Breaking Bad....Habits

Sorry if the "breaking bad" caught your attention...this has nothing to do with the chemistry teacher turned meth maker. Once again, my apologies. What I do want to discuss today is breaking bad habits. As a parent we are our children's first teachers and often the biggest and most prevalent role models in their lives. Thus, our actions, especially when they are babies and young kids, pack a lot of punch.

A realization that I have had recently is that I might have already passed some bad habits on to Alex. It's not anything major or permanent, but in an attempt to soothe his every cry I have start both Alex and I on a dangerous road.

Now no mother wants to hear her child cry, and it is instinctual within us to want to soothe or fix or remedy whatever situation or circumstance might be bringing tears to their eyes. The only problem is that as our babies grow, they are going to encounter situations that cannot be helped and frustrations that cannot be fixed. They need to learn how to be patient and calm as well as how to deal with life's little obstacles. Thus by picking up Alex every time he fusses or popping a NUK in his mouth whenever he whines I am stomping out these chances he has to learn how to deal. I am a firm believer that a child or baby, no matter how small, is intelligent and can understand things on some level. He may not be able to verbalize his thoughts and feelings in words yet, but I do believe that pausing and giving Alex a chance to fuss for a minute and work things out on his own is beneficial.

I'm not advocating for mothers to let their children scream for endless stretches, but just pause and step back and observe your child. I have found myself surprised at how often Alex calms himself down after a minute of fussing. He's a smarty-pants even now and is learning how to fix his own problems because let's face it, no matter how badly we want to squelch every possible problem for our child, they need to learn how to do it for themselves because we can't and won't always be there for them.

So my goals lately have been to try and get Alex (and more importantly, myself) off some of the bad habits we've developed such as picking him up the minute he fusses, giving in to the ear-piercing screams and shrieks, and scooping him up as soon as he makes a peep at night. I think that Alex will learn a little patience and self-soothing and I'll get a little more sleep and eventually a more independent child.

Here's to hoping,
Kate

Does This Make Me Look Fat?

Good day to all! Today I have been musing on my weight goals and just overall health goals. Having had a baby under four months ago, I have allowed myself a little wiggle room as to my weight. I mean come on, the doctor wouldn't even let me exercise for the first month anyways so I figured that if the pounds didn't melt away at first it was no big deal. But now, months later and with the prospect of returning to campus and seeing friends and professors that I haven't seen in months makes me I had been just the slightest bit more diligent in my exercising and a little less diligent in my snacking. It is true that I did lose about 20 of the 30 pounds I gained during the pregnancy just by having the baby (his name is Alex, by the way. Have I mentioned that already?) and not laying in bed all day. However the last 10 pounds to get me back to my pre-pregnancy weight are hanging on with a vengenance, and good lord is it frustrating! I know that bodies change with pregnancy but the fact that now most of my clothes fit funny is driving me up the wall.

So over the last week or so I have made it a pesonal goal to get in at least 30 minutes of physical activity, cut-down on the snacking in general and when I do snack make sure it is healthy. I have also decided to watch my meals (watch as in choose carefully, not stare at my food because it IS important to actually eat). I started doing a version of this about a month ago but saw absolutely no change in my weight whatsoever.

Therefore, I am kicking it up a notch and really going for this. I've found that sitting down and assessing what you can actually eat for a healthy snack instead of standing in front of the fridge and just staring usually results in better eating. Usually I do the latter and then get frustrated when I don't see anything tasty AND healthy and just go with something unhealthy. However, if I think about my options I can usually find myself a healthy snack without a problem (and it's still yummy). My snacks as of late have been a few crackers with a couple slices of cheese, a cut up apple, a few handfuls of homemade trail mix, and a smoothie. Plus I have been consuming copious amounts of water throughout the day. Folks, water is nature's best trick. It can fill you up without you even realizing it. So drink a glass or two of water and then have a snack a little later and you'll find you're not as hungry and therefore won't overeat!

As for exercising I have been vacillating between some Zumba workouts via DVD, walks with Alex, and core exercises mixed in with some Yoga/Pilates moves. I do like to run on occasion but I have had zero motivation for that lately (I think the upper 80s/low 90s weather may have something to do with that). But I feel infinitely better about myself after working out!

The power of a good walk is amazing! Growing up there was an extremely heavy-set man who would walk by our house almost everday without fail. He always had on the same gray sweatshirt and faded blue sweatpants, and he always wore headphones. We watched him shrink from a grossly overweight man to a tall, lean walking machine! It was amazing how great he looked after a period of time! I don't know what else he did whether it was a strict diet or extra workouts after the walks, but he looked amazing and has been an inspiration for quite some time now!

I know I am not the only one who struggles with their weight. I suppose the goal of this post is mostly just to relate to others because I'm not some ridiculous celebrity with the budget for a personal trainer, cute workout clothes, a nanny to watch my kid while I workout, or a chef who cooks with only the freshest organic foods. I was also not a skinny twig before my pregnancy either and a twig is not my goal now. Health and happiness are my goals and I hope they are yours, too!

Here's to us and our health!
Kate