Abdominals

Today's Denise Austin focused on the abdominals. Good old Denise talked about pulling up and in the abs the multiple effects this has on the body. I will go to a bullet system because they make me feel official.

Pulling in the abs:

• Strengthens your core muscles
• Prevents saggy gut
• Improves your posture
• Supports your back

I am sure it does many other things. But as I focus on pulling in my abs, I feel like standing to do dishes is a workout. I definitely see the difference as I sit here at the computer. When I don't make an effort to pull them in, my guy squished forward...not pretty.

So even when you can't fit in an exercise session, pulling in the abs with make you look and feel better. And...it is hard work, trust me.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4616966_hard-abs-doing-crunches-step.html

Weeding

In 30 minutes a 180 lb person can burn:

• 182 calories weeding
• 202 calories general gardening
• 162 calories planting seedlings

Out of this you get:

• Healthy nutritious food
• Time to spend time outdoors breathing fresh air
• To observe nature
  
• To center your chi
• To teach your children and give them hands on learning opportunities
  
• To share the excess, thus serving others
  

Plus there is something soooo satisfying about watching your little seedling emerge and nurturing them to fruition. That probably has something to do with centering your chi.

Yesterday I weeded and gardened for about an hour and didn't think much of it, but I have sore muscles today so it must have done something.

I hereby declare gardening a healthy option.

http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/gardening-as-healthy-exercise-944590.html

Never Again

I will never again bring all three kids to the Dr's or dentist etc... I think I remember having this realization before, but hopefully I remember it now.

For some reason I thought that the boys would be enthralled while watching their sister get her teeth cleaned, but no they were literally hanging off the machinery, running up and down the halls, touching everything.

At one point I was asked not to let them run because there were people with sharp objects walking in the hall. I had to laugh (you know that irritated I think you are ridiculous laugh???) because of course I allow my children to run recklessly.

Anyway under the goal of happy healthy family I now state that for my sanity and their happiness, medical appointments are now special time that me and the patient get to share together.

Movement

I have heard that at the average desk job you burn between 300-400 calories. I figure this is the up and down from the chair, walking to the copier, delivering this or that to co-workers etc...

So I think that as a stay at home mom I can burn about 400 calories, at least, doing laundry, cleaning, playing outside and all the other things I do to stay on top of things.

But I do spend a lot of time down. On the computer, reading books to me or to the kids, knitting. I did some research and found that if you work at a desk, you should aim to get up from your desk every 20-30 minutes.

So I will do the same. Truth be told...I already do that, but now I will do it consciously to make sure that I am not getting sedentary.

Realization

I will never be the size I want to be, and the more I focus on that desire the more frustrated I will become.

So from here on out my focus is overall health.

• Healthy Food/Appropriate Portions
• Daily Exercise/Overall Physical Activity
• Stress Reduction via Hobbies or Personal Time
  
• Water Intake
• Service to Others
• Cleanliness
• Happy Healthy Family
• Religious Studies
• Sleep (Early to Bed, Early to Rise)
  

As long as I am making reasonable goals in each of these areas and achieving them (as a path to progression, not an end...) then who cares how much I weigh or what I look like!

Introduction

Hello!

Welcome to my health progression blog. As an intro...

I am a female, age 31 (32 in September,) 5'2", 225 lbs, married, three kids...want more in the future...

As a disclaimer...I have big bones and strong muscles (really, truly) and most people don't think I weigh that much.

I have been big all my life and no matter how little I eat and how much I exercise I will always be big.

I am slowly becoming ok with that, but what needs to be more important to me is overall health.

Finally...I am healthy eater, meaning I eat healthy food most of the time. I feel strongly about whole foods not processed foods, however I am not a zealot.

So here goes. This will be my personal food journal, exercise record and a place to express my thoughts and feeling on health, eating exercise and personal image.