Healthy Body Image Challenge Day 6: "Stress Reducers"

Stress is a part of life. It can motivate you or it can immobilize you. No matter what you do, it's going to always be there, but it doesn't have to rule your life. I have already confessed that I have a tough time doing "first things first". I put off those important tasks that should be done for tomorrow, for the things that will happen far in the future. It is not bad to plan for the future, it is just important to do what is important first. I have worked on writing lists and I know that they can help. The problem is it takes time to plan out my list. I want to be as efficient as possible with my lists, but I still haven't perfected the art of using the list correctly.
I've used different methods:

• Priority Lists (A, B, C, D)
• Timed lists (write the actual time I will work on the task)
• Week Lists (write one or two things down for each day)
• Subject lists (home to do list/school to do list)
• Room lists (things to do in the home)
• Subject lists (what to do at school)

I guess it's not an exhaustive list, but it's what I've tried. I guess the next step in my ability to de-stress is to follow that list. Maybe I need to plan in my day to plan for the next day. I should be better at this because I'm a teacher, but I'm still learning. I admit that this is a weakness, but I want it to be a strength. In my planning, I need to remember to not over plan.

I was talking to my mom last week about this subject. She mentioned that she knew someone that planned out her days with things they needed to get done, but also time to relax. This is an important thing that I forget to do. That might actually be what could help me to continue writing lists.

As I started out writing about these topics, I really thought that it would be more about my weight and how to be healthy, but maybe it was divine intervention that I got sick with pneumonia so I could start out focusing on my mental health. I can't do a lot about exercising right now. I can do a lot more about how I think about my health. It is important to learn how to deal with life in general and all of it's unpredictable events. I know you can't plan for everything, but "If you fail to plan, than you plan to fail."

I've noticed that I still have a tightening on my left side. The doctor called today and told me that my lung is completely normal. Either I still have stuff that is working it's way out or it's a stress ball that has always been there, I just didn't recognize it until now. Either way, I'm going to work on getting more sleep and relaxing by making lists that are attainable and smart.

If you have any tricks on how to write a better list or stay motivated please leave a comment. 

Healthy Body Image Challenge Day 5: "Good Night's Rest"

I had no idea (or I had forgotten) what a good night's rest can do! I slept almost 10 hours last night (that hasn't happened in who know's how long) and I woke up feeling so much better. I still feel like there is something in my lung, but it's actually starting to leave. I felt a ton better today. Not 100% still (cough, runny nose, etc.), but the sleep did some wonders.

I've been looking at what sleep can do for you. It really does have a lot to do with "beauty rest". Your body repairs itself best when you are sleeping. That is why when you are sick, the doctor tells you to rest. I was not very good at that last week. I was still working on school work when I was at home. One of my co-workers told me after I came back that she had taken the math books from me because she wanted me to go home and rest and stop working. (We are adopting a new math program this year, so we have lots of different volumes).

Sleep make it so that your mind is more alert, your emotions are not heightened (as much), and your patience is not as thin. I feel so much better about life when I've had my sleep. Now I know that this is a hard thing to practice. I'm the girl who "burns the candle at both ends", but I think that was my wake up call as well as having pneumonia. I need to take care of my body/mind and sleep is a priority. It takes into account the philosophy of taking a break. Our body needs that break to rejuvenate.

I have also heard that if you get the same amount of sleep each night as well as go to bed around the same time and wake up at the same time (with a variation each night within an hour), you control your body weight better, specifically body fat. It was a study I read that they had done on college age students. Does that work for me still? I should try it out and now that I have seen what a good night's rest can do, I'm going to work on that. Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite. Or in Sweden "Sov som en groda" (Sleep like a frog). :)

Healthy Body Image Challenge Day 4: "Overcoming Obstacles"

Overcoming Obstacle #1
Pneumonia:
I went to the doctor's today for a post check up (after the antibiotic regiment) to see that the pneumonia was all gone. My oxygen levels were good: 98%, breathing was good (no wheezing or crackles). They took an x-ray to check and make sure everything was gone. I had a scary thought that it might be something worse (I still had cold symptoms), but that was just my imagination going wild. The doctor looked at them and said from what she could see, I was fine, but the final opinion would come from the radiologist on Friday. Until then, I am supposed to still take it easy and treat the symptoms.

I was glad that I was able to go to Young Women's tonight. They were making some cute pictures of the Plan of Salvation for one of the Personal Progress Values (Faith #6). They are talented girls. They were painting on canvases and cutting up pictures. I left early since I wasn't 100%, so I'll have to make mine later.

I am so grateful for my body's immune system. It definitely helped me to get better. I need to take better care of my body though so it doesn't get run down like it was. My immune system does not always get thanked until I am sick. I am grateful for what it does daily to keep me from getting sick. They are my own personal warriors against diseases.

Overcoming Obstacle #2
Motivation to Keep Going:
I know it's only Day 4 and I'm already starting to lose the motivation to keep going with thinking better about my body. Seeing my weight today, did not help that either. Here is a quote that I got today that might help me to keep going. I will end with that thought.

Healthy Body Image Challenge Day 3: "Healthy Balance: Moderation in All Things"

Sometimes I forget about how wonderful something is until it's gone. Monster Ballad comes in (enjoy the 80's rock band hair) Cinderella song "Don't know what you got, 'til it's gone. . ." or Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" (remake by Counting Crows) "don't know what you got 'til it's gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot"

Having pneumonia has been a real trying time for me. I haven't been able to go running; walking just makes me tired; and I need to relax more when I come home. On the other side, it's taught me some things that I should keep doing. I need to relax more. My husband and I were talking about this with a couple of friends the other day (our home teachers).  We were talking about how it is important to take a good long break. This makes it so we are more productive. I know I try to cram in a lot during the day. Being a school teacher, there is a lot to do! You also want to get as much done because you never know when you will have to spend your time doing something unexpected. (Such as dealing with students that were disrespectful to another teacher or a class that is not doing what they are supposed to when the student teacher asks.)

But really, I know that I try to cram a lot of stuff in, sometimes too much. Then I get way overwhelmed and just don't know where to start. I become this crazed person who is trying to get everything done at once, but really getting nothing done at all.

I need to have a healthy attitude about what needs to be done. At school, we have been working on the Steven Covey: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. One of them talks about first things first. (He dedicated a whole book to this). I know that I have a problem with this. I have a task that should be done first, but for some reason I will do something else that is important, but less important than what I should be doing right then.

For example, it would be good for me to prepare my lesson for tomorrow. Instead, I decided to get the quizzes ready for the end of the week. Still very important, but it's not going to help me for tomorrow's lessons. It has been helpful with my sickness to step back and realize what really needs to be done. I don't have oodles of time just to get everything done. I should really just get the most important thing done and then move on to the next important thing. This is going to be a long time working on this.

How does this work with my body image? I am very good at coming up with plans for exercise and how I'm going to eat, but I will usually overload what I need to do to accomplish it. Since I cannot exercise right now, I am stepping back and focusing on one thing at a time. I am working on finding meals that are simple, weight watcher crock pot meals that I can do. If my sister-in-law Leia is reading this, I decided to re-start my goals by being vegetarian for the week. :) We've had vegetarian 3 bean chili tonight and I just finished making a yummy spinach and broccoli soup. This has been good for me to help get better as well.  Next is baked macaroni and cheese and sweet potato cauliflower soup.

3 Bean Chili

Broccoli and Spinach Soup

I have also been taking more breaks at school. It has been helpful having a student teacher right now, because I can step back and see how I can make things more efficient and prepare in advance while she is doing the day to day things. I have learned to come home earlier (being home by 5:30 is early for me when I was staying until 8 or 9) and not going in until 8 or 8:30 in the morning (contract time is at 8:30). I used to be "burning the candle at both ends" and I think that's why I was run down and got sick.

It has been so nice coming home and preparing meals. It doesn't seem so daunting because we do crock pot meals and they are set up before I get home. By preparing the meals ahead of time, I'm not so starving that I eat whatever is easiest to grab. I really do feel better about myself, I feel like I have more time, and it's been refreshing to take more time to myself. I still feel like I have plenty of time to get things done. The difference is I am more focused and efficient with my time.

Right after our home teachers left on Sunday, Ryan and I decided to apply what we had learned right then. We decided that we would take more breaks and play games in between those breaks. It was actually a lot of fun. We would play two rounds of Scattegories and then go back to what we needed to do that day. I felt like I got a lot more accomplished.

I am so grateful for little setbacks in life that help me to reflect on what I am doing. I realized that another one of the Covey Habits: "Sharpen the Saw" is something I need to work on. I need to not focus on just one thing, but step back and focus on a lot of things that will help me to stay more focused when it's most important. With that being said, I need to get to bed. Good night!

Healthy Body Image Challenge Day 2: "I love my teeth"

Okay, this might be weird since we were talking about ankles yesterday, but another inherited trait I want to talk about is my teeth. The inherited part is that I have large teeth and a big smile. I love it! That is one of  the things that people comment on most of my features. I've even had a random street vendor in San Francisco shout out, "You've got a beautiful smile. Keep smiling!" However, I had some issues with my teeth when I was younger. I still have darker spots on my teeth, which I have had since I was young, and they happened because of there being too much fluoride in the water. (A dentist told me it was called fluoridosis). I remember one time a boy pointing it out and coming up with the nickname of "tartar teeth" for me. That was devastating to me and it stuck for a long time. However, as I've gotten older, more and more people comment on how white my teeth are. I don't know if things have changed (because I feel there are still darker spots), but it's been a good boost of confidence.

On the other side, I've had some love-hate relationships with my teeth. When I was young, I loved going to the dentist. Of course, I might have loved it a lot more than others because my dentist was my grandpa. The last thing that he did on my teeth was take out my wisdom teeth and then he retired. I actually went to college after that and ended up having to go to a dentist during the time I was at BYU. I ended up with a cavity that they claimed they took care of, but when I got home and we went to our new dentist (who was good like my grandpa), he told me that they had not cleaned it completely and I ended up having to get a root canal.

Since I was going back to BYU, I got the root canal out here in Provo and that was another horrible experience. The guy was good at what he did, but he was an interesting guy. Thank goodness, I went home to my normal dentist after that and he put on my crown. Every dentist that has seen my teeth since have raved about my crown. It must be good. :) However, even though I had a great dentist now I hated going to the dentist because I always seemed to have a cavity or two. However, I was pleasantly surprised the last time I went when he said no cavities. I almost thought he was joking! I was so happy to hear that I didn't have to come back. I have really tried to take better care of my teeth. Ryan has had a rough time with his teeth because of all radiation he went through during his cancer treatment. That is why we have both been working hard at taking care of our teeth. Flossing, brushing, and using mouthwash.

The new one that I want to do to show that I appreciate my teeth (and my parents for putting me in braces - thanks mom and dad!) is putting on my retainers. Yes, I still have them and I should use them more often. I am blessed to have straight teeth and I should show that I am grateful for that by helping them stay straight.

I really am blessed to have good teeth. I have really been trying to also take better care of my teeth by not drinking a lot of soda, drink more milk, and calcium pills. I love my teeth and I want to keep them strong. I am grateful for all of the things that they can do. I am also grateful for my smile. This is to my grandpa: I will work better on not using my teeth to hold things or open things with them. I want to keep my teeth forever!

I really do want to thank my grandpa for being such a good dentist and always checking our teeth when we would go over. He was always concerned about our health and he took such good care of us. My sister Jonelle mentioned that he asked to look at her teeth when we were there for Christmas. I was a little jealous that he didn't look at mine. It's been a long time since he's asked, but maybe next time, if I'm lucky. :)

Healthy Body Image Challenge Day 1: Confession "I have fat ankles"

I decided to not just say "better body image", but healthy body image. The goal is to really be happy with who I am (or anyone else reading this to be happy with who they are) which means having a healthy attitude about your body. You are no longer coveting what anyone else has. You are happy and ecstatic with the person that you are.

Just as an addendum to yesterday, I am not trying to just be happy with what I am right now if I feel like I need to still lose some weight. I think it is healthy to want to be your best self. I just don't want someone else telling me what my best self should be or should look like. I know my body's limitations and what will never be. For example, my inherited family trait that I don't love is fat ankles or "cankles" as I heard from some of my guy friends (your calf just goes straight to your ankle).

Some guys I knew used that as a way to know if a girl would be fat later on. They used it as a determination of F.P. (Fat Potential) It totally ruined my self-image in college and I blamed it on the fact that no one wanted to date me or marry me. Thank goodness my husband knew nothing of this "cankle" business. I asked him about it later and he thought it was ridiculous. (This is why I love him!) I know a lot of skinny people with fat ankles. The first thing for me to know and understand is that my ankles are not particularly skinny and will never be. That might lead to the fact that I don't love my legs, but let's just start with my ankles. I know that I cannot change how they look (wide), but I do know that I can change how my legs look, leading to a slimmer version of my ankle. I know I am using my other cousins and aunts as examples (and I just said, don't look at others), but I can because they have the same genetics that I do. I know theirs look skinnier, so therefore, mine can too. Also, I have already seen it on my own body, I just need to remember it.

Here is a more positive light on my ankles:

• Because they are "bigger" it is easier for me to balance in dance
• I have strong calves because of it
• When I wear heels, you can't tell as much :)
• They help me to run
• I should be better to them and strengthen them because I sprained my right ankle in a soccer game about 12 years ago. It still hurts since then, but I know if I strengthen it, then it will be better in dance, running, etc.
• My ankles help me to walk and get to places. I am grateful for them

What can I do to strengthen and slim down my ankles? Being a dancer, I've done lots of things.

1. In the morning I try to do calf raises while brushing my teeth. I do them in 1st position (jazz) with my feet facing forward, and in 1st position turnout (ballet). This has helped me with running and dance. I also notice that it does not hurt as much when I strengthen them. When I was taking aerobics at BYU a long time ago, someone told me that when your joints pop (from an injury) if you strengthen it, it will stop. I need to work on that more because I tried it and it lessened the pain.
2. Point and Flex: This comes from dance training. I will do this going forward and in turnout. Just sit on the ground in pike position (or you can do this with your back on the ground and your feet straight up in the air). With your feet straight up (as if you were standing) that is flex. Roll through your foot starting from the heel and point with your toes at the end, point straight. Reverse to flex position and repeat. 10 times is usually good. 3 sets of 10 is awesome and you will feel it in your ankles and legs. Turnout is good too because it hits different parts of the ankles. As you get good and want to add strength, try using an exercise band.
3. Balance is also key for your ankles. Try balancing on one foot. See how long you can hold it. Then balance on the other foot. Next, try it with your eyes closed. It gets a little bit harder. If you really want to try balance, go on your toes (dance relevé) and balance on each leg. Hold your arms to your side for balance or in first position ballet in front of you.
4. Finally, you want to keep your ankles loose and limber. In dance, we rotate our ankles. Pop one of your feet up (on your toes) and rotate your ankle out to the side and then in. Do this about 8 times, then reverse. Rotate inside out. Then switch feet and rotate out, then in.

This was good for me to write down. I forgot all of the different strength exercises I can do for my ankles. I am actually excited to do this each day. Besides the point and flex, you can do most of these as you are getting ready in the morning. While you are blow drying your hair, curling your hair, doing your make-up, or even while you are in the shower. The point and flex could actually be done in bed while you are waking up in the morning. (Gives you an excuse to stay in bed a little bit longer.)

Why do I want to strengthen my ankles? Because they help me with balance, keep me from falling, help me to run, dance, walk, swim, jump, AND they are an important part of my body. I want them to fulfill their function that they have been given and make them the best they can be.

Now I know that not everyone has fat ankles, but maybe you have weak ankles or you just want to be able to balance better. I hope this helped in that sense.

I guess in an essence, the first healthy body image challenge is to come to reality with one of your body parts that you cannot change. Some people will come up with parts of their bodies that they don't like, but can't strengthen (i.e. nose; on a lighter note you could flare your nostrils). This might be harder to deal with and figure out how to be happy with it. Everyone has their own different journey, but in the end, love who you are and what your family genetics have given to you. Use it as a strength, not a weakness.

Please comment if you have any other strength exercises for ankles. I am sure there are plenty that I have not written, but most of the ones I can think of are strength exercises for other parts of the body as well (squats, jumps, jumping jacks, etc.) Now that I think about it, ankles are very important for all other parts. I remember how hard it was to get around when I sprained my ankle. It was not fun. Show your ankles that you love them and take care of them!

Better Body Image

I haven't come up with a good title for this yet, but the essence of what I'm going to write about has to do with a transformation of how I think about my body. In our day and age, there are so many things out there telling us the "ideal" way to look. Way too many skinny (unhealthy) models are out there skewing our body images. The way that they look is not an ideal way to think. We do not all have the inherited genetics to look like that and if we do, we have to alter our image by some unnatural means.

The main thing that I want to do this year is to shed all of the "dead weight" that is keeping me down about loving my body the way that it is. I am imagining that I would like to do a detox of all the unhealthy things I think about personally about my body. It might take me a long time to get rid of some of the deep rooted feelings I have (such as I have never liked my legs), but I think it will be healthy.

Today, I just want to start off remembering that my body is a gift. I think the first step is to take an inventory of what a beautiful creation my body is and to take into account all the wonderful miracles that are happening each day, mostly without anything that I am doing to it. I'm just going to start with listing off some of the blessings I have because of my body. (Maybe this has been on mind because I've been dealing with atypical pneumonia for the past week and have been setback on some goals that I would like to achieve with good health).

*These would be different for everybody because we all have different things. I recognize that not everyone will have healthy lungs, be able to taste, have all of their limbs, but this is a start to love what I have and recognize the blessings that they are.

I am grateful for my body because:

• My heart pumps blood daily giving me the energy that I need
• My lungs are healthy and bring the oxygen to the blood that gives me energy
• My muscles and bones help me to move
• My eyes are able to see
• My ears are able to hear
• My nose is able to smell
• My tongue is able to taste
• My feet allow me to run, walk, dance, hike, etc.
• My hair is thick and full
• My skin is strong and protective
• My hands are able to do all of the things that I need to do each day
• I am grateful for my limbs, toes, fingers, and thumbs that help me do daily tasks. There are amazing people out there that do not have some of these and are able to compensate for what they are missing. I look up to these people.
• My mind - that I can think, feel, love, empathize, understand, and connect with others.
• It is a creation from a loving Heavenly Father who wants my spirit to continue to grow and learn.

This is just a start, but I was thinking about it yesterday, that the first gift we were given after we were created by our Heavenly Father was our free agency. We have the ability and freedom to make choices. Because we chose to follow Him and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we have now been given these wonderful bodies. I know that not all bodies are whole. We have our own particular challenges with them, but they are a gift and my goal is to learn to love the gift that He has given me and be more grateful. I am so grateful for the body I have been given. I have specific challenges, one of them is feeding my body with the proper nutrition it needs to sustain me and and the other is to exercise and keep my body strong, but those are things that I can change.

Looking back, it was two weeks ago, when I went to breakfast with a good friend and told her that my heart is just not into being healthy. I wasn't sure what would get me out of that plateau. Then, I got pneumonia. The down time has made me realize how important my health is and that I want to maintain it. Maybe this is what I needed to get me started on my healthy new me. 

Since having pneumonia, I have realized that it is more important than ever to watch what we give our bodies. That goes back to Free Agency. We have the choice to fuel our bodies in certain ways. I have been working on telling myself each day how much I love my body and what I have and have realized that when I say that, I am less inclined to want to eat something that is unhealthy for me. This is just a start and I'm sure it will get harder as it goes, but I really want a healthy body. I think this is what will give me the drive to do it and maintain it this time. I will still be using techniques that I know work (I've used Weight Watcher Points Plus in the past and I love it because it works), but this time, if I have my whole heart in it, it will stick.

That and this quote: 

Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.    -Edward Stanley

Stay tuned, I hope to write a little each day about something positive or thought-changing about how I view my body. Maybe it will be a 30 day positive body image challenge. :)