Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire; if you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times; during those times you grow. Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes - they will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference. It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
I saw that in someone from high school's AIM profile and I thought it was super appropriate to post...well, everywhere. It really is true. It's so easy to be thankful for the good things in life but yet everyone always laments the bad things. There's always a silver lining!! :) Thanks, Kew!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
007. ARGH!!
Okay, so when I can't sleep, I flip through infomercials if I don't feel like watching DVDs. Usually I find a P90X one, or some ab-doohickey thing that I just watch for kicks. Buuutttt every now and then I run into this one:
The Kymaro Body Shaper.
Yes, sometimes we all need a good shaper to smooth things out, I won't lie. But when it's "recommended" as a SUBSTITUTE for losing weight and being healthy--that's just not cool. The infomercial had women that had waist sizes of 49" -- 49 INCHES!! -- and when they tried this thing on, apparently it made them "shrink" 4.5 inches. What was worst was that the people for Kymaro were like "wow, and you didn't have to do a single situp, crunch, or exercise!" and made it sound like the greatest thing since sliced bread!
Here is where my "ARGH!!" comes in. I get so frustrated when people think they can take the easy way out of everything. My favorite acronym in the world comes from my 12th grade economics/government/psych teacher--"TINSTAAFL": There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Meaning, everything comes at a price, no matter what it is. You can keep trying to find quick fixes and that's what you'll get, not a lasting change.
Ugh, I feel like I've gone on way too many rants like this lately, so I'm going to stop. I just had to get my aggression out somewhere, sorry!
~ Jillian
The Kymaro Body Shaper.
Yes, sometimes we all need a good shaper to smooth things out, I won't lie. But when it's "recommended" as a SUBSTITUTE for losing weight and being healthy--that's just not cool. The infomercial had women that had waist sizes of 49" -- 49 INCHES!! -- and when they tried this thing on, apparently it made them "shrink" 4.5 inches. What was worst was that the people for Kymaro were like "wow, and you didn't have to do a single situp, crunch, or exercise!" and made it sound like the greatest thing since sliced bread!
Here is where my "ARGH!!" comes in. I get so frustrated when people think they can take the easy way out of everything. My favorite acronym in the world comes from my 12th grade economics/government/psych teacher--"TINSTAAFL": There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Meaning, everything comes at a price, no matter what it is. You can keep trying to find quick fixes and that's what you'll get, not a lasting change.
Ugh, I feel like I've gone on way too many rants like this lately, so I'm going to stop. I just had to get my aggression out somewhere, sorry!
~ Jillian
Thursday, June 4, 2009
006. Small Wins
Sooo, I'm dying.
...Just kidding. I'm only really sick, but I figure now's as good a time as ever to write a blog entry, right? I've had this little gem in my head for quite a while and every time I went to write it, either my internet would crash or my computer would shut down in the middle of the night or the plague would strike, or...I don't know, but for a while I was thinking maybe I just wasn't meant to write this entry. Obviously, since things keep getting in the way, it just wasn't a good idea. Aaaaaaaaand then I thought better of it and now here we are.
Something I've [clearly] been thinking about a lot lately is the matter of small wins. What exactly are small wins, and how do they REALLY help us out? But the more I think about it, the more I realize that small wins are exactly what ALWAYS get us to wherever we need to go.
Think about this for a second. Bill Gates didn't create Microsoft at the snap of a finger; the first climber of Mount Kilimanjaro didn't start out on Mount Kilimanjaro; everybody's favorite, "Rome wasn't built in a day." And whoever came up with that phrase was completely right--it takes TIME and PATIENCE to get where you want to go.
How does this apply to fitness and weight loss? Ohhh, patience young grasshopper. ...Actually, there isn't really any patience necessary for this one, because it's very easy. You can't go from 600 lbs to 200 lbs in one workout. That should be pretty basic, but so many people overlook it. The ol', "I've got too much weight to lose to do anything at this point." Members of my own family have completely given up on the idea of losing weight due to a knee problem (even though they acknowledge that this knee problem is due to excessive weight on their frames--go figure).
When small exercises are suggested, like maybe power walking on a treadmill accompanied by a light weights circuit, I get a firm "no." When even smaller things, like walking around the block, are suggested, I get the same "no." They're basically looking for me to say "hey, count to 10, go to sleep, and you'll wake up looking like Christie Brinkley!" ...but lets be serious, looking for the quick fix is NOT going to work, people!!! Take things in striiiiiiiiiiiide. Start out by making teeny changes in your diet--like passing on the cookies at dessert, for instance. Then throw in a bit of light exercise. Then graduate to a slightly more advanced program.
And you know what? This entry's called small "wins" for a reason--CELEBRATE when you overcome each task! Celebrate when you get to add something new! The more you celebrate, the better you'll feel; the better you feel, the more your progress shows; the more your progress shows, the brighter you'll shine.
Have a good day!
<3 Jillian
...Just kidding. I'm only really sick, but I figure now's as good a time as ever to write a blog entry, right? I've had this little gem in my head for quite a while and every time I went to write it, either my internet would crash or my computer would shut down in the middle of the night or the plague would strike, or...I don't know, but for a while I was thinking maybe I just wasn't meant to write this entry. Obviously, since things keep getting in the way, it just wasn't a good idea. Aaaaaaaaand then I thought better of it and now here we are.
Something I've [clearly] been thinking about a lot lately is the matter of small wins. What exactly are small wins, and how do they REALLY help us out? But the more I think about it, the more I realize that small wins are exactly what ALWAYS get us to wherever we need to go.
Think about this for a second. Bill Gates didn't create Microsoft at the snap of a finger; the first climber of Mount Kilimanjaro didn't start out on Mount Kilimanjaro; everybody's favorite, "Rome wasn't built in a day." And whoever came up with that phrase was completely right--it takes TIME and PATIENCE to get where you want to go.
How does this apply to fitness and weight loss? Ohhh, patience young grasshopper. ...Actually, there isn't really any patience necessary for this one, because it's very easy. You can't go from 600 lbs to 200 lbs in one workout. That should be pretty basic, but so many people overlook it. The ol', "I've got too much weight to lose to do anything at this point." Members of my own family have completely given up on the idea of losing weight due to a knee problem (even though they acknowledge that this knee problem is due to excessive weight on their frames--go figure).
When small exercises are suggested, like maybe power walking on a treadmill accompanied by a light weights circuit, I get a firm "no." When even smaller things, like walking around the block, are suggested, I get the same "no." They're basically looking for me to say "hey, count to 10, go to sleep, and you'll wake up looking like Christie Brinkley!" ...but lets be serious, looking for the quick fix is NOT going to work, people!!! Take things in striiiiiiiiiiiide. Start out by making teeny changes in your diet--like passing on the cookies at dessert, for instance. Then throw in a bit of light exercise. Then graduate to a slightly more advanced program.
And you know what? This entry's called small "wins" for a reason--CELEBRATE when you overcome each task! Celebrate when you get to add something new! The more you celebrate, the better you'll feel; the better you feel, the more your progress shows; the more your progress shows, the brighter you'll shine.
Have a good day!
<3 Jillian
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