Day 132 - Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Today was all about family and friends, and the Redskins!  I felt so loved and so blessed today.  Steve and I worked all morning to get the house clean and dinner ready.  Then, his mom came over, and a friend of mine from work came over.  It was so nice to sit down and relax and enjoy each other’s company.

But, the best part was that Michael actually enjoyed his dinner.  He had several items on his plate at once.  He didn’t want the food to touch, but was able to move things aside and not panic when they did.  And, he ate a decent dinner.  It was wonderful.

The biggest surprise of the day was when the Redskins actually won their game today.  They haven’t had the best season and they rarely win against the Cowboys, and never on Thanksgiving.  So, even though it wasn’t the most important of today’s happy events, it was definitely the most surprising!
Tomorrow we will go back to our regular routines and I’ll be back at the gym.  But, it was really nice to take a day and just relax as a family.  And, it was nice to eat some carbs, too.  And, now it will be time for me to get into the holiday spirit.  I try really hard not to think too much about Christmas until after Thanksgiving.  But, now, it’s time!

I guess that means that I really need to focus on my diet the next month or so.  It’s so easy around the holidays to have just a little bit of this, or to make a special treat.  But, I’ve come so far, I definitely don’t want to lose ground now.  The good news is that my family is really supportive of my program, so I know they will make sure to not offer me things I can’t have!  And, I am strong enough to say no if they do!

Day 131 - Freezing After Exercise?

Today was a great day.  Michael had a little incident at school, but the principal made sure we knew what upset him, and that it wasn’t his fault.  I really appreciate that she took the time to make sure we knew what happened, and that Michael did the best he could.  It is so great when the school works with us to understand and support him.  So, even though the afternoon started a little rocky, it got better quickly!

I went to the gym for my regular Wednesday night classes.  Both the muscle challenge class and yoga were a little less crowded than usual.  But, I got a great workout in both!  I really pushed myself with the weights tonight.  I have a feeling I will definitely be sore tomorrow.

One thing I have noticed is that an hour or so after my classes, I’m freezing.  I end up huddled under a blanket for at least half an hour before I get back to a normal temperature.  It’s well beyond a typical slow down in circulation after exercise.  I’m not quite sure what’s causing it, or what it means, but it is definitely something I want to look into.

Today didn’t really have much of a challenge.  It was a pretty good day at work, at home, and at the gym.  I’m just going to be thankful that it was a good day.

The surprise of the day was that Michael had a really good swimming lesson.  He can swim an entire length of the pool by himself.  It doesn’t really resemble much of a formal stroke, but he gets from one place to another.  I also really like that the teacher has him working on the breast stroke, the back stroke, floating, and using the kickboard.  Pretty amazing considering he couldn’t swim at all when he started in August!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I have so much in my life to be thankful for – my family, my health, this journey, and all the wonderful support I’ve been getting.  I am going to take the day as a rest day and enjoy spending time with family and friends.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Day 130 - Biking and Bedtime

Short post tonight since Michael actually wants me to keep him company tonight.  I was able to work from home today and that made it easy to get my two hours of exercise in.  I kept it simple and just rode the bike, but it felt good.

Today’s challenge was just keeping focused on things while I wanted to be planning for Thanksgiving.  But, the time of the bike gave me plenty of time, so that worked out well.  Some days are just not meant for focus!

The surprise of the night was Michael wanting me to tuck him in.  Normally, he prefers Steve to keep him company at night.  But, tonight he wants Mommy and I’m happy.  So, have a great night!

Day 129 - Monday, Monday

Mondays are really difficult days.  After having a couple days to catch up on my sleep, it’s really hard to get up in the morning and get back in the swing of things.  And, as Michael gets older, he is harder to get moving in the morning as well.  But, we managed to get through the morning and he went off to school and I got to work. 

I was a little disappointed when I got to the gym to find that one of my favorite instructors was out sick, so we had a substitute teacher for both the muscle challenge class and the yoga class.  She was perfectly fine, but not the same as the regular instructor.  But, I still got a good workout, and that is what matters.  And, if I am not super sore this week, that wouldn’t be a bad thing, either.

The challenge of the day was just getting moving.  Michael was a little cranky this morning, and a little slow.  But, we eventually got ourselves together.  I think I need to make more of an effort on Sunday nights to get to bed early.  That would probably help a lot.

The surprise of the day was that my boss said it was OK to work from home tomorrow.  The cool thing is that means I can exercise tomorrow at lunch time and then take Thursday as my rest day.  It just makes scheduling so much easier!  So, I guess it turned out to be a good day after all – for a Monday at least.

 

Day 128 - KEEN Picture Day!

Today was a wonderful day.  We spent a good part of the day taking pictures at KEEN.  It was so much fun, and I think the families really appreciated it.  Then, the Redskins actually won!  The only down side was that I only got in one hour of exercise. 

KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) is a wonderful program where kids with developmental disabilities get matched with a volunteer coach for several different types of programs – open gym, music, swimming, bowling, etc.. It’s a great program.  Michael has been participating with them for a few years now.  He loves going to his music program once a month.  And, a wonderful things about KEEN is that all their programs and activities are free. 

Because it’s such a wonderful program, it felt really good to do something with the families that I know they appreciated.  It’s so hard to get good pictures of our kids.  Tom, a friend of ours who is a wonderful photographer is so amazing with the kids, and got some fantastic pictures.  Even if a child was nervous at first, he won them over when he let them look in the camera and see their picture.  Some of the pictures were of entire families, some were just the KEEN participant, and some included siblings.  I don’t remember the last time I smiled so much as when I was cropping and printing the pictures!

The challenge of the day was trying to get both hours of exercise in.  Because we were at KEEN so much of the day, I didn’t start my exercise until almost dinner time.  Then, I got a headache and decided that one hour was going to have to be enough for the day.  But, even though I didn’t get in as much exercise as I’d like, it was still a wonderful day.

The surprise of the day was definitely my interactions with the parents.  I know how hard it is to get a good picture of Michael.  And a family picture is almost unheard of.  So,  it was great to be able to do this, and get so many wonderful pictures.   My heart is going to be smiling for quite a while!

 

Day 127 - Eighteen Week Results!!!

This time it really is 18 weeks.  And, as of this morning, I am down a total of 41 pounds!  I am beyond happy, excited, thrilled, and proud.  As I am edging closer and closer to the 300 pound mark, I am really starting to see more and more differences in daily life.  I love that!  But, first things, first.  Below is today’s picture.  It feels wonderful to post it!

It’s been a fairly full day.  I went out and did a yoga class this morning, then had a few chores around the house.  Then, my brother in law and mother in law came over for a visit.  He was only in town for today, so it was our only chance to spend any time with him.  It was nice to see him.  Then, after they left, I did an hour on the bike.  I was pretty tired when I started, and it was hard to make it all the way through a full hour, but I did.  Sometimes I really rely on that stubborn streak of mine.

The challenge of the day was just getting through everything.  I woke up a little grumpy this morning, and have been out of sorts most of the day.  I really don’t know why.  But, I did manage to push through everything. 

The surprise of the day was just that I had a really good yoga class this morning.  Even though I was grumpy, it was nice to do some new poses.  The instructor this morning was good.  I just wish they had more classes.  I did talk with a manager who promised they are still looking to hire new instructors.  So, maybe one day soon I’ll report the surprise of the day was added classes!  I also mentioned the lack of modifications.  She seemed interested and said it was good feedback.  I don’t know if anything will come of it or not.  But, at least I got to say what was on my mind.

Day 126 - Happy, Relaxing, Yoga!

What a difference a day makes!  Tonight I went to my favorite yoga class and came out relaxed and smiling.  It was so nice!  The instructor has a broken wrist, but she still managed to lead a fantastic class.  And, she used the opportunity to show some modifications that she might not have thought of otherwise.  Very nice!

After class, I came home and got on the bike for an hour.  It felt so good.  I was all stretched and relaxed after yoga, so my legs felt really strong.  The hour went by really quickly.  I couldn’t ask for a better workout.

The challenge of the day was just that it was a super busy day.  Michael and I both had doctor appointments at lunch time.  I had forgotten to put it on the calendar, so I wasn’t prepared.  I had to keep Michael home from school, and I had to juggle a couple other things to make the appointment work.  But, it did work, and it was a great appointment.

The surprise of the day was just how good it felt to ride the bike tonight.  For the first time in a while, nothing hurt, and moving just felt natural.  I wish I could bottle that feeling!