Saturday, September 24, 2011

Sick of reading about my kids???

The you can read about ME!! :) So guess how much I weigh. No...don't. It would probably make me cry. But I'll tell you this. It's waaaaaaay more than the last time I posted about losing weight! Ugh.

It's my own fault, I know. No real excuses. Reasons, sure. But excuses? No. The gain is simply because I stopped eating healthfully and wasn't being active. Lame. My reasons are pretty good ones. Some medical, mostly emotional. But the truth is, those "good" reasons are NOT excuses. And I need to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle, even when life gets tough. Really tough.

Now that life has calmed down again I am getting back on track. I bought myself a great cookbook with super healthy recipes. They are fast and easy and delicious, so far. And I'd say for a busy mom of three, the most important things are that it's quick for me, and yummy for the family.

The whole family agreed to make the change this time around. We are all trying to make healthier choices. We've taken a few walks together and everyone is choosing healthier snacks. Jason even gave up soda entirely!! All of which is helping me to get it together.

Now, eating healthy is always easy for me. I just have to make the effort to plan meals, make a grocery list, and COOK. But if I put in that little bit of effort, I really ENJOY eating healthy. My problem comes to exercise!! First off, I don't love it. I love how I feel after, but I have a really hard time getting myself started. And then sticking with an entire workout when I'm sweaty and exhausted.

But right now, I think the bigger problem is TRADE. I have to trade something for exercise. And trade means sacrifice. I'm just not sure what I'm willing to give up right now. You see, in order to get a workout in each day I have to make time. I can either do it early in the morning before the fam wakes up, or I can try to do it later. Early in the morning means I'm sacrificing sleep. And sleep is a VERY, VERY precious commodity right now. I'm already not getting anywhere near enough. Five or six hours of broken sleep a night, on average. And naps for mom are RARE.

So I sacrifice sleep, or I don't. Which means that I sleep in a little and get up with the kids. Then I'm busy getting everyone else ready and going, getting things done around the house, running errands, etc. So when I finally do get time to myself to work out it's later in the morning or afternoon. And that means that I don't get to shower and get myself ready until even later. But if I don't have time to get ready until noon, it's not likely going to happen because I'm too busy then picking up kids and getting homework done and doing laundry and cooking dinner, and all of that fun stuff.

So do I sacrifice getting ready each day or do I give up my very limited sleep? This may seem like a really stupid question, but for me it's virtually impossible to decide. I don't want to be a sweaty, frumpy slob every day. But I also don't want to be a crabby (let's face it, I'm already crabby; less sleep will probably turn me into a true monster) mom/wife/neighbor/etc.

How would you work this out? So far my answer has been to just put off deciding. I've just forgotten about working out. I'm sticking to eating healthy and when I figure out the answer I'll add in the workouts. So tell me what to do! Because I'm really feeling ready to get moving again!!!!

6 comments:

Tiffany said...

So tough. I know. I think sleep, when you are waking up in the night is critical. You should start with eating well and then just start with 3 days per week working out for 20-30 minutes. But I would sleep until you have to get up and sacrifice your hair and make up. :) once the baby is sleeping more, you can start getting up early and getting it done early. Take it easy and ease into it. Eating is 90% of the battle. So work on getting that down pat and then focus on working out hard core once the baby is a little older. That's my advice.

Denise said...

It's an age-old dilemma for moms. Seriously. And I'm not a good person to give advice, because I never, ever, ever stick with workout programs, even now that my kids are all in school.

Right now, I think sleep is a premium item, not to be sacrificed. Here's the truth: if you sacrifice sleep, you'll find it much harder to lose weight anyway, so getting enough sleep is actually part of your fitness routine. Not even kidding. They've done studies. Lack of sleep = weight gain.

I would suggest focusing on sleep and healthy eating, adequate water intake, etc., and just keep the fitness to a simple walk or something that won't make you feel disgusting for the rest of the day. You can get a lot of benefit just from walking your kids to school. I am a drip-on-the-floor kind of sweater, so I understand the dilemma of workout vs shower time. You can get into heavier workouts when your life is more accommodating.

There. Did I solve your problem? If only I could solve mine as easily! ha!

Hilary said...

This is not what Bob or Jillian would say probably, but if I were in your situation this is what I would do. Get up, get ready for the day so you don't feel frumpy and gross. Then, instead of doing a big exercise session that makes you super sweaty, when you get a chance, have a good walk. You could also keep a jump rope around and jump a little rope in spare moments. When you go places, park far away so you have to walk a little more during the day. Have a list of exercises to do during the day like crunches, squats, push ups, or any pilates/30 day shred type moves. When you have a second, do one of them. Try to get through as many as you can each day, but don't force yourself to do it all in one shot. This way, you are at least doing something, but it solves your sleep/getting ready problem. If you are like me, it can be all or nothing. So this way it at least won't be nothing! Try to do a good workout when your hubby is around to take over for a while, but other than that, just do the best you can with your current situation. Eventually when the baby is sleeping better and you are getting more sleep yourself, then make yourself get up early and really go for it, but adequate sleep is just as important as exercise and it sounds like you don't have any sleeping time to spare! Good luck! I hope it goes well for you and you figure out a way to juggle it all!

Liz said...

I am right there with you....mostly cuz I want to be lazy. I bought the Jillian "30 day shred" video. I've only done it twice but it makes me want to vomit....so I think it is working me. They say it's only 20 minutes....but I think it's closer to 25. Here's hoping her 20 minute a day promise really holds true!

XO said...

Hey there, McKenna. I used to opt for cutting into my sleep, but not anymore. My morning schedule has Ben on the bus by about 8:15, so I spend my mornings with the kids, sneaking in some cleaning, but I am in my "work out" clothes when he gets on that bus and RIGHT AWAY, I take the other two on some sort of exercise excursion (be it the YMCA, joggling (I have a double jogger), just walking (Aubrey can ride her bike while I carry Jake on my back) or bicycling (the "jogging stroller" is also a bike trailer - spoiled, I know).
I only do 20-30 minutes, but it gets us all out of the house before Jake's morning nap, and with him down, I can let Aubrey watch Dora while I get "ready for the day." Now, that doesn't always happen, because sometimes I prefer using "Dora Time" to read, or whatever else, but that's what works for me now.

ALSO, you know that INSANE time before dinner? 4:30 to 5:30 time-frame? Sometimes, I just take the kids on a bike ride or for a walk because being outside makes me feel SO GOOD, and it's good for them too. Of course, I have to either have a "quick" meal idea or have something going in the crock-pot since noon to do this (I LOVE CROCKPOTS!) but, honestly, delaying dinner a little and avoiding the witching hour is well worth it for me.

It doesn't make everyday perfect, but I know I feel better when I get cardio in. Now if I can just convince myself to do some push-ups and sit-ups before bedtime...

...and I promised myself that this would be a short comment. Oops.

Jason & Kelli West said...

dont sacrifice sleep. dont. :D getting the amount of sleep you need aids in weight loss. I would work out a couple of times a week. start out nice a slow. creating habits is what counts. You dont need to kill yourself everyday!! i wish you the best of luck. I too am trying to drop the weight...still...