Fabulous Full Moon In Taurus

Good morning on this beautiful full moon Friday. That's not all that's happening, the moon is in Taurus and the Sun is in Scorpio. Taurus and Scorpio are sister signs, as they sit across from each other on the astrological wheel. Some may think astrology is a bunch of nonsense, that's all them, for those of us who believe...namaste. The moon in Taurus and sun in Scorpio balance and sync each other and remove any subtleties between the two. There's still more happening today. So we have the earth, moon and sun all in perfect alignment at this very *moment;* creating the fabulous full moon in our sky, those powerful signs in peace with each other AND last night, there was a lunar eclipse. The air is charged with powerful energy for spells, prayers, wishes, schemes, plans or whatever it is you do to help make your intentions successful. I don't know about you, but I'm in sync with the moon, waning and waxing with it each month. I could get really weird here and tell you that my periods are also in sync with the phases of the moon, but that might be TMI for any men who are reading this.

Needless to say (but it seems I'm going to say it anyway), I'm in great spirits today. As in, there are great spirits all around me, nudging me toward positive pathways. Last night or evening, was a turning point for me in regards to my latest work out. I've upp'ed the ante on walking and started running. The uncomfortable of something new can get us out of our heads for a bit. My walking routine was becoming stagnant and needed a bump. It's not exactly fair I call it "running," because when I first started, it was more like the world's slowest jog you could ever imagine. I did the slow jog thing for many "runs," and one day, yesterday in fact, I was actually running...running. It was quite the surprise that I didn't need to slow down to a jog, in fact I did slow it down, as I thought I might be over exerting myself and it was too slow, so I picked up the pace to where I felt comfortable and low and behold it was a real light run. So fun! 

It's amazing what the mind and body can accomplish by pushing ourselves hard enough. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever be a "runner." Yoga, walking and stretching have been my main work out, for as long as I can remember. I've always liked to work out though, I get it from my mama! She's been going to the gym since I was a small child, so it was only natural to follow in her footsteps. She has always been a great role model for me in regards to working out, eating healthy and caring about my overall wellness. She's the most incredible woman I know, with a strong mind and body. At the gym, I enjoy the different cardio classes every now and then, the machines to build strength and the wet sauna, I'm so happy my gym has one, as getting into one after a work out, is one of my greatest pleasures. Mainly I enjoy being outside for cardio, even in the winter and nothing beats a good hike to the top of the world, with views that force the mind gear into neutral. 

Then it hit me, ten pounds out of nowhere. My pants and skirts were all tight on me and I could see a bunch of extra fat on my body. It didn't horrify me by any means, in fact I thought it was kind of cool. No one could tell me I was "too skinny" anymore or that I should "eat more." I always had responses at the ready in the back of my mind when rude people would say those kind of comments to me; although I always left them there. I knew I was fine, doctor confirmed, eating healthy and working out, so that's all I cared about. Personally, I would never say to someone who was heavier than the average body, "you should eat less" or "you're too big." Of course, I understand how much more sensitive of a thing it would be to say in our society, because of the pressures women face to have skinny bodies, that's why I didn't respond. But it did bother me when people would say those things.

These are all the thoughts that ran through my mind when I discovered I gained ten pounds out of the blue. I hadn't changed my routine at all and in fact I thought I was doing a pretty good job at eating healthy. I brought it up to my close friends and family and they said I look fine, that you couldn't really tell. It wasn't one of those things just in my head though, the scale proved it, I was ten pounds heavier than the average weight I had been the majority of my adult life. Interesting, hence the increase in my work out routine.

It seems to be working. The extra fat that appeared on the top of my outer thighs, is s l o w l y melting away. There's fat on my stomach now too and my son is finding it "fun" to pinch at. We get a good laugh, as I'll pinch back his fat, which leads into a long game of tickle. He's just too cute to me when he's laughing and he's half boy / half pre-teen and still likes these little games. I bought a bunch of "lounge wear" outfits during covid and to my horror, some of the pants are elastic. Death to the makers of elastic pants! WTF? They're so tight, even though they're the right size and my fat hangs over the top when I'm sitting down, making me feel constricted, uncomfortable and irritated. I've since cut the sides of the elastic at the top and now I can breath, my stomach is free and happy and life is back to normal. 

I definitely would not say I'm fat, that would be ridiculous and would mean something is seriously wrong with me if I thought that. However, I do have normal, healthy fat on my body and it can get out of control if I don't work out and watch what I eat. If you have fat you don't want, I hope you find a routine that works for you. One thing I can say for sure is you have to eat healthy. Cut down your meat intake, our bodies aren't meant to process it, so it doesn't do it well and it sits there and turns to fat. Eat more vegetables and seafood. Trust me, I love a good steak too, but cut it down to once a month, vs once a week or once a day? I hope you're not eating steak once a day, that's very bad for you and meat is known to cause cancer. Concerned about your protein intake if you do this? Vegetables are high in protein too, the ones with the highest protein levels are: watercress, alfalfa sprouts, spinich, asparagus, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. If you must eat meat, switch to more pork, it's the "healthier" meat, if there is such a thing.

You don't have to take any of my advice if you don't want to. All I ask is if you see someone who you would consider in-shape, don't just think they're like that because they're lucky, they are most likely working out regularly, eating well and making their health a priority. It is not easy to do, it's much easier to never work out and eat like a glutton everyday. The best way to make something into a habit, is to do it at a time when you really don't want to do it, push yourself. I'm not obsessed and nor will I ever let myself become obsessed with my weight, it would take too much of my precious mind space away, that I could be using to meditate. My body is my body and I will always love it no matter if it's skinny, fat, extra weight or not and I hope you feel the same about your body too. The days of judging women based on their bodies is so old fashioned. Women are beautiful and come in all shapes and sizes. 

By the way, the pictures in between the paragraphs I've written are from my run last night, or evening I should say. Fall makes everything look picturesque. I can't even believe it's my same neighborhood right now, it's been transformed and is mother earth's way of reminding us nature is alive and breathing among us. While it's a little chilly outside, I still want to be out there, in the middle of it all, to witness every last moment in this transformation. 

*We're in peak season right now*

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Americans! 

With love,

*me*

~*~