Inside Out

Its Friday, and it has been quite the long week. I have a busy weekend up ahead as well, and its going to run smack dab into next week.
I got my lab results back and apparently I am deficient in vitamin D. I don't really drink milk, due to a nasty little thing called lactose intolerance, so I don't get vitamin D that way. Add to it a long winter, I am low. So I am stepping up and taking my 3000 IU's daily. Once upon a time, I was all about natural healing and alternative medicine (very big on supplements)but somewhere around parenthood, that dropped off my radar.
It wasn't just the supplements, it was also taking care of myself as a total package. I really paid attention to what I was eating, and it showed in my numbers. My cholesterol, triglycerides and fasting glucose were all way down, and over the last two years they have really crept up. That is a combination of not eating as healthfully as I could, and just not really taking care of myself.
I've been told that is relatively normal for most moms, especially those who work outside the home-we are so focused on trying to do it all, that we neglect ourselves. But, I did have a bit of a wakeup call this week between the big man & myself, so I need to get things back in order.
I've realized that losing weight isn't exactly going to be easy. In fact, my doctor told me part of my weight issue revolves around the fact my hormones are all out of whack. It also plays into the fatigue that I have-its not excusing it, but it is giving me a light at the end of the tunnel. I know what is going to be needed to get things done, and how to manage it.
My biggest issue is managing my time, and making wise choices. For example, the only time I really get to work out is in the mornings. If I hit the snooze button constantly, I reduce my workout window by 5 minutes each time I hit the snooze button. It then winds up where I don't have time to hit the treadmill or anything. I don't even really do anything besides my yoga daily dozen, and there is a subconscious blockage going on here. I think that there is a part of me that doesn't want to be healthy-that I won't be able to hide behind my size or health concerns. I also think that there is a part of me that is afraid that that if I am at my best, that I won't be lovable or whatever. The other thing that has kind of fallen by the wayside is my spiritual discipline. I don't spend as much time in prayer and meditation as I used to, and I feel that this has a lot to do with not being able to clear my head as often as I used to be able to.
I wouldn't exactly call myself a former zen master or anything, but it was an important part of my day, and I was able to keep my temper and emotions in check because of it. I had an outlet for frustration, and the combination of yoga and meditation made it for a better day. On top of it, when I added the good eating habits into it, I was on top of the world. Its hard to put it all together, but its possible-it just requires time management. I have to recaliberate my mornings and evenings to make it all possible.
I know that I need to take 30 minutes out of my evenings to do my daily cleaning, 45 minutes in the morning to work out, 20 minutes for meditation/prayer, do my morning and evening tidy-ups, and keeping up with the laundry will make life much more pleasant for all of us.
Time management. Its my new mantra.
In order to be the best wife and mommy, I need to get my act together. If I want to achieve my goals, I need to get my butt in gear and get a move on them. I am running in a 5k in less than a month, I need to step it up with training. If I want my house to be the neighborhood hangout, I need to keep it clean. If I want my family to be healthy, I need to make sure I am buying and cooking healthy foods. If I want to have peace and serenity in my life, I need to make room in my schedule to promote it.
I need to be a slave to my schedule for the next few weeks to make this a reality. It takes 21 days for a new habit to become ingrained. For the next 21 days (starting tomorrow) I am going to work on managing my time better.