Help Rebecca Day: An Awesome Idea!

Hey peeps! Do you guys remember on Tuesday how I introduced a few of the lovely faces that are hanging out on my side bar for the month of October? Oh, well when you're done here go check that out! BUT, first stick around and hear how your Facebook status could change someones life!

Hello Organized Chaos readers! I'm Rebecca and I blog over at Caravan Sonnet. 

Fitness Friday {week 9}

If you weren't aware, I am currently going head-to-head in an uphill battle. I have PPD. This wasn't an easy thing to accept and the feelings of failure wer quite overwhelming. Yes, I said failure and I will address that in another post.

I use running as a form of therapy. For me, the goals I lay out infront of myself are motivation. For me, the repetative process of putting one foot in front of the other over and over again is relaxing. For me, the victory of having pushed myself through another boundary is freedom.

I take joy and accomplishment in pushing myself past what I feel I can do.

Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic.

Tim Noakes, author of The Lore of Running

This quote resignates with my soul. PPD is scary. It forces me to face demons within myself that I didn't know existed. I feel lost and hopeless at times. However, running gives me a victory.

Each time I hit that tarmac, I restore belief in myself.

Each time I push past a limitation, I gain victory in my life.

Each time I refuse to allow the mental barriers to stop my body, I heal myself.

I refuse to accept that I will live inside a dark hole for the rest of my life. There are bad days and there are good days and then there are terrible days, but when I push myself and believe in myself....I gain a little bit of myself back.

Each time my foot hits the asphalt, I've taken another step forward towards a renewed me.
I've started a no coffee Friday because I drink WAY too much coffee. I figured this out through my food journal. Honestly, I already knew this but the journal put it big and bold in my face! So...on Fridays...I DO NOT drink coffee. I will share with you how this makes me feel each week! ;-)

Recap:

February 18- February 24

This week went a little bit better. I didn't get to my goal of 4 runs this week but I did...i DID run a 5km in 38 minutes and I did a nice 8km long run.

I'm enjoying more cross training but really want to look into getting some nice videos like a Zumba. I think that will interest me more! I need to build my strength though. I can feel myself loosing form on the long runs!

Monday- 5 km run 38 minutes/ Bootcamp cross training

Tuesday- got an early morning run in. Only did 15 minutes of running with 10 minutes of walking but I made that 15 minutes count!

Wednesday- Yoga rest

Thursday- 30 minute casual run. I think I hit about 4 km.

Friday- Bootcamp cross training (I love this!!)

Saturday- nothing :-/

Sunday- 8km long run...I did it in 45 minutes! Whoo-hoo

Future outlook:

March 4- March 10

4x cross training (4x full body)

2x 5km runs combined with 6x strides work

6 km run with 3x 5min bursts at SS

8-10 km ‘long run’ at a slow, steady pace (last 15 min @SS; 15 min core workout)

Wish me luck and stay tuned next week!

Shana..

Fitness Fridays {week 8}

Recap:

February 11- February 17

This was a hectic week and signified week two of being back to work. We have yet to get a morning routine down for me to run/train in the mornings and I’m on the verge of giving up! GRR!!!

Okay, you know I won’t give up, but really…it is SO hard to change an infants sleeping patterns. Then he smiles at me with this naughty little smile every morning when I finally pry myself from our duvet and his love to go shower as if he has once again won the battle.

You may have won the battle little dude but I will win this war! ;-)

I got 3 of my 4 runs in and two cross training days. Not as good as I’d hoped but I slacked the weekend. MIL and Vin came to visit us again so I kind of threw my plans out the window. We only see them once a month right now so I wasn’t wasting any time away from them! I don’t regret it mentally but I can feel in my body I’m regretting it physically!! Long breaks are not good right now!

Future outlook:

My training to run 30 minutes in 6 weeks is completed now! I’m super excited and although it is still difficult I’m achieving it! Since I got a week behind, I have to make that up now. This was suppose to be a little bit of a rest for me where I dropped down to only running 3km per run and work myself back up. However, I’m scratching that plan and jumping right in. Let’s see how it goes right! ;-)

February 25- March 3

4x cross training (2x full body 2x abs)

2x 5km runs combined with 5x strides work

6 km run with 2x 5min bursts at SS

6-8 km ‘long run’ at a slow, steady pace

Wish me luck and stay tuned next week!

If you’re at all interested in what I’m doing or getting yourself back into shape can I please encourage you to check out two of my favourite mommy runners! These women love being mommies and their health and continually inspire me!

RunFasterMommy

Mommy With Her Running Shoes On

MCM Mama Runs

Shana..

Fitness Friday {week 6}

There really isn’t anything to recap at the moment. To be honest I had a terrible time for a couple of weeks and totally got of schedule. It was hard trying to get all of us into routine for me to return to work and Lil Mister start back to school again. So I decided to repeat one week of my training. Since then I’ve gotten myself back on track and am looking forward to the next couple of weeks! They’re going to be tough but motivation is my focus!

Speaking of motivation....

I’d like to share with you some of the factors that keep me motivated!

I’m very results oriented. I LOVE to see that I’m getting somewhere. I don’t have a need to be the best but I like to know I’m better than what I was. I keep a journal. In it I record my runs each time and my cross training. There is nothing like looking back over a month and seen my time improve or my distance grow. Hey, I’ve doubled my amount of push ups in three weeks! ;-)

The next motivating factor for me is that after run feeling! There are days I literally try to talk myself out of running. I love running, however, work, kids and a house tend to get me down a lot. When my energy starts to fall, so does my desire to head out the door. I pick up my journal and look at my previous runs. I record notes after a run about how I felt and what I thought. It’s always positive because that is what exercise does! Check out a great idea here to keep up your post running feelings!

Another great motivational factor for me is positive self talk! Read a little by Kim about positive self talk...she’s a pro! ;-) As for me, I am more a visual person. I tell myself you are an amazing mother who is proud of her body. You gave birth to these beautiful boys. You are capable of this. This is nothing!

I love it...call me conceited if you want...when people look at me and say you’re running?!? How? When? You see, so many women have so many excuses why they can’t do it. Their weight, their hips or knees. They don’t have time with the kids. They don’t have money for gear.

Well, guess what! I was over weight before too. And I know lots of women who are out walking and even running REGARDLESS of their weight. If you have an ailment, typically you are told by doctors to exercise. So if that is your excuse then I’ll only ask what is your excuse for not getting to a doctor and finding out what physical movements you can be doing?!? And for the time one...well that I UNDERSTAND!

It takes self discipline and a strong desire. With two kids and a job, I have to PLAN and WANT to run. It takes some support! It takes some getting used to. But I truly feel that I am a better mom because I am taking this time to do something I love to do.

Exercise releases so much amazingly good energy. It doesn’t matter how bad my day has been, when I get out and run, I come back in a better mood.

So....what is your excuse for not getting moving? Can I encourage you to talk to me about it? Can I encourage you to change your attitude?

Or...if you are like me...a mom just trying to get out there...can I give you some support and encouragement too? Let me know!

Future outlook:

I’ve acquired a plan via Womens Health about getting yourself running 30 minutes in 30 days. You can check it out here for more details to how the plan works. I’ve incorporated this into my plans along with some strength training.

I’ve added in an additional strength workout on Thursdays this week. I plan to keep up the 4 days double a week.

As I’ve said, these are my goals. Everything is subject to change based on how my mind and body copes. Instead of a strict day by day plan....I’ve listed my workouts as goals I want to achieve this week!

4x runs totalling a minimum of two hours. These are still a combination of walk/run but I’m up to 20 minutes of running and would like to hit 25 minutes at a time. Distance is not a focus yet!

4x cross training totalling a minimum of two hours!

Drink 6x glasses water a day.

Wish me luck and stay tuned next week!

If you’re at all interested in what I’m doing or getting yourself back into shape can I please encourage you to check out two of my favourite mommy runners! These women love being mommies and their health and continually inspire me!

Pink Dryer Lint

RunFasterMommy

Mommy With Her Running Shoes On

 If you haven't already done it today...get a clickity clickin on that there button, kay?? ;-)

Shana..

Fitness Fridays Week 1

If you’ve been following me for a while or taken some time to look through previous posts you must have picked up on the FACT that getting back into shape after my pregnancy with LJ has been a big focus of mine.

If you haven’t realized this yet the what the heck is going on here?? Please take sometime and go over to that little tag bubble on the right. Yea the paragraph with all the random words! Click on some of them like fitness, healthy living, new me or running and get an idea of where I’m headed in life right now!

My health is pivotal to my family. How can I be a strong and motivational mother if I’m not taking care of myself? My physical health is so much more than just that. It affects my daily mood and life in every aspect. My mental and physical health are linked and so is yours!! Hehe

Let me make it clear, however, that I am NOT a fitness expert of any kind. Anything I say on here is clearly and strictly that of my own opinion and Google research! Please do not decide to go with what I’m doing here as a perfect program! I know that my plans will at some point prove faulty and changes will be made. This is a learning process for me as well.

You don’t need a degree in physical health though to get and keep yourself in shape! There is plenty of information out there via internet, magazines, books and doctors/professionals to get you in the right direction!

I’ve been cleared however to begin light physical activity. For me this is perfect because I am working on getting myself from the couch to the Comrades! No not in the next year (this is a long term goal!) but it starts now! Just over two weeks since my LJ was born! Yea, I’m a little gun-ho! It’s all good though.

So each Friday I’ll be asking you to put up with reading about how my previous week has gone and what I’ll be doing in the next week. I’m doing this both as a journal and tracker for myself as well as that I want some encouragement along the way!

I also hope to encourage a few others to get out there and do it too! As someone who has been sitting on her butt for the past year almost, I hope that other women see that we can make huge changes by taking small steps at a time! By providing details about both the positives and negatives; ups and downs; and the victories and failures, I hope that others can see they aren’t alone in the struggle for physical dominance! ;-)

My recaps will be a week behind. For instance, my plans started December 31 but since we are still in this week the recap will be next Friday. The post on the 11^th will contain nothing of the week from December 7. However, I will include my plans for the week of the 14^th! A little confusing but you’ll fall into the routine quickly! ;-)

I am a firm believer that if you are unhappy with yourself then you are the only one who can change it! I’ve had such weight variations since moving to South Africa that I made it my mission to get myself under control and achieve a personal feat! I will write a post about why the Comrades and what it means to me.

Future outlook:

I’ve acquired a plan via Womens Health about getting yourself running 30 minutes in 30 days. You can check it out here for more details to how the plan works. I’ve incorporated this into my plans along with some strength training.

As I’ve said, these are my goals. Everything is subject to change based on how my mind and body copes.

Jan 7: 20 minutes walk/run; 20 minutes full body workout

Jan 8: 20 minutes walk/run; 20 minutes abs workout

Jan 9: Semi-rest day 30 minutes yoga

Jan 10: 20 minutes walk/run

Jan 11: 20 minutes abs workout

Jan 12: 20 minutes walk/run; 30 minutes yoga

Wish me luck and stay tuned next week!

If you’re at all interested in what I’m doing or getting yourself back into shape can I please encourage you to check out two of my favourite mommy runners! These women love being mommies and their health and they continually inspire me!

RunFasterMommy

Mommy WithHer Running Shoes On

Shana..

2012...a recap!

So the year is ending.

The year the world was “supposed” to end....don’t even get me started on that one!

I have to admit that it was a rollercoaster of a year!
We began 2012 in our first real place that we could call our own! I loved that little one bedroom flat. It was ridiculously hot. (We had no windows that actually faced the real outdoors! Our flat was completely incased inside the building with windows into the sunlit hallways!) We were cramped and didn’t even have a lounge suit when we moved in! Yea we were sitting on blow up couches like we were in high school all over again!

But it was ours and I loved it! We spent 6 gloriously HOT months in that flat.

In that 6 months, Hubby Dearest started a new job. Still in the towing L

Lil Mister turned one!

I started a new job! The wonderful one I have now at the farm! I love it!! And it has been a huge blessing to our family!

Oh...and we found out I was pregnant...again!

At the end of that 6 months we decided we needed to move on to bigger things. We found a lovely two bedroom house on a farm 10km from town. It was perfect. We quickly found someone to take over the lease on our flat and packed our things. Only to find out on moving day that the owners decided to give the house to family members instead.

Oh yea....so what does a family of three waiting to be four do in a situation like this?

We moved back in with our parents! YAY!

Actually, living with them isn’t so bad and I loved the time I spent with Ma and the closeness it brought between Lil Mister and his Ouma and Oupa!

Times continued to move along.

We (Lil Mister and I) met our Ouma Pop for the very first time!

We celebrated three weddings with our three closet friend couples! And were officially created into the "Fearsome Foursome" because we're that cool!

Hubby Dearest got a new job...again! This time as a sales manager for AutoZone! We are so happy and he LOVES what he is doing now!

We can finally plan things around a schedule and no more driving to townships in the middle of the night!

We also got into a new house! Finally on our own again! I love the house too!

And last but definetly not least....

LJ joined our family on 12-12-12. What a beautiful way to end the year!

So looking forward to 2013.....there will be no more pregnancy surprises! Hubby Dearest has decided to take care of that one! ;-)

My training will not be interrupted this time! Looking forward to my first 5km!

Lil Mister is starting a new school.

And I am roaring up to get back to work and start in on some new projects.

I see a bright year ahead. I know there will be pitfalls. I know there will be obstacles. But with family...anything is possible!

Shana..

Friday Check back

Well another week has come and gone and in true fashion for my family it has been far from boring!

I don't talk alot about personal things on here but I have to take a moment and...
PRAISE GOD!
Hubby Dearest got a new job today! He has been working this whole time but we wanted him out of the emergency service industry where he can work set hours and just be at home when he is at home! Sure enough he went for an interview on Tuesday and they offered him the job today! I'm am so thankful at the moment for this!
ALSO!! We are moving!! YAY!!! You'll hear a lot in the upcoming weeks about my frantic attempt to get everything settled with LJ just around the corner and still working full time...but then what would Organized Chaos be without a little bit of, well, chaos!?!? My work has helped us find a 2 bedroom house that is reasonable. I am so blessed to have such a caring boss and his family to be such wonderful friends in God! I truly love them all! I can not express my gratitude to him and his family!

So if all goes well and I can finalize everything today, then we'll move over the weekend! Again to be on our own! I will miss being in the same house as everyone and the early morning teas with Ma, but we need to be our own little family now and prepare for LJ! I am beyond excited!

In other news, potty training is a big hit in our house! Lil Mister seems to have taken quite a liking to it! I've also been busy preparing for a new me. I have a lot coming up after LJ is born between work and getting back into training and I'm excited to share the ups and downs of it all with all of you!! I know you're excited too! We're still busy working on that dang sauce of ours! But it looks like we're fighting an uphill battle! I hope you join in next Wednesday to hear more juicy ingrediants!

You should really take a look over >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>here! And here! And HERE!
Otherwise just check out the buttons on the side over there>>> to see some awesome hops going on this past week!!

Enjoy your weekend!
Shana

What you have missed!!!

I just thought I'd give a little update on this past week!!!
We've been quite busy in the Scott household and being that it is grapes season work is CHAOTIC to say the least! But in true blogger fashion I've managed to push a few out here! This week:
The Sauce of Bad Habits
Training and Changes
Theme Thursday Link Up

I'm working on a button but I can't seem to figure out how to get that thing loaded with a little grabby box!! Any one out there know how??

Oh...and I've finally created a fan page over at facebook! Check it out here!

Otherwise stay tuned next week for some more attempts at organizing my life and a lot more chaos!! (Oh and a surprise baby shower!!!)