Adina’s Cute & Perky Blog!

Good morning, Cute and Perky readers!!!

Loved all the comments from yesterday!!  And…about that book…  I actually am writing one.  It will have the same name as my FitnessRX Blog, which is Finding by Losing.  One day next week I’ll copy my Blog post from there explaining the title. 

But, Trixter…Tag Team match?  Be ASHAMED!!!!

And I am very excited to have new friends to add over the weekend!  That’s when I do stuff like that!

But on to today’s topic: my cell phone! 

It’s a cute one.  Pink and all.  (Raise your hand if you’re surprised over that news!!!)

But anyway…

As any good worker bee does, I turn the ringer off at work.

MOST of the time.

Yesterday, I did not.

I went to the break room mid-morning to fix meal number two.  When I came back, I noticed I had missed a call.

No biggie, right?

Not until my coworker, Michael, sneaks his head around the corner.  And…I could swear I saw a tear in his eye.

He just nods his head and says, “That’s some ring tone you got there.” 

He leaves laughing with me slapping my hand over my mouth saying, “Oh my gosh, I left it on?!”

He was laughing too hard for me to understand his reply.

And…well…you know that song that goes…”I don’t love anybody else, when I think about you, I touch myself….”

THAT is my ring tone! 

For everyone but my two boys.  They each have their own ring tone, because they cannot have that one!  That would just be wrong!

I do it for my own entertainment.  I love it when it rings and someone smiles and says, “Is that your boyfriend?”

And of course, I have to look down to see, and just the fact that I am looking gets me all kinds of shocked looks.  Like, “How could it be anybody else?”

Or if I get my best friend to hold it, at say, a party… and then I leave the room and call it.  And he’s got THAT song coming from his pocket.  And when he goes to stop it, he has to pull out a pink phone…

And…it’s just good, clean fun…

Until it goes off at work!!!

And you’re not there to stop it.

And it gets louder the longer it goes unanswered!

And everybody is frozen wondering what to do to make the bad song stop!

And I come walking around the corner carrying tuna, like nothing happened and people quickly scurry back to their own area…afraid to look at me!

And I just thought my tuna smelled bad…until Michael told me, “That’s some ring tone you got there.” 

We’ll just call that an oopsy!

But really and truly, I do little things like that each and every day, because it just makes life more fun.

And yes, you can bet it spills over into my workout and makes even that better.

It’s hard to have a bad day at the gym when you’re having a good day.

I have to tell you about a group of guys from my gym…

There are these three guys who workout together.  I suppose they would be in their very young 20’s, but I am not exactly sure.

But they always talk a big game.  Well…they try to.

If I actually walk over to them, they giggle like little boys!

But from a distance, they are TOUGH!  God love them!!

But not so long ago, one of them was feeling particularly brave…and he waved at me.  Not a manly wave, mind you.  More like a dainty little finger twiddle from across the room.

The kind of wave that makes you go, “I don’t THINK he’s gay.”

But it was the reaction of his two buddies that caught me off guard.

One of them yanks off his lifting gloves, slaps him on the shoulder with it, and says, “Man, what’d you go and do THAT for?”

Simultaneously, the other pushes him and says, “Man, you done gone and RUINED EVERYTHING.”

HMMMM

And, well…HMMMM?!?!?

I don’t know what “everything” was, but whatever it was, is now RUINED.  Not ruined, but RUINED.

And I am not sure what their plans were, but they learned a valuable lesson: some things can’t be done in a group!

So many people tell me they can’t diet like I did, because their spouse won’t do it with them.

Some tell me they can’t go to the gym, because they can’t find a partner.

Can’t find a spotter.

No one at work is eating clean.

No one supports them.

Kind of makes me want to yank off my lifting glove and slap some sense into some people!

Only I can’t…because I don’t have a partner to hold the other glove while I do the slapping.

Anybody care to be my partner?

I smile a lot.  Y’all know that. 

But what you don’t know is that I CHOOSE to smile.  Or chose to, I guess I should say.

I have been smiling since 1998, y’all.  That makes this my 10 year smiling anniversary.  It’s OK, you don’t have to give me a gift.

Ten years ago I was working at my local high school.  This was long before I lost the weight.  I was perky, but not to the extent I am now.

But I was working in the IT Department, so I didn’t really have any students of my own.  The entire high school was mine.  So, as you can imagine, there were kids who knew me by name that I simply did not know.

One afternoon a random child came up to me.  And I wish I knew who it was, because he would change the course of my life.

He said, “Ms. Stewart, I always come find you every day at this time, because you are the only person who smiles at me all day.”

And it was 2:30. 

And this was a good kid. 

And remember, he wasn’t even my student.

Yet by 2:30 in the afternoon, no one had smiled at this high school sophomore.

And he wasn’t flirting, because you have to remember, I weighed 256 pounds at that time.  I wasn’t all that.  Well…wait…I guess I was ALL that!  All that and a bag of chips and some fries…and some twinkies….

But from that day forward, I became intensely aware of the effect a simple smile could have on someone.

He sought me out daily.

Daily.

And from then on, I smiled.

Everywhere I went, I smiled.

Because even though I can’t recall that child’s name, I remember the lesson he taught me:  I really may be the only smile someone sees today.

And even if my day is not so good, I remind myself…what if I am the only person who will smile at someone today?  And if you look at each person as a chance to share a smile, it just makes you have a better day.

So…y’all…that means I am perky, because I choose to be! 

And y’all know that gets a big, giant WOO HOO!

OK people, I’m going to need you to listen here!  This is Adina’s Cute and Perky Blog, and I’m gonna need you to act accordingly!

I’m glad you like the cleavage picture, and I’m glad you like the fact that I am not perky ALL the time…but…this IS a cute and perky spot, and we’re going to keep it that way….almost all the time.

Almost.

So I was at my College Alma Mater’s game Saturday night.  We were winning.  Ended up winning 49 to nothing.  And I’m not in to football anyway….so…I was doing some major people watching.

And here’s what I came away with:

Spandex, low rise jeans, tube tops, and short shorts are a privilege and not a right.

People, please!

I just didn’t get it.  I looked all around me at a sea of people wearing things that just should not be allowed in public. 

I saw a lifetime supply of muffin tops.

In all actuality, it made me sad.  Because what I was seeing was a sea full of people who had given up.

Given up on achieving a healthy bodyweight.

Given up before they know the joy of having a goal outfit and working your way in to it.

It didn’t take a very deep dive into that pool to see the problem. 

Nachos.  Cokes.  Candy Bars.  Ice Cream.

But you know what I did have to look far and wide to find?  Even one smiling face.

As was pointed out to me yesterday, yes, I do smile all the time.

But I didn’t when I was the overweight girl at the college games holding a turkey leg.

But almost twenty years later, there I was. 

Happy to be the fit girl holding a diet coke, but sad to see the un-fought battles all around me.

If you are struggling to get to goal…it is worth it.  It is so worth it.

**********And by the way…  Y’all remember I adopted my bodyspace buddy, BBDiesel?  Looks like I did it just it time!  She’s on page 132 in the newest edition of Oxygen!  Check her out and tell her how proud you are.  And…that should make it easier for me to find my Baby Daddy!**********

Good morning people!!!  I’m throwing something different out there today!  I enter a writing contest on the MD website every month.  This was my September entry!  Pretty much the only rule is that it is under 500 words.  And as you can tell by the ending…I’m not ALWAYS so perky.  Just most of the time!!!

So, here you go…

Shut-up and Lift

Having lost a lot of weight I have fielded quite a few questions and comments along the way, but the single weirdest comment came from a man I rarely speak to.

He is the epitome of why God created IPods. He insists on having deep, meaningful conversations with everyone who walks by him, blissfully unaware of the bitch-slapped faces staring painfully back at him.

Oh, it’s bad for the newbies. The ones who haven’t learned to just keep exercising, looking straight ahead. Don’t even nod. And for goodness sakes, don’t ever reply to him.

My first meeting with the man taught me well. I was late getting back to work after my lunch time gym session, because he would not stop talking.

But let me tell you the comment this Chatty Cathy said that stopped me dead in my tracks. I casually walked by, ignoring him as I had grown accustomed. He says to me, “You may have noticed a woman staring at you yesterday.”

No. I had not. Being a woman, I don’t tend to notice when a woman looks my way. I suppose if Angelina Jolie looked my way, I might notice. She’s hot. But this woman was no Angelina. She was just your average woman. And no, I did not notice her.

I didn’t answer. I kept walking. I must admit the next phrase made me slow my pace a little. “That was my ex-wife.”

Hmmm. Wasn’t expecting THAT phrase.

“I brought her here to see you.”

What? See me? Not introduce me, but see me? Hmmm. Where could this possibly be going? Dare I say it? The insufferable bore had peaked my interest. Why would someone bring their ex-wife to see another woman? It just didn’t add up.

Then came the clincher: “I wanted her to see what you look like. It’s not that I think she should look just like you, but she should at least try.”

Immediately, I was enlightened as to why this was an EX-wife. It’s like the clouds parted and I heard the voice from above telling me.

OK, before I go any further, let me tell you what this man looks like. Flabby. My face gets that constipated look just thinking about how to describe him. The gaping half-dollar sized whole that is his belly button stares at you through his size large under armor on a size XXXL body. Rolls of fat tease you. Telling you to just try not to look. Yet you can’t help but stare and wonder why this man has deprived some deserving man of this nice white shirt.

But he was missing the point. He will never motivate one woman to look like another. Besides that, we are so genetically different, surgery and surgery alone would be the only way to make our physiques match in any way, shape, or form.

And my only piece of advice I had had to offer him?

Shut-up and lift.

Good morning, People!!!I’m going to need you to know that I have officially adopted BBDiesel.  She asked me to, and I have consented.  Now if I can just find someone fabulous to be my baby daddy, we will all be one happy family. And I’m going to need to direct you to another favorite profile of mine today.  asmolenski.  Check him out!  He just got back from his first competition, where he scored a third place win!  I am very proud of my bodyspace buddy!!  WOO HOO, Allen.  WOO HOO!

I took one for the team…but that just means team fitness is up one!

Good morning, People! 

Good morning, Colin…BBDiesel….BryanGee!!!  I love hearing from those of you who read this post every day!!! 

And KelKing, the reason you feel I crawl inside your head is because I have been where you are!  Keep at it.  It is SO worth it, and I’m pulling for you!

But I was thinking about something Trixter said…about dealing with parties, and getting over the initial deprivation.

That was actually one of my last struggles to go.

Y’all know I am used to keeping an Oh Yeah! Bar in my purse for emergencies.  UNPLANNED EMERGENCIES.

But what about those planned emergencies?

What about those things we know far in advance, but just don’t want to prepare for?  What about those?

I have a habit of eating one of my bars before I go to an event.  And I went though this stage where every time I ate one, I had this thought, “This is going to spoil my appetite.”

And I would think of the things I wasn’t going to get to eat.  No chocolate.  No chips.  No dip.  No alcohol.

And time and time again I would have that same thought, “This is going to spoil my appetite.”

And a few times I let myself slide.  And I was not happy with the results.  I did not enjoy eating the party food, because that is not who I am anymore.  Just like someone who had given up drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes would not be happy going back to their addiction, I was not happy going back to mine. 

So I learned to look at it in a different light.  When I go to eat that bar, I say, “This is going to spoil my appetite!!!!”

Notice the only difference is in how I said it.  Not in what I said, but how I said it.  I said it with exuberance.  Because that bar stands between me and going back to what I used to be.

And that is a good thing.

Sometimes, all you have to do is change your outlook and everything will fall in to place.  You can’t control everything, but you can control the way you look at everything.  Learn to look at things like this: !!!!

Oh…and if you need some inspiration today, go take a look at Sparkie’s profile.  She just updated it with some transformation information and she looks just incredible!!!

Have a good day, everybody!

One of the hardest lessons for me to learn on my journey was that my diet will never be perfect.

I wanted to have perfect days leading to perfect weeks leading to a perfect year.  I set out to lose all 121 pounds in a year.  I figured if I lost ten pounds a month, I could do it.  I would just have to work a little harder on one month for that one extra pound!

And I did make two perfect months. 

Two.  And no more!  Not months anyway.  I made lots of perfect days and even perfect weeks.  But beyond those first two months, no more perfect months.

But that’s OK, because look at me.  I’m here.  I made it.  It took twice as long as I thought it would, but that’s OK too. 

I was so intent on making it to that two month mark.  So focused.  So driven.

Then?  Those two months came and went.   I thought I had it made in the shade at this point.  I thought that because I made it through those first two months that I would make it from then on.  That cheating wasn’t an option. 

And I did go on a few weeks after that.  Until the first Christmas party of the season!

YIKES!  It wasn’t quite what you would call a feeding frenzy, but it was pretty darn close.

You see, that was before I learned the tricks and tools needed to make it through things like parties.

But key to my success was learning to forgive myself and hop right back on plan.  The very next meal. 

Or go right back to the gym when I realized I had slacked.

But do you notice how often I use the phrase key to my success?

I have a lot of keys on my ring y’all!

I remember the things that work for me, and I keep them there.  That way when I get stuck at the door, I have a lot of keys to use!

Did you mess up yesterday?  Grab a key and open the door.

Don’t have your keys in place yet?  Go find them!  Find what works for you and save it on your ring with the other things you have learned that work for you!

And….good morning StrongerGeek!!!  Welcome to my regular morning crew of readers!!  Have a great day!

Some days are better than others…and then some days are FABULOUS!

I had the best day yesterday.

I started out my morning with a reply to my Blog from Trixter747 telling me he started his morning with my Blog.

So I was thinking…the way we start our day, sets the day. 

I start my day by posting a positive Blog, well…OK…four positive Blogs!  And sitting down to write those words sets my day off on the right foot.  How can I be negative after that?

But yesterday, I was in tune with the little things along the way that when strung together make a good day.

Traffic was not bad.

Coffee was extra good.

A text from a girlfriend asking me to lunch today.

A sweet E-mail from friend who never ceases to make my heart smile.  Don’t we all need one of those?  After I tell him I’m lucky to have him, he tells me, “We are fortunate to have each other.”

But isn’t that part of what makes a good day?  To realize what you are fortunate to have? 

It’s easy to appreciate my friend…he’s my friend and I love him.

But did you notice the other things?  No traffic.  Good coffee.

It doesn’t take grand things to make a good day.

And when I recognize those little things around me, it makes my whole day better! 

And does it transfer to the gym or my diet? 

You bet it does.

Some days that coffee is key to me not feeling deprived on my diet.

That traffic being good can get me to my lunch time cardio a little faster…and I get a few more minutes!

A sweet E-mail from a friend can make me smile as I walk in the gym.  And you bet that’s contagious to the others around me.

Learn to recognize the tiny little miracles that when added up together make a good day.  That will make it so much easier for you to make it to goal.

Today is already off to a good start!  The first thing I read this morning was a comment to my Blog from one of the Bodybuilding.com worker bees.  And I LOVE hearing from the people who work at Bodybuilding.com!  Because don’t they do good things for us?  (Thanks, Colin!)

So…off to another good day! 

It’s Monday!  WOO HOO!!!

So I wonder how many people will start a diet today?  It always seems to be the magical day.  Always was for me anyway.

Until this last time.  The time I made it…

I started on a Tuesday. 

My food arrived on Monday.  I couldn’t see waiting for a week to roll around, so I started the very next day.

And it was one of the best things I could have done.

Why?   Because I gave up the idea that it had to be perfect.

I gave up the idea that my body is on a perfect-week schedule.

I wasn’t born on a Monday.  So why do I think my body revolves around setting things right on a Monday?

And technically, that’s not really the first day of the week anyway.  It’s just the first day of the work week, and that sure isn’t perfection!

One of the biggest factors in my success was learning that my diet would never be perfect, and that I couldn’t afford to wait for another Monday every single time I derailed.

When I messed up Tuesday at lunch, I learned to get back on track by Tuesday at dinner.

It works in the gym too.  If I miss a day, I don’t try to jam pack three workouts into one day.  I just pick up where I left off. 

I don’t punish myself with four hours of cardio in one day if I missed four days in a row.

And stop for a moment.  Did you catch that word?  PUNISH.

This journey you are taking is not about punishment any more than it is about rewards.

Don’t punish yourself for messing up, but by the same token don’t reward yourself for finally eating like a normal person.

This is a lifestyle change you are making.   There will be some slip-ups.  That is to be expected and is OK.

What is not OK is having a free for all when you do mess up as you wait for the next Monday.

If you are starting today, it’s a great day to start.  Because there is never a bad day to start a good habit!

Just remember when you get off track to hop right back on with your very next meal.