I really was hoping to be able to do more updates about going back to square one. It’s not surprising that I haven’t been able to. I thought I had gained some time and turned out that I didn’t. This whole “time” thing is an ongoing thing that sometimes leaves me a bit frustrated. Ah well. The important thing is that I have most definitely gained some momentum.

I’ve been at this about 4 weeks now: moving, stretching, lifting, and lots of little things that I hope will one day add up to some big changes. The good kind of sore is making a come back and am seeing some small gains. So here is a little of what I’ve been up to.

Yoga
The core of my movement has been getting back into yoga. Yoga feels like one of the kindest things I can do for my body right now. It is challenging and restorative at the same time. And it really works on a lot of areas that don’t get much love. I’ve tightened up way too much in the last year and this seems like one of the best ways to help my muscles release into flexibility. I found an amazing Youtube channel, Yoga with Adriene, that has helped me get back into some kind of practice.

Will and I were trying to do this together in the mornings before work but after about 2 weeks it fell apart… for multiple reasons. As much as I love getting things done, working out first thing really doesn’t jive with me. I try and try and sometimes I can force myself, other times I can’t. The other component is sleep. When I have highly increased physical activity I simply need more sleep and more sleep can be hard to get. So increased physical activity + not enough sleep + difficulty working out first thing = hard to get out of bed. I don’t know what the solution is but I’m continuing to try and work this into my day somewhere.

I believe in the practice and the benefit it adds to my life. It needs to be part of taking care of myself.

Strength
One of the simpler things to pull off has been returning to the strength training routines I did with Daniella two years ago. I have a book full of all the workouts we did together. It’s a treasure trove of good stuff that works. There is something very motivating knowing I don’t have to think about what I’m going to do each week. It is also very motivating that it doesn’t require me to go anywhere so I can fit it anywhere into my day. And I can do it with Gabe running around… for the most part. I might loose a little bit of the cardio effect in having to stop and deal with whatever he is up to but I think that is an acceptable interruption right now. So far I’ve been able to meet my goal of strength training 3 days a week.

Moving
Getting higher heart rate workouts are a bit more challenging. Mostly I’ve been relying on walking the local trails. My goal started at 3 days a week and went down to 2 and 1 at a very minimum. It’s great because Gabe enjoys it (we are sure to stop and let him go run around) and so do I. The trails I have access to are incredible and vary in difficulty. I’ve added Quarry park into the mix along with Devils slide. Two trails that will make you feel like you are going to die by the time you get to the top. But I’ve been able to do one less stop at quarry park so I’m going to call that an increased stamina win! The challenging part is weather and life. I can’t always get out. So I need to find a good at home solution for days when life happens and getting a walk in isn’t going to happen. It is going to have to be inline with my strength training in that I don’t need to think about figuring it out… yes, I’ve considered tabata’s. Beach Body has been alluring… specifically Focus T25 but it kind of feels like “selling out.” The infomercial nature of makes me shy back. But I’m not quite sure what I’m selling out. And I’m not sure how it will jive with my strength training. We shall see.

Food
Overall I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what I eat. We’ve made so many lifestyle changes with our diet over the last couple of year and they have actually stuck. That doesn’t mean I don’t slack off in some areas or find myself in some food ruts due to their simplicity. I’m surprised Will doesn’t complain about the amount of roasted veggies we do on a regular basis.

That said, this is the area I really need to crack down on in the next 4 weeks (arbitrary number… realistically when the next update will be.) I know nutrition is key if I want to reach some of my goals. While I don’t want to be as dogmatic about what I eat, such as adding back in some legumes and rice, there are a couple areas I want to focus on. Mainly increasing vegetables and nixing sugar.

More veggies… basically veggies need to be prominent at every meal. Balanced with some fat and protein, my body tends to be pretty happy with those choices leaving me feeling like I am fueled properly.

And less sugar. I’m not going to lie, It has totally crept in. Chocolate anyone? If I want to deal with this baby pooch and drop a few more pounds then the sugar has to go. There is no question about it. Even though I still enjoy/crave sugar it has been interesting to note the effect sugar has on my body. Yes, I had cake over the weekend and you know what? It left me feeling pretty icky. Did it stop me from getting into a leftover cake layer last night? Nope and I felt like crap afterward to. So much so that I made a comment to Will about how I really didn’t need cake but I ate it anyway. Hmm seems more like I need some brain reprogramming because it sure isn’t listening to what my body is saying!

I also need to work on making sure I have good food choices for the 3rd meal of the day (4 meal seem to be good for me) so I don’t sit there with a jar of cashew butter and chocolate chips till I’m full. I love the fat but I don’t need THAT much fat.

Accomplishing these goals really are going to come down to planning. I know the nutrition principles and I know how to cook. It’s the whole planning thing. Planning ahead, planning for extra meals, not just for dinner and relying on leftovers (though making extra is a key to leftover success!) If I plan, then I have a fridge full of wonderful things to cook with, then I cook because I can’t let it go to waste and as a result I end up properly nourished and the sugar cravings diminish. I know it works because I’ve done it before. The time investment to pull this off is a struggle. Necessary and important but still a struggle.

Other things
Lots of other little things being shifted and moved around. Added Vitamin D and fermented cod liver oil/butter back in. Been working with a chiropractor for the last month and am finally finding some relief from the chronic low back pain I’ve had since Gabe’s birth. Made homemade cashew butter. Goodness… current fav nut butter! Gabe is a big fan too.

Nap time is just about over so I’m going to call this update done. I’m going to keep trekking forward and do my best to keep trekking forward. I’m really starting to learn the importance of effort and simply doing no matter how much things go off track or aren’t the optimal choice. There is no one right way to do this and no perfection to truly be gained but a better self from the physical/mental/emotional journey along the way.

This post is brought to you by 3 naps. The time it took me to write, edit, format & add pics.