Multi-Task This!

I am apparently known for my ability to do multiple things at the same time.  Others seem to think this is a positive thing.  I know better.

Throughout the day, I'll stop and realize that I'm starving.  I am waiting too long to eat between meals, starving by the time I get around to eating, and then stuffing my face way past the point of full.  I know this is not good.  I don't need anyone to tell me this.  I am well aware that the best way to lose weight and maintain weight is to eat consistently throughout the day, five to six meals.  This keeps your metabolism cranking, your blood sugar levels even.  I know this!

So what's my problem?  My main problem is...multitasking!  When you're always doing more than one thing, no one thing is getting my full attention.  And that includes eating.  

Oh, I'll start getting breakfast together first thing in the morning, but it may be a few hours before the entire meal makes it in my tummy.  The baby wakes up, the dog needs let out.  The next thing I know, I forgot that I was fixing breakfast, I start folding laundry, then I have to feed a kid, then I remember the bill I forgot to pay online, then I remember the blog I wanted to post a week ago, and so on.

The French don't have this problem, in fact, a woman wrote a book about it.  Us Americans try to cram too much stuff into one day, and even eating becomes a task to accomplish.  We don't sit and savor our food.  We eat standing up, on the run, in the car, or, if you're like me, while surfing the net looking for ideas, answering emails, reading about how to be fit and health.  Oh, the friggin' irony!

OK.  So here's my self-imposed goal for the next week - sit down and eat.  Don't read, don't surf, don't clean the kitchen.  Fix my meal, sit down at the dining room table and enjoy my food.  I may even find I get more done with a fully nourished body!

My Tongue is Burning!

We deviated from the normal menu this evening, and ate a ham steak that my MIL brought to us this weekend.  I LOVE ham, though rarely eat it, given it's high fat, sodium, processed-ness.  But I made a veggie medley to go with it, and thought "Yeah, treat time!"  I also stupidly opted to cook an Uncle Ben's Country Inn Broccoli Rice Au Gratin rice mix.  I apparently had a lobotomy for an afternoon snack.  

So I proceeded to devour half the ham steak, plus a serving of the rice.  My tongue is actually burning a bit right now.  That can't be good.  I have naturally low blood pressure, but I'm starting to think I probably shouldn't have gone willy nilly on an overly-salted slab o' pig.  

Just out of curiosity, I decided to check out the Nutrition Facts label (it's your best friend, ya know!).  Holy Crap in handbasket.  A 3oz serving has 950mg of salt.  That's 40% of your total daily value.  In three ounces.  I would say I easily had 8oz, so two and a half times that.  Is A Lot Of Sodium.

The Rice?  One serving (which is about what I had) has 850mg of Sodium.  

I easily just consumed well over 3000mg of salt.  In about 20 minutes or so.  No wonder my tongue is burning.  I better go drink about a gallon of water to try to thin my blood of its sodium content.  

Oh, and in worse news?  There was 14 grams of fat (4.5 grams of Saturated Fat!), per 3 oz serving, in that ham steak.  That's just the ham steak.  So not only is my blood screaming, my ass ain't far behind it.  I hang my head in shame!

Who needs two guys and a truck?

Thanks to having kids and a dog, our carpet is awful.  Really, any health buff knows that the best way to do flooring in your home is to go bare - hardwood, laminate, tile, anything but carpet!  Carpet harbors the dirt, dust, mites, bacteria, etc. that can bring on a multitude of sickies for the family.  However, we're in the midst of a basement finishing project, so redoing our upstairs flooring will just have to wait.  Next year maybe?

However, we still have that dog and three kids.  So today, the carpet is getting cleaned!  I'm getting ready to put my favorite "Don't F*** With Mr. Zero" shirt on, and get moving on some furniture (anyone get that pop culture reference?  Anyone??).  So this is my workout of the day.  Hauling crap in and out of rooms.  Should be a good time.  I can hear my dad - Life with your legs!

To get ready, I'm now sitting down to my favorite breakfast - 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, 5-6 sliced strawberries, and a ginormous cup of coffee.  Them's good stuff!

Two kids = Time suck

I'm slowly realizing that the addition of one more person in the house has an exponential affect on my time.  I find myself doing ten things at one time, never having the focus to finish any one item.  Lil Boo needs me, Piglet's crying, BoxerGirl needs outside, the laundry's buzzing, my stomach is growling.  All at the same time.

So the greater question is, then, what can I do about.  Well, nothing, right?  I mean, this is what I signed up for when I became a mom.  And it's intensified by my choice to stay home, as this is my life 24/7.  It's presumed that if you stay home, you have all the time in the world to clean, organize, grocery shop.  Instead, it feels like there's less time, because I'm constantly just behind the tornado, and I never get a solid break.  And I mean *break*!  A few hours block of time!  15 minutes here, 45 minutes there is not enough to truly accomplish some of the larger tasks.

So it goes without saying that I am still struggling to find dedicated blocks of time to work out.  I started back with STroller Aerobics, then the time change hit, and my kids are all over the place in the morning!  If Lil Boo doesn't wake up at 6am, it's 9am instead!  One day last week, it was 10:30!  Tough to make that 9am class when your little ones are still asleep - and it is not an option to wake them!  

And my blog is getting neglected, but I think that's because of my perfectionism.  I feel like if my posts aren't meaningful and thought out, they have no use being here.  That's something I need to get over.  

So here I am.  Monday.  Mid-March.  Still struggling to figure out our new routine with baby #2.  At least I am standing while typing this - doing squats along the way!  

25 Tips for a Better Life - 2009

I got this in my email from my good friend, Jane, today.  Love It!  May you find some inspiration for today!

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, salmon, broccoli and almonds.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9 Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

 23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. Forward this to the ones you care about the most. I did.

Responsibility & Accountability

So who else is a fan of The Biggest Loser?  I know it's not just me, the show is pretty amazing.  For all the reality crap out there, here is a show to actually find inspiration!  Not to mention useful tips and helpful information.  And last night, I found profound insight in a contestant named Joelle.

If you've been watching, you already know where I'm going.  Joelle was/is a terrible contestant.  She always had an excuse, didn't give it her all, and definitely hung her partner out to dry.  But she also demonstrates key factors in being fit and healthy - Responsibility and Accountability.  

It goes without saying that the people who are going to succeed in achieving their goals are the ones who are going to give it 110%.   But I also think it's important to note that the people who will have the greatest overall success - short term and long term - are those who take responsibility for their actions, and hold themselves accountable for their results.  

If you aren't reaching the small goals you're setting for yourself, look inward first.  Be honest with yourself.  

Where are you faltering?  

Are you claiming to be working out two hours a day, but aren't really giving it your all?

Are you advocating a strict diet plan, but find yourself sneaking a handful of chips or sips of soda on the side?

Then be up front with yourself.  And others.  Take accountability.  Fall off the wagon, admit what happened and then get back on again.  When you face the truth and face reality, you will get exactly where you want to be.  When you lie to yourself or fudge the results, you'll feel shame and disappointment (consciously or subconsciously) - and that can never turn out good in the end.  

In the meantime, who else is dying to see the finale now?  Should we start taking bets as to who - Joelle or Carla - will kick ass and take names?

How to Become a Yoga Momma

Over the course of this blog, you'll all find out that I truly believe Yoga to be the single best thing anyone can do for their bodies.  You can burn calories, increase flexibility, strengthen muscles and find restorative relaxation - all in one exercise routine!

Really, there are so many benefits of yoga, it's tough to know where to start.  I found this nursing blog in which Alisa Miller gives us 77 Surprising Health Benefits of Yoga. I'll discuss my personal reasons for loving yoga in subsequent posts, but for right now, if you've ever wonder what the hullaballoo was around yoga, Ms. Miller's list is a good place to start. (Sorry, I have had to remove the link to this story. Feel free to Google it for yourself. Thanks!)

And this weekend, I was turned on to this website from my awesome FitMomma friend, Tracy.  It's Yoga Journal's Poses section - where you an browse various yoga poses.  Selecting one pose, it will give you step-by-step instructions on how to do the pose; what body parts are being worked; the overall benefits; beginner's tips and advanced steps; as well as related poses, so you can put a series together.  I also love that they include the "real" name of the poses, so those Yogi wanna-bes like myself can learn the language of yoga!

So find a pose or two that inspires you, and start a yoga practice today.  You can't go wrong with a Mountain Post into a Downward-Facing Dog into a Child's Pose, if you're looking for a place to start.  And your kids will enjoy it, too!