Happy 2017!! We're now officially 2 weeks into the new year. How are you doing with meeting your resolutions, or do you even make them? Personally, while I do certainly set goals for myself, I rarely make "resolutions." In fact, I cringe at the thought. It seems that resolutions hold such high expectations of reaching goals without the possibility of failure. Once faced with failure, discouragement often hinders success, resulting in one putting of their "resolutions" until it's time to try again the following year. My current goal, however, is to focus on weight loss, and my overall health and wellness.
When I originally started this blog, my intention was to document my journey as I worked to re-claim my lost self-esteem, lose weight, find a successful path in life, overcome obstacles women often face in their 30's, 40's and beyond, etc. However, somewhere along the line, I lost my focus and this turned into a review blog. Don't get me wrong.... I actually love reviewing products. However, it consumed so much of my time, and only a small fraction of the products I was reviewing were actually worthy of blogging about. With that said, it was only another factor that ultimately held me back on focusing on myself and my needs, or, in other words, facing my struggles head-on; A diversion of sorts, I would say.
Well, here I am... 2 1/2 years after my very first blog post, still tired, exhausted, XX pounds heavier; Still searching for that "successful path". In fact, over the last couple of years, I've struggled with symptoms of early menopause, depression, weight gain, a lack of motivation, loss of concentration, and overall feeling of helplessness. But.... despite all of that, as cracked as they may be, I still put on my favorite pair of rose colored glasses every day and am focused on riding out the storm... hence the blog title "Rose Colored Raindrops."
You know, I read a blog post discussing the challenges of losing weight earlier today. In the comments to the post, a lot of people (the majority being women) were venting about their struggles with weight gain as they age, many stating that they constantly feel exhausted, struggling with happiness, loss of focus, etc. A kind, outspoken gentleman decided it was his duty to tell all of the "complainers" that the solution to their problem was simply drinking a lot of water and getting off their "lazy" butts and getting into the gym.
This guy OBVIOUSLY has it all figured out, doesn't he?
Sure, its no secret that drinking plenty of water along with exercise will contribute to a healthier lifestyle. However, there are far more factors existing in our world today that may contribute to physical and/or mental decline and possibly unhealthy lifestyles, including some which cannot be predicted nor controlled, such as certain chronic illnesses, aging factors, accidents, etc. Once you get to the point that your body is tired and you've lost your sense of self-worth and motivation, while it's not impossible to bounce back, it can be a challenge.
Ten years ago, I would have never uttered that last sentence. In fact, I was more like the uninformed gentleman mentioned previously. I was one who didn't tolerate "excuses" from people who didn't appear to be pushing themselves towards success. I failed to look beyond the surface. There was no excuse for failure or struggles, you simply suck it up and move forward... that was the way I saw it. Until I was slapped in the face with a huge dose of reality.
I would say that my decline began at the age of 36. I was a mother of 4, working 10-12 hour days at a job that required an hour drive to and from work every day. I made good money, but didn't necessarily budget it well, so I thought I was struggling (though I really didn't know what a financial struggle truly was at that point, to be honest). Therefore, I was stressed to the max every day, making every effort to work every single minute of overtime that was offered. I was wearing myself out. At one point, I had packed on nearly 100 pounds of unwanted weight that I had once lost as a result of taking the prescription drug Adipex. Since I was successful losing weight on the drug once before, I decided to give it a shot once again. My doctor refused to prescribe it, saying that if a patient gains the weight back after taking the drug, he will not prescribe it a second time. "I'll show him," I thought. I simply found another doctor who would. She knew nothing about me, my history, my health, etc. However, she had no hesitations in writing me a prescription. After a couple of months of taking the drug, I noticed no change in my weight. I did notice, however, that it was keeping me awake on my long drive to work, and throughout the long day, so I figured there would be no harm in slipping an extra 1/2 pill in each morning, and sometimes mid-day.
I woke up the morning of November 25, 2009, with severe stomach pain and my left arm throbbing. The feeling was quite uncomfortable, but I decided to ignore it. I went downstairs to prepare to leave for work, when I broke out in a cold sweat all over my body. Exhausted, as if I had just finished a vigorous workout, I laid down on the couch to rest for a moment, then felt my second wind. I got back up and headed to work. After getting to work and telling a few co-workers about the events of the morning, I was urged to just head to the ER to get checked out. About 45 minutes after arriving and having some labs drawn, a nurse walked in and informed me that I had a mild heart attack and would not be leaving that day.
I cannot describe the myriad of emotions I felt at that very moment: Fear, devastation, helplessness, depression, doom....
After a heart catheterization, it was determined that I had no long-lasting damage done to my heart, and was in a mere 1% category of people who have heart attacks with no substantiated basis, though the Adipex and stress was certainly suspect. I was definitely one of the lucky ones.
Nevertheless, after being released from the hospital, I went through another phase of exploring emotions... but this phase has not quite ended. I will go into detail about some of the different events and experiences following the heart attack in later posts. But, one major challenge that I have continued to face in the years following the heart attack is weight gain. I am now at the heaviest that I have been at in my entire life. In January, 2016, I decided I was going to get up and do something about it, and I purchased a gym membership. I purchased it. That's all I did with it. Nothing else. I didn't step foot in the door of that gym one single time after purchasing. That's my own fault, right? Sure, it is. I won't deny that. However, along with the weight gain, my body has experienced so many other changes that I haven't quite learned how to deal with:
- Depression... While there are certainly factors that have contributed to this, there are certainly times when I tell myself "I have no reason to be depressed, snap out of it." But, it just hasn't happened.
- I've lost my ability to focus. For the first time in my adult life, I allowed my inability to concentrate to interfere with my performance at work, nearly costing me my job. While I worked hard to overcome this obstacle, the fact that it happened seem to contribute to my depression.
- I have little to no energy. I work from home. If I had to leave my home to get to work, I fear I would be late every day, as it takes everything in me to pull myself out of bed and get dressed... and that's all I do. I have completely given up on doing my hair and makeup every day, as it just takes too much out of me.
- Sleep - What's that? I'm tired, but my body doesn't know how to sleep anymore. I would give anything just to get a solid 4 hours of sleep... Yes, just four solid, uninterrupted hours would be like a dream. If only I could then work up to 8.
I've constantly thought, this can't be it. All this time, I've been looking for some type of "path," and this is not where I imagined I would end up. So, since 2010, I've been searching for some type of answer. My body needs some type of supplement, I know this. As you age, there are simply certain nutritional needs that your body requires in order to thrive. Luckily, there's many different options available these days... Good, healthy, natural options, unlike the prescription that could have cost me my life. I've pondered many of the options, one in particular, but have hesitated due to the multitude of steps necessary to succeed. Don't get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with following a well-structured plan, but it's not for everyone. I have never been a person who leads a perfectly structured life, and honestly, have no desire to. Therefore, I fear I would be wasting my money on those products that require strict structure in order to succeed.
In late 2016, however, I accidentally stumbled upon a Facebook post where a friend of a friend was talking about a product she promotes, touting it as simple and effective. Of course, there is a certain level of structure involved if one wants to succeed, but with this product, it's all done at the beginning of one's day, and is so extremely simple. I would be lying if I said I weren't skeptical, however. I was initially ready to begin my own experience with the product in December, when I suddenly pushed back, and decided to wait. Over the next month, I followed the many testimonials posted on the product's fanpage on Facebook, I researched reviews online, I researched the product itself, and I decided that, ultimately, I'm not going to know if this is the answer for me until I try it.
However, the positive reviews are phenomenal. Many of the people who have succeeded have faced the same challenges that I have faced in regard to zapped energy, weight gain, depression, etc. However, after filling their nutritional gaps through their experience, so many people report to have found a weight lifted off their shoulders, a renewed outlook on life, increased energy and motivation, and so much more. With all of that, those who have struggled with depression have found themselves happier, those struggling with weight gain have found the energy to shed pounds, those struggling with exhaustion are reportedly no longer feeling that same sense of fatigue. I am one who relies strongly on word-of-mouth, so these testimonials are definitely selling points, as far as I'm concerned. Furthermore, as I research the positive reviews more and more, I'm finding that people aren't just trying this product and moving on, they're sticking with it! On the contrary, there are, of course, some critical reviews. The common theme I seem to be finding, however, when it comes to critical reviews, are that those who are blogging negatively about the product aren't really trying it. Sure, there seem to be a handful of people who have tried the experience to no avail, but there is not a single product out there made to work for everybody... and if you find one that claims it does... RUN!
Bottom line is, this company gives you the tools to learn about the product. They provide a website where you can explore the product offerings, which also provides you with a list of the ingredients as you browse the products. Many of the ingredients are well known to promote good health, fill nutritional gaps, and if the need is present, promote weight loss. However, the unique quality of the product is that (1) everything you need to succeed is done in the first hour of your day, and (2) the inclusion of a unique step that sets this product apart from its competitors gives it he potential to increase the effectiveness of the product substantially.
With all of that said, I have decided that NOW is MY time to experience this product, and I'm going in with a positive attitude. After all, it's marketed (implied) as a unique experience, one which can only be explained by the active user... In short, something you won't know until you take the chance, and based on the multitude of positive reviews, it is expected that you'll be glad you did. I know I am ecstatic about the journey that is ahead of me, about finding myself again... at the prospect of LIVING again....
I will be sharing my journey here, and I hope you'll follow along. Better yet, I hope to see some of you inquiring and participating with me! The good news is, if your interest is piqued, you can join an exclusive network of potential customers and explore their products free of charge... You only pay when you order. Joining opens the door to a wealth of information that will educate you about the product offerings, pricing structure, promoter opportunities and more. Speaking of promoting opportunities, unlike many other programs out there, this company offers the opportunity for promoters to join for free, where you can earn commissions, substantial bonuses, vehicles, trips and more. In addition to that, both promoters AND customers have the opportunity to earn FREE products... The same opportunity for free products monthly exists for customers and promoters alike, promoters simply have the opportunity to earn monetary awards in addition to the product.
I'm really excited about this opportunity I'm embarking upon, and would be even more excited to have fellow readers join me on my journey. If you're interested in joining the free network and learning more, please leave your e-mail address below, or send a message requesting more information to momica8@yahoo.com.
Until next time...
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