Tired Tears

Or alternately titled, "When did 9 o'clock get so late?"

Yesterday I had a full blown toddler meltdown. Except I was the toddler. I have spread myself too thin and I am way too overcommitted. It's my fault.

At about 8:30 last night as I was tearing up because I couldn't focus, I learned a valuable lesson instead of diving headfirst into the box of Cinnamon Chex cereal I was eating. Just go to bed. Even if 9pm sounds early, to my body it seemed so late.

I struggle with eating my feelings as I call it. When I'm stressed or overwhelmed or tired or sad, I'll eat. And that doesn't make me feel any better. Then I'm that feeling AND stuffed AND guilty because I overate again. It's a terrible, vicious cycle.  Last night, actually listening to my body felt good. It helped me make a good decision for myself.

I even got to practice that lesson this morning. My alarm went off at 5am to do my workout and I just was not ready. I knew it would make my long day longer and that I (and my students) would suffer because of it. So I slept and then took my time getting ready this morning and came to school earlier. I'll make up my workouts this weekend when I am more rested and I'm pretty sure my body won't mind. Sometimes your mental health trumps your physical health.

Here's hoping there are no more tired tears tonight!

Fitmixer Assignment 1

These bootcamp kids haven't cut any corners with the online format of their program. I'm already sad thinking it's going to end. In seven weeks. We were given and assignment on Friday to write a love letter to ourselves in order to change our thoughts and discover who we truly are. This might be the most personal thing I have ever posted on here, so bear with me.

Dear Self,

Guess what - it's ok to be proud of the person you are right this minute. Not who you want to be tomorrow, but who you are today. These are the things I love about you (in no particular order):

-You are making this a nice, orderly list because you love things orderly and organized.

-You have created this blog.
-You are a fiercely loyal friend.
-You love God and your family.
-You have endured a lot of struggles and come out smiling.
-You haven't compromised.
-You got your Master's at 24.
-You took the difficult path after college because you wanted to serve even when others told you it was crazy.
-You love your students and all those around you.
-You constantly seek to better yourself - mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
-You love to read.
-You're a pretty darn good cook.
-You sometimes consider yourself pretty. (Start doing that more!)
-You have learned to accept a compliment.
-You try to always find the good in the world.
-You won't settle.
-You love to love.
-You're quite handy.
-You have personal style.
-You're part fish.
-You love to move - your body and your address.
-You have identified your flaws, but are learning to not dwell on them.
-You are independent.
-You are learning to be kind to your body.
-You have seen a good chunk of the world and yet...
-You want to see so much more of it.

I'm sure there are many many more things I will want to add to this love letter later, but for now that's it. Tomorrow I will get to be proud of the person I am then.

Love,
a

It's Independence Day...

in Mexico. And you thought that's what Cinco de mayo was all about. Sorry to burst your bubble. Sadly, I don't feel like celebrating much. Stomach ache, headache, behind in the to do list, and super tired. Not sure if I have the same bug some of my students had last week or my body is still revolting from Chipotle yesterday. After a week of eating super clean and healthy even Chipotle rocked its world. 

Totally worth it.

Tomorrow marks my the beginning of the second week of Bootcamp and I'm still loving it! I'm such a nerd about all things health related and I have finally found something that works for me, for now. I'm fueling my body for function not emotion. And let me tell you, working out at home is so much easier than hauling my stuff to the gym. Don't get me wrong, I still miss and love my fancy gym, but since leaving Austin I haven't really had one of those :(

I seriously can't believe September is half over. This week is another crazy one with the kickoff of my online teaching career, an away swim meet, a bake sale, the multicultural club kickoff and about a million other things! Good thing I love my job. Those babies make it all worth it. Yes, I call my high school students babies. Oops.

Now I'm going to go celebrate Mexican Independance by....wait for it....grading Spanish tests. Wooo!!!!Partyyyyyy!

Fitmixer

So I've epically (that's not a word?) failed at many things blog wise lately. I was called out for my lack of What I Wear Wednesdays. I only made it three weeks with my Grateful For... list and generally haven't been posting much. Well, I'm sorry. School and coaching and projects and life have gotten in the way. However, what I am here to tell you is that I started something today that I intend on finishing. The awesome team over at fitmixer.com have this amazing online bootcamp program. They provide nutrition plans (from a dietitian), weekly webcasts, weigh-ins, workouts, and most importantly an incredible support system through facebook and email. Many of you know I have struggled with food and weight issues for a long time and I am excited to see where this goes. I'll be blogging about it periodically, but just know that my lack of other posts is only temporary until my life slows down a bit.

Today we did a fit test and here were the results:

(Other than those listed with time were completed in one minute.)

burpees 15
superman 28
plyolunges 15/15
tri pushup 16
hover 1:16
chest push up 6 regular, 15 knees
wall sit 1:20
high knees 46
jumping jacks 66
side hovers 14/14

Blue Moon

Warning: This post is a little sad, but I left out most of the specifics of the day for the squeamish. 

Once in a blue moon whales beach themselves for inexplicable reasons. Far less frequently do girls from Missouri get to help assist in the rescue process. Today during a delicious brunch at Captain's Galley, some friends and I found out about a pod of beached pilot whales nearby. Thank goodness for friends in the know. We hopped in the new (still-unnamed) car and went to go see if we could help.

There were so many people and so many whales! It was a little chaotic and we weren't sure of what to do so we grabbed some buckets and began filling them with water. In total, there were 22 whales and each had a team of about four or five people attending to them. At least one person sat up against the whale to keep it propped up and the rest worked to keep it cool. I ran into a friend who volunteers at Harbor Branch and joined their team. 

We worked with a young female whom they had named Margot. I've never seen a whale outside of an aquarium and here I was sitting next to one pouring water from a water bottle over her dorsal fin. The vets came around and instructed us to keep track of her breathing and over the next couple of hours that's all we could do. Margot's breathing became more labored and other whales were dying around us. At some point they sedated her. She began to shake and lift her tail and I felt entirely helpless.

There was a lot going on, people coming and going, but I was lucky they let me stay. It had become quite crowded and the park rangers were trying to control the crowd, the media, and all the volunteers. Eventually, the vets came around and began to euthanize the whales one by one. It was really hard watching them get closer and closer to Margot as they worked their way down the beach. It was even worse when they actually got to our tent. The vets and volunteers were incredible, though. Humane and understanding - they explained everything they were about to do as if she was "our" whale. She kind of was. And even more so to Sarah, Colleen, and Anna from Harbor Branch.

The actual procedure was the hardest part and I'm not going to describe it. Just know that the term "putting to sleep" isn't quite accurate. After that, I couldn't stay around anymore. Sadly, 17 whales died today, but thankfully five were rescued and will hopefully survive. 

Here are a few pictures from today.

Each tent is covering a whale or two.

The farthest south on the beach. They were spread all along.

There are two of the babies in this pool someone brought. They were saved!

Margot (and Sarah)

Another whale came ashore as we were working. Thankfully they were able to save it as well.