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And…Take Two

By on January 23, 2012 in eating, Paleo, plan, planning, working out

…wherein I confess that I fell off the “transitioning to Paleo” wagon about a week after I hopped on!

So guess what?  Apparently when you plan to change your entire way of eating, some planning is required in order for that to be a success.  Go figure!

Also, news flash?  Babies take up a LOT of time.  Where BB (“Before Baby”) I could have zipped out to Costco or the grocery store any time to stock up, and had time to cook most nights (I didn’t say I actually cooked most nights, just that I had time!), now … not so much.

So, yeah.  I made it about a week before my (a) failure to plan/cook/shop ahead and (b) inability to make time for such things mid-week derailed me.

Oh, and then there was the GSS2012 (Great Snow Storm of 2012) wherein we were “snowed in” for a week.  And by snowed in, I mean we had 12+ inches of snow and we live on a hill, so although the roads were mostly fine about a mile from our house, there was no getting out of our neighborhood unless I wanted to slip and slide in my car like I was on skis.

So, yeah.  Crap, I already said that.

Anyhoo, in an effort to be more realistic, I am taking this week and coming weekend to do my shopping/planning/cooking ahead.  In the meantime, I am back to no sugar starting now.  Each day I will do one thing to prepare for my change in food choices.  Except today, when I am going back to the gym.  For the first time since Alana was born.  I’m signing us up for a family membership and I will break a sweat.  That’s more important to me, today, than anything else.

Here’s the plan:

Tuesday: Costco after work.
Wednesday: Cook one Paleo-friendly meal, freeze at least 4 servings of same.
Thursday: Grocery store after work.
Friday: Same as Wednesday.
Saturday: Cook 2-3 meals, freeze, also prep snacks for the week.
Sunday: Same as Saturday.

Workout-wise:

Monday (today): Gym
Tuesday: Wii Fit
Wednesday: Gym
Thursday: Mid-day walk (little rain in forecast)
Friday: Rest (I have a hearing that day and like to get home early on Fridays if I can!)
Saturday: Gym
Sunday: Not sure, walk with hubs hopefully?

How about you peeps?  How are you all doing?  Please don’t say “I told you so” on the whole failing to plan is planning to fail thingy.  :)

Gratuitous baby pic:

Comments { 3 }

17 Week Update

By on April 11, 2011 in pregnancy, work, working out

It’s funny how being pregnant all of a sudden makes you think of everything in weeks.  How many weeks pregnant am I?  (17)  How many weeks until I deliver?  (23)  You get the idea.

This isn’t really just a 17 week update, though – I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last post!  I feel like I sound like a broken record lately.  I’m so busy, blah blah blah.  Oh, and did you know I’m pregnant??  lol  But I guess this blog is about my life, and work + pregnancy are what my life is centered on right now, so there you have it!

I had a fantastic weekend in Vancouver with Tara and Meegan – it could not have come at a better time.  Having time away from work and combining that with the utter relaxation and enjoyment of being with those two girls was absolute perfection.  The pedis and sunshine were truly a bonus – icing on the cake!  We had a killer workout Saturday morning and spent much of the rest of the day (in between meals and a haircut for me) walking around the city.  We guesstimated that we had walked about 6 miles or so?  And it felt great.

By the end of the day, I could definitely feel my belly, though – they say that the tendons supporting your pregnant belly can get sore, and mine definitely did!  I slept well that night.  :)

Sunday night, though, I had some spotting, so after a few moments of panic (thank God for my calm, rational husband), I went to the ER where I got to hear the baby’s heart beat AND see him/her dancing around on an ultrasound.  They put me on pelvic rest (not bed rest, but just about – no sex, exercise, lifting, etc.) until I could go for a follow-up with the OB on Thursday.  At which appointment she also whipped out the Doppler (the thing they use to listen to the heart beat).  Again, super strong heart beat AND she witnessed how ACTIVE this baby already is – every time she would locate the heart beat, it would move after a second or two and she’d have to hunt around to find it again.  She seemed surprised that the baby was so active AND that I had been feeling him/her move for so long already.  She mentioned that my OB (who was out of town for the week) might want to adjust my due date at our next appointment.

She cleared me to exercise and just be wise about what I choose to do, no jumping, nothing high impact (although she said I could jog which seemed counter-intuitive to me).  She thought the combination of having worked so much for the previous 10 days or so (sitting all day, 12 hour days) and then jumping into a workout plus lots of walking Saturday might just have been a little too much, so message received.  I will not do that again, and I will be doing low-impact workouts for the rest of this pregnancy.  (And I’m sure that when my kid is a teenager, I will tell him/her that he/she was already a pain in my rear before being born!)

My weight gain is about on track, maybe 2-3 pounds higher than I would like, but so long as me and the baby stay healthy, I’m not going to complain.

Work is crazy!  But also fun, which maybe makes me a little bit sick.  Aside from last Saturday in Vancouver, I haven’t had a day off in almost 3 weeks.  But I’m supervising my own team of attorneys now, which I love.  And which means that I have to work more to do the same number of billable hours.  But our pay scale is base + bonuses if you bill a certain number of hours, so I am being compensated for my time which makes it all feel fair.  And to be honest, I also love the whole “crunch time” feeling of taking on 1,000+ new matters, having to get them all reviewed, and the kind of frantic energy that surrounds this process.  Yeah, like I said – maybe I’m a little twisted.

My only complaint these days is that spring is VERY late in coming to Seattle!  But even that complaint feels feeble when I look out the window today and see (hooray!) the sun shining.  So, with that, I’m off for a little walk to enjoy it while I can.

How are you doing?  How much does it suck that I’m posting so sporadically these days?!  Miss you all!

Comments { 10 }

Doing it All? (Guest Post)

By on March 24, 2011 in consistency/commitment, guest post, health, P90X, working out

Let me begin with an introduction.  I am:

A wife
A mommy of three little boys (ages 6, 3, & 1)
A full-time prosecuting attorney (felony domestic violence and child abuse cases)
A Jesus lover
A facilitator of an online classroom (internet teacher)
A Children’s Pastor
A daughter
A friend
An aunt

AND a person who REALLY wants to make being healthy a priority.

I recently told my husband that I’m AWESOME at juggling the balls when they’re all up in the air; it’s when one falls that it becomes difficult to keep the others going.  This is the truth of my busy life!

A lot of times when I first meet people, or I am chatting with someone I don’t know very well and I’m sharing about myself, many people ask:  how do you do it all?  The answer is simple:  I don’t.  The truth is, if I’m honest with myself, the challenges for me are the same as for others:  what’s important is recognizing my challenges and being inspired by them INSTEAD of being frustrated.

I am a very driven person!  I love to set goals, accomplish things, be busy, get lots of things done, finish to-do lists, etc.  Nothing excites me more than seeing my calendar FULL at the beginning of the day and shutting my computer down after a full day of work and getting everything done that I had in mind for the day.

Okay, enough with the self-promotion, right?  So after my third son was born, I was determined to “get my body back!”  I decided to make nutrition, weight loss, exercise, and general health a major priority in my life; just what I needed, right, one more thing “to do.”

For me, getting healthy included a few goals:  cutting out all sodas (I could write a whole OTHER blog about how much I love Coke.  It sounds ridiculous, but it’s true); getting to a weight that put me in a “healthy” BMI category; making working out/being active a daily part of my life; cutting out all artificial sweeteners; cutting out high fructose corn syrup; making daily choices that included foods that give me energy, not just satisfaction; and doing this all with the support/companionship of my husband.

I wanted to make the food changes because I want to have a healthy relationship with food:  no more emotional eating.  I wanted to make the active lifestyle changes because I have three small boys and nothing gives me more pleasure than the idea of being an “active” family together (swimming, biking, playing, hiking, whatever) for as long as we can.

I know my “journey” into becoming healthier is only beginning, but the biggest struggle for me at this point is fitting it in.  Right now, because of the ages of my kids, my work schedule, and the program I’m doing (I too am a P90X do-er), the time that works best is 5 a.m.  Gag. Me. With. A. Spoon.  I am NOT a morning person.  Keeping the motivation to “be healthy” is REALLY hard when it comes at five in the morning.

That being said, when I start my day with a workout, things are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better for me.  I feel strong.  I feel good that I got my workout in.  I feel ready for my day.  The endorphin dump while I drive to work is a great plus in traffic!  Just like everything else I’m learning in this journey, so much of my struggle comes down to my ability to make the best choice for myself at that moment.  When my kids are sick and not sleeping, hitting snooze and fitting my workout in after their bedtime that night might be the best choice.  And if it’s NOT the best choice (I guarantee that when I’m working out at 9:30 p.m., I WILL wish I had just gotten up early), I can try again another day.

So from a full time working mama + [insert any other title above here], there is an answer to the eternal question:  “how do you do it all?”  The answer is that you can’t do it all, but you CAN DO what you CAN do for today to make the most of your life, your body, and your choices.  And if you struggle today, there’s always tomorrow!

Blessings to you all…

Comments { 4 }

Unexpected Life

By on March 16, 2011 in P90X, pregnancy, work, working out

Hi friends!  Well, I think Murphy has struck again.  After last week’s announcement (thank you all again for your wonderful support and encouragement!), I really thought I’d be back to posting more.  What with the news being out and work slowing down (you know where this is going, right?), I’d have the ability and the time to post more, right?

Wrong.

Well, not wrong, exactly.  It’s just that some unexpected and potentially exciting opportunities have cropped up at the firm.  And it’s super fun to be involved with evaluating and making decisions about those opportunities.  But dang if it doesn’t take a lot of time!  So those 40-hour work-weeks?  Shorter days where, because of Daylight Savings Time, I’d be going home during daylight hours?  Not here yet.

So here’s what I’ve got for you: I’m hanging in there eating-wise.  Not perfect, but not off the rails.  I got 5 workouts in last week, but none so far this week.  I can still get in 4-5 if I make it happen.  I’m working a lot, but I’m glad to do it now because of the circumstances.  But big decisions lie ahead and I would love your prayers for wisdom and clarity as we make those decisions.

Oh, and one more thing?  Being pregnant?  It’s weird.  Sometimes it’s weird because I’m nauseous all day long for “no reason.”  Other times it’s weird because I know there’s a baby inside me but I feel TOTALLY normal (normal = not pregnant, right?).  It feels strange to have experienced so many body changes when I’m not even showing yet.  I have lots more to share on that, and will definitely do it in the future.

Okay, so two more things (sue me) – P90X is pretty great.  I was a skeptic at first but I think, after a week, I might be a convert.  More to come on that, too.

Comments { 5 }

P90X – Day One

By on March 7, 2011 in P90X, working out

As you know, I bit the bullet and bought P90X recently.  There are a lot of reasons, but the main one is that I am looking to make it as easy as possible for me to get my workouts in.  Being able to roll out of bed in the morning, throw on some clothes, and push “play” to start my workout is very attractive to me.

There is a lot more that appeals to me about this program.  I like that it emphasizes strength and strength/weight training.  It mixes in cardio (in the form of Plyometrics, Kenpo, and their “Cardio” workout), stretching, and yoga, too.  So it’s a well-rounded workout.  All of which you can do at home.

I was also attracted by the fact that, although you can certainly go out and buy a whole “home gym” setup and use it for these workouts, you don’t have to do so.  I started Day One of P90X with a set of adjustable weights that go up to 24 pounds each; a set of resistance bands; and a yoga mat.  I didn’t buy any of this recently or just for P90X.  However, I will probably buy a chin-up/pull-up bar and push-up stands like these to make this workout more effective and easier on my wrists.  Eventually I’ll also need to add the 25-50 pound adjustable dumbbell set.

On their FAQ page, Beach Body (the company that makes P90X) answers the question, “what equipment do I need?” like this: “Just a set of dumbbells or lightweight resistance bands, and a chin-up bar that fits in any doorway. You may also want to have optional equipment, such as push-up stands, a yoga mat, and a heart-rate monitor.”

So, full disclosure: I’m only one day in.  I was a little nervous/scared about the level of intensity of this program because my workouts haven’t been the best lately (more on that later).  But I was also excited to try something new.  Even fuller disclosure?  I’m terrible at following through on at-home workouts.  I have workout DVDs that have never seen the inside of my DVD player (which we only got hooked up last weekend. after a year of a netflix subscription.).

The Day One workout is Chest and Back plus Ab Ribber X.  (No I didn’t make that up.  Yes, that’s really what the ab workout is called.  And yes, that scares the tar out of me!)  This morning I just did the Chest and Back DVD since I was short on time (still training my body to get up earlier for this); I’ll do the Ab Ripper X tonight before bed.

If I could only use one phrase to describe today’s workout, it would be “push ups” – I’ve never done so many in my life!  The basic idea is this; they start you with a warm up.  Then they alternate between chest and back exercises, with all of the chest exercises being push ups.  Regular push ups.  Military push ups.  Wide push ups.  Diamond push ups.  Decline (holy hell heck who knew that would be so hard?!) push ups.  Most of the back exercises are variations on chin ups or pull ups, with a few exercises using the dumbbells mixed in.  Then you cool down and you’re done.

It was hard.  Looking at the four people on the DVD doing 20+ reps of everything, I wondered if I would ever get to their level.  But I quickly realized reminded myself that it doesn’t really matter if I do – what matters is me being my best.  And even though I had to start small (10-15 reps on most things, less as the hour wore on and my chest couldn’t take many more push ups!), I liked that I could pace myself given my current fitness level, but also look forward to how much progress I can make if I stay committed.  As good a workout as this was for me today, I can see it being an excellent workout when I’m ___ pounds lighter or ___ times stronger than I am now.

So there you have it – my comments on P90X after one day.  I am committed to doing this for 90 days, although I know life happens and may interfere with me getting every single workout in.  That’s okay.  As I shared with a friend today, this is not about perfection for me.  I am treating this like an experiment and an adventure, which makes everything in life a heck of a lot more fun!  And I’ll keep you all posted on how it goes.  If you have any questions about P90X, I’d be happy to answer them to the best of my (admittedly limited) ability.

Oh, and FTC?  Y’all are such a pain.  I bought the P90X with my own hard-earned cash.  But even if I hadn’t?  This review would be, and is, 100% honest, since my opinions are not for sale.

Comments { 9 }