I got older today...

Yes, today is my birthday.  In all honestly, since I became, single birthday's haven't been all that fun.  This year, though, I was determined it was going to be different and fortunately for me my kiddos were all about it.  The day started pretty much perfectly and only got better from there. 

 My day was spent exploring the little town of Aiken, South Carolina.  If you haven't ever been, put it on your to do list.  It is full of beautiful homes, gardens, shops, galleries. There was just too much to see and do!

 The sweetest part? I got to be with 2 of my 3 babies!

Yes, that is me, with a Diet Coke (my favorite food, you know!) in a glass bottle.  There is nothing better on a hot Spring afternoon!!!  Of course, Aiken is horse country so it has some wonderful equestrian touches every where you look...I can't wait to go back and explore even more!

Getting Healthy Update!

It has been a couple of weeks since I kicked off my "Getting Healthy" attitude and I am proud to say that I am now starting week 3 with NO Diet Coke...seriously (and no one has died!)  I have had a couple of times when I almost caved (I just wanted a Route 44 from Sonic tiny sip...) but I didn't! As silly as it sounds, this is pretty huge for me!!!   Now, I have no stories about how much better I feel and all that jazz, but I do feel positive that I am breaking that addiction, uh, habit!  This week, I am trying to fine tune my diet and really get into the groove with the Low Carb eating and increasing my activity.

Wish me luck! 
I need all the encouragement I can get!!!!

Getting Healthy!

I know a lot of bloggers who have had great luck (and I am sure found great motivation) by blogging about their attempts at losing weight and/or getting healthy, but I have always been a bit hesitant to put it out there a whole lot.  It just wasn’t something I wanted to blog about because quite frankly I was (AM) more afraid of failing in this very public forum than anything else!  But in recent months an old friend has taken control of his health in a very inspiring way and with the great success I have seen in his life and the life of my youngest son with the diet he is on for his seizure disorder it has started to tug at me and the way I am taking care of myself. 

Actually, I am in reasonably good health and I am not feeling motivated by a desire to lose weight (…though, that would be a big, old plus if I lost a few pounds!) but I am motivated by wanting to get healthier and stronger.  The only issue health wise that I struggle with is PCOS/insulin resistance and it can only be helped by taking control of my diet and exercise.

I am finding motivation in the upward creep of that number I get assigned on each birthday and by watching family members who are not taking care of themselves and how it has affected their quality of life at what I consider too early an age.   I want to be strong and full of energy to enjoy this great place in life that I find myself!

So….I am doing away with this….

Source: dietcoke.com via Mary on Pinterest

It probably sounds silly but it will be my biggest challenge.  Fortunately, I am not addicted to caffeine as I gave that up a few months ago but I am pretty addicted to my beloved Diet Coke…

I am also jumping on the low carb bandwagon with my youngest son (who is on the Modified Atkins version of the Ketogenic Diet for Epilepsy.)  I have had good luck losing weight in the past with the Atkins Diet and after seeing so much evidence of how carbohydrates (SUGAR) damage our mind and bodies I feel it is right for me.  Not to mention, low carb diets are the best diets for combating the issues related to PCOS and insulin resistance!

So there you have it…I am putting my health out there…publically (gulp) and hope to find the motivation and commitment I need to carry it though!