Wi Active Challenge: Day 5

One of the reasons I was concerned about trying the Wi-Active again is because... last time I got to Day 4 I ended up in the ER and laid up for 7 weeks with kidney stones.

Now you might ask, "What does Wi-Active have to do with kidney stones?"

On Day 4 there happens to be a lot of jumping. I had this thought that perhaps that jiggled the stones loose the last time. Well, last night laying in bed... sure enough my left kidney started to throb. I knew that pain; it is one you cannot associate with anything else; kidney stones. I laid there and did Reiki on my kidneys while breathing through the pain... it wasn't as intense as February's episode so I was able to fall asleep.

When I got up this morning I still had a twinge, but it wasn't bad... I figured I would drink lots of water and hope that one of the remaining 16 stones would soon dislodge and pass with ease. I looked at the Wi.... DAY 5!!

Yes, that is right, I went ahead and did my workout. Why? I figured it could help this process and my over all health goal is important to me. So onward I ventured into jumping, running and boxing....

Okay, maybe not the brightest idea... I believe the stone is big and it is stuck trying to get out of the kidney; the more I exercised the more intense the pain.

Unfortunately, I had to reschedule my rare dinner date tonight with two good friends but am optimistic that the stone will pass soon. In the mean time, I am drinking tons of water and have located the left over percocet from the last episode just in case.

Day 5... Burned 137 calories.

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Wi Active Day Challenge: Day 4

It is Day 4 of my Wi Active Challenge...

Today was easier than Day 2 and thankfully not as much running as the first two days. However, the first two and a half minutes were brutal. When I stated to run the front of my legs hurt... muscles I didn't know I had. And if I did, I didn't know that they could hurt from exercising.

I am enjoying the structure of the devise and find the virtual coach to be actually helpful. Although I do roll my eyes from time to time at her. Thankfully she cannot see me or I'd be running more :)

Dare I say that I actually enjoyed the tennis drill and dance routine. More surprisingly I find the side lunges fun too. But, the best satisfaction is that I am taking my own health seriously; and that feels good.

I burned 100 calories in 21 minutes today... this whole calorie thing is giving me a new perspective about how many calories I consume... I am amazed how much work it takes to burn the calories equivalent to a serving of my favorite salad dressing...

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Alterna Mom's Wi-Active Challenge: The Why and Day 1-3

BECOME MORE PROACTIVE IN YOUR PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SPIRITUAL, AND FINANCIAL HEALTH AND THAT OF YOUR CHILDREN!

That is my Alterna-Mom motto! I have to humbly say that if Alterna-Mom's Blog is about promoting health and well-being on all levels of our existence, then she needs to heed her own advise.

I have insisted that my habitual tiredness and dark circles are from sleepless nights of worry about my children and obsessing over the details I orchestrate in my mind's eye on how to move forward on helping my daughter diagnosed with autism to become more functional, safe and communicative while advocating for her rights, needs and education. (Not to mention the advocacy I do for my other child as well... raising kids mindfully takes time, energy and planning.) However, I recently took my own blood sugar levels and the results scared me. I swayed between a consistent 123 and 236 during a week of testing.

My Mom was diagnosed with diabetes at about the same age I am now, 40. She controlled it with diet at first, then the pill and finally insulin shots. This past Spring the diabetes finally claimed her leg after an intense year of surgeries, heart attacks and gangrene. I knew at this precise moment in time that I needed to become more proactive in my own health, but somehow we use life as a convenient excuse to resume our old habits.

I have understood that I was already predisposed to diabetes not only via paternal and maternal history, but through evidence of gestational diabetes with both of my pregnancies. However, I believe that the power of our minds, meditation and prayer can trump genetics. Maybe I am not so lucky or maybe I have caught it early enough... fate is always yet to be determined.

I am not one to run to the doctor, yet I know that there is a time and place like I explained HERE. I also am keenly aware that intention alone cannot alter reality. We must be proactive and make healthy decisions especially if we are going to stay around to see our children grow and spoil our grandchildren. I have always insisted that we must take care of ourselves before we take care of our children and loved ones. In order to be more present for them we must tend to our needs.

Perhaps the culmination of the sugar levels, my mom's fate and my recent kidney stone episode has pushed me just enough to heed my own advise. So, I bought primarily fresh fruits and vegetables at my bi-weekly shopping trip Friday night, then came home and pulled out the Wi-Active.

I decided to take the 30 day challenge... easy enough right? Somehow committing to a challenge seemed easier than randomly using this devise. So, I set parameters including my weight... ouch!! I weigh what I weighed when I was 9 months pregnant with my oldest child. That alone should have prompted me to do this a long time ago.

HOLY MOLY.... Can running in place for 90 seconds really make me that out of breath... I can't help but wonder if that is still evidence of my smoking days. So, I use this as a teachable moment, "Girls, see what happens when you smoke?"

My eldest replies, "You don't smoke Mom!"

"Well, thanks to you (I quit with my first pregnancy) I don't, but I am certain that that is why I am so winded."

She says, "Really !?!?," I am not sure if her response is from the disbelief that her anti-smoking mother actually smoked once upon a time or if she is amazed at the honesty that I unconditionally offer them.

I have decided to document here my progress. Although this is a public venue, I think that it 1) will keep me honest and encourage me to continue through the first 30 days and 2) maybe it will motivate someone else to become more proactive in their health...

Day 1 It would have been easy to quit; it kicked my butt!! I was panting and resting in between sets. But my daughters were watching and encouraging me to finish... Did I ever tell you that my kids rock!?!

My muscles hurt... I wanted to sit down and throw in the towel... but I pushed through the whole workout. I have to admit, I was proud of myself... it would have been easier to listen to the million reasons why I shouldn't do this... How can I find the time? How can I find the energy? How much will it cost? Who will watch the kids? I need to save my energy for the kids. I need to get this done or that finished...

I burned 121 calories! That made me walk away from the donut later that day... all of that work equated to 1/3 of the donut!! Wow, that really put things into perspective.

Day 2 It was a more intense workout (and longer), but I was amazed at how much easier the track was in just 24 hours... really!! I still huffed and puffed, but I had better focus and was better able to push through the pain. That in and of itself amazed me.

I burned 151 calories yesterday... again, I was reminded of how much effort it takes to burn off those in between empty-caloried snacks.

It is Day 3 and I am grateful it is the day to rest... my legs were wobbly coming downstairs this morning. However, does a mother really have any days to rest? It is interesting on the Wi-Active it asks you to log your other activities with time and intensity. That includes playing with the kids, yard work, house work, walking etc. I presume I am not doing too bad already because I really do do a lot... maybe it is the cardio I am missing though.

There is no challenge today, so we have planned to start prepping the yard-sale stuff.... that is a work out! But I think later we will do some yoga - my muscles feel like they could use some good stretching.

I think this is good for me... on many levels. Plus, Emily has decided to partake in the challenge... so we are doing this together. Sahara was annoyed the first day... she thought we were going to play golf or fishing (her favorite Wi games), but yesterday she did a couple of the exercises with us... too cute... this may be a fun summer activity for the 3 of us.

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Ice Skating, Girl Power, and Unconditional Love

I have to say my favorite summer tradition is our annual ice skating outing. Yes, ice skating in August! Can you think of a more creative way to beat the dog days of summer? Neither can I.

The girls and I dug out our winter hats and mittens, put on our jeans and headed over to the Chiller Skating Rink. Being August, it wasn’t very busy today… maybe 20 skaters, at best, including 3 pro hockey guys in their getup.

Sahara was glued to the wall, which was fine with me… she stopped at each bench and penalty box while her sister periodically came up from behind to say, “Hi” and offer a helping hand. It took Sahara 45 minutes to do one lap then she hesitantly stepped off of the rink. She amazed me as she walked on her skates without wobbling, which according to her IEP she shouldn’t be able to do.

(LEAPS AND BOUNDS!)

After she removed her skates we went to the balcony to watch Emily skate with confidence, pink cheeks, and a faint smile of pride. Emily twirled and sped across the ice with grace, not a common trait in this kid.

(Another moment of ACCOMPLSHEMENT filled me.)

As we headed to the car, Emily declared she was hungry. After lunch we headed over to the department store to get a jump start on school shopping. As we pulled up to the stop light, I had this urge I just had to heed to. I rolled down my window and freely yelled, “GIRLS ROCK!” Emily’s eyes got big and I heard a faint giggle…

“1, 2, 3… GIRL POWER!”

…we were laughing, shouting, and enjoying our girlhood to the fullest. Sahara participated from the backseat laughing as much as her sister did as she repeated “Girl Power”. For that moment we had no diagnosis in the car, no constraints from society, and no peer pressure… we were just innocently enjoying a mom and me outing celebrating our girl-ness.

We talked about how girls can do anything a boy can do (psst, sometimes better). This is something I think young girls often are not encouraged to do, but not today… today I told them they could be, do, and experience ANYTHING they decided to.

We talked about it being awesome that Emily loves science and math, and that girls can have those types of careers too. I even discovered that Emily secretly thought it would be really neat if her and her sister grew up to be Paleontologists working together on excavations.

HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?

Most siblings want to get as far away from each other as possible, but not my girls. I suppose that this is Emily’s way of saying that I shouldn’t worry about Sahara’s future. She often declares that Sahara and she will live together when they leave home, and sometimes I think that just might be the case.

This was evident half way through the store when Emily (out of the blue) declared, “I LOVE MY SISTER!!!” I looked over at her and smiled faintly, “I know you do and she loves you…”

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The ABC's of Innis Woods Metro Park (by Emily and Mommy)

Today we went to Innis Woods Metro Park in Westerville, Ohio... if you live in the Central Ohio region, you have a bounty of free parks awaiting your exploration... turn off the tv and take the kids outside. Our children learn through interacting with their environment. If you live elsewhere, you need to research what is in your backyard... you may be surprised at what you discover. Parks give families an excellant opportunity to bond and great lasting memories while learning more about nature. Here is a list of things that the girls and I saw or experienced today...

Amazing Adventure

Bridges

Chipmunks

Deer

Ebbing water

Families

Grey squirrel

Hills

Investigation

Joggers

Kalology (study of beauty)

Labyrinth

Meadow

Nature

Oobambulate (to wander about)

Pine Trees

Quality time

Red Cardinal

Spider

Toads

Uliginoud (a swampy, slimy place)

Violets

Windmill

Xenial (hospitality towards guests… from ranger.)

Yellow Daisies

Zeta (a small room with nature displays)

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Careful of Body Image... She is Watching

When I met my husband I was 18 years old, 5 foot 9 inches, and 95 pounds (if soaking wet). I never wanted to be as thin as I was… my metabolism just was that of a gerbil’s! In fact, I remember many times attempting to gain weight during high school and I just couldn’t. Many people thought I had an eating disorder, but I didn’t—it really was just the way my body and metabolism worked.

I gained a lot of weight when I was 26 years old after my father passed away; I soothed my grief with food: mashed potatoes, ice cream, chocolate. It wasn’t until years later that I learned Chocolate really did affect the brain. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter commonly known as an antidepressant is triggered by tryptophan which is found in chocolate.

Over the years I have either been either too skinny or too heavy by my own standards. Although, it never amounted into a true eating disorder by definition, it certainly misconstrued how I perceived my body. Now, I admit I am 170 and agonize over the loss of the body I once had.

Today we eat healthy (mostly organic) real foods and trust me I am active… I chase (literally) after kids, do laundry, clean house, go on outdoor excursions, taxi Sahara to and from various therapies & Emily to her extracurricular activities, I climb stairs all day, and never really get a few moments to sit down until the end of the day. At that point, I fall asleep out of pure exhaustion while putting the girls to bed, only to awaken in a few hours because I am worried about the one child who sleep walks and has night terrors and the other who wanders outdoors and is non-verbal.

I am sure that my lack of sleep over the years has contributed to those numbers staring back at me on the scale. I am also sure that I have learned to eat to comfort myself from the pain and worry over having a child diagnosed with autism, the loss of my professional identity, the stress of going from two incomes to one while I stay home with the girls, etc.

I am only 25 pounds away from my ideal weight, but the thing that bothers me the most about all of this isn’t those numbers or my body image... it is the message I have been sending to my approaching tween. I have heard her ask, “am I fat?” and “do I need to lose weight?” Although I will not take complete responsibility for this, I do take some.

I know she quietly sees me looking in the mirror with displeasure and hears me complaining about my outer appearance. She is a product of her mother! But, I also know that the children of today are more consumed with body image than we ever were. They are inundated with magazines and technology showing women that demonstrate perfection…. Let’s face it Sex and Image sells. Britney Spears is a perfect example of a generation x persona that gives a false image to the teens. In more recent times, Miley Cyrus (Hanna Montana) sells ‘sexy’ underwear, makeup, flashy purses and clothing… persuading the tweens and teens to have a certain image.

These young famous girls on the center stage have perfect shapes and complexions… makeup artists, lighting, and computer touch ups make these kids look immaculate. I suppose Barbie is just as bad. When my oldest was little I refused to buy any Barbie dolls for this exact reason. However, when Sahara received a Barbie doll from a kid for her birthday last year… it was over. Let’s face it this plastic personified doll has a perfect body, perfect hair, perfect friends, and a perfect boyfriend, Ken. We are hardwiring our little girls that they need to create this perfect image for themselves.

By the time these young girls are faced with their own emerging bodies, the peers come along… they are influential—regardless of how much we try to stay the primary influence, peers get a hold of our little angels and it is over. (I have found the ones with teenage sisters are the worse.) But, yes, even at 10 years of age, they are commenting about body image and outer body appearance. What is a mother to do?!?!

Firstly, take your own inventory… that is what I had to do. Somewhere along the avenue of mothering my approaching tween, I realized my body perception was influencing hers. I, now, create opportunities for her to see an average woman who is okay with her image. I want her to develop the awareness that it is okay to love yourself as you are and that your self-worth is not contingent on having a certain body image.

Role models start at the top and although we do not remain the primary influence of our young daughters… they are still watching. And if you can be confident in your skin regardless of the brand of clothes you wear, the loss of an 18 year old body, the healthier message they receive about how to perceive themselves.

I am presently 9 months away from my 40^th birthday and am making a commitment to get to my ideal weight by that time. Not because I have a distorted body image that needs to be addressed, but more importantly because I want to be healthier and be a better role model for my young daughters. With heart disease and diabetes running rampid on both sides of their family tree, I want them to understand that the more they respect and take care of their body-temple the longer they will have it.

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Ballet Met Columbus - Momentum: An Educational Dance Program -- BRAVO!

Chaperoning a field trip is tolerable at most. Ususally I walk away with admiration of the teachers we entrust our children to and relief that I am not in their shoes.... but today was different; today I spent the afternoon being inspired by 400 youth and found myself loving it!

Ballet Met Columbus puts on a yearly program called Momentum, an enrichment program using dance as the medium to enhance 4th graders’ ‘excellence, discipline, and self-confidence’ using The Ohio Department of Education’s Dance Content Standards.

Over the school year, dance instructors come to the seven participating schools and instruct the students weekly about movement, self-control, and dance. At the end of the year the students unite as a large collective group to perform on the stage the choreographed program for their parents, teachers, next year’s performers, and donors.

The program was appropriately titled One World - One Beat. It beautifully illustrated cultures from around the world through music and dance. However, what I found more intriguing was the communion of cultures on the stage.

To see a diverse group of kids from the urban and suburban schools uniting was truly inspirational. I have never chaperoned an event that brought tears to my eyes… but today definitely triggered that within me; the kids were alive, electric, and full of confidence— a refreshing expression among a generation faced with many hard realities that were unfamiliar to us when we were kids!

The 3rd graders in the audience were so respectful and captured by the grace of the performers. I am sure they were experiencing the thrill of their schoolmates being on a theater stage and the anticipation of their own dance adventure next year.

I couldn’t help but wish that each child in the world had an opportunity to express themselves like these children did today!

Bravo!

The performance will be aired on television in Ohio... Although I couldn't get the specific information, if interested you may want to contact Ballet Met Columbus directly.

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A Moment in the Park: Do our children remember before they were? Do they remember other souls?

We all needed to escape the many pressures of life. We packed our water bottles, put on our hiking boots, and headed to the park. We all seemed to instantaneously absorb all the energy nature had to offer.

For a day, the jungle gyms were just manmade three dimensional works of art decorating the park in the distance; primary colored abstracts that did not beckon. Instead, freedom filled the children as they ran through the field of dandelions. The bouquet they created made you wonder why anyone wanted to rid such beauty from their yards; each individually picked after careful consideration.

The river was high and her force rushed the canoes past us as the girls ran giggleing up the bank. They stopped to climb a tree, skip rocks across the river and smell different wild flowers. Their spirits were definitely being filled by the many attributes of nature.

As we ventured forward, Sahara stopped and abruptly turned around. We all turned to see what else nature was offering her spirit today.

We were stunned to see this elderly lady being pushed in a wheelchair.

Without hesitation she walked up to her and said, “Hi!” They immediately became enamored by one another. She placed her little hand gently on the woman’s hand and walked beside her.

I was amazed at the calmness, the eye contact, and the verbal exchange; all things foreign in the world of autism. But somehow, in this moment, all of the constructs vanished and they merged together offering (without expectation) what the other needed.

The woman beamed at the innocence of a four year old, while Sahara beamed with the wisdom of an eighty-four year old. The chattered together… I am sure that somehow this woman was able to understand the jumbled words that flowed from Sahara. As they parted ways the woman quietly said, “I am sure I will bump into you again.” Sahara smiled and said, “ba-bye.”

A moment suspended in the timeless nature of the park ended. The girls walked ahead of us on the path as we were left in the quiet wake of a moment we were sure had been cosmic; a moment where two souls either reunited or united, maybe both.

There was a chemistry that made even the most skeptical understand that somehow we are all connected and have possibly known each other in another time and place. I wonder if anyone else notices these moments with their children.

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Rebounding Beneficial to Adults and Kids

Rebounding can be considered of the best modern day exercises; especially because of its convenience, ease of use, and achievement of a multitude of optimal health results.

The lymphatic system is the garbage collector of the human body. It is full of fluid and toxins. It relies on movement to effectively purge the toxins from its system. The best ways to achieve this movement is through massage and jumping up and down (rebounding). When the lymphatic system is regularly activated, the human body processes toxins naturally, A lymphatic system that is not performing optimally may contribute to

Headaches
Cancer
Heart Disease
Chronic Fatigue
High Blood Pressure
Infections (Viral and Bacterial)
Low Energy
Obesity
And More

Rebounding reduces body fat, provides an aerobic effect on the heart, and increases your energy even when you are tired. If you are too tired to rebound, that is when you need to rebound. When you obtain more energy who have more opportunites for a more gratifying life.

In addition to the health benefits of this exercise— rebounding has a positive effect on children with ASD and ADHD. It can be used to stimulate those with a low energy and it can be used to ground those with hyper-sensitivities. Try having your child jump before meals, bed time, transitions, table work, and car rides.

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The Detox Twist

1– Sit on the floor, legs straight. Bend your right knee and lift your right foot over your left thigh, placing your right foot on the floor beside your left knee. Bend your left knee.

2-Keeping your spine straight, hook your left elbow around your right knee and reach down your thigh toward your hip.

3-Place your right hand on the ground behind you. Lift your chest and gently twist your spine to look over your right shoulder.

4-Hold for several seconds. Release. Repeat on the opposite side.

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