There's nothing like a pregnancy to call attention to your health and your body! So far, I've been lucky! I have pretty much sailed through the first 6 months but now that I've entered into the 7th and that final 3rd trimester, I definately notice a difference!
I was flying high on those wonderful 2nd trimester energy hormones for a while, until someone built a wall up in front of me and I ran right into it! Suddenly my back hurt, my legs felt swollen, I couldn't sleep well, and what's up with the heartburn?! Also, on a beach walk with a friend last week, she officially noticed me waddling. I said to her, "I feel like a pregnant woman going for a walk!" and she said, "Yea, you look like a pregnant woman going for a walk - you're kind of waddling!"
Needless to say, I've had to reevaluate my exercise/eating plan which has actually been a nice change. I stopped running about 2 weeks ago (to save my aching back) and have switched to cycling classes. What a great cardio workout! What I love about cycling class is that you really can go at your own pace which is great for a pregnant gal! (And, no one else can tell that you are lagging behind the class... only recommended during pregnancy, of course!)
I also decided it was time to stop teaching the exercise classes I was leading. Teaching requires a different energy during a workout and I found that it was becoming a little exhausting. Now I can take similar BOSU/muscle conditioning classes but at my own pace.
I'm really glad that I've been able to continue exercising during my pregnancy. I get the occasional weird look from someone who doesn't understand and probably thinks that I should be at home with my feet up but I truly believe that I have had such a healthy pregnancy so far because I've been in good shape. I think it's helped stave off excessive morning sickness and has helped me manage changes in my moods and hormones. I continue to put on weight (about 20 lbs. so far) at a good rate and I see most of it going to my baby, not my butt! Basically, the benefits of exercising while pregnant are the same as when you aren't... so why wouldn't you want to stay fit and healthy during this important time in your life?
The heartburn issue has also forced me to change my tried and true 3-meals-a-day policy. I tend to manage my weight best if I am eating 3 meals a day and leaving it at that. Whenever I've tried 5-6 "smaller" meals in the past, I've had trouble figuring out how to do that! Half of them usually end up being bigger than small which ends up meaning I'm eating more than if I were sticking to my 3-meal plan. So, this is a good exercise for me... getting acquainted with the smaller meal. Honestly, I'm liking it better. Basically, what it means for me is breaking my lunch up into 3 mini-meals. Instead of having it altogether, today I had my ricecakes and hummus late morning, my lentil soup around noon and my apple for a snack a few hours later.
This really isn't brain surgery or anything but what it can do for me it trigger an eating response. Eating 3 times a day was a good way for me to control what was going into my mouth. When I open up the day to eating more frequently, it offers more opportunities to eat more than I should or would like to. What I am working on now, in this phase of evolution in my weight maintenance, is learning to trust myself and listen to the cues coming from my body, not from my head! And believe me, there is a difference! My head likes to tell me that having dessert every night really isn't that bad and I suppose you could argue that it isn't. However, it is a habit that over time can keep you from evolving beyond weight loss. We tend to hold onto a couple of things that keep one foot in the doorway to our old habits instead of closing that door for good. There are many reasons for this and other peoples opinons and influences can have a lot to do with it. It is the phase that I happen to be in right now - keeping one foot in the door, for what reason? Most likely something emotional that I need to let go of because I know that eating dessert every night doesn't generally make me feel good.
But this is all a part of the weight loss process, or evolution, that we embark upon when we decide to make a change in our lives. For me, that process was initiated 11 years ago and it's one I'm still working on getting right. But it's introduced me to myself in an interesting and meaningful way that I appreciate and choose to embrace.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Sunday, January 07, 2007
The Optimist Creed
I was blessed to know a man who truly lived his life by this creed. And he wasn't just trying, he was actually doing it. His spirit was, and is, an inspiration and is what I hope to embody myself.
Promise Yourself -
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
Thanks be to those who inspire us to be better people and to live for things greater than ourselves.
Promise Yourself -
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
Thanks be to those who inspire us to be better people and to live for things greater than ourselves.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
A New Focus
Happy 2007!
Once again, the holidays came and went. I always like the beginning of a New Year because of the opportunity it offers to take stock of where we are, where we've been and where we would like to go.
I am usually filled with a mixture of excitement and exhaustion over the holidays; the excitement of spending time with friends and family not often seen and the exhaustion from a lot of self-imposed stress. Every year I try to find at least one way to ease a stress I typically experience over the holidays and this year, it was the expectations associated with gift giving. In years past, I felt the need to purchase multiple gifts for a number of people but as my family is growing, the stress of continuing to do so has become greater. This year, I decided that it was perfectly fine for me to find one great gift for each family member and to fully enjoy giving it to them. Doing that really helped aleviate some of the stress of shopping and allowed me to appreciate the experience more. After all, it's quality, not quantity, right?
I did notice something interesting as the holiday started to wind down... everyone I have talked to (myself included) has summed up their holiday experience by saying, "It was very nice (or) I had a great time but IT'S NICE TO BE HOME." It would be interesting to know what each individual person means by that. I know that for me, it was nice to be home so that I could get back into my routine. I find that whenever I travel for family events, some of my independence is lost and perhaps that is what is nice to return to. After a week, I am ready to eat the food I want to eat, exercise the way I prefer to exercise, go where I want to go, do what I want to do, etc. Large gatherings of people usually involve some sort of compromise on the part of each person there which can, over time, start to feel exhausting.
It's always a good feeling to enjoy coming home. It reaffirms a certain satisfaction we have with our lives and how we live them. However, one of my goals for future travels and family events is to create an experience for myself that still feels like home. I believe it is possible to do - it just needs to be done with conviction and confidence. Many times, we compromise important pieces of ourselves when we are away from home because it is "easier" or because we are afraid that our choices might not meet with approval. I believe that only to be true if we allow it to be. This year can be different, if we want it to be!
A lot of things can be different, if we want them to be. So much of what we experience in life is colored by how we react to people, situations, emotions, etc. It isn't easy but keeping perspective on our lives and where we are in any given moment is important to do. I believe that things will be OK if you decide that they will be OK. I also believe the opposite, that if you tell yourself that everything is not OK, that it isn't. Sure, we all have moments in life which aren't OK but the way you choose to deal with the situation presented is what ultimately makes things alright or not.
Upon arriving home, I received an e-mail sharing news of the death of a fellow fitness (yoga) instructor here in San Diego on December 28. He wasn't much more than 30 years old and died in a car accident on the freeway. I didn't know him personally but have taken his yoga class and I was always touched and impressed by the beauty of his spirit. He had the kind of energy that made you feel like everything is right in the world, like you can take a deep breath and heave a sigh of relief. His gentle presence made you feel like, for that moment in time, everything was OK. Knowing that he is gone, it is a feeling I want to remember and hold on to. It is a feeling that I want to embody and pass on to others because I am so grateful for having experienced it through him. He was like a vessel of peace, comfort and harmony - a truly beautiful soul. My hope, for myself and for all those who experienced him in the same way, is to not let his spirit die, but to help it to live on.
The energy we transmit is contageous. Unfortunately, there is a lot of negative energy out there, generated by the way we deal with our life experiences. People can feel that - deeply. I've seen a commercial on TV about depression which asks the question, "Who does depression hurt?" The answer being, "Everyone".
My focus this year will be to keep my energy in check. I want people to remember me the way I am remembering Sean - as someone who makes you feel good, who you look forward to seeing, who makes you feel like everything is OK.
Then, I will feel as if I have made a difference.
Once again, the holidays came and went. I always like the beginning of a New Year because of the opportunity it offers to take stock of where we are, where we've been and where we would like to go.
I am usually filled with a mixture of excitement and exhaustion over the holidays; the excitement of spending time with friends and family not often seen and the exhaustion from a lot of self-imposed stress. Every year I try to find at least one way to ease a stress I typically experience over the holidays and this year, it was the expectations associated with gift giving. In years past, I felt the need to purchase multiple gifts for a number of people but as my family is growing, the stress of continuing to do so has become greater. This year, I decided that it was perfectly fine for me to find one great gift for each family member and to fully enjoy giving it to them. Doing that really helped aleviate some of the stress of shopping and allowed me to appreciate the experience more. After all, it's quality, not quantity, right?
I did notice something interesting as the holiday started to wind down... everyone I have talked to (myself included) has summed up their holiday experience by saying, "It was very nice (or) I had a great time but IT'S NICE TO BE HOME." It would be interesting to know what each individual person means by that. I know that for me, it was nice to be home so that I could get back into my routine. I find that whenever I travel for family events, some of my independence is lost and perhaps that is what is nice to return to. After a week, I am ready to eat the food I want to eat, exercise the way I prefer to exercise, go where I want to go, do what I want to do, etc. Large gatherings of people usually involve some sort of compromise on the part of each person there which can, over time, start to feel exhausting.
It's always a good feeling to enjoy coming home. It reaffirms a certain satisfaction we have with our lives and how we live them. However, one of my goals for future travels and family events is to create an experience for myself that still feels like home. I believe it is possible to do - it just needs to be done with conviction and confidence. Many times, we compromise important pieces of ourselves when we are away from home because it is "easier" or because we are afraid that our choices might not meet with approval. I believe that only to be true if we allow it to be. This year can be different, if we want it to be!
A lot of things can be different, if we want them to be. So much of what we experience in life is colored by how we react to people, situations, emotions, etc. It isn't easy but keeping perspective on our lives and where we are in any given moment is important to do. I believe that things will be OK if you decide that they will be OK. I also believe the opposite, that if you tell yourself that everything is not OK, that it isn't. Sure, we all have moments in life which aren't OK but the way you choose to deal with the situation presented is what ultimately makes things alright or not.
Upon arriving home, I received an e-mail sharing news of the death of a fellow fitness (yoga) instructor here in San Diego on December 28. He wasn't much more than 30 years old and died in a car accident on the freeway. I didn't know him personally but have taken his yoga class and I was always touched and impressed by the beauty of his spirit. He had the kind of energy that made you feel like everything is right in the world, like you can take a deep breath and heave a sigh of relief. His gentle presence made you feel like, for that moment in time, everything was OK. Knowing that he is gone, it is a feeling I want to remember and hold on to. It is a feeling that I want to embody and pass on to others because I am so grateful for having experienced it through him. He was like a vessel of peace, comfort and harmony - a truly beautiful soul. My hope, for myself and for all those who experienced him in the same way, is to not let his spirit die, but to help it to live on.
The energy we transmit is contageous. Unfortunately, there is a lot of negative energy out there, generated by the way we deal with our life experiences. People can feel that - deeply. I've seen a commercial on TV about depression which asks the question, "Who does depression hurt?" The answer being, "Everyone".
My focus this year will be to keep my energy in check. I want people to remember me the way I am remembering Sean - as someone who makes you feel good, who you look forward to seeing, who makes you feel like everything is OK.
Then, I will feel as if I have made a difference.
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