Category: Body Work

Food and Fitness Friday: In Therapy

I have a magnet on my refrigerator that says:

In my life, this is so true. I run for health. I run for enjoyment. I run because I need to exercise. But I also run to leave my troubles behind. I run with friends to talk and process what is happening in our lives. I run, not in isolation, but in community, because that is what I am made for.

So what happens when you don’t run for a week during a pretty stressful time?

Let’s just say this: it ain’t pretty.

A crazy week last week, followed by a running attempt that ended abruptly with a back that completely tightened up on me and stayed that way for a few days has sidelined my running for almost another week. And I’m struggling. When I don’t run, I find excuses to eat badly. When I don’t run, my overall mood is darker. When I don’t run, I hurt – both physically and mentally/emotionally. In other words, no running makes for a grumpy Chrisy.

So in the midst of that, I have to find other means of “therapy.” Sometimes that is sitting with a book. Sometimes that is watching the Olympics. Sometimes it’s listening to music (although too much Kenny Chesney has me ready to run away to a tropical beach somewhere these days.) Sometimes that is getting my nails done. Sometimes that is letting my kids brush, straighten or otherwise play with my hair. Sometimes that is writing in my journal. Sometimes that is reading my Bible. Sometimes it is setting time aside for prayer. Sometimes it’s just going to bed early. But all of the time it is work to find what it is that I need to do in order to have some “therapy” time. And that requires me to choose those things. Which is hard. It is easier to just be grumpy. It is easier to hide from life. But I can’t choose easy.

I hope to be up and running again by the weekend, even though my therapy partners are off doing a race. But in the meantime, I’ll continue looking for therapy times in other ways.

What things are therapeutic for you and how do you deal with it when those things aren’t an option?

Food and Fitness Fridays: Picky Eaters

I wish there was a type of “food bleach” that I could use when making healthy food for my family.

There are certain things you can blend in (literally) and they have no clue that you are feeding them healthy food. For example, three weeks ago I made fresh spaghetti sauce chock full of garden Roma tomatoes, green peppers, zucchini, etc. My son and daughter both threw an absolute fit and went on and on about how “gross” it tasted, all because they could see chunks of vegetables. Fast forward two weeks. I made the EXACT SAME spaghetti sauce, but this time, used the stick blender on it. The same two children raved about how wonderful the sauce was.

This week, one of the meals I prepared was Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie (follow the link to find the recipe). I know certain things about my kids such as 1) Anne doesn’t like (the thought) of mushrooms, so instead of slicing them, I chopped them finely so she couldn’t see them. 2) My kids don’t like cauliflower. Now, I don’t really eat many potatoes these days, so I used cauliflower in place of 1/2 of the potatoes it called for and just made sure they didn’t see me preparing it. 3) I know my kids freak out at the idea of “green stuff” (a.k.a. spinach, kale, arugula, etc.) but the recipe called for it and it was wilted in the sauce and I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal if the food tasted good. Boy was I WRONG!

The Shepherd’s Pie was delicious. It tasted like one of my husband’s favorite meals, mushroom steak, but without the meat. Anne thought it was great despite the fact that there was “green stuff” in it (and she is the picky one). Ty on the other hand cried, whined, bargained, and otherwise drove me crazy for the whole 45 minutes it took for him to finally eat it. All because he didn’t like the “green stuff” (which incidentally had no taste other than the taste of the shepherd’s pie itself). (Side note: neither one of them had any idea that the mashed potatoes were half cauliflower and Anne had no idea that it was full of mushrooms. Score 1 for mom!)

Anne was cleaning the toilet a couple of weeks ago, and there was a stain that she couldn’t get off. While there was still blue toilet bowl cleaner in the bowl, I added some bleach to work on the stain. Within seconds, the blue cleaner was no longer blue. She found this absolutely amazing. And this is what came to my mind while I was fighting with Ty over eating the “green stuff.” I wish there was a way to bleach it so he couldn’t see it, so I could continue to trick him into eating healthy foods.

But really, I don’t want to have to trick them. I want them to find what I have found, that not only are these “green things” good for you, but they add so much to the party when you are making fresh meals – both taste and nutrition. I want them to want to eat healthily. I want them to be thankful that they live in a house where they aren’t being served junk on a regular basis and they have a mom who wants to teach them healthy eating habits NOW so they stick to them when they are on their own.

And then I saw this cartoon this morning on Facebook and I had to laugh. And cry a little inside.

Not only is this true of kids, but it is even true of many adults. They don’t spend much time in the produce section of the grocery store to know there is more to life than lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and green beans. They don’t understand all the nutritional value found in places other than meat, cheese, milk, and eggs. And to be perfectly honest, until I began pursuing a whole foods, plant-based diet, I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. But I am learning. And loving every minute of it. I feel as if my taste buds have encountered a whole new world of flavors and my stomach is so much more satisfied after eating smaller amounts of more filling and nutritious food.

This kind of dietary change is not for everyone, but adding more whole and plant-based foods into any diet can be life-changing. Not only in terms of finding new things to like, but also in terms of overall health.

I just hope one day that my kids pick up on it and the fighting over the dinner selections comes to an end.

In the meantime, if you have any creative ways to sneak things into food, share them with me!

Food and Fitness Friday: Pushing Through

This has been a rough week. Some medicine changes have me all messed up. It has made me tired. It has made me crave the crappy food that I haven’t craved for a couple of months. It has made me want to skip my workouts.

And while I did eat a couple of snicker doodles this week, for the most part I persevered.

When I didn’t sleep at all Sunday night, I still got up and did yoga on Monday.

When I wanted to eat everything in the house a couple of different nights, I grabbed an apple or some celery and (natural) peanut butter.

As my family sprinkled cheese all over their spaghetti and I craved that melty goodness the other night, I focused on the amazing flavor of the homemade spaghetti sauce we were dining on. (Side note: I made the exact same spaghetti sauce two weeks ago and my kids whined because they didn’t like it. This time, I used the stick blender on it and they couldn’t see the green pepper, zucchini, etc. in it and they raved about how wonderful it was. You can get your kids to eat vegetables, you just have to trick them sometimes.)

Today, after another less than stellar night of sleep, I wanted nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep when the alarm went off at 4:51. But I got up anyway and am so glad that I did. Even though I am sitting here writing this in clothing that is completely soaked with sweat. Even though, by 2:00 this afternoon I may wish I could take a nap. Even though my muscles will be sore from the weights workout. By getting up when I didn’t want to and pushing through a workout I wasn’t sure I had it in me to do, I learned more about myself and the fact that I can push beyond the feelings of the moment and feel better about it on the other side.

And if I can do it, you can to.

Push through something hard today just to remind yourself that you can. Whether it be food, exercise, attitude, or something else. Just push through. You’ll be glad you did.

Food and Fitness Fridays

If you know me (or have read this blog much), you know that I am on a continual journey to be healthy, spirit, mind and body. I exercise regularly, watch what I eat, and fill my mind with truth. In most of my Monday and Thursday posts, I am sharing with you ideas and things that I have learned (and am learning) in my spiritual life. And I have occasionally shared about my physical challenges as well.

Recently, I made a big decision to follow a whole foods, plant-based diet. It wasn’t a snap decision, it is one I have been thinking and ruminating on for 6-9 months, but when I finally decided, I jumped in with both feet. Needless to say, I am learning a lot very quickly, but it is a pretty steep learning curve. Fortunately, I have friends who are further down the path than me, as well as one good friend who jumped in about the same time as I did, so we are learning together.

In addition to learning new ways to think about eating and preparing food, I am also learning how that affects my running and how to make sure I am getting all that I need to be adequately fueled every day.

I know that I am not the only one who is working to be healthy on all fronts, so I decided that I would add Food and Fitness Fridays to my blog. Each Friday I will talk about recipes, challenges, things I am learning on this front, running, and who knows what else. I will share with you what I am learning, and hopefully, you will learn something, too.

So, beginning next week, I will be blogging on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays instead of Mondays and Thursdays. Tune in and we’ll see what’s in store!

Tending Your Garden

I have been reading Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst over the last couple of weeks. It is a great book and I am really enjoying it. Early on, I was particularly impacted by this chapter (see pictures below) as it talks about the necessity of tending a garden if you want to have a beautiful one. I thought I would share Lysa’s thoughts with you today. Whether it is gardening, parenting, weight loss, exercise, relationships or something else, they all require work. They all require tending. They all require something of us if we are to be successful. Choose to be successful. Choose to tend your garden, whatever that may be for you.

 

Miscellaneous Musings 3

My head is all over the place today and I can’t seem to come up with a whole blog’s worth of any one idea. That means that you get a glimpse into my head today.

  1. School is out! Report cards were picked up this morning. I have been thinking for weeks about the plan that I need to come up with for my kids and what they will do every day now that they are hanging at home. I have ideas about time for cleaning, reading, Summer Bridge books, games, cooking, experiments, etc., and yet, today has come (and nearly gone) and I still have nothing down on paper (although I do have some great ideas pinned on Pinterest). What are your kids doing this summer? Anything I can incorporate into my plan – if and when I get to typing it out?
  2. Tonight is the last night of “craziness” that has been going on in our house for the last four weeks. I am so looking forward to actually being able to cook real meals for my family again beginning tomorrow evening. Got any good, healthy recipes for me to try?
  3. Sometimes all you need is good food, good conversation and a good pedicure with a good friend and life gains all kinds of perspective. There is something about sitting in a massaging chair with someone working on your feet for an hour or so that energizes your body. And then to sit over a meal, talking to a friend on a deep level about life – from fears to dreams to desires to failures – and knowing that they not only are listening to your words, but hearing your heart as well, energizes your soul. If you haven’t done something along those lines lately, take the time – make the time – to do so.
  4. I love new ideas. I love thinking about them. I love planning out their execution. I love processing the details. I love doing the research to make it happen. And I even love making it happen. But there is always a point at which I get overwhelmed at all that will have to be done to make it happen. That’s where I am at in a project right now. The hardest part is starting. So I guess I better push through those overwhelming feelings and start.
  5. And just in case you wondered: 80 minutes of intense yoga, followed by a hilly bike ride, then an 11 mile run the next day, and another bike ride the day after that really makes for angry legs – even if you did just run a marathon a month ago.

Have a wonderful day, and may your head be less all over the place than mine today!!

Here I Go Again – Not on My Own

Last night was the 2012 kick-off for the Biggest Loser competition in Greenville. If you have read my blog over the last year, you know that the Bacon Lovers (Anonymous) team that I was a part of last year won the competition. We were slightly competitive.

Well, even though I didn’t plan on it, I have decided to be part of a team again this year. There are three of us from last year’s team returning, with some new blood as well. We are calling ourselves Sizzlean. A leaner form of bacon. (Remember that product from the 80’s?)

So, if i didn’t plan on doing this, (and maybe even didn’t want to), why am I?

Because losing weight, and even maintaining weight is hard. Staying motivated to eat well is hard. And doing it on your own with no motivation, encouragement or accountability is hard. Here is what I wrote in my journal last night:

So, once again, I am teaming up with people who are like-minded and ready to go. We aren’t going to try to be super competitive like we were last year, but we are going to try to cement the changes we made last year into our lives for good. And I am hoping to finish losing what I have left to lose.

What do you need to do that you can’t do on your own and how are you going to do it?

The World on My Shoulders

As someone who struggles with depression, I often deal with what I call “heavy” days. Those days are the ones where I feel down, pensive, like the walls are closing in, like the world is literally resting on my shoulders and I can’t lift it off. Sometimes those feelings have no discernible source. It begins and I can’t tell why and it is really hard to reverse.

Other days there are what I would call internal reasons for those feelings. A bad day of eating. Missing a run. A fight with my husband. Frustration with my kids (or myself for how I dealt with the kids). A bad day at work. These things may or may not be in my control to change, but at least I can pinpoint what is going on and attempt to turn it around.

Then there are days when I feel heavy about things I can’t fix or change quickly (or even at all if it is just me). Those societal things that just crush me. Hatred. Injustice. Judgmental people. Poverty. Bigotry. Racism. Sexism. Oppression. Division. Pride. Superiority. An “I am right and you are wrong” or “God’s on my side” mentality.

And while I know that all of those things really need to be addressed somehow, the only way for me to turn any of this around and be lifted back up out of my funk, is to remember that I am loved, and that love saves me. Daily.

It saves you, too.

Saved by Love
Amy Grant

Laura loves her little family,
And she’s the kind of woman who loves them with her life.
But sometimes in the evening,
When the world rests on her shoulders
With four walls closing in,
She’ll close her eyes.

Oh

It’s not like she misses being younger,
Though she never was in Vogue magazine or on TV;
Her husband loves her dearly,
And the morning shows her clearly,
Kisses her little baby girl.
Laura, she’s the queen of the world.

Can’t imagine ever leaving now,
Now that she’s been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
Listen to her quiet heart singing loud.
Laura, she’s been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
I know that she’s been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
Saved by love.

There’s nothing quite like my family’s love to warm me,
And nothing short of death’s gonna ever leave me cold.
Well, still at times it’s lonely,
But through it all it only
Makes me love Jesus more,
And this is what He came here for.

I can’t imagine ever leaving now.
Now that I’ve been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
He’s gone and turned my crazy world back around,
And I’ve been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
I know that I’ve been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love

Oh, I’m never leaving now,
Now that I’ve been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
He’s gone and turned my crazy world back around,
And I’ve been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love.
Amy, she’s been saved by love,
Saved by love, saved by love
Saved by love.

I’m saved by love.

That’s right.
And nothing I can say,
Nothing I can do, nothing I can say.

We’re all just saved by love.
Nothing you can say, nothing you can do.
Only love can say, only love can do,
Only love can say.

Only love can say, only love can do,
Only love can say.

I’m say-yay-yaved by,
I’m saved by, by,
Nothing you can do, nothing you can say,
Only love can say

Monitor Yourself

I received this e-mail this morning:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION—PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: 

High temperatures and humidity are predicted for Saturday.  These conditions put runners at increased risk for heat-related problems.  Please remember to stay well-hydrated and monitor yourself.  You may need to slow your pace and/or take other suitable precautions to minimize the risk of heat-related problems.

On Saturday, I am running a race with 35,000 other people. The race organizers can’t personally watch each and every one of us, run along side, tell us to drink, tell us to slow down or make us be careful. The best they can do is to warn us of the danger, and have people at various points along the route offering hydration, watching for those that are struggling, and offer first aid if the need arises.

So, basically the most important words in this whole message are: monitor yourself.

Only I will know if I need to slow down. Only I will know when I need to drink more. Only I will know what is happening in my body. When it gets to the point that someone else notices there is something wrong, it is because I have not monitored myself, or I haven’t listened to my body and things have gotten out of control.

I think the same is true for so many other things in our life. Secret sin. Pride. Mental health. Physical health. Spiritual health. We are the ones who have to be always watching, always alert to what is happening inside of us. We are the ones who should be noticing the first hint that something is off kilter in any area. We shouldn’t have to wait for someone else to point out issues that need attention.

Yet, often, that is exactly what happens. For example, your temper is very short. You don’t even realize just how short until one of your kids says, “Mommy, why are you yelling at me all the time.” And then you feel bad and start to analyze what is going on that would bring you to that point. Maybe you’ve had a stressful week and you haven’t been able to get your regular exercise or devotions in. Maybe your husband has been short with you and you are responding to that. No matter what, it is something that you could have caught and stopped if you had been monitoring yourself.

I read this from The Me I Want to Be by John Ortberg this week:

Impulses formed in the brain can be measured during neurosurgery. I decide that I am going to move my hand, and then that impulse travels to the hand. But in between the brain activity and the movement of the hand, there is what one researcher calls the “life-giving quarter-second.”

There is a quarter-second between when that impulse takes place in your brain and when that action takes place in your body. And that quarter-second–although it doesn’t sound like very long in the life of the mind–is huge. The apostle Paul wrote, “In your anger do not sin…and do not give the devil a foothold.” That quarter-second is the time when the Holy Spirit can take control. That is when you can give the foothold to the Holy Spirit or you can give it to sin. That one quarter-second in your mind can be an opportunity to say, “Spirit, I’ve got this impulse right now; should I act on it?”

It was a long hot day, the car had broken down once, the air conditioning wasn’t working, the kids weren’t behaving, and Nancy wasn’t being too good either. I tried enticing the kids into “the quiet game,” but they weren’t going for it. I got lost. I was frustrated. The kids spilled food. Finally, the noise level went beyond what I could bear. There was a life-giving quarter-second, but I blew right past it. I wasn’t interested. And I used language on my kids that I had never used before, that I never thought I would.

It is amazing how the desire to hurt someone you love can be so strong in your body one moment and then lead to such pain when you indulge it. But another piece of good news is that when you blow it–and you will blow it–God sends another quarter-second right behind.

And you can get right back into the flow.

We constantly have the opportunity to make choices. Choices about what we wear. Choices about what we say. Choices about how we react. And the more aware of who we are and what is going on inside of us, the more we are able to make better choices. Choices that build up. Choices that give encouragement. Choices that show love.

I will definitely be monitoring how I am doing on race day this Saturday. But even more importantly, I will be working to monitor what is going on in my heart and mind always.

How well do you do at monitoring yourself?

A Week to Remember

You thought I died, didn’t you? When I didn’t blog all week, your assumption was that I didn’t finish the marathon because I croaked before crossing the line. Well, I have good news! I didn’t die! I survived! And here is proof:

26.2 Miles!
Crystal & I after finishing the GO! St. Louis Marathon

We did it! We finished the 26.2 mile race! It was hard. Very hard. But it was good. And I spent Monday celebrating my husband’s birthday and recovering from the race and thus no blogging. But I fully intended to blog on Thursday to let you all know about how the race went.

But then this happened:

Baby Laney getting snuggles from Aunt Chrisy (or is it the other way around?)

My best friend Jenny, and her husband David, welcomed Laney Clay into the world on Tuesday, so I spent Wednesday and Thursday in Indianapolis getting all the snuggles and kisses in that time would allow. And therefore I didn’t blog on Thursday either.

So, between those two milestone events, a marathon parenting session with my son on Tuesday, shopping for work on Friday, and running a 5K and prepping a sermon on Saturday, I had a pretty crazy week. But a pretty memorable one as well.

Here’s what I will take with me about last week:

  • Deciding to do something big like a marathon is totally doable when you do the necessary training, have the support of your friends and family, and you depend on God for His strength in your moments of weakness.
  • There is nothing like: seeing your family cheer for you on the marathon route, having your friends chant “bacon” for you .2 miles from the finish, falling in the arms of your running partner after your medals have been placed around your necks and crying that you did it.
  • Even as you walk down the hall two days later in a little bit of pain, you will smile and think, “I just did a marathon!”
  • Even though it is hard, getting to the heart of your kids so that they understand right from wrong and the role of consequences in their lives is so important and worth the time.
  • There is something so peaceful about being with your best friend – even in the midst of chaos.
  • Newborn babies sleeping in your arms relieve stress 100%.
  • A picture can never take the place of seeing and holding the real thing.
  • Remember to enjoy every moment – those babies grow up too quickly!
  • Even a trip to Sams can be fun with your kids, if you make it fun.
  • Running in grass is hard. But running less than a week after doing a marathon is harder.
  • God always has my best at heart, and if I listen to Him, He will share His heart with me.

As I look back on the week and think about the enormity of the stuff that I experienced, it occurs to me that perhaps I need to be looking back on every week this way. Not because every week is full of big things, but because every week is filled with moments that will be forgotten if we aren’t trying to remember. I want to remember the big things, but I also want to remember the little things – like how it feels to hold my son on my lap as we read or watch TV. Or how it feels to sit on the couch and french braid my daughter’s hair. It’s those moments that will be harder to bring to mind as the years go by. And it’s those moments that I will miss the most. So this week, I plan to soak in the moments of everyday life with my family and see what I will take away from those.

What are you working to remember today?