Taking Care of Myself (Page 2)

Observation went really well. My son informed me out of the blue this week that he wants to play baseball. So I dug out his little league stuff from a few years ago and we played catch for a while. It was great.

One of the things I like best about taking care of me, is that I have more emotional/physical energy to take care of him. 

I had a great day today. Got a good workout in this morning. Ate clean. I came home, changed... then suddenly felt really restless, 

sort of out of no where. 

So, mentally, I took a step back. I just, stopped. I sat down and took some time to just look out the window.  I was quiet for a few minutes, taking note of my breathing, listening to the birds, letting my mind empty. '

I pictured the negative anxiety of the moment, slowly floating down the river.

While all the time, I was standing on the river bank calm, and peaceful...

When I get my panties in a bunch over work meetings/issues/colleagues? That's a big trigger to grab bad food.

I've been working on getting over bad conversations and moving on.

Hi Kate,

This is a great topic - thanks for starting it.  I'm sure more people will post if you keep it going.

I've been wrestling with an extra 10 lbs since the holidays.  My parents moved to Maui (right next door, which is AWESOME!) last October, so for a few months I wasn't eating as strict as I normally do (I've been Paleo for over 2 years now).  I've now gone back to being more strict, but the occasional treat still works it's way in - funny thing is now, especially if it's sugar, I get a headache in about 20 minutes after eating it.  But then I forget about the headache and do it again and again.

I need to develop a mechanism for remembering that even though it sounds good and I think I need it, it will not FEEL good if I eat it.  I read a post from another triathlete's blog recently that said something like "I am better at abstinence than I am at moderation."  I totally fit that concept! Maybe THAT should be my new mantra.

So far I have gotten rid of all the "bad" things in the house, and I have stocked my little fridge at work with good snacks (nuts, baby carrots, etc.).

BTW - I've been following Vinnie Tortorich for several months now - his concept is "no sugar no grains" "NSNG."  It's simple and it really works.  Check him out.

Today, one step in front of the other. Continued stress at work. Sometimes it's so hard not to get overwhelmed with negative feelings.  I love my job, and love most of my co-workers, but little incidents can gnaw at me and make me crazy. 

Part of taking care of me is letting them go.. pray it away.. visualize it away. I don't want to shoot myself in the foot with escapist behavior like eating bad or lashing out at others. 

Let there be peace. 

Recently I've created a few places in my house where it feels like my own small sanctuary. I put up a bird feeder next to a big bush outside a window. I can sit and watch into the large bush. The bird feeder is hanging next to the window. Lot's of birds come there to feed throughout the day and hop around in the bush.  

When I sit there and watch the birds, it's very calming and allows me to clear my  mind. I don't know why it's taken me so long to create something like this inside my house.

I often feel meditative when I am out doing s/b/r, but there is something different about sitting for a bit, quietly.. just thinking about... nothing. 

While I would like to lose a few more pounds, I am like you and just need to monitor my eating habits.  I go through spells where I don't eat at all (and my running suffers) and where I eat everything all the time (and my physical and mental appearances suffer).  RIght now my personal life is in upheaval and I'm coping the best I can. 

Carol, that sounds like a lovely place. I really like the sound of running water. This summer I might build an indoor hydroponic garden that has a water system that would sound like rain. Water is very soothing.

I'm so sorry to hear that. Sending you some caring thoughts. Please be good to yourself. 

Good to hear from you Felecity. Mindfulness has been really helpful in balancing my moods. When I can find that peace, I struggle less with compulsive behavior. 

Within the last few weeks I've gone from crazy busy stress, to almost none. I'm on summer vacation. Food wise it's actually been a bit more difficult. I have a lot of free time and I'm often at home. With less day to day activity, I have the potential to put on a few pounds. To combat that, I'm keeping the fridge stored with healthy stuff. 

I've also a few projects that I'm doing, and I'm making a place for quiet time every day.

Some days are better than others. 

Honesty and effort. 

I've decided to jazz up my diet this month and try some new recipes. I'm gonna add more fish. Change is good. 

Weight wise, I've pretty much stayed the same. I'd really like to lose another 10 pounds. So, even though I'm not big on obsessive calorie counting, I'm going to use my FitnessPal account to track my diet.

I'm also doing more interval training, and I feel really good about that. 

Update: July was great, I had lot's of S/B/R and I really took care of myself diet wise, spiritually and mentally. 

August? My family had a very fun vacation. 

But since then I've been in a bit of a funk and experienced a loss of motivation. A big problem I'm having is sleep. For some reason either I can't get to sleep, or I wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. and can't get back to sleep.

So I'm tired.. which is hard on the moods. Which makes me prone to bad snacking.. and less workout, and I think that compounds the issue of getting to sleep which of course, feels really bad. 

It's a bad cycle I need to get out of. 

"taking care of self" has always been a tough issue for me.  I tend towards the codependent side of the spectrum.  I've learned the hard way that I become pretty toxic if I don't watch out for me.

I've been dealing with aging parents and this is as necessary as it is a trap for me.  This morning I was grumpy as I had been trying to help them with their computer.  Finally I took myself off to Barnes and Nobles for a double latte and some brain candy reading,  I followed this up by buying some new clothes including some new undies that are comfortable.  Occasionally the cure for the bunched undies is new undies!

I came home feeling much better.

I am the same way (responding to the OP...).  I have lost quite a btit of weight in the last two years or so, tracking calories.  Gotten a little losser as I've been down near goal weight, which is fine. But I notice that when things don't go my way I tend to react by eating.  Somewhat feels like dealing with stress, but somewhat also feels like I am punishing myself.  That's the part I really don't like, and it makes it hard to make wise choices when I am allowing that little 3 year old to control how I react.

It's frustrating at times.  Well, always, when it happens

Yesterday, I did 20 min of yoga before running and it really helped.  I run as little as possible as I know it is hard on this middle aged body but it is such an easy-to-do sport.  The season here is that un-named time period between fall and winter.  There are still bits of gold amongst the gray and after I got into the rhythm it was wonderful to be outside.

Also, on the subject of self care, I called a friend and invited myself to her place for Christmas.  This way I avoid the family dysfunction and also get a fun train ride out to Nevada.

Keep that axe sharp all!

Hey. I haven't visited this thread for a while. I took a break from all things triathlon. I've been running consistently, and biking occasionally. I need to go back to swimming. I've decided to do a few sprints this summer but stay away from the really long distances. 

Not sure how I will be updating this thread.  I'll keep it up somehow.

I've been on a basically low carb diet since Christmas. My emphasis on whole foods and trying to stay away from bread and pasta, sweets (most of the time)

It seem to be going well. I've lost about 7 pounds, and I feel better.

For me the key is eating just enough to feel a bit full, and often, throughout the day. 

TC anyone who reads, and have a lovely weekend!