It's Monday again, which means it's time for me to write my 4th out of 5 exams. It isn't until tonight at 7pm, but that means I have to spend most of the day reviewing notes... After a good morning workout, that is. I am not about to skip out on something that makes me happy and healthy just to cram an extra hour of studying in. How much good will that really do anyway?
Now, since I'm into accentuating the positive these days, I am going to link in with Katie's party and talk about a few of the marvelous things in life, and I may even include a few of her #dominatediva hashtags because I can dominate too! (Although that doesn't sound quite right)
1. Muscles are Marvelous
Since I have been working on eating more, strength training and appreciating the changes in my body, I am really starting to like the muscle tone I am developing. I am totally shameless about admitting that I have great legs (#dominatediva) and I'm starting to love the little biceps that are showing up.
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| I'm totally embarrassed to be taking a selfie like this, but hey, I've got some little guns starting there and I'm proud! |
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| Me on the left: At the back of the Taj Mahal. Those "tights" were falling off of me. |
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| In Thailand, living it up at a night market. |
That last picture was taken in Scotland when I went to visit my friend who was on exchange at the University of Stirling. We spent a whole morning hiking up this amazing escarpment behind her campus. It was about 15 degrees C and I was so cold that I had to borrow her big jacket to put over top of my 2 sweaters. Even after hiking for an hour, I couldn't get warm.
I love looking back through pictures from my travels, but it can be dangerous as well. If I have been feeling down about myself that day, I sometimes look at pictures of a thinner me and think "I wish my clothes could fit me like that again", but that is such destructive thinking! I was unhappy, underweight and in a constant state of deprivation. Now that I'm stronger, I have realized that I look so much better.
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| This was at my roommate's Superhero birthday party. I was "Granola Girl" because I'm a bit of a hippie :) |
2. Potlucks are Marvelous
Have you heard of these neat things called potlucks?? They are these dinner events I used to go to where pretty much everything on the table was off-limits except for the veggie platter and maybe the salad, so I would always leave either hungry or stuffed with raw cauliflower.
They are actually amazing social gatherings where every person contributes a different kind of delicious food. Isn't that fabulous??
I went to a potluck on Saturday night, and for the first time... possibly ever, I eyed the buffet, took some of almost everything and enjoyed it all (#dominatediva). We're talking perogies, cornbread, caesar salad, chips and salsa, antijitos, wine... I even took a portion of the nachos made from Doritos (yeah, Doritos), although they were a bit soggy by the time I got there, so I left them mostly uneaten. *sigh*
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| The spread! |
3. Challenging your fears is Marvelous
Guess what I did on Friday??
That's right, I bought my very own jar of peanut butter!! Now I know what you're thinking: "That's nice Devon, most people buy peanut butter, have a gold star." For me, this is a big thing though. Peanut butter was one of the first items to go on my list of forbidden foods and it stayed there until very recently. Even when I allowed myself to eat it in moderation, I would never buy my own jar for fear that I would eat too much in one sitting. Well, this jar is mine now and it has been marvelous! I have been having it on a spoon, as well as on top of my chocolate oatmeal (Molly inspired me with her Reeses oats).
I guess taking that first step made me particularly ballsy because the next day I went to Metro with a coupon I got in the mail and bought this!!
I'll wait a little while to open this one because I am going home for Christmas soon, but I can't wait!!
Speaking of challenging fears, I went to stock up on candy for for roommates' and my upcoming gingerbread house-making session and I decided to cross yet another item off of my Food Challenges list.
Candy corn!! Okay, they are technically "reindeer treats", but trust me, it's candy corn; they just don't have the fall colours anymore. So between the PB, the candy corn and all of the self-baked cookies I ate this weekend, I have been challenging myself left and right, and loving it (with minimal anxiety)! Let's get another look at some of those cookies, shall we?
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| Mmm... |
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| Foodgasm :) |
This one is related to the above-mentioned cookies, but there is just nothing like brightening someone's day with baked goods, is there? I put a bunch of my creations into a container for my roommates, took some to my potluck and then made a few individual bags for friends. I still have some left over too, so every time I know I am going to be seeing someone who could do with a cookie treat, I throw a few in a baggy and head out to spread the love :)
I hope you have a Marvelous Monday :)
What was Marvelous about your day?
How have you been spreading holiday cheer?
