Faithful Finish Lines: Finding Balance

November 25, 2014 by theseordinarygraces In Faithful Finish Lines 2 Comments

For the last three months, balance has been elusive at best. See, my husband has been out of town for three months. Add to that three homeschooled kids, a very needy dog and the ever-increasing darkness that is Alaskan winters and I’m a mess.

Usually, all it takes for me to jump back on the fitness train is a good long look in the mirror right after I’ve put my skinny jeans on straight from the dryer. Yikes. And I have plenty of incentive lately. Listen, I could barely bend my knees the last time I put those suckers on. It was painful. My kids asked me if I was in a bad mood because my pants were too tight. Not. Cool. So the fact that these things haven’t kicked my growing butt into gear is somewhat troubling.

My husband is back now, not permanently, but for awhile. So while he’s here, this is my plan. My struggles are getting a workout in and not binge eating after the kids go to bed. Hopefully I can latch onto my new plan as routine and carry it through when he leaves again.

I’ve been trying to get up early, do my Bible study and then workout and shower all before the kids wake up. It’s not usually a problem since they are not morning people. My problem is getting up off the couch when I’m done with my study time. I think this week I’ll mix it up and workout first to get my blood pumping and my brain going, then do my study. Hopefully this will make my study time even better since I’ll be alert.

At the end of the day, instead of binging on chips and salsa or ice cream, I’ll enjoy a cup of tea, probably Rooibos to get me ready for a good sleep. I’ve been doing really good at drinking more water and getting in more fruits and veggies and I’ve discovered that throwing in a little cheese or peanut butter (some source of protein) really keeps me away from the chocolate and chips.

Thanksgiving shouldn’t be too bad for me. I’ve planned a menu full of organic, unprocessed, homemade food and the only thing on the list with gluten are the homemade rolls. Of course, there’s the pie, but I’ll do my best to not hide in the pantry and eat it straight from the pie plate.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful week!