Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Manitoba 1/2 Marathon finisher
After all the training of the last few months (of course not as much as I should have), it finally came to an end on June 19. I had always wanted to run in a marathon, but after starting to train, getting injured and having to start again, I was really questioning why I ever said I was going to do this. But I did it. I can say now, after recuperating for two days, that it is a great feeling. I had two goals at the beginning of the race, to finish, and to do it under 3 hours. I am proud to say I reached both those goals. I did have to walk at some points but not as much as I thought I would. My first words to Kellin at the end were, "I'm never doing that again!". I have now decided, I might to do it again if I can keep up the training throughout the year and hopefully make some improvements on my time now that I know I can do it. Here are some pictures from the race.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Mother's Day
This year was my first (official) Mother's Day being a Mom. This used to be a very hard day for me. There always seemed to be a message at church about Mothers and the lasts few years, I just couldn't handle going.
But, just over a year and half ago, I found out that I was going to have a baby. I couldn't believe it. I had waited for this moment for a long time. I had anticipated it many times before, only to be disappointed. I had even had a false positive before. Needless to say, I was skeptical, but after a second positive test, I began to believe it. We had an early ultrasound to find out how far along I was. Kellin wasn't allowed in and the technician didn't tell me anything. I was very scared that something was wrong and the next day, my doctor called with news that the baby was sitting very low and their was a risk of miscarriage. Kellin came home and we began to pray and ask for prayer from family and some close friends. When Kellin went back to work, I opened my Bible and it opened to this passage
Isaiah 54
A Promise of the Lord's Protection
Sing and shout, even though you have never had children!
The Lord has promised that you will have more children
than someone married for a long time.
Make your tents larger! Spread out the tent pegs; fasten them firmly.
You and your descendants will take over the land of other nations.
You will settle in towns that are now in ruins.
Don't be afraid or ashamed and don't be discouraged.
You won't be disappointed. Forget how sinful you were
when you were young; Stop peeling ashamed for being left a widow.
The Lord All-Powerful, the Holy God of Israel, rules all the earth
He is your Creator and husband, and he will rescue you.
You were like a young wife, brokenhearted and crying
because her husband had divorced her.
But the Lord your God says, "I am taking you back!
I rejected you for a while, but with love and tenderness
I will embrace you again.
For a while, I turned away in furious anger.
Now I will have mercy and love you forever!
I, your protector and Lord, make this promise."
Wow, I couldn't believe it. God is so faithful. I just had to trust him. And 8 months later, we had our precious little miracle boy. And this Mother day, I just looked at my little boy in awe and wonder. We didn't do much, but it was perfect.
Now I am a mother and no longer infertile, but my heart still remembers and goes out to all those without children. I saw a post on facebook from a guy and it went like this.
"Happy mothers day to my lovely wife. Happy mothers day to my friends who are moms. Happy mothers day to those who are not moms due to reasons they can't control, but yet they still give their hears to the children of others. This day is for you dolls as well."
I know it is called Mother's day as a day to honour our mother's, but it really is a day to honour all those who help to mother our children as well, you are so valuable in the lives of our children, so to all aunty's, friends, surrogate aunt's and grandma's and everyone else who touches the lives of our children with their love and nurture, you are so important and Thank You!
Isaiah 54
A Promise of the Lord's Protection
Sing and shout, even though you have never had children!
The Lord has promised that you will have more children
than someone married for a long time.
Make your tents larger! Spread out the tent pegs; fasten them firmly.
You and your descendants will take over the land of other nations.
You will settle in towns that are now in ruins.
Don't be afraid or ashamed and don't be discouraged.
You won't be disappointed. Forget how sinful you were
when you were young; Stop peeling ashamed for being left a widow.
The Lord All-Powerful, the Holy God of Israel, rules all the earth
He is your Creator and husband, and he will rescue you.
You were like a young wife, brokenhearted and crying
because her husband had divorced her.
But the Lord your God says, "I am taking you back!
I rejected you for a while, but with love and tenderness
I will embrace you again.
For a while, I turned away in furious anger.
Now I will have mercy and love you forever!
I, your protector and Lord, make this promise."
Wow, I couldn't believe it. God is so faithful. I just had to trust him. And 8 months later, we had our precious little miracle boy. And this Mother day, I just looked at my little boy in awe and wonder. We didn't do much, but it was perfect.
Now I am a mother and no longer infertile, but my heart still remembers and goes out to all those without children. I saw a post on facebook from a guy and it went like this.
"Happy mothers day to my lovely wife. Happy mothers day to my friends who are moms. Happy mothers day to those who are not moms due to reasons they can't control, but yet they still give their hears to the children of others. This day is for you dolls as well."
I know it is called Mother's day as a day to honour our mother's, but it really is a day to honour all those who help to mother our children as well, you are so valuable in the lives of our children, so to all aunty's, friends, surrogate aunt's and grandma's and everyone else who touches the lives of our children with their love and nurture, you are so important and Thank You!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Training for the 1/2 Marathon
I have wanted to run the marathon, in some way or another, for a while now and have always made excuses in the past. Originally, I was planning on running the relay, but my sister-in-law and brother-in-law are running the 1/2 marathon and I decided I would run it too.
I have been training for six weeks now, about half way there. The first 4 weeks were absolute torture and I was not sure if I would end up running it. When you can hardly run 3 miles, how do you do 13? I kept asking myself, what have I got myself into? Of course, having this thought go through my mind for 2, 3, or 4 miles probably made it even more torturous.
Then last week, on my last run of the week, I found my groove. It sounds funny, but everything just seemed to be working right and I actually started enjoying it and finishing my run thinking, I could have run further. The first few weeks, I was working on my breathing, my stride, my tempo, and then back to breathing and stride and tempo, but I could never get it all together at the same time. But I finally stopped thinking about it so much and just did it (and stopped telling myself how horrible I felt), listening to my music instead of counting down the miles. Now I feel good about running the marathon and actually believe that I can finish it.
I have been training for six weeks now, about half way there. The first 4 weeks were absolute torture and I was not sure if I would end up running it. When you can hardly run 3 miles, how do you do 13? I kept asking myself, what have I got myself into? Of course, having this thought go through my mind for 2, 3, or 4 miles probably made it even more torturous.
Then last week, on my last run of the week, I found my groove. It sounds funny, but everything just seemed to be working right and I actually started enjoying it and finishing my run thinking, I could have run further. The first few weeks, I was working on my breathing, my stride, my tempo, and then back to breathing and stride and tempo, but I could never get it all together at the same time. But I finally stopped thinking about it so much and just did it (and stopped telling myself how horrible I felt), listening to my music instead of counting down the miles. Now I feel good about running the marathon and actually believe that I can finish it.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Lent
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday which starts another season of Lent. Lent is supposed to be a time of sacrifice for Jesus. It is a time to prepare ourselves, which includes repentance, prayer, and self-denial, for 40 days before Easter.
The first time I heard about lent was probably 9 years ago. I decided to fast from sweets and it ended up being easier than I thought since I have a big sweet tooth. I didn't spend any extra time reading my Bible, praying or any spiritual exercise. I just thought it would be a good thing to cut out of my life for a while. I didn't really get what Lent is about that year.
So, for the last year two years,I have fasted from somthing and replaced it with time with God. Last year, I fasted from media in the morning to start my day by spending it with God instead.
This year I have decided again to fast from a type of media. Media seems to be a theme for me because I find it relaxing and distracting. It doesn't take much thought or brain power. Since last year, I have continued to keep the t.v. off, for the most part, during the day (except for Matlock, my one indulgence) and then watch it in the evening. Hopefully this years fast will help me to cut down on how much time I spend on this media.
FACEBOOK
That is my vice. I am constantly checking status updates, checking out profiles, looking at pictures and playing games on facebook (which takes up more time than I would like to admit). Don't get me wrong, I don't think that there is anything wrong with that. But I don't even want to count up the time I spend doing it compared to the time I spend with God or other more important things. To me, it has become too high of a priority and so I'm taking a break. I still plan on checking my messages once a week or the notifications that come to my email. (Since lent begins 46 days before Easter, there is one day a week for cheating)
The first time I heard about lent was probably 9 years ago. I decided to fast from sweets and it ended up being easier than I thought since I have a big sweet tooth. I didn't spend any extra time reading my Bible, praying or any spiritual exercise. I just thought it would be a good thing to cut out of my life for a while. I didn't really get what Lent is about that year.
So, for the last year two years,I have fasted from somthing and replaced it with time with God. Last year, I fasted from media in the morning to start my day by spending it with God instead.
This year I have decided again to fast from a type of media. Media seems to be a theme for me because I find it relaxing and distracting. It doesn't take much thought or brain power. Since last year, I have continued to keep the t.v. off, for the most part, during the day (except for Matlock, my one indulgence) and then watch it in the evening. Hopefully this years fast will help me to cut down on how much time I spend on this media.
That is my vice. I am constantly checking status updates, checking out profiles, looking at pictures and playing games on facebook (which takes up more time than I would like to admit). Don't get me wrong, I don't think that there is anything wrong with that. But I don't even want to count up the time I spend doing it compared to the time I spend with God or other more important things. To me, it has become too high of a priority and so I'm taking a break. I still plan on checking my messages once a week or the notifications that come to my email. (Since lent begins 46 days before Easter, there is one day a week for cheating)
Friday, February 25, 2011
Feeling Crafty
I love being creative and sometimes I just don't have the time or energy to do the crafty things I want to. This week has been a great week to get my creative juices going again. It was through the craftiness of others who got it going again in me. I feel so inspired watching other people create and use their gifts. So, hopefully I can continue it and maybe even inspire someone else to do something crafty as well.
It started out with a Stampin' Up card party lead by my sister on Monday. It was nice to do this again, it had been so long since I had gone cause I missed the last one. We made 4 cards that you can see here that were simply beautiful, ate food, had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. On Tuesday, I helped paint some signs for our Church. We are going through Freedom in Christ over lent and our Pastors wife made signs to hang in the church to go with this. They are painted to look like stain glass and are looking good already. It was fun, I have not painted in a long time, but there are still lots to do, so I am looking forward to doing this again. And the rest of the week, I have been working on some crocheting that I have wanted to do for a while but haven't gotten around too. I finished one item that I put on hold for a while and starting some new crochet designs that I have been wanting to do for a long time. I still have a ways to go on them but it is fun to do something new.
It started out with a Stampin' Up card party lead by my sister on Monday. It was nice to do this again, it had been so long since I had gone cause I missed the last one. We made 4 cards that you can see here that were simply beautiful, ate food, had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. On Tuesday, I helped paint some signs for our Church. We are going through Freedom in Christ over lent and our Pastors wife made signs to hang in the church to go with this. They are painted to look like stain glass and are looking good already. It was fun, I have not painted in a long time, but there are still lots to do, so I am looking forward to doing this again. And the rest of the week, I have been working on some crocheting that I have wanted to do for a while but haven't gotten around too. I finished one item that I put on hold for a while and starting some new crochet designs that I have been wanting to do for a long time. I still have a ways to go on them but it is fun to do something new.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Benefits of Strength Training
There are a lot of women out there who are afraid of gyms and especially strength training. All the equipment can be overwhelming and scary, especially if you have never used it before and easy to injure yourself. The other reason why many women are afraid of strength training is they don't want to bulk up or look like a body builder.
There are some great benefits to adding strength training to your workout.
1) You continue to burn calories even after your workout. In cardio workouts, you can burn lots of calories, but once you finish, your body will only burn a few more in the next half hour. With strength workouts, you body will continue to burn calories for hours, and the more muscle you build, your body will need to use more calories for these muscles on a daily basis. So strength training can help you reach your weight loss goals faster.
2) Once you lose the weight, your body will looked toned and sexy. When you do strength training with smaller weights and do higher repetitions, you are toning your muscles rather than bulking up. It is harder than most women think to bulk up and build big muscles (although some women naturally have an easy time building muscle).
When doing strength training, especially at a gym with heavy and strange equipment, it is important to get proper training on how to use it. There are usually people working there who can show you how to use it safely, as well as show you exercises that can help you reach your goals. If you are doing it at home, and don't have lots of money to buy weights, there are some easy ways to do strength training.
1) use cans or other household items as weights. Keep them small, especially to start with, between 2.5 and 5 lbs.
2) buy tubing or exercise bands. These can be used for lots of different exercises and you can make it as hard or easy as you want or need for that exercise.
3) buy 2.5 or 5 lb weights. They don't cost that much and that is all you will need especially in the beginning.
4) use your own body weight. Lots of exercises can be done just using your own weight.
There are some great benefits to adding strength training to your workout.
1) You continue to burn calories even after your workout. In cardio workouts, you can burn lots of calories, but once you finish, your body will only burn a few more in the next half hour. With strength workouts, you body will continue to burn calories for hours, and the more muscle you build, your body will need to use more calories for these muscles on a daily basis. So strength training can help you reach your weight loss goals faster.
2) Once you lose the weight, your body will looked toned and sexy. When you do strength training with smaller weights and do higher repetitions, you are toning your muscles rather than bulking up. It is harder than most women think to bulk up and build big muscles (although some women naturally have an easy time building muscle).
When doing strength training, especially at a gym with heavy and strange equipment, it is important to get proper training on how to use it. There are usually people working there who can show you how to use it safely, as well as show you exercises that can help you reach your goals. If you are doing it at home, and don't have lots of money to buy weights, there are some easy ways to do strength training.
1) use cans or other household items as weights. Keep them small, especially to start with, between 2.5 and 5 lbs.
2) buy tubing or exercise bands. These can be used for lots of different exercises and you can make it as hard or easy as you want or need for that exercise.
3) buy 2.5 or 5 lb weights. They don't cost that much and that is all you will need especially in the beginning.
4) use your own body weight. Lots of exercises can be done just using your own weight.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Paying to watch T.V.
When we were kids, we had to pay money to watch t.v. I can't remember exactly what we had to pay, I think it was $0.25 for half an hour or something like that. This was a way of discouraging us to spend too much time watching t.v. I think that as we got older, we had to read for half an hour to watch half an hour of t.v. to encourage us to spend more time reading. I always loved reading so I usually read more than I watched t.v. and it wasn't an issue. But for my sister, who didn't enjoy reading had a harder time with this.
I have decided to take this concept and use it to add exercise in when I am usually just sitting and watching television. For every half an hour of t.v. watched, I have decided to do a certain amount of exercise. Now this is above my regular workout and doesn't replace it. It is just extras. I got the idea one day while watching the show "Dr. Oz" and "The Biggest Loser". Both of them were giving easy exercises that you can do while watching t.v. or during the commercial breaks. Far too often I spend an evening on the couch watching my favorite shows and checking facebook or emails and hardly moving. At the end of the evening I feel lazy, especially while watching the Biggest Loser.
So, now I have to "pay" for t.v. by doing exercise. For every half an hour of watching t.v. I will do one of these exercises:
- 50 Jumping Jacks
- 20 Sit-ups
- 15 Push-ups
- 30 Squats
- 20 Plank Jumping Jacks
As these become easier, I can up them or add or change activities to make it still a challenge to do them. Another bonus is that it gives my body a boost and help work off some extra calories.
I have decided to take this concept and use it to add exercise in when I am usually just sitting and watching television. For every half an hour of t.v. watched, I have decided to do a certain amount of exercise. Now this is above my regular workout and doesn't replace it. It is just extras. I got the idea one day while watching the show "Dr. Oz" and "The Biggest Loser". Both of them were giving easy exercises that you can do while watching t.v. or during the commercial breaks. Far too often I spend an evening on the couch watching my favorite shows and checking facebook or emails and hardly moving. At the end of the evening I feel lazy, especially while watching the Biggest Loser.
So, now I have to "pay" for t.v. by doing exercise. For every half an hour of watching t.v. I will do one of these exercises:
- 50 Jumping Jacks
- 20 Sit-ups
- 15 Push-ups
- 30 Squats
- 20 Plank Jumping Jacks
As these become easier, I can up them or add or change activities to make it still a challenge to do them. Another bonus is that it gives my body a boost and help work off some extra calories.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Time to de-clutter
I was watching that show on TLC about hoarders and one of the psychiatrists said that most people have areas of their house that are blind spots for them. They are messy areas but we just ignore them. We can practically walk by them without even noticing the mess it is. I have a few areas like this in my house. Areas that drive me nuts, but I ignore them because I don't want to spend the time needed to get it cleaned up. My house is messy and I don't like it, but it gets messy so quickly that I get overwhelmed and stop trying. That is until someone comes over and I have to spend a whole day getting it ready. Piles gets moved from the kitchen and living room to our bedroom and now the bedroom is full of junk and some important stuff, but it is hard to know the difference. It doesn't help that I have a hard time throwing stuff away, just in case we may need it some day and I come from a family of pack-rats. Like I said, it drives me nuts and I say one day I'm going to go through it, but everything else seems way more important.
Recently I read my sisters blog about cleaning and it inspired me to get my house in order as well. So I checked out the fly lady website to see how to do this. There is a lot of info on this page and I didn't want to spend my whole day reading about it, I wanted to start doing it so I got my version of the jest of it and started at it.
What I have applied to my life is having morning and evening chores that happen daily, other chores that need to get done during the week but not daily, and the 15 minute de-clutter. My goal is to have my house ready for company to drop by and not be embarrassed by what they will find. I have been at it for about a week now and I am happy to say that my house looks pretty good.
One of my morning jobs is to empty the dishwasher, one of my least favorite jobs. I don't mind filling it but for some reason it is hard to empty. So the dishes pile up until I have to empty it and then I reload it and it starts all over again. Now, with the dishwasher emptied, I put the dishes right in the dishwasher instead of the counter. Who knew that taking 5 extra minutes to do this would be so easy. In the evening, I make sure all the dishes are in there and turn it on if it is full and wipe the counters down. A clean start for the morning. I also make sure all the clothes are put away, rather than just throwing them on the ground, before we go to sleep. The other jobs get divided between the week or are as needed. I don't even feel like I am doing chores any more. It is just part of the routine and doesn't take much effort.
I have been spending at least 15 minutes de-cluttering our bedroom and I'm almost done. A project I thought would take a month is almost done in a week. Next is the kitchen and then I have to get deeper and go through the closets and basement. Still lots to do, but it doesn't seem overwhelming when I only spend 15 minutes on it. If I can keep it up as I go, it hopefully won't get as bad as it was. I feel so much better.
To top it all off, Kellin had some youth over last thursday and I all I had to do to get ready for them to come was clean the bathroom and entrance, rather than spending all day cleaning. What a great feeling.
Recently I read my sisters blog about cleaning and it inspired me to get my house in order as well. So I checked out the fly lady website to see how to do this. There is a lot of info on this page and I didn't want to spend my whole day reading about it, I wanted to start doing it so I got my version of the jest of it and started at it.
What I have applied to my life is having morning and evening chores that happen daily, other chores that need to get done during the week but not daily, and the 15 minute de-clutter. My goal is to have my house ready for company to drop by and not be embarrassed by what they will find. I have been at it for about a week now and I am happy to say that my house looks pretty good.
One of my morning jobs is to empty the dishwasher, one of my least favorite jobs. I don't mind filling it but for some reason it is hard to empty. So the dishes pile up until I have to empty it and then I reload it and it starts all over again. Now, with the dishwasher emptied, I put the dishes right in the dishwasher instead of the counter. Who knew that taking 5 extra minutes to do this would be so easy. In the evening, I make sure all the dishes are in there and turn it on if it is full and wipe the counters down. A clean start for the morning. I also make sure all the clothes are put away, rather than just throwing them on the ground, before we go to sleep. The other jobs get divided between the week or are as needed. I don't even feel like I am doing chores any more. It is just part of the routine and doesn't take much effort.
I have been spending at least 15 minutes de-cluttering our bedroom and I'm almost done. A project I thought would take a month is almost done in a week. Next is the kitchen and then I have to get deeper and go through the closets and basement. Still lots to do, but it doesn't seem overwhelming when I only spend 15 minutes on it. If I can keep it up as I go, it hopefully won't get as bad as it was. I feel so much better.
To top it all off, Kellin had some youth over last thursday and I all I had to do to get ready for them to come was clean the bathroom and entrance, rather than spending all day cleaning. What a great feeling.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Devotional Day Planner
My husband, Kellin, asked me if I wanted to join him in reading through the Bible in a year with him starting in January. I noticed he had a day planner in his Bible with a reading plan and so I asked where he got it and found out that our church was giving away Devotional Day Planners from the Bible League of Canada. I am so excited about this. First of all, I love day planners. Right now I have been using a calendar to write down what is going on in our lives, which is also great because it is easy to see. However, a day planner is much more personal. I have kept some of my day planners from high school and gone back to find neat things in there like when my husband and I went on our first date or what I filled my time with back then. And this day planner is even more personal because it leaves a place for you to write prayer requests or things that God is doing in you or that you want God to do in you as well as what is going on. Some other cool features are:
- it has 3 different Bible reading plans that tells me what to read each day.
- it has a verse of the day and 30 second devotional to go with it that is either encouragement and/or thought provoking question.
- there is a prayer focus, one for each day of the week, to remind you to pray for you personal life, marriage, family, fellowship, church, kingdom and world. What great reminders!
- each week you are encouraged to write a praise, a confession, a need and how God connected to you that week
- at the beginning of each month, info about what God is doing in different countries
- at the end of each month is a journal section
- a prayer list/address book
- and it was free
Teething
It blows my mind a bit that little babies have to deal with the pain of teething. The sharp pain of knives cutting through their gums for days, weeks, sometimes months without relief. Some children start early, some late, some get one a month, some several at a time, every child is different. By the age of 2, approximately, kids have 20 teeth. Most start at about 6 months and get about one a month till then, at least that is what I read when I looked this up. Then again, how many children fall under this category.
Not my son. He started teething at about 2 months, chewing (or gnawing) on everything, lots of drool, and bumps on his gums. I had heard of lots of other children starting at this age and only getting the first at about 6-8 months, or even having the tooth almost out and the go away till later. Well at four and a half months the first tooth poked through. And then another came and another and by six months he had 5 teeth and showed no sign of stopping. Now, I have to say that he has been pretty good with the teething, mostly a lot of drool and chewing, a little complaining, but not too bad. He went through a period at Christmas, where they were hurting more and didn't want anything in his mouth which made feeding hard until I figured out to put orajel on first and then he would eat. The chewing also became a bit of a problem with nursing and after being bitten several times, I decided to wean him from nursing. He is now 7 and a half months and has eight teeth. And I thought, maybe now there would be a break. The next teeth he is supposed to get are his one year molars. However, I was wrong. It has gotten worse. I can feel the bumps of the one year molars coming in on one side. And these have not been as easy as the others. This week has been a hard week. Lots of crying and complaining and only wanting to play in mom's lap and having a hard time sleeping. I feel so bad for him. The tylenol and orajel don't last long enough and I am not one who likes to use a lot of medication anyway, but I'm at my wits end sometimes. I feel like I'm making some bad habits right now, but I know he's in pain and want to help make him feel better as much as possible.
Some people have said that it is nicer to have them get their teeth at younger age, to make it easier on them. I don't know if that is true. I don't know if it is better at a younger age or when they are older they can maybe deal with the pain better. I don't know. All I can say is hopefully these teeth come in soon and I can't wait till it is done. Maybe that will be the only comfort is that he started sooner, he will be done sooner. Who knows.
Not my son. He started teething at about 2 months, chewing (or gnawing) on everything, lots of drool, and bumps on his gums. I had heard of lots of other children starting at this age and only getting the first at about 6-8 months, or even having the tooth almost out and the go away till later. Well at four and a half months the first tooth poked through. And then another came and another and by six months he had 5 teeth and showed no sign of stopping. Now, I have to say that he has been pretty good with the teething, mostly a lot of drool and chewing, a little complaining, but not too bad. He went through a period at Christmas, where they were hurting more and didn't want anything in his mouth which made feeding hard until I figured out to put orajel on first and then he would eat. The chewing also became a bit of a problem with nursing and after being bitten several times, I decided to wean him from nursing. He is now 7 and a half months and has eight teeth. And I thought, maybe now there would be a break. The next teeth he is supposed to get are his one year molars. However, I was wrong. It has gotten worse. I can feel the bumps of the one year molars coming in on one side. And these have not been as easy as the others. This week has been a hard week. Lots of crying and complaining and only wanting to play in mom's lap and having a hard time sleeping. I feel so bad for him. The tylenol and orajel don't last long enough and I am not one who likes to use a lot of medication anyway, but I'm at my wits end sometimes. I feel like I'm making some bad habits right now, but I know he's in pain and want to help make him feel better as much as possible.
Some people have said that it is nicer to have them get their teeth at younger age, to make it easier on them. I don't know if that is true. I don't know if it is better at a younger age or when they are older they can maybe deal with the pain better. I don't know. All I can say is hopefully these teeth come in soon and I can't wait till it is done. Maybe that will be the only comfort is that he started sooner, he will be done sooner. Who knows.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tip #4
Tip # 4
Eating smaller portions. Most of the time I eat more than I need to, not because I'm hungry but because I just like to eat food. When you go to a restaurant, the portions you get are enough for about 2 meals. I love to eat and lots, especially when it is something I really like. So, I have a big helping or go for seconds, sometimes both. I find it hard to say no. I usually don't eat till I am stuffed, but I eat more than I need to.
So, one of the things I have started doing is making smaller meals for my husband and I so that there is less to eat. For example, I used to make 3 chicken breast for supper, my husband had 2 and I would have one. Now I started making 2 chicken breast and I have 1/2 and he has 1 1/2. This way it forces both of us to eat less. I prepackage most of our meat so it is ready for meals and I have made those smaller as well. If I do make a meal that is bigger, I try putting some aside for leftovers, so that I can have it for lunch (if it doesn't get eaten by someone else later). When I go out, I try and eat half and take the rest home for leftovers. This also goes for dessert. Instead of taking a big piece or more than one, I try and only have one small piece or 2 halves of more than one.
So far I haven't changed anything else in my meals, but this is an easy way to cut calories.
Eating smaller portions. Most of the time I eat more than I need to, not because I'm hungry but because I just like to eat food. When you go to a restaurant, the portions you get are enough for about 2 meals. I love to eat and lots, especially when it is something I really like. So, I have a big helping or go for seconds, sometimes both. I find it hard to say no. I usually don't eat till I am stuffed, but I eat more than I need to.
So, one of the things I have started doing is making smaller meals for my husband and I so that there is less to eat. For example, I used to make 3 chicken breast for supper, my husband had 2 and I would have one. Now I started making 2 chicken breast and I have 1/2 and he has 1 1/2. This way it forces both of us to eat less. I prepackage most of our meat so it is ready for meals and I have made those smaller as well. If I do make a meal that is bigger, I try putting some aside for leftovers, so that I can have it for lunch (if it doesn't get eaten by someone else later). When I go out, I try and eat half and take the rest home for leftovers. This also goes for dessert. Instead of taking a big piece or more than one, I try and only have one small piece or 2 halves of more than one.
So far I haven't changed anything else in my meals, but this is an easy way to cut calories.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tip # 3
This blog isn't just for health tips, but since it is something I am working on right now and thinking about, I decided to share some of the ways to help with healthy living. I want to help people be more healthy and have the skills to live a healthy lifestyle not just fade dieting.
Tip # 3 - No eating after 8 pm
Our bodies naturally start to slow down in the evening, which is why we eat at more regular intervals throughout the day, but we don't need to eat for usually 12 or more hours throughout the night. When we eat after 8pm our body hold on to those calories rather than burn them. The extra calories, just sit there and turn into fat. Also, we are generally less active in the evening, so we need less. Most of the time we eat just for fun or to snack, we are not usually hungry. If you are hungry in the evening, it may be that your body has gotten used to eating at that time and this will diminish after a while.
This is another one that doesn't seem too hard, but has been a bad habit in our house for a long time. Even as kids, we grew up having a snack before bed most nights, usually something like ice cream. Now, my husband and I often have leftovers from supper, sometimes we make another meal, dessert or anything else. Most evenings end with some kind of snack. I have decided to cut this out, but my husband has not. Yesterday, I was feeling quite hungry and my husband made himself something to eat. We even had pie and ice cream calling my name. Oh, I wanted it sooooo bad. But I was strong. I didn't give in. I can't always say that, but last night I was. Yeah! (of course it helped that we were watching Biggest Loser at the time)
Note: This does not apply to people who work nights or are awake or asleep at different times than the average.
Tip # 3 - No eating after 8 pm
Our bodies naturally start to slow down in the evening, which is why we eat at more regular intervals throughout the day, but we don't need to eat for usually 12 or more hours throughout the night. When we eat after 8pm our body hold on to those calories rather than burn them. The extra calories, just sit there and turn into fat. Also, we are generally less active in the evening, so we need less. Most of the time we eat just for fun or to snack, we are not usually hungry. If you are hungry in the evening, it may be that your body has gotten used to eating at that time and this will diminish after a while.
This is another one that doesn't seem too hard, but has been a bad habit in our house for a long time. Even as kids, we grew up having a snack before bed most nights, usually something like ice cream. Now, my husband and I often have leftovers from supper, sometimes we make another meal, dessert or anything else. Most evenings end with some kind of snack. I have decided to cut this out, but my husband has not. Yesterday, I was feeling quite hungry and my husband made himself something to eat. We even had pie and ice cream calling my name. Oh, I wanted it sooooo bad. But I was strong. I didn't give in. I can't always say that, but last night I was. Yeah! (of course it helped that we were watching Biggest Loser at the time)
Note: This does not apply to people who work nights or are awake or asleep at different times than the average.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Tip #2
This tip is linked to the first tip. There are big claims to how this one can improve your health and help you lose weight. I do know someone who has done this, with added exercise, and seen great results, she looks fantastic. I started this one at Christmas because I knew I would be eating more and indulging in more sweets at gatherings, so I decided to at least try and cut out this. What is it?
Tip #2 - Cut out sugar sweetened drinks
I have heard it said that if you cut out sugar drinks, like pop, energy drinks, sugar sweetened fruit juices, sugar in coffee, teas, etc., you can lose from 15-20 lbs a year. If you just can't seem to do this, start out by cutting out one per day and gradually increase. Then maybe on a Saturday, you can treat yourself to a little sugar in your coffee. Even cutting out one can of pop can be over a hundred calories you are saving. I read some statistics that a can of energy drink can equal half a dozen donuts, wow.
I have decided to cut out sugar from my coffee, occasionally indulging in 1/2 a tsp instead of the 2 tsp I used to have, and having milk in it instead of cream or whitener. I have also cut out ice tea, which I would often have for supper or order at a restaurant. We don't usually keep pop in the house and I am not a huge fan of it, although I do have a glass here and there, I am cutting that out too. This is helping me drink more water (tip #1) since I am not reaching for anything else in the fridge. It is also recommended that you drink 1% or non-fat milk. This isn't a problem for me since I don't really like milk all that much and if I do have some, it has to be 1%, or chocolate, but that has always been only a treat, except when I was pregnant.
So, another challenge for the New Year. I'm thinking this one won't be too hard for me, but we'll see. I'm still working on getting in all 8 cups of water.
Tip #2 - Cut out sugar sweetened drinks
I have heard it said that if you cut out sugar drinks, like pop, energy drinks, sugar sweetened fruit juices, sugar in coffee, teas, etc., you can lose from 15-20 lbs a year. If you just can't seem to do this, start out by cutting out one per day and gradually increase. Then maybe on a Saturday, you can treat yourself to a little sugar in your coffee. Even cutting out one can of pop can be over a hundred calories you are saving. I read some statistics that a can of energy drink can equal half a dozen donuts, wow.
I have decided to cut out sugar from my coffee, occasionally indulging in 1/2 a tsp instead of the 2 tsp I used to have, and having milk in it instead of cream or whitener. I have also cut out ice tea, which I would often have for supper or order at a restaurant. We don't usually keep pop in the house and I am not a huge fan of it, although I do have a glass here and there, I am cutting that out too. This is helping me drink more water (tip #1) since I am not reaching for anything else in the fridge. It is also recommended that you drink 1% or non-fat milk. This isn't a problem for me since I don't really like milk all that much and if I do have some, it has to be 1%, or chocolate, but that has always been only a treat, except when I was pregnant.
So, another challenge for the New Year. I'm thinking this one won't be too hard for me, but we'll see. I'm still working on getting in all 8 cups of water.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Healthy Tip #1
So now that I am on the road to weight loss, I am working on making better choices. I want to make life changes, things that I can stick to all the time. That doesn't mean that I won't ever "cheat", but that is the beauty of making smart life choices. If you make good choices most of the time, you can indulge without guilt.
Tip #1
Drink lots of water. This one is so simple, but one I have always struggled with. The recommendation is 8 glasses a day. To break that down, it is about 2 glasses every 3 hours between 8 am and 8 pm. Doesn't seem to bad. Since water is used in every system in the body, it is important to replenish the water that is lost throughout the day. If your body dehydrates even a little, you can fell fatigue, weakness, dizzy, headaches, and more. The benefits of drinking water are amazing. If you google it, you can find many benefits, from helping cure many ailments like arthritis, eye and skin health, osteoporosis, cancer, and the list goes on. Plus, it can help with weight loss by helping get rid of wastes and toxins in the body and act as an appetite suppressant, and it has zero calories.
So drink up and enjoy all the benefits.
Tip #1
Drink lots of water. This one is so simple, but one I have always struggled with. The recommendation is 8 glasses a day. To break that down, it is about 2 glasses every 3 hours between 8 am and 8 pm. Doesn't seem to bad. Since water is used in every system in the body, it is important to replenish the water that is lost throughout the day. If your body dehydrates even a little, you can fell fatigue, weakness, dizzy, headaches, and more. The benefits of drinking water are amazing. If you google it, you can find many benefits, from helping cure many ailments like arthritis, eye and skin health, osteoporosis, cancer, and the list goes on. Plus, it can help with weight loss by helping get rid of wastes and toxins in the body and act as an appetite suppressant, and it has zero calories.
So drink up and enjoy all the benefits.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A Time for Resolutions
I have a hard time with New Years resolutions, because I feel that if there is something for me to change in my life, why not start now instead of waiting for the New Year. However, one of the changes I wanted to make in my life just ended up being more convenient to start in the New Year. After that one, it has just been a time to reflect on myself and what I wanted to better in myself and somehow the New Year is just a good time for this. So, I have a few New Years resolutions that I have for this year.
Health
I am a certified Personal Trainer and health is always important to me and a goal in my life. I am also a new mom and gained more weight in my pregnancy than I wanted too. I decided that starting in the New Year, I was going to be done nursing my son and so starting my goals of weight loss at the same time just seemed to make sense. I lost about 25 pounds in the first 2 weeks after giving birth and haven't lost any since. I was really hoping that while nursing, I would lose more, but unfortunately, I'm not one of those lucky people. Now my baby is 7 months old and due to a lot of teething and sharp teeth, I have decided it was time to ween him. Besides that, my husband and I watched the Biggest Loser for the first time last season and at the end, we decided that we would like to watch it again and start our own challenge. So, today was the first day of the new season and we weighed and measured ourselves. I plan on using this blog to give tips, things that I'm trying, as well as accountability to how I am doing on my weight loss goals.
Blogging
This blog is something I wanted to do to share my life and the things I've learnt and am learning. Like I said earlier, I am a personal trainer and a stay at home mom. I wanted to use the knowledge I have learned to help other in the struggle of healthy living. It is one of my passions. I also am passionate about my family and faith and want to share the things I am learning with others.
Reading through the Bible in a Year
This is a challenge that my husband is doing and asked if I would join him in it. I haven't read through the whole Bible since Bible College and thought it was about time I did it again. I started a few days late and so I have 3 days to catch up on. It is something that always seemed really hard and I just didn't feel up to the challenge, but looking at the readings, it doesn't seem that unrealistic.
Reading a Marriage book and Parenting book
I heard of another couple who each picks a book on marriage that they want to go through together every few months. I had never thought about that before, but it sounded like a great idea. My husband and I enjoy reading and read a lot of books. We recently decided to read books to help better our marriage and bought a couple of marriage and parenting books. We would like to go through these together and so we just need to make the time to do it.
I know New Year's resolutions typically don't last, which is why I don't usually make them, but maybe this year will be different.
Health
I am a certified Personal Trainer and health is always important to me and a goal in my life. I am also a new mom and gained more weight in my pregnancy than I wanted too. I decided that starting in the New Year, I was going to be done nursing my son and so starting my goals of weight loss at the same time just seemed to make sense. I lost about 25 pounds in the first 2 weeks after giving birth and haven't lost any since. I was really hoping that while nursing, I would lose more, but unfortunately, I'm not one of those lucky people. Now my baby is 7 months old and due to a lot of teething and sharp teeth, I have decided it was time to ween him. Besides that, my husband and I watched the Biggest Loser for the first time last season and at the end, we decided that we would like to watch it again and start our own challenge. So, today was the first day of the new season and we weighed and measured ourselves. I plan on using this blog to give tips, things that I'm trying, as well as accountability to how I am doing on my weight loss goals.
Blogging
This blog is something I wanted to do to share my life and the things I've learnt and am learning. Like I said earlier, I am a personal trainer and a stay at home mom. I wanted to use the knowledge I have learned to help other in the struggle of healthy living. It is one of my passions. I also am passionate about my family and faith and want to share the things I am learning with others.
Reading through the Bible in a Year
This is a challenge that my husband is doing and asked if I would join him in it. I haven't read through the whole Bible since Bible College and thought it was about time I did it again. I started a few days late and so I have 3 days to catch up on. It is something that always seemed really hard and I just didn't feel up to the challenge, but looking at the readings, it doesn't seem that unrealistic.
Reading a Marriage book and Parenting book
I heard of another couple who each picks a book on marriage that they want to go through together every few months. I had never thought about that before, but it sounded like a great idea. My husband and I enjoy reading and read a lot of books. We recently decided to read books to help better our marriage and bought a couple of marriage and parenting books. We would like to go through these together and so we just need to make the time to do it.
I know New Year's resolutions typically don't last, which is why I don't usually make them, but maybe this year will be different.
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