Several weeks ago I read a small article tucked in the back of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the cost of food. The article was not talking about dollars and cents, but rather time and sweat. How many miles will I need to run to burn off that burger? How many sit-ups will that cupcake cost me?
This article put food in a different perspective for me. Are the 15 seconds it will take for me to inhale a handful of chips or a candy bar be worth the 30 minutes it will take me to burn off the calories? Probably not. When faced with the decision of a large piece of cake versus a small piece of cake, I would always take the bigger piece not giving a second thought to the fact that I knew I would feel sick after eating it. But now when I look at the pieces of cake from the perspective of how much exercise it will take to burn off those calories, I'm more inclined to take the smaller piece.
Asking myself a simple question before making a decision about what foods I eat has helped me to make healthier choices . . . Do I walk away now or walk it off later?
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
35 Meals in 30 Minutes
Time and Money. Two things that cause me great stress.
Most Saturday mornings I spend a good chunk of time planning out my family's meals for the week ahead. I enjoy searching the Internet for new recipes and lingering over my cookbooks looking for recipes that my family likes but that I haven't made for awhile. I find that the weeks I take the time to do this run smoother because I know what I am making for dinner the second I walk in the door from work. These weeks also cost less because my grocery shopping is organized and I am less likely to fallback on pizza. This plan greatly lowers my stress because I am ultimately saving time and money.However, the weeks that I don't have time to plan out our meals don't go as well. I'm often flying aimlessly through the grocery store late on a Sunday night throwing random items in my cart. When I get home from work I stand and stare in the freezer and cupboard hoping a brilliant idea will pop out at me. I return to the grocery store one or two more times during the week to pick up forgotten items. A pizza box (or two!) and bags from fast food restaurants can be found in our garbage. My stress level is high and my debit card is on fire.
Looking at the weeks ahead, I know that our weekends are going to be busy. Sitting down on Saturday mornings with a cup of hot coffee surrounded by my cookbooks is not going to be happening. But today I had plenty of time. It dawned on me - why not plan an entire month's worth of meals at one time. I expected it to take quite awhile, but it surprisingly only took me 30 minutes!
Here's what I did:
1) Made a list of 30 meals that I make for my family. I listed whatever came to mind from simple suppers such as grilled cheese with tomato soup to more complicated meals like lasagna to classic family favorites such as pancakes.
2) Divided the list into chicken, beef, breakfast, sandwiches, pasta and difficult dinners. This made it easy to make sure I spread the meals out and hadn't planned things like three chicken dishes one week and none the next.
3) Looked up five new recipes that looked good to try (one new recipe a week!).
4) Used five sheets of paper to list Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc. to represent each week.
5) Divided my list of 35 meals between the five weeks. I took things into consideration such as simple meals on my Zumba nights. Crockpot meals on Fridays because I am always exhausted. More complicated meals on Sundays because I often have more times on Sundays.
Bam! I'm done! Five weeks of meals planned and ready to go. I couldn't believe how easy it was. In fact my meal plan came together so fast that I had time to write up five shopping lists.
I know that this sounds like such a simple idea, but I am so excited about it! Obviously, I will need to have flexibility depending on exactly what is going on each week (If you've read my earlier posts you know I struggle with that!). And I am giving myself three Pizza Coupons to use during the five weeks (I LOVE pizza!).
35 Meals in 30 Minutes. I'm expecting this meal plan to greatly reduce my stress and help keep my budget on target (which also reduces my stress level!). I can't wait to get cookin'!
Monday, August 12, 2013
Day Twelve is My Day One
One
of the latest trends on Facebook is the 30-Day Challenge. For example, I’ve seen the ab challenge, the
arm challenge and the squat challenge.
These challenges scream my name – structured time frame, small time
commitment, concise direction on exactly what to do. I can print out the calendar and make a big X
on each day as I complete it. Is this
perfect for me or what?!?! Love it!
Lesson #3 - Make your exercise schedule work for you.
At one point in my training I became very frustrated because I was always too busy and tired on Tuesdays and kept skipping the workout. I was ready to give up. Talking to my mom about it, she asked me "Who is telling you that you have to run on Tuesdays?" That question made me stop and think. "The schedule on the paper," I quietly answered. "The paper? Do they have a day to rest on the paper?" she asked. "Yes, on Sundays." I replied. "Why don't you rest on Tuesdays and run on Sundays? Don't give up. Just make a simple change to make the schedule work for you." I always knew my mom was a wise woman! Making that switch was a huge mental turning point for me. I had been trying to fit myself into the training schedule, when what I really needed to do was fit the training schedule into my life. It worked - I didn't quit!
For
the past several months I’ve been ready to jump on the 30-Day Challenge
Bandwagon with the Ab Challenge.
Crunches, planks and leg lifts - I’m in!
My calendar is printed out. My marker
is ready to start crossing off those days.
I’m ready to go! Then, the next
thing I know it’s the third of the month.
“Oooops. Missed that start date. I’ll start next month,” I tell myself.
The
next month it’s the same thing. I’m
in! My calendar is printed out. My marker is ready to start crossing off
those days. I’m ready to go! Then, all of a sudden it’s the fifth of the
month.
“Oooops. Missed that start date. I’ll start next month,” I tell myself.
Here
I am today – August 12, 2013. I can
physically feel my pudgy belly rolling over the waistband of my pants and am
mentally feeling extremely frustrated with myself.
A lesson
that I learned after a conversation I had with my mom a couple years ago when I
was ready to quit the Couch to 5K training program pops into my head (as
recorded in My Story Part 3):
Lesson #3 - Make your exercise schedule work for you.
At one point in my training I became very frustrated because I was always too busy and tired on Tuesdays and kept skipping the workout. I was ready to give up. Talking to my mom about it, she asked me "Who is telling you that you have to run on Tuesdays?" That question made me stop and think. "The schedule on the paper," I quietly answered. "The paper? Do they have a day to rest on the paper?" she asked. "Yes, on Sundays." I replied. "Why don't you rest on Tuesdays and run on Sundays? Don't give up. Just make a simple change to make the schedule work for you." I always knew my mom was a wise woman! Making that switch was a huge mental turning point for me. I had been trying to fit myself into the training schedule, when what I really needed to do was fit the training schedule into my life. It worked - I didn't quit!
It
dawned on me . . . Just because the idea is to start day one on the first of
the month, is there some crazy law out there that says that that's when I have
to start? If I start today - on the 12th
- is the 30-Day Challenge Police going to show up at my door ready to cart me
away? I don't think so.
So today, August 12, 2013, I am starting Day
One of the 30-Day Ab Challenge because it works for me! (If you are on Day Twelve and dying - don't
tell me!).
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Perspective . . Permission . . Praise . . Observations from Week One of Getting Myself Back on Track
A little over a week ago I set three goals for myself to help myself stop eating everything in sight and get back to exercising on a regular basis:
1 - Drink more water.
2 - Eat two pieces of fresh fruit a day.
3 - Run 2-miles three times during the week.
Did I meet all of my goals? Not exactly. How do I feel? GREAT! Have I learned anything? YES!
I met two of my goals perfectly. I drank a TON of water and ate A LOT of fruit. Did I run this week? No, BUT I did exercise four out of the seven days, which to me is success. The bottom line is that for me exercise is exercise whether I'm running, hiking, swimming or going to my Zumba class.
As is always the case in life, there are lessons to be learned along the journey.
1) PERSPECTIVE. Two weeks ago we had a tree fall in our back yard. Jamison and I had been watching this tree and knew that at some point in the next couple of years we were going to have to have this tree removed. What a gift - God took care of it for us! It was as if He took a hold of that tree and gently laid it down across our back yard. If it would have fallen in any other direction it would have taken out sheds, pools or decks! Instead it only broke four panels of our fence and one of our neighbors. Phew!!
After class I had several people come up to me and tell me that they've missed me in class, that I was looking good or that they had been watching/following me during class. That absolutely made my day! I felt good about myself and was just really pumped up! That reminded me to more aware of doing the same for other people - paying compliments, praising people for doing well and being aware of the positive things around me. So yesterday I purposefully paid attention and passed out compliments throughout the day. It was SO much fun! I enjoyed the reactions I got from people. Their reactions made ME feel just as good, if not better, than when people give me praise.
After one week I'm feeling really good. I am confident that I can keep myself going. I'm going to set similar goals for this upcoming week:
1) I will fill my cup up with water first thing in the morning and re-fill it throughout the day.
2) I will eat two piece of fresh fruit everyday.
4) I will exercise four times this week (two of which will be running since my next 5K is rapidly approaching!).
Why am I not making big changes to my goals? I believe that by setting smaller goals I am setting myself up to succeed. Celebrating success more often keeps me motivated which leads to achieving the larger goal I set for myself. Remember the Old Chinese Proverb
1 - Drink more water.
2 - Eat two pieces of fresh fruit a day.
3 - Run 2-miles three times during the week.
Did I meet all of my goals? Not exactly. How do I feel? GREAT! Have I learned anything? YES!
I met two of my goals perfectly. I drank a TON of water and ate A LOT of fruit. Did I run this week? No, BUT I did exercise four out of the seven days, which to me is success. The bottom line is that for me exercise is exercise whether I'm running, hiking, swimming or going to my Zumba class.
As is always the case in life, there are lessons to be learned along the journey.
1) PERSPECTIVE. Two weeks ago we had a tree fall in our back yard. Jamison and I had been watching this tree and knew that at some point in the next couple of years we were going to have to have this tree removed. What a gift - God took care of it for us! It was as if He took a hold of that tree and gently laid it down across our back yard. If it would have fallen in any other direction it would have taken out sheds, pools or decks! Instead it only broke four panels of our fence and one of our neighbors. Phew!!
Our Fallen Tree
Last weekend I spent Saturday and Sunday working on removing the tree. I had A LOT of help from my amazing family, friends and neighbors. But in my mind I had set a goal for myself and this stupid tree was interfering. I had to remind myself to check my perspective. So I didn't get to run my two miles, but I did about 500 squats, got a great arm workout and burned who knows how many calories. That tree put me through several good workouts!
2) PERMISSION. When this past Monday morning arrived, I felt rested, energized and ready to go. After so much physical work over the weekend I expected to be exhausted. I think the key was that my weekend was filled with a strong balance of work, family fun and personal relaxation. The tree was taken care of and my household chores to get ready for the upcoming week were done. I went to dinner with a friend, attended my nephew's birthday party and took my kids to a pool party. I also spent time laying on the couch napping and watching the baseball game with my husband. For me, that last part was key. Normally I have a hard time laying around and relaxing because I always feel as if there is something else I should be doing.
In talking this over with a friend, she said that it worked because I gave myself permission to relax. She's right! I remember literally saying to myself, "Lisa - You have worked hard. You deserve this time for yourself." It is OK for me to have some down time. Actually, it is MORE than OK for me to have some down time - it is VITAL that I have some down time! It doesn't matter if I am physically working hard chopping and carrying wood or doing regular household chores - I deserve a break and need to give myself permission to take it. Giving myself that permission helps me achieve that balance in life that I am always chasing. (We'll see if I can apply this lesson to this weekend!)
3) PRAISE. I was so happy this week that I got to go to TWO Zumba classes. YAY!! My Zumba class attendance has definitely been pushed to the back burner these past few months. Setting that goal for myself to run three times this week pushed me to make exercise a priority. One class I attended was my instructor's Zumba/Toning/Bokwa Fourth of July Smash-Up. 90 minutes of pure FUN! I had a blast and felt great!
My BFF Amy (right) and I after the Zumba/Toning/Bokwa Smash-Up
After class I had several people come up to me and tell me that they've missed me in class, that I was looking good or that they had been watching/following me during class. That absolutely made my day! I felt good about myself and was just really pumped up! That reminded me to more aware of doing the same for other people - paying compliments, praising people for doing well and being aware of the positive things around me. So yesterday I purposefully paid attention and passed out compliments throughout the day. It was SO much fun! I enjoyed the reactions I got from people. Their reactions made ME feel just as good, if not better, than when people give me praise.
After one week I'm feeling really good. I am confident that I can keep myself going. I'm going to set similar goals for this upcoming week:
1) I will fill my cup up with water first thing in the morning and re-fill it throughout the day.
2) I will eat two piece of fresh fruit everyday.
4) I will exercise four times this week (two of which will be running since my next 5K is rapidly approaching!).
Why am I not making big changes to my goals? I believe that by setting smaller goals I am setting myself up to succeed. Celebrating success more often keeps me motivated which leads to achieving the larger goal I set for myself. Remember the Old Chinese Proverb
It is better to take many small steps in the right direction
than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.
I'm going to lace up my tennis shoes and take my first small step this week . . . this Mom is heading out for a RUN! What small step are you going to take today?
Thursday, June 27, 2013
I Can't Stop Eating!!
This slump is starting to completely freak me out! The Half-Marathon was a month and a half ago and I still haven't gotten myself moving. Now, I feel as if I am eating everything in sight! I can't stop eating!! As I type, I have that I-ate-so-much-I feel-sick-to-my-stomach feeling from chowing on pizza. The good news is that I feel this way after eating only three slices - I used to eat four before cutting myself back to two.
It is time to put together a game plan:
1) I registered for Pittsburgh's Great Race - the 10K. That's a little over 6 miles in less than three months. I better get moving! I will run two miles three times in the next week.
2) I'm going to get back to drinking lots of water. Remember my pink cup from last summer?
It is time to put together a game plan:
1) I registered for Pittsburgh's Great Race - the 10K. That's a little over 6 miles in less than three months. I better get moving! I will run two miles three times in the next week.
2) I'm going to get back to drinking lots of water. Remember my pink cup from last summer?
I went out tonight and got myself a new one! Starting tomorrow, I will fill my cup up before my daily morning meeting at work and then continue to fill it throughout the day. I love that our Employee Fridge has an automatic ice and water dispenser in the door.
3) I'm going to eat at least two pieces of fruit a day for the next week. Somehow I got back on a salty potato chip/pretzel kick. I've been to the vending machine twice this week! I know that I feel better when I eat healthier natural foods such as fruit so why aren't I doing that? Tomorrow, I'm going to clear all of the change out of my desk so that there is less temptation and stop at the grocery store to fill up my fruit bowl.
Game plan in place - three simple goals that I can easily accomplish in the next seven days. The first step in getting myself back on track. It is so important that I take the time and energy to focus on me - I know that for a fact. I will NOT grow weary! I will NOT give up!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
I Want to be Contagious!
I stood in the long check-out line of Bottom Dollar (one of our local grocery stores).
My cart was literally overflowing. In front of me were two ladies - a middle-aged daughter taking her elderly mom to the grocery - both carrying a small armload of goods. In front of them was a third lady - older than the other two - pushing a cart containinging a few items. I observed the three ladies strike up a conversation and the lady with the cart offered to have the other two cut in front of her in line. As the ladies shifted their positions, I made eye contact with the leader of this line dance.
"Me, too?" I asked with a smile waving my arms across the top of my full cart.
She broke into a high pitched giggle, "Now that may be considered taking advantage of a little old lady!"
The entire checkout line joined in her laughter.
For the next 30 minutes I enjoyed an amazing conversation with this 86 year-old stranger while we went through the checkout line, boxed up my groceries (She grabbed a box and started organizing my groceries before I could stop her!), and walked to our cars which just so happened to be parked side by side. We talked about cooking, raising children, God, health and TV comedies.
As I was driving home I realized that I was sitting there with the most ridiculous grin on my face. Then I started to laugh. How weird was this? I never saw this lady before in my life, our paths cross for 30 minutes and now I'm sitting here with a crazy grin on my face. I just felt so happy! This complete stranger left me with such a sense of joy. What was it about her?
She was CONSIDERATE - after all, not too many people let others cut in front of them in the checkout line or help a complete stranger box up her groceries. She was a great CONVERSATIONALIST. I am a social worker, so you know I love a good conversation filled with active listening and lots of questions. She had a CONTAGIOUS positive attitude that left me with this sense of joy. That was it. Her attitude. It was contagious!
I started to think about myself. Do I leave people with a sense of joy? Lately I have been struggling with my attitude. I have always considered myself to be a very positive person, but I have felt as if I've been letting life's stresses leave a lingering dark haze over me. I'm quicker to point out the bad in the situation. It's harder to get myself out of bed in the morning rather than anticipating a good day. I catch myself complaining more. This isn't me . . . at least it's not the me I want to be! I want to exude happiness and positivity and JOY! I want to be CONTAGIOUS!
Living a healthy life involves all aspects of health - physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and attitudinal. Am I living my life with a healthy attitude? I have to admit that I don't think I am right now. That's something I know I need to work on.
As this stranger (We didn't even exchange names!) and I parted ways she shared this with me, "As I was having my time with God this morning He impressed upon my heart that I would touch someone's life today - give them a smile and some happiness. I've been sitting in my house all day expecting someone to stop over, but as the day got later I thought maybe I'm supposed to go find that person so I decided to come to the grocery store."
At the time I told her that I was pretty sure she had found her person. She sure had made me smile and brightened my day! The more I reflect on our interaction, I'd say she gave me a lot more than a smile!
HUMOROUS SIDE NOTE: God did a great job of pointing her out to me. She was hard to miss! My stranger was dressed from head to toe in bright purple with purple eye shadow, purple bangle bracelets, a large purple flower ring and purple nail polish. I LOVE purple! That will SO be me when I'm 86!
My cart was literally overflowing. In front of me were two ladies - a middle-aged daughter taking her elderly mom to the grocery - both carrying a small armload of goods. In front of them was a third lady - older than the other two - pushing a cart containinging a few items. I observed the three ladies strike up a conversation and the lady with the cart offered to have the other two cut in front of her in line. As the ladies shifted their positions, I made eye contact with the leader of this line dance.
"Me, too?" I asked with a smile waving my arms across the top of my full cart.
She broke into a high pitched giggle, "Now that may be considered taking advantage of a little old lady!"
The entire checkout line joined in her laughter.
For the next 30 minutes I enjoyed an amazing conversation with this 86 year-old stranger while we went through the checkout line, boxed up my groceries (She grabbed a box and started organizing my groceries before I could stop her!), and walked to our cars which just so happened to be parked side by side. We talked about cooking, raising children, God, health and TV comedies.
As I was driving home I realized that I was sitting there with the most ridiculous grin on my face. Then I started to laugh. How weird was this? I never saw this lady before in my life, our paths cross for 30 minutes and now I'm sitting here with a crazy grin on my face. I just felt so happy! This complete stranger left me with such a sense of joy. What was it about her?
She was CONSIDERATE - after all, not too many people let others cut in front of them in the checkout line or help a complete stranger box up her groceries. She was a great CONVERSATIONALIST. I am a social worker, so you know I love a good conversation filled with active listening and lots of questions. She had a CONTAGIOUS positive attitude that left me with this sense of joy. That was it. Her attitude. It was contagious!
I started to think about myself. Do I leave people with a sense of joy? Lately I have been struggling with my attitude. I have always considered myself to be a very positive person, but I have felt as if I've been letting life's stresses leave a lingering dark haze over me. I'm quicker to point out the bad in the situation. It's harder to get myself out of bed in the morning rather than anticipating a good day. I catch myself complaining more. This isn't me . . . at least it's not the me I want to be! I want to exude happiness and positivity and JOY! I want to be CONTAGIOUS!
Living a healthy life involves all aspects of health - physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and attitudinal. Am I living my life with a healthy attitude? I have to admit that I don't think I am right now. That's something I know I need to work on.
As this stranger (We didn't even exchange names!) and I parted ways she shared this with me, "As I was having my time with God this morning He impressed upon my heart that I would touch someone's life today - give them a smile and some happiness. I've been sitting in my house all day expecting someone to stop over, but as the day got later I thought maybe I'm supposed to go find that person so I decided to come to the grocery store."
At the time I told her that I was pretty sure she had found her person. She sure had made me smile and brightened my day! The more I reflect on our interaction, I'd say she gave me a lot more than a smile!
HUMOROUS SIDE NOTE: God did a great job of pointing her out to me. She was hard to miss! My stranger was dressed from head to toe in bright purple with purple eye shadow, purple bangle bracelets, a large purple flower ring and purple nail polish. I LOVE purple! That will SO be me when I'm 86!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
I told you IT'S working, but exactly what is IT?
I know that we are only one week into summer vacation, but I am so incredibly proud of my kids and all that they accomplished over the past seven days. Ellie completed her first 5k, conquered her fear of the pool slide AND roller coasters, started tennis lessons and joined the Westmoreland Youth Strings Summer Symphony without knowing another member of the group. JJ started tennis lessons, joined a weight lifting class, helped my dad with the lawn and installing a new mailbox without complaining (Watching your 14 year-old son handle power tools is pretty scary!) and stayed within his food/game budget during two trips to Kennywood. This would have never happened a year ago!
I wrote a couple months ago about being excited that "It's working," but I never gave you the answer as to WHAT is working. So what is WHAT? WHAT has changed in the past year that has made such a difference for my kids? A year ago I made the decision that it was time to change my family's sedentary frozen food focused electronic device driven lifestyle. I chose four areas of our everyday lives to make simple yet specific changes and dove right in. Those four areas are physical activity, food portion, trying new things and ME!
1) Physical Activity. I used to consider sitting in front of the TV spending quality time with JJ and Ellie. Then I thought about all of the activities we had equipment for that we rarely used: cornhole, Wii, Frisbee golf, Bocce, paddle ball, YMCA membership . . . the list could on. It was time to play! I didn't ASK my family if they wanted to play. I TOLD them that we were all heading out after dinner to play. They complained about this at first. I expected that - they are tweenagers! But fun is contagious. The more fun we had, the more they wanted to play. Eventually THEY started asking ME if I wanted to go outside!
2) Food Portion. I simply started serving less food to my family. I used to fill large serving platters and bowls with food and place them in the center of the table for dinner. Now when I cook dinner, I make enough for each of us to have one serving (plus one more portion for me to take for lunch the next day) and plate the food directly from the stove. When I order pizza, I only order one pizza instead of two. When I grill hamburgers, I only make enough for one per person. That way when the question comes up of wanting more to eat the available options are something healthy like fruit or simply a NO. While I am trying new healthier recipes more often than before, for the most part we eat the same foods -- just less! By eliminating the I'm-so-stuffed-I can't-move- post-meal-stupor, we're all ready to get up and get moving in the evening rather than collapsing on the couch. (Don't worry - my kids are far from starved! They still get plenty to eat.)
3) Trying New Things. I'm making a conscious effort to introduce new things more often. Whether it is trying a new food, a new game or a new trail at the park, I want my children to see that it is fun to try something new. I want them to learn that you won't know if you like something unless you try it and that it is ok to try something and not like it. Throughout the year I have gotten a LOT of complaining about this, but the fact that my kids have both been willing to try new activities this summer (granted with a little prodding - ok begging - on my part) proves to me that it's working.
4) ME! Over the past several years I have made many changes in my life. I expected for it to be enough for my family to observe those changes in me and want to follow along. That wasn't working. I had to be more intentional in pointing out the changes and including them in what I was doing. I also had to embrace what worked best for them. Just as I had kept trying fit my lifestyle into an exercise routine rather than fitting an exercise routine into my life, I had to figure out what activities worked best for my kids rather than always wanting them to do what I was doing. I also had to make their exercise a priority. So if that meant going on a walk or playing ball with them after dinner instead of doing the dishes right away or getting my full run in - so be it! What's more important? I learned that the more excited I got about what they were interested in doing, the more excited they got about doing it.
For example, JJ loves basketball. So I began making a point of taking him to the Y so he could play basketball. Eventually JJ and I started going to the Y or outside to play basketball around 9PM. Often my gut reaction would be that it was too late or I was too tired. I literally had to teach myself to pause when he asked me to play because my initial reaction was to sigh before saying yes. That turned him off completely. I learned that by being intentionally enthusiastic in my response I felt more energetic and excited to play. Besides getting a workout in, we created great memories playing HORSE under a full moon, during a snowstorm and in a deep freeze. Plus, we've had some pretty meaningful conversations under that hoop!
Ellie, on the other hand, has fallen in love with riding her bike. So I dusted off my bike, bought a new helmet (Ellie found the bright white round one we got for free at a health fair to be WAY to embarressing!) and hopped on! I was beyond thrilled when she asked me if they had 5k's for bike riders. You know I was on the computer in seconds and found one for her!
I'm aware that we are only seven days into the summer. Is it too early to tell if the changes we've made over the past year have had a lasting impact on my family? Some might say yes. But you know what . . . I don't care! Today I am celebrating the GREAT summer kick-off we've had and am gearing up to maintain this momentum. I am determined that my family's sedentary frozen food focused electronic device driven lifestyle will be no more. Will it be smooth sailing - absolutely not. Life doesn't work that way. But I'm ready. Bring on the challenges, the struggles, the complaining . . . this is another mission I WILL accomplish!
This first week has obviously exhausted my children. They are still sleeping! So I'm lacing up my sneakers and hitting the road. I'll be sure to leave them a note for when they wake up to remind them that . . . Mom Went Running!
I wrote a couple months ago about being excited that "It's working," but I never gave you the answer as to WHAT is working. So what is WHAT? WHAT has changed in the past year that has made such a difference for my kids? A year ago I made the decision that it was time to change my family's sedentary frozen food focused electronic device driven lifestyle. I chose four areas of our everyday lives to make simple yet specific changes and dove right in. Those four areas are physical activity, food portion, trying new things and ME!
1) Physical Activity. I used to consider sitting in front of the TV spending quality time with JJ and Ellie. Then I thought about all of the activities we had equipment for that we rarely used: cornhole, Wii, Frisbee golf, Bocce, paddle ball, YMCA membership . . . the list could on. It was time to play! I didn't ASK my family if they wanted to play. I TOLD them that we were all heading out after dinner to play. They complained about this at first. I expected that - they are tweenagers! But fun is contagious. The more fun we had, the more they wanted to play. Eventually THEY started asking ME if I wanted to go outside!
2) Food Portion. I simply started serving less food to my family. I used to fill large serving platters and bowls with food and place them in the center of the table for dinner. Now when I cook dinner, I make enough for each of us to have one serving (plus one more portion for me to take for lunch the next day) and plate the food directly from the stove. When I order pizza, I only order one pizza instead of two. When I grill hamburgers, I only make enough for one per person. That way when the question comes up of wanting more to eat the available options are something healthy like fruit or simply a NO. While I am trying new healthier recipes more often than before, for the most part we eat the same foods -- just less! By eliminating the I'm-so-stuffed-I can't-move- post-meal-stupor, we're all ready to get up and get moving in the evening rather than collapsing on the couch. (Don't worry - my kids are far from starved! They still get plenty to eat.)
3) Trying New Things. I'm making a conscious effort to introduce new things more often. Whether it is trying a new food, a new game or a new trail at the park, I want my children to see that it is fun to try something new. I want them to learn that you won't know if you like something unless you try it and that it is ok to try something and not like it. Throughout the year I have gotten a LOT of complaining about this, but the fact that my kids have both been willing to try new activities this summer (granted with a little prodding - ok begging - on my part) proves to me that it's working.
4) ME! Over the past several years I have made many changes in my life. I expected for it to be enough for my family to observe those changes in me and want to follow along. That wasn't working. I had to be more intentional in pointing out the changes and including them in what I was doing. I also had to embrace what worked best for them. Just as I had kept trying fit my lifestyle into an exercise routine rather than fitting an exercise routine into my life, I had to figure out what activities worked best for my kids rather than always wanting them to do what I was doing. I also had to make their exercise a priority. So if that meant going on a walk or playing ball with them after dinner instead of doing the dishes right away or getting my full run in - so be it! What's more important? I learned that the more excited I got about what they were interested in doing, the more excited they got about doing it.
For example, JJ loves basketball. So I began making a point of taking him to the Y so he could play basketball. Eventually JJ and I started going to the Y or outside to play basketball around 9PM. Often my gut reaction would be that it was too late or I was too tired. I literally had to teach myself to pause when he asked me to play because my initial reaction was to sigh before saying yes. That turned him off completely. I learned that by being intentionally enthusiastic in my response I felt more energetic and excited to play. Besides getting a workout in, we created great memories playing HORSE under a full moon, during a snowstorm and in a deep freeze. Plus, we've had some pretty meaningful conversations under that hoop!
Ellie, on the other hand, has fallen in love with riding her bike. So I dusted off my bike, bought a new helmet (Ellie found the bright white round one we got for free at a health fair to be WAY to embarressing!) and hopped on! I was beyond thrilled when she asked me if they had 5k's for bike riders. You know I was on the computer in seconds and found one for her!
I'm aware that we are only seven days into the summer. Is it too early to tell if the changes we've made over the past year have had a lasting impact on my family? Some might say yes. But you know what . . . I don't care! Today I am celebrating the GREAT summer kick-off we've had and am gearing up to maintain this momentum. I am determined that my family's sedentary frozen food focused electronic device driven lifestyle will be no more. Will it be smooth sailing - absolutely not. Life doesn't work that way. But I'm ready. Bring on the challenges, the struggles, the complaining . . . this is another mission I WILL accomplish!
This first week has obviously exhausted my children. They are still sleeping! So I'm lacing up my sneakers and hitting the road. I'll be sure to leave them a note for when they wake up to remind them that . . . Mom Went Running!
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