We all have someone we look up to. An idol, a mentor, a motivator, etc. First an foremost, my number one inspiration is my husband, Shawn. At his largest point, Shawn was 389 pounds. The equivalent of two people. He didn't exercise. He worked too many hours, and he supplemented food for many things, such as sleep. That was six years ago, when I met him.
Proudly enough, Shawn lost one of those people and now weighs in under 200 pounds, fluctuating from 190 to 195 depending on the meals I cooked that week. When he lists the things he used to eat and how much he ate, sometimes I'm speechless. "You ate all of that for lunch?" How does one person eat so much? And I giggle because today he can barely make it through a bologna sandwich, which is unfortunately what I made him for dinner tonight. Yes, I consider myself predominately a food blogger and I fed my husband a bologna sandwich for dinner...
When Shawn and I met, I never seen the weight. He made me so happy, and still does, and his weight just didn't matter to me. It suddenly mattered to him. He was determined to be the best he could be and win my heart. Little he did know, he already had it, but I'm happy he took the steps it took to keep his own heart healthy.
I had never in my life seen a man with such a drive. He wanted to be healthy and nothing was going to stop him. He didn't have any surgeries or pills or shakes. It was through sheer determination and will power that he shed his pounds. His determination is the biggest reason I feel in love with him. I was in awe with the "I want it and I'm taking it" attitude. When I look back at pictures of him before he lost the weight, now I can see it. I wonder myself how I didn't see it before. Maybe because I didn't know him to be any other way? I don't know. I honestly ask myself that. But it doesn't matter. I fell in love with him because he was the kindest man I had ever met and imagine how thrilled I was to see the evolution of his body and to know this handsome creature was now all mine. Score!
My next inspiration is Ree Drummond. You've probably seen her on the Food Network, but if you've never checked out her blog, take the time to treat yourself. What a woman. She has a life I would dream of. And that's the nice part. I don't envy her in a "I wish I could have that" kind of way. It's more of a, "I can have that too if I work as hard as she does" kind of way. She pushes me within. To be a better cook, baker, wife, mother, friend, grandma and even pushes me to be better to myself.
As it was 12 degrees last night and after work I sat on the couch under an afghan trying to warm up, I browsed her daily blog. It was a great post and I perked up even more when Shawn asked what I was reading and wanted me to share with him. I read him the blog and we both had a feel-good moment. Then I browsed some of her links and came across the "find your motivation" article. After reading it, I said, "Well crap..." And I didn't feel so great about sitting on the couch any longer.
I got up and got on the treadmill. So many good things comes out of a brisk 20 minute walk. For one, it takes care of being cold. I warmed right up after about ten minutes and since I'm too cheap to turn up the heat, it was the best answer. Two, as I was walking, I planned this blog, which is something else I want to do for myself, but I neglect (sorry for that.) And 3, it motivated me to prepare a healthy lunch for today.
Now don't get me wrong. I try to stay active and make good food choices, but I used to be much much better than I am today. The first half of 2015 was spent struggling with a debilitating back issue. But that's fixed now and I have no more excuse. It's time to get back on to the health wagon. I don't have weight goals or size issues. I just want to feel better. And I do already. So I got on the treadmill again tonight. And I plan to tomorrow. It's for me. And last night, Ree gave it to me. She gave me what I needed to decide to make a choice for myself and do something that makes me feel great. I'll get back to jogging. I miss it and I don't do it enough right now, but I will. One treadmill visit at a time.
So this tied right in with my last post, which sadly was quite some time ago. On that last post I mentioned that my next post I would share with you the rolls I made for Thanksgiving. I made the rolls from Ree's blog. I could share the recipe and all of my pictures here, but since I'm pushing for you to see my inspiration, I'm simply posting the link to her rolls on her blog. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/pw_dinner_rolls_-_no_kneading_required/
I have made these rolls twice now. Each time, they literally look exactly like her pictures every step along the way. It was the easiest roll recipe I've ever made and I don't feel the need to look any further. This is my go-to roll recipe from now on. I've added garlic butter to the top on some of them and it came out amazing. You must try them! Thanks Ree!
I hope I spread a little inspiration your way tonight. <3
Chat soon!
Penni
No comments:
Post a Comment