sTResS is an Emotion

In an earlier post I fessed up to being an emotional eater.

Emotions like: sadness, hopelessness, depression, fear, anxiety, happiness... (Yep! She eats when she's happy too, folks.)

And let us not forget STRESS.

Newsflash: I eat when I am stressed.

I hear about people NOT eating when they are stressed and unintentionally losing loads of weight. As much as I wouldn't want their problems that caused the stress in the first place, sometimes I wish I had THAT problem.

Instead of losing weight I find myself packing on the pounds in periods of pressure.

Times like now, when Joe is out of town AGAIN and I am left alone for days on end, but not really alone thanks to these four kids. These four kids who I love more than life itself, but who have a particular knack for driving me into a stress-induced feeding frenzy.

Tonight was particularly trying as bedtime was going later than usual, not less than three children were making some sort of tumult about various issues, I am tripping over toys and shoes strewn across the floor to get to the screaming baby who has been demanding my attention for the last twenty minutes while I try to hurry and finish making dinner or hurry and serve dinner or hurry and eat dinner or hurry and clean up after dinner so the mess isn't ten times worse tomorrow. Just hurry hurry hurry so I can soothe her screams.

Stress, I tell you.

And as that stress builds I can feel that demon inside me demanding one thing and one thing only.

"CHOCOLATE...CHOCOLATE....CHOCOLATE!!! CHOCOLATE NOW WOMAN!!!"

I can hear it even now as I write these words with a particularly alert at such a late hour Cee in my lap.

I am writing this post just trying to keep my mind and fingers busy and ignoring that inner voice, that call of the wild, that Jekyll to my Hyde, that incessant lust for chocolate.

Call a priest. I may need an exorcism.

This Magic Moment

It happened.

That magic moment happened.

That moment when the music is just right. The mood is upbeat. The energy level is unfathomable.

I had that moment where exercise felt good instead of desperate.

I had already been jumping, sweating, and puffing for 30 minutes (the allotted time for my workout) when suddenly...

I felt like I could give go forever.

Or at least the five minutes until I needed to go pick up my son from school.

It...was...awesome.

That's happened to me a couple of times that I can remember. I think some call it "runner's high". It's an incredible feeling. One I hope to recapture often.

My exercise "program" this week has been dictated by the "Just Sweat" option on our "Just Dance 2" Wii game.

I may not look especially cool when I'm "dancing". My four year old confirmed that today when she asked me why my cheeks were so red. Awesome.

Oh well. I am lovin' it! Who knew exercise could be this much fun? And my kids can actually participate instead of crawling all over me or sticking their fingers in dangerous treadmill belts.

I highly suggest the "Just Dance" Wii games for the weight-impaired looking to be physically repaired and not so peared (shaped). Note: "Just Dance 2" seems to be a little more aerobic than the first "Just Dance".

Any other suggestions for "fun" exercise that can be done with four littles???