Exercise and Embarassment....

First, the exercise. And that IS what I did, first thing this morning. Got DD off to school (she and her best friend walked), and popped in an old Richard Simmons tape. I'd read a bit in a book on PCOS yesterday that in exercise, as in a great many other things, timing can be quite crucial. That most people don't realize that if one exercises at a fasting-stage (ie: first thing in the morning when it's been several hours since you've last eatten), the body immediately starts burning body-FAT as energy, rather than any carbs that may be lingering in your body from your last meal. That because of this immediate fat-burning, 20 minutes of exercise first thing in the morning is as effective as 1 hour of exercise later in the day. *shrug* Ok. Don't know if that's precisely true or not. Kinda makes sense, but I don't have a medical degree so I'll just have to take it on faith & give it a go.

So, as I said, as soon as I got Tay out the door, I put on some exercise-friendly clothing & popped in this old Richard Simmons video. I wound up not doing most of the exercises he was having his "crew" do, simply because it's too early in the morning for me to figure out the footwork. But, I marched in place, holding a pair of 2 pound weights (kept me swinging my arms because holding the weights I would remember that I HAVE arms, instead of marching with my arms dangling at my sides) while watching the guy dance around the studio "kitchen & living room". After approx. 20 minutes of that (I think it was a couple more than 20 minutes, but that's ok), I stopped. Went to the kitchen and made myself a smoothie.

And my smoothies are healthy. Just one whole banana, a 1/2 c of frozen mixed berries, and 2% milk to top off the mug and a Tbsp of Benefiber no-grit fiber powder. (I've got one of those magic bullit blenders, so I can blend right into my own mug.) So, that's been my morning already.

I'm hoping I can bring myself to build this healthy habit. If nothing else, 4 days a week of 20 minutes each morning will at least give me 80 more minutes of exercise a week than I've been getting. If I'm really lucky, that above tidbit about exercise burning more fat first thing, will be true & I'll burn off more of this belly fat faster than I have been. (Which is to say, not at all. I've been stagnant for about a year. I was hoping that after my surgery last summer, and getting off my birth-control, I'd drop some of the weight the birthcontrol had caused me to gain. Instead I hit a plateau, and haven't moved since. In the year PRIOR to my surgery, I'd lost 20 pounds. I guess it really doesn't hurt me to tell you.... I'm currently between 204 and 208, depending on the usual variants. For my 5-foot-frame, that's too much. According to the BMI scale -a load of bunk, if you ask me- 100 to 105 is my ideal weight. Personally I believe I'd feel best at about 135. But, I'd be happy just to get down to 160 again. That's what I weighed when I got prego with DD.) I'm also thinking about how nice it'd be to utilize that new deck next summer by getting out there & jumping rope for 10 minutes first thing in the morning. Because of the heavy morning traffic (and the fact that I don't feel like showing off my jiggling jelly-rolls to the whole neighbourhood), I wouldn't dare jump-rope in the street. And our driveway & front yard are incompatable with a jump-rope (too much loose "stuff" to get caught on), but the deck..... That'll be an option next year, if I can just keep up my good intentions & get that habit firmly in place.

Anyway, so enough talk of exercise & weight loss. ON to the Embarassment!!!!!

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I got home from work last night to find out that DD has decided NOT to invite any of her hockey-teammates to her birthday sleepover. (THE PLAN is 2 friends, any friends, to go bowling with her & then to sleep over.) She'd had one teammate in mind, and was trying to decide between a couple of others, before asking ANY of them. (We've long since drilled into her head that you don't go talking about party invites to a person unless you're planning on inviting that same person, to prevent hurt feelings.) She decided that she's embarassed for any of her teammates to see our house. Not because it's in need of a good cleaning & decluttering (which it does) but because it's "so small". Now, mind you, our house is 1170 sq ft. That's not terribly tiny. I mean, our spare bedroom is our catch-all/computer room (where I'm at currently). We've got 2 full bathrooms, and DD has her room to herself. It's not like we're packed in. (Well, it feels like it in February, but it's really not the case.)

However, our home IS the smallest of all the girls she plays hockey with currently. Most of the rest of them have parents that INDIVIDUALLY make in the range of $50,000 per year. DH and I COMBINED didn't top $50,000 last year. Last year I got to sit through several conversations between other Hockey Moms and listen to their struggles to decide on THIS 3000+ sq ft house that was too small but felt cozy, and THAT 4000 sq ft house that was poorly arranged but had the space they wanted. It was enough to make ME feel bad, for a moment. (DH and I decided a few years ago that neither of us actually wants a house bigger than 1800 sq ft, not including garage. Anything bigger would be TOO rambling & too hard to keep clean.)

And, as I posted before, we sacrifice quite a bit for DD's hockey. We discussed that with her last night. We explained to her that if we weren't shelling out the $$ for her hockey, I could afford a new car. Or we could afford a bigger house (and if it weren't for the time sacrifice, DH would be working a lot more overtime and be raking in even more $$). But, we realize that we can't afford a bigger house AND for DD to play. And since we all enjoy her hockey, we make that sacrifice reasonably happily. We also informed her that we're the youngest parents on her team. Most of her teammate's parents are at LEAST 10 years older than DH and I. Some of them closer to 20 years older. So, the fact that we've owned this house for 8 years now, where as most of them probably weren't even getting married till they were as old as we are now..... The fact that DH and I spent the last 10 years (straight out of HS for me) raising a kid, starting work and buying a house, instead of college, means that in some aspects we're a little farther along the grade than they are, in other aspects (annual income, for example) we're a little further behind. *shrug* But, the welcoming quality of our home is no less than theirs is, it's just a bit smaller.

*sigh* I'd just come to the conclusion that I'd LOVE to have a couple of those girls over to our house. Not because I think they're critical of where DD comes from, but because I'd love for them to go back to their Moms & Dads (who are inadvertently rather hurtful in their discussions about how they just can't stand their "tiny" 2400 sq foot house) and be in "awe" over how small DD's house is. A lot of these same parents will put for plans for the team that aren't cheap (parties and some of the activities down in Anchorage during the last tournament, for example) and don't seem to realize that when DH quietly comments to the team-treasurer that we're short on money this pay-period, can we get you the money next pay-period..... He really means it. These folks are so USED to the money, they seem to figure that anybody else who's daughter plays hockey with theirs MUST be in the same financial bracket. And that is true, except for us. That IS the case with the rest of them. But, I'd love for them to get some idea of how much we mean it when we say "there's no way we can get that money before dividend checks come, we just don't have it until then". I know a person's house size is not a 100% accurate indicator of their financial status (especially in our appearance-focused society), but it IS one small way to get some idea of the other aspects of another person's life.

*wry chuckle* Anyway, so DD yesterday decided that she's too Embarassed about our house for her sleep-over to include team-mates. I wonder what she's going to do about the sleep-over then. Her best friend has decided she doesn't like sleeping at our house. DD doesn't have a lot of other kids she's really close with (and some we won't allow in our house for behavioral reasons). But, it kind of hurts that despite the fact that DH and I do the best we can for DD, she's embarassed by our lack of sq footage. *shaking head* Chalk another one up to "appearances oriented". And, of course, DH promotes that kind of thinking. I do my best, but she idolizes her daddy, but as a rule what he thinks, she does too. *sigh* Ah well.

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The rain finally cleared up and this morning is sunny & bright. And COLD!!!!! I let the dogs out first thing & about slipped across the deck. It was covered in frost. *sigh* I'm still feeling as though we'll probably see snow by Sunday. I'll let you know if I'm right or not.

I also need to get out & get the most recent crop of Rhubarb picked, chopped & frozen, before it wilts from the cold. And my chives as well. From the last time I cut them down (documented here) to now, they've grown a full "head" again, and are ready to be cut again. *shrug* Ok! Those are chores to be done tonight after work, I suppose.

And, I think that's it, so......

Have a Blessed Day!