WW: Week 4

So much has happened in the past week in regards to fitness and healthy living and Weight Watchers.

First and foremost, my weight maintained.  No loss, no gain.  OK by me.  Especially considering how the week went.

1. My period started about 1 week earlier than expected.  Never ever ever Never ever EVER weigh in when the cycle is present.  Automatic gain of 5 pounds if you do.  This one was brutal in that my desire to eat was insane.  And I gave in to that desire more than I care to admit.

2.  Budget crunch last week.  Money was tight so when I ran out of my fresh fruits and veggies and my standard "keep at my desk" foods, I was stuck.  And my emotional response to any kind of feeling stuck in regards to food is to cram whatever food I find into my face.  When there are gingerbread marshmallows lying around, that's a very dangerous combination.

3. The start of that stupid womanly cycle also meant a few less days of exercise.  Just trust me on that one.

4. By the end of the week, I had 2 days that really focused on activity and exercise.  It didn't make up for the entire week behind me but it was a good start to springboard from for the week ahead.

On Saturday, I had my initial Wellness Coach appointment at the YMCA.  I met with Diane for an hour.  We talked about my healthy living history, we talked about my goals, we talked about a lot of things.  Through a string of circumstances and moments, I got to meet Samantha and figured out that Diane and I had been in the same Virtual Running Club until I cleaned myself out of almost all my Facebook groups recently (I have since rejoined the VRC since I do plan to start running again).  It was a good visit that helped me figure out where I am and where I want to be in 6 months.  I see Diane again in 2 weeks and will be given a run down on using the FitLinx system for strength training.

On Sunday, I opted to try a new group class.  Last weekend, it was water aerobics.  This weekend, "Interval Training."  I had no clue what I was in for but I am challenging myself to try new things this month so I sucked up my nerves and went.

It about killed me.

About 40 minutes into it, after I'd already had to stand still for several of the exercises because my body just refused to move, we went into push ups using the step to create an incline.  I had to modify my push ups.  OK, not that big of a deal.  I know I'm not in the shape I was in a year ago.  But then I was struggling to even complete the push ups or keep going with them.  And I almost had a total break down in the middle of this crowded classroom.  I truly had to fight back tears of frustration.

I quickly got past my pity party and realized that if I stick with my healthy eating, continue to drop the weight, and keep going back to this very class, I will be a lot stronger and healthier and will see vast improvement in my ability by the end of this month.  So that's my bonus challenge.  I'm going to keep trying new things (I will be writing about that experience on FitCity at the end of March) but I also want to use this interval training class as a marker of where I started and where I can get to when I work at it.

How was your healthy week?

Loss

Sunday was a difficult day.

It started out as a normal day.  As we had been Friday and Saturday, we were paying attention to the news to see coverage of the tornado damage inflicted on our state and neighboring states.  We were touched by the story of the baby girl found in a field, all alone, near her home.  We were touched more deeply when we heard that all other members of her family had been killed and she was in critical condition.  And we, as a family, were saddened to hear of her passing.

I had a moment to check Facebook and saw sad news from a friend.  Her family had rescued a dog from an abandoned house a few months ago.  Initial vet visit indicated that Bailey had heartworms.  Treatment began and was difficult and the stress on my friend was enormous.  Yesterday, Bailey went to the Rainbow Bridge.

But the biggest loss of all is one that I am really struggling to wrap my brain and my heart around.

I've mentioned the local online mom group that I have been part of for the past 5 years or so.  Through that group, I've seen and been part of some amazing things, some dramatic things, some fun things.  I've made some wonderful friends and connected with women who are compassionate, passionate, and determined to be the best moms they can be.

We've experienced loss together as a group.  We have moms in our group who have lost children, spouses, parents.

Yesterday, in a terribly unexpected way, one of our moms lost her most precious little boy.  You can read her sharing about it on her blog- Our Crazy House.  I'd encourage you to leave some words of support if you feel called to do so- I think this family needs as much love as possible right now.

Her family had been enduring and fighting a virus- just like so many of us at this time of year.  Her little boy- due to turn 4 in April- had gone to bed with his cold symptoms on Saturday night.  She checked on him Sunday morning and he was sleeping.  She checked again later in the morning- and he was unresponsive.

As I lay in bed last night, my head and heart couldn't stop thinking about what that moment must have been like for her.  I couldn't stop wondering about the day and how it felt and how she would be able to get through that horrible day and have to face the next one.

Her name is Amanda, her son- Elias.  Elias leaves behind 2 little brothers and an older sister.

So much loss in a short period of time.  From faraway places that don't directly impact me... to close by friends losing a pet they tried so hard to save... to what I imagine to be the hardest loss of all.

Count your blessings, check your priorities, and please send prayers, meditations, warm thoughts or anything else you have in the direction of those suffering loss right now.

Sudden Inspiration

I really have no idea where it came from.

Saturday morning, I suddenly decided that of all the crazy messes in my house, the hall closet was the one to get a redo. 

This linen closet has long been a place to cram stuff when there just wasn't a good place to put stuff otherwise.  On top of that, we would try to cram in towels, too. 

I wish I had taken a "before" picture to share.  You'll just have to trust me- it was bad.

I dug everything out.  I threw stuff away, I set aside things to donate.  I took the kids to Target to buy organizational things to keep the space tidy.

From there, I hit the bathroom.  I cleaned out under the sink.  I cleaned out the behind the toilet cabinet thing. 

Then on to the living room.  I cleaned up toys, collected up dirty socks, gathered up the pounds of paper the kids bring home from school, and vacuumed.

I sat down and folded 2 hampers of clothes. 

I'm not entirely sure where the burst of energy came from.  I don't normally get on a cleaning kick.  I had been away from home pretty much the entire day so I'm not sure why I didn't want to come home and just crash on the couch.  But something about being away from home all day made me want to make home a better place.

Which got me thinking about other choices I make. 

This weekend, I had my first visit with my Wellness Coach at the Y.  More details on that in another post.  But as I was chatting with her, a very pretty young woman came in and asked if I was Liz.  Turns out, she's a reader of this blog, we're friends on Facebook, and I was an inspiration for her running journey.  He journey has since blossomed into this phenomenal Virtual Running Club on Facebook that also meets for group runs.  My Wellness Coach is part of the group, too.  I had been part of the group but left when I stopped running.

But now I've rejoined.

Sudden Inspiration can come from nowhere.  I had a burst of it to get some junk in my house cleared out.  And now I'm feeling it start to kick in to get back to running.  I went to a running store yesterday and tried on a pair of Vibrams.  That particular pair didn't work for me but I really liked them.  Maybe a new pair of running shoes is the last step to getting my running groove back.  When I set goals with my Wellness Coach, I set some running goals.  When I set goals with my trainer at Empower Fitness, I set some running goals. 

It's time to run.
When was the last time you found some sudden inspiration?

FitCity: Mindfulness

Find me today on FitCity!

*****

I’ve taken a renewed interest in my health.  I’m currently in my 4th week on Weight Watchers, have joined my local YMCA, and am considering training for some events coming up this May (Dirty Girl 5K Mud Run & Obstacle Course) and June (Fishers Freedom Festival 5K- it was my first ever 5K back in 2010).

I’ve taken an interest in trying new things with this renewal as well.  As I continue on this ever-evolving journey, I want to share my new experiences with you.

In the past, healthy living has primarily meant making good food choices and being more active.  Most recently, it meant being focused on running and achieving goals through running that I never imagined would be on my list of accomplishments. 

This new evolution of healthy focus is proving to be threefold.  I am rediscovering my love of and passion for real food.  I am eager to try new workouts and new events and do things that I’ve simply never done before.  I want to be more mindful of my body and my health.

I was recently introduced to the idea of Mindful Eating and that has led me on a journey to being more mindful of my health in general.  Mindfulness is simply the idea of being attentive, aware, and careful about something.   By being aware and attentive, I am finding that there are nuances to food that I hadn’t appreciated before, that there are moments when my body shifts from warming up to ready to go, and times when deep breathing is all it takes to bring back my sense of calm.

Here are a few exercises you can do to be more mindful of your eating, your activity, and your stress level.

• Select a food, like an apple, and take a moment to hold it in your hand.  Pay attention to its weight, color, any marks on the skin.  Think about the tree that grew the apple.  Hold the apple to your nose and think about how it smells and what the smell is telling you about the food experience you will soon have.  Hold the apple to your lips.  Be aware of the feel of the smooth skin and tha tyou are still able to smell the fruit before you bite into it.  Bite into more slowly than you are used to and pay attention to the sensation of your teeth and gums as they encounter the apple.  Let the fruit sit on your tongue for a moment.   Slowly begin to chew.  Notice the way the juice comes from the apple to your cheek, your tongue, your throat.  Chew thoroughly, paying attention to how the feel of the fruit changes as you chew.   Even as you swallow, pay attention to the food as it travels down your throat.  Before you bite again, sit and feel and taste the sensations in your mouth and nose from that one bite.
• Go for a walk.  As you walk, focus on your body.  Start with your head.  Feel the weight of your head as it sits on your neck.  Move your attention down your body, focus for a moment on each joint, each muscle group.  Feel what your body does as it is moving.  Notice when your joints become more fluid, when your heart rate begins to increase, when your body temperature rises.  Take time to pay attention to your surroundings and make a mental note of the air, the sky, the scenery around you.  At the end of your walk, take time to notice how your body cools, how your buscles and joints feel, and how you feel about the activity you’ve done.
• Stressed out?  Take a few minutes away from the stress- somewhere private where you can be alone to focus.  Simply close your eyes and focus on your breathing.  Being mindful of your breathing can immediately help reduce your stress level.  Instead of simply taking a few deep breaths, take the time to pay attention to all the changes that happen when you inhale and exhale.  Feel your lungs expand and collapse.  Pay attention to other part sof your body that move while you inhale and exhale.  Notice how your heart feels when breathing in and when breathing back out.

Making time to focus on mindfulness means slowing down, being purposeful, and staying focused on the present rather than worrying about the past or planning for the future. 

When I am more mindful of my healthy living choices, I make better choices.  It is so easy to get lost in the constant craziness of life.  A big part of why I gained back weight I had worked so hard to lose, why I had stopped running, why I was losing my fitness level was because my focus was on my busy-ness.  We are all familiar with the hectic pace of life when we have days of endless meetings, the kids have homework and sports and playdates and activities, we have our own commitments to family, friends, church, community.  It is very easy to lose yourself and lose your “now” when the focus of life is on all that chaos.

Try to find a moment of mindfulness in your day.  Just 5 minutes of focusing on the present, on the details, and slowing down your pace can make a huge adjustment to your mental health and the choices you make in taking care of your body.

How Is Buttons?

I'm hopeful that we turned a corner a week ago.

Things had generally been going well.  But every few days, there would be a new pee spot on the floor somewhere.  The favorite room to leave the pee spot was the kids' bedroom- a place that made the marking even more irritating to me.

We had shampooed like mad.  I thought the carpet would be permanently damp.

Then Jeff went away for a weekend and we had some nice quiet time at home.  I was immensely enjoying that Buttons had been doing great when... she went and peed in the kids' bedroom.  She'd been all snuggly with me on the couch, got up and went down the hallway.  I assumed she was going for water.  When she didn't come back, I checked and she was standing outside their room, staring me down.  Sure enough- there was a pee spot.  The second I saw it, she ran and hid under my bed and stayed there for a while.

A few weeks ago, we started keeping her in a cage at night and while we are gone. 

After that pee incident, I had a thought... the only room she peed in anymore was the kids' room.  It's like she needed to figure out her place in the pack and marking that room was her way of trying to assert herself.  She very much follows the "don't pee where you sleep" thing. 

So I moved her cage into the kids' room.

It's not a permanent thing.  But from time to time, when we go out for a few hours or for the day, I'll put that cage in the kids' room to help her remember her place.

So far, it's working.

Other than that, she's a great dog. 

She is more expensive than we had expected.  We'd been told her medicine would cost around $45 a month.  First vet wanted to sell us her meds for $75.  We switched her to our vet and her meds are $55 a month.  Every few months, she's going to need testing done because of the Cushing's.  In March, we need to schedule her test.  She will spend all day at the vet's office and have blood draws throughout the day.  The day of testing costs almost $200.

So the dog budget is way higher than expected.

But she is a sweet old girl.  She snores and snorts and breaths oddly (she has earned the nickname "Slingblade").  She is extremely motivated by food and seeks a treat anytime she knows she deserves praise.  She is patient with the kids.  She hasn't ever grumbled or growled at anyone. 

Teagan and I have had a few intense conversations lately about Buttons and how old she is and about her having Cushing's and that we just don't know how long she will be our dog.  Maybe 2 years, maybe 6 months, maybe less.  That our purpose in adopting her was to provide her with a secure, calm, comfortable home to live her life until the end.

But we will all be crushed when the time comes that she is gone.

WW: Week 3

The biggest change this week is that our family joined the YMCA.

Our local Y is very close to our house.  Our kids have done some programs through the Y- soccer, basketball, gymnastics.  But we've never become members.  It's expensive.  I already belong to a gym, we don't have the time to take advantage of it enough to justify the expense.  Then we started planning for summer camps and discovered that the cost would be notably less if we were members.  The savings was good enough that it more than covers the cost of the monthly membership.  So we went ahead and signed up. 

An unexpected benefit to joining the Y is that they offer a "Coach Approach" as part of your membership.  Jeff and I have already scheduled our initial appointments.  Notice that?  Jeff and I.  Each of us.  He's going to start being more active, too.  The Coach Approach is a 6 month process where you meet monthly with a Wellness Coach and you can even have a meeting with a nutritionist.  I'm eager to figure out a 6 month plan and goal and even more excited to have my husband involved, too.

Using the Y will primarily happen on evenings and weekends.  The kids loved the childcare facility.  I'm adding group fitness classes to my calendar so that if I have the time and energy, I can slip out for a workout.  My hope is that we stay motivated and become a more active family.

I'm planning to write a blog this week for FitCity about new workouts that I try at the Y- the first new thing I did was water aerobics.  I did a 90 minute session on Saturday and I really enjoyed it.

Food wise this week was a struggle but also a learning opportunity.  I had a hard day and turned to food to soothe my feelings.  The good part was that I ended up making decent choices.  The behavior wasn't the best.  But because I keep a bountiful supply of healthy choices at work, the foods I chose ended up not blowing my points for the day.  What did I choose?  Baked lentil chips and madras lentils (kind of like a chili dip but no meat).  I wanted Penn Station or junk from the vending machine.  But I went with the healthy choices in my office and even though I overate and my eating was an emotional response, tracking my points meant that I quickly saw that I hadn't ruined my entire day.

See, in the past, if I caved and went for the junk and crap, I would have figured the entire day was blown and I would have continued to make bad choices.  But because I tracked, I saw that I hadn't ruined the day.  I saw that the day still had potential.  And I still stayed within my points.

So how did weigh in go?

Week 1- I lost 8 lb.  Week 2- held steady.  Week 3- I'm down 2 more pounds for a total of 10 lb lost!

Goals for this week-

1. My biggest challenge this week will be staying on track while dealing with my period.  It's back, sooner than expected, and it's kicking my hormonal booty.

2. Water.  I need to ditch diet soda and stick to water.  I'm about 85% good on my water consumption but I don't do so well on the weekends.

How was your healthy week?

6 Words: Trying Something New

New YMCA Membership.

*Gulp*

Water Aerobics.