There are a couple things I want to talk about today, first.....I did 15 minutes worth of a "Zumba-like" workout in my living room.....Thanks to my good friend, Sherri who told me about the workout videos on Netflix....It was fun and easy to follow, in just 15 minutes I had sweat on my forehead :) I should have done the entire workout, but I will try to do more tomorrow night, but at least I did something, and I still have laundry to fold, and the kitchen to clean so more calories to burn there :) I have been overjoyed by all the feedback I have been getting from friends, some have posted recipe ideas on my facebook, and others have told me about healthy changes they are making in their life.....I feel like the combined strength of what we are trying to accomplish is the fuel that keeps me motivated to keep going :)......Now, to tell you about a purchase I am thinking about making....I have been looking into getting the "Biggest Loser Slim Coach".....from all the reviews it looks like the perfect tool for me to help me track my "actual" caloric burn, and help me to know when my heart rate it in the zone for health and fitness :) If I get it, I will let you all know how well it is working, and if it is as good a motivator as I am thinking it will be for me :).....Now, let's talk about cheating.....such an ugly word, but is it really the right word??? We are not talking about a eating plan that your married to.....if you choose to eat something that is not going to push you towards you goal is it CHEATING??? I don't believe it is....and let me tell you why, that word has just as much of a negative connotation as the word "diet" has....I don't know if you have noticed, but I rarely use the word diet in conjunction with my decisions or my routine....truthfully a diet is what you eat, regardless of what that is....the food that you put in your body IS your diet, so if you eat junkfood you have an unhealthy diet, and if you eat fruit and veggies you have a healthy diet....but regardless of what you eat or whether your making conscious choices or just eating whatever is close and easy....you are on a DIET.....so, you can't cheat on something that your ALWAYS on......I told my husband today that when Monday comes around I am going to have a coffee, and I am going to eat ONE of my kids Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs (snack size).....his response was so encouraging....he said that because I have stuck to my diet so fiercely that he knows when I say I will have one, that is what I mean....I really think it is gonna disappoint me, it probably won't taste as good as it does in my memory, but never-the-less I am going to give it a shot because I need to and honestly, I am not going to stick to any required eating on Monday, I am taking the day off, and then I will start my low-carb eating plan on Tuesday.....so, I ask you....will I be cheating on Monday??? My thought is this....if in your mind you see eating something not on the plan as cheating, it may cause you to be discouraged and feel like a failure, but all the decisions are in your hands.....if you want to eat something, then eat it, but make a plan for it, don't be impulsive.....I would say being impulsive is a greater sabotage to eating right than cheating is.....if you plan for it, you have time to think about it, you have time to decide if it is worth it, but if you wait to decide until you have a fork full of cake in your hand, then you are letting your habits make the choice for you.....you have to be in charge, but that doesn't mean you have to be a warden of your own personal prison, but it can't be spring break everyday either....find that balance, and plan at least a day in advance if you going to eat something that you know isn't good for your overall weight loss goals.....for me, if I make an impulsive choice for breakfast or lunch, I just toss the rest of the day down the drain, I say to myself, "I have already messed up today, so what is the point?"  The truth is, the day isn't ruined if you are eating something you planned to eat....if your going to a wedding, and you know there will be cake and cake is your weakness, then make a plan to have a 1" by 2" slice, maybe scrape some or all of the frosting off and don't drink the punch....then you leave the wedding feeling IN CONTROL instead of like a cheating failure....in my mind, I am my own worst enemy to success, but through this last year, I have had to learn how to take charge of my mind and take control of my feelings, I wouldn't hope for any of you to have to learn these things the way that I have, but after losing my daughter, I feel a very strong desire to take the things I have experienced and turn them into something positive...something I can learn from and something I can harness for strength, instead of just letting my heart and mind defeat me.....I think regardless of your own life and personal trials, we each have times where we let our own insecurities, pain, or fear defeat us.....I made the choice to no longer be defeated, I WILL CONQUER the negative things that I hear in my mind....I have to!!!!

Again, I will try to recap, since I tend to ramble, just so you don't get lost.....find new ways at home to include more activity, also I am looking into a fitness tracking system....and, time to think about what those negative words and feelings inside are doing to sabotage our fitness goals.....Good luck this week!!! Have a great middle of the week :)