September 24th, 2019 Better Than Me

September 24th, 2019 Better Than Me

Yesterday was a 5-star day: I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal, I had a great workout at the RecPlex, and I stayed well connected with exceptional support.

Yesterday was a good Monday. It started with a solid morning routine. It felt good to take a deeper dive into my gratitude list. What a powerful difference that can make!

My workout last night was good--and as soon as I finish this blog post, I'm heading out to the walking trail for a solid walk. What it does for me mentally and emotionally is what makes it important.

I had the pleasure of catching up with a longtime friend via phone last night. His call was truly a blessing for me. I've never been the best at staying in touch with friends. It's never anything personal, it just is, for reasons my therapist understands better than me.

It's interesting how this friendship dynamic--and how awesome it is to catch up--along with how wonderful exercise makes me feel--and still I tend to apply a measure of resistence to both of these areas in my life.

What compells us to sometimes resist what's nurturing and good? Is it a form of self-sabotage? Is it a self-worth issue? Is it trust issues? Maybe it's a simmering pot with a little bit of it all. Who knows?

But I do know, from experience along this road, that self-awareness and acknowledging these types of things is a powerful step toward breaking the patterns of the past.

It's not easy stuff. These patterns were created long ago, for many of us--in childhood. It's like there's a computer program running constantly in the background. Rebooting the computer into "safe-mode" helps identify what's running, what it's doing, and how we can change the settings.

Mental/Emotional/Spiritual, these things--these monumental transformations can be powerful enough to facilitate the physical transformation as a side effect. I'm convinced there is no substitute for this order. Physical transformation without consideration of the "head work" is a trap operated by the patterns of old. Anyone who's ever lost and gained the same weight over and over might relate to this in a powerful way.

I'm passionate about this exploration. I'm going to keep learning, but always remembering--it's not what we know, it's always what we do that matters.

I had a good Tuesday too. It was a slightly abbreviated workday because I was scheduled to be a community reader at a local elementary school. It was a good experience!

I accomplished dinner at a relatively early time--which was a goal of mine today--and a nice evening walk awaits!

Social Sean:

Normally, I can’t stand cabbage. However, In this mixture- loaded into sour cream smeared Joseph’s flax-oat bran-whole wheat pitas, it’s fantastic! Cabbage, I’m sorry- maybe I rushed to judgement all these years. #veggieapology Broccoli, no apologies for you! pic.twitter.com/Eiou5dSRYK

— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) September 24, 2019

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Simple #breakfast 3 whole eggs with generous black pepper (okay-Maybe too much!), refined flour-free/refined sugar-free Ezekiel toast with 54g avocado, 4.7oz orange, and 48g green grapes. #dailypractice #foodplan 472 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 23, 2019 at 8:29am PDT

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#whatsfordinner Joseph’s Flax-Oat Bran-Whole Wheat Pitas smeared with 30g (2tbs) sour cream (15g each)- then filled with 4oz 96% lean ground beef, 99g red onion, 120g red bell pepper, 5.6oz sliced mushrooms, and 4oz angel hair shredded cabbage. 252g Giorgio stuffed mushrooms. #dailypractice #foodplan 661 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 23, 2019 at 5:55pm PDT

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#breakfast Sprouted grain Ezekiel toast with 57g avocado, 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites, 5.5oz ambrosia apple slices & 5.3oz orange wedges. #dailypractice #foodplan 496 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 24, 2019 at 5:14am PDT

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#greenlunch Avocado Tostadas. 2 tostada shells, 123g avocado, mashed and seasoned simply with salt & pepper. 86g green seedless grapes. #dailypractice #foodplan 357 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 24, 2019 at 9:43am PDT

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#whatsfordinner 6oz KC Strip with a side of pan prepared veggies. 220g diced sweet potato, 62g red onion, 2oz sliced mushrooms (note to grocery list: buy more mushrooms), and 51g orange bell pepper- prepared with approximately 5 seconds olive oil spray. #dailypractice #foodplan 614 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 24, 2019 at 4:32pm PDT

My new website shares a phone number with my podcast, Transformation Planet, and it's always available for you! Have a question? Text me! 580-491-2228 I'll text you back!

Do you own an "I'm Choosing Change" wristband? This wristband can serve as a powerful awareness/mindfulness tool! It certainly does for me. I wear mine proudly, daily, and more and more people are joining me in this movement! You can now order yours directly from my new website! Here's the link to the wristbands: Click HERE!

Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Practice, peace, and calm,
Sean

My new website: www.imchoosingchange.com

If you're interested in connecting via social media:
I accept friend requests on MyFitnessPal. My daily food logging diary is set to public.
MFP Username: SeanAAnderson
My Twitter: SeanAAnderson
Facebook: www.facebook.com/seananderson505
Instagram: SeanAAnderson
Also--I'd love you to subscribe to my podcast Transformation Planet! You can find it in Apple Podcasts, in the Google Play store for Android, and listed wherever you find your favorite podcasts! If you haven't listened before, you'll find 20 episodes waiting for you!

Questions or comments? Send an email! transformation.road@gmail.com

September 23rd, 2019 Easy To Forget

September 23rd, 2019 Easy To Forget

Saturday was a 5-star day and yesterday was a 4-star day: I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal, my activity level on Saturday justifiably awarded me an extra star, and I stayed well connected with exceptional support over the weekend.

Another weekend is behind me. I didn't complete everything I wanted to get done but I did okay. I'll take it. Saturday's schedule was tight and very active with a location broadcast early in the day and an emcee/dj gig Saturday night. It was good to get those two things done and done well.

Mom and I had our regular Sunday evening outing. We had a long visit with one another at the restaurant and during the after-dinner drive before traversing the isles of Walmart. Mom loves to go there. I don't unless I need things. Mom brings a different perspective--she just loves to be out among the people. We were, that's for sure!

My morning routine is complete and I feel centered for a really positive Monday. My food plan is outlined for the day, manbag is packed, and I'm headed to the studio for my morning show.

Gratitude certainly requires continued practice. It's easy to forget the long list of things for which to be grateful. I'm glad my morning routine reconnected me with some key things in this area this morning.

More on gratitude from the archives:
The added focus on gratitude during my morning foundation routine has made an exceptional difference. Feeling and expressing gratitude has always had its place along this road, but in a way where I would make and take an occasional pause for gratitude, usually, these were in the moment type acknowledgments. Giving gratitude reflection its own "time slot" in my personal morning routine, first thing upon waking is different--and much better for me.

The willingness to do things differently is sometimes a hard thing to find. It is, in my opinion, because I have a strong tendency to get set in my ways. I must be mindful of this dynamic. The roots of this setting seem to be firmly grounded in my deeply ingrained, yet counterproductive desire to go it alone--or figure it out--or the thoughts of, I know what to do, I just got to do it. These mental settings are all about the need to control. Letting go of this isn't and never has been easy for me. At the same time--when I have let go; closed my mouth and opened my eyes and ears, what I've received has helped shape and change things in dramatic ways.

In the areas of my life that have undergone a dramatic and positive transformation, it's almost exclusively a product of what I've learned from others who have what I want. Still, in other areas, I continue to hold the reigns tightly. Isn't that an interesting dynamic? It is for me. These patterns and grooves of our lives are not easy to give up. The grooves are created early and made stronger with each passing year and decade. Like many of us, it started young for me.

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#brunch The Breakfast Burger. 4oz 96% lean ground beef, 2 whole eggs, and 1 slice muenster on lightly toasted sprouted grain Ezekiel. 5.6oz pear. #dailypractice #foodplan 593 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 22, 2019 at 12:30pm PDT

My new website shares a phone number with my podcast, Transformation Planet, and it's always available for you! Have a question? Text me! 580-491-2228 I'll text you back!

Do you own an "I'm Choosing Change" wristband? This wristband can serve as a powerful awareness/mindfulness tool! It certainly does for me. I wear mine proudly, daily, and more and more people are joining me in this movement! You can now order yours directly from my new website! Here's the link to the wristbands: Click HERE!

Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Practice, peace, and calm,
Sean

My new website: www.imchoosingchange.com

If you're interested in connecting via social media:
I accept friend requests on MyFitnessPal. My daily food logging diary is set to public.
MFP Username: SeanAAnderson
My Twitter: SeanAAnderson
Facebook: www.facebook.com/seananderson505
Instagram: SeanAAnderson
Also--I'd love you to subscribe to my podcast Transformation Planet! You can find it in Apple Podcasts, in the Google Play store for Android, and listed wherever you find your favorite podcasts! If you haven't listened before, you'll find 20 episodes waiting for you!

Questions or comments? Send an email! transformation.road@gmail.com

September 21st, 2019 A Tough Little Exercise

September 21st, 2019 A Tough Little Exercise

The past couple of days have been 4-star days: I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal one day and met it yesterday, and I stayed well connected with exceptional support.

I've been in a real slump with my exercise schedule lately. I've learned how if I look at this from a negative perspective it likely won't improve. If I spend too much time on the benefits I'm missing out on, it'll create negative head chatter in the vein of "shoulda, coulda, woulda." Phrases that start with "I should be..." "I could be..." "I would have..." "I need to be..." are all fertile ground for negative head chatter to grow. I'm a firm believer in how everything we do serves us in some way. Instead of focusing on what I don't have or what I'm not giving myself, I first need to look at what this lack of structure in my exercise schedule gives me. How does it benefit me?

My inconsistency with an exercise schedule gives me flexibility. It gives me opportunities to get more rest. It gives me freedom to focus on other things. Well, this is a tough little exercise in perspective!! I'm having a difficult time coming up with benefits!! If I'm 100% honest with myself, the biggest benefit is: It enables me to continue patterns of time management that ultimately are not supportive for consistency. That's an honest bottom line. In eleven years, I've discovered that simply saying: "I'm going to do X from now on" doesn't work unless I back up and look at what I can do in support of that declaration. If I don't create the structure needed to honor the declaration, the declaration itself becomes fertile ground for negative energy.

Declaring the desired destination without a plan to get there will always arrive at an unintended destination, preceded by a lot of frustration, starts and stops, and doing the same things over and over again, expecting a different result. Insanity! 

When I work with people in developing their daily practice, the most important question isn't "what are you going to do?" The most important question is, "what intentional actions are you willing to do in support of this?"

I'm perfectly imperfect. I'm just as human as the next person. I compartmentalize certain areas and set priority levels that are truly non-negotiable for some things and not for others. It's just what is. I compartmentalize and detach from things that ultimately challenge my overall growth, like a champ!! My longtime mentor, Gerri Helms, recently reminded me: "Ow" is in the middle of "growth." Isn't that the truth!

What do I want and what am I willing to do to get what I desire? My answers to those questions aren't measured--and haven't been measured by what I say, write, or declare in this very personal diary. The answers are always found in what I've done and what I do now.

Stay tuned and we'll find out together. ("stay tuned," that's the broadcaster in me).

I share what I share in this diary to help me. If you're reading this and you find something that resonates with you, too, then it's a beautiful bonus. I'm grateful for all the things this diary has given me over the last eleven years. It's truly been life-changing for me.
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Today includes a three-hour broadcast from a car dealership and tonight I'm emceeing and dj'ing a fall festival for a local Catholic church/school. It'll be a good day!

My morning foundational routine is complete, I'm about to prepare a good on-plan breakfast, and I'm poised for a positive Saturday. I hope yours is a great one!
 

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Breakfast this morning. 2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites, 122g avocado, 3/4 slice Ezekiel toast, 4.4oz ambrosia apple slices & 6.1oz bartlett pear. #foodplan #dailypractice 629 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 20, 2019 at 5:40pm PDT

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#whatsfordinner 8oz 96% lean ground beef smothered in 5.3oz sautéd mushrooms & 96g red onion (with olive oil spray), and 1 slice muenster cheese. 234g red potato sliced, seasoned, and baked with approximately 6 seconds olive oil spray with 45g refined sugar-free ketchup. #dailypractice #foodplan 650 calories

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 20, 2019 at 8:03pm PDT

  
My new website shares a phone number with my podcast, Transformation Planet, and it's always available for you! Have a question about anything discussed on this blog or heard on the podcast? Text me! Do you have a question about your own plan practice? Text it! 580-491-2228 I'll text you back!

Do you own an "I'm Choosing Change" wristband? This wristband can serve as a powerful awareness/mindfulness tool! It certainly does for me. I wear mine proudly, daily, and more and more people are joining me in this movement! You can now order yours directly from my new website! Here's the link to the wristbands: Click HERE!

Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Practice, peace, and calm,
Sean

My new website: www.imchoosingchange.com

If you're interested in connecting via social media:
I accept friend requests on MyFitnessPal. My daily food logging diary is set to public.
MFP Username: SeanAAnderson
My Twitter: SeanAAnderson
Facebook: www.facebook.com/seananderson505
Instagram: SeanAAnderson
Also--I'd love you to subscribe to my podcast Transformation Planet! You can find it in Apple Podcasts, in the Google Play store for Android, and listed wherever you find your favorite podcasts! If you haven't listened before, you'll find 20 episodes waiting for you!

Questions or comments? Send an email! transformation.road@gmail.com

September 19th, 2019 Daily Musts

September 19th, 2019 Daily Musts

The past couple of days have been 4-star days: I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal, and I stayed well connected with exceptional support.

My morning foundational routine is complete, my food is planned for today, and I'm poised for a good Thursday. I was recently asked specifically about the details of this foundational routine that starts each day. For me, it has become the single most important part of my daily practice.

It starts with prayer, followed by mindful meditation, followed by two different positive visualizations: One of this day ahead of me. Another long-term positive visualization. Then, I acknowledge and say aloud a few positive affirmations. I finish with my gratitude list. Not the whole thing! But several things I’m grateful for on this day. The entire process can be anywhere from ten-minutes and some days upwards of fifteen to twenty minutes. 

The first thing is admitting I don’t “got this” and humbly asking for guidance and help in making it through another day. Visualizing the day at hand includes considering potential obstacles and also considering intentional actions that will help me stay connected with my practice- like reaching out for support if needed... food plan strategy... I’ll even visualize grocery trips during that period... I like to do this routine with my eyes closed. Otherwise, I get distracted too easily. The meditation part acts like a slate clearing for the rest of the routine. It’s a very simple breathing focused mind-clearing thing. Breathe in, breathe out, again and again--it's an intentional calming.

I didn't really have a set morning foundational routine prior to what I refer to as my "turnaround" from relapse/regain. It’s evolved over the last five and a half years to become one of my daily musts. Like most everything along this road, it's an ever-evolving thing.

Score! #apples and #avocados and #coffee Probably the three most entered items in my personal #MyFitnessPal #bargainshopper pic.twitter.com/HKq0jHTf8Z

— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) September 18, 2019

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#breakfast Ezekiel Egg & Cheese Sandwich with an assortment of fruit! 2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites, and 2 slices muenster on toasted sprouted grain Ezekiel bread. 117g cantaloupe, 74g seedless green grapes, and 4.9oz fresh orange slices. #dailypractice #foodplan 610 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 17, 2019 at 5:31am PDT

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#whatsfordinner Meatloaf prepared with 6oz 96% lean ground beef, 1 egg white, 65g Newman’s Own refined sugar-free marinara, 3oz sliced and chopped fresh mushrooms, 58g finely diced red onions, and topped with 48g refined sugar-free ketchup. 225g red potatoes prepared with 1 tbs half & half, salt & pepper- topped with 7g (1/2 tbs) butter. 4.8oz ambrosia apple slices. #dailypractice #foodplan 630 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 17, 2019 at 7:13pm PDT

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#breakfast Sprouted Grain Ezekiel toasts. One topped with 3 egg whites, 1 whole egg, and 1 slice muenster cheese. One topped with 53g avocado. 5.1oz ambrosia apple slices and 5oz orange wedges. #dailypractice #foodplan 567 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 18, 2019 at 5:17am PDT

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#lunchtime Made an extra one last night for lunch today! Meatloaf prepared with 6oz lean ground beef, 3oz sliced and diced mushrooms, 1 egg white, 58g red onion, 65g Newman’s Own refined sugar-free marinara, and 34g refined sugar-free ketchup. 154g green seedless grapes. #foodplan #dailypractice 437 cal.

A post shared by Sean Anderson (@seanaanderson) on Sep 18, 2019 at 11:22am PDT

My new website shares a phone number with my podcast, Transformation Planet, and it's always available for you! Have a question about anything discussed on this blog or heard on the podcast? Text me! Do you have a question about your own plan practice? Text it! 580-491-2228 I'll text you back!

Do you own an "I'm Choosing Change" wristband? This wristband can serve as a powerful awareness/mindfulness tool! It certainly does for me. I wear mine proudly, daily, and more and more people are joining me in this movement! You can now order yours directly from my new website! Here's the link to the wristbands: Click HERE!

Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Practice, peace, and calm,
Sean

My new website: www.imchoosingchange.com

If you're interested in connecting via social media:
I accept friend requests on MyFitnessPal. My daily food logging diary is set to public.
MFP Username: SeanAAnderson
My Twitter: SeanAAnderson
Facebook: www.facebook.com/seananderson505
Instagram: SeanAAnderson
Also--I'd love you to subscribe to my podcast Transformation Planet! You can find it in Apple Podcasts, in the Google Play store for Android, and listed wherever you find your favorite podcasts! If you haven't listened before, you'll find 20 episodes waiting for you!

Questions or comments? Send an email! transformation.road@gmail.com