Sunday, January 27, 2008

Running Out of Time

I've been trying to squeeze time in daily to do some type of physical activity. I braved the cold last week and took Rio, our dog for a walk with Tina, my wife. Each night Rio and I chase around the house and even outside today, since it got warmer.

The days keep flying by so fast. I can't believe it's almost February. Now that I'm looking for a new teaching position, most of my free time has been consumed by composing resumes, filling out applications, and organizing materials for possible interviews. Not to mention that my college course has been piling on the assignments. Trying to find time to exercise has been difficult, but it's always on my mind and I try my best to fit a little of it in my daily schedule.

Now that most of the holiday food has been consumed or thrown out, I've been eating healthier. While shopping yesterday, I even picked up some fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition to that, I cut back on buying all the junk food that kept calling my name. I felt good about my selections and determined to eat healthier foods. Now I want to continue finding new, healthy foods to add to my meals.

I'm still hoping to do a lot of camping this summer with Tina. We've already begun planning a trip back to Missouri. We lived in Jefferson City for a couple of years after our marriage before returning to Indiana, our home state. Since we've been in Indianapolis, we both have missed the beautiful state parks of Missouri. We're planning a camping trip for this summer to meet up with friends and do some hiking. I can't wait!

Friday, January 25, 2008

Keep at it

I feel so torn for time this week. I’m behind in work, due to a family flu virus and ill babysitter. My car broke down, requiring a couple of trips to the shop and a tow. I started a new writing class this week with homework and I’m trying to fit in my regular workout. It’s not happening – or at least it’s not happening regularly. My daily walks have been sporadic. With the 25 degree cold and wind it’s just too cold to be outside right now and I’ve only made it to the club once in the last three days.
I’m not giving up. Psychologists who specialize in change recommend planning for these kind of obstacles, the things that will inevitably come up and get in your way to keep you from your goal. I thought about these weeks filled with craziness that could derail my exercise even before I started my health changes. And that has helped. Instead of getting ultra-discouraged and feeling that all is lost, I had a mental game plan. I won't go more than two days in a row without at least 20 minutes of exercise and that is something I can hold to.
My busy life is no harder or busier than anyone else’s busy life. It’s just a matter of picking priorities. My workout is becoming more of a priority and I’ve noticed that I actually miss it on those days when it doesn't happen. I don’t feel as energetic and I catch myself uncharacteristically looking forward to the next walk.
But when I have to choose between caring for a sick baby, or meeting a work deadline that pays the bills – those two come first. I’m just trying to remind myself that a couple of missed days, doesn’t end the effort I've put in this month. I'm not quitting. It’s nothing more than a couple of missed days. I’ll wake up tomorrow with a plan to go to the gym and the knowledge that all is not lost. And I’ll just keep going.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Change = Chaos

As I mentioned in my last post, the one significant change I committed to achieving is to find a more comfortable and healthier balance between work and personal life. I want to allow more time to enjoy other things, such as spending time with family and friends, and make more time for working out.

Well, since I am new to the area, I have conducted the necessary research and even toured some workout facilities in hopes of becoming a member. Unfortunately, the prices are more than what I expected. The monthly memberships are more than double what I was paying in Phoenix. That is hard to swallow, especially since the nearest facility to my home, is over 15 miles away.

I am really interested in finding a gym that has a great selection of classes to attend. I really enjoy the Yoga and Pilates classes. I find these classes to be beneficial in many ways, mental and physical. The classes allow me to mentally calm myself while working on strengthening the core muscles. Yoga is such a great practice for those living with arthritis!!

I am going to have to make a decision on a gym in the coming week, as most facilities are offering a discount if you sign up by the end of January!

Friday, January 18, 2008

Cutting back not out

I had a piece of wheat toast, lathered with low-fat ricotta cheese and tomato slices on top for breakfast today. I read somewhere that the open-faced sandwich was a “light-and-quick meal” for “people-on-the-go.” And I do buy into the buzz words. The breakfast was tasty and surprisingly filling and I feel good that I am seeking out foods that are quick to prepare and healthy to eat. My big excuse for eating junk has always been – “I didn’t have time to cook.”
But if I can’t find the time to spread cheese on a piece of bread life has turned way too crazy.
Yesterday, though, I did have a small bite of dark chocolate – small amounts of chocolate are good for you, right? And, sometime this weekend I may have Chinese food because I’m craving it. I’m not going to cut out all the foods that I enjoy and I’m not calling my healthier eating choices a diet. I’m open to eating what I want, when I want. But what I’m finding is, that as I continue to exercise, it gets easier to eat well. And if I have healthier options around, I’m more likely to eat them – oranges, pretzels, yogurt -- than the chips, which I no longer buy. I’m also eating more fruits and vegetables and smaller portions of everything. I freak out at the thought of cutting things out, so for me it feels better to talk in terms of limiting rather than eliminating. It’s been two weeks since I started, and it finally feels like I’m in a manageable routine.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Bending back

Flexible I’m not. Physically nor emotionally. I’m a woman with stiff wrists and a rigid plan and I don’t like either to get pushed too far. It’s almost a cosmic joke, then, that I chose an unpredictable career as a freelance writer. And then went and had a kid. If nothing else my daughter has reminded me that flexibility is fundamental to parenting. So, like it or not, I’m learning, and I got a chance to test that knowledge this week.
An hour into work Monday, on deadline, my babysitter informed me that my daughter was (violently and messily) ill. I missed two days of work and altered a deadline to take care of her – and clean the carpet behind her. I hate to miss work. I hate to clean the carpet. But I remember how much I wanted my Mom around when I was a sick. And I was happy Sweet P wanted her Mom. Just as she started feeling better, I got a version of whatever she was passing around. Then – because we share everything here – my husband got it.
I felt funky for about 24-hours. Took me off my workout for a day. I started back with a slow walk more to escape the walls of my house and a fussy baby than because I’ve become some hardcore fitness buff.
But it felt good to do it. Now I feel pleased that I got most of my walks in even while little else got done this week. My “To Do” list is too overwhelming to think about come Monday. But somehow it doesn’t matter that much.
Life changes moment to moment, and I’m learning to roll with those changes rather than fight against the inevitable. For me, this requires constant practice -- but I'm lucky then, because there is no shortage of opportunity.
This week, I focused on two things: I took care of my family. And, I took care of myself.
I pouted about it some. Talked about how hard my life was. Talked about how I had to drop everything to deal with this. Talked about how we were buying new carpet.
But in the meantime – even though I’ve had to move the pink play kitchen set over the yellow spot by the wall -- I’m glad I figured it out. I’m glad I cuddled my baby. I’m glad I fit in my walk. Because I can tell you in all honesty, work would have captured my attention before. I would have slipped it in at every turn, draining my energy from the places that mattered most. Yep, plans changed this week and I found that I could bend a bit without losing my way -- or perhaps I found my way in the process.

Friday, January 4, 2008

More Changes for 2008 than Expected

Today was my school district's final weekday of winter vacation. Before going back to school to teach my students, I decided to get the whole house cleaned up as a surprise for Tina, my wife, while she's at work. Instead of working my tail off all morning, I decided to take some breaks between chores. It worked out well. The house is spotless, and I'm not as exhausted as I am usually when plowing through my chores with no breaks.

My workout on our elliptical is going smoothly. I've increased my duration to 15-20 minutes, depending on how my knees and hips feel. I can usually get up to the second level of resistance. An artic chill that swept over Indiana this past week kept us indoors, but I was able to walk on the elliptical twice. The temperatures are suppose to be near spring-like this weekend. Tina and I hope to get outside with Rio, our dog, to take several walks through our neighborhood.

I'd love to say that I was able to stay clear of all those holiday treats, but I ate more than I had hoped. It wasn't easy being home during my winter break. I tried to spread out my errands throughout the week in order to get out of the house at least once a day. That kept me from being tempted to snack, but I tasted chocolates and cookies whenever I was home - not a good start to eating healthier in 2008.

While I'm monitoring my eating and walking, an unexpected change for 2008 popped up. I learned that the middle school where I teach will be closing after this school year. Currently, it's impossible for me to know what school I will transfer to in the fall, but I am worried about the decision, as are my coworkers. I'm hoping to keep my stress level low during the months to come as my transfer is worked out with the school district.

This unexpected change will make for an interesting 2008. I hope that while I focus on transfering to a new school, my New Year's resolutions (living a more active lifestyle and eating healthier) will not be ignored.

No Excuses

Arthritis affords plenty of legitimate excuses – I hurt, I’m tired, I need to rest – and I felt like calling in all of them this morning when I got up for my walk.

My right ankle is so sore and stiff today, that I had to get up 10 minutes early, around 5:30 a.m. to get things loosened up enough to walk out to the kitchen. And I AM tired – who isn’t at 5:30? And the weather is rainy cold. Can you hear the whiny tone coming through on the page? I didn’t want to exercise. Yet, I bundled up, tied on my new walking shoes, and headed out the door in darkness for my walk.

This was part of the plan. My schedule of working and Momming doesn’t always leave time in the afternoons for exercise and, like most of you, fatigue is a problem for me. So I’m going early today before I’m too tired to get moving. I know the effort will pay off. Just not yet. This is the tough part – to get started and keep at it, when everything hurts. I felt sore and rickety during the walk. It took me about 15 minutes before I could move fluidly in my waddling way. My ankles and hips creaked and ached. Now, sitting at my desk a couple of hours later, I’m stiffer than usual.

But I feel better than I have in a long time. Seriously. I feel powerful. I got my Tin-Man body out of bed, when it was still dark, and exercised for a half hour in a cold rain. I didn’t push all that hard. I did what I could do today. But I did it. After just two days of eating well and walking I feel stronger at least in spirit and attitude. And in my life with arthritis, I’ve learned that those are the things that matter most. But don’t think I won’t be calling in the excuses mentioned earlier – I’ll use mine to strategically -- to get out of the vacuuming.

Are you working toward a healthy change in your life? What keep you going when the going gets tough?