Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Warm and Fuzzy

I spend every afternoon from 3:15 until 4:05 killing time with my oldest (E) and youngest (G) sons waiting for their brother get out of school. Sometimes we race around the soccer field, or go to the playground (along with a group of high-schoolers who aren't exactly 'high on life'), sometimes we go to the store or run an errand, and sometimes we just sit in the car and talk or read.

G's favorite reading lately isn't a book, but any toy catalog that winds up in the mailbox or the newspaper (he keeps a folder of them in his room and pours over every page for hours). E will read anything that's in front of him. Books, manuals, yogurt containers, anything to possibly quench his insatiable thirst for more information. Today I had a stack of ads that came in the mail from Costco, REI, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Puff's tissues.

After talking about his day for a while, E piped up, "Mom, I want to look at dicks," then laughing, "The ad for Dick's."

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Late to the Party

I finally got around to reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: an Eater's Manifesto; and I have to say that this book is seriously one of the best books I've read in an incredibly long time. I always try to read with some skepticism; but if it's possible, I agree with every word written in this book.

Anyone who knows the book knows the short version of the Eater's Manifesto which is:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.

The book outlines the theory that since people have studied nutrition and tried to extract the specific components in food that are conducive to our health and survival- we have actually become less healthy with more of what he describes as the Western Diseases: Heart Disease, Diabetes, and Cancer among others. Over time, we've tried to find the 'magic bullet' of nutrition; protein,oat bran, antioxidants, pomegranates, flaxseed, or some single food (or supplement) that will take care of all our ills. As we ping-pong around following a current health fad, avoiding fat, or carbs, or meat, or dairy - we allow ourselves to push the common sense of eating in moderation foods that were raised healthfully and ethically away.

By studying what's 'healthy' in foods lets us create food products that do a much better job of supporting the economy with mass commercial farming, trucking, and commerce in selling the foods in a way that is shelf stable so that people can buy more food without the worry that the food will go bad. It's funny that in even my refrigerator, it's only the vegetables that hang around long enough to go bad, when the processed snacks (that could probably last for 100 years) are eaten within a few days of being purchased. By being so cheap and easy to consume, we don't appreciate the food we're eating - so people are more likely to 'feed' instead of 'dine' on our food. I would wager that most of the money put into the study of nutrition was put there by food corporations looking for ways to add another health claim to their package.

After talking about the problems caused by Nutritionism and the Western Diet, Pollan offers a solution in following the Manifesto: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. He gives us a blueprint to follow in making more positive choices that could benefit our lives.

I'm putting this down, not so much for any reader who happens by, but to remember more of what I've read and put it into practice for myself.

EAT FOOD

  • Don't eat anything your Great Grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. He uses the example of GoGurt (a far cry from yogurt that includes only milk and bacterial culture) .
  • Avoid food products containing ingredients that are: A) Unfamiliar; B) Unpronounceable; C) More than 5 in number, or That include; D) High-Fructose Corn Syrup. This answers the question that, yeah, Great-Grandma may recognize bread, but not the stuff on the shelves with added softeners and sweeteners because it's imperative that bread be eaten with no texture or inherent flavor. Also, to make lowfat milk more creamy they add powdered milk which contains oxidized cholesterol (which may be worse than regular cholesterol). Removing the fat also makes it harder for you to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins that made milk healthy to drink in the first place.
  • Avoid food products that make health claims. Do we really need to talk about the sugar cereals that now trumpet the existence of whole grains along with the tablespoons of sugar in each serving? Also, think about what the package isn't saying.
  • Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle. That's where real food lives.
  • Get out of the supermarket whenever possible.Farmers' Markets, CSAs, independent meat/dairy producers. Find sources that rely less on chemicals, grain, and hormones. Shorten the food chain.
MOSTLY PLANTS
  • Eat mostly plants, especially leaves. We need the omega-3s,vitamins, and antioxidants from plants because our bodies don't produce these. Sticking to a diet that relies mostly on plants helps protect us from Western Diseases, and uses less energy and resources than needed in the production of meat.
  • You are what *what you eat* eats too. Eat meat, dairy, and eggs from pastured animals.
  • If you have the space, buy a freezer. Get healthy foods in quantity when they're at their peak, freezing has less of an impact on the nutritional impact of the food than canning does.
  • Eat like an omnivore. More species of everything, more covered nutritionally.
  • Eat well-grown food from healthy soils. Lots of farmers grow/raise food without the use of chemicals, hormones so the label 'certified organic' doesn't necessarily guarantee that the food is the healthiest option. Know who grows your food.
  • Eat wild foods when you can. Wild greens have super-high levels of phytochemicals, higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Wild animals eat a diverse diet, wild fish have higher levels of omega-3 because they aren't fed grain. Higher levels of omega-3 can ward off depression. Abundant wildlife: deer, sardines, anchovies, salmon.
  • Be the kind of person who takes supplements. Be more health conscious, more educated, and more affluent. Could take a multi, and if you don't eat enough fish, a fish oil supplement.
  • Eat more like the French. Or the Italians. Or the Japanese. Or the Indians. Or the Greeks. Eating foods in the way they're eaten in a culture makes up for nutritional deficiencies, dangers that may come from eating a food in other ways. In mexico corn and beans together, corn was ground with limestone. In Asia, they developed the best way to eat soy: in tofu.
  • Regard nontraditional foods with skepticism. Be wary of new permutations of soy.
  • Don't look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet. Mostly when we study aspects of diet, we aren't able to account for all factors in the success of a diet.
  • Have a glass of wine with dinner. Men can have two. Drinking alcohol in moderation seems to promote health - or help us enjoy it.

NOT TOO MUCH

  • Pay more, eat less. Better foods cost more. If you spend more, you may take more time over it, appreciate it, and consequently eat less of it. Americans eat by visual cue (unlike French who ea 'til they're full). Put a smaller portion on the plate, and we'll learn to be satisfied by that. We'll do less snacking, especially if we have to put effort in preparing what we eat. "In 1960 Americans spent 17.5 % of their income on food and 5.2 % on health care." Now, "spending on food has dropped to 9.9 %, while spending on health care has climbed to 16%." The numbers have flipped. Choose quality over quantity.
  • Eat meals. Together as a family, at the table, eating the same food. Turn off the TV and talk to each other. Do you really need to snack, or eat in the car? Are you going to starve otherwise. (Although I have to admit that a small latte before class (the mixture of protein, carbs and caffeine) was the key to getting A's in my Calculus classes.)
  • Do all of your eating at a table. No variations.
  • Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does. Duh. Corn syrup.
  • Try not to eat alone. You'll enjoy the company, take longer to eat because you're less likely to scarf your food in front of an audience. Use tricks to make you think you're eating more than you are. Look at the book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.
  • Eat Slowly. Eat deliberately ("from freedom") instead of compulsively. Learn about the Slow Food Movement. Think about what happens when we put success at the center of life. Our whole life diminishes, family, friends, leisure all take a hit. So does our health. Appreciate the food you're eating. Make eating a ritual, offer a blessing before eating. From Wendell Berry:
    Eating with the fullest pleasure - pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance - is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience and celebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.
  • Cook and, if you can, plant a garden. We'll know, learn, and appreciate more about what we're eating.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The List

  1. Portland, Oregon
  2. Madison, Wisconsin
  3. Burlington, Vermont
  4. Ann Arbor, MI
I wanted to put Pittsburgh, PA on the list; I love the city and it has the lowest cost of living of the entire group. I couldn't do it because I just don't see a big focus on health/fitness overall. Otherwise it would be at the top of the list.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

On Change

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.

- Anatole France

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Three Things

Okay, I went to Weight Watchers a couple of weeks ago and the leader for that particular group is some kind of Weight Watchers Rockstar or something. She's a total pistol and I can completely relate to her 'frugal' perspective on everything. Anyway, she had a really good tip that I'm totally up for doing this week.

Here's the tip:

Make a List of Three Things

So, if you're a list maker who (like me) makes a list of things to do, then gets totally demotivated by the looming number of unfinished things on the list, make a list of ONLY three items to complete. My list for today is:

  1. Take down all of the Halloween decorations and put them away.
  2. Clean the three bathrooms.
  3. Take Grey to the park (temps in the 30's make me feel less and less like going outside lately).
That's it. I know that I have lots of other things to do, but I will definitely complete these items. The list could be for a week, or a day, or home projects that never seem to get done. I'll be back to mark them off as I go.

*Edited to add - finished everything on the list today. It really helped writing down the bathrooms because with three boys, cleaning toilets is something I try to put off as much as I can.

Monday, November 2, 2009

November already?

So, since I was last here, the whole family (except for husband) managed to get over their bout of H1N1 with variable speed.

Kids had a great Halloween, managed to give away candy to a few hundred kids before running out just before Trick-Or-Treating was over. As we're one of the only subdivisions in an otherwise pretty rural area, people come for miles with vanloads of kids for trick-or treating. I like seeing all of the kids, but it would be nice if maybe some of the teenagers could actually dress up for the occasion.

Husband's car died over the weekend, so I had to take all of the kids for oldest son's checkup this morning - not that any of them minded being late for school - while Hubs bummed a ride into work with a friend. So, with over 220,000 miles, is this it for the old Passat?

Friday, October 16, 2009

Being Grateful

I'm just really tired of looking at the same page. Instead of writing about how I feel, which would be somwhat negative (hello early winter) and not constructive, I'm going to be thankful because I know that lots of things in life are more about how we frame them.

Saying that I'm grateful for all of the really big things makes me worry that I'll jinx myself, so maybe I'll acknowledge mostly the things that aren't so big.

I'm glad that of the 23 houses on my street, 13 haven't gone into foreclosure, and more than half of the couples are still married to each other. I'm glad that a few of my kids' best friends are still able to spend half of their time with the parents that still live in the neighborhood.

Because the kids are LOVING school, I don't mind spending 3-4 hours taking them there and back (I'm serious - it is worth EVERY minute).

All three kids (and hubs) sick in the last week means that I get to mommy them a little bit more. Sometimes it's nice for mom when everyone wants to cuddle.

Husband working 76-80 hrs/week means that business is doing well enough to keep on going in this crazy Michigan economy. Also, I get to spend a bit more time talking to kids, helping with homework, teaching them to cook.

Even though he is the busiest man alive, hubs is really the most caring person I have ever known -his ability to see the positive in everything is the reason why I knew he was the one for me - and his friends are wrong, I am the lucky one.

Hubs might be home this weekend - fingers crossed. I may be able to get that armoire downstairs, and take a walk by myself.

The 50% off coupon at Michaels? Awesome. Making cheap, fake art for bedroom out of canvas and scrapbook paper is a fun distraction. Also learning that my house needs more glitter.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Livestrong Failure


Usually when I screw something up, I feel like I should do something about it, but don't. I don't know how many times I buy a card for someone, then neglect to send it and feel bad about it - but not bad enough to send it late, or let the person know I was thinking about them. Even though it's not Friday, I'm still putting this up:

So, my favorite blogger POD had this great idea to write a post to support Livestrong Day on Friday, October 2. Sounded good to me, count me in. So this particular date coincides with Boy1's 10th birthday, and grandparents called to let me know that they'll be showing up too. Which is great news, but makes things just a bit crazier with cleaning, stocking, decorating, baking, preparing Sunday school class, dog obedience school, garage sale (some thing's got to give), etc.

So, I was running around all day Friday with last-minute preparations for the birthday and grandparents' surprise visit. I left my car keys in the garage when the neighbor's dog ran over earlier in the day, so when it was time to pick up birthday boy, I had no idea where I had put them and could not find them (no, we do not have a spare car key). I was late to pick him up for the first time this year ON HIS BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday E! We then rushed over to pickup Boy2 from school and he came out of his class 20 minutes after school was over - the first time he was late leaving from class this year ever. He wasn't able to find a folder that he needed and his teacher was ignoring him when he tried to talk to her about it. I was trying to beat my parents home, but got a call from them needing our garage code so that they could get into the house. As we pulled into the driveway, one kid thought it was funny that there was a car in our driveway with a Union Jack license plate like Grandma's at the same time another realized what that actually meant. I barely had the car in park as they jumped out and bounded up the stairs to greet their grandparents.

We had Evan's favorite pizza and yellow frosted cupcakes to celebrate the big day. My Dad and I talked about Michael Moore's movies. Anyone not from the rust belt may not understand how real and true all of his movies are, but now even conservative are getting behind Moore with his latest two films, Sicko and Capitalism, A Love Story.

It is pretty funny that people complain about the notion that healthcare would make our nation a socialist country when we embrace our military, police, and firefighters for keeping us safe at taxpayer's expense. I don't want to go without their services any more than I think that the current healthcare system is working even for those with excellent coverage. What happens to your great coverage if your job is downsized, or your care is deemed too expensive? In Moore's Sicko, many of those charged with providing care to us are encouraged, rewarded, and forced to make the decision to deny policy holders with needed health care coverage. A husband with leukemia with a brother who's a match is first told that he's been approved for a bone-marrow transplant, then told that the operation will not be covered and he will die. A doctor charged with making decisions that favor the bottom line over human life was told, to assuage her guilt, that you're not denying medical treatment, you're just denying payment.

In this country, we stay in jobs that make us miserable because we fear the loss of health insurance, especially those of us who've had any medical problems. A boy I went to high school with died at the age of 32, a few months before the birth of his second child. He was in remission from melanoma and having severe stomach pain. At his checkups, they didn't find the reason for this pain, missed the elevated levels on renal function. He had just moved back to Pgh. from CA, and was waiting for the health insurance to kick in from his new job in January because his cobra insurance wouldn't cover tests to confirm what was gnawing at the back of his mind. He was treated like a hypochondriac for months (his doctor gave him Cipro, telling him that it would make him feel better) until just before Christmas of that year when he wound up in the emergency room. They gave him the tests he had been asking for and he found out that the melanoma had returned with a vengeance. Just before treatment was about to begin, he became too ill and the disease took him from his pregnant wife and daughter in January . Maybe an earlier diagnosis wouldn't have saved his life, but he might have met his son or given his loved ones some time to digest what was happening.

Our worth as a person and our right to good medical coverage should not be tied to what job we have. Want to help small businesses flourish? Take the responsibility of health insurance out of small business owner's hands - they can't afford it - so either they don't provide it, or they provide sub-par policies because it's the best they can do, or they don't go into business at all. Without the ability to negotiate for better health care costs, people with pre-existing medical concerns cannot afford healthcare when insurance corporations take it away from them, and people without health insurance have to decide whether they are sick enough to warrant the cost of medical care.

Caring for the health of our citizens shouldn't be consumed by profit, and by making it a cash cow for some attracts precisely the wrong people to those positions. Making profit the goal is the reason that our top scientists aren't paid to cure diseases, but to find ways to 'treat' them with pharmaceuticals. Please let's take our health back into our own hands and return this country into a Democracy where the people decide what is best for our citizens rather than a few executives with a vested interest in keeping us sick.

Even though I was a jackass and missed Livestrong Day, don't let it stop you from visiting Livestrong.org and offering your support. Or Stand Up for Healthcare Reform.

By the way, these are my opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of anyone I've linked to in this post.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Parenting 101

Not a good idea to buy 2 kids a cupcake to kill time between school pick-ups even if you tell them that they should probably keep that information to themselves.

Because when we pick up the third kid, it will be the first thing G mentions to him.

*edited to add: Also, don't take G with you to buy your 10-year-old a birthday present unless you want G to tell 10-year-old about the Lego Starwars ship he'll be getting.



Also today: Jillian's 30 Day Shred and Gilad.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Making it Your Own

So, G had a big birthday over the weekend. He was excited about the Lego Space Police, and even more excited about the crazy straws (only one milk spill all weekend!). Instead of buying cards, each family member has to make a card (use some effort!) for the birthday boy (or girl). Since G's favorite animal is a lion, mommy felt that this was the obvious choice. After he fawned over the card for a bit, I put it up on the counter with the rest of the birthday wishes. A few minutes later, I returned to the kitchen to find this improvement:


Much better.



*edited to add: Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad, and Level 1 of Jillian. Go me!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Gilad and Jillian to the Rescue

I haven't worked out in ages. Old habits that I knew were ingrained have just fallen by the wayside. Among other excuses, I haven't been able to figure out exactly where I can fit exercise into our new schedule.

Today, I decided to put my preschooler in front of NickJr (when did it stop being Noggin?) for a bit while I worked out to my hero Gilad, and I squeezed in a level of 30-Day Shred before having to basically run through the shower on my way to pick up Son1 from school. I feel great about not making excuses today.

And I'm calling myself out to keep it going.

I'm making it a habit. Especially because there was cake on Fri for G's birthday, and there'll be cake again for E's big day.

image from Netflix

Monday, September 14, 2009

The Spark

Why is it so much easier to find when you step on the scale and realize that you've lost 4 lbs. since the last time you weighed? I'm feeling totally motivated and getting ready for Jillian Michaels' right now.

*edited to add: better not find out that someone was fiddling with the scale and I've actually gained weight.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Back to School

This week has been completely amazing. I've forgotten how much easier it is to get everything done around here without an 8-y-o and a 9-y-o hanging around to remind me of how boring everything is. And how hot it is outside, and how I'm mean because I don't allow video games every day. Also, 3-y-o isn't missing the older kids half as much as I'd thought he would.

The thing that's not so great: the sixty miles of driving them back and forth to school everyday. Which amounts to 3hours in driving and waiting around for their respective school day(s) to begin and end. So, how do I still have all of this extra time? Is it because I'm back to waking at 6am? Should I get up at 5 so that my workouts can be done before the rest of the house so much as *thinks* about waking?

Everything about this week has been beautiful, including the weather: lows in the high 50's and highs in the upper 70s-low-80's. The kids haven't been weighed down with homework, so we've had time for art projects, some studying on the computer, and for running around the neighborhood with friends. I just want to freeze this week in time so that I can pull it out whenever things aren't so smooth or easy. When there's so much homework that there aren't enough minutes in the day to get everything done, when the weather keeps the kids inside, or when friends aren't around because so many of them have to go their other parent's house tonight.

Tonight we'll be together, toasting marshmallows and enjoying each other's company. And I'll also be thinking about the perfect day 8 years ago when the world seemed to change. The day when I worried about what kind of world I had just brought my new baby into. And I'll think about the families that were not so fortunate on that day.

Today I'm thankful that our family is whole, and loves each other; and that our kids have us to lean on when everything isn't so great.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Good Fortune

So, everything is turning out to be very manageable. The broken appliances turned out with the best case scenario as far as repairs and a little reaching by the providers of our extended warranty. So now we have clean dishes and cold food after living for a couple of weeks with a mini fridge and a manual dishwasher.

We spent a couple of days this week at Kensington on the cross country course. While we were there, we saw deer, fish, turtles, swans, geese, turkey, cranes, a mole, and a cat. The kids initially resented us for the forced march, but they warmed up and were really excited by all of the animals by the end of the trip. Even with the gorgeous weather and fresh air, I have to admit that I've gotten really comfortable with not eating mindfully or exercising regularly. I have to make some changes. Starting right now, I need to journal every bite and get at least 40 minutes of exercise every day. With husband home on vacation this week, I have no excuse that there's not enough time.

I'm changing things up around here on the blog too. Just a bit to freshen things up.

Just bought read the Dave Ramsey book, and am feeling really stoked to completely change our lifestyle to continue to keep things in the right direction.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Role Models

Months after reading this and mentioning it here, I am still in love with this woman. She is living proof of where we can all be at 83. My favorite yoga instructor in Ann Arbor was 72, and his busy schedule included teaching at least 4 hours of yoga every week.

At last year's Run Thru Hell (Hell, MI), I was talking to a man who had run every Detroit Marathon since the race started in 1978. More notable than his level of physical fitness was the level of happiness radiating out of this guy. He was having a great time doing what he loved to do.

That's something we can lose sight of. It's not totally about being a size 2. It's about being mindful, taking care of yourself, and having fun while doing it. Thank goodness there's a whole generation (or 2) of people still around to show us the way.

Going to workout now.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

MBTI = INFJ

So, was going through Nester's archives and saw this entry.

Clicked through and took the test, and shocker: I'm INFJ (Introversion, iNtuition, Feeling, Judging) - making up 1% of the population. I should be a minister, professor, or counselor.
Husband is nearly my polar opposite (an ENTP) but supposedly the best match for this weirdo.

Famous INFJ's? Mother Theresa, Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandella. Wonder if they'd like Real Housewives too?

Monday, August 10, 2009

Balloons in the Backyard

One of the really cool things about living here is probably that our town has a Balloon Fest every summer. If the wind is right, a half-dozen-or-so balloons will take off from or land in the field behind our home. Because the weather was perfect, we saw dozens of balloons float over our roof top. This year's favorites: the carousel balloon that 's a regular sight in town, and a new penguin balloon. I ran up to snap a picture of these two landing in the field this year ('09).

I think that every time I need to vent, I'm going to mitigate it with a picture that reminds me of something cool. In the last three days, both the refrigerator and dishwasher have died. We just had to replace the motherboard on the computer in July and paid over $300 to fix the microwave a couple of months ago. Yes we could have bought a new microwave for almost as much, but I'm feeling like we really need to mitigate the huge footprint that we're already leaving on the earth and actually fix the stuff we have instead of tossing it aside for something new. Another bonus: warranty on fridge expired July 28, and the problem is more costly/complex than pretty handy Hubs can handle on his own.

Aren't the balloons really cool?

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Paint Therapy


Lately I've been focusing on things in which I either have no control, or it's my responsibility to take over all control to steer my family onto a very difficult path that I feel will leave us better off in the long run. I know that all of this cryptic vocabulary doesn't make it any easier for anyone to help or understand the situation, but I can't really get into it any deeper here.

Without going into detail, I will say that I've been feeling extremely trapped in my current situation, worried about the welfare of those around me, and the welfare of my husband pracitcally killing himself to make everyone happy with the result of keeping everyone miserable. I've been angry about the situation, scared, sad, even devastated. I've also been working so hard to 'put a good light on it' and just deal with the situation and be happy for everything that's going right. This was working out okay until a couple of months ago when we got the rug pulled out from us in a certain regard. A couple of weeks later there was more bad news that left me depleted, then about a month ago a series of events transpired that basically destroyed any hope that this situation would be fixable in any measure whatsoever. That's when I realized that there is a very sound solution, but this means that I actually have to be assertive in my convictions and that I actually have to lead this family and not just follow grudgingly along the path to ruin. I felt the opaque fog that's been struggling to smother me the last few years go away. Instantly. I've been working on the plan for a few weeks now, and I am more convinced that I'm definitely on the right path, as hard as it is to navigate.

So, I've been finding ways to keep me from dwelling on this stuff 24 hours per day. That's where the paint therapy comes in. I found this little bird for $2 at Salvation Army. I've been wanting to try a project like this to see how it would come out.


After a little white paint meditation, the bird emerges a bit more to my taste. Here he is making my bookcase look so much nicer.

So here's to making things a little better, and a bit of paint to make it all easier to deal with.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Gilad Spotting

Just watched Burn After Reading, and, John Malkovich working out to Gilad? Awesome.

...4 miles today! Not all running, knee was feeling a little sticky, so I took it a little easy.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Get the ball rolling

So, I've managed to overcome a bit of my inertia of late. I managed to work out three days so far this week. Most of my challenge is just getting started. I worked out (Cathe Slow and Heavy chest and back, ow) on Tuesday, then husband asked me to go to the track with him and the boys. I said that I'd walk a couple of laps. Well, I got there and started to walk, and of course the music started to get to me and I wound up running a few miles in my trail shoes. Hubs knows that if I get started, I cannot help myself and have to continue until I get in a full workout.

So that's the idea for the rest of the week. Of course 6 veg/fruit per day, 6 waters per day, and FIVE minutes of working out. Five because I know that if I can just get started, I'll get in a full workout.

Any other tips for just making it happen?

Monday, July 20, 2009

Inertia

We all have things going on in our lives that give us the excuse to not get it together, and I have a bagful, but they are just excuses. I know that by staying healthy and fit I'm way better equipped to handle the crap that gets thrown at me on a day-to-day basis.

Despite several aborted attempts, I have not maintained any real focus this summer when it comes to exercise and healthy eating. I went to Weight Watchers and was feeling really gung-ho about losing the 10 lbs I wanted to lose, but when I got to the magic number, my focus dropped and I started slagging off on exercise and eating crap at meal times. I had a pretty good wakeup call this morning when (TMI alert) I noticed that my bra is starting to spill over with the abundance of chest that I'm sporting. I am NOT going to buy new bras - they are too expensive and I'd rather save my money for something good.

It's like I'm trying to roll a giant boulder (not my chest), and I'm great as long as I keep moving and don't let my focus shift. If I let my focus lag just a bit, that boulder is impossible to move. That's where I am right now; headed uphill, bracing the boulder so it doesn't roll backwards and squash the crap out of me. I'm just looking for a little reserve of strength to get it rolling in the right direction.

So today I'm going to journal my food, I'm going to get (at least) 30 minutes of exercise, and I'm going to eat 6 servings of veg/fruit.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Woman Worrier

So, Death Case Scenario: it's where normal people look at glass of water filled to the halfway point and say, "it's half-full'" or, "It's half empty." People like me look at it and say, "I'm going to pick up the glass to take a drink, it's going to slip out of my hand, and I'll fall and bash my head off of the corner of the counter while trying to save it."


Just to further illustrate Death Case Scenario in action, I put together a little list of irrational fears. Usually the minute I think of them, I laugh at the absurdity, but it is the way I think.

Irrational Fears: Home Edition
  • Do you know how sometimes there are worms in old, cloth books? Or that there are pantry bugs that can get into your flour, sugar or whatever? I sometimes worry that at some point between manufacture and sitting in my cabinet, my tampons could harbor an infestation that I'll unknowingly insert.
  • I worry that while running with my dog, she'll dart to the side quickly and I'll step on one of her legs, breaking it.
  • I've worried that my sweat will cause me to be electrocuted by my iPod.
  • I've wondered if the glaze on my coffee mug could be tainted with lead.
  • I've wondered the same of the vitamin I take to be healthy.
  • If my knitting is next to the bed, I have to move it before I go to sleep because I fear that I'll fall out of bed in the night and be impaled on one of the needles.

Any one else do this from time to time? What's your worry?

Friday, June 26, 2009

No More Pity Party

So, just went without the computer for a week - and it was pretty awesome. I suddenly found the time to read a book I'd been meaning to read for a while (Eat, Pray, Love), I got a couple of projects done around the house, I read LOTS of books to boy#3, and I was able to pull myself out of a serious funk that came about for no GOOD reason.

First, Eat, Pray, Love is a really good book (despite the fact that I resent when something I'm interested in winds up on Oprah - I don't like being a minion). I was in such a crappy, feeling-sorry-for-myself-little-snit; and this book met me right where I wanted it to. I've been putting too much energy into feeling overwhelmed lately, and that is total crap.

It's pretty late, so I'll update more in the morning. Have a good night.

Monday, June 15, 2009

30 27 Days of Exercise in June: Still Going

Let's keep the ball rolling and see 7 days of activity this week.

Mon, June 15: Gilad's Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad Did I do it? Yes I did! Kickboxing and TBS back, chest, abs, thighs. Arms aren't sore from yesterday's Cathe workout.
Tues, June 16: Yoga Did I do it? Yup. Inhale w/ Steve Ross
Wed, June 17: Run/walk 5 miles, upper body Did I do it? Too much rain for the run, so 1 hr on mini trampoline plus a bit of abs.
Thurs, June 18: Jillian Michaels Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism Did I do it? Nah, but I did do 30 min of yoga.
Fri, June 19: Short Run, yoga Did I do it? Stuck inside w/ storms & rain, so Gilad's Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad
Sat, June 20: bike ride, yoga Did I do it?
Sun, June 21: Yoga, Run, or Cathe - depends on T's Father's Day requests Did I do it?

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Yay Pens!

...So excited that the Pens won the Stanley Cup 'n'at!

Monday, June 8, 2009

30 27 Days of Exercise in June

Okay. Last week didn't work out as well as planned, but I am going to work out every day for the remainder of June. I finally made a schedule to see how well I can follow an actual plan from week-to-week without having to rebel against myself.

Mon, June 8: Gilad's Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad Did I do it? Yes I did! Kickboxing and Total Body Workout II
Tues, June 9: Run/ walk 5 miles, yoga Did I do it? I did it! 5 mile run and 30 minutes of yoga.
Wed, June 10: Jillian Michaels Banish Fat/Boost Metabolism, yoga Did I do it? Yes I did! Fitness trail w/ kids, Jillian Michaels, then 30 minutes of yoga. I'm exhausted today.
Thurs, June 11: Fitness Trail, and 50 states or playground sprints Did I do it? Sort of, too rainy, so went for Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt. Abs are actually a bit sore today. The first time in a while.
Fri, June 12: Kick, Punch and Crunch, yoga Did I do it? Mostly. Cathe's Kick, Punch, and Crunch after Pens game because I worried that turning the game off would mean that they'd lose.
Sat, June 13: arms/upper body, yoga Did I do it? Yoga (Crane sequence) and Cathe Friedrich's Stretch Max 1
Sun, June 14: bike ride (16 miles minimum) Did I do it? Yeah, Forgot that T had a triathlon at Belle Isle today, so no bike ride. Instead ran three miles, and one hour of biceps and triceps. I haven't worked my arms that well in a while - I think that I'll be hurting tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

30 Days of Exercise in June

So, I'm starting June off with a bit of a challenge for myself. I plan on finding some way to fit in exercise everyday in June, even if it means only 30 minutes of yoga. Last week was a bit of a disaster with exercise, I let myself slack off for almost the entire week.

So this week, I'll be logging my exercise weekly, and editing posts to records the week's activity.

June
1:Jillian Michaels Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism
2:5 mile run/walk, Cathe Friedrich Pyramid Upper Body
3:50 states and capitals, Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad

Wah-wah, totally skipped the next three days - but wound up in a frenzy of painting, upholstering, planting and shopping for things to get the house looking more homey.
4:Skip
5:Skip
6:Skip
7:30 minutes of pilates. Might start adding more pilates because I felt really good afterward.

Friday, May 22, 2009

So...Weight Watchers

A rare picture of me...with Double G

Okay, I started this blog to get serious about my health/body issues. I was hovering at 10 lbs. above my personal ideal weight. I managed to lose a pound or two, then I managed to find them, plus an additional 5.6 since February. To be honest, I've been feeling increasingly demotivated since the holidays. Don't know if it was the weather, economy, personal issues or most likely a combination that made it impossible to get energy or enjoyment from almost anything. I stopped going to WW last year because I was obsessing over the weigh-ins, feeling like I couldn't figure out how to go to the meetings (which I personally needed) without feeling like I didn't belong there, or feeling like I was being asked by the leader for my opinion on every question. I just wanted to be anonymous (invisible), and the WW leader wasn't letting me. Instead of addressing that - I quit.

So, almost a year and a half later, I finally decided to go back. At 5.6 pounds above my WW goal weight. And even though I know some people would think that was an OK weight, I was still embarrassed to go back. My leader congratulated me on coming back - I wish I came back sooner. I lost 3.2 lbs. the first week and 1 lb. this week. Now that I'm withing 2 lbs. of my goal weight, meetings are free again.

What brought me back: Diabetes and obesity. In my family, if you don't have one, or the other, or both; you're heading there. I know plenty of folks can eat sugar/simple refined carbs with no effects. That is not me. Not only does it make me feel crappy when I have it, but it starts a cycle of sugar craving that literally lasts for weeks. I really think that it's pretty selfish of me to consciously engage in a behavior that's almost guaranteed to result in chronic disease. So, If I take a few steps down another path, maybe I'll be able to go a bit longer without the disease or doctors and medication.

This week I'm focusing on: tracking what I'm eating. That's it. I'm not into counting points and all of that. I prefer Weight Watchers CORE plan (now called Simply Filling or SiFi for WW nerds), it focuses on less processed foods and eating mindfully. I've also been doing 30 minutes of yoga most days for the last month or so - the difference in my flexibility is really noticeable. I've never been able to sit comfortably in full lotus, but in the last couple of weeks I've been able to sit comfortably for increasingly longer periods of time. This was my motivation for increasing my yoga practice.

So, do you have any advice for sticking with the program, or in making changes in general? Anyone else feel crappy about 'falling off the wagon' with diet and exercise?

Friday, May 8, 2009

On the UUp Side

South Bend does have a really cute UU Church - I gave a little woot when I saw it. Wonder if Presbyterians do the same when they see another Presbyterian church?

Alan Alda was AMAZING on 30 Rock - when Jack asked him about his religious affiliation, Alda's character dropped the bombshell that he's an Agnostic Secular Humanist. Hubs and I both said, "UU." Funny to us.

ADD Road Trip

In the last few months, I've come to realize that we've been living in this house for almost 5 years, and besides painting the walls, I've done nothing to actually make if feel like 'home.' I don't know if I was in denial that we actually live here, but the plan of selling the house in 2009 is definitely on the back-burner; especially since home values have fallen 30% or more in our neighborhood (yay Michigan!). Since we're going to be here for a while, I decided to actually start putting some personality in these rooms. Because I'm cheap and OCD particular, it's been a slow process of combing Craigslist, antique stores, and garage sales to start getting this house up-to-par on a budget.

One of the key pieces I've been looking for is an antique/vintage secretary desk. I've seen at least a dozen that weren't quite right or if they were, had too many zeroes in the price. Last week I found the perfect secretary for a great price in Iowa. The town was over 600 miles away - with trailer rental and hotel rooms, the secretary would still be well below the prices I've seen everywhere else. I brought it up with my husband, hoping that he'd talk some sense into me. No luck, he bought the piece of furniture and the family got ready to hit the road. I have to say that Iowa is really a beautiful state. The rolling hills were a welcome reprieve from the unrelenting flatness of Indiana and Illinois. We stopped in Iowa City the first night - kind of weird that the Iowa River runs right through the middle of U of Iowa's campus. Part of the university was under water last year when the Iowa River flooded - it looks like renovation is ongoing in the large and still-new buildings that flank the banks of the river. I'd like to visit Iowa City again if we had more time - it's no Penn State but it was a really nice university town.

We made it to Lamoni, Iowa (where we picked up the -exactly what I wanted- secretary) and stopped at Maid-Rite for lunch. I knew about loose-meat sandwiches from watching Roseanne as a kid, but had never seen one in person. I had a Maid-Rite topped salad. I expected the worst but it was really good, not greasy or weird tasting at all.

The next day, we decided that a detour through South Bend, Indiana would be a nice way to wrap up the trip. That is one depressing town. It was hard not to notice the huge dichotomy between the haves and have-nots in South Bend to the extent that it felt cartoonishly like propaganda against capitalism. Despite the general suckiness of the town, if anyone has to go to Notre Dame for a weekend I would highly recommend the Oaken Bucket. We had a great 'lunner' there on Sunday afternoon with the help of a Sierra-Nevada on draught (totally makes up for the 22 hours spent in the car over three days).

Now that we're home, I have three major painting/refinishing projects on the way. I'll try to remember to take pictures and post my progress. Also: went back to Weight Watchers yesterday - I'll post more about that soon.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Smartasses, stalking the subdivision, and of course, exercise.

With three kids, I have to say that something I'm very thankful for is that they're not picky eaters and they tell me they really like the meals I make for them. I wasn't so fond of my mom's cooking when I was growing up. It was a real thrill for me to have meat, starch, and vegetable actually appear as three distinct items at dinner. My favorite included anything that didn't leave a thick film of grease on the bottom of the plate.
So tonight I was serving pork with broccoli, lemon, and capers over wheat cappellini and as I was rounding the table I nearly tripped. I said, "Whoa, if I died you guys wouldn't be able to eat any more of my good cooking." My oldest (9) deadpanned, "We'd be okay - there'd still be leftovers from tonight."

Last week was a good one, T was in Vegas for work, it was nice to spend time alone with the kids. When either parent is missing, it seems like the morning routine is so much more streamlined, so we were able to get out of the house for school in much less time with much less confusion. There were lots of great conversations with the older boys that seem to sprout up more when only one parent is in attendance. Just before T left, we got an email from a couple of neighbors telling us that there was some kind of wild animal loose in the neighborhood, that one of the kids had found a bunny missing its head and shoulders (on Easter), and that a cat was attacked and managed to survive. The vet who performed surgery on the cat said that it definitely wasn't wounded from a domesticated animal, maybe a fox or wolf. I was hoping that there wouldn't be any bunnies for the dog to find, and since a rabid fox attacked someone in our town last fall, I was worried that the animal might be sick as well (why else would you not finish your Easter bunny?).

Exercise: So far this week, I've completed yoga everyday, and we took the kids for a short (8 mile) bikeride after the rain on Sunday. I had fun with Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad today. Gotta get the youngest to bed, I hear him sneaking back downstairs.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Exercise as Motivation

Getting a pretty good start to the week activity-wise, but because Easter brought with it lots of candy - food's going to be a pretty big focus for the rest of the week. I've really been missing the yoga that I practiced a few years ago. I've been so into the so-called "power yoga" that I've lost some of the more contemplative nature and deliberate movement of the yoga that I fell in love with. So, for the last two days, I've given 1/2 hour morning and night to a slow, deliberate Hatha practice. I'm already noticing an increase in flexibility.

Easter was really good - the kids loved their baskets despite the fact that the Easter Bunny made some significant cutbacks. Oldest got the third Diary of a Wimpy Kid book (bought with Borders coupon) and Pokemon cards with his bit of candy; Middle found an Indiana Jones lego set (on sale at Target but on his wish list) along with knitting needles and yarn. Baby (who's now three) is also really into the legos, so the Easter Bunny gave him a lego firefighter set along with some pastel Pla-Doh.

We took the kids to (UU) church. This is the first time in their lives that they've been to any kind of church on Easter. Does it sound like a back-handed compliment to you when someone tells you that your son is "all boy?" Or do they intend it as a comparison to your other son who prefers to dance shirtless in your living room so that he can show off the designs he made with his tattoo marker?

This week:

Sun: One hour yoga and 4 mile intervals

Mon: One hour yoga, Total Body Sculpt, and Bodies in Motion

Tues:Kids go back to school! 30 min yoga, 5 mile run, 30 min yoga.

Wed: 30 min yoga, triceps, biceps, back, chest - TV where Priscilla was TiVo'd suddenly isn't working - look for some yoga online tomorrow.

Thurs: 1hr30 raking yard, 30min yoga, Cathe Friedrich Bootcamp.

Fri: 30 min yoga, fitness trail and walk w/ kids, 30 min yoga.

Sat:4 mile walk w/ kids, fitness trail,

Friday, April 10, 2009

We're back

Okay, after a week of family wide ....Gastro-Intestinal issues, a trip to Pgh, and lots of coughing and sneezing - we're back. While most of the family was in the throes of vomit and the other thing that comes with that type of illlness, I was smug in the assertion that I was Superwoman and nothing could make me sick. I was so wrong. Five days of "GI illness" and I was left feeling like a deflated balloon.

Yesterday, I finally was able to get it together enough for some much needed exercise. Since it was so nice outside (after the weekend's 7-8" of snow melted) the whole family headed to the track with footballs, running cones, and iPods for the grownups. I definitely misjudged the weather as I ran/walked in the frigid temperatures that start as darkness begins to fall. I stopped a bit short of my intended 16 laps because the whole family was cold, tired, and NOT enjoying themselves.

so here's the exercise I have for what's left of this week:

Thurs: 14 laps intervals on track. Lungs burning from cold air and lack of exercise for over a week.

Fri: Gilad's Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad

Sat: Lots of scouring antique stores for a couple of particular things that we needed for Easter, no exercise.

Now I'm off to get the needed supplies to finish Easter Baskets and something cute for the new neighbors. Trying to decide whether to make them cupcakes or cookies. Made adorable cupcakes for Boy2's birthday last week with marshmallow peeps on top. Might do that.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Western Michigan could expect...

...6 inches of snow overnight.

Also, watching The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp on FLN - finally a show where people just need the extra push to get them the rest of the way to their goal.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Sitting on my ass and eating won't make the economy better March 22-28

I've just had to take over the finances in our house because my husband's terrible money handling skills have us in a hole so deep that it will be a decade before we even see the light of day. Also, do you know that I don't believe in charge cards, and don't have one? But I just found out that hubs does, to the tune of $60,000. Idiot. Also, how is there a company-wide paycut while you're still working 75hrs+ per week? Because of our financial situation there is no extra money for child care - so get f'ing home sometime so that I can get a job that pays in money, and the kids actually know what their Dad looks like. Also, enjoy your trip to Vegas next month for 'work'.

Exercise
Tuesday: Gilad's Bodies in Motion/pretty old one with the guys sporting waist-deep armholes and women wearing belts on their leotards. Also, Total Body Sculpt/as always lots of lunges, functional moves.

Wednesday: All Star Workouts: Core workout w/ Petra Kolber.

Thurs:no

Fri: Gilad's Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad

Sat:Gilad's Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad

Food -on plan
Mon-yes
Tues-yes
Wed-yes
Thurs - no - Had a nasty turkey reuben for lunch that probably had a gallon of mayo and almost no turkey. Cost for sandwich and cup of coffee $12.75!
Fri -yes, despite heading toward the pantry a few times, super healthy eating with lots of fruit and veg, and a great piece of wild salmon for lunch.
Sat - definitely not enough fruits and vegetables or water

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Exercise - March 15 thru 21

I can't believe that it was actually 60 degrees today! I took the opportunity to go running outside, then drinks with the ladies - it was really good to get out without hubs and kids.
Here's how the week looks:

Sun - 5 mile run.

*Mon - 1 hr yoga (Inhale w/Steve Ross)

*St. Patrick's Day - 5 mile run; then 2 1/2 hrs. at Kensington walking around lake, playing on playground, and fitness trail with the 3 boys.

*Wed - Cathe Friedrich Pyramid Upper Body

*Thurs - Boy2 spent the day becoming the vomiteur - so no exercising, but lots of scrubbing, disinfecting, and herding rest of family away from Mr. Contamination

*Fri - Boy 2 still puking

*Sat - off/ is it normal for husbands to work 75+ hours/week while taking a company-wide paycut?

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Exercise - March 8 thru 14, 2009

Okay, since I stopped recording my exercise weekly, the activity has been lacking. More than any other time in the last four years of my life. So, welcome back weekly exercise logs.

Also, there has been much baking going on in the house. It started with bread, then beer bread (amazing when made with a Yuengling Black & Tan), then I needed to make a cake with chocolate buttercream, and finally today a dark chocolate cake with mocha and vanilla buttercream. I don't know if it's the weather, the economy, or what that's creating this pervasive funk around the house; but cramming baked goods down my throat definitely won't make things better. So, in honor of the dark chocolate cake, here's my exercise for the week:

Sunday - Gilad's Bodies in Motion, Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad, and 1/2 hr. yoga (went through a series from a book - yawn).

*Monday - Gilad's Bodies in Motion, Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad

*Tuesday - Gilad's Bodies in Motion

*Wednesday - Gilad's Bodies in Motion, Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad

*Thursday - Off

*Friday - Gilad's Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt

*Saturday - Total Body Sculpt Plus VII

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Bee in my Bonnet

I love my DVR. It has seen me through countless episodes of Cardio Max, Lost, and Real Housewives. With an equal fervor, I hate our huge, clunky DVD player that accompanies 4 large baskets of DVDs. Most of them we don't watch - but you never know when my husband is going to need a Caddyshack or Zoolander fix - so we keep them. I have to admit to more than a dozen workout DVD's of my own. I'm so tired of the audio-visual gymnastics that I have to do to play a DVD on our system. That and having to replace Toy Story twice due to scratches, and did I mention the 4 baskets of DVDs wasting space on our shelves?

While we were driving to Ann Arbor over the weekend, I asked my husband if we could get a hard drive to put all of our DVD's and downloaded iTunes episodes on - to get rid of the DVD's and make it easier to access them. He said that we should, then we both promptly forgot the conversation. Then I read this post. If I had the hard drive connected to the TVs, I would definitely be downloading more exercise shows (right now I put them on my iPod and connect to the tv with av cables). The comments were helpful too, with some sources for ripping old DVDs.

Project for this weekend: price hard drives that can handle the amount of files I need, and figure out a way to get it to work in three rooms.

Exercise: Friday - Cardio Blast Push-Pull
Saturday - Gilad Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad
Sunday - Gilad ''

Wed - Gilad Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Nothing to see here...

...Just recording my exercise.

Yesterday I did an hour of yoga (almost an hour/Inhale w/ Steve Ross). It's always moderately challenging, but today my hamstrings and triceps are so sore. Didn't even realize it until I started working out tonight. Must be the extra focus I put into lowering into Chaturanga , and repeated Warrior poses.

Today, husband and I busted out some old school Gilad (Bodies in Motion) and some newer Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad. It was okay, but I definitely need some outside exercise in the next couple of days to break the monotony.

Was sorry to miss the concert for Black History Month tonight. Husband got home a little late, and I just didn't feel like slinking in late to another function. Also, with the kids, it would have been pretty expensive - whatever - we should have gone.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Selfish mothers

Did anyone watch The Biggest Loser tonight? I think that I just watched Helen force her daughter off of the show. While I did that, I ran 5.15 miles (can't just round down and say 5) on treadmill, then some crunches and push-ups (all of this while husband put the three boys to bed).

Oldest son returned to his 4th grade class from mid-winter break and the teachers were nice enough to welcome him with 4 hours of homework.

Ridiculous.

So much for ski club tonight. Sorry E. And felt really bad when I had to tell two of the neighborhood boys that he couldn't play because he had too much work to do. In addition the 4 hrs of work, he had his nightly reading assignment of at least 20 min. and had to practice his multiplication facts.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Check-in

So, we're back from our short trip to PA. There's so much going around in my head based on the trip that I might go into on another day. I just can't leave there without feeling worried about and disappointed in the way that many of my family members handle the challenges of normal life.

Exercise Thurs, Feb 12 - 5 mile run/walk on treadmill. Walking got really boring, so had to start running for a while.

Fri, Feb 13 - Jillian Michaels' Boost/Metabolism.

Sat and Sunday - no exercise.

Noticing the time, time to get started on my exercise for today. Gilad?

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

New DVD

Woo! Just finished Jillian Michaels' Banish Fat Boost Metabolism workout video ( just got it for $9.99 at Meier). It is seriously hard for me to need to stop for a breather while doing a video. I had to stop twice during this one - during standing mountain climbers, and just before the second set of moguls. I even think that I almost felt a little queasy about 3/4 of the way through. Another great thing about this video is that there is absolutely no equipment except for a mat - so I think it would be great to take along with me when we go out of town. Of course, for those of us who've had a few kids, pee first because there is a fair amount of jumping.

Also, I've been a bit remiss about putting my workouts up. Here's how the previous few days looked:
Sat: Jillian Michaels' 30 day Shred, Level 1 and 2
Sun: 5 mile walk on treadmill (1 hr 15min), abs
Mon: One hour yoga (Inhale)
Tuesday: off

I'll probably try to get in a bit more activity to gear up for visiting the family this weekend. My son's been asking to visit my 93-y-o great uncle for a while - so we're taking a trip to see him. The man is super sharp and seriously funny, he is a joy to be around.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

First Weigh-In

Went back to WW today, and my weight is 1.8 lbs over goal. So, hoping I can turn that around a bit by next week. The usual leader who is a really great, kind and motivating woman just had open heart surgery - so she'll be out for for a couple of months at least.

The new leader was nice. It was her first meeting (at this WW center) and she tried to get the meeting going, but was met with lots of blank stares. I somehow felt it was my job to get people talking, because I am a complete nerd. Also, Hello, when people lose weight - you clap because we're here for some f'ing support people. I hope that the duds at this meeting perk the f* up next time.

Also pretty happy that the leader gave me the week six booklet so that I can follow Simply Filling instead of spending my whole day counting points. Guess there was no reason to avoid going back.

Exercised yesterday - Bodies in Motion and Total Body Sculpt
Today too - 45 min on treadmill (3.09 mi)

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Finding it hard to resist some Flu-related pun or rhyme.

So, I guess that I can say that I'm officially over the flu. No more fever or chills despite wearing two sweaters and a fleece jacket. No headache or all-over bodyache, and no mountains of tissue lying in my wastebasket. I feel good. ....AND the Steelers won on Sunday (which I celebrated by eating four pieces of cake this week)! So now that I can obviously eat more than soup, it's back to eating right and exercising. I still weigh the same that I did when I started this blog in November. The whole point then was to work hard to get back to my ideal weight (actually just so my jeans fit right). That plan went right off the rails as soon as I rediscovered sugar over the holidays.

So, back to keeping a food journal, back to exercise, and back to Weight Watchers this week (either Thursday or Saturday will be my weigh-in). I still don't want to count points, because it almost makes my brain explode when I try to count points and make a healthy meal for my entire family - but I heard about filling foods and how it is much like CORE - so I'll try it.

I managed to get in some exercise today too - Sharon Mann's 'Pilates and Yoga' on FitTV and an hour walking on the treadmill (4.11 miles).

Also: on the Biggest Loser tonight when the contestants were walking across the gym carrying their team members piggyback-style. I do that with my husband all of the time, but just because we're total dorks, and we like to imagine what our neighbors probably think of the shenanigans that go on over here.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Exercise is not all I'm going to write about, January 25 - 31

* Exercise is not going to happen.

Came back from Boyne today. Didn't want to leave, but luckily it kept getting colder and I was running out of hand warmers. Also, no fitness classes on Sunday, so I missed my chance at Pilates or Spinning at the spa.

This week, I'm looking for six days of activity. I want to do the 30-day Shred, yoga, and one more day of treadmill. If I can fit it in, Gilad and Cathe, and possibly some P90X. I'm starting to get a cold, so I'll try to knock it out with Airborne, water, and saline nose spray. Here's how it looks:

Sunday - 4mile run on the treadmill, arms, and abs.

*Monday - Spent the day in bed with two kids home from school sick (suspect the oldest took advantage of my weakened state with some acting). Fever, headache, chills, congestion. Not feeling guilty for taking the day off.

*Tuesday - Woke up with the bed drenched in sweat, so worst of it is over. Middle son still home sick. Still feeling crappy - so we're all eating soup and as it burns to breathe, I'm not exercising today either.

*Wednesday - So, apparently it's dangerous or something to workout with the flu. So, taking a break until next week.

*Thursday -Flu

*Friday -Flu

*Saturday -Flu

*(edited to add) -

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Exercise will make me stronger, January 18 - 24

So, skipped some days last week but had a great day yesterday and did some yoga before going to the UU church today.

Goals for this week: skiing Thurs, Fri, Sat, at least one day on treadmill (meaning I need to make a new (good) playlist NOW), at least four days with Jillian Michaels, and one day of yoga. If we're going to Boyne next weekend, I'll probably get in some Pilates or spinning too.

Sunday - One hour of yoga (Inhale) before church. 1hr,20min shoveling snow while T watched the Steelers get ready for the Super Bowl.

*Monday - Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad and Level 2 of 30-day Shred.

*Tuesday - One hour of yoga (Inhale). 45 minutes on stepper while watching Real Housewives.

*Wednesday - Off

*Thursday - 30-Day Shred Level 2

*Friday - 5 hours skiing.

*Saturday - 5 + hours of skiing. Didn't mind that it was 11 degrees because I was wearing 9 hand warmers.

*(edited to add)

Monday, January 12, 2009

So what's up

Right now I'm looking out at the frozen tundra that is our neighborhood. We had an additional 8" of snow on Saturday to cover the few inches already on the ground. It was a great day for the older boys to go skiing, so hubby took them over to the local ski hill for ski school. They had a great time until 7-y-o's skis were stolen. They put their ski's next to the ski school (where everyone is supposed to leave their skis) while they grabbed their boot bags from inside. When they came back out, C's skis were gone. We asked around and hubby looked everywhere hoping that someone took them by accident and left them somewhere else - no skis. So, we're off to buy him a new pair tomorrow. As for the last pair, I'm happy that he got to use them twice - I guess.

Further suckifying his weekend, C got lost on the way to his classroom at church (older brother thought it would be fun to ditch him). He came running back to our seats crying hysterically. Once I got him to his classroom, he realized he had been looking on the wrong floor. On the way home, he told me that he preferred the kids at the later service because the early kids act "even more wild than me mom."

We spent a couple of hours sledding on the new snow over at the playground on Sunday. The dog kept jumping in and out of the sleds. My "Death Case Scenario" was working overdrive, I was terrified that we were going to run over and break her legs. Also, you would not believe how heavy a three-year-old (G) can be to pull up a hill 20 or so times. G is fearless, he rode every sled down the incredibly steep hill, face-planted in the snow a couple of times, but always came up laughing.

My eating has been far from exemplary this week. Of course, I blame PMS. My motto this week is going to be, "I can eat it on Saturday." Hopefully by Saturday I'll have forgotten what seemed so good in the first place.

Exercise is Non-Negotiable, January 12 - 17, 2009

I met last weeks goals on exercise; so this week - at least one level of 30 Day Shred every day, two days running, and oneday of yoga.

Mon - Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred Level 1 and 2.

*Tues - 45 min. shoveling more snow. Went to bed early and actually had a good night's sleep (except for periodically waking up to worry about husband's swollen face).

*Wed - Total Body Sculpt Plus IX. Pretty good kickboxing sequence.

*Thurs - Went to bed early. No exercise

*Fri - No exercise today. Don't feel guilty because I went to bed early again. Woke up feeling really good after only waking up twice to check on the kids and once w/ dog nudging me awake.

*Sat -P90X cardio X and 30-day Shred Level 1

*(edited to add)

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Exercise is Non-Negotiable, January 4 -10, 2009

Okay, the goal this week is to get some great new workouts in. Just bought Jillian Michaels 30-day shred. Also planning at least 2 days on the treadmill or outside running depending on weather.

Sunday - Jillian Michaels 30-day shred: Phases 1 and 2. Cathe Friedrich Stretch Max 1.

*Monday - No exercise today. Running, meh. DVR, meh. Exercise DVD, meh. Told myself I was waiting to exercise with husband. When he got home from work at nearly 11pm, I was NOT in the mood to exercise and we went to bed. Of course, I told myself that I'll exercise for two hours Tuesday. Now that I've written it down, I have to do it.

*Tuesday - 5k run on treadmill

*Wednesday - The FIRM Ultimate Fat Burning Workout. Not. For. Me. I feel bad for buying this, so I'm going to have to find someone to give it to. If you like dancey, not super-challenging workouts -this one is for you.

Also did Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 1 and Level 2. Thank god for Jillian. I really like this workout and will try to incorporate at least one session every day for at least a week or so.

*Thursday - 30 minutes (at least) snow shoveling. 4 mile run (45 min). 30 Day Shred Level3 and Level1.

*Friday - 30 Day Shred Level 1 and Level 2.

*Saturday - 2 hours (!) shoveling snow. Driveway, sidewalk, four feet bank of snow in front of driveway so that we can get to the street.

*(edited to add)

Thursday, January 1, 2009

I'm not mad

Yes, Penn State didn't quite get around to beating USC, but I did manage to kick ass at Jeopardy today. National Parks? Not so much.

And with the kids and my husband fighting over oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies tonight, I made a batch of Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip cookies with coconut. Seriously good, but I bet I could reduce the sugar by 1/3 with no ill effects.

Husband found the mint sauce, and it was so good. Rack of lamb, roasted potatoes, carrots, cabbage salad; who knew so many foods needed mint today?

By the way, Happy New Year everyone.