As you may or may not know I have been making little tweaks to my life this year. I decided that it was time for an update, so here it goes. My newest life change has been the shift of my obsessive compulsive running habit from after work to early morning. I now wake up at 5:30 AM most weekdays to run or do some other form of exercise (an exercise video which shall remain nameless because frankly I don’t think it deserves any more attention, has found its way into my routine once or twice a week now). Those first few weeks of waking up nearly an hour earlier than normal were brutal. I had to drag my butt out of bed each and every day, and I kept wondering why I was torturing myself. Now, while I can’t say it is easy to get out of bed in the morning, my body has adjusted and I actually wake up before my alarm goes off most days. I can run up to 5 miles or so before my late return starts to impact T’s morning routine. I’ve been getting up early now for perhaps six weeks, I guess that means it has become my new normal.
Having my run/workout out of the way early in the morning has given me more flexibility in my schedule. I no longer have to scheme ways to fit in my run after work, and I can actually pick up the kids at daycare if I so choose. I’m still getting to work at close to 8 AM, but I am sacrificing an hour of sleep. I know my body has adjusted, but my eyes are bloodshot nearly every day. I don’t think I’m getting enough sleep, but going to bed at 9:30 PM isn’t appealing to me. For now I’ve decided that the pros of getting up early outweigh the cons, we’ll see how I feel in the dead of winter when it is bitch black outside at 5:30 AM.
My other big news is that I approached my boss with an idea that will help me fill in some of the downtime I occasionally have at work. While, it doesn’t seem as though there will be much downtime for the balance of the summer, I was given the go ahead for my plan. I’m excited by the challenge, and hopeful that it will bring good results for the company. Mostly, I’m thrilled that I took the time to put myself out there, rather than just staying with the status quo that was making me miserable. I’m not going to post the specifics about what I’ll be doing because I’m still under the illusion that this blog is not known about at work. While I’ve never said anything derogative, my little online journal isn’t exactly what I want my boss to read. If you want more details, feel free to email me…I keep meaning to set up an email link here and perhaps this will spur me to actually do so.
Baby steps really do get you where you want to go if you have a little patience and a lot of persistence.
Showing posts with label Fitness and health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitness and health. Show all posts
6.04.2007
3.29.2007
Skinny pants
My friends, today is a monumental day in this treadmill addict’s life. Brace yourself. Wait for it. Just a little longer. Okay, today I am wearing my skinny pants. This is not to say that I should be wearing my skinny pants, but I am anyway. I’ve been slowly losing weight since the beginning of the year. I’ve been loosely following my own little twisted version of Weight Watchers just for the fun of it, and it has worked. I am not yet down to my ultimate goal weight, but I am inching closer every week.
Every so often I pull out my skinny pants and use them to see how much progress I’ve made, and typically they go right back into the drawer. The last time I tried them on, I was giddy because I could button and zip them with little effort, but as they are fairly low rise pants the love handle hang-over issue was keeping me from wearing them in public. This morning on a whim, I tried them on, zipped them up and decided the hang-over factor wasn’t bad enough to keep me from wearing them! Of course I’m wearing a zip up hoodie sweatshirt over a fitted tee so as to minimize the effect. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that I can now wear these pants. I don’t think I have worn them since before The Boy was conceived, although there might have been a brief stint centered around my training for the marathon I ran between The Boy and The Girl when they fit. Of course you now have to realize that it has been nearly 5 years since I was wearing these pants often, and maybe 7 years since they were purchased. Do you think they are still in style? Not likely. Oh well, it is not that I have ever been in style anyway. At least I am out of style and happy about it.
Every so often I pull out my skinny pants and use them to see how much progress I’ve made, and typically they go right back into the drawer. The last time I tried them on, I was giddy because I could button and zip them with little effort, but as they are fairly low rise pants the love handle hang-over issue was keeping me from wearing them in public. This morning on a whim, I tried them on, zipped them up and decided the hang-over factor wasn’t bad enough to keep me from wearing them! Of course I’m wearing a zip up hoodie sweatshirt over a fitted tee so as to minimize the effect. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that I can now wear these pants. I don’t think I have worn them since before The Boy was conceived, although there might have been a brief stint centered around my training for the marathon I ran between The Boy and The Girl when they fit. Of course you now have to realize that it has been nearly 5 years since I was wearing these pants often, and maybe 7 years since they were purchased. Do you think they are still in style? Not likely. Oh well, it is not that I have ever been in style anyway. At least I am out of style and happy about it.
2.05.2007
A pain in the neck
We had an interesting albeit scary weekend in our house. DH spent the bulk of the day Saturday working on some basement remodeling. I’m not allowed to detail what he did, as he is still waiting for the permit from the city, so as far as I know he just looked at plans and purchased material. However, that activity was enough to drive me and the kidlets out of the house for at least the morning. It was incredibly cold here in the frozen tundra, so I decided to make good use of our annual zoo membership gift from the in-laws. I squeaked out 4 miles on the treadmill before 9 am, and we were off to the zoo by 10 am or so. The walk to the zoo from the parking lot was brutal for me. I was happy that the kids were well bundled, but kept questioning why in the world I wasn’t better dressed for the weather. Thankfully we were at the zoo only to see the indoor exhibits.
We managed to see most of the tropical animals in the span of an hour, and made our way over to the ocean exhibit. As we were browsing the fish tanks and aquariums, The Boy started complaining that his neck hurt. My standard Mommy response of “where does it hurt, do you want me to kiss it,” just wasn’t cutting it though. I suggested we get lunch so he could rest in the stroller for a while, and he agreed, but he remained withdrawn and quiet with a pained look on his face throughout the meal he barely touched.
He kept telling me that his neck hurt, and when I asked him where it hurt he held his hand over a spot so I could feel. I felt a lump, and of course started to feel a little panicky. I often get swollen lymph nodes, and in fact most of mine become swollen and just never go back to normal after they’ve been swollen, so my experience told me that the lump I was feeling was a slightly enlarged lymph node. Still, his constant insistence that he needed medicine was worrisome, because The Boy has a fairly high pain tolerance.
*Several months ago we noticed he had a black thumb nail, the kind you get after painfully slamming your thumb in a door or something equally painful. When asked how he got it, he would respond with “I just got an owie.” I’ve experienced the same, and I whined considerably when it happened because it was extremely painful. We still have no idea how it happened, because he never complained to us, or to his daycare provider. The poor kid ended up losing his thumbnail, and never even once complained about it.*
Anyway, the fact that he was in so much pain just didn’t set right with me. I told him we would go home so he could take some medicine, and perhaps go to the doctor. He said “yes, and then we will come back to the zoo.” Well, I knew full well if we went home we would not in fact be coming back to the zoo that day, and I just couldn’t lie to him (he’s old enough to remember and continue to keep pushing for it with “but you said we would go back to the zoo.”). When he realized going home for medicine meant leaving the zoo, he proclaimed his neck better. He said we should go to the dolphin show I’d been promising all morning. I asked him if he was sure, he said yes, so we went to the dolphin show. He did okay during the dolphin show, The Girl, on the other hand behaved miserably and she clearly needed a nap! After the show, The Boy was back to complaining about his neck, so we hightailed it home. They both briefly napped in the car on the 20 minute drive home which of course made it nearly impossible to actually get them to take naps at home, but whatever.
I continued to worry, but gave him some Motrin, and tried to get him to nap. DH gave me the impression that I was overreacting, but I just couldn’t let it go. I called a nurse line and spoke with an RN, who told me if it wasn’t better on Sunday we should bring him to Urgent Care. Of course it wasn’t better on Sunday so The Boy and I made a trip to urgent care, where we got the diagnosis of Acute Torticollis, or a stiff neck. The poor kid was dealing with seized up muscles in his neck, and was in a great deal of pain, unable to turn his had from side to side. Thankfully Motrin seems to help, and this morning he declared himself better, enough so that he refused Motrin.
Now, if only I could get myself to stop assuming he has an aneurysm or meningitis every single time he has something weird happen I’d be in a much better place. I remember worrying about miscarrying when I was pregnant (especially after an extremely early miscarriage with my first pregnancy), and being thankful when I passed the first trimester. I told myself that I wouldn’t have to worry anymore when I passed milestones, but the truth is there was always something new to worry about. After The Boy was born, I was so grateful to hold him in my arms, a healthy baby boy, now surely I could stop worrying. I was wrong though, the real worry doesn’t even kick in until they are outside the womb. Now, the things to worry about are much bigger and harder to control. I imagine that even when my kids are grown and living on their own I will still worry about them, but hopefully it won’t be the primal fear and worry I have now…the mama bear taking care of her cubs.
We managed to see most of the tropical animals in the span of an hour, and made our way over to the ocean exhibit. As we were browsing the fish tanks and aquariums, The Boy started complaining that his neck hurt. My standard Mommy response of “where does it hurt, do you want me to kiss it,” just wasn’t cutting it though. I suggested we get lunch so he could rest in the stroller for a while, and he agreed, but he remained withdrawn and quiet with a pained look on his face throughout the meal he barely touched.
He kept telling me that his neck hurt, and when I asked him where it hurt he held his hand over a spot so I could feel. I felt a lump, and of course started to feel a little panicky. I often get swollen lymph nodes, and in fact most of mine become swollen and just never go back to normal after they’ve been swollen, so my experience told me that the lump I was feeling was a slightly enlarged lymph node. Still, his constant insistence that he needed medicine was worrisome, because The Boy has a fairly high pain tolerance.
*Several months ago we noticed he had a black thumb nail, the kind you get after painfully slamming your thumb in a door or something equally painful. When asked how he got it, he would respond with “I just got an owie.” I’ve experienced the same, and I whined considerably when it happened because it was extremely painful. We still have no idea how it happened, because he never complained to us, or to his daycare provider. The poor kid ended up losing his thumbnail, and never even once complained about it.*
Anyway, the fact that he was in so much pain just didn’t set right with me. I told him we would go home so he could take some medicine, and perhaps go to the doctor. He said “yes, and then we will come back to the zoo.” Well, I knew full well if we went home we would not in fact be coming back to the zoo that day, and I just couldn’t lie to him (he’s old enough to remember and continue to keep pushing for it with “but you said we would go back to the zoo.”). When he realized going home for medicine meant leaving the zoo, he proclaimed his neck better. He said we should go to the dolphin show I’d been promising all morning. I asked him if he was sure, he said yes, so we went to the dolphin show. He did okay during the dolphin show, The Girl, on the other hand behaved miserably and she clearly needed a nap! After the show, The Boy was back to complaining about his neck, so we hightailed it home. They both briefly napped in the car on the 20 minute drive home which of course made it nearly impossible to actually get them to take naps at home, but whatever.
I continued to worry, but gave him some Motrin, and tried to get him to nap. DH gave me the impression that I was overreacting, but I just couldn’t let it go. I called a nurse line and spoke with an RN, who told me if it wasn’t better on Sunday we should bring him to Urgent Care. Of course it wasn’t better on Sunday so The Boy and I made a trip to urgent care, where we got the diagnosis of Acute Torticollis, or a stiff neck. The poor kid was dealing with seized up muscles in his neck, and was in a great deal of pain, unable to turn his had from side to side. Thankfully Motrin seems to help, and this morning he declared himself better, enough so that he refused Motrin.
Now, if only I could get myself to stop assuming he has an aneurysm or meningitis every single time he has something weird happen I’d be in a much better place. I remember worrying about miscarrying when I was pregnant (especially after an extremely early miscarriage with my first pregnancy), and being thankful when I passed the first trimester. I told myself that I wouldn’t have to worry anymore when I passed milestones, but the truth is there was always something new to worry about. After The Boy was born, I was so grateful to hold him in my arms, a healthy baby boy, now surely I could stop worrying. I was wrong though, the real worry doesn’t even kick in until they are outside the womb. Now, the things to worry about are much bigger and harder to control. I imagine that even when my kids are grown and living on their own I will still worry about them, but hopefully it won’t be the primal fear and worry I have now…the mama bear taking care of her cubs.
5.04.2006
Starvation mode?
I’m still carrying around an extra 5 pounds of “baby weight” and it is starting to really bother me. The change of seasons has forced me to break out my shorts and Capri pants only to find out that they don’t fit. Ugh. My “fat” shorts do in fact fit, but the ones I actually like do not. So last week I finally started following my tried and true self-enforced Weight Watchers plan. I have yet to do my weekly weigh in, but I have weighed myself a few times this week only to find a gain of 2 pounds and most recently no change at all. This makes me extremely frustrated. I know WW works well, having used it more than once to lose weight, and I am pretty darn good at counting points now with the help of an Excel spreadsheet I made (with a little help from DH…okay he mostly made it with a little instruction from me). I’m not even trying to get to my real goal weight which is 10 pounds less than I weigh now, simply because I don’t think it is realistic while I am still nursing Infant. I hate that these last 5 pounds just seem glued to my hips and thighs.
I know I am being hard on myself, I can wear a size 6 off the rack in most stores right now. However, that is only due to size inflation…my 5-6 year old size 6 stuff is the reason I feel compelled to lose this weight as it is too tight. Is it so much for someone who runs 5 days/20-25 miles per week to be able to lose 5 pounds? I’m not even eating crazy foods or snacking inappropriately. Other people tell me that since I am nursing and running my body is going into starvation mode and is holding onto all of the fat it has. Apparently my body hasn’t gotten the message that it is not going to starve, and that those extra 5 pounds are just ugly and serve no real purpose. If it wants to hold onto extra fat I just wish it could be deposited in my breasts rather than on my hips. I’m going to continue following my nursing modified WW program for another week. If I fail to lose a pound or more I will likely just give up until I quit nursing.
I know I am being hard on myself, I can wear a size 6 off the rack in most stores right now. However, that is only due to size inflation…my 5-6 year old size 6 stuff is the reason I feel compelled to lose this weight as it is too tight. Is it so much for someone who runs 5 days/20-25 miles per week to be able to lose 5 pounds? I’m not even eating crazy foods or snacking inappropriately. Other people tell me that since I am nursing and running my body is going into starvation mode and is holding onto all of the fat it has. Apparently my body hasn’t gotten the message that it is not going to starve, and that those extra 5 pounds are just ugly and serve no real purpose. If it wants to hold onto extra fat I just wish it could be deposited in my breasts rather than on my hips. I’m going to continue following my nursing modified WW program for another week. If I fail to lose a pound or more I will likely just give up until I quit nursing.
3.21.2006
Dr. Google
I’m still trying to find my groove with this blog, so please pardon week long absences from posting. I sometimes have trouble choosing what to write about, and end up writing nothing. Other times I have nothing to write about so I write about nothing, it is a weird sort of problem. I have never been one to keep a diary or a journal for more than a few days at a time, so I’m not surprised at my struggle. Anyway, bear with me and I hope to write at least a few nuggets of interest every once in a while.
The weekend’s major event was the unexplained nipple injury that prevented (still prevents) me from breastfeeding on one side. I have been having breast/nipple pain off and on for maybe two months now. It bothered me enough that I saw my doctor about it a couple of weeks ago. My web searching led me to believe that I must be dealing with a ductal yeast infection, so I went to my appointment pretty determined to get a prescription for Diflucan (Dr. Google couldn’t be wrong you know). My Doctor wasn’t convinced that it was yeast, but with the presence of a rash and nothing else noticeable he wrote a list of things I could try:
1. Do nothing – I’m thinking why would I have come in for an appt if I was okay with this option?
2. Hydrocortizone – I had tried this for about a day, and determined it wasn’t working
3. Diflucan – Can you guess which option I picked?
4. See a Dermatologist – Um, not unless #3 doesn’t work
So I’ve been taking Diflucan for a week and a half, and it doesn’t seem to be having any effect. I still have another week and a half to go though. I will spare you the details of what is causing the pain, but lets just say that there is blood involved (yes, this is where everyone asks me the dreaded question…why don’t you just wean?).
Infant is 10 months old, and after struggling through 6 weeks of initial pain while we worked on her lazy latch, and getting past her biting episodes I just don’t want to wean. It is an awesome thing to be able to breastfeed your baby. I love that it is a special bond that she and I share. Frankly it pisses me off that people think it is okay to ask me when I will wean, or to assume that because she is only 2 months from the AAP recommendation of 12 months of breastfeeding I’ve done “good enough.” I’m not going for good enough, and I’m not planning on cutting her off when she hits 12 months. I never imagined that I would be up for extended breastfeeding, but right now it seems like the most natural thing in the world. I suppose because I’m realizing that Infant will more than likely be my last baby, that when she weans my breastfeeding days are over for good. I should really try to enjoy these B-C cup days while I can, because if my previous experience holds true they will shrink down to A cups within a month of weaning. Sadly the booby fairy only sticks around my house when the milk fairy is here, oh well at least my jogging bras will all fit again when that happens.
The weekend’s major event was the unexplained nipple injury that prevented (still prevents) me from breastfeeding on one side. I have been having breast/nipple pain off and on for maybe two months now. It bothered me enough that I saw my doctor about it a couple of weeks ago. My web searching led me to believe that I must be dealing with a ductal yeast infection, so I went to my appointment pretty determined to get a prescription for Diflucan (Dr. Google couldn’t be wrong you know). My Doctor wasn’t convinced that it was yeast, but with the presence of a rash and nothing else noticeable he wrote a list of things I could try:
1. Do nothing – I’m thinking why would I have come in for an appt if I was okay with this option?
2. Hydrocortizone – I had tried this for about a day, and determined it wasn’t working
3. Diflucan – Can you guess which option I picked?
4. See a Dermatologist – Um, not unless #3 doesn’t work
So I’ve been taking Diflucan for a week and a half, and it doesn’t seem to be having any effect. I still have another week and a half to go though. I will spare you the details of what is causing the pain, but lets just say that there is blood involved (yes, this is where everyone asks me the dreaded question…why don’t you just wean?).
Infant is 10 months old, and after struggling through 6 weeks of initial pain while we worked on her lazy latch, and getting past her biting episodes I just don’t want to wean. It is an awesome thing to be able to breastfeed your baby. I love that it is a special bond that she and I share. Frankly it pisses me off that people think it is okay to ask me when I will wean, or to assume that because she is only 2 months from the AAP recommendation of 12 months of breastfeeding I’ve done “good enough.” I’m not going for good enough, and I’m not planning on cutting her off when she hits 12 months. I never imagined that I would be up for extended breastfeeding, but right now it seems like the most natural thing in the world. I suppose because I’m realizing that Infant will more than likely be my last baby, that when she weans my breastfeeding days are over for good. I should really try to enjoy these B-C cup days while I can, because if my previous experience holds true they will shrink down to A cups within a month of weaning. Sadly the booby fairy only sticks around my house when the milk fairy is here, oh well at least my jogging bras will all fit again when that happens.
3.14.2006
Of Barf and Bowel Movements
How is that for a title huh? Infant has been sick since last Wednesday evening. She has been puking on and pooping through her outfits and mine several times per day. We brought her to the pediatrician on Friday, and were given the diagnosis of Rotavirus. I guess the virus just needs to run its course, and we just need to make sure she stays hydrated. We tried giving her Pedialyte, but she acted as though we were poisoning her with the “fruit flavored” variety. We had some luck by making Pedialyte ice cubes and putting them inside of the little mesh self-feeder for her to suck on. Otherwise the little monster just wants to nurse and then barf it back up on me. She seemed like she was on the path to recovery on Sunday, and was well enough for daycare on Monday so we thought we were in the clear. Unfortunately the princess of puke projectile vomited all over herself and me just before we were headed out the door this morning. Thankfully I have enough flexibility to work from home, but I’m finding it pretty hard to type on the laptop with Infant trying to get in on the action.
It is amazing how quickly your puke and poop tolerance increases. The first time I was puked on I was disgusted, had to take a shower immediately afterwards. The second time I was puked on I also showered, but not until everything had been cleaned up. When I was puked on this morning I changed her clothes and mine, and then got dressed again. Yes, I am sure I still have some lingering puke smell on me, but since I am working from home who is going to notice? As for poop, well I have a high threshold for nasty poop already since I have been changing Toddler’s diapers for over 2.5 years.
It is amazing how quickly your puke and poop tolerance increases. The first time I was puked on I was disgusted, had to take a shower immediately afterwards. The second time I was puked on I also showered, but not until everything had been cleaned up. When I was puked on this morning I changed her clothes and mine, and then got dressed again. Yes, I am sure I still have some lingering puke smell on me, but since I am working from home who is going to notice? As for poop, well I have a high threshold for nasty poop already since I have been changing Toddler’s diapers for over 2.5 years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)