5/20/2015
Week of 5/13 - 5/20/2015
Weigh in Weight: 153.8 lbs gain of 6 oz
I feel great. The dreariness and gloom outside has gone away for a little while and it is warmer and sunny outside.
I am continuing to have issues with water retention, partly because I have not been able to do my speed walking exercises on the treadmill that produce sweat. I am drinking at least 80 oz of water a day which helps, but the lack of exercise is the biggest problem. I also need to pay closer attention to my salt and sugar in take. I do pretty good on that front, but being better about it will help with the water retention as well as figuring out how to fit in my speed walking into the busyness of our lives. Being able to walk outside and be outside with my son now that it isn't raining and cold will be helpful.
I do get daily exercise just by having a very active toddler, but I am working on trying to be more creative so that I sweat a little and get rid of some of the extra water my body is holding on to, when I play and do activities with my son. My activities lately have been some light cleaning and yard work. I dusted the living room, swept and mopped the kitchen floor, and swept the driveway and sidewalks.
So I am being active daily and getting some kind of exercise and I am drinking at least 80 oz of water a day; two out of three of my goals for week 18. I still need to work on taking some time each week to journal. I just need to do it, but I haven't made the time to do so. I need to make writing in my journal part of my weekly, if not daily routine. So I am going to continue putting it on my goals list until it becomes a natural part of my routine.
So I need to work on keeping my water retention to a minimum, find time to speed walk on the treadmill a couple times a week, and make time to write in my journal at least once a week if not more often. I also need to be better about posting on my weigh in day. I will be posting again tomorrow to give an update on week 19's successes and things I need to work on. But I will post my week 19 goals here anyway so you can see what I was working on. Until tomorrow, Keep on keeping on!
Goals for week 19: 5/20 - 5/27/2015
1) Journal at least once a week
2) Speed walk at least twice a week
3) Daily activity and exercise
4) Drink at least 80 oz of water a day
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Week 17 of Healthier Living in 2015
5/13/2015
For week of 5/6 - 5/13/2015
Weigh in Weight: 153,2 lbs gain of .6 oz
I swear, I weighed in on Wednesday this week, but yet again I am not posting for my previous week's journey until Saturday. I am going to work harder to find time on Wednesdays, at the latest, Thursdays to post about my healthier living journey.
Week 17 went okay. I gained a few ounces this last week, but nothing I can't lose or maintain easily. I spent most of the last week working on and finishing a power point for my NRIT presentation on my book. It required a lot of sitting in front of my laptop and didn't leave time to do speed walking on the treadmill and getting a good sweating workout in. I did get daily activity and exercise though, by working in the garden and being active with my son daily.
One of my goals for week 17 was to start a new book and I did. We are reading "Still Alice" for book club in June and I'm on the 5th chapter already. It is a little slow in tempo so it's hard for me to get into but I think it will end up being a good and informative book.
I didn't make the time to journal during the last week. I am adding it to my goals list for week 18 because I think it will be very good for my mental and emotional health to start journaling again regularly.
And so overall week 17 was an average week around here. So until I post again, keep on keeping on!
Goals for Week 18: 5/13 - 5/20/2015
1) Journal 2 times a week
2) Drink at least 80 oz of water a week
3) Daily exercise and activity
For week of 5/6 - 5/13/2015
Weigh in Weight: 153,2 lbs gain of .6 oz
I swear, I weighed in on Wednesday this week, but yet again I am not posting for my previous week's journey until Saturday. I am going to work harder to find time on Wednesdays, at the latest, Thursdays to post about my healthier living journey.
Week 17 went okay. I gained a few ounces this last week, but nothing I can't lose or maintain easily. I spent most of the last week working on and finishing a power point for my NRIT presentation on my book. It required a lot of sitting in front of my laptop and didn't leave time to do speed walking on the treadmill and getting a good sweating workout in. I did get daily activity and exercise though, by working in the garden and being active with my son daily.
One of my goals for week 17 was to start a new book and I did. We are reading "Still Alice" for book club in June and I'm on the 5th chapter already. It is a little slow in tempo so it's hard for me to get into but I think it will end up being a good and informative book.
I didn't make the time to journal during the last week. I am adding it to my goals list for week 18 because I think it will be very good for my mental and emotional health to start journaling again regularly.
And so overall week 17 was an average week around here. So until I post again, keep on keeping on!
Goals for Week 18: 5/13 - 5/20/2015
1) Journal 2 times a week
2) Drink at least 80 oz of water a week
3) Daily exercise and activity
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Week 16 of Healthier Living in 2015
5/6/2015
For week of 4/29 - 5/6/2015
Weigh in Weight: 152.6 lbs. gain/loss of 0 lbs.
During week 16, I gained weight, I lost weight and ended up at the same weight neither losing or gaining since my last weigh in.
I was much better about being active and getting daily exercise this week. I even found time two days during the week to get in some speed walking on our treadmill. Finding the time to get down and have a sweat fest exercising around here is a rare treat. With the nice weather recently, I have been able to walk outside, around town a lot. The fresh air and the warm sun are amazing and help to keep me balanced in a very healthy way.
I kept up with my water consumption as well, drinking at least 80 oz of water a day. The one downfall is having to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. But drinking at least 80 oz of water a day has helped me to maintain my weight and to relieve the water retention and constipation I can have sometimes.
My third goal for week 16 was to work on continuing to de-clutter my life of stuff I don't need or won't use again. I went through several boxes of stuff and have a lot of paper recycling to bring to Great Falls the next time we go. De-cluttering the crap from my life, allows me to focus on more important things like my family and friends.
We are planning to have a garage sale this summer, but after going through my stuff, I realized that most of it was just junk I hadn't yet thrown away. I have a few things that we can sell, and clothes to donate. Once my husband goes through all of his stuff, we will have a pretty decent stash to have a garage sale.
I'm not sure if I could ever live a minimalist life, especially with a young child at this point, but recycling old papers and magazines, getting rid of books I won't read or read again, general de-cluttering leaves more room in my life for the important things. And I feel mentally, emotionally, and physically less weighed down by the clutter. So until next time, Keep on keeping on!!! :)
Goals for week 17: 5/6 - 5/13/2015
1) Daily activity and exercise
2) Start reading a new book
3) Journal 3 times during the week
For week of 4/29 - 5/6/2015
Weigh in Weight: 152.6 lbs. gain/loss of 0 lbs.
During week 16, I gained weight, I lost weight and ended up at the same weight neither losing or gaining since my last weigh in.
I was much better about being active and getting daily exercise this week. I even found time two days during the week to get in some speed walking on our treadmill. Finding the time to get down and have a sweat fest exercising around here is a rare treat. With the nice weather recently, I have been able to walk outside, around town a lot. The fresh air and the warm sun are amazing and help to keep me balanced in a very healthy way.
I kept up with my water consumption as well, drinking at least 80 oz of water a day. The one downfall is having to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. But drinking at least 80 oz of water a day has helped me to maintain my weight and to relieve the water retention and constipation I can have sometimes.
My third goal for week 16 was to work on continuing to de-clutter my life of stuff I don't need or won't use again. I went through several boxes of stuff and have a lot of paper recycling to bring to Great Falls the next time we go. De-cluttering the crap from my life, allows me to focus on more important things like my family and friends.
We are planning to have a garage sale this summer, but after going through my stuff, I realized that most of it was just junk I hadn't yet thrown away. I have a few things that we can sell, and clothes to donate. Once my husband goes through all of his stuff, we will have a pretty decent stash to have a garage sale.
I'm not sure if I could ever live a minimalist life, especially with a young child at this point, but recycling old papers and magazines, getting rid of books I won't read or read again, general de-cluttering leaves more room in my life for the important things. And I feel mentally, emotionally, and physically less weighed down by the clutter. So until next time, Keep on keeping on!!! :)
Goals for week 17: 5/6 - 5/13/2015
1) Daily activity and exercise
2) Start reading a new book
3) Journal 3 times during the week
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Rejection is Part of Getting Published...
A while ago I shared a post with you about submitting an article to the MOPS Hello Darling magazine on the Power of Friendship. I was not accepted and therefore, I will post it here on my blog for you to read at your leisure. Enjoy!!! :)
The Power of Friendship
The power of friendship is one of the most special gifts
given to us by God. As a pastor’s wife,
my life is quite transient. For my
husband’s first call, we packed up our things and moved to a small rural
community in north central Montana. For
him, it wasn’t such a huge transition because he grew up and lived all of his
life in various places in Montana. For
me it was a huge transition.
I am a big city gal.
I love the hustle and bustle of a city.
There is always something to do in a city. I, respectively, lived in either Minneapolis
or St. Paul on and off for 8 years before moving to small town Montana. It was a major culture shock and I knew no
one. I had no friends here and the
family I had in the area were my husband’s relatives. I was completely alone.
One of my older friends that I made in the area, who was a
pastor’s wife in her first marriage, said to me once, “When I felt so
completely alone, I would pick up the phone and call my friends who lived all
over the country and feel so much better after talking to them.” This statement is so true. I left my mom, dad, brother and many of my
closest friends behind when we moved to Montana, but all I have to do is pick up
the phone or use the power of technology and skype with them and I feel so much
better.
But I have also made friends in my small community too. It has taken a couple of years but I don’t
feel so completely alone here anymore.
Friends are those people who make life fun and amazing.
I have become closer with other pastor’s spouses, mostly
women, who have gone through the same bouts of loneliness as I have and we have
bonded so completely over our shared experiences.
Leaving everything we have known behind to
move to somewhere where we know no one; being mothers of young children and
trying to find a way to get said children to sit through church at least once
so you can enjoy an entire service without having to leave because your child
is throwing a fit. Or those with older
children sharing their experiences and imparting their wisdom.
Friendship, and female friendship in
particular, is such a blessing from God.
It has saved my bacon more than once, and I give thanks daily for the
gift of friendship. Through thick and
thin, true lasting friendship is the greatest gift of all, no matter how far
away or how close in proximity ones friends may be.
Weeks 14, 15 and part of 16 of Healthier Living in 2015
5/2/2015
For weeks of 4/15 - 5/2/2015
Weigh in Weight: 152.6 gain of 1.6 lbs.
So it's been a while since I posted about my adventures in healthier living in 2015. I had intended to post on April 23rd once I got to Minnesota for our brief vacation, but I didn't have access to a scale and frankly I forgot. So then, I was going to make sure I posted on April 29th, so it would only have been two weeks between posts, but again, it was not on the radar. So, I am finally posting in the middle of week 16. We don't have any more vacations planned for a while, so I will be posting weekly on Wednesday or Thursday for the foreseeable future.
Considering I've been on vacation off and on through the month of April, I'm surprised that I haven't gained more weight than I have. I'm not the greatest at paying attention to my exercise and diet all the time when I am away from home. But I am not alone in this. Most people gain weight when they travel. I personally retain a lot of water when I travel. Whether by car, train or plane, I retain water, mostly in my legs and tend to have problems with constipation no matter how much water and other fluids I drink while traveling. Luckily, I bounce back quickly once I reach my destination and those problems go away with lots of active movement and water. Activity and a lot of water helps me to get rid of most of my water retention and my weight goes back to what it was or pretty close to it.
So travel tip for all of you who have water retention problems like I do, a lot of movement, a lot of activity like walking or playing in the park with your kid(s) and drinking at least 80 oz of water a day while on vacation helps get rid of water retention and just plan makes you feel better in every way. :)
I've decided that even though I didn't weigh in until today, I am going to start fresh with week 16 on April 29th and post again on May 6th, so I can be back on posting schedule. So until my next post, Keep on keeping on! :)
Goals for week 16: 4/29 - 5/6/2015
1) Some kind of daily exercise and activity
2) Drink at least 80 oz of water a day
3) Declutter and organize my stuff (will ruminate on this more in my next post)
For weeks of 4/15 - 5/2/2015
Weigh in Weight: 152.6 gain of 1.6 lbs.
So it's been a while since I posted about my adventures in healthier living in 2015. I had intended to post on April 23rd once I got to Minnesota for our brief vacation, but I didn't have access to a scale and frankly I forgot. So then, I was going to make sure I posted on April 29th, so it would only have been two weeks between posts, but again, it was not on the radar. So, I am finally posting in the middle of week 16. We don't have any more vacations planned for a while, so I will be posting weekly on Wednesday or Thursday for the foreseeable future.
Considering I've been on vacation off and on through the month of April, I'm surprised that I haven't gained more weight than I have. I'm not the greatest at paying attention to my exercise and diet all the time when I am away from home. But I am not alone in this. Most people gain weight when they travel. I personally retain a lot of water when I travel. Whether by car, train or plane, I retain water, mostly in my legs and tend to have problems with constipation no matter how much water and other fluids I drink while traveling. Luckily, I bounce back quickly once I reach my destination and those problems go away with lots of active movement and water. Activity and a lot of water helps me to get rid of most of my water retention and my weight goes back to what it was or pretty close to it.
So travel tip for all of you who have water retention problems like I do, a lot of movement, a lot of activity like walking or playing in the park with your kid(s) and drinking at least 80 oz of water a day while on vacation helps get rid of water retention and just plan makes you feel better in every way. :)
I've decided that even though I didn't weigh in until today, I am going to start fresh with week 16 on April 29th and post again on May 6th, so I can be back on posting schedule. So until my next post, Keep on keeping on! :)
Goals for week 16: 4/29 - 5/6/2015
1) Some kind of daily exercise and activity
2) Drink at least 80 oz of water a day
3) Declutter and organize my stuff (will ruminate on this more in my next post)
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Weeks 12 - 13 of Living Healthier in 2015
4/15/2015
For weeks of 4/1 - 4/15/2015
Weigh in Weight: 151 lbs. gain of 1.4 lbs.
Weeks 12 - 13 were not typical weeks for me. Part of week 12 was Holy Week and Easter. After Easter services we drove up to my in-law's house which is about 2.5 hours away from us. We then went to a retreat down at Chico Hot Springs, which we do every year the week after Easter. So for the rest of week 12 and part of week 13 we were relaxing at Chico Hot Springs. I allowed myself some leeway in the exercising department the last two weeks because it was so chaotic and then I just needed to rest after a very busy Lent, Holy Week and Easter.
I am shocked that I gained less than 2 lbs these last two weeks. I was hoping to not gain any weight or just a few ounces if I did gain weight, but considering I didn't get much intentional exercise for two weeks, I'm impressed. I think I actually gained more weight than my weigh in weight today, but I've already started to lose some of my water retention weight that happens when I travel, so I am down from what I weighed when I got back from vacation. YAY me!!!
One goal I did stick with over the past two weeks is daily prayer and meditation and journaling. So though, my physical activity and health needs some work, my mental and emotional state are going strong. There is just something so therapeutic about writing in a journal. My daily prayer and meditation have taken on different forms. Sometimes in the middle of the day, when I get a chance to sit down for a few minutes and relax, I find myself meditating and praying about something. Usually it is very random, but it is wonderful. My prayers are typically prayers of thanks, sometimes prayers for patience and understanding when I am feeling overwhelmed. I often prayer for the people I care about at random times throughout the day. This exercise has been wonderful for me because it has really helped me to appreciate all of the blessings in my life.
And now for my goals for week 14, most of which deal with re-introducing physical healthy living back into my routine after 2 weeks of slacking.
Goals for week 14: 4/15/ - 4/22/2015
1) Treadmill speed walking at least 2x for 40 minutes
2) Get outside and be active on nice days, with my son
3) Be gracious to myself and allow myself to take a break when I need it
Note: Next week I will not post until Thursday because I will be traveling to Minnesota with my son on a 6am flight next Wednesday morning. Next Wednesday will be a day of recovering and relaxing as much as possible. So until next Thursday, keep on keeping on!!! :)
For weeks of 4/1 - 4/15/2015
Weigh in Weight: 151 lbs. gain of 1.4 lbs.
Weeks 12 - 13 were not typical weeks for me. Part of week 12 was Holy Week and Easter. After Easter services we drove up to my in-law's house which is about 2.5 hours away from us. We then went to a retreat down at Chico Hot Springs, which we do every year the week after Easter. So for the rest of week 12 and part of week 13 we were relaxing at Chico Hot Springs. I allowed myself some leeway in the exercising department the last two weeks because it was so chaotic and then I just needed to rest after a very busy Lent, Holy Week and Easter.
I am shocked that I gained less than 2 lbs these last two weeks. I was hoping to not gain any weight or just a few ounces if I did gain weight, but considering I didn't get much intentional exercise for two weeks, I'm impressed. I think I actually gained more weight than my weigh in weight today, but I've already started to lose some of my water retention weight that happens when I travel, so I am down from what I weighed when I got back from vacation. YAY me!!!
One goal I did stick with over the past two weeks is daily prayer and meditation and journaling. So though, my physical activity and health needs some work, my mental and emotional state are going strong. There is just something so therapeutic about writing in a journal. My daily prayer and meditation have taken on different forms. Sometimes in the middle of the day, when I get a chance to sit down for a few minutes and relax, I find myself meditating and praying about something. Usually it is very random, but it is wonderful. My prayers are typically prayers of thanks, sometimes prayers for patience and understanding when I am feeling overwhelmed. I often prayer for the people I care about at random times throughout the day. This exercise has been wonderful for me because it has really helped me to appreciate all of the blessings in my life.
And now for my goals for week 14, most of which deal with re-introducing physical healthy living back into my routine after 2 weeks of slacking.
Goals for week 14: 4/15/ - 4/22/2015
1) Treadmill speed walking at least 2x for 40 minutes
2) Get outside and be active on nice days, with my son
3) Be gracious to myself and allow myself to take a break when I need it
Note: Next week I will not post until Thursday because I will be traveling to Minnesota with my son on a 6am flight next Wednesday morning. Next Wednesday will be a day of recovering and relaxing as much as possible. So until next Thursday, keep on keeping on!!! :)
Friday, April 3, 2015
I've Caught the Spring Cleaning Bug!!! It's Rummage/Garage/Yard Sale Time!
I've caught the spring cleaning bug. Not long ago I was looking around our living room and a thought came to me, "I hardly use any of this stuff, why do I still have it in my house?"
So I have decided, after conferring with my husband, that we are going to have a rummage/garage/yard sale this summer.
Most of what I want to sell are books and some movies, but there is a lot more that I have to go through of mine too. I have been dragging books around with me that I will not read again or haven't read yet and won't. I have dragged old grade school and high school papers around with me that just need to be thrown away.
I have shoes that I won't wear again because they are either too small or have higher heels than I am comfortable wearing now that my feet have grown and I have children. It's hard to run in heels.
I have clothes that don't fit me anymore or from trips that I have taken that I won't wear again.
Why do I keep these things?
The clothes I keep out of sentimental value. The books I keep because I just couldn't get myself to get rid of them. The shoes I keep because maybe someday I'll want to wear them again.
But after looking around my living room that day, I realized, I keep them because I am a bit of a hoarder. I keep these things because I just haven't taken the time to go through all of my stuff and really, realistically weed out the things I don't use, won't use and don't need anymore.
My husband has agreed to go through all of his things thoroughly as well in the next couple of months and then we will have our sale in July or August this summer.
I've never had my own rummage/garage/yard sale before, so I've been doing some research to find out the best way to do one. I've come up with a lot of good ideas so far and am excited to clear out our house of unneeded things.
All of the things we don't sell are being donated to various organizations that take donations around our area. The things we can't sell or donate are being recycled or put in the trash.
It will be nice to have less clutter in our house, make a little money and give to those who are in dire straits.
I'm looking forward going through my things. I've already found some great stuff that I'm going to keep and some things that we can sell. :)
So I have decided, after conferring with my husband, that we are going to have a rummage/garage/yard sale this summer.
Most of what I want to sell are books and some movies, but there is a lot more that I have to go through of mine too. I have been dragging books around with me that I will not read again or haven't read yet and won't. I have dragged old grade school and high school papers around with me that just need to be thrown away.
I have shoes that I won't wear again because they are either too small or have higher heels than I am comfortable wearing now that my feet have grown and I have children. It's hard to run in heels.
I have clothes that don't fit me anymore or from trips that I have taken that I won't wear again.
Why do I keep these things?
The clothes I keep out of sentimental value. The books I keep because I just couldn't get myself to get rid of them. The shoes I keep because maybe someday I'll want to wear them again.
But after looking around my living room that day, I realized, I keep them because I am a bit of a hoarder. I keep these things because I just haven't taken the time to go through all of my stuff and really, realistically weed out the things I don't use, won't use and don't need anymore.
My husband has agreed to go through all of his things thoroughly as well in the next couple of months and then we will have our sale in July or August this summer.
I've never had my own rummage/garage/yard sale before, so I've been doing some research to find out the best way to do one. I've come up with a lot of good ideas so far and am excited to clear out our house of unneeded things.
All of the things we don't sell are being donated to various organizations that take donations around our area. The things we can't sell or donate are being recycled or put in the trash.
It will be nice to have less clutter in our house, make a little money and give to those who are in dire straits.
I'm looking forward going through my things. I've already found some great stuff that I'm going to keep and some things that we can sell. :)
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