Fat Nerd Fit

I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed and overrun these days. There’s the typical holiday season nonsense happening, some exciting stuff, and some this-is-what-happens-as-you-get-older stuff.   A couple of things will pass with time (hosting two separate family get-togethers back to back), some of it will come with time (my father-in-law moving in), some of it is unavoidable (12-year-old cars just have issues), and one thing has the potential to start me down a path I’ve always wanted to be on (a publisher accepting a book proposal). Overwhelmed doesn’t have to be because of negative things. Overall what it’s boiling down to is I’m feeling out of control. So, naturally, I’m taking steps to get myself feeling more in control. I’m a To-Do List veteran, and over the years have perfected my system. Do I always get everything done? Nope. But it helps me keep track of things. Keeping on top of the must-be-done items is something I’ve gotten pretty good at. I very...

I have been feeling so overwhelmed for the last few months. So much has been going on, most of it out of my control, and I’ve just retreated into Netflix to cope. Three months ago, my husband and I had to put Scout-the-dog to sleep. He very suddenly started having neurological issues.   At first, a round of meds took care of it.   Then the symptoms came back, stronger and within 24 hours we had to make the decision. I am very grateful both I and my husband were able to be there with Scout-the-dog in his final moments. We’d only had him for about four years, but he was our first shared pet, both of our first dog, and he was a very important member of our pack. Much sooner than we expected, the universe put another dog in our path. We met our neighbor’s foster dog JackJack. We both instantly fell in love and a month later we welcomed him into our pack. Scout-the-dog was an elderly and sick dog when we got him.   We made him as comfortable as we could while we h...

I’m in a confusing place with my mental health. I’m coming off a go-get-‘em phase that the spring brought with it and am now in an over-committed, over-whelmed anxious place. I want to things, but I’ve gotten myself into a position where I don’t know where to start so it’s easier not to do anything. As a matter of fact, “blog” has been on my to-do lists for weeks. I knew what I wanted to write about.   I’ve been writing this post in my head for 10 days.   But the idea of grabbing my computer and actually writing it all down was a step too far for me to take. It’s a confusing place to be aware of what’s happening and why it’s happening but having no real desire to make changes to help. During the spring, when I was in an Up mood, I thought about doing a bit of research so I could be better armed with information when the next Down mood came.   I was not expecting the Down mood to come so soon. Having not done deeper research, I didn’t know that a Down mood ...

I guess you could say I’m in a mildly manic phase right now.   I’m not really sure what else to call the “up” periods of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I’ve got loads of perk and energy and it’s noticeable.   I had a coworker say to me “I’m not sure if your positivity is infectious or pathological.” And I suppose it’s a fair reaction when your manager is singing a little tune narrating how she’s going to set you up to count down your registers. One of the symptoms of SAD that has always affected me is lethargy and sleeping all the time. My mom always talks about when I was a kid, I was a 12-hour baby. You could set your clock by me, put me to bed at 7 pm I wouldn’t wake up until 7 am. As I grew and became a teen I still slept like crazy and no matter when I went to bed, I was sleeping in on weekends or sleeping until the last possible moment. I can get out the door in ten minutes- I’ve perfected it. Except in the spring and summer in which I’d stay up all night doing noth...

www.thenorthernlight.org I’m not sure what to do with myself. Things are going well. Now that the seasons have changed, I’m sleeping better, I have more energy, and I’m getting shit done.   It feels so good to be out of the slump that zapped my energy, made me want to sleep all day and stole all my motivation. #AbsForApril coincided nicely, helping provide motivation to get to the gym.   Of course, working out – in turn- provides the endorphins to keep me up and running and it turns into an awesome cycle of good moods. At the start of May, I took a week off work and the gym and reset myself, getting rid of to-do lists and goals and obligations. I watched TV mostly, snuggled with Scout-the-Dog and got caught up on being lazy.   Unlike my usual self, after my vacation, I hit the gym running and am still going strong showing up for class regularly without my husband having to kick me out of bed. It’s amazing how a simple change in the weather can brin...

#AbsforApril is coming to a close. I’ve been at it for three weeks.   There’s a new ab routine every week and its been amping up each and every Sunday. This is the start of the last full week in April and I’m surprisingly still going strong. I have been clean of all sweets, alcohol, and fast food. Of course, for April, Whataburger (best fast food place EVER) introduced a Dr. Pepper Shake and I’ve had to be without for the last three weeks, and I have to make it one week longer.   As a Texan, missing out on Whataburger AND Dr. Pepper is a travesty. But I’m doing it. I even made it through Easter without my favorite candy: Reeses Peanutbutter Eggs. The hardest part, which I knew would be the hardest, is no one-the-way-home-pizza pickups. I’ve managed, and I’m actually pretty damn proud of myself for it.   Pizza is a huge weakness for me and I’ve not stopped by Little Ceasars all month. When I have had to stop at the grocery store for something for...

Oh, good gods, what have I done? One of the things I love about ilovekickboxing.com is when I signed up, I told them I needed help with accountability.   Because as is blindly obvious- I have shit will power and even worse follow through. I can talk a big game, and plan all day long but actually doing something?   Yeah, I suck at that part. In support of my need for accountability, I got called out on Facebook.   The gym has a closed Facebook page and when they announced the #AbsForApril challenge.   One of the trainers tagged me, said “hey you should do this!” and the public-ish pressure worked.   I agreed to do it. Here are the rules: Go to the gym at least 3x a week Do the prescribed Ab exercises 2x a day at least 3x a week. Make two dietary changes This week’s ab routine is: 15 each:               Leg Lifts         ...