A Mood Boost

I don't like the treadmill - I think we all know this - but today I decided to go ahead and spend some time on it.  A friend of mine suggested a tv show to help the time go by, but it's in the basement, and there isn't a tv down there.

Instead, I chose some music.  Normally, I would pick something pretty rocking, but today, I turned to a different sort of play list.  I typed in "Jeremy Camp" into my streaming radio, and let the phone do the rest.  I ended up spending 40 minutes on the treadmill, and since it is slipping from the move, I have to have it at a bit of an incline (and bummer!  no running), until James can tighten it up for me.

It turned into such a wonderful time.  I focused more on the music, then on the workout, and then focused more on my Savior then on the music.  It was a wonderful, refreshing time, and I was able to go back to the family and help them with their needs with a better attitude and outlook.

Fresh Air is Good For the Heart and Soul

Today, we took the family up to Mount Evans.  The drive was a bit nerve-wracking at times (not a guard rail anywhere), but the sights were breathtaking.  And it was so good to spend the day outside with the family.

Lunch at Summit Lake

She was a bit cold!

Chilly at the top - only 48 degrees

 

A Little Sweet Goes A Long Way

The kids received some gift cards a while back for Dairy Queen.  Since my two oldest are out today, I decided to go ahead and take the 4 to DQ.  They've been asking for so long, and today, they won!

I am not a big proponent for cheats, because it is too easy to stop completely, but I do acknowledge that I want something 'special' every now and then.   So, the boys got their Blizzards and the littles got a kid sized cone.  While sitting in the restaurant, I decided that I would get a drink.  So I got the frozen cappuccino (a Moolatte).  And shortly afterwards, I was sorry I did.  I just can't do all that sweet anymore.  And I got the small!!  I don't know how people get those large drinks!  My boys, 10 and 12, got the medium blizzards and they both had some to bring home for the freezer.  (I bet it hangs out there for a couple of days.)  And the littles?  Nope - they couldn't finish theirs either.

Now, the good news is that it is one of the few places left where a small feels like plenty.  If you want a little treat, then get a 'little' treat.  Not the family size.  And then listen to your body.  If it starts talking to you (like mine), then maybe next time you want to take a friend to share something with you.  You won't eat too much, and hopefully the time with your friend will be plenty of treat by itself! 

Is It Foggy Outside, or Is That Just My Brain?

Wheeeee.  What a day today has been.   The good news to start.  We got on the scale today, after 2 full days of juicing, and both of us were down 4 pounds!  Yay!!  Although we understand that it can just be water weight, it is still so exciting to see the scale move - and finally in the right direction!

By the afternoon, we were both in such a fog.  I don't think it was from a lack of caffeine.  In fact, I have had zero headaches, zero "I need caffeine NOW" moments.  I think it was just from the lack of fat in our diet.  Our brains need fat.  People who avoid fat like the plague must also avoid any clear thinking, in my opinion.  We realized that being functioning adults superseded anything else we had going on, so we turned our afternoon juice into an afternoon raw soup with the addition of 1/2 an avocado, and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.

By that evening, we were both feeling a bit better, and better able to carry on a conversation with someone besides our 2 and 3 year old children.  Feeling the fog lift was a great feeling indeed. 

A Note on Juicing

The juicing part is going well.  Well, sort of....


The Chinese (and many other cultures) believe that the liver does more than just bile production and converting glucose to glycogen. The liver is closely tied to our emotions.  We know that toxins can affect the liver's function.  But what about the toxicity of suppressed emotions?  Where do those toxins go?  Unexpressed or denied emotions can get in the way of our liver functioning properly.  If juicing helps detoxify the liver, then wouldn't it stand to reason that it may knock some of those emotions free when the other toxins are released?

Cherie Calbom, in her book "Juicing, Fasting, and Detoxing for Life", talks about the affect that negative thoughts and emotions have on the liver.  That it is the most affected organ in this area and that you should watch for those emotions to pop up when you are working on the liver.



We have noticed that our emotions do get 'slightly off' when we are juice fasting.  And with both of us fasting, it seemed that today was the day.  One of us (me) opened her mouth without really thinking.  Unfortunately, my timing was horrible.  I totally interrupted James' train of thought and prayer on a day when what he was about to do was incredibly important.  He needed all his focus on what he was doing, not figuring out what I was implying.


YUCK!  It lasted all day, and well into the night.  We were finally able to resolve some things that had been previously unresolved, but it wasn't pretty getting there.  So, the lesson of the day is to be aware of your emotions, and be prepared to address them while juicing.


James is hoping to add more on this topic some time in the future.

Lessons Learned

"Illnesses do not come upon us out of the blue. They are developed from small daily sins against nature. When enough sins have accumulated, illnesses will suddenly appear.” – Hippocrates

Yesterday morning I woke up and started thinking.  Bad thing to do.  I started thinking about money and where it needed to go and what we had to do next and, and, and….  And I started feeling so stressed.

I hadn’t even gotten out of bed, and I wanted to crawl back in and stay all day.  So, contrary to my nature, I decided to exercise.  Nothing spectacular.  I knew I had some 10 minute workouts on my Netflix queue.  I figured a little Pilates would take my mind off things and set me right for the day.  

The perky trainer said I should start with abs because it would be a good start for any other exercises I wanted to do.  Funny, I believed her.  BUT, I did realize two things.  1) I have abs.  2) they have forgotten what exercise is.  I was so glad that the rest of the family was still sleeping so they didn’t have to see (hear) me slugging through the exercises.  

One thing I also learned – I was right.  I did feel better.  I had decided once again to make a positive decision in a crazy moment.  After I was done, I told James that if I didn’t start doing something for myself, some things were going to start happening to myself.  I know the effects of stress can add problems to health that could otherwise be avoidable. Later that morning, I came across the quote above, and knew once again that I had made the right choice. 

Baby steps are, in fact, still steps.

Down, But Not Out

I said I would be honest, and here it is – only the second post, and I have something to confess.   

James and I decided that as soon as the job he was working on was finished, we would start our new lifestyle.  In fact, until he gets his next job (that’s a whole different story), we will make it our current job to get in shape. 

But now this job is going long.  And since our personalities tend to be all or nothing, we can’t just start.  (Yeah, it doesn’t make that much sense to us either.)

When James called me this morning and told me there would be nothing he could do at the job site because of all the rain, I went into a mini-funk.  “Great.  That is one more day that we don’t get started!”   Wait!  That is old attitude.  I promised myself that this time would be different.  

So, now it is decision time.  Do we just roll over and wait for something to happen, or do we make it happen?  It wasn’t much, I admit that.  But it was better than nothing.

We Juiced!!  Love the way juicing makes me feel.  Besides all the good I am putting into my body, I just like how it boosts my mood, and gives me more energy to get other things done.

This is our juice having just gone through the Omega, before getting stirred.  It’s a mixture of  “What’s in the fridge??” 

I prefer mine with ice, but James like to drink his straight from the juicer.

After our juice, I had errands to run and kids to pick up, but James took the middle two to the pool and played with them until the thunder kicked them out – about an hour.

I did end up walking the two little ones down to the pool to watch Daddy and the boys, for a bit.  And I knew that I was feeling better when I said yes to that.  It’s not far enough to count as exercise, but it was good to do something on a day that seemed shot.

Who knows, maybe a walk will be in my evening plans…..