Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts

January 13, 2010

Exercise, Eat Right & Sleep – Easy As Pie, Right?

So, I think the thing I find most annoying about being a 30-something mama, is that I’m no longer 20-something maintaining a healthy body that I can live with seems to get harder by the freekin’ minute!

Growing up, I never had to live with weight issues (thankfully!) and have always been on the skinny side from my teenage years and into my 20’s, even to now.  Of course, like everyone else, I hit that point, somewhere around 25, where things slowly started to change and that good old metabolism began to slow down.  Then, at 30, I got pregnant and had a baby, and with that bundle of joy came the almost 60 pounds of  weight gained by consuming everything that qualified as a food substance within a 20 mile radius for 9 months.  Needless to say, after that 6.5 lb baby left my belly, it was a bit of a shock to realize that this did not make much of a dent whatsoever in jump starting my weight loss & my post-baby body still required maternity pants (and would continue to do so for another 4 months!).  It took an entire year (much to my dismay) to get back to my pre-pregnancy size, but still my body has never been the same.  All the various parts that shifted around to make room for the HUMAN growing in my tummy (the whole thing always seemed very ‘Alien’-like to me) just somehow forgot where the hell they were originally located.  I mean, come on!   Never mind that my expanded hip bones decided to stay put, but why the frick  does my torso now seem to be longer??  Seriously, almost all of the shirts I wore in my previous life are now too short…weirdness!

Anywhosie, my point is that I am now at a place in life where, after entering a new decade & becoming a mama, so much of my/our time & energy is dedicated to discussing our weight and doing (or not doing) what it takes to maintain it….and really, that’s just irritating.  It seems every day, between the hubster and I, we fret over what (or what NOT) we’re eating,  and is it healthy, and dear God someone stop me from inhaling this super-size bag of french fries that is destined to go straight to my ass! 10 years ago I never gave thought to quantity or quality when it came to food – it was a downright free-for-all!  I miss those days….*sigh*.  I guess this is just the natural course of life, the way we progress from one stage of adulthood to the next.  The way our priorities and needs change when it comes to our bodies.

The good news is that about a year ago I finally figured out at least a piece of the puzzle – we joined a FABULOUS gym and I started exercising for the first time EVER!  And lo and behold, after about a month I actually started to notice a difference….I seriously looked in the mirror and was all ‘holy shit, are those muscles I see when I flex my arms?’.  And then as time went by, it all became a natural part of my weekly routine and then I did something I hadn’t done in a long time – I wore a bikini (all summer long)!  Woohoo, thanks Body Pump class (which totally rocks & brings results fast)!  I can now honestly say I feel & look better at 34 than I did at 24…......and I think that’s pretty darn cool, if I say so myself :) Of course, sometimes it’s just too easy to be lazy and fall out of sorts with my routine.  Especially right now, when I totally need to get my tushie in gear again to work off those gazillion carb-loaded sweets I ate over the holidays (I swear, every Christmas it’s like I’ve never eaten a sugar cookie before, that’s how fast I inhale them & every other chocolate confection that comes my way!).  BUT, I know that if I get back on track  it won’t be long until I’m right back to where I want to be.  I know I can do it!

Now, if I could just figure out how to do something about that lack of sleep that comes with the whole parenthood thing…..yeah, yeah -  not gonna’ happen!

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November 6, 2009

Sleeping With Darth Vader

So, my dear internet folks,  the hubby and I have added a new element to our bedroom. And no, eww, get your minds out of the gutter and away from any lewd references to “personal massagers” (yes, I’m looking at you Brookstone..who are you kidding?).  Anywho,  tonight my darling husband was supplied with his very own CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine!  Hence, the cleverly crafted title above.

Several months ago, the hubster reluctantly subjected himself to a sleep study, where he was outfitted with a zillion gadgets and monitored overnight during his sleep (of which he actually got little of).  After years of suffering through his nightly chorus of  earth-moving snoring (yes, this is ALL about me!), and of course let’s not forget the occasional stopping-of-the-breathing, he finally gave in to my (and the ENT’s) suggestions.  Needless to say, he stopped breathing something like 200 times that night and his snoring levels were off  the charts.  Diagnosis: sleep apnea.

Now, we (again, this is all about me and my needless suffering) have the CPAP and the hope is that through a direct & constant supply of oxygen, he will cease with the snoring and actually get a refreshing nights sleep…and not die from sleep apnea.  Not surprisingly, he was a bit hesitant – it certainly isn’t a very sexy contraption –to get it, but knows it was the only answer at this point.  Of course, as is this ever shifting venture called parenthood, he will not be giving the CPAP it’s maiden voyage tonight since our sick little peanut is currently lounging between us in bed, watching “The Bee Movie” on our beloved flat-screen, and will most likely stay there into the morning.  I’m positively certain I won’t be getting a good night’s sleep tonight!

(For those of you wondering, here is what the apparatus looks like…it’s really not THAT bad, certainly not as cumbersome as these machines used to be):

fisher-paykel-HC407-nasal-mask-front

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