To All the Girls I've Loved Before

Who've traveled in and out my door (of life)...

I'm glad they came along. I dedicate this blog...to all the girls I've loved before.

Yep you...I'm talking to you!

Today is my 'BIG UPS' to the fairer (among other things) sex...women! Go you...go on...get it. Grab onto life and don't let go! Yes, you my darling. If you are reading this and you have 'lady parts' then I most likely know you, have had to trudge through much of the very same crap in life as you have had to, and definitely LOVE YOU (or at the very least 'like' you). Somewhere along the line you have taught me something about myself. Even the mean girls out there. I have this overwhelming need to send some major love out to all my girls today...because I am not sure if you hear it enough in the course of everyday living. Maybe your man isn't telling you enough (or no man currently is) or maybe you haven't said it out loud to yourself lately...or worse yet, you don't even think it's true..(say it ain't so?!) But it is all TRUTH - You are GORGEOUS, SEXY, STRONG, INDEPENDENT, BEAUTIFUL, SMART, and AMAZING and I haven't even gotten started yet!

I want you to know this today. You are BEAUTIFUL...just the way you are! You are an amazing person. All by yourself, you are amazing. Yes...you could very well be a mother, girlfriend, wife, sister, daughter, employee, teacher, student (you get my drift here) which takes away a little bit of you for all those people and things. I am here to fill your cup up today...and to tell you that you are so very special. A statue (or at least a reclining beach chair outfitted with a Cabo Wabo homemade 'from scratch' margarita) should be erected in your honor. You do so much for so many people all day long...did any of them say thank you today? THANK YOU!!! For all the little things that no one ever sees you do...THANK YOU!!! Don't forget to thank yourself for a job well done...I am sending you a virutal slap on the ass (like they do in the NFL) for going the distance.

Lauren's Handy Dandy Tips on self-giving:

1. Give yourself a break...This can be as simple as turning the volume up to 22 in your car today on the way home from work and listening to old Aretha Franklin blues albums with the windows down...this technique works EVERY single time for me. (I believe that level 22 volume is loud enough to drown out the cacophony of whiny kids too)

2. When you take the last recycling item out to the bins tonight before you go to bed (because you are GREEN too!) stop, look up into the night sky and take a deep breath. Now just stand there for 1 minute and breathe.

3. Get your SWEAT on! Go put on something comfortable and then...Walk, jog, run, bike, kettlebells, crossfit...30 minutes...another tried and true technique that works for me every single time.



Now remember this...DO NOT accept mediocrity in yourself. The biggest enemy of doing something GREAT, is being satisfied with something good. Don't settle for anything less than the best...and that applies to EVERYTHING. Don't waver in your resolve. Sometimes waiting can be the biggest test...but remember that you are WORTH IT.

Seriously though...Did I tell you that you are AMAZING?!

Go on girl...get yours.

You are an obsession..you're my obsession

Life has really been looking up lately. Done with school for the (at least) foreseeable future, just got back from a girl's trip to Jamaica, kicking ASS in the gym, falling in love again with all things Hip Hop, grilling every summer veggie on sale at Publix (Would you like the zucchini or the eggplant?) and the hunt for the house is back on. Sidenote: I can't decide who I am liking more right now, Drake or Eminem. And that Nicki Minaj is a firecracker is she not?
The real reason for the "need to put it in writing" is this gym thing. It's effin' awesome. CrossFit. It only needs one word.
Welcome back "Athlete of the Year - Lauren Lesinski".
I'm stronger than I have ever been, and every week I get leaner and leaner. It's been 8 weeks and I'm down 11 pounds, but it looks more like I've dropped 20 or 25. AAAHHH!! I am fast becoming 'a body built for fun'. I have been taking pics too...what a huge difference in just 2 months. I can't wait to post the before and after photos...because if I feel this great halfway through, I can only imagine how good I'm gonna look at the end...giddy up! You know what this means...I will have to start scheduling more naked time.
I look forward to every next workout. I want to sweat, and grunt, and yell, and then FINISH STRONG. Then there is a gym full of people feeling all the same things I am. Effin' awesome! It's contagious and worth EVERY. SINGLE. PENNY...

On your mark...get set...GO!

OK, so here goes nothing.
I'm going to try to sum up the last 4 months in 3-4 sentences. I started Nursing school in January and by the end of March I was starting to circle the 'mental drain'. I couldn't sleep, wasn't eating right and I stopped exercising. I was living in a constant state of anxiety. Forget about friends and family...I was married to my Nursing books. I truly felt like I was losing the essence of me.
Things took a turn for me in mid-April, forcing me to MAJORLY slow down and breathe and I started to do some soul-searching. I hated how school and the pressure I put on myself to succeed made me lose sight of all the other things in life that made me happy...
Fast forward to my 'SUMMER GOALS 2010'. This is it. I have ONE MAJOR GOAL for the summer. Lose the weight I put on at the beginning of the year (plus a couple extra lb's for the 'WOW' factor). I started on Wednesday, 4/28 and my last weigh in will be 8/31. That's 125 days to lose 30 1/2 lbs. I will weigh in every Saturday morning and update my progress on Facebook. The first official weigh in was 5/8 and I lost 4.5 lbs. 26 to goal. I took 'before' pics that I will post on 8/31 next to the 'after' pics. I will work out 6 days a week at my favorite gym. www.crossfitatp.com I will rest my body on Sundays. I will ease up the diet one day a week (because if you know me, you know that I have steak Saturdays every week and I love to eat!)
I am very excited about this namely because I really MISS ME! I'm fun and cool and athletic and I don't know where exactly I went to these last few months...but I am SUPER glad to be back. I encourage you to make a goal for yourself, write it down, and then work every day towards achieving it. I hope you are encouraged!
Peace and blessings...