All posts by Megan

May you be happy. My you be healthy. May you be free from suffering. (Me too!)

Weigh-in Wednesday #6

tri finish 1I want to start this weeks post by saying thank you. Thank you to everyone who’s following and supporting me on this journey. The responses I’ve gotten from friends, family and acquaintances have been glorious. There is no question in my mind that starting this challenge as my New Year’s Resolution was the right thing to do. So, thank you all and keep reading and sharing this with everyone you know.

Lessons Learned

January officially ended the first month of the challenge in great standings. My goal is to continue to do the same for the next 11 months and I think I’ve hit a sustainable stride. It helps to acknowledge that there have been, and will continue to be, ups and downs. That is a major lesson I learned from the last month. Ebbing and flowing is in my nature and to try and fight that would be silly. I’ve seen myself fall and get back up enough in the last month to know I can start fresh everyday. If that doesn’t work then it helps to maintain until weigh-in days and move forward from there.

Move That Body

Exercising has been so much fun. I decided I’m not going to do anything I don’t like or feel like doing and the pattern I’m in seems good. Vinyasa yoga 2x per week, tai chi/Pilates/yoga 1x per week, dance 1x per week and strength training 1x per week. Group classes are working well for me and I’ll continue those for the forseeable future. The vinyasa yoga class I’ve been attending is one of the best yoga classes I’ve ever taken and that’s going to get a whole post in the near future too.

Real Food

On the way home from yoga today I offered Porter his choice of snacks and he turned down the apple/blueberry combo I prepared, so I ate it. The difference in eating this simple snack, from before I started eating right, is that I would have eaten it (or let it go to waste, that’s not frugal!) without thinking. Before, I wouldn’t have considered the flavor or nutrition in those cut up bites, mindless eating as it were. As I was munching I became aware of the sweetness and crunch of the apples and the tender tartness of the berries. I really enjoyed the snack and felt nourished by it. Surely, my cleaner diet has improved my senses and made me appreciate such a treat as this.

What You Really Came Here To Find

Week 6, Feb. 6 Last Week This Week Difference
Weight (lbs) 249 246 -3
Left Leg (in.) 31.5 31.5 0
Hips (in.) 52 51.5 -0.5
Waist (in.) 44 43.5 -0.5
Chest (in.) 46 45 -1
Left Arm (in.) 16 16 0
Neck (in.) 15 15 0

Overall Losses: 15 pounds and 14.5 inches

 

before pic 2 feb pic  before pic 1 feb pic

How To: Practice Gratitude

gratitudeEverybody goes through trying times, right? Today was my turn. I try not to complain, because it doesn’t do a whole lot of good, but sometimes I just have to get it out of my system.

Here’s The Story

Since Christmas Porter has had any assortment of illnesses and rashes overlapping one another. I’m a good mom: monitoring his well-being, going for chiropractic adjustments, feeding him nutritious food. He’s been in relatively high spirits and, other than the physical signs of sickness, we’ve been going about our business.

Until this morning, where upon his right hand appeared an entirely new rash that spread rapidly to his elbow. Strangely, his various rashes have mostly been on his right side from foot to arm. We’ve been potty training and cleaning our hands a lot more, but this was no dry skin. Defeated, I finally gave in and called his pediatric DO (osteopathic doctor) to make an appointment.

Do you love your kids doctor?

As a side note, I used to be a firm believer in strictly going to family doctors. After our family DO went out of private practice the only DO I could find locally was a pediatrician. Turns out I really like having a pediatrician, because they do everything in their power to see sick kids that same day. They also see kids all the time and I find they have a better immediate knowledge of what seems to be going around in the community. I like that.

Back to the story…

While making breakfast I was also able to get Porter an appointment for 10am, entirely rearranging my day and missing yoga (sad face). We went in and the doctor looked over Porter’s skin and symptoms, confirming all of my own suspicions (I love my intuition, when I listen):

  • The minor breakout of Hand Foot & Mouth on his right foot was residual from when he had the full-blown virus last year and it flared (in that foot only) after he had the flu in January.
  • The rough/dry rash on his abdomen and thighs were eczema from the dry conditions and my foolish mistake to try to change laundry detergent.
  • Yes, his head cold was just that.
  • But this funky new rash on his right arm was a little strange. She was 90% sure it was viral and would pass in the next week, but there was that 10% chance that it was a quick-moving bacterial infection that would need immediate treatment.

The Prescription

Thanks to modern science we could easily find out by a simple blood draw…on a 2-year-old (WTF?!) Even the pediatric nurses don’t do those, so we bopped down to the local hospital for the pediatric phlebotomists assistance. We had a lovely time checking in. That’s where the fun stopped.

“No blood.”

Preparing my son for upcoming events is pretty important to making a smooth transition, so I mentioned briefly what was going to happen to him. His response, and continual confirmation was, “No blood.” Great, I just made it worse.

Now, I’ve had blood drawn and it’s no big deal really (even with my miniscule and hidden veins) and the professionals today were quite precise and quick. But my sweet boy didn’t know what the heck was going on and upon seeing the needle proceeded to scream bloody murder, and when he got stuck the tears burst forth like a fountain.

As his mom I was, as usual, charged with holding him firmly and trying to soothe him simultaneously. Words can’t explain how badly this sucked for the both of us. Long story short, the test came back fine and death is not imminent. Our day proceeded somewhat normally, albeit a little lower in energy.

What is a person to do to recover?

Pull out the gratitude journal.

Every night before bed, for over a year now, I write one thing I’m grateful for and one thing I see in my son from the day that is an indicator of his essence and the person he is becoming. Tonight I’m going to share with you a few of the things I’ve been grateful for lately, as a reminder to myself.

Keeping a gratitude journal is easy and takes a moment to do. Once you do it for about a month it becomes habit, like brushing your teeth. It gives you something positive to look for while going through your day, and I find that practice is so beneficial to my overall health. Try it.

I am grateful for…

  • Good good friends and the time to catch up with them.
  • Fortitude to parent correctly.
  • My husband who still loves me and a sweet boy who forgives.
  • Experiences in my past that make me wise today.
  • Knowing how to prepare life-sustaining food.
  • Entertainment.
  • Having parents who live courageously.
  • The generosity of those in my life.
  • Being humbled by Vinyasa yoga.
  • Dance.
  • Making new friends.
  • Old friends.
  • My son’s amazing father.
  • And today’s gratitude: having health insurance and a Health Savings Account (HSA)

What are you grateful for? Share in the comments below.

Follow inspiration, even if it hits you while walking on the train tracks.
Follow inspiration, even if it hits you while walking on the train tracks.

photo

This post featured on Party Wave Wednesday, Thank Your Body Thursday