I won the Lottery!!

I wish!!

Today is April Fools Day and I love reading all the crazy statements my friends are making on Facebook.

I actually DID buy two lottery tickets.  And, I imagined what it would be like to win a gazillion dollars.  I think it was over 400,000 or something like that.  Everywhere I went for the last few days, people were talking about the lottery.  I heard that a famous basketball player spent $10,000 on tickets!  (and he didn't win)  

We all talked about what we would do if we won the money.  

What would YOU do?  First thing.  What would you do? 

I said that the first thing I would do is hire a lawyer!  And, then I would start talking to rich people to get advice.  Of course, I would want to buy things!  And, I would want to share with my family.  

I allowed myself to dream and wonder what it would be like to have all that money.  It would be fabulous in so many ways.  And, I also imagine that it would be terribly difficult too.  I heard someone call in a financial show a while back.  She won the lottery and was asking his advice.  She told him about all the people who were calling her for help.  So many sad stories about people who were dying and needed an operation etc.  How hard would that be?  His advice to her was to make managing her money her full time job.  He told her to take classes and become an expert.  None of us ever think that there might be a downside to winning, right?

I almost didn't want to check my numbers.  As soon as I checked them, the wondering, the dreaming would end.  

As I was pondering the "what would I do" part, I realized that I am very lucky.  I love my life.  And, I believe that all things are possible.  With or without the lottery.  I feel so blessed to live in a free society where we can all pursue our dreams.  And, any one of us can become rich!  There are no limits except for the ones that we set for ourselves.  I love my house, my car, my family.  Yep.  Pretty lucky.  And, I get to work from home.  My commute is literally down the hall.  And, the dress code is pretty sweet....I can wear whatever I want.  The main part of my work is coaching my team of business partners to reach their dreams.  I think of it as a business of "dream fulfillment".  So, in a way, I am pretty much constantly thinking about what I would do if I won the lottery.  Because I have.  I have all the opportunity I could wish for.  Thankfully my business provides a steady stream of income that continues to grow.  And, it's waaaaaay more dependable than any lottery.  

My business....



 

Counting my blessings!

That damn wagon!

I have fallen off the wagon....again.  What is it about that wagon that makes it so slippery?  I'm talking about food.  I have been eating all the wrong foods for a few weeks, and it's taking it's toll.  Am I addicted to food?  It's possible. I read a study (click here to read it ) that measured the brain activity and the result is that food addiction has brain reactions that they see in drug addicts.  Uh oh.  

I have to say that the more unhealthy food I eat... THE MORE I WANT!   And, the more I eat, the more I feel my control and will power slipping away.  

I've even had some (gasp) fast food!  I've had pizza, chips, cookies, cake, wine, fried foods, goodies (I'm getting hungry again!).

Here is what I have noticed over the past few weeks.  It's way more than those pounds that have shown up or that my clothes feel tight......

*The more I eat the hungrier I get.  Right now, I'm hungry ALL the time. Even when I'm full.  

*The more I eat (unhealthy) the more susceptible I am to suggestion, tv commercials, invites to eat out etc.

*I have lost my "mojo", I don't have the energy I'm used to, and I don't even care.

*I don't have my "happy".  I miss feeling really happy and excited about life.  Now that I am living off the wagon, I don't have that anymore.

*My sleep is not as restful anymore.  I wake up tired.

*My food doesn't taste good.  But, that doesn't stop me from eating it! 

The one saving grace I have kept up with having my protein shake (Isagenix) every morning.  I can't imagine where I would be without it. 

NEWSFLASH!  As I was typing this, hubby came in and invited me to brunch.  I felt like saying yes.  But, I just can't do it anymore.  I need to get back to feeling good.  So, NO it is.  He looked disappointed, but we both need to get back on track.  Life is so much better when we feel good.

I think about how many people never eat healthy.  Somebody is eating all that fast food.  And, people in general, are getting heavier and heavier (and sicker and sicker)...(and tired-er and tired-er).  I wonder if they even know what it is to really feel good.  To feel excited about life.  To have energy and happiness.  I'm sad to think that they are missing these feelings and don't even know it.  This is way more than what size a person is or how much they weigh.  It's about having a zest for life and preventing illness.  Being healthy.

I'm lucky to have tasted that good life and I know that it's worth the discipline that someone like me has to employ to get there.  My daughter teased me and said I need to go to "rehab".  I know that there are many people who can't relate to what I'm saying.  Food has no hold on them.  But, it does on me.  Always has.  

So, now that I told hubby "no" to eating out,  I feel like I've taken that first step back to normal.  Plus, I told YOU about it, so that should keep me honest, right?  Thankfully, I have the Nutritional Cleansing Program that is Isagenix at my fingertips and I can bounce back quickly.  It's such a blessing.  I can remember when I didn't have this healthy simple solution to fall back on.  Those feelings of frustration are still fresh in my memory even now 8 years later (read about it here).  So, Isagenix to the rescue!  Whew.   Isagenix is my wagon and I want back on!

P.S.   Two (Isalean) shakes today and 30 minutes on the treadmill....and I'm feeling sooo much better!  Ah.

Best Friends and Business Partners

What a day!  I had a presentation scheduled for my business partner (and dear friend), Cheryl, but it was cancelled.  Or so we thought.  She called me to find out if I still had the day open because we had 13 people signed up for our presentation!  I said of course!   


I am the kind of person who likes to be prepared for things.  But, I can wing it when I need to.  As I was driving to the bay area, I was feeling pretty unsure about what I was going to do for this presentation. It was a long drive, so I called my dear friend Emily (also my business partner) and as we were talking about our business, I let her know about the presentation.  I said how much I wished I had ordered the latest company flip chart so I would have something to follow.  She said she had one and as her house was on the way (about half way), I stopped and picked it up.  Wasn't that nice of her?  

I was already running late, and even though stopping at Emily's only took a few minutes, I had no time to spare.

I have lived in the country long enough to consider myself a country girl, but I have always felt that the "city girl" is still in here too.  Except when it comes to TRAFFIC.  Ugh.  What a pain.  Up here in the mountains, "traffic" is getting behind someone driving too slow.  So, I found myself feeling stressed with all the city traffic and I decided to double check my directions with my hubby.  So I called him.  Now, I know that I could have entered the location in my Iphone and it would have directed me.  But, I didn't.  I surely didn't want to fiddle with my phone while driving!  So, I called him.  

As I got closer to my freeway change, I thought I should be in the right lane.  But, hubby assured me that I should go straight.  I started getting upset and saying that I thought I was now going the wrong way.  I said the name of the freeway and direction, he said YES.  So, I trusted him.


Wrong.  Shouldn't have done that.  The next thing I know, I am heading on to the Bay Bridge.  I couldn't see any way to turn around or get off.  I was so frustrated!  So, I got in the far right lane and quickly realized that I was in a bus only lane with NO way out!  I felt like such a country bumpkin at this point.  I even passed a police car and wondered if he was going to pull me over.  I would have just had a melt down if he had done this. 

Of course, hubby was getting a piece of my mind at this point.  It WAS all his fault after all.  So, I told him NO MORE directions.  I was able to exit on a island before getting all the way across the bay and after touring said island, I was able to get back on the bridge and on my way.  


Eventually I got to Cheryl's and we did our presentation.  It was a huge success, we had almost double the original amount of guests and they loved what we had to say and stayed after for over an hour to ask questions.  


Cheryl was so nice to me for coming out to do the speaking for her, she even gave me a present!  She knows that I love to sew and bought me this cute pin cushion.  How cute is this??!! 

And, she also gave me a box of my FAVORITE chocolates, IsaDelights in milk chocolate from our company Isagenix.  

We topped it all off with a nice meal.

I stopped back by Emily's on the way home to give her back her flip chart, which was a godsend!  And, we had a nice visit.   She even showed me some of her favorite blogs that she follows.  Which reminded me that I first met Emily from my own blog here at Lulu's Cottage.


It was a fun day and I was reminded how much fun it is to be in business for myself, but not BY myself.  I am so blessed to be in business with dear friends and we have a LOT of fun.  


The moral of this story is....don't ask my hubby for directions, unless you want to get lost!  

My favorite beverage

I just spilled my FULL glass of my favorite beverage on my DESK.  

  

Yep.  Got it on my keyboard, a little on my phone.  It got on my "to do list" and just made a mess.  I jumped up and tried to rescue as much as I could.  

And, that's when I realized how glad I am that my favorite beverage is ......WATER!  

 

This situation could have been a sticky mess.  It could have been a smelly mess.  But, all I had to do was blot it up and dry everything off, then good as new.

I didn't always like water.  In fact, I can remember a time when I NEVER drank water.  When I was little I used to drink milk, kool aid, juice and soda (we called it soda pop).  Water, YUCK.  

When became a bonified grown up, I started reading about healthy eating choices and I kept coming across information that led me to believe that water was the best choice.  

I'm sure that I could find a bunch of studies and reports to share with you about why water is so good for you, but for me it's just common sense.  Water is natural, so it's natural for us to drink it.  If I drink lots of water, I'm not hungry all the time (a huge bonus!).  Water washes the outside of our bodies, I think it does the same thing to the inside.  In fact, it was when I discovered nutritional cleansing by Isagenix that I really started to enjoy (and crave) water.  (read my thoughts about cleansing here.)

Water is good.

It's free.  You don't have to "make it" or mix it.  You don't have to open a can or wonder if it's spoiled.  No calories. No sugar.  No salt.  Unless you buy the bottled water that has actually gone to the trouble to add those things to it.  Why would they do that?  Yuck. 

I like to filter my water.  Actually, I have two filters (is that overkill?).  My filtered waters tastes better than any other water I've had.  I like to pour out water in a water bottle and fill it with my own clean water.  

It makes me feel good to drink water.  I try to get in the recommended amount, which is half your body weight in ounces.  Or 8 glasses, that's good too.  

Yes.  I do drink other things. Yes, I do enjoy a glass of wine sometimes.  But, my go to drink, is water.  How about you?

All this talk of water has made me thirsty!

A case of the Blahs

Do you ever just feel "blah" for no reason?  I was feeling that way this morning.  I would way rather feel happy.  I don't have any reason to feel blah.  I have lots of reasons to be happy.  But, sometimes you can't reason your way to feeling good.  Can you?  

I started thinking....  What can I do to switch the channel and be happy?  Then it hit me.  Happy Chocolate by Isagenix.  So I ate one of these.  

Wait 10 minutes.  Happy?  Happy-er?

actual time....Twelve minutes later.  Yep.  Much happier.  I think I will have another!

10 more minutes.  Wowzer.  I banished the blahs and got so distracted that I don't remember finishing the second Isadelight.  I might have set it down.  I walked in to my office that I'm redecorating and decided to "tweet" about it.  (my first one! find me: luluscottage)

Happy Chocolate. How cool is that?  My BFF eats these everyday.  She goes crazy if she runs out.  No wonder she is always happy!!

Where do I get these?  I get them from my online Isagenix store.  Check it out: click here.  And if you want some, don't buy on my website, I can get you a better price if you email me!

I ate too much...RESET please!

Help!  I'm out of control!  Willpower?  What's that?  Healthy portions?  Whose counting?

I read a story this week about a guy who was halfway through a 6,000 calorie meal at a place called the "Heart Attack Grille" in Las Vegas.  And, guess what?  He had a heart attack.  (I hope he's recovering!)  

I can't really sit in judgement of him today.  I have been eating and eating and eating this week.  What can I say?  I love to eat!  We had a lovely Valentines Day Dinner of steak and lobster and the most scrumptious dessert, and I ate too much, oh my! 

Just yesterday I attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new business and they had my favorite Chinese food.  I left there to go to a reception for a friend of mine and the buffet table was incredible!  The desserts were so tempting that many of us (ME) had to try SEVERAL!

I ask you.  Was it worth it?  Today, when I have to pay the price, NO it's not worth it.  That "party in my mouth" was over in a flash.  Getting those extra pounds off is not as fun!  

But.

I have a reset button.  

This might be a good time to tell you about my skinny business.  I have always had a love affair with food and a complete disregard for healthy portions.  I envy those people who can have just one cookie (and not the whole box!).  That person just isn't me.  And, I hate DIETS! (what are the first 3 letters of diet?)

Eight years ago, I found a program that took me from a size 18 to a 10 in a relatively short period of time.  And, that same system has helped me to maintain a healthy weight year after year after year.


It's a nutritional cleansing program.  And, today, I am taking full advantage of the program!  It's a perfect reset button.  Not just for my weight.  All those calories that I ate were NOT healthy ones!  My body is burdened by the sugar, salt and impurities that I have recently subjected it to.  So, today, I will give my body a rest.  

This nutritional cleanse program is simple, yummy and easy to follow.  And, no it's not a colon cleanse (yuck).  I will drink a healthy (and delicious) Cleanse for Life drink all day and poof!  Just like that I will return to normal.  I think of it like the rubber band on your wrist that reminds you about something.  This healthy day will remind me how GOOD I can feel.  It's that really good feeling that also reminds me that I don't really want to eat the crappy stuff all that often.  It's really not worth it.  

Oh and if you want to read my journey to health story, click here:  www.myskinnystory.com

Food WON the Battle this weekend

Ugh.  Wish I could go back in time and slap my hand before eating those cookies.  And that cake.  Oh, and the Chinese food.  I had zero willpower. 

Dang you FOOD.  Why do you always do that to me?  You and your alluring ways.  Just wave a goodie under my nose and it appears that I will follow you anywhere!!

 Not today.

Today, I'm fighting back. Round 2 (or 2 million and 2!).  The good news is that my shameful weekend did not show up on the scale.  I'm not letting that tempt me in to thinking that all is well, because I can feel the effects of all that sugar in my body.  And, it's not a good feeling. 

That's one of the reasons I love Mondays.  It's like a reset button to me.  All things are possible on a Monday.  Do over.  Start again.  Make better choices.  Get organized.  Plan the week.  Take on the day.  You get the picture.

I had a choice and I made it.  Time to take a different road.

My healthy life feels better than any cookie tastes!  Please remind me of that when the next goodie arrives to tempt me.

Ah.  Now this is more like it.  My morning cuppa.  And, it's not Joe!

Yum.  Feeling better already.   Yeah.  It's that good.