Health Promoting Behaviors with Ms Rin

'rin

Member
Pirate from NYC area
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Posts: 14
"Striving to be Stronger, NOT Smaller"
Why yes, I did fall off the gosh-darn planet. This is a lot of t/l/d/r. Plan at the end.

My life was in the process of re-sorting itself, and I had been participating in some pretty disordered behavior with regards to both food and exercise. The level of obsession and worry that I had over every single bite of everything was not at all ok, even if I wasn't starving myself. It doesn't matter if there are other people who work out more than I was an are perfectly healthy - I was literally sore every single day for 2+ years and had convinced myself that that was acceptable. I caused health issues trying to be healthy, not the least of which is lasting damage to my gut from the painkillers to deal with said soreness and the coffee to convince myself I wasn't hungry (and also to treat my ADHD, I actually see someone and get real meds for this, now).

BUT. None of the stupid shit I did reflects on this community, which is a pretty fucking awesome place. I still play boardgames with @Laura Rainbow Dragon and @sleep_twitch on the regular, and Instagram lets me know Notdlifei is alive and see what some other folks like @NancyTree are up to. I've had a long history of not properly caring for myself, and abusing this resource is not even close to the worst page in that book.

So, outside of trying to not to harm myself in the name of health, what have I been up to?
- Went back to school at 42, after after 20 years+ in retail, using a fellowship program to get out without loans this time. Got my MSed in Special Education, and took some extra math classes. Officially licensed Sped Math teacher.
- Got ADHD treated along the way so I got a 4.0 for the first time in my LIFE. Highschool GPA was 92 (missed an A by a point), Undergrad (without my dad forcing me to do homework) was a 2.9 - I had to write an extra essay to get into grad school about why the hell I thought I could do Masters level work with this travesty of a GPA.
- Had a whole fucking identity crisis when I had to get a real test test for ADHD - not just interview stuff - and was terrified I wouldn't meet criteria because I thought I had a "mild case". Doctor literally asked me "how is your entire life not on fire?" when she got my results.
-Had a further crisis and literally invited no one to my graduation, even forbade husband to come, because not being able to have my Dad - who always told me I should probably go back to school (he didn't know how badly I'd botched undergrad, I was too ashamed to tell him) - there because he had died meant I didn't want anyone there.
- Working on further math classes because some of the paperwork involved with sped stuff is going to wear me down, I can see that in 10 years I will be looking for an exit as much as I love this job... and I don't have any wish to be an admin... so I'm getting a gen-ed math licence to keep in my pocket for that eventuality. For example: There is a trend, now, at least in NYC to get rid of self contained classes in high school and go all ICT all the time. Does this serve many kids better? Absolutely, they are going to be mixed in with everyone else when they graduate, we need to prepare them. Does this serve ALL kids better? Absolutely not, but Universe (and budgets, it's about budgets) Forbid we keep one self contained class per core subject even - especially now that the state changed licensing reqs for sped teachers teaching self contained (can't with just a generalist license anymore, which is what 90% of us have).
- Finished 30 credits on top of my Masters bc I am a curious type, I want that other cert, AND NYC pays better once you have 30 credits on top of MS. (Sadly there is nothing higher after that, so the classes I am still taking now are for my own curiosity and further licensing.)
- I LOVE this job. Like all teachers I do not always see eye to eye with my administration... but I have great relationships with my coteachers and I love the kiddos. I even got a girl who used to skip school on math days or just cry if she forgot she had math and came anyway to stop dreading math class - she's not at grade level yet but it was never going to happen if she wasn't even in the room so at least now we can get started. Even when I have to stop the city-mandated slides about sexual harassment we had to do in advisory to give a formal definition of the word "Fuck" because someone was flipping off his friend who said "stop sexual harrassing me!" and did not understand that the middle finger meant something sexual... fun times. (The best part was 2 days later when some other teacher comes to me "Hey... so and so is now telling people to "sex off" and said you taught him that? I'll take it over his usual cussing but....what happened?") Even when absentmindedly tell a literal minded child "you need to ask questions when you're confused, when you just sit there smiling I can't read your mind and know you're lost. Seriously, I don't bite" and he stuck his hand IN MY MOUTH (I was too shocked to react quickly) to "check if you were lying".... I sent him to wash his hand and I went to get some water and my coteacher is still teasing me about that one.

But ya. Much like Diets Do Not Work (and really fuck with my head) but health promoting food behavior like eating more veggies and drinking more water are good for you regardless of your body size... New Year's Resolutions just seem to be a fancy way of making us all feel guilty when we don't perfectly adhere after a week or so. So instead, I am going to go for some .... Goal Promoting Behaviors! Goals are:
1) Keep learning things, looking back I have always been happiest when I am feeding my curiosity. And if I have an "Official Project" I am less likely to spend 20 hours I don't have googling and reading about whatever random shit caught my eye.
2) Make time for my own creative projects, and get them out into the universe even if they don't make me money in the end. It is way too easy to do print on demand and "Teachers Pay Teachers" and everything else these days for me to sit here not doing something with my time, energy, and ideas.
3) Get back to health promoting behaviors like eating my own cooking, getting more movement in, etc. What I did before wasn't healthy, but my current state of "potato with water retention, bitchy knees, and an angry gut" is also unhealthy.

A habit set I have a handle on that is heaping me with all of this is setting up both my outfits and my lunches for the work-week in advance. I batch cook something nice so that I don't need to think (or just eat my whole stash of granola bars I keep for kiddos, or spend money on grubhub) about lunches and have something healthy. I pre-pick my clothes so that I don't need to make that decision in the morning - the more decision free my mornings are the more likely I am to have energy to do my own shit after work instead of just being brainless.

My current set of behaviors I'm trying to incorporate are about getting what I actually DO in the morning more on point, since my weekend setup is about taking stuff off my morning plate I may as well put something onto it that isn't just zoning out over coffee.
1. Do my DuoLingo FIRST THING in the morning; enough of my kiddo's parents speak mostly Spanish that I need at least enough to politely tell them I'll call them back with a translator etc. I am already on a 16 day streak with this app, but making it a morning routine started today.
2. Do some sort of easy workout in the morning, more days than not. I went through and put links to something like 30 easy workouts from here in a folder on my homescreen, so there is not excuse, I can do something while my coffee is brewing - and make myself thirsty so that I get water in me before my first coffee which I'm sure my gut will like also. Today I did "Shoulder Work" and wtf, arm raises got hard? I need this.
 

Tranquil_warrior

New member
Posts: 2
My lil brain couldn't read everything. But I want to let you know I am proud of you. Not everyone can keep on fighting this much. You with your ADHD wrote more than my non-ADHD brain can read. Proud of you my friend :)
People like you inspires me. You guys remind me not to underestimate the human potential.
You are awesome.
 

'rin

Member
Pirate from NYC area
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Posts: 14
"Striving to be Stronger, NOT Smaller"
Yesterday I just did some stretching and my language work, but I did say "more days than not" for exercise goal.

Today, duolingo and 1 set of the librarian, 1 set of lower body works, and more stretching.
 

'rin

Member
Pirate from NYC area
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Posts: 14
"Striving to be Stronger, NOT Smaller"
Did duolingo.
Used Back and Biceps express (10lbs) in an interesting way. Super-setted it (so 20 curls 10 rows) 4 times. In-between I: 1) started coffee maker and fed cat (her name is Chicken, I did not name her). 2) took my raspberry leaf shot and got out brain-meds and other supplements. 3) tossed breakfast in microwave (microwave scrambled eggs = win). So after set 4 I was set to sit down w breakfast. Win.
 

'rin

Member
Pirate from NYC area
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Posts: 14
"Striving to be Stronger, NOT Smaller"
Mademoiselle Luna sends Chicken some purrs, she thinks they are both underfed, misloved kitties ;) (it is Chicken in your avatar?)
Yes! That is 30 sec after she stuck her paw into my coffee (she is a bit of a criminal...I'd forgotten what young cat energy is like). She was as unamused with her warm wet paw as I was w the furry coffee.
 

'rin

Member
Pirate from NYC area
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Posts: 14
"Striving to be Stronger, NOT Smaller"
Did I hit both goals this week?

Sadly, no.

But, I *did* get 3 workouts in, including the warrior flow I gave @Laura Rainbow Dragon for her birthday.

And I kept my language streak, even if it was sometimes in the afternoon.

So, what happened?

Lack of sleep, to the point of waking up late enough I had to take an Uber to work, twice.

Why no sleep? Combo of mismanaging myself (gaming hyperfixation, go) and.... a reminder of why I need to sort my health out bc I was literally kept awake by terrible heartburn.

I know what I need to do, I just need to get to be more consistent.
 

'rin

Member
Pirate from NYC area
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Posts: 14
"Striving to be Stronger, NOT Smaller"
So... I did a lot of mini yoga flows while coffee made itself and toast toasted last week, pretty much every day. Also kept up w language acquisition habit. And it's helping - I understood the gist of a parent email before I translated it this week! Still needed to translate to be sure, mind you, but it's a solid start.

Already seeing some improvement in depth of poses etc so going to keep this up. Will try to add 1-3 actual structured workouts this upcoming week.

Made a mid sized blunder with my continued math credits. Once you have any teaching cert in NY you can get others with undergrad credits in a subject (usually 30) and an exam. Figured out that once I finish my current class I just need 13 more... 6 of which I can take clep exams for. (College Algebra and Pre Calc - which I need to brush up on for cert exam anyway.) Found a 3 credit (stats) and 4 credit(intro to proofs) class that fit my needs (I took Calc 1 and 2... in 1996/97... I did not want to take anything that really built on those bc I don't remember much of it). Got all excited and registered for both. THEN realized that they overlap my current class/each other. I'm going to be busy for awhile.
 

neilarey

Administrator
DAREBEE Team
Shieldmaiden from Greece
Posts: 728
"Trust The Awesomeness"
Happy Birthday!

Happy Cat GIF by Salih Kizilkaya
 

murina

Member
Posts: 7
So... I did a lot of mini yoga flows while coffee made itself and toast toasted last week, pretty much every day. Also kept up w language acquisition habit. And it's helping - I understood the gist of a parent email before I translated it this week! Still needed to translate to be sure, mind you, but it's a solid start.

Already seeing some improvement in depth of poses etc so going to keep this up. Will try to add 1-3 actual structured workouts this upcoming week.

Made a mid sized blunder with my continued math credits. Once you have any teaching cert in NY you can get others with undergrad credits in a subject (usually 30) and an exam. Figured out that once I finish my current class I just need 13 more... 6 of which I can take clep exams for. (College Algebra and Pre Calc - which I need to brush up on for cert exam anyway.) Found a 3 credit (stats) and 4 credit(intro to proofs) class that fit my needs (I took Calc 1 and 2... in 1996/97... I did not want to take anything that really built on those bc I don't remember much of it). Got all excited and registered for both. THEN realized that they overlap my current class/each other. I'm going to be busy for awhile. I also went through a similar phase when I returned to school after years of uncertainty. It's hard, but focusing on goals like learning and creative projects really helps. Also, speaking of academic goals, I found great help writing essays https://essays.edubirdie.com from this resource when things got too tough. It meant a lot to me. Keep moving forward - small steps count!
Sounds great. Thanks for sharing!
 
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