Ivan Said...

...that I'm supposed to poop three times per day. I don't know how massage therapy on my legs brought us around to this particular conversation but he was adamant about it. I'm thankful for once a day and dread those occasional odd days out, don't you? Who poops three times per day? And why am I talking about poop on my blog for the second time this week? Content is going...
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P90X was fun yesterday. Plyometrics was on the schedule, but the DVD also had a lot of yoga warmup exercises (that I suck at) and some Kenpo...

...which I really liked, and which is what I'm feeling most today - from all those kicks. The only exercise I had trouble with was the Drea Roll. Steve almost put his skull through the wall trying it out.

I was surprised at how sore my back was yesterday. I had thought all the pushups on Monday would kill my chest but I didn't think the band worked my back that much. The opposite was true.

Several people have asked me if I'm following the eating plan of P90X. No, I'm not. It looks to be a great program, but I don't do eating programs any more. Intuitive eating is teaching me so much about what works for me, so I thought I would let you in a couple of things that have happened.

1) It has taken me over half a year of just eating what I want and getting rid of any diet mentality. No weight loss, some weight gain, but I'm SO SO close to freeing myself of any rules such as eating every 2 - 3 hours, needing protein at each meal, eating certain things after working out, etc.
Now, I don't want to say that all these "rules" aren't wise, and I am glad to know why programs like Body for Life or P90X work and I appreciate that knowledge, but I'm no longer inclined to be ruled by it. It has really taken quite some time to just work through that part, though.

2) I never turn down something I want anymore and in addition, there are really only maybe 7 or 8 things that I LOVE to eat on a daily basis, care to take the time to make, and when I eat them, I always feel satisfied afterwards. One is my favorite breakfast of Hawaiian Veggie Egg White Scramble on Toast. I could eat this every day - and usually do. Another is Red Pepper/Tomato soup with lots of saltines. I still love my Stirfrys. I love Subway Turkey Sandwiches. Now for the most part, you probably noticed that these are healthy meals and something that would fit into the diet "rules". Lots of veggies and protein - I know I'm eating healthy "enough". I'm good with it. It's taken me a long time to get here.

3) I'm now working on just eating until I'm full. When I love a food, it's hard for me to stop at full. I want to stop at stuffed. BUT...it is getting so much easier now that I'm allowing myself to eat what I crave and know that I can eat it again in a little bit if I so desire. I'm learning to really dislike a too full feeling. I'm learning that I can keep almond butter in the cupboard and I'm not constantly digging into it, because once I allowed myself to enjoy the foods I really want, I no longer feel the urge to constantly dip into the only yummy "healthy" stuff I have on hand to feed my emotions.

4) To be honest, the best advice I could take right now would be a little snippet of biblical instruction I ran across in Ephesians 5:18 the other day: "Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life." Aha! Yes, I love my wine, but I think I need to appreciate it a little more and use it less like water and more like dessert :-)

Well, I better get upstairs and wake those kiddos up for school. Mai dropped a 15 pound dumbbell on her big toe last night, and I'm not sure if it's broken or not, so we may be at the doctor today :-(

I'm not worrying though, because as Joyce Meyer said this morning on her show, "Worry is making a down payment on a problem you may never have".

Just goin' with the flow...
Peace Out!
Julie