Fad Vs. Forever

I have BIG issues with Fad diets. I have issues with "diets" in general. There are SO MANY who will jump on the newest fad diet; taking pills or shots, drinking special mixes, cutting out food groups entirely... you've heard of them... I'm not going to name names... yet.

THEY DON'T WORK!! Yeah, maybe you'll lose weight. Maybe you'll lose A LOT of weight. But these "diets" mess with your metabolism! And once you get to your ideal weight, you quit the program and guess what... you put all that weight right back on!

The ONLY {in my HUMBLE opinion} sure fire way to do this is to make healthier choices in EVERY aspect of your life.

* Exercise. Make the time to do something physically active EVERY day {okay, I take Sunday OFF}. Park your car farther away from work or the store. Take the stairs. Go on a hike. Try a new sport. Remember to let your muscles rest... don't work the same muscles day after day! Trust me. You will have MORE energy, you'll SLEEP better, you'll FEEL better!

* Eat Healthy. Eat a balanced diet; rich in fruits, vegetables & whole grains. Get plenty of protein to replenish those worked muscles. Check out the links on the side: My Pyramid is a great place to start. If applicable: quit smoking &/or drinking. Ditch the soda... completely {I am happy to say that I've finally done this! All but on rare occasions anyway}. Opt out of chips, and other "junk" food. Don't buy any of it... you can't eat it if it isn't there!!! You'll be GLAD that you did!!

* Mental Health. Relax and take time for yourself. Learn something new. One of my favorite quotes is, "There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them. ~Sylvia Plath". Think positive thoughts and let go of negativity. Surround yourself with positive & motivating people. Be HAPPY! This is a huge part that people overlook. It goes a long way, I promise!

There. That's it. I know there can be extenuating circumstances but these changes should be made regardless! There is no quick fix. There is no final destination. It's a constant journey and process. So even if you've made it to that magic # {I'll delve into my opinion on THAT later}, that doesn't mean you're done! You will ALWAYS have to make choices for a better life, a healthy life.

But the good new is... it get's EASIER to make those choices!! If you listen to your body, you'll know what it needs and wants... and it ISN'T CRAP!!! Your body WANTS to be pushed physically. Your body NEEDS good foods for fuel. Your mind CRAVES happiness. So what are you waiting for?! GET OFF YOUR BUTT & give your body what it wants, needs & craves!!!

**off my soap box... for now °Ü°

Sentimental

Okay, I admit it. I am a sentimental sap! This year is going to be FULL of sentimental events and I can't wait!! Here are a few of the things I am looking forward to this year:

February - 10 years ago I got engaged to my best friend at Grand Targhee Ski Resort. We will be going back to celebrate. Two/three days of snowboarding, snowshoeing, sitting in the hot tub, relaxing at the spa... It's going to be AWESOME!

March - My sweet little girl will be turning 8 years old and will be getting baptized! It's going to be a very special day for our family! Click HERE if you'd like to learn more about what we believe.

June - 10 year anniversary with said man of my dreams! Not sure exactly what we're doing but I'm sure we'll be going to Benihana's SOMEWHERE. We ate there on our honeymoon and go there for a lot of special occasions.

June - First marathon EVER. I will be running with my man. It is just a couple weeks before he leaves for boot camp. It's going to be a COOL experience for us.

July - Marathon #2. Me and my sister-in-law will be running this one together. It's a race that winds around my old stomping grounds. I am SO excited for this race. It's going to be beautiful. Two mom's getting back in shape and having a great time.

August - I will be running in the Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon. I have a cousin who I am hoping to run with. She is my HERO!! She's been working hard to be healthy and get in shape. I can not begin to tell you how proud I am of this girl!!! I am trying to work my magic on a few other cousins too.

December - A brief reunion with Stonewall for Christmas. I am planning on an Army Christmas. Lots of projects and crafts will need to be done. It's going to be SWEET!

When it comes to running and races, I am NOT focusing on time AT ALL. I am in it for the experience and the sentimentality of it all. AND I am looking forward to toning up this hot bod and enjoying the ride. This is going to be a GREAT year!!

The Pursuit of HappYness

I am taking the day off today, my knee was bothering me yesterday after my run {I REALLY REALLY need new shoes} so I've iced the thing and I am going to rest it up really good. But this has given me the chance to write about something that I am VERY passionate about. Being HAPPY!

I am a happy person. I like to look on the bright side of things and see my glass as overflowing {rather than just half full}. Over the past couple years I have tried to distance myself from negativity in general. In addition I have really been focusing on good things and I can not even begin to tell you how AWESOME it is!

I've always been the kind of person who cares too much about what people think about me. I finally decided that I'm NOT a mind reader and really I have NO IDEA what someone REALLY thinks about me. So I just don't CARE what kind of looks or nasty vibes I THINK they are sending my way.

I have made a VERY conscientious effort to focus on the good things. Life can throw all kinds of crazy things at a person but I am CONVINCED that if you're more focused on the good things, no matter how "small", those will be the things that you'll remember!

For example, there was a REALLY rough time for our family awhile back. The economy has had it's nasty effects on a lot of people and we were keenly aware of how crappy it was. Many tears were shed and late nights discussing our options. Despite that we tried VERY hard to keep our kids in the dark about it. We did A LOT of little things that summer. And now when I look back on that time and see all those fun little things... I hardly remember how difficult a time it really was. I just remember all the fun that we had together!

Since that time life has brought with it a lot more ups and down, challenges and triumphs. And it will continue to do so. But I can GUARANTEE you that we will be smiling our way through it.

Here's to finding HappYness!

Stressed Out?

I have to admit that my stress level since we moved is VERY LOW. It's been WON-DER-FUL! One of my biggest stressors has always been financial; BUT we've worked really hard and made some tough choices but they've paid off {thank you Dave Ramsey}. So aspects of that are no longer an issue, HOWEVER, now we've got the luxury/chore {depending on how I'm looking at it that day} of making some new very difficult decisions. I won't bore you with the details but they are pretty monumental decisions; that have a HUGE affect on my family, especially my four little sprouts.

I get HEADACHES. My neck muscles and shoulders get tense, which I think is what causes MORE headaches! I get an upset stomach when the stress gets really bad and I get SUPER CRANKY!! I get that pin-&-needles feeling in my stomach, hands and feet. I EAT, a lot! When I PHYSICALLY feel the stress, I know it's getting out of hand!

So I got looking into what effect stress can have on our health {whether emotional, physcial or mental}. Web MD had this insight:

*Stress can weaken your IMMUNE SYSTEM! I sure as heck don't like being sick so this could be reason enough!

*Stress had a HUGE impact on your heart! It can cause hight blood pressure, blood clots, abnormal heartbeat, coronary artery disease, heart attack and heart failure. YIKES!

* Stress leads to tense muscles {I know that one first hand}. It can lead to neck, shoulder and lower back pain. AND it will make rhumatoid arthritis worse!

*Stress can make the symptoms worse for all kinds of stomach problems like Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disease and the like.

*Stress effects your reproductive health!! It has been linked to low fertility, erection problems, pregnancy issues and can make mestrual periods more painful.

*Stress can make asthmatic symptoms worse

*Stress even effects your SKIN! Acne and Psoriasis can be worse due to stress.

WOAH! On top of all of those physical effects, stress gets to us emotionally too right?! Things like: *irritablility or crankiness *jumpiness {is that a word} *restlessnes *lethargy or tiredness *difficulty focusing *unable to deal with small problems *get upset over "little" things.

There is much more to stress that this too. There are different KIND of stress {I'll go into all THAT another time}. But I wanted to end with a few stress coping strategies that I USE.

*Talk about it. I am a firm believer that bottling it up will do NO good for anybody! So confide in someone you trust.
*EXERCISE!!! I couldn't possibly leave this off the list. It's far too important and it works GREAT! Get off your butt and do SOMETHING. It will help! I PROMISE!
*Breathe. Yep. Deep slow breaths will work wonders. Find someplace quiet and just breathe; you'll feel like a million bucks!
*Don't sweat the small stuff. If you're freaking out about the little things you'll really flip when something big comes along!

What works for YOU?

Cut the Cord

We hate TV. We watch it very rarely and it's only at other people's houses; we don't get TV channels at all. We do watch movies on occasion and we do have a wii that we play even less often. We have found that our kids fight more when they watch a lot of the tube and their imaginations seem to instantly go down the toilet! It's a personal choice and it works for us. But I thought I'd post some of the facts about the effects of watching TV.

We've all heard that watching television is linked to ADD & ADHD. That in of itself is enough for me to pull the plug. It literally rewires those babies brains!!! But here are some things you may not know.

SparkPeople had these points:
* Americans watch an average of 4 HOURS of TV every day!!! And even when they aren't watching they have it turned on for an additional 4 hours!! 8 HOURS A DAY?!!! Crime-iny!
*40% of Americans watch TV during dinner. Eating in front of the TV leads to overeating and dissatisfaction. When you're concentrating on watching TV you aren't mindful of what or how much you're eating.
* 50% of US homes have at least 3 televisions!! We only have one and it's in the Master Bedroom where it's very rarely used.

KidsHealth also had these points:
* 2/3 of infants, toddlers and kids up to age 6 watch an average of 2 hours of TV per day. Kids 8-18 watch an average of 4 hours a day AND almost 2 MORE hours on the computer.
* The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children under 2 not watch ANY TV! And that those older than two limit their TV viewing to 1-2 hours per day of QUALITY programming.
* The first two years of of life are critical in brain development. TV watching gets in the way of them PLAYING in which they explore, learn, interact with others and encourages healthy physical and social development.
*As they age watching TV gets in the way of spending time with family, being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing...
*Children who watch 4+ hours watching TV have a much higher risk of being overweight.
* Children who watch violent acts are more likely to be aggressive and also fear the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them.
*TV characters often portrait risky behavior like smoking and drinking. They also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes.
*Children are also subjected to viewing MANY commercials; telling them what to wear, play with, how they should look and be. And kids believe it all!

Watching TV isn't all bad. There are great programs out there that teach children about the world around them, their ABC's and other reading skills. We love channels like Animal Planet, Discovery and PBS. But ALL THINGS IN MODERATION!!!

I want to challenge you to PULL THE PLUG for an ENTIRE WEEK!!! Then try a couple weeks! Maybe even a MONTH!! Especially during the summer when you can be outside playing and spending time with your family &/or friends.

Too much? Try these ideas:
* Limit the time spent watching TV {or even listening} to less than 2 hours a day.
*Wherever you have a TV make sure you also have books and other things to do other than watch TV.
*Keep TV's out of bedrooms {we have our there so we can better monitor how often our kids turn it on; do what works for you}
* Turn it OFF when eating meals.
* Treat TV as a privilege earned; NOT a right.
* Turn it off during the week, promote homework and reading instead
* Set a good example to your kids by limiting your own viewing time.
* Preview programs and videos BEFORE your children view them
* Offer fun alternatives to watching TV

It was hard for us to go without TV at first. But before long we realized how much time we had freed up for more important things. I'm sure that you'll find the same results. Give it a try. **As a side note, the computer is probably just as bad and should also be limited as well. Something I probably should regulate more.

Stress -Less Summer

Without getting political we'll suffice it to say that things are stressful right now for our nation. People are struggling and it's hard to deal with. We lead stressful lives and we may not even notice it anymore! But summer is officially here. I think it's the PERFECT time to calm down a little bit and try to enjoy life a little more. Spark People had a great article with some great ideas.

*EXERCISE! It's one of the best ways to de-stress!
*BREATHE. Inhale & Exhale slowly; it decreases your heart rate and calms the body.
*DE-CLUTTER. Get rid of junk; donate it or have a garage sale.
*Get a MASSAGE.
*Get enough SLEEP. Most adults need 7-8 hours!
*Keep a JOURNAL. Write it down, let it out, get on with life!
*YOGA. It connects mind & body
*Do something FUN!
*Be REALISTIC. Don't expect perfection. Ask for help.
*Be PROACTIVE. Don't dwell on what is making you stressed, do something about it.
*PATIENCE! Give yourself plenty of time to get somewhere or finish things.
*Keep PERSPECTIVE. Avoid making things bigger than they are
*Take a WALK. Cool off, clear your head
*LET GO. Don't hold a grudge, forgive & forget!
*Don't OVERSCHEDULE yourself.
*Say NO to drugs & alcohol. Being reliant on them hurts your health & resilience.
*CRY. It's an important stress reliever.
*VACATION. Even a few days off can recharge your batteries!

I heard a quote once that I LOVE. Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Life is to be ENJOYED... not just ENDURED". Pretty good words to live by.