My Personal Health Journey

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Did I start YET?

No, didn't start pilates yet. I've been "busy" working shifts at Urgent Care & the hospital plus taking care of the house & the kids. I have been implementing little extra exercises, however. You know, parking further away, using the steps vs the elevator, house work (yuck!).

Carter is 12 pounds already - so that in & of itself if exercise. It's killing my mid back & I've had to deal with some numbness & tingling issues coming from that. To top it off, I haven't been to the chiropractor since Wednesday due to my work schedule. I'll be getting there tomorrow for sure! Pilates will help that too so I have to get on that.

We went to the nutrition talk that my chiropractor did last Tuesday. Scott came as well & I think it's all starting to sink in now that he heard it from someone else. Isn't it funny how men are like that? We can tell them something - but it just doesn't absorb until someone else tells them.

We are not perfect yet with our eating habits, however, we've made huge strides. We're trying to be as organic as possible. We avoid: MSG (me especially), hydrogenated oils, all arificial colors & sweeteners (I won't allow these to be given to my children), high fructose corn syrup, anything that has an ingredient list with words we can't pronounce & processed foods. You're thinking - holy cow! What do you eat? We actually eat quite well.

I can tell you that when I don't follow my guidelines, I pay for it. For example, I had one bite of a turkey sandwich that had cream of mushroom soup in it (MSG in there) on Friday. 20 minutes later I was in a room with a patient & had to excuse myself quickly to make it to the restroom on time. No kidding. I've been not so perky ever since & it's already Sunday. I won't be doing that again. Thanksgiving will be difficult as we're not cooking it (thank God for that - but I'll have to be very careful). Needless to say, most of the world is not so picky or knowledgable about these things so they consume them frequently & in large amounts. I've always had problems with my digestion & since eliminating these "yuckies" have been much happier. Of course, eliminating them makes me even more aware of when I do slip up as the effects are pretty immediate & nasty. The effects were always there - but I just wasn't as aware of what caused them.

So I'll continue my journey to better health & happiness. I am feeling a bit stressed as the holidays approach. This plays on health as well. So this year we're simplifying. We won't worry so much about being perfect. We will prepare ahead of time so as not to have to rush. If we're late for something - oh well. We won't be the only ones. The search for the perfect gift? Doesn't happen anyway - so just be happy with what we get them - if they don't like it - that's what gift receipts are for, right?

Spencer's birthday is November 28th. We're having his party on the 27th - but instead of a meal this year - we're only going to do cake - & a "better than the usual cake mix" type. This way we don't have to fret over getting the meal done in time & then all of the clean up. We will be able to enjoy the day. My marriage will be better for that!

Off to the races! Try to simplify this year! Enjoy the time with friends & family instead of stressing over it. You'll find yourself much more relaxed & maybe you won't get that post holiday illness!

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

The weigh in

I weighed myself today. I lost a couple of pounds! Yay for me. I started out at 118 lb right before I found out I was pregnant. I gained - ready for this? - 47 lbs during my pregnancy. I lost 11 when I had him. He was 8lb 4oz - so that's not really much of a loss. So 165 - 11 = 154lbs. Today when I weighed myself I weighed 146lbs. So that's an 8 lb weight loss within the past couple of weeks. I wasn't really trying yet either. Yay!

I need to measure my parts: hips, waist, bust (yikes!), thighs, arms, etc. I want to be able to compare my measurements from pre working out to working out.

Well, it's already 10 PM & I work in the morning. The little man really ate quite a bit today & I don't have anything to pump:( Looks like I'll be getting up with the squirt tonight even though I have to wake up at 6:30 to get to work on time. Oh well, I only work from 8 AM to Noon.

Maybe I'll get the chance to do measurements tomorrow. I'll keep this updated now that I'm on a mission of sorts. Oh, and I'm back to being strict on what I eat. I think some MSG slipped into my diet in the past couple of weeks & whoa, was I feeling it. Maybe that's why I lost 8 pounds!

Catch ya later.
Jen

Monday, November 07, 2005

On with the plan

OK, it's been WAY too long! I'm trying to get organized while dealing with post baby happenings.

I'm thinking that I'm ready to begin a work out of some sort. I know I need to start out slowly. I also know that I will start to feel more energetic once I get an exercise routine going.

So I plan to weigh myself, measure myself & then begin my challenge. What will I do? Hmmm. . .I'm thinking Pilates. I have a tape & a ball. I considered Tae Bo, but think it might be best to wait on that until my upper half is under a little better control or until I get a really good sports bra. Besides, Pilates will help strengthen my core while keeping my spine in alignment.

So expect a little more action over here on this blog. I'm still sticking with my diet for the most part. It's not a fad diet - it's a lifestyle change of avoiding all things artificial & reducing sugar.

Wish me luck:)