The restaurant is located in an old historic home from 1792. |
I had conjunctivitis this weekend, so excuse my gross eye please. |
The restaurant is located in an old historic home from 1792. |
I had conjunctivitis this weekend, so excuse my gross eye please. |
Let's talk about fitness trackers and daily goals when it comes to working out.
When I wore a Fitbit, I would have a daily Step Goal.
With my Apple Watch, I have a daily Move Goal (Calories burned while exercising).
With a step goal OR a calorie burned goal, I feel like I am always inclined to do a cardio session, like running, in order to reach my goal for the day. I basically burn 100 calories or take 2000 steps for every mile ran, so even a 5 mile run would allow me to hit my daily goal very easily. Running those five miles plus walking the dog or just living life for the rest of the day would bring me to my daily goal.
However, when I research exercise and nutrition in my spare time, I am always left to believe that incorporating weight lifting is the better option in the long run. It builds muscle, which increases metabolic rate which allows you to burn more calories at rest. It strengthens our bodies to do daily tasks. It helps prevent osteoporosis by building strong bones. It makes us appear leaner, as muscle takes up less bulk than fat on our body. And on and on. Plus, I kind of like lifting weights at 6am when I'm still waking up, whereas running that early requires a lot more motivation.
The annoying hangup for me is that I can complete a 45 minute weight-lifting program, like EPIC III and see such little calories burned and so few steps taken:
Wednesday, March 6:
EPIC III - Day 17 before work
3 mile walk at lunch
1.75 mile walk with dog in evening
Thursday, March 7:
EPIC III - Day 18 before work
3 mile run on treadmill at lunch
Friday, March 8:
EPIC III - Day 19 before work (I love her full body workouts the best!)
3 mile walk at lunch
1 mile walk with dog in evening
Saturday, March 9:
6 mile run + 1 mile walk cooldown with dog
Sunday, March 10:
Maggie (#21 Outside Hitter) had a Volleyball Tournament from 8-1 so in between games, I walked around the indoor track which overlooked the volleyball courts and took some videos. I guess it was an active rest day :)
Monday, March 11:
EPIC III - Day 21 before work
3 mile walk at lunch
2 mile walk with dog
Tuesday, March 12:
EPIC III - Day 22 before work
3 mile walk at lunch
2 mile walk with dog after work
You know how you get little nudges to do something? And then you don't? And then you regret it?
These past two weeks, I have been thinking about Sarah from the once uber popular Clover Lane blog. I felt like I should send her an email but instead just checked her blog daily to see if there were any updates. Ugh, why didn't I just send the email? I knew she was battling cancer for the second time, and we had emailed and commented faithfully through the past 16 years, so I thought of her as my friend in Ohio that I never met. She had six kids and used to write beautiful reflections on motherhood, realistic and helpful to so many moms who read them. She loved being a stay at home mom, and I am so glad she got to spend all those years with her children because God called her home way too young. I haven't stopped praying for her and her family since I heard the news and I encourage you all to read back through her posts if you get the chance. Rest in peace, sweet Sarah Turner. I hope you now know how much you meant to all of us even when we didn't follow the nudge to tell you.
Sarah used to always write about her family's Ordinary Days, and I feel like that's what these Week in Review posts are for me, so *cheers to the ordinary days* as we never know how many we will get...
Just Act Normal for Once
Phil and I were very social last weekend. On Friday we went to Stations and then out to dinner with another couple from church. I dubbed it Stations and Libations and I think churches should jump on this bandwagon :)
Then on Saturday, we hosted a friend of Maggie's family for dinner which was a lot of fun. It's always great to love your kid's friend, and even better when you love their parents too! I usually play hip hop or 90s country music when we're in the kitchen, but I didn't want to scare anyone away so I put on Frank Sinatra music instead. We used our wedding china (shoutout to Laura's post "Life is Short, Use the Silver") and then when everybody arrived for dinner I was like "Ok everybody help yourself, don't be shy, we're not fancy!" and Maggie and Eamon started giggling and Maggie said "Yeah we're not fancy, we just casually listen to this kind of music and use the fancy plates all the time." Busted! Just play it cool guys, c'mon!! Haha!
On Tuesday, I went for my annual mammogram after work, and the machine wasn't working properly. Apparently it got a new $200,000 part that morning and was giving the technician a lot of trouble. So after I had been squished and pushed into place multiple times, we had to move to a different room and get squished and pushed some more. The worst part for me is that it hurts my neck. I can handle the other stuff (I did breastfeed seven babies) but turning my neck to the side 90 degrees while pressed up against a plastic screen is the worst part for me. The tech told me that a company is designing a mammogram that you can lay down into, but it uses contrast dye, so if they can figure out a way to do it without the need for dye it will be an amazing alternative. In any case, go get screened regularly no matter the temporary pain. Check yo'self before you wreck yo'self.
Wednesday, February 28:
4 mile run on treadmill at gym during lunch
1 mile walk with dog in evening
Thursday, February 29:
EPIC III - Day 13 before work
3 mile walk at lunch
2 mile walk with dog in evening
Friday, March 1:
EPIC III - Day 14 before work (I love her full body workouts the best!)
3 mile walk at lunch
2 mile walk with dog
Saturday, March 2:
Not quite 6 mile run + 1 mile walk cooldown with dog and littles
Sunday, March 3:
Cardio Pump Class at gym with Maggie
3 mile walk with dog
Monday, March 4:
EPIC III - Day 16 before work
3 mile walk at lunch
3 mile walk after work with dog
Tuesday, March 5:
4 mile run on treadmill at lunch (it was raining)
I was able to wear my birthday gift of Hokas for the first time, and they definitely made the run feel bouncier and easier. I can't wait to try them on the road once all of this mud goes away!
Sometimes when I am feeling like I need a kick in the behind when it comes to motivation to live a healthier lifestyle, I think of my kids.
I think about while I have them in my house (especially when they are young) I make sure that they eat healthy and nutritious food, move their bodies to be active and strong, bring them to school to learn, have friends over for social skills, limit screen time, talk to them openly about what's happening, teach them manners and kindness, put them to bed early so they are rested, teach them their prayers and take them to church to get them to Heaven, and hug them as much as they allow it.
I do it all naturally because I love them so much and I always want what's best for them. I'm always thinking of them, always looking out for them and I'll always have their backs.
Sounds pretty cushy, right? And so I think, "Girl, you need to mother yourself like a child! You need to just love yourself like you love those kids."