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Introduction Text The above page title sums me up best. I am not special, wealthy, overly talented in any one particular area and I enjoy cardio set to music. Only one thing stands out in my Spark "resume" really and that is persistence. I am a Spark "marathoner" and a Spark "lifer." Those of us who have been on this site for a couple of years kind of know..you are either staying or not. As long as my computer holds up, I am in for life and the road to good health is not a sprint, it is a life long marathon. When I first arrived in August of 06 there were not that many folks active after the first year. In fact if they made it to that point and got to maintenance they usually took a long break rarely to be heard from again. Things are changing at Spark. There are plenty just like me who are opting to stay on for one main reason. Getting to goal and staying there is just too darn tough to go it alone. Plenty of maintenance teams have surfaced and lots of folks have stayed on despite getting to goal, gaining weight and having to re-adjust to get back into the swing of things. While it is a humbling experience, it's more the norm to have to continue working at this. In my case I have set an unrealistic set of goals for myself including too low a weight. It's been nothing but a battle to keep it that low and I have even gone under at times. This has ended. I am watching portions and eating healthy but the scale is gone for a while. The calorie counter is also gone for a bit as well in favor of learning to be comfortable with simple healthy eating and exercise. I am a big believer in each person having a "stasis" point that is healthy and can be maintained without the yo yo problems and I am on a journey to find out just what that is. Now that I know how to lose weight, count calories, eyeball proportions and eat healthy on a budget I am off to a good start for 2010. This is my year to find my stasis point, look good, feel good and really begin living in maintenance mode as a marathon, not a sprint. I will be updating this on a seasonal basis..winter, spring, summer, and fall as well. To me, now that I am in a maintenance mode, it is far more reasonable and after all, I am a Spark lifer, I have lots of seasons to go through! UPDATE!!!!! UPDATE!!!!!! UPDATE!!!!!! UPDATE!!!!! Three months ago as winter came through I made several promises to myself in an effort to make my personal health journey fresh, enjoyable, consistent, and fun. To that end, I decided that every season I would change up my page somewhat, look back at what I had done to keep promises and assess what to do next. For starters, I continue to come into the site....in fact this is going on month 32 to remind myself that I am in fact on a marathon journey....I can't and won't quit. Secondly, this winter I reflected on how I got so out of shape, overweight, and in general simply did not take care of myself. Because I joined the site right after being laid off, a portion of my problem was an overall feeling of despair, depression and hopelessness, or so I thought. The reality is, I got off a schedule and more than anything, that contributed to my personal procrastination issues and lack of motivation. This winter I made the decision to attend Church services, Bible Study, and Soup N Salad Wednesday nights in earnest. The payoff...I have renewed many old friendships and have made a number of new friends. These people are supportive, warm, happy, and fun. The hidden payoff...I look forward to this time....while it looks like it is simply spiritual renewal, it feels as though I have a legitimate schedule and sense of purpose today. Now I want..key word is want...to look my best, feel my best, be organized and have some semblance of control over my habits and outlook on life. Overall, I have kept the promises I made to myself over the winter and am beginning to formulate others for this spring. One of these is to begin a new team with a fellow Sparker who has been on the journey for just as long (actually longer) and just as consistently. I am promising to be active in getting this group together and being very active in raising the bar for myself and engaging with others who are like minded within the "been there, done that" crowd. This adventure should prove to be fun, educational, a chance to meet even more new folks and most of all, a way to contribute in a collective way back to Spark...the possibilities are endless. Looking forward, this summer, though always hot, will be still another adventure as I continue to work part time with clients as a personal trainer and wellness coach. Times are definitely changing!

Work on Career Goals Learn to Have Fun in the Kitchen Work on Activity Minutes Create a New Look

1. Take a deep breath. 2. Stay as calm and deliberate in lifestyle changes as possible. 3. Focus 4. Organize and Declutter mind, body, spirit and physical surroundings.

self employed writer, researcher, and currently student of MT

Enjoy good writing, wonderful music of all genres, artwork of all types, and lively conversation in the forbidden subjects of religion, philosophy, and politics. Appreciate ordinary people who do the most extraordinary things and strive to be that kind of person in my real life.

Add a Link Hugs Always, Nan It's a marathon, not a sprint! Join me in being a lifetime Sparker!
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