Archive for the ‘Exercise and Fitness’ Category

Ridiculously Difficult to Lose Belly Fat

Sunday, August 5th, 2012

difficult-to-lose-belly-fatSo my sister is getting married, and she chooses bridesmaid dresses meant for an 18-year-old. I’m, of course, in my 40’s, and I had no problem with my self-concept until I had to fit into the stupid thing. I heard it ripping. Oh, yes, I forgot to say that measuring myself to order it online was no happy picnic in the park either. Does anyone have measurements like that? I mean, without plastic surgery. And to think that I finally came to a point in my life where I was comfortable in my skin, and I believed I was attractive to my husband, life has to throw in a monkey wrench like this. Sigh.

Zipping the dress up the side, I heard it ripping. But then I checked, and it wasn’t ripped after all. Good, because shelling out $100 for a dress that I will never wear again shouldn’t happen twice in one week. My best friend told me that I should have ordered “up,” and then have it taken in. Right, like that’s another hundred dollars probably. Because the ideal hourglass figure doesn’t allow for reality, not one bit. Either the dress would look like a deflated balloon up top, or it would have to be skin tight on my belly and behind. I chose the latter.

“I have a big pooch,” I said, and my husband agreed, who (bless his heart) was only telling the truth. I wasn’t hurt by the comment. I looked way uglier in the dress than I did naked. Yes, my pooch looked exaggerated by the dress.

I’ve given birth four times. My body is great. I do Zumba. I’m fine. I don’t particularly want to go on a diet just to make an ugly dress appear less ugly. Yes, I’m going to back up and say the dress is ugly and not me. I’m gorgeous. Yes. I suppose I should lose the pooch, though…

I restricted calories. Then for some reason I wanted foods that were bad for me just because I couldn’t have them. I’m like, wow. I don’t normally like cake. Back when I lived like a normal person, I skipped the cake and didn’t feel like I was depriving myself. Now the cake was sitting there like a commercial, you know, looking way better than real life. And then you eat it and feel yucky. Your stomach actually feels disgusting. If I wasn’t on a diet, my stomach would have felt fine. But somehow my brain is now telling my stomach that it did something wrong. I exercise longer to do penance.

The other thing I did was crunches. So I did like a bazillion crunches. Every day. I made sure my belly was in a constant state of hurting. And then my belly looked WORSE. I asked some women at my Zumba class, “What’s up with that?” They said that if you do lots of crunches, it pushes your belly fat forward, so you look worse. Oh, that’s nice.

The wedding is in less than two weeks. I’ve lost five pounds. I have no idea if my belly is any flatter, but at least I tried, right?

Exercise and Fitness Articles

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

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These exercise and fitness articles reflect personal struggles and ways I have overcome different areas of exercise and fitness as a wife and mother.

General Exercise: These articles will inspire you to get fit and find an exercise that you love. They will also show you how to fit exercise into your day and how to maintain your current fitness level.

Zumba: These articles will give you an overview of Zumba, why it’s so fun, and the benefits of dancing to get fit.

Running: Running was something I tried briefly and decided wasn’t for me. Some people love the adrenaline of running and like it better than any other exercise. If you try it, make sure you have the proper shoes, because I ended up with blisters for being a cheapskate with my running shoes.

Weight Loss: Sadly, losing weight requires some form of sacrifice. I realized that reducing calories makes a bigger difference in weight loss than exercising does. Sometimes you gain weight when you exercise because muscles weigh more than fat. The only way to get rid of fat is to eat less. To not make your suffering go to waste, you might try fasting and prayer as an alternative to reducing calories. At least you’re accomplishing something spiritual by drawing closer to God at the same time!

Sleep and Rest: Make sure you get 8 hours of sleep a night if you want to live a healthy life where you feel fully awake. You also need to build margin into your schedule: time to rest and have fun.

How Exercise and Fitness Affect Marriage: Taking care of your body is the same as taking care of your husband. How you feel physically affects your marriage.

Exercise with Children: How to exercise when you have kids with you all day.

Getting Better Sleep (Part 2)

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

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After researching sleep for over two years, I wanted to write a list of practical ways for getting better sleep. I heard these suggestions over and over again in articles and the media. What they don’t say is that you should try to eliminate as much stress from your life by trusting God. That’s step one. Then here are some practical ways to promote better sleep:

  • Go to bed at the same time each night, and get up at the same time each morning.
  • Exercise, but not too close to bed time.
  • Take a hot bath before bed.
  • If you wake up in the middle of the night, don’t look at the clock. It will only wake you up further. Just roll over and go back to sleep.
  • Don’t drink caffeine mid-afternoon onwards.
  • White noise can help, especially if you live in a loud neighborhood.
  • If you wake up every time your spouse turns over, you might need a bigger bed.
  • Make sure your room is completely dark, with no light sources.
  • Breathe in deeply through your nose, and exhale through your mouth. This can relax you.
  • Get more sunlight on your head during the day.
  • Don’t go full-tilt all day long, or you will have trouble decompressing when it’s time to go to bed. Instead, take breaks throughout your day, so that you feel caught up in your thoughts.
  • Eat dinner at least 2 or 3 hours before bed, so you have time to digest your food. But don’t go to bed hungry either. The best combination for a snack before bed is protein and carbohydrate, according to most articles.
  • Supposedly the computer stimulates your nervous system, so you shouldn’t be on the computer half hour before bedtime. The same goes for television.
  • I had a friend who did stretches before she went to bed, and she said she slept better.
  • A cool bedroom temperature helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.
  • When a traumatic experience happened in my life, I listened to soft Maranatha praise music as I fell asleep so I wouldn’t get nightmares. Soft music like Enya might be good to play half hour before bedtime, just to decompress.
  • Another time when I was having trouble sleeping, I had my husband read Scripture to me. God’s Word is soothing to my soul, so I was finally able to go to sleep when he did that, after not sleeping for days.

Getting Better Sleep (Part 1)

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

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Take away someone’s sleep for long enough, and they will begin to show signs of insanity. Certain sections of the brain stop functioning. Getting better sleep is vital not only for sanity, but for general health. A reduction in sleep can cause you to catch diseases more easily, because your immune system is not as strong as it should be. I know that in my own life, when I get less sleep, it’s harder to be cheerful with my children. It’s harder to do everything.

Interrupted sleep is sometimes related to stress. If your job is stressful, your brain might continue to work on the problems you’re trying to resolve at work. (This is also true when you study for a test right before going to sleep. Your mind continues to think about it while you are asleep, and you score higher on a test.) But if you are in a constant state of emergency at work, this will wear you down. It will wear out your body, and I’m not sure if a high-stress job is worth the toll it takes on your body.

If you have relationship problems, obsessing about them can cause you to not get restful sleep. Instead, you can hand the situation over to God, trusting that He will give you the right words to say at the right time. The more you stress out and fret, the worse the problem will become in your mind, and you will always overreact, causing more stress in your relationship. Stop thinking about it. As an emotional woman, I’ve discovered the shocking truth that I don’t have to think whatever thoughts come into my head. I do not have to bow down and worship my emotions. My emotions should not rule; God should rule. Hand the problem over to God and calmly recite a Scripture or think about something else that is calming, like some beautiful ocean waves.

Another cause of stress is spiritual. Sometimes I’m struggling with a sin issue, and I’m trying to overcome it. I cry out to God, and the weight of the issue is heavy on me, but it’s right before a huge spiritual transformation. For example, I asked God to grant me the ability to submit to my husband. I wanted it so badly that God caused a painful event to occur to bring things to a head. Grieving is not sin, and it might cause you to lose sleep. Continue to commit yourself to God, and He will draw near to you. Spiritual growth spurts are temporary, so at some point you will get through it to the other side, and start sleeping peacefully again.

At any point, you can read Scripture from the Psalms before going to sleep. Sometimes right in the middle of turmoil, I will have the most restful, peaceful sleep. This is miraculous, and it’s called “the peace that passes understanding.” God can grant that to you at any time, so if you are in pain or sadness, you don’t have to wait until the issue is resolved before getting good sleep. God rules and can grant you sleep at any time.

I thought it was interesting that my husband (who had work-related stress) had no problem sleeping when we were on vacation. That’s because all of his responsibilities were gone. These included being a good father to his children and keeping the house from falling apart through constant minor home improvements. I believe that getting away with your spouse can be refreshing for your marriage and for your life in general. If your spouse is having a sleep disorder because of stress, I strongly recommend that you take a break together. Looking at nature can also be relaxing and rejuvenating and can help you to sleep.