Wo(man) Moments

23 May 2010 Leave a Comment

by jessiecarter in GRAVITY Experiment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

GRAVITY Experiment Day #39

Today’s weight:  145.0

Pounds lost / pounds to go:  5.5 / 9.5

Exercise:  Day of rest and I just got done eating popcorn – I’ve been craving it all day;-)

Church was great this morning.  Our pastor and his wife started a new sermon series called “Beautiful” – the series is mainly aimed at women and is giving us perspective about what true beauty is and how God sees us.  It was reiterated that for women, everything affects everything (oh, so true).  I define myself by my appearance, home, career, relationships, and children – when one of those areas isn’t just right, it affects everything else.  Instead, I should be viewing me as God views me. 

Because the series is so estrogen-ized, they have decided to interject “Man Moments” where they show clips of things being blown up, people getting punched, guns being shot, and guys jumping off and out of things.  So funny.

I must admit that I enjoyed the man moment.  I’m secure enough in my femininity that I can say without shame that I like to shoot things.  Yet another traumatic moment for my children last Mother’s Day when I got a Ruger handgun – imagine Mommy pulling heat out of a flowered bag stuffed with pastel tissue paper (still in the running for Mother-of-the-Year by the way).  I’ve always wanted to get my permit to carry a concealed weapon and I got it last year – now if I could find a Vera Bradley bag that had a cute pocket for my .357 ;-)

I think it’s really hard for most women to confront their feelings about beauty and self-worth.  I think I needed the break just as much as the guys.  I know that I struggle with many of the things talked about this morning.  Our pastor’s wife offered practical suggestions to make this easier but it’s definitely a process.

During this experiment, it’s been tough not to let a number or missing a workout get me down.  As I’ve eased up on myself, I feel like it’s gotten easier and more manageable but I know I’ll have my seasons.

For now, I’ll just go target shooting while I work through my emotions.

Tied Up in Knots

09 May 2010 3 Comments

by jessiecarter in GRAVITY Experiment Tags: , , , , , , ,

GRAVITY Experiment Day #28

Today’s weight:  147.5 (I’m just going to go ahead and predict that tomorrow is not going to look so good either)

Pounds lost / pounds to go:  3.0 / 12.0

Exercise:  I didn’t work out today because I slept in late, went to church, and spent the entire day with the fam for Mother’s Day – I doubled up yesterday not knowing what my family was planning and I’m glad I did;-)

My husband is one of those guys that can read anything and remember it.  He knows a little bit about everything and a lot about the things he really enjoys.  I fell in love with him partly because I knew he would be an amazing father and expose our kids to stuff I had no clue about.

Case in point – the summer project.  He is teaching the kids to tie knots this summer.  He is paying them a quarter for every knot they learn to tie with their eyes closed.  After buying each of them a 6′ span of rope yesterday, the first lesson was square and bowline knots.

Talk about cheap entertainment.  All three of them ranging in age from 5 up to 8 (almost 9) carried those ropes around with them all day yesterday and today.  We almost had a sermon in the van on why it wasn’t okay to take rope into church.  Today I have seen Barbie mummified in rope, books knotted together, and some very fancy rope jewelry.  After each of them earned their reward, they were begging for the next challenge.

Unlike the kids, I have reached the end of my rope this week.  I’ve been physically and mentally worn out.  I’ve kept up with my workouts but my motivation has been lacking a little.

I’ve decided that I need a new knot.  Just like my husband gave the kids something new and interesting to focus on, I’m going to mix things up a little this week with my diet and exercise.  I think my body needs to be shocked a bit to make the next big push.

Figure Eight Bends, here I come!

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