May 2016: The Great Reset!

Hello May!  I like to start some months with a total - overall - reboot of sorts.  May gets to be the lucky winner for being my reset month for the summer.

After being sick last week and not liking myself because of it I'm working on three areas:

What I eat
Movement
Sleep

A couple weeks back I realized my diet was crap.  I'm one of those girls who will work out to indulge.  In case you didn't know already - that is a really bad reason to work out.  When I was a tad younger I worked out to work out and ate right when I did.  Now it seems like logging a good hard work out should be rewarded with sugar.

Sugar is not my friend (no matter what my sweet teeth tell me).  It makes me feel gross, look gross, and sets me up for bad situations (it can totally wreck your immune system.)

This week I am taking on a challenge slash lifestyle change that basically will be giving me a huge need to "release" frustrations and beg for some motivational help.

Alright, let's just do this thing.

Hello, my name is Amanda and I am a

sugarholic.

I want everything in this picture...including the cake!

I eat too much damned sugar.  This has been in the back of my brain - somewhere around my cerebellum I guess - for a while.  Now it is right between my eyes - Amanda, you eat too much freaking sugar.

So I'm cutting it out.

The excess, non naturally occurring kind at least.

I'm not doing this to be trendy or whatever - I'm doing it for myself.

Over the past year or so I have noticed changes in myself that I just do not like.  Most can be chalked up to being nearly half a decade from my twenties (ouch, that hurts).  My skin isn't like it was, my middle isn't where it should be (and its too late to claim pregnancy).  Though my energy level is good I think it could be way better.

Then there are hormones and blood levels that scream at me - you're in your thirties take charge now.

Last week I was sick and for the first time in my life I felt I was a 34 year old facing the daily struggle of an 84 year old.

Sugar helped my body get sick (among other factors!)

So sugar must be killed.

The good news is this detox and lifestyle change will have HUGE benefits including and not limited to:

1.  Even more energy

2.  Stronger immune system

3.  Decrease in body mass (maybe I'll get those final six pounds off!)

4.  Better complexion

5.  Healthier me which means a stronger mommy and wifey

I am confident I can do this.  I have a bit of a nutrition background and have a good idea of what all I'll be doing but at the same time it is way easier to instruct another person on all the important keys to success than telling yourself you have to.

You must know I'll be very ornery realizing that my beloved Bear Claw flavor ice cream is a bad guy.  We won't discuss how this will effect my weekend beers or wine.  Let's refrain from asking about weekend baking too.

Of course I know you're allowed to live a little and indulge in a bad boy here and there but I like to keep all focused and let no bad guys get passed me.  I guess it is part of being a Scorpio.

If you're interested in taking this challenge slash lifestyle change then email me at abrownieworldblog@gmail.com and I'll give you the daily dish on what is happening that day to push us all forward.  NO, I'm not doing this on my own.  I'm doing this through a local health care center because I have to and because I want to.

Are you an active person?  I am a very active person.  It is annoying to me how I cannot sit down.  Can we say adult onset ADD?

Sitting down on the couch after a day of work - isn't happening.
The kids are gone for a few hours so I can rest?  No way I have stuff to do.
It is a pretty day - lie out in the sun!  I would rather do something that makes me sweat.

Though this side of me is annoying I also appreciate it.
But I want to do more.

I haven't been in the gym but ONE time in two weeks.  Look, I enjoy being outside to get my exercise but the stuff I do outside cannot compare to the work I do when I'm in a room filled with equipment and boring, muted television screens.

Though I cannot go back to five days of working out per week I can fit in three trips each week.

I will do this.  I will charge that Fitbit back up and have it on Monday morning.

Sleep is something I dream of.  There is a common theme among us mommies - we all are tired.  I think we're more tired than we ever imagined.  Being a mom is draining (and rewarding) especially when you're children are younger and need you for very important things (like counting Matchbox Cars or making the 47th Play Doh cake of the day).

I can admit to being so tired that when the kids do go down for the night I stay up longer.  That is my ME time - no matter how tired I am I want to be able to veg out and watch an non cartoon or Teen Nick show.

Another reason I stay up when I am dead tired is to see my husband.  During the week we see each other for about 5 minutes a day.  If I can stay up until 11:30 then we can see each other for about fifteen minutes before I pass out (from being tired or the way his feet stink - he needs new shoes!)

Sleep deprivation is real and it is killing me.

Some nights I only get 5 hours of sleep and though many can run off that I need a minimum of seven.  I swear in my twenties I could run off four easily.

This week I'm going to make a point of resting.  I will intentionally locate a time in my afternoon where I can close my eyes (with super glue) for a minimum of 15 minutes.  This will be the hardest thing in the world for me to do considering my three year old will more than likely wage a war against me looking like I may be asleep.

The benefits of good sleep and rest are immense for keeping ourselves healthy - our body needs us to rest so it can efficiently complete all the metabolic processes and for our brains to have better focus.  More rest keeps us from getting sick and helps us maintain a healthier weight.


Let's be honest - I think the majority of us can totally go for this reset - it is May and May is bathing suit season. <wink>

I shared this post on Motivational Monday with A Fresh Start on a Budget!