Welcome to a new edition of Carol's Corner. I apologize for it being so long between posts. I've been busy getting my house in order after being laid up for six months and getting myself back on track at the same time. So let's get my fashion segment over first. I'll update you on where I'm at in my recovery, and then I'm going to try to give you both some motivation and inspiration.

I wore this dress dancing a couple of weeks ago. I love the dress and since it's sleeveless, I was lucky to have this cute little topper that worked perfectly with it. Jo Ellen Jatzcak won the captioning contest with,” Dancing In The Moonlight”.

Love that my FitBit is back in action. More on that later in this post. If my memory serves me right, I made this set of jewelry specifically to go with this very dress. It's a perfect complement to it. I decided to go with the polka dotted FitBit band for a little added fun. That's why I love my Flex because I can make it into a fashion accessory at the same time as I am seeing how active I am. It was rough having to put it on hiatus for two months.

 

 

For my BandCuff I chose another shade of blue. If you own a Flex, clasp covers are a must. Lots of bands and clasp covers are available on Amazon for very reasonable prices.

 

 

 

 

And this is my new favorite watch. After I took out the extra link it fit fine. I have very small wrists so not much is ever tight, they most times fall off. Remember to have fun and be creative with accessories. They can turn any outfit from just ok to spectacular.

So let's get to it. I have been getting myself back on track , not perfect mind you, but moving most days in the right direction. I've lost about six pounds in the last two weeks. I weigh myself every day now to see if I need to cut down some more, and I know certain days I can't eat quite right depending on where or what we're doing. I am planning on still losing 16 more pounds to get back to 130. That is what I call my fighting weight. My foot still is healing but I am back to working out almost daily. I started slowly at first, but lately I have been able to do 5-7 miles of workouts daily. I found one of my pair of sneakers seems to make my foot feel ok when working out. I haven't done any FitBit challenges yet, because I'm not sure day to day what I am able to do. When I first started back,I set my steps for 5,000, recently to 7,000 but here are my numbers for 4 out of the last five days. One of the days I just spent at my daughters, I was not able to fit in my workouts, so that was basically a forced rest day(LOL). Here they are:10,013, 11,359, 12,536, and 15,426. Not bad for what I have gone through. I ice my foot and ankle when I feel it needs it like the doctor said to, and take anti-inflammatories like she also told me to. I can't always wear the shoes I would like to wear, but guess that is a small price to pay, as long as I can stay mobile and active.

Whatever your circumstances NEVER give up. Sometimes your journey takes an unexpected detour. Such is life. Sometimes you just have to learn to roll with the punches. I sure learned that this last 6 1/2 months. Through it all I have tried to continue being upbeat and an inspiration to people in how I have handled adversity. And I knew at some point my little detour would end, and I would get back on the right path again.

Have you had some bumps or even major detours in your life lately? I've sure had a few. If you have, what have they taught you? Take all of them and find a way to make them positives instead of negatives in your life. I've found out just how strong a person I am. There were days I just wanted to cry and say, “Why me Lord?” I had a few short lived pity parties but they were just that, short. I decided through all of the last 6-7 months in my life, that I wanted to be a role model in how I handled it, that I wanted to keep inspiring and motivating people,and I think I have been successful in that. And now I want to continue to inspire people to keep at it, or start over if that's what your journey needs. One doesn't have to be perfect to be an inspiration to others. I sure haven't been, hence my current weight loss efforts, but I will always be honest about myself with you and try to give you the best advice I know how. I will always keep repeating the most important thing you need to remember at all times and that is,” Never EVER give up, and YOU are WORTH IT, so believe in yourself, today, tomorrow and always. The only failure in this lifelong journey is if you just plain stop trying and give up. Don't be that person. When you fall, get back on the horse, so to speak. Forget about the past and concentrate on the future. You have the power to make it what you want it to be. Take that power and unleash it. Your greatest successes await you. Till next time, God Bless.