Do you get enough water everyday? I know that I do not. It has been a battle for as long as I can remember. So I have a couple of tricks that have helped me out immensely.

1. I put a drop of essential oil into my water bottle to make it easier to drink. The added benefit to adding oil of course is the health benefits of the oil you choose. My go to oils are Lemon, Orange and Grapefruit (I use Doterra oil – as I trust the quality of the product and feel safe taking their oils internally)
2. My newest trick to make sure I drink enough water was to get a fancy cup! I know how silly and a little girly this sounds, but for me it works. I received a work anniversary gift from my employer and it has made all the difference in the world for me. I make sure that I fill my cup up every hour that I am at work – voila 8 hours, 8 cups of water!

The CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will tell you that getting enough water will help in the following ways:

• Keep your temperature normal
• Lubricate and cushion joints
• Protect your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues
• Get rid of wastes through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements

So all my strong busy Moms and dads (and strong busy non-parents) take baby steps to drinking enough water. Remember to be kind to yourself!

XOXO,

Jen

Hello My Strong Busy Moms (and dads and busy people),

I haven’t posted in a long time,  I am sorry for this.  I am still on my health, weight loss, lifestyle journey.  I was so excited to start this blog and have you come along for the journey with me.  Then I hit a brick wall surrounded by a barbed wire fence.  So I hid in my little corner and found myself in a dark place filled with frustration, sadness, loneliness and food!

I had been doing so well, I was following my routine, going to the gym, trying new things (yep Adult Ballet), eating  properly.  Then my right knee started to hurt a little,  it would swell a little after each activity.  Full disclosure, I have bad knees  6 knee surgeries with the little scars to prove it.  So I continued my activities, iced my knees and rested when needed.  Then I had a scary moment at the gym one morning working out with Ian, a pop and extreme pain.  We cut our session short and I took my Advil and kept going.

Fast forward to 2 weeks later, we went camping and I had never felt such pain in a knee joint in my life.  I laid on our air mattress crying, wondering how this could be happening again.

I have now been to the doctor’s office, visited a surgeon.  I have extreme arthritis, the surgeon’s words were “You have the knee of a 70 year old”.  I am told that if I was 10 years older, I would have the knee replaced.  So we are starting the “Plan B” process now.  I have no intention of slowing down, so I need to work on a plan to minimize the damage and pain as best I can.

So my journey is taking the road less traveled whether I wanted it to or not.  The hard part about the modified journey is the mental game I have to play now.  Loosing weight and focusing on health is tough no matter who you are.  Adding a sidelining injury that will have no real resolution for at least 10 years is a whole new mindset I haven’t found yet.

So you find me at a low point, sad, frustrated and honestly struggling.  This I have been told is the meat of my journey,  the tough part.  Waiting for surgery again, and hoping the recovery is quick.

I will attempt to take each day as it comes.  I will have no choice but to tell Kawartha Dairy we are no longer driving the bitter bus together (that’s how I gained back 10lbs of my 26lbs weight loss – damn you Moose Tracks for being so good).

I learned about myself over the last month,  when I am sad,  I stop doing the things that make me feel invincible.  I stopped my daily meditation,  I stopped using my essential oils diffuser, I stopped exercising my mind with my current book The book of Greatness by Lewis Howe. I turned on the busy mom auto pilot and zombied my way through the day.

So, I am making a conscious effort to do the things that make me a superwomen again (or at least a superwomen in my mind).

Sorry for cutting you out of my journey.  I will make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Thank you for looking in on the Strong Busy Mom who hopes to feel Strong again soon,

Until next time,

XOXO

Jen

 

 

 

Sounds crazy right?  I agree! Let me tell you what drove me to the title but first you have to understand why it happened.

I started 2018 with a realization that I seriously needed to put my health and fitness first.  I know so many of you can related to this.  I am 42 and let me tell you, getting some (a little or a lot) of excess weight off is not as easy as it was when I was in my 20’s.

I have been working with a wonderful coach for months now (I am looking at you Karen Gallagher- karen-gallagher.com) and I actually had to re-train myself on how to love myself, how to accept myself all over again.  Lots of soul searching,  lots of realistic goal planning, I think you get where I am going with this.  This is why I am writing to you on my new blog.

On March the 3rd I started eating according to a Ketogenic diet.  This is vital info for the narrative below!

So back to the title, when the going get tough, go for a walk and eat celery.

This past weekend my beautiful 13 year old daughter had one of her close friends over for a sleepover.  Of course being the hands on mom that I am, I felt the need to make sure that her sleepover was special.  I wanted to treat the girls to some wonderful food when they were done having their girl talk time.  So I asked my daughter’s friend what she would like for dinner?  The answer that I knew was coming arrived….homemade pizza!  Normally this would never be a problem, however this is how on day 16 of my new eating/lifestyle plan I had a total meltdown of epic proportions.

My house smelled beyond delicious, what is better than the smell of baking bread?  Yep in my world the answer is nothing, nothing at all!  For the first time in my life I had stuck to my meal plan with zero deviations, zero slip ups and Saturday was the true test of my willpower.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to laugh, cry or give up and eat the pizza.  I did send a rather unhinged text to my personal trainer Ian (who kicks my butt at least twice a week at Goodlife Fitness).  As usual Ian who is very calm and always quick to respond reminded me it would pass in 15 to 20 minutes.  In my mind I was worried he had hit his head and had gone totally coo-coo for cocopuffs.  I couldn’t possible see how this overwhelming feeling was going to pass in 15 minutes.  My husband Greg thought I was purchasing a one way ticket to the funny farm.

As I stared at the pizza thinking “is one slice really going to be a bad thing”?  The death grip I had on the kitchen counter would have stopped Van Damn in his tracks…I was a women on the verge of cracking.  I looked at Greg and said “yep I gotta get out here…..I am going for a walk”.  With the look of a possessed women,  I took my celery and peanut butter and bolted out of the door!  I walked around the corner so thankful not to be smelling that heavenly cheesy pizza.    Believe it or not Ian was right, yes me the type A person is admitting I was wrong and Ian was right.  In 15 minutes I was able to move past the craving and enjoy the rest of the night.

I was even able to make the homemade vanilla ice cream I promised my 6 year, and chocolate chip cookies (they made the most insane ice cream sandwiches).

I didn’t have a slip up, I didn’t totally loose my mind (ok, only partially).  I know so many people are struggling every day with weight lose….I am too.  I am not an expert, I have surrounded myself with the experts to get me through to the other side.  Do you have a person who you can send a crazy text to?  Trust me find that person if you don’t it may just save you from cracking.

When the next craving happens, I will remember what Karen said “Love yourself enough to not take a step backward. More importantly continue to love yourself if you do crack. Hey it is just a slice of pizza not a cyanide pill that will end your life.

We are all Strong Busy Moms (or Ladies or Gentlemen) and we are doing the best we can.  So go for a walk and enjoy your celery!

 

XOXO

Jen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton