All that is worth doing is hard....it takes dedication, it takes mindfulness, it takes endurance, it takes failing and standing back up again, it takes humility...it takes all that we have to offer.
Yet, it is always worth doing because it brings out the best in us and helps us grow and become who we were always meant to be.
Hehehehe, at least that is how I feel today.
Being healthy, being a good mom, being a good wife, becoming a better me...all so hard, but worth the hard work. I can see how the lessons learned in one works for the others. I can see how principles applied to one works for the others.
Who knew the same effort to losing weight and being healthy would be the same to reaching and teaching my children? or meeting my husbands needs? or bettering myself?
Amazing how it all works together.
Happy Walking!
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Day 350: Must be on the right track...
I can always tell when I am on the right track when it comes to exercise - I am exhausted the first few weeks. :)
This is the 3rd day that I practiced Kung Fu for 30 minutes. I am exhausted. On top of that every part of my body is sore (especially my arms).
This is a good thing. This is something I should have been doing from the beginning of my Kung Fu class.
I guess, in this case, better late than never.
Happy Walking!
This is the 3rd day that I practiced Kung Fu for 30 minutes. I am exhausted. On top of that every part of my body is sore (especially my arms).
This is a good thing. This is something I should have been doing from the beginning of my Kung Fu class.
I guess, in this case, better late than never.
Happy Walking!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Day 349: Adjustments
If life were a destination than it would be easy to get from point A to point B....I am guessing point A is birth and point B is death? Hmmm....no wonder the saying is "life is not a destination, but a journey."
Since life is a journey, point A is not birth but the pre-existence and point B is not death, but the hereafter (or heaven).
Realizing that life is journey that encompasses everything from conception to death than it would make sense that adjustments must be made (we usually use the dreaded word "change").
Before I started my year of walking (and blogging), I had the (wrong) notion that if I started a project or had a goal that it must be done correctly, perfectly and seen through to the end (sometimes bitter end).
Now, I have a better sense that when we start a project or have a goal, it is merely a pointer...a type of direction marker. I want to lose weight. That is a worthy goal, but that is merely a direction marker to something much bigger in my life: good health, longevity, better posture, restful nights, etc....
My life, as a journey, picks up those destination stickers you see on suitcases (Paris, London, New York, etc..). My current life has the sticker of "walker", "Kung Fu student", dancer (so long ago....), volleyball player (another old one), etc...
And sometimes, just like a journey, adjustments must be made as you head toward the final destination (since Heaven is the final destination in this analogy, my adjustment is more to help get me closer to the "big" direction marker: good health).
My current adjustment is that I will not be walking every day the last few weeks of my journey. I have strived to do it every day since starting school - it was easier when the weather was nice and the children rode their bikes, but now....driving to the mall is taking up to much time. I need to focus on other important goals: my son's reading skills, my daughter's spelling skills, my other daughter's math skills. We need to focus on the house getting cleaned and decluttered (we are in limbo once again with my husband's job). I need to focus on helping my son achieve his goal of earning his Arrow of Light and my daughter working on Personal Progress.
All of these things are worth my time and attention...and there are only so many hours in a day.
So, from here until Thanksgiving day, I will be walking 2 days a week and practicing Kung Fu 4 days a week. My oldest daughter wants to be better at Kung Fu and she struggles to find time to practice on her own. Since walking counts as PE, I decided that Kung Fu will count as well.
I feel conflicted with my decision. A part of me feels that I am quitting close to the finish line. Another part of me feels that I am merely "tweaking" and there for am still meeting my goal. However anyone sees it, the bottom line is that walking did a lot to help improve my health and weight, but did not achieve all the goals (I didn't lose a ton of weight, nor did I lose a lot of inches). I am pretty sure that truly being a well -rounded healthy person takes small portions, eating slowing, eating healthy foods 80% of the time, being well rested, cardio, strength training, and improving flexibility.
That is why next year I am adding in strength training. One reason why I see Kung Fu as part of the bigger picture/plan/goal.
Hopefully no one will think less of me as I continue with this adjustment. I plan on writing each day.
Happy Walking!
Since life is a journey, point A is not birth but the pre-existence and point B is not death, but the hereafter (or heaven).
Realizing that life is journey that encompasses everything from conception to death than it would make sense that adjustments must be made (we usually use the dreaded word "change").
Before I started my year of walking (and blogging), I had the (wrong) notion that if I started a project or had a goal that it must be done correctly, perfectly and seen through to the end (sometimes bitter end).
Now, I have a better sense that when we start a project or have a goal, it is merely a pointer...a type of direction marker. I want to lose weight. That is a worthy goal, but that is merely a direction marker to something much bigger in my life: good health, longevity, better posture, restful nights, etc....
My life, as a journey, picks up those destination stickers you see on suitcases (Paris, London, New York, etc..). My current life has the sticker of "walker", "Kung Fu student", dancer (so long ago....), volleyball player (another old one), etc...
And sometimes, just like a journey, adjustments must be made as you head toward the final destination (since Heaven is the final destination in this analogy, my adjustment is more to help get me closer to the "big" direction marker: good health).
My current adjustment is that I will not be walking every day the last few weeks of my journey. I have strived to do it every day since starting school - it was easier when the weather was nice and the children rode their bikes, but now....driving to the mall is taking up to much time. I need to focus on other important goals: my son's reading skills, my daughter's spelling skills, my other daughter's math skills. We need to focus on the house getting cleaned and decluttered (we are in limbo once again with my husband's job). I need to focus on helping my son achieve his goal of earning his Arrow of Light and my daughter working on Personal Progress.
All of these things are worth my time and attention...and there are only so many hours in a day.
So, from here until Thanksgiving day, I will be walking 2 days a week and practicing Kung Fu 4 days a week. My oldest daughter wants to be better at Kung Fu and she struggles to find time to practice on her own. Since walking counts as PE, I decided that Kung Fu will count as well.
I feel conflicted with my decision. A part of me feels that I am quitting close to the finish line. Another part of me feels that I am merely "tweaking" and there for am still meeting my goal. However anyone sees it, the bottom line is that walking did a lot to help improve my health and weight, but did not achieve all the goals (I didn't lose a ton of weight, nor did I lose a lot of inches). I am pretty sure that truly being a well -rounded healthy person takes small portions, eating slowing, eating healthy foods 80% of the time, being well rested, cardio, strength training, and improving flexibility.
That is why next year I am adding in strength training. One reason why I see Kung Fu as part of the bigger picture/plan/goal.
Hopefully no one will think less of me as I continue with this adjustment. I plan on writing each day.
Happy Walking!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Day 348: The Halloween solution
We have a ton of candy left over....a ton.
We didn't get any trick or treaters this year so not only do the children each have too many pounds of candy to count, but our very large silver bowl of give away candy is still completely full.
What is a girl to do?
I could throw the candy away....but that seems wrong.
I could sit down and gorge on candy a few nights in a row and be done with it all....but that also seems wrong (and a little gross).
Or I could learn self control like my children.
Since my children were little, their Halloween candy has been put into a cupboard and doled out a little each day (usually a piece a day). Amazingly my children have never tried to grab some behind my back or negotiate for more candy. Never. Weird right?
They are totally unlike me...I have no self control when it comes to candy. If I have one piece or one small bag or one bite...than I always....always crave more.
I have decided that it is high time I learn the same self control as my children.
My children came up with the following rule for this year (simply because we have so much candy):
One piece of candy after every meal (except breakfast), every day.
We have been doing this since Friday.
It was really, really, really, hard the first couple of days - I sooooo wanted more chocolate.
Thankfully, I told myself that I could wait for the next piece after snack (or dinner or lunch the next day). I then did something that kept me out of the kitchen (we have too much candy to hide in the cupboard so it is either on the counter or in the fridge [we like chocolate in the fridge]).
I am no longer craving more candy after I have my one piece. I am no longer having to avoid the kitchen. In fact, I am not even thinking about the candy at all. When I have a meal, I grab a piece of candy. It has become a kind of "no big" deal thing. This is pretty cool.
Maybe over time I can wean myself down to one piece of candy a day and then one every other day and then one a week....ooh, the possibilities!
But I am getting ahead of myself - for now, I am happy that I can have my candy and not have the cravings!
Happy Walking!
We didn't get any trick or treaters this year so not only do the children each have too many pounds of candy to count, but our very large silver bowl of give away candy is still completely full.
What is a girl to do?
I could throw the candy away....but that seems wrong.
I could sit down and gorge on candy a few nights in a row and be done with it all....but that also seems wrong (and a little gross).
Or I could learn self control like my children.
Since my children were little, their Halloween candy has been put into a cupboard and doled out a little each day (usually a piece a day). Amazingly my children have never tried to grab some behind my back or negotiate for more candy. Never. Weird right?
They are totally unlike me...I have no self control when it comes to candy. If I have one piece or one small bag or one bite...than I always....always crave more.
I have decided that it is high time I learn the same self control as my children.
My children came up with the following rule for this year (simply because we have so much candy):
One piece of candy after every meal (except breakfast), every day.
We have been doing this since Friday.
It was really, really, really, hard the first couple of days - I sooooo wanted more chocolate.
Thankfully, I told myself that I could wait for the next piece after snack (or dinner or lunch the next day). I then did something that kept me out of the kitchen (we have too much candy to hide in the cupboard so it is either on the counter or in the fridge [we like chocolate in the fridge]).
I am no longer craving more candy after I have my one piece. I am no longer having to avoid the kitchen. In fact, I am not even thinking about the candy at all. When I have a meal, I grab a piece of candy. It has become a kind of "no big" deal thing. This is pretty cool.
Maybe over time I can wean myself down to one piece of candy a day and then one every other day and then one a week....ooh, the possibilities!
But I am getting ahead of myself - for now, I am happy that I can have my candy and not have the cravings!
Happy Walking!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Day 347: Daylight Savings Woe....
I was so proud of myself - I got up with my alarm clock.
Yeah....forgot to reset my alarm clock when I went to bed so I didn't get up at 5am....yep, got up at 4am.
On the plus side I wasn't late to church!
Happy Walking!
Yeah....forgot to reset my alarm clock when I went to bed so I didn't get up at 5am....yep, got up at 4am.
On the plus side I wasn't late to church!
Happy Walking!
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Day 346: Take on the world
I love it when I wake up in the morning full of energy. Those mornings when I feel like I could take on the world.
Well, I didn't take on the world, but I did have a great day - starting with a walk.
And maybe that is enough.
Happy Walking!
Well, I didn't take on the world, but I did have a great day - starting with a walk.
And maybe that is enough.
Happy Walking!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Day 345: 5 Gratitudes for Friday, 45
1. The joys of dressing up, being silly, getting lots of candy and staying up late. This year was extra special because we went trick or treating with friends on Halloween night. Despite the rain, everyone had a great time - I loved seeing my children enjoying themselves with friends (who sadly will be moving soon).
2. The opportunity to do better and be better. I fall short in lots of different areas, but everyday I get the opportunity to do better. I like that. It brings me hope.
3. Our Pikmin costumes recognized by others! We tend to pick group costumes based on books, movies, or video games that we enjoy. This year, we chose Pikmins (Nintendo game). I was nervous no one would know who we were....but thankfully we were recognized and complimented on the outfits!
4. Warm beds on cold nights, hot chocolate, fun (and uplifting) Halloween movie - we love the Good Witch movies shown on the Hallmark channel.
5. Still being able to snuggle with my children.
2. The opportunity to do better and be better. I fall short in lots of different areas, but everyday I get the opportunity to do better. I like that. It brings me hope.
3. Our Pikmin costumes recognized by others! We tend to pick group costumes based on books, movies, or video games that we enjoy. This year, we chose Pikmins (Nintendo game). I was nervous no one would know who we were....but thankfully we were recognized and complimented on the outfits!
4. Warm beds on cold nights, hot chocolate, fun (and uplifting) Halloween movie - we love the Good Witch movies shown on the Hallmark channel.
5. Still being able to snuggle with my children.
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