Please give a Sisterhood welcome to our newest writer, Mary! She’s been around here for years, so many of you know her (as Fiddler’s Bride), but for those of you who don’t know her, she’s going to be a great asset to our community!! Welcome, Mary!!
The Gift
First of all, let me begin by saying I nearly fell off my chair when I was asked to consider becoming a contributing writer for my beloved Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. What is the PR set for a person saying the word ‘yes’? If there is a world’s record, I beat it, I assure you. I am so excited and truly honored to be a part of this community. I look forward to kicking up my feet and feeling at home here.
It was my birthday the other day. If I am not careful, that’s a topic that can depress me. Just like when New Year’s Eve rolls around, my mind starts to race with those thoughts – ‘what have you done in the past year? What didn’t you do and why the hell not? Why are you still carrying around excess weight? You’re another year older and you still …blah blah blah.’ Not the kind of positive self-talk you want greeting you on your birthday morning or any other morning for that matter, as Thea reminded us in this post.
I have come a long way in a year. I know this in my heart and in my head (most days). I joined a running club in the past year, completed my first 10k and have lost nearly 30 lbs thanks to Weight Watchers. Yes, I have much more to lose and I am still such a slow runner penguins shout “on your left!” to me, but my successes big and small over the last year helped me to turn my birthday-morning message around. You see, all those small steps you are taking for a healthy lifestyle do make a difference. They help you recognize when it’s time to change up that message running on an endless loop in your head.
My new message? “For my birthday, I will give myself the gift of a workout.” Exercise? A gift?! Why, yes it is!! If you are visiting this web site, chance are you already know that exercise is a gift you can give yourself every single day. It’s the gift that keeps giving back, not only to you, but to your family, your friends, and even your co-workers (you’re less grouchy in the office if you have exercise in your life!). My birthday turned out to be a pretty busy day. But all along I knew at some point I would get a workout in. I thought about it all day long as my gift to myself. After work, I walked around the neighborhood for an hour and felt fantastic. The best thing? Exercise is a gift I can give to myself every single day and is not exclusive to birthdays! And there’s no hassle-full returns! Each day since my birthday, I’ve fit in some type of workout and each day I’ve said to myself ‘it’s time for my gift’ as I headed out the door.
Isn’t it time for yours? Why wait till there are candles on a cake? Get out there and gift yourself!
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Tags: featured, mary, new writer
Category: Announcement, LOVE IT, MIND IT