I’m here! So sorry I did not post last week. I went out of town kind of on a whim to visit a great friend and her children. It was a lot of fun and I’m happy I was able to make the trip. You would think I lost a lot of weight running around with six children ages 4, 4, 2, 2, 5 months and 3 months! LOL. It was a riot! The highlights of the trip were getting to see a good friend, the beautiful mountain views, going to the movies (one of my favorite things to do), eating at the Bear Paw, checking out Colorado City and finally getting to buy some raw cheese and milk!
Actually, I got sick while I was there. I ate some food on Tuesday night that did not settle well and Wednesday I felt horrible. Okay, Staci is going to pee her pants when she reads this, but I was burping sewage out of my mouth! I’m not kidding. Her husband finally lit candles. All I could do was crack up that I was having the nastiest burps any human could possibly have. Gross! On Thursday, my body finally decided to dispose of things in the toilet instead of out my mouth! I don’t remember the last time I had bowel movements like that. My kids also didn’t feel well. This is just not "normal" for us. Why am I sharing this with you all? While I was sitting, staring at the toilet, thinking I was going to barf, I just couldn’t believe I was there. There was no one to blame but myself. Why do I do this? I know what is good for my body and what is not. So, why do I continue to eat foods that are not life sustaining? Why am I not fed up enough to progress to the next level of health? These are the questions that have been on my mind.
I am home and getting back into the swing of things. While I was gone I had time to reflect on what I was doing and more on what I was not doing. I know that I am not making the improvements in my life that I truly want. Brandon and I had time to discuss this on our seven hour drive home. It is obvious to us that I have somehow lost some of my spark. I care too much what others think and I do not do what I need or want to for myself while taking care of my family first. I am never going to be at my optimal level of health (mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually) if I don’t change this.
Finally, I asked my husband to make a list of things he thinks I could be doing to improve my life and become my best self.
Here it is:
-Meditate about visualization in the morning and gratitude in the evening
-Read 2 chapters a day of personal development material
-Listen to 1 CD a day of personal development material
-Read 1 chapter a day of scriptures
-Eat a vegetarian diet with no white flour, white rice (my love!), pasta or sugar
-Do 30 minutes of cardio a day and work my way up to 45 minutes to an hour (start at 3 times/week)
-Do pushups, crunches and lunges every other day
-Set a goal of how many blog posts I want per week and write them. I can do them all in a day, just decide what is best for my and stick to it
-Get a success journal and write down good points on things I have read, listened to or think of. Write in it every day. We can do this together and share if we want to.
We discussed each thing and I feel they are all great. My only thing is finding time to do all of these things being home with three small children. That is not an excuse, just something to work around. We decided that I should start with doing one of these things today and work my way into all of them. They all have to become routine and habitual. My days will eventually be shaped into a rhythm of doing all these things.
I am adding these to the list:
-Pick up and keep the house clean. The kids can help
-Do more activities and crafts with the children.
-Have more reading time with me and the kids.
-Start scrap booking again (get that 3rd bedroom organized!)
I am realizing that I have to integrate all of this. I can have reading time with the kids where they look at their book while I read my few chapters and when I’m finished I can read to them. I can set them up with a craft at the table an work on it with them while listening to a CD or posting a blog. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, it’s just a matter of finding the right flow for us.
I hope to report back soon on my success starting and continuing to do these things. I also hope that Brandon can give me great support, because my biggest thing to improve is following through.
What are some things you have done or are going to start doing to get to your best self?
We’ve all done it from time to time. Sitting in front of the computer for long, extended periods of time.
In fact, at the time of writing this, I’ve been at the computer for quite a long while, redesigning a new theme for this site. I can definitely tell I’ve been at the computer too long. My vision is a little blurry, and my butt and neck are sore.
When you sit in front of the computer for too long, you tend to hunch over… kind of just slouching in your chair. That is not a good thing for your spine.
Here’s Why
You have two main curves in your back: a lordotic curve in your lower back (the spine curves toward the stomach) and a kyphotic curve in the upper back (spine curves away from chest). The curve in the neck is lordotic as well, but bad posture can straighten that curve very easily.
Ideally, you want to sit in a chair that is ergonomically correct i.e. a 120 degree angled-tilt with a 5 cm pad in the lower back area to preserve natural lordosis in the lower back.
What actually happens is most people do not sit in an ergonomically correct chair, and as such, they don’t sit straight on their own, either. They slouch, which causes hyper-kyphosis in the upper back (extra curve) and some hypo-lordosis in the lower back (less curve). This in turn leads to a person leaning their head forward, which eventually causes a tremendous amount of strain in the rear neck muscles. For every inch you lean your head forward, that’s equivalent to adding 16 extra pounds of tension to your cervical spine. This kind of posture is what leads to tension headaches in many people. They neck muscles are fatigued and strained and they spasm slightly, which can lead to a strain of blood flow in that area, thus causing a headache.
How To Avoid Bad Posture, Headaches, and Obesity
Get up and move around. Period.
Pick fun activities that you feel will be worth time away from the computer. Some examples are to take a walk around the block, chase your kids around the house, or start up the Darren Rowse exercise routine!
Doing anything that requires some kind of exercise is great for all of us. Exercise releases endorphins all throughout our body, making us feel better. Exercise gives us more confidence as well. And if you have kids, most importantly, you’re setting the example for them.
The Lord knows kids in this country need any kind of help they can get. With obesity levels soaring above 65% in this country, what percentage of that do you think is below the age of 18? Try 15% between the ages of 6 and 19. Type II diabetes anyone? Heart disease? Going once, going twice…
Just by going out and running and/or doing push-ups and pull-ups at the house, the kids want to exercise with me. Tatum wants to go running with me, but I have to explain to her that I’m running "very far." But that’s okay. One day she’ll be able to go with me, and that will be a thrill for me.
I know in this day and age that sitting in front of the computer is what most of us do a lot of, whether it’s for work or play. But that doesn’t mean we have to confine ourselves to a life of continuous bad posture and subsequent structural problems with our spine.
So get off your butt and go skip around the block like this happy couple.
Apparently I have been complicating things. That is according to my husband and a good friend. See, when I lost the weight before I just did it. Unfortunately Nike already coined and patented the phrase "just do it", because it’s a darn good one! It’s true though. There doesn’t need to be labels, guidelines, etc. I have been over thinking things. I have been told by these wonderful people in my life that I need to get back to my basics. I don’t need to be vegan or 100% raw, but do what feels right to me.
This picture was from my journey last time. Oh, and that is my adorable daughter! When I became healthier before, that was my goal, to become healthier. Honestly, it really is what I thought about. I wanted to be able to get down on the ground and play with my kids in comfort. I wanted to have more energy and better moods. I wanted to make sure that I would be here to chase after my grandkids and their children! People asked me how I did it and my response is always "I walked 6 days a week and ate healthy…there’s no secret". I just ran into an old friend last night and that is exactly what I told her.
I literally thought, "Is this good for my body" when deciding what to eat. Healthy to me meant the following:
-No artificial colors, flavors or anything else man can think of. -No MSG. This includes yeast extract, carrageenan, and many more. (Brandon is going to do a post on this!) -No "natural flavors" or "spices" unless it listed exactly what they were in parentheses afterwards. -Nothing with hydrogenated anything. -No white foods…flour, rice, etc (with some exceptions here or there). -Only raw milk and cheese. -When I had a treat I got the best. Oh man, there was a gelato joint in TX that was outstanding called Pacuigo. Irreplaceable! Oh my gosh, I just looked and they are having a franchise here in Phoenix in Spring 2008. Watch out! That is sweet! -Only Ezekiel bread products (for toast, sandwiches, grilled cheeses, used the tortillas and raw cheese for homemade pizza). -Sometimes raw whole wheat tortillas that we’d cook at home. -Only rice or Ezekiel pastas. -Home made smoothies from all fruit and home made soups in the Vita Mix. -Fresh, raw juice from our Jack La Lanne juicer. -Beans, brown rice and yummy dishes like fried rice or chili. -As many raw fruits and veggies as I want.
I never told myself I could not have something. If I really wanted it, I ate it. I used portion control naturally though, never forced it.
So, why am I not doing this now? If it worked before, why am I trying to fix something that’s not broken? Is it in my nature? Am I just trying to find a better way" Who cares. I think I’m just going to do what worked before. I felt great and I lost weight because of it. The lost weight was actually a great side effect of getting healthier.
With all that said, I’m going to take a break from writing out what I’ve eaten and trying to label myself. I’ll still be here, posting away. I want to be healthier, less weight on me and to help people do the same. That’s not going to change!
We’ve all done it from time to time. Sitting in front of the computer for long, extended periods of time. 
Doing anything that requires some kind of exercise is great for all of us. Exercise releases endorphins all throughout our body, making us feel better. Exercise gives us more confidence as well. And if you have kids, most importantly, you’re setting the example for them. 
I know in this day and age that sitting in front of the computer is what most of us do a lot of, whether it’s for work or play. But that doesn’t mean we have to confine ourselves to a life of continuous bad posture and subsequent structural problems with our spine. 