#I now have 3x the storage I thought I had | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

betweenandbeloved · 2 years ago

Text

Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu - Caiaphas’s Palace

This stop on our Holy Land tour was new to me and honestly, I’m still processing how life-changing and faith-impacting it was. I’ll try to share some of that here but the thoughts and feelings aren’t fully formed so bear with me.

The Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu is the location of the palace of Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest who was the first to pass judgment on Jesus. Gallicantu means “cocks-crow” and is named after Peter’s 3x denial of Jesus in the courtyard. The church itself is probably one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever been in - the colors in the sanctuary were exquisite. I wish we had more time to marvel in its beauty.

Pictured: inside the sanctuary of the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu

Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people. - John 18:12-14

Truthfully, this part of Jesus’ story has always passed by me unnoticed. The more important focus of the church is what comes immediately following, where Peter denies Jesus 3x, just as Jesus predicted. Leaving out Peter, the story of Jesus’ arrest continues:

Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again, the high priest asked him “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty one and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” He asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. Then some began to spit at hime; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” and the guards took him and beat him. - Mark 14:60-65

The story of Jesus’ final night is hard to mark with time. We have the Last Supper, probably around dinner time, and then praying in the Garden of Gethsemane where the men would have slept for the night, but then the next marker of time is the cock crowing with Peter’s denial (3 am, 5 am, we don’t know) and that Jesus was taken to Pilate very early in the morning. I have honestly never thought about where Jesus was, how time passed or what happened between the his trial before the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas to the time he got to Pilate.

Pictured: statue of a bound Jesus with a raised head to heaven

Jesus was likely thrown in jail overnight at Caiaphas’ house. While waiting to be taken to Pilate, it’s believed that Jesus was tortured and thrown in jail. Now this wasn’t a jail with bars that we might think of, but rather the jail at Caiaphas’ house was the pit of a water cistern (underground water storage); the only way in and out of this jail was to be lowered and raised by ropes.

Pictured: looking down into the water cistern

We had the opportunity to go down into the jail/water cistern which has since had steps added for pilgrims to use. It was cold and dark, even with the modern enhancements to the space. To think about Jesus sitting down here, all night, alone - or if people were there, they were likely beating him, is gut wrenching. While we were down there as a group, we listened to the above scripture readings and then Psalm 23: a likely scripture choice Jesus may have turned to in those dark moments.

The room itself was rather large, but that’s because its prior purpose was to hold water. To be stuck down here, looking up to the sky as the only way in/out of the cold and dark, maybe even damp, space. Yowza.

Pictured: looking straight up to the entrance to the water cistern where Jesus would have been lowered from and raised up to.

Stopping at this church and visiting the water cistern/jail really painted a powerful picture in my mind that I had never imagined. I feel like what I think about on that last night of Jesus’ life is the image of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane (you probably know that classic picture of Jesus on a rock and the moonlight streaming down on his face); I certainly don’t think about the reality that Jesus’ final prayers, before the chaos and condemnation with Pilate, would have been in a place like this; beaten and broken in jail.

This is truly one of the amazing pieces about visiting the Holy Land. You get to see an experience scripture in a way you just can’t get from reading the text. I will never think about this piece of Jesus’ story the same way again.

To end of a different note: apparently there were no roosters in Jerusalem at Jesus’ time because they were seen as unclean. So either the roosters referenced here were the kind used by the Romans for fighting OR they reference something completely different. Looking at the original language, the word rooster can translate also to mean a man and at Jesus’ time there was a man called the Temple Crier who blew a trumpet to announce the time for priests to attend to the Temple (not unlike our modern church bells or carillons). The first cry of the trumpet was at 3 am to call the priests and the second was at 5 am to announce that the Temple gates were open for worship. Therefore, Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s betrayal could have meant, “you will deny me three times before the temple crier announces the gates are open.” It’s silly, but does give some time interesting insight into the story of Jesus.

Pictured: ruins of first century steps where Jesus would have walked between the Garden of Gethsemane and the Upper Room, located near the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu

#holyland2023

0 notes

maddiem4 · 2 years ago

Text

Finally getting my first real break in several hours, having operated basically nonstop through:

Being held emotionally hostage and eventually made the bad guy for taking a short nap, where I asked if it conflicted with any plans first, and he said it was fine. I should know by now that 5-9 on weekends are for grocery shopping.

Frantically searching for my wallet, trying not to cry or be criticized for further delays. For being irresponsible with my possessions.

Getting his wheelchair and walking him to the store. We couldn't go the usual, direct path, because he doesn't like it. He felt like it was dangerous last time (literally a normal road) so we took a path 3X as long.

Several hours of shopping. Making some mistakes from exhaustion and being made to feel stupid for them. Every time, I can hear his very small supply of patience with me rapidly depleting. I'm not to use my phone or music. It becomes what every shopping trip together eventually becomes: dread and delirium.

He lets me pick the road back home. I pick the direct path. It goes fine. I figure out how to avoid the things he thought were unsafe.

Putting away all the groceries.

Putting the wheelchair in storage.

Doing all the dishes he needs to make dinner. It's a lot of work in its own right. My mind and soul have given up at this point.

Walking the dog. He's a troublesome jerk, but I meet a nice neighbor lady who loves dogs. It's a relief to finally center myself with music.

I'm finally relaxing with a birch beer that I'm drinking entirely too fast. It tastes like old fashioned candy, maybe sasparilla?

And where I could, I talked to a friend today. I'm turning over the words she said: it sounds like he's killing you. How long can you go on like this? I did decide to answer it non-rhetorically, even though the answer should be moot, I should be free much sooner. Less than a year for sure. Maybe to the end of 2022. I don't think longer than that. I woke up this morning literally dancing with joy to be alive; that's who I am, when allowed to be. By the end of the day I was trying not to entertain the Old Thoughts - how and when, and what people would say when they remember me.

I'm not going to, for the record. I have a lot to live for on the other side of this. I have so many wonderful friends and connections to live for during this, who are helping me through. I just wish I had better vision of the path out of this place. This existence feeds on me. I can't afford not to be free.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this tough time. You have been my guardian angels and my beacons of truth.

#highly personal #mental health #tw: sui thoughts #tw: emotional abuse

8 notes · View notes

jakkinlarethian · 4 years ago

Text

Hot Bunk

Part 1

The Navy had finally addressed one of the personal space oddities of submarine life: the hot bunk. There wasn’t a bed for everyone; sailors shared a berth with two other sailors on different shifts. Sailors often said that the bunk was usually still warm from the previous sleeping shift; thus the term “hot bunk.” In order to grant the sailors the semblance of their own personal space in such a tight environment, the Navy installed a collapsible bunk system where every sailor had their own rack with their own bedding; which flattened and folded into the wall so that the next occupant’s rack could be set up when needed. They say it was for personal hygiene improvement and to allow personal space boundaries; but the rumor was to stop sailors from jacking off to the warm musky smell of the rack’s previous occupant. It also eliminated any chance of a double heat bunk- two sailors seeking each other’s ports; as the new bunks had weight and “force” sensors that would alert the XO. Not very fun. Seaman Nathaniel Byrne slunk into the bunk room after a long shift maintaining the sub’s nuclear reactor. There had been an odd radiation leak in the coolant system that Nate and his team had spent a lot of time trying to lock down. Nate ended up spending a lot of time up between the coolant manifolds; his slender well toned frame allowed him to get into spaces some others couldn’t. He didn’t fit in with his radiation suit on; he had to strip down to his boxers in order to fit. The chief Engineer assured him that the radiation levels weren’t a danger to him; the readings on the console were not in the red zone. It was hard work in a hot confined space; and Nate was exhausted. His chief let him off early due to all his hard work. He quickly showered off and keyed in his bunk code. The racks started rotating on their conveyor chain; his bunk set in place and unfolded itself. Nate crashed into the bunk and fell fast asleep. The bunk raised itself to upper bunk position so that his roommates could access their rack when their shift ended. Hopefully his early bedtime won’t through off the schedule too much. In his tired state, Nate forgot to set his alarm. Since he was out of sync with his usual schedule, his recurring alarm wasn’t at the right time. Nate slept through the normal time when he should have vacated his bunk.

Nate was so tired that he slept right through the alert beeps that the folding rack uses to announce it is time to fold up. The occupancy sensors were malfunctioning; the optical safety sensors could not sense a presence in the bed. Perhaps Nate picked up some radiation after all; and its decay was blinding the sensors. As it turns out, the radiation may have had other effects... The bunk rack went through all of its safety protocols and was satisfied that it was empty. Even if something was left in the bunk, the pressure sensors on the bunk above would be the last line of defense; and would shut down the process when it felt resistance. It started to fold up toward the ceiling to free up space for the next occupant. Nate was startled awake when his nose brushed up against something flat. He opened his eyes to see the underside of the bunk above his touching his nose. The folding process continued pressing down on his nose; Nate thought he imagined the tip of his nose start to compress. Even in his groggy state, Nate assured himself that the well-advertised safety system would soon sense his presence and stop the process. After all, the brochure said, the Navy can’t go around maiming all its sailors; it has to be safe. The bunk did not stop. The bunk pressed Nate’s nose flat to his face. Nate shouted out and started to move his arms and thighs up to press against the bunk to trip the sensor. As Nate exerted pressure on the underside of the bunk, his limbs felt awfully funny. The exertion of force seemed to bend them rather than apply pressure to the bunk; as if the bunk was an unmoveable force. In this case, it was. the pressure sensor didn’t sense anything in the trigger zone; so it continued the folding process. At this point Nate could feel the flat underside of the bunk on his toes, legs, chest, face, and the remains of his morning wood. His wood! His dick was compressing in on itself; gaining girth as it received pressure. Nate tried to wiggle it (and the rest of himself) back and forth to try to shimmy out of the tight squeeze, but he felt too weak to do so. The bunk-stowing continued. At this point, Nate’s nose and mouth were pressed shut; so there was no longer anyway to yell out. His face started to flatten out completely; conforming to the underside of the bunk. his well defined pecs were now flattened to man boobs; as the previously toned muscle was moved to the side trying to find space. Nate could feel his legs becoming flat on top; no longer any knees or definition. As the pressure increased from the continued folding process, Nate could feel his body mass start to find paths of least resistance, which caused his profile to bulge outward. There was no longer any difference of height on his front, it was pressed flat into one continuous plane. ‘How much longer can this go on?’ Nate wondered. He was beyond freaking out, facts and ideas were racing through his head, trying to figure a way out of this mess. He seemed to remember that the bunk mattress and bedding was designed to flatten in the folding process to about an inch thick; and re-expand when opened. Maybe that would happen for him?! No slow down in the process; as the bunk continued its progress. Nate was a uniform 4” thick and thinning fast. The bunk thought it had at least 3 more inches to go to hit its designed storage position. The pressure continued to increase. Nate’s “footprint” continued to widen as he was compressed. No longer the slim profile that fit so well in the coolant manifold, he would appear to be 3x-4x his weight if 3D. Too bad he was racing to 2D. Nate was now uniformly 2” thick; and approaching 2’ wide. He gained a bit of height as his body mass shifted outward; approaching 7 feet tall. Nate had the startling realization that he stopped breathing a while ago and didn’t notice. His lungs were approaching paper thin; and didn’t have anywhere to go. The pressure continued. As the bunk rack neared its final position, Nate was now a uniform 1” thick. The mattress below him gave more than his flesh did; he took up its usual space. Nate could feel his flesh start to press against the edges of the bunk frame; he was approaching a perfect rectangle in shape. There was a vague head-shaped curve at the top; but everything from his shoulders down was squared off. Nate thought again about his dick and balls; his shaft looked to have wine bottle girth; but was cardboard thin. His balls had each flattened to platter size; and were glued to the front of his legs. Even with all of his current situation, it annoyed Nate how they felt stuck to his legs. Really it was the least of his worries. The rack was now compacted; and rotated up into the ceiling to the storage rack. Other unused racks piled on top; waiting to be called up by their owner. Nate relaxed; at least the pressure stopped building. As minutes turned to hours, Nate finally settled down and let his mind drift. Nothing to see, to do; bored. Nate drifted off to sleep.

The XO of the ship set about reviewing his normal morning shift operations routines for the ship. Night shift report, maintenance performed, duty roster- ‘That’s odd’ thought the XO, as he reviewed the Engineering Chief’s personnel report. Seaman Byrne didn’t show up for roll call. He scanned the nightly med bay log and didn’t see Byrne’s name on it. There was a notation of time off for yesterday’s reactor maintenance, but that ended last shift. Was Byrne ok? Or intentionally skipping duty? Well- seeing that they were on a submarine; he didn’t run off. Time to alert the Sergeant-at-Arms. “Sergeant Jameson! Go roust out Seaman Byrne; seems he is late for duty.” “Yes Sir- on it sir!”

Jameson was thrilled. Byrne had turned down the opportunity to join the security detail and chose to remain in Engineering. He felt that smug punk Byrne thought he was better than him; Now Jameson had a reason to get some payback for the slight. Jameson charged down to crew’s quarters looking forward to knocking Byrne down a notch. Sergeant Jameson burst into the bunk room shouting, “Byrne- if you overslept and shirked duty, your ass is mine!” All Jameson found was a groggy ship’s cook coming off of breakfast duty. “Can I help ‘ya, Sarge?” The cook sheepishly offered. “Have you seen Byrne?” “No; he left the bunk room a mess. He didn’t stow his gear after leaving his bunk this morning.” ‘That’s another strike’ thought Jameson. “Clear out so that I can inspect his bunk.” “Sure thing.” After the cook left, Sarge keyed in his override code and called up Byrne’s bunk. The racks started rotating and flipping in and out of storage. Finally Nate’s bunk rotated down; leaving the bunk above still at the ceiling. Nate startled awake- his backside was suddenly cold and exposed. He still couldn’t see. Nate was suctioned to the underside of the bunk above. This was his chance: perhaps if he could wiggle, he could fall and escape. Sarge inspected the empty bunk for any signs as to where Nate was. He looked for contraband or anything out of the ordinary. The mattress was flatter than spec; ‘I wonder what Byrne has been doing on it?’ Sarge thought. Nate could hear someone below him. It was Sargent Jameson. Nate knew that Sarge had it in for him; but at least Sarge would uphold his oath and help his fellow sailor, right? Nate put even more effort into wiggling. He could feel his balls start to unstick from the bunk ; and an air pocket forming. Sargent had just about given up. There was no indication where Byrne had gone in his bunk. The last place to look is his locker. ‘Mind as well stow the bunk’ thought Sarge. Sarge keyed in the storage code. The bunk system started to life, jiggling Nate free. Nate landed on sarge, knocking him over. Nate was relieved- Sarge would help him right? At least bring him to the med bay? Something? “What the hell?!” Shouted Sarge. He quickly grabbed his attacker and flung him to the floor. It was only a mattress pad. Wait- or is it? Embossed on the surface seemed to be the shape of a naked man, only flattened into a smooth plane. He recognized who the mat looked like- Seaman Byrne. Sarge reached out and touched the surface of what looked to be the man’s chest. The surface was warm to the touch; his cold hands made the surface break out in goosebumps. Just then, the mat opened its eyes. “Holy-! It is you, Byrne!” Sarge got excited. “This could be fun- I can take my revenge out on you...” Nate shuddered a bit. What would Sarge do to him?! Isn’t he going to help me get back to normal? Sarge keyed in his rack code to call up his berth. When it finally rotated into place, Sarge placed Nate on his rack and sent it back into storage. “I’ll come back for you later. All the XO needs to know is that I found you and put you on rest. Heh heh heh...” Nate was trapped again! The return of the compression eventually calmed Nate down enough to to drift off again.

#deformation #flattening #flat #tf #inanimate transformation #inanimate tf

43 notes · View notes

sparrxws · 5 years ago

Text

I just wanted to give an update on my van. I may make Sunday about vanlife and the rest of the week about art. I don’t currently have any rules for this blog.

Anyway it’s going to be super cold in the Midwes,and a snow storm is likely coming. I took the time this weekend to prepare.

1. I got food and water because a gal gotta eat!

2. I got hot water bottles for my feet in bed.

3. 2 heavy blankets one is wool and the other is heavy cotton.

4. I got a buddy heater for when I am awake.

I was on the fence about getting the heater because it’s propane in my van. I originally bought a 20 lb tank of propane but I got home and realized I had no place to put it! I returned it easy peezy. I was going to take the buddy heater back to the store too, but once I heard about the storm I figured I better keep it for now until I can find something better.

The other alternative is a Camco Olympian Wave 3 heater. It’s slimmer and only puts out 3,000 BTUs and the Buddy Heater puts out as much as 9,000 literally 3x more heat. Because I get drafts from the doors I thought having something with a higher heat rating would be better. So far I am right.

I even got a cooler. I revamped my food storage . I have more access to food in my van. So far I am starting to feel cozy and prepared for the season. My work isn’t done yet.

Back to Inuvember tomorrow!

#vanbuild #vandwelling #vandweller #vanlife #blackgirl #soloblackfemale #solofemaletraveler #solotravel #winter #buddyheater #propane

20 notes · View notes

aphotographyobsession · 5 years ago

Text

I purchased the Medela with my second and have used it full time (3x a day, 5 days a week) for 3 months now and still going strong. I have a LOT to say about these pumps, but the bottom line is Medela is far superior. If you don’t want to read the full review, save yourself time, money, and frustration and purchase a Medela.

My experience with Ameda: I purchased this pump for two main reasons. First, it was a closed system (milk can’t get into tubes) and the cost differential – there was a greater one when I purchased the Ameda in 2011. At first things worked well. I starting pumping at night to build supply before returning to work. After returning to work, things continued well for a few months, then all of a sudden my supply started dropping. I could tell that my pump “wasn’t quite the same” so I read and read online. Ultimately, I determined that I needed to replace the valves. I did, and things improved… for a few weeks. Then, again, my supply dropped, I replaced the valves and things improved for a short time. This repeated several times (those valves are $7 for a pair… that adds up!!!!). I spent more than what I wanted to on replacement valves. This went on until my son was 7 months and then my supply all but dried up. When it got to the point that I could only get 4 oz per day and I was pumping 3x a day for 20 minutes each I decided it was time to switch to formula. Did I blame the pump? Not at the time, but now, absolutely! So, I cleaned everything well and packed it away carefully knowing that I would need it again for the next baby (except for the time when my close friend had her Ameda motor die on her after about 6 months of daily use and she borrowed mine for a week – hers was under the 1 year warranty, so Ameda did send a replacement free of charge). When my second baby came, I pulled it back out and pumped some during maternity leave without issue at first (new valves). Then all of a sudden I felt the pump “wasn’t quite the same” so I took it to a lactation consultant to look it over. We tested just the motor and it was reading the correct suction pressure. We checked the tubing and other connections until we found the root cause; THE VALVES!!!!!! The bad valve was essentially causing the pump to pull less than half the expected vacuum. Bottom line, it was worthless with bad valves. The lactation consultant opened a new package of valves from her own store and one of them was bad right of package. We went through all of mine and the majority of them were bad. No wonder my supply dried up… I was pumping, but with bad valves I wasn’t actually removing milk. If you don’t remove milk your body slows the production. I decided at that point to test until I found a few extra good valves and then anytime I needed more, I would just have to come back and test to 100% verify that the valves I was using were good. I DID NOT want to lose my supply again just because of the bad valves. Well, it didn’t matter, because a week into me pumping at work, my motor started to go out. Yes, it was 2 years old, but the actual working life of the pump was about 5. Either way, I may have only used it for 5 months but it was not under warranty so I purchased a brand new Medela pump. My experience with Medela: I purchased a Medela Pump in Style and what a difference!!! I could tell an immediate difference, but for the sake of not wanting the “new and shiny” aspect to persuade my review, I’ve waited to write this. So, with the Ameda in my first two weeks of work, I already saw a decline in my milk supply. This gem got my supply back up to normal within 3 days. If that’s not enough to persuade you to go with Medela, I don’t know what will. I have no complaints with this pump. In fact, that close friend that I mentioned hers broke on her… when she has a second little one I plan to help her buy a Medela. Yes, I’m that passionate about it. I feel sorry for the mommy that buys the Ameda and then doesn’t have the support system or money to problem solve the Ameda issues and buy all those replacement valves. Here are my opinions on the other aspects of the pumps: Bag: The backpack is tall and forces you to stack things. So, when you need the cooler from the bottom, you have to pull everything out. The tote, while maybe a little bigger is better organized so I don’t end up pulling everything out and readjusting. The Ameda is designed so you can pull the motor out of the bag, the Medela is not. So far that hasn’t presented a problem, but I can understand if you want to tuck it away in a small bag how it might be. The Ameda has no room to spare. If you want to bring a book along, good luck. With my Medela bag, I pack the hands free bra, extra bottles, a book, and extra accessories… with room to spare! Setup/Takedown: I felt like it was a much bigger deal to setup the Ameda to pump. You have to pull everything out of the bag and setup and then take it all back down and put away. With the Medela, the motor stays in the bag and everything stores nicely so you don’t have to pull everything out. I never have to take the cooler out and the tubes stay attached and have a nice little storage bag next to the motor. Flanges/Valves/Fittings: The Ameda accomplishes a “hygienic” closed system, which is a great concept, but comes at a price. I attribute this to my inadequate pumping and ultimately my supply drying up. The silicone diaphragm seemed to always get stuck in the vacuum position and the valves constantly needed replaced. I never did have to clean the tubes though. I also bought a different sized flange, but it was one that slide into the existing one and I never felt it made a good seal. The Medela is an open system and I do get condensation in the tubing. It’s worth it to me though because I know I’m getting great suction. I simply run my pump for a minute or two afterwards and it dries them out. The little white membranes provide the same function as the Ameda valves, but they are much less expensive and are much less likely to need replacing. I also had to buy a different flange size for the Medela, but it is designed so that the flange itself can just simply be a plug and play. It’s not an insert like the Ameda so I don’t have to worry about another joint that could potentially lead to suction loss. Cooler: The coolers are about the same size, but the Medela only has enough room for 4 bottles. The Ameda has room for 6. I only 4 - 5oz bottles so it works perfectly for me. With the Ameda, the ice packs never lasted long enough in my opinion. The Medela icepack is far superior. I even heat my milk to scald (150 deg F) – lipase enzyme issue you can Google if you’re interested in learning about it – and then I stick it in the bag and it is able to cool it and keep it cold until the evening! It’s awesome. Bottles: Ameda is 4 oz, Medela is 5 oz. Other than that, they are essentially the same. I don’t use them. I pump into the Playtex drop-ins pump and store liners and then they pop into the drop-in bottles (less bottle washing!). Motor: The vacuum supposedly is rated the same (lactation consultant shared that with me, but I’m not going to lie I didn’t read into it), but my experience is that the Medela is more reliable (several reviews report motors dying prematurely… which I experienced as well as my close friend). Also, the Ameda has the ability to adjust both speed and suction. At first I thought this would be perfect, but the more I used it, the more I was annoyed that it didn’t just automatically adjust. How am I supposed to know how fast it should go? Haha. So, the fact that the Medela pump does it’s automatic fast speed at first for letdown then adjusts to regular on its own or with the push of a button makes my life much easier. I’ve never once thought how nice it would be to adjust the speed myself. With the Ameda I always had to use full suction. With the Medela I have it at half suction and it works perfectly! Also, the Medela works faster for me than the Ameda did. Cleaning: The flanges are essentially the same. The two things that are different about cleaning is that the Ameda valves are a pain to clean because you really can’t clean them for risk of damaging them… and they are expensive! I gently rinsed them and left it at that. With the Medela, I do have to rinse the tubes once a week and have to do it when I’m certain I won’t need them… because you have to wait for them to dry completely before use again. So far it hasn’t been an issue. Availability of parts: Because Medela is a better known brand, you can find just about any replacement item you need at Target. So, when you need that emergency membrane/valve, you can almost guarantee you’ll find it at a nearby story, whereas, with Ameda I was overnight shipping if I had an emergency. Noise: The Ameda is much louder and more obnoxious sounding the Medela. Mine had a whirring sound when it pumped. Others who heard it thought something was wrong with it and usually asked if everything was okay (they were Medela users). Batteries: If you’re going to pump in the car, even once, buy the car adapter. These things sucks batteries like crazy (both of them). The battery pack is external with the Medela, which is has to be since you can’t remove the motor… but it makes it annoying. Hands free: Do yourself a favor and get a hands free pumping bra! In conclusion, buy Medela and rest assured you’ve made the right decision.

This sucks. Quite literally in fact! I was lucky enough to have a sweet baby that was born 5 weeks premature. She was perfect in every way but had to spend 3 of those extra weeks in the NICU. (I think they just wanted more time with her) One of the many perks that we were provided is the "Pump for Preemie Program". They allow you to take home a hospital grade breast pump (also a Medela) and hold your baby as collateral. It sounds like I am joking but when they were releasing her from the NICU, I had 5 nurses call me to make sure I brought the pump or else they wouldn't let me take her home. Literally 5! That pump was amazing - it has a better suction than the personal use pumps but that is not always a good thing. The main difference is that I had to pump for longer using this pump than with the hospital grade to get the same amount. It was just an extra couple of minutes. The longer pump time is MORE than worth the price difference. The hospital grade ones are insanely expensive ( but you can rent them if you wanna try it out - try Babies-R-Us) On to this pump - It's a great deal. You get a portable pump, ice pack, power plug, bottles and accessories. You will certainly need additional accessories but Medela makes that easy by offering a lot of "gift packs" or "new mom" kits. The breast pump I ended up with had the "On the go tote" that is pictured here but they also offer a backpack or a "Metro" messenger bag. (I suggest you go for the tote and get the CheekyTummy diaper backpack or use it with the Boba 4g baby carrier that has straps on the shoulder to help hold your bags.That keeps arms open to block strangers (and Grandma) from kissing on your baby and waking him up.) This pump can be run on A/C power or 8 AA batteries. They make it significantly heavier, so get to the plug when you can. It is designed to be a double pump but you can always use it on just one breast. The breast shields come in medium- I don't have huge boobs and my nipples didn't grow 3 sizes, like the grinch's heart, so those worked well for me. The larger sizes that I tried at the hospital would try to suck in my entire boob and my will to live. A good way to tell if you have the right size is to see what is sucking in and rubbing. If all of your nipple is rubbing/chaffing against the inside of the flange, than you probably need to try the next size up. It should fit the center of the flange and by the middle of the pump you will see it has reached maximum size is gliding along the inner edges smoothly. If it is sucking in areola and nipple - it's too big.

youtube

I got one of the "hands free" bras to go with it. The idea is great - pump without having to hold two little milk troughs to your chest. The execution makes it hard. I would suggest trying it with a tight tank top first. Just channel Regina George from Mean Girls and cut holes on each nipple and stick the flange through. Honestly, your probably not walking around and pumping as it is your only chance to actually sit down. Some well placed pillows will hold up the bottles so you can pump, check facebook, and continue to rock the baby's swing so she doesn't wake up mid-let down. This pump is quiet - but not silent. It's like an aggressive, nipple sucking, purring cat. They have quieter ones on the market but I am not sure they can hold up the level of suction over the long term. The hoses can build up quite a bit of condensation in them, which can mold. Make sure to air them out whenever you see little droplets in them. You can point the tubes downward put the pump on full blast without the breast shields on and let it air out the hoses before let down starts. You can also use rubbing alcohol to clean them but I never tried that. All in all, this is a wonderful product. I am glad I spent the extra dollars and went for Medela over an off brand. The replacement parts are easy to find. I would highly recommend it - it will be your best friend and your worst enemy!

1 note · View note

bond-villains-are-winning · 6 years ago

Text

Making America Grotesquely Antiquated (18Jan19 edition)

Today in the Circus of Distraction:

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES: Trump is signing a bill that will pay government employees their salaries during the shut down - but only after the government reopens.

OPIOIDS. Marketing by drug companies (White people so they aren’t “thugs” & “pushers”? Where is The Punisher when we need him?

FLINT. Good News- Michigan elected a Democrat as State AG. Maybe he will uncover more than the Republicans investigating the Republicans

GOLD. Prices are soaring. Never a good omen for the Economy. China and the Eurozone are also slumping.

Posted the above 1-4 at 10:00 am Pacific Coast time USA.

GLOBAL DEBT. 3x the Global Economy. Today’s American serfs are tied to place by Mortgage, to employer by Privatized Health Insurance. Tied to eternal debt by credit cards and student loans. COMMENTARY. I say ‘today’. In the 1950s and 60s Americans were relatively debt free. In those days OUR PERCENTAGE of Gross Domestic Product was at least a third LARGER than it is now. Today the same jobs with the same American firms OVERSEAS pay 1/3 more than the same companies pay American workers. Because we believe in our hearts that we are “rugged individuals” and that taxing the Rich a maximum 39.4% (91% in the 50s) is “theft”. Hahahahahahahaha! The jokes on us. There is theft all right: the Rich got Rich by have stealing our wages as a portion of GDP. Also by transferring taxes to the middle class as well as cancelling taxes for public schooling by bribing State and Congressional Legislators with big campaign donations (illegal in 1950s). We have become a F*cking 4th world Sh*thole because American “whites” (light brown) won’t be in the same Unions or Professional groups, schools or Churches with brown and black (darker brown) People. Or Jews or immigrants or native indigenous or LGBTQ, etc. Hahahahahaha! Golly, are we ever totally screwed by our folly and ignorance because 1/3 of the adults would rather than have their children’s faces ripped off than integrate, 1/3 doesn’t date vote because they’d starve if called to jury duty, and 1/3 is divided in 25,967 different positions which preclude uniting on anything including what to call themselves today.

BREXIT. Voted on leaving months before US 2016 National Conventions. Thought Great Britain had the Darwin Award for “National Suicide” locked in. Then we played our trump card. Not to be out done Brits decided that after two PMs and two years that “ no plan” is the best plan?

OIL DRILLING on PUBLIC PROPERTY: The Interior Department’s “work or forfeit your jobs, back pay, health insurance, and pensions” slaves are processing drilling permits for the arctic wilderness areas. COMMENTARY. There is something America, it’s public, it’s politicians, it’s business leaders, even its Green radicals never discuss when talking about drilling permits. No one - no one - observes that the MOTHER F*CKING CORPORATE RICH SH*TS ARE LEASING OUR LAND. Not drilling on some privately owned land. Not drilling on land that Congress owns. Land that the OIL COMPANIES DO NOT OWN. ITS OUR LAND. Land we as a Nation decided to hold as Wilderness Reserve for future Americans in future Centuries. So WHY the RUSH to SH*T on the LAND? There is an oil glut. There is 0.00000 need to drill in Wilderness areas. SO COULD it be that our lying, thieving Kleptocracy has a need to ROB US & OUR DESCENDANTS of the value of the Natural Wilderness by selling the leases cheaply to cronies? CHEAP FOR CRONIES WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO CAMPAIGNS, in whom the Kleptocrats OWN STOCK or WHO WILL HIRE the Public “Servant” when they are out of office? What factor has been included for the irretrievable loss of the Wilderness lands? NONE? Then we the people and our descendants are being CHEATED OUT OF HUNDREDS OF TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS!!!! Let us alert the Corporations and the Kleptocracy that they CANNOT LEGALIZE THIS THEFT BY BRIBERY. That we will be coming for CRIMINAL PROSECUTION and FORFEITURE of corporate and personal assets as REPARATIONS. Is it too soon to suggest this? Asking for a Comrade.

FAILURE to ENGINEER: Today is the 100th anniversary of the Boston Storage Tank Disaster which killed 21 and injured 150 others. War profiteers were using the tank to ‘stockpile’ (hoard to create artificial demand)molasses which was an ingredient in gun powder. The War ended, prices dropped and the molasses sat in a tank not engineered for its weight and mass. COMMENTARY. How much engineering is going into the Great Wall of Trump? Building along rivers involved soils, Civil, and Structural engineering. The impact on the natural landscape involves or should involve experts in animal, fisheries, fluid movement/hydraulics and archeology at a minimum. Plus the members in each Department affected that actually know what they are doing. Plus the local City and County planning departments. Plus all the same people on the other side of the boundary. Probably why the 2006 Border Barrier Act that has been adding protection for 12 years is planned for 20 year period. In pictures, Trumps steel wall is already rusting. I’m going to take a wild guess an assume Trump bypassed all the above, issued contracts for design/build and used unlawful emminent domain to seize valuable land without adequate compensation. How is that not being “the swamp”?

BEES. Per Sci American part of the cause of the diminishing bee and butterfly population loss is habitats shrinkage. “Development” of natural and wetlands results in the loss. PRESUMPTION. Dramatic increase of GOP in State Government results in dramatic decrease in protected lands?

Updated adding 6-10 and posted to @longwindedbore at 3:15 pm Pacific Coast time, USA.

CLIMATE WARMING. Reports indicate that heat is increasing even faster. COMMENTARY As the oceans heat, the least of our problems are that they expand. So greaterflooding of coasts. The amount of prehistoric gases held in the cold depths will rise with the ocean heating. Our severe winters result from lessening of permanent low pressure system over the arctic that kept the frigid jet streams at higher latitudes.

SEISMIC BLASTING. Good news. Federal judge blocks permits for blasting off the Carolina coasts for oil. (Same commentary as for Wilderness drilling above. Our Oceans. Drilling is by lease not ownership.)

SMUGGLING. Daily Kos article outlines that Trumps Boondoggle Wall would not affect drug smuggling at all. Since some of their source is the government it’s obvious that Trump has some other reason for the Wall. Jim Crow Monument for White Separatists?

CHILD MORTALITY RATES. Reblogged article from Nrw York Times. (Ranted there as well). COMMENTARY. We suck as a nation at taking care of children. So we’ll compare ourselves to Cuba and throw in a comment that ‘maybe’ they are fudging the numbers. All the while ignoring that the debate is whether we are 42 or 43 out of first place. At least we beat - barely - the Faroe Islands, Croatia and Belarus. Unfortunately, everyone but the Pro-Life/Anti-healthcare GOP-cursed US is trying to do better. Universal Healthcare is the key to early prevention and to access.

Updated and Posted topics 12-15 to @longwindedbore at 6:10 pm Pacific coast time, USA.

5 notes · View notes

princettegil · 7 years ago

Text

Trans-related rambling ahead – Boobs: So now that I’ve solidly set my sights on having top surgery I get the news that there probably aren’t any surgeons in my entire state who do top surgery! There are plenty who do mastectomies for cancer patients and as a pre-emptive measure against cancer and plenty who do breast reductions… but none who are trained or willing to do mastectomy for gender reasons! (Apparently that requires a bit of different reconstruction skills than the others.) I live on the Kentucky-Virginia border so I’m close to Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia but my insurance likely only covers in-state surgery (at least as far as I know, it’s Medicaid.) I originally wanted just a reduction, which I could still get if I go in for back pain complaints, but I really just want them gone completely now and it’s really upsetting to decide on that, see that my insurance will cover it, but then find out that no one in the state will do it! And I don’t have any binders I can wear right now. Well, I do but I bought those years ago and I’ve gained quite a bit of weight since then and I’m afraid they won’t fit. Plus, my DDD/F boobs, even in the best binder only go down to looking like a C cup at best and I know fat guys have boobs but they just look unnatural and you can tell they’re being held tight in a binder and they’re still so large so it really doesn’t help with any dysphoria. Wearing larger shirts to make them less noticeable doesn’t work when you’re already wearing a 2-3x and can’t find any bigger shirts, lest of all in a style you like. Plus, my mom accidentally put them in storage and our storage building is so full it’d be a miracle if I ever found them again orz. I have no money or job rn so buying a new one is also out. I know the weight loss surgery may reduce my breasts some but I want them gone! Not just smaller! Plus, even when I wasn’t very heavy, my breasts were still pretty big so I know that even if I lose weight and they do go down some, it ain’t gonna be by much orz. *sigh* I just want them gone! Gone! Gone! *cries* Hormones: I’ve also been wondering about taking hormones lately. I never wanted to before ‘cause I didn’t want more hair or a lower voice but I got to thinking that it may help redistribute my fat so I look a little less womanly. Also, I always thought my voice was already low and manly but then I got listening to myself when I make phone calls and using a voice analyzer app and when I’m talking properly, my voice is super womanly! So maybe a little bit of lowering wouldn’t hurt??? Being Outed/Name Issues: I finally let my mom know about my name change being official and she… didn’t take it too well. At first, it wasn’t too bad; not good but not horrific. But then one of my aunts, who I didn’t know I still had on Facebook, saw my posts about it. That scared me but was fine until she told my other aunt and uncle who then told the rest of my family, including my dad and sis! My sis finding out was the worst! (My dad hasn’t said anything but he normally doesn’t no matter how much he dislikes something, just keeps it to himself or tells everyone but you.) My sis, however, has now gone crazy about wanting to change her own name and that’s lead to some not good conversations with my mom that I’ve been unlucky enough to overhear. Needless to say, my mom was more upset about my name change than she initially let on and it eventually got to talk and threats of disownment… To make things worse, my sis and I saw a doc at our clinic the other day about our weight loss surgeries and they overly chatty doc we wound up with that day decided to just mention, right in front of my sis, about me wanting a mastectomy (which was in my file, I didn’t mention it to her.) And then mentioning about gender dysphoria and wanting to be a boy - right in front of my sis who had no clue about me being trans and whom I didn’t want to know!! So yeah, she outed me to my sis. And since she left the door open and other patients waiting on her in their rooms also had their doors open and this woman was so talky and loud – pretty much everyone in the hallway that day now knows! I later had to convince my sis later that I just wanted my boobs smaller and that I wasn’t trans and such (so I was forced to lie…something that I really don’t like to do but telling my sis would have ended with her telling my entire fam so I didn’t have much choice.) And this doc was obviously inept about gender identities so I had to listen to her “But you have a bow (it was a bat) in your hair and you’re wearing a skirt, so you can’t want to be a boy or have dysphoria!” “You want your breasts gone!? Oh goodness why!? Please don’t!” Uggghhhhhh….. And then I’m also dealing with the “is this just a phase?” background thoughts. Haaahhhhhhh…. So like, everything seems cool right now at my house but my background anxiety is so high and I’m so worried of what’s going to happen that I reached out to a former teacher (and staff member over my college’s GSA) for help on finding somewhere to live if things go really south. She hasn’t gotten back to my yet though but I’m just really trying to act chill while simultaneously freaking out cause everything about my trans-ness is going to hell right now!!

#Transgender #trans #trans issues #gender issues #non-binary #personal

2 notes · View notes

weightlossfitnesssinfo · 5 years ago

Text

Why the “pause-button mentality” is ruining your well being and health. ‘Getting a fresh start’ isn’t the magic bullet you thought it’d be.

“I’ll resume healthy eating after my vacation… once the baby is born… after Dad gets out of the hospital… January 1… Monday.” While this sort of “pause-button mentality” appears affordable, it might be ruining your well being and health. Here’s why, and what to do about it.

++++

There’s a query that’s been discovering its method to me a LOT recently—from Precision Nutrition Coaching purchasers, Certification college students, ProCoaches.

“Why don’t your programs offer a ‘pause’ feature?”

After all, what’s the hurt in letting purchasers/sufferers take a break from a vitamin and health plan after they’re:

leaving for trip,

utterly swamped at work,

pregnant, or simply after supply,

injured, or

caring for an ailing member of the family?

For a consumer, the thought course of boils right down to:

If I miss some exercises, eat the unsuitable issues, skip the homework… I fail.

Aren’t I extra more likely to succeed if I take a break, simply till I've the time to do it proper?

This is what I name the ‘pause-button mentality’.

Now, don’t get me unsuitable.

I believe it’s regular—even commendable—to need to do your finest. To think about taking time to regroup after which resume (or begin over) when life feels simpler.

At the identical time, this utterly pure and well-meaning impulse is likely one of the quickest, surest, most dependable methods to sabotage your plans for improved vitamin, well being, and health.

Here’s why—and what to do as an alternative.

Starting contemporary after you lose your manner is a extremely comforting thought.

That’s most likely why New Year’s resolutions are so standard, particularly following the indulgence-fueled vacation season.

Give me that cheesecake. I’ll choose my weight loss plan again up on Monday!

In truth, we’ve discovered in our vitamin teaching packages that the concept of a do-over is so alluring you don’t even want a mess-up for the pause-button mentality to take over.

Every January, we welcome a brand new group of purchasers. Every July, we take within the second, and ultimate, group of the yr.

In July, six months in, simply realizing that there are new purchasers beginning this system contemporary in January makes some July purchasers “itch” for a brand new starting, despite the fact that they’re already making progress, altering their our bodies.

If solely you’d let me begin over, I’d actually nail it this time!

But right here’s the issue: The pause-button mentality solely builds the talent of pausing.

Whether it’s tomorrow, Monday, subsequent week, and even subsequent yr, hitting that imaginary pause button offers you some sense of aid.

It permits you slightly respite from what could be a actually robust slog.

(And the center is at all times a troublesome slog, it doesn’t matter what sort of venture you’re engaged on.)

This perceived aid is compounded by the phantasm that if we “start fresh” later we are able to discover the magical “right time” to start.

Listen, I get it.

It can really feel absurd to attempt to enhance your consuming and train habits whilst you’re within the midst of persistent stress / on the lookout for a job / beginning a brand new job / occurring trip / caring for ageing mother and father / elevating young children.

That’s most likely why there are such a lot of 21-day this and 90-day that. What grownup has greater than 90 days to go after their health targets with an all-out effort?

But what do these intense health sprints educate you?

The talent of getting match inside a really quick (and utterly non-representative) interval of your life.

What don’t they educate you?

The talent of getting match (or staying match) within the midst of a standard, sophisticated, “how it really is” kind of life.

This is why the yo-yo weight loss plan factor has develop into such a phenomenon.

It’s not about willpower. It’s about expertise.

In most health situations, you learn to get match beneath bizarre, tightly-controlled, white-knuckle life conditions.

You construct that one, solitary, non-transferrable talent—to slam the fuel pedal down, drive the needle into the crimson, and squeal down the highway for a short time, burning the rubber off your tires till you (shortly) run out of fuel and crash.

What you don’t construct is the power to get match beneath real-life situations.

That’s why it doesn’t stick. Not since you suck.

But as a result of the pure and predictable consequence of getting a restricted talent set is short-term progress adopted instantly by long-term frustration.

What shall be totally different subsequent time?

I keep in mind having lunch with a colleague who swore up and down that his low-carb weight loss plan plus every day working was the key to staying in form.

I needed to comply with up with a painful query: “Well, why aren’t you actually in shape?”

After a protracted pause: “Uhh, I’ve had a hard time sticking with it. We just had our second child. The holidays just ended. I just switched jobs.” He trailed off…

“But, once everything settles down, I’ll get with the program and get in shape again! I guess I’m just on a little break.”

This story illustrates the purpose completely.

Here’s somebody who’s constructed his health on a home of playing cards. He is aware of just one factor: How to get in form by following a really difficult program when the situations are good.

And each time life isn’t good, which is more often than not, he hits the pause button. He waits for a greater time. (All the whereas dropping the well being and health he beforehand labored so onerous for.)

That’s why, when our purchasers ask to press pause, we normally ask them:

“What will be different when you come back?”

Nine instances out of 10, the trustworthy reply is nothing. Nothing shall be totally different.

Life is simply… taking place. And it’ll occur once more in January, or after the infant is born, or after Mom will get higher, or at some other arbitrary level you choose.

And what then?

I’ve needed to press “pause” myself.

If you’ve ever felt like urgent pause, otherwise you really feel this manner proper now, it'd assist to know I’ve felt precisely the identical manner.

Just a few years again, my spouse and I made a decision to renovate a house. During the reno, we lived in a tiny condo above my in-laws’ storage. At the time I used to be additionally beginning up Precision Nutrition.

Every day we’d get up and get straight to work. At the top of the day, we’d drive 1 ½ hours to the brand new home to chip away on the reno. Then, late at night time, we’d drive 1 ½ hours again and fall into mattress. Repeat.

At first, I assumed there was no method to train. My schedule was utterly packed, I had nowhere to work out, and my consuming was lower than superb.

But after a few weeks I noticed that one thing was going to be higher than nothing.

The renovations would proceed. Running a enterprise would solely get extra demanding. And we had been planning to have our first youngster.

I noticed I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t press pause. Because, if I didn’t proceed, there’d by no means be that “perfect time” to hit play once more.

I wanted to discover a method to squeeze in some form of exercise, nevertheless fast, simple, and unglamorous.

Let’s settle for that life has no pause button.

The key lesson right here is that, prefer it or not, the sport of life retains going.

There isn't any timeout.

There’s by no means going to be a second when issues are magically simpler.

You can’t escape work, private, and household calls for. Nor are you able to escape the necessity for well being and health in your life.

Here’s a thought experiment:

What for those who tried to hit pause in different areas of your life?

Imagine you’re up for a giant promotion at work. For the following two weeks, all you need to do is give attention to mastering an upcoming presentation, and successful over your boss.

Trouble is, you’ve obtained two younger kids at residence who have a tendency to know, koala-like, onto your legs and demand your full consideration.

Honey, you say to your partner, I’m simply gonna press pause on being a dad or mum for now. I’ll be staying at a lodge. Don’t contact me.

I don’t learn about you, however that might NOT go over nicely in my household.

You can’t actually press pause—and also you undoubtedly can’t hit reset—on being a dad or mum. (You’ve thought of it, although. I do know you will have.)

Just like you possibly can’t cease displaying up for work and count on to not get fired. Or “take a break” from being married and never wind up divorced.

Generally, in relation to life, we all know we’re not at all times going to be on our A Game. Sometimes we’re superstars. Most of the time we simply do our greatest.

We muddle via. We hold going.

So why will we count on it to be any totally different with health?

In my case, above, I employed a coach and we got here up with a easy exercise program that met these standards:

No greater than 3x every week.

No greater than 10 minutes per session.

Has to be achieved upon waking up, proper subsequent to the mattress.

Requires no tools.

I did that for about 6 months. Was it the Best Workout Ever? No! Did I find yourself, after 6 months, fitter than ever? Heck no!

But was it higher than hitting the pause button and doing nothing? You guess!

See, perfectionism just isn't the purpose.

“Completing” a program, PN Coaching or some other, just isn't the purpose.

Being the “best” for a tiny window of time just isn't the purpose.

The level is to maintain going. Sometimes awkwardly, generally incompetently, generally downright half-assed. But to maintain going nonetheless.

As I typically educate our new purchasers:

The “all or nothing” mentality not often will get us “all”. It normally will get us “nothing”.

That’s once I suggest a brand new mantra:

“Always something”.

Instead of urgent pause, modify the dial.

Nowadays I like to think about my health and vitamin efforts as a dial.

There are instances once I need to dial my efforts up, and instances once I need to dial them down. But I by no means need to flip the dial off utterly.

Here’s how this performs out within the context of my life.

Sometimes, say once I’m coaching for a observe competitors or concentrating on a selected aim, my health dial is perhaps tuned to 9 or 10 out of 10.

Channel 10 means I work out every single day. Every meal is deliberate and punctiliously thought-about. I believe quite a bit about health. And not a lot about anything.

Work, household, hobbies… they’re all in upkeep mode (with the permission of the folks this impacts, after all).

However, as I write this, my life includes the next:

Settling into a brand new residence.

Conducting main residence renovations.

Raising four kids, one in every of them nonetheless a child.

Running a rising enterprise with practically 100 workforce members.

So today, the dial not often goes previous three or four. I work out, possibly, three days every week. And most of my meals are simply “good enough”.

(For the file, I’m completely cool with that. There isn't any guilt about having my dial set slightly decrease. What’s most necessary is that the dial remains to be set to “on”.)

The necessary lesson: There’s a giant distinction between tuning your dial to three, 2, or perhaps a 1, and turning the entire thing off.

And once you understand how doable—and efficient—channels three and a pair of and 1 may be, you see that there’s by no means an excellent cause to hit “pause”.

I get it. It’s simple to low cost the decrease channels. Especially once you’ve achieved extra previously. But keep in mind your new mantra…

“Always something.”

Precision Nutrition Coaching graduate Susan Olding was coping with a household disaster throughout this system: Her dad grew to become in poor health and ultimately handed away.

Susan may have given up when her dad was sick. Asked for a pause. And nobody would have blamed her.

Instead, she challenged herself to embrace imperfection and do one thing every single day:

Each day, I requested myself: If I can’t do what was requested of me, what can I do? What can I handle (bodily, emotionally, mentally) now?

Then I went and did it.

Meanwhile, I additionally tried so as to add spontaneous exercise into my days. I paced the hospital halls, parked at a distance and walked to the hospital door. I went for night walks.

Anything to remain energetic.

I keep in mind Susan telling me concerning the random units of squats she did within the nook of her dad’s hospital room whereas he was resting.

Susan’s takeaway:

Perfection by no means occurs in actual life.

We’re at all times going to be doing the perfect we are able to with what now we have.

And that’s okay.

We can nonetheless make progress towards our targets and nonetheless enhance our well being and our health—no matter’s occurring in our lives.

That progress doesn’t occur for those who “press pause” and look forward to a greater time.

It doesn’t occur for those who say “I’ll squat again once the Dad situation resolves itself”. Or for those who ask for a re-do subsequent week, subsequent month, subsequent yr.

“Fitness in the context of real human life”.

That’s one in every of our mottos right here at Precision Nutrition.

It’s what I believe we’re the perfect on the planet at: Helping purchasers be wholesome and match within the context of their actual lives.

Not whereas pretending to be somebody they’re not. Not by signing up for a 12-week boot camp with every day exercises and restrictive diets.

But by dwelling their very own lives and working towards “always something”.

In my opinion, urgent pause is shopping for into an imaginary superb: a “perfect” time when all the pieces will fall into place; a ravishing, linear trajectory from whole suckiness to apex awesomeness:

Asking for a restart since you don’t need to mess that line up is deluding your self that one way or the other, subsequent time shall be simpler. Next time shall be good. No interruptions, no distractions… no… life.

Unfortunately, there isn't a good time.

We could have magical moments, after all. Short durations of time when issues appear to “click” and are available collectively.

But then the canine poops on the rug. Or the child throws up on the sofa. Or each… after which one or the opposite tracks all of it via the home.

You hold urgent pause, and your progress seems to be like this.

Or, worse but, you find yourself flatlining, caught on a unending (possibly everlasting) pause.

What to do subsequent.

Fitness within the context of actual human life is rather like the remainder of life.

We’re all simply doing the perfect we are able to in difficult, sophisticated circumstances. We are all dwelling messy, imperfect lives. We are all human.

If we are able to simply hold shifting ahead, it doesn't matter what occurs, no pause buttons, no do-overs, we win the sport.

Here are a number of methods for getting out of the pause-button mentality and right into a extra real looking, efficient, sustainable mind-set.

1. Try the dial technique.

Think of your health like a dial that goes from 1 – 10.

If you had been to dial it as much as “10”…

What would your exercises appear like?

What would your vitamin appear like?

What different actions/habits would you follow in that state of affairs?

If you had been to dial it right down to “1”…

What would your exercises appear like?

What would your vitamin appear like?

What different actions/habits would you follow in that state of affairs?

Giving thought to your life proper now, the place is your dial set?

Would you prefer to make any changes?

Could you progress the dial up a channel, and even half a channel?

If so, what would that appear like?

On the opposite hand…

Should you progress the dial down a channel so you possibly can follow well being and health even throughout a troublesome time?

2. Aim for slightly bit higher.

An all-or-nothing strategy normally doesn’t get us “all”. It normally will get us “nothing”.

You know what really works?

Small enhancements achieved persistently over time work—now we have proof within the over 100,000 purchasers we’ve helped via Precision Nutrition Coaching technique.

You is perhaps making an attempt to make a meal out of hospital cafeteria meals, or fuel station meals, or airplane meals. You is perhaps spending hours awake with a new child in the course of the night time, or caught in one more full-day assembly.

These aren’t superb situations, however they’re not essentially hopeless both.

Look round. Get inventive. See if you could find some small—possibly minuscule—enhancements.

three. Anticipate, strategize and plan.

Since we already know that stuff goes to go unsuitable, the perfect factor we are able to do is anticipate and make plans for learn how to deal after they do.

A easy manner to do that is by answering two questions:

What’s more likely to get in the way in which of what I hope to perform?

What is one thing I can do at the moment to assist me hold going once I face these obstacles?

For some folks, that is perhaps a Sunday ritual the place they prep meals for the week so that they gained’t be scrambling for wholesome meals on busy weeknights. For others, it'd imply having a wholesome meal-delivery service on pace dial.

Don’t be stunned and dismayed when issues go haywire. They will sooner or later. Just arm your self with the perfect instruments and techniques so you possibly can keep within the sport once you’re thrown a curveball.

If you’re a coach, otherwise you need to be…

Learning learn how to coach purchasers, sufferers, pals, or members of the family via wholesome consuming and life-style adjustments—in a manner that helps them make constant progress even when life will get sophisticated—is each an artwork and a science.

If you’d prefer to study extra about each, think about the Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification. The subsequent group kicks off shortly.

What’s all of it about?

The Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification is the world’s most revered vitamin schooling program. It offers you the information, methods, and instruments it's worthwhile to actually perceive how meals influences an individual’s well being and health. Plus the power to show that information right into a thriving teaching follow.

Developed over 15 years, and confirmed with over 100,000 purchasers and sufferers, the Level 1 curriculum stands alone because the authority on the science of vitamin and the artwork of teaching.

Whether you’re already mid-career, or simply beginning out, the Level 1 Certification is your springboard to a deeper understanding of vitamin, the authority to educate it, and the skill to show what you realize into outcomes.

[Of course, if you’re already a student or graduate of the Level 1 Certification, check out our Level 2 Certification Master Class. It’s an exclusive, year-long mentorship designed for elite professionals looking to master the art of coaching and be part of the top 1% of health and fitness coaches in the world.]

Interested? Add your identify to the presale record. You’ll save as much as 30% and safe your spot 24 hours earlier than everybody else.

We’ll be opening up spots in our subsequent Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification on Wednesday, April eighth, 2020.

If you need to discover out extra, we’ve arrange the next presale record, which supplies you two benefits.

Pay lower than everybody else. We prefer to reward people who find themselves keen to spice up their credentials and are able to decide to getting the schooling they want. So we’re providing a reduction of as much as 30% off the overall worth once you join the presale record.

Sign up 24 hours earlier than most people and enhance your possibilities of getting a spot. We solely open the certification program twice per yr. Due to excessive demand, spots in this system are restricted and have traditionally bought out in a matter of hours. But once you join the presale record, we’ll provide the alternative to register a full 24 hours earlier than anybody else.

If you’re prepared for a deeper understanding of vitamin, the authority to educate it, and the skill to show what you realize into outcomes… that is your probability to see what the world’s prime skilled vitamin teaching system can do for you.

Why the “pause-button mentality” is ruining your well being and health. ‘Getting a fresh start’ isn’t the magic bullet you thought it’d be. is republished from Weight Loss Fitness

from Weight Loss Fitness - Feed https://weightlossfitnesss.info/why-the-pause-button-mentality-is-ruining-your-well-being-and-health-getting-a-fresh-start-isnt-the-magic-bullet-you-thought-itd-be/

0 notes

weightlossfitness2 · 5 years ago

Text

Why the “pause-button mentality” is ruining your well being and health. ‘Getting a fresh start’ isn’t the magic bullet you thought it’d be.

++++

There’s a query that’s been discovering its method to me a LOT recently—from Precision Nutrition Coaching purchasers, Certification college students, ProCoaches.

“Why don’t your programs offer a ‘pause’ feature?”

After all, what’s the hurt in letting purchasers/sufferers take a break from a vitamin and health plan after they’re:

leaving for trip,

utterly swamped at work,

pregnant, or simply after supply,

injured, or

caring for an ailing member of the family?

For a consumer, the thought course of boils right down to:

If I miss some exercises, eat the unsuitable issues, skip the homework… I fail.

Aren’t I extra more likely to succeed if I take a break, simply till I’ve the time to do it proper?