Re-defining.....

Exercise and Food

  Exercising was more about playing sports and doing cardio (running, elliptical, swimming, P90X3 videos). Food was more about trying to make good choices (only 2 cookies instead of 4) and eating a balanced diet. It was less about tracking daily activities and creating a plan of attack at the gym. Less about counting calories and thinking about what/how much I've eaten in a given day. Less time thinking about my posture, how I'm holding the spoon while stirring food in the pot, and what the numbers read at the end of the day.

  Then I joined the gym. Hired a trainer. Downloaded a new calorie/activity/weight management app on my iPhone. Researched and purchased a Fitbit Charge 2 to help keep track of the new numbers in my life.

  Back in November of last year, I was experiencing numbness in my right hand during certain activities, such as using the blow dryer, and eventually got to the point that my hands would be numb when I woke up most mornings. Tension head aches traveled from my shoulders to my temples and the tightness in my neck was ridiculous. My friend Donna recommended physical therapy, and I'm happy to report that after weekly sessions with Heather, some stretching at home, and one massage, I'm in the homestretch and have my hands about back to normal. My awareness of my shoulder posture is always at a high and since starting the training regimen at the gym, it's also a learning experience of what I can and shouldn't do with that right shoulder. My right thumb is still acting up though, and is going to get some attention over the next few weeks at the PT office (carpal tunnel? poor posture in the joint?).

  Enter my desire to start the new year with a new focus on my body. I want to take care of it now while it's just slightly broken instead of doing major repairs in the future. Hence the gym membership and Dave, my personal trainer. He measured, pinched, calculated, and together we came up with some target numbers for weight and total body fat percentage. I have an idea of the number of calories I should be eating to achieve my goals, the calories that should be burned on a daily basis, and the means to track both.

  I've been lucky that counting calories has never been part of my life until now, and I'm slowing drowning in those numbers even though it's only been a week since logging into dotFIT for the first time. This is completely changing how I work out, my thought process for eating, and perhaps how I feel about myself. It's highlighting weaknesses in my self-control (or lack thereof) when it comes to sweets and carbs. It's teaching me how to use the weight machines at the gym and creating a schedule for increasing my level of fitness. It's also teaching me to re-think my time management as going to the gym is a major commitment three mornings per week.

Household chores

  I grew up with an allowance for chores completed. Chadwick grew up with no allowance. We are still working to find a happy medium for our little family. A friend recommended a book that shaped how she developed a chore regimen for her family, and I quickly ordered my own copy from Amazon.

  Jodie Norton outlines her methods and reasons for her system, which she has been developing for quite a few years, it sounds like. It has three categories - expectables, payables, and saveables. Totally made up words and she freely admits to the fact. There are some chores that children need to accomplish daily without question - the ones that are related to personal hygiene (dressing, teeth, hair). And in my family this includes bedroom chores and homework. The next level is the group of chores that are expected from all family members to keep the house running more smoothly - cleaning up your dishes at the table, picking up toys and personal items at the end of each day, unloading and reloading the dishwasher as needed, or putting away clean clothes. The payable chores are the ones that provide the opportunity to earn money - each child has a form to fill out a spreadsheet each week with checks as chores are completed. At the end of the week, a "please pay" slip is turned in with the amount done. No chores done, no payment. No slip turned it, no payment. All of these chores have with them consequences that occur when the chore isn't complete.

  I love the idea of this system for a few reasons - it teaches children to be responsible for keeping track of their work. It teaches responsibility for their action, or lack thereof, and they can start learning to manage money. The savable chores are for those children who are capable of saving up for a bigger ticket item. The wages received for the chore is reflected in the level of difficulty for that chore.

  Our "expectables" list is hanging on the wall in the kitchen and I'm gearing up for the next phase. Chadwick is totally on board with the system which makes me excited to put everything into place.

Reading

  In the past, I've been a John Grisham, Nicholas Sparks type reader. Recently, I've branched out - The Speed of Trust, Time Well Spent, Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families, and The Outward Mindset: Seeing Beyond Ourselves have been my choices. Not exactly light reading, but I'm learning about people, myself, and how I can more positively interact with those in my circle of influence. The Collapse of Parenting is on my list as well as the biography of Gordon B. Hinkley.

Date Nights

It's hard to squeeze in time for a formal date night with my hubs and I've renewed my desire to have more informal ones with him. Ones where we sit on the couch, eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and talk or play a game. Quality time, in other words. My waistline (and numbers) can't handle this type of date every week, but my goal is to do this monthly. January? Check!