Lessons From a Season of Rest

Taking a moment to focus on the positives of my forced rest, as sitting gives one a great deal of time to think.

1.  I am thankful that in general I am in good health and will be able to resume my healthy pursuits when I am healed. Oh, how thankful!
2. Empathy for others worse off has been explored and deepened.  So many others have to live with a permanent disability.  I had no idea how being inactive is so painful.  Sitting makes you tired all the time.
3. Slowing down during what can be one of the busiest times of the year is amazing.  Pressure to have the perfect Christmas is gone. No one expects me to do more than I can manage.  Wonderful!
4. Discovering a fight inside, determination to get back to finding ways to be healthy this winter, fearing the loss of momentum. I must do this.  I cannot be inactive this winter and expect to hop on my bike and go this spring.
5. Relying on others is not the end of the world. I cannot do everything by myself.
6. Pinterest is awesome for killing time and discovering all kinds of healthy recipes that I cannot wait to try!!  I gave in and joined Pinterest. I have been having fun dreaming of things I want to do when I am well.
7. My family is amazingly loving when I most need their extra help. The housework is getting done.  The house is decorated for Christmas.  Cookies are baked.

That about covers it.  Here is an updated picture.  I am posting these pictures so that I will remember how long it takes to heal and I just like seeing the progress. I am so thankful that I am indeed making progress! I can put a lot more pressure on my entire foot now.  The toes are still painful and it feels best propped up, maybe next week I can work on losing the boot.  

Goal Met!

Today,  I completed my first 50 mile goal of the 2015 bike season! And, it was done in less than 6 weeks. I set another goal for 50 in 6 weeks.  I know I could do it in less,but the extra cushion feels better. It really isn't that hard to get out for a few miles a day.  Rain and wind are the biggest obstacles.  My 500 miles will happen this summer,  Lord willing!  And, I really love setting a goal with map my ride.  It tracks my progress. It really,really motivates me.

Three Weeks

Three weeks!  It is getting easier in some ways, and harder in others, but all in all, I would say it is less effort to eat fewer carbs than three weeks ago. And, I survived my first holiday.  I was hosting, so I was able to control the menu, a plus.  I was not tempted by the rolls, awesome cherry pie made by my mom, candy, or cheese potatoes.  I made adequate substitutions for myself, like loaded cauliflower instead of the potatoes.  I did indulge in coconut flour macaroons made by my daughter.  They were grain free, but had a sweetener.  I also had fruit salad.  I am OK with eating fruit once a day.  It has also not been a problem wanting to eat the kids' Easter candy that is out in front of me all day long.  I know it would not make me feel very good.

Last week, I decided to create a small bike riding goal of 50 miles in 6 weeks.  I am over 30% there.  I decided to make it small because the weather is not always conducive to riding.  For example, today after lunch, we headed out to ride.  We got 2 miles into our ride and it started to rain hard enough that I could not see out of my glasses, so we turned around.  That is OK because we rode extra on Sunday when it was nice.  I am aiming at 3 or more miles a day 5 times a week or no less than 10 if the weather is uncooperative. I really like having that goal set on the MapMyRide app.  I am motivated to ride when I see my progress.

I did not buy a scale.  My daughter says I need a scale that will only let me weigh once a week.  Wouldn't that be neat?  I don't want all the psychological junk that comes with weighing right now.

Thinking About My Future Self

Recently I listened to a Ted Talk about motivation.  Basically, the researchers have found that what really motivates people is seeing how your future self will be affected by the decisions made by your current self. They created an app to actually see yourself in the future living out your decisions.  I find this very interesting.  I have been trying to figure out a way to motivate myself to say no now so that I can have a happier future.  It's just that I really want to be happy now and later, which isn't really possible.  Guess I need to do a little thinking about how to make both my future and current self happy.

No Gym Necessary

Our house is the typical American tract house in what I lovingly call  "A Vinyl Village" neighborhood.  There is an area in the front of our home that is supposed to be a more formal dining area.  We don't have a need for this space, so it is empty.  I was going to use it for a sitting area, but the chairs we had were not right, plus it just looked cluttered.  Then I moved our desk in.  It didn't look too bad, but I noticed we were not using the desk much.  Finally, the Christmas tree went in the middle of the space in November.  It was perfect, but when it was taken down, the space was empty again.  Then I decided to make it our exercising space.  It isn't pretty, but it does work for me.  I like not having to move furniture around or clear space in the family room.  Plus, I can still hear or see the TV if I need to.  I have considered moving it all upstairs in the loft, and I may still do that, but for now it is working well.  Since we live in our house, we need to feel free to use the space in a way that suits us, not HGTV.

 I am loving the AB Trimmer, by the way. I use the Wii fitness board for steps.  I would like to find a good step board.  I had one, but it was flimsy.

My bike trainer is also near by.  It's getting a tune up at the moment.  They have good winter prices on bike tune ups!  I can't wait to get it back.   (So it can mock me?  Ha!)

I have been doing a 30 minute session five times a week for the past several weeks.  I try to do it when my children are doing their aerobics or with my oldest son when he gets home from school.  I am hoping it will help me be ready for bike season.  We want to do more riding than last year.

Pretty Much