Finally prepping me!

[DenimDaze]

Stress is an amazing thing. It can give you energy to stay up and can meat when you should be sleeping, it can have you researching what to do in your garden next year when it is only December and it can make you assume the worst in any post you read on MrsS. There are good and bad points to being stressed, but in the long run it is very bad for you.

 

We all know that on this board.

 

We all know regular exercise with the resulting good health, lowered stress levels, clearer head and more strength and energy is one of the best preps we can be making.

 

 

 

So why did it take me a full year to get going on this?!?

 

 

 

I thought:

 

Ttaking the 1 ½ hours 4 or 5 days a week was selfish.

 

There was so much I needed to learn and research! It was too important to wait!

 

The world was changing in front of me! I wanted to watch the news and read about it as it happened!

 

Shopping, cleaning, researching prep items, keeping my kids fed and clean and other chores were obviously more important then exercise for me!

 

 

 

So I kept struggling along, not sleeping all that well, stress eating and running myself into the ground despite reading again and again how getting myself in shape was perhaps the most important thing to do for my family.

 

 

 

Three weeks ago I gave up. I felt too bad to go on. I was tired of waking up in the middle of the night. I was tired of being tired in the early evening. I was tired of stress eating and then feeling worse. I was starting to feel like I was hiding in my house.

 

I have a free gym membership and I started using it. This is only the third week but I am sleeping soundly and my very tight jeans are just that little bit more comfortable. I haven’t yelled at DH or one of my four kids in a week.

 

I hadn’t expected exercise to start working this quickly! I think the focused energy burning is burning the stress and its poisons right out of me.

 

[Stephanie]

This is great Denim. I just posted on another thread an abbreviate form of your post. And as I was in the shower I was thinking about coming here to the Spa and starting a thread. Then, here you have already done it. Proof positive that great minds think alike.

 

And you really spoke my heart about how it (stress and unhealthy lifestyle) changes our outlook and tolerance and life in general. This is so true.

 

At this point I've adjusted my eating about as much as I can. During the summer I was doing so much better with swimming every day but now, I'm really struggling with exercising at all.

 

Joining the gym is not an option for me, but I do have a treadmill (for walking inside). I do have stairs (for climbing). I do have a very long driveway (2/10's of a mile)for outside walking. But I'm not doing it

 

You know what my favorite excercise is besides swimming? Dancing! Not 'real' dancing but just wild abandoned movements to really great music. Maybe I work up to doing this an hour every day?

[blestmomof4]

This is the BEST prep. I, too, have been over stressed and have really let it take a toll on my health and have put on WAY too much weight. It has been very counter-productive...with the extra weight and not feeling well I don't get nearly as much done and beat myself up for not doing all I should be able to and 'for letting myself go'.

 

We have a new insurance starting in January that 'pays' you to set health goals and to achieve them. My dd has homeschool P.E. at the Y during the week and I will be going and working out while she has P.E. I also am getting a juicer and will start juice fasting as I have been reading about the health and spiritual benefits of it.

 

I also ordered a set from Amazon of Dr. Don Colbert's books and DVD's that I plan on working through. It now is $50+ but when I ordered it was only $16. I had placed it in my cart and when I checked my cart that day it let me know that it had a price decrease. Amazon does this often.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Pillars-Heal...8114&sr=8-3

 

 

I am glad to hear that you are already reaping the benefits of your efforts.

 

Blessings,

bb

[Momo]

Being as healthy as possible not only makes for a better life but it is the ULTIMATE prep!

 

We all need to "get with the program". Especially me!

[Crazy4Canning]

Steph,

 

This is a great way to work in "music appreciation" with your kids. It may look like utter chaos, but rhythmical movement is great - just make sure you don't throw your back out or damage something you'll need later.

 

One year, I had to do PE for my third graders for a month. We played different games but the one they loved the most was 'FREE EXPRESSION".

 

I'd put on different types of music - classical, jazz, kids praise, etc. and EVERYONE had to participate. I told them, 'just move however you see fit'.

 

I had flowy scarves from a dress-up trunk, rhythm instruments, it was great. Believe you me, it counted as 40 minutes of cardio!

 

Everyone had a blast BUT the principal didn't get it. He said we were too loud. Stick-in-the-mud. At least we got a gym teacher out of it.

 

 

[blestmomof4]

I got a notice that Dr. Colberts set is on sale again at Amazon for only $16.00 (was $79.99). I don't know how long it will be reduced but it is a really nice set. It includes the dvd's,book, workbook, etc. and is a by a christian doctor.

 

Blessings,

bb