Mindful Makeover for Teachers: Joining a Gym

April 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I always had a membership to a gym during my high school and college years. I loved using the machines to lift weights and taking group classes. It was great to have a place to workout when the weather was too cold, too hot, or too rainy. However, after I crossed the threshold into being a full time adult (married and moved to a new town, and began my career as a teacher) I never joined a gym. Did I mention this was eight years ago? I thought about it on numerous occasions and wanted to, but I did not feel the tight budget of a new teacher’s salary could afford a monthly fee to workout.

Over the past eight years I have remained active by walking and running in my neighborhood. At times I have been more consistent than others. I have completed a half-marathon and a marathon. This January I decided it was time to return to the gym.

Wow! I have found a new energy for working out. I have developed some new routines to my work days and I have found it is not as hard as I sometimes think to work out at the end of the day. Yes, I am tired when I get home. However, I have found I am able to stay focused and get done with the necessary things to complete my day. The days I go to the gym end with me feeling proud of myself for taking time to focus on my health and that in turn motivates me for my next work out.

Last week I had an particularly exhausting day at work. I am tired at the end of each day, but I was mentally flatlined due to an atypical stressful situation in my classroom. All I wanted to do was go home, get in my bed, pull the covers over my head, and close my eyes. However, since my gym bag was packed and in the car I headed to workout. I didn’t really want to but I did it anyway. I did cardio work for thirty minutes and stretched. There was so much stress flowing through my body that I got a pretty intense workout as well as got rid of that negative energy. What a release!

By the time I got home, I had put the stressful events of the day out if my mind and I was able to simply relax with a hot shower.

Added bonus-I am getting some quality sleep. I don’t toss and turn; I simply slip away into my dreams. I definitely got a good night’s sleep after such a long day.

Lesson: Even though all I wanted was to curl up under my covers, getting my body moving and stretching was a simple cure for relieving my mind of all the day’s ills.

 

Mindfully,

Martha

Filed Under: Lessons For Living

Raising Kids Right: Healthy Influence in a Fast Food World

January 22, 2013 By 2 Comments

    

Trying to raise a healthy child. We packed a lunch and snacks on a recent trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Trying to raise a healthy child. We packed a lunch and snacks on a recent trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Once I drop my daughter off at school, I turn on the local radio station and head to work myself. Twice recently I have tuned in to hear a McDonalds commercial.A mother is on the phone with her son and he is telling her about what he is having for breakfast, griddle cakes, sausage muffin, etc… She says, ”I know you don’t have time for that!” And he answers in one simple word,

“McDonalds.”

The mom excitedly responds,

“I raised you right.”

Raising a child is hard work. Raising a child to pick healthy foods in a culture where unhealthy choices abound is a daily challenge. Making lunches, cooking meals, packing a cooler for trips, planning meals, and driving to the store to have healthy foods on hand can be time consuming and expensive. Limiting sweets can lead to arguments with your child. Trips to the grocery store can turn into a chorus of, No, as you explain that many foods that look appealing are very unhealthy. A picture of their favorite character on a can or box of food doesn’t mean it is a healthy choice.

Sometimes it feels exhausting, but these are some of the most important lessons we give our children. These are conversations worth having with your children. These are extra steps worth taking when you are tired.

My children deserve to know the importance of eating real, whole foods and to learn how to make healthy choices. Giving them a foundation of healthy habits will help them when they are adults, and hopefully make it easier to continue to eat healthy. Hopefully, they will avoid chronic diseases that are related to poor nutritional choices

As a Mom I struggle daily to raise my kid “right” so to hear this phrase used in relation to the fast food industry makes me frustrated and angry. When my daughter grows up and calls me, I hope she will be telling me about her healthy, homemade breakfast of fruit and oatmeal.

 

Live Well,

Laura

 

 

 

Filed Under: Balance

Five Tips For A Healthy Thanksgiving

November 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Tom the Fit Turkey

Tom the Fit Turkey
Five Tips for a Healthy Thanksgiving

 

Tom the fit turkey has been visiting my classes this week giving students his top 5 tips on a healthy Thanksgiving.

Water

Avoid drinking your calories.  Watch out for empty calories in soda, alcohol, and sweet tea

Walk

Do a good workout on Thursday morning such as a run or body weight circuit.  Head out for a walk after you eat.  Make this a family tradition!

Small Portions

Eat whatever, but stick with small portions.  Go slow and savor each bite.

Back on Track Friday

Get back to healthy eating and exercise on Friday.  Plan a good workout and a healthy menu.

Enjoy

 Take the time to be present and express gratitude for your blessings.

     Tom the fit turkey was a craft we made at our Daisy Scout troop meeting.  I found this on Pinterest.    I am a new Pinterest user.  Wow, that is an amazing place!

What are your strategies for a wonderful Thanksgiving that won’t derail your health and fitness goals?  Tom the fit turkey and I would love to hear them!

Live Well,

Laura

Filed Under: Balance

What is Your Diet Doing for You?

July 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

     As I’ve been working on getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I think about what I put into my mouth even more than usual.  On top of that, my husband and I recently saw two inspiring and motivating food documentaries. 

     One evening we watched Forks Over Knives and we got inspired to eat a more plant based diet.  We have  known the benefits of a plant based diet and in the past even tried to eat vegetarian meals 2-3 times per week.  However, this movie really emphasizes the negative health consequences of the typical American diet.  I went to bed after we watched it and at 2AM my husband was waking me up as he came to bed talking about how we should become vegans.  I’m like that is great, but it is 2AM and I am asleep. 

      A few weeks later I awoke to find that my husband had purchased an expensive juicer, which I found annoying.  He said you need to watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  A few days later I watched the movie and I had to admit I could see why he bought the juicer.  The changes made by the people in the movie were very inspiring.  An unexpected bonus was that the juicer has been great for getting our daughter to eat more green vegetables.  She loves a kale, banana, and pineapple smoothie.

     Then, I came across Eat to Live and Disease Proof Your Child both by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  Once again I was wowed by considering the power of the diet.  He talks of patients getting rid of diabetes by drastically changing to a nutritarian diet.

        The idea that our diet can make us healthy or make us sick isn’t new, but it is often lost sight of in our society.  We tend to look to doctors to make us well, when perhaps our daily choices of food, exercise, and sleep have the most potential to improve our long-term health.  These movies and books reminded me that the food choices aren’t just about getting to our goal weight, but they are about making our bodies strong and healthy and protecting them from the chronic diseases plaguing our society.

        These movies and books explain the benefits of a healthy diet in more detail than I can.  If you know you need to make a change in your life take some time to learn why.  Raising your awareness of why something is a healthy change means that you are more likely to stick with it.

     At our house we are eating more fruits (3-4 per day), vegetables (especially leafy greens), beans, and less processed foods.  We are eating much less meat and dairy products.  We do stray, especially when we are out, but when we are home we work to stick to healthy foods that are full of nutrients.  Our diet is a work in progress, but as a family we want a diet that helps fight disease, a diet that improves our mood, a diet that strengthens our immune system, and we want a diet that teaches our daughters how to eat healthy for a lifetime.

      What is your diet doing for you?

Live Well,

Laura

Filed Under: Body

Welcome Back!

June 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

      Hello blog!  Hard to believe that after blogging weekly during pregnancy I’ve blogged 3 times since the baby came and she is now 9 months old! 

     I’ve thought about blogging and actually started this post several times, but I’ve never gotten past the beginning.  I would like to share the ups and downs of incorporating wellness into my life with a new baby in the house, each day is a new challenge.  Some days my diet rocks, other days I give into emotional eating.  Some days my exercise is on target, others it is pushed to the back burner. I had forgotten how a baby can throw a wrench into one’s plans and with two kids it is easier to get off track.  Today, I had a feeling today of, wow it has been 5 months since I blogged and I’d like to get back to it, so let’s make this happen.

      I can’t possibly sum up the past 5 months in 1 post.  For the past couple months my wellness focus has been on  repairing the body from pregnancy (as well as talking care of the kids, washing cloth diapers, cleaning the house, working, etc…).  I got a nasty case of plantar fasciitis.  Now it is getting better and I am seeing a physical therapist (Miriam Nelson at Cornerstone Physical Therapy) .  We are working on my core strength, left hip area and my foot is getting better.  I’ve also been seeing a physical therapist (Amanda Fugate at Cornerstone Physical Therapy) for pelvic floor strengthening. You may have read the post she helped me with when I was pregnant, or check it out now  Kegel Exercises for Women What You Need to Know.  Well, I have had great success in that area and for local Asheville ladies I highly recommend her if you want to get back to running and jumping :)   ! 

     My fitness goal is to do cardio 4 times a week for about 45 minutes, lift twice, and do a yoga class once.  This is working for me right now.  I feel so much better when I get my exercise in!  My mood is better, I make healthier food choices, and I sleep better.  When I don’t take the time to exercise everything suffers. 

     The biggest change around our house (besides the whole new baby) is our food choices.  I’ll share more on that later.   (sooner than the next 5 months!)  I also don’t know why this font is to tiny so I will try and work on that too.

    

Live Well,

Laura

Filed Under: Baby Bumps and Blessings, Laura's Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Martha’s First Mindful Mission of 2012

January 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Happy New Year!

I am looking forward to a great year and I am so excited about our Mindful Mission 2012 Challenge. I’ve spent some time brainstorming my first goal for 2012. I love organization. However, there are many days you wouldn’t know that about me due to the  stacks of clothes, shoes, papers, and such spread around my house. Even though I let the clutter happen, it drives me crazy. Unfortunately, since moving into our house last year I have not created a home base for everything to return to after it is used. This is because I have way too much stuff. This translates into messy spaces in my home. Since everything doesn’t have a home, during the work week I get tired and lazy and let stuff pile up until it becomes a super annoying mess. The worst spot is the backseat and trunk of my car.

The messy clutter weighs on my mind. I don’t like it. I forget about stuff. I lose stuff. It takes me longer to complete tasks. It has to stop. Thus, my first goal for 2012 is to create more organization in my home life. I will be elaborating and writing my SMART goal as we work through the Mindful Makeover for Moms Workbook. For right now, here is my list of behaviors I want to change:

(1) Letting stuff pile up in my car

(2) Letting mail stack up unopened

(3)Letting clean clothes stack up in my bedroom

(4)Not dealing with a crazy, second closet that has lots of random stuff in it.

I am excited to be setting a goal that addresses a few of the things that mentally bring me down. I am even more excited to make some changes that I feel will fuel my mindset and energy for future goals in 2012!

Mindfully,

Martha

Filed Under: Martha's Blog Tagged With: , ,

Mindful Mission 2012: Setting My Mission

January 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When we decided to have the Mindful Mission 2012 it took me about two seconds to decide on my mission.  Lose the baby weight!  No more excuses, no more maternity pants, no more being annoyed at myself when I look in the mirror, and no more being frustrated when it is time to get dressed and nothing fits.

I keep coming up with good reasons not to pay attention to myself such as,  I am tired and my day is too busy.  Well, I am tired and my day is very busy, but that isn’t going to change anytime soon.  I have been wanting to lose weight, but I have continued to push back the start date.  This hit home on New Year’s Eve when the pants and shirt I wanted to wear didn’t come close to fitting.

January, the start of a new year is a good opportunity to begin something new.  However, I don’t want to call this a resolution because many times resolutions turn out to be short term.  Maintaining a healthy weight is something that requires constant effort, so I think of this as a lifestyle change.

Since I know that my Mindful Mission is to return to my pre baby weight I need to consider my action steps.  I believe my focus needs to be on tracking my food intake, so I will be committing to keeping a detailed food diary.

During the first week of the Mindful Makeover for Moms Workbook I will further explore setting my SMART goal and developing the action steps that will take me there.  You may not know what your Mindful Mission is yet, and that is fine.  Your Mindful Mission should be something that you really want to accomplish and helps improve your quality of life.  It could be weight loss, organization, flossing your teeth daily, or anything you want to improve.  Nothing is too big or too small. The Mission officially lasts  10 weeks, but hopefully you will also be making a lifestyle change.

Challenge yourself to create a Mindful Mission and tell others about it.  Trust me, sharing your goals helps hold you accountable.   In our Facebook group we will be given daily reminders that go along with the workbook topics for the day to help us all reach our goals.  Begins January 8th so order your workbook today.

Mindfully,

Laura

Filed Under: Balance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Mindful Mission 2012: A Ten Week Challenge to Reach A Goal

December 27, 2011 By 1 Comment
Martha used our workbook to reach her goal of finishing a marathon. What is your Mindful Mission 2012?

Need more time for yourself? 

Want to start a new habit in 2012? 

Challenge yourself to complete a Mindful Mission.

     Find support and accountability in a community of women who are working on their own personal mission.  Each day we’ll make an initial post on Facebook about the day’s topic and then ask questions, discuss successes, challenges, and find support.  You can do this anytime of day when you have a few moments.

Your mission might be to achieve a better level of fitness, improve your diet, organize your closets, establish a daily meditation practice, or learn to do something new.   All goals are welcome.

Come join the fun!  Purchase our 10 week Mindful Makeover for Moms Workbook . The 146 page workbook is available as an e-book for just a dollar a week!  Once you purchase the e-book from our website, you will receive an email with a PDF to download.  Print it and you are ready to begin.   We also have bound workbooks available.

After you buy your workbook, request to join the Facebook group Mindful Mission 2012.

Starts January 8th, so order your workbook today!  We look forward to reaching our goals together!

Questions?  Comment here, on our Facebook Page, or email laura@mindfulmakeover.com

Mindfully,

Laura and Martha

Filed Under: Balance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Our Home Birth

October 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Baby Bumps and Blessings

The Making of a Mindful Maternity

Our Home Birth

I don’t feel that my words can adequately explain how amazing and healing this experience was for our family.  Having a home birth was the right decision for our family and I am so thankful my husband encouraged me.  I couldn’t have done it without his support and belief.

Laboring at home felt relaxed and calm.  I loved being on my own clock, listening to my body and not having to decide when to go to the hospital.   At home I never doubted my ability to have a natural birth.  I felt confident, supported and loved.

Monday night, September 12, 2011, Johnny got home from work, and we sat at our kitchen table and talked about our day.  It was a nice quiet time together.  Around 10:00 PM I went to bed.  At 1:30 AM I work up with contractions that were about 20 minutes apart.  I got up to move around and eat a snack to see if they were the real deal.  Then I went back to sleep, the contractions continued.  I got up again around 4:30 AM I ate a popsicle, then went back to sleep.  The contractions continued to be about 15-20 minutes apart and did not get any stronger.  The sun rose and we decided that my mother-in-law would keep Bella for the day so she would be close by.  I was hoping for a baby by lunch time since I had heard your second labor should be about half the time of your first, little did I know what was in store.  I went for a walk around 9:00 AM and popped by my parents’ house to say hello.  Around 11:30 AM I called my midwife and told her what was going on.  Labor was still going slowly and she didn’t want it to last into the evening in case I got tired from the lack of sleep, so she suggested trying nipple stimulation.  With the nipple stimulation, my contractions became five minutes apart, but were not extremely strong.

We had been in contact with Susan Mooney, our doula.  She came to our house about 2:30 PM and my Mom arrived around 3:00 PM.  In the meantime, Johnny set up a birthing tub in our entryway the only place in our house besides the kitchen that doesn’t have carpet.  He put some water in it and planned to add a little hot water when it was time to  get in to raise the temperature.  From 3:00-4:00 PM I took some homeopathic medicine that speeds up labor.  Around 4:00 PM I felt really tired, so I ate a snack and prepared to go upstairs to take a nap.  First, I had a crying spell just from looking at my Mom and Johnny giving me a hug.  I tried to lay down for a few minutes, but got sick and threw up.  The mood got more serious, so we called the midwife.  Johnny and Susan were discussing the temperature of the tub.  It was too cold which could make me cramp.  Johnny started boiling water and siphoning some water out of the tub and replacing it with hot water.  I almost told Johnny to stop messing with the tub, but something made me keep my mouth shut.  Most of the time I was laboring in our living room, looking out our window over a field.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  The trees were green and the sky blue.  The most “comfortable” position was on my knees leaning over our ottoman.  Early on I sat on the birth ball, but as labor continued that was very uncomfortable and greatly increased the pressure in my rear end.

Around 5:30 PM the midwife arrived.  She brought in her equipment, checked the baby’s heart rate (it was good) and my cervix.  She said the cervix was paper thin and I was 5-6 centimeters dilated.  My  thought was, “What? Are you kidding me?  It took 16 hours to be 5-6 centimeters.”  I almost cried.  Susan quickly suggested that I get in the tub.  Johnny had finally gotten the water to the right temperature.   Susan could tell I was very disappointed and on the verge of frustration.  Getting in the water relieved some of the pain and helped me keep my composure.   I got in the tub and the contractions continued to be intense with tons of pressure in my rear end.  After about 40 minutes in the tub I said, “I HAVE GOT TO PUSH!” The midwife said, “ok, push on the next contraction.”  It made me feel confident that she trusted in the process and let me follow my instincts.   Johnny was outside talking to a neighbor because he thought it was going to be a long time before anything happened, so Susan quickly called him inside.

For the first couple of pushes I was sitting in the tub with my back against the side which wasn’t very comfortable or effective.  Johnny suggested I try getting on my hands and knees.  At first I was like no (really I just didn’t want to move.  I kept saying I can’t do this because it really hurts), but after another ineffective push I switched positions.   On the first push I made a lot of progress and on the second the top of the baby’s head appeared.  Then I had to do gentle pushes (that was super hard when you just want to get it over with, but gentle pushing can help to prevent tearing) and on the next contraction, her head emerged.  The cord was around her neck so the midwife quickly flipped it off.  Her head went from purple to normal color.  Then another contraction and at 7:17 PM on September 13, 2011, Frances entered the world.

I sat in the tub for a few minutes and held her and we all marveled at this new little person.   My mom said a prayer of thanksgiving.  After the cord stopped pulsing Johnny cut it.   Fran was wrapped in warm towels and I moved to the couch where the placenta was uneventfully delivered.  I could not believe how easily it came out.  With my first delivery, I had an inverted uterus right after the placenta came out, so I thought I would be super anxious about this, but my midwife was calm and I wasn’t the least bit nervous.  While I nursed Fran, Bella came in to meet her new sister.   Other members of our family joined the celebration.  Frances weighed 7 lbs 14 ounces and was 21 inches long.  I ate some delicious mac and cheese and went upstairs to my own bed.  I was supposed to go to sleep, but I was so excited that I was awake until about midnight listening to her newborn noises.  Around midnight we all fell asleep.

I cannot say enough positive things about our birth team.  Our midwife and her assistant were experienced and knowledgeable.  Our doula was calm and collected and helped me focus during labor.  I felt like I was well taken care of and trusted that if medical intervention were needed, they would make a good decision.   Sharing this special time with my mom was wonderful.   I am so glad she was there to see her granddaughter enter the world.

Frances is now 4 weeks old.  She is a beautiful, healthy baby.  We’ve been happily busy adjusting to a new member of the family.  Thanks for sharing this mindful maternity.

 

Live Well,

Laura

Filed Under: Baby Bumps and Blessings Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

40 Plus Weeks

September 12, 2011 By 1 Comment

Baby Bumps and Blessings

The Making of a Mindful Maternity

Here I am at 40+ weeks.  I feel all ready, so I’m just waiting for the baby to decide to come out.  I put off writing this post in hopes that she would arrive, but since she hasn’t I thought I’d write a short update.   It is interesting how you have this due date in mind and you wait patiently and prepare, then when it arrives that patience tends to evaporate.  In certain moments I still have it and in other moments I feel like we are in a holding pattern.  However, I have been enjoying my time with my family and just being present and enjoying life.  My to do list is pretty short right now which is a rarity for me and I have been enjoying slowing down.

I’ve been having a number of contractions and even had a few at regular intervals last night (I thought it was going to happen) but then they stopped.  I have to remind myself that she’ll come out when she is ready and like many things in life the timing isn’t up to me.

Thanks to all of my family and friends for their support and encouragement as the big day approaches!  I feel blessed to have such a great support system and appreciate all your positive thoughts!

Live Well,

Laura

Filed Under: Baby Bumps and Blessings
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