workout progress

The perfect time to catch up on reading a 3 year collection of decorating, mommy, & farming magazines is during my morning treadmill walk. I'm getting life & decorating inspiration and a workout at the same time, which keeps my mind busy and distracted from the actual displeasure I get from walking on a machine. I would much rather be out in the wilderness walking a nature trail, but that is just not possible at this time of year so I'm doing the best with what I have! This morning I was distracted with my magazine for 52 minutes by my "Cookie" magazine. The morning chores are all caught up with, now its time to get into the more detailed housework: going through old clutter piles and paring down on the excess stuff that has been acquired over the past 6 years, which is about how long we have been living here.

It's exciting to be at a point in my life where I can let go of the "stuff" and truely focus on what matters: family, food, exercise & health.

31 minutes this afternoon with cross-training run/walk intervals. I even worked up a sweat.

Today's workout record:

30 min. on treadmill in AM
21 min. on treadmill in afternoon

If I can do as many yoga classes as possible per week, plus do little bouts of treadmill walks throughout each day (instead of looking at facebook and email) I will reach any goals of health I have, and will be using my time more wisely.

raw food diet challenge: post #2

So, I would say I ate about 90% raw food last week. I wanted perfection, but got human. It's alright...I learned that raw food dieting is not really my cup of tea. I need coffee to get my head on straight in the morning, just one cup is all it takes. Soy protein is a great source of protein to use as an ingredient in my morning smoothie, and if I eat non-raw items occasionally I shouldn't beat myself up over it. I will adopt raw food into 75% of my diet on average, which is a healthy goal.

organic living

I'm working on the last load of laundry for the weekend and thinking about new ways I can keep our home environment clean, safe and green.

Ways in which we have already gone green:

homemade cleaners
use cloth napkins and cloth handtowels for cleaning up messes and spills
homemade laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent
homemade bath bombs for fun bathtime

Fresh ideas for being more green:

goats milk soap instead of harsh storebought soaps
-buy from etsy shops instead of from grocery store to support small businesses

soy candles
-just ran out of our last stinky, chemical laden candle, and I will now buy soy candles only from etsy shops

make our own shampoo

pare down any residual bottles of cleaning products and bodycare products that are full of chemicals

glamour girl

fueling up after playing in the rain

Glamour Girl

Ready for a morning on Broadway

workout challenge log

treadmill and sneakers are ready for takeoff.

I lost 2 pounds after taking one hot yoga class yesterday.

It totally whooped my butt. 5 more weeks of the triathlete hot yoga series.

We'll see if I make it!

Saturday

20 min. treadmill in AM

2 hours of hot yoga in the afternoon

30 min. treadmill in PM

Sunday

20 min. treadmill in AM

1.25 hrs. basic anusara yoga in AM

treadmill in PM

laundry: part 2

Believe it or not, this amount of laundry is managed two times per week. With 5 people in the family it is not an easy task and is another one of those areas in my life in which I have to be extremely disciplined or it will take over. Literally. I have gone through so many emotional states in regards to laundry.

Two years ago; when I was about 60 pounds heavier, after having my son, Caden; if I didn't stay on top of doing laundry it would get washed and then the clean clothes would go on my bed and pile up into a mountain. I would get so overwhelmed, discouraged, and depressed by it. It felt insurmountable. It was insurmountable. I was dealing with (and still am) fibromyalgia, a slipped disc in my spine, spinal stenosis (degenerative disc disease-which is incurable), obesity, sleep deprivation, and top that off with four children to care for. During bouts of fibromyalgia you will suffer for days of unbearable joint/muscle pain that leaves you feeling completely debilitated. I would try to push through the pain to keep the house neat and clean and manageable. The messes would make me want to cry because I wanted to take care of it, but felt like I couldn't. On days when I am not suffering it is not a problem, so you go through the emotions of feeling on top of the world, to then feeling disabled. It is not pleasant. People on the outside don't understand, because they look at you and think you look just fine, but inside you are suffering in so many ways.

Organization was necessary. I let go of attachments to cute little things the kids wore and pared down to 5 shirts, 5 pants, and about 7 pairs of socks & underwear (for the boys). I asked myself (and them) what their favorite things to wear were, and then got rid of the rest. My daughter, still has so many items of clothing....but that's because she is a tweenager and we know how that story goes! This paring down diminished the mounds of laundry that I was having to lug up and down stairs, fold and put away. Sometimes new things come into the house, and then I have to go through the minimizing process again, but its much easier now, because I'll just get rid of the most logical items: stained shirts, threadbare pants, etc. It is also important to deal with the hampers the second they become full, and after the clothing is washed and dried, fold it and put it away, right away...or it will again feel overwhelming.