It's time to welcome in a New Year and with that comes the inevitable resolutions that everyone seems to make. Some take root, some fizzle out, some are repeated year after year. I've given a L-O-T of thought over the last several weeks as to what I plan to resolve to do or not do this coming year and figured the best way to commit myself to keeping these resolutions was to put it in writing, tell everyone that cares to hear what my intentions are, and be accountable to those people as well as myself.
So here you all have it, my New Year's Resolutions for 2008!
1) I intend to eliminate sugar from my diet with the exception of special occasions. Anyone who knows me knows that my sweet tooth is undeniable and overused. I have a love-hate relationship with them in that I love them, but my hips, glutes, and thighs do not. So I've decided it is best to eliminate refined sugar from my diet to become more satisfied with myself and end this love-hate cycle. In order to break my cravings for sweets I intend to avoid all refined sugar whatsoever during the entire month of January. My hope is that after a month of nothing sweet I will have lost the desire for sweets therefore not feeling any "need" to indulge other than a very rare treat, like for Bethy's birthday in February, or something extra special like that. This is a big commitment for me so I want you all to keep me accountable. Don't be afraid to check up on me and keep me honest, OK?
2) I intend to increase my cardio and ab workout time. With my teaching schedule I do get in about 9 hours of cardio a week but sometimes I don't get to focus on my cardio as much as I'd like because I'm busy focusing on other people's form and going around the room making corrections or whatever that interrupts my workout. And that's fine. That's what I'm paid to do. So I need to change my mentality and quit thinking that teaching class is my personal workout time, because it's not. If I weren't teaching I would be working out at a higher intensity, but in order to teach I have to be able to talk and if I can talk through a workout then I'm not working the cardio hard enough for as much of a personal benefit as I need to. So I need to devote time in my schedule after or before class to my personal workout which will increase my cardio. In addition, I plan to incorporate more ab time to two of my classes each week, and during the rest of the week I plan to do more ab work on my own at home. Getting back to the cardio and making time on my own to add that in leads me to my third resolution.
3) I will begin training for, and will run in, the January 2009 Disney World Marathon. James and I have both been talking about this recently and have decided this is a huge deal for us both, something each of us feel strongly that we'd like to do. James has always been a runner, but I have never so this is all foreign territory to me, but something I'm determined to accomplish. James is going to begin training himself while still in Iraq, and continue his training when he comes home, to compete in the full marathon, some 26 miles. I, on the other hand, being such a novice, plan to train myself for the half marathon, a little over 13 miles. This way James will be able to be with the girls while I run the half on one day, and then we'll swap places so he can run the full the next day. It'll work out perfectly, logistically. Now I just need to commit myself fully to the training and figure a way to work the needed runs into my schedule, without overtraining myself with the teaching I already do. I'm sure it will be a matter of finding the right balance so I don't injure myself, or suffer burnout or exhaustion, but I'm confident that my desire to achieve this will carry me through. I don't know when I've been quite so excited for anything in a very long time. And I don't know when something that is so foreign to me hasn't scared me away entirely, but this hasn't. Maybe it has to do with our love of all things Disney. Maybe it has to do with my desire to be a running partner with James. Maybe it has to do with all the sweets I've eaten way too many of and need to burn off. Maybe it has to do with proving to myself that that which does not kill me will make me stronger. Maybe it has to do with trying and succeeding at something most people will never even consider.
Whatever the reason, I tell you now, God-willing, I will make this happen. I can not wait!
Happy New Year! May 2008 be a wonderful, blessed year for you and your entire family!
Kris
Finally, please take a moment to pray for a tiny, young family member of mine named Rachel who is in desperate need of your prayers and God's Healing to help her little body. Thank you.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
I've said it before...
....and I'll say it again. Everything truly does happen for a reason. Even getting sick.
I've been stressing the past week or so, wondering how I was going to get everything accomplished that I needed to in order to have us ready to head to my parents' for Christmas. In addition to all the packing, I still had Christmas gifts to buy and wrap, goodies to make for the umpteen teachers my kids have, school activities, my job, and a gazillion other things going on. I mentioned in another post that God was giving me some help with Morgan doing some wrapping for me, so that was a load off. I guess He decided that wasn't enough help so He was going to give me a sick child to ease the load a little more.
How does having a sick child (Bethany) help ease the load? I mean, tending to a feverish little girl, wiping runny noses, administering medicines, taking her to the doctor...how exactly does that ease my work load?
Well, having her sick meant I had to cancel my aerobics classes for yesterday and today. It about killed me to have to cancel them because I am, by nature, a people-pleaser and can't stand the thought of anyone upset with me. I picture all those ladies going to the gym only to find out that my class is cancelled and then walking out furious over the unplanned absence. But life happens and the ladies who know me know this isn't something I have ever done before. Cancelling class is a HUGE deal for me, something I would only do if it is absolutely necessary.
Anyway, by cancelling the classes and staying home with Bethany I was able to accomplish so much in the house that I needed to do but was afraid I wouldn't get done. My baking is done. My packing is nearly finished. All but a few presents have been wrapped. Things have come together nicely, and only by the grace of God and my sick child. Had this spontaneous sickness not happened I fear I would still be panicking about not having enough hours in the day to get it all done.
And yet here I am, feeling more in control, relaxing a bit, beginning to feel the excitement of Christmas rather than the pressure and stress of a time crunch closing in on me.
Thank goodness for (sick) little girls!
I've been stressing the past week or so, wondering how I was going to get everything accomplished that I needed to in order to have us ready to head to my parents' for Christmas. In addition to all the packing, I still had Christmas gifts to buy and wrap, goodies to make for the umpteen teachers my kids have, school activities, my job, and a gazillion other things going on. I mentioned in another post that God was giving me some help with Morgan doing some wrapping for me, so that was a load off. I guess He decided that wasn't enough help so He was going to give me a sick child to ease the load a little more.
How does having a sick child (Bethany) help ease the load? I mean, tending to a feverish little girl, wiping runny noses, administering medicines, taking her to the doctor...how exactly does that ease my work load?
Well, having her sick meant I had to cancel my aerobics classes for yesterday and today. It about killed me to have to cancel them because I am, by nature, a people-pleaser and can't stand the thought of anyone upset with me. I picture all those ladies going to the gym only to find out that my class is cancelled and then walking out furious over the unplanned absence. But life happens and the ladies who know me know this isn't something I have ever done before. Cancelling class is a HUGE deal for me, something I would only do if it is absolutely necessary.
Anyway, by cancelling the classes and staying home with Bethany I was able to accomplish so much in the house that I needed to do but was afraid I wouldn't get done. My baking is done. My packing is nearly finished. All but a few presents have been wrapped. Things have come together nicely, and only by the grace of God and my sick child. Had this spontaneous sickness not happened I fear I would still be panicking about not having enough hours in the day to get it all done.
And yet here I am, feeling more in control, relaxing a bit, beginning to feel the excitement of Christmas rather than the pressure and stress of a time crunch closing in on me.
Thank goodness for (sick) little girls!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Ramblings
I don't really have much of a theme for today's post....just some ramblings about what has been going on with us since the last time I posted.
I'm still feeling that "pressure crunch" and not taking my own advice very well. I suppose it's just this time of year with all that I have yet to accomplish. I was able to finish up my Christmas cards today so that is one less item on my "to do" list. I still have so much yet to accomplish before next Saturday. So much....
The girls are having a blast playing with some friends tonight. Some might call me crazy for allowing them to have another slumber party full of girls and giggles and drama, but they play so well with their friends that it's hard not to indulge them. For the first time ever Bethany was allowed to invite a friend to sleep over. Usually it is Morgan's friends that come over and Bethy tags along with whatever they do. But for tonight I allowed Bethany to invite a classmate who is also the little sister of one of Morgan's classmates. So those two siblings came over, along with a couple other friends Morgan's age. Altogether, including my two babes, I have six girls in the house. It, surprisingly, calms and settles me a bit having all these girls in the house. They entertain themselves, play happily, and their laughter is music to my ears. Right now we have the two smaller ones playing princess dress-up, and the older ones watching "The Secret Garden" and putting together Lincoln Logs. Call me crazy, but it works!
I'm finally starting to feel better after battling foot pain for many months now. I saw a podiatrist recently who has started me on a treatment plan and it appears to be helping. True, I should cut back on the high-impact teaching I do, but for now the doctor's plan is helping without me giving up or changing the way I teach currently, so that's good news.
Speaking of teaching, I tried something pretty new yesterday. After I finished teaching my class a friend and I hopped on some spin bikes so she could talk me through a quick spin workout since I've always been curious about it. She's not an instructor, just a student in my circuit class, but she attends another instructor's spin classes often, whereas I know nothing about spinning. So Shellie got me set to "ride" and away we went. I'm telling you, that was NO JOKE!! I can teach a two hour circuit class, I can push my step class students to the max, I can smoke active duty soldiers, but spinning SMOKED ME! Holy cow, that was some serious sweating, and I only stayed on the bike for 20 minutes!!!! I sound like a wuss, I know, but in my defense I had already taught my class for 2 hours, so I didn't have 100% to give to the bike. Regardless, I know even at 100% that bike would've gotten the best of me. For those of you that love spinning (Melissa B.) I admire you to the hilt!
On another note, a couple days ago I was emailing James my schedule for the next week and complaining about how I just don't know where I'll find the time to do all that I need to do. I asked him to pray for me to make it through and to get some kind of relief somewhere. Do you know what? God answered that prayer in the form of my Morgan. The very next day I asked her if she'd like to wrap a couple presents, just to keep her busy. She gladly did! I fretted for a moment that the presents were not wrapped smoothly or precisely, and then I let go of that strive for perfection. I realized God was sending me the help I asked for and I was going to accept it. Morgan wrapped about 15 presents for me (none for herself!) before tiring of it for the day. She's offered to wrap more again and I do believe I will take her up on that. Who cares if it is perfect or not? Her Nana and Papa won't be judging the outside of the package but loving the heartfelt gift that is on the inside. And I'm loving that wrapping presents has become one less burden on me this year. Thank you God and Morgan!
Lastly, I'd like to say how wonderful surprises are, and how they truly can make our day. Today I had a face show up on my doorstep which I hadn't seen in months. My former neighbor, and friend, Angela's, husband is home on R&R. He was dropping off his son at a house across the street from ours and decided to stop by to say "hello!" They are the sweetest family with dear children who we miss having next door to us. Mike has been deployed to Iraq as long as James has, and has seen some pretty rough stuff over there. I was thrilled to see him back and know that he is enjoying his time with his family, especially at this wonderful time of year. He's just one of so many soldiers who sacrifice everything they hold dear so we can continue to enjoy all that we hold dear here at home. Thank you, Mike, for what you do, and thank you for stopping by to say "hi." I'm happy to see a hero home, if only for a short time. I'll be happier still to see them all home next summer.
And another story about wonderful surprises...the other day my phone rang at 7:30 in the morning. That never happens. Ever. My first thought was it was bad news from Iraq. Then I saw it was my Mom on caller id and then my heart started pounding thinking it was bad news in the family because my Mom is NEVER awake that early in the morning. I answered the phone, fearing the worst. Mom just laughed off my paranoia and said she'd gone to bed early the night before and was awake and had energy that morning and just wanted to call and....get this...tell me she loved me. AAAAAWWWWWW!!!!!! She said her children are always on her mind and she hopes we know that, and she wanted to take the time to tell me that when she knew I'd be at home and able to hear her say those words. Bless her heart. Of course I know my Mom loves me. I never doubt that. But it sure feels good to hear it, too. Thanks, Mom. I was smiling about that all the day long.
So, there's my post, full of everything and nothing all wrapped up in one. In case I don't post again before Christmas, you all have a wonderful day filled with all the laughter, love and happiness that the season encourages us to share. Be good to yourself, and then pass it on.
Peace and love!
Kris
I'm still feeling that "pressure crunch" and not taking my own advice very well. I suppose it's just this time of year with all that I have yet to accomplish. I was able to finish up my Christmas cards today so that is one less item on my "to do" list. I still have so much yet to accomplish before next Saturday. So much....
The girls are having a blast playing with some friends tonight. Some might call me crazy for allowing them to have another slumber party full of girls and giggles and drama, but they play so well with their friends that it's hard not to indulge them. For the first time ever Bethany was allowed to invite a friend to sleep over. Usually it is Morgan's friends that come over and Bethy tags along with whatever they do. But for tonight I allowed Bethany to invite a classmate who is also the little sister of one of Morgan's classmates. So those two siblings came over, along with a couple other friends Morgan's age. Altogether, including my two babes, I have six girls in the house. It, surprisingly, calms and settles me a bit having all these girls in the house. They entertain themselves, play happily, and their laughter is music to my ears. Right now we have the two smaller ones playing princess dress-up, and the older ones watching "The Secret Garden" and putting together Lincoln Logs. Call me crazy, but it works!
I'm finally starting to feel better after battling foot pain for many months now. I saw a podiatrist recently who has started me on a treatment plan and it appears to be helping. True, I should cut back on the high-impact teaching I do, but for now the doctor's plan is helping without me giving up or changing the way I teach currently, so that's good news.
Speaking of teaching, I tried something pretty new yesterday. After I finished teaching my class a friend and I hopped on some spin bikes so she could talk me through a quick spin workout since I've always been curious about it. She's not an instructor, just a student in my circuit class, but she attends another instructor's spin classes often, whereas I know nothing about spinning. So Shellie got me set to "ride" and away we went. I'm telling you, that was NO JOKE!! I can teach a two hour circuit class, I can push my step class students to the max, I can smoke active duty soldiers, but spinning SMOKED ME! Holy cow, that was some serious sweating, and I only stayed on the bike for 20 minutes!!!! I sound like a wuss, I know, but in my defense I had already taught my class for 2 hours, so I didn't have 100% to give to the bike. Regardless, I know even at 100% that bike would've gotten the best of me. For those of you that love spinning (Melissa B.) I admire you to the hilt!
On another note, a couple days ago I was emailing James my schedule for the next week and complaining about how I just don't know where I'll find the time to do all that I need to do. I asked him to pray for me to make it through and to get some kind of relief somewhere. Do you know what? God answered that prayer in the form of my Morgan. The very next day I asked her if she'd like to wrap a couple presents, just to keep her busy. She gladly did! I fretted for a moment that the presents were not wrapped smoothly or precisely, and then I let go of that strive for perfection. I realized God was sending me the help I asked for and I was going to accept it. Morgan wrapped about 15 presents for me (none for herself!) before tiring of it for the day. She's offered to wrap more again and I do believe I will take her up on that. Who cares if it is perfect or not? Her Nana and Papa won't be judging the outside of the package but loving the heartfelt gift that is on the inside. And I'm loving that wrapping presents has become one less burden on me this year. Thank you God and Morgan!
Lastly, I'd like to say how wonderful surprises are, and how they truly can make our day. Today I had a face show up on my doorstep which I hadn't seen in months. My former neighbor, and friend, Angela's, husband is home on R&R. He was dropping off his son at a house across the street from ours and decided to stop by to say "hello!" They are the sweetest family with dear children who we miss having next door to us. Mike has been deployed to Iraq as long as James has, and has seen some pretty rough stuff over there. I was thrilled to see him back and know that he is enjoying his time with his family, especially at this wonderful time of year. He's just one of so many soldiers who sacrifice everything they hold dear so we can continue to enjoy all that we hold dear here at home. Thank you, Mike, for what you do, and thank you for stopping by to say "hi." I'm happy to see a hero home, if only for a short time. I'll be happier still to see them all home next summer.
And another story about wonderful surprises...the other day my phone rang at 7:30 in the morning. That never happens. Ever. My first thought was it was bad news from Iraq. Then I saw it was my Mom on caller id and then my heart started pounding thinking it was bad news in the family because my Mom is NEVER awake that early in the morning. I answered the phone, fearing the worst. Mom just laughed off my paranoia and said she'd gone to bed early the night before and was awake and had energy that morning and just wanted to call and....get this...tell me she loved me. AAAAAWWWWWW!!!!!! She said her children are always on her mind and she hopes we know that, and she wanted to take the time to tell me that when she knew I'd be at home and able to hear her say those words. Bless her heart. Of course I know my Mom loves me. I never doubt that. But it sure feels good to hear it, too. Thanks, Mom. I was smiling about that all the day long.
So, there's my post, full of everything and nothing all wrapped up in one. In case I don't post again before Christmas, you all have a wonderful day filled with all the laughter, love and happiness that the season encourages us to share. Be good to yourself, and then pass it on.
Peace and love!
Kris
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
