Category Archives: staying the course motivation

INJURY AND BODY IMAGE ISSUES

Happy Saturday to all. I am about to drink this delicious Cinnamon Dunkin Donuts coffee with my ThinkThin Protein Bar. Yesterday after my run at the park we discovered they are opening a brand new Trader Joe’s right next to the park. That is such a game changer for me. I can go run on the track at the park, and shop for a healthy dinner at my favorite grocery store. I love Trader Joe’s.17105711_10154962767403617_1649281781_n17125017_10154962776603617_308116148_n

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We bought the coffee at Target, and we did a little shopping after my run and walk. I was so hungry so we stopped at Jersey Mikes, and we each had a mini Turkey Sub on whole wheat. It was so delicious and satisfying and 12 points. A little high considering it was a mini but it was really delicious and worth it. I had plenty of points for the day so all was well with the world. 17105402_10154962763878617_739443869_n (1)

We stopped at the famous Formosa and took a few selfies. The Formosa is a Hollywood Landmark and I am so sorry to say has recently closed. The Formosa was known for being a place where the stars went late nights for drinks and Chinese Food. 17101914_10154962763633617_643638916_n

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I am at my lowest weight since I began my blog at 159 lbs, and I decided for fun to try on some workout pants and a few dresses at Target when I was there. I remember right before I started my blog and weight loss journey I tried on clothes at this same Target location, and they had the two-way mirror. I remember how devastated I was about how I looked, and I admit going back in that same dressing room gave me a lot of anxiety. I still have issues with body image and I don’t always realize how far I have come. I don’t think I will shop for clothes there again.

The dresses were large size and they seemed to be more than one size too big. The workout pants were a little big, and the small tank was just right. In that same rear view mirror I saw my upper arms and I realized I lost a lot of muscle since I injured my rotator cuff. I need to find a way to detail my workouts and tone my arms without injuring my shoulder any further.I admit I hurt it pretty bad, and I am not healed. At the same time I want to continue on.

I do my workouts four days a week after work and I would prefer to do the same workouts each time for at least a month, and then switch it up. I am reaching out to Melissa Bender at Benderfitness to see what she thinks I should be doing. I felt a lot of those same feeling I felt years ago in that very same dressing room, This time I felt like a failure because my arms were so strong and lean and now with my injury I am starting all over in that area. I need to get it back. 

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Moving forward. I am going to figure this out and heal and get my strength back. I am getting small but so many of my goals are about so much more than my size and the scale.  I have fitness goals, and a fitness bucket list I wish to tackle. I am always thinking ahead, but I also know it is about the daily work. I have a lot of hard work to do, one day at a time. I will continue with my training schedule that includes my workouts, my walks, my runs, and my yoga. Today is work, walking, and a workout tonight.

We tend do be our hardest critics. I will try to lighten up on myself and keep at my schedule and my goals. One day at a time. I practice kindness but not on myself, that still needs to change after all of these years. I will look to the beauty of the trees for inspiration. They are strong and graceful despite the storms that come their way. The are the ultimate survivors and our original mentors. I will pay attention and emulate their lessons.

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Happy Saturday,

Rose

 

MAKING FOOD MY FRIEND

Your body is a temple not a trash can. At the same time, you have to learn to live with food, not without it. It is fine to occasionally eat foods that are not considered healthy. For me, I now follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time I eat real, clean food, and the other 20% I allocate a little wiggle room for occasional treats and goodies. I find this plan is sustainable for life and living. I can maintain this forever, and not feel deprived. This is how I am moving forward in my weight loss journey, and my life.

Rose Bruno Bailey

Food, it is a necessity of life, the staple of living. We need fuel to live. Food not only feeds the body but it can nurture the soul. Food can be healing, and it can be addictive. For some food can cause anxiety and fear, how much is too much?  One cannot decide to just quit food and go cold turkey. You have to learn to live with food, to achieve balance, to make food your friend.

For the longest time food was my enemy. When I was age 13 I began dancing, and an adult dance teacher told me I must lose 30 lbs between freshman and sophomore year of high school. That began my journey of making food my enemy. I had eating disorders and spent most of my early days trying to avoid food. You can read about it here. http://mychangeforaten.com/eating-disorder-past/

That post was in 2013. This is now 2017, and I am here to say the old habits came back after that moment. I decided I did not need Weight Watchers after some time, and went at it on my own. I lost my weight, but the old feelings of being obsessive about food came back, in the form of what I was eating instead of not eating. I went from my starving days of yesteryear, to being obsessive over good vs bad foods. Carbs, gluten, sugar, just a little sent me over the edge of guilt and obsession. I think I was bordering on a new eating disorder called Orthorexia. Melissa Bender from Melissa Bender Fitness was the person to suggest this was how I was behaving. She knows my background with food.

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or·tho·rex·i·a
ˌ
noun
  1. an obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy.
    1. a medical condition in which the sufferer systematically avoids specific foods in the belief that they are harmful.
      noun: orthorexia nervosa; plural noun: orthorexia nervosas

     

I am happy to say here I am in February 2014. I feel like I am back in control of my eating disorders, and I have done so with Weight Watchers Online. Melissa Bender told me she is so happy I am making food my friend, and I am too. I can safely say I am still eating healthy, but I now have a little wiggle room. I no longer obsess with what I am eating, I track it daily on the Weight Watchers App and I am done with it. I eat clean, but I allow some treats here and there. I work the plan each week, and if I feel something is not working, I try something new the next week. I have broken my year long plateau and lost 9 lbs since January 14th, 2017. That brings my weight loss goal closer, I am now 24 lbs from 135 lbs. I will always do this, I will maintain my weight by the points system after I get to goal. I will achieve lifetime status with Weight Watchers, and have a healthy relationship with food.

I am grateful for the food that nurtures me and fuels my body to do the things it loves to do. I will not obsess over bad and good food. I eat clean and healthy yet I enjoy life, and with life comes the occasional treat or celebration. Food is no longer my enemy, food has become my friend. Every Monday, after weigh in I enjoy a treat with my coffee. I do that, and I am still losing weight. I really look forward to the scale, and the treat afterwards.

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I will leave you with this, a quote from the weight loss guru himself.  We miss Richard Simmons. If you would like to hear the number one podcast in the country, Missing Richard Simmons, here is the link. I was interviewed on the last day of Slimmons. I hope Richard is well. https://www.facebook.com/MissingRichardSimmons/

We miss you Richard Simmons.

I’ve always practiced this: Love yourself. Move your body. Watch your portions.

Richard Simmons

 I love myself, I am watching my portions and moving my body Richard. Thank you.

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I CHEATED ( this is what happened)

It is now common knowledge that the average American gains 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

Marilu Henner

The dreaded scale after the holidays, how many of you faced it today? I did, and I gained five pounds. I knew I put on a few pounds so I felt there was no reason to avoid the scale. Better to know now, as I begin anew in 2017 with my weight loss and fitness goals.  One of the reasons I feel this happened because I went so extreme on my diet for five months.  than I ate whatever I felt like eating off and on in between Thanksgiving and New Years. I did not plan to eat with abandon, it just happened. I am human.

My plan for my next 10 lb charity is to deliver the blankets I am collecting for the homeless to the Midnight Mission when I lose 10 lbs and finally make it into the 150’s. 159 I am coming for you.

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I am here to tell you one or two cheat meals are ok, but every day cheating for a few weeks left me feeling as crappy as the food I ate. I thought maybe I would feel the joy of the holidays if I indulged, I worked every holiday and I was trying to find my joy elsewhere. This year the holidays lacked sparkle for me. I am here to remind you and remind myself that food is not the answer to happiness. A little moderation is better than an all out binge. It left me feeling empty and not healthy. I felt bloated, ill and my stomach and joints felt off kilter. It did not bring me the joy I was seeking, it did the opposite.

Marilu Henner got it right on the nose, but I was lucky I only gained five pounds since Thanksgiving. Now I have to back track a little, but no complaining. I got this. Lesson learned for the future. Back to the 80/20 rule. Eat healthy almost all the time, but leave room for occasional treats, of course within portion control. 

Life is not linear; you have ups and downs. It’s how you deal with the troughs that defines you.

Michael Lee-Chin

Back to the drawing board, as I sketch the 2017 I envision. I need to do some grocery shopping and I am reading health magazines for ideas. I am on day three of Melissa Bender Fitness 30 day Challenge. ( I am behind so I am doing one round of day two and one round of day three so I can be in sync with Melissa.I am also going to join her and work on my flexibility.  Here is the link. I got 2017 by the collar and I am showing this year whose the boss. Who is with me? Let’s do this. 15870575_10154786151473617_1135422458_n

http://www.benderfitness.com/2017/01/muffin-top-meltdown-body-weight-exercises-to-burn-fat-strengthen-your-core.html

 

ADJUST YOUR SAILS

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Tonight the party I was supposed to work cancelled, and I had an impromptu night off. I never got the call and went into work anyway.  Life throws surprises all the time. Instead of being upset that I went all the way there, I adjusted my sails and walked home and was happy to have the night off. I ended up making Black Bean Brownies and hanging out with my husband James and our two Siamese cats, precious time with my busy schedule. Life has been hectic these last few months but I am so happy and grateful to be back in Los Angeles. A simple night, tomato soup and my loves made me very happy.

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That got me thinking, what is the game changer when it comes to weight loss and fitness success? Why do some people gain the weight back and other people are able to get to their goals and maintain weight loss and fitness? I believe I accidentally figured what it takes, or I figured out what is keeping me on the path to weight loss and fitness success.

I gear my workouts to all the changes that my life brings me. Life is not constant, but I adjust my sails and ride the waves to the destination of my goals. I realized the beginning of a weight loss journey is the easiest, but keeping the momentum going takes work and takes consistency. It take a willingness to adapt to the changes that life brings.

I have been through a lot, a lot I write about and a lot I have kept private. I started this blog and my weight loss/fitness/philanthropic journey in 2013 with the help of a trainer that introduced me to fitness. I was having success with my LA lifestyle and it was amazing having someone tell me I can do it. I was able to help various charities and lose weight in the process. It was smooth sailing for me.

Rose Bruno Bailey Weight Loss

In  autumn 2014 my husband James and I moved to The San Francisco Bay area, a move that came on rather suddenly. There was a big fear that I would quit, that I would regress and lose all I was working on. A rational fear that everything I worked hard on would fall apart.

All of a sudden my lifestyle completely changed. I was living in a brand new city, working a lot more than I did in LA, and I no longer had a trainer pushing me. I had to adjust to my new life. It took a few months but I did find my footing in the bay area,I did some charities and met some amazing friends. I ran in a 5K with my boss and made my best time in a race. I adjusted my journey to my new reality. I did not give up, I just worked with my new lifestyle. I started Melissa Bender Fitness workouts and I realized I can do this. I believed and stayed consistent in my endeavors, despite the challenges of a brand new life. There were a lot more temptations in San Francisco, a city known for food but throughout the challenges I continued on and I am grateful for my experience there.

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We recently decided to move back to Los Angeles, and again my whole lifestyle went through another transition, another new job with different hours. Yet last week I hit my lowest weight since I began my journey. What is it that has kept me going? 

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I didn’t quit, I am persistent and consistent. I have adjusted my workouts, my running, my diet to fit my new lifestyle. I find myself being too tired in the morning to work out since I am working later at night than I am used to, so I do my workouts after work.  Who said workouts cannot be done at 11 pm? Are there rules to working out? If so I am breaking them and making my own rules and it is working for me. I started a six month countdown to my December Birthday with no cheat days for the whole six months, and stayed consistent to my benderfitness workouts. I continue to meet wonderful people that inspire me.

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My advice to anyone beginning a diet and exercise program is to be prepared to change and evolve because life brings on changes and transitions. Every time my life dramatically changed paths, I adjusted my route to stay on course. I am successful despite the constant changes in my life. I am proud to say through it all I never gave up. My life continues to change, and I have changed inside and out and continue to adjust my sails to the whim of the mighty wind that is uncertainty. Bring it on life. I am a master of challenges and change.

VIBE OFF POSITIVE ENERGY

unnamedThe other day two young guys gave me a random compliment, they saw how spirited I was and they told me they were “vibe-ing off my energy.” It is a new word and I like it. Think about it, we are all energy based. Positive not only attracts positive but it also negates negative energy and can turn it around. A bad day can become worse with negative thoughts, it spirals out of control the minute you decide today is a bad day. So if you tell yourself today is a good day it will be. It may seem simple and cliché’, but it is also absolute truth and the law of the universe. If you see someone loving life, make sure to “vibe” off their energy. Their positive energy does not mean their life is perfect, it just means they find the beauty of living despite the obstacles life throws at us all. After all you are alive, so how about acting fully alive.

My blog became challenging two years ago when I found out were relocating to San Francisco. I knew I would no longer have a personal trainer at my convenience and I was afraid I would undo all of my hard work. On top of that I loved LA, I did all my charities in LA and I didn’t think the bay area was a fit for me. I did make it work while I was there for what I call my year and a half sabbatical, and my blog continued in the time I was living there. I even made some life long friends and mentors, hit some fitness milestones and volunteered and helped raise food for the hungry at The Second Harvest Food Bank. I survived a personal crisis and a spontaneous move back to LA recently.

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Through it all I woke up each and every day not only with a smile for myself, but for everyone I encountered along my travels. It helps you cope when you just slow down and remember to first be kind first. Sometimes it takes effort when all you wish to do is hide under the covers, but keeping a positive attitude even on the hardest days has helped me survive. In hindsight if I would have kept to myself and sulked, I never would have met the many wonderful bay area souls that have inspired me and touched my life.

It has been six months since we arrived back in LA, and three months since I began my countdown until my 50th Birthday. In this six months leading to The Winter Solstice I am eating completely clean and not cheating or having a cheat meal. It is a huge undertaking, considering we tend to want to splurge when life throws us disappointments. Yesterday was such a day, I am hoping to have my book signing here in LA at an esteemed book store but I let some time lapse from the first moment I corresponded with the book store due to my move back and all of the commotion of getting a new job and settling in. I am not going to jump to conclusions, but I may need a back up plan if this particular book store turns me down. Again I have to reach into my little bag of positive tricks and truck on forward.

This leads me to how often we reach for food to dull the ache in the pit of our stomach when things do not exactly go our way. It is not hunger we feel, but that need for comfort and soothing that we get when we treat ourselves. My husband James said “let’s get cake, no one will know.”  I regress, I will know. Back to the four agreements, “always be impeccable with your word.”

So no cheat day for me. This is teaching me to face my feelings and deal with them in a non food manner. I work in a world famous deli with the most amazing food and homemade bakery so this is extra difficult for me but I am standing by my commitment. I am a work in progress, moving forward despite everything that comes my way. I am leaning on my energy and attitude to keep me going. That and morning coffee.

They say life does not have a dress rehearsal, and this is it. So I continue to vow to be grateful and joyful an to not let obstacles chase off my dreams, and I vow to keep going.

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I am vibe-ing off the energy of the beauty of being alive. 

Namaste’

Rose

 

WEIGHT LOSS WISDOM

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

Francis of Assisi

I am not an after, I never consider myself an after. I am a work in progress, successful at what I am doing but I am on a journey and far from my destination. People write me and tell me that I look like I have already arrived. I am half way and proud at how far I have come. I have done things that have completely surprised myself, so to me that quote by Saint Francis of Assisi hits home.

My journey has become more than numbers on the scale, it is about being fit and strong as well as reducing my weight. I have many fitness goals I wish to accomplish and many milestones I have already met.  I am only 5’3 in height and I believe a goal of about 135 lbs is completely realistic. I also have many more charities I wish to help. So here I am at my lowest weight of in 20 years, working on my fitness and last 30 lb weight loss, and planning my next charity event; all less than four months before I turn the big 50. Always moving forward, even when life’s struggles trip me up; I catch my step and continue on my merry way. I may sometimes stumble, but I always rise.

When I began I had a set of ideas I followed. I like to call them ideas instead of rules.  These ideas became part of how I stayed on course with my goals. If you are beginning a weight loss and or fitness journey these little bits of wisdom may be invaluable to you as you set out on your quest to be the best you inside and out.

  1. Be impeccable with your word.

When I started I discovered a book called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The first agreement is this. “Be impeccable with your word.” If you say you are going to do something, than make it happen. The first week of my blog I was cast in a Richard Simmons video. I almost backed out because of embarrassment about how heavy I was, but I decided to be impeccable with my word and follow through with my commitment. No excuses anymore, no procrastination. Same with your workouts, that always say nobody ever regretted a workout after it was done. Whatever it is you plan to do, be true to your word and make it happen. The time is now, start strong.

 

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2. Find your Dream Team

I am quite blessed. My dream team is always growing and is always evolving. But there was a time when I did not have a dream team. Back in 2002 I met my now best friend Melissa and my life changed forever. I will write about this subject and her influence on me in a future post.

At this moment you may be asking what is a dream team?

A dream team is your tribe, your friends old and new who inspire you with their own accomplishments and greatness, yet they also find time to cheer you on and believe in you and your dreams with all of their hearts. They are your best friends,occasional acquaintances that fulfill a mission, your mentors, your inspirations in life. You must have an open mind to find your dream team. They come on unassuming sometimes, in unlikely friends of all ages and sexes. I urge you, open your mind and heart, and look around for your dream team. When you do find them, remember to give as much as you get and pay it forward; and the dream team will continue to grow and grow. Trust me on this.

No man’s a failure who has friends.

Frank Capra

Some photos of some of my fitness dream team, I cannot post all of my dream team it would take all day. xo My dream team is vast and includes people from all walks of life and backgrounds.unnamed

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3. Find the food lifestyle and fitness plan that works for you.

When I began I had no idea what I would do, I had just a simple plan. My plan was to begin Weight Watchers, do some speed walking and work out with my new friend and trainer Mike. (see dream team last pic with his dog Apollo)

I ended up a yogi, a runner who completed a few races, and I beat my trainer Mike at a planking contest. I am now much more confident at fitness than I was when I began, and in the future I may become a trainer myself. I have a lot of fitness goals that I would have never dreamed of making when I began in 2013. I continue to challenge myself.

click here for free amazing workouts, yoga etc.http://www.benderfitness.com/

Weight Watchers is a great way to begin if you feel lost about food and you are not sure how to eat. I did it for the first six months and it really helped me begin. As my journey continued I found what works for me, clean eating and lower carbohydrate and low gluten. That does not mean the way I eat will work for you. It is trial and error. Same with fitness, walking is a great way to begin, and working out with a trainer is a safe way to learn about fitness. As you evolve you may find your new brave self craving new ways to work out and new classes to take. You may even find yourself running in races. It is amazing what fitness does for your confidence and your energy levels. Start at the beginning, and do not be afraid to experiment. Learn what works for you and stick to it. Trust me, you will not miss that pizza when you are trying on bathing suits in July or when you are running circles around people who are falling down because they lack energy.

Rose Bruno Bailey Weight Loss

 

4. If you get a flat tire, will you slash the other three?

That is a quote from my dear friend Dawn and a member of my dream team. It is so true. You may falter, you may stumble. You may find yourself after a bad day diving into a vat of cake batter head first. If you do stumble, forgive yourself and begin again. Do not let one cheat meal or cheat day become a cheat week. Get back on that horse and keep galloping towards your goals. Forgive yourself, and forge forward.

 

5. Love your body and be grateful

We all body bash, hell I think I may be the queen of body bashing. I have learned to look at my body as a temple and not a trash can. This body has surprised and astonished me in ways I never thought it would, especially as I am on the verge of turning 50. I am grateful to this body, and I bow down in reverence for the gift of living and the chance to make my body stronger so I can continue to grow gracefully. So begin anew, and remember you are not growing old you are just growing and graceful as you embark on your journey to be the best you.

6. Do not look through other peoples windows.

There is no competition, except with yourself. If you wish to compete, make it with the you from yesterday. Do not body compare, or body shame yourself or others. Be a person who walks in kindness. Cheer on other people’s accomplishments but keep resentment and jealousy at bay. Those human emotions will sideline you. We are all one, and in this together. No matter how long it takes, or how slow you run, you are faster than you were when you were sitting on the couch. Soon enough people will be congratulating you on your accomplishments. You are beautiful the way you are, you are just going to become stronger and healthier and inspire others to do so.

Namaste’

Walk in light

Rose

 

 

 

It’s a Journey

“You must give everything to make your life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in your imagination.”
― Roman Payne

If you have followed my journey you know this is a blog a about dancer/writer poet who gained a lot of weight and decided to combine weight loss and charity and write about the process and journey. You can find my beginnings here.  http://mychangeforaten.com/about/

For me this blog has become life changing. It has literally opened up a whole world of possibilities and endless opportunities and introduced me to lifelong friends and mentors. We are only held back by the shackles we place upon ourselves. We have the key to let go of what holds us back, the fears and blocks that keep us from living the life of our dreams. Life is too beautiful not to be happy in the living.

This is a weight loss/fitness blog where I sponsor charities as I lose weight and it will continue to be that as I continue on my journey. I am 30 lbs away from my goal weight and on my six month challenge of no cheat days until I arrive at my 50th birthday on The Winter Solstice on December 21st. Here I am now proud of my accomplishments but always moving forward. I lost over 50 lbs and helped numerous charities and found a love of fitness and yoga similar to my love of dance and the written word. I am on a fitness quest as well as a weight loss journey, a quest to be the best me inside and out. This will not cease when I hit my goal weight. Lifestyle equals a life journey.unnamed-2

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I will continue to share my fitness goals and my mentors and role models, my weight loss journey and diet including more recipes.I am in the process of planning my next charity event. I plan to start writing about a subjects that are related to my journey, subjects about inspirations of life and living. I have slacked off writing here because I let life get in my way and got lazy with my writing and overwhelmed with the nuances that sometimes stop us in our tracks. I plan to write more often like I did when I began, and be more transparent in the process. I am painfully emotional and human, and from now on I will write more and stress less about life’s issues.

My life is beautiful because I am in love with living and all creatures of the universe. With that said a beautiful life is not a perfect life. I have issues like every other human that walks the earth. I am too far from family, and finances are a struggle but I am living despite of my problems and always moving forward. One of my favorite quotes from the film The Shawshank Redemption is

“get busy living or get busy dying”

I am living, loving life here in LA. Almost 50 and grateful for every single person in my life and every single moment that got me here. Are you getting older or living a beautiful life? You have the power to choose.

Namaste’

Rose

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLANKET DRIVE

Happiness is a warm blanket. 

Charlie Brown

Today I had some extra time to myself when a friend cancelled on our morning coffee. It was extra time to do nothing but to snuggle with my two Siamese cats and a big fluffy blanket. As I lay there completely content to be idle, my mind started to reflect how lucky I am to have such a simple yet happy moment blanketed from all the woes found outside our front door. 

A blanket is one of those items you probably never think about, but think how attached you are to it. A blanket comforts your body and your soul. On a hot summer night do you still curl up with your blanket?  It is much more than an item that keeps you from getting cold, it is a security blanket. A blanket protects in the wee hours of the night. Even our beloved pets feel safe when there is a cozy blanket to curl up in. A blanket is warmth, and warmth is love.

For the homeless a blanket is all of these things and so much more. A blanket is a safety net from the elements of the street, a barrier against all the dangers that exist when you dwell without four walls to keep you safe. To a homeless person a blanket is shelter, a soothing hug in the middle of the night, a coat to keep you warm. A blanket is a veil of privacy, a sleeping bag, a layer between you and the mean streets. To a homeless person a simple item like a blanket is home.

This brings me to my next Charity Project. I will be doing a blanket drive to collect new blankets for the homeless for The Midnight Mission in Downtown Los Angeles.  http://www.midnightmission.org/

 

I will have more information about the event as I progress in planning, I am hoping to get all the blankets by mid December. This is the crucial time here in LA as the nights start to get cooler and the need for blankets to help keep our homeless friends warm is increased. I will be posting more about it and everyone involved in upcoming blog posts. I am very honored that I can do this and grateful to all the help I get along the way.

As I wrap it up my two Siamese cats Rascal and Spanky are in dreamland curled up with a blanket  and probably content to be there all day. Creature comforts are so important for both humans and animals. 

Much love and light.

Namaste’linus_blanket

Rose

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE


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With but few exceptions, it is always the underdog who wins through sheer willpower.

Johnny Weissmuller

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Happy Summer solstice to all. Today is the day I begin my six month program, and since I am from Cleveland Ohio I will use the slogan of the underdog championship Cleveland Cavaliers. #All in.

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Today is the day I begin my six month challenge and countdown to my 50th birthday. I was born on the winter solstice, and that is six months away. The last year and a half has been a series of ups and downs, transitions and new beginnings. My plan is to get to my 50th birthday being the best me inside and out. I have a lot of work to do. My husband James does not think I can pull it off. So I will take inspiration of the underdogs of the world and work even harder and with more heart to make it happen. 

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The plan:

My diet will be completely clean. I can tell you now, there will be no cheat days. Quick overview of my diet will be almost gluten-free, lots of fruits and veggies, minimal grains and lean protein. I will not be consuming sugar and I will not be eating sweets of any kind. The only grains I plan to eat are oatmeal and Ezekiel bread in moderation and occasional beans. I will eat healthy fats and no processed foods. I will still consume dairy but rarely will I eat cheese. I will do separate post on diet. My protein bars will just be an occasional treat and not my daily breakfast.

Here is a sneak peek at my grocery haul.

 

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I am following the Four F’s. Frugality, Fitness, Food, Fashion.  It can be done and I plan on making this next six months count and I plan to make it happen on a budget. Being financially strapped should never hold you back.  We are f’n fabulous.

This running jacket was less than 20 bucks and found at Marshalls.

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The fitness.http://melissabenderfitness 

Melissa Bender Fitness is fabulous and free and I will be sharing my workouts as I go. Here is month one, today is day one.

http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/02/my-first-bikini-competition-prep-month-1-workouts.html

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I am also beginning my running training again.

http://www.benderfitness.com/2015/05/5k-training-for-new-runners.html

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When the scale starts moving, I will be doing charities again.

and again….NO CHEAT DAYS

My husband James doesn’t think I can pull it off. He thinks the summer, the fall and all the special occasions are occasions to eat. Whatever, the more you doubt me, the harder I will work.

I am all in. I am after all from Cleveland Ohio. Congrats to my hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.

Happy Summer Solstice

Namaste’

Rose

 

SUMMER TO WINTER SOLSTICE COUNTDOWN

A goal is a dream with a deadline.

Napoleon Hill

 

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A few months ago I posted my intention to do a ten month countdown to my 50th Birthday on December 21st. I planned to go hard-core on my diet, my exercise and yoga goals. Then life happened, we decided to move suddenly and transition got in the way of training and my countdown goal.

I love a good deadline, I actually thrive when I am challenged. In the beginning of this blog I went hard-core and it worked, I thrived and lost the bulk of my weight. Now I find myself within transition, finding my footing back to what works for me. 

I have decided to begin my countdown to my 50th Birthday after all. I will begin on June 20th, which is the summer solstice and I will keep going until I get to my goal date of my birthday which falls on the winter solstice on December 21st 2016. 

I am settling in Los Angeles and figuring things out here in the city where I began this blog. Are things still crazy and chaotic? Of course they are, that is one of the reasons I am doing this challenge. I need it now more than ever.

I will be doing a charity every ten pounds, but I am not putting a time limit on how fast I will lose my weight. The goal is to get healthier, eat cleaner, and be in the best physical shape for me at this point in my life; all while still helping others in the process. I wish to be the at my personal best inside and out when I turn 50.

I will be sharing everything I am doing to get there, almost as personal as reality television. I plan to be honest and authentic. I hope you can join me as I travel on my latest journey, I can use cheerleaders to help me as I take my first baby steps on this new path. One never travels completely alone. We are all in this life together. I learned that through this blog and I am grateful to all the beautiful souls that now grace my days as dear friends. Thank you for being a part of my journey.

To be happy you must own who you are, treasure who you are and do not measure your life in numbers, You can do anything, be anything if you believe in the light that burns in your soul. 

I look to the trees for inspiration, they are our ancient mentors. Standing tall and graceful, weathering storms and waiting patiently to bask in the sun.

I was born on the shortest day of the year with the least amount of daytime, but it was that darkness that brought me into the light. Like the trees, I wait patiently to have my moment in the sun. I  will continue to work hard to make that moment happen.

Love and light,

Rose Bruno Bailey

 

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