googled his famous words on attitude. Guess what? They are some valuable insights on who we live our lives.

If you'd like to read Chuck's thoughts on attitude, check it out below.  

Attitude 

By Charles Swindoll

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes. "

What do you think?  Is life what happens to you or how you react to it? Can you choose your attitude or does that require something yucky like discipline?

*Disclaimer: I have no idea who Charles Swindoll is or why he might be famous. It could be solely for his contributions to the world about attitude. I have no idea.

What's-Up Wednesday

I'm starting a new series called What's-Up Wednesdays. I do a lot of sharing on this blog, but I'd like to hear more from you. Don't worry, I'm not going to be asking deep probing questions each week, just fun things. I hope you'll share your answers with me in the comments.

So for this inaugural What's-Up Wednesday, I'm wondering, "If Hollywood wanted to make a movie of your life, who would you choose to play you?"

Nia Vardalos

There are not a lot of curly-haired size 18s in the movie business, but I was asked this question long ago and came up with Nia Vardalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  She's the closest I'm getting to a Hollywood doppleganger. Plus, she's sassy and funny, just like me (if I do say so myself).

What about you?  Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?

Updates

Sometimes I think I post about something and then never go back to update you on what's happened since.  So this is one of those posts.

My First Trip to the Hospital- I feel completely fine. As each day passes, the more convinced I am that it was just a fainting spell. Aside from excessive tiredness, which I think still stems from my all-nighter last week, I'm great.  I've had both an EEG and an MRI.  I don't meet with the neurologist again until July 12, but I may try to call in a bit earlier to see if I can get my tests results. In the meantime, I am still not driving, but I've got a great roommate who has helped me out with a cajillion rides and friends who ferried me about Charlotte this past weekend like they had nothing better to do.

Bike Update -I'm loving my bike.  I've biked to work twice, but I've also biked to the grocery store (put all the groceries in two bookbags on my back and felt super independent), the bike store (is that ironic? or just smart?), and to return a redbox movie (I've rented a fair share of redbox movies lately that have all been really bad, fyi.).  I'm going to be commuting to work the rest of this week and I even went for a long leisurely ride on Sunday.  I'm not the least bit afraid of riding on the road.

The Third Bad Thing - I got the table all cleaned up and the city hauled away its shell, but I still need to get back out on my hands and knees to comb through the grass one more time.

Next Challenge - My friend Daniel and I both have bikes, so I believe we are both set to compete in the Heels n Wheels Duathlon on August 27 (that is if there is a certain house in south Georgia available to host us that weekend...Abi?).   I also think my friends and I are serious about signing up for the USMC mud run on Oct. 15. In fact, I'm about to send an informational email to those people who said they were interested, TONIGHT!  Hopefully we'll be registered for this one soon.

Announcing: The Walking Club - The Walking Club is still going strong. Every Wednesday we meet at 5:45 p.m. to walk and talk.  It's a pretty marvelous 60-90 minutes. We've moved our location to Cherry Park because it is better shaded, looped and has beautiful day lilies and swings (yes, I'm a big fan of swinging and now I get to swing every week!).  If you've been thinking about coming out but haven't made it, what's stopping you?? It is not nearly as hot as you would imagine it to be. Hope to see you tomorrow!


Is there anything else from my blog that I have failed to update you on?  Anything about my life keeping you up at night? Let me know and I'll update you!

What Summer Means to Me

While not strictly a health and fitness related post, I've been thinking about how much I love summer lately for these reasons and more:

Ice cream
Swimming
Beach trips
Wave jumping
Trips to Effingham (home to cousins, aunts, uncles and granny)
Early Fridays at work
Summer music (Beach music and country music about summer)
Longer days
Skirts
Cool nights
Day lilies
Reading delicious fiction (I read year-round, but it seems like it picks up in the summertime.)
Cookouts
No socks!


What are your favorite things about summer?

Defeating the Enemy

As per usual, I have been "off-track" now for several weeks.  I haven't necessarily been eating horribly. I've still been making my meals at home and eating healthy snacks at work.  I just haven't been tracking my calories, and I have been eating out a little more frequently.  When I eat out, I order what sounds good, not necessarily what is good for me.  And then there's ice cream.  What is it about ice cream that makes me powerless at the thought of it?

I've been afraid to start trying again, because of a fear of failure (again).

Last night I went to church with a friend, a Saturday evening service.  The message was on Revelation 12.  This passage talks about a great dragon, a serpent, (Spoiler alert: that's Satan) that is hurled down from heaven. It goes on to say that this "accuser" has been overcome by the blood of the lamb and that  "He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." (v. 12)

The pastor spent a lot of time on this passage. He emphasized that there has been this war in heaven (v. 7) and that Satan has already been defeated. Now that he's on earth, he is mad about being defeated so he's trying hard.  But God has already won the victory against Satan. We don't have to do anything.

With this knowledge, which I suppose I have long-known and just needed to be reminded, how should we approach trials in our lives?  Boldly, with confidence, and no fear.  I understand all of this with my head, but the trick is getting our actions and thoughts to reflect it.  Something to pray about, I suppose.

Also, on a lighter note, I"m looking for good snack ideas.  Something easy to take and eat at work, something low in calories around 100 to 150 calories. Any suggestions?

Farm Fresh Friday- Week Nine

Eggplant!

A mini cuke next to a Momma.

Sorry I didn't get my Farm Fresh Friday entry done yesterday- time has just been really flying by lately.  It was another fabulous box, with corn, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, cantaloupe and black berries.  Also,  eggplant!  We've actually had eggplant in our box the past two weeks, but this is the first time I've brought it home.  I've never had eggplant before. I hope it's good. We also got these cute little miniature cucumbers, that I'm supposing you can eat raw just like regular cucumbers, right?  

Today and Tomorrow

Today's test was fine.  It was a little strange to be hooked up to electrodes. I could feel the energy coursing through my body.
Tomorrow will be my first day commuting via bike. My roommate Jen has been good enough to drive me every day this week. I'm both excited and a little nervous. I'll let you know how it goes!