SNOWMAGEDDON 2014!

January 28th, 2014 started off like any regular day for me... got off work, quick hour nap before Wing Chun and Jun Fan, class and my regular 8-1/2 hour commute home. WAIT WHAT?!?! The disaster now known as Atlanta's Snowmageddon (which was barely any snow) created a royal mess almost instantly.

The start of my drive from Johns Creek to Roswell, usually a nice 15 minute ride. At this point I had gone around 3 miles in more than an hour. 

 All the side roads leading up to the freeway were slammed, so I thought I could brave the freeway itself; not sure if the side roads would have been better, but the freeway was a parking lot for 4+ hours. I have never seen so much creative driving; people were creating their own lanes by driving on the side walks and grass. It was INSANE!

When I finally did get off the freeway (I was less than 2 miles from home!) we were still not moving. I sat on the bridge off the freeway for close to an hour because of accidents up ahead. There were a ton of people walking past me, and that is when I realized I did not want to be in my car any longer. I was parking and walking the remainder.

My walk home

I was so happy that I chose to walk because when I got closer to my apartment complex which is very hilly, I saw one of the things causing the back up. No one could get up the hill and there was a pile up on the bottom of hill.





When I did get home all I could do was eat a snack and crash I was exhausted, but I did try to stay positive and remembered that I was lucky because people were still stuck out there. I would worry about my car in the morning.

The morning after...


 





After a LONG nights sleep, I got  prepared to hopefully bring my car back home. So I bundled up to make the walk, and I admit that I really wanted to see how things had turned out from the night before.

 

 Well not a good start right off the bat, this is the entrance to my complex. Two guys attempting to move their vehicles quickly became stuck again. I just knew I was not getting my car back in, but I still wanted to venture out. Heck it could be my exercise for the day.

 

 There were still a lot of cars left from the previous night, but the main road was practically clear of ice so people were coming back to move them.

People had left their cars on the sidewalks and grass all along the road.

 One of the many buses that were left stranded. Many children stayed the night at school if they could not be picked up, while later on that night some had to be rescued by the National Guard. When stuck the night before, I had seen a few buses in the traffic and was happy to see people go up to the bus to make sure the kids were alright and to see if they needed anything for the little passengers inside.

 Besides being offered free hot chocolate on my walk, I witnessed many other acts of kindness by strangers. People were helping pull or push vehicles that were stuck, give a jump, offer rides, and just simply ask if someone was OK or needed anything. It was extremely uplifting to know the neighborhood and people in general, could come together.

There were also a number of Shelters set up to get people out of the cold and offer relief for the night until they were able to make the commute home. That night one lady I spoke with had been on the road for 7 hours and still had 23 miles until she made it home (that was when I knew I could have been worse off).



I ended up walking around for a little over an hour; I had checked on my car and walked to the store (Kroger, Publix and Waffle House were the only places open) and decided to head home. Well when I got back, in that short time, most of the hill at complex was melted and people were making it in. So I turned around and walked back to my car to bring her home...

...and we made it!

 I know what you are thinking, why can't these people drive in snow!? Trust me I was thinking the same thing when I moved here from Michigan. I knew my family and friends up North were going to revoke my Yankee card when they heard about this

The biggest mistake that was made I believe, was all the businesses and schools letting out early around the same time. Usually the times people go home is staggered throughout the afternoon to avoid abnormal traffic jams (traffic is still horrible during rush hour though), well now everyone is on the road at the same time. Not only are they on the road, a lot of them are trying to rush to go pick up kids now or get home before things get 'worse'. Rushing plus icy road conditions plus people who are not used to driving in this winter mess, it all equals disaster.

 What an adventure from start to finish, although I am sort of glad I got to experience it so I could have a story to tell... I really would not be upset if it did not happen again any time soon, or ever again lol!

Sleep and Weight Loss

Sleep... oh how I miss you and our long nights (or days) together, why have you left me!

I know sleep is essential for weight loss, your health, and makes Jessica a tolerable person to be around; but lately the tossing and turning for hours at a time has made a good amount of sleep hard to come by. There are a ton of articles out there that relate sleep to weight loss, with the main principle being adequate sleep will increase your metabolism; while lack of proper rest will slow your metabolism.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/lack-of-sleep-weight-gain

I do exercise in the morning after work, but I try to give myself time to wind down so I can be relaxed by the time I lay down. I cut my caffeine off by a certain time every morning and I have cut back what I eat the closer I get to the time I go to sleep. I have tried meditating and this used to work, but not lately. Sleep aids... I have tried but don't really care for the grogginess after, and don't want to be dependent on something everyday and then grow immune to it after awhile.

 I am frustrated to think my lack of sleep is one of the causes in me not seeing results with all my hard work with weight loss as well. If anyone suffers from this as well, please share any remedies you have tried that worked or not worked.

I am going to go attempt this sleep thing again...

Planning = Success

I think the idea of Planning = Success can be true for so many aspects of life, but for right now I am focusing on planning my food for the week. 

First let me say that I have an unhealthy relationship with food. For example I often use food as a way to cope, or as a reward after a good workout. But after working hard in the gym for an hour, it is not the best idea to eat half a bag of chips. Sort of defeats the whole purpose! Then there is usually a feeling of guilt that follows, usually followed by eating the rest of the chips because you are now depressed. It is a vicious cycle.

To avoid these bad habits over the next 30 days I knew I had to do some planning. So before even going to the grocery store I had to brainstorm on what I needed to get me through the week. Some stuff I do get bulk and lasts more than the week, but I don't want the fruits and veggies to go bad before I will eat them hence the week time. Also my list of ideas are all based on me individually, I know people with kids or things such as dietary needs, you will have to consider different things. 

Brainstorm before store-

• Do you have something for breakfast? (do not skip!)
• Ready to go snacks? Something easy to grab if I need a fix after Martial Arts or in the car.
• What main dish do you want, and what dishes can you make out of it? I get bored after a few meals of something, so knowing what other meals I can make ahead of time really helps (especially since I am culinary challenged and do not know how to wing it).
• FRUITS AND VEGETABLES! Just enough for the week, but more than what I used to eat in the past... a lot more. 
• What healthy snack can I have if I have a sweet tooth? Sometimes you might want something sweet, and instead of depriving myself of it then raiding the candy machine at work why not get a healthy solution; for example I opted for sugar free jello. 

From this I easily made a list I would not stray from at the store (but the ice cream sure did look tempting), plus it also helped that I gave myself a budget for the month so I could only buy what I came in for. 

My first trip this week was a success and yesterday I prepared my meals for the next few days. There are cooked chicken breasts, quinoa, and a big container of cooked vegetables. To help from overeating I prepackaged meals in Tupperware so they are a quick grab before work; this will stop me too from saying I don't have time to make a lunch and grab something fast-food on the way in to work (sorry Subway and Wendy's I will miss you).

I will share some of the other tips I have gotten online from other sources over the month, and if you have any suggestions please share I would love to hear them!

Motivation!

Such a generic topic for a fitness and lifestyle change I know, but was inspired...and yes MOTIVATED by a post I saw today.

So what motivated me to start this journey? I admit after going through my breakup (starting to recognize where my life change began yet...) my motivation for getting healthier was not a great one, and I am embarrassed thinking back at it. I wanted to get healthier and look great to show my ex what he would be missing; but then I soon realized this idea was ridiculous. Not only because of the fact I broke up with him (face palm for that one), but being motivated for this reason kept me with lingering negative feelings and holding on to the past I was trying to get over.

Yet another one of my goals is to not regret my decisions or past errors, and to grow from them and try to find the positive. So even though my motivation was illogical it did get me off my butt in the beginning, and then I started to enjoy how I was feeling after working out or eating healthy. The process soon became something for my benefit and not someone else.

Well this pushed me through for awhile but I started to slip, I am not the most self-motivated person and I am a BIG procrastinator. I soon realized until this lifestyle became an everyday thing I needed support, and I went looking for it. 

This may seem weak, but I think everyone knows themselves and their limits. I know that right now I am not the strongest person I can be, not just physically but mentally; so the support helps me reach my goal of a greater me!

Here is a huge thank you to all my supporters; family, friends near and far, the communities on here, and my new Martial Arts family because without all of you I feel like I would still be treading water instead of moving on. 

'Just keep swimming... just keep swimming...'

30 in 30 days!

Seeing how I turn 30 in a month, I wanted to challenge myself this month physically. I have been exercising off and on the last few months and been trying to eat healthier. I even started taking Jun Fan Gun Fu (Jun Fu) and Wing Chun at Francis Fong Martial Arts Academy, mostly to gain my self-confidence back but to also get in shape.

In my early 20's I weighed around 135 and was semi inshape, but as soon as I got a desk job at the railroad and started working overnights I quickly put on 60lbs! I am not using this life change as an excuse, I admit I was just lazy. But when I got on the scale and saw 199, I knew then and there I needed to make a life change because I would not see 200. I was miserable...(this is tough to share)

I am currently down to 160 and feeling so much better physically and mentally. I would still like to drop some more weight, but I am more aware that the number is not as important as feeling better.

This month I want to focus on working out on a regular basis and setting a schedule, and not cheating on my diet! I am looking to hear from others and cheering each other on through our getting healthy journey, and I can't wait to share a picture I can be happy with in 30 days!

30 in 30!

Starting off...

Hello! 

This is my first attempt at a blog or sharing so much information about myself so I am a bit overwhelmed and not sure on what I should do, or where to start...

You may ask why am I attempting this? Well in one month from today I will be turning 30, and just a week ago if I said that I would have cringed or gotten upset at the idea. I am not sure what clicked inside me, but I just decided to not be upset about hitting this landmark age and take it as a stepping stone to move on to a better future and stronger me!

Where I am and where I 'thought' I should be...

I am currently single after an eight year relationship. I actually move to Georgia from Michigan to be with my ex, and I thought we would be together forever in the beginning; but life had different plans. We had regular relationship problems (and some), and once I realized that things were never going to move forward... well I should say on my third attempt of breaking up, I finally found the strength to get out of the relationship.  

The first few months after were EXTREMELY difficult, I started questioning my decision and feeling sorry for myself. Why aren't you married now? All your friends have kids, are you ever going to have a family of your own? You wasted so much of your life and have nothing to show for it?

But I soon started telling myself, so what?! Why are you worried about what everyone else thinks is the normal, or what other people think about your situation... I needed to just live my life the way I wanted to. This life does not come with a set of guidelines or rules we have to follow, so why was I so worried about living up to some standard?

So I decided to live on and go through the situations I have never experienced, simple things like living on my own or going to the movies by myself. These things may seem trivial, but I soon realized I am not the only one who has had to go through this... so why not share these experiences and discuss them with others? Let others share their experiences while I share mine, what a great way to relieve stress and open up about what we are feeling!

So, here we go....