Greetings my friends. I appreciate you stoppping by to read my blog. Praying that you and your loved ones are doing well during this time of uncertainty. THANK YOU to all of you in the medical field who are fighting tirelessly for us. Prayers for everyone who is currently fighting this nasty virus, and all who have been impacted economically.

It’s been an interesting year, to say the least. In January I found myself on an emotional rollercoaster for some unknown reason. It was magnified when I learned that an estranged friend of mine was facing an untimely death at the age of 49. February rolled around and I felt like I was getting back on track. I focused on preparing for my arthroscopic knee surgery in March with my nutrition, yoga, and Orangetheory. I wanted to go in to the surgery strong!!! March rolled around and post op was definitely harder than I anticipated (still is). The physical pain and limitations played a number on me emotionally. Once again, I started to come out of the fog when this nasty virus started spreading like wildfire across the US. I must admit, when the virus began I believed that the media was blowing it out of proportion etc. Well, things got real, REAL FAST, when it hit too close to home. A very dear, well respected, very loved man whom I’ve known my whole life has been in the hospital fighting the Coronavirus for over a week now. I continue to pray for him and his family, and everyone impacted by the virus.

Fast forward to today with all of the shutdowns, and my continued physical limitations. It’s been emotionally paralyzing at times since my outlets are no longer available. Since I began my health and fitness journey in November 2015, my “go to” has been exercise for stress relief. My physical therapy is now my exercise. I feel like a beginner again… a victory these days is 5 minutes on the bike with low RPMs. I would love to be able to go for a nice long walk, as it has always been therapeutic for me. As of now, I’m limited to 5 minutes – 10 tops – of walking. As my wonderful PT explained, if I overdo it, I risk a huge setback. I’m doing my best and giving PT my everything – just like I did my walking, yoga, and Orangetheory.

When I was faced with the sad news of my estranged friend in January, I found myself on a couple of occasions turning to food. What is unusual about that? I haven’t done that in over 4 years. Since joining WW and embracing my love for fitness, food was never an issue. I was at total peace with my nutrition having fun in the kitchen with new recipes, experimenting and trying new foods. I have come SO FAR!!! So, for me to try to fill a void with JUNK, was VERY unusual.

Thank goodness for my WW family. It was on an employee zoom call that I was able to humbly admit it. Yes, me, Lisa, went to Sonic #1 for a M&M Sonic blast, only to discover that the blast machine was broken, so I went to Sonic #2 across town, only to find out that they were out of M&Ms!!! Talk about intervention. It was that humble admission to a group of ladies who truly understood where I was coming from that put me right back on track.

Last week I found myself turning to junk again. Two days of it. Thankfully, WW has gone virtual, so I hopped on a meeting and humbly admitted my struggles and now back on track.

For me, its NOT all or nothing. It IS balance & moderation. I’ve never given up Sonic blasts, chocolate chip cookies, or cheesecake. I definitely don’t eat those foods on a regular basis – its few and far between. BUT when I’ve had them in the past it was in moderation. There’s a BIG DIFFERENCE between enjoying and mindlessly stuffing. I’m at peace with enjoying a food.

Nutrition won’t make me bullet proof, but I’d like to think it grants me a few extra rounds of ammo

Today, I will hit the restart button. I will continue to take advantage of the livestream Masses, rosaries, and prayer outlets that my Church has provided; I will continue to take advantage of the endless WW virtual meetings at my fingertips; the fresh air and sunshine; quiet time for reading and journaling.

FAMILY: My son is home!!! We are awaiting the birth of our newest family addition, a precious baby girl!!! I will take care of myself so that I can fully enjoy the calendar that God has cleared for us.

GRATITUDE: I will forever be grateful for everyone working tirelessly to provide essential services for us during this crisis.

Imagine with all your mind ~ Believe with all your heart ~ Achieve with all your might

Life With Lisa 💕