Family In Shape

Stay in the game

 

Photo by Reluctant Torontonian

It's no secret that my life is hectic these days as I attempt to clear my closets and drawers and finish up a semester of school. Impossible to forget the kid's homework, fun family time, birthdays, and life goes on with or without THE BIG MOVE.

As we get busier preparing I find it more and more difficult to stick to my routines and stay in the game.  Eating, exercising, drinking water, and sleep sometimes take a back seat to what I THINK needs to get done NOW. 

1.  Eating at regular intervals - not because I'm not hungry but because I get so involved in a project in some other part of the house that I don't even look at the time or heed the signals my body is giving me like hunger pangs, light headed, sometimes I feel like I'm over caffeinated--shaky all over.  It may not be for everyone, but eating several meals a day is a great way to stabilize glucose and keep the metabolism from slowing down.  Eat more often, loose more weight is a great article with some tips that can help better understand this process of eating at regular intervals.

2.  Exercise and Energy - I do get to the gym, because I work there and have to teach classes.  That is a huge plus.  But I know what is like to get involved in a project at home and skip the gym or even the neighborhood walk just to finish this one project.  Unfortunately, we always manage to come up with other projects that take us away from this important part of our life.  So I go to the gym when I can and when I have to but when I find myself stuck I take a break and do one of my three 10 minute workouts.  

The Hundred Push Challenge is a really fantastic workout that attempts to get you doing 100 push ups in six weeks.  While my goal is not exactly to reach 100, although that would be really great, my goal is to get stronger and leaner and I can't do that just by cleaning my house.  Push ups work all the muscles in your upper body AND core muscles - I can handle 10 minutes.  I also like to add Yoga or Pilates to my routine and those I do on the days opposite to the Push up days.  Check out these two videos, Yoga by Meaghan and Pilates by Suzanne. What a great way to spend just 10 minutes on me. 

3.  Water - Well we all know the benefits of water.  It's no secret.  Water cleanses your body, your kidneys (filtration system), the liver (fat metabolizer), and your skin.  There's no excuse to not drink my daily minimum so I carry around a 24 ounce-bottle of water and make sure I refill it a couple of times throughout the day.  I found this article, it's long but very informative on the benefits of water.

4.  Sleep - I can't begin to count the days or nights when I either go to bed super late and/or get up super early.  I fill up on coffee and try to do it all before the kids get up to go to school and before I have to be at the gym or anywhere that day.  It might work once or twice, but after a few days of sleeping no more than 4 hours a night I become a zombie and everything goes downhill.  I can't concentrate or focus, I don't have energy to play with the kids, I have no desire to eat (healthy) or exercise for that matter.  I'm still working on improving my sleep habits and here are some great tips on the benefits of sleep.

I know it's going to take a little planning and dedication on my part but it is important that I take back my life and stay in the game.  My health is worth way more than cleaning out closets and drawers. Besides, we have such an awesome adventure to look forward to in the next few weeks.  I need to stay healthy if I want to enjoy it and show my kids a great time.  

I hope these tips help you stay in the game.  Take back your life, you only have one chance to live it right!

Stay Well,

Could be overwhelming - refocus

Photo by me... out of focus flowers

Out of time. Out of energy. TIME TO REFOCUS!

The Kids. My School. My Job. The Big Move to Cuba! Our House! It's a lot to think about. It's a lot to plan without loosing my mind.

We have a big move coming up in about six weeks and I wish I could say that I can just sit here and wait until the day comes.  NOT SO! A lot has to be done in between and with hubby already gone, it's all on me, again!! (not feeling bitter at all).  Part of my service to our country, to make sure his family is moved smoothly from the comfort of our home to a foreign country, as long as he is not stressed and can do his job well, that's all that matters.  (If you feel a little sarcasm in my *voice* you got it right).  Truly, I'm sure he would rather be here helping us get ready but he's not so I must adapt, right?!

Over the next few weeks I have to de-crap my closets.  Isn't it amazing how much stuff we accumulate over the years.  We have never been stationed in one place more than two years, needless to say, the 'toss-keep-donate' process happens easily and with much, much less hassle. This time we were blessed and stayed here four years -- a long stretch for us.  However, I have more stuff to 'store-toss-donate-keep' because during out stay we added a baby and sent a child into the grown up world.  He had a lot of stuff crap in his room.  Amazing how much I had to throw away, mostly school stuff.

As I was reorganizing the closets and going through our clothes I realized that half of our clothes would be unsuitable for our new home..ya know... winter clothes in a tropical country, probably a good idea to let these sit in storage until we return to a place with more than one season.  Then there are the toys, kids clothes, shoes, old coats, baby items...wow.  By the way, if you hate to throw out the stuff you don't use you have a few options.  One, of course is your local thrift store.  Another option is www.freecycle.org.  I offered several items, left them on my driveway and later whomever wanted them came over and picked them up. How cool is that.  Recycling is the way to go.  I know another option is having a yard sale but to be honest, I hate hosting yard sales, I don't have the patience, it's a lot of work so if I have something worth selling I go for Craig's list, where I sold my Van by the way or eBay.

So finding the time and energy to clean up the house and get it ready for the packers, write my papers for school, get the kids where they need to be on time and still manage to laugh has been a bit of a challenge these days.

Well, a few things help me stay focused regardless of how tired I am or what chores need to get done:

I am keeping my date at the gym constant - it is my place to find sanity and the one thing I can control. I have also added a 2 -3 mile walk at night with one of my neighbors, Maria.  We have a chance to talk without kid interruptions and I have a chance to clear my head.

I am going to bed at a reasonable time so that I can be well rested to take on the next day.  It's not all that uncommon for me to stay up late and get up super early just so I can catch up, but in the end, I end up so tired that I get less done.  So I'm working on 7 hours of sleep being my norm, not four or five.

I am being careful about what I eat and when because I already know that when I'm stressed I could easily breakdown the walls and go for whatever I'm craving - that could be really ugly.  So I just don't buy the stuff I know I'll crave and stick with my healthy foods.  It's easier to avoid my potential stress related train wreck with food.

Last, but not least, keeping up with my to-do list and calendar.  They are my compass right now.  I like the idea that I don't have to store anything in my head or try to remember if or when I did something. Just write it down and set a little electronic reminder, done!!

I'm committed to stay motivated and treat myself well because if my (mental, physical, spiritual) health fails I can't take care of my precious little people.

Stay Well,

Prioritize, Procrastinate, Done!

Photo by Sadie.Diane

Sometimes I think I live in a world of denial. I'm sure of it.  I'm not alone either.

While the kids are in school we have routines, schedules, to-do lists, and everything runs pretty smooth. However, as the school year comes to a close things get a little crazy.  

The to-do lists find a new place under all the papers, report cards, school functions and junk mail that finds its way into my house.  The smooth schedule is now replaced with some other events I never knew were happening and that's about when I start to wish for the end of school, so I can take a break from the chaos of being the nurse, the chef and the taxi driver.

Then school lets out and the first few days the kids sleep in and lounge around doing nothing...I mean absolutely nothing.  What is this a vacation resort where all we do is kick back and let others do unto us?  No, no it's not.  I can attest to that.  

I do have to laugh, loudly, when I hear them say things like "we shouldn't have to do chores, we're on vacation"  They're so cute and so funny! Ha! OK, the fun is over, now get to work!  Um you don't work and I'm not your live-in maid, that's why you have to do chores.

The kids have been out of school for three weeks and today I found myself seeking out the schedule for the next school year.  Day one is only six weeks away.  Talk about being bitter, they really don't like to hear that.

To make matters a little more interesting, we recently found out that we are moving to U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Don't gasp at the location, it's the base not the prison camp.  So to get my kids used to the idea of moving, period, I generally start doing my research early on this new location.  As a result of getting orders we have to sell our house, which leads into me getting more done in two months than I've done in the four years we've been living here.  Ouch!  I do work well under pressure and that's a problem sometimes.

So I prioritize what we need to do.  Then I procrastinate until the pressure hits home.  Then I get things done, somehow, with the right level of stress and adrenaline working as the wind beneath my wings!

What never fails to exists in our lives, however, is our attention to wellness, harmony, balance, and love.  No matter how crazy things get around here we always manage to sit back and enjoy each others company and sometimes no company at all.  We still make it to the gym because without that we would really loose our minds, I know I would.  We find time to go have fun with friends, time to sit back and watch our favorite TV shows, and even time to sit and just be.

Everyday we manage to write a new page into our own personal history book and we try to make it an interesting and engaging new addition to this chapter in our lives.  No matter how the day ends, there's always, ALWAYS something to be thankful for, each and every day.  And when that glass seems to be half empty, take a moment to reflect on the positive things in your own life and watch that glass fill up again.  It is amazing how that happens because life is an amazing journey not to be taken for granted...Enjoy it, you only get one chance!

Stay well,