Hypnobirthing class 1 part 2-Mind over matter

Last september when I went to talk to my midwife about the hopes of getting pregnant I told her about my desire to use hypnobirthing for the birthing process with our next.  She highly recomended hypnobirthing and said that she felt it could be beneficial to all people inside or out of childbirth. Last night as Ron and I drove home and talked about all we had learned from our first class it became very apparent how that could be the case. 

Until looking into Hypnobirthing- hypnosis was the show they put on at the western Idaho fair and people got up on stage and did crazy things and had no clue what they were doing.  Truth is that is not a good way of looking at hypnosis at all.  (I have also learned that while people may respond and act as they are told to here they will not do anything that is out of their moral compass...I found this interesting because it order to refrain you would have to be somewhat aware)

Hypnosis comes from the Greek work hypnose which means to sleep
BUT
it is the appearance of sleep not sleep itself.  It was named this because when it was discovered that people could put themselves in a deep state of relaxation most of the time it appeared that they were sleeping!

We actually use hypnosis in our everyday life without even realizing it. 
Have you ever drove home from somewhere, got in the driveway and realized that you don't even remember stopping at the stop lights or taking turns and somehow you got home?  If you have then you have used hypnosis.  This happens when something becomes so second nature to us that we can do it without thought.  Chances are your mind was somewhere else and you were in a state of hypnosis. 

Here is some more very fascinating scientific things about how our bodies work that I learned last night.

Our Brain functions in 4 different modes
Beta--- 14 cycles per minute- When we are in Beta mode we are being the critic, the analyst and the judge.  We are in a concious state of mind when we are in this mode!

Alpha--- 7 cycles per minute- right before we go to bed or right when we wake up in the morning

Theta--- 4 cycles per minute

Delta---- 2 cycles per minute

The last three of these modes (I dont know if that is the correct term but that is what I am calling it) Alpha, Theta, and Delta are considered a hypnotic state of mind!  COOL HUH?? Who knew....I sure didn't!

When we first learn a skill we are using Beta mode.  Last night as we drove home we discussed that right now my husband spends a lot of time in this Beta mode because he is learning a lot at his new job and a lot in the new roll he is playing at our church.  Something I found very interesting about the Beta mode is that until a child/adolescent is 14 years old they cannot completely be in Beta.  Makes Sense if you ask me!!!

Athletes are actually VERY skilled at going into these lower 3 modes and using hypnosis because what they do becomes very second nature to them and they use the power of muscle memory rather than analyzing everything they do.  ALSO VERY COOL!

The instructor shared a story about her son with us that related to the athlete aspect of it.  This made me think of my husband who is on a softball league right now and told me he can always tell when the guys who go up to bat are actually thinking too much about what they are doing.  This past game Ron (my husband) had two really good hits and at some point in the game someone made a really dumb mistake of yelling at Ron from across the field for no good reason.  Lets just say it was completely unncessary. It made Ron really upset (me too...pregnant wife was ready to pounce) and the next time he got up to bat he didn't hit very well.  He told me last night that usually he clears his mind before he goes up to bat and after being yelled at he was so upset he focused too hard which resulted in a bad hit.   It was really cool to hear my husband putting it all together!!

The instructor said something that I think desribes it very well. 

"Hypnosis is a highly focused state your mind goes into.  Rather than trying to think through every little step.
When we are working at our most smooth flowing state we are actually using hypnosis. "

So now that I have talked about all this amazing cool biological aspects of our mind and our nervous system how does this all tie together for childbirth?

What I will now be practicing for the next several months before I deliver our baby is learning to use the Alpha, Theta, and Delta part of my mind and teach myself Self Hypnosis (because most of the time we dont conciously do this).  This will help me stay calm and collected going into childbirth and my mind away from fear.  I will be learning techniques that will help me with breathing, relaxation, visualization and Ultra Deepening. 

Last night Ron and I  listened while laying in bed to one of the tracks that was given at our class and it focuses on relaxation .  IT reminded me a lot of yoga breathing for those of you who do yoga.  Near the middle of the track I felt like I fell asleep but at the end as the person who is speaking askes you to become aware of your surroundings again I realized that I had actually never fallen asleep.  It was very cool!  I am so excited to learn more and share more with you about what I am learning! 

What do you think?  I would love to know your thoughts on either of the posts I shared today!!  Please do comment =)



  

5 simple, everday weight loss tips

So Sunday was a pencil skirt wearing kind of a day. I was feeling good! =) Last week was a very successful week.  I felt completely in control and lost 4 pounds. Trust me, this is not a normal number nor should it be expected. Some of the weight I gained quickly from a bad weekend so I knew it was going to come off quickly.  Please don't get discouraged if you don't usually loose this much weight in a week.  On a really good week I can loose 2 pounds but that is rare.  The lower I get the harder it gets as well.  I also woke up today and had lost another pound which puts me at my lowest since last fall and that puts me 8 pounds away from my goal. 

I really feel like I can contribute my weight loss last week and this week to the changes that weight watchers made to their points plus program this year.(If you don't follow weight watchers but would like more information about it email me here. I would love to help you out with the resources I use). They recommend if you weren't loosing weight on the new points plus to try going down 3 points but no lower then 26.  I was at 29 points so the lowest I could go is 126 anyways but it has really made a difference.  If you follow weight watchers and don't know about the changes you can see a detailed description at DanicasDailys here.  It is very informative!

Being on this journey for a few years I feel like I have learned a few very basic things that have definitely contributed to my weight loss success and would like to share them with you.  Here are a few.  I will do a nother post with a few more soon.

1. Set a short term goal.  When I was 160 pounds getting down to 130 or 125 felt overwhelming.   I decided to start setting short term goals.  I always set a weekly workout goal and I always set a weekly weight loss goal. It was usually only 2 lbs per week and the lower I have gotten my goal has changed to 1.5/week but it was a number to work towards.    I also have set a goal for  events.  If I was going to be seeing family or had some sort of event I would try to figure out how much weight I could realistically loose in the amount of time till the event.  Whether it was 2 weeks or 30 days I would work towards that goal.  I always tried to make sure that my "Event" wasn't more then 1-2 months away.  More time than that seemed more long term to me. That helped me even more then my weekly goals. 

2. If you like sweets like me then Having sweet, lighter snacks around will help. If you are not a sweet eater there is probably something that is an indulgence for you so have a healthier, lighter option around. Whether it is a Fiber one bar, 100 calorie snack pack, snackwells, knowing how many WhoNu, oreo's, or keebler grasshoppers I can have for a low point sweet treat or its having a homemade low point treat around these things have SERIOUSLY helped me be successful.  I crave sweets every single day and there are days when I just cant resist so I try to have something on hand so that when the craving comes or someone around me is having something that is not low fat or low calories then I can grab the better options and don't feel the need to indulge.

3. Find a way to Get AT LEAST 8 cups of water.  When I workout I try to get even more. This is  one of the most basic of basic weight loss tips for many reasons.  For one, water is so important for our bodies but two, if I am not getting enough water I feel hungry more frequently.  I think that a good portion of people have a hard time getting all 8 cups of water so figure out what works for you.

I find that I can drink more water if I am sipping it from a straw rather then drinking it from a cup.  I found a water bottle that I really like that I can refill and sip from all day.  Keep it in a room that you go in and out of all day or else carry it around your house with you. When you see the water bottle take a big huge sip!  I also always keep a water bottle in my purse so that when I am out and about I can be drinking water too.  So figure out what works for you and stick to it because getting all your water in will seriously help you be successful.

4. Have someone to set goals with and to answer to.  Whether its your spouse, best friend, neighbor, sister, coworker or someone else find some who is trying to loose weight and is willing to report and listen to your report regularly.  Make sure it is someone who is motivated as well.  I have tried this with a few people and some people have helped me be successful and some people were just not into it enough. 

5. Work out the way you like.  If you are doing  a workout that you hate then chances are you are not going to stick to it.  I recently read a blog about a women who lost half her weight starting at 165 by walking everywhere she went.  She didn't like to run so she just walked.  Switch things up in your workout. I really enjoy working out but if I do the same thing every single day I get board.  So I switch it up every day.  My regular routine usually consists of running 3-5 miles some days and doing Jillian Michael's videos other days.  However, some days I don't feel like doing either so I pull out one of the movies I have on hand and do that instead. 

These are just a few tips and trust me I am no expert I have just found that they make a didifference for me.  I will definitely be posting some more soon.  If you have other ideas that have made a difference for your success I would love to hear them.  =)

Confession

I saw this on pinterest and it was exactly what I needed to remember this morning

I have two confessions to make

1) This weekend I completely lost it.  I don't know what happened but I seriously ate everything I shouldn't and this morning the scale showed it.  It started on Friday!  I spent all morning trying to make a lightened up version of some orange cookies that I have been craving.  They didn't turn out.  I was so disappointed and that night ate a ton of candy while doing a craft with some friends.  Saturday I decided to make cookies I knew would turn out but are probably some of the most fattening ones I could make.  And here is the real kicker....I ate all of them except one that Ron ate between Saturday night and Sunday.  Please someone tell me that they do this too. I honestly don't know what was wrong with me!  Sunday night I also ate a bunch of hot tamales after a healthy dinner. I wish I could say that I had an emotional experience this weekend so I could blame it on emotional eating but honestly I just wanted to eat sweets I guess.

The good news is that I  have a free six day trial to a cross fit gym that I am going to try out this week with a friend.  I really hope that works.  I am staring another meal plan today for the next two weeks.  I will plan on making some healthier treats for me to snack on so I don't go binge on unhealthy treats! My sister in law gave me a healthy cookbook for Christmas and I am really excited to incorporate some of those recipes into my meal plan.  I will definitely be posting pictures and recipes if I like what I cook. 

Confession number 2) I feel like I have become incredibly obsessed with the number on the scale.  The truth is I feel like I have been feeling the opposite of what the picture above says.  I know this is not the case and I know you shouldn't go off of a number on scale when it comes to weight loss but should base it on how you feel but I just cant seem to get away from that.  I also think I am not content with where I am at because I was quite a bit lower this past summer.

If you have any suggestions for me I would love to hear it.  If I resolve this I will definitely let you know how!

I am so excited to be going to cross fit tonight (and lets face it terrified at the same time)  I will definitely be reporting on my first experience with it

p.s. sorry for the downer post.  I will post a few yummy recipes I made this past week that are healthy to make up for it =)

Public Again

I started this blog some time ago in hopes to get healthy (and loose the weight I needed to) and inspire and be inspired by those of you who were also trying to do that as well.  I ended up putting the blog aside because of other things I was trying to focus on but worked away at getting healthy.  In the process I found support and continued to write on the blog off and on.  I am happy to report that I met my goal last summer and over the course of two vacations, an anniversary and the holiday season I put on 8 pounds from where I was at in July.  I am at 135 now and am hoping to be lower then my first original goal and get down to 125.  I feel like for my height and build this is doable.  Over the course of time that I wrote on this blog in private I put my weight on it not thinking that it would ever be public again.  I debated on taking my weight off but decided to keep it on here in hopes that it can possibly motivated and empower some of you.

I am happy to report that I do feel like a new person in a lot of ways.   As I read over the past posts the last few days it was very encouragine to see where I am at now and to see where I was at then.  I have put a few recipes on here during that time and will continue to put more recipes on here.  I also feel like I have become a lot more educated about fitness and food along this process and also because I have had some health problems in the past year and half that have really made me have to change the way I eat.  I will be posting a lot about what I have learned. 

I hope that this will be a blog that you can come to and be inspired.  I hope that this will be a blog that you can come to and share your stories.  I would love to hear them.  =) 

ERIN

138

Ten pounds to go and the lower I get the harder it is!  But I am going to do it! 

AHHHH!!!

I am screaming inside!  I want to run around and jump up and down and scream at the top of my lungs...
lizzy is sleeping though!! Darnit!!

  I got on the scale this morning and it said 139!!!!!!!  AHHHH  I cant even believe it.  I mean I have been working my butt off for MONTHS now so I feel like I fully deserve it but I cant believe it.  I am in the 130's!!  I have been thinking about this a lot lately and here goes.

 I am one pound away from 138.  When I weigh 138 I will be a big honking 30 lbs less then what I was before I got pregnant with lizzy.  I will be 10 lbs less then what I was when I got married and 10 lbs away from my goal weight of 128.  That is so so so within reach and I cant believe it.  I guess my body really likes the number 8 because that seems to be a significant number for me.  Ahhh its such a good feeling to break into a weight range I haven't been in for YEARS! YEARS!!!!!  I never want to see the 140's again unless I am pregnant!  =)  I am also only 4 lbs away from my original goal which is exciting too.

Alright I am calm now.  I just cant believe it and am so excited.  =)
 

Journey to Rejuvenation

This past June I gave birth to my first daughter! There were many inspirations for this blog all surrounding this one event.

Something about having a child and wanting to provide them with absolutely the best life you possibly can is probably the greatest inspiration. If I want her to grow up living a healthy life then she better see my doing it as well.

The second reason is a little more selfish! While pregnant with {E.G.} I only gained about 20 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight. (I should inform you that I did loose about ten pounds in the first trimester and was sick through the majority of my pregnancy. I was not trying by any means to only gain a small amount). It did feel like an accomplishment, but the reality was that I was overweight before I got pregnant. After I had her, the weight literally fell off with no effort. Within a week I had lost all the weight I gained while pregnant and within a month I was ten pounds lighter then when I got pregnant. I felt great! I do not tell you this to brag. I just say this because I thought that the weight was going to continue to fall off. I lost a few more pounds and for a few months I was able to maintain not really working at it. Now six months after having my little one, I am at about the same weight I was before I got pregnant. I now know that the weight is not going to continue to just
"fall" off. So the second inspiration is purely so that I can be happy when I look in the mirror.

Another reason is just so that I feel better in all aspects of life. As any mother knows, for the first little while after having a child I was sleep deprived. After a while though, she was sleeping through the nights and I was getting plenty of sleep. Even then, I would wake up completely exhausted. I wondered if I had a disease or was sick. It didn’t take me long to realize that there was something wrong but it was in the way I was living. I am not a smoker or a drinker so it wasn’t anything major but it was the way I was eating. I resolved quickly that this is not exactly the way I want to feel for the rest of my life. So I decided to make a change. Just as the quote of the week says, "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being" I am not only seeking health physically but in all ways and this is the beginning of my journey to Rejuvenation. There will be recipes, weekly goals and other random posts!

~ I am educating myself in every way possible and would love for you to join me. If you have a topic you would like to learn more about, let me know! I would love to research it and do a story about it. ~