Musings

Well, you guys. I’ve officially lost a total of 34 pounds, 38 inches (from all over), and I have gone down 4 dress sizes! I’ve been working on building up my strength, and it’s paying off. Saturday, I did a bunch of yard work, shoveled a dirt for 3+ hours, hauled off logs and wood, and re-stacked a woodpile. All without being incapacitated with bodily pain the next day. Don’t get me wrong, I was bit sore, but it was very mild and hardly noticeable. It’s such a good feeling to be able to accomplish tasks like that… and even better to do a good job and know you did a good job.

I also did yard work last weekend, but that time, my legs were quite sore. Even though I was swinging an ax, sawing, and chopping things, nothing else on my body hurt except for the backs of my legs. It just goes to show that even when you go to the gym and work out really hard, manual labor still uses muscles that you may not be reaching at the gym.

See, I’ve been working out 4x a week since March. I also did a lifestyle change… greatly reduced the amount of processed foods I’ve been eating, incorporating more fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats into my diet, drinking a lot of water, and just being healthy in general. And it’s paying off. I’m losing 1-2 pounds a week, which doesn’t sound like much, but after a number of weeks and months, it adds up. And since I am losing it slowly, I will be less likely to gain it back, which is a problem I’ve had in the past. I’ve tried numerous fad diets (years ago), lost a decent amount of weight in a short amount of time, but I had a hard time keeping the weight off because I was doing it all wrong. It’s not a diet; it’s a lifetstyle. And I love it! I feel great, look great, and have tons of energy, which is a big difference from this time last year. I’m not as focused on losing weight now, though. If I lose more, that’s fine, but I’m more focused on toning up at this point.

So yeah, that was my Saturday. Sunday was nice and relaxing… Paul’s parents came over early Sunday morning to watch Nathan while Paul and I went to church. Since he’s been sick with back-go-back illnesses (with a cold that turned into a respiratory infection, and then that nasty virus he had), we decided to keep him out of the nursery so he could enjoy being well for a bit longer. It was nice not having to hurry to the nursery to drop him off, and Paul and I enjoyed a nice breakfast together after the service. It’s been a long time since we’ve gone out to eat, just the two of us, and we enjoyed not having to worry about keeping our little guy happily entertained, cutting up his food, preventing him from launching said food in all directions, and all the other things that come with having your child with you in a restaurant.

Sometimes it’s nice just to have some time to yourselves. It doesn’t mean you love your kid any less, though. We all need a break sometimes!