Somebody stop me

Next time I start out saying, “I’ve been doing really well with xyz…” somebody stop me, because that is a surefire way of xyz coming to a screeching halt. Remember how I said exercise has been consistent? Well apparently Consistent Week ended on Saturday because I have not done one minute of any kind of workout whatsoever. Sunday I was just plain lazy, Monday I had good intentions but never got around to it, and yesterday I bought groceries after work and by the time I got home, unloaded and put away the groceries, cooked dinner, I had missed my window of workout opportunity. Tonight is church, so no work out tonight either. I am going to have to really jam Thursday through Saturday.

On the upside though, I did not buy any junk food at the store yesterday. I bought lots of fruits and veggies and stuff for dinners, but no sweets. Usually I’ll buy junk because the hubs and kids complain if there isn’t anything to “snack” on, but I figure if they want a snack, they can eat fruit or air popped popcorn or something like that. In other words, they’re just going to have to deal with it, and so am I. I was fine until after dinner (tacos, yum) when suddenly I needed a little “something”. I always want a little “something” after dinner and usually that something is something sweet. That’s when I regretted not buying any sweets at the grocery store, so I scrounged around and found the last two striped shortbread cookies that I had bought about a week ago. I ate them quickly and then cursed myself for doing it. It’s a habit that is going to be hard to kill, but maybe I can put it in a coma for awhile.

I have a running question: how do you deal with the wind? It has been super windy here the last few weeks and when it’s windy like this, I don’t want to run. But living in Oklahoma (where the WIND comes sweeping down the plain), this is something I’m going to have to learn to deal with if I want to be a runner.

Oh! I had an Aha moment yesterday: I need to do something about my PMS.

(Insert crickets chirping here)

What? You’re not shocked that I made this realization?

I know what you are thinking, “Well duh Jill! You only complain about it every month!” But really, it has gone from being mildly annoying to causing actual conflict in my life. When I am PMSing, it usually comes in the form of burning, seething, rage. My whole body feels like a clenched fist and suddenly everyone is an effing moron and if someone looks at me funny, they should be prepared to face my wrath. I snap at the kids for no reason and the hubs and I have had terrible fights the last three months during that time. My job and everything about it gets on my nerves - so much so that I consider walking out. It’s becoming a problem and I need to do something about it.

This article from WebMD is a good place to start I think. A short internet search of several articles led me to the same conclusion: exercise and diet can help alleviate a lot of PMS symptoms. The WebMd article says to eliminate my four favorite things: caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, and salt. I’m not a big drinker, but PMS time seems to be the perfect time for a glass of wine! And we all know how much of the other stuff I consume: a lot. But I can’t keep continuing to turn into a Nazi every month or else I may find myself divorced and unemployed, so I’m going to give this a shot. The article also says to take calcium and vitamin B6 supplements, so I may give that a try too. I need to take calcium anyway, but adding the B6 is something I hadn’t thought about. Guess I’ll be making a trip to Walgreen’s this afternoon.

Hmmmm…just had a thought: the worse my eating has gotten over the last 3 months, the more weight I have gained and the worse my PMS has gotten. Coincidence? Something tells me, no.