Preparation Meet Simplicity-(life is simple, people are not)

Life is crazy.  Life is stressful, right? Wrong. In fact life itself is quite simple, it's us a people who make things difficult. We live beyond our means, we inundate ourselves with useless information, we procrastinate on everything from paying bills to getting a haircut. Yes, I said a haircut and no it's on the same level as say being stranded on the side of the road but it is a stressor. Think about it, every day that you don't call and make an appointment, is one more day that you're thinking ah I need to get a haircut. A waste of energy and thought space when really all it takes is a simple phone call, appointment made and off the to-do list but better yet of your mind. The "big" things like a flat tire, stay at the forefront but it's the little things like that haircut I just mentioned, that add up, that build up and drain our energy and make those "big" things and life in general even more difficult to handle.

Vacation. That's a nice word isn't it. Everyone gets excited when they hear it. I don't know about you but I feel like a kid at Christmas when I'm planning a vacation and by planning I mean choosing a location. After that it's a one-way ticket to stress town. Travel dates have to be chosen, but wait let's check the calendar first. Then there's the question of how will you get there? What's the most beneficial time-wise? What's the most cost effective? Oh and where are you going to stay? Whats the best deal? Whats the best location? Oh and does it have a pool? Ah finally the reservations have been made, you're home free right? Wrong again. Now you have to decide right down to the last minute what you're going to do when you get there and man are you disappointed when you don't see and do everything on the list because you wanted to make the most out this vacation. Once, the questions started being asked, the fun, the relaxation, the vacation ended. Yup right then and there because like we do with everything else in life we made it complicated.  Planning ahead is one thing, a little preparation can save us a whole lot of headaches but theres a difference between planning and over-analyzing or even micro-managing a situation. WE make life crazy. WE stress ourselves out. WE are the problem but with a little healthy preparation, life can be much simpler and we can be much happier.

Stay tuned for tips and ideas on what I like to call Preparation meet Simplicity.

Give it a Rest Already!

Recent conversations with friends of mine have brought me to the conclusion that we need to give ourselves a break. On a daily basis it seems, we break ourselves down and pick ourselves apart, for what I'm not quite sure.

It is human nature to judge and criticize but I tend to believe that with a little time and effort that criticism can be turned into motivation and that judgement can be replaced with encouragement. Encouragement and motivation for yourself, to reach your goals and to push past your boundaries.

Life is at times difficult and completely unpredictable. However, if you let every little "flaw" slow you down and change the view that you have of yourself, you're never going to get to where you should be and where you should be, where we all should be is moving forward through this beautiful struggle that is our life.

Where's the motivation?

To workout or not to workout, that is the question.  The question that I and I'm sure many others, girls AND guys, ask ourselves every day.  We all want to be healthy but do we all want to do what it takes to get and stay that way?  We all want, well most of us want to look good not only in our bikinis in the summer but also our skinny jeans in the winter, but the effort required to do so seems to be more than we're willing to put in.  They say that exercise lowers your stress levels and makes you feel good which should have people running to put on their tennis shoes but the fact is it's not. I mean who doesn't want to be less stressed, and I know we all like things that make us feel good, but it seems that we'd rather take the path of least resistance aka the path of laziness than to partake in a little sweat session.  So instead of driving to the gym and enjoying that natural high that comes from working out, we opt to drive to our chosen fast food joint and enjoy that combo meal that comes with the option to biggie size it.  Good health is a driving force.  Money is an even bigger one, but neither seem to be big enough to push the masses into the gym or even out into nature for any real length of time.  The new years resolution sell a lot of gym memberships and I'm sure that Foot Locker makes a killing when the new year starts but all that is temporary.  What does it take for people to make a true commitment to exercise?  As a person that has over the last maybe 8 years joined and quit the gym 3 times and just recently joined again, I can say that nothing and no one will get you to go except for you.  Starting a habit is just as difficult if not more so than quitting one.  You have to not only want to do it but also need to do it.  For whatever reason, whether it be for physical appearance, a way to kill time or as part of a healthier lifestyle, you have to need to do it.  When I was younger, I did it because I wanted to be thin and cute.  Clearly my want wasn't enough to keep me going.  Now, older and having seen so many around me fight battles with sickness, so many of which could have been prevented, I've decided to do what I can to try and avoid that path.  Although I am trying to become a permanent fixture in my gym, I, at times, do go back to my lazy day habits.  However, I keep the struggles of those I love at the forefront of brain to remind me of why I make the effort.

With all that being said, my suggestion to my fellow couch lovers is to find your reason to get moving.  Find it and then find your way of making it happen.  It doesn't have to be in a gym, mother nature has the ability to kick your butt just as well as the elliptical and it's FREE!  Find the place, make the time, put your shoes on and get moving.  You might not like it at first, I didn't, but give it some time and I think you will. 

"Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going" ~unknown

Hugs and high  fives
~KG