Jumping On The Healthy Living Bandwagon

I have been traveling for work quite a bit lately and it has meant eating out, night after night.  On top of that, exercise has been limited if not non-existent.  And, after eating my way around Lake Tahoe all weekend, I noticed today that my jeans are fitting just a little bit tighter.

Note to self: time to get back on the healthy living bandwagon again.

The challenge for me is I am a foodie.  I love all of the flavors in a good Italian pasta and the spiciness in a Mexican dish is to die for.  Then there is dessert - especially chocolate.  Pair anything with a good red wine and I can munch and nibble my way through the day.

Knowing that I need to change some habits, I've now been obsessing over diets and cleanses and workouts.  I've been scouring through Pinterest to get ideas.  I've spent hours on websites like Dr. Oz, Jorge Cruise and Bob Greene.

Quite honestly, for me, it's just not that easy to stick to some of the stringent meal plans that I'm finding.

On top of that, I am beating myself up about the choices I have made.  Why did we stop at Carl's Jr. and eat the Bacon Cheeseburger?  Did I really need the extra large bag of popcorn at the movies?  I'm so weak....

Fortunately, I've been catching my negative self-talk and have been able to stop those thoughts immediately.  In stopping the negative thoughts and breathing into the space I just created, the word "choices" popped out at me.

I am ALWAYS at choice.  Wow!

I have the ability to start fresh each day.  I have the ability to set myself up for success.   I have the ability to make better choices.

So, I'm giving myself permission to enjoy my food and to indulge sparingly.  I'm giving myself permission to choose protein over carbs.  I'm giving myself permission to love my curves.

I will never stop being a foodie.  Nor will I ever likely be as thin as a pin.   I CAN set the intention to stay aware of my food choices.  I CAN still enjoy eating and be mindful of my portion size.  I CAN ask that the Universe support me in my new healthier lifestyle.

And, what I KNOW - when I ask the Universe for support, it is ALWAYS given.

I am guided to cook healthier meals at home vs. eating out.  Images on TV or in magazines show up to inspire me to stick with my eating plan.  I attract activities and events that get me up and out and exercising more.

So, my intention for today is to take my food choices and my exercise more seriously, trusting that the Universe is supplying me with will-power and with inspiration to live well.

"Be not the slave of your own past.  Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep 

and swim far so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, 

with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old." 

 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Go ahead: Live with abandon.  Be outrageous at any age.  

What are you saving your best self for?"  

~Oprah Winfrey

Affirmative Prayer:
In every decision, in every choice, in every breath, there is only One Divine Intelligence.  Whole, perfect and complete.   As steady as a heartbeat and as solid as a mountain. This Divine Intelligence that I call God is filled with a love that knows no bounds and is rooted in the beauty and the grace that is unending.

Standing in the freedom of this love, there is a realization that all that God is, flows in and through me.  I feel God in the beating of my heart and I know God in the wisdom of the words I speak.  My vision is filled with the wonder and awe of that which is made manifest through God as Sandy.

As I let Spirit fill me and move me, I am swept along a path that unfolds in ways for my perfect expansion.  Life is good and provides a bounty of abundance in all things.  And as I take part in this abundance, I am guided to make healthy choices in my eating.  I am inspired to exercise in ways that are perfect for my body type.  I eat and enjoy my food and do not feel compelled to over-indulge.  My will power is strong and the Universe says Yes! as I continue to honor my body temple with nutrients that allow it to flourish and thrive.  It is so easy to make good choices in my life.  And it feels wonderful to savor and enjoy life in ways that allow me to shine and prosper.  Life is good!

Claiming perfect health as mine, I give thanks for the truth of the Universe that provides me the opportunity to express and expand in perfect Divine order.  And I am thankful as I leap with faith into the unknown, coming out the other side in grace and in peace with who I am.

Leaning into a future that is bright with possibility, I release my word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is done and made manifest.  My good is here now.  And I let it be so.  And so it is.