Sunless tanner & Jobless summer

Ok, so you may or may not know that I am a former tanning bed addict.  Yes, its true.  I have been tanning for a good part of my adolescence and young adult life... BUT, I recently dedicated myself to quitting the habit for good in an effort to save myself from looking like an old football some years down the road...  I am very proud to say that I have not been in a tanning bed since the end of May- and although I will admit, it has been a bit of a challenge, I know that it will be totally worth it.

To assist my cold-turkey quit, I have taken it upon myself to test some sunless self-tanners.  This is helping me ease out of the bad habit and has been quite successful thus far.  I had to blog about it because I am pretty stoked about the products I have tried so far.  I got the recommendation from an aesthetician friend of mine and I am really loving them!  For the face, I picked up a product from Too Faced called 'Tanning Bed in a Tube- FACE' and for the body I am using Shiseido's 'Brilliant Bronze Tinted Self-Tanning Gel.'  They work really well and they don't smell bad at all.  They haven't come off too much on clothing- only when I'm really sweating or rub my skin hard.  I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a good tan without the skin damage.  I have included a picture of myself with the self-tanner on... not bad, eh?

On a totally unrelated note, my jobless summer has definitely been a different experience to say the least.  If you're not following my moves too closely, I'll briefly fill you in on the fact that I didn't end up taking the serving job at Lynn's Paradise Cafe because the week I was supposed to start is when Matt got called up to Cincinnati.  So, I was living there with him and then, true to our crazy life, he was optioned back to Louisville at the end of June.  In short, we decided that I would just hang tight without a job for the summer since we weren't sure how long we'd even stay in Louisville...

So, for the first time in about 9 years, I am not working.  And I am serious when I say, "for the first time."  I have been working every season, every year, every day just about since I was 14.  No breaks, no summers off, no school-years off... hence, being jobless is a very foreign thing to me.  And to be quite honest, I can't say that I am totally enjoying it.  I actually LIKE to work.  I like having my own (small) income and I like feeling like I am accomplishing something.  Most of my past jobs have given me a sense of purpose in my days and I've always enjoyed (for the most part) going to work.  It has been a real mental struggle for me to be able to accept the idea of taking a little time off and getting other things done (wedding planning, housework, travel plans) that don't require wearing a uniform or come for an exchange of money...  

Now, I am certainly not complaining because I am in no position to do that, however, I am saying that it isn't just as easy as snapping your fingers to go from a mindset of working all the time with a paycheck to not working at all and having to share one income.  Matt has helped me so much to be at ease with the situation.  I am so blessed to have such a good man by my side.   

Wedding Fever

Saturday July 25, 2009... traveled back to Columbus this past weekend for the marriage of a good friend of Matt and I- Ashley Spitler.  Mo couldn't make it so I took my very best friend instead.  We had so much fun!  We got to see a few people we hadn't seen in a while including once of Matt's groomsmen- Jay Jefferis.  It was really great to spend time with everyone.  It was definitely a nice little prelude to all the fun to be had at our wedding in November...

10 tricks to beat a sugar-hangover

So, after we returned home from the all-star break last week, my body was not happy with me.  After 2 days of careless eating and consuming far too much sugar than my body is accustomed to, I was absolutely feeling the effects of a sugar-hangover.  

You might be wondering what exactly a sugar-hangover is... and I promise you it is totally legit even though you may have never heard of it.  A sugar-hangover is the awful feeling of fatigue, moodiness, low-energy, bloatedness, and sometimes headache that comes after a day or multiple days of eating junk (especially high-sugar foods) when your body is not used to eating junk... a "sugar-binge" if you will.  For me personally, a sugar-hangover is worse than an actual alcohol-hangover.  I always have the same feelings and it takes me a couple days to bounce back depending on how severe the sugar binge was.  

Now, don't get me wrong, I had a phenomenal time on the all-star break.  We really enjoyed ourselves relaxing at the lake house and soaking up the sunshine as well as the peace that comes with having absolutely nothing to do for 2 days... however, I could have eased off the junk food and hence taken less time to recover once we returned to Louisville.  Wednesday (the day we headed home) I felt soooo tired- even though I'd gotten plenty of sleep.  I was in a foul mood and prone to be irritated by the slightest thing.  I knew instantly that I was going to have to work hard to kick my all-star break sugar-hangover- quick!  Because I hate feeling like I'm in a different body.  

So, getting onto the reason I've decided to blog this little episode in the first place... here are my 10 steps to kick a sugar-hangover- they are tried and true- they work- trust me:

1) First thing in the morning and then continuing on into the day after your sugar binge- DRINK WATER.  And I don't mean just 8 8oz. glasses- drink as much water as you can stand.  Usually I will try to drink 200 oz. (yeah! thats a lot!) to flush my body.  H2O really is the secret remedy to most ailments...

2) Do NOT rehash the previous details of your binge.  In other words, whats done is done, so don't fuss about what and how much crap you've eaten.  Erase it from your mind so you can stay positive about the present and what you are going to put into your body now.

3) Try your best to stay away from high-sugar foods for the week after your binge.  Its a daunting task because your body will be used to consuming sugar, but resist the urge of anything ultra-sugary.

4) Up your fiber intake.  Fiber is my go-to not only after a sugar-binge but also in my regular diet.  Have yourself a high fiber breakfast and keep in coming throughout the day... just make sure you're following through with step 1 or you run the risk of getting a little stopped up.

5) Do NOT not eat- that will confuse your body and likely put it into starvation mode causing it to store any fat/sugar that you've consumed.  Eat!  Eating every 2-3 hours will help boost your metabolism so that you are able to burn calories and it will also help curb the foul mood you might be in from all the sugar in the first place.

6) Get active!  Be as active as you physically can.  Your energy will seem low, even if you've gotten enough rest (its a side-effect of too much sugar) but get out and do something.  Go for a walk, get to the gym, take a hike- anything that will have you moving and releasing endorphins.  Park further away at the grocery, take the stairs instead of the elevator...  sitting and sleeping will make the sugar-hangover worse.  

7) Take your multi-vitamin- twice.  Chances are, you didn't get enough of the nutrients your body requires during your sugar-binge.  So, make sure you are diligent about taking a quality multi-vitamin twice-a-day to ensure you're getting the "good stuff."

8) Get some rest.  Make sure you're getting 7-8 hours of sleep at night- period.  And don't oversleep (don't get too much sleep) because sometimes it that can have a reverse effect.

9) Have yourself some caffeine.  1-2 cups of coffee/tea will give you a little jolt of energy and help ease you back into the daily grind.  Be careful not to have too much, however, because you run the risk of crashing hard.

10) Love your body.  Love yourself.  Put the sugar-binge behind you and appreciate the fact that your body CAN bounce back.  The body can do some amazing things... recognize that, and be thankful for your ability to move and grow and recover.  Thinking positively about yourself and your body will encourage you to put only good things into it and make your recovery a whole lot more pleasant.

Baseball does not define us...

So, after taking a look at my last couple of posts, it occurred to me that it may look like we live for baseball- which is not the case at all.  Although it is a very big part of both Matt and I's lives (obvi), it does not define us by any means.  Baseball is a job, an exciting job, but a job nonetheless and we work to live- we no not live to work.  I think a lot of young players and especially players girlfriends/fiances/wives lose some of their sense of self to the baseball life (mostly unintentionally) because they become so immersed with baseball, baseball, baseball.  And without even noticing, they become baseball- eating, breathing, sleeping it.  So, then, instead of me being Kalee... I would hypothetically become just Matt's wife/baseball wife allowing baseball to completely define me and everything about me.  I see it soooo much in our lifestyle.  And I am determined not to let it happen to me.  Or Matt.

Getting on with it then, heres what going on in our lives:

We just got back from the Indy/Toledo road trip last Thursday night.  I went home to visit my family for the week and turn in my leased Honda Accord.  Matt and I have decided to make due with one vehicle (his truck) for the time being simply because we have no need for two vehicles.  It is saving us a monthly payment and gas money not to mention saving the atmosphere from unneeded smog emissions :)  So far, so good!

I have found an amazing hot yoga studio in L'ville and I am so stoked about it! Betsy's Hot Yoga Louisville... I'm practicing about 4 times a week and loving every freaking second.  The instructors are awesome and the heat is an amazing cleanser.  It has been such a powerful spiritual experience so far, not to mention an excellent physical challenge.  I absolutely love it.  I miss Go Fitness tons!  I miss having my workout partner, Lyndsi, to lift with 3 times a week!  However, the Bats do give us a membership to a place called Louisville Athletic Club where I spend 3-4 days a week to get my strength training in ;)  It is a large facility and although it does not have the neighborhood gym feeling or the funky gym toys of my fitness center in Columbus, it has more than enough equipment to get the job done.  

Lucy and Gus are excellent!  They spent the week on "doggy vacation" (in the kennel) while we were away in Toledo/Huron.  I think they had a good time- they weren't traumatized or anything afterwards...  I've been taking them for hour-long walks down by the river 3-4 times a week and they love every minute of that!  They usually take a little break to jump into the river to cool off and get a drink- its too funny watching them wade around and lap up the river water.  Its definitely a small joy in my day to walk them :)

Matt and I met with the priest that is going to marry us this November- Fr. Dave Nuss of St. Mary's Sandusky... he was truly AWESOME!  A very laid back guy, he chatted with us about the hectic lifestyle we live and the powerful effect it can have on our relationship if we choose to love and live intentionally-- which we do.  We were both really excited after meeting with him to know that we have another strong supporter of our marriage.  We got to do a little walk-through of the church too and WOW!  It was soooo much prettier than I remembered.  Wedding plans are coming along nicely... 

The 3 day All-Star Break is coming up this Mon-Wed.  We are kicking off the break with Matt's teammate Jared (Burton) and his girlfriend, Audrey.  We're planning on heading to Jared's place in Cincinnati Sunday evening where Jared is going to grill us some deer meat- mmm! Then, Matt and I are spending the rest of the break up at my good friend Johnny's lake house- about 45 min north of Cincy.  Its a good-sized, rustic A frame overlooking a small lake.  We are so excited for the break!  We are planning on having camp fires, going fishing, relaxing on the dock, kayaking, letting the pups swim... it'll be just our style.

There you have it- a little bit about what's going on in our lives (other than baseball- wink wink).  We are both so happy right now.  We are so blessed to have each other and everything we need.  We are learning and growing together.  And loving every minute of it.