Total Mom Makeover - W1D2

11-12-2010
My vision:

1. I am an energetic mom, I feed my family healthy home cooked meals and fresh foods daily.  I'm happy and smile and rarely yell at my kids.  My house is clean and tidy inside and out.  I am relaxed and not controlling of my kids and husband.  My clothing is need and tidy and I look fashionable and put together. If my clothes fit well, I feel good!

2. my visual perspective.

Total Mom Makeover - W1D1

1. My Should's:

I should do 1-2 loads of laundry a day - including folding.
I should take junk mail directly to the trash instead of setting in the table, end of the counter, in the roll-top or with the bills.
I should clean up lunch as soon as we're finished eating.
I should wipe down the table after every meal.
I should sweep the dining room floor at least once a day, preferable after dinner.
I should make the beds.
I should plan meals a few days in advance.
I should get up earlier than the kids.
I should drink more water.
I should workout today.
I should vacuum the stairs and 2nd floor waaay more often than I do.
I should be a little more patient with my kids and cut down on the yelling.

2. Writing it in stone:

I have decided to create a better household by correcting my deficiencies.  I will do so by decreasing my procrastinations, getting up earlier, preparing my families daily needs in advance and not so last minute.  I will create more time for me and my running, knitting/crafting.  I will have a cleaner home and more time for quality relaxing with my family.

Total Mom Makeover - Intro

A few weeks back I mentioned my lunch with Libby's and motivational mama Hannah Keeley.  Within that post I mentioned I received a copy of Hannah's book Total Mom Makeover.  AND I had promised that I was going to start the program and share my progress with my readers.  Well the day has come, I'm kicking off this program today!

*** Before you read on, please consider a small donation to the right over there --------> in the Libby's Feeding America box!  I don't usually ask for such things but really, $5 can provide a whole stack of food to hungry families and children in need -  yep 5 bucks! The amount of a latte and a muffin from your favorite coffee shop!  Skip the excess for one day and share the wealth with folks in need.  Thank you! /end promo plug

Back to my post here and please note, yes, I received this book for free but my choice to share this endeavor with you is unprovoked by Hannah.  I see a worth while adventure and I am merely sharing like I usually do.

(OK really back to business here) The cover of the book states it is "The Six-Week Plan to Completely Transform Your Home, Health, Family, and Life"  I want to first point out that I'm in no way unhappy with where I am in my life!  I love my family and taking care of my children, I love my social life and for the first time EVER I love my job (the one outside of being a stay at home mother).  However, those of you who are close to me know that there are some aspects in my life that I need to work on.  Keeping house, ranks up there at the top! Taking care of myself and my needs, both physically and mentally are also in the negative space here. Most of these negative spots come from we will say an very strong urge to procrastinate.  I'm quite organized, I can set up a file system and keep that going and I keep my work very organized, it's the stuff that I can stash away in my home, like laundry and dust and papers from my kids school that get stashed into the roll-top desk and my inability to plan a meal before 5pm on a daily basis these are the things that keep rearing their ugly heads and making my day-to-day home making an utter disaster most of the time.

As I mentioned, Hanna's book is a Six-week plan, she suggests to step 1, get a journal (this here blog is going to serve as my journal), step 2, set aside a specific time each day to read that day's section in the book and at the end of each day I will have a few exercises to complete in my journal.  They will be quick lists to make and/or thoughts to help reflect on, these will be my short posts that I'll share with you here.   As I progress, I may or may not to share EVERY single day with you.  I'm pretty open about myself and my life so It won't be a matter of the content being to private but instead it may not be worthy of a post.  I may also combine days into one post to keep things less cluttered around here.  I also want to add, I'm crazy busy here these days.... I hardly have time to sit and tune out over a cup of coffee and blog reading... so if my journal posts are full of typos and messed up grammar, please don't hold it against me, they are journal entries and well dammit they aren't going to be perfect!  Because I just don't have the time to be perfect....

If you are interested in trying this plan too, Hannah's book is available via Amazon over there in the right column of my blog.   Again, this is NOT a paid post and all future posts about my advances in the plan will remain that way as well.  I'm sharing link love with Hannah and her book merely because she is a good person, an inspirational mama and friend!

An Introduction and Review: Arctic Ease

Whew busy times are upon me!  Two weeks ago, I was contacted by my colleagues at Chemistry again (They are the folks to introduced me to Steaz & Beano's!).  They were looking for social media outreach help with their client Arctic Ease and I said sure!  I am currently managing their Facebook and Twitter outreach.   


A brief introduction to Arctic Ease, they offer wraps and pads for cryotherapy (cold therapy). From their website, "The specially treated wraps and pads absorb heat energy from the body to cool the covered area. The absorbed heat is then lost to evaporation, which allows for the sustained cooling effect of Arctic Ease."  They can be used in place of ice packs, frozen peas and (HEY MAMA'S) Boo Boo Bunnies!  For a full description of the product feel free to check out their site, it is FULL of useful information about the product! 

Arctic Ease wraps can be cut to size and wrapped around the problem area including legs, knees, ankles, wrists AND can be used to treat those toddler head bumps! They are non-toxic, reusable and made in the U.S.A.!  


In my running experiences, I haven't had much of a need for icing afterwards (or so I thought).  I don't run long distances, I usually average 2 miles per run.  However, I HAVE noticed if I ran in the morning by the evening my knees were achy and my legs were restless...  annoyingly so.  So this past weekend I put my own Arctic Ease wraps to the test.  I wrapped ONE knee, the one that usually feels the most achy and restless.  I wrapped it within an hour of finishing my run, then packed up the kids and the hubs and went for a hike.  I wore the wrap for 3-4 hours and was amazed at how cold my knee and surrounding leg felt.  When we got home, I took it off, put it back on the little roll it came on and placed it back into the resealable bag with a tablespoon and a half of water to rehydrate it for next time. 


Afternoon passed, evening passed and by night I had none of my usual achy and restless knee (on the side I wrapped).  The knee I did not wrap DID have it's usual bit of achy/restlessness. Yes, I performed a scientific experiment and this knee was my control.  


Wearing the wrap didn't inhibit me in the least bit, I hiked, I played with my kids and was comfortable the whole time.  The ability to be mobile AND treat my knees at the same time is priceless for a mother of two very active kids.  


Overall, I give this product a THUMBS up!  I was impressed by it's ease of use!  No need for clips as it sticks to itself as you wrap thus no need for clips or pins.  


We are currently looking for active and runner bloggers for to write product reviews, if this is something you might be interested in, please leave a comment or email me and we can discuss it further.  Arctic Ease is also giving away registrations for the 2011 Chicago Marathon, you can enter by checking out their Facebook page and following the Chicago 2011 tab.

A Look Into Barefoot Running

As you all know, I'm fairly new to the running arena.  What I'm not new to is knowledge of proper footwear for specific jobs and sports.  A wise woman once said (paraphrased) 'You should always use the proper tool for the proper job' (this wise woman is Martha Stewart in reference to her fine work in the kitchen).  I realize her advice may be a bit simple and obvious but that same advice should be used across all parts of our lives.  If you need to dig a hole to plant a tree would you use a snow shovel?  If you needed to paint a wall would you use a hair brush? If you wanted to take ballet classes would you purchase steel toed work boots? No, no and no!

As I mentioned above, I'm not new to the knowledge of  proper footwear for specific jobs and sports.  A little about my background...  My father, Ted Colaizzi, is a Certified Pedorthist (C. Ped.).  What does Certified Pedorthist mean? Let's first define Pedorthic - (ped-or'-thiks) -the design, manufacture, modification and fit of footwear, orthotics and devices to alleviate foot problems caused by disease, overuse, or injury. A C. Ped. has fulfilled and maintains specific educational requirements to be certified by the Board for Certification in Pedorthics (BCP).  Without getting all preachy, and just to illustrate how involved my family is within the Pedorthics and just to further illustrate why I know what I know and why I have decided to write about this today...  


My parents (along with my late grandfather) have owned and operated their business servicing the foot and ankle community for over 75 years.  As a child growing up in a household where my parents owned their own business, an evening never passed without a conversation between my parents about what happened at the store today.  I got to know the regulars and quite a few technical terms just because of the conversation.  Because of that conversation I believe that I have a much deeper understanding of how the food and ankle function and I even understand the logic behind how to treat minor issues. With this knowledge I also learned that the proper shoe for the job was not just a preference but a necessity.  Running is one of those necessities.  


Back in May after I spent a few months watching a few friends train for the Pittsburgh Marathon (half and relay) as you know I bit the bullet and decided to give Couch to 5K a shot.  BUT while most people might have just laced up their old sneaks and get out on the road, I threw up the caution sign and called my dad.  I asked if running shoes and their internal support could break down after years of getting dusty in a closet.  His answer was YES.  I then told him my plan and a little about the program and he solidified my urge to wait until I had the proper shoes and told me to come in so that I could be fitted for a new pair.  


As most of you know, when I get a crazy hair up my arse to do something 9 times out of 10 I want to run out and do it NOW, right this minute!  I had to wait a week and a half before I got my new shoes... My dad didn't have my wide width in stock (understandable really) so I had to wait for the order to arrive.  I was so geeked when my shoes came in that I drove over there THAT day to pick them up so that I could start C25K that afternoon.


A few weeks into C25K I started to see other bloggers mention a book called "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall.  These blogs and the book mention barefoot running.  I was intrigued to say the least but not because I wanted to try it.  This coming from the girl who can barely walk around the cement pool deck for fear that I MIGHT step on a pebble or that the cement might be too hot.  I wanted to read more because I felt there may be some folks out there who might think these ideas sound like good ones (which in a way they kinda do good) but if executed poorly they could result in serious injury. 


So I started to read.  I will admit I didn't read the entire book (I haven't read for pleasure in years due to lack of time why start now....) but I read large portions (there is a LOT of story telling and I skipped over some).  In short the book's author decided to follow a hidden tribe of runners who are known to be superathletes.  Barefoot running is their game as is harsh dessert conditions and distances like you would never believe.  The book and the stories were admittedly interesting and enjoyable but the barefoot running suggestions is downright scary.  

It is suggested that as we evolved as humans we all ran barefoot.  And yes that is a fact.  They suggest that this new barefoot movement is a throwback to how we are supposed to run and that the addition of running shoes actually harms our body's inherent ability to run correctly.  Step back and think about that for a second.  It makes sense right?   I will admit, it kinda does.  However with a second look, it's easy to realize that it really doesn't make much sense at all.  Consider this, as we evolved there were desserts, grassy fields, beaches and dirt paths.  No roads, no paved trails, no tracks.  Impact on those surfaces even if they were harder like dessert, does not compare with the hardness of a brick street or asphalt trail or paved road.  Foot/heel and ankle impact on these man made surfaces play a HUGE role in the current injuries that will occur from barefoot running.  


Barefoot running is something that if you are interested in trying will take a LOT of conditioning and commonsensical thought about how and where you plan to train.  Instead of going completely barefoot consider wearing a pair of Vibram's, take training slow slow slow.  As runners I'm pretty certain we are all pretty in tune with our bodies and can feel it immediately when something goes wrong.  If you start to feel pain, stop.  See a doctor and put your running shoes back on.  


I've talked to my father about this topic quite a bit and we both are in the agreement that it's not a smart idea.  Injury is inevitable and the risk is not worth it.  Heck the risk of injury is high as a runner to start with, why would you want to put more risk into it?