Hey there!  The weather has been pretty weird that last couple of days here in San Diego. WE had tornado WARNINGS yesterday! Hail today, and a few minutes ago the sun was shining!  Our courtyard in our apartment complex has been flooding and so my hubby and I have chose to stay home, when normally we would go to the gym, the last two days.  You know, to make sure that our apartment isn’t going to flood!  So, this morning, I went to the gym.  Had a great workout and actually ran again today!  I have been busy with work (I really should call it passion, I love what I do) and wanted to get it out of the way early today so I could end the last 7 days with 3 workouts.

I came home, ate breakfast, took a shower and while getting dressed thought – it’s a boot day!  Boot wearing requires that I wear skinny jeans.  The dreaded skinny jeans.  The jeans that I bitch about and moan and complain that they cut off circulation to the lower part of my body.  The jeans that should have NEVER been invented.  So, I thought, I feel less than I was 11 days ago, in other words, I no longer feel bloated etc.  I slipped those jeans on and didn’t even have to lay down on the bed to button or zip them up.  Obviously, that is the routine in the past.  I sat down in them, without feeling like I was being CUT IN TWO!  It’s celebration time, lets bake some cookies!  I am JUST KIDDING!  I hope you have picked up my dry humor by now.

I only wore them for about 4 hours and ate lunch, apparently there needs to be less of me than there is now to wear them and eat!  AS the great Les Brown says, “It’s possible”.  Folks, it’s possible to do what we want to do and accomplish ANYTHING we set out to do.  I was so inspired by being able to get those jeans on without a fight this morning, it inspired me to eat a great meal for lunch and drink more water today.  It inspired me to try harder to see more results.  Do you know why it inspired me?  I let it inspire me.  Yes, you read that right.  I LET IT.

I remember when I had attempted to stop consuming sugar several other times in the past few years, I was always pissed off about it.  I was jealous of others eating sweets.  I had the perception that I was getting the bad end of the deal, and on top of that, I was the one who had made the decision to abstain from sweets, so I was pissed at myself!  Up until recently I fought it.  I fought the good feelings that I got from abstaining. This time, I asked myself, “do I deserve to feel good?” “Do I deserve to be healthy?” “Do I deserve to LOOK the best that I can?” I answered quickly with a YES! I had THOUGHT that I deserved it!  The fact that I chose to consume sweets again, proved that I was lying to myself.  My core belief didn’t think I deserved it, otherwise I would still be sugar free when I tried to stop all those other times.  Let’s talk about self respect for a moment.  I know some people get all uncomfortable when discussing self respect, but it’s necessary in order to move forward and continue on with day 12 and day 13 all the way to a lifetime.  That’s what one day at a time adds up to, a lifetime.

Webster’s dictionary defines self respect as “pride and confidence in oneself; a feeling that one is behaving with honor and dignity” and it goes on to give an example of it in a sentence. “if you had any self-respect, you wouldn’t be wasting your life in front of the television.” Wow, that’s pretty harsh, huh?  Let me ask you a question, do you think the companies that are producing the processed foods we eat with all of the sugar in it are concerned with our self respect, health and well being?  Do you think that the sugar laced food we consume loves us back as much as we love it? Low fat, fat free, sugar free, and no sugar, plus a ton more labels out there trying to get you to think that if you consume it, it’s better for you.  Convenience, does that honor your body? “I am in a hurry, I don’t have time to put good food in my body, I will just grab this snack and go.”  ” I am thirsty, this soda will work, I can take it with me.”  What about fast food?  Do you think that’s honoring your body?

I am sick and tired of running, and NOT honoring my body.  How am I going to live without it (my body)? I think I had to go through that craving yesterday in order to get to this space I am at right now.  I caught myself this afternoon after my appointment, in a hurry, and on the way home – I thought – maybe I will just stop and get something to eat.  I was aware of my thoughts and stopped it.  I came home and nourished my body with a salad that I made, homemade salad dressing, and sardines, sounds fishy! I am satisfied and I feel good. Do you know why I feel good? I took the time to honor my body and when I do that, my mind honors me with pride, confidence and self love. Sacred self care. Self Respect.

I want you to consider self respect as a tool to stop consuming sugar. Honor what God gave you. Honor the way it works when good healthy choices are being made. After all, it’s the consequences that ‘get us’ in the end.  If I chose to consume bad things for me, I suffer the consequences of experiencing bad health.  If I consume good things for me, I honor the consequences of optimal health.  It’s really that simple. I don’t have to fight it. I can LET IT honor me.

Until tomorrow………….