In response to recent testimonials for stupid diet pills that claim you can lose weight without exercise or lifestyle change, here is mine: (please re-think your decision to take a fad-diet pill if you are currently taking one. If this offends you, oh well...)
Hi, I'm Tara, and I would like to tell you how I lost 20 pounds and KEPT IT OFF! I work my ass off at the gym and have eliminated my favorite foods such as spaghetti and sandwiches from my diet. I used to squeeze into a size 10, now I wear a size 4. I have made diet and exercise a part of my lifestyle, and my family's as well. Sometimes it is hard having to exercise when you are tired at night, or want to sleep in in the morning. Sometimes it is hard to pass up the pasta and dessert when everyone else is enjoying theirs. But I do it because it feels good to eat right, and it feels good to exercise. And as a bonus, I do it so that I can continue to look "good for having 3 kids." You're diet pill may make you skinny today, but there is not a pill to make you healthy! Being skinny and being healthy are two ENTIRELY different things. Being skinny is overrated, in my opinion, if you have to alter your physioloical being medicinally to be that way. What about being HEALTHY, folks??? You want to be healthy? You have to live healthy. You want to wake up in the morning and feel fresh, energized, and alive? You want to look in the mirror and feel good about what you see? Make the sacrifice; eat good foods, get off the couch, play outside, take a walk, join a gym, or bust up some CrossFit! Don't start tomorrow, start today.
This whole diet-pill thing really pisses me off. Stop it, America! Work for something! Where's the pride in taking a pill to lose weight? Get your ass moving, shop the perimeter of the grocery store (and you will actually save some money), and be proud of your body when you look in that mirror knowing that you WORK HARD to FEEL GOOD!!!
Those of you who believe that diet-pills are the answer? Great. You may look better than me in your own mind, but me and my healthy family will kick your ass at LIFE...ALL.DAY.LONG!!!!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Small Talk
I have a mild case of social anxiety. For me, this comes in the form of avoiding small talk for fear of saying the wrong thing. I am definitely the queen of saying the wrong thing. I also don't really understand "small talk." When asked "What's new with you?," what is the appropriate response? I mean, if you really want to know: "These jeans are new, and I like them. Well, they are not really new, because I bought them at a consignment store, but they are new to me. And they are LIKE new, because this cosignment store only accepts items that are gently worn. I also just had a baby, so that's new. Actually, that's why I had to get new jeans, because I still can't fit into my pre-baby pants." I'm guessing that, when asked "What's new with you," a long and drawn out response is not what is expected. On the otherhand, the response "Oh, nothing. How about you" is very passive. You may as well just say "Get the hell away from me, I don't want to talk to you." I suppose that's really just over-dramatizing, but it's difficult to extend a conversation with such a passive reponse to the "opening line."
How would Wonder Woman respond to "What's new with you?" Wonder Woman responds: "Well, modern society requires that I wear pants. That's been a difficult transition."
I am terribly afraid of class reuinons and other such events. It's cool to see everyone, but it would be much better if we could just wear a sign that reviews the following: 1) Name, 2) job/profession, 3) residence, 4) kids? if so, how many, age(s), and names. Since that information is out of the way, the converstaion could start with the picture of your children. At that point, you will hear "ohhh, she is beautiful! She looks just like you! Oh, how beautiful!" Because what else are people going to say about your cell-phone camera's version of your baby? It would be funny to take a picture of your dog's butt and tell people it is a picture of your baby. I wonder what the response would be?
I guess it's just the impersonal nature of small talk that frightens me. Am I boring them with my answers to their questions? Do they really even care what I do for a living? Are my questions too intrusive? What if they don't want to talk about their weekend?
Wonder Woman probably doesn't have an issue with small talk. I mean, COME ON! She's a super hero! WWS would be talking without offending, listening without judging. It's going to take some time to achieve this aspect of WWS...
How would Wonder Woman respond to "What's new with you?" Wonder Woman responds: "Well, modern society requires that I wear pants. That's been a difficult transition."
I am terribly afraid of class reuinons and other such events. It's cool to see everyone, but it would be much better if we could just wear a sign that reviews the following: 1) Name, 2) job/profession, 3) residence, 4) kids? if so, how many, age(s), and names. Since that information is out of the way, the converstaion could start with the picture of your children. At that point, you will hear "ohhh, she is beautiful! She looks just like you! Oh, how beautiful!" Because what else are people going to say about your cell-phone camera's version of your baby? It would be funny to take a picture of your dog's butt and tell people it is a picture of your baby. I wonder what the response would be?
I guess it's just the impersonal nature of small talk that frightens me. Am I boring them with my answers to their questions? Do they really even care what I do for a living? Are my questions too intrusive? What if they don't want to talk about their weekend?
Wonder Woman probably doesn't have an issue with small talk. I mean, COME ON! She's a super hero! WWS would be talking without offending, listening without judging. It's going to take some time to achieve this aspect of WWS...
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Body Image
Touchy subject...When I was in 4th grade I was selected to perform a dance routine with 2 other girls in our spring concert. My music teacher was gathering all three of us for "pre-game" make-up, and got my attention by saying "come over here, fat one of the group." Come on, lady!! I was...wait, how old are you in 4th grade?? Whatever, I was way to young to be called FAT!!! Maybe things would have been different if she would have said "come over here, one that looks like a boy even though you have a unitard on." Let's face it, I was rockin the boy-look! Anyway, I have NEVER forgotten that moment. In fact, I often times (in my own unforgiving mind) refer to myself in the present as "The fat one of the group."
Watch what you say to a person, because what you say (and how you say it) can really impact their life. I have spent my lifetime battling with the mirror, with my weight, and with my own self-confidence. How many people out there fight the same battle each day? I would imagine that there are way more than what we think. It's easy to hide it, as it goes on in your mind more than anything. But what may come off as narcissism may actually be a very self-conscious person just trying to find something "good" about the way that they look.
I have always had the curse of the "dun-lop," or "Muffintop," or "spare tire." Damn you, beer! Funny thing is, stopped eating bread and pasta on the reg, and lost about 20 pounds. That was about two years ago. It was life-changing, because for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I was able to accept my body! Then the baby-factory got pregnant again, and here we are at square-one. WHY??!! Why can we (men, women, whomever) not embrace the fact that our bodies can do amazing things? Why can we not look at what our bodies have acclomplished and be happy with that?
The road to self-acceptance is bumpy. Part of acheiving WWS is being able to look in the mirror for a moment to make sure everything is where it should be (apparently those details were missed the other day, when i realized at work that i had never bothered to button my pants), then walk away from that mirror without criticizing every square inch of that hot-mess that is reflecting. Wonder Woman herself looks incredible in her little underpants, leotard, and high-boots get-up. I'll bet her music teach never referred to her as "the fat one of the group."
So remember to try and say nice things to people, and comment on the things that are amazing about them...because maybe yours will be the comment that they remember for years to come.
Watch what you say to a person, because what you say (and how you say it) can really impact their life. I have spent my lifetime battling with the mirror, with my weight, and with my own self-confidence. How many people out there fight the same battle each day? I would imagine that there are way more than what we think. It's easy to hide it, as it goes on in your mind more than anything. But what may come off as narcissism may actually be a very self-conscious person just trying to find something "good" about the way that they look.
I have always had the curse of the "dun-lop," or "Muffintop," or "spare tire." Damn you, beer! Funny thing is, stopped eating bread and pasta on the reg, and lost about 20 pounds. That was about two years ago. It was life-changing, because for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I was able to accept my body! Then the baby-factory got pregnant again, and here we are at square-one. WHY??!! Why can we (men, women, whomever) not embrace the fact that our bodies can do amazing things? Why can we not look at what our bodies have acclomplished and be happy with that?
The road to self-acceptance is bumpy. Part of acheiving WWS is being able to look in the mirror for a moment to make sure everything is where it should be (apparently those details were missed the other day, when i realized at work that i had never bothered to button my pants), then walk away from that mirror without criticizing every square inch of that hot-mess that is reflecting. Wonder Woman herself looks incredible in her little underpants, leotard, and high-boots get-up. I'll bet her music teach never referred to her as "the fat one of the group."
So remember to try and say nice things to people, and comment on the things that are amazing about them...because maybe yours will be the comment that they remember for years to come.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Today
Today is my first day as a "blogger!" I decided to start blogging because my brain seems to have a lot to say about very random things...and this is a great way to let my brain express itself, I guess. The thoughts are very random, very spontaneous, and often times very opinionated. So I guess I will start with some random nonsense to introduce myself:
As a 32-year old mother of three, I'd like to say that I have a pretty good grip on things. Others probably think otherwise, but that's their opinion. Most days, I am able to get out of the door without forgetting anybody. Usually I am somewhat clean, fully clothed, and shoes usually match. Three days a week I have to function at work as a physical therapist, and most of the time that is not terribly difficult. It's the two days at home with all three little kids (4y.o, 2y.o, and 10-week old) that make me realize that I am not quite to my desired "Wonder Woman" status. Working on that one...
Speaking of the "Wonder Woman" status (which will hereafter be referred to as WWS), I would like to explain why being Wonder Woman is part of my lifetime goals:
When I was 8 years old, I remember my mother asking me "What do you want to be when you grow up?" At first, I responded "A boy." Being a boy seemed pretty cool, as they could take their shirts off and stand around and no one would bat an eye. They could pee anywhere they wanted, STANDING UP, and not have to worry about the availability of toilet paper. So, I personally think that was a great answer. But once reality set-in, I changed my answer to "I want to be Wonder Woman." I probably should have stuck with the first answer, because all that would take is a wardobe change and possibly some drug and surgical interventions. Achieving WWS (as defined by me, not DC Comics) is a lot more challenging than what my 8-year-old self must of thought.
Anyway, it's really hard to blog with so many "distractions!" I probably should have thought about that before we had three kids! Apparently everyone is hungry, and that means that I need to feed them...Maybe someday Wonder Woman will be able to do this using magic. But I am not at that level, so to the kitchen it is!
As a 32-year old mother of three, I'd like to say that I have a pretty good grip on things. Others probably think otherwise, but that's their opinion. Most days, I am able to get out of the door without forgetting anybody. Usually I am somewhat clean, fully clothed, and shoes usually match. Three days a week I have to function at work as a physical therapist, and most of the time that is not terribly difficult. It's the two days at home with all three little kids (4y.o, 2y.o, and 10-week old) that make me realize that I am not quite to my desired "Wonder Woman" status. Working on that one...
Speaking of the "Wonder Woman" status (which will hereafter be referred to as WWS), I would like to explain why being Wonder Woman is part of my lifetime goals:
When I was 8 years old, I remember my mother asking me "What do you want to be when you grow up?" At first, I responded "A boy." Being a boy seemed pretty cool, as they could take their shirts off and stand around and no one would bat an eye. They could pee anywhere they wanted, STANDING UP, and not have to worry about the availability of toilet paper. So, I personally think that was a great answer. But once reality set-in, I changed my answer to "I want to be Wonder Woman." I probably should have stuck with the first answer, because all that would take is a wardobe change and possibly some drug and surgical interventions. Achieving WWS (as defined by me, not DC Comics) is a lot more challenging than what my 8-year-old self must of thought.
Anyway, it's really hard to blog with so many "distractions!" I probably should have thought about that before we had three kids! Apparently everyone is hungry, and that means that I need to feed them...Maybe someday Wonder Woman will be able to do this using magic. But I am not at that level, so to the kitchen it is!
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