Weighing in on Staging

As I begin my second year in my staging business I am in the process of reviewing every area of it to measure its growth as well as decide where to cut back in order to make my business more productive and successful. As I sorted through files I came across a picture of myself when my business was just getting started. I looked good. I was energized, excited, I could practically see the twinkle in my eye. The most noticeable thing to me was how trim and fit I looked. I laughed at the thought of taking a picture of myself today and comparing the two. It would be a before and after gone terribly wrong!  I can tell you honestly no “buyer” would be impressed with my transformation. While I am extremely proud of the growth my company has gone through, I myself have also grown, and not in a good way. It dawned on me that my physical health was just as important as the health of my business. I decided to review the way I have treated my body for the past 2 years.  I was shocked to realize that I have gained 15 pounds. Yes, I am announcing to the staging world that I have put on 15 pounds in 2 years! This goes beyond the “Oh my pants are a little snug or why do my clothes keep shrinking?” No, these numbers tell me I have been doing something terribly wrong. Like any business owner reviewing the productivity of their company and finding something lacking, I sat down to figure out what the problems were. I certainly have been doing more physical labor than I used to, I assumed this would help me lose weight rather than gain. The problem is, I counter the exercise with late nights and fast food meals, which have been a constant since I began staging. I am ashamed to tell you that the inside of Taco Bell, Tim Horton’s, and McDonalds are as familiar to me as the aisles of TJ MAxx, Homegoods, and Marshalls. The convenience of grabbing a quick bite between appointments has literally weighed me down.  I am determined to work on changing my flawed eating habits, although I know it will be hard. I would love to hear any suggestions from other stagers and how to keep the scale from creeping up. They say a picture can speak a thousand words. Hopefully, the next one I see of myself will say successful and slim!