just Breathe....

Spring Break and for once we are not traveling. This week is about slowing down, resting, and taking time to just breath. What a thought, right.... just breathe! When do we ever take the time to slow our roll and take in life?

If you are like me, the school year is a flash of things to do. There are lesson plans, papers to grade, parents to communicate with, professional development, and that all happens around what we were hired to do... teach children. I am exhausted just thinking about it all! LOL!  But in all of that we have to make the time to take care of us.

A year ago, I reached a place where I was so far from healthy that I wasn't sure what healthy was. And then I started down a path that I will forever be grateful for. It's probably the hardest, scariest, and most private thing I have EVER faced. And along the way I have learned SO much!

Today I want to share with you something that I do each day that honestly helps with all the stress and pressure of being in the classroom. My secret is to breathe! Don't roll your eyes at me... I'm being for real. Ok, hear me out...

For years I would literally hold my breath and pray that nothing went so wrong that I couldn't deal with it. I would cross my fingers and move through the day. I could feel the weight of the world on my shoulders and the elephant that sat on my chest. Then I started on my journey... I worked harder than ever. Meals- check; lesson plans- check; lower stress- un not check. It wasn't until recently that I was introduced to the idea of breathing.

Here is how it works, first thing in the morning before my head lifts off the pillow I breathe. I focus on the rise and fall of my chest. In goes life giving oxygen and out goes the stress. I fight it off before it can even attach me. One breathe in, deep, where I feel my chest push the sheets up. And as I exhale I focus on what I have to bring to the day. Not the negative talk that most of listen to, but the positive, self affirming "I can do it" kind of thoughts. When I started it was only 1 or 2 minutes at most. Let's be honestly, this kind of thing takes building into. Now I go as long as I need too.

This is the basic technique to meditation. The breathing that is. Many people  I have shared this with say that if they had to stay in bed that they would fall back to sleep and then be running late. You don't have to stay in bed. But here is my caution..... don't move far, ok go pee but come back don't start your day. Breathe first. Sit on the floor against a wall. Sit in a chair. Find a place that will be your place. This place will be where you go every morning to breath. Couch, chair, bed... I promise it doesn't matter where as long as it happens.

So this is how I start my day. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in.... picture what you want the day to look like. Picture the calm... breathe in, breathe out, breathe in... focus on what it feels like. Feel the calm.  This is what I take with me into the day. The calm. I can't magically stop stress from happening but I can stop my reaction to it. I can wash myself in the calm of breathing. Picture it.... grades due, lesson plan check, parent on the phone for you, and your sweet class is struggling with talking because it's a full moon. Makes your heart beat pick up right? Mine too... only now I breath. I change my reaction to what is happening and I am healthier because of it.

Bottom line, breathing gives your body the life giving oxygen. It steadies a racing pulse and a racing brain. Starting your day this way, focusing on breathing and picturing your day, gives you a calm that you can call back at any time. I can be in a staff meeting and "feel" the air change because of the new what ever we are being asked to do... and I breathe, I breathe deeply. And I bring the calm back.

So why the soap box? I don't want another teacher to face another day not being able to escape the stress. That stress turned me to food to cope. I was unhealthy. I was killing myself to cope wth things that I couldn't control. Dr Pepper, pizza, Reese Peanut butter cups, cupcakes... I felt in control. I felt the calm... the same calm that I achieve now by breathing.  I am watching others loose themselves because they don't know or don't use this simple technique. I didn't. I didn't know how. So I am sharing my newest found coping mechanism. I hope that it helps you too.

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20 pounds! a journey beginning....

Hey Y'all!

I hope that you are making your day AWESOME! I wanted to share a little bit about my weight loss journey. I've always been chunky. From rolley chunky monkey baby, to round teen, to even rounder adult. I renamed it to "fluffy" because one of my students said that hugging me was like hugging a HUGE fluffy teddy bear. Fluffy goes down easier than fat. And it's not like I've just sat by and did nothing... I've been a member of weight watchers, gotten "meals in the mail", limited myself to the "pink drink", done low carb, did Adkins, gone to the gym and killed myself. You would think that fluffy wouldn't be in my vocabulary, and defiantly not my body shape.

I learned something recently, it's not just eat right and exercise. There are pieces that our bodies need... amino acids, omega 3 oils, etc.. that I NEVER added to my life. Heck most of my life I didn't even take a multi vitamin. When we "out grew" Flinstone's I was done with daily vitamins. When I was preggo it was a nightmare to remember to take those horse pills!

So how is it that I have come to writing this post? It sure wasn't to share my faults. About a year ago my friend April did this thing called a 24 day challenge. I remember being excited for her, and maybe if I'm really honest a little jealous. I was so happy for her but at the same time I wished it for me. That year she got pregnant, after years and years of trying. I truly think that the changes she made during that 24 day challenge had a lot to do with the sweet baby boy she now has.

Then this January she mentioned that she was going to do the 24 day challenge again, and she asked if I wanted to. I said no, but something in my kept thinking about that challenge. I kept wondering why she would go back to it. What made it different? So I asked. After many conversations, I decided that I would do the February 15 challenge. I will never for get the day that my AdvoCare box arrived. I studied the booklet, took TONS of notes from conversations with April (who was my coach). I thought I was ready for this challenge, and then prep day hit.

February 14 should be a day full of love, instead I spent most of it on the kitchen floor crying. I hate to cook, and I thought the mister was going to be more supportive than he was that day. Overwhelmed and ready to quit before I even got started, I laid on my kitchen floor and cried. I was so frustrated. I still tear up thinking about it. My expectations were slammed against reality and it was not pretty! I never felt as low as I did that afternoon. But something changed laying there on the floor. I got mad. I mean kick the wall kind of mad! I was mad at the mister, I was mad at me, I was mad that this was SO difficult! And I got up. With tears running down my face, I prepped meals for the week. I prepped snacks for the week. And I got my self ready to walk this journey.

So 21 days in to the 24 days I had lost 11 pounds. The now picture was taken that day. I was shocked to see the pictures side by side. Look closely at the face. I really think that all 11 pounds came from my face and neck! The me in the now picture was full of energy. The before me would get tired in the afternoon, would run out of steam, and "veg" after work rather than being productive. But that has all changed!

If you've gotten this far, first thank you- spilling all your heart has isn't easy. Today I have lost 20 total pounds. I didn't measure this morning. Honestly it didn't cross my mind until now. But since Feb 15 I have lost 17 pounds, that includes a week on a cruise ship with an all you can eat buffet of food 24/7. So much has changed. I have so much more energy, and not the inflated kind you get from energy drinks. I am able to make good choices about food. I've not had a Dr Pepper since the beginning of February. Stop and take that in for a minute.... no Dr Pepper. None. Not one drop! That alone is huge! I am learning to like going to the gym, I loved riding the bike on the cruise ship. I would have to come home with a bladder infection and have to "rest" for a week. I am also learning about cooking. I don't love it. But I can cook and I'm getting to where it isn't a chore. Of course the mister loves to cook, so he is SUPER protective of his kitchen.

In the coming days, I will share about AdvoCare. I have decided to be a wellness coach for AdvoCare. I can't wait to help others be like me!! I have a whole buch of posts planned about the different things that I use each day. I know that AdvoCare has a product for everyone: weight loss, energy, performance, and wellness!

If you have been thinking about using AdvoCare but didn't know where to get it, here is my link (and you get me as a coach- bonus!) bit.ly/karenslink Or you can email me and I'll get back to you. I am so excited to be able to share the new me with everyone out there!

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One word... do you have one?

Until this year my one word was SO easy to come up with. It would hit me as I reflected on my life, the closing of one year and the opening of another. Last year my word was transparent. I feel that I needed to be more open. I tend to be very private in person. Not normally the one you see hanging out with large groups of people, although I have a HUGE personality.

This year the word did come as easily. As a matter of fact, I'm still not sure that the word I think is what I'm being lead to is really my word.

My word is fearless. I'm still wrestling with this word. It has so many meanings. There are SO many parts of my life that "fearless" is a 4 letter word in. As much as I love writing and telling my story, I am also very private with a small close circle of friends. So the idea of living this year "fearless" is well wild!

I'm still trying to figure out this word and how it is my guiding life this year. I do know that it is pushing me in ways I didn't know possible. I am so excited about this year and wanted to share about my one word (a little late... :) )

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