Just read through almost all of my posts. They definitely sound like me. Now all the people that have told me my blog is so "me" that it makes them miss me, makes sense. And by ALL the people, I really mean about 2-3. But that is beside the point. I am glad that it sounds like Mari. Because I am funnier than I originally thought, which was pretty hilarious.
I'd just like to say that as of now, I am happy. Life is good for me. I have an incredible boyfriend, whom I am in love with. I have amazing friends. I have a job, where others do not. I am finally comfortable in my body, because I am healthy! I am educating myself and maintaining a great GPA. I am becoming more frugal, and consequently being able to save a lot of money. And, I am progressing towards a better, more independent me.
Always look on the bright side, kids.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
One foot out the door.
Some events and dramatics took place today and made me realize that it is time to release some ties. After an explosive argument with someone very close to me, I decided that it's officially time for me to do what is best for me. I need to look after myself, by making sure that my sanity and happiness is a top priority. Sometimes that means separating yourself from a person or thing that may be toxic-physically or emotionally. How do I expect to make others happy, when I am letting myself be disrespected and walked all over? I can't.
I am trying to rely on myself, and like I said, limit ties. By that I mean financial ties or rather, anything that someone might be able to dangle over my head. I won't be manipulated by something so simple as transportation. So today, I put one foot out the door. Rather than silently sulking to myself and enabling my situation even further, I became proactive. How fetal a step it may seem, I got my own auto insurance policy. It's truly wonderful to see my name following "policy holder." While some may argue that being a policy holder on an auto insurance policy is such a miniscule accomplishment, I beg to differ. It is a step. It is the first step, the hardest step. And most importantly, it is a step towards a new beginning. A new freedom.
I am trying to rely on myself, and like I said, limit ties. By that I mean financial ties or rather, anything that someone might be able to dangle over my head. I won't be manipulated by something so simple as transportation. So today, I put one foot out the door. Rather than silently sulking to myself and enabling my situation even further, I became proactive. How fetal a step it may seem, I got my own auto insurance policy. It's truly wonderful to see my name following "policy holder." While some may argue that being a policy holder on an auto insurance policy is such a miniscule accomplishment, I beg to differ. It is a step. It is the first step, the hardest step. And most importantly, it is a step towards a new beginning. A new freedom.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
The Skinny on Me Getting Skinny.
It has been awhile since I have blogged. I have been meaning to for the last few months, however, kept forgetting shortly after reminding myself to do so. A few things have changed about me. Most importantly, I have lost 22 lbs in the past 6 months! I honestly never thought it was possible. I am seeing numbers on the scale that I haven't seen since my sophomore year of High School. So, needless to say, I feel pretty incredible.
My recent weight-loss had been a long time coming. I had always been very fit, athletic, and thin, up until my late sophomore year. I ran cross country during that Fall season, and was in such great shape, only to gain 10 lbs, then 15 lbs, then 20 lbs later throughout the next year. I had short glimpses of weight-loss over the next few years, but never anything more than 8 lbs- which was quickly gained back. In March of 2011, I decided I needed a change in my workouts. I joined The Pit Elevated, a Mixed Martial Arts gym. There, I become completely and entirely devoted to my workouts and training schedule. It was easy, because I had so much passion for the sport. I went from 154 lbs to 163 lbs, yet looked more toned and fit because I had replaced some fat with leaner muscle mass. But, as they say, weight-loss is 80% diet, and only 20% workouts.
In January of this year, I realized that my workouts would only get me so far. I committed to change my eating habits. Knowing that a quick drastic change in diet would likely fail quickly, I committed to small goals over a period of time. Initially it was to eat "healthier" meals, and to stop eating 3 hours before bedtime- my downfall being late night cravings. After a couple of weeks of that, I omitted gluten from my diet due to health reasons. That was what really kickstarted this whole process for me. Eliminating gluten subsequently eliminated a lot of other poor meal choices; Think, hamburgers, pancakes, cake, doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies, bread... and so much more. Because I could no longer eat those foods, I was forced to find healthier alternatives. I substituted sandwiches for salads, fast food with lean meats, veggies, and brown rice, and I suppressed my sugar cravings with fruits.
People think that losing weight requires something completely drastic, and that it must be painstakingly difficult. But for me, I don't feel like I have made very many changes at all. I still enjoy my food so much, maybe even more than before. Now, my food makes me feel good physically, not emotionally. It has come to the point where junk food isn't even an option anymore because it makes me so sick to my stomach. When your body is used to wholesome, nutritious foods, and you try to sneak in some deep fried meal, it is not going to be happy.
Here are some of my progress pictures. From 163 lbs to 141 lbs. And I am not quite done yet! My ultimate goal is 130-135 lbs, depending on how I look and feel. I am almost 5'6, so I figure that is a healthy range for me to be in.
Something that has really helped me through this journey is having a support group. Whether they be friends, family, your boyfriend, or random people online- find one! Encouragement helps you to push through the obstacles and hurdles you face when trying to change your habits. Also, commit to it EVERYDAY. Remind yourself why you aren't going to eat that cupcake because you're upset, and go for a run instead! Exercise really does make the greatest stress reliever. And most importantly, do it because you love yourself.
Find me on:
Instagram: marirawlings
MyFitnessPal: marirawlings
Pinterest: Mari Rawlings
My recent weight-loss had been a long time coming. I had always been very fit, athletic, and thin, up until my late sophomore year. I ran cross country during that Fall season, and was in such great shape, only to gain 10 lbs, then 15 lbs, then 20 lbs later throughout the next year. I had short glimpses of weight-loss over the next few years, but never anything more than 8 lbs- which was quickly gained back. In March of 2011, I decided I needed a change in my workouts. I joined The Pit Elevated, a Mixed Martial Arts gym. There, I become completely and entirely devoted to my workouts and training schedule. It was easy, because I had so much passion for the sport. I went from 154 lbs to 163 lbs, yet looked more toned and fit because I had replaced some fat with leaner muscle mass. But, as they say, weight-loss is 80% diet, and only 20% workouts.
In January of this year, I realized that my workouts would only get me so far. I committed to change my eating habits. Knowing that a quick drastic change in diet would likely fail quickly, I committed to small goals over a period of time. Initially it was to eat "healthier" meals, and to stop eating 3 hours before bedtime- my downfall being late night cravings. After a couple of weeks of that, I omitted gluten from my diet due to health reasons. That was what really kickstarted this whole process for me. Eliminating gluten subsequently eliminated a lot of other poor meal choices; Think, hamburgers, pancakes, cake, doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies, bread... and so much more. Because I could no longer eat those foods, I was forced to find healthier alternatives. I substituted sandwiches for salads, fast food with lean meats, veggies, and brown rice, and I suppressed my sugar cravings with fruits.
People think that losing weight requires something completely drastic, and that it must be painstakingly difficult. But for me, I don't feel like I have made very many changes at all. I still enjoy my food so much, maybe even more than before. Now, my food makes me feel good physically, not emotionally. It has come to the point where junk food isn't even an option anymore because it makes me so sick to my stomach. When your body is used to wholesome, nutritious foods, and you try to sneak in some deep fried meal, it is not going to be happy.
Something that has really helped me through this journey is having a support group. Whether they be friends, family, your boyfriend, or random people online- find one! Encouragement helps you to push through the obstacles and hurdles you face when trying to change your habits. Also, commit to it EVERYDAY. Remind yourself why you aren't going to eat that cupcake because you're upset, and go for a run instead! Exercise really does make the greatest stress reliever. And most importantly, do it because you love yourself.
Find me on:
Instagram: marirawlings
MyFitnessPal: marirawlings
Pinterest: Mari Rawlings
Monday, March 19, 2012
"In the agony of death a dog has been known to caress his master, and every one has heard of the dog suffering under vivisection, who licked the hand of the operator; this man, unless the operation was fully justified by an increase of our knowledge, or unless he had a heart of stone, must have felt remorse to the last hour of his life."
-Darwin
-Darwin
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Here's to yet another possible career change! Cheeers!
As some of you may know... I declared Biology as my major in 2009, when I first started at UVU. Initially, I planned on becoming a Pharmacist and doing all of that really fun stuff. Shortly after making this decision, I realized how much I would hate that career. Mainly, I just realized how difficult it is to feel passionate about a career in Pharmacy, when it's all about pills and chemical reactions. I mean, while I'm sure some people manage to have a passion for pills, and become great Pharmacists, I'm almost positive that the rest of those people are passionate pill poppers.
Enter in, Career Choice #2. After flunking all of my classes in Fall 2010, I took a semester off to try and discover what it is that I really want to do. This made me affirm my abnormal love and obsession for animals. Ever since I was little, I have tried to catch all the neighborhood wildlife with the help of my trusty sidekick (and best friend), Christina Bauch. With all that in mind, a Veterinarian seemed to be the obvious career choice for a critter-loving lady, such as myself. But after some thought and consideration, I came to realize that I'm not interested in performing medical procedures on animals. I'm way more interested in stuff like the ASPCA, and rehabilitation of abused and mistreated animals.
This brings me to Career Choice #3... Animal Behavior. After reading Temple Grandin's, Animals in Translation, I automatically became intrigued with the idea of studying the behavior of animals and our ability to modify that behavior through breeding and other behavioral techniques. I also watched NOVA's Dogs: Decoded, along with other documentaries, and read the scholarly journals from researchers within the documentary. I would love to have a career in dog behavior specifically. I think it is so incredible how dogs have been bred to be so similar to humans. Dogs are the only other mammal, aside from humans, that will look to one side of a person's face in order to perceive what emotion they're experiencing. Need I really say more? However much I would love to live a life studying the complexity of a dogs, there is a downside. Money. It always comes down to money. I would have to undergo years and years of schooling and experience before I ever started making any kind of real dough.
So here's my current Career endeavor. We'll call it Career Choice #4- and hopefully the final career choice. Behavioral Science with an emphasis on Psychology, which is basically just Psychology. The reason being that I signed up for a Biology 1 class and do not find it interesting enough to motivate myself to study as much as is necessary. So, after two not so satisfactory test results, I withdrew from the class. My reasoning behind Psychology is that, almost everyone that is extremely close to me has told me that I'd make a good therapist. I have always wanted to help people. I guess I take certain problematic friends on in hopes of being a good influence on them or something. Doesn't make much sense. But I've always steered away from Psychology because I didn't want to be cliche. I mean, I have come from multiple troubling past experiences and now I would be helping others overcome the same? Cliche aside, it would be a good choice for me. The plan now is to take a Psychology class next semester, and make sure it's something that I'm really interested in. If that's the case, here I come.
Oh, and did I mention that therapists make dough AND work alone? Sounds like Heaven on earth to me!
Enter in, Career Choice #2. After flunking all of my classes in Fall 2010, I took a semester off to try and discover what it is that I really want to do. This made me affirm my abnormal love and obsession for animals. Ever since I was little, I have tried to catch all the neighborhood wildlife with the help of my trusty sidekick (and best friend), Christina Bauch. With all that in mind, a Veterinarian seemed to be the obvious career choice for a critter-loving lady, such as myself. But after some thought and consideration, I came to realize that I'm not interested in performing medical procedures on animals. I'm way more interested in stuff like the ASPCA, and rehabilitation of abused and mistreated animals.
This brings me to Career Choice #3... Animal Behavior. After reading Temple Grandin's, Animals in Translation, I automatically became intrigued with the idea of studying the behavior of animals and our ability to modify that behavior through breeding and other behavioral techniques. I also watched NOVA's Dogs: Decoded, along with other documentaries, and read the scholarly journals from researchers within the documentary. I would love to have a career in dog behavior specifically. I think it is so incredible how dogs have been bred to be so similar to humans. Dogs are the only other mammal, aside from humans, that will look to one side of a person's face in order to perceive what emotion they're experiencing. Need I really say more? However much I would love to live a life studying the complexity of a dogs, there is a downside. Money. It always comes down to money. I would have to undergo years and years of schooling and experience before I ever started making any kind of real dough.
So here's my current Career endeavor. We'll call it Career Choice #4- and hopefully the final career choice. Behavioral Science with an emphasis on Psychology, which is basically just Psychology. The reason being that I signed up for a Biology 1 class and do not find it interesting enough to motivate myself to study as much as is necessary. So, after two not so satisfactory test results, I withdrew from the class. My reasoning behind Psychology is that, almost everyone that is extremely close to me has told me that I'd make a good therapist. I have always wanted to help people. I guess I take certain problematic friends on in hopes of being a good influence on them or something. Doesn't make much sense. But I've always steered away from Psychology because I didn't want to be cliche. I mean, I have come from multiple troubling past experiences and now I would be helping others overcome the same? Cliche aside, it would be a good choice for me. The plan now is to take a Psychology class next semester, and make sure it's something that I'm really interested in. If that's the case, here I come.
Oh, and did I mention that therapists make dough AND work alone? Sounds like Heaven on earth to me!
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