Push the wagon back on the road again...

You know when I go quiet awhile something has happened.  Usually something stressful- like crazy work hours, doctors appointments or something like that.

In this case, it was a combination.  A social security phone call, work training, a doctors appointment that was VERY stressful, and helping someone out that was a huge strain. 

So once again, I feel like I'm starting over.  The amazing news is it didn't take weeks to get back!  That's a win!  When you don't go months between getting back to it, then you're progressing!

So today I did a thing- I used my Disney pass for the first time!  Yay! 

I had myself a fun day at Animal Kingdom all by myself.  I was debating going by myself, but then decided self care is needed!!!

So after I had my slim and Active, my smoothie (not pictured) and morning supplements, I took the kids to their respected areas and took off for Disney!

Oh, rewind a minute- I did exercise this morning with Ella too! 

And I met a friend for lunch at a restaurant in Pandora area and it was sooo good and pretty healthy too!

The restaurant was Satu'li Canteen and this was Combination Bowl: Grilled Beef and Chicken over noodles with herb dressing. 

After I was done wondering and riding rides, I headed home and grabbed a chocolate bar.  Whoops.  

Dinner was lowish-carb pizzas on tortillas with veggies on top and salad on the side. 

Sorry it's sideways. I'm too lazy to fix it today. 

Oh, and I had my BioCleanse between each meal and took 5 bottles of water with me to the parks and had more when I got home.

So overall, not too shabby.  I'll take it considering what life has been.  If someone can just gift me around $50k it would help decrease my stress a lot and it would be easier to focus on healthy habits. Just saying.

I'll take my Probio5, Mega-X and Ease and go to bed soon!

Blessings in Health and Happiness!

Let It Go

I’m channeling my inner Elsa for this blog post today.  Let it go.  

This post is a little more Zen than I usually am, but it feels right for me right now.  This is where I am which is a good place, I think.  

So a little back story- the last year has been a stressful rollercoaster of medical problems, emotional problems, financial problems, work problems and more in our house.  Nothing horribly bad, but a lot of changes and I, like many people, got back into bad habits and had difficulty pulling myself back out of them.  I would talk about changing, and really want to, but after a day or two life would throw another ball at me and to keep juggling my personal goals would-be put-on hold.

Then I was listening to a Rachel Hollis podcast (like I often do, I love her) and I heard her read a part of a chapter from her book Girl Wash Your Face.  It talked about how we were often the first ones we would break promises to.  Especially women, we tend to put other people’s priorities ahead of our own even with people don’t ask us to.  This is me.  I get worked up about the house being a disaster (I mean, it really bothers me), or put my kid’s to-do list items above my to-do list items.  And honestly, I put it on myself. No one does this. No one says to mark off everyone else’s to do list before mine, I do it.  And her podcast really put that in perspective and got me thinking in a new light I haven’t thought of before. 

Why do I worry about it?  Really?  No, really???  Because it’s my job?  Who’s paying me?  No one. That’s who.   Who cares about it other than me?  The answer is no one.  My kids and husband don’t see the mess let along care about the pigsty they may be living in. Nor do my kids worry about anything I put on the to-do list for them with rare exceptions. 

And here’s the biggest thing.  My healthy eating?  This is a head game many people I know play as frequent and as well as I do.  But who cares about every single little thing that goes in my mouth?  Once again, the answer is no one.   I don’t have to justify my eating to anyone.  This was mind blowing for me.  You know why?  Because when I voiced to myself that I need to not worry about it, all the sudden it was EASY to DO!

What?!?!?   I stopped stressing, and then it made it easier to follow a healthy eating plan.  Why?  Because I wasn’t stressing about what to eat, which made me want to stress eat.   LET IT GO and try for yourself. 

In the same vein, I stopped stressing about exercise.  Stopped trying to do complex calculations about what to do when and how to incorporate new things which I’ve said I was going to do but never stick.  And you know when I’ve missed a workout since letting it go.  Never.   Because I just do it. 

I swear I, and maybe you, are wasting a ton of time and energy worrying about stuff and it’s making us unsuccessful!  Maybe meditate or pray over this awhile and see if you too should let it go.

   

Blessings in health and happiness

My Stressed-Out Life

Stress.  Anxiety.  Depression. 

I’m not ashamed to say that I battled anxiety and depression for years and was medicated at one point for it.  But at the time, I was.  I went to the doctor almost in secret (my husband knew, but no one else).  I wouldn’t go to counseling- then I’d have to talk about it.  I took a pill and continued trying to go on with life like nothing was wrong.   Grad school, motherhood, wife duties, work in the hospital, running the house, getting food on the table.  Medication helped, of course, but over the years I have found other things help much more. 

First- talking.  Back to being vulnerable.  I’m not the first mom who has lost her mind because of a sock on the floor on the wrong day and screamed at my child like a raging lunatic.   I’m not the first wife who imagined her husband being in an awful car accident to the details of planning what would happen after if it all happened today.  I’m not the first person who wished they could just sleep for 2 weeks and wake up and everything be “normal.”   For sure not the only one who has relied too much on chocolate or a few glasses of wine for a pick me up when things are hard.  Talk to your friends- they are there too!  You can help encourage each other to pick healthier ways and to forgive ourselves for the weak moments!

Second- take care of yourself.  Physically.  Exercise releases endorphins, and as we know from our friend Elle Woods, happy people won’t kill their husbands.   It gives you an outlet for stress and gives you energy- much needed energy!  Eating healthy also helps a lot.  Sugar/carbs is what we reach for in our various comfort foods but increases dysbiosis in our gut which can increase anxiety/depression problems! 

Third- take care of your gut!  Our gut health, as I discussed about eating healthy, has a LOT to do with how we feel.  Dysbiosis in our gut is the imbalance of good and bad bacteria in our digestive system that can lead to several common symptoms including moodiness, anxiety, bloating, bad breath, excess gas and bathroom problems.  Probiotics and prebiotics can help re-balance this system.  I personally use Plexus products to do this as they have scientifically studied ingredients and high-quality control measures. 

Fourth- take care of your mind.  Positive thinking, meditation, music therapy, counseling- all of these are possible tools to help your brain. Anxiety or depression aren’t as clear cut as, “go listen to music, it will help”, but it’s one of many tools to help!  There are certain songs I can’t help but dance or sing along to, no matter what mood I was in before!  Make a playlist and listen when you need some mental health time!  Find what works for you and make it part of your routine!

It’s all about hormone balance, so taking care of our guts and our physical balance can help naturally balance those hormones that determine if we feel good or bad. 

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Blessings in Health and Happiness!