YAS.
Slippin’
I have got to get back in the gym! When I last left you all i was in the beginning of my fitness journey and starting to fall in love with a lifestyle that included exercise.
I remained an active follower of this new lifestyle until about 4 months ago when I took on a large project that was incredibly rewarding, but also made me lose sight on fitness.
Now here I am. I have made it to the gym 4 times in the last two months. Now, in my defense I did have a strange medical problem surface in October, but that does not fully justify my negligence.
Between job stress, attempting to start my own business, and trying to remain mentally healthy I let my body take a back seat. I also have been dealing with loss of appetite the last two months so when it would be time to go to the gym I just have no energy. Life certainly has not been a crystal stair y’all.
I wanted to return to writing, because it is something that not only brings me enjoyment, it brings clarity. Clarity, is what I think I have been missing all of these months in my absence. I did not know how to maintain that feeling with out putting pen to page, or in this case, finger to keyboard.
Writing and fitness. Need to remember to keep these in my mantra. Otherwise, I will grind for money that I will not be able to enjoy.
Merry Christmas
Because sexy Santa is making the season bright.
You’re welcome.
Blog is moving!
Hello all that have subscribed here at mdotshaw.wordpress.com. You have no idea how grateful I am for the follows, shares, and love! I have transferred my blog over to a wordpress.org platform and you can now find me at www.rebellechic.com . Now you can still find my old posts there and a similar format but the new platform offers me some creativity options I did not previously have. There will be no more new posting showing here on this platform. Please got to www.rebellechic.com and subscribe to my blog there.
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Besos!
The End of the Weekend.
Another weekend comes to a close, and again I sit on my sofa in Sunday recovery mode preparing and reflecting on my place in this big ol’ universe. I spent time seeing friends, imbibing, laughing, and listening to good music. The crown jewel of my weekend was an almost 3 mile hike through a James River trail (the most exercise I think I have ever done on a weekend) with our final destination being the Richmond Folk Festival. Good beers were flowing, and I had a great time. I danced with my boyfriend and ran into some friends I had not seen in years.
I managed to backslide and hit the drive thru at Wendy’s for an oh so tasty classic single and a cola, the best hangover cure IMO. It is tradition that I allow the cobwebs to grown in my kitchen on the weekend, because everyone needs a break. Let’s be frank, I am doing the world a service by not cooking on the weekend. No one would want to come over for a full hot meal on Saturday evening when there are cocktails and small plates to be had. Note to self: plan a dinner party, but that will be for another post.
To anyone stumbling on this post thanks for baring with me through my stream of consciousness ramblings. I am on the mission to be a dedicated blogger and the only way to do that is to write and post constantly. There it is y’all, make sure you keep checking back for new posts or you could simply click subscribe in the left and get an email notification when I update.
Smooches!
SWEAT.
Eight weeks into my fitness journey and it is still not an easy feat to get me into the gym. Even though I look forward to the post workout endorphin burst; I still have to battle my demons to walk into the front door. It is no secret that I used to find exercise incredibly boring, but I no longer feel that way. I started out on this journey only going to the gym two days a week and I knew to see the results I wanted I needed to up the ante. So about one month in I switched to going three times a week and I saw a dramatic change in my endurance and my physical appearance. Now here I am in week 8 and have only been to the gym once.
Now I am not going to be too hard on myself because this week has been one hell of an emotional roller coaster (major car problems, trying to apply for new jobs, life in general) and I still made it to the gym and managed to sweat it out for almost 90 minutes. Now that I am approaching the weekend (read: calories from imbibing) I am apprehensive that I may be setting myself back. I have sworn to myself that I will get up early and hit the gym before work to make sure I get in at least two days this week. There is also little doubt that I will make it as I have enlisted an early riser friend to call me to make sure I have my shit together. Plus the fact that I legitimately feel that if I don’t go I will be letting myself down and that is the last thing that I would want to do right now.
It has been a weird transitional period in my life these last few months and as I come closer and closer to the end of this chapter with my job I cannot help but feel a little listless and in need of additional emotional support. But like all things in life that make me feel better (exercise, writing, meditating) they are easier said than done when it comes to moments of true emotional peril. I write all of this to ask anyone who reads this to rally with me and have the strength to get up and exercise one more day to get myself closer to optimum fitness.
VIDEO: DIY Lucite End Table
I am not a big DIY’er but this video makes me believe that I need to give it a try!
Sprinkled with Flour: Cheesy Orzo
Going to make this delicious treat tonight, will try to post pictures first thing tomorrow. It has been a while since I have posted my eats on the blog so I am long overdue to share what has been going on in my kitchen!
a few things to consider before you enter that new relationship.
Entering into a relationship is always a new and exciting experience, but how can you be certain you have made the right choice? The short answer is you can’t be, but there are some questions you need to ask yourself and your potential mate if you are deciding to be exclusive. These are in no particular order…
What do you want/need from a partner? If your reasons are only pointing in the direction of loneliness or boredom you are probably headed into a very short-lived relationship.
Do I even want to be in a relationship? Sometimes we forget that we may not even want to be in one because we are being told on so many fronts that it is the most desirable/ideal/best/happy/blah blah blah situation young people should be in.
What is your definition of being exclusive? Just because it seems like a no-brainer question to you (and probably to your partner as well) does not mean that you guys are on the same page for the parameters for exclusivity in your own relationship.
Are you over your last relationship? I think that one speaks for itself.
Are you two sexually compatible? It may seem like everything is all hot and heavy because everything is still so new, but make sure you keep your on eye on your sexual activity. If you see a decrease or increase you do not feel good about, make sure to talk to your partner and be honest about your desires.
Getting fit. the right way.
Exercise is hard, particularly when you are trying to build it in as a part of your life and not just “that thing you do occasionally for a few weeks after New Year’s”. I have also been trying to make sure that I have been doing the same with my writing, but that is for another post.
For the past two weeks I have completed 3 gym days and I could not be more excited about my progress (lost 6 inches from various places thus far) but the thing that I am most excited about is that I am excited about exercising. Now I get in the gym and push myself, and it feels good. Granted, I am ready to pass out by 9:30pm on days that I exercise but it feels so nice to be a little bit stronger. I went from struggling through 30 minutes and watching the clock the whole time to powering through my work out and not even realizing that I have been at it for over an hour.
I went from barely breaking a sweat to not getting off of a machine until I was pouring and unable to breathe, this is what pushing feels like and for so long I was scared but it has actually turned out to be one of the greater moments of my life. In my job I can’t see results in a short amount of time, I certainly don’t see improvement this fast in any art form I indulge, but I have taken my body and made into something stronger. I feel proud. I feel motivated. Moving forward.
RVA Rebelle Chic 