Week Twelve Intentions

Ugh. I'm getting sick. I think I'm coming down with the crud my students have passed around. My throat is scratchy and my sinuses are a bit congested. And I'm exhausted, but that's not really new. That's just life as a teacher.

So this weekend, I intend to rest and plan healthy meals that will help my body get healthy.

If You Give a Teacher A Plan...

It's the night before the end of the quarter and I'm totally relaxed. It's the weirdest feeling ever.

Normally, teachers are frantically entering grades, writing comments, and all sorts of other end of quarter projects. But I'm pretty chill. And this is a first. No, I didn't forget something (or some things). I spread out my projects and started them earlier, giving myself earlier deadlines.

I did this because I knew what I wanted tonight to be like. I did not want the usual late night at school, either having a late dinner once I finally got home at 9 pm, ordering pizza delivers to school and eating most or all of it because I'm stressed, or skipping dinner altogether. I wanted a night with dinner at home before going to dance lessons. I wanted a night with a normal meal time. I wanted a night where I can get well rested for the big event after a full day of teaching tomorrow.

I wanted a low stress day. So I planned for it.

Best. Plan. Ever.

Planning to stagger my deadlines and get things done early allowed me to take care of my life outside of work. Because I didn't have to stay late to finish all those things, I got to eat a healthy, homemade dinner within the time frame my body needs to eat each day.

And because I ate a healthy homemade dinner within my eating window, I will sleep well tonight.

And because I got home to eat in my time frame, I was able to go to my dance lesson.

And because my school work is done, my dinner eaten in my eating window, and my dance lesson attended, I will sleep well tonight, well rested and ready for a very full day to wrap up the third quarter.

All thanks to good planning.

If I can do this with my school work and eating habits, I should do this with my finances....

Week Eleven Intentions

The last few weeks have been way too busy, and mentally draining that led to physical exhaustion. Last week, I stopped doing all the extra things on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, I went to my dance lesion but not the fitness center. Friday, I was at work late, got home to a late dinner and spent the evening chilling on my couch.

My body appreciates me resting, but it didn't help me in my diet bet. The scale stayed the same all week, which is better than going up. (The stagnant scale could also also be a related to monthly cycles and changes in water retention.)

I track my food with an app, and at the end of the day, after logging everything I ate and exercise, it estimates what I'd weigh I'm 5 weeks if every day were like that day. If I stick with my current eating and exercise plans, I'll be back at my goal weight in 5 weeks.

Last weekend, after one week on the plan, that seemed overwhelming. I told myself to take it one week at a time.

Now, at the end of my second week, I'm going to give it one more week. One week at a time.

My intentions for this week are to:
* plan meals that help me meet my calorie goals
* shop and meal prep this weekend
* drink 60 (or more) ounces of water every day
* practice yoga for 20 minutes each morning Sunday - Thursday
* do 25 minutes of HIIT training on the elliptical twice this week
* "jog" on the elliptical for 45 minutes three or four times this week

One week, one day, at a time. As Dave Ramsey says (to paraphrase), you wander into debt, but you have to be intentional about getting out. You have to have a plan and gazelle-like intensity.

Just replace debt with weight. That's my plan.

Who I Am

This girl can sing, you guys!!! If you haven't heard of her or heard her song, you are missing out!




This song really spoke to me, because almost 10 years ago I left a teaching job that wasn't a good fit. And I felt like my life fell apart. My identity was so tied into my job that I thought I'd lost who I was when I lost my job.

I struggled with depression and anxiety. I hadn't been able to find a new teaching job. I'd spent over half a year working dead end temp jobs, barely making minimum wage. I could barely pay my rent and buy gas for my car, let alone buy groceries. My dad had helped me a bit but was going to cut me off.

I was in the worst place of my life. So I moved home to live with my mother. I felt defeated and like a failure at life. A failure at adulting.

After a few months of staying home, eating, watching tv all day, and crying, I was the heaviest I'd ever been in my life at about 265 pounds. I was miserable. My mom forced me to attend counseling, psychotherapy. (Best mom ever.) And I simultaneously enrolled in a program for rewiring the brains neutral connections that made me believe those lies that I was a failure at life and adulting, as well as other lies. The counseling and brain therapy program were intense and hard work.

Towards the end of that program, I finally found myself again. Through hard work in the programs and Bible study, I was firmly believing that I am me no matter what I do. I am beautiful, loving, loved, vibrant, and so much more. Most importantly, My identity is found is the King as His beloved daughter. I decided to get that as a tattoo.

I was still living with my mom, who was firmly against tattoos. But when I explained to her what I wanted and why, I had her support.

For years I waffled as to where I wanted it and what it should look like.

Two summers ago, at a farmer's market at Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake City, Utah, I got one of my design ideas done in henna on my arm. It sealed in my mind where I wanted it, but I still wasn't totally sure of the design, so I kept doodling.

And last summer, while visiting my best friend Chloe in Hawaii for her wedding, I decided it was time. After running into a tattoo artist one night and asking a few last minute questions, I made my decision and told Chloe it was time. So we made the appointment for the day before I left.

As the tattoo artist worked, I took a deep breath, exhaled, and told my story again. And when he finished, I'd hardly felt it, but I was left with this beautiful reminder:

And now I will always remember that I am His beloved child. Because He said so.  (Ephesians 5:1. ESV)

Week Ten Intentions

Oops! The weekend got away with me. But I did think about my intention. And I thought about writing them on Sunday night as I was in the shower getting ready for bed. It just didn't happen.

But today I'm forcing myself to have a hard stop. I am canceling everything that's on my usual to-do list for tonight and resting. I've had a health issue that has forced me to look at my busy schedule and even though everything on my schedule is good, I need to rest. So tonight is a night of four stressed as I listen to my body.

So now I have time to write down and share my intentions for this week. Last week was a good, but hard week sticking with my intentions. I did a really good job following through with my plans, but it was hard at times. But when I did my weekly weigh-in I saw the fruit of that labor. So this week I intend to keep doing it.

This week I intend to continue to stick with my meal plan, and stick to the exercise plan. My trainer and I have worked out. ... except for tonight. And I believe my trainer would agree.

Today is shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras as many may know it. It's the day before Ash Wednesday where Christians historically practice fasting and abstaining from vices. So the night before Ash Wednesday many Christians, and now non Christians alike, enjoy a night of indulgence. In fact, if you live in New Orleans, schools are closed for this whole week of debauchery. At school (work) today, staff brought in treats and sweets to snack on throughout the day in the teacher's conference room. I passed by there so many times and was curious about what was in there. And some of the food did smell very good and I thought maybe I'll just have a little one. But I remembered results of my hard work from last week and thought about the goals that I have in mind for this week. It made it easy(er) to abstain. I'm already in my period of fasting. I will indulge later.