I do. I think about it a lot.
There are several, infinite even, types of fuel.
I consider prayer a necessity in my spiritual, emotional, and mental life. It absolutely fuels my sanity.
A date with Dust grows my love and appreciation for him, hence fueling our love fire (haha. or gag. You choose.)
Sleep: provides me with clarity I need mentally, supplies the patience I necessitate as a mother, allows me to accomplish my myriad tasks each day, energizes me when I'm dragging, comforts me when I'm overwhelmed, etc.
Right now--following a conversation with my baby sis, Ellery--I am thinking specifically of food as fuel for my body.
I have been blessed with parents who, for as long as I can remember, have been concerned with eating and providing healthy meals. I grew up in a home with wheat bread only, white breads didn't exist other than the sacrament at church and Mom's perfect pancakes/waffles. We had only healthy cereals, no sugar cereals. We ate fruits and vegetables in all their varieties and we loved them! Whole grains were a staple. My parents are fabulous cooks and they love creating healthy meals that are not just nutritious, they're delicious.
Just as important as our love of healthy foods, we also had/have an affinity for treats. We love ice cream and ate/eat it often. Trips to Dairy Queen (for a blizzard) were, and continue to be, a favorite. We enjoy baking and eating our goods.
I love baking. My girls love baking. We adore eating hot chocolate chip cookies, just out of the oven. We love a thick piece of homemade wheat bread, slathered with butter and jam.
We have been blessed to realize treats are fabulous in moderation. We can't just "live it up, Jones" every darn day. I love junk as much as the next guy but in an effort to avoid being the next contestant on "The Biggest Loser" I'm striving to limit my intake of crud. My goal each day is to eat healthy all day long so I can enjoy a treat at night. I'm not talking about one or two M&Ms. I want a big ol' bowl of ice cream or several cookies. I work hard, dang it! I'm going to enjoy my treats as much as I can--without battling the bulge.
I am aware that food provides me with the energy I need to accomplish all that I have on my "list" each day. It's funny, I remember in junior high eating a bag of Skittles for lunch. That's it. I'd get a bag of purple Skittles out of the vending machine and that would be my lunch. Not every day. But a lot of days. Somehow I managed to run my guts out at track practice after that. That's insane! I could never do that now.
I know that the foods I eat will provide me with energy. It's my decision whether or not to eat foods with staying power. Today I succeeded. I should have plenty of energy for tomorrow morning's spin class. Other days I give in to my physical appetites and choose less healthy, less nutrient-rich, options.
I'm currently working hard to build my booty/bum/butt/thutt/gluteus maximus. I'm squatting and lunging a lot. I'm using heavier and heavier weights because I just don't get sore otherwise. I'm hoping to be a "baby got back" girl by summer. We'll see....
I'm absolutely in love with this:
I don't Crossfit but it applies to regular ol' lifting too. Awesome!!
Living in this house of women/girls we do a lot of stretching and other exercises at night while we watch tv. We work on flexibility, hand stand/head stand length, jumps, push-ups, sit-ups, planks, etc. It's fun to watch the girls desire better and better results. There's definitely a bit of competition around these parts. I love it! A little competition is a good (great!) thing.
Last night at tumbling Tatum did her round off back handspring on the floor with no spot. She's been tentative so we're really excited! She gets so much air she's a heartbeat away from a tuck and layout. She just needs confidence and "a few seconds of insane courage." ---name the movie.
Tana and Kenne's skills are improving too. They're both working really hard to nail their standing back tucks on the floor. Hopefully soon!
I hope that as we make healthy choices our bodies will be blessed with strength. I hope and pray that my girls grow and develop as they're supposed to. I hope they'll have energy to complete their labors each day. And I really hope that along the way they'll gain an appreciation for our healthy meals. Tatum's famous words, "Why do we always have to eat healthy dinners???" (said in the whiniest, complainingest voice you've ever heard) will hopefully one day become "We always have delicious and nutritious dinners, Mom.Thank you!". hahahaha. Yeah right!
If nothing else, remember the words of Dwight K. Schrute, "[Lifting] makes women huge? False. Cupcakes make women huge."
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