Category: Mental Wellness

Circadian Rhythms

lissa10279Leave a comment

Happy New Year!! I hope you had a wonderful time last night and look forward to posting regularly here at least three times a week … starting … now!

When I lived in El Salvador, I had the world’s best work schedule.

I had just finished grad school at my alma mater (American University) and I didn’t have a job lined up. Luis and I had been dating long-distance international for over a year and wanted to experience living together for a bit, so I moved to El Salvador for eight months and taught English at a private language academy where I made $3/hour and was worked to.the.core.

That said, the schedule — while grueling — was the best because it gave me a ton of freedom and let me capitalize on my own energy levels … something I find myself longing for a lot these days. Continue reading “Circadian Rhythms” →

Advertisement

What I’m Looking Forward to … And Not-So-Much

lissa102792 Comments

I’m two weeks and a day away from this incredible, amazing, life-altering goat rodeo we call childbirth and motherhood, in which there are no real rules (only what works for you … which is subject to change) and in which it’s totally instinct-driven.

Of course, this being my second time on the proverbial goat, I feel seasoned. Prepared. Confident.

And totally scared out of my mind. Continue reading “What I’m Looking Forward to … And Not-So-Much” →

Easier Second Time Around?

lissa102799 Comments

I never thought I would a mom who breastfed. My mom didn’t breastfeed me and the idea grossed me out for a very long time. Of course, as I got older I came to know/understand the whole “breast is best” philosophy spewed by everyone and their mom … and figured if/when the time came, I’d give it the old college try.

I just never expected myself to last as long as I did. Continue reading “Easier Second Time Around?” →

22 Weeks

lissa102792 Comments

OK, I stand to be corrected.

In spite of not feeling ginormous yet, I do look 15 lbs heavier, at least when I see a picture of myself … which apparently shows a much different “me” than the “me” I see in the mirror every day. Or maybe it’s because head-on I don’t look quite so huge, but from the side, hello baby?!! Who knows. Continue reading “22 Weeks” →

Combating Emotional Eating … Hmmm, No Thanks.

lissa102792 Comments

It shouldn’t surprise anyone — as I’ve discussed it here before on numerous occasions — but for as far as I’ve come in my journey and relationship with food, I’m still an emotional eater. Yes, I just admitted that.  That  issue hasn’t gone away.

The difference is now, I just manage it better … i.e., I move on. I don’t over-exercise to compensate, I don’t restrict to compensate, I don’t berate myself to compensate, and I don’t talk about food  incessantly to compensate. Continue reading “Combating Emotional Eating … Hmmm, No Thanks.” →

Fitness and Pregnancy

lissa102795 Comments

Written April 9, 2013 (14 weeks)

Staying active was the absolute best thing for me when I was pregnant with Maya … and I’m pretty sure it will keep me healthy and fit this time, too.

My routine really hasn’t changed since becoming pregnant. What has changed is the intensity at which I work/amount of weight I lift/moves I have modified. Continue reading “Fitness and Pregnancy” →

Oh, Sweet Nap

lissa102791 Comment

Happy Easter to all who celebrate! And hope all “my peeps” are having a good Passover! As a multi-ethnic, interfaith family, we celebrate it all! Religious aspects of either holiday aside, the real meaning of these holidays (to me) is about being with family and friends. If we teach Maya nothing else, I hope she knows how loved she is, and how steeped in familiar love our different but equally important traditions are. Now to today’s post …

—

As a new mom, older, wiser women will tell you, (among a myriad of other things) “Nap when the baby naps!”

Well, Maya is 2 1/4 now and in those 2 1/4 years, I have successfully napped … zero times. Not even kidding. It’s not that I haven’t tried ... it’s just that 1) there are a million things I always felt I needed to tend to during that quiet time and 2) I’ve never been able to turn it off. [“It” being the brain that thinks 24/7 about what it could be doing/should be doing/wants to be doing/feels guilty about not doing.]

I was never a napper before Maya came along anyway (naps seemed like a giant waste of time to me back then — haha!), but ever since becoming a mom, I have literally longed for and dreamed about the day when I could just turn “it” off and lay the heck down and sleep! It just seemed too big a fantasy to actually come to fruition.

Until today, you see. Continue reading “Oh, Sweet Nap” →

Time, Time, Time

lissa102794 Comments

Today over lunch a couple mommy friends and I were answering questions from a pregnant friend about the whole elusive work/life balance. We told her it’s so cliched but so true … pretty much everything changes when you have kids … even for people who genuinely didn’t expect it to. Which means something has to give if you want to maintain happiness in spite of said changes. Continue reading “Time, Time, Time” →

Burger? Yes, please

lissa10279Leave a comment

For me, relaxing the rules means “living.” While most people in this country need more restrictions on their diet/fitness habits, for a small population of us, we need less restrictions/less rules in order to live more.

Which is why today I joined my two pregnant friends for lunch at Five Guys. Yup, you heard me … FIVE GUYS … home of mega-greasy burgers and mega-greasy bags o’ fries (and mega-awesome fountain drink selection — 100+ flavors!). These same two friends and I were all pregnant with our first kids at the same time back in 2010, but this time, I was the odd man out in that I had no cravings to answer to … I was just going along for the ride. 😉

Continue reading “Burger? Yes, please” →

Discipline vs. Regret

lissa10279Leave a comment

A friend linked to a blog post on Facebook and though I couldn’t relate to the feelings she has towards running — I’ve dabbled in running but never really with purpose or anything — I loved, loved, loved the quote at the bottom.

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is the discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” – Jim Rohn Continue reading “Discipline vs. Regret” →