From Here to Healthy at 50 and Beyond....A VLOG!

So I did it! I stepped so far outside my comfort zone that I may need a rope to pull me back in. A little history here.......I HATE TO HAVE MY PICTURE TAKEN! This goes back to my first memories of my mom putting one of those cameras with the big flashbulbs in my face and clicking away. Perhaps it was the fact that I would continue to see blue flashes long after the picture was taken or maybe it was because I just never felt comfortable seeing myself on film. Whatever the case, there aren't a whole lot of pictures of me floating around. Video was even worse. I can probably count on one hand with fingers left over how many pieces of video there are out there with my face on it. I guess you could say that I am camera shy....and this is at the best of times. Right now, I certainly don't feel that I am at my best or even anywhere close to that, but in the last couple of weeks, I have begun to understand that in order to change things, you have to love some aspect of who you are. I am working on that as we speak!

Recently, thanks to some picture happy friends of mine, there have been quite a few current and not particularly attractive pictures of me going around Facebook. I say not particularly attractive because quite honestly, I don't see the person looking back at me..... as the person I envision myself to be. The woman in those pictures has a lot on her plate and a lot of years left to live and I want her to be as healthy and happy as possible. Right now....she is neither, and the whole world sees this. Those pictures were hard for me to look at, but very very necessary.

Feeling somewhat empowered by being able to look at those pictures and not untag myself or put a hit out on the photographers, I took it to the next level and took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. My son Z helped me to film it, and although I had just mowed the yard, looked like hell and then had water and ice dumped on my head, I put it on Facebook. That was one of the hardest things mentally I have done, but I had to do it in order to challenge myself and propel myself into a new chapter of change in my life. I also figured that ALS was a cause worthy of pulling me out of my photographic shell and I don't regret a second of the filming.

Today....I break down the walls of my comfort zone even further. I am stepping outside myself and taking the first steps into either dealing with looking at what I have become and being satisfied with who I am and the consequences of my current lifestyle from here on out....OR....making the necessary changes in my life to be the person I want to be for many many years to come and have documentation of the journey. That's right. Today I started a 30 Day VLOG (video blog)! I made up my mind that I don't have to change, but for the next 30 Days.....if I don't make changes, I have to be accountable for it..........on film! You have no idea how I am cringing inside right now just writing this.

Okay....all this being said, I would not be embarking on this stripped down bare journey, if I didn't have every intention of kicking butt and taking names. I have no illusions that in 30 Days I will be exactly where I want to be, but I do know that in 30 Days I will be much closer to where I want to be and much healthier and happier to boot. It is a win/win with failure NOT being an option.

Okay.... today is a new day and in Lisaland.....a huge leap outside of anything remotely comfortable to me. So come on over to my YouTube page and join me in my journey....From Here to Healthy At 50 and Beyond!