Witness (19/365)

Monday January 23, 2012

Ahhhh, Monday.

Monday is my day to clean up after the weekend, gather my thoughts and make my to-do list for the week.

Except, today started out a little different than usual.

After getting Hannah on the bus, I had to chug some coffee and get my workout clothes on because I was having my neighbor over at 8:30 AM to workout.

Yes, 8:30 AM...  That's early for me. On a Monday.

A couple of weeks ago, I made a pact with my neighbor and another girlfriend that I was going to start working out.  They are going to do it with me and we are going to hold each other accountable with encouragement.

So, the day got started at high speed for me.  It was great - I'm not complaining at all.  It's just a new routine that I need to get adjusted to.

After the workout, my neighbor headed home and I sat down to publish my blogs from the weekend (notice I started putting the date at the top so we can tell which day the post is from.  On Mondays I usually post 3 or 4 from the weekend).

Around 11:00, there was a knock at the door.  I looked out the front door window and saw that it was the neighborhood Jehovah's Witness, Liz.  She's been coming around for a couple of years, and I have actually taken the time to speak with her and get to know her.

Anyone I talk to says they normally don't give the visiting Jehovah's Witness the time of day, promptly slamming the door in their face.  Maybe they take the literature, maybe they don't.  I used to do the same thing.

But there's something about Liz that intrigues me.  She is pretty, she wears nice clothes, her kids are the same ages as mine (one a little older than Hannah), she seems so - normal.  I'm not knocking Jehovah's Witness by that statement, I just think sometimes before we meet someone and get to know them, we have preconceived notions about what they think or what they'll look like.  And she normally doesn't come by in the winter.  She normally catches me in the summer when I'm outside with the kids.

Today, I asked her to step in so she didn't have to stand outside in the cold.  I hadn't seen her since July or August, so I was curious what she had to say.

She stayed for almost an hour and we talked about life, the kids, and of course, our faith.  I normally shy away from religion and politics in any setting simply because the subjects are so sensitive, and everyone has their own beliefs. 

I try to just respect others' beliefs and not judge.  I've been on the "judgement" side before and it didn't end well.  You know how it is when you feel so passionately about something, and you want others to feel as warm & tingly about it as you do?  Well, I can feel all warm & tingly and just keep it to myself.  That's how I roll.  Right, wrong or indifferent, life is just more harmonious that way.

She wants to get together with me on a weekly basis to discuss her literature and read the Bible together.  I politely declined stating a very busy schedule, but let her know that I appreciate her impromptu sporatic visits, and welcomed her to continue.

I'm not saying that I'm open to talking about religion or politics in a social setting - I wouldn't dare go that far. But I think on a smaller, more personal level, it's quite enriching. In this case, a woman with a different "religion" coming to me and wanting to not only share her beliefs, but wanting me to share mine as well.

I'm thankful for differences, faith, hope, love and DIVERSITY.  I think it can never hurt to know others' beliefs. There is something we can learn from all kinds of different people.  Whether it be religion, upbringing, life experience - being open-minded and loving can really make a difference to others, and we might be surprised how much of a difference it makes in our own life.

Or maybe, how much we really all have in common.

I worked out so hard my skin tingles...

I just got off the treadmill.  I was only on it for 38 minutes.  I burned (according to the treadmill) 455 calories.  And I'm not done yet...

I discovered there's something I like to do on the treadmill - - - - - - -

R-U-N.

I worked out today while my kids were awake.  Usually I do it while they're still in bed in the morning.  But today, I slept in till 7 so I didn't want the morning to be rushed.  I figured I'd take a shot at working out while they're playing so nicely together this afternoon.

Let me preface this by saying my "workout room" is in the basement.  The main room in the basement is split into two halves - one half has my treadmill and Bowflex, while the other half (or 3/4, whatever) is the kids' tv/movie/book/toy area. 

Well, they were playing nicely - until they saw me on the treadmill. 

Hannah, my oldest daughter, wanted to take a turn on the treadmill.  I said, through my panting, that she could have a turn when I was finished.

Then the baby fired up.  Ava, my youngest daughter, just shy of 2 years old, wanted a turn too... NOW.  I stopped the treadmill and tried to explain that it was Mommy's turn and when I was finished she and Sissy could take turns.  This seemed to work.

As I resumed my workout, I watched as Ava went over to the couch, crossed her legs and tensed up.  I knew what was happening.  I just watched her stand there and moan, red-faced, until it seemed the job was done.  Then she came over to me and demanded, "POOPY!  POOPY!  OUCH!  ICKY!!"  And she didn't stop until, once again, I stopped the treadmill and took her upstairs to change her.

She seemed happy again for about 2 minutes until she came over to me, back again in a full run, whining.  And whining.  And whining.  Then whining turned into crying and crying to screeching.  I told her to go upstairs and wait for mommy.  I only had 10 minutes left!

Then I remembered that I didn't want to be that mom again (see previous post), so I thought, instead of running at my usual leisurely 5mph at no incline, I'd kick it up a notch.

So I took the incline up to 5 and turned the speed up to 6mph, which, for this girl, is almost a sprint.

It felt so good!

I ran and ran and ran and ran until I couldn't run anymore, and I was completely drenched in sweat.  But I was no longer irritated.  I cleared my mind and just... started running.

I loved every second of it.

It must have felt good to my body too because I sweat like I didn't think was possible to sweat, and my skin has that feeling similar to when you're out in the cold too long and you step into the warm house or wash your cold hands and they burn and tingle.  It's so weird!

I can't wait to do it again tomorrow...

Take Another Step

I started wearing a pedometer every day.

Today since I woke up, I have taken 10,598 steps.  That doesn't seem like enough.

This pedometer measures total steps taken, aerobic steps taken, calories burned and fat grams burned. 

It's pretty cool.

Except it doesn't tell the whole story.

I wish it could count the time I stand and clean the kitchen.

I wish it could count all of the dirty diapers I've changed...  we won't get into that again.

I wish it could count the countless trips I've made from the basement to the woods with a wheelbarrow to load wood into our indoor woodstove...

I'm currently working toward a goal to lose 50 lbs of "baby weight".  It's not really baby weight, although I did gain it all from my two pregnancies, and never lost it.  It should be called "lazy and made poor choices while pregnant" weight.  But that's okay.

Either way, I need to lost 50 pounds.  I'm in week 3 - week 1 I lost 2.5 lbs, last week I lost 6.5 lbs.  My weigh-in day is Friday, so I don't know how I'm doing this week.  But today, I busted my you-know-what.  I had the time (or, I made the time) and I did it.

I did 2 miles on the treadmill (it said I burned 400 calories), I did 50 minutes of Biggest Loser Yoga (it's not "pleasureable" yoga - it's lead by Bob Harper and he's a butt-kicker), I burned 250 calories playing Wii Fit Plus.

Tomorrow I have Zumba.  If you know anything about Zumba, whether you've tried it or know someone who has, you know that speaks for itself!  Can you say 1,000 calories burned in an hour?!?!

So, I'm wearing my trusty pedometer and logging the steps I take in the computer.  It actually downloads the information into a neat graph for me.  I don't know why.  Between the pedometer I wear on my hip and the inner pedometer in my brain, I know I'm doing my best.  I am making good choices with food, and I'm definitely working out.

So, tomorrow I will wake up and do it all over again.  I'll remember my goals, remind myself that I'm worth it.  I've struggled to feel worth it.  In this case, it's mind over matter.  My mind knows that I'm worth it, even if my feelings don't believe it.  Fake it till I make it, right?

I'm not looking for happiness, although I will be happier when I lose at least some of this weight.  I'm looking for health, and to be a better, more active mom to my girls.  My short term goal is to be down 25 lbs by my 30th birthday - in 7 weeks.

So I'll get up and take another step.

And another...

And another...

And another...