Staying accountable Monday

Every diet/exercise/life change starts on a Monday.  Someday there will be a Monday when mine won't restart. Not because there will be a day when I don't have to eat healthy and exercise, there will just be a Monday when I'll wake up and won't remember the weekend's eating extravaganza.

This is why I've chosen Monday as my day to recap the week. Recapping on a Friday will just make me pat myself on the back and then dive into a vat of frozen yogurt.

I ate like a princess all week, until Friday. I logged my calories and stayed within 100 cals of my goal everyday.
Monday-aerobics/dance in my living room***
Tuesday-aerobics/dance in my living room
Wednesday-rest day
Thursday-aerobics/dance (I swear, I'm going to be a zumba instructor in my next life, except to Pink and rap songs, not Espanol)
Friday-walk/run at the park, 35 minutes, 2.3 miles

Looks awesome doesn't it? I lost 0.5 pounds, which I'll take any loss. Any loss. Any. Then Friday night happened. I co-hosted a 31 Party and the other host and I made all the essentials: dips involving cream cheese, dips involving cheddar cheese, bread involving cheese and pepperoni, brownies, cookies, cake. And I ate it all. And then I brought my leftovers home. And ate some more. And some more. I put the brownies in the freezer to get them out of my face. And then I discovered that frozen brownies are delicious.

I should be shot. I'd ooze brownies and Diet Coke.

So, here we are. On a Monday. And its a new start. Here's to a better week, with a better choice weekend to follow.

***A description of this aerobics/dance. I started doing these Zumba videos a while back. I don't love them. The only one I love is the Zumba Rush. But its only 20 minutes and I need more like 30 most days. Plus, the same video again and again and again gets old. I found on You Tube that people have uploaded videos of their own zumba routines and I've done a lot of those. I discovered that instead of the typical Zumba songs (not hating on all the Spanish music, but its not my favorite for errrr song, errrr day, errrr workout), they do a lot of routines to songs I like. You can pretty much plug in any song you like with zumba after it and there will probably be a zumba video out there.

So, sometimes I do my Zumba video. Sometimes I do the youtube videos. And somedays I put my own music on and do whatever moves I feel like until I've reached 30 minutes. I've found I burn the most calories doing my own moves. No lie. Its like 300 in 30 minutes, which is more than run/walking.  I haven't told Rob I'm teaching zumba classes to no one in our living room when he isn't here. Let's see how long it takes him to find out. Since I think he gave up reading the blog back in 2011, my guess is he'll never know!!!!

Max and Mommy Day: Bless it.

I've blogged about this before. I work on Thursdays and Fridays now and the kids go to school those days. Rylan goes a 3rd day to prepare him for kindergarten (just threw up a little) and Max stays home with me on Tuesdays. We call it Max and Mommy day. He never got alone time with me like Ry did for 2 years. Now is his time and I love it. Except, its easiest to do appointments and such when I only have one child, and poor Max has been due for some appointments lately. So here is what Max and Mommy Day has looked like lately.

3 weeks ago-ENT told him he needed new ear tubes.
2 weeks ago-He had to have a cavity filled
1 week ago-Max had to go to the doctor for a sinus infection

I was starting to think he was going to say "Mom, thanks and all, but can I just go to school????" So this Tuesday, we had to enjoy our day. He's still not 100% after his sinus infection/allergy issues caused by sub-zero temps followed by 70 degree days. So, we stayed home and played. We got dirty in the sandbox and I attempted to teach him how to make drip castles. You can't make drip castles with a 3 year old in a sandbox, it turns out. We played on the swings, we kicked a ball, we built puzzles.

We snuggled and watched movies

We ate lunch in the beautiful weather on our porch

And the whole family went to t-ball practice.  

Simple day, but when you compare it to the Max and Mommy Days of yesterweek, it was awesome!

Have I mentioned that this kid won't sleep in a bed to save his life?

Big fan of Daylight Savings

"Really, severely dislike daylight savings time!"

This was all up in my Facebook feed on Sunday. And, I feel your pain. You lose an hour of sleep, its not fun. As for me, in my house, we don't sleep much anyway. Saturday, Max woke up at 3am. No reason. Needed a cuddle or a snack or to go potty, I can't even remember. I laid back down and dozed, but I was basically up from 3am on. So, waking up and having one less hour of sleep is kind of something we are used to. Really, when I woke up at 6:30 on Sunday, I was pretty jazzed about the situation. 6:30 (5:30 in DLST land) is much later than 3am!!!

Here's something I am used to. Like, since the last time we had Daylight Savings time when we FELL BACK. I have a very large covered front porch, and only one window in the front, so at about 3pm, it starts darkening in my house. By the time Rob gets home, its dark as can be. No outside time, no walks, nothing. Other thing? In my tired mind DARK=SLEEEEEEPY.  So, about 6-7pm, I'm in pajama pants. About 8pm we put the kids down and I'm laying in my bed. Not sleeping but, reading or watching TV.

Sunday night, Rob took the kids outside while I did the dishes. Looking out my window above my sink and watching them swinging while I wash dishes is the best in the world. Then, last night Rob got home and we went on a bike ride before dinner. The kids both got bikes a year ago but weren't really interested in them at first. They ride bikes at school now in their gym, especially over the winter when they couldn't have outside recess, so now they love bikes. Riding outside with hills and ditches and speed bumps has had its own learning curve, and I have trouble making sure they both down DIE when I try to take them in our neighborhood by myself, so we've been restricted to good weather weekends and holidays. We have them up to a mile now, I'm excited to get them to where I can buy a bike and ride with them instead of walking/stopping/running/sprinting/stopping next to them.

Ok, his eyes are slits, he was so tired from no nap and Daylight Savings time, but whatevs!!!!

Lets get errrr done

I've posted before when I've felt the umph of needing to get serious about diet and exercise. Like here, here, and here. I've started and restarted and yet, I started 2014 at my highest non pregnant weight. I decided there was not going to be any resolutions. There is no number attached to my goals. I was ready to make lots of changes, but be calmer about it.  I had realized certain things I do that have been my downfall. Like too much, too soon. I start with such an amazing vigor that the only place I can go is downhill. I set myself up for failure every time. I start working out, sometimes twice a day, cut all bad foods out of my diet, drown myself in water, and then I fall off the wagon, usually I fall straight into a large cheese dip with a side of Chinese buffet.

On the way home from Disney I wrote down small things to adopt towards a healthy lifestyle. Getting up on a Monday morning and doing burpees till I was sure I was going to die and then eating kale smoothies and drinking 2 liters of water is what I usually did when I started over. I'd go balls out and then fail miserably. I didn't mean to set myself for failure, I just wanted change fast. This time I've accepted that this is going to take time and consistent effort and changes in habits. Like, for good things to be my habits. So, little by little, over the last two months I've started doing the things I wrote down on that list.

-First, I came home and started religiously keeping my food journal at myfitnesspal.com. (Be my friend, my names quallsy).

-I started doing better about my budget. Nothing makes you want to binge eat like being out of money and your dishwasher breaking right before Christmas right as you realize your car tags need to be renewed and you need to pay your property tax AND your husband informs you he needs new glasses and contacts.

-I started spending 5-10 minutes a day reading my Bible, a religious book or simply sitting quietly praying. I don't want to get ultra religious on my blog, but I'm getting sorta kinda more religious in my life (you know, besides saying things like balls out and listening to HORRIBLE rap music and cussing comedians while I drive or exercise without little ears near me). I've just gone a long time without being an active participant in something I believe in and I am now, so I am trying to do my homework.

-I started working out. Slower. Before Christmas/New Years I was trying out T25 and trying to do the regular moves and not the beginner. I was trying to jump in a train for a 5k or, if I let my imagination really run wild a half marathon. I was sprinting and doing burpees and getting ridiculous with what I was trying to force on my body very fast. My knees and post tick fever arthritic feet told me otherwise and I'd get sidelined. This time I followed the modifier. I WALKED more and jogged a little. I found old workout videos that I did religiously when I was thinner. I turned up the non cussing music and danced with my kids. I put on Just Dance on the wii and danced some more.  The very best thing I did was join an accountability group on Instagram where you work out for 30 days straight, for thirty minutes. It can be a rock star t25 workout with some situps and pushups after or it can be a rest day slow walk with your five year old. Just to get moving everyday for 30 days. People following me on instgram were treated to many workout selfies.

Dance party with the kids

Post walk/run. I always have the BEST workout hair

Walk/run at the Big Damn Bridge. It is always windy as can be up at the top.

Rylan did a mile with me one day. He stopped liking the run part of the walk/run after about two rounds, but still did a great job.

Another good workout hair day

I tried to do morning walk/runs. This was the only one I've braved so far. Dang I look good. 

I made it 12 days in a row before I missed a day. That feeling of "I can't miss a day, I've logged so many in a row" was so wonderful. Once I missed a day, I missed another. I got sick and missed a few more but have stayed consistent with 3-4 days a week which is still an improvement. Keep improving. Be better today than you were yesterday. Those are my goals. 

I've lost 5 pounds. It feels good to type that. For over a year, I have played the 'lose a pound, gain two back, lose two, gain one" game, essentially staying at the same number. This past Thursday, I went lower than I have in a year and that is awesome. Not where I want to be, but not where I used to be.