Better Than a Vacation

At this time three years ago I had just given birth to my first child, just moved to Sacramento from the rainy Northwest, and had quit my job to stay home with my child.  My life slowed significantly after moving from my fast-paced life in Portland, and I took lots of walks, trying to get back into my normal state of health after pregnancy. 

Autumn walks in Sacramento are nothing like Portland.  Instead of cold, damp streets filled with fir trees and wooden houses, I was passing white stucco homes with red-tiled roofs, lazy palm trees, and an open blue sky.  I felt like I was on vacation in some tropical paradise.

Two years later, the vacation was over.  I had another newborn, an emotional two-year-old, extra fat that didn’t want to fall off, and I was missing my home in Portland fiercely.  Many areas that I had received fulfillment were gone—my career, singing, and nature hikes to name a few.  I missed my friends.  Amazingly enough, I even found that I was missing the rain (but only a little bit).

It is the tough times in life which seem to motivate us the most.  When I felt like my life was a vacation I was not terribly motivated to do much of anything out of the daily routine of caring for my child.  But when I reached an emotional low one year ago, I started to explore ways to brighten the future.  Could I reach out to my new acquaintances to make deeper friends?  Could I write a blog about getting healthy to motivate myself?  Could I join a choir to keep my singing skills honed? 

Earlier this morning I went on a bike ride pulling my two kids in their trailer.  I passed stucco houses and palm trees under a sunny blue sky.  It doesn’t exactly feel like vacation.  No, my days are much too productive to feel like that!  Instead I have the happy feeling of purpose and fulfillment.  I am growing in my new career, my new friendships, and my new environment.  And the weather is not bad either.

Genetics

Recently at a well-child visit for my daughter, I asked her doctor about her weight. Dr. Hannah said Eden is average for height to weight ratio, which I was glad to hear. Since I was always chubby as a kid, I am concerned that Eden stays within the average limit. The doctor explained that the key years in a child’s growth to watch weight is 6 and 12. If a child is over-weight at these ages, most likely he or she will be over-weight his entire life.

Next I must have struck a nerve. I told the doctor about my own childhood struggle with weight, and was concerned that it would carry on to my daughter. Dr. Hannah shot down the idea completely, saying that genetics play a very small role and that the most important factor is exercise.

While I would be glad to believe her, I simply don’t buy it. I have seen too many families that have one slim child and one over-weight child, both who eat the same foods. I have seen my own tendency for extra weight, especially during times of pregnancy when I seemed to gain weight just by smelling the food. There are so many factors in weight, such as hormone level, metabolism, energy level, and even personality that stem from genetics.

I think my kids’ doctor is right about one thing: exercise really does matter. Exercise and healthy eating is the only way to fight against those unfortunate genetics if they’re tipped against you on the scale. I do like a doctor to be honest and straight-forward with me, however; in other words, don’t tell me genetics don’t matter because you think it’s what I need to hear. Genetics impact our weight, and we will work to eliminate the disadvantage.

Keep it Going

Daylight is getting shorter and those after-dinner walks are almost out of the question now.  The other day I barely managed to mow my lawn after our evening meal, and I was in almost complete darkness for the last half of my endeavor.  Yes, it was a bit patchy the next morning. 

Exercise during the darker half of the year can be a challenge.  Many people don’t enjoy going to the gym.  Darker days mean less energy from the sun, and more of a mood to sit and sip a hot drink than to be active.  Getting up early in the morning is difficult enough without it being dark, now it seems almost impossible.  Evenings are cut short too.

As the active challenges increase, here are some suggestions that will help keep us moving.  First, develop a system.  If that means going to the gym, aerobics class, or video workout, do it at the same time of the day so it feels routine.  Before beginning the workout, pump up the adrenaline with some fast-paced music.  Don’t skip the stretch if you can help it.  Stretching is the reward for the effort you put into getting up and going.  It’s the time when stress falls off and contentment sets in.  Remember you’re not sitting out in the sun much these days, so take advantage of these mood-boosting moments whenever possible.

Although it is tempting to put the workouts on hold during these months, we will be so glad later if we stick to them.  Keeping active will help curb winter weight-gain and depression, and will boost productivity during a time when we might want to lag.

Just What I Needed

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I have lost 30 pounds since last January. My goal to lose my pregnancy weight by the end of this year has been going well. Unfortunately, I have not made any more progress since my last update. It’s one thing to write about health, it’s another to achieve it. I have somehow lost a focus, in spite of knowing in my head what to do.

I have been trying to discover why I have been lacking the drive to refocus. Day after day slips by, and I continue to fall short of the mark. Not enough exercise, too many calories, eating after 7 pm, not counting my calories…. I know I can succeed, I just need to get driven so I will succeed.

Recently I joined a community choir group which meets on Tuesday evenings. The rehearsals are pretty intense so I don’t have much opportunity for visiting with the soprano sitting next to me. The small opportunity to visit comes during our ten minute break. Tiara and I struck up a conversation during our break this week during which she told me she has lost ten pounds in the past four weeks. She talked about her calorie counting, exercise struggles and successes, and sometimes going off track but getting back on.

I found everything she said to be so motivating! It was then that I realized that I am in need of some outward motivation. I can reach inward and try to find my reasons for wanting to lose, and it’s important. But I also need some people cheering me on, telling me their own stories of ups and downs, and ultimately their successes.

Thank you, Tiara! You are an inspiration to me. I told her I would write about her in my blog (and she consented). I truly feel a renewed purpose since our talk.

Pumpkin Patch

My husband’s family owns an appliance store, so he doesn’t always work the traditional Monday through Friday week. Yesterday he took his Saturday—AKA day off—and we decided to take the kids to the pumpkin patch.

I highly recommend doing this sort of thing during the week instead of the weekend if you can help it. There was virtually no one there, so we had a free run of the place. It may have helped to have a few kids there though. Eden didn’t have the four-year-old cousin to run around with like she did a few weeks ago when we went to Fairytale Town, so she was much less energetic. Still, she really loved jumping in the bounce castle and sliding down its slide.

While we were riding around the huge farm on a hayride, it began to sprinkle. We have had only a couple of rains since last spring, so it is slightly ironic that our outing would get rained upon. But it was warm and passed quickly, and Eden was excited with the splatters came.

The kids were pretty tired after the hayride. Let me rephrase. The adults were pretty tired. We tried to get going home, but our rather fussy kids wanted more fun, so we managed to hit a few more stations—more bounce castle, a climb up the hay ziggurat, a trip to the tomato gardens where Eden and Lance managed to each pick and eat one (I’m not sure if that’s allowed!), and a stop to pet some animals. The animals were a horse and a stray cat. (I think both kids were more impressed with the cat than anything else they saw all day.) Before we left Eden purchased a small pumpkin.

The day was fun, but hectic as all outings are with small children. I didn’t mention the trip to the bathrooms at the last minute, courtesy of our three-year-old, or the one-year-old who got a diaper change in the trunk. I didn’t mention that there was a loud pumpkin launching canon that scared both kids into tears. Nor did I mention our boy who kept running off to the other side of the farm, or our girl who thought the dirt was more entertaining that the pumpkins. That stuff is already almost forgotten, and I took tons of pictures to remember the rest.

Too Much Heat

I recently read an article about laptops slowly injuring people’s legs. A few people experienced blackened and damaged skin on the upper thighs, and they had one thing in common—they had sat for several hours each day with a laptop on their laps. These injuries were caused by moderate heat, not hot enough to burn the skin, but prolonged exposure did the damage. The damage has been found to rarely even result in skin cancer.

I love to write my blogs with my laptop perched on my lap, keeping me warm. I suppose I’ll have to start being careful, or at least make sure I don’t sit there too long. The same damage can result from heat pads. Again, I am a lover of those!

While we could really get worked up about many things that have the potential to being “harmful,” I think the lesson here is to be moderate. Just about anything in excess will have a negative effect.

When I was younger I always thought my mom worried too much. Whenever she started trying to limit my adventurous streak, I used to say, “Mom, it’s dangerous to walk down the street because you might die.” There is a healthy balance, of course. A person can be too carefree and end up stranded on a mountain or something (yes, this is an inside joke which you should understand). Then there are people who live their lives in such fear of getting cancer by this chemical or that pollutant that they forget to enjoy themselves.

My point, I suppose, is this: make wise choices daily and enjoy living.

It Takes Heart

A few years ago I made a big mistake—one of those impulsive purchase kinds of mistakes. I walked into a weightloss clinic and wanted to be thin so badly that I bought the whole package—lifetime membership and everything. Two weeks into the new diet plan, I quit. I didn’t agree with half of their philosophy about food, I was constantly hungry, and I wasn’t connecting well with their “nutrition” consultants. I wanted out.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my money back. Well, I ended up getting half of it back, but in the process I lost about $300. All I have to show for that money is the conviction that I’ll never do that again!

Although at the time I felt like a martyr for losing all that money, looking back, I see my expensive experience a bit more objectively. I realize that I wasn’t completely in the right. I walked into that clinic wanting to be thin, but not wanting to put effort into it. I wanted a magic system, not hard work. So I threw the money in, thinking that would do it.

It is easy to spend money—on a gym, a diet, organic food, a personal trainer, a diet consultant—but it is the hard work that will find success. Don’t make the mistake I did and assume that money and a program will make you healthy. The programs are just tools. It takes heart to use the tools and find success with them. So while I still don’t like losing that money, at least I recognize how not to waste it again.