Wow, is it week nine already? That must mean spring is right around the corner!

One of the reasons I choose to exercise and watch what I eat is my blood pressure. It's always been low, but that doesn't mean it can't rise!

In fact, I'm going to switch gears a little here in relation to blood pressure. While I know that eating right and exercising definitely will benefit my blood pressure long term, so will limiting stress. Those who know me well know two things about me. (Well, they know more than two...but here are two things we can share in mixed company, I'm paying them to keep the rest silent.)

1. I am a very very busy person who is driven and has a rich, yet complicated life.

2. I can get overwhelmed at times which leads to mood swings like you wouldn't believe! (In other words, I can be a grade A sometimes...)

Neither of those things is conduscive to low blood pressure. However I do believe that number 1 benefits me in many ways, even though it does contribute to number 2. In fact I have worked to declutter my life to some extent and was doing really well until I started taking night classes, got a new job, got a new puppy...oh poop. Well I guess I'm really NOT doing very well at decluttering, am I?

Oh well.

Number 2, however...well I hate that. I mean I appreciate that I am a passionate person. My highs are very high. I can get excited over the most mundane things and I think that's pretty cool. But my lows...well there are times when I feel like I hate the world. I lash out at people I care about. I crank. I growl. I snarl. I sometimes even bite. I hate it.

The other day I was running the 10k and I noticed something. When I run, especially in races, I am a good person. In fact, I am a better person when I run than when I don't. I don't mean I'm a better person all around when I am pursuing running goals in my life. I mean when I am actively running down the street, I am a better person. I smile at people, I encourage them, I wave, I notice nature, I applaud stragglers, I think really good thoughts about people. I do. If I see someone looking all sweaty and icky and waddling along looking like they want to die, I clap and say "Looking great! Keep it up! I'm proud of you!"

Why can't I be like that ALL the time? So my focus this week is to take the negativity out of my life and try to reduce my stress caused by number 2. Every day I am going to remind myself that I can be as good a person standing still as I am when running. I am going to pray about this daily. I am going to reflect on it. I am going to be a better person if it freaking KILLS me!

I am also going up to 30 points a day as my target. It seems like any time I drop points, I gain weight.

Monday
Exercise Today: Ran 4 miles, 25 minutes weights, 30 minutes aerobics, 600 crunches
Calories Burned: 2634
Calories Eaten: 1951
Calorie Deficit: 683
Ghandi Moment: I was pretty mellow all day today. One thing that stands out is that I had a lot of tech jobs piling up at work. Now I get VERY frustrated with this because it seems to me that people don't remember very well that I am tech support, but first I am a teacher and all my teacherly stuff comes first.

So with an effort to be proactive, I emailed out my cow-orkers and asked them to use a specific protocol to ask me for help. (I do not like to be ambushed the moment I get to work, which happened today. Nor do I feel it is fair to ambush me at lunch, which I got Friday. I do not ask the welding teacher to weld for me, so I don't want to be asked to repair a computer at lunch.) They are to email me only; not call, not ask me as I walk through the hall, not catch me on the way to the bathroom, not bug me during lunch, not come into my room during class. I used humor, but I think I got my point across.

I also emailed two people on the waiting list and told them I would send students out tomorrow and prepared a database for inputting tech jobs, assigned those jobs to students, and put them on my desk.

Because I was able to take a proactive stance on something that's really been bothering me lately, I felt much better about it. I get about $100 extra a month to do tech support, but lately it's eaten up my planning time every day. I simply can't have that and maintain my teaching standards.[/list][/list]

Tuesday
Exercise Today: Ran only a mile, spin class 50 min, Jazz dance class, 600 crunches
Calories Burned in Exercise: 805
Calories Eaten: 1755
Points: 25
Ghandi Moment: Rather than stress about class, I decided to run just a mile and take some time to sit in Starbucks and study for my test. Normally I'd run six miles (to and back dance class) but the weather was really funky. I'm glad I didn't. There was a stabbing along the route I run.

I won't be running to dance class again. Thank you Lord for not letting me run.

Wednesday
Exercise Today: Ran 3.2 miles, step aerobics 30 min, nautlis machines 30 min, 600 crunches with puppies!
Calories Burned in exercise: 903
Calories Eaten: 1943
Points: 28.5
Ghandi Moment: Today I was thinking negative thoughts about one of my cow-orkers who can be, shall we say, trying. I reminded myself that I am trying to not be judgemental and that deep down, she really is a very nice lady.

I was able to let go the irritation I was feeling and move on.

I am also going to be at 9:05 because I deserve a good night's sleep!

Thursday
Exercise Today: Ran 5.65 miles, spin class 60 min, 600 crunches
Calories Burned: 1313
Calories Eaten: Hmmm, 1677...it felt like I ate more
Points: 32 (earned 13 exercise APs)
Ghandi Moment: I decided to run from work to the coffee shop today. I didn't know how long it would be...I figured 4-6 miles. I decided not to look at the mileage and just go. I let myself get lost in my book and felt the stress of the day melt away. It ended up being about 4.5 miles, so I kept going to the bread store and had coffee and a scone there...then went back to Target and did some retail therapy.

Friday
Exercise Today: Swam for 40 minutes this morning (vigorously), ran 2.4 miles, 600 crunches.
Calories Burned: 711
Calories Eaten: 2096
Points: 28
Ghandi Moment: As I drove over a hill this morning the sun was rising in the east and was "pinking" the Olympic rang to the West. It was so beautiful I almost started to cry.

Kids were driving me nuts with Friday madness, but I didn't get angry or lose my temper at them. They're good kids, even if they are a little psychotic at times.

Saturday
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Ghandi Moment:

Sunday
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