Busy Busy Bee

Hello!!! And welcome back! OMG guys let me just say I am EXHAUSTED. This life gets busier and busier by the day, hell its gets busier by the hour. I'm always telling myself to slow down and take it one day at a time. YEAH RIGHT!! I can't even sit down on my off days. I'm starting to wonder if I suffer from CSMBD Syndrom (Can't Sit My Butt Down). Well let me dive right in; this past week I was in VIVA Las Vegas---not for vacation though so hold your horses.  I actually attended a Conference for work. I am oober tired from this trip; since Sunday I have attended trainings and workshops during the day then turned into a party animal at night. I don't know where I got the energy from to even wake up on Friday once I was finally home. All in all it was a fun trip but I have come to realize that Vegas is not for me. I enjoy being in bed by 10:00pm every night, I hate the sound of things cha-chinging unless its going into my pocket and I don't deal well with people who don't have a clue of what southern hospitality is (needless to say I think I will be staying South for as long as I can).

Enough about Vegas (because you know what they say---What Happens in Vegas....oh you know the rest). Hehe!! In other news, I am in full swing of second quarter for school and I HATE IT!! Well I don't hate it but I certainly am not pleased with the amount of course work. Don't get me wrong, I truly love getting the opportunity to expand my mind and learn about things I love but it's hard when you have other things going on especially a full time job (full of major responsibilities). Over the course of time my anxiety has grown big time, I becoming more and more restless, and I'm having trouble thinking that I am not accomplishing enough (whats wrong with me ??). I think it may be smart to invest more time in other areas to promote relaxation such as yoga or painting... what do you guys think?

I can tell you one area I'm not so busy in.... DATING!! But honestly I am okay with this. This is the first time in a long time that I have truly focused on myself and it never felt better. I am starting to learn what it is I enjoy...which lately seems like sleep! To Be Honest, dating is not fun! Or maybe I have just had bad experiences. So this will be an area I fall back from. God will present the right one when the time is right. No need to go into further detail just know I am very happy with this decision. :)

Oh yeah, I ran my first 5k race last Saturday with a couple of work buddies!! This was an awesome experience and for a great cause (Sarcoma Stomp). This was very liberating, and if you know me, you know I love anything that involves working out. I will definitely run another race--we had so much fun and I want to improve each time I do it. I probably finished at 44th runner up.. haha!! I'll get better.

Well folks that is all I have for now, but I'm sure that in time, there will be more!! Until next time! Have a very successful and positive week.

XoXo,
Shayla

I'm Back!

So I totally forgot about this thing! But recently I have been having the urge to write out my life experiences. Originally this blog was called "Live, Laugh, Love, Fitness" and focused on living a healthy life. Although I am still practicing my healthy lifestyle, I wanted to be able to just blog about my life and allow my readers the opportunity to share in my experiences whether they are mediocre or grand.

So I know you all are wondering, whats been up? Wheew I have a lot to tell!! Lets start with my move back in October 2014. For the first time in my life, I decided to move into my own place alone at the age of 24 years old (no roomies, boyfriend, mom, cousins etc) just me, my suitcase, 2 pots, one pan, a blender, and of course all of my clothes and shoes. Don't worry, my home is fully complete now with all the proper necessities. Let's just say that in the beginning living alone was not the easiest thing to do and not as great as everyone made it out to be. All my friends and family were saying things such as "girl you're going to enjoy this life" "nothing like living alone and coming home to just your stuff" " everything will be fine, and work in your favor" etc etc etc. I mean this stuff had me pumped to live alone, I'm thinking to myself, dang being a single 24 year old must really be the life. But it wasn't all apple pie and ice cream once I moved. Let me just start off by saying that I am afraid of the dark, I've never paid bills alone, I am a huge people person and have always been surrounded by friends and family, and 2 pots, 1 (small) pan, and a blender does not make for a stellar home cooked meal. This living alone thing was actually starting to scare me, but through many conversations with God, and my loved ones I had to push through and know that there was a greater purpose. It's been six months since my move, and I couldn't be happier. Literally I come through my doors after a long days work and just strip down and sprawl out on the couch without a care in the world. Darkness has become my new best friend (especially on a day when I'm off and don't want to be bothered). I have so many pots and pans (thanks to my lovely aunt for the great Christmas gift) that I'm making dinner better than Rachel Ray (okay maybe I'm pushing it lol). But in all seriousness, living alone isn't half that bad, I mean I do have lonely nights and will binge in trash tv and scroll through Facebook for 3 hours at a time, however I am content and at peace for once in my 24 years of life. Thanking God for the blessings. 

Work has been pretty awesome as well ; I recently got a promotion to Clinic Manager of Massage Envy and I am running a business that has 2200 members, and 40 employees (with help of course). But this is a challenge within itself . It's scary when you are in charge and everything falls into your lap. School is also going great! I have 1 year 3 months left in my Master's degree program, and I will have completed another goal of mine. Might I add here that this life is tough!! Working full time, while also going to school, working out everyday to stay slim and trim, and also trying to maintain a relationship with friends and family is exhausting (while saying all this I have the biggest smile on my face). I couldn't be more blessed to have such an amazing life full of people, fun, challenges, etc.

Last by certainly not least, I got Baptized!!! Woo Hoo!! This was definitely the highlight of all my experiences (and probably the key to all of my success) (well not exactly the Baptism, but the relationship that I have built with Christ). I must say that I owe all my happiness, peace, and serenity to the man upstairs. I know my journey will not always be easy, but with God by my side, I know that he will see me through each and every obstacle.

Life is great, and I am doing just fine in case you were wondering. I am eager to see what other experiences I will come across, as each day passes. As I experience what life has to offer I will be sure to blog about it so that maybe my story inspires others. So keep reading, and stay positive.

Happy Sunday (and every day) 

Shayla 

This is Not a Diet, This is a Lifestlye Change.

Hi Everyone!
Welcome to my blog.  I wanted to finally invite people to my hobby, my addiction, my life. I started my journey a little over 16 months ago on January 14, 2013 by the help of a dear friend (you know who you are). To be honest, I was insecure, un-happy, and negative all the time, and tried to find things and/or people in my life to blame it on. All along I realized my unhappiness, and insecurities lied completely within myself. It was time to do something; I had to make a significant change! I mean come on, who wants to cry everyday, and be the most negative person to be around, simply because one is un-happy about their own personal image and habits? Not this girl! So I began to change my lifestyle, Big Time!

So, people are always asking "what do you mean your changing your lifestyle?" I started thinking to myself (does it not make sense to change a lifestyle?). Maybe I wasn't explaining it right; often times I would find myself trying to explain over and over what I meant about changing my lifestyle (oh you know, changing how I eat, working out a bit more, making healthier life choices blah, blah, blah). People would often say "so your dieting." Ugh! No, this is not a diet, this is a lifestyle change. Diet, as defined in the dictionary is : to eat less food or to eat only particular kinds of food in order to lose weight: to be on a diet. Of course, many people want to lose weight and come up with ways of doing so, however I love food, and A LOT  of it. When I think of the word "Diet." I think of others words too such as hungry, anorexia, failure etc. This may be different to other individuals, and hey to each his own; but dieting is not what I started out to do; I started this journey on changing my lifestyle.

For everyone who is wondering what I mean by Lifestyle change, please allow me to explain. A Lifestyle Change is simply that, a person changing their lifestyle for the better of themselves. For you definition go-ers, Lifestyle change as defined, is a process that takes time and requires support; once you're ready to make a change, the difficult part is committing and following through; conduct effective research and make a plan that will prepare you for your success.

Back to the beginning, I started this journey a little over 16 months ago, by working out to Zumba DVDs playing on my 13 in Macbook, in the middle of my living room floor. Everyday Monday thru Friday I would dedicate 45 minutes of my 24 hour day to dancing like a salsa queen. In all honesty those DVDs are hard, I mean picture yourself dancing, jumping, sliding and gliding for 45 minutes straight with only a 5 second water break (Wheew). But to make this long story short, I did it! Everyday! Monday thru Friday of Course!

On top of all that, I changed my eating habits as well- FOR GOOD! No more late night Taco Bell runs (man do I miss having a beefy 5 layer burrito, with a side of cheesy nachos and a frutista freeze to top it off mmm). But in actuality I don't miss these types of foods. After staying dedicated to my lifestyle change and making healthier food choices, my body starting craving foods such as vegetables, fruits, protein, and water (lot's of water). It's crazy how sticking to something for a while can change you forever. You know what they say, 21 days of something and it becomes a habit (I guess it hit me hard because its my addiction).

I stuck to Zumba, and healthy eating choices for roughly 3 1/2 to 4 months; at this point I began to tell a difference in the way my clothes fit and the way my body was forming. (I was starting to look really good, healthy, almost like a new person). I wanted to do more so I started running every day 1 mile to the lake and 1 mile back home. At this point, I realized my love for fitness and health had kicked in. 

I could go on and on about my Journey, but to make it very simple for everyone, all it took was sitting down with myself and making the commitment to lead a happier, and healthier life.I did not make the commitment to impress anyone, or be like anyone, I made the commitment for me and only me; to become a better Shayla. Now everyday, its not a habit, or some diet that I have to do to lose weight or maintain. Its a Lifestyle Change, to be the best person that I can be for ME. Until next time


Live, Laugh, Love, Fitness.
Shayla

 





These Photos are quite embarrassing, but I think it is time I show the world my hard work, and dedication. This is what changing a lifestyle can do. This is only the beginning! :)