Shoe Fetish

Shoes are not really my thing, comfort is. For some reason however when I saw the ad for these new Keds, I fell in love.

They speak to me. The textures, the colors and the stripes in the lining seem to be saying "come with me, let's go for a walk".

At $60 a pair, only at Bloomingdales, I may have to put them on my wish list.

Spectator sneakers...brilliant!

Mommy's Punching Bag

This is the best Christmas giftthat I ever stole from my son! I bought it for him this year so he would have something to beat up, instead of me or the furniture. He also uses it when he gets angry to work out his frustrations and calm down.

However, I have discovered that giving it a few whacks is a great way for me to de-stress too.
Plus my son thinks it's very funny to see mommy punching and mumbling under her breath. In no time at all, we are both laughing and feeling a lot better.

Best of all, so far no one has popped it. Not even the cats. It's probably only a matter of time though, so I will keep it out of their reach. I may have to eventually invest in a real one for us both.

I didn't get gloves to use with it and I don't think I will. Punching it bare fisted seems more satisfying to me. I think I should give it a name. So, does anyone have any good name ideas?

Live Longer with Peddle Power!

www.livestrong.com

Found this article from Science Daily in my email this week and was astonished. According to a new study, people with thighs less than (that's right I said less!) 60cm in circumference, have a higher risk of premature death and heart disease. Here's a snippet:

"The relationship between thigh size and early death and disease was found after taking body fat and other high risk factors (such as smoking and high cholesterol) into account. The authors therefore suggest that the risk from narrow thighs could be associated with too little muscle mass in the region. This is problematic because it may lead to low insulin sensitivity and type 2 diabetes and, in the long run, heart disease, they explain."

Well that just beats all! Here I am trying to slim down and they throw this at me. What they mean is, less than 60cm of muscular thigh circumference. So I still need to loose the fat but now I also have to add four inches of muscle! Looks bicycling needs to be in my future,

Lance Armstrong style bicycling that is!

A Confession and a New Plan

Ok, so my old plan to start getting more exercise has not been working out. Not at all! I bought the yoga mat and the new Training Shoe, but life just kept handing me other things to do. Not to mention on the days I did have the time, I never took off my bedroom slippers or put on anything that was remotely publicly acceptable.

So my new plan is to get out of my slippers first thing every morning and put on my workout shoes. That way I will be ready to fit it a walk or workout any time I get a minute and I won't have the excuse of having to get ready first. I know if I can stall for more than a minute, I will talk myself out of anything. Plus for me, I instantly have more energy if I look the part. Sometimes you have to trick your own mind into working for you.

YogaToday

If your looking for a refreshing yoga experience, you must look at YogaToday. This website brings the best online yoga experience I've found, free to your home. The breathtaking outdoor setting alone was enough to persuade me. I simply can not look at the same routine on a DVD over and over again. This according to their site:

Wake up each morning to a free one-hour yoga class from beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming. World class yoga instructors Adi Amar, Neesha Zollinger and Sarah Kline will take you through a session that focuses on strength building, flexibility, stamina, and meditation-in-motion. Yoga Today delivers a different show, 7 days a week, keeping your workouts fresh and energizing.

I wonder if I'll be able to sneak in a session in the mornings, before my son gets up? If not, I guess we will do yoga at night. Unless I can get my four year old to follow along with me quietly. I know... good luck with that!

Extra Large Yoga Mat

I mention a few weeks ago, my plan to get more exercise. I have discovered my back is not in the best of shape, so the first thing I'm going to do is start a yoga routine to stretch and align my spine. I found this great over sized yoga mat to use.



It's 36 inches wide instead of the usual 24 and 84 inches long instead of 72. More room to move without falling off on the hard cold tile.
Now I'm searching for a good beginning yoga DVD, any suggestions welcome!

Elusive Sleep

One of the most difficult things I've dealt with so far, is the changes in my sleep pattern.

I have always been a somewhat light sleeper except when I was pregnant. I remember getting a really good night's rest while I was carrying my son and then of course for about six months or so I was up a lot until he slept through the night.

However in the last few years I've changed from light sleeping to fitful sleeping. My night is spent dropping off into periods of deep sleep followed by nightmares and waking in a cold sweat. I may wake up four or five time a night. After waking in order to comfort myself, I sometimes wander into the kitchen and start eating (usually ice cream or cookies) in the middle of the night. By morning, I'm cranky and sometimes nauseous until after my coffee.

Needless to say this is not the way I want to start my day! I have tried taking melatonin before bed and this seemed to help for a while, a glass of wine helps too. Because I'm alone in the house with a four year old, I'm afraid to take medication for fear I will be too sedated and not hear him if he needs me.

The one thing I think might help is to get more exercise. As soon as I get a new pair of walking shoes, I intend to start an evening walk now that my son is old enough to join me. It will be good for him as well.