Friday, October 10, 2014

Year 2: Day 316: 5 Gratitudes for Friday, 55

1. Children working hard at school so we can take off a couple of days next week to visit some friends. My children are pretty amazing that way.

2. A very rainy year. Rain is always needed, but more so in the desert. We have had a ton of rain this year - thanks to a great monsoon season and a couple of hurricanes. I just love it.

3. My husband getting the green light to continue to work remote - meaning he will continue to work from him and not have to travel. Yeah!

4. My family and I coming to a compromise on house cleaning. I am choosing to do a little less and they have agreed to do a little more. I think it is a good system. I hope it is a good system.

5. For the peace and patience I have had all week. I pray for a little more patience every day and truly feel that I am being helped.

Happy Walking!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Year 2: Day 315: Fed Up

Have you ever noticed how you sometimes have to get so fully fed up or disgusted before making an actual change?

Have you ever noticed how sometimes the quickest way to get to that feeling is to totally immerse yourself (in whatever activity you will eventually get disgusted by)?

Yeah, I wish I was different and didn't operate that way....but I am not, so I don't.

Today, I hit that saturation level.

I hit it with eating crappy.

I wouldn't call myself a foodie. I like food. I'm just a little lazy about it.

I know I need to cut back on the processed food. I know I need to cut back on junk food. I know I need to cut back on fast food. I know I need to cut back on sugar.

Actually, I was able to cut back on sugar in May of this year. Since May, I only have dessert one time a month. I don't drink soft drinks or other sugary drinks. I don't eat candy, cupcakes, cakes, ice cream, etc... I'm not reading labels and I am not cutting sugar out of recipes. Just cut back on the obvious stuff.

Wow! What a difference!

I don't crave it at all. I can no longer eat a normal portion - much to sweet. I prefer, honestly, prefer just a small scoop or slice....just about three or four bites worth.

Once I have had it, I'm good. I'm not tempted by leftovers or anything else.

I have learned to say politely, "no thank you" without an explanation, but happy to provide one if someone asks.

I love the feeling.

So....I've been struggling to do the same thing with junk food and fast food. Junk food as in chips and crackers. I think fast food speaks for itself.

Yeah, I have been failing miserably. I can't tell myself no, let alone anyone else.

For the last couple of weeks, I have become increasingly more frustrated with my inability to keep junk/fast food down to one time a month. I mean, come on, it worked for sugar!

But no, it just isn't working the same this time. I really don't know what the difference is....

But today, as I sat in Wendy's munching on their new BBQ ranch chicken salad I realized one, I don't really like the BBQ ranch dressing. The salad would have been so much better with out it and two, I had no desire to eat my burger.

I made a half hearted attempt to eat my burger, but after one bite...ugh, I just didn't want it.

I am truly tired of the pizza, the bread sticks, the fries, the burgers, the chicken sandwiches. I just don't want to eat it.

I think, sadly, for me I am going to have to be 100% abstinence to the junk/fast food world. Sigh. It is going to be hard, but I need to do it.

I need to get off this addictive roller coaster. And I need to do it cold turkey.

Wish me luck!

Happy Walking!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Year 2: Day 314: The Start of My New Schedule

Yes! I woke up this morning revving to go! Rolled out of bed faster than molasses (but just barely). Walked a little quicker than normal to the bathroom. And without much ado - started my yoga like stretches.

Yes! I managed to stretch those tired, tight and just sad little muscles for 30 minutes. I felt giddy for the rest of the day....anticipating more movement (and one day strength & stamina) to the 147 lb noodle I have become.

But alas....the best laid plains of mice and men...

I forgot, today was the day I promised to take my daughters to visit the horses.

Yep, horses.

Horses derailed my plan.

Since I didn't plan around the horses, I didn't have a good schedule in place....which meant school took longer, recesses didn't happen and as a result no more exercise.

Sigh.

I swear this is the story of my life!

I am equally prepared to change the story of my life.

I have a good plan. I have a good schedule. What I have is a good framework to help me plan day to day.

Time for step 2: day to day planning!

Hmmm.....We shall see!

Happy Walking!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Year 2: Day 313: The Schedule

I thought long and hard last night and most of today. I think I've got a workable schedule for getting in about 90 minutes of movement.

At this point in my journey of walking...well, I have to stop walking.

In fact, walking has been really difficult since my piriformis muscle pinched my sciatic nerve.

I find some days that all the walking I can do is puttering around the house and other days I can walk for about 15 minutes, but not very briskly.

It is so frustrating.

Yet, I don't want to dwell on the negatives and the can nots. I want to dwell on the positives and cans.

I can stretch.

I think I can work on my core muscles - like abs and lower back.

I think I can also work on my upper body - specifically doing arm exercises.

I really want to do some kind of cardio....and I think I can do something like chair dancing. Something that gets the heart pounding, but doesn't put any pressure or weight on my leg (specifically my foot which is bothering me the most right now).

I know swimming is a great work out, but driving to a heated/covered pool is not an option. Everything I do, must be done at home. I just live to far out from town.

My tentative schedule is to do some yoga type stretches for 30 minutes when I first get up (I get up an hour before my children, so this should work perfect). Then, when I give my children a 30 minute "recess" in the middle of our school day, I can spend that time working on my core. Finally, after lunch (or during quiet time) I can get 30 minutes of cardio in.

I fully expect my efforts in the beginning will be rather pathetic - hardly moving, bending, lifting, etc., but I also fully expect that over time (slowly over time) I will find that I have strength, stamina and flexibility - all with a body that is fully aligned and mobile.

I'm kind of excited to see how this schedule works.

Happy Walking!

Monday, October 6, 2014

Year 2: Day 312: Meh, kind of day

Not a good day for exercise or eating healthy...but a great day for feeling good about myself and my efforts!

Gotta take the good where I can...I mean, I usually beat myself up for my shortcomings. I am tired of beating myself up.

Sure, I didn't get in as much exercise as I would have liked, but I had a great school day (you can read about it here).

As for the exercise...I think along with a plan, I need a good schedule. I need to put it on the calendar and not allow anything to get in the way.

Easier said than done.

Guess I got some homework!

Happy Walking!

Friday, October 3, 2014

Year 2: Day 309: 5 Gratitudes for Friday, 54

1. My loving husband's patience, easy going nature, insight and willingness to listen. I am so incredibly thankful for him, our marriage, our family and our life together.

2. Learning more about my children each day! I learned this week that all of my children speak the love language, quality time. Z also has acts of service. S also has touch. K is almost equal across the board, but needs any of the languages to be spoken with sincerity and meaning. Quality times probably one of the biggest areas I struggle in, but my children appreciate my small efforts.

3. School this year! I am absolutely loving school. We are just reviewing and filling in the gaps, but I am really enjoying the whole process. Who knew grammar could be fun?

4. The use of my body. I may be stiff, I may be weak, I may have chronic pain, but...both legs and arms work. I have my eyesight and my hearing. I am basically healthy. All the other stuff will improve - it just takes time and diligence.

5. My children excited about General Conference this year. Well, to be more precise, they are excited we can watch General Conference at home, in the play room, while wearing our pajamas and drinking hot chocolate. I've made up conference packets and we are ready to go. So very cool.

Happy Walking!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Year 2: Day 308: Payoff!

A quick break from my thread about physical, spiritual and emotional/mental health.

Today, a friend let me know that by sharing some of my struggles with the church, God, Steve and myself that it helped her overcome a similar struggle.

How cool is that?

I have often said the Lord blesses me with struggles because He knows I will talk about my struggles and what helps me get over the struggles.

I have yet to learn a cool way to say thank you, but also give God all the props....because really, I wouldn't be able to help anyone if He didn't help me first.

Happy Walking!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Year 2: Day 307: The Plan

So here is the deal - whenever you learn something about yourself you have a couple of options: 1) ignore it and continue on. 2) attempt to change it completely and over night. or 3) embrace it, find ways to change or improve or work with it and realistically do those things over a long period of time.

I am hoping to achieve #3.

Here is the plan:

1 - Start blogging again.
For some reason, I am better at starting and minting when I blog - especially if I blog daily. It doesn't matter if I am walking every day for a year or just trying to cut back on sugar or even increase my spirituality - I do better when I write. And I do great when I put my writing on a blog for all the world to see (especially  my mom).

2 - Focus on what is most important in each area.
Physical: Building my core muscles. My core muscles are mush and barely doing there job of keeping me up right and moving. Each morning, I am hunched over (because my muscles can not straighten me out) for a good little while (no, I have never timed it because each day is different).

Spiritual: Spending time with God each day. I have known since my children were little that when I spend time each day reading the scriptures and saying my prayers that my day goes better. I am more patient. I am more joyful and optimistic. I am more patient (which is really important to me).

Emotional/Mental: Gratitude. Gratitude could be put under spiritual, but I am putting it under my emotional/mental health. Gratitude helps me focus on the positives in my life. It is too easy to be negative. It is too easy to dwell on what is not happening than on what is happening.

I am pretty excited about each focus. I will probably also write about each one and the progress I am doing.

And for those who are wondering - Yes. Yes, I am still walking. I am walking slow and only for 15 minutes, but every day I feel myself getting stronger and look forward to building back up to 30 minutes.

Happy Walking!