The Rosa Chronicles: The Ups, the Downs, and the Wardrobe Changes

...what is important is that you get up and keep on going. Boy, do I know about that! I have been struggling with my weight for several years now (I'm using "several" to be generous). And I have done many things to deal with it, but I have not been consistent, despite having seen results. Take for example 2011, the year Andrew and I got married. I was eating right, I was running several days a week, I was getting physical therapy twice a week. And by the time we got married, I had lost a considerable amount of weight. Not exactly what I had wanted, but hey! I was able to comfortably get on size 10 pants without any problems. But, as usual, something got in the way and I got distracted. Andrew and I on our wedding day 7/17/11 Then I tried again. Last year we added yoga to our exercise routine. It was great, because in addition to Andrew, our daughter Amanda joined us and yoga became a weekly routine for the three of us. Loved it! I felt great, energized and super

On Sunday, on my 4th consecutive day going to the 1st floor to workout, I was very proud of myself. I had started working out in December, on and off, but that week, that week I had been consistent and had kept my commitment on working out. I had already started seeing small changes in my body. My legs, which have always responded to exercise pretty fast, were beginning to feel strong again; the flabbiness was beginning to melt! And I had begun to feel muscles in my belly that I did not even remember existed thanks to some abs work that I was doing. And when I hopped into the scale and saw that I had lost 3 lbs. in the two weeks since I had last weighed myself that was all I needed. I was pumped! Yeah! I was going to get this done! It was going to happen! Along with my husband, who has been training me, I drew the plan for the upcoming week:  chest on Tuesday, arms on Wednesday, shoulders on Thursday, all followed by 40 minutes minimum of cardio. 1 mile, 327 calories

I wish this was so easy, but for me, even trying to focus on the simple things is sometimes a major task.  I was able to do that last week, for example.  But today? Well, today is another story altogether.  I knew the hideous week was coming, that week in which I have to struggle with my internal demons, battle insomnia, fight the constant exhaustion, all the while by trying to keep reminding myself that it will pass, that come the weekend I will wake up and the sun will be shining, even if it is cloudy and dark outside. Call it PMS, call it depression, call it whatever you want; it does not matter. It is a darned hard week and I dislike it very much.  So I am going to try hard right now and focus on the simple things. Those little things that make you happy without much effort.  Let me start with Lil Baby Mateo, whom I met on January 3. Mateo is my friend's Martha newborn baby, and oh, he is one sweet lil baby! We met for brunch at Nelly's Restaurant, where Martha

As things generally go, particularly when you are determined to make changes, things today did not turn out the way I had planned them. My intention was to spend a little bit of time at work, just to complete some essential tasks, and then attack that 10-item "To Do" list that I created during my anxiety attack last night. Afterwards, I was planning to come back home and spend some time with my girls; we still have some gifts to buy for our  Tres Reyes  celebration this coming Sunday. Ideal, isn't it? But no! Things did not go as planned. As it turns out, for reasons beyond my control, I was kept at work for at least two more hours than what I had planned. I was furious, and had a hard time keeping my emotions in control. Hey! I had carefully planned the day and now it had been disrupted! Never mind that while waiting, I responded to other important emails, and returned a couple of phone calls. No. As it is common with the Super-Woman Complex, I could not focus on my

...and my place to start is identifying my barriers so that I can work on overcoming them. But it is hard because many times the barriers are so much a part of your daily life that you don't even recognize them as barriers anymore. You just accept them and try to deal with them in the best possible way. Better that than to add one additional thing to your already crammed "To Do" list. But when the barriers become overwhelming to the point that they can be crippling, then you know it is time to really attack them and change that into something positive. In my case, one of my barriers, perhaps the biggest one, is anxiety. Generalized Anxiety Disorder , to be more specific. I was diagnosed with this a couple of years back, but I have tried to dismiss it. You know, we have a tendency to think that mental health issues are just for those that are weak, and I certainly don't think of myself as a weak person. But today, after a wonderful break from work, in which I got t