Exercisers make healthier food choices and sleep better. If you can manage to make exercising a priority, you will be pleased with how much better you become at managing life tasks.

10 Tips to Make Time for Exercise:

Make an appointment -
Schedule activity in your planner 1 month in advance and keep that commitment the same way you would any other meeting. When you go to schedule other activities, do so around your workout session. If it’s necessary to cancel a workout session, reschedule it immediately for another time during the day or for the very next day.

Plan Ahead -
Cook on Sunday night for the week. This way, you can head to the gym after work and still come home to a healthy cooked meal. Every Sunday, my husband and I boil at least a dozen and a half eggs, cook up a Crock Pot of chicken breasts, and a week’s worth of steel cut oats. This will help you stay on track for your meal plan as well as your exercise schedule. For best results, both your meals and activities need to be planned for and should not be left to chance.

Workout at Lunch -
A workout break will refresh you for the second half of the day and is known to boost brain power. You will be more productive after recharging your body with exercise than working through your lunch and eating at your desk. Live with no regrets!

Get Support -
Let your significant other know your exercise schedule ahead of time, so there are no conflicts or guilt when it comes time for working out. Inform your employer of your goals and ask for some flexibility in your schedule. For example, come in later and work later, so that you can get in your morning yoga or interval training workout.

Stick to Your Schedule -
Set you watch or palm pilot to go off when it’s time to exercise. Then stop what you are doing and take 30+ minutes to exercise. You will be more productive finishing up tasks after you worked out versus trying to work through a situation knowing you did not keep your commitment to yourself.

Make an Investment -
Consider signing on with a personal trainer, joining a gym or purchasing home gym equipment. Making an investment is likely to help you make a time commitment. Knowing that you have a trainer waiting for you, or that you prepaid for a package of fitness classes will increase your chances of showing up.

Always be Dressed to Move -
You never know when the opportunity will arise to go for a walk or hit the gym. Keep your sneakers in your car at all times, lay out your workout clothes or pack your gym bag the night before. Eliminate excuses and always be prepared for opportunities to exercise.

Engage in Intermittent Sessions -
Take several 10-15 minute walking breaks throughout the day. By days end, you could have completed 60 minutes of cardiovascular activity, and the health benefits can be even better than doing continuous exercise, specifically if you keep the intensity level up during your short rounds of exercise.

Eliminate Time Wasters -
Take a look at your 24-hour schedule and see where you can eliminate some time wasters. Can you multi-task, be more efficient or watch less TV? You only need to dedicate 2 percent of your week to exercise. You are worth it!

Set Yourself up for Success -
Get up 30 minutes earlier — then you don’t have to make excuses for the rest of the day. Morning exercises have the highest compliance rates, as do those who exercise with a partner.

Reaching your goals does not have to mean hours in the gym. You can express your workout routine and still maximize your results. Below are ways you can get the most out of the time you do dedicate to fitness.

6 Ways to Express Your Workouts

Combine Your Upper and Lower Body Exercises -
Cut your strength routine in half by incorporating exercises for several body parts. For example, while performing a lunge, add a set of bicep curls to the movement.

Choose Compound Exercises -
Exercises that work several muscle groups simultaneously are more time efficient than isolation exercises, which focus on one major muscle group. Examples of compound exercises include the leg press, squat, chest fly, walking lunge and seated row.

Circuit Train -
With minimal equipment, you can set up stations alternating cardio activities with strength training activities. This will keep your heart rate up so that you can get both the aerobic and anaerobic (strength) benefits. A sample circuit might include: jump rope, bicep curls, jumping jacks, push-ups, jogging in place, squats, mini-trampoline exercises and dips. Repeating the circuit up to three times is guaranteed to boost your metabolism in under 30 minutes.

Interval Train -
Using active rest and work ratios will allow you to workout at the upper and lower levels of your heart rate zone and optimize calories expended. You can start with brisk walking for 2 minutes and jogging for 30 seconds. Then progress to 2 minutes of brisk walking and 1 minute of jogging. Eventually progress to two minutes of each and ultimately to spending less time walking and more time jogging. If you are already a runner, alternate your running with spints where you accelerate with a burst of energy and then taper back to a run.

Increase Your Intensity -
By picking up the pace, you can cover more miles and ultimately burn more calories in less time. You may need to work up to higher intensities gradually, but you will become more efficient in the process and be able to cut back on the duration of your exercise sessions. Ditto for you strength training workout. If you keep each set intense, you can get the most benefit and eliminate the need for several warm up sets.

Incorporate Mind & Body Exercises -
You can get a lot of mileage out of choosing a discipline like yoga or pilates. Not only will you get the physical benefits of a well-toned body, but you will also enjoy the flexibility, relaxation and stress-relieving enhancements as well.

Make Fitness a Lifestyle Change -
By eliminating some of life’s modern conveniences and getting more physical, you can expend up to an additional 800 calories a week. That can add up to 11 pounds lost at the end of a year. So, start taking the stairs — even if you work on the 10th floor! It will get easier. Park your car in the last spot and join the kids on the playground. You never know when the opportunity will arise to get your heart rate up.

Sex Counts -
While I wouldn’t suggest replacing a formal exercise program with sex, it certainly does burn calories. The more fit you are, the more enjoyable all activities, including sex, will be. Keep in mind that there will be snags in the best though out plan. So, prepare for changes and be flexible. Use obstacles as an opportunity to try something new. In the long run, the time you invest in exercise will come back to you. Remember, no one goes to the grave saying that they should have worked more. You often hear people say, If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself. So, make your health and fitness a priority by making time to exercise.

Must be the season, but virtually every women’s magazine has a cover story that is a variation on the old potboiler “flat abs in minutes a day.”  And no wonder.  Who wouldn’t want that?

A couple of minutes a day, and that spare tire is gone, right?  Minimum effort, maximal payoff.  Whose not gonna buy it?  Hey, put it on the cover, I can hear them saying, right next to the article on the new miracle cellulite cream.

Think it’s too good to be true?

You’re right.

Ab-Solutely Off Base…

Look through the articles—they’re all pretty interchangeable—and you’ll find an assortment of pretty good ab exercises.  Crunches, side crunches, reverse crunches…the usual suspects.  Done correctly, these exercises will absolutely build abdominal muscles.

Should you do them?

You bet.

Will they work?

Ah, there’s the rub.

See, nearly everyone who wants a “flatter tummy” really wants to lose fat.  What they really mean, when they point to their midsection and say they want to “tone up,” is that they want to lose plain old, garden variety fat, which, for most of us, accumulates around our middle.  Or our thighs and hips.  Or both.

And that’s why the magic, “minutes a day” routines are a scam.

It’s a Diet Issue…

Because—hear me now—no amount of crunches, no matter how religiously you do them- is going to get rid of fat around your middle.

Fat comes off by eating in a way that causes the body to go into its “savings account” and start using fat up for energy.  It comes off by turning down your fat storage hormones and turning up your fat burning hormones.  And it comes off when you increase your metabolic rate by building muscle.

So does this mean those ab routines are a waste?

Not on your life.

Your abs are part of your core musculature.  Along with your lower back, they are responsible for your posture and your carriage, and are essential to a well-toned fit body.  They assist in dozens of movements and exercises.  And they help you feel strong and centered.

And if you don’t have well-trained, well-developed abs, it won’t matter how much fat you lose, you still won’t like the way you look, even when you’re thinner.  Because to get that “rippled” effect, there has to be something underneath to “ripple.”

So.  Flat tummy in minutes a day?  ‘Fraid not.  That is, not unless those minutes are accompanied by a rehaul of the eating program that put on the unwanted layer covering those abs in the first place.

And a great way to start this new eating program and unveil those abs is to first get rid of “false” fat.

Sounds Good and IS True…

“False fat” is a term coined by Dr. Elson Haas.  It refers to the bloating, edema, and water retention that is often a result of eating too much of the wrong kinds of food, foods to which your particular body is sensitive.

This “false fat” can easily add an extra 10 pounds or more of weight.  Not only that, but eating these foods can contribute to creating “real” fat as well.

Don’t count on conventional allergists to help you figure out the foods that cause this reaction.  They may be “allergy-like” responses, but they don’t come under the heading of classic food “allergies.”

Conventional medicine defines “allergy” in a very specific way.  Using the traditional definition, only about five percent of the population has allergies.  But there are lots of ways your body can scream, “I don’t like this food and don’t know how to handle it.”

“Food reactions” is a better description of the phenomena than “food allergies,” but the overall result is something that you don’t want: both false fat and real fat.

Allergy Equals Swelling…

Just like hay fever causes swelling in the nasal tissues and eyes, food sensitivities cause “swelling” by sending water to surround food particles that your digestive system is unable to break down properly.  This is just a normal part of the inflammatory response.  Your body sees these “undigested” particles as foreign invaders and tries to get rid of them.  One result of this is abdominal bloating and water retention.

Another is the release of stress hormones.  What is one of the standard “emergency room” techniques for a major food allergy reaction?  A shot of adrenaline!  Why?  Because this stress hormone has important anti-inflammatory properties.  That’s why your doctor often gives you cortisol when you have an injury.

When you eat reactive foods, your body also puts out adrenaline and other stress hormones, as part of its own natural “emergency room response.”  These stress hormones make you feel better at first, but when you “crash” from the adrenaline high, you reach for more of the craved foods and the cycle begins again.

To make it worse, the very foods that you crave are the ones that destabilize blood sugar, raise and lower insulin levels, and wind up putting on real fat.

Add a Dash of Addiction…

It gets worse: You can easily become “addicted” to the very foods that cause this reaction.

Here’s how it works: The response to a “reactive” food also includes the release of the body’s own opiates.  It’s as if your body had a built-in medic and when the medic saw you in distress, he immediately injected you with a painkiller, making you feel kind of loopy and good.  Those naturally secreted opiates can be addictive!

As Dr. Haas points out, the presence of the reactive food in your system prevents discomfort, just as the presence of alcohol prevents discomfort in the alcoholic.  Remove the reactive food and bingo…discomfort begins.  Result: cravings, anxiety, and a kind of “withdrawal.”

Since food cravings are one of the primary reasons diet strategies fail, preventing cravings is critical.  And the foods that you crave are almost always the very foods that contribute to the problem of overweight in the first place!

Toss In a Mood Swing or Two…

Serotonin levels are also depressed when you eat reactive foods because serotonin is mostly carried by white blood cells which are the very same cells used by the immune system in producing a “counter-response” to reactive foods.  While those white blood cells are busy responding to the reactive food, they’re less able to deliver serotonin to your brain.  Low serotonin levels are consistently associated with cravings, depression, and the lack of a sense of well being.

Since sugar and high carb junk foods raise serotonin levels, those are exactly the ones you tend to crave when you’re in “low serotonin mode.  What’s more, these are precisely the kinds of foods that are front-loaded at any holiday gathering!  From a weight loss (and health) perspective, they are also the ones that do the most damage.

Get Real About False Fat…

Since many of the foods we are “reactive” to are all around us, and many of the usual suspects—like wheat—are in virtually everything, detoxification and rotation diets are often a good idea.

If you’re stuck on a plateau, or are experiencing any of the symptoms discussed like fatigue, bloat, or “brain fog,” try removing what Dr. Haas calls the seven most reactive foods: dairy, wheat, corn, sugar, soy, eggs and peanuts.

At the very least, try taking out dairy, wheat, and sugar and see how you feel.  You’ll be amazed at how much better you can feel within a matter of three day

When you hear an inspirational guru like Wayne Dyer say, “Go for it now.  The future is promised to no one,” what goes through your mind? Do you think the universe might be trying to tell you to do something transformational with yourself before more years pass you by?

As a lifestyle and fitness aficionado, I have long been trying to find the ‘magic combination’ for my clients – a way to combine all the elements of health, beauty, fit and fashionable living in which I specialize, so that it’s not about only ONE element of change.  Why? Because let’s face it; in order to look, feel, live, and be your personal best, all of these elements need to be addressed.  Otherwise, as my husband says, it’s like putting lipstick on a pig, or a band-aid on a gaping wound.

Exercising only is like whacking off a weed and expecting the roots to go away. The same goes for making dietary changes and not doing any kind of exercise. You only get so far in reaching your health and weight loss goals, then you plateau, and you often give up and go back to your old ways. It’s almost like going back to square one. But what about the lifestyle choices you’ve made that have resulted in this ‘eve of discontentment’ you may have about your image, your self-esteem and your sense of well-being? THOSE are the roots I plan to deal with in my unprecedented new programs.

If you are ready to make solid, lasting and permanent changes in your weight, fitness, health, image and lifestyle, I’ve got some solutions.  No, I can’t snap my fingers to make these transformations happen, but with a solid commitment on your part, I can give you the kind of jumpstart to bring it all together at last – an exercise program that you can enjoy, an eating regimen you can count on, an easy as 1, 2, 3 system of dressing to show off your assets, and wardrobe updates and overhauls to make you feel great about everything you take off a hanger and put on your body. In fact, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start this journey sooner, because you’ll experience a turbo-boost in your confidence, and feel a sense of accomplishment right away.

Getting curious?  Stay tuned, I’ve got amazing plans to announce very SOON!

• one 20 oz can kidney beans
• 2 Cups cooked and cooled quinoa (3/4 .c raw)
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 bunches basil, stems discarded and leaves chopped. I use one if it’s a large bunch.
• juice of 2 lemons…ours are larger than store bought so I use one
• 1/2 Cup extra-virgin olive oil…..I use a little less.

Have you ever heard of Tom Venuto, Author of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle?  He has one of (if not THE) all-time best-selling fat-loss and fitness programs on the internet.

He recently sent out his Top Ten Body Transformation Mistakes list to his mailing list, and I’ve listed them below.

What Tom’s done here is distilled down, through years of experience in the marketplace and countless surveys of his buyers, the top 10 PROBLEMS they face in achieving their fat-loss and fitness goals.

Okay, take a look at Tom Venuto’s top 10 list:

Body Transformation mistake #1:
Blaming something or someone else for your condition

Success Strategy:
Taking personal responsibility

Body Transformation mistake #2:
Self doubt / not believing you can do it

Success Strategy:
Self Faith / believing in yourself

Body Transformation mistake #3:
Dieting

Success Strategy:
Eating healthy for life

Body Transformation mistake #4:
No accountability system

Success Strategy:
Being accountable to yourself AND to others

Body Transformation mistake #5:
Following the crowd

Success Strategy:
Following the successful people

Body Transformation mistake #6:
Using only willpower; trying to change with force

Success Strategy:
Using habit power and your subconscious mind to change automatically

Body Transformation mistake #7:
Lying to yourself about your condition, your commitment or your consistency

Success Strategy:
Honesty about your condition, commitment and consistency

Body Transformation mistake #8:
Inconsistency

Success Strategy:
Consistency with nutrition and training every single day

Body Transformation mistake #9:
No Goals or fuzzy goals

Success Strategy:
Lots of specific goals/ becoming a lifelong goal setter

Body Transformation mistake #10:
Giving up at the first obstacle

Success Strategy:
Persisting through adversity until you succeed

So, what do you think?  I’m curious if any of these mistakes and Tom’s associated success strategies resonate with you, and would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.  Are you making any of these “mistakes” currently, or have you found a “success strategy” that you wouldn’t mind sharing?  I thought this was a good subject to get some constructive conversation going.   Please post a comment.

Put into a bowl approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup of raw old fashioned oats, and add enough water, low fat milk, rice milk, or coconut water to soak them thoroughly with a little bit still floating on top. Then add a handful of berries. Pop into the microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave and mix in 1 scoop of protein powder (I recommend pure whey protein or designs for health PaleoMeal-DF in natural berry vanilla), 1 tablespoon of fiber, and a few raw walnuts and almonds. Then I typically add a couple of tablespoons of light coconut milk (from Trader Joe’s), stir it all up, and consume….yummy!

It’s high-density nutrition in a bowl, and will keep your blood sugars stable, and your hunger pangs at bay for several hours. All good stuff when you’re trying to live lean and clean!

How many times have you heard or said “I don’t have anything to wear!” even though standing before you, or the special woman in your life, is a closet full of clothes?

Let me end those wardrobe woes, as well as provide you with the perfect Mother’s Day gift that will not only have the special mom in your life feeling good about herself, but catapult you into super hero status!

Try this super stylish special on for size:

A CLOSET OVERHAUL TM experience with a personal stylist

The recipient of the this special gift and I will go through her closet, review photos of what styles are best for her body type, and uncover new outfits from what she already has.  I’ll show her ways to organize those untamed areas and create a style priority list. Plus, I’ll teach her what cuts, colors, and accessories work for her and which ones don’t.

This experience gives her the opportunity to reinvent herself or just do some minor tweaking.  I’ll help her enhance her wardrobe in a way that better reflects her personality and uniqueness, not to mention highlight her figure assets and optimize her precious time and money.

PURCHASE A GIFT CERTIFICATE AND SAVE $20 (offer ends May 8, 2011)

Regular prices:  2-hour service…$145   3-hour service…$199   4-hour service $255

Take advantage of this Mother’s day special and it’s only $125 for a 2-hour service, $179 for a 3-hour service, or $235 for a 4-hour service.

Call 916-801-2953 or email wendy@fit4successlifestylestudio.com to get this super stylish special gift now.  Or just click here and pay with your credit or debit card, and I’ll get the gift certificate mailed out to you asap!

C’mon what are you waiting for?  Be her Super (style) Hero!!

Here’s how it works:  You or the person you know with a pool, is willing to host 1 or 2 Bathing Beauty Boot Camp workouts a week for 6 weeks.  I’ll put ya’ll through 15 minutes of on deck exercises (don’t worry, you can keep your bathing suit cover up on:-), then it’s into the water for a 30-minute aqua exercise experience unlike any other you’ve ever seen or participated in.  We conclude with a few minutes of stretch and relaxation.  Each participant will receive a weekly Bathing Beauty recipe and/or get bathing suit ready email tips in order to turbo charge your results.

The host/hostess gets a 20% discount on the boot camp program if we have 2 other participants, and a 30% discount if we have 3 other participants.  How much is all this fun in the sun you’re wondering?  Well if it’s once a week for 6 weeks it’s $189 per participant, and if it’s twice a week for 6 weeks, then it’s only $324 per participant.  I bring all the gear, tools, toys, and fat loss expertise.  You bring your commitment, and enthusiasm for transforming yourself into the best  Bathing Beauty ever!

I’m prepared to start booking these boot camps in May, and will be happy to conduct them throughout the summer and early fall.  So if you’ve got a pool, and you’re ready to join the ranks of the Secret Society Of The Fashionably Fit’s Bathing Beauties, then call 916-801-2953 or email me so we can coordinate the days and times, and together we’ll spread the word, get your classes filled, and get you the Bathing Beauty body you want soon!
My availabilites are limited, of course.  So first come first served.

You know I like to keep these classes small, private, and exclusive, so no more than 4 participants per class please.

7 Secrets To Getting Pool Side Confident This Summer (from top fitness coach Rachel Gosrove)…

The key to feeling better fast is to drop the layer of water you may be holding that makes you feel puffy, heavier and squishy all over. You also want to lose fat but you can only safely plan to lose 1-2 pounds of fat a week. The following strategies will increase your fat burning potential but for a quick fix will drop the layer of bloat quickly which can be anywhere from a couple pounds up to as much as ten pounds in as little as a few days. Losing this water weight will make you feel better immediately and ready to brave your bathing suit.

1.  Drink Extra Water. The colder the better. Ice cold water will make your body work harder to warm it up burning more calories. Gulp down the stuff like it is your fat burning liquid(because it is). To get rid of your bloat you have to flush your body with water. Start chugging. You should drink at least ½ your body weight in ounces each day. Add lemon and cucumber to it as natural diuretics.

2.  Speaking of natural diuretics include foods such as cucumbers, asparagus, lemon, Green Tea and Vitamin C. These foods will help you to shed excess bloat.

3.  Eliminate any processed, starchy carbohydrates, which cause you to hold water. Most processed foods have extra sodium and preservatives that will cause you to retain water. This summer commit to eating non processed foods including fruits, veggies and lean protein. If it has more than a few ingredients or anything you can’t pronounce don’t eat it. Cut back on breads, pastas, bagels, cookies and crackers.

4.  Eat Veggies at every single meal along with at least 1-2 pieces of fruit a day especially ones high in carotenoids, beta carotene, alpha carotene and lycopene because they have been shown in the research to equal smaller waistlines. This includes kale, spinach, turnip greens, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, collard greens, cilantro, thyme, cantaloupe, Romaine Lettuce, Broccoli, Watermelon, and Apricots.

5.  Reduce your consumption of adult beverages. If you are used to having your nightly glass of wine or your pint of beer cut back to only indulging 2-3 nights a week at the most. And when you do enjoy your favorite beverage, sandwich it with a glass of water on either side. As soon as I knew I’d be posing poolside, I eliminated my glass of wine that I usually enjoy a couple nights a week.

6.  Work on your posture. Standing up taller and engaging your core will make you look like you lost 10 pounds without even losing anything yet. Every 15 minutes set an alarm for yourself to do a “Posture Check” to train your body to stand up straight and hold everything in. Once you are strutting your stuff in your bathing suit you won’t have to think about it anymore because you will automatically stand up tall and hold everything in.

7.  Get your sweat on! Here is a quick body weight workout that you can get done in your back yard. I used this exact sequence of exercises as a finisher to my strength training workout while getting ready for this photo shoot. Doing these four exercises in the morning will get your metabolism revving for the rest of the day.

Summer time Back Yard Metabolism Boosting Workout

Perform the following 4 exercises one after the other with no rest. Perform 10 reps of each the first time you run through it and progress to 20 reps of each. Time yourself and however long it takes you, give yourself the same amount of rest and then repeat. Work up to 4-6 rounds.

Exercise 1 – Body Weight Squat- Perform 10-20 reps

To do it: Simply squat down as low as you can go and stand back up. Repeat.

Exercise 2- Alternating Body Weight Lunges perform 10-20 reps

To do it: Step forward into a lunge keeping your knee tracking over your second toe. Drive through your heel and return to the start. Alternate sides.

Exercise 3- Jump Lunges perform 10-20 reps

To Do it: Start in a lunge position and jump. In mid air switch legs. Land in a lunge on the opposite leg. Repeat. If this is too diificult perform straight leg split jumps instead which is the same thing without the lunge.

Exercise 4- Jump Squats perform 10-20 reps

To do it: Bend into a squat and then explode off the ground as high as you can. Repeat.

Rest = How long it took to do the 4 exercises

Repeat.

Why is it that we sometimes make changes only when we are forced to, even when change in and of itself can be so cathartic and life-affirming?

When I was small, I remember seeing the satisfaction and delight my mom took when simply cleaning out a drawer or moving some furniture around and then standing back and admiring her work. To her, it was if that space were new again, reward enough for her efforts.

As Mom got older, however, she began to savor a degree of sameness — as if changing the location of something might change her memory of a specific time or event. I realize that this is why professional organizers, designers or stagers are brought in to make the changes people hesitate to make. Owners can fall into a rut, forgetting that change and a little risk-taking is what once made their lives interesting, fun and adventurous. And just like HGTV makeover reality shows — where people return home to the ‘reveal’ of the space that used to be cluttered or inefficiently arranged– once they see what was done, they face it as if they are receiving a new lease on life.  This is despite the revelation that — just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz — they had the power to make those changes all long.

I can relate to Mom’s joy in making small changes as we prepare to  move back into our home following repairs from a flooding disaster several months ago. Living comfortably at the time in a house we purchased only four years ago, I can see now that my spouse and I had fallen into somewhat of a rut.  After the first year there, the excitement of the move-in died down and I ceased talking about ‘honey-do’ projects or even the desire to take them on myself. We unwittingly stopped planning projects to update the place, citing times off in the future (when we win the Lotto?) to address dated tile, wall colors we disliked, cabinets that either needed replacing or painting, locations for belongings and the repurposing of areas that were best used differently once things were put away “temporarily.” We figured, of course, that we’d get to all of this later. But once a daily rhythm kicked in, these plans somehow became fleeting thoughts instead of short trips to Home Depot.

Okay, so real estate isn’t worth what it once was, and you figure, “why pour money into a declining asset?”  I can tell you why. It’s HOME. It’s where you wake up each morning. And no matter what small changes you make, it can only benefit you in the long run to take care of your surroundings. Making your place your version of beautiful can feed your soul, even if it lightens your wallet a little bit — from revamping a cabinet space and putting in new shelf liner to throwing out things you haven’t used in years to heading to Ikea for attractive storage bins.

As I plan our ‘re-move-in’, my head is already full of ideas on how differently I will arrange things. The closer the move gets, the more giddy I become.  Having seen how recent small decisions on our part completely changed ambience of our living space during the repairs, I am bolstered by what else we can do once we are living there again.  Slowly but surely, yellowing honey oak cabinets will get sanded and painted white to match trim all over the house (I am going to STOP wishing we had enough money for all new cabinets..). An old desk already got ‘Craigslisted’ to make room for a new, more contemporary one that will permit me to gaze out windows in my home office at a gorgeous Bird of Paradise plant that seems to have gone on steroids lately. Pieces of furniture that cluttered small spaces will be sold, leaving larger expanses of new hardwood and carpet for us to appreciate. Dated bathroom fixtures are being replaced and tract home bathroom mirrors have been removed, making way for elegant, framed ones instead.

So I ask again…why does it sometimes take fate to play a hand in getting us off our collective ‘keisters’  when the power to do this has been ours all along?  I dunno. That’s for you to ponder.

But no matter. The fact that it can still happen to me means I am still eminently capable of change and that, my dears, makes me feel young again.