Goal Update and STUFF

It's been a week since I posted my goals, and that means I need to check off how I did, and I'll also blog about some seemingly random other stuff.

• Lose 1 Pound: I kicked this!  I lost 1 lb this week. I would have lost more if I didn't gorge myself on Mexican and chips, but losing weight is all about MODERATION and not DEPRIVATION, as I've tried to beat into your head many times.  I exercised EVERY.SINGLE.DAY this week (except yesterday-yesterday was my rest day).  I'm the type of person who NEEDS exercise.  It makes me happier and healthier, and I have to exercise to lose weight or else that fat just sticks to my bones or something. 

• Write 500 words: Sadly--I did not make this goal. I edited a little bit, and I started reading up about self publishing.  I spoke to some friends on one of the baby boards I'm on, and I have some good ideas.  I need to stop procrastinating, but I seriously HATE editing.  In the words of Nike: JUST DO IT, Lauren!!!

• Clean my Room: I feel like a little kid typing that, but the truth is I'm a horrible slob.  Mostly because there are more important things in my life I'd rather be doing (or not so much more important, but things I'd rather do).  I see this mentality in my kids already, so I really need to stop and just push myself to clean up.  I cleaned up HALF the room, so that counts for something.  I just haven't finished cleaning out the Ebay boxes, and now it's time to list again. 

• Blog: As you can see, I've been blogging again.  That's a no brainer.  I love blogging the morning.  I feel like it gets the wheels turning in my brain and sets me in motion for a productive and successful day.

Other things I've done this week:

• Taekwondo: Monday-Wednesday night.  I sparred and was punched in the head (quite by accident), but I had a nice little bruise where my eyebrows should be!

• Ran: I'm slowly building up again.  Today I did a 11 minute 22 second mile.  Then I walked.  The shin doesn't hurt, but sometimes the muscles around it seem tight so I have to back up.  Building up again is hard, but I know I can do.

• Worked with the Kids on Reading Skills: I've been a little bit worried about Number Two's reading skills.  I signed up for ABC Mouse, and we've been going through the curriculum, and I think his pre-reading skills are okay now.  It's been fun to sit and watch the kids go through the program and talk about it and ask them what sounds certain letters make.  We've really had some good one on one time doing this, and I love that!

The Family Dinner

I woke up today thinking about the Family Dinner!  Strange thing to think about a 5:50 AM, when Darling Daughter is curled up tight in her pink blankie beside me like a little roly poly (you should hear her say that word--so sweet!). 
 
Hubby and I have always made the family dinner important in our home.  My parents did before us, and his too.  Every day, we sit around our kitchen table, and we reconnect, like these people (minus the horse!):

Later British painting by Cotman
           image copyright 2003 www.clipart.com

                                                    Family Dinners are so important.  For one thing: I think my boys would only eat snacks if we didn't actually sit around the table and feed them fruits and vegetables and some sort of protein.  We probably have about 5 family dinners a week, which is a feat, because we're always running in opposite directions.  During the year our schedules go sort of like this: Rise and Shine, Kids to School, Pick Kids up from School or after-school, pick kids up from various after-school programs, run home, eat family dinner that Hubby has so lovingly slaved over, and then run off to our various corners of our house (or for the parents to our various exercise choices!).  This leaves one IMPORTANT time for reconnection: the Family Dinner.
 
What are the benefits of the family dinner?  I'll tell you:
 

• Reconnect with your children: Show them you care.  Ask them about their day.  If you show them there is a special time for them to discuss any problems they are having.  You'll be surprised how they will just open up to you if you LISTEN.

• Influence their Food Choices: Family Dinner is a time to have your kids TRY different foods.  It's a time to show them how eating healthy is an important part of their life.  This is important today, where so many kids are obese. 

• Fruits and Veggies: Kids Who Eat Family Dinners aren't eating Junk (unless you're serving junk).  They're more likely to get their daily dose of fruits and veggies.

• Builds Confidence in Kids: This can turn into greater success at school and in their various relationships throughout life.  The Family Dinner is a time to talk about everything, so kids often LEARN at the table. 

• Pride and Family Connection: Kids who eat family dinners on a regular basis innately know their parents are proud of them.  We start off our family dinners asking everyone around the table this simple question: What was the best thing that happened to you today?  We follow it up by this:  What was the worst thing that happened to you today?  This allows your child to receive praise and to vent.  These are two things everyone needs!

Our world is so fast-paced.  Everyone is always moving in opposite directions, so to me the most important part of family dinner is RECONNECTION. 

We follow this simple rule for our family dinner: NO ELECTRONICS at the table.  This means no DS, no phone, no TV on, no music on.  Just food and us.  This way no one is distracted, and everyone can focus on eating and being together. 

Begin Again

I started running again on Saturday.  I'm taking it slow.  I threw myself full force back into Taekwondo last week, and even with jumping I didn't have pain in my stress fracture.  I know I need to take it easy and build up with the running.

Yesterday I ran 1.01 miles in 10 minutes 22 seconds.  I was trying to achieve between an 11 and 12 minute mile.  I have such problems with pacing, and I wear myself out because of it, and then I want to stop. 

Today, I ran 1.02 miles in 13 minutes 32 seconds.  This was too slow, but I was really having a problem with the humidity today.  I actually walked a mile afterwards, and I walked FASTER than I had run.  I walked 1.04 miles in 12 minutes 51 seconds!  Oh well--it's a process, and I built up before.  I'll do it again!

I feel like running is such mind over matter.  Half the time I'm running, my brain wanders and begins to tell me I can't keep going.  You have to train your brain and your body in order to get into shape, and in order to run.  You have to look at the street in front of you and think to yourself, "a mile is really not that far."  You have to tell yourself that you CAN DO THIS, and most of all you have to just KEEP going.  In the end, it's completely worth it. 

Goals for the Week

Here goes!  Re-commitment one step at a time.  The first step is naming my goals.  When I was posting my weekly goals on the blog, and checking them off at the end of the week I had the most success.  Often we as humans tend to abandon our goals when we don't write them down.  Writing them down makes them more permanent, and posting them to a blog for the whole world to see makes them seem achievable. 

Here goes.  My FOUR goals for this week:

• Lose 1 Pound: Starting off small here.  But I'm well on my way to doing it by tracking my food and by exercising. 

• Write 500 Words a Day: I'm still editing.  I have found that I HATE editing.  I can edit and WRITE at the same time.  I need to throw myself back into writing, as I've gotten away from it the last few months.  When I don't write I feel unsettled, as if I'm being called back to the computer to type away and throw my thoughts onto the blank Word template. 

• Clean My Room: My room has been a mess of Ebay clothes for about three months.  They are in boxes, but the boxes are cluttering the whole room.  I NEED to clean them out, so I can then put the Exercise bike in the bedroom and have something to do on rainy days like today!

• Blog: Blogging helps my mind by preparing me to write.  I need to blog, at least three times a week.  It's such a great stress relief, and it helps my creative juices start to flow.

In Moderation

It's July 4th, and a wet one at that.  We have been stuck in the house with the kids, and they are going stir crazy, as only little boys know how to do.  In fact, they are walking around the house wearing one of Darling Daughter's tutus, and I'm writing this in hopes that one day their future girlfriend will read this and laugh!  Yes--blackmail is a wonderful thing.

I haven't blogged in some time.  Hubby took me to New Orleans for our TEN year anniversary.  I still can't believe we made it 10 years.  It has been rough, but worth it, and I recommend a trip without kids for any married couple.  We had a wonderful time, and we really reconnected.  We ate a LOT, drank a LOT, danced A LOT, and sweated A LOT!  Excuse the qualities of the photo.  My camera is still broken, so every photo I've taken recently has come from my iPhone.  I miss my camera.

 

 

Here we are in front of the St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square in New Orleans.  The weather was beautiful, though HOT.  We enjoyed ourselves so much, and it was a much needed vacation without the kids. 

 

Okay: moving on.  This post is supposed to be about goals.  I have been neglectful in my goals.  I stepped off the path, and I took a long detour but I'm BACK.  It took me realizing I had gained back 20 pounds of the 50 I lost to realize I need to have goals in my every day life...again.

 

I came back from New Orleans rejuvenated and ready to make the necessary changes.  Watching your weight and exercising is a lifestyle change, as I have said many times before, and it takes constant adjusting to stay on track and not get waylaid by the taste of chocolate or alcohol!  (Those are my two biggest weaknesses!)

 

I came back and I went to three Taekwondo classes in a row.  I hopped back onto MyFitnessPal, and I started tracking my food.  I started full throttle back into my lifestyle change, and hopefully this time I will be able to stick with it for LIFE.  The thing about changing your lifestyle is it shouldn't be HARD.  You should still be able to eat what you want, but in limited quantities.  The problem comes in when you try to cut out foods you love COMPLETELY.  That will never work, because as soon as you start eating those things again you'll keep eating more and more of them, thus sabotaging your hard work.

 

I love MyFitnessPal, because you can literally eat anything as long as you try to stay at your calorie goal or below.  I can still have my chocolate occasionally and my alcohol occasionally, IN MODERATION.  Those two words I have trouble with.  I don't really like doing anything IN MODERATION.  I know this about myself, and it's a battle I fight daily.  I like to eat to excess, I like to laugh to excess, talk to excess, read to excess, drink to excess.  It is one of my many flaws, so I really have to work hard against letting it take over my life and lead me down the wrong path.  Self-worth and self-reliance, reigning in control of our natural tendencies towards self-destruction is one of the many lessons in life--at least I feel that way.

 

No one is perfect.  Nothing is handed to you.  The key to success in everything, including weight loss, is hard work.  Hark work, will power, motivation, and realizing you don't have to give up everything you love to eat and drink in order to live a healthy life will take you a long way.

 

Hopping back on the horse right now, and galloping towards my goals.  See you on the other side.