exercise

All posts tagged exercise

Resolutions for the New Year

Published January 10, 2019 by Angela

Yes, I am a bit late with my resolutions, but I also find too much pressure with keeping resolutions that I set for January 1st. So I need to get into the rhythm of a normal schedule after many days off from work over the holidays, and then I can focus on what I need to fix.


@booksandopinions, llc

And boy, do I need to fix a LOT of things… 2018 was a very difficult year for me, on many fronts. I was certainly grateful to put it behind me, but now my 2019 is not starting off on the strong front I was hoping for. But that does not mean that starting today it can’t.

My anxiety has been absolutely horrible, and every day is a battle to not have a panic attack. The depression is just as bad, and with the long, cold, sunless Michigan days that we have for 4 months straight, I have no desire or motivation to do anything.

@booksandopinions, llc

I have to change my daily routine after work. I need to get out of the house, go to the gym, somewhere outdoors when the weather allows; anything but sit in the house. Thinking. Thinking about what I should be doing with my life, instead of actually doing it.

Things have to change; I fear my life depends on it. It very well might. I will get through these first couple of hurdles, and then next up will be talking through the other big issues affecting my life.

When I spend time in my Bible, I feel calm, peaceful, safe. It is a wonderful place to be.

Until next time…….Blessings for you and yours, make this year your best. This is going to be Day One, no more One Day.


@booksandopinions, llc

Managing Anxiety On The Inside…

Published September 7, 2018 by Angela

…and looking like I have it together on the outside. It seems to be how I have been living my life as of late. Although it works, it is certainly not ideal. While I am one to keep my business to myself (well, except for blogging about it LOL!), it can be important that others recognize I have anxiety. How do I know if they are wondering why I am being exceptionally quiet, or seem especially stressed out? I have had people ask me if I am doing okay when I am being very quiet. So they see it. Everyone sees it.

It is not that I am hiding it, or embarrassed, or ashamed; I just have always been a very private person. Talking helps. I know it helps immediately alleviate the anxiety for me, because when I am communicating, I don’t have time to focus on the anxiety.

Anxiety Meme

courtesy of Meme.xyz 

All four of my daughters have inherited my anxiety issues. It is a difficult thing to watch them go through, but it also makes me more determined to find good ways to manage it, so I can lead by setting a good example. I need to learn to focus on all of the things in my life I have been blessed with, and there are so very many, and stop putting all of my attention on the things that aren’t so good.

I need to manage my self-care better, and eat the right foods, and take my supplements, and get moving more! This is where I always say…I’ll start tomorrow… knowing tomorrow never gets here. I will run out of tomorrows, so it has got to be TODAY!

Easy to say, and hard to do! I absolutely take it one-day-at-a-time! Sometimes, it is an hour at a time.

What are your go-to tricks to calm your anxiety when it hits you out of the blue? Do you have something that works every single time, or is it hit-and-miss?

 

Today I Choose to Just Be Grateful!

Published March 16, 2017 by Angela

I did not sleep very well last night, and woke up with a very sore back. But my cat alerted me to the 4 deer in our front yard, and it was a wonderful site to see at such an early hour. I am grateful I was awake for it.

I have been grumbling for 5 days about a flooded basement in my new home. It is time to realize my good fortune, and be grateful that I had the ability as a single parent to buy this house for my family.

I wake up most mornings wishing I could sleep a little longer, and not have to go to work. But I will always be grateful for the wonderful job I have had for over 20 years, that has done so much for me, and provided for my family. Many are struggling to find full time employment that will support themselves and their families.

I’ve been spending months complaining about the 50 lbs of weight I have managed to gain over the last two years; yet I make no conscious effort to change that. I have a rowing machine being delivered tomorrow, and am grateful that I am able to exercise and get myself feeling better, and healthier.

I am grateful to have the choice to choose healthy food for myself and my family, when so many have little to no food at all. My cure all for everything that ails me? Honey with the comb, which fits great in these tiny Ball jars to take to work!

Honey in Comb

I am grateful for so many things every single day; but it is not often enough that I take inventory of those things.

What are you grateful for today?

When You Get Your Butt Kicked By Monday!

Published January 20, 2015 by Angela

Yep, I certainly did.

Monday: 1

Angela: 0

I knew I had a crazy busy day today, and I had it all planned out. Well, planned out in my head of how it would go.

I got out of work late because there were issues in the shipping department that they needed me to fix.

I got to my oil change appointment 15 minutes early, only to have them running late on when they said it would be done. Knowing I was down to 10 minutes to get to my Doctor’s appointment, I let them know that they would be responsible for my $50.00 fee if I missed my appointment. They gave me a discount and got me out on time.

My Doctor’s appointment went as planned, but who likes getting a catheter put in? Yeah; not me. But I get to do this every 2 weeks and that is a whole different story.

I get home and eat some grain salad so I can get to the YMCA and get some exercising done. My Dad shows up to pick up some stuff I had here for him, only to come in and tell me he has a flat tire. By now it is 5:30 pm, so I tell my girls to go ahead without me and I will catch up later.

After getting the tire off, and into my car, we get it repaired, back home, and on the car. By now it is 7:00 pm, and I know I cannot go exercise because I will never get to sleep if I exercise that late. My Dad lives an 1 1/2 away, and I am just happy I was able to keep him calm, get the tire fixed, and visit with him for a couple hours.

So I am going to go to bed, with my cat and a book, and try this again tomorrow!

As 2014 Comes to a close…

Published December 20, 2014 by Angela

…I thought now would be a great time to take a final look at my 2014 to-do list as I get ready for 2015! I first posted my to-do list for 2014 here: https://parenthoodandotherhorrorstories.com/2014/01/02/my-2014-to-do-list/

I felt it was better to not make any ‘resolutions’ per-se, as they tend to be harder to keep. So I have updated on how I was doing a couple times this year, and now I will just do a quick run-down of my successes, and not-quite-successes as I think about my 2015 goals.

1 & 2 – I both went to church and increased my tithes; yes, I know, it kind of goes hand-in-hand 🙂

3 & 4 – stop swearing and yelling. Definite improvements here, and yes, these too tend to go hand-in-hand. I am happy to say I can no longer claim I cuss like a sailor. The truth is I did, and thank goodness I do not anymore!

5 – make and take some me time – Yeah; not so much. The opportunity never really presented itself, even when I had planned for it. This is one of my top priorities for 2015.

6 – be more patient – I would have to say yes I am more patient, or I highly doubt the yelling and swearing would have decreased as much as it has 🙂

7 – Exercise – Not so much. Okay; not at all. Although I did by running shoes and used them…once. This is another top priority for me in 2015, since I have managed in the last few months to stress-eat back the 30 lbs I had lost in the past year 😦

8 – I did read the entire Bible. I did not understand it all, but I read it; cover-to-cover. 2015’s goal here is to spend time reading it every single day!

9 – I have improved my photography skills. I have taken some classes, learned most of the functions on my camera, and have taken some spectacular pictures this year!

10 – I have definitely allowed myself to be happy, for the most part. I will honestly say these last couple months of this year have put me in a real funk. Tired, depressed, and just not feeling good.

So, for 2015, besides making time for myself, exercising on a regular basis, and reading my Bible daily, I also will be continuing to work on getting my MBA, as well as polishing up my blogs. I want to get all of my social media accounts in order and up-to-date so they are easier for me to manage, while eliminating the ones I do not need.

It is my goal to get my Editing work off the ground, as well as finding a marketing medium for my books and opinions blog. I recently became a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, and this is a great platform for me to use as well as other methods I have been using.

I will continue to help and volunteer at my church, and hopefully I can increase those commitments. I will continue to love, nurture, and discipline my girls to raise them into the beautiful, polite, respectable girls they have proven to be every single day of my life.

I have been truly Blessed this year with my health, my family, new job opportunities at work, and much great success on beginning this new path of editing 🙂 I am excited to see what 2015 has in store for me!

2013’s To Do List – Update

Published September 24, 2014 by Angela

I have been giving an update about every three months for how I am doing with my little to-do list I made for myself of things I wanted to work on in 2014.

1)      Go to church more – was doing very well, but my summer attendance is never good. That will likely be a focus for me next year; figure out why I have such a hard time getting to church in the summer months

2)      Tithing – all good here

3)      Swearing – swearing has become pretty much non-existent for me; except when I am really, REALLY angry about something. I am at the point of when I hear others swearing, the worse the word is, the more I cringe

4)      Yelling – much better here as well, except, again, when I am REALLY angry

5)      Me Time – yeah, it seems I have been doing everything possible to make sure my schedule is as full as possible, at all times. Me, Myself, and I need to have a little chat about this

6)      Patience – much better, except when? Yep. When I am REALLY angry

7)      Exercise – I have been on exercise equipment a couple times in the last month. It certainly is not enough, but it is definitely better than what I was doing. Which was nothing

8)      Read the Bible – I did get this done. I read the entire Bible, front to back. Even the confusing parts in the Old Testament that I would normally skip over. Now I re-read different parts usually on a daily basis

9)      Improve my photography skills – Well I have definitely been taking more pictures, and getting some good results that I am looking for. I certainly am not utilizing the full capabilities of my camera yet

10)   Be Happy – I have been much happier for this past year than I likely ever was in the previous 20 years. I still get down, and upset, and all that other stuff that happens on occasion. But I have truly allowed myself to be happy. To not question if I should be/deserve to be/earned the right to be truly happy

Next years list is what I need to start thinking about now 🙂