water

My task this week, in addition to the regulars, is to consume 64 ounces of water daily. I am here to tell you that after two days of this attempt that it is not necessary for a 100 pound person to consume that much water on a daily basis in order to stay hydrated. Even in the desert. I have spent the last two days with a bloated stomach that wants to vomit water by 11:00 a.m. Seriouly, started gagging at one point. I barely made my ounces yesterday and yes, I was counting my ice cups. And in addition to feeling water-logged all day even my children noticed how much I was using the bathroom. Four times during the night last night. FOUR TIMES! And during the day it was ridiculous.

I'm all for water, in fact we seldom drink anything else around here. I don't buy juice on a regular basis and we don't drink soda. We make sure the kids are drinking throughout the day to stay hydrated, especially when we're outside so much in the heat. I believe that water has healing properties, that it has a high vibration in our bodies and that it flushes toxins out of our our systems. However, I also believe that our bodies can tell us how much we need and mine started yelling yesterday!

As I increase my H2O consumption, I'm positive this is just as effective as any marketed "cleanse" out there! I'm also positive my stomach is going to be permanently pooched out as long as I keep pumping the fluid! I told Denten last night that it shouldn't be so hard seeing as I know that 8 glasses a day is the recommended amount, but he looked at me and said, "not for someone your size." I gotta say, I'm agreeing with him as my bathroom is being used twice as much as it normally does. I figure I'm getting rid of any toxins that were hanging out in my body and that my skin is going to look fantastic... unless water starts seeping out of my pores...

my thoughts on calorie counting... and a run.

I think tracking calories is a pain. That is the weekly challenge this week in fitness challenge. Keeping a food journal is much easier, I'll be glad when we move to a new weekly challenge. I know it's good for me to be aware of how many calories I'm taking in, but I feel like I get a good idea of what's going into my body with a simple food journal. That helps me see how often I'm eating, how much and what kind of choices I'm making. I understand the need to be aware of calories, but it could potentially backfire. I mean, I want a sandwich with turkey, cheese and avocado on wheat bread... so I've got to figure each piece out when the alternative (let's just be honest) is a package of top ramen where the calories are already laid out there for me on the package! In fact, most packaged foods are much easier when counting calories because they are predetermined when fresh foods are not as easy to track. Anyway, I have a few websites helping me out and we'll survive a week. And it has been interesting, and relieving that at the end of the day my calorie count is not nearly as high as I think it will be as I keep adding things to my list through the day.

All in all, it's much easier to just eat ice all day long... no need to figure anything out there!

and in the exercise realm of things... I completed the family fun run at our family reunion this past weekend- three miles on a dirt road in my vibrams. I was concerned about the rocks and uneven surfaces, but after a quick trial the day before decided to give it a go. Running in them on that surface wasn't a big deal at all. There were, however, a few major hills. yes, major- for me. On our way into the property we noticed the mile markers and the hill that followed the turnaround point.

Denten said "you can run up this."

I said, "b.s."

He said, "you don't believe in yourself."

I took offense.

And I'll have you know I ran up that stinkin' hill with his 'you don't believe in yourself' in my head the whole time.

observations

about fitness challenge... day 1:

- my run actually felt pretty good, although it was inside on the treadmill as denten is out of town and I wasn't towing three extras along with me outside! there is nothing good on TV at 6:15 in the morning and I don't have a dvr in the room where my treadmill is. oh well, it felt good anyway.

- I have been overly sensitive about everything I eat, to the point where I found myself hungry a few different times today.

- I did the obligatory weigh-in this morning and documented weight and body fat starting points. my goal in all of this is not to lose weight, but rather kick a few habits and establish a few new good ones.

- 7:30 is early for me to be done eating for the night. this will be a challenge. I don't want to grab something fast (and unhealthy) just to eat before my time is up when I could wait a while and have a good and healthy meal a little later. planning ahead... that's the secret!

- I will have to be careful about snacking as tortilla chips, pretzels and other carb snacks with high sodium are available and an alternative to a "treat." I need better snack options. nuts, yogurt... what else?

- my scripture study included Ruth today. what cool women Naomi and Ruth were.

- unrelated to fitness challenge, seneca wore her new swim cap to the pool today. I took a pic with my phone, but need to get a better one. yellow swimsuit with tutu fluff, royal blue cap with white hearts on it and bright pink arm floaties. man, she was cute stuff. thanks, tess!!

- denten is on his way home from supai right now with grandma and grandpa. should be a super fun few days!!

thursday thoughts

swim team has begun. we were too late to join the morning group, so we practice at 5 p.m. every night. it was supposed to be four nights a week, but because meets are on thursdays, we have practice on fridays. that's FIVE days a week at the pool for an hour. we're not even through the first week and the kids were asking if we could swim in our pool today. so we did. we are going to log some serious sun and swim time the next two months! it seems silly to me to pay for a pass at the school pool when we have a pool at home, but it's also silly to sit in the heat for an hour when I could be teaching and swimming with the younger two. I do a short lesson with each of them and then we play for a bit while cooper finishes up. it's a fun pool with a big slide, a diving pool and a splash playground in a shallow pool for the kids. so far they are content to swim and splash in the beach entry pool. I loaded up on sunscreen today!

with this summer schedule, I have been struggling to keep balance... that is the focus of the year and it is a goal that is always in progress. getting home at 6:15 with tired, hungry kids means I need to be on top of the dinner situation. planning and carrying out meals on a consistent basis is not my forte! we're working on it. there's a balance that must be found when a mom is also the primary caretaker of the home. keeping the house clean requires a significant amount of time and it's tricky to fit in when there are great experiences I want to be having with my kids. there are so many learning time opportunities to be had this summer mixed in with field trips and playtime, it would be nice to have a clone to take care of the laundry, cleaning and meals so I could just enjoy my kids! we've talked about hiring someone to help with the cleaning and such, but we're not sure that's the best use of our funds right now. someone came to give me an estimate today, we'll see if money falls from the sky any time soon.

another topic that is on my mind is fitness challenge. if you're tired of hearing about it already, feel free to skip this blog for the next 12 weeks! there are a few things I'm excited about: I'm excited to be doing this with great friends. some of my law school friends from new york days have jumped in and I'm stoked they are participating. it will be so great to share ideas and keep up with them during this. there are also a few south phoenix friends in the pool, ones who I used to work out with on a regular basis and will be tough competitors! I'm excited to be pushed to get into shape. I know I shouldn't need the push, but without it, getting exercise in every single day does not always top the list of priorities. now, I've got to make it fit! I'm excited to be more productive with my scripture study. One thing that will be a change of pace for me is not eating after 7:30 in the evening. I usually feed the kids and then once they are in bed and Denten is home, we eat together. This is always after 7:30. Dinner all together sounds divine, but D's work schedule doesn't permit that right now. I'll need to adjust and eat earlier with the kids and stick to ice and water after 7:30! It will be a healthy change to not eat so late, just a change-up around here.

denten's parents are coming to visit next week. it will be fun to have them here, to see our revised life and have them a part of the madness for a few days. I'm looking forward to their visit. I enjoy them both thoroughly and am excited for the kids to be able to have some time with their grandparents.

there you have it. the thursday mess in my head. if you have any magic dust on how to accomplish everything one desires in a 24 hour period, send some my way!