Year 2, Day 211: 5 Gratitudes for Friday, 52

1. Meeting some amazing women today while I was visiting teaching (for those not LDS, visiting teaching is when the women of the church visit each other each month and also are available to help through out the month - I see it as a great excuse to make new friends and talk!). I feel very blessed to have been in the presence of older women who have already been through my stage of life (younger children, teenagers, etc.). I just sat back and listened. I can't wait to visit them again!

2. A librarian who found a way to inspire my son to read more, but to also read some challenging books. He is so excited and working hard - all on his own!

3. My husband's continual support as I strive to better myself and take care of myself - even if that means I am in bed by 8pm!

4. My mom for loving me and supporting me even though we are much too far apart. I would also have to add my sister - who is also much too far away. Heck, let's change number 4 to all of the women in my life who continue to love me and support me and are much to far away! I love the emails, the phone calls, the face book messages, the comments, the text messages...everything - it keeps me going. Thank you!!!!

5. For a heated pool!!!!! I know, I know, I am a wuss because I like my water a nice 85 degrees, but the warm water has been wonderful and when I swim, I don't feel pain. Just so glad Steve is willing to pay for that little extra for my comfort. He is the best!

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 204: 5 Gratitudes for Friday, 51

1. Swim classes completed. All my children improved, but Z improved the most because he finally learned to swim! I've been calling the class "swim magic"....now if I could only find "magic" in other subjects! We send a great big thanks to their teacher, Ms. Sam!

2. The leaky pipe in the yard has been fixed - no more mini creek! The plumbers worked hard all day in the hot sun - digging a deep hole and then having to bail water. Wow! But thanks to them and their hard work, we are back to normal.

3. My husband apologizing when he griped at me this morning. He doesn't gripe very often and he apologizes first happens even less often. But I am very thankful for him humbling himself....makes it so much easier to think good thoughts. :)

4. My children spending their own money on LEGO mixels. Mixels are the newest LEGO craze and I have no desire to spend my money on it. My children didn't even ask me to spend my money. They pulled their money together and bought it themselves. Very cool.
You can learn more about Mixels here.

5. My children supporting me in my early bedtime. It is already making a big difference for me. I actually woke up a few minutes before my alarm went off this morning! Still get very tired at the end of the day, but the early bedtime is working (for those who don't know, I am now going to bed at 8pm). I kiss my children goodnight and then each one of them knows what time is their "lights out." So far so good - no one has broken their bedtime. What great children!

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 202: Sleep

I've had it with sleep. Simply had it.

Sleep is needed for everything. everything.

Sleep helps your brain, your weight, your allergies, your muscles, your digestion, your skin...

And sleep is probably the hardest thing to get in...for me. Maybe not you. But it is the hardest thing to get in.

All the "experts" and "studies" suggest that we, as adults, need between 7 and 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Yeah. That doesn't happen to often.

I've tried living on 7 hours - slowly over time I become more and more exhausted.

I've tried living on 8 hours - this works, but almost always crave an afternoon nap.

Sigh.

Now I am going to try living on 9 hours.

Too make this work (and still allow myself and hour in the morning before the children get up), I will need to go to bed between 8 and 8:30pm.

Yeah! I get to be a 12 again.

My children think this is hilarious because they all go to bed after me. That's right. I am going to bed before my children.

This has to be the most bizarre thing I have tried in the name of sleep....but, gosh, I am so tired of falling asleep during movies, reading books and yawning while I am driving.

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 200: My day with sweets!

I don't remember if I blogged about this or not; and honestly, if I take the time to check I will probably get lost in reading old posts and then forget to come and post about my day with sweets....so I will risk repeating myself. :)

Earlier this year, when I pinched my piriformis muscle/sciatic nerve, I discovered that I was addicted to all things sugary.

As I laid on the hard floor waiting patiently for my muscles to relax, I gobbled what was easy - granola bars with chocolate chips, candy bars, cookies...yeah, it wasn't pretty.

So, I made Mother's Day my last day to have sweets for the rest of the month.

I had read, somewhere, about a family that sugar out of their diet - even the hidden sugars in foods (talk about a lot of label reading!). This family allowed themselves a spurge once a month.

I figured I could do that too.

Yesterday, in honor of Father's day, I had my treat for the month of June.....yeah, it was good. I had one double stuff Oreo and I had two Recess Peanut Butter cup flavored Oreos (yes, they were as good as they sound). I happily dunked their sugary goodness into milk and savored the cool delight. Such bliss.

Am I tempted to eat more? Nope, not at all. My next sugary delight will be in July for my husband's birthday (Grasshopper pie...yum) and in August I will have something fun at my family's reunion.

I actually like having something to look forward too - somehow it makes it easier to be strong. Sure, I have only been doing this a month....so I will let you know if I slip or if it gets harder, but right now? I am loving it.

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 197: 5 Gratitudes for Friday, 50

1. My son being water ready. My biggest fear has been Z not being able to save himself if something weird happened while swimming. He has no fear of the water, but his ability did not match!
After a week of swim lessons, Z can now save himself....everything after this will be gravy. Today, after only 5 lessons (a half hour each), Z jumped into the deep end, rolled onto his back and swam a modified version of the backstroke to the side of the pool. He did it several times.
What I loved watching, was how the trust Z had in his teacher, Ms. Sam, allowed him to push himself. Ms. Sam never once pushed Z or asked him to do more than he was comfortable with. She was patient. She asked him to work on different things (like learning to blow out of his nose when his face was in the water). She had him do everything that the rest of the class was doing, but let him know that he only had to do his best at his own pace and his own ability.
Also, in the beginning, Z would ask "are you going to let go?" Ms. Sam, said no and she kept her word. This was huge.

2. For Jaden, a girl in Z's swim class, for being such a caring young girl. Jaden noticed Z did not like to get his face wet. Jaden told her mom that she wanted to be Z's friend and help him like the water more. Z told me that he wanted to be Jaden's friend because her enthusiasm for "diving" down into the water made Z want to do it too. They have become friends and have cheered each other on through each and every class. Very cool.

3. For parents who get it. Not only did Jaden want to help Z, but Jaden's mom started cheering Z on whenever he did something especially hard. It became infectious and now all the parents are cheering on all the children when they do something hard. Z and Jaden happen to get most of the cheering because they both had the most to learn and the most fears to overcome. The first time these two children jumped into the deep end (with some help) - all the parents erupted into cheers and applause. It was just like the applause given to the winning team....because that is what it was. The winning team of two individuals overcoming a fear and learning a hard, but important skill.

4. For Heavenly Father giving me lots of opportunities this past few weeks to learn to be a little stronger and an opportunity for my children to learn to work hard be a little more responsible. Some of what we had to do (like cleaning up a bug explosion in the food pantry) I hope to never have to repeat, but I am grateful for the opportunities. I leaned on the Lord more and the children did more on their own. It was all worth it.

5. For my husband. He is an amazing father, an amazing husband and an amazing person. I am so glad that he married me 16 years ago. I am so thankful that he works hard so I can stay home and home school. I think I love him more now then I did then.

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 195: Ugh!

So, I have a really great schedule....it is really great and I can get everything done plus my workouts.

Very excited.

Now, I just have to wait for swim classes to end.

On M, W, F, we are at swim class from 1:15 to 3pm. It is an hour drive (round trip)....that is a big chunk of my day gone.

T, TH isn't as bad - swim class is only from 2:30-3pm (still have that hour round trip), but I use the extra time at home to catch up on cleaning, laundry and school.

Sigh.

Not going to beat myself up. Just going to move when I can and how I can until I can start up my regular schedule again.

Isn't that what winners do?

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 193: maybe I should use this...

Here is a fascinating article about habits that highly productive people do every day. The article is written for the working class, but it has me intrigued on how to apply it in my personal life.

For example, one of the habits is giving yourself 80-90 minutes every morning. The article talked about doing uninterrupted work - me? I see it as a great time to exercise or read my scriptures or whatever I need. The trick is basically to do the same thing every single day.

If I choose to make that time exercise - I do not have to do the same exercise every day (like walking), but I do have to exercise each day.

I guess what appeals to me, as a stay at home mom and a home schooler, is that I constantly feel as if my time is not my own. As if I wake up each day reacting instead of acting.

Exercise right now only gets done if my day goes "perfect". I would rather have my day not be perfect, but still get my exercise in.

This morning is a great example of this:

I normally wake up at 5:30 to start my day. Today I woke up at 6:30....already an hour behind! By 7am, I was on the phone with a dear friend who was in the midst of a family emergency and needed someone to talk to - I like being that person. I like being available for friends and family when they need me. By the time I got off the phone with my friend, had breakfast, got dressed, stretched and did my toiletries....well, it was well after 9am.

Sadly, the children  by this point had a little too much unsupervised time and fighting broke out. Instead of attempting to clean or do school, instead, I took the time to create a new "consequence" jar (which is another needed post).

Then it was lunch and time to go to swim class.

See how nothing got done? Nothing in the house, not my exercise, not school....nothing.

I like the idea of just putting in some subtle changes - not checking email first thing in the morning, giving myself 80-90 minutes each morning, planning the night before, etc. should give me time to accomplish the truly important things - like exercise.

Sure, there will still be days like this when I am needed first thing in the morning or children fight or some other emergency comes up, but then it should feel like a "once in a while' thing instead of my daily life.

My health is worth the time and effort.

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 192: Cereal

I don't really post much about nutrition because, honestly, I don't know much.

I've decided that I should post my musings, if for no other reason, writing things out helps me!

So, please bear with me on this post.

I think I eat to much cereal. I really like milk with Cheerios or with Special K or with Raisin Bran (although I prefer yogurt with Raisin Bran). Cereal just has a nice texture/flavor combo that I really like.

In the summer time, I tend to eat a lot of cereal. Too hot to cook? Eat cereal! Too tired to cook because I have been swimming all afternoon? Eat cereal! Woke up late and do not have time to make eggs and oatmeal? Eat cereal! Want a late night snack? Eat Cereal! Yeah, cereal just about covers all the meals and moods.

Now, in the winter, especially a very cold winter, my go to food tend to be oatmeal or soup.

But back to summer (since that is the season we are in).

When I am doing a great job at eating healthy, I will eat a salad every day. I will have fruit at every  meal and for every snack. Heck, some of my favorite meals are fruit! The children and I like to do salad bars in the summer. We also tend to eat a lot of what I call, "Bruno" plates - hunk of cheese, hunk of bread, bunch of fruit and maybe some olive oil. We also do the cheese, apples and crackers meals that I first enjoyed with my Aunt Celeste.

Thankfully, my husband doesn't mind when I go into my "it is too dang hot to have the oven on or to stand by a hot stove so I am not cooking" mode. He just eats cereal. Hmmm....maybe I learned this trait from him? (Well, to be honest, no, it wasn't him. It was being a poor starving student in college - I could store a lot of cheap cereal in my dorm room, it required no special tools and I could eat it all day long....)

What is weird about this summer, is that I haven't gotten into my "more fruits and veggies" phase. It usually starts in spring and is in full swing by now. Sadly, I am still in my "all I want is cereal" phase.

Sure Cheerios is good for your heart and low in sugar. Sure Raisin Bran is high in fiber. Not sure what Special K is good for, but the cereal touts itself as a way to lose weight, so it must be healthy, right?

I have been mulling the idea around that what I need to do, is make sure to eat a big helping of fruit or veggies before I pull out that box of cereal...maybe, just maybe, that will get me eating a tad healthier (or at the very least, vary my meals!).

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 191: Remember the days?

Do you remember the days as a child when you played all day outside? Riding bikes, climbing trees, swimming, walking to a friends house, playing at the park, roller skating, playing ball, water fights, snowball fights, building snow forts....I mean, there was not enough time in the day to get in all the fun.

Do you remember those days when you played like crazy and didn't care what the scale said or what size your clothes were or how much you ate?

Do you remember not worrying about growing old or pulling muscles or aching feet?

Man, being a child is totally wasted on the youth!

I watched my children swim today with happy abandon. Their form was terrible (they are taking swim lessons next week), but their fun was off the chart.

Me? I actually didn't swim because I was playing life guard, but when I do swim, I don't feel like the play I do with my children is "working" me enough and I always begin or end with some laps.

Sure, laps are good, but why do I feel this need to get in some "real" exercise? When we were children, playing was exercise. Why does it have to change when we get older?

The question is actually quite serious.

Does play no longer work our bodies like it once did? Do we, physically, need the additional stimulation that work outs bring to our muscles, joints, organs and so forth? Why can't we play and stay fit? Seems kind of unfair...

Also what is unfair is not being able to eat everything in sight and not gain a pound, but I am sure that is a post for another day!

In the meantime, I will keep working out and I will also keep playing....maybe between the two I can stay healthy and young.

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 190: Another good reason to workout

Recently I posted a question on the Body by Bells Facebook page asking how everyone stayed motivated to workout. When I asked the question, I was struggling to workout - I wasn't feeling the excitement when I first started.

I got a lot of great responses, but Mandy Goodwill's response has stuck in my head the most. She said:  Consistency and feeling happy is what keeps me motivated. When I get inconsistent is when I fall out of the groove. And then I get grumpy. So even though I may not feel particularly motivated at the moment, I try to think about how more unmotivated I will feel if I get off track. And my family, including myself, likes me better when I'm not grumpy.

I honestly wondered if that could be true - not exercising would cause someone to get grumpy? I get grumpy for all sorts of reasons. Not enough sleep. Not enough time to myself in the morning. (Oh, I am sure there are more....) But I never thought of exercise in that way.

I decided to put Mandy to the test (of course, she didn't know that). I have been super consistent for about a week (I know, not very long, but hey, I gotta start somewhere!). 

I did not get any form of exercise in today and guess what? yeah, you guessed it. Mom was grumpy (you can read the whole ugly truth about that on my other blog.)

It might not be scientific proof, but it is enough for me to figure out how to get some exercise in on my super busy days (Thursday is the busiest). It is enough for me to add "not get grumpy" to my reasons for exercising. 

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 189: Small Changes

There is something about working out that I love - seeing the small, but important, changes.

On Monday, I could hardly finish my 5 push ups (against the wall). Today, I did all 5 (against the wall). It might not sound like much, but that is a huge improvement for me.

I can see the small changes during the work out - a little lower in a stretch; holding a little longer while doing a plank, going a little deeper in a squat. Which in turn gets me excited.

Excitement is what drives me to come back for more the next day.

I would rather have my excitement come from losing large amount of weight or have chiseled arms...but I gotta start somewhere, right?

When I got done working out today, I was already thinking of what days next week I could get my workouts in....I think this is a good sign.

I am still going slow. Trying not to push myself, but I did see small improvements. Good enough reason to celebrate!

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 188: The Universe helps me workout

I whined yesterday about starting over and moving so slow.

Here is the thing, it doesn't matter how slow you move in the beginning.

What matters is that you are moving. Your body wants and needs you to move.

You will see benefits the moment you start.

And that slow moving? Yeah, you will still feel it later that day or even the next day. You feel that good kind of tired from working hard. You will feel that good kind of sore from moving muscles you forgot you even had.

You might not look like a swimsuit model after one day of moving slow, but you will feel it.

And here is another funny thing that happens when you start moving - a sort of silent announcement to the universe that you are serious - things will come into your life that cause you to move more. Seriously, it happens.

Today was that kind of day for me. The universe (or how I prefer to see it, God) looking out for me. I want to get into shape. I want to start moving more....and what does God do for me? He gives me an opportunity to move today.

You see, Tuesdays and Thursdays are tough days for me. They are scheduled "active recovery" days, which means I don't do the Body by Bells workout. I am suppose to do something active - like walking. However, I sometimes forget and end up doing nothing on my "active" recovery day.

So, today, to ensure that I had an "active" recovery day, God gave me the opportunity to find bugs in my food pantry. A discovery that demands immediate action. A discovery that demands lots and lots and lots of affected foods are tossed out. Which then demands of me, to squat and lift and toss, large heavy bags of food.

Gosh, I love active recovery days! And from now on, I am going to ensure that I always have a plan to get in a gentler, less gross active recovery day....like cleaning behind the television or under the couch or....just kidding! I will set up a plan to do yoga or dancing or walking or swimming or anything besides bugs in the pantry!

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 187: Starting over is hard to do...

Do you know the old song, "Breaking Up is Hard to Do?" - Every time I exercise I hear that tune with the words...."Starting Over is Hard to Do!"

Yeah, it doesn't quite fit, but the premise is true.

Starting over is hard to do. And I have started over more times than I can count. If I could go back in time (hmmm....sounds like another song lyric) I would tell my younger self to never quit exercising.

That's it. That is the message I would give myself - Don't Quit.

Maybe if I hadn't quit after high school or college or after being married for a year or after becoming pregnant with each and every child or the countless times I have started and stopped since having my last child, maybe just maybe, I would be better off than I am today.

I hate doing "barely moving" work outs. My squats maybe, maybe go a 1/4 of the way down. My push-ups are against the wall...still. My squat thrusts are a joke - I can't seem to figure out how to thrust backwards so I just move one leg at a time. Seriously. My brain and my legs are mis-communicating over this particular exercise. I squat down and then....nothing. I just sit there trying to remember how to thrust back.

There are lots of things my brain and body have forgotten to do. I was laying on the floor with my legs bent (feet close to my bum) when I attempted to do a floor bridge (you know, the exercise where you push your pelvis up in to the air). Yeah, I couldn't do it. What was interesting was if my feet were far enough away from my bottom than I could do it. Makes me think different muscles were working and not working, but I digress....

My head remembers how to do all of these exercises, but my muscles have either forgotten or have gotten too weak or are just simply not working correctly (misalignment). With my luck, it is probably all three.

I am pretty sure everything was communicating before I injured my piriformis muscle/sciatic nerve...but that doesn't really matter. It isn't working now.

So here I am, working out again with Mandy. Starting over from the beginning (she has a 12 week program) and feeling frustrated beyond belief.

Maybe, just maybe, if I had never stopped that first time, it wouldn't be quite so hard this time. Maybe.

Happy Walking!

Year 2, Day 186: I hope they call me on a mission...

A quick update: A few months ago, I started a workout program with Mandy Goodwill through her business Eclipse Fitness. She has an area just for women called "Body by Bells." Mandy has two programs to choose from, one that is strength training through body weight resistance (hopefully, I got that right!). For this option, think push ups, planks, stair climbers, etc. The other option is doing workouts with kettle bells. Don't know how to explain kettle bells, so check out this wiki page.

I chose the first option. Mandy is an amazing instructor. I normally do not like these type of work outs, but Mandy does a great job of encouraging, expelling, keeping it fun, but also working you hard so you see results. I was absolutely loving how I was feeling.

Then I got hurt. Twice.

Not sure what I did the first time. I felt pain in my hip and lower back, but never went to see a doctor. I just babied it for a few days, then slowly eased back into the work outs.

The second time, however; wow! Talk about pain. My piriformis muscle (which is a muscle that lays under your glutes) pinched my sciatic nerve (a nerve that runs from your lower back all the way down your legs). My pain was on my left side. It was so bad that I could not walk. Laid for several days on the floor, on my back, with my left leg propped up at a 45 degree angle with pillows (the pillows supported every part of my leg from my hip all the way to my heel).

I do not recommend this injury to anyone.

I am thankful that my family doctor specializes in orthopedics. He and his interns were able to gently work on my muscles and get me back to not feeling any pain and being able to walk. I am not a 100% healed. The doctor told me it would take several months for me to be "100%" better and more than likely I will aggravate the piriformis muscle again. It is just one of those muscles that once pulled or pinched easily re-injure.

Yet, the doctor said being active is important.

I am really struggling to be active again. I really am.

I wake up feeling like a crooked old woman (sadly I don't have a crooked old dog or crooked line so I guess am not living a nursery rhyme).

I stretch. I use a foam roller to deep massage the muscles that feel cramped and achy.

I try to walk. I try to do Mandy's exercises - she even suggest kettle bells would be great to help me get back into shape.

I think, deep down, I under if I am "suppose" to get into shape.

Okay, that sounds weird, I know.

Sometimes, my thinking thinks me out of good things.

So here is my very bizarre logic:

In the scriptures it says there is a season for everything. I have accepted that my season in life is raising children and homeschooling. I get that. I can postpone working outside of the home. I can postpone going back for my masters. I can postpone writing the next great novel. And somewhere in my head, since getting injured, I have convinced myself that getting shape just isn't for this "season" - maybe when the children are a little older.

I have a confession to make: every time I have attempted to get into shape in the past, something has caused me to quit (myself, moving, injury, etc). Each and every time I have had a similar thought - maybe now is just not the right time.

I know, I know, I know. Now is the perfect time to get healthy. My young children are home, they will learn from my example. They will see the benefits of eating a balanced meal and of getting enough rest and drinking enough water and exercising. This is the best way to show instead of tell. In my head, I know this.

But somehow, the other part of my brain (the part that is not always logical) convinces myself that "now is not the time."

So, I have been struggling to exercise. I have been struggling to be motivated. I have been struggling with this internal conflict.

Then today at church, we had a wonderful talk by a woman who is getting ready to serve a mission with her husband. She started the talk by telling the children they could help their parents prepare to serve a mission by encouraging them to...exercise, eat healthy, get adequate sleep, etc...

It was a wonderful talk. And the whole time she talked, I realized I had a new argument for myself. Maybe getting in shape is not the "right" time for me, but I have a daughter that wants to serve a mission. This is the "right" time for her to get in shape. And for my daughter to get into shape, I am going to need to help her - I need to be a good example, I need to encourage her, I need to mentor her, I need to gather information for her to read (which means I have to read it) about health, nutrition, etc.

Now the above paragraph may sound like it means "I am suppose to get in shape", then you have failed to see the subtle difference. When I am striving to get into shape than the focus is on me. When I am striving to help my daughter prepare to be physically fit for her mission than the focus is on her. And I have learned since day 1 of being pregnant with my first child that I am much better at taking care of myself when I see that it directly helps my child be the healthiest they can be.

The requirements to be a missionary are tough - walk 6 miles and ride a bike for 12 miles. It is suggested to establish a regular pattern of aerobic exercise - walking, running, or cycling for one hour every day.

We will jump in with both feet, but we will also build slowly - we have time.

And how does kettle bells and body weight resistance fit in? Well, at my age, to be physically fit takes a lot more than just walking....besides, if I can be an example to all of my children that the best way to prepare for their adult life - be it missions, college, military or parenthood - is through being physically fit, than I gotta do it all.

Sometimes it is hard being a mom. And sometimes, being a mom is just the answer you need.

Happy Walking!