Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Best Form of Exercise

This morning I realized that I had forgotten how satisfying waking up sore after a workout really is. It makes me feel like my body is working the way it's supposed to. It feels nice. It's not the greatest feeling in the world, but it makes me feel like I'm on my way to accomplishing my fitness goals.
I was going to make Saturday my rest day. I wasn't going to be in a rush to jump out of bed and start working out. Being sore this morning, I really didn't have much of a choice about jumping out of bed and doing anything. Instead of a structured workout, I did the best form of exercise there is - chasing Charlie around and playing Frisbee. Exercising and spending time with my son, what could be better than that? It was a beautiful fall day. We giggled and ran and explored and threw the Frisbee. It was one of those wonderful days that you never want to forget.
After our morning "exercise", we took our adventure to the local Farmers Market. It was so much fun. I was feeling adventurous, so I did three food things I've never done before. 1.) I sampled a Vegan snickerdoodle cookie. Amazingly, I really enjoyed it. It was a smidgen on the dry side, but it was rather tasty. 2.) We purchased free range beef. I've tried it before, but can't remember exactly how it tasted. I'm anxious to see if it is something that I would like to add to my diet. 3.) We purchased a Japanese persimmon. I wanted to try something new, so we'll see how it goes.
I enjoyed a great afternoon of lunch and shopping with my mom and sister. We really had a great time. We all have the same goofy sense of humor, so it was fun.
Thank you Lord for a beautiful day!

Friday, November 13, 2009

The Weirdness

Is there a wrinkle in the fabric of the universe that is causing bizarre things to happen that someone forgot to mention? The past two weeks in our corner of the universe have just been odd. That's the only way to explain it. I guess it's just the way life works. Weird things happen. Things go back to "normal". It's just the cyclical motion of life. Maybe it's a good thing when all the weird things happen at once, so we can get them out of the way. At least it keeps life interesting. Of course, it can be those little foxes that creep in and throw us off our plans and knock us off the track toward achieving our goals. That's why it is important to have/know three things:
1. Know that God has a plan for you . We may not always understand it, but He does.
2. Have a clear, concise mental picture of what your goals are, so that in tough times you will be able to keep your eye on the prize and not be distracted.
3. Always look for joy in your journey. There will always be a little something there to make you smile.
I have to admit that I am one who has found myself way off track thanks to those pesky foxes. Sometimes it only takes the littlest thing. You think it won't matter, but suddenly it does. One day it's just drinking a soda or skipping one work out, soon it's drinking a bunch of soda and realizing you haven't worked out in a month. Sometimes you have to be spontaneous and just enjoy a special treat or an extra 30 minutes in bed, but if you don't have a clear plan to your goals, it is that much easier to hit the snooze button every morning and let your cravings over take your desire to be healthy.
So this morning when I woke up and wasn't feeling well, I thought I might just skip my working out. I thought I'd done enough this week, but something inside me said to get up. Get up and at least do 10 minutes of exercise. I was a little slower than normal, but decided to do 20 minutes instead. I won't lie. I thought about just stopping quite a few times, but then I remembered how much better I've been feeling and how much more empowered I feel when I do work out. I didn't want to give in. I even tried a new workout (that I most likely will skip in the future). A jumping workout with a stomach ache is not the wisest move, but at least I can say I did it!
Blessings!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

My kickboxing adventure

I tried the new 10 minute kickboxing video today. It's been a long time since I tried kickboxing. First, I'm glad that it was only 10 minutes. Second, I remember now why it's probably been about 10 years since I tried kickboxing. Third, I really don't think I like kickboxing all that much. Besides looking like a flailing chicken, it is too jarring to my lower back that I've had issues with. It also isn't any fun for me. Maybe I'll try it again as my abs get tighter and as I start to strengthen my back. Maybe if I was actually punching someone I would like it. Just kidding. I am happy that I tried something new, though.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

A book I just read



Overall, I found this to be a decent and engaging read. The plot line was generally predictable, but creative all at the same time. The creativity of the story is the persepective from which the story is told. The characters are interesting and well-developed (for a dog's mind anyways).We have all felt trapped at some point in our lives, whether it be by our circumstances or limitations, but it is the way with which we intentionally live our lives that determines the the quality of our life.

Finding balance

The journey to good health is as much a spiritual journey as it is a physical one. The physical condition of the body is most often the outward appearance of the spiritual condition within. My mother used to tell me that a messy room was often just a physical manifestation of how we were feeling. My room was usually a cluttered mess with one or two perfectly organized drawers - go figure. Even from an early age, I had difficulty finding balance. Balance of time and focus; balance of sticking to a plan versus giving in to my cravings; balance of eating right and working out.
One day I will find it, I'm sure. For now, I will just continue on this journey, living intentionally each day and seeking joy in all that I do.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The seasons are changing

Hello old friend. It's been awhile since I filled your pages with the details that make up a life. The seasons have changed, yet again. Now it is fall. The leaves are falling. The weather is delightful. There is just something about fall. Some people think that the start of a new year is the perfect time to start something new - new workout, new eating plan - but I think fall is the right time to begin something new. Perhaps I think like this because, like most people, I was trained from an early age that fall is when school starts. It's the time when a new phase of life begins.

I decided (after I saw my husband had started working out again)that it was time to start moving. Time to think about getting healthy again. I want to have this started before my least favorite season gets here. Winter. I need something that will energize me through the dark, chilly months of winter. It will keep me focused when all I will really want to do is curl up under the covers and sleep. I've often wondered if perhaps I am part bear. When it starts to get cold outside and the darkness overtakes the day earlier, I have this amazing desire to sleep, to hibernate under the covers. So I need something to give me energy, to fight my natural urge to hide away under the covers and sleep away the winter chill.

Finding a workout that suits me is the best cure. It will give me the strength and energy to conquer the day.I started last week with a short boot camp on Sparkpeople.com. Sparkpeople is an excellent resource for anyone looking to start a new fitness/wellness routine. The boot camp was just challenging enough to help me get a good start without feeling overwhelmed by starting something new. It also was a great jump start to getting me to want to add to my workout. To be honest, I've never been one who really enjoyed cardio equipment, and the Lord certainly didn't build me to be a runner. I have decided to go with what workouts naturally suit my personality - dance, yoga, weights, walking. If I do something that feels natural to me, then I feel like I'll be more likely to stick with it long term instead of trying to force myself into doing something that doesn't interest me.

My challenge will be in getting my workouts and my eating habits aligned. I typically find that I can do one or the other, but I can't do both when it comes to healthy eating or working out. I know it's two sides of the same coin. I just can't seem to get it balanced. Just gotta keep working on it, I guess.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Days Seven & Eight of the Miles for Monika Challenge

Time Frame: 2 Weeks
Group Goal: 181 Miles
Personal Goal: 30 Miles
Personal Total: 12.8 Miles

Day Seven - I flat ran out of time in the day to workout. Do you ever find that there is just not enough time in the day to fit in one more thing? This was one of those days, so I'll confess that I didn't even make it on the treadmill to try and do a little workout. I was too tired by the end of the night.

Day Eight of the M4M Challenge - Great! Some of my walking buddies and I met at the BBR for a quick walk around the park. I have to say that I was feeling much more confident in my walking after Saturday's workout. I had a meeting at 7:00 tonight, but knew I would have plenty of time to add a few laps to my usual walk. We added two more laps to our usual 5 which added 8/10 of a mile to our walk. I think those extra two laps could become our usual - depending on time.

Overall, I'm quite happy with my progress on this challenge. I know that I will really be pushing it at the end to meet my personal goal for the challenge, but that's ok. I've walked 12.8 miles in the past week which is 12.8 miles more than I walked the weeks before. Now if I could just get my eating on track, I'd be quite happy.

Be blessed everyone!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Days Five & Six of the Miles for Monika Challenge

Time Frame: 2 weeks
Group Goal: 181 miles
Personal Goal: 30 miles
Personal Total: 10 miles

There's really not much to be said for Day 5 of M4M. I'm going to consider Friday as my rest day. Between work and dinner at the in-laws' house, I didn't really have time to do much of anything on the treadmill or at the park. The rest was nice, though. It helped me feel refreshed and ready for my Saturday morning walk.

This morning (Saturday) my walking group and I had planned to walk at River Legacy Park in Arlington, but that didn't work out. Since Charles had planned on taking Charlie with him to his office this morning, I went ahead and took advantage of the alone time to go walk at the BBR. Generally when I walk with Charlie and the walking group we have to take at least one potty break for the kiddos, so it was nice just to be able to keep going. It was an absolutely beautiful morning in God's creation. The ducks around the lake were fun to watch and the Lord seemed to provide me with a little wind to refresh me when I was getting sluggish.

Normally I walk about 2 miles or 5 laps around the lake during the week, but today I wanted to double my distance and did 10 laps around the lake. Since I've been wondering what my pace is, I decided to time myself. Each lap around the lake is 4/10 of a mile. I did my first lap in 9 minutes and my second in about 8. As the park started getting busier, I found myself having to dodge ducks and kids on bikes but it wasn't too bad. I fully expected to do the 4 miles in 2 hours, but actually finished up in about 84 minutes. I'm pretty proud of my time. The first 2 miles I did in 44 minutes, and the second 2 miles I did in 40 minutes. That's an average of a 21 minute mile. I'm pretty pleased with that, but I want to keep working on it.

I was worried about going out to walk by myself today. After I got the call last night that no one was going to be able to make it I thought about just sleeping in, but I'm really glad I didn't. The M4M is really pushing me to want to reach my goal. When you get used to walking with a group, you start to rely on them to keep you going and set the pace. I found that my pace alone was quite a bit better than with the group. And I was able to set my own pace (with the help of music) and motivate myself to keep going. Actually, walking alone turned out to be a great time of reflection and even prayer at times. It was quite nice.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Day Four of the Miles for Monika Challenge

Time Frame: 2 weeks
Group Goal: 181 miles
Personal Goal: 30 miles
Personal Total: 6.0 miles

When it rains...Last night Charlie had a reaction to the antibiotic that the doctor prescribed for him in the ER on Sunday night. Now I'm not a doctor by any means, but if I tell the doctor that I've never taken penicillin because both of my parents, siblings, and grandparents are allergic to it, then wouldn't you think there is a rather good possibility that my child is going to be allergic to it. The doctor was not convinced by this argument and prescribed it anyways. Oh well. Lesson learned. Praise God that it was only a mild reaction to the medication and now we know for next time that he IS allergic to penicillin. And then after being fine all day (and at the doctor's office), Charlie's fever spikes to 102.3 at his friend's house no less. He seems fine tonight now that he's on his new antibiotic.

I just have to say that God is so awesome! His provisions for me and my family are astounding. He even cares about the smallest details of my life. Even in the craziness and chaos, He has been my peace. I cherish the little calms within the storm.When I look back at things, I think God is telling me to slow down a little and not rush so much. I've been rushing a lot lately and not living life as intentionally as I would like (that's for a another blog).

Well Day Four of the Miles for Monika Challenge wasn't quite as I'd hoped, but I did manage to find 30 minutes to jump on the treadmill this morning and get a mile in. Right now I'm focusing on mileage, but in the future I would really like to work on my pace. I know that for being about 100 pounds overweight walking a 30 minute mile is actually pretty good, but I felt that this pace on the treadmill might have been a little slow. I think I might actually do a little better than this when I'm at the park walking with my group. I really haven't timed it. I'd love to be able to do a 18-20 minute mile. I'm wondering how people set their own pace when they are not on the treadmill. Usually when I'm walking with a group (especially my good friend AmyJo), she sets the pace and I'm pretty much able to keep up with it. If I plan to do any races, I know I'm going to have to be able to set the pace myself. So how do people do it?

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Day Three of the Miles for Monika Challenge

Time Frame: 2 weeks
Group Total: 181 miles
Personal Goal: 30 miles
Personal Total: 5.0 miles

This is going to be a quick post since I have a husband and little boy who are waiting on me to watch a movie. I have great news on the Miles for Monika Challenge. The group of runners/walkers not only have met the goal of 181 miles, but they have surpassed it in just the first two days of the challenge. How awesome is that? I think it's a great way for everyone to show Monika what an inspiration she is.

It's great to be out walking again. I wish the weather could be like this all the time. It is perfect for walks at the park. I'm really happy that I've been able to get two consistent days of walking in with my wacky schedule this week. Tomorrow I have an evening meeting, so I know that I'm going to have to jump on the treadmill at some point. I don't always do well on the treadmill with walking. I enjoy being out in the elements doing my walks, but oh well. I would like to say that I will do the 2.5 miles that we've done at the park, but I'm not sure how long I will last on the "hamster wheel". But the point is - I'm going to try!

Ignite - May 2nd

Just putting this post out here about Ignite happening in Burleson on May 2nd. Besides having some great bands, it looks like an exciting opportunity for us to come together as Christ-followers and people and support a great cause -justice. True justice is something that is at the very heart of our Lord.


cwbanner

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Day Two of the Miles for Monika Challenge

Day Two of the Miles for Monika Challenge:
Time frame: 2 weeks
Group goal: 181 miles
Personal goal: 30 miles
Personal total: 2.5 miles
I have been friends with one of the most fabulous women, Monika, since high school. She is one of those people that if she wasn't so sweet and awesome that you'd be totally jealous of her - she has a successful career, she is multi-talented, a great cook and cake designer, and an incredible athlete. You get the point. Well Monika is having surgery this week to remove a cyst from her chest and won't be able to do one of the things she loves the most for quite awhile - RUN. Her friend Kelsey came up with this fantastic idea of organizing Miles for Monika.

This was just the motivation that I've been looking for to get my big behind off the couch and get moving. Everyone's miles that they run/jog/walk/hike in the next two weeks counts toward the group goal of 181 miles (the amount of miles Monika ran in two months to win her latest Nike challenge). I missed day one of the challenge because of meetings for work and Charlie being sick, but I was sure glad to be out taking advantage of this beautiful weather to walk at the park. Charlie was feeling much better, so I thought some fresh air would certainly do us both a little good. And it did! Thanks to my great walking team of Carrie (and Claire who always keeps us moving) and Turrisa (and Marissa). They make getting out to walk after a long day of work so worth it. 2.5 miles down. 27.5 miles to go!


NO MORE EXCUSES, MICHELLE!

This is just a quick post - since I'm at work and exhausted and the creative juices are not really flowing at all. Between Charlie being sick the past two days and meetings at work, I have pretty much fallen completely off my plan - food and exercise. How do people juggle so well? I don't juggle as well as I'd like. It seems that once I get all the little balls moving in one direction, a curve ball comes out of nowhere. That's just life I guess. It's all part of the adventure. But this blog isn't about excuses. It's about being honest about what's challenging me and hopefully about what adjustments need to be made to get myself back on track. It is so easy to make excuses and find a reason not to do what you know needs to be done. I fall in this trap - ALOT. Getting back on track after you've allowed yourself to fall into the excuse trap is difficult, but so worth it. Even though I have a sick little boy and I'm exhausted, there is a treadmill with my name on it when I get home tonight. Time to get back on that horse!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Playing Catch Up

Playing catch up seems to be the story of my life. I tend to be more like the hare instead of the tortoise. One minute I'm way out in front of the pack the next minute I'm snoozing under the tree or chasing butterflies. Well I've just woken up from a nap and am ready to take off again.
In the two months since I last updated this blog, I've lost about 15 pounds, visited a nutritional/herbal counselor, continued to avoid Cokes (at least daily), stopped eating cheese, am still trying to eliminate wheat and corn from my diet, and am trying to get on a regular workout routine.

Where I can, I've been replacing wheat with rice and spelt products . Eliminating wheat has honestly been rather difficult. Other than actually liking bread, I've realized that there is wheat in almost everything. I'm so thankful for my friend who has stocked me up with a wide variety of rice crackers, and for Central Market and their spelt bread (when they have it) and spelt tortillas. My next project is to learn to make my own spelt bread. We'll see how that goes :)

I've realized that some people are either very understanding of someone with special dietary needs or don't get it at all. Thankfully, those in my close circle of friends and family have at least tried to accomodate my needs. I know that in this economy it's not easy to accomodate every person's special need, but they have really made an effort and been so supportive.

With all the effort that I have been making in how I eat, I have really fallen down on working out regularly. I would like to say that it has been the cooler weather and getting over not feeling well, but that wouldn't be entirely the issue. Actually, I haven't been managing my time effectively and haven't made working out the priority that I need to. We did do about a 4 mile hike at the new Eagle Mountain Park on Eagle Mountain Lake last week. I have to brag on Charlie, he walked the entire way and loved every minute of it. He's my little explorer. I think I've got a workout buddy in him. He's certainly my motivator. I also am excited that my walking group is ready to start back up again. Since quite a few of us work during the day, the extra hour of light in the evening really motivates us to get out and walk.

My goal is to get my eating and working out more in balance. In the past, and even now, I find myself focussing on one rather than the other. Both are great for me, but until I at least attempt to get them in balance, I'm not going to have the results that I want to have. As I try to juggle the craziness of life with my health, I just think about James 1:4 "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything".

Another goal I have is to update my blog more regularly. I'm shifting from posting the same blog enteries this on this and three other sites to just this one. I'm sure the web will be a safer place with me contained in two places - here and Facebook.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Plans, Plans, and More Plans

Today was a nice relaxing day with the family and with my head stuck in a book reading up on my blood type. I must say that I am completely fascinated with the "Eat Right 4 Your Type" book. The concept makes so much sense to my logical noodle. I know it won't be the easiest transition. I wouldn't expect 28 years of eating habits to go quickly. I just plan on making it a gradual change. A little bit here and there. I had already begun giving up soda and caffeine and cheese. Honestly, those were likely to be my two biggest "Ahhh! I can't eat that anymore" hurdles. I am really feeling so much better not eating cheese and drinking sodas that it has made the transition a bit easier. I know there will be more food hurdles to come - like not eating out so much- but I'm actually quite excited by the concept of facing the hurdles.
Another hurdle I know I'm going to have to get past is working out - more like making time to workout and getting past my exhaustion. With the crazy schedule in the Schechner home, I never really know what's going to happen when. I'm pretty certain (fearfully so) that waking up early and starting the day with exercise is going to be my best bet. That will be my goal this week. Getting up early and working out 3 days this week. Again, it's all about gradual changes for me.
I'm going to end this post with my top 3 fitness goals for this week.
1.) Getting up 3 days this week to walk 30 minutes on the treadmill (or do a fitness video)
2.) Plan our meals for the week and actually go grocery shopping (This is a big deal since I haven't been grocery shopping in over 2 months.)
3.) To post to this blog at least 4 days this week.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Darn You Texas Weather!

What is about planning to start something new that makes obstacles automatically pop up? It's like something notices you moving out of your "comfort zone box" and socks ya one (as my mom would say). The past three days I've been dealing with a sinus infection. I get these quite frequently since I have chronic sinusitis, but this one made me particularly exhausted. This 60 one day 20 the next is not helping me, but I'll get passed it. Thankfully, I have a variety of workout equipment and DVDs here at the house to use. Now if I could just get passed this exhaustion and not use it as an excuse, I'd be doing good. To get me through this exhaustion I just have to keep thinking about my goal and Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."
I have been using the downtime to study Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo's book "Eat Right 4 Your Type". I am loving it. I think it will be a great way to give me energy and get my body back to be the well-oiled machine it is meant to be, not the exhausted machine with one wheel falling off that it feels like at the moment. Charles and I are both going to commit to start changing our eating habits to this way. He's done it in the past, and I know having him to help me will be so great. He is such a supportive hubby. We are going to work this weekend to get what we can and can't eat straight (since we have 2 different blood types) and plan to do some shopping.
I'm going to use this weekend to do some planning, get some rest, and hopefully do a little walking on the treadmill.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

I do my own stunts...

So here's a few little things about me. I'm 28 years-old. I've been married to my wonderful husband for four years now. I have an amazing 3 year-old son. I have a job that I enjoy in a ministry that I was surprised God put me in. I have a great family and terrific friends. Overall, my life has been richly blessed. But I have a few confessions to make.
I am 120 pounds overweight. I have back problems. I'm a stress junkie. I have horrible eating habits. I like to drink Cokes. I love ice cream and pizza and just about anything you can buy in a drive-thru.

And I've had enough!

I'm tired of being tired, unhealthy, unfocused, anxious, stressed, and not being the best person that God created me to be. Enough is enough and it's time to get that all off my chest. Whew... This past year has had more health challenges - some related to weight, most related to stress. I'm just not feeling like my fabulous self anymore. Instead I'm exhausted most of the time. I want to change that.
This blog is about me and the journey of getting this weight off and becoming spiritually, mentally, and physically healthy. It's transformation from the inside out. I know that it won't be easy, but most things worth doing aren't. I won't always know what I'm doing, but I'm willing to try and willing to share it here. Some things I will have to start slow on. I know that. I expect that it will take me about a year of changing habits and taking care of myself to get the weight off. That's ok. I want to do it in the most healthy way possible. I'll make it my goal to blog a little every day about what is going on in my life and will post my progress or any aha!s I have along the way.
I cling to the hope of Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."

P.S. Not sure why this text is all different sizes. It looks normal in my editing window. Will fix it later.