Hello all!
Looking forward, next week I finish weaning my son and dive headlong into my new eating plan. :) That, however, doesn't mean I'm resting on my laurels until that time arrives. I've been getting my rear to the gym!
Tonight, I tried a Zumba class offered at my gym. I was supposed to meet my mom there, but she got held up. No worries, I thought, my neighbor said she takes this class too. I arrive late and I know no one. Not the best start for me. For those who don't know, Zumba is a latin-inspired dance class, or so that's how it was described to me. After this first class I have the distinct impression it's just an excuse to shake what your mama gave you. lol They are finishing the warm up as I take my spot. They cranked up the music (and while I like my music loud-ask someone who knows me!-this got my ears ringing) and got to steppin'. It is fun overall. I can tell the steps were latin inspired (I have a fantastic friend who has schooled me in some basic salsa). It is fast-paced, energy-intense, but not overly complicated. Although, if you have two left feet this class is not for you. They say you burn between 400-600 calories. <--Loving this fact right here!
I have to give this disclaimer. I don't know if it was just this particular class tonight or if this is a regular thing, but I felt like there was just a lot of club dancing/booty shaking that had nothing to do with latin dance. By the end of the hour all the "asset" moving began to seem cheap to me. It is my belief that one has to give things a fair chance so I will attend this class a few more times before I pass judgement entirely. Right now, I have my reservations.
Here's something I'm still in process of pondering. Zumba seems to be very popular and the half dozen people I've really talked to about it seem to really like it. Don't get me wrong, there were parts I liked and a little shimmy-shake hasn't hurt anyone I know! There's a part of me though that says this was too much. There's having fun and doing something for the cardio benefit, but I think you have to draw a line. This might be that line for me. For those who know me, and have for years, you know that I'm not afraid to take a side that flies in the face of popular opinion. I'll let know my final grade for Zumba near the end of next month. Stay tuned for that.
If you've stayed with me this long then hang in for a little longer. I have to tell you this about myself. I love my body the way it is (but aren't you trying to lose weight & change it? Yes, hang on and wait for it though). I have two beautiful children and a husband who has always made me feel like the most amazing woman in the world whatever size I've been/am. My body has done amazing things. I want to return the favor. I want to have the energy to keep up with two under the age of four. I want to fit back into all the nice clothes I purchased in college currently hanging lonely in my closet. I want to be healthy to see my kids grow up and grow old with my husband. I want to instill good habits (by modeling them!) in my children so they don't have to struggle like I have. I want to empower my family to live the life we love. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and I need to treat it with respect and care. God didn't quit when the job was half done in making me. My body is amazing and I want it to live up to its potential. I want the freedom to live each day to its full potential. That, friends, is why I'm embarking with an intense focus on my journey. This is the time in my life that is being set apart for that. Thanks for staying with me and encouraging me.
Last story: Today my daughter made a mess with some packing peanuts. I playfully remarked that she'd made quite a mess! Her response? In all seriousness and hop-to-it-ness--
"I'm on it, Captain! Where's the broom?"
This was completely unexpected and I just had to laugh. Where do they come up with this stuff?
Regards,
R
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Fun outside the proverbial box
Hello all!!
We had a fantastic day at the zoo today with some friends unofficially celebrating my son's 1st birthday!
I took a step outside of my comfort zone a bit and we went to pet the sting rays. I've pet rays on a couple occasions before now, however, I never had to be brave and not squirm for my squirmy child's sake. Well, I can't say I entirely succeeded in putting on a brave face. The kids wanted to feed the sting rays and so we bought the food for them to feed them (mind you my little girl has gotten her hand wet, but failed to touch a ray to this point). The other mother with me refused to feed them. She said she just wasn't daring enough, though she did eventually pet them and I was proud of her (though I didn't tell her that and she'll probably find out as she reads this-love ya, Mo!). I got the privilege of helping her son pet a ray (he's almost five). That was pretty cool.
Back to the story. Can I tell you I had absolutely no desire to hold a tiny fish head in my hand so a sting ray could come and lip it out of my hand? Zero, zilch, nada, none. First off, I didn't want to hold a fish head. Can we just all say ewwwwwww? Ok, so I got past it, sucked it up, and just didn't think too much about it. I think Bear Grylls would have been proud. Then I dipped my hand in the water as instructed and waited. It didn't take long for a ray to make haste in my direction. Now, petting a sting ray is one thing, they are like the puppy dogs of the sea (they are social and just love to be pet); having a sting ray eat out of your hand is an entirely different thing. I squealed and stomped my feet and giggled and pulled my hand out of there so fast!!! The kids thought it was the greatest thing ever. We laughed so hard. My daughter said she wanted to do it and then just threw the food in there. The little boy said he wanted to and we even got him holding it correctly before he exclaimed, "You do it again, Miss Becca!" I did two or three more times. I squealed and jumped every time. :) They loved it. We had a fantastic day and we have great memories.
Here's what I've been re-discovering. I'm a lot of fun. I LOVE being goofy. I recently went through a period where I was battling depression (probably postpartum depression, though I never went to see anybody--if you think you are suffering from PPD please see someone asap. I should have. Don't make my same mistake. If you need to chat I'm hear for you!) and I lost part of myself during that time. One of my best friend's came to visit me and reminded me of the goofy, spunky part of me that has been lying dormant. I thought I should put on a brave face for the kids and show them there was nothing to be scared of. If I did that then maybe we'd accomplish the goal of getting them to pet the rays. That was a self-imposed goal that didn't actually need to be accomplished to have a good time. I know I need to stop doing that to myself and let things unfold without having a goal or plan of how this should happen so it will be fun. No more fun that fits into my neat little proverbial box of "how it should be done." We had so much more fun laughing at my little freak outs and made great memories more so than if I'd just put on a brave face and gotten through it so they would pet the rays to have fun. No, neither of them fed the rays, but I don't think either of them will forget the experience for a while. I know I won't! Too bad my little guy conked out early. There's always next visit! :)
Wishing you goofy spunkiness in your day and blessings,
R
We had a fantastic day at the zoo today with some friends unofficially celebrating my son's 1st birthday!
I took a step outside of my comfort zone a bit and we went to pet the sting rays. I've pet rays on a couple occasions before now, however, I never had to be brave and not squirm for my squirmy child's sake. Well, I can't say I entirely succeeded in putting on a brave face. The kids wanted to feed the sting rays and so we bought the food for them to feed them (mind you my little girl has gotten her hand wet, but failed to touch a ray to this point). The other mother with me refused to feed them. She said she just wasn't daring enough, though she did eventually pet them and I was proud of her (though I didn't tell her that and she'll probably find out as she reads this-love ya, Mo!). I got the privilege of helping her son pet a ray (he's almost five). That was pretty cool.
Back to the story. Can I tell you I had absolutely no desire to hold a tiny fish head in my hand so a sting ray could come and lip it out of my hand? Zero, zilch, nada, none. First off, I didn't want to hold a fish head. Can we just all say ewwwwwww? Ok, so I got past it, sucked it up, and just didn't think too much about it. I think Bear Grylls would have been proud. Then I dipped my hand in the water as instructed and waited. It didn't take long for a ray to make haste in my direction. Now, petting a sting ray is one thing, they are like the puppy dogs of the sea (they are social and just love to be pet); having a sting ray eat out of your hand is an entirely different thing. I squealed and stomped my feet and giggled and pulled my hand out of there so fast!!! The kids thought it was the greatest thing ever. We laughed so hard. My daughter said she wanted to do it and then just threw the food in there. The little boy said he wanted to and we even got him holding it correctly before he exclaimed, "You do it again, Miss Becca!" I did two or three more times. I squealed and jumped every time. :) They loved it. We had a fantastic day and we have great memories.
Here's what I've been re-discovering. I'm a lot of fun. I LOVE being goofy. I recently went through a period where I was battling depression (probably postpartum depression, though I never went to see anybody--if you think you are suffering from PPD please see someone asap. I should have. Don't make my same mistake. If you need to chat I'm hear for you!) and I lost part of myself during that time. One of my best friend's came to visit me and reminded me of the goofy, spunky part of me that has been lying dormant. I thought I should put on a brave face for the kids and show them there was nothing to be scared of. If I did that then maybe we'd accomplish the goal of getting them to pet the rays. That was a self-imposed goal that didn't actually need to be accomplished to have a good time. I know I need to stop doing that to myself and let things unfold without having a goal or plan of how this should happen so it will be fun. No more fun that fits into my neat little proverbial box of "how it should be done." We had so much more fun laughing at my little freak outs and made great memories more so than if I'd just put on a brave face and gotten through it so they would pet the rays to have fun. No, neither of them fed the rays, but I don't think either of them will forget the experience for a while. I know I won't! Too bad my little guy conked out early. There's always next visit! :)
Wishing you goofy spunkiness in your day and blessings,
R
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
She was called blessed
Hello friends,
Let me introduce myself, I'm Rebecca Lynn. No, I didn't grow up 1/2 mile from Tucker Cherry's Farm, but I do live in the Southwest currently (And I don't know if anyone will get that reference, but comment if you do!). I have a wonderful husband and two awesome children.
The purpose of this blog is going to be two-fold--I will very soon be starting a new nutrition routine & exercise routine. I want to publish my triumphs and tribulations to encourage you--and me. I also will share fun things I learn about myself along the way. I am in the process of weaning my son, so I want to wait to start my new nutrition routine until after that. Give me a couple more weeks and we are diving in. I will also be publishing the tips, tricks, and other handy Norm Peterson-esque (Cheers tv show-if you are too young to get this then you can google it or perhaps view it on hulu) knowledge unrelated to my journey.
I have to share this so you aren't confused and please be kind. I detest the word 'diet.' There are so many negative connotations that attach to it for me that I will not use it to describe the journey I'm embarking on. To me, that word implies temporary change. I'm going to be changing my eating habits. I'm re-learning how to view food. I am going to have a nutritional routine in addition to my exercise routine. What I am doing is shifting my lifestyle and how I think about food and exercise. So, bare with me as I make my mental shift. Perhaps it would be helpful for you to do the same?
Ok, if you've suffered through my intro to this point I want to explain the title of this post. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was called blessed and found favor with the Lord. I consider myself very blessed to be where I am in my life right now. I'm 24 and have an extraordinary family who has come through some trials and are on the other side of them. We see the Lord's guidance at work in our lives--then and now. We are on another journey that will last our entire lives as Christians, just like exercise and healthful eating are a lifelong journey. If you need encouragement I hope you can find it here, whatever your interest (exercise, tips, etc.).
Blessings,
R
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