Sunday, September 4, 2011

No More Excuses

Why is it that I never forget medications for my husband or children but I almost always forget my own? How is it that Vada has only missed a physical therapy session due to illness but I cant get myself to exercise again? I stay on my girls to take showers everyday but sometimes I skip a day. Is it Poor time management? Motherhood? Procrastination...? I think, honestly, its a combination of all of those things and then some. I love my children and I think that I do a good job at mothering them but when it comes to taking care of myself.., sometimes I lack in that area.

My hair is falling out. I am gaining weight and my skin is dry. I have Hypothyroidism and these are all things that happen when I don't take my medications. Besides this morning, I cant remember the last time that I actually took my two tiny pills that make all of the difference.

When I look at myself I feel as if my skin is just hanging off of my body. I know nice image, right? I gained over sixty pounds during my pregnancies (All three of them!). After I had Vada I had postpartum edema and swelled up like a balloon. I actually weighed more after I had her than I did in my final weeks of pregnancy. Although, two weeks of diuretics took care of it. I was also on over twelve weeks of "strict bed rest" and from what I have been told for everyday down it takes two to recover. Twelve (weeks) times seven (days) equals eighty-four (days of bed rest). Eighty-four times two equals one hundred and sixty-eight (days to recover), which means I should have been recovered and been ready to exercise when Vada was around five and a half months. That's a long time to recover and that mark for recovery was hit and then passed an even longer time ago! So I have made a decision. Instead of saying all of the things I want to do, like my old routine of running three to five miles a day or my Insanity workout, Tracy Anderson Method workout or even my Winsor Pilates workout. I am only committing myself to one small thing, at least to start with... Ten minutes of elliptical exercise. Yes, I am that out of shape. Ten minutes get me sweating and breathing hard. That'll be my plan for one week. Its short enough that I cant make excuses and at the very least, its something. So I don't sabotage myself i'm not even going to speak of my next steps. I am going to focus on today and my baby steps back to a healthier me. This morning's ten minute "workout" was accomplished and I had my little motivator playing next to me the whole time. For now on there will be no more "I'll start tomorrow." excuses. For now on, even if it is only for a short ten minutes, I am getting my butt on the elliptical and I am doing something that makes me feel good about myself and the time that I have.



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Two days ago was Vada's eighteen month birthday. The funny thing is that I have been saying the same thing for several days now. On Thursday I told my mother in law that Vada and I celebrated it with some ice cream. Thursday was the first of September. I guess I was just so excited that I lost track of what date it really was. Vada was born on March 2, 2010. Therefore, Friday was in fact the correct day!

Since we already had some ice cream, last night we had fall vegetable soup (made recently) and broccoli with potatoes. The soup is my favorite and even though I call it a "Fall" soup I make it throughout the year because I like it so much! Vada likes it too, in fact I have never seen her eat so much at one time! She finished almost all of both bowls.




After dinner we did something new...laundry... oh wait, that's not new but riding in the basket, for Vada is! She was giggling like crazy!



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Last night, before bed Vada caught up on some reading. Justin and I have been trying to budget in a new vehicle, one that is appropriately sized for our family and Vada wanted in on the decision making aspect of the deal. She's still deciding.


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This morning was the third Sunday in a row that I have missed church. Not. Like. Me. The first Sunday we went to Saint Louis because of Vada's seizures. Last week was because of the cold that she caught the prior weekend and this Sunday was also because of that same stinking cold. Yeh, she has had it for three weeks! It's not contagious, at least none of us have caught it. She's not running a temperature and hasn't this whole time. I have brought her to the doctors and he has said it's just a cold and it should pass on it's own. Now, it's settling in her eyes and she has a lot of congestion that oddly enough comes and goes throughout the day. So I am thinking its time to bring her back in and re-examine her.

Anyway, instead of taking a coughing, runny nosed and watery eyed little girl to church this morning, Vada and I stayed at home, did laundry and listened to one of our church sermons on podcast. I'm grateful for the podcast recordings because I don't feel complete throughout the week when I miss church. Listening to my pastor's voice and hearing the messages that he preaches helps when I cant be there in person and especially, when I am out of town, sitting in a hospital. While missing church was not the highlight of my day I did enjoy this morning with my baby girl and she seemed to enjoy helping with the laundry.





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Two days ago I posted something that I later in the evening, removed. It had to do with raising money and the Down syndrome awareness walk that is coming up this October 1st. I removed the post because I spoke (or in this case wrote) too soon. Therefore, because the walk is now only twenty-six days away and we have yet to collect any money I want it to be known that we are still collecting money and it will be donated (one way or the other) to the QC GiGi's Playhouse and it will also be donated in honor of "Team Vada 2011". When more information is given to me and when it is set in stone I will share all of the details with you but please, if you want to donate, don't wait! Contact me and I will get you any information you need!





1 comment:

April Vernon said...

Sweet photos. I am trying to do better in the "taking care of myself" department, too. I had to watch it in small segments, but I finished "Forks Over Knives" this morning. Wow! What a motivator! I haven't had any meat or dairy today! I love your idea to do 10 minutes at a time to start with. I need to get with the program!