People Watching

So -- Like I have said before - I get distracted.  Oh, boy do I get distracted.


I was at my daughter's honor roll assembly today, and when I left, I piled my sick Lil' Dude in the car, and headed off, with the intention of going to the grocery store..


And then.... I saw these guys.  I never realized before all the prep work that goes into making a skating pond - in Tahoe, we would just sweep, or shovel the snow off the ice ourselves - we certainly never had "professionals" in the mix.


But, apparently they do things differently here :)


Here is the making of a German ice rink / curling pond...

Sometimes You Just Gotta Remind Yourself

Seriously.  I have to remind myself often, that I CAN DO MORE.  It's simple.  

I am not just speaking in reference to physical activity, but in ALL areas of my life.  With my family, with my obligations, with my time.  I CAN DO MORE.

It is SO easy to throw in the towel, to quit, and wash your hands of whatever is difficult, but who ever got anywhere by doing that?  I may not be going to find the cure to cancer or AIDS - but I can make a difference.

I just need to remind myself of that once in a while.

I Get Sidetracked....

Oh, I'm sorry, what was that?

No really, I get sidetracked, like, A L O T.  I am a really great multi tasker - - oh wait, you want something COMPLETED?  Better move along then.

In all seriousness, today started out with the plan to
a) Make sure Bug gets to the bus in time
b) Get Lil' Dude to school on time
c) Go to the gym

1 out of 3 isn't bad, right?

Bug did NOT make the bus in time, which meant I had to drive her in to town to go to school.  I did get Lil' Dude to school on time, and then, on the way back from taking Bug to school, I looked at a park as I passed it, covered in snow, and thought "oooohhh, pretty".

My oooohhh pretty moment actually lasted about 2.5 hours.  I did some running and a lot of walking, but it was not the super fun workout I had planned.  Ahh well, it was good to be out in the sun, even if it was only 5degrees farenheit when I did it.

I also had my camera with me, and took a few pretties while i was entranced in the "pretty".

Enjoy.

See - - how can that pretty NOT distract you?

K . I . S . S . #3

I know. really, I know.  A lot of times, it may seem like when I write this, it is the pot calling the kettle black - - but I prefer to look at it another way - this is MY positive reinforcement, this is MY accountability.  If I simply say this stuff in my head - well, that's as far as it goes.  If I put it out into the world, well, that creates a whole other level.  


But, I digress.  Back to the point of the image above.  DO NOT REWARD YOURSELF WITH FOOD!  It does NOT work with dogs, it certainly does NOT work with horses, and unless you want to make yourself BarnSour - you shouldn't do it for yourself, either.  


It is such a slippery slope to say "I worked out, so I can eat this".  Well that may be true, you DID workout, or you are GOING to workout - are you really going to put in an extra 15 minutes with your heart rate at 165 to make up for that cookie?  I doubt it.  In reality, you are just lessening the value of your workout.  


Physical activity not only is an instant gratification thing, it is also an investment in yourself, your body, and your future.  Think of your body like a bank, and the food you put into your mouth is the currency it lives on.  Do you want DOLLARS, or PENNIES?  Junk food is honestly worth less than pennies, but you get the idea.  When you eat that wonderful (in your head at least) junk food, you are subtracting from that investment before it even hits the bank.


Work hard, sweat heavy, invest in yourself wisely.

K . I . S . S . #2 - - - - WORK HARD, GET SWEATY!

Ok, do I really need to explain this?  I know it may seem confusing, esp. if you have read my Open Letter From a Fat Girl post a couple of weeks ago, but let me explain. 

YES getting up and going to the gym at all is much better than staying at home, watching TV.  I will NEVER condemn anyone for working out in a way different than what I choose.  A persons workout is their own choice, absolutely.  

NOW, that said - if you are actually taking the time, and making the commitment to go to the gym - make it 100%.  I will not condemn you for working out next to your bestie on the elliptical machines, but let's just imagine for a second.... Imagine what you could be doing if you put the concentration and focus into your workout that you are putting into that conversation!

If you have already come so far as to walk into the gym, get set up, and are moving your butt, why not move it as hard and as fast as you can?  If you don't like getting sweaty - they have these things called showers - - and quite honestly I TREASURE my time after my workouts in the shower, for a couple of reasons...

1) My kids are not there.  There is nobody to interrupt me, I can actually shower, AND shave my legs all in one trip - AMAZING, people, AMAZING!

2) I LOVE the sauna at the gym.  Some reward themselves with food (*ahem* we already dealt with that in the first K . I . S . S . article) My reward after working out?  Hitting the Sauna.  It is so nice and relaxing after my shower to just go into the dry sauna, and stretch out a bit, and *hopefully* be alone in a nice warm place.

So - WORK HARD, GET SWEATY!  Think of the sweat on your clothes and in your hair as a merit badge for all to see.  "Yup, I worked my a$$ off today, how about you" is what it says to everyone!

Creative Discipline

Ok, so, i have a 9 year old, and a 2 year old - discipline has to get creative around here. Yelling does NOT work - it just makes my kids yell louder all the time.  Spanking does NOT work.  Taking away their stuff does NOT work. (Seriously, Bug has had EVERYTHING except her clothes taken before... effect = 0)

SO - i came across something my fabulous cousin pinned on her Pinterest page... it's a behavior flow chart - yup. PowerPoint for behavior.  BUT alas, it would not download right - - so, I took the basic idea, and made my own power point image for it.

Let me tell you, THIS THING WORKS!  My daughter HATES it!  You know why she hates it?  She told me, "But MOOOOOOOOOM, I have to keep thinking about what I did, for a LONG time".

Perfect.

Finally a Mommy Win.

FYI - here is a jpeg of that slide - copy and make your own, whatever - but this thing is GOLDEN!!  Woot  Woot!

BONUS FUN ! ! !

So, yesterday, while trolling around the internet, i found the most awesome, funny, great, well written booklet on nutrition!  I mean, not only did it make common sense, but is so well written, it's principles so easily explained, all I could say was "DUH"

That said - let me warn you - the language, well, it would make a sailor blush indefinitely - but past the coarse language is a great message, and an even better guideline for eating.

You can go to Stumptuous.com and request a free .pdf version of it, you won't regret it, i promise.

So, without further adieu

Seriously - read it.  You won't be sad that you did :)