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.

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!

Not Getting Any Thinner... Maybe I Should Do Something About It?

Like I don't know I'm a bit over weight.
Thanks Doctor's office paper work that spells it out...

BMI-33
Morbidly Obese

Again, Thanks!

Okay, this time I really mean it.

That 15 pounds I have gained since September has been bothering me.
And I have intended to do something about it.

Once I wasn't  so tired all the time.
Once I had better weather to go walking in.
Once...oh, who am I kidding.
Just like planning the perfect time to have a kid--- you can NEVER afford them on paper  no matter how much money you  make!
There is never the perfect time to start a diet and fitness routine.
There's always something that will deter you...

IF YOU LET IT!

So I am not going to let the snow or the ice or the ankle deep water from the glacial melt deter me...
Or the steroids I was put on this week for my shoulder injury...

Okay...that might be a deterrent...
Cuz steroids are hell on everyone's weight...

But No!
I will lose weight in spite of a week of steroid therapy...

I WILL!

I will let you know how this works out...

And the winner is... ????

Let's Get Started... or at least start to get started

When ONE wishes to lose weight ...
ONE must actually DO something to make the weight go away...

Okay...
sounds simple, right?

Well, you would be WRONG!

In order to lose weight ONE must first have the proper accoutrements in which to aid ONE's path to a thinner ONE...
In this case feel free to substitute ME or YOU or GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT for the word ONE at any time...

To get started on the road to losing weight ONE must first decide upon the road on which they plan to travel...

IE: find a gym and procure a membership... or...
purchase home gym equipment like a treadmill or stair climber...
(although you can walk up and down your own stairs for free anytime you want... unless you live in a rancher or ground floor apartment... okay I see why someone may need a stair stepper thingy)...

find a workout buddy...
shouldn't be too hard, I mean everyone is trying to get fit these days...
it just has to be someone who lives in the same area as you, has the same work schedule as you, can get the same free-time away from the family as you AND wants to work out when and how you do...
like I said- Piece of cake... or pie, if you prefer...

find some workout clothes that fit in a way that allows for free movement and air flow to important parts...
like your lungs...
while not making you look like you have either:
1) borrowed clothes from the homeless Sasquatch in yonder woods;
or 2) have painted on your clothes so that every dimple of cellulite is visible in all it's jiggly glory and your muffin tops have actually become full-on muffins-- the giant ones you get at the bakery...

find a diet that you can stick to...
because it tastes good and is easy to fit into your hectic life would be ideal...
but probably because you actually do lose some weight...
which is probably because it tastes like sawdust or dried grass and is easy to grab and go...

And last but by no means least...
ONE must decide why it is that ONE wishes to lose weight in the first place.

This sounds like a no-brainer, I know, but really, it's not.
ONE must figure out why they want to lose weight ....
and be truthful to oneself in the process or NOTHING WILL WORK!

Losing weight because someone else wants you to...
because you want to fit into a special outfit for a special event...
because everyone else in the family is skinnier than you...
These are all real nice...
but they do not have staying power as motivation when the carrot cake is calling your name!

And believe me...
that carrot cake and his friends red velvet and chocolate brownie will be ready and willing to pick up the slack when your will power ebs...

So, let's start to get started losing weight by...
Identifying the reasons why you want to, need to, hope to, wish to...
Lose 10 or 20 or 30 pounds or more...
and be honest...
because you'll only be fooling yourself...

And really, do you want to make yourself look like a fool...
and a Fat Fool at that?

Yeah, me neither...

You Are What You Eat...

I guess that makes me a Spring Mix salad with low-fat small curd cottage cheese and Poppy Seed dressing...

Or a soft pretzel...
Or a handful of dried fruit...
Or a bowl of low-fat chicken soup...
Or fresh strawberries and fat free yogurt...

Yeah, I am not getting much of a variety in my diet these days.

But, it is true that you are what you eat.

I mean, what else would you be?
All your vitamins and minerals and nutrients come from your food...
right?

Wrong!
You get a lot of that stuff from your water too...

So the saying should really be...
You Are What You Eat AND Drink!

But then there are the little things that you breathe in like...
residue from acid rain and toxic fumes from car exhausts and factories...

So the saying should be...
You Are What You Eat and Drink AND Breathe !

And then there are the things that you absorb through your skin...
chemicals and toxins that leach into your system from contact without even knowing...
ingredients in soap and lotions and cheap crayons like formaldehyde and lye and lead...

So the saying should be...
You Are What You Eat and Drink and Breathe and PUT ON YOUR SKIN!

I am a Spring Mix Salad with low fat small curd cottage cheese and poppy seed dressing.
I am Mango-Peach Green Tea.
I am fresh strawberries and fat free yogurt.

I am going to have to REALLY read the labels on everything that I put IN or anywhere NEAR my body from now on...

I'm thinking that perhaps having a limited diet isn't such a bad thing after all?