Homesick

Have you ever been homesick?  Just sitting here writing this with the thought of being homesick knowing I am in my new home, well apartment.  I had a house, quite large, 3400 sq.ft. with a great yard, close to 4 acres.  My dogs could run whenever they wanted to and I didn't have to watch them pee or poop while holding onto a leash, good ol' fashioned country living.  Now I am living in an apartment with my bf, 2 kids and 3 dogs barely hitting 1300 sq ft.  One of us has to walk the dogs a hundred times a day because they were so used to going out all the time, at their every whim, okay maybe 3-4 times a day, but still on a leash and poor things can't run.  There are dog parks we've yet to go see and they can run there, but in the car, then back out and it's going to be a cost, ugh!  Gosh I miss my old house.  The beach is close, oh so close, no snow, well maybe, who knows it hasn't gotten to winter yet, and more than likely it won't snow, oh it better not, I left my snow blower behind, lol.

Snow and I are long time friends, but no more, I can't deal with the aches and pains anymore, my body just says no to snow.  Beach time is so much better, I can do that, oh yeah I can.  It would take me hours to go before, now 20 minutes, maybe 30.  I feel as if some of my trade offs weren't as worth it at times, maybe because I feel stuffed into a smaller space, no yard, and the dogs can't run.  I have a storage unit and noting is at my disposal in my own home as before, yes it takes me 5 minutes to get to anything and I mean anything, well besides the beach.

The shopping mall, grocery store, post office, anything food wise; it's wonderful.  Living in a perfect area is fantastic.  I love it here; I love my boyfriend; I love my kids and my dogs.  Some days I feel like I want to go home, like I'm missing something.  I cry, over what, spilled milk, pull up my big-girl panties and get my crap together, I know.  What the heck is my issue?  Is this being homesick or is this just the fact that I am so accustomed to having lived in a larger house and don't know how to downsize; my girls are both in college (still living home, phew!), my birthday is in a few days and I am getting older (40's) or maybe its menopause...no freaking way, I will have to do something about that shit now, by the way...or what?

 My ex doesn't leave me be, he has gotten better since we moved, thank goodness.  Now he only calls every few days (I am seriously jumping up and down, bring out the band)  It only took him 4 1/2 years.  I swear he forgets we are divorced.  As for my boyfriend, I know you read this, I love you very much and thank you for putting up with all of his crap as well as me being so sad lately. There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be than where I am right now. Being homesick isn't easy, I lived in the same place for 18 years and before that I still lived in the same area of well almost my entire life, so it has been very hard for me to move.  It wasn't just a home, it was a life, a lifestyle and a home.

I need something, who knows what it is but I need something.  Time will make it better and downsizing will help.  It's nearly 1/3 of the space...phew!  This is it, wow, thanks for listening and letting me figure it out.  Now that math help figure it out for me, crap, one-third, that's not a whole lot.  How do you determine which third you want to keep?  Now that I know what to do next I don't feel so homesick anymore, oh and now that I am thinking about it, guess what?  All my friends back north, well they will have to start thinking about shoveling snow soon :) beach time for me!

     

Working out

Working out.  How do you define working out?  What do you do to work out?  Do you go to the gym or walk in the park or go to the local high school and swim?  Me personally, I go to the gym.  I love to work out.  I know it sounds crazy but I feel when I don't work out I feel like I'm cheating.  Almost as if I did something guilty!  I have some friends who go swim a few times a week at the local high school and enjoy that very much.  I know that burns a lot of calories.  I own a pool, but I would freeze my butt off about now since its 40-50 degrees out, oh and my pool is outside.  I would love an indoor pool or one with a solarium.  That would be the best, then swimming all the time would be great.  

Other people I know love to just go walk.  They walk wherever they can, in the park or the mall.  It's great, and free.  It's not easy getting motivated by yourself a few times a week to stay on track and keep yourself fit.  There are mall walkers clubs all over.  I see signs for them.  Check it out the next time you are at the local mall.  The Gallerias usually have them, for the most part before the regular mall hours start and this is a very good idea because its indoor, so the weather is perfect, plus when you are done, you can go shopping if you want to.  Not that I would, because I would be a bit sweaty, well maybe not, depending upon how fast I was walking.  Walking is the best the you can do for you along with eating healthy.  Working out in general is the best thing you can do for your body, just don't over do it.  

The other day I was at lunch with my girl friend and I ran into another friend of mine.  He says to me how good I look and I returned the compliment, because he looked amazing.  I ask him where he has been that I haven't seen him at the gym, but we usually don't run into each other much there has he has a crazy schedule.  He tells me that his body has plateaued and he is no longer trimming down like he wants to.

Well if you are reading this and you know anything about working out or don't, then you will want to know that you need to change how you work out.  When I mean change I don't mean daily or weekly.  I mean your body becomes accustomed to how you work out and then it will peak and stop burning and trimming down.  This is when you have to just switch your routine around, do it backwards or add something new, take something away, just do something different.  It's tricking your body into thinking its learning new routines and then it will burn, shape and trim again.  This is why if you go to a trainer or gym where they have trainers, they tell you not to work on abs or legs etc. more than three times in the same week.  It won't make a difference.  Our bodies learn quick, we are people of nature, as so are our bodies.  We learn fast, well our bodies do, us, we are quite pig-headed most of us and take quite a while to let things sink in.  Those of us reading this know exactly what I mean.  

When you work out, don't go crazy, just have fun, enjoy and change it up.  You will get more than just a great work out.  You will stay fit, have a great body and not become bored with the same routine.  If you go to the gym, go there a few times plus if you have a local high school that has free swim, go there once a week this will add to your workout all the way around.  Go do and learn new things, enjoy what you do, meet new people and have fun.  Don't be a bump on a log, get up and get out there.

Enjoy, stay fit, be happy and healthy!