May 07, 2014

Replay your day

Today was my weekly Weight Watchers meeting. Since my mom joined a few weeks ago, she said she'd come pick me up and drive to the meeting. I weighed in at home, and lost another pound this week. I feel like I should have lost 20, considering I gave up sweets! ;)  But I definitely overdid it on the almonds and a couple of other things this week, so I'm happy with it. 


Today's meeting topic was "Replay Your Day". I didn't really understand what that meant, based on the topic title, but once Glenda, my leader, started talking about it, I realized that this is a very helpful topic! She said to think about a day that went really poorly--bad eating, no exercise, just feeling bad by the time we went to bed. She asked what it was that made us feel bad.

On the flip side, she then asked us to think about a perfect day that we'd had. What did we eat? Did we exercise? Did we go to bed feeling really good and happy about ourselves? 

A bad day for me would be a day where I binge (regardless of whether I've exercised that day). A binge leaves me feeling mad at myself, doubtful of being successful, and just a very down mood. Physically, a binge makes me feel full, sluggish, lazy, and tired. 

A good day for me has been a day where I run, stay active throughout the day, eat healthy foods that I enjoy, and allow for a treat of some sort at night. A day like that makes me feel really happy and successful; and physically, a good day makes me feel energetic and light. 

In thinking about bad days and good days, "replaying our day" would be going over exactly what we did that day to make us feel good or bad. Obviously, we should try to repeat what makes us feel good. On a binge day, I can try to identify what happened before the binge that led up to it, so that I can try not to repeat it. And on a good day, I can try to repeat those same actions to have another good day. 

I got this comment on my blog post about my no-sweets challenge, and I loved it. When people ask me WHY I'm doing this challenge, it's really difficult to put into words. But Nicki, in a short comment, explained it perfectly:


"I'm looking forward to having treats feel like a treat again and not a food group!" That. That's exactly it! I had gotten past the point of eating sweets in moderation, and now I really just want to get back to where a treat feels like a treat again. 

I wish I could say that it's getting easier each day without sweets, but it really isn't. I miss my sweets! Today, after Weight Watchers, my mom and I went to Sam's Club. I bought a bunch of fruit to have when I'm feeling snacky, so hopefully it will curb the sweet cravings. This afternoon, while I was preparing my lunch, I snacked on watermelon, and that helped a lot. I used to eat a ton of grapes, but I think watermelon is going to be the new grapes for me this time around ;)

Right now, it's about 8:00, and in "replaying my day", I'm very happy with how everything went. I didn't run today (it's a rest day), but I did make it a point to get in 10,000 steps on my Fitbit. I ate very healthy all day, including fruits and veggies, and plan to have popcorn for a snack tonight. Now to repeat that tomorrow...

Oh, this is kind of random, but I was so appalled about it that I wanted to share here. Yesterday, Eli got in trouble at school, and had to sit out the entire recess. His crime? He was playing tag with some of his friends on the playground. It's a recess rule that the kids aren't allowed to run on the playground, because "someone could get hurt". So when Eli was seen playing tag, they made him sit out for the whole recess.

Is that not completely crazy?! Kids are supposed to run around and let out some pent up energy during recess. My memories of recess are of my friends and I chasing boys the entire time. And playing Red Rover. And tag. My kids only have gym every third school day, so they really aren't getting much activity during the seven hours they're at school; and now they can't even run during recess. I just can't believe that "no running" is a playground rule.

Speaking of my kids, I noticed this lying in my yard yesterday:


I gave Eli a bracelet from the Rock CF half-marathon that I did recently, and he apparently turned it into a slingshot. I thought that was pretty creative of him! He is definitely all boy. A couple of weeks ago, he came home from school with this:


He made a bow and arrow out of two pencils and one of those rubber band bracelets. I would totally understand if he got in trouble for shooting someone with a pencil at school, but for playing tag? Really?

27 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 07, 2014

    You should get the no running policy changed! No wonder childhood diabetes is so common!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree about the no running rule! How can they possibly expect kids to be calm in class if they can't even run the 20 minutes they get outside at lunch! That is just crazy. I would look into complaining about that it's just unreasonable. What is no running in gym next??? I have a sister and a niece that broke arms in gym running into the padded wall behind the basketball hoop... That doesn't mean they should restrict kids from running! And as a punishment for having too much energy the kids are made to sit out recess? That also seems a bit excessive.
    Sorry I just agree completely and would try to fight that rule. They are forcing kids to be less active!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is so outrageous! Kids do get hurt! I still have the scar on my knee from falling on the playground in kindergarden and getting rocks in it. The nurse cleaned it and gave me a bandaid and we all went on with our day.

    Rules like that are why I'm so passionate about choosing to homeschool my kids once I have them. There's still time for a major school reform before I have school age kids, but if a free recess isn't on the bill, it's not good enough for me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's incredible, how about you ask the school if you wrap your boys up in bubble wrap during recess, if then they'd be allowed to run around ;)

    But really, and they wonder why childhood obesity rates are so high. I remember growing up and always running during recess, we had gym every single day (which I hated) but we always had energy outlets.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love this post! its just a simple thing to do...ask yourself to think about what a good day versus a bad day is, what triggers bad eating/bad habits/not working out etc. what do you think it is for you? For me...i think its whenever I am not well rested, stressed out, bored, feeling blah. and im exactly like you...i have such a sweet tooth...sweats are def not treats for me. like that girl in the comment said. i agree- i think she said it perfectly... you want to wean yourself so that when you go back in a month- its actually a treat. thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMay 07, 2014

    Hey Katie, reading about your giving up sweets brought to my mind the concept of self-efficacy, which I just wrote a pretty in depth paper on for a global food security class I'm taking right now. Are you familiar with it? Just thought I'd mention it :) http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/self_efficacy.htm

    ReplyDelete
  7. What are they allowed to do if they can't run on the playground? That is just goofy. Yes, kids can get hurt but you can't protect them from everything. My son got hurt running during recess. He wasn't watching where he was going and ran right into a metal bar that is part of the playground equipment. Other than a goose egg, he wax fine. I certainly wouldn't expect them to ban running because of it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. okay...i know i just commented like 5 minutes ago but I talked to my sister and convinced her to do the challenge with me, to.. thats for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  9. My son's school has a no tag policy after a kiddo broke his arm last year. I get that because of the tendency to push while tagging, but no running is ridiculous. Is that on the equipment or on the blacktop too?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Replay your day is a great idea! And I also need to get treats back into treats and not a food group. --- As for the school. That's crazy. Some want to adjust the school lunches to make them healthier, but now they don't want the kids getting natural exercise by playing tag or other activities as recess that require running? I understand the teachers need to watch for the rough housing, but making it a rule not to run is not the answer...IMHO. Accidents can happen in life and what better place to learn than on the school playground how to have fun but be safe. I'm blown away at a "no running rule". My kids are in jr. High and high school, so I have no idea if they have that here. Wow.

    Good job on the pound also. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. That is literally the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Childhood obesity is at an ALARMING all time high. I've read that this generation coming up will be the first that will not out live their parents (as a general rule) but elementary kids cant run at recess???? Un effing believable.....

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am so upset about the "no running" rule at your children's school. I am pretty laid back and have tried to teach my kids that at school, rules are rules and have to be followed and consequences will be given at home and school if you break a rule at school. But in this case, I would not be able to agree.

    This is something I would be contacting the principal about and discussing the physical and mental benefits and the necessity for kids to RUN and MOVE and BE ACTIVE. It's part of living a healthy lifestyle. If the principal alone couldn't/wouldn't make changes, I would attend a school board meeting and try to get people to attend with me that agreed with the importance of kids being able to RUN during recess.

    Gahh, this is just absurd!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. And they wonder why kids act out more in class! Not to mention the being more active policy by Michelle Obama is being completely ignored. Kids need to be active every day especially during recess.

    ReplyDelete
  14. And they wonder why obesity is on the rise with kids????? ~~slapping forehead~~

    As for the good days....ohhh yeah, my good days where I'm eating right and where I'm active are the awesome days....and they fill me with such a sense of power!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. NO RUNNING.. on a playground at recess?! This is the most absurd thing I have ever heard of.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I work at a preschool and we don't allow running inside when we do our large motor skills. We just have to many activity centers set up that they could get hurt on if they are running, plus some of the kids indoor shoes are slippers. Now on the flip side we do allow them to run over in the big gym and outside as long as they are doing so OFF the equipment. The standard rule is to remind them on our way to those areas of the rules and remind again if they break a rule. A second reminder for same rule broken = a timeout that's typically 2 to 4 mins. Third reminder would be to go back inside to the main classroom. s you can see they would have been told 3 times BEFORE not being able to play outside (same for our large motor skills area).

    I agree as the other comments. You need to make a big deal about the way the rule was handled. Also find out what the schools policy is about timeouts. The standard isn't to take away the entire recess. Its supposed to be 1 min per year of kids age, ie; 6 years old = a 6 min timeout. Also he should have been given a warning before any timeouts were given. I'd also try to change the rule to no running on the equipment instead of outside in general.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Um, I remember running ALL OF THE TIME in school. Seriously. Kids fall down... it happens. Keeping them from running is the most ridiculous thing ever. Sheesh. Plus, we had PE every day. When did that change!? No wonder kids are obese....

    ReplyDelete
  18. that is ridiculous! Kids need to be able to run and play. I mean hello kids being obese is already happening everywhere we need to change this. Technology is taking over and our children are suffering.

    ReplyDelete
  19. That is crazy that Eli got punished for running at recess. Like you say--isn't it supposed to be a time when kids can get out all their excess energy so when they go back inside, they can settle down and learn? Plus--running is a good way for kids to stay healthy. I have substitute taught recently, so have some knowledge of the practice in my local public schools. Although there are lots of rules on the playground--there is no school where I've been that has a "NO RUNNING" rule. I think that's crazy!

    ReplyDelete
  20. That is insane! I don't understand how that's supposed to be recess without running. I'm going to have to ask my 9-yr old what their school's policy is. I'm pretty sure they're allowed to run, and I thought tag was still allowed, but now I wonder.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I can't even comprehend a rule like that. What are they actually allowed to do? Twiddle their thumbs? Stand around and make fun of each other? Pick their noses? My kids' school doesn't have this rule, thankfully. Now if they could just make a "no drama" rule for the 1st grade girls, I'd be happy...

    ReplyDelete
  22. I supervise recess at my girls' elementary school, and we also have a no chasing/tag rule that applies only to certain parts of the playground. I thought this was crazy at first, but after seeing a 4th grader end up with a serious concussion after colliding with a tetherball on a busy part of the playground while chasing another student, I kind of get it now. That said, we do have a very large open field and the kids are allowed to run, play football, soccer, etc. to their hearts content out there...The no chasing thing just applies only to areas where there is a lot playground equipment. But geez, the punishment sounds completely excessive!! We assign 5 minutes against the wall for really bad behaviors (bad language, pushing, repeatedly not listening to a supervisor, etc) but rarely more than that unless a teacher tells us to give the student extra time for some reason.

    Changing topics, thanks for the inspiration on going treat-free! I'm about a week in as well and feel soooo much better already. Keep up the good work and I'll do the same :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Ridiculous rule! Kids run around, they fall, they get hurt, they heal and they move on. Kids have always done this and always will. The school just doesn't want a lawsuit from it happening under their watch. The world is ridiculous these days. No peanut butter sandwiches, no running, what's next?

    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousMay 08, 2014

    We have a no playing tag rule at our school. They can run, we just dont want them touching. It can get too physical. Maybe this is what they meant, but didnt explain to your son. Maybe call and get clarification?

    ReplyDelete
  25. This sounds worth a call to the principal! or the school board. that is just plain crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  26. AnonymousMay 09, 2014

    Wow, that does seem ridiculous!
    Our school has gym every day (I'm in Canada) - its one of the reasons we chose this particular school.
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  27. No running at recess???? Are you freaking kidding me? That's what recess is for!

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

Featured Posts

Blog Archive