10 Things I've Finally Learned

(in no particular order)

1. Letting go is better, sometimes. Even if you're not good at it. Even if it hurts all the while. You shouldn't have to fight for some things. If you do, they weren't worth it to begin with. Sometimes, life gets in the way. If a separation happens, but you come back together later, it's probably genuine. So it goes.

2. Chbosky was right: We accept the love we think we deserve. If you don't love yourself truly, you won't allow anyone else to, either.

3. It's OK to not be OK.

4. Do not ignore your own needs. Not for long, anyway.

5. It really is the little things. Be reasonable, but don't deny yourself.

6. You should always be developing and growing yourself. Learn, change, move. That's life.

7. "Call few people enemies and call fewer people friends." * Watch who you open your heart to.

8. "Don't do it for the wealth; do it all for the love. Love everything you do and do nothing halfheartedly." *

9. "Be what you speak, man. Never speak on what you be." * Only you can do you. Respect yourself and be who you are.

10. You are responsible for your inner peace. You can let people or situations rob you of it, but ultimately? It's on you. Hold onto it.




* lyrics taken from Deep Puddle Dynamics' song "The Scarecrow Speaks" which contains an insane amount of quotable lyrics. We can talk about my attachment to that song in another post.

Skinny Bitch or Bust, #1

It's been a couple weeks since I blogged. Sorry about that, O Devoted Readers. All four of you. ;)

Today's post deals with a lot of business that's often just no fun to talk about: health and fitness.

Short version of a very long story:

In February 2012, I decided I was going to get healthy. I've always weighed significantly more than people assumed, and I wanted to change that. I was going to lose the weight I wanted to lose so that I could feel better about myself, and I was going to do it through diet and exercise, but mostly diet, at least at first. And through a series of stops and starts that began in March, I made a lot of progress. By the time June came around, I'd lost about 10 pounds. By the time October arrived, I'd lost 26ish, and that put me significantly closer to where I wanted to be.

And then life went a little batshit crazy on me, and I just... stopped. Stopped eating well, stopped exercising regularly, stopped drinking water. I just stopped.

Well, anyway, I've had a few false starts since then, but it is my goal - no, not goal...

In June, I'm going to get back to where I was. I'm going to watch what I eat, I'm going to exercise, and I'm going to do it without a bunch of excuses. Yes, there will be cheats - it's summer in Texas and sometimes, there's nothing more delicious than a margarita. But those cheats will be just that - special treats. At some point in the near future, I want to make the move to organic, non-GMO foods, but at this point, that's not a realistic option, so for now, I'll just focus on eating well.

I'm blogging because I want to take a few minutes to discuss my five goals for the month of June, with the intention of checking in on July 2nd to see how well I did, and the reason the title of this post includes #1 is because I want to make this a regular theme here, if only for my personal record keeping:

1) Start and finish the planking challenge I found on Pinterest. 
2) Drink at least 40 ounces of water a day. I did it before and I know water intake is the KEY to my losing and keeping weightoff. 
3) Take actual measurements so I'm aware of more than just what the scale says and how my clothes fit. 
4) Find a cardio routine I can do at home that works for me. Do it 3x a week. 
5) Find a leg toning routine that actually works and do it 3x a week as well. 

That's a lot, yo.

But honestly?

I'm worth it.

Skinny Bitch or Bust,
Ang

2012: 12 things.

with my 30th birthday approaching rather quickly, i thought i'd make a list of things i did in 2012, if only for my memory. in no particular order:

1) i lost 25 pounds, making me the thinnest i've been in over a decade.
2) i became a Whovian, because life is simply better with The Doctor.
3) i wrote a book. it's 74K of YA fantasy, and i'll be querying it in the new year.
4) i lived in nashville for the majority of the year, and loved every second.
5) i saw mumford live, finally.
6) i made a handful of new friends, whom i am convinced will be around for the long haul.
7) I (am on track to) read 104 books. holy awesome, batman.
8) i stopped drinking soda, finally, and for real.
9) i ran a 5K.
10) i grew my inner-book nerd to an exponential degree.
11) i loved fiercely.
12) i learned that i'm stronger than i think i am.

on december 8th, i will officially begin my 30s, and while there's quite a bit in my life that is in flux right now, i refuse to let it get me down. i got this.

thanks for being mostly awesome, 2012, but onward and upward, i say. happy birthday to me, y'all.

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the color run: nashville

i did this.

*i* did this!

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before august 2012, i couldn't run for a minute straight without feeling winded. and i just ran a 5K. 

before august 2012, i had been avoiding my 2012 goal to become a runner, certain it was an impossible thing to aspire to. and i just ran a 5K. 

before october 21st, 2012, i was confident that i would never be a "real" runner. and i just ran a 5K. 

i am a runner. 

i had moments of doubt, and concerns about whether i'd be able to run the whole thing. i knew i'd have to walk a portion of it at least, and i wondered if walking part of it was cheating. but in the end, i realized that none of that really matters. this was one of the most inspiring, worthwhile things i've ever pushed myself into doing. 

the end.