Health and Happiness... at the same time?

Can a person be both Healthy AND Happy...
At the same time?

That is a question that anyone who has ever been on a diet, weight loss or physical fitness program has probably had at one time or another.

I was reading something the other day...
Actually, I was reading a book- I tend to read a lot of those since I can get the free eBooks for, well, free....
Anyway, while reading one of the eBooks on my reader...
Please do not ask which one as I read at least a book every few days and they do tend to run together...
So, to paraphrase something the character said...

If you want to be happy you must first like yourself...
To be healthy you must first like yourself...
because if you like yourself you will treat yourself better...
and when you treat yourself better you will make choices that will make you happier and healthier without even realizing it.

That was the basic gist of the statement and it really does make sense in a round about sort of way.

I have been trying to eat better...
I have been trying to be more active...
and I still feel like I am getting nowhere.

The scale moves down 3 pounds....
then up 4.
I feel wonderful one day...
and achy and exhausted the next.

Nothing seems to make a difference...
Except perhaps, my attitude.

I have been feeling like I did not fit in at work, even though I was trying to.
Like I do not really fit in with the Moms of my children's friends, and I have been trying there too.
Like I do not really fit in anywhere...

So perhaps I need to just find a way to feel like I fit in with my self.

This was not a great week career-wise.
I am stressed about money.
I am stressed about the volunteer stuff I do with the high school... mostly that's because I have to rely on others to do their part and ... waiting for someone else to do something is not one of my strong points...
I am stressed about being stressed!

In an attempt to take some control over things before it all goes careening into total chaos...

1- I have begun to take some dietary supplements -- you know the ones that women of a certain age are told to take to prevent bone loss and a healthy heart and stomach and whatnot...

2- I have been looking at jobs online... not that there are any that I want, nor for which I am qualified...

3- I have been researching alternative career paths and options for someone with my background...
You know...
For mothers who have raised 6 children; are self taught to crochet, knit, paint and make jewelry; who have a flair for interior design and decorating; who can speed read and tend to critique, proof read and edit the books she reads; can put on a fundraiser dinner for over a hundred people; can create and print programs and newsletters; remembers random facts and trivia along with the birth dates of people she went to elementary school with- but cannot remember if she ate dinner last night or where she put her daughter's senior portrait photos; and can corral 100 football players into some semblance of order to say grace before the meal she prepared them... and has taught those same football players to edit their behavior and language knowing they will not get a bite of food if they say or do anything she would find offensive...
By the way... as yet, no such career has been found requiring those talents.

And,  I have started to write again.

As evidenced by this blog post... ( and the one on Dawneing and some lengthy Facebook posts)

The result?
This week I have lost 5 pounds without even trying.

Weird, huh?

Maybe, just maybe, there is something in what I read about liking yourself and treating your self well first...

This week it seems to have made a difference...
I am hopeful that next week will prove the same...
And maybe, just maybe, someone will be looking for that mother of 6 who can do all the things that I can do...

Health AND Happiness...
It looks like it CAN happen at the same time...
As long as one is willing to try.

So today I found a new diet...

I know, I know....

Not another DIET!?

This is what happens when BusyMom is up earlier than everyone else in TheBusyFamily...

She watches PBS and sees an interesting show on a diet that is new to her...
but apparently, not new to everyone else in the world!

It is The Fast Metabolism Diet ( FMD) ...
And after careful research...
Meaning I looked at the support community webpage, some blogs by people who did this program, and researched the book and the author and ...

Well, you get the picture....

I spent an hour at the grocery store picking up quinoa, brown rice, fruits and veggies...
while waiting for SIX to be done with lacrosse practice...

Side note- now I know how they do spring training for LAX and Baseball up north...
They do it in the high school court yard!
It was funny to see the baseball team trying to practice running pretend bases while trying not to run into snow mounds along the edges of the courtyard walkways...

So, healthy groceries in hand, I made my way home and into the kitchen.

Where, I started a pre-diet day by eating, as the 1st meal of the day, some lentil soup.

Hey, it was already noon and all I had today thus far was coffee so...

Soup for lunch and in just a little while I will be having a snack of grapefruit since this is a plan
that has a meal or snack every 3 hours.

I will start the day right with breakfast and everything tomorrow, but being a huge procrastinator, I decided that I would go ahead and jump right in....or else I am sure I would find a reason to consume horribly unhealthy stuff the rest of today...

I'll be getting back to you with regular updates on how this works, recipes I try and any weight loss that happens along the way!

The Gym is my...

Oyster?
Happy Place?

Nemesis!

Yeppers, that's the right one.

But not in a bad way...
More like a I can take whatever you send my way...
And then some kind of way.

Met with a personal trainer today.
It was part of the gym membership for new members in January so...

HeMan Hubby and I took advantage of what they were offering.

Me?
I have 70 pounds to lose.
Yes...
I said seven-zero.

And 4 inches to grow!
Well, it sure would be easier to manage my weight/height differential if I was 5' 9.5" tall.

My workout includes...
Nothing that uses the right arm or shoulder...
Nothing that will cause harm or damage to come to the right arm or shoulder...

Which, amazingly enough, leaves several very effective exercise options for strengthening my core and losing weight at the same time!

I can do the core machine thingy...
the one where you secure your feet and do stomach crunches with weight resistance.

I can do the leg lifting machines...
the one where you push weight up...
and the other one...
the one where you push the weight down.

And squats...
I can do squats.
I hate squats.
I mean, really, really, hate squats.

And step ups.
I can do those too...
which I also hate.

But, I can do them.
And I will get stronger.
And I will lose weight.
And I will become healthier.

And I will...

I can...
I Am...

Get ready to call me Hot Momma...
Okay...
NEVER call me hot momma ...
or anything else even remotely like it.

Just get ready to see a new me...
who eats healthier and exercises and lives better than ever before.


Oh, and unlike other people...
I don't do pictures...
of myself so...
No before photos...
but there will be after ones...
I think.

Mexican Chicken... Yummy

And Healthy...
But don't tell the children!

I was combing through the cupboards in an attempt to find something that the kids would eat that was easy, quick and somewhat nutritious...

because I do want TheBusyFamily to live long, healthy and productive lives and hope that some of what they are learning here in TheBusyFamilyHome will follow them when they finally leave...

They will all leave, eventually, right?

Chicken Mexican 

1 lb frozen grilled chicken strips  or raw chicken cut into bite size pieces
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and green chiles or a can of tomatoes, okra and corn...
1 can black beans - rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 tablespoons chia seeds
olive oil
shredded cheddar cheese
plain greek yogurt
cherry tomatoes
tortilla chips of your choice

heat olive oil in a pot then add chicken and taco seasoning. Once chicken has browned add all the canned goods and the chia seeds...
bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until sauce thickens- about 10 minutes or so




While the chicken is simmering place a handful of chips in the bottom of 4 bowls...

Once the sauce has thickened up spoon the chicken mixture over the chips...

add shredded cheddar , yogurt and cherry tomatoes and ENJOY!      

 I substitute fresh cherry tomatoes- whole into the pot they go- for the canned diced tomatoes when I have enough on hand...
I also use frozen corn and low sodium salsa in place of canned tomatoes and corn when I can to make it a little healthier...

The beauty of this recipe is that I can add or substitute all kinds of things depending on what is actually in the fridge or pantry when I start making dinner...

Because we all know that what I thought was in there when I started out never really is!

A New Year... AND Another Birthday!

Yeppers!

My birthday is in 3 days...

And this is shaping up to be THE WORST ONE EVER....

Okay...

I can let it be the horrible year or...

I can turn my health woes around and...

make this THE BEST YEAR EVER!

I choose to make it THE BEST.

As some of you may know...
Eleven months ago I tore my rotator cuff at work.
MISERABLE is what the last 11 months have been.
And, unfortunately, the shoulder is not yet healed enough to return to normal activities.

BUT WAIT.... There's More....

I threw my back out just after Christmas and it turns out that I have...
wait for it...
multiple herniated and evulsed discs in my lumber spine...
and am waiting for the insurance to allow me to get the MRI of the neck and upper spine ...
probably so I can find out my spinal column is ridiculously out of whack...

And then...
I was diagnosed with MRSA.
This is a Staph infection that is resistant to antibiotics in the Penicillin family...
probably a post-op infection , but...
The nurse liaison at worker's comp said I could have gotten it in line at the grocery store...
"it's every where these days"...
Sure. That's exactly where I got it.... (can you hear the sarcasm dripping from my words?)

So, as you can imagine, these health issues hitting me at once just as we are about to embark on the adventure that is 2015...
well, I admit to being a little depressed and my self-esteem took a serious hit.

Luckily for me, the antibiotic seems to be working...
MRSA on the way out!

The spine doc had a cancellation so I got seen yesterday...
a whole week early...
and I have to lose weight (well, duh!)...
and get moving to get my core strength back...
and I am allowed to start exercising again...
YAY!!!!

I also started a new medicine for the back pain that is supposed to not be as caustic to my very sensitive stomach... so far it seems to be okay and the pain is bearable...
Another YAY!

Today I walked 3 miles.
How did I do this with 3 inches of snow and ice on the ground?

I used the Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds video.

This is easily tailored to any fitness level and really easy to do.
You just walk!
Okay, some arm movements and some side steps and leg lifts are thrown in there too...
But, seriously, just about anyone can do this.
And she makes you feel like you can, even when you're out of breath and sweating like crazy...

And I wore my new walking shoes...
Sketchers EZ-Flex Intensify in PINK...
Yes, I actually bought PINK shoes on purpose...
I figure they will help perk me up even when I am feeling blue...




And then I got out my Bullet...
it's one of the original ones from about 20 years ago so it's called The Bullet instead of the NutriBullet...
and the mugs and jars are smaller than the new one...
which makes no sense since serving sizes are important when watching your calories and eating healthy so why have 18oz cups when the 12 oz ones are perfect for a single serving breakfast smoothie?
Hey, if they want to send me a NutriBullet for free so I can give a real review...
I'm all in...
until then, my Original Bullet will be just fine.

Today's weight is... 218...
almost what I weighed the day I gave birth to SIX...
UGH!

Join me on my NEW YEAR NEW ME JOURNEY into 2015...
Getting healthy, inside and out...
with the approval of my doc...
which you should make sure you get before starting any exercise or diet program please...

To start you out right here is my breakfast smoothie recipe:

1/2 cup kale/spinach mix  (or one or the other is fine too)
3 whole strawberries with greens on
a handful of blackberries
2-3 tbs greek yogurt - plain or vanilla works
2 tbs Chia seeds
1/2 cup of almond or soy or low-fat milk
 OR
a splash of fruit juice- I like V8 fruit punch or Pomegranate Blueberry

Blend until thick and smoothe and YUM!

I buy fresh strawberries and freeze them whole with the stems on to make the smoothie thicker and colder, but you can use whatever is handy for you.

Blueberries or raspberries can be swapped out for the blackberries...

Basically, get whatever looks good in you grocer's produce section.

Add 1/2 a banana and a scoop of protein powder for an after work-out booster shake...

There you go...
a healthy and tasty way to start your day...

You Are Welcome!