That was my impression of a police siren. Pretty good right?
Moving on,
Just got back from a walk. It was great. I felt my mood brightening as the sun went down over the creeks that we were walking along. Shakopee really does have nice walking areas and we are lucky enough to have nice ones right by the apartments.
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| View from balcony |
I have decided that I need to get out of the house daily (and the walk to work from my car and then from work back to my car doesn't count...anymore). I know that when I combine fresh air and exercise I sleep better and just plain ol' feel better! I don't know many people who feel down-in-the-dumps after a quick jaunt outside. Do you?
So I thought I would post an article to give everyone ideas on how to truly get to know your town (or towns nearby) and what they offer when it comes to getting you active and outside...good ideas
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=1081&sc=3039
So, I am asking you readers to also post your tips for keeping exercising outside fun and changing...and where you like to walk (I am willing to drive to beautiful walking spots!)
DON'T BE SHY! I want to hear from people...it's what keeps me blogging and on-track! Otherwise I tend to slack on the posting...which keeps me from being held accountable
Hey All,
Happy Easter to everyone (or if you do not celebrate...happy beautiful spring day!). I had such a wonderful day. We were able to see Jeremy's fam and my fam and it was so much fun to just enjoy the day. I hope you all were able to enjoy the fabulous day as well.
It's been a little over a week since I have started on my Vitamin D supplement (as it turns out I am deficient in the ol' D) and also started back on my multivitamin. I am feeling fine...no side effects that I have noticed so far, so that has to be a good thing...right? Work is still a challenge, which I am aware is what it should be, but I am talking busy, busy challenge. That's okay...makes the day go by quickly. I could really go for a break from the 6 days a week schedule. I have found that even though my hours have not increased so much per week, being at work 6 out of 7 days can be a bit overwhelming and I have had to reach into my bag of relaxation techniques to stay calm at times. It actually is a good thing because it helps me pay attention to my behavior and my reactions to stressful situations. I know that my first reaction to any uncomfortable or tense situation tends to be anger. It does not matter if I am unhappy, sad, scared etc...anger is my response. I am not sure why I use anger as my shield, but it most definitely comes out fast and furious (no pun intended). I have worked very hard to curb the anger response and actually find the real emotion that I am feeling, but it's a constant struggle and so these days I have been challenged and think that I am doing pretty well. By no means even close to perfect, but slowly working toward "inner peace"...ha, yeah right.
Hopefully, by taking a multi-vitamin, supplementing my vit. D and paying attention to my feelings and my outward behavior will help to slowly wean me down to a lower dose of my depression/anxiety med ... maybe even someday be off it altogether, though I have been told by my psychiatrist (scary) and a couple of general practitioners that it will most likely be a lifetime med (even more scary). Now to add in the exercise and I am hoping to feel even better!Feel free to kick me in the butt verbally to get out and be active...the weather can no longer be an excuse!
So what are you all going to be doing now that we can enjoy the weather?
Love you all and thanks for reading!
WARNING: Angsty post ahead...read at your own risk
Well, here I am. Sitting, per usual, trying to think of what to write. A lot has gone on these past couple of weeks and I don't really know where to start. So this may be out of chronological order, but I promise to try and keep it followable.
The "life change", as I like to call it, is apparently on hold. I have been slacking on the water-drinking, healthy eating, sleep-getting, exercising agenda I had set up for myself. Now mind you, I have been able to keep any food binges at bay, but I know they may just be lurking in the shadows waiting to strike (as if they were a creepy man in a trench coat and a blue thong standing behind some trees with a bandolero across the chest...some will get that reference, others won't, please ask if you are interested, but it will illuminate just how weird I really am).
I gotta get with it! It is beautiful out and all I want to do after work is come home and nap.
Speaking of work, that is where a lot of my stress is seeming to be stemming from. It is the busy season in the vet field. This is when most people bring their pets in for the annual heartworm/tick disease panels and get set up with their heartworm preventative. Along with all the sickies we get it makes for a very, very busy time. Today, I literally ran and read about 6 fecal samples, 2 urine samples, a couple of blood panels, an ear smear, 6 heartworm tests, and a vaginal cytology (I had to put that in there for the shock factor...but I did run one) within an hour and 45 minutes. It may not seem like much, but it is, I promise (oh woe is me, I know).
Losing a receptionist within the last week (an unexpected and sad development) may not seem like a big deal, but it really is. Especially when the receptionist is someone I really like. I really like all of my co-workers so it makes it tough when one of the team is gone. Combine that with working weird shifts and still being short-staffed, it being triple-booked busy and everyone just being exhausted/crabby in general it can be a bit of a challenge to keep up with my own health.
I know that it is my responsibility to take care of myself, but I am tired and the last thing I want to do is figure out what may be best for me to eat, when I can just stop at the gas station on the way home and get some pre-packaged junk. The catch 22 of this situation is that I would be in a lot better spirits if I did focus on eating better and getting exercise...I just don't have the motivation to do it.
To kind of point me in the right direction I am going to have blood drawn on Wednesday am to check my vitamin D levels, thyroid, triglycerides (hard to believe, but I have high cholesterol...shocking, I know) and hemoglobin (I get weird little blood marks over my body that my doctor is mildly concerned about even though I have had it all my life). Hopefully this will give me some idea on supplements I can take to help combat my tendency to slip into deeper funk.
As many of you know (and maybe others don't) I deal with anxiety and depression. It's been diagnosed by more than 1 psychiatrist and my general practitioner so I know it isn't just the occasional blues. Combine these issues with stress at work and my difficulty in shutting the worry switch off, which my jaw just loves me for (clenchy mcgee here) and I have yet another obstacle to get over. Trust me, I am well aware that I am not the only one with stress and/or other issues. I just feel better and more empowered when I talk about them. Now I haven't put it out there like this for just anyone to read before, but already I feel better.
If anything, this is just a reminder that only I can change me and my life and that letting out the negative will help the positive sneak in. I am wondering if I can find any more corntastic sentiments to fill this space up with? Now, to help round out this post I am going to post a few of the many positives that have occurred in the last few weeks (thanks for the idea Beks)
Sophie and the rest my family (both my and jeremy's fam)....I love them all and wouldn't be able to do this without their support...seriously (and of course, Sophie can make me smile even when I am feeling/acting like mega-bitch...or living up to my parent's nickname for me growing up "foul-mood megan")
Anne's wedding...she was beautiful and so happy and we all had so much fun celebrating with her and Garrett
My friends...much like my family, I know this blog wouldn't be happening (or continuing) without them...
I am not going to proofread this, just put it out there raw so sorry for the mistakes etc
Okay...i think the wagon just left without me. More than likely I overslept and missed it. Whatever the reason, the weight-loss wagon took off and I now I am running to catch up. Okay, maybe wheezing to catch up. This is so dumb, I was going at such a good clip and then something happened and blamm-O I'm sitting at an impasse. I know I want to lose this weight and become a healthier, happier me, so what is stopping me? Why do I continually do this? I am a self-saboteur and it has to stop. Not only that, writing this to you is really embarrassing. I should know better after trying this game over and over again. Now I have to admit it and am fearing that it means that I will allow myself to continue to fail.
So now what? Where do I go from here...? I know I can go and "get back up on that horse", but something needs to change or in a few weeks I will be back here again complaining and whining about how I couldn't keep it up.
HELP!
TOTALLY CONFUSED! Happily confused, but confused. So I had a tough week last week. As in, I just wanted to eat crap (see last post). A lot of times when I want to eat crap and I am feeling strong, well then, I will just NOT EAT the crap. On the other hand, if I am not feeling strong, well then, I will just EAT the crap. It was the latter that occurred (imagine me hanging my head in shame). So knowing this and preparing myself for a gain on the scale this morning, just imagine the shock and awe when the scale showed a loss?! I got off the scale, let it recalibrate, and stepped on again. Yep, no error, I had lost weight. This is so weird. Granted, I did manage to stifle a full-on binge, so maybe that is what helped, but I have another theory....So, I am thinking, and I am a weirdo I know, that my body was telling me "Ok megs, I am going to give you a little shock. I am going to let you eat some junky food and still flush some fat so you have a loss, BUUUUUT, I am just going to do it one time. I want you to remember how good it feels to lose and not gain, but we can't make this a habit...mmm'kay? The crap-food-fest cannot continue, but it is okay to give yourself a treat and I will still keep on keeping on". That's what I think anyhooters. Granted, this is the same girl who used to think that there were small people with buckets in her bladder (though I didn't know that there was a "bladder" at the time) who would tip the buckets when they started to get full therefore causing me to pee. Yep, you read that right...I am a creep and I started young. Regardless I am going with the idea that my body is trying to work with me this time. Any happy surprises for anyone else out there from last week? Ang, I know you had a great time in Florida and of course, Alison, the arrival of those amazing boys!! Who else?? Come on, you know you wanna share. Especially after I just shared the bladder-men story.BTW - just tried the new recipe fat-free greek yogurt from Yoplait and it is pretty dang good! (tried to post a pic, but it will only show up on the top of the blog and I cannot for the life of me get it to move...Bex any ideas?)
Okay, so the winter "doldrums" have really set in. I get the faintest scent of warm weather, start to breathe deeply and then KAPOW! it's gone! I am SAD (as in seasonal affective disorder ..clever huh, or maybe just a bit lame). So when the blues hit this also means I eat...a lot..and junkily. I am pretty sure that junkily is not a word, but I said it out loud and it made me giggle so I am going with it. Hey! Gummy bears, why don't you let me eat you, big bowl of ice cream get your cold, creamy goodness over here, McDonald's I would like some of you! (uh, yeah, I went to McD's and ate their delicious, if questionable, beef covered in cheese delights and followed them with deep-fried potato sticks). Yes, yes, I did just script out my conversations I have with food...By describing the cheeseburgers and fries like that makes me feel a little less guilt about succumbing to the temptation and it allows me to admit that I did it. Okay, yes, I know that I shouldn't be depriving myself of cravings, but I know that I wasn't really craving McDonald's, it was just easy and would be cheap and would mean that I wouldn't have to get out of my car. THAT IS SO RIDICULOUS!! I could pretend that it was cold outside so drive-thru was the only way to go, but we all know that is just a huge load of bunk...aaaaand now I feel like a huge load.So, knowing that I am excusing and rationalizing the drive-thru excursion I am trying to get back into gear by admitting my little (big) slip to more than just myself. Another thing I did was change my blog design...sooooo springish! For a girl who loves winter and cold weather (helps keep the drenching sweat at bay) it doesn't mean that I am finding the a**-load of snow refreshing and wonderful. I am downright FED UP with it! So I'm thinking spring and getting back on track and maybe I will slash my tires so I the chances of making it through the drive-thru are greatly reduced :) Thanks for reading dudes!
I'm sick! Not just a little cough and runny nose (which yes, I know, still means you're sick, buuuut...I mean nasty SICK) gross, stomach-gurgling, rancid burping, joint-aching sick.Yes, I know it sounds like I am complaining, but really I am just telling it like it is. I feel like someone took one of those mallets a person uses to test their strength at the county fair and tested it on me....on my head, thereby compressing all my joints so it feels like I may have gotten about 6 inches shorter. Even my knuckles hurt, making this post a slow-going affair. Why am I writing then you ask? Well, because when I am not feeling well, then any idea of trying to eat well goes right out the window. I just want to lay down and drink diet soda (the clear varieties of course) and when my stomach starts to feel up to it I want to devour carbs (such as saltines and toast). Now this doesn't sound so bad, but 5 saltines are worth 2 points. I don't stop at 5, I can finish off more than a couple of sleeves during the recovery period...equaling about 25-30 points (I am totally just shooting from the cuff with those calculations because I dread moving from this place on the couch trying to stretch out the joints). That sure doesn't make for a balanced meal at any time of the day and trying to get the body to adjust to real food takes a bit of work and who wants to do work? So by writing this, it's giving me a reminder that in order to feel better I might want to think about what "sick" foods I eat and tweak it. Tthe experiment begins...just had some lettuce, carrots and a small amount of egg whites...we will see how that sits, but I already feel better because I know the proteins and veggies at least give me a little bit of a jumpstart. So maybe I am just talking myself into feeling better, but if eating a little better while I am sick actually helps me mentally feel better, then that has to be a good thing right?Anyone have any good sick foods or feel-good, low-key activities?
