Friday 7 January 2011

Get fit for the new year

It's tough to stick with for the rest of the year.


Weight Loss Retreat by sublimis



Before you write this Idea off as utter nonsense I ask you to read this Article from beginning to end. Most of us, especially us Mothers, seem to have a hard time finding a few moments to our-self in which we are able to improve our fitness, exercise or just make time to build stamina. This problem is not necessary, you can be the attentive Mom while doing the things you feel need to be done for your overall fitness. Kids are the greatest little fitness experts you will ever find. Think I am joking; just take a very good look at most healthy child. They are constantly on the go, have energy you can only wish for and are most of the time in a good mood. What is even more, they love to help. I have done this with my kids from early ages on; they have always been my Cheering Squad, Fitness Trainers, Work-out Partners and Diet Counselors. Let me show you how this works and why. Kids want to spend time with you and they love to help. If you tell a child that they are in charge, you have just made their day. Sounds dangerous? Not at all! When my kids were little, 4 and up, I would let them know that Mommy was getting too chubby and that she needed to loose some weight and tone back up. Of course that means nothing to them, but telling them that their Mommy's tummy had to go away and that she needed them to help her run, exercise and eat less, they understood. As soon as I would say this, my kids were ready. I would hear at least once or twice a day the invitation to go play catch with them. I wanted to run and believe me run I did. Chasing them all over the park. Playing Catch or playing ball, later as they got a bit older Soccer, is a great way to sweat, loose weight and built stamina. I never needed weights either. I would do sit ups with one or the other of my kids sitting on my legs as I would execute the sit-ups. A bonus here was that they had to count for me. A learning tool for them. Need to work your Arms? Just keep picking those kids up and setting them down. I was still carrying my daughters and my son on my shoulders when they were almost 8 Years old. As they got older they started exercising with me. We would challenge each other to greater heights and if we did well, we all got a treat. Worked out well. As for the diet - simple they would simple not let me eat things that I told them I should not have. My kids would go as far as taking it out of my mouth at times literally. Everything is more fun when you do it together.If I really felt tired or couldn't do another thing, or so I felt my kids were right there. Their little encouraging words and quoting my own phrases back at me made my workouts and attempt a lot easier. My Sons favorite thing was: "You told me never to quit, so you can't quit either." My Imp at age 16 is my daily workout partner now and she will let me know loudly: "You can do it Mommy! I believe in you!" Wow, what more can you ask for. When I see my inches going away, she is the first I show off to and she does the same with me. My oldest was more of the bribe inducing one. She had a very hard time reading when she was younger so her offer often looked something like this: "I read to you while you exercise Mommy!" The things you do in the name of education. If you don't like it, then just don't eat it. There would be times when I would sit in front of a dietary food and my eyes would just cross over. Of course I tried to be a good example, but my kids taught me a very important point, you can not force someone to eat something they hate. So if you don't like it, then just don't eat it. Find a healthy alternative instead and stick to it. That makes loosing weight a lot easier. You don't get to eat out of depression Mommy!When things would go bad for me, I had the very bad habit to eat. I didn't eat because I was hungry; I ate because I wanted to dull the emotional pain. My kids wouldn't have any of it. They would make sure I was busy, up to and including volunteering me as Teachers Aids in their School when I wasn't working that day. If we were at home and they knew I had just eaten, so my hangdog face, I would be dragged outside instead. They just had to go to the park and there was no food there. Or we would pack a small picnic lunch for 4, a few books, some drawing stuff and a few simple take with us games. Of we went to an afternoon outside adventuring. We never knew where we would end up at; we would step out of our door and turn right or left and just kept going until we found some interesting looking spot. By the time my kids were done with me I was roaring with laughter, reducing my stress levels and the depression would go away. Hurray for my little coaches. Make it colorful!There is nothing more depressing then gray. By adding color to your food you are not only eating with your mouth but with your eyes as well. Believe it or not, you get a lot more satisfied and faster if your food presentation is nice, colorful and smells good. Sharing is caring!Instead of each of us getting cookies we would make these large sized cookies and bread them in half. Then we would share with each other. Not only are a half of a large cookie smaller then a regular one, but we felt connected as well. We each had a treat and we did it together. You make them feel important and they will give you the time you need. If you let kids be there, they well let you do what needs to be done. After all they are not left out. Nobody likes to be left out. Just picture your child proudly telling Grandma or Grandpa, "I made my mommy loose weight! I am a big helper!" Come on isn't that too cute. The best thing is that kids are relentless. They are one 100% focused and you can not talk them out of something once you have put them in charge of anything. Trust me on this, if they get to be boss, they won't let you ever forget it. Want to pay them for it? How about a day out at a fun place, a new toy or a special good night treat. Believe me you will come a lot cheaper then hiring that expensive personal trainer.
So what's your new years resolution this year?


NYE 2010 06 by thomasrdotorg



When I Began to contemplar What My Biggest New Years resolution for 2009 Might Be, the usual suspects Appeared, as They Do Each Year; Lose more weight and get and stay in shape. While, These Are decidedly trite and bland Resolutions, I do Need to Make Them Priorities and will. I've lost 70 pounds in the last 7 months, and with 15 more pounds to go, I am feeling about myself Much Better Than I Was last year. I eat well and I Extremely Somewhat Exercise Regularly. My blood pressure and cholesterol Levels bear out the Health Benefits of Lowered with my weight loss numbers all around. I will continue on the way That I Already am going, But These oh-so-common Simply Resolutions Are not good enough for a true 2009 New Years resolution.So, while losing a bit more weight and Keeping Fit Are high priority, it Took me some real soul searching to find What I Really Need to resolve to do for myself, and my family, in the year 2009. I need to learn how to Be less high strung, less tightly wrapped, less whatever you choose to call Someone Who is always in a state of high alert, ready to react, or Often, overreact to Any situation, no matter how small. All of the weight loss and Exercise does precious little good if me I can not find a way out of Being in a constant state of stress and warp speed anxiety.Upon choosing the New Years resolution for 2009 I found myself Wanting the answer as to why I , or Anyone, versus Being is high strung laid back. I searched the web, Various using key words, looking for the answer. I Took personality tests. I Learned about ennegrams and gland functions, and the theory behind Them, and found That my personality, body type and the way I think is Ruled by my thymus gland. Some tiny gland in my upper chest, That All But Disappears after one hits puberty, you and Continue to shape my whole life? Huh? The more I read and Research, the more desperate I Became for the reasonable answer, as I Truly Can not stand it when i do not know the answer to Something. Who Could I ask? What doctor or Celebrated Psychologist Could I interview to see if They held the magic key to why folk Are Some laid back while Others, like me, Are wrapped as tightly as an over tuned piano. Finally, my very wise 24 year old daughter Asked me one question. "Mom," She Said, "Can you remember a time When You Were not high strung?" Not quite Understanding the intent behind her question, I spoke of a week long vacation in the Caribbean, the one Completely relaxed week of my life. Finally, I Said, "I was born high strung. I Have Always Been this way, just like your little brother out of the womb flesh tightly wrapped." "Right," she replied, "It Are you just how and the why is irrelevant. It's What You Do About It" So very true! I do not needed to know why I am so overly emotional and overly reactive to resolve to change it in 2009. But, how to begin? Act As If ... With the unanswerable question of the why of my excitable personality Chased away, I Began to focus on how to Truly Achieve my goal. Again, it was my daughter Who remind me of the time honor, "Act as if ..." or the "fake it Until you make it" technique, first and Document Used by Alfred Adler, an Austrian physician and Psychologist. Along with Sigmund Freud and others, Adler co-founded the Psychoanalytic Movement in the early 1900's. "Act as if ..." works just like it sounds. One Acts As If They Are Whatever They Want to Be, But Are Not, Until It Becomes an ingrained way of living. So, I need to think and act as if I am not high strung. I need to practice Being calm, cool and collected in order for it to Become a habit. While acting as if sounds pretty easy, it's really quit Challenging! I Have Been working at acting as if I am a calm person Since my chat with my daughter. Sometimes I remember Not to react or overreact to a situation Before I come undone, and am Able to change my reaction Into Appropriate action. Sometimes, I remember midway through to Perceived crisis, stop myself, and begin again, Responding as if I am calm, peaceful person dealing with whatever molehill That I am making a mountain out of at That Moment. And Sometimes, I forget Completely Until It's all over and my blood pressure is Already-through the ceiling. Then I rattled my little self settle down and recommit myself to faking my way Into Being a more peaceful person until i am the relaxed, unstrung person That I wish to be.Quiet Time: Prayer of us Have MeditationMost or read, or Heard That quiet time is very important to Our mental and physical health. That Means Completely quiet, quiet time. Time Spent Not in front of the TV or computer, It Means When You focus your time over Worked Something Other Than mind on your constant daily stress. Dr. Mehmet Oz and Others Suggest That Everyone Needs to take 60 minutes of this type of quiet time Each day, no matter what. Some Say That your life depends on it. For a person like me, That I believe to be true. For Many of us, We Need To learn how to turn off Our brains and to remove ourselves from the worldly worries for events 10 short minutes. Some Find That yoga works. Others Have the discipline it take to Properly practice meditation. For me, I know That quiet time in prayer works wonders. It Does not Matter What I seem to pray about; Often I talk to God just like I'd talk to my best friend. I pray while laying in bed, so while my mind relaxes, my body relaxes, and Often I pray myself to sleep, so I choose to have my quiet, prayer time When I can sleep for a bit.Since Safely this works so very well for me, I resolve to take time out DURING the day-put myself in time out, if Need be, to quiet myself with A Few moments of laying down and praying when i begin to get too Worked up. With hope, I'll relax, gather my thoughts, and return to life, or Any situation, with a mind and body.Exercise Settled: Dancey, here's They tried and true suggestion Stress Reduction. I resolve to Exercise Every Day, Not only to keep fit, But Some to burn off nervous tension of the endless That I carry with me, like an albatross, Each Day. However, I DO NOT want this Exercise to Be an added stress or burden. Another, "Oh, darn, I need to ..." sort of thing thing. I want it to be fun and joyful, so I resolve to dance for 20 to 30 minutes Every Day. I love to dance, But Rarely make the time to do it. Well, i have CD's and a way to play Them. I have floor space and motivation, Been so what's stopping me? I will dance with my tightly wrapped Equally, four year old are Every afternoon, when to Daddy isn't around to laugh at us. That I am sure it will do Both of us a world of good, for HAVING tried it, I can say dancing to burn off Excess Energy is a lot fun, and a darned good workout, to boot! Bed Set A Time And Decent Stick To ItRight now, it's 9:45 pm By the time That I am done writing this article, editing a bit, reading it over and over A Few Times, It Will Probably Be 10:30. Something will keep me at the computer Until 11 pm, and Then I'll want to listen to the news. Finally, I'll hop Into bed and begin to read to "unwind." Apparently, It Takes me a very long time to unwind, as On Any Given Night, I will finally turn out the light at 1 a.m. or later. I am not a great sleeper, waking Every couple of hours for 10 or more minutes, Then I am up around 8 a.m. entre Oh, and when i do finally turn off the lights, it will take me, at the very least, 30 minutes to fall asleep. Obviously, I am not getting enough sleep Nearly. Also, Obvious Equally, if I am in a constant state of sleep deprivation, I am not going to Be at my tippy top when it comes to dealing with day to day stress peacefully.Hence, I resolve to choose a more Suitable bedtime and bedtime routine, and to stick to it. This is going to Be very tough for me. Once I Have Every one off to bed and I am alone, no matter how tired I May be, I get my second wind. This is when i get all of my own work done. I'll Need to rework my day to get my own stuff done earlier. I need to use better "sleep hygiene" and not spend time in front of the computer or TV close to bedtime. I shouldn't read in bed, Either, so the experts say, But that's going to Be hard to give up. In 2009, I resolve to Be in bed by 10 pm and to turn the lights out by 11:30 p.m. Stop Skipping Meals: Eat BreakfastI Do not eat breakfast. I do not * think * that i have time to eat breakfast, just as I do not * think * that i have the time to take my time with anything. And además, It Will Be lunch time soon, anyway, will not it? Yet, I keep the Same experts Bringing Up, Tell Me That eating breakfast is a must to Maintain a steady blood sugar level, as well as to Aid in Continued weight loss and emotional eating Prevent Later in the day. Three meals a day, and two small snacks is to be my goal. So much wasted time eating! Can I commit to that? Hard Though it May be, it Makes Sense to do so. I've Always Been prone to hypoglycemia, and if you have any experience with Being overly hungry or a little low blood sugar in the area, Then You'll Also Know That Any person in Such a state is a walking time bomb of emotions Until That person is fed. Therefor, I resolve to eat some sort of breakfast and to eat a couple of small snacks Each Day. These snacks Can Be Something as easy as an orange, Some grapes or a small handful of nuts. Since my four year old has Be running to the kitchen Many times a day, I'll make it a habit to remember to get myself a little something, also. I May Have to post a note. I get so busy in my head That I forget to eat, so Taking the time to eat, and I literally mean That Allowing myself time to eat, can not be bad, Either, as I'll be Forced to sit down and relax for a FEW minutes. Maybe I need to change my perception of time, all together ... hmmm, next year.No Caffeine, More WaterThere Was a time, not so long ago, When I drank coffee around the clock, and I do mean around the clock. I work too many, very odd hours and very changeable and I Never Went Anywhere Without Coffee, And That included bed. At That time, the caffeine Seem To Have little effect on me. These days, I am well on my way to an anxiety attack Before I am half way-through one cup of morning coffee. A sensible person realize That Might Perhaps caffeine Can Be Done away with all together, if this is the effect of Sale less than one cup of coffee. Since I am a sensitive person, I resolve in this coming New Year to switch to decaf. I love the taste of coffee and I love my green tea, But It's the taste and antioxidants That I crave, NOT the stimulation. Since Can Be Both beverages forms found in decaf, I will drink Those instead. A high strung person and Stock Does not Really Need Substance That will up the emotional ante, does she? Nope. Also I will drink more water in 2009, and will post notes in Various places around the house as reminders Often as I am so "busy" that I forget to drink, Even When thirsty.A friend Once Told Me That Even When I Was sitting perfectly still, That I look as if I were vibrating. While that's an apt description, and a humorous visual image, it's very uncomfortable to Be packing so much raw energy around Every Day. Truly I hope and pray That my 2009 New Years resolution is kept, with booming success. Thus, I will now begin to put all of this great passion and energy to Better Use. In 2009, I will create the 30 hour day.

Sunday 2 January 2011

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