First Wave - Shedding Light

"Tell us about you - who are you right now?  Why are you in this group and what do you hope to accomplish?"

I took part in the winter session and I'm here for another round - our spring fling:)

I'm happy to be here, because I'm simply not done yet, I still would like to lose twenty five pounds overall.

I didn't lose the ten pounds I had planned on during the winter session, but I managed five to seven pounds depending on how my scale, named Lyla during one of our exercises, feels that day.

Right now I'm still dragging my heels on the exercise, but I can tell you that I've gotten stronger and more energetic just by working out in my garden. Twenty five pound stones, heavy pots, bags of soil and mulch will do that to you:) Not to mention the fresh air and sunshine.

My current personal goals are to re-arrange our space so I have a comfortable space to exercise, maybe take up bike riding - used to love that, and find a way to walk daily. 

So far my routines that I managed to stick with are to squeeze myself a fresh lemon each morning, I drink plenty of water, have increased my daily fruit intake and I do walk at least four times a week.

Food is not a significant problem. I'm a good cook, we eat "relatively" healthy - there is room for improvement:) We eat home cooked meals every night, no fast food or sodas for us. I've been on a mission to eat healthy even before I joined the group. We eat organic as much as possible and I grow my own herbs and tomatoes. 

Shedding Light is really about shedding light on your inner self, weight issues come about when you lead an unbalanced lifestyle. I remember that Peter Walsh one of the clutter experts on TV  once said that those of us who have clutter issues have weight issues too.  

So I echo Mariana's and Stacey's sentiment in asking what is weighing you down? Weight is but a symptom of other issues, so in my case (among other issues) I feel if I continue to work on my paper tiger clutter issues it will lighten up my life and I can move forward.

Right now - I'm still stuck, so exercise and walking are a priority.

I feel I have bonded with the other sista sheds in the group and their input and support has made a great difference. I'm looking forward to the new challenges and it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds this time around.

I admit, I had to think about continuing, because I know it means commitment which  is actually my word for 2009, I'm committing to making changes in my life this year.

You could call it a bucket list if you like, I turned 60 this year and I find that there are a few things in my life that could stand improvement, change or are simply goals I've let slide. You know those things where you always say, "One day I'd like to volunteer at a local charity" (one of my goals) and among other things I've decided to tackle the weight issue.  

So between my own efforts and the inspiration from Mariana's Shedding Light group(ies) I hope to reach at least three of my goals by the end of the year.