Habits are heavy on my mind today. Good, bad, inherent, learned. It’s interesting to me that it can take so long to create healthy new ones,  but bad or annoying or embarrassing ones take no time at all to produce and reproduce time after time.

For example, I’ve been using talk to text for a short time… a couple of months I guess. I HATE doing this in front of people…I feel ridiculous. Someone I know said they were going to completely cut punctuation out of all their texting so there would be no difference between their talk to text (can i just call this TTT?) and their regular text. I of course think this is ridiculous because I sincerely respect language and grammar and it MATTERS.

In addition to TTT I now use Voxer. I don’t want Voxer. I don’t need Voxer. Voxer did not belong in my life until it did. And now I’m voxing it up day and night. If you don’t yet know what this is…well I’m not sure you’re missing out. It’s an app used for “Team Communication” and now I am part of a team. If you looked at my Vox Box, well you’d thing I’m part of a lot of teams the way it fills up. The thing is it’s kinda cool and it kinda works.

The problem is….I have created this habit in TTT of saying my punctuation out loud. And I can’t stop. So if you don’t know Voxer, just imagine getting a voicemail from me that literally says out loud…Hi Comma this is Tiffany exclamation point are you still coming to my party tonight question mark I miss you happy face

Ridiculous. But it’s a habit I created. And recently, this non punctuation friend of mine left ME a voicemail in the same special way. And I laughed at him. Not with him. At him. Because we are all so silly and we can’t help ourselves. TTT hasn’t even been around that long in technology (that I’m aware of)! But we start using it and soon, boom! You can’t stop. Kinda like cigarettes, or heroin. Do it once and you’re hooked. Try to start eating your leafy greens and hopping on the treadmill daily, and it’s like I need a gun to my head to make it a habitual practice.

Today is day 1  in my 30 days of starting new habits. I am holding myself accountable and am involved in a team (see Voxer above) and I’m trying these new things. I already exercise but would like to make it more consistent.. add in more yoga, daily meditation, and clean eating. Delete a lot of foods from my life, detox from sugar, and fill my belly and brain with organic, non-gmo, minimally processed fuel. Enough buzz words already! let me get to what happened with day 1.

My day began with accidental step aerobics. I woke up, had a tasty shake (ok pretty tasty…It was a practice shake, needed more almond milk, less spinach, more ice, and should have added some almond butter, will try again tomorrow. I mean, that’s what it’s about….trying again.) After the shake I headed to the gym to go to power class. I love power class! Generally I’m a cardio kinda gal –  running and biking speak to me – but I know that for strong bones later in life, a girl’s gotta lift! Power class involves multiple reps to sweet music holding a bar fit with light to medium weights. I got to class at 855am as usual, and went through the routine of setting out my weights and setting up my step.  I looked in the mirror to check out my awesome bicep and noticed no one around me had weights. Not only that but they’re wearing leotards in neon colors, headbands and wristbands, big hair and big smiles. Think Jane Fonda circa 1982. I realize Power is on Tuesday and this is only Monday, and they’re looking at me like “Girl, Show your stuff! Let’s see you step it out!”

Alright, there were no leotards but there WERE bright colors and headbands. And I had no choice but to start steppin’! I soon learned this was no 80’s Fonda deal either…this was Step Aerobics on Steroids. Not power class, where I can quietly stand in the back and do some curls and presses..oh no!!!

High knees, triple repeater, grapevine, reverse!! Triple hammy, shuffle back, bomb over, reverse!!

This was step aerobics with burpees and split jumps and plyo-style squats. I survived, I think, but it wasn’t pretty. Think Seinfeld’s Elaine dancing …my rhythm was almost as good.

Luckily I actually had a great time, but will now religiously check the gym schedule BEFORE I walk into the group exercise room. Because, NEVER AGAIN. It was worth a try, but NEVER AGAIN.

Something I wanted to make sure to do was take photos through this 30 days. I thought it would be important to have Before & Afters to share with you guys. The problem with that is that I actually have to show PHOTOS of me. That’s kind of the point. This involves vulnerability as well as vanity. It involves opening up and being real and also TAKING SELFIES! When my daughter was home and I needed a picture for something, she would graciously and sometimes not so graciously do it for me. Because it generally included 10 retakes from my better side in a better light. Now that she lives in another state I’m forced into Selfie Land, and I’m not a fan. Yes I do take them from time to time, I’m not immune, but I’m also not in love with it. For the lovely readers of this little blog, though there’s not much I wouldn’t do! (wait, don’t quote me on that! There’s a limit!) And so selfies you get.

The photos are untouched, in bare sunlight. You are going to find out a little secret about me. I’m not a photographer. I know there are a lot of great bloggers out there who share amazing photos of food, and flowers and scenery and their dog and their feet and whatever, but that is NOT me. (notice the black garbage bag drop cloth) These photos are a little more raw, intended to show progress and improvement (I hope). Let me just add it’s almost a miracle I taught myself to add photos to this blog at all.

I’m using a new skincare line (Shameless plug….GO!) Arbonne. I use and now I sell it. These pictures show the fine lines, wrinkles and age spots I already have at 35. (no shame in my age!) Last week I noticed a new age spot on my right cheek. FACE CHEEK! you guys, I know how you think. Not a cute little freckle, it’s more like a whole universe of freckles that came together to make one SuperNova. But not as pretty or cool or scientific. Or bright. It’s actually just a dark age spot.

Believe it or not, I wasn’t a very good listener in my teenage years. (Cough, cough, mom…dad…)I didn’t listen to the suggestion to start skin care early. I’ve tanned a lot. I used to smoke. A couple different things. And I didn’t have a skin care regimen at all. I slept with makeup on, I didn’t wash, use SPF etc etc. At about age 30 I became a tiny bit smarter and started paying for facials, which I LOVE! (any gifts you’re thinking of buying me? Gift card for Facial at a Day Spa! YAY!) The aestheticians have told me that while that’s nice, it’s not a long term solution. So now my habits must change…daily cleanse, tone, moisturize. SPF is a must. Eye cream is not the same as neck cream or face lotion; not if you’re buying a good brand. My goal is to reverse some of this damage, and it will start in the next 30 days.

In addition to the skin care I’m trying out the makeup. I don’t wear much daily, but I do like to even out my skin, brighten it up, and I’ve been looking for a masacara that will do 2 essential things:

1) Not run down my face creating raccon eyes, humiliating myself at the end of my 12 hour shift, during report when nobody tells me and I don’t know til I see my face in the car rear view mirror

and

2) not make me look like scary spiky goth queen with clumpy spider legs coming out my eyes.

Arbonne’s mascara did it; something I wasn’t completely expecting and thought I’d have to pay a lot more for.

 

So I’m pretty stoked on the makeup, I’m really stoked on the potential for some brighter, younger looking skin. “Pretty” is not the point of being healthier and making these changes. But it doesn’t hurt to feel good about the skin on my face. I have to wear it for the rest of my life.

Same with my body. I have to walk around in this body as long as I live. I don’t want to deprive it, but I also don’t want to make it toxic and tired, sore and sad. More on the nutrition in another post. I’m running out of breath here.

Let’s recap because I’ve covered a lot of things and even I don’t know where we started.

• Bad habits can be easy to make but hard to break. Healthy habits are a b**ch to get going! The universe must think it’s funny.
• Talking to text in public is awkward and weird. The word awkward is weird to spell. I’m just noticing this.
• My phone has been invaded by a little orange app called Voxer. I’ve embarrassed myself daily speaking punctuation out loud. See TTT above.
• Leave the step aerobics to the amazing coordinated women that could out-run, out-jump and out-high step me in heartbeat. Keep rocking those headbands, ladies.
• I’m not a photographer but my brother is. He’s amazing actually. http://www.swedeenphoto.com
• My goal is to have a skin care regimen so amazing that I take so many years off my face I’m carded at the store til I’m 80. Or just reduce the overgrown constellation on my  right cheek.
• Selfies stink and I need a little facial waxing.

Here’s the thing…I don’t get paid for this blog. That’s obvious. I don’t even know HOW to try to get paid here but maybe someday I will. It’s also obvious that I’m sharing my experience with Arbonne though that’s not my main point here. So it’s not endorsed or anyting, this is really just me, trying stuff out, learning as I go. If you are so inclined to find out more about improving health, skin, your athletic prowess, or using some awesome clean vegan makeup, feel free to contact me. I certainly won’t turn away that conversation.

In addition to a ton of other firsts today, I held my first workshop as an “independent consultant”, and the courage it took to try that out deserves it’s own blog!  At this point, I’m beat. You probably are too. Time to wash off the makeup, and detox the mind.

Peace, friends. Try something new tomorrow. But maybe not step class. Unless you’re a choreographer. Or Jennifer Lopez, that girl’s got moves.  🙂