Summer Mornings and Health

 I just love summer mornings. Nothing beats it except maybe spring mornings; but summer mornings are a bit warmer so I enjoy it, especially when I do outdoor exercises.

 Normally my workout routine goes as follows: I open the patio door and windows to get that morning breeze in early mornings, and workout on my EA Sports Active for the Wii in my living room. The sound of birds chirping is always nice and refreshing. I do about 30 minutes of my own personal routine (lots of cardio and upper body one day, and lots of cardio and lower body the next). Every now and then I do half an hour of sports routines. Anyway, it averages to about 300-400 calories for that half hour, which isn't bad. And trust me, these are workouts, not easy stuff...enough to leave you sore for a couple of days if not prepared.

 Then, later in the evening, I do it again. This time with the doors closed and air conditioning on because it's much warmer outside and it's nice having cold air blasting you while working out. Plus, energy levels are higher in the afternoon and you're much more likely to burn more calories. Interesting fact, huh?

 Anyway, I know it seems like a lot, but I. feel. GREAT. I could swear my Hashimoto's symptoms have disappeared. Of course, I still take my daily medication because the disease itself won't ever go away, but the symptoms are pretty much non-existent. My joints don't hurt, I'm not tired all the time, I have energy like none other, my skin isn't crazy dry, my hair is healthy and my nails are actually growing. I feel fantastic.

 Of course, my diet has a lot to do with it as well. I track everything I eat and do on livestrong.com/thedailyplate- for free. The website pretty much has every food and brand listed with all the nutritional information, so all you do is start typing it and it pops up and sticks it on your chart. You can always customize if they don't have it though. Anyway, you put in your height and weight, and how much you want to lose per week (reasonably, at least). From there, based on your body description, they'll tell you how many calories to consume per day to reach that goal. Burning off lots of calories gives you the opportunity to eat a little more. This website is amazing and totally works. It also tracks and lets you know if you've gone over your sodium, carbs, protein, etc (based on a daily value). When I started it, I realized how many calories I was actually eating, even if I thought I was being healthy. It was a reality hit, but since tracking, I have definitely been losing the desired weight. Pretty awesome. Oh, and I also like to drink herbal teas before each meal. Not only are they excellent for me, they keep me from eating too much when I do eat.

I also take vitamins consistently every single day. My thyroid pill in the morning, a very good multivitamin in the afternoon with lunch, and the rest of my pills in the evening before bed. This includes kelp (for thyroid-does wonders on weight loss too), high brand omegas, extra super b-complex, and my vitex if necessary. Thanks to the nutritionists in the ward and the hormone expert at our local vitamin store, I feel amazing. Holistic really does work; I'm living proof.

You'd think I'd be overwhelmed with all of this, but I'm not. I've been doing it since January and have lost about 30 lbs since then (40 lbs total so far) and it's so easy and completely worth it. Not to mention my hormones have been regular for at least 6 months now. Which reminds me, my Dr. appointment update is on my other blog (good news- I'm healthy!).

But anyway, that's that. This morning when I attempted to workout on my Wii, I noticed chew marks on the wiring of the sensor bar. Bad, bad, bad kitty. So, glancing outside, I decided I was going to take advantage of the beautiful morning and go for a fast-paced but scenic walk around my favorite lake. SO glad I did so. I feel amazing.

 I always feel so much better when I take a walk like this. It leaves me glowing the rest of the day and much more appreciative of the lord's earth.

 Thanks for reading this long post.

 Also, the realtor guy contacted us and sent us many many properties that will be move-in ready (paperwork included) by the time our lease is up. Fun stuff. Some of these homes are just beautiful:

 

 A few of them have land and one even has its own barn. So, we'll see :)