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Hooray for ME!

I am not a person who typically stands up and says “look at me”.  

As a matter of fact, part of the process that I enjoy about writing is that I can do it and nobody has to see or hear me.  I am comfortable working behind the scenes and letting others take the bow.  BUT, part of this new process for me, is to step out of my comfort zone.  Having said all that, here goes nothing!  

Hooray for ME!!  

I am proud of myself and I am letting you all know that I am very, really proud of myself.  Phew, that was hard for me.

I am proud of myself because I sat at the computer one year ago and stared at a blank screen and prayed that when my fingers touched the keys, words would come out and that the jumble in my head would be clear, entertaining, knowledgeable, and concise.  So, here it is one year later and I am celebrating my one year anniversary for writing this blog.

We have had the idea for Q4fit, for quite some time but I had no idea how I would be useful in its process.  I am not a tech, not a computer genius, not super creative, but I really wanted to be part of sharing our journey of better health.  Apparently, the writing thing, is something that I can do.  

I am now in a constant state of “I could write about that, that would make a cool post, I should do some research on that, that sounds new, let’s look into that.”  I look at so many things in a different way and I like that.  I have so many new thoughts running through my head and I am learning some really cool information.  I am finding out some really awful lies that seem to run like crazy and finding out some hidden truths that should be out there for everyone to know.  I spend more time in front of my computer, so I have had to learn to prioritize my time differently.  I have had to learn that creative days are different than research days and different that editing days.  I get distracted very easily when I am writing and in order to keep focused, I need to block out the rest of my world.  When the door is open, all good.  If the door is closed, please, please, please, let me finish my thought.  I am always surprised with where my ideas come from and when I start writing a post where I begin is not always where I thought I would end.  

I didn’t think that at 50 I would be starting something so very new to me.  In the world that I grew up in, at 50 you are starting to plan for retirement.  People are looking at winding down their professional careers not starting to ramp up a brand new one.  I even heard someone complain a few years ago, someone who was being let go, that he believed that he could never find a job again at his age…50.  Oh boy, how things have changed.  At least for us in our world.  I saw a little video by Gary Vaynerchuk the other day that basically said, 50 is not the end, it’s just halfway through your life, so get up get going and start something.  COOL!

So, if you are thinking that it is too late to start a new thing, you are your own obstacle.  Get out of your own way and do it anyway.  What is the worst that can happen?  Really, how bad could it really be?  If you try and fail, then try again.  If you have never tried, try anyway.  That is what I did and I am so glad that I did.

After you have tried, try some more.  Try something new, something again, just try.  Please just try.  Never stop learning.  Never stop trying.  Never stop growing.  You never know where your big breakthrough will come from and if you never try it will never be there.  Then you too will be one day shouting, Hooray for Me!

There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment. – Norman Vincent Peale

5 Ways to Save Your Workout Clothes from Eternal Stinkiness

I was just talking about smelly laundry with my daughter and voila, this article pops up.

Smelly gym gear is one of my pet peeves.  It started when our son played box lacrosse as a kid.  That smell lingered forever.  Then he played football.  A little better until the year the team had a smellathon”.  For weeks, the boys refused to clean their gear or even shower.  I think some days I still smell it.  Now, it’s our gym clothes with the funky smell.  It looks clean the next day.  Sometimes it even smells not too bad, until it gets a little body heat and then BAM, there it is yesterday’s sweat.  I feel like I am always doing laundry and the worst thing is when it comes out smelling like it never made it through the process.  

Here’s hoping some of these tips help.  

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/how-to-keep-workout-clothes-smelling-fresh

Change is Coming, Ready or Not

I am at a strange time in my life.  Well, it’s strange to me.  I have a lot of alone time.  

I know that at one point in my life I had to lock myself in the closet just to get alone time, but that is not now.  After getting out of school, I went to work.  No shocker there, we all did.  Either that or we went back to school.  You are young, eager, tonnes of energy, always looking for something to do, and that is what is expected of you.  Soon after, we, Doug and I, married and then the next phase of my life began, I was a full-time parent.  For me, that was what I really wanted to do and be.  I wanted to raise my own kids, stay with them during the day, teach them things that I wanted to teach them and not send them to daycare.  We worked really hard to do that.  Most people thought I was lazy, not going to another place to work my day away.  But those people obviously had never spent their full-time hours with three small children while maintaining a household and supporting a very ambitious husband that worked a lot and had a lot of different projects on the go at any given time.

Being an “at home mom”, has changed over the years.  Not only has the financial demands changed, but people’s attitudes have as well.   There were many times when I actually had no name of my own.  I was someone’s mom or someone’s wife.  I actually had people in social events turn their backs on me and turn their noses up when they found out that I was “just a mom”.  I truly believe in my heart of hearts, though, that staying at home with my kids was the single biggest thing that I could have done for them.  I met all sorts of moms who were great parents, but being at home all day with their kids was not the best option for them.  I met people that really shouldn’t have ever been parents.  I met people that loved kids so much they took care of theirs and other people’s too.  Being an at home mom was way harder than most people think.  But after all is said and done, I am now ‘the Grandma‘ and I am so proud of my kids.  All three of them have grown into amazing adults that I am so proud to have in my world.

But I am at the “now what” stage of my life.  It’s kind of like retiring, I guess, I am not in demand anymore.  If I had done my job well and right, then this is where I should be.  But… “now what”.  Well, it’s time to explore the world as an adult now.  My husband and I get to date again.  We are not quite empty nesters yet, but it’s coming very soon.  We get to eat grown up food, if we want to, or not.  We can eat popcorn for dinner if we want, or not eat at all.  We can go out and eat, and not have to worry about checking in with what time we need to come home. We get to get up and go to the gym and not worry about being home in time for school.  We actually get to decide for ourselves most everything that were once centred around kids schedules and their needs and wants.  We don’t have to share our tv time and we are allowed to watch news all the time if we want.  BTW, we don’t want to, I’m just saying, no more Disney channel.

I think this is why I am enjoying the blogging so much.  It’s mine.  Sure, there are interruptions.  Of course, I get distracted.  But it’s mine, and I like it.  It took me a long time to find something that I get to do for me and that I like and I think it was worth the wait.  I hope you like it too.

So, don’t worry if you haven’t decided what you want to be when you grow up.  I am over 50 and I only just found mine.  But, I am still waiting to grow up.

 

Everybody knows how to raise children, except the people who have them.― P.J. O’Rourke

10 Secrets for Fit after 40

I am always on the lookout for great blog pieces.  

Sometimes you will find great blog sites on some unexpected sites.  ShieldsofStrength is a site I follow on most social platforms out there because I like what they represent.  They are a combination of healthy fitness related and faith-based posts.  They have some really great jewelry, that I actually have some of.  

 

This blog post spoke to me obviously because I fall into this category.  I am over 40 and trying to stay and keep fit.  This post is written in terms that we all should be able to understand.  It’s not overly medical and yet get right to the point.  Get up from behind the desk and move some weight around, even if it is just your own weight.

Enjoy.

http://www.shieldsofstrength.com/blog/2016/06/16/fit-after-40/