Sleep

For the past few weeks I've been waking up at 4:40 am every stinking morning.  Then Jared gets up at 6:00.  Then I'm up at 6:45.  But because I'm waking up at 4:40, I start thinking about the next few hours and then I can't go back to sleep.  AUGH!!!  It's a horrible cycle.

But I think I found my solution.  Last night I went to be about 10:45 pm.  Not exactly, but I know it was before 11:00.  I slept straight through.

I woke up to Jared's alarm, but was able to go back to sleep.  This morning I felt amazing!  Totally rested.  Ready to conquer the day.  On top of my eating.  Actually wanted to exercise.  Everything!  There is more to healthy living than just eating right and exercising enough.  You have to sleep right too!  When you're rested you make better decisions and you're just naturally a nicer person.

"Early to bed and early to rise.  Makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise."  LDS Primary Childrens Song Book.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:124 "...Retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated."

New Year New Start

Christmas was a killer on my scale this year.  I didn't formally exercise maybe even twice while the kids were on break.  I ate like crazy, and enjoyed every bit of it.  LOVE Christmas food!  It's the only time of year you get it, so I may as well enjoy it.

But man did I pay for my indulgence.  I gained a solid 8 lbs and went through sugar withdrawals like crazy. Headaches to make you cry and that even woke me up in the middle of the night.  But the headaches only lasted about 2 days, then I was good.

I am now back on Myfitnesspal.com and already down 4 lbs.  You deffinately loose weight faster when you eat right.  I'm also back to teaching Zumba Toning twice a week and loving it.

One of my students went to Nepal for December and since we were supposed to move over Christmas I thought I'd never see her again. But we didn't move and she's back with lots of great stories.  :)

I found the Marathon I want to run this year.  It's in Newport, Oregon on May 31st.

That means training starts next week.  I'm really excited.  A lot of people get their PR (personal record) at this Marathon and I am hoping to get 4 hrs.  This is my 3rd Marathon with that goal and I hope I get it this time.  Best thing yet would be get 3 hrs 40 mins, then I'd qualify for Boston 2015!  That would be awesome!

I am currently having trouble sleeping and I have to figure that out.  I thought there were too many blankets on my bed, so we fixed that.  It helped a bit but I'm still really restless at night.  I'll do some reading and let you know.

Love being back on track.  Love exercising again.  Love feeling like I have energy from eating healthy food. No more heaviness after a meal, and that's nice.

Fat

I am not feeling good about myself tonight.  I've had much better days.  I made the mistake of cooking Navajo Tacos for dinner.  My kids asked what I was doing, and I told them I was frying the bread.  Everyone of them got that look on their face of YUCK!  I've never fried anything in our almost 14 years of marriage.  They all liked the dinner alright, but all of us had sick stomachs afterwards.  We will not be frying anything every again.  It is not worth feeling like this.

How do I get out of this eating rut?  I have to figure it out soon because we're heading home in a few weeks, and my family NEVER helps me eat well.  I run and run and Zumba till the cows come home.  But if I can't eat right the exercise isn't going to do me any good.

Whew, what a day!

After getting the kids off to school, I reviewed my newest Zumba songs and headed out the door.

I taught a killer shoulder Zumba Toning Class today.  I didn't mean for it to all be shoulder, but even I was sore at the end.

Directly afterwards I slipped on my trail running shoes and hit the road.  Running 5 miles in 42 mins.  Not too bad.

My calves are tired and so's my back.  It was a good exercise day!

Confessions

Weight loss is not my thing, I don't think it's anybodies thing.  I've got the exercise down pat.  I love to move, I love to use my body.  But I also love to EAT, and what do I love most?  Sweets!!!

Today it was too many slices of French Toast with different types of syrup for Breakfast, Sweetened Condensed Milk and Apples and after that White Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies.  I always think to myself, "Why shouldn't I have just one?  Why should I deny myself?"  The Problem is, you can't have just one.  And 3-6 cookies later, or pulling out the spoon for the Condensed Milk is just a problem.

So what do I do?  I exercise to keep the weight at bay.  Problem is...it's starting to catch up with me.  My eating's getting out of control.  And not just the sweets.  I find myself taking HUGE portions or 2nds and then 3rds and not feeling guilty about it until I feel overly bloated by the time I leave the table.

The worst of it happened today at the end of my Zumba Toning Class.  I'm the teacher, I'm the leader and yet, the women are complimenting another lady on her physic and asking how SHE does it.  They're supposed to be asking me...the Instructor.

I know I'm not fat.  I know I'm in excellent shape.  But I also know I could be doing much better.  My scale should be moving down.  That or my pants should fit me, and not be feeling tight like they do lately.

I'm in a bit of a slump.  Mid-life Crisis if you want to call it that.  Can't eat enough, can't sit enough, can'ty sleep enough, can't smile enough, never satisfied with anything.  What do you do?  How do you get out of it?

Jared has crazy amounts of self control.  He'll eat an apple for lunch to save calories because he knows he's going out for dinner with work later on.  How do I do that?  How do I save those calories for when it counts, for something that truly satisfies?  Or really, what is it that truly Satisfies?  Maybe that's the question to ask.

Any suggestions?

Zumba

Loving, loving, loving Zumba! I'm looking to get certified this summer so when Sicily starts school in the Fall I can start teaching. I'm actually really nervous about having a group of people follow me. But at the same time I'm really excited. I love to dance. And I love the Zumba music, it all just goes hand in hand.

Friends and Weightloss

I have a friend named Kristin that has been my friend since 4th grade. I know, how crazy is that, I didn't know we could still have friends that long. She posted this on her blog the other day and I thought you all should read it.

http://whereverthere.com/2011/07/28/confessions-of-food-obsessions/

I find it very applicable to how I feel right now. I would like to lose anywhere between 15-20 more lbs and I am at a complete loss of how to get it done.

The kids are back in school and a routine is slowly being put into place. My toddler, Sicily, has preschool twice a week for 2 hours, to which I am dedicating to exercise: Zumba, Running and Weight Training. I am currently training for a Marathon which I will run in Baton Rouge, LA on December 3rd. So I feel that I am heading in the right direction exercise wise, but I am clueless, it feels like, when it comes to healthy eating and loving it.

I do NOT want to diet. I want to BE healthy. I want to EAT healthy always, and be able to stick to that for the rest of my life. Any of us can diet and lose, but how many can stick with it and keep it off.

That's the ultimate goal.

Food and Exercise

For dinner last night we had a healthy fair of homemade chili and cornbread. It was all so good and healthy and filling. But then we had some desert of not so good for you chocolate cake with ice cream and hot chocolate sauce.

After a few hours I got the kids to bed then went for a run. I know it's humid in Houston, Texas, where I live, but I think my feelings were due more to the food that I ate than to the humidity. I felt like junk. I only ran 3 miles but the last mile, heading for home, all I could think about was that chocolate cake and how much better I would feel about this run if I could just throw it up. Yuck! You should never feel that way about your food.

Food should be a source of fuel. Something that makes your body want to go further and longer.

I'm training for a Marathon and I'm realizing if I'm going to do this right, food has to be a part of my training. I can't be eating 3 slices of pepperoni pizza or a big ol' hunk of cheesecake right before I head out for a run. That being said, it's ok to eat that pizza, just not 3 slices. 1 slice is more than enough to fuel your body for a run. 3 slices will just run you down, just like my chocolate cake did.

If you want to perform to your optimal level, whether training for a race or just making it through a day with your kids, you have to give your body what IT NEEDS not what YOU WANT. Because, I don't care what you say, you can't tell me your body WANTS that 3rd slice of pizza. Your body knows what it NEEDS so listen to it and you'll be much better for it.

Exercise

There are times when exercise is the last thing I want to do. I'm finding if I don't get it done first thing in the morning I have a huge struggle of finding the time to do it during the rest of the day. There's something to be said for "early to bed, early to rise." If you get up early enough, get that exercise done and out of the way you can just move on with the rest of your day and not even have to worry about anything. More sleep means more energy means more exercise and desire to do so.

What to Eat

I do have a very intense sweet tooth. But I've learned a few things over the past few days. You really can eat whatever you want. Have that Chocolate Chip Cookie with some Ice Cream. Have that buttery syrup all over your pancakes.

But there's one rule: 1 serving

You may look at that one serving and think, "Man! That's nothing, I should take more now and just be done with it." But wait!

Eat that one small serving, and then wait. Wait 10-30 mins if you have to. Drink water in between and find something to occupy your time. And I guarantee after that 10-30 mins you really won't want a second helping. You'll be happy and satisfied by what you had. AND you'll be happy and satisfied with yourself for making the right choice.