Catch Up for the Last Week

So this last weekend threw me off just slightly, I'm not going to lie.  Although it was absolutely worth it :)

I spent the weekend in Massachusetts with my family which was awesome as always.  The reason for the trip, although sad, ended up being a really special experience.  My grandfather passed away in December and decided to be cremated.  My grandmother wanted to wait until it was a bit nicer out to have a memorial service and place his urn at his cemetery plot so Easter weekend was picked. I left work early and got into town Thursday evening and had dinner with my Grandmother at one of my favorite restaurants ever!  Gibbet Hill in Groton, MA.  It is a farm to table type restaurant with its own garden and even their own black angus cows...which happen turn into delightful filet mignon as I found out at dinner :)

Normally when I go to MA,  I can count on at least one evening staying up way too late with my grandmother <--one of the most amazing women I have ever known, and who never seems to sleep;-)--and a bottle of wine.  We got a bottle at the restaurant and ended up practically shutting the place down after we were done eating.  Dinner was delicious & the conversation as always was inspiring, motivating and lovely!

I woke up around 7 the next morning and went downstairs.  I tried....I really tried to want to do something productive.  Instead I was up for about 20 minutes and then went back up to bed for a little longer and read.  The night before was really wonderful and we were up until about 1am so I didn't feel too bad about resting a little longer.

The rest of the weekend was pretty busy helping Gram to get ready for the memorial, the memorial itself and then traveling to a beach in Maine to spread some of his ashes<--which by the way, was one of the most beautiful and spiritual things that I have ever witnessed.  (I will probably write more about this in the HighHeeledHoney blog).  The next morning I woke up early but not by choice....I had a flight to catch to make it back for the Easter Egg hunt with bf and bf's son.  Then later that day, I had a TON of hw.  All in all and exhausting weekend!  Great but exhausting!

This past week I have been waking up around 7 with the exception of today.  Bf and I watched 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' which was really good but REEEEAAAAlly long so I slept in a little today.

 I am hoping my yoga dvd come in today so in the morning on Friday I am planning to do some physical activity which means I will need to go to bed at reasonable time tonight.  Wish me luck!

Some funny stuff happened throughout the weekend  and even this week that I wanted to include in this blog but I figure at this point it would be difficult to pile it all in.  This was just a quick update and tomorrow I may return to my attempt at witty banter regarding the horrors and the successes in trying to be a morning person :)

Breeeaaaathe...

Well, I did what I had planned in a general sense.
Not exactly how I wanted but it was a start :)

-Wake up earlier--check! (about 6:40am)
-Do yoga--kind of check!
-Make healthy breakfast--check!

I woke up this morning with no alarm (which is amazing btw) around 6:40 am.  I got up slowly and brushed my teeth keeping the light off but the door open.  Then I went out into the living room and kitchen and opened the blinds.  It was cool because even just a slow introduction to light after having my eyes shut for over 7 hours was waaaay more relaxing than shocking my body awake with alarms and bright bathroom lights.

although my instructor today was
a stupid tablet  that I didn't
want to  use anyway...breeeeaaathe

Once I was in the living room and ready to begin some stretching/yoga, I realized that video I found online would need to be viewed on the computer....which is in the kitchen.  Great.  I have been on a semi-ban of against all of my bf's fancy schmancy techno-gadgets for so long and now if I wanted to follow through with my morning plan, I had two options.

1. Turn on the slow as molasses laptop, dig up the hdmi converter cable, plug the laptop into the tv, figure out the input/screen configuration/volume, and go from there.  This could add a whole extra 30 minutes to my plan and I didnt get up THAT early. :/

2. Succumb to the inevitable and use the Kindle Fire....ugh.

After a few minutes of thought I decided to use the Kindle Fire.  "Hmm, maybe if I start now, I can be done before my bf wakes up and he will never know that I used it!"  I found the video, put it on full screen, turned up the volume, propped it up in front of me and pressed play.  I began to hear the soft crashing of waves on the white sand beach and a calm voice began to speak to me from the ocean on the screen talking me through quiet, deep breaths.  I began to really relax...breathing in and breathing out...breathing in...and breathing out....breathing in...

STOP.


What the heck? The video just stopped and totally interrupted my calmness.  I had to hit Pause and then Play then follow a few calm yoga breaths/moves then stop. pause. play.  Just about every couple minutes.  O.M.G.  This is not relaxing.  And not especially easy when you are in Downward Dog trying to keep your neck and back in line.  With a couple minutes left in the video I decided this wasn't really working so I stopped....just in time for my bf to see me holding the tablet and scream "Ah-ha! I knew you would use it eventually!" Damn.  Oh well.



I went into the kitchen and made the breakfast that I planned which was delicious (Egg whites, green onion, salsa, ground turkey).  I normally don't eat breakfast but this was pretty light and once I was done, I actually felt great.  I finished a bottle of water and watched the Today Show for a bit.  I felt much more relaxed than I ever do in the mornings!  Maybe the little bit of yoga that I tried to do actually helped!  I did not feel the need to rush at all.  I was ready with enough time to get a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop, get to work and calmly start my day without any stress.  What a notion...start the day stress free.  I didn't really realize how much stress I impart on myself before anything even happens by not giving myself time to properly wake up.

All-in-all this morning went well.  However, I will be buying a yoga dvd so that I dont have to count on our internet connection or the lack of memory on a tablet to affect my concentration while achieving calm enlightenment.  Going to try the same thing tomorrow but hopefully figure out a different solution for the yoga stuff.  Any one have a good DVD I can borrow until mine comes in? :)

4 AM Makes No Sense

I guess I was really excited after yesterdays incredibly motivational realization of what a huge difference I can make by just waking up a bit earlier.  I woke up at 4:19 AM. what. the. heck. ...that time does not even make any sense to me!  As much as I want to do this, I found it impossible to get out of bed.  So I kind of rolled around and thought for a few hours and ended up getting up around 7 am.  In hind sight, I probably should have just gotten out of bed.  Now at 7 I felt more groggy and tired than I did at 4.  Part of my issue is that I had no idea what I was going to do if I got up at 4 except for think about how silly it would be to wake up that early and then probably be disappointed in myself that I did not make good use of the time.

How I imagine tomorrow morning
will be...stay tuned for a more realistic
version tomorrow morning.

So I decided I need to have a plan for when I wake up tomorrow no matter what time it is.  Many of the websites I have come across suggest doing your exercise in the morning.  Although eventually I want to try doing my runs or more intense exercise in the morning, I'm going to start off slow with a little yoga.  I found a great video online with the ocean in the background that seems like it might be a nice way to start the day. Morning Yoga for A Good Day.  I am going to try to make my living room a serene and relaxing place where I can ease myself out of my dreams and into a peaceful reality.  If only we lived overlooking the ocean and I had a view of the sunrise :-/

I am also going to eat breakfast tomorrow.  I am terrible with just having a huge cup of coffee and no food until lunchtime.  I know that is not how I need to get my body started.  I don't want to just have a bowl of cold cereal either because that will not help me to get out of bed.  When I visited my mom while she was working in California, the diners out there had the BEST healthy menus. **Insert sarcastic remark about California health nuts here**  One of my favorite items was an egg white omelet with ground turkey, salsa, avocado & brown rice.  I can do that! So today I will be going to the store and making sure that i am prepared to make a really good breakfast.  If I cook, maybe my bf will get up a little earlier too and we can spend some quality time together :)

Ok, I think that is a good start...Yoga & a healthy breakfast and probably watching the Today Show.  Sounds awesome!  I'm sure my post tomorrow will be interesting after trying yoga for the first time in years....yikes lol :)

Starting Over :)

Alright y'all, I'm serious now.  I considered writing this blog post yesterday but it being April Fool's Day, I didn't want to give myself another excuse to stop ;-)  I have a new-found motivation today.  Things in general are really great so there is no reason that I can't do this.  I'm healthy, I'm busy and I'm happy.

Me this morning....except girl and longer hair.
Oh and slightly older...just had a birthday

So let's go!

This morning I woke up around 7:20.  Early enough to slowly get ready and get to work early but not early enough to really get with it and be productive. Even though I was well hydrated last night and slept for 8 hours I still woke up with puffy eyes that made me look like I had been socked in the face and I felt super squinty.

What I want to be like

I want to wake up like the lady in the Folger's commercials going to dance class.  As soon as she opens her eyes, they are wide open and ready to face the day with enthusiasm and vigor.  She smiles just to have the opportunity to get out of bed and then goes to some dance class high on life and Folger's coffee. See Strange Happy Woman.


I don't get it...I am always the one to try to be positive and be thankful for everything that I have and I also try to influence others to think the same way.  Why is it so hard to be thankful for the morning and the chance to be physically and mentally capable of getting out of bed??  Shouldn't I just be able to rejoice and jump out of bed and embrace the day and what new adventures it may bring?  Yes. I should.  However, lately I am perfectly content to rejoice and be thankful for my gazillion thread-count sheets and TempurPedic bed.

Maybe I need to change my perception of what it means to wake up in the morning.  It is a blessing that we wake up in the morning and have to ability to make choices on how we will spend our day.

• Why do I really want to make this change?  My first thought in this little habit changing project was that I wanted to be able to say that i am a morning person. Ok...so what?
• Why do I want to be able to say that?  Most morning people I know are incredibly productive individuals
• Why do I want to be productive?  This one is kind of hard and maybe too deep for this early in the morning but simply put...Life is Short.  In the time I have, I want to be healthy, happy and make a true difference in my family, my community and the world.  I want to create healthy habits that will allow me to do these things.

Whoa....ok now that we have ridden on my train-of-thought for a bit, this is much bigger than just being able to get up early.  It almost seems more simple too.  Get yo' lazy a$$ out of bed to make a difference.  If I get up earlier and take care of some of the basic things I need to do for myself, I will have that much more time later on to take care of everyone else I love and everything else I care about.

31 days starts now....again.  There is more riding on this than I originally thought.  Funny what kind of motivation can come from a run-of-the-mill coffee commercial ;-)

Damn you Immune System....Damn you

So here I've been thinking about starting this blog and committing to this goal for the last 3 months.  I finally do it and KA-BAM! My immune system decides to play a little joke on me and fail just as I start.  For the last 4 days I have felt like an elephant has been sitting on my chest and I've been able to do little more than lay around on the couch.

Just a few days prior to getting sick, I was thinking to myself, "Wow this is awesome, I haven't gotten sick at all this winter."  So basically it is all my fault...I jinxed myself.  I have really been struggling to wake up before 9am since I have been feeling so crappy :(

I am going to continue writing this blog even if I am still getting over my sickness in order to stay motivated.  I am hoping that this extra motivation might help my body kick these leftover germs outta my house! I'm going to begin by listing the positives of being sick to change this from a bummer to a slight shift in schedule:

• Boyfriend makes me soup
• My stomach/waist feels tight from coughing so much...I know, ew but kinda nice at the same time
• Watched 5 hours of Food Network therapy while home from work on Monday...Yes, Rachel Ray is still annoying
• Caught up on Bethenney Ever After (yay!)
• aaaaannnndddd thats about all I got....

Moving forward, how do I keep from getting sick?  In doing a little bit of research and remembering what my Grandmother has told me for years, there are the normal suggestions....Orange Juice, lots of water, exercise, leafy greens, wash your hands, blah de blah de blah.  All great suggestions and definitely work.  However, I was happy to find a list of unusual tips for not getting sick which are way more fun!

Weird Ways to Not Get Sick 

Check the article by Laurel House for more details
Weird Ways to Not Get Sick

1. Kiss- (YAY!) Kissing can actually help in making your immune system stronger by sharing some bacteria.  This might make kissing sound a bit gross or you may want to run with this and go crazy.  Ladies, this is not a reason to kiss just anyone. Please be picky!  ***A disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for what you may or may not obtain through kissing.
2. Listen to Music- So glad that this is a healthy habit! Listening to some relaxing jazz or something similar can reduce stress which also boost good protein levels in your body.
3. Walk Really Fast, Don't Run-  We know exercise is important to keep yourself healthy but the trick here is to not overdo it especially if you are already feeling less than normal.
4. Don't Blow Your Nose-If you do, they recommend to blow gently or take a decongestant.  By blowing too hard, you can end up sending mucus into your sinuses which is an even worse place for it to be. 
5. Get Hot- Duh!!! We are always "hot" in our high heels but this article suggests a sauna to help get a cold out of your system.  My dad used to sit us in the bathroom with the shower on super hot to let the steam help loosen up any yucky stuff.  Makes for a high water bill but it definitely works!
6. Avoid the Desert- Although heat can help knock-out a cold, dry heat can help to keep them around.  Humidifiers help big time in the winter.
7. Drink Coffee- This makes me happy as I am a bit of a coffee addict.   Obviously you don't want all coffee and no H2O but coffee among other hot liquids can help to get nasty viruses 'out of your mouth and down to your stomach where it can't grow due to acids.'

I love this list in addition to the norms!  Add to this red wine being healthy for your heart and my fantasy of high heels becoming some magical remedy as well and this list would be complete!!!

All this being said, I have still not given up on this commitment to become a morning person and wake up early an be productive.  Even if it means completing this challenge outside of an actual month's time.  Until my 31 days starts over, I will be getting healthy and staying motivated!

  

The good thing about this, or  maybe bad,  is that you will get to read this blog that much longer :)

What are your tips for staying healthy???

31 Days to Become a Morning Person

As of yesterday, I have challenged myself with a 31 day test....get my a$$ out of bed early and be productive!  This blog will serve as a way to let everyone know what is going on and also to hold myself accountable for the commitment I am making.  I am not a morning person so although this may not seem like a big deal, it will be difficult for me.  I used to be that person who set an alarm only to snooze 10 times before I actually got out of bed.  I have gotten to the point where I wake up around 7 with no alarm.  However, that does not mean that I get out of bed.  I need to start utilizing my mornings to get things done so that I can enjoy my evenings a little more and have more flexibility with other commitments.

Day 1

 Ew.  This already sucks.  Greeeat way to start my motivational, 'I can do anything' blog... : /  I woke up this morning at 6:30 with no alarm.  This in itself is great!  I'd like to get up at 6:30 everyday.  The problem is that my brain is programmed to see the clock at this time and pull the blanket back up over my head and go back to sleep.

I should have just gotten up! When 7 am rolled around, I made myself get up but now I feel groggy and tired because I went back to sleep for that half hour.  I hate when that happens! This will get easier, this will get easier.  If you just get up when you wake up, you feel so much better.  Today my motivation to get out of bed was to write this blog and put it out there what I am doing.  If I didn't get this done, then it would be too convenient for me to just forget the idea and continue sleeping until whenever.

Eventually, I want to be working out in the morning.  Today I am considering blog writing to be my productive  thing.  And perhaps also, having a cup of free coffee at home instead of sleeping late so that I end up paying for it at work.

I also wanted to do this to hopefully inspire someone else to try a change for 31 days....what small change could you make that is slightly out of your comfort zone that could potentially change your life in numerous ways?  Think about it and join me!  This may be a selfish request because it is so much easier to motivate myself when I have someone else counting on me as well :)

So come on, help me, help you, help me ;-P