Lately my stress levels have been out of c

Things have settled down and I’m just my normal busy right now. I’ve been able to refocus on my eating, I’m tracking my food and I’m back to the gym on Fridays. I’ve even kept up my leg-lift workouts during conference calls. (Yes, I do look a little silly!)

I’m feeling really good about the eating. I know this isn’t news, but I am feeling better. I have my planned snacks on hand, so that even on the days where I can’t get to lunch until 3 p.m., I have something to nibble on in between. That’s really helping to keep me sane and not starved.

On my thirty-seventh birthday, I celebrate with my usual long run, during which I will undoubtedly pass by some farm animals.  I always manage to either live or work in a town within running distance of farm animals, horses, cows, bison, perhaps some quail.  Luckily, my school is near a large body of water, which to us water sign babies is always a renewing sight. During the second mile, as I close in upon the banks of the Salmon River, five deer cross my path, unmolested by truck or tractor.

There are two things that stand out in my mind about the progress Jennifer made this week. The first thing is that she strengthened her “resistance muscle,” meaning that each time she resisted temptation in her office, not only did she save calories in that moment, she also had a good workout. She was able to tone and strengthen her resistance muscle rather than her “giving in” muscle. This is a really big deal because No Excuses is all about forming new habits. In theory, the more often you strengthen your resistance muscle, the easier it will be in the future to resist unhealthy choices.

Can we just work this out, please?

Does your body talk to you in this way?  Most of us have an entire community of internal physical advocates urging us to strengthen, tone, elongate, stretch and lift.

Every so often the Cheerleader will flip her ponytail around and chirp; “Hey there cutie, wouldn’t it be awesome to do a push up or two?  Look at me do the splits!  Remember when you used to be able to do that?”

Home sick to the second degree. That’s how I’ve felt this past week. I have literally been at home sick this week with a stomach bug. And while it’s not a pleasant experience, I could account for the physical aches, pains and general discomfort. But it didn’t explain my mood, which was downright pathetic. I’m not a very good patient anyway. Just ask my husband. I enjoy rest, but not forced rest. While I should have just lain back and enjoyed some overdue reading and couch vegging, I found myself unsettled and distracted.

I’m taking the Worry out of this year, and so can you!

What are you worried about?

Would it be easier if I asked you what you aren’t worried about?

If you are anything like me (God help you!) you could be worried about a myriad of real or imagined things, at any given time.

This was a smooth week. Not a gangbusters week, diet-wise, but a good one. I’ve lost another pound, which has given me some slow, but steady progress, which I’m taking as a win.

This week brought the usual fun:

• My husband’s new job means I now do the school drop off with both kids every morning, so when the girl forgot her clarinet on Tuesday, it was me who had to run – well, jog -- home to grab it. (Of course, she remembered the missing clarinet when we were already at school!)

You’re saving the world by powerfully influencing your kids to become awesome adults. You’re walking your talk about integrity, respect, accountability, and personal leadership. You’re making good on all your parenting promises. It’s awesome and you’re powerful, yet your power may be weakened by the other adults who also influence your child:  clergy, athletic coaches, other parents, and teachers. What happens to your power when one of them wields kryptonite?

Our “No Excuses” feature is taking on a life of its own and while I’m sincerely glad for its success, I’ve got to say that it is still a bit jarring to have people follow my journey to personal health (i.e. weight loss) so closely!