Hello from the grey and rainy United Kingdom (yes even in August).
My name is Samantha Sweet and along with my husband Samuel we are the exclusive distributors for CND (nee Creative Nail Design) in the United Kingdom. I was motivated to join this “Healthy” program by the amazing salads we ate at the Changing the State of the Industry training in Newport Beach, Calif., with CND. I can’t begin to tell you how boring salads are here (lettuce, cucumber, tomato — finito)! I was also encouraged by my fellow CND friends — I always do better when I am pushed and motivated by others.
I have never had to battle with my weight per say but after my second child I have found it difficult to lose that extra stone (or 14 lbs for you U.S. folks). I LOVE food and I LOVE cooking. I never eat junk food and I never buy pre-made meals — I cook everything fresh and always have — my boys look at me like I am an alien if I try to give them anything “supermarket made.” My downfalls are the old “cleaning the plate” syndrome, seconds and wine! When I was young you had to finish everything on your plate or sit there until it was cold — this was very true for many people here because our parents are from the era when food was scarce and you had to eat it all because waste was a major No No! This “cleaning the plate” syndrome is a hard habit to break!
What I don’t want to do is focus on dieting — what I do want to focus on is healthy eating with some exercise thrown in. Again, in England it is very difficult to get motivated to go out walking, running, etc. because the weather here is so pants (rubbish/naff)! I honestly believe with all my heart that if I knew it was another glorious day, I would get up and do more! I don’t mean this to be an excuse, but it is a reason!
My goal is to do yoga with my husband and to eat healthier (less carbs and less fats). I think with small and regular exercise, I can shed the annoying 14 (maybe a little more) lbs and be happier in myself. I know for a fact that when women are happy with our bodies, we are happier all round. Both Sam and I are going to try the Juice Cleansing Detox from Madeleine Marentette’s book that we were given at the training and we have already tried some of the recipes.
I hope we can all motivate each other and be honest about whether we are doing well or not and inspire each other to go that extra mile! It won’t be easy — but it will be worth it in the end!
— Samantha Sweet
Print | posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 9:55 AM