Following Through With My Resolutions . . . Fitness & Food

Good morning!  

I <3 the turquoise color!

I'm super excited about my new FitBit Charge 2!  A friend of mine was telling me about hers, and I decided that it would really help me get on track and stay on track with two of my resolutions - food and fitness.  The app makes it super easy to track food and portion, and seeing how many calories I've eaten throughout the day compared to the amount of calories I've burned is extremely motivating.  I've been super terrible at following my no sugar etc. . . . way too much ice cream and donuts and sweets and ALL the things I shouldn't be eating have been consumed over the past month.  But I resolved again this week to actually cut it out.  I sacrificially consumed the rest of the ice cream in the house last night, so no more temptation there.  And I've eaten so many bad carbs the past few weeks that I no longer really crave them, which is also good.  So now to keep that up and attack the portion control - which is where the FitBit calorie tracker comes in.  Plus, I can also track my water intake - which will help me meet that goal AND keep me less hungry.

Being able to track my sleep is another cool feature that will help with overall healthiness.  I got 6hr, 56min of sleep last night - only 6 minutes of which was awake/restless sleep.  That's good, right?  Honestly, the fact that the FitBit Charge 2 tracks my sleep at night is one of the key reasons I took the plunge and bought one.  I've wanted to be able to track my sleep patterns etc. for a long time, but every app on my phone requires the phone to be IN BED with me . . . which just doesn't sound like a good idea.  Thus, having a device that I'm not terrified of dropping or squishing is AWESOME!

Finally, fitness.  I love how customizable the FitBit is for every goal - steps; stairs; exercise; weight; etc.  I know I need to exercise more, and I'm still struggling to keep on top of everything else going on in my life . . . which is why I haven't yet found the time to actually think about fitness, let alone incorporate any exercise into my life.  But my current goal is to make meeting at least the 10,000 step goal a daily habit.  I figure if I can at least be moving that much during the day AND eating right for my blood type, I'll be on track with making these regular habits.  An added bonus is the heart rate tracker.  I'm hoping that I can have the presence of mind to take note of my heart rate when I start to develop anxiety so that I can remind myself to take time to calm down and focus.

How do you keep track of fitness and food?  Any tips?

New Year . . . New You . . . Right?

It's officially the New Year 2017 . . . and that means it's time for resolutions again!  For me, New Year's resolutions always seemed like an excuse to wait until January to begin something and then forget about it by mid-February (which is why I'm thankful for Lent because that really gives me something to work on).

So this year I have a few resolutions, and they happen to coincide with the new year . . . and I suppose it'll be interesting to see how far I make it over the course of the year.  Anyway, here they are:

Faith

My Catholic faith is the cornerstone, the foundation of my entire life.  Without it, I'd be floundering with no direction.  But like all things in life, faith cannot flourish if it remains stagnate.  So one of my resolutions this year is to develop my spiritual life.  I've already started this by reading The Divine Intimacy each day, but this resolution includes adding in a daily spiritual reading with my husband and eventually a daily rosary.  

Finances

While my husband and I are currently both blessed with full-time employment, our ultimate goal is to live within one income and funnel everything else into savings . . . for children or retirement . . . basically for the future.

This resolution is to curb spending, find more ways of cutting expenses, and learning how to have fun and enjoy life WITHOUT having to spend big bucks or go out to eat.  It also involves overcoming my occasional distaste for cooking our own meals, which ends up costing us too much money as we eat out instead.

Another aspect of this resolution is to develop a supplemental income to help pay for travel and fun trips and such.  This is through my business as an Independent Thirty-One Consultant (and if anyone is interested in learning more about the company or hosting a party, let me know!)

This was definitely me this week.

Food

Sweets.  Sugar.  Portion control.  These are things that I do not deal well with.  I've gotten better at portion control as far as actual meals go, but when it comes to ice cream or chocolate . . . I'm lost.  Plus, all that sugar is bad for me . . . supposedly.  So I'm cutting out processed sugar completely to start, and probably completely for the most part.  This will also help with the Finances resolution of cutting expenses . . . no more ice cream!

Additionally, I'm going to try and work in more O-Blood type beneficial foods and cut out as many of the Avoid foods as possible.  And starches.  Starches are nasty.  They should be cut out as well . . . by and large.

Fitness

This is my last resolution . . . it's also the one that will be addressed last.  I've never been a good exerciser.  Never enjoyed it.  Never liked it.  Never found the stamina and motivation to keep up with it.  And with a job that has me up at 6am and working until 8pm (between breakfast and lunch and dinner and work-work and housework), finding time every day to exercise has seemed impossible.  I know it's not . . . but like I said, the motivation just isn't there.

My resolution is to try and incorporate some small exercise into my daily routine . . . maybe just 5-10 minutes of simple exercises in the morning.  Obviously, I'd like to be able to spend more time, especially since an O-Blood type thrives on physical exertion, but we'll see how this one goes.

And that's my list of resolutions.  Hopefully writing them down will help keep me more accountable.  Plus, it helps to have actual accountability partners - I've got an awesome friend keeping me accountable with my spiritual development and a terrific sister who's joining me in the "no processed sugar" fight this year.

Finding An Outlet

I have had next to no experience with little boys and the antics and energy they possess.  I don't have any brothers of my own, and most of the "boys" that I've dealt with were of the older teenage variety.  Now I'm constantly discovering how vastly different boys are from girls.  It has been my recent experience that boys have a great deal more pent-up energy than girls, but in a house filled with girls, it is hard for them to find a proper outlet.  Thus, the boys resort to throwing things, swinging sticks, and chasing and/or torturing their siblings because they don't have a constructive means of dispensing their innate energy.  While this energy is a beautiful thing, the aforementioned means of releasing it are not acceptable.  Unfortunately, people (like myself up until recently) may not know how to deal with the energy of a young boy, and so they simply punish the apparent disobedience and reckless behavior rather than tracking down the source of the boy's actions.  If this is your first experience with raising little boys, do not despair.  It's definitely a matter of trial and error, but you will succeed!  And here's a few tips on how to deal with that energetic young man you're raising.

Most of the time that little boys act up and become little terrors they are simply trying to use up all their energy and desire for action.  All boys (or so I gather) have an innate desire for physical activity and roughhousing, which stems from their innate calling to be the protector of their future families. Furthermore, they generally go through phases of playing cops & robbers, pirates, knights, soldiers, etc., all of which speak towards their tendency towards protection of others (although at the time, they probably only think of how fun it is to pretend to be a strong knight using his sword to defeat the evil dragon.)  Most boys also have an inclination towards manual labor such as construction or building forts.  They love taking things apart (such as their bikes) and figuring out how things work.  So rather than inhibiting this natural energy, learn how to channel it correctly.

1.  Find an outlet.  Does your child like banging a hammer?  Do they prefer fighting imaginary monsters?  Are they inclined towards sports?  Once you determine your child's particular interests, do all in your power to provide opportunity for him to pursue his instructive play (although he doesn't need to know that he is learning.)  Show your boy how to create a doghouse or build the perfect fort rather than simply crushing his desire to pile things together and hide beneath or jump upon them.  I'm not suggesting that you give his energy free rein.  There are still household rules regarding proper behavior indoors vs. outdoors, and he is still not allowed to behave meanly towards his siblings or destroy the house.  I am suggesting that you find a proper outlet for his energy rather than simply trying to squelch it because you don't know how to deal with it.

2.  Encourage him.  Teach your son the virtues that accompany strong male heroes and leaders to whom he can look as examples of how to live an exemplary life.  Show him how he can imitate his father in the way he treats his sisters, helping them rather than terrorizing them.  Rather than pushing the little girls to the side, teach your son how to help those smaller and younger than he.  At all times prompt him to live a saintly life of humility and virtue.  Help him to understand how to combine his energy and his thoughts to become a manly boy.

3.  Exercise is a good thing.  Generally when a young boy acts up, he needs to let off some steam or dispense with some excess energy.  Rather than losing your temper, send him outside to run laps or do jumping jacks.  Once he has his energy under control again, you can continue with your schooling or other project.  A young boy grows quickly, and thus a healthy lifestyle is key to his success as a man.  Daily exercise through sports or a simply home PE program helps keep his body fit, release his energy, and teach him to create an ordered program.

4.  What about rainy days?  If you are plagued by a stormy day (or several in a row), it's harder to send the boy outdoors to release his energy.  And as the days pass, his energy builds up since he cannot escape the enclosing house.  Believe me, this is when he begins to act up excessively (even if he doesn't really want to).  Your temper will run shorter because you, too, are trapped inside with bouncing children.  Please try to keep your cool.  You'll have to get creative, but there are ways to let out his energy without destroying the house or your temper.  Create an obstacle course, even if you don't have a very large room.  Institute a family olympics with competitions in jumping, speed, bounces, etc.  See how many times he can run up and down the stairs in a minute.  Time how many seconds it takes to do 100 jumping jacks.  Whatever you do, remember that he isn't necessarily misbehaving because he is simply feeling wicked.  Most likely, he simply has too much energy and doesn't know how to deal with it.

Regardless of how you decide to deal with your young son's energy, keep in mind that it is natural.  While you may not understand it fully (I know I don't), you can figure out how to help him channel his energy constructively.  And it is always useful (I have decided) to consult with your friends in this matter.  Swap ideas and horror stories.  Figure out that you're not the only woman on the planet having to deal with a rambunctious little boy.  By this comfort and confidence you can succeed in raising your little boy to be a great man, filled with masculine strength and virtue.