Be Happier!

I have posted before about a very entertaining TED Talk  by Shawn Anchor called The Happy Secret to Better Work.  And based on that I have created a document to try to to stick with these ideas for 21 days.



Download and print the document and join be to try to have a more positive outlook in 2015.

In case you want to watch the video here it is again.

Experimental exercise

Did this tonight - we will see how I feel tonight

http://toriteachesfitness.com/2012/06/03/standing-abs/

New motivation

Hubby has cellulitis again and needs to lose 150 lbs in 2 years. I think I am going to try to gradually (over the next few weeks - 3 tops) move us toward Dean Ornish's spectrum diet. That will be a big change, but that is obviously what we need.

In about a month...

I have lost 10.6 lbs. Yesterday was the beginning of Lent, and I am giving up the extra calories that I have been consuming that are over my calories guidelines. Hopefully, these 40 days will act as a opportunity to do what I say and me a healthier me, for me and those I love.

Challenge - changed

Okay, so I am sure you thought I quit ... and I have quit my exercises ... and lost 9lbs. I am planning on exercising again, but can only focus on one thing at a time, and for the past 2ish weeks I have been focusing on counting calories. Once the weather is warmer it will be easier to drag Xman on walks and other such luxuries I cannot contemplate on a 28 degree morning.

I have been using an app on my phone, and although I over shoot my calories most days, I am still getting a bit of success. The weekends are bad, and I spend most of the week working off the weekend, but fortunately it's the weekend plus a little. I saw a number this morning I haven't seen since I was nursing, and before that it had been about a year before Xman. I still have a LONG way to go, but I have gotten started and I am hoping to build on this momentum.

Challenge day ... who cares!

I did exercise last night, but not tonight. My sister & a friend at work got me started on a new fitness app called My Fitness Pal. It's free and super easy to use, but it keeps reminding me that I am eating to much and exercising too little. Last night I did 160 crunches and 5 minutes of step ups on a 10 inch box - ouch! My butt hurts tonight!!! With this much pain my butt should be rock solid ... it is not.

Not a slacker

Not a slacker ... at least not completely ... 240 crunches. Tomorrow I should be back to normal for working out during conference.

Challenge

My body is revolting - not because of the exercise (or lack there of so far today), but because of switch up in drugs ... not a great day and just gross overall. I am about to put up the boy and try to do something tonight (other than dishes and laundry and cooking and bathing and reading ...

Balance Challenge for Anatomy

No need to exercise today. Four hours of a balance challenge in Anatomy proved to be enough. I knew I would be demonstrating all day, so I took it easy with first period, but by 5th I was already sore and not doing much more than demonstrating.

My students were challenged to hold each pose as long as they could with a maximum for five minutes. I would definitely say that form was not important to them - form was pretty sad most of the day. But at least one student maxed out (hit the five minute mark) on almost all of the poses. I am going to try to alternate days for a little while with yoga and what I have been doing.

Tree
Star
Warrior 3
Eagle
Hand to Big Toe
Flamingo
Dancer
Up on your toes!

I used the poses i found on the Reach website
http://reachyogastudio.com/posesforanxiety.aspx

Day 21 ... so far

Well, I found a great fitness website that I am no where near ready for, but I like the idea of a minute fast cardio alternating with a minute of slower cardio. So I tried it today ... kind of. I got 2 steps of different sizes (from the firm workouts) out of the closet where they allow me to reach my t-shirts. And alternated my minutes between the two steps ... but I only made it a total of 8 minutes. I am going to try to build up as we go ... I guess that is why I refer to this as the challenge.

Day 20

Nothing - we did nothing all day. Not really. Church, breakfast with the fam, laundry & dishes ... But other than that the day was thrown off by the hubby's work schedule, and the cold weather.

Day 19 (Saturday)

I spent quite a bit of the day at a swim meet and did enough climbing stairs to skip out on squats and I only got 1 set of everything else in because my presence was requested often while The hubby gave Xman a bath. But one set is better than just sitting!

Best ever smoothie!

One of the healthier things I have been trying to do is getting all five colors of fruits and veggies a day. But I am broke and fresh fruits and veggies tend to go bad a little too quickly for me. But I have been getting almost all of them thanks to a spinach salad for lunch and this smoothie.

1/2 c frozen fruit
1 banana
1-2 T wheat germ
2 oz nonfat plain yogurt
3 oz pineapple juice
1/2 c water if yogurt and pineapple juice is frozen

I am trying to make this very convenient for myself so I pre-package everything I can. One ice cube is one ounce, if you are looking for ice cube trays for this purpose it is worth getting the more expense trays at target or Walmart. I tried the cheapo ones for the first round of Xman's baby food experiment, then went and bought the better ones.

I put the 1/2 cup frozen fruit in a plastic bag and then add 2 cubes of yogurt and three cubes of pineapple juice. That way when I come home I break up a banana in the blender, add wheat germ and them grab a bag from the freezer and blend away.


The yogurt only comes in giant tubs, so I started putting it in ice cube trays and freezing it so I can pre-package my smoothies and not have to worry about the yogurt going bad or measuring it every day.

When I started I had 6 oz cans of pineapple juice, so I would pour in 1/2 of a can and then put the rest in in container in the fridge for the next day. Once I finished all the little cans I bought a big can (to save a whopping 20 cents!) so I put a couple-of-days-worth jn containers and froze the ret. it just as well frozen, but you need to add about 1/2 c water.

Yummy!!!

Day 18

Finally back on track! I didn't work out at school, but just finished my workout for the day. I have reorganized the workouts to alternate them and finish the workout as quickly as possible.

Group 1: (3X)
10 push-ups
Superman 10 breaths
Swan (same position but pull arms back) 10 breaths

Group 2: (3X)
10 squats
10 bicep curls
10 calf raises

Group 3: (3X)
Kicks - 15 breaths
20 crunches
10 out and up legs

Stretch

Resting 16 & 17

Getting sick. Headache, crazy sore throat, overall yucky-ness. No exercise.

Day 15

So I totally slacked this weekend (days 12 &13). Day 12 was spent cleaning house and doing prep for school work. Day 13 I did 10 jumping jacks - just to see if I could walk the next day (bad knees). I was okay, but that is as far as the jumping jacks and workout for that day went!

Monday I returned to school and my normal routine. I had a friend in during my work out during my conference on Monday so I didn't add anything new. Today I did the same thing and added double leg lifts - don't know what else to call them - lay flat on your back lift both legs to 90 degrees and repeat.

Tomorrow - calf raises!

Day 11 on 12

Yesterday I did do my same old workout in my room during conference. I didn't add anything new, because I was thinking we would go back to the park or for a walk in the neighborhood once we got home. That didn't happen. Instead a went to dinner ... with my husband ... on a Friday night. This was a rare occasion indeed! Time well spent!

Day 10

Okay, I am getting kind of board by my workout already. And after the day I had ... I decided on 15 minutes of yoga. Thought it might be calming. It was a little frustrating. Yoga poses are a reminder of what my body won't do, or how the fat physically gets in the way. But at least I am stretched and slightly more relaxed.

Slacker ... about writing posts! 9 on 10

So I am writing about day 9 on day 10 because 9 kicked my butt. I did the same workout as yesterday and added a 500 yd swim when we took Xman swimming. We were a tired family last night. Today my conference workout was ruined by students who needed help ... and since I teach because I like helping kids, they beat the workout. I will get to it here after bath time and post it then.

Days 7 and 8

Well .... Yesterday was a work day at school, and after climbing on stools and back down the last part of the day, I decided on the 7th day I should ... stretch!!!

Today I completed my little work out during my conference. It took me about 15 minutes which is about 15 minutes more than I like to spend in my room during my conference, but I did feel better and more energized when I was done.

I added 3 sets of 10 bicep curls with a resistance band today.