I mentioned in a previous post about my coworker and the salads in the fridge and that I was giving it a whirl. Let me tell you that I LOVE this. I tore up one head of iceberg lettuce and simply added a bag of Rainbow Salad (shredded cabbage, carrots and cauliflower with bits of broccoli) in a container with a lid and voila! This made six rather large salads. I made the mix on Monday and by Thursday afternoon, I was eating the last of the bowl. The lettuce was the only thing that had signs of "aging" in the fridge with the rust marks along the edges, which as a side note, this proves that tearing the lettuce still makes lettuce brown. Anyhoo, the lettuce did not lose flavor or crispiness. The entire salad was still flavorful by Thursday afternoon. It was great! I will definitely be keeping my own pre-made salad in the fridge from now on. I am going to add some thinly sliced green onions and maybe some cucumber to see how that does. I love grape tomatoes, but I prefer to cut those up as I eat the salad, rather than put them in the bowl for the fridge because I think grape tomatoes lose flavor and texture once they are cut up and put in the fridge. FYI.
Since some of you have asked what exactly I eat on a daily basis, I am working on getting some meal ideas on here every so often. I'm thinking eating out as well as eating at home. I will throw in the things that I do to add the nutrients I need without having to cook separate meals for myself and Brett and Tyson. I'm working on it, so standby, I'll think of something catchy to flag these posts.
Let's talk tuna. I used to be a big fan of tuna. Five years ago when I decided it was time to lose weight, I went on a binge of tuna and frozen peas. True story. Now, I find that I don't like the smell nor the taste of tuna anymore. I've tried a couple of times and I am more likely to eat tuna if it is straight out of the foil pack rather than refrigerated. Once refrigerated, it takes all I have to not gag and barf on my plate. I will say that I do appreciate the tuna salad that I make when I eat it on toasted mini whole wheat bagels. It has been a while. I'll have to put my tuna to the test with that. Standby again on that one.
Something I believe to have merit is that the foods that you need to chew more make you eat less. The experts say it is because it takes "x" amount of time for your brain to know you are full. I think it is simply because you are fricken sick of chewing and your jaw is tired. That's just my opinion and I'm sticking with it. The things that come to mind are the protein bars (Market Pantry, my fave is fudge graham) that I eat frequently enough that most of the time, I want to throw half of it away because I'm bored with chewing, but still hungry. Salad is another thing that seems to take more chewing. If I eat a salad before a meal, I am less likely to overindulge in the meal to follow. Carrots are another good example. Think about chewing those puppies. It gets old, but is helpful in trying to control what you eat and how much. Scientific? I think so. There's also a study out there that says that you should chew your bites 30-50 times. Try it. It is hard and after a while all that goo in your mouth is just not appetizing. I'm guessing that aspect of it has something to do with controlling how much you are eating. That's my scientific opinion. Very scientific. Verrrrrrrrry.
Something that has recently been put into place is that once a week, Tyson and I are eating at my parents' house. This is extremely helpful in my whole meal planning - one less meal to make. I have spoken about my family's love for food. Perfect for me since my parents make some stuff that I just don't have time to do. I suppose their experience to be able to pull off more elaborate meals has a little something to do with it. Either way, I'm happy to have someone cook for me once a week. What a nice break for me from cooking and Tyson gets to wrestle with grandpa. Perfect.
I have also picked a couple of recipes from my Allrecipes.com Spinner app to try out. When picking the recipes, I based it off of ease, prep time, cook time and caloric content. I shall keep you posted on anything that I find delicious. I have also taken a couple ideas from a friend's blog about what she cooks for her family since she has a one year old son. I will keep you posted on the ones that I try from her ideas. I need to go finish my grocery list.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to my friend blogging about food all the time, until next time...
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Trisha. The Dancer.
I have mentioned a couple of times how awful of a dancer I am. Well, things have not changed in that department and in fact, they are most likely worse. I'm just not a good dancer. I don't even think I'm a good enough dancer to dance alone like no one is watching me. There is nothing sexy, seductive or graceful about the way I move. Nothing. It's pretty bad.
I never got to take dance classes as a child except for when my grandmother paid for me to take a dance/tumbling class at the local dance center. I loved it, except it sticks in my mind how at recital time, we were pirates and had these stirrup pants, white of all colors and they didn't want us to wear underwear under those pants. Ummm, every time I did a cartwheel, it felt like those pants were coming off and they were also made out of polyester which did NOT feel good on my nether-regions, so I did not go panty-less during recital time. I was 5. Yes, 5.
Anyway, as an adult, I thought it would be fun to take tap lessons. My mom sent me a check for my birthday in college to be able to take tap lessons, but by the time the next session started, I had a class during tap lessons. Poop. Fast forward to about 7 years ago and again, I wanted to take tap lessons. I signed up with some friends, bought some tap shoes and away I went. Yes, it was an adult tap class so I didn't look anymore ridiculous than I normally do. Let me tell you, there is serious leg muscle involved in tap dancing. It was hard, but it was so much fun to learn some basics. I didn't last too long in the class, I think I only took those lessons for about two months before I found out that they had a hip-hop class. Score for me!!!
The class was taught by a lovely gentleman with some seriously wicked awesome moves!!!! He was great. I had fun in that class. It was easy to follow and a good workout. One day, I got to class and he was not there. Something had happened and he couldn't make it to class on short notice. They would generally cancel class, but because this had happened before, they didn't want to cancel again. So, the BREAKDANCING teacher filled in and gave us a BREAKDANCING lesson. Yes, I am totally serious. There was a little girl there on that particular day, I think she was about 7 or so. She had come to hip-hop class to try it out to see if she would like it. Well, this cute little girl immediately latched on to me the moment she walked in. You know how some people attract cats or dogs? I attract kids. Maybe it is because I do crap like this making me appear younger than I am? I don't know, either way, I'm okay with it all. Anyhoo, we are doing these breakdancing moves and this one particular move, you were down on your hands, resting one knee on an elbow and the other leg was resting on the leg on the knee. Did you get that?! Good!!
I am trying and trying and trying to get this move because we aren't doing it to music or anything, we are doing it in slow motion to get the technique down. Little girl is right next to me and she is starting to get it. I keep trying and trying and finally gave up and without thinking, sat back, somewhat out of breath and said, "I can't do it." The little girl held the move, leg in the air and her little face looking up at me while I sit there being a big baby, says to me, "YES YOU CAN! You CAN do it, Trish!" Yeah, she seriously did. I honestly cannot make this stuff up. So, what do I do? I pick up my crap and leave class. KIDDING! I spent the rest of the class doing it all the best I could.
Fast forward a couple days when we are helping my grandpa move into his apartment. I could barely walk. We were walking up and down stairs, carrying stuff and my ENTIRE body, except my fingers HURT. Bad. Remember my jean-hiking dad? Well, he finally inquired as to my herky jerky movement and asked if I had a hard workout recently. I told him about the breakdancing snafu, blah blah blah. And here is the wisdom I receive from jean-hiking dad, "shit, Trish, you aren't sixteen anymore!" Really, dad? Really? Mr. Obvious.
Again, there I go, putting myself out there trying something new. It still took a couple more days to recover, but I sure as crap didn't sign up for breakdancing lessons.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you thinking about taking breakdancing, until next time...
I never got to take dance classes as a child except for when my grandmother paid for me to take a dance/tumbling class at the local dance center. I loved it, except it sticks in my mind how at recital time, we were pirates and had these stirrup pants, white of all colors and they didn't want us to wear underwear under those pants. Ummm, every time I did a cartwheel, it felt like those pants were coming off and they were also made out of polyester which did NOT feel good on my nether-regions, so I did not go panty-less during recital time. I was 5. Yes, 5.
Anyway, as an adult, I thought it would be fun to take tap lessons. My mom sent me a check for my birthday in college to be able to take tap lessons, but by the time the next session started, I had a class during tap lessons. Poop. Fast forward to about 7 years ago and again, I wanted to take tap lessons. I signed up with some friends, bought some tap shoes and away I went. Yes, it was an adult tap class so I didn't look anymore ridiculous than I normally do. Let me tell you, there is serious leg muscle involved in tap dancing. It was hard, but it was so much fun to learn some basics. I didn't last too long in the class, I think I only took those lessons for about two months before I found out that they had a hip-hop class. Score for me!!!
The class was taught by a lovely gentleman with some seriously wicked awesome moves!!!! He was great. I had fun in that class. It was easy to follow and a good workout. One day, I got to class and he was not there. Something had happened and he couldn't make it to class on short notice. They would generally cancel class, but because this had happened before, they didn't want to cancel again. So, the BREAKDANCING teacher filled in and gave us a BREAKDANCING lesson. Yes, I am totally serious. There was a little girl there on that particular day, I think she was about 7 or so. She had come to hip-hop class to try it out to see if she would like it. Well, this cute little girl immediately latched on to me the moment she walked in. You know how some people attract cats or dogs? I attract kids. Maybe it is because I do crap like this making me appear younger than I am? I don't know, either way, I'm okay with it all. Anyhoo, we are doing these breakdancing moves and this one particular move, you were down on your hands, resting one knee on an elbow and the other leg was resting on the leg on the knee. Did you get that?! Good!!
I am trying and trying and trying to get this move because we aren't doing it to music or anything, we are doing it in slow motion to get the technique down. Little girl is right next to me and she is starting to get it. I keep trying and trying and finally gave up and without thinking, sat back, somewhat out of breath and said, "I can't do it." The little girl held the move, leg in the air and her little face looking up at me while I sit there being a big baby, says to me, "YES YOU CAN! You CAN do it, Trish!" Yeah, she seriously did. I honestly cannot make this stuff up. So, what do I do? I pick up my crap and leave class. KIDDING! I spent the rest of the class doing it all the best I could.
Fast forward a couple days when we are helping my grandpa move into his apartment. I could barely walk. We were walking up and down stairs, carrying stuff and my ENTIRE body, except my fingers HURT. Bad. Remember my jean-hiking dad? Well, he finally inquired as to my herky jerky movement and asked if I had a hard workout recently. I told him about the breakdancing snafu, blah blah blah. And here is the wisdom I receive from jean-hiking dad, "shit, Trish, you aren't sixteen anymore!" Really, dad? Really? Mr. Obvious.
Again, there I go, putting myself out there trying something new. It still took a couple more days to recover, but I sure as crap didn't sign up for breakdancing lessons.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you thinking about taking breakdancing, until next time...
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Insanity
INSANITY WILL COMMENCE IN APPROXIMATELY 2.5 WEEKS!
I am really looking forward to it. I had a really rough workout the other morning. I was fine getting up and moving. I got up at 4:15 like "normal" then for whatever reason, I didn't get downstairs until 4:40! I honestly have no idea what happened and why it took so flipping long. Anyhoo, I started the DVD for the scheduled workout, a 45 minute workout, strapped on my Vibrams and five minutes into it, I felt I couldn't do THAT workout one more time. I really thought I was going to scream, that is how badly I didn't want to do that particular workout. No biggie, I'll just switch out DVDs and pop in a different one. I settled on a 20 minute HIIT workout, started that puppy up and edged my way to the couch and sat there and watched it. Yes. I really did that. I sat there and WATCHED IT. What the hell?! I at least waited until the DVD was done before I took my shoes off. Sigh. Fail. Workout fail. I can't believe I did that, though.
This morning was much much better! I got in a great workout and I continued to stretch and let the DVD play out. You know what I discovered on my TurboFire DVDs?!? INFOMERCIALS!!!! They were short, two minute infomercials, but infomercials nonetheless. I was stoked. I got to see that Turbo Jam has an updated version for maximum results and also the short infomercial for Hip Hop Abs. Yesssssss!!!! Let me just tell you that even though I did the first version of Turbo Jam, I found myself wanting the updated version even more! Then, when Shaun T came on with Hip Hop Abs, I couldn't help but want that one, too!!!! The testimonials ALMOST always get me. Would you believe that I haven't ever purchased anything from an infomercial before? It's true. As much as I like them, you would think that I would have a garage full of QVC and infomercial stuff. I don't. I just wait to buy the stuff "As Seen on TV" at the store. I've purchased plenty of that. Very true.
Okay, back to Insanity. I'm really really looking forward to starting something new. Chalene and I need to take a break from one another. I find myself not enjoying it as much right now. I'm guessing it is the same thing that happened between myself and Billy. I haven't seen him in a while, either. I think I get bored. When things are new and I'm trying to "master" them, it goes fast and I can hardly wait to do it again. I'm at the point where I know what Chalene is going to say, do and have resorted to counting the number of reps on each side and trying to find the "mistakes" in the videos. I've found quite a few. There is one where the cameraman doesn't get out of the panning shot of the group and there is one in the warm up where we do the same side twice. I've outsmarted the warm up one and make it happen for the other side. Heh heh heh.
Now that I have done each video multiple, many, multiple, many times, I don't feel like I get as great of a workout. I know the moves, but I get bored knowing what is coming next. Now, I have also formed opinions about certain segments and certain classes. There are some that I love and others that I don't care for, so if I let my mind take over, I'm like a child pouting and going through the motions just because. This madness must stop. I'm hoping with the new and scary Insanity that I will once again embrace the challenges I did 12 weeks ago with Chalene. I've also thought about combining the two and creating my own schedule using TurboFire and Insanity. We'll see how that goes and if I actually do it.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you really wondering if I shop from the TV, until next time...
I am really looking forward to it. I had a really rough workout the other morning. I was fine getting up and moving. I got up at 4:15 like "normal" then for whatever reason, I didn't get downstairs until 4:40! I honestly have no idea what happened and why it took so flipping long. Anyhoo, I started the DVD for the scheduled workout, a 45 minute workout, strapped on my Vibrams and five minutes into it, I felt I couldn't do THAT workout one more time. I really thought I was going to scream, that is how badly I didn't want to do that particular workout. No biggie, I'll just switch out DVDs and pop in a different one. I settled on a 20 minute HIIT workout, started that puppy up and edged my way to the couch and sat there and watched it. Yes. I really did that. I sat there and WATCHED IT. What the hell?! I at least waited until the DVD was done before I took my shoes off. Sigh. Fail. Workout fail. I can't believe I did that, though.
This morning was much much better! I got in a great workout and I continued to stretch and let the DVD play out. You know what I discovered on my TurboFire DVDs?!? INFOMERCIALS!!!! They were short, two minute infomercials, but infomercials nonetheless. I was stoked. I got to see that Turbo Jam has an updated version for maximum results and also the short infomercial for Hip Hop Abs. Yesssssss!!!! Let me just tell you that even though I did the first version of Turbo Jam, I found myself wanting the updated version even more! Then, when Shaun T came on with Hip Hop Abs, I couldn't help but want that one, too!!!! The testimonials ALMOST always get me. Would you believe that I haven't ever purchased anything from an infomercial before? It's true. As much as I like them, you would think that I would have a garage full of QVC and infomercial stuff. I don't. I just wait to buy the stuff "As Seen on TV" at the store. I've purchased plenty of that. Very true.
Okay, back to Insanity. I'm really really looking forward to starting something new. Chalene and I need to take a break from one another. I find myself not enjoying it as much right now. I'm guessing it is the same thing that happened between myself and Billy. I haven't seen him in a while, either. I think I get bored. When things are new and I'm trying to "master" them, it goes fast and I can hardly wait to do it again. I'm at the point where I know what Chalene is going to say, do and have resorted to counting the number of reps on each side and trying to find the "mistakes" in the videos. I've found quite a few. There is one where the cameraman doesn't get out of the panning shot of the group and there is one in the warm up where we do the same side twice. I've outsmarted the warm up one and make it happen for the other side. Heh heh heh.
Now that I have done each video multiple, many, multiple, many times, I don't feel like I get as great of a workout. I know the moves, but I get bored knowing what is coming next. Now, I have also formed opinions about certain segments and certain classes. There are some that I love and others that I don't care for, so if I let my mind take over, I'm like a child pouting and going through the motions just because. This madness must stop. I'm hoping with the new and scary Insanity that I will once again embrace the challenges I did 12 weeks ago with Chalene. I've also thought about combining the two and creating my own schedule using TurboFire and Insanity. We'll see how that goes and if I actually do it.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you really wondering if I shop from the TV, until next time...
Friday, April 27, 2012
Talking about food!
I posted on 3/31/12 about a work friend and her salads. Recap: she spends time once or twice a week prepping a big salad to be kept in the fridge for grab and go each day/evening. She said it sucks to spend the time doing it, but it is worth it.
So far, I am IN LOVE with this!!! I tore up a head of iceberg lettuce and put in a large bowl. Because Brett and I differ on our likes for our salads, I found a bag of "rainbow salad" in the pre-packaged salads section at the grocery store. It has shredded cabbage, carrots, broccoli and it seems like a couple of other things. The flavor was incredible. It added so much to plain old iceberg lettuce. I loved it. Brett actually liked it, too! We agreed that it was probably one of the best homemade salads we had in a long time.
You may be asking yourself, "why not just buy the already cut up salads already in the bag?" Well, I'll tell you. I think those salads taste funny. I think the lettuce tastes funny. The carrots... yup, taste funny. That is the number one reason that I don't like the bagged/prepackaged salad mixes.
I have also found that these don't seem to last very long in the fridge. I don't know if someone beats the crap out of these bagged salads before they put them on the shelves, but sometimes, it looks like someone ran over the lettuce with a skateboard. Some pieces are pulverized and some just brown and liquefied. Not very appetizing.
For about the same price as ONE bagged salad mix, I made the equivalent of almost THREE bagged salads. We'll see if we can finish it before it goes bad and truly make it worthwhile. I will update on this pressing matter of SALAD vs SALAD.
Last week was an off week for me in the cooking department. I'm not a bad cook and can usually get creative without freaking Brett or Tyson out with "new" stuff. This week, the only meal I made that was decent was homemade pizza. The other days were edible, but man, I could barely eat them because they just didn't taste good! Talk about bummer for putting forth the effort to only fail, miserably.
I'm taking a step back this week and seeing if I can start with simplicity again and elaborate as I regain my cooking confidence. I don't have a meal plan in place and that bothers me somewhat because I feel like I make the most out of the little time I have by planning ahead in this department. It makes things so much easier when I'm not scrambling to whip something up. When I put thought into the meals I make, I can make something more nutritious and healthy. Little thought = high calorie, low nutrition and high fat meals.
We'll see how this all goes. Eeek!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to Ruthie and Adam who are reading this now, until next time...
So far, I am IN LOVE with this!!! I tore up a head of iceberg lettuce and put in a large bowl. Because Brett and I differ on our likes for our salads, I found a bag of "rainbow salad" in the pre-packaged salads section at the grocery store. It has shredded cabbage, carrots, broccoli and it seems like a couple of other things. The flavor was incredible. It added so much to plain old iceberg lettuce. I loved it. Brett actually liked it, too! We agreed that it was probably one of the best homemade salads we had in a long time.
You may be asking yourself, "why not just buy the already cut up salads already in the bag?" Well, I'll tell you. I think those salads taste funny. I think the lettuce tastes funny. The carrots... yup, taste funny. That is the number one reason that I don't like the bagged/prepackaged salad mixes.
I have also found that these don't seem to last very long in the fridge. I don't know if someone beats the crap out of these bagged salads before they put them on the shelves, but sometimes, it looks like someone ran over the lettuce with a skateboard. Some pieces are pulverized and some just brown and liquefied. Not very appetizing.
For about the same price as ONE bagged salad mix, I made the equivalent of almost THREE bagged salads. We'll see if we can finish it before it goes bad and truly make it worthwhile. I will update on this pressing matter of SALAD vs SALAD.
Last week was an off week for me in the cooking department. I'm not a bad cook and can usually get creative without freaking Brett or Tyson out with "new" stuff. This week, the only meal I made that was decent was homemade pizza. The other days were edible, but man, I could barely eat them because they just didn't taste good! Talk about bummer for putting forth the effort to only fail, miserably.
I'm taking a step back this week and seeing if I can start with simplicity again and elaborate as I regain my cooking confidence. I don't have a meal plan in place and that bothers me somewhat because I feel like I make the most out of the little time I have by planning ahead in this department. It makes things so much easier when I'm not scrambling to whip something up. When I put thought into the meals I make, I can make something more nutritious and healthy. Little thought = high calorie, low nutrition and high fat meals.
We'll see how this all goes. Eeek!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to Ruthie and Adam who are reading this now, until next time...
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Hiatus. Bunk.
This previous week, Tyson got hand, foot and mouth disease. Yay. Everyone at daycare ended up with it, too. Yay. Well, before we knew what it was, I was kissing him like normal (as if anything could keep me from kissing him). For the second time in my adult life, I got hand, foot and mouth. Yay. I started the week off strong, working out everyday, then by Thursday, I couldn't do it. My throat was so incredibly sore and I was exhausted. I took Thursday off. Then, I got worse and ended up taking Friday off, too. For good measure, I took Saturday off as well. This was the longest I had gone without working out in a LOOOOOOONNNNNNNNG time. And of course I was watching what I was eating. No, not really. I was just eating whatever sounded good because nothing did sound good and I was just hungry and tired.
After taking three days off, I decided to start week 10 of TurboFire all over again. I started the week off wrong anyway because I apparently forgot how to read the fricken schedule in all of this. So, I'm still back at it, doing my thing as I started off last week.
What is funny, and maybe this was because I wasn't feeling well, is that while I was eating whatever and not doing any workouts is that I didn't feel like I missed being like that at all. I don't miss eating crap. Well, maybe a little at times. I sure didn't miss not working out. Did you get that? Good! It felt really weird not working out and not being conscientious about what I ate. My new normal is what I have become. I like it! I do like having something to look forward to in a workout and knowing how good I am going to feel afterwards.
So, if you miss a couple or a few days of your workout. So what? If you stray from the beaten path for a bit, so what? The important thing is that you get back up and get on with it. Refocus yourself and realign your goals. Maybe you needed a hiatus to stay motivated? Maybe you needed those extra cookies and burgers to realize that you don't really miss it? Get back with it! Stick with it!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you that weren't thinking about cookies until now, until next time...
After taking three days off, I decided to start week 10 of TurboFire all over again. I started the week off wrong anyway because I apparently forgot how to read the fricken schedule in all of this. So, I'm still back at it, doing my thing as I started off last week.
What is funny, and maybe this was because I wasn't feeling well, is that while I was eating whatever and not doing any workouts is that I didn't feel like I missed being like that at all. I don't miss eating crap. Well, maybe a little at times. I sure didn't miss not working out. Did you get that? Good! It felt really weird not working out and not being conscientious about what I ate. My new normal is what I have become. I like it! I do like having something to look forward to in a workout and knowing how good I am going to feel afterwards.
So, if you miss a couple or a few days of your workout. So what? If you stray from the beaten path for a bit, so what? The important thing is that you get back up and get on with it. Refocus yourself and realign your goals. Maybe you needed a hiatus to stay motivated? Maybe you needed those extra cookies and burgers to realize that you don't really miss it? Get back with it! Stick with it!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you that weren't thinking about cookies until now, until next time...
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
More footwear!
I am still in deep, passionate love with my Vibrams. I haven't come up with a name for my pretty pinkish-violetish shoes... yet.
I wanted to mention some more footwear that I really truly love. My favorite slippers are the Acorn moccasins in fleece or what appears to be Muppet fur. I have had many many pairs of these puppies and I have never been more satisfied with slippers before. I wash them frequently because I wear them outside, sometimes to retrieve a dog from the way back of the yard when he/she is barking, or to chase after Ty when I told him to stay on the deck, or I wear them in the garage or out to the mailbox. The sole is tough and like a shoe, but they are so soft and squishy on the inside. Back to the washing part - they wash and dry so well and no separate cycle needed. I just throw them in with jeans or whatever. Beautiful. I am sad to report that I will have to replace a couple pairs of my Acorn slippers. If you will recall, I noticed that my feet have slimmed down quite a bit. Well, since we are coming off of winter (or whatever that was that we had) and I wore slippers a lot during that time, I apparently had some chubbier feet than I imagined. A couple pairs are so stretched out that they look like I'm wearing mini footballs on my feet. It would take a few pairs of socks, layered, to make them fit properly. Oh well, I suppose I can get back some more slippers made out of Muppet fur. I would also like to mention that these slippers are great to wear in the house at the buttcrack of dawn and maneuvering around, atop and through dog toys that may or may not result in stubbed toes.
I used to wear Skechers all the time. No, not the thick soled tennis shoes, but ones that looked like bowling shoes! I had black, brown, cream, burgundy and a weird tan color that my sister dubbed "beetle" shoes. I loved these shoes, but sadly, just like everything else, they stopped making them. I have yet to find something comparable to the comfort and versatility of my bowling Skechers.
Since the Skechers, I have been on a quest for comfortable shoes. Anything goes. Again, I'm a fashion faux pas and not afraid to admit it. I go for comfort and practical. Always. Okay, there was one time that I was in a friend's wedding and my dress was pretty long. I had to get some heeled shoes. I found some strappy heels, chunky heels, though and in the store, I thought, "I can wear these for the wedding and change after the ceremony." So, there we all are, standing up in front of the church and my feet hurt so badly that I actually contemplated "fainting" to just be able to get off my feet for a few seconds. No, I didn't do it, I toughed it out and ended up paying for swollen, throbbing feet afterwards for days. Never again. Never.
In the last couple of years, I have discovered the pure heaven that is known as KSwiss Tubes. I honestly didn't know they still made KSwiss shoes until I saw them at the store. I thought they were strange looking, but would try them on since my favorite pair of shoes in high school was a pair of black canvas KSwiss shoes. They were so much so my favorite that PIC #2 ended up giving me her pair that she didn't wear after I had peed all over mine. That's a long story and not sure I really want to share that proud moment, either. You already know too much. Too much.
KSwiss Tubes are running shoes, but they are great for walking. Brett got me three pairs for Christmas this year and I've only worn one of the three pairs so far. I feel that it will be very soon that I will need to bust out another pair because I noticed a little knee pain in my walk today. This is usually indicative of needing a fresh pair with support and bounce. I'm not sure how you all can tell if you need new shoes, but I can tell the moment my knees or hips hurt that it is time. Once I get a new pair and upon wearing them for the first time, the pain is gone. I seriously thought for a while that I tore my ACL and was really bummed about it, then I tried a new pair of shoes and miraculously, the pain went away! The bad thing about wearing the same pair of shoes everyday is that they wear out faster. It is only 4 months into this pair of shoes and they are going to have to become my "play" shoes, whatever that means.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you thinking of trying on a pair of KSwissers, until next time...
I wanted to mention some more footwear that I really truly love. My favorite slippers are the Acorn moccasins in fleece or what appears to be Muppet fur. I have had many many pairs of these puppies and I have never been more satisfied with slippers before. I wash them frequently because I wear them outside, sometimes to retrieve a dog from the way back of the yard when he/she is barking, or to chase after Ty when I told him to stay on the deck, or I wear them in the garage or out to the mailbox. The sole is tough and like a shoe, but they are so soft and squishy on the inside. Back to the washing part - they wash and dry so well and no separate cycle needed. I just throw them in with jeans or whatever. Beautiful. I am sad to report that I will have to replace a couple pairs of my Acorn slippers. If you will recall, I noticed that my feet have slimmed down quite a bit. Well, since we are coming off of winter (or whatever that was that we had) and I wore slippers a lot during that time, I apparently had some chubbier feet than I imagined. A couple pairs are so stretched out that they look like I'm wearing mini footballs on my feet. It would take a few pairs of socks, layered, to make them fit properly. Oh well, I suppose I can get back some more slippers made out of Muppet fur. I would also like to mention that these slippers are great to wear in the house at the buttcrack of dawn and maneuvering around, atop and through dog toys that may or may not result in stubbed toes.
I used to wear Skechers all the time. No, not the thick soled tennis shoes, but ones that looked like bowling shoes! I had black, brown, cream, burgundy and a weird tan color that my sister dubbed "beetle" shoes. I loved these shoes, but sadly, just like everything else, they stopped making them. I have yet to find something comparable to the comfort and versatility of my bowling Skechers.
Since the Skechers, I have been on a quest for comfortable shoes. Anything goes. Again, I'm a fashion faux pas and not afraid to admit it. I go for comfort and practical. Always. Okay, there was one time that I was in a friend's wedding and my dress was pretty long. I had to get some heeled shoes. I found some strappy heels, chunky heels, though and in the store, I thought, "I can wear these for the wedding and change after the ceremony." So, there we all are, standing up in front of the church and my feet hurt so badly that I actually contemplated "fainting" to just be able to get off my feet for a few seconds. No, I didn't do it, I toughed it out and ended up paying for swollen, throbbing feet afterwards for days. Never again. Never.
In the last couple of years, I have discovered the pure heaven that is known as KSwiss Tubes. I honestly didn't know they still made KSwiss shoes until I saw them at the store. I thought they were strange looking, but would try them on since my favorite pair of shoes in high school was a pair of black canvas KSwiss shoes. They were so much so my favorite that PIC #2 ended up giving me her pair that she didn't wear after I had peed all over mine. That's a long story and not sure I really want to share that proud moment, either. You already know too much. Too much.
KSwiss Tubes are running shoes, but they are great for walking. Brett got me three pairs for Christmas this year and I've only worn one of the three pairs so far. I feel that it will be very soon that I will need to bust out another pair because I noticed a little knee pain in my walk today. This is usually indicative of needing a fresh pair with support and bounce. I'm not sure how you all can tell if you need new shoes, but I can tell the moment my knees or hips hurt that it is time. Once I get a new pair and upon wearing them for the first time, the pain is gone. I seriously thought for a while that I tore my ACL and was really bummed about it, then I tried a new pair of shoes and miraculously, the pain went away! The bad thing about wearing the same pair of shoes everyday is that they wear out faster. It is only 4 months into this pair of shoes and they are going to have to become my "play" shoes, whatever that means.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you thinking of trying on a pair of KSwissers, until next time...
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Too Tired?
The feedback I get from people that read this here blogarino is awesome! I love hearing from you all. It does help motivate me. Thank you!!!! I have responded to each one of you individually, but am going to share some of the overall thoughts that people have shared with me.
Too tired
I have heard that people would do as much as I do if they weren't too tired or they wish they had my energy. Believe me, I'm tired. I'm tired as all get out. I am usually falling asleep in the chair while watching Mickey with Tyson at 7PM. I think that is to be expected from getting up at 4:15 six days a week. I have to force myself out of bed at 4:15. I don't enjoy getting up that early to workout, but I do enjoy how good I feel after I have worked out. I feel an incredible sense of accomplishment by following through with what I set out to do. If I can just get to the point where I am ready to workout (water glass full, sports bra on, workout clothes on, shoes and DVD queued), I make myself get to it. It isn't like I'm sitting here in the chair every night after a long day trying to contain my energy. I have to summon the energy gods and push myself to get it done and do it well.
Typical Day
Some have asked what a typical day consists of for me. This mostly relates to the previous discussion about being too tired/lacking energy. I don't know if it is helpful, but I have put a lot of thought into my typical days to show the ins and outs of what I do most days and definitely weekly. I do also have to mention that Brett does help out with some of these things, but definitely not within the first two hours of my day. Ha! The first two hours of my morning consist of letting the pups out, feeding them, prepping the coffee maker, getting Ty's sippy ready, working out, switching out the laundry, getting myself ready for work and snuggles with Ty.
I utilize my work breaks to run errands and make appointments. Errands meaning Target, grocery store and vet runs.
After I pick Ty up from daycare, I try to make it a point to spend quality time with Ty. Of course, I must vacuum everyday after work, so there are things that need to be done before playtime. We eat around 5 every night, so I don't have a ton of time right away with Ty. Once Brett gets home, I usually hit the kitchen and get supper started, unless it is in the crock pot, then I can go a little longer.
After we get done eating and cleaning up the suppertime mess, we have about an hour to play with Ty before bath. Yes, he still goes down pretty early. No complaints here! After bath, we sit down with Ty and watch an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Lord help Brett and I to not rip our hair out) and Ty goes to bed around 7:30. Once he is down, I either get in another workout, do laundry, pay bills or watch a little TV. Getting up as early as I do, I don't have much time to spare after he goes down before I have to go to bed myself.
Contrary to what anyone may believe, we do not have a cleaning service that comes to the house. Oh how I wish we did. The bedding on our beds get changed weekly, or in Ty's case, daily. I cook something for supper 99% of the time. We hardly ever eat out. Having that meal plan in place is so helpful.
Once a week, I tutor away from home, so I don't have that one evening a week to do whatever else I need to do.
Our weekends are usually very busy. Between home improvement projects and trying to spend time together as a family, there are also grandparents and aunts and uncles that want to see Ty. This is a huge reason that I started working out at "normal" time on Saturdays so that I could get it in as a sure thing. Then, of course, I'm running around during nap time trying to accomplish whatever I can while Ty is sleeping. Most of the time it is going to the grocery store for the big weekly trip, steam mopping the floors or prepping supper, which Ty loves to help, but I have an issue with having him help with raw meat.
All of the stuff that I listed is just the stuff that I do around the house. This doesn't include anything that Brett does, which adds another monkey wrench into the whole thing because most of his stuff has to be done when Ty is not two steps behind. Brett is learning how to be more patient when it comes to Tyson's "helpfulness." Brett takes care of the dishes around here and Ty is more than happy to help put things away, but I know how frustrating it is to just want to get it done without "help" from Ty, but Brett now has a new understanding of why things take me so long anymore. Ha!
I'm no busier than anyone else. I am really creative with my time, though. I have to be in order to get stuff done. Until we can hire someone to do the things, I will continue to be creative with my time. Or if I could win the lottery and be a stay at home mom, that would be another option.
Working out with Tyson
People have asked how this is going. Well, I will tell you, it is going about as well as working out with a 2 1/2 year old can go. He doesn't have the attention span to actually participate in a 45 minute workout, or even a 30 minute workout. Example: the other day, I had a 45 minute workout on the schedule. I started it. By now you would think that Ty would be FULLY aware of what TurboFire is and that mommy likes to do it. This workout took over an hour and fifteen minutes to complete because I had to pause it numerous times.
After seeing me workout for over a year, he should be used to it by now, right?! Nope. Again, he's 2 1/2!!!! I just have to be sure to wear my patience on those days that I know Ty will be joining me in my workout. Anyone that has kids or animals for that matter should know that things hardly ever go the way you plan them. I will admit that it is frustrating at times to work up a sweat only to have to pause the video to go upstairs to refill a sippy cup only to have to go back upstairs to get him a snack four and a half minutes later. I will also admit that sometimes I'm not nearly as calm and collected as I should be when I'm trying to stay focused on working out. Then, I remind myself that it isn't my "normal" workout time and I'm actually on Tyson's time now. This is why I workout before he even thinks about getting up, that is MY time. I suggest ,to any parent wanting to expose their kids to working out, to keep your expectations low. Wear your patience HazMat suit. Stay calm. I am repeating all of this to myself as I type it. I feel like I'm ready to try again with the boy.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you getting creative with your time, until next time...
Too tired
I have heard that people would do as much as I do if they weren't too tired or they wish they had my energy. Believe me, I'm tired. I'm tired as all get out. I am usually falling asleep in the chair while watching Mickey with Tyson at 7PM. I think that is to be expected from getting up at 4:15 six days a week. I have to force myself out of bed at 4:15. I don't enjoy getting up that early to workout, but I do enjoy how good I feel after I have worked out. I feel an incredible sense of accomplishment by following through with what I set out to do. If I can just get to the point where I am ready to workout (water glass full, sports bra on, workout clothes on, shoes and DVD queued), I make myself get to it. It isn't like I'm sitting here in the chair every night after a long day trying to contain my energy. I have to summon the energy gods and push myself to get it done and do it well.
Typical Day
Some have asked what a typical day consists of for me. This mostly relates to the previous discussion about being too tired/lacking energy. I don't know if it is helpful, but I have put a lot of thought into my typical days to show the ins and outs of what I do most days and definitely weekly. I do also have to mention that Brett does help out with some of these things, but definitely not within the first two hours of my day. Ha! The first two hours of my morning consist of letting the pups out, feeding them, prepping the coffee maker, getting Ty's sippy ready, working out, switching out the laundry, getting myself ready for work and snuggles with Ty.
I utilize my work breaks to run errands and make appointments. Errands meaning Target, grocery store and vet runs.
After I pick Ty up from daycare, I try to make it a point to spend quality time with Ty. Of course, I must vacuum everyday after work, so there are things that need to be done before playtime. We eat around 5 every night, so I don't have a ton of time right away with Ty. Once Brett gets home, I usually hit the kitchen and get supper started, unless it is in the crock pot, then I can go a little longer.
After we get done eating and cleaning up the suppertime mess, we have about an hour to play with Ty before bath. Yes, he still goes down pretty early. No complaints here! After bath, we sit down with Ty and watch an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Lord help Brett and I to not rip our hair out) and Ty goes to bed around 7:30. Once he is down, I either get in another workout, do laundry, pay bills or watch a little TV. Getting up as early as I do, I don't have much time to spare after he goes down before I have to go to bed myself.
Contrary to what anyone may believe, we do not have a cleaning service that comes to the house. Oh how I wish we did. The bedding on our beds get changed weekly, or in Ty's case, daily. I cook something for supper 99% of the time. We hardly ever eat out. Having that meal plan in place is so helpful.
Once a week, I tutor away from home, so I don't have that one evening a week to do whatever else I need to do.
Our weekends are usually very busy. Between home improvement projects and trying to spend time together as a family, there are also grandparents and aunts and uncles that want to see Ty. This is a huge reason that I started working out at "normal" time on Saturdays so that I could get it in as a sure thing. Then, of course, I'm running around during nap time trying to accomplish whatever I can while Ty is sleeping. Most of the time it is going to the grocery store for the big weekly trip, steam mopping the floors or prepping supper, which Ty loves to help, but I have an issue with having him help with raw meat.
All of the stuff that I listed is just the stuff that I do around the house. This doesn't include anything that Brett does, which adds another monkey wrench into the whole thing because most of his stuff has to be done when Ty is not two steps behind. Brett is learning how to be more patient when it comes to Tyson's "helpfulness." Brett takes care of the dishes around here and Ty is more than happy to help put things away, but I know how frustrating it is to just want to get it done without "help" from Ty, but Brett now has a new understanding of why things take me so long anymore. Ha!
I'm no busier than anyone else. I am really creative with my time, though. I have to be in order to get stuff done. Until we can hire someone to do the things, I will continue to be creative with my time. Or if I could win the lottery and be a stay at home mom, that would be another option.
Working out with Tyson
People have asked how this is going. Well, I will tell you, it is going about as well as working out with a 2 1/2 year old can go. He doesn't have the attention span to actually participate in a 45 minute workout, or even a 30 minute workout. Example: the other day, I had a 45 minute workout on the schedule. I started it. By now you would think that Ty would be FULLY aware of what TurboFire is and that mommy likes to do it. This workout took over an hour and fifteen minutes to complete because I had to pause it numerous times.
After seeing me workout for over a year, he should be used to it by now, right?! Nope. Again, he's 2 1/2!!!! I just have to be sure to wear my patience on those days that I know Ty will be joining me in my workout. Anyone that has kids or animals for that matter should know that things hardly ever go the way you plan them. I will admit that it is frustrating at times to work up a sweat only to have to pause the video to go upstairs to refill a sippy cup only to have to go back upstairs to get him a snack four and a half minutes later. I will also admit that sometimes I'm not nearly as calm and collected as I should be when I'm trying to stay focused on working out. Then, I remind myself that it isn't my "normal" workout time and I'm actually on Tyson's time now. This is why I workout before he even thinks about getting up, that is MY time. I suggest ,to any parent wanting to expose their kids to working out, to keep your expectations low. Wear your patience HazMat suit. Stay calm. I am repeating all of this to myself as I type it. I feel like I'm ready to try again with the boy.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you getting creative with your time, until next time...
Monday, April 23, 2012
Working and Working Out
Long long ago, while in college, I had a part-time job working in a gymnastics gym. Part of the time I worked in the office, taking tuition and doing bookwork and the other part, I taught recreational gymnastics classes to kids ages 3 to 12. I had a ton of fun working there. It is still one of my favorite jobs to date.
On Friday nights, the gym would have makeup classes for kids that missed during the week. I would teach these make-up classes every Friday. I would always have two make-up classes back to back on Fridays, the first hour for the preschool/kindergartners and the second hour the older kids. Sometimes, I wouldn't have anyone the first hour. One particular Friday, I didn't have any kids the first hour and decided to mess around in the gym for a while. Aside from basic gymnastics and teaching the younger kids, I hadn't done anything that required a lot of skill and/or muscle tone.
There sat the parallel bars. I thought, "I'm going to do a pull-over." The bars were set really low for the recreational kids, so when I would get up there to demonstrate, I would just have to jump up there, using my arms, like getting out of a pool from the side. When I got it in my mind to do a pull-over, I really had myself convinced that I could do it because the bars were lower. There would hardly be any upper arm strength to it, if I executed it correctly. I pulled my chest and chin to the bar and swung my legs up in the air to get around the bar. There was one problem. The last time I had done a pull-over, I was ten years younger and about 40 pounds lighter.
I recall seeing my feet in the glare of the lights and as they seemed to hang out up there, my arms realize that they cannot bear the weight of my lower limbs and hips. My arms go completely straight and with the strain of my entire body on my arms, my hands let go, slamming me down to the mats below. Yes, it did. I came crashing down and even knocked the wind out of me. Once I could breathe again, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Nope, I didn't get back on that horse and try again, I moved onto the tramp track.
Tramp track. Harmless, right? I mean, how in the world can anyone injure themselves on a piece of equipment that is flexible and forgiving? I start off just jumping down the track in different fashions. I then move onto cartwheels, front handsprings and walkovers. I'm feeling like a rock star, a gymnastics rock star. I decide to go for it, the front tuck. Remember those weighty hips and limbs I talked about earlier? Well, I apparently didn't learn my lesson. I go for it, I have great speed, I jump, but you see, those damn hips and legs didn't quite make it around and I land on my butt. You're probably thinking, "you were on a trampoline, how could that be THAT bad?" Well, let me tell you. Where I landed happened to be where one of the support bars was located. My butt fat divided upon impact and allowed my ass bones to take the heat.
This was the point where I laid there gazing into those bright lights that I had minutes before watched my feet in and I just let myself feel the throbbing coming from my back and butt. I let it radiate through my body before I picked myself up and walked back to the office to await the second hour of make-ups.
Why did I tell you this story? I'm not quite sure. Probably because it could only happen to me. Maybe because I keep putting myself out there doing ridiculous things to myself and trying ridiculous things just because. I'm not afraid to try anything, really. My friends and I have been trying to get together to go to one of those stripper pole classes. I will most definitely injure myself there, but I've got to give it a try Carmen Electra style!!!!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you who put yourselves out there everyday, until next time...
On Friday nights, the gym would have makeup classes for kids that missed during the week. I would teach these make-up classes every Friday. I would always have two make-up classes back to back on Fridays, the first hour for the preschool/kindergartners and the second hour the older kids. Sometimes, I wouldn't have anyone the first hour. One particular Friday, I didn't have any kids the first hour and decided to mess around in the gym for a while. Aside from basic gymnastics and teaching the younger kids, I hadn't done anything that required a lot of skill and/or muscle tone.
There sat the parallel bars. I thought, "I'm going to do a pull-over." The bars were set really low for the recreational kids, so when I would get up there to demonstrate, I would just have to jump up there, using my arms, like getting out of a pool from the side. When I got it in my mind to do a pull-over, I really had myself convinced that I could do it because the bars were lower. There would hardly be any upper arm strength to it, if I executed it correctly. I pulled my chest and chin to the bar and swung my legs up in the air to get around the bar. There was one problem. The last time I had done a pull-over, I was ten years younger and about 40 pounds lighter.
I recall seeing my feet in the glare of the lights and as they seemed to hang out up there, my arms realize that they cannot bear the weight of my lower limbs and hips. My arms go completely straight and with the strain of my entire body on my arms, my hands let go, slamming me down to the mats below. Yes, it did. I came crashing down and even knocked the wind out of me. Once I could breathe again, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Nope, I didn't get back on that horse and try again, I moved onto the tramp track.
Tramp track. Harmless, right? I mean, how in the world can anyone injure themselves on a piece of equipment that is flexible and forgiving? I start off just jumping down the track in different fashions. I then move onto cartwheels, front handsprings and walkovers. I'm feeling like a rock star, a gymnastics rock star. I decide to go for it, the front tuck. Remember those weighty hips and limbs I talked about earlier? Well, I apparently didn't learn my lesson. I go for it, I have great speed, I jump, but you see, those damn hips and legs didn't quite make it around and I land on my butt. You're probably thinking, "you were on a trampoline, how could that be THAT bad?" Well, let me tell you. Where I landed happened to be where one of the support bars was located. My butt fat divided upon impact and allowed my ass bones to take the heat.
This was the point where I laid there gazing into those bright lights that I had minutes before watched my feet in and I just let myself feel the throbbing coming from my back and butt. I let it radiate through my body before I picked myself up and walked back to the office to await the second hour of make-ups.
Why did I tell you this story? I'm not quite sure. Probably because it could only happen to me. Maybe because I keep putting myself out there doing ridiculous things to myself and trying ridiculous things just because. I'm not afraid to try anything, really. My friends and I have been trying to get together to go to one of those stripper pole classes. I will most definitely injure myself there, but I've got to give it a try Carmen Electra style!!!!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you who put yourselves out there everyday, until next time...
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Setting Yourself Up for SUCCESS!!!!!!
I am confident that because I can make a workout routine work in my busy life, that YOU can do so, also! There are many components to being successful in your journey and accomplishing your goals, but if you can start with a strong foundation, you can do it!
If you are still trying to figure out what kind of workout to do and live in a changing climate, there's good news here! The weather is nice enough to walk. Walking doesn't require any extra equipment or videos. Most of you have a decent pair of shoes to start hitting the streets! Set a small goal for yourself and put it somewhere where it can be seen. For example, if your goal is to be more active, then set four days a week to make it a point to get out and walk. Four days a week isn't too much. You will still have three days a week to not do anything. Mark the walking days on a calendar where you can see it. Set the time. Make walking like you are going to meet someone for dinner. In other words, make plans to walk and keep the commitment like you would anything else. Set yourself up for success, choose a time that works for YOU to get your activity in. Make it a priority.
Follow through with your goals. I've said before that to START SMALL means to break it down into manageable bits. Start with four times a week for four weeks. If, after four weeks, you aren't feeling the love of walking or being more active, then after you have completed week four, you can push on to something different! You aren't tied down to one type of exercise, you have the freedom to choose what you want to do.
Maybe you want to join a gym because it helps you to get away from the house? There are many gym options available these days. You now have the option to go 24 hours a day. What a novel idea!! Or, check out your local community center and see if they have a weight/cardio room. These can be great for just starting out because some of these centers don't require a monthly membership and you can pay by the visit. Check out your local parks and recreation programs. They can offer different classes to try at a very reasonable cost. I got a lot of exposure to different types of workouts by signing up for different classes. If I wasn't fond of a particular class, it was usually only four weeks per session, so I knew it wasn't going to be forever. Taking one class that meets once a week for an hour can take care of one of the four activities in your goal. Find your niche! Find what you like to do and do it!!!!
After you have reached your goal, set a new one. Make it manageable. Example: if your goal is to lose weight, set a long-term goal to lose 40 pounds, but break it down to lose 8 pounds per month. Keep revisiting the goals. Make sure your goals are within your means, but also be sure to push yourself a little as well. Before you know it, you will be checking your goals off you list!!!
Tell yourself: I CAN do this! I CAN succeed! I CAN reach my goals!! I know you can do it all!!!!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you getting busy on your goals, until next time...
If you are still trying to figure out what kind of workout to do and live in a changing climate, there's good news here! The weather is nice enough to walk. Walking doesn't require any extra equipment or videos. Most of you have a decent pair of shoes to start hitting the streets! Set a small goal for yourself and put it somewhere where it can be seen. For example, if your goal is to be more active, then set four days a week to make it a point to get out and walk. Four days a week isn't too much. You will still have three days a week to not do anything. Mark the walking days on a calendar where you can see it. Set the time. Make walking like you are going to meet someone for dinner. In other words, make plans to walk and keep the commitment like you would anything else. Set yourself up for success, choose a time that works for YOU to get your activity in. Make it a priority.
Follow through with your goals. I've said before that to START SMALL means to break it down into manageable bits. Start with four times a week for four weeks. If, after four weeks, you aren't feeling the love of walking or being more active, then after you have completed week four, you can push on to something different! You aren't tied down to one type of exercise, you have the freedom to choose what you want to do.
Maybe you want to join a gym because it helps you to get away from the house? There are many gym options available these days. You now have the option to go 24 hours a day. What a novel idea!! Or, check out your local community center and see if they have a weight/cardio room. These can be great for just starting out because some of these centers don't require a monthly membership and you can pay by the visit. Check out your local parks and recreation programs. They can offer different classes to try at a very reasonable cost. I got a lot of exposure to different types of workouts by signing up for different classes. If I wasn't fond of a particular class, it was usually only four weeks per session, so I knew it wasn't going to be forever. Taking one class that meets once a week for an hour can take care of one of the four activities in your goal. Find your niche! Find what you like to do and do it!!!!
After you have reached your goal, set a new one. Make it manageable. Example: if your goal is to lose weight, set a long-term goal to lose 40 pounds, but break it down to lose 8 pounds per month. Keep revisiting the goals. Make sure your goals are within your means, but also be sure to push yourself a little as well. Before you know it, you will be checking your goals off you list!!!
Tell yourself: I CAN do this! I CAN succeed! I CAN reach my goals!! I know you can do it all!!!!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you getting busy on your goals, until next time...
Saturday, April 21, 2012
New Favorites
I am still in love with VitaTops. Deep chocolate ones to be exact. I have been busy trying to find new things to snack on that provide the different nutrients I need and add some variety around here!
PIC #2 and I have recently tried 3 of the 4 Market Pantry protein bars. The bars are the store brand for The Zone bars, quite a bit cheaper and free from peanut anything. We have tried the fudge graham, double dark chocolate and the chocolate mint. All three are GREAT. Seriously. The double dark chocolate one is not as high in protein as the others, but it still tastes good. The difference with these bars as opposed to the other 19 brands I have tried is that the chocolate is actually chocolatey. The other bars all had a waxy chocolate. The waxy chocolate that is also found in the Special K cereal chocolatey delight. Gross. One bowl, threw the rest away. Awful.
I did try a Zone bar that was a coconut flavor. It was really good, too, but a lot more expensive and with as much of this stuff as I need in a day, I need to conserve the funds.
I have cooked spinach a couple of times now. The first time was not so good. The second time was not so good. The verdict is that I don't really like the consistency of cooked spinach. It was slimy and slimy. I still ate it, but had to think of something else while I was eating it because I was so incredibly close to gagging once I put a fork full in my mouth. I shall stick with the raw spinach salads. Hey, I tried!!!
I'm back to snacking on edamame in the pods sprinkled with a little sea salt. Such a filling snack and if eaten in moderation, not too bad for you.
Since I had the spinach in the house, I thought I would make Baja Rolls or Pinwheels. These are one of my favorites. Lightly spread whipped cream cheese, seasoned however you wish, minced onion, spinach leaves and deli-cut chicken or turkey rolled up in a tortilla. Yum! Except, this time around, I found that I don't really like them anymore. I couldn't even eat half of one and tried again today and couldn't even eat a quarter of one. Too bad because it has 4 food groups in it!
I have found that my taste buds have changed in the last few months. Like the Baja Rolls, I have found that I don't like Doritos much anymore, I didn't like my usual favorite Jimmy John's sandwich the other day and don't appreciate bread the same way I used to. It does seem a little easier to swallow (no pun intended) that my body is choosing these things rather than having to give something up like, say, peanuts. Sigh.
Something else that I have discovered for a sweet snack is cinnamon sugar pita chips. Hy-Vee makes a decent product right there. Not a great for you snack, but not a horrible one, either. Good to squash the sweet tooth.
The apple of choice around here is the Jazz apple. For a couple of months, we tried every apple that Hy-Vee and Fareway had to offer to find the one we liked best during this time of year. Of course, Honeycrisp apples are our all-time favorite, but they aren't the greatest right now. Okay, I won't lie, they absolutely suck right now. No flavor at all and they are just water with apple consistency and shape. Yuck.
I recently got a new Allrecipes.com spinner app. I'm going to be brave and try something new out once a week to expand our horizons. I'll let you know how that goes.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you just hanging out reading my blog, until next time...
PIC #2 and I have recently tried 3 of the 4 Market Pantry protein bars. The bars are the store brand for The Zone bars, quite a bit cheaper and free from peanut anything. We have tried the fudge graham, double dark chocolate and the chocolate mint. All three are GREAT. Seriously. The double dark chocolate one is not as high in protein as the others, but it still tastes good. The difference with these bars as opposed to the other 19 brands I have tried is that the chocolate is actually chocolatey. The other bars all had a waxy chocolate. The waxy chocolate that is also found in the Special K cereal chocolatey delight. Gross. One bowl, threw the rest away. Awful.
I did try a Zone bar that was a coconut flavor. It was really good, too, but a lot more expensive and with as much of this stuff as I need in a day, I need to conserve the funds.
I have cooked spinach a couple of times now. The first time was not so good. The second time was not so good. The verdict is that I don't really like the consistency of cooked spinach. It was slimy and slimy. I still ate it, but had to think of something else while I was eating it because I was so incredibly close to gagging once I put a fork full in my mouth. I shall stick with the raw spinach salads. Hey, I tried!!!
I'm back to snacking on edamame in the pods sprinkled with a little sea salt. Such a filling snack and if eaten in moderation, not too bad for you.
Since I had the spinach in the house, I thought I would make Baja Rolls or Pinwheels. These are one of my favorites. Lightly spread whipped cream cheese, seasoned however you wish, minced onion, spinach leaves and deli-cut chicken or turkey rolled up in a tortilla. Yum! Except, this time around, I found that I don't really like them anymore. I couldn't even eat half of one and tried again today and couldn't even eat a quarter of one. Too bad because it has 4 food groups in it!
I have found that my taste buds have changed in the last few months. Like the Baja Rolls, I have found that I don't like Doritos much anymore, I didn't like my usual favorite Jimmy John's sandwich the other day and don't appreciate bread the same way I used to. It does seem a little easier to swallow (no pun intended) that my body is choosing these things rather than having to give something up like, say, peanuts. Sigh.
Something else that I have discovered for a sweet snack is cinnamon sugar pita chips. Hy-Vee makes a decent product right there. Not a great for you snack, but not a horrible one, either. Good to squash the sweet tooth.
The apple of choice around here is the Jazz apple. For a couple of months, we tried every apple that Hy-Vee and Fareway had to offer to find the one we liked best during this time of year. Of course, Honeycrisp apples are our all-time favorite, but they aren't the greatest right now. Okay, I won't lie, they absolutely suck right now. No flavor at all and they are just water with apple consistency and shape. Yuck.
I recently got a new Allrecipes.com spinner app. I'm going to be brave and try something new out once a week to expand our horizons. I'll let you know how that goes.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you just hanging out reading my blog, until next time...
Friday, April 20, 2012
Footwear!!!!!
Most of you know that I just purchased a pair of Vibram FiveFinger shoes. They are so flipping awesome, I can hardly contain myself typing this out. I love them. Love them. Love them! They are really creepy looking, but they sure are comfortable. I was apprehensive about trying them because I cannot stand those socks that have the individual toes. Those things drive me crazy. We took a trip out to a local store here so I could try them out and see what they would be like.
I tried on a few sizes and thought I was on the right track with the correct size when a Vibram-loving salesman approached. He checked them out and said I needed to go smaller. I thought I needed bigger, but what in the heck do I know about these things? Nothing. Not a thing. I slip into the smaller size and Tyson thoroughly enjoyed this shopping trip because I was jumping around as high and as hard as I could in these shoes. He did, too. He actually wanted to put the shoes that I had on on his feet. He kept saying in his nicest, non-whiny voice, "mommy, my turn, please?"
As I was jumping around, I asked the guy if it was weird that I felt like I could jump higher in these shoes. He said, no, not weird at all. Yesssssssss!
I have worked out barefoot for quite some time. Our basement is carpeted and it makes it really difficult to move with ease with tennies on. Also, in working out with TurboFire, I need a cross trainer or something that has more support on the sides to keep my feet from sliding around in the shoes. I enjoy working out barefoot, I feel like I can move better. The only complaint about that is when doing Burpees or even push-ups, it is really hard to keep your feet from sliding. I've avoided injuring my shoulders up until recently when I felt something pull in my right shoulder. I've tried doing TurboFire on a yoga mat, but the mat gets bunched up and I end up spending more time fixing it than actually doing what I should be doing.
As I was talking to this knowledgeable gentleman about Vibrams, he shared that even as an avid runner, he has had the same pair since 2007. The only thing that he really mentioned as a negative was that his smelled even after washing them as he uses scent-free detergent. Otherwise, they are his favorites. He said that because there isn't really anything to break down on the shoes, they can last a really long time. He said the only things you might see after a lot of wear, are the soles wearing out or the fabric wearing thin. Another cool thing about these shoes is they are MACHINE WASHABLE! How cool is that?! I know, a lot of shoes CAN be washed in the washer, but mine always end up mangled and never quite the same.
I purchased the shoes and returned home and put them on to wear around the house. I knew I was falling in love. That evening, I tried them out with TurboFire for the first time. It was harmonious. It was me, Chalene and my new shoes. My feet were so happy. The Vibrams were better than I expected!!!! I found myself slightly bummed because I didn't get them sooner. I think I would have gotten more out of my workouts if I had purchased them sooner. They were that good. It was like my feet were being hugged the entire time I was working out. No foot pain and I was able to move easily. It was a great boost to have something new to incorporate into my workout.
I know friends who have these shoes and love them as deeply as I do. My shoes will never see the outdoors as they are purely my workout shoes. The salesman gave me a brochure on training your feet and stride to run in the Vibrams. I actually read it. Makes complete sense. Maybe one day I will return to running every so often, but for now, I will hold my new shoes hostage in the basement.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you going to Google what these shoes look like, until next time...
I tried on a few sizes and thought I was on the right track with the correct size when a Vibram-loving salesman approached. He checked them out and said I needed to go smaller. I thought I needed bigger, but what in the heck do I know about these things? Nothing. Not a thing. I slip into the smaller size and Tyson thoroughly enjoyed this shopping trip because I was jumping around as high and as hard as I could in these shoes. He did, too. He actually wanted to put the shoes that I had on on his feet. He kept saying in his nicest, non-whiny voice, "mommy, my turn, please?"
As I was jumping around, I asked the guy if it was weird that I felt like I could jump higher in these shoes. He said, no, not weird at all. Yesssssssss!
I have worked out barefoot for quite some time. Our basement is carpeted and it makes it really difficult to move with ease with tennies on. Also, in working out with TurboFire, I need a cross trainer or something that has more support on the sides to keep my feet from sliding around in the shoes. I enjoy working out barefoot, I feel like I can move better. The only complaint about that is when doing Burpees or even push-ups, it is really hard to keep your feet from sliding. I've avoided injuring my shoulders up until recently when I felt something pull in my right shoulder. I've tried doing TurboFire on a yoga mat, but the mat gets bunched up and I end up spending more time fixing it than actually doing what I should be doing.
As I was talking to this knowledgeable gentleman about Vibrams, he shared that even as an avid runner, he has had the same pair since 2007. The only thing that he really mentioned as a negative was that his smelled even after washing them as he uses scent-free detergent. Otherwise, they are his favorites. He said that because there isn't really anything to break down on the shoes, they can last a really long time. He said the only things you might see after a lot of wear, are the soles wearing out or the fabric wearing thin. Another cool thing about these shoes is they are MACHINE WASHABLE! How cool is that?! I know, a lot of shoes CAN be washed in the washer, but mine always end up mangled and never quite the same.
I purchased the shoes and returned home and put them on to wear around the house. I knew I was falling in love. That evening, I tried them out with TurboFire for the first time. It was harmonious. It was me, Chalene and my new shoes. My feet were so happy. The Vibrams were better than I expected!!!! I found myself slightly bummed because I didn't get them sooner. I think I would have gotten more out of my workouts if I had purchased them sooner. They were that good. It was like my feet were being hugged the entire time I was working out. No foot pain and I was able to move easily. It was a great boost to have something new to incorporate into my workout.
I know friends who have these shoes and love them as deeply as I do. My shoes will never see the outdoors as they are purely my workout shoes. The salesman gave me a brochure on training your feet and stride to run in the Vibrams. I actually read it. Makes complete sense. Maybe one day I will return to running every so often, but for now, I will hold my new shoes hostage in the basement.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you going to Google what these shoes look like, until next time...
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Celebrities in the house!!!
The other day, my uncle stopped over to get one of Brett's deer mounts to borrow. My uncle is an extremely talented artist and photographer that now makes his living doing what he loves. If only everyone could be that lucky. He has been drawing and photographing wildlife and is going to give it a whirl with people. Before he said he was going to draw people, I jokingly said that if he needed a human face to draw...this is where I posed in classic senior photo pose with head resting on hands. Okay, so I wasn't joking. He laughed anyway.
We had to go to the basement to get the deer mount. Yes the basement. Not on the main floor. Anyhoo, we went downstairs and my uncle asks if "this" is where I workout everyday (pointing to the family room down there). I tell him, "yes, this is where the magic happens." You should have seen him, he was completely star-struck at the thought of being in MY basement where I workout and collect all my thoughts for this lovely blog. He was giddy. Completely giddy, as if he couldn't believe he was MY uncle!!!!!! I'm not joking, he was so sad that he didn't have his camera on him to get a photo of he and I together in this star-studded moment!!!! He asked for an autograph, but quickly retracted that request in case it was an imposition. I told him it wasn't too much trouble and signed a napkin for him.
Okay, so, the only truths in that last paragraph was up to the point where I said "yes, this is where the magic happens." The rest is pure fabrication. Sigh.
I thought briefly about making this post about how awesome and gorgeous I am to follow suit of that woman that recently did that on her blog and had a great deal of backlash for it. Okay, so I thought about it for a couple days, not just briefly. But, the difference would be that if I wrote all of that on my blog, all of you would know that I am not serious and find it humorous, if I could actually say that I am super hot and men worship me and mean it. Ha! It makes me giggle just thinking about thinking that kind of thought! You following me? Good!!!!
Okay, so to follow up my eyebrow waxing post and my friend's Brazilian waxing story, she said it was okay to use her name. She said, "it's okay if you use my name. Women need to be warned!!" Ha! Thanks, Nicole, I am now sharing your horrific self-Brazilian story with the people that read this blog. Also, if you didn't know, Nicole is also the one that pushed me down when we went roller-skating. She says she wants to go roller-skating again. I asked, "why? So you can push me down again?" She simply stated, "yes!"
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you that want Nicole's phone number to get the story in its entirety, until next time...
We had to go to the basement to get the deer mount. Yes the basement. Not on the main floor. Anyhoo, we went downstairs and my uncle asks if "this" is where I workout everyday (pointing to the family room down there). I tell him, "yes, this is where the magic happens." You should have seen him, he was completely star-struck at the thought of being in MY basement where I workout and collect all my thoughts for this lovely blog. He was giddy. Completely giddy, as if he couldn't believe he was MY uncle!!!!!! I'm not joking, he was so sad that he didn't have his camera on him to get a photo of he and I together in this star-studded moment!!!! He asked for an autograph, but quickly retracted that request in case it was an imposition. I told him it wasn't too much trouble and signed a napkin for him.
Okay, so, the only truths in that last paragraph was up to the point where I said "yes, this is where the magic happens." The rest is pure fabrication. Sigh.
I thought briefly about making this post about how awesome and gorgeous I am to follow suit of that woman that recently did that on her blog and had a great deal of backlash for it. Okay, so I thought about it for a couple days, not just briefly. But, the difference would be that if I wrote all of that on my blog, all of you would know that I am not serious and find it humorous, if I could actually say that I am super hot and men worship me and mean it. Ha! It makes me giggle just thinking about thinking that kind of thought! You following me? Good!!!!
Okay, so to follow up my eyebrow waxing post and my friend's Brazilian waxing story, she said it was okay to use her name. She said, "it's okay if you use my name. Women need to be warned!!" Ha! Thanks, Nicole, I am now sharing your horrific self-Brazilian story with the people that read this blog. Also, if you didn't know, Nicole is also the one that pushed me down when we went roller-skating. She says she wants to go roller-skating again. I asked, "why? So you can push me down again?" She simply stated, "yes!"
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you that want Nicole's phone number to get the story in its entirety, until next time...
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Illnesses and then some
When Ty was just under a year old, he acquired the stomach flu. Three weeks prior to that, Brett had the stomach flu. I knew I was doomed when Ty got it, but I had to keep my mind off of it.
Let me interject with how much I hate puking. I cannot stand puking and will go to any length to not puke.
So, Ty can't walk yet at this point and it was pretty easy to contain the nastiness. I put a blanket on the floor in the middle of the living room and put his handy Fisher-Price chair, that had a kickstand, atop the blanket. I could tell when he was getting ready to vom. I would spring up and swoop the kickstand out to rock him forward to catch the projectile in a burp cloth.
After about five hours, he stopped puking. He got some good shut-eye and was able to drink a bit of pedialyte.
This day, the weather was glorious. I was able to have windows open and the pups played outside a lot that day. Ruca dug a giant hole in the morning and in the afternoon, while I was cleaning up the house as Ty napped, I caught a glimpse of Dutch on the deck out of the corner of my eye. I thought he had brought a basketball up and on the double-take, I saw it was a rabbit head. A very big rabbit head. I literally screamed as loud as I could. The entire neighborhood had to have heard me screaming, BUBBA!!! NOOOOOOO!" I was mortified. I call Brett to tell him, he tells me to leave it and he will get it when he gets home. Did I mention that this rabbit head was right in front of the sliding glass door??? I couldn't even stand the thought of leaving it there for a few more hours. Out I go with garbage bags on my hands and a double bag for the head. After many yelps (from me), I got it taken care of. Yay, me!!
Ty wakes shortly thereafter and is somewhat back to his normal self. He and I played and he was smiling and giggling and having a good time. Then, it happened. I realized my shirt was wet and my pants and my arms and pretty much everything but my face. I look across the floor and see a trail of runny baby crap and even that same goo all over his soccer ball. I was afraid to look to see what I was covered in. Yes, it was indeed "that."
I called Brett again to find out where he was. He sensed the panic and asked what was wrong. I said, "get home now!!! I am covered in $hit!!! Literally covered in $HIT!!!" Thankfully, he had just turned onto our road. By the time he came in, I was already in my underwear and getting Ty ready for bath. I handed Ty over to Brett and in one of my not-so-proud moments, in my fecal frenzy, while still in bra and panties, I began scrubbing the carpet with Bath and Body Works' Tropical Passionfruit antibacterial hand soap with moisturizing micro beads. Yes, I really did that. I came to my senses shortly after and cleaned again with actual carpet sanitizing spray and then again with vinegar and water. I finally got a full shower.
It gets better/worse. That night, Dutch started getting sick. He had the runs, but at least it was outside. Rabbit or flu, not sure. That very same night, I felt it coming on. It was a pity I had eaten Casey's pizza. I actually cried when I felt it coming on. Brett wasn't sure what to do. Ha! I spent the next day in bed. It was a quick one. Recuperating the next day as well.
It was the day after that I went back to work. Brett and i thought it would be best to corrall Dutch and ruca in the kitchen since Dutch was still under the weather and it seemed Ruca was going that direction, too. I went home at lunch to let them out and make sure they had enough water. When I opened the door, I knew by the smell. Dutch was fine and happy to see me. Ruca was cowering in the corner. I round the furniture to find the hallway sprayed with crap. Walls and carpet. I call Brett to ask if he kenneled the pups. He says, "no, I didn't." I say, "well, ya probably should have, it's not pretty." Brett says, "no!" I say yes and we did that a couple more times.
I had to call work to tell them I wouldn't be back and was taking "VACATION" to clean up the annihilation. I called every single carpet cleaning business in town and no one had any openings. I rented a Rug Doctor and cleaned the carpets three times. In the middle of all that cleaning, I called my sister and cried while she laughed.
I caught a shower, returned the Rug Doctor and picked Ty up with time to spare.
All of that really did happen. Maybe the point of this post is to remind you to not eat raw rabbit and to push yourself to the brink of a nervous breakdown????? Or maybe to point out what my life is like and know you aren't alone when things continue to go wrong???? Whatever your interpretation, make it a good one!!!!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you with weak stomachs, I apologize and until next time...
Let me interject with how much I hate puking. I cannot stand puking and will go to any length to not puke.
So, Ty can't walk yet at this point and it was pretty easy to contain the nastiness. I put a blanket on the floor in the middle of the living room and put his handy Fisher-Price chair, that had a kickstand, atop the blanket. I could tell when he was getting ready to vom. I would spring up and swoop the kickstand out to rock him forward to catch the projectile in a burp cloth.
After about five hours, he stopped puking. He got some good shut-eye and was able to drink a bit of pedialyte.
This day, the weather was glorious. I was able to have windows open and the pups played outside a lot that day. Ruca dug a giant hole in the morning and in the afternoon, while I was cleaning up the house as Ty napped, I caught a glimpse of Dutch on the deck out of the corner of my eye. I thought he had brought a basketball up and on the double-take, I saw it was a rabbit head. A very big rabbit head. I literally screamed as loud as I could. The entire neighborhood had to have heard me screaming, BUBBA!!! NOOOOOOO!" I was mortified. I call Brett to tell him, he tells me to leave it and he will get it when he gets home. Did I mention that this rabbit head was right in front of the sliding glass door??? I couldn't even stand the thought of leaving it there for a few more hours. Out I go with garbage bags on my hands and a double bag for the head. After many yelps (from me), I got it taken care of. Yay, me!!
Ty wakes shortly thereafter and is somewhat back to his normal self. He and I played and he was smiling and giggling and having a good time. Then, it happened. I realized my shirt was wet and my pants and my arms and pretty much everything but my face. I look across the floor and see a trail of runny baby crap and even that same goo all over his soccer ball. I was afraid to look to see what I was covered in. Yes, it was indeed "that."
I called Brett again to find out where he was. He sensed the panic and asked what was wrong. I said, "get home now!!! I am covered in $hit!!! Literally covered in $HIT!!!" Thankfully, he had just turned onto our road. By the time he came in, I was already in my underwear and getting Ty ready for bath. I handed Ty over to Brett and in one of my not-so-proud moments, in my fecal frenzy, while still in bra and panties, I began scrubbing the carpet with Bath and Body Works' Tropical Passionfruit antibacterial hand soap with moisturizing micro beads. Yes, I really did that. I came to my senses shortly after and cleaned again with actual carpet sanitizing spray and then again with vinegar and water. I finally got a full shower.
It gets better/worse. That night, Dutch started getting sick. He had the runs, but at least it was outside. Rabbit or flu, not sure. That very same night, I felt it coming on. It was a pity I had eaten Casey's pizza. I actually cried when I felt it coming on. Brett wasn't sure what to do. Ha! I spent the next day in bed. It was a quick one. Recuperating the next day as well.
It was the day after that I went back to work. Brett and i thought it would be best to corrall Dutch and ruca in the kitchen since Dutch was still under the weather and it seemed Ruca was going that direction, too. I went home at lunch to let them out and make sure they had enough water. When I opened the door, I knew by the smell. Dutch was fine and happy to see me. Ruca was cowering in the corner. I round the furniture to find the hallway sprayed with crap. Walls and carpet. I call Brett to ask if he kenneled the pups. He says, "no, I didn't." I say, "well, ya probably should have, it's not pretty." Brett says, "no!" I say yes and we did that a couple more times.
I had to call work to tell them I wouldn't be back and was taking "VACATION" to clean up the annihilation. I called every single carpet cleaning business in town and no one had any openings. I rented a Rug Doctor and cleaned the carpets three times. In the middle of all that cleaning, I called my sister and cried while she laughed.
I caught a shower, returned the Rug Doctor and picked Ty up with time to spare.
All of that really did happen. Maybe the point of this post is to remind you to not eat raw rabbit and to push yourself to the brink of a nervous breakdown????? Or maybe to point out what my life is like and know you aren't alone when things continue to go wrong???? Whatever your interpretation, make it a good one!!!!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you with weak stomachs, I apologize and until next time...
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Joys of Home Ownership
The last time I was hitting the gym hard was about 5 years ago. I was doing great, feeling pretty good and exceeding my own expectations. That summer, Brett and our brother in law were preparing to go on a trip to Montana. It was the night before they were to depart and I was doing laundry. I turned the washer on and went upstairs to the kitchen to do a few things. As I was busy with the kitchen stuff, after about 10 minutes, I could REALLY hear the washing machine. I thought and said out loud, "wow! The washing machine sounds really loud right now, like running water... oh crap!" I ran downstairs to find that a hose had broken loose and was spraying water EVERYWHERE in the laundry room.
I yelled for Brett to come down. He and I cleaned up the mess as best as we could and he reattached the hose. I kept on with the laundry. The hose came off again. Again, we cleaned up the mess. He again reattached the hose. Since there was carpet down in our laundry room at the time, we both agreed that I would have to take that out the next day because it would smell by the time he returned. At this point, it was about midnight and they were leaving in a few hours. Went to bed, slept it off. I woke up bright and early and started chopping up the carpet and the half of the carpet pad that was down there.
Do you have any idea how heavy wet carpet is? Let me tell you that it was so incredibly heavy, awkward and being a do-it-myselfer that I am, did it by myself. The back of the carpet was so rough and it scratched and scraped my arms and legs so bad. It looked like I got into a fight with a cat using sandpaper as a weapon.
Carpet and padding hauled to the curb, laundry started AGAIN. I mopped and was going to put away the knives and blades I used in the garage. Came back down to finish up to find the washer had broken free AGAIN. Water everywhere. AGAIN. This time, I called my jean hiking dad to help get it reattached. He came, he saw the carpet and asked why in the hell I didn't call for help. My response: I don't know. Ha!! That one day was a superb workout minus the part where I broke down, fell to my knees, started crying and cussing up a storm that was not suitable for many adults. Wait! I didn't tell you that part?!?! Hmm, must have forgotten!!!
I have also been known to shovel rocks into a wheelbarrow and haul rocks to the backyard. I have also been known to load big pieces of concrete into the same wheelbarrow to haul it uphill to the driveway. Both excellent workouts. Multitasking once again at its finest!!
We do need to put more rock in our backyard. I intend to replace a workout or two with this activity. I'm kind of looking forward to it. I'm a sick puppy. I'm okay with that though!!!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you trying to figure out which home projects can be good workouts, until next time...
I yelled for Brett to come down. He and I cleaned up the mess as best as we could and he reattached the hose. I kept on with the laundry. The hose came off again. Again, we cleaned up the mess. He again reattached the hose. Since there was carpet down in our laundry room at the time, we both agreed that I would have to take that out the next day because it would smell by the time he returned. At this point, it was about midnight and they were leaving in a few hours. Went to bed, slept it off. I woke up bright and early and started chopping up the carpet and the half of the carpet pad that was down there.
Do you have any idea how heavy wet carpet is? Let me tell you that it was so incredibly heavy, awkward and being a do-it-myselfer that I am, did it by myself. The back of the carpet was so rough and it scratched and scraped my arms and legs so bad. It looked like I got into a fight with a cat using sandpaper as a weapon.
Carpet and padding hauled to the curb, laundry started AGAIN. I mopped and was going to put away the knives and blades I used in the garage. Came back down to finish up to find the washer had broken free AGAIN. Water everywhere. AGAIN. This time, I called my jean hiking dad to help get it reattached. He came, he saw the carpet and asked why in the hell I didn't call for help. My response: I don't know. Ha!! That one day was a superb workout minus the part where I broke down, fell to my knees, started crying and cussing up a storm that was not suitable for many adults. Wait! I didn't tell you that part?!?! Hmm, must have forgotten!!!
I have also been known to shovel rocks into a wheelbarrow and haul rocks to the backyard. I have also been known to load big pieces of concrete into the same wheelbarrow to haul it uphill to the driveway. Both excellent workouts. Multitasking once again at its finest!!
We do need to put more rock in our backyard. I intend to replace a workout or two with this activity. I'm kind of looking forward to it. I'm a sick puppy. I'm okay with that though!!!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you trying to figure out which home projects can be good workouts, until next time...
Monday, April 16, 2012
Foodie Time!
Right now, if my sister is reading this, I so hope she gets my "Foodie Time" song stuck in her head. Yes, I have a Foodie Time song. Nope, didn't make it up for Ty... I made it up for Dutch. True story. Still sing it for both Dutch and Ruca from time to time and most definitely sing it when my sister is here. She LOVES it. If you want me to teach it to you so you can sing it to her, too, let me know!
A few months ago, I heard about using plain popcorn kernels, putting them in a paper lunch bag and popping the popcorn in the microwave. Let me tell you, it is GREAT! I love that I can make popcorn without oil and without a separate appliance or special microwavable bowl. Of course you can add butter to it and salt and whatever else you like and that is usually how it is done around here since I make it for Brett and I. My secret is that I eat the plain, air-popped popcorn while the next bag is in the microwave. Then, when I sit down with him and the popcorn, I've already eaten enough plain stuff that I'm not that hungry for the naughty stuff. I get the taste and even get to eat some with some M&Ms, but Brett does a pretty good job polishing off the rest of the bowl. Not only is the popcorn better tasting than pre-packaged microwave popcorn, it is cheaper, you can make single servings and it doesn't have the preservatives, sodium and all the other things that I can't pronounce. I'm still trying to perfect the timing and how much to put in the bag. We have ended up with quite a few seeds at the bottom of the bowl. I'll keep trying.
You know when you go to a restaurant and you ask for an extra side of ranch or butter or hot fudge or anything "extra" for that matter? I have trained myself to not ask for extra anything anymore. The amount you get is enough. Keep telling yourself that. Those small things can add up quickly when you are trying to lose weight and/or eat better. Skip the extras next time, unless it is something that could add nutritional value like broccoli, celery, water or air. Ha! You know what I mean. Remember, everything in moderation.
I have kind of hit a food funk lately and am needing to explore other options and find something that will satisfy me and meet the nutritional needs I have. I once again have to get back to the "food is purely fuel for my body" thought and let it come naturally, but crap, sometimes, I just need different stuff. I eat way too frequently throughout the day that I need to keep it fresh.
Have I talked about Vitatops before? These are one of my favorites!!!
Two doors down neighbor said to try putting tuna on our grilled cheese. Can't say that I was a big fan, but it was a nice change up to a simple meal. I will try again, but use something other than American Cheese on it. Maybe a little fresh sliced cheese instead. Not that we eat grilled cheese a lot and not sure why I am obsessing about grilled cheese.
I am going to try actually cooking spinach. I have never made it in the ways of taking fresh spinach and cooking it. I've only eaten it raw in salads or sandwiches or used frozen for recipes. I want to try it like a side vegetable. I'll let you know how I do with that.
It is a double-edged Samurai sword (unsigned by Randy Jackson) that I do all of the cooking here. I pretty much cook what I want, but it is hard to come up with ideas that I think everyone will like, and be nutritionally balanced while expanding the horizons of myself and Tyson. Brett will eat pretty much whatever I cook if it doesn't involve cooked carrots, but the chances of him eating it again if it wasn't stellar, not so great. Ty seems to be getting braver at trying new things and tried a couple bites of chili the other night. It wasn't too spicy, but it looks like I am going to have to tone it down even more in the event he decides to actually make a meal out of it. Things were definitely easier the last time around with this weight loss thing when I didn't have to worry about getting a little guy to eat. This is the new reality, I'm just trying to make it manageable.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you that may have any food ideas for me, until next time...
A few months ago, I heard about using plain popcorn kernels, putting them in a paper lunch bag and popping the popcorn in the microwave. Let me tell you, it is GREAT! I love that I can make popcorn without oil and without a separate appliance or special microwavable bowl. Of course you can add butter to it and salt and whatever else you like and that is usually how it is done around here since I make it for Brett and I. My secret is that I eat the plain, air-popped popcorn while the next bag is in the microwave. Then, when I sit down with him and the popcorn, I've already eaten enough plain stuff that I'm not that hungry for the naughty stuff. I get the taste and even get to eat some with some M&Ms, but Brett does a pretty good job polishing off the rest of the bowl. Not only is the popcorn better tasting than pre-packaged microwave popcorn, it is cheaper, you can make single servings and it doesn't have the preservatives, sodium and all the other things that I can't pronounce. I'm still trying to perfect the timing and how much to put in the bag. We have ended up with quite a few seeds at the bottom of the bowl. I'll keep trying.
You know when you go to a restaurant and you ask for an extra side of ranch or butter or hot fudge or anything "extra" for that matter? I have trained myself to not ask for extra anything anymore. The amount you get is enough. Keep telling yourself that. Those small things can add up quickly when you are trying to lose weight and/or eat better. Skip the extras next time, unless it is something that could add nutritional value like broccoli, celery, water or air. Ha! You know what I mean. Remember, everything in moderation.
I have kind of hit a food funk lately and am needing to explore other options and find something that will satisfy me and meet the nutritional needs I have. I once again have to get back to the "food is purely fuel for my body" thought and let it come naturally, but crap, sometimes, I just need different stuff. I eat way too frequently throughout the day that I need to keep it fresh.
Have I talked about Vitatops before? These are one of my favorites!!!
Two doors down neighbor said to try putting tuna on our grilled cheese. Can't say that I was a big fan, but it was a nice change up to a simple meal. I will try again, but use something other than American Cheese on it. Maybe a little fresh sliced cheese instead. Not that we eat grilled cheese a lot and not sure why I am obsessing about grilled cheese.
I am going to try actually cooking spinach. I have never made it in the ways of taking fresh spinach and cooking it. I've only eaten it raw in salads or sandwiches or used frozen for recipes. I want to try it like a side vegetable. I'll let you know how I do with that.
It is a double-edged Samurai sword (unsigned by Randy Jackson) that I do all of the cooking here. I pretty much cook what I want, but it is hard to come up with ideas that I think everyone will like, and be nutritionally balanced while expanding the horizons of myself and Tyson. Brett will eat pretty much whatever I cook if it doesn't involve cooked carrots, but the chances of him eating it again if it wasn't stellar, not so great. Ty seems to be getting braver at trying new things and tried a couple bites of chili the other night. It wasn't too spicy, but it looks like I am going to have to tone it down even more in the event he decides to actually make a meal out of it. Things were definitely easier the last time around with this weight loss thing when I didn't have to worry about getting a little guy to eat. This is the new reality, I'm just trying to make it manageable.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you that may have any food ideas for me, until next time...
Sunday, April 15, 2012
True Blood and Then Some
I am slightly obsessed with the HBO show "True Blood." I watch religiously and own a couple of True Blood shirts. True. Very true. These two shirts are my very favorite shirts to workout in. I think I get a better workout in those shirts. Yeah, I just admitted that. I'm not sure what it is, but something about wearing TEAM BILL or Bon Temps Football across my chest makes working out at 4:15 in the morning that much more bearable. True Blood shirts are to Trisha's workout as Prom dresses are to Prom. Yup, I said that.
I must have the correct pants to workout. I NEED a drawstring and they need to be capris. If they are full-length sweatpants, I will most definitely be stepping on the bottoms at some point in the workout. And you all know, the pant legs MUST be equal length, otherwise, I have been known to check the length in the middle of a workout. I would also like to say that I am looking forward to the next season of True Blood as well as last season's episodes to come out on blu-ray.
I enjoy the occasional company when I am working out. Last week, I was astonished when Ruca found her way downstairs with me. She was right at my feet, behind me and under my head the entire time. I would pet her and kiss her when I could, enjoying the company of my girl, which hadn't happened in years. I tripped on her a couple times and I got her to lie down on the couch for a bit, but she kept getting up and nudging my legs. It wasn't until I was done an hour later, came upstairs and found that the dogs' water tank was empty and the bowl was bone dry. Yeah, she was trying to tell me that my whole workout. I didn't listen. Bad mommy. It was all good when I filled the tank and she slurped a lot down.
Dutch has joined me a couple of times while I workout, but his motives are because it is has been unseasonably warm and even warmer in our house upstairs. He retreats to the basement to chill out. Fortunate for me, he finds a place to lay down away from my feet. He watches the whole time. I can only imagine what he is thinking when he watches me. I think he is thinking, "wow! She is wicked awesome at this Turboma Fireplace stuff! She can move! She moves like the wind! She looks like Chuck Norris when she moves!"
I would like to say that I look nothing like Chuckie or the people on my DVDs. I have caught glimpses of myself in the reflection on the TV and I look incredibly ridiculous. My technique is off and I look like I am moving in slow-motion. It is so strange, in my mind, I think I am rocking it and imagine that I really do look awesome while working out. The reality is that my pants start to fall down, my gut then pours over the top of my pants and then that gut just jiggles over and over and over again while I am jumping around. If that isn't bad enough, my arms are jiggly and when I mean jiggly, I mean JIGGLY. Yet more reasons to solidify my working out in my basement. As if the other reasons weren't bad enough? It just keeps getting worse the more I think about it. Ha!
I am still waiting for it to stay light out longer so I can do my two rounds of pup walking at night. Nope, still don't take them together. Each one still tries to get ahead of the other. Plus, I look at it more like spending quality, one on one time with each of the pups. Each one separately is an excellent walker. Together = a steaming hot mess.
As much as I do enjoy getting my workouts done in the wee hours of the morning, I do find that my drive is way better after I have spent some time waking up. My energy level is different hours after I awaken as opposed to 15 minutes. I suppose it is logical that it is that way. I encourage anyone that is wanting to START SMALL to get up a little earlier than normal (whatever your work schedule is) and get the workout done and over with for the day. My mental clarity suffers when I choose to sleep later. Aside from that, I know that there will come a day when Ty will stay up later and I won't be able to get a really good workout in at night. The other night, he and I ended up lying on his bedroom floor when he would normally be winding himself down in his bed, and we sang songs and pointed out shadows on the ceiling and wall. That was well worth the sacrifice of my evening workout.
I have decided that I will show Ty the new TaeBo workouts and see what he thinks. He may not like them and I may be forced to go back to the VHS until the VCR eats them.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering if I really do look like Chuck Norris when I move, until next time...
I must have the correct pants to workout. I NEED a drawstring and they need to be capris. If they are full-length sweatpants, I will most definitely be stepping on the bottoms at some point in the workout. And you all know, the pant legs MUST be equal length, otherwise, I have been known to check the length in the middle of a workout. I would also like to say that I am looking forward to the next season of True Blood as well as last season's episodes to come out on blu-ray.
I enjoy the occasional company when I am working out. Last week, I was astonished when Ruca found her way downstairs with me. She was right at my feet, behind me and under my head the entire time. I would pet her and kiss her when I could, enjoying the company of my girl, which hadn't happened in years. I tripped on her a couple times and I got her to lie down on the couch for a bit, but she kept getting up and nudging my legs. It wasn't until I was done an hour later, came upstairs and found that the dogs' water tank was empty and the bowl was bone dry. Yeah, she was trying to tell me that my whole workout. I didn't listen. Bad mommy. It was all good when I filled the tank and she slurped a lot down.
Dutch has joined me a couple of times while I workout, but his motives are because it is has been unseasonably warm and even warmer in our house upstairs. He retreats to the basement to chill out. Fortunate for me, he finds a place to lay down away from my feet. He watches the whole time. I can only imagine what he is thinking when he watches me. I think he is thinking, "wow! She is wicked awesome at this Turboma Fireplace stuff! She can move! She moves like the wind! She looks like Chuck Norris when she moves!"
I would like to say that I look nothing like Chuckie or the people on my DVDs. I have caught glimpses of myself in the reflection on the TV and I look incredibly ridiculous. My technique is off and I look like I am moving in slow-motion. It is so strange, in my mind, I think I am rocking it and imagine that I really do look awesome while working out. The reality is that my pants start to fall down, my gut then pours over the top of my pants and then that gut just jiggles over and over and over again while I am jumping around. If that isn't bad enough, my arms are jiggly and when I mean jiggly, I mean JIGGLY. Yet more reasons to solidify my working out in my basement. As if the other reasons weren't bad enough? It just keeps getting worse the more I think about it. Ha!
I am still waiting for it to stay light out longer so I can do my two rounds of pup walking at night. Nope, still don't take them together. Each one still tries to get ahead of the other. Plus, I look at it more like spending quality, one on one time with each of the pups. Each one separately is an excellent walker. Together = a steaming hot mess.
As much as I do enjoy getting my workouts done in the wee hours of the morning, I do find that my drive is way better after I have spent some time waking up. My energy level is different hours after I awaken as opposed to 15 minutes. I suppose it is logical that it is that way. I encourage anyone that is wanting to START SMALL to get up a little earlier than normal (whatever your work schedule is) and get the workout done and over with for the day. My mental clarity suffers when I choose to sleep later. Aside from that, I know that there will come a day when Ty will stay up later and I won't be able to get a really good workout in at night. The other night, he and I ended up lying on his bedroom floor when he would normally be winding himself down in his bed, and we sang songs and pointed out shadows on the ceiling and wall. That was well worth the sacrifice of my evening workout.
I have decided that I will show Ty the new TaeBo workouts and see what he thinks. He may not like them and I may be forced to go back to the VHS until the VCR eats them.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering if I really do look like Chuck Norris when I move, until next time...
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Million Dollar Idea
I am almost done with 12 weeks of TurboFire. I have almost every single workout memorized. Not only have I memorized the moves, but I know EXACTLY what Chalene is going to say before she says it. It reminds me of watching "Encino Man" and knowing all the dialogue and saying it the entire movie.
So, now that I know what she is going to say, I have also heard the words: rotator cuff, abductors, spinea erector and IT band more times than I can count amongst other new vocabulary. So, what if someone came up with workouts that had "lesson plans"??? For example, let's say you wanted to learn about dinosaurs, you could get a TurboFire workout with dinosaur facts and such built right in. I wouldn't mind a lesson plan based on my entire semester of government my senior year in high school. No aptitude for that, but if I listened to it over and over again, I think I might get it. I like it! It would be a new way to multi-task!!!!! Chew on THAT!
Okay, moving on. I now fast forward through the extreme warning that precedes every TurboFire workout. I DID read it the first time around and it actually scared me. It says if you feel discomfort, nausea, pain, etc, to discontinue the workout. It states that TurboFire is not for everyone and you should consult a doctor before beginning this workout. What's funny is that most doctors don't know about the newest workouts available out there, so how in the world are they going to help you if they don't know? I can understand that someone with heart problems may be limited in what they should be doing, but if you don't even know what type of workout it is, how are you going to give advice on it. I know, I know, it is a disclaimer on ALL workouts, but seriously. I have heard that Insanity has a similar warning before each workout, too. So, I look forward to getting the crap scared out of me once again.
Choosing the right workout can be kind of tough, but you have to start somewhere. With START SMALL, start with the stuff you already know how to do. Like walking, for example. Walk at a fast pace for a certain amount of minutes and increase both the speed and time until you need to move to something else or are able to jog. It IS that simple. If you have a bike, get that puppy a tune-up and get on it! You can get an inexpensive speedometer that will help gauge where you are in your intensity. The important thing is to continue to challenge yourself. Be brave!!! Jump to it! (literally if you have good knees, figuratively if you have bad knees)
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you thinking about making a workout video with dinosaur facts in subliminal messages, until next time...
So, now that I know what she is going to say, I have also heard the words: rotator cuff, abductors, spinea erector and IT band more times than I can count amongst other new vocabulary. So, what if someone came up with workouts that had "lesson plans"??? For example, let's say you wanted to learn about dinosaurs, you could get a TurboFire workout with dinosaur facts and such built right in. I wouldn't mind a lesson plan based on my entire semester of government my senior year in high school. No aptitude for that, but if I listened to it over and over again, I think I might get it. I like it! It would be a new way to multi-task!!!!! Chew on THAT!
Okay, moving on. I now fast forward through the extreme warning that precedes every TurboFire workout. I DID read it the first time around and it actually scared me. It says if you feel discomfort, nausea, pain, etc, to discontinue the workout. It states that TurboFire is not for everyone and you should consult a doctor before beginning this workout. What's funny is that most doctors don't know about the newest workouts available out there, so how in the world are they going to help you if they don't know? I can understand that someone with heart problems may be limited in what they should be doing, but if you don't even know what type of workout it is, how are you going to give advice on it. I know, I know, it is a disclaimer on ALL workouts, but seriously. I have heard that Insanity has a similar warning before each workout, too. So, I look forward to getting the crap scared out of me once again.
Choosing the right workout can be kind of tough, but you have to start somewhere. With START SMALL, start with the stuff you already know how to do. Like walking, for example. Walk at a fast pace for a certain amount of minutes and increase both the speed and time until you need to move to something else or are able to jog. It IS that simple. If you have a bike, get that puppy a tune-up and get on it! You can get an inexpensive speedometer that will help gauge where you are in your intensity. The important thing is to continue to challenge yourself. Be brave!!! Jump to it! (literally if you have good knees, figuratively if you have bad knees)
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you thinking about making a workout video with dinosaur facts in subliminal messages, until next time...
Friday, April 13, 2012
People are funny
People are funny. And I don't mean "ha ha" funny, I mean they can be ridiculous, intrusive and exasperating. From time to time, people have asked me if I am pregnant. The first couple of times this happened, I got rid of a lot of shirts and never wore the longer flowy shirts again. My response to them was "no. I'm just fat. Thanks." The dialogue to follow was never a sincere apology or even an insincere one. The person usually tried to justify their asking. I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't even ask a woman if she were pregnant even if I was 99% sure that she was. It is just something you don't do. Alas, people still do it.
It hasn't happened to me in a long time, thankfully, but I'm pretty sure my snippiness about the topic made people think. I started responding to people with "since when do pregnant women look like they are harboring a baby anaconda? Last time I checked, the belly should be round and somewhat hard. This, (as I would grab my gut, squeezing it and shaking it a bit) is NOT a baby belly, unless I'm going to give birth to a baby anaconda sometime soon." Yeah, I really did say that. More than once. Not my proudest moments. I tend to have a problem with handling things with an amount of grace that saves me from looking like an a-hole because I get so worked up and let things slide until I can't take it anymore. Character flaw. Or it is the trait of my dad. Maybe both. You decide.
Another "funny" type I encounter are those that don't know what else to say so they say things that come off insincere or condescending. Seriously, the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" rule is a good one to keep in your back pocket. Be sincere. Say what you mean and mean what you say. It works better for everyone involved.
Another "funny" type is the intrusive one. I have a family member that is extremely intrusive and overly opinionated when it comes to topics that are none of his/her business. Things that shouldn't bother me, end up making me feel deflated and angry. Now, I just avoid her and distance myself more and more. Things are definitely a lot easier without people trying to pull you down.
I learned a while ago, but later in life, from an awesome friend to "speak out of love." Meaning, when people tick you off, as much as you want to put them in their place, you should only do so out of love for that person, not out of spite.Now, I admit, I have a hard time with this general rule of thumb, but I can honestly say that it has helped me in my personal life and family relationships because I remind myself to speak out of love for that person instead of anger towards that person. It actually does help if you truly love and care for that person to begin with. I can't help you there, sorry.
There are quite a few people in my life with whom I am close that are negative. Oddly enough, the relationships I have with them are positive and healthy, but their attitudes are negative towards many many many things. Sitting here typing, I can't think of much positive that these people say in a day. Surprisingly, this has not had much of an affect on me. Maybe it is because I am hoping they will "catch on" to my trend and be more positive? I don't know. No, I'm not trying to change them either or make them my mission, but I want to lead by example. Don't get me wrong, you get me on a tirade about receiving the wrong car part or a nasty person trying to bring me down, I WILL unleash. I just try to not be like this every moment of every day.
I saw on a post by my sister in law that my mother in law had told her: Everyday we meet people we want to be like and people we don't want to be like. All that matters at the end of the day when I look in the mirror is that I am who I want to be.
I agree with this post. I think it is great. I do however think that there is always room for improvement. There is always a way to make yourself better. A different way of thinking, a different way of coping, a different way of reacting, a different way to do anything. Another START SMALL task. What can you do?
With that thought, I'm signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you with suggestions of what to name my baby anaconda, until next time...
It hasn't happened to me in a long time, thankfully, but I'm pretty sure my snippiness about the topic made people think. I started responding to people with "since when do pregnant women look like they are harboring a baby anaconda? Last time I checked, the belly should be round and somewhat hard. This, (as I would grab my gut, squeezing it and shaking it a bit) is NOT a baby belly, unless I'm going to give birth to a baby anaconda sometime soon." Yeah, I really did say that. More than once. Not my proudest moments. I tend to have a problem with handling things with an amount of grace that saves me from looking like an a-hole because I get so worked up and let things slide until I can't take it anymore. Character flaw. Or it is the trait of my dad. Maybe both. You decide.
Another "funny" type I encounter are those that don't know what else to say so they say things that come off insincere or condescending. Seriously, the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" rule is a good one to keep in your back pocket. Be sincere. Say what you mean and mean what you say. It works better for everyone involved.
Another "funny" type is the intrusive one. I have a family member that is extremely intrusive and overly opinionated when it comes to topics that are none of his/her business. Things that shouldn't bother me, end up making me feel deflated and angry. Now, I just avoid her and distance myself more and more. Things are definitely a lot easier without people trying to pull you down.
I learned a while ago, but later in life, from an awesome friend to "speak out of love." Meaning, when people tick you off, as much as you want to put them in their place, you should only do so out of love for that person, not out of spite.Now, I admit, I have a hard time with this general rule of thumb, but I can honestly say that it has helped me in my personal life and family relationships because I remind myself to speak out of love for that person instead of anger towards that person. It actually does help if you truly love and care for that person to begin with. I can't help you there, sorry.
There are quite a few people in my life with whom I am close that are negative. Oddly enough, the relationships I have with them are positive and healthy, but their attitudes are negative towards many many many things. Sitting here typing, I can't think of much positive that these people say in a day. Surprisingly, this has not had much of an affect on me. Maybe it is because I am hoping they will "catch on" to my trend and be more positive? I don't know. No, I'm not trying to change them either or make them my mission, but I want to lead by example. Don't get me wrong, you get me on a tirade about receiving the wrong car part or a nasty person trying to bring me down, I WILL unleash. I just try to not be like this every moment of every day.
I saw on a post by my sister in law that my mother in law had told her: Everyday we meet people we want to be like and people we don't want to be like. All that matters at the end of the day when I look in the mirror is that I am who I want to be.
I agree with this post. I think it is great. I do however think that there is always room for improvement. There is always a way to make yourself better. A different way of thinking, a different way of coping, a different way of reacting, a different way to do anything. Another START SMALL task. What can you do?
With that thought, I'm signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you with suggestions of what to name my baby anaconda, until next time...
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Go Trish!
I am a "do-it myselfer." It just dawned on me where Ty gets it. I like to try to do things myself because I really like the challenge and I do like that feeling of accomplishment when I am successful or the good story to tell if I fail. I convince myself that I can do anything. This is a good thing, most of the time. I observe people doing things and really truly believe that I can do it. I watched someone cut Brett's hair and figured I could do it. That was a success. Really, it was and I am talking about before he was shaving his head.
I had watched a gal wax my friend's eyebrows and mine one day. I thought, "I can SOOOO do that!" Easy! So, I get me a little tub of MICROWAVABLE wax. Yes, microwavable. Before I continue, let's just say that really, if you are putting a beauty product in the microwave, you probably shouldn't use it. Because it was microwavable wasn't an issue, though. It just doesn't seem right. Anyway, I brought the wax home. Microwaved and followed the instructions. BEAUTIFUL results! I used the little guides that came with the kit and cut them the way I needed them. I put forth the effort.
Eyebrows grew back.
I bust out the wax again. Microwaved. Got to the bathroom where I decided that I could totally do it without the guides and could smear it on like the gal did at the salon. I was using a tongue depressor, by the way. Not a contoured piece to precisely apply the wax. I smeared the wax on and because I couldn't wear my glasses during this process, I didn't happen to notice that the wax was a little, um, bulky. What I thought was a wispy from my hair falling in my eyes, which I promptly wiped away with the back of my hand, I quickly realized was actually wax. I look in the mirror to see that my eyelashes are COVERED in wax. My top eyelashes are now stuck to my eyelid. I blink. Crap. Wax on both top and bottom lashes. At this point, my lashes are just about glued together. Instead of being able to rip the wax off, I have to empty the entire bottle of RESIDUE wax remover in my hand and start scrubbing. While it didn't burn and I didn't go blind from this, it sure didn't feel the greatest and my eye was quite red. And I still had the one eyebrow to go. Never waxed them at home again.
I am pretty sure that my home workouts are in an attempt to make an ass of myself only in front of myself and tell the story later as I characterize myself as a do-it-myselfer. Make sense? Good!!!!!!!
In all seriousness, I am a do-it-myselfer. I try anything at least once. I usually try to do things that I shouldn't by myself and end up having to have my head glued. I really believe that I can do anything. Most of the time, I succeed. Sometimes, I crash and burn, but strangely enough, that crashing and burning is only more motivation for me to try again. I don't have any real talents, so I find that I am constantly trying to keep doing better at things I'm not so great at. Always room for improvement.
I have a friend who is also a do-it-herselfer. In addition to yard work, decorating and home projects, she tried giving herself a Brazilian at home. I won't even hint to whom it might be because I'm almost positive my house would be vandalized and my car keyed.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering why I told this story, again join the club, until next time...
I had watched a gal wax my friend's eyebrows and mine one day. I thought, "I can SOOOO do that!" Easy! So, I get me a little tub of MICROWAVABLE wax. Yes, microwavable. Before I continue, let's just say that really, if you are putting a beauty product in the microwave, you probably shouldn't use it. Because it was microwavable wasn't an issue, though. It just doesn't seem right. Anyway, I brought the wax home. Microwaved and followed the instructions. BEAUTIFUL results! I used the little guides that came with the kit and cut them the way I needed them. I put forth the effort.
Eyebrows grew back.
I bust out the wax again. Microwaved. Got to the bathroom where I decided that I could totally do it without the guides and could smear it on like the gal did at the salon. I was using a tongue depressor, by the way. Not a contoured piece to precisely apply the wax. I smeared the wax on and because I couldn't wear my glasses during this process, I didn't happen to notice that the wax was a little, um, bulky. What I thought was a wispy from my hair falling in my eyes, which I promptly wiped away with the back of my hand, I quickly realized was actually wax. I look in the mirror to see that my eyelashes are COVERED in wax. My top eyelashes are now stuck to my eyelid. I blink. Crap. Wax on both top and bottom lashes. At this point, my lashes are just about glued together. Instead of being able to rip the wax off, I have to empty the entire bottle of RESIDUE wax remover in my hand and start scrubbing. While it didn't burn and I didn't go blind from this, it sure didn't feel the greatest and my eye was quite red. And I still had the one eyebrow to go. Never waxed them at home again.
I am pretty sure that my home workouts are in an attempt to make an ass of myself only in front of myself and tell the story later as I characterize myself as a do-it-myselfer. Make sense? Good!!!!!!!
In all seriousness, I am a do-it-myselfer. I try anything at least once. I usually try to do things that I shouldn't by myself and end up having to have my head glued. I really believe that I can do anything. Most of the time, I succeed. Sometimes, I crash and burn, but strangely enough, that crashing and burning is only more motivation for me to try again. I don't have any real talents, so I find that I am constantly trying to keep doing better at things I'm not so great at. Always room for improvement.
I have a friend who is also a do-it-herselfer. In addition to yard work, decorating and home projects, she tried giving herself a Brazilian at home. I won't even hint to whom it might be because I'm almost positive my house would be vandalized and my car keyed.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering why I told this story, again join the club, until next time...
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Bugs in my Lettuce
I buy certain food products organic. I switched it up after watching a Dr. Oz show on which products to buy organic. One that he didn't mention was meat or poultry. I used to buy organic chicken until that show. And I haven't stopped long enough to find out exactly why he doesn't recommend buying meat or poultry as organic.
As I type this, I can't shake the fact that I am taking this advice from a cardiovascular surgeon and not a dietitian, nutritionist or someone that specializes in organic food products. I do find some of his shows interesting though, but have to admit that I am a bit disappointed after finding out his specific profession. Why? I don't know, I guess I expected him to have spent years in school learning about food.
Anyway, one of the foods he said to buy organic were leafy vegetables like lettuce. I have been buying organic lettuce since. It really does taste better.
The gnats around here have been horrendous. Horrendous. I wash the lettuce up as usual. We ate it. I had a lot leftover and was getting ready to put it away when I start noticing the incredible amount of gnats. Dead gnats to be precise. In the lettuce to be more precise. Sigh. I didn't bargain for the extra protein in the meal and surprisingly, there is no entry on Calorie Count for gnats. Too bad. I must also say that I am just not sure that I am too turned on by having to scrub my lettuce with a toothbrush to be sure MOST of the bugs are out. Maybe I'll have to get a toothbrush especially for my lettuce. I'll keep you posted on that.
Ty has been enjoying grape tomatoes a lot. Surprisingly, they are really good right now. I don't usually expect tomatoes of any kind to be good until mid to late summer. Bonus for us and bonus for me that Ty is eating something out of his norm. He did want to try the Gnattuce, but after he put it to his mouth, he said, "I dunt wike it!" and put it down. Sigh. Maybe he saw the gnats and didn't tell me? Who knows.
While on the subject of Ty, last week we were on the deck enjoying the beautiful weather. I was messing around doing some of my wicked awesome TurboFire moves and Ty starts yelling, "Stop it, mommy! Don't!" He's apparently already embarrassed by his mom. Sigh. Anyhoo, I kept doing it, especially since there was no one else around except Miller: Party of Five and I asked Ty what I was doing. He grinned and said, "TaeBoFire" in a sly, somewhat bashful manner. I started to giggle. Then, here's the clincher. You know how I was trying to figure out if Ty really liked TaeBo/Billy Blanks or if he just thought that TurboFire was TaeBo and probably likes the sound of TaeBo because it has his name in it? Well, with another grin, and probably the best Rosie Perez impersonation I have ever heard, he squeals, "BEELEE!" (Billy) So, there you have it, he really does like Billy Blanks. He hasn't seen TaeBo in months and after getting a couple newer TaeBo videos, I am a little bit apprehensive to show him what Billy looks like now. I'm not sure if Billy had a stroke or has a touch of Bell's Palsy, but he isn't looking the greatest right now. Damn you, Wikipedia, why can't you tell me what is going on with Billy?!?!
I purchased an Extreme TaeBo and a max cardio or something like that. They were cheap. How could I go wrong? The extreme is pretty cool. Now that I'm typing this out, I'm not sure that is what it is called, but am too comfy and lazy to get up to check. It has 8 different 10-11 minute segments on it. I've done most of them already and was pretty sore the next day. Not too shabby to shake things up. The cardio one I haven't tried yet. I'll be sure to let you know about that.
I pimped Jillian out again, hopefully she has tried it at least once now. Ahem. Have you?? Well, HAVE YOU?!?! Yes, I'm talking to you!!! You know who you are. :)
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering why in the world I titled this post about lettuce and ended up talking about Jillian Michaels, until next time...
As I type this, I can't shake the fact that I am taking this advice from a cardiovascular surgeon and not a dietitian, nutritionist or someone that specializes in organic food products. I do find some of his shows interesting though, but have to admit that I am a bit disappointed after finding out his specific profession. Why? I don't know, I guess I expected him to have spent years in school learning about food.
Anyway, one of the foods he said to buy organic were leafy vegetables like lettuce. I have been buying organic lettuce since. It really does taste better.
The gnats around here have been horrendous. Horrendous. I wash the lettuce up as usual. We ate it. I had a lot leftover and was getting ready to put it away when I start noticing the incredible amount of gnats. Dead gnats to be precise. In the lettuce to be more precise. Sigh. I didn't bargain for the extra protein in the meal and surprisingly, there is no entry on Calorie Count for gnats. Too bad. I must also say that I am just not sure that I am too turned on by having to scrub my lettuce with a toothbrush to be sure MOST of the bugs are out. Maybe I'll have to get a toothbrush especially for my lettuce. I'll keep you posted on that.
Ty has been enjoying grape tomatoes a lot. Surprisingly, they are really good right now. I don't usually expect tomatoes of any kind to be good until mid to late summer. Bonus for us and bonus for me that Ty is eating something out of his norm. He did want to try the Gnattuce, but after he put it to his mouth, he said, "I dunt wike it!" and put it down. Sigh. Maybe he saw the gnats and didn't tell me? Who knows.
While on the subject of Ty, last week we were on the deck enjoying the beautiful weather. I was messing around doing some of my wicked awesome TurboFire moves and Ty starts yelling, "Stop it, mommy! Don't!" He's apparently already embarrassed by his mom. Sigh. Anyhoo, I kept doing it, especially since there was no one else around except Miller: Party of Five and I asked Ty what I was doing. He grinned and said, "TaeBoFire" in a sly, somewhat bashful manner. I started to giggle. Then, here's the clincher. You know how I was trying to figure out if Ty really liked TaeBo/Billy Blanks or if he just thought that TurboFire was TaeBo and probably likes the sound of TaeBo because it has his name in it? Well, with another grin, and probably the best Rosie Perez impersonation I have ever heard, he squeals, "BEELEE!" (Billy) So, there you have it, he really does like Billy Blanks. He hasn't seen TaeBo in months and after getting a couple newer TaeBo videos, I am a little bit apprehensive to show him what Billy looks like now. I'm not sure if Billy had a stroke or has a touch of Bell's Palsy, but he isn't looking the greatest right now. Damn you, Wikipedia, why can't you tell me what is going on with Billy?!?!
I purchased an Extreme TaeBo and a max cardio or something like that. They were cheap. How could I go wrong? The extreme is pretty cool. Now that I'm typing this out, I'm not sure that is what it is called, but am too comfy and lazy to get up to check. It has 8 different 10-11 minute segments on it. I've done most of them already and was pretty sore the next day. Not too shabby to shake things up. The cardio one I haven't tried yet. I'll be sure to let you know about that.
I pimped Jillian out again, hopefully she has tried it at least once now. Ahem. Have you?? Well, HAVE YOU?!?! Yes, I'm talking to you!!! You know who you are. :)
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering why in the world I titled this post about lettuce and ended up talking about Jillian Michaels, until next time...
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Randomness at its Finest!
Let's see. . . where should I begin? Lately, I've had a bit of spring fever. I'm still low on vacation time and am saving for the days when Tyson is sick and A VACATION only a couple months away. I will only be taking one day of vacation, but still, it is something I am SOOOOOO looking forward to. I really need a vacation because the last time I was actually on vacation was when I went to NYC in May of 2009. If you are quick with the math, you would know that I was pregnant at the time. I'm not sure that really counts going on vacation while pregnant. Even though we saw some sights, my feet swelled up like no one had ever seen before and I fell on the sidewalk. Yes, literally fell and right about now, my sister is laughing, unable to contain herself at the whole situation. I am clumsy and accident-prone. Not the first time I have tripped in public. For example, went to a Mary Kay party and I won a door prize. I went to the front of the room to accept my prize only to have the toe of my "beetle" Skechers get caught in the long, drapey tablecloth, that I spring forward, arms flailing, but was able to catch myself. My sister and I could not stop laughing. Oddly enough, no one else was laughing with us. What a case of the giggles. True story. I can laugh at myself. And others, especially on America's Funniest Home Videos when people fall. I'm a sick puppy, I tell you. Sick puppy.
Anyway, taking vacation time. So, PIC #2 is about in the same boat as me when it comes to vacation time. She has two kids and struggles at times to build up the vacation hours. She and I dream of the day we can take a day off and go do something and be carefree for ONE DAY. One day. That's all. Doesn't it sound lovely?? Well, lately, I have been fighting the desire to leave work with PIC #2 and go eat pancakes at Perkins, go to the trampoline park and then do a little shopping. She's been a fun-killer lately because if she said "okay" and meant it, I would actually spend some time eating those pancakes and then jumping on tramps. Tramps and cakes. Tramps and cakes. Got a nice ring to it. Doesn't it?? Someday we will. I just hope it is sooner rather than later because I really need to do something that I don't need to do. That has a wicked awesome ring to it. Ahhhhh...
The weather has warmed up nicely around here. Haven't been out on too many walks lately, but I need it to stay lighter out longer. Yes, yes, I know I have two dogs to take with me when it gets dark, but I just don't even like the idea of doing that. Last year, I got into running a bit and was able to add on a little more distance each time. Go me! I have a jogging stroller and tried a couple times with the stroller and Tyson in it. I loved having the stroller because I could put my cell phone in there, carry water and anything else I needed. It was great... until, I actually RAN with the stroller. Holy balls! It is REALLY hard to run with the stroller. It is awkward and I felt like I was going to tip over or pull the stroller over. I stopped running with the stroller after a couple of tries. Then, I would go on walks/runs by myself. I would have my cell phone in my pocket and my iPod in the other. Those are two items that are a bit heavier in pockets, especially when you are running, they tug on your pockets violently. I really wanted a fanny pack at this point. And I can't say that I don't still want a fanny pack. As ridiculous as these are and I wouldn't use them for anything but running/walking, they make so much sense!!! What was I thinking when I got rid of my fanny pack from the 80's? I actually saved up my babysitting money to buy a fanny pack that was purple, hot pink and a play-doh blue color. It was awesome. Wicked awesome. I'm totally serious about all of that. The awesomeness and using babysitting money for it.
The other day, I really wanted a treat. I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for, then it dawned on me. "I'm going to splurge on a bottle of Evian!!" Oh how I love that over-priced bottled goodness. Could I find a bottle? Negative. I settled for Fiji water instead and while it is good, I'm a little disturbed by the silica in it to make it "soft." Interesting. So, I'm still on the hunt for a bottle of Evian around here. I will find some. Maybe I'll take a half day of vacay and go gas station to gas station until I find one. I used to take vacay to go Pez dispenser hunting, so why not do it for Evian??? I'm serious.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering how to get the last couple minutes of your life back, join the club...until next time...
Anyway, taking vacation time. So, PIC #2 is about in the same boat as me when it comes to vacation time. She has two kids and struggles at times to build up the vacation hours. She and I dream of the day we can take a day off and go do something and be carefree for ONE DAY. One day. That's all. Doesn't it sound lovely?? Well, lately, I have been fighting the desire to leave work with PIC #2 and go eat pancakes at Perkins, go to the trampoline park and then do a little shopping. She's been a fun-killer lately because if she said "okay" and meant it, I would actually spend some time eating those pancakes and then jumping on tramps. Tramps and cakes. Tramps and cakes. Got a nice ring to it. Doesn't it?? Someday we will. I just hope it is sooner rather than later because I really need to do something that I don't need to do. That has a wicked awesome ring to it. Ahhhhh...
The weather has warmed up nicely around here. Haven't been out on too many walks lately, but I need it to stay lighter out longer. Yes, yes, I know I have two dogs to take with me when it gets dark, but I just don't even like the idea of doing that. Last year, I got into running a bit and was able to add on a little more distance each time. Go me! I have a jogging stroller and tried a couple times with the stroller and Tyson in it. I loved having the stroller because I could put my cell phone in there, carry water and anything else I needed. It was great... until, I actually RAN with the stroller. Holy balls! It is REALLY hard to run with the stroller. It is awkward and I felt like I was going to tip over or pull the stroller over. I stopped running with the stroller after a couple of tries. Then, I would go on walks/runs by myself. I would have my cell phone in my pocket and my iPod in the other. Those are two items that are a bit heavier in pockets, especially when you are running, they tug on your pockets violently. I really wanted a fanny pack at this point. And I can't say that I don't still want a fanny pack. As ridiculous as these are and I wouldn't use them for anything but running/walking, they make so much sense!!! What was I thinking when I got rid of my fanny pack from the 80's? I actually saved up my babysitting money to buy a fanny pack that was purple, hot pink and a play-doh blue color. It was awesome. Wicked awesome. I'm totally serious about all of that. The awesomeness and using babysitting money for it.
The other day, I really wanted a treat. I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for, then it dawned on me. "I'm going to splurge on a bottle of Evian!!" Oh how I love that over-priced bottled goodness. Could I find a bottle? Negative. I settled for Fiji water instead and while it is good, I'm a little disturbed by the silica in it to make it "soft." Interesting. So, I'm still on the hunt for a bottle of Evian around here. I will find some. Maybe I'll take a half day of vacay and go gas station to gas station until I find one. I used to take vacay to go Pez dispenser hunting, so why not do it for Evian??? I'm serious.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering how to get the last couple minutes of your life back, join the club...until next time...
Monday, April 9, 2012
Work!
I know a lot of you that read my blog work in an office setting where food days, potluck days, or as I like to call them, grazing days, are commonplace. I used to love these days. You know, you walk around all day, looking for food, overeating and feeling disgusting by the time you leave work?
Unfortunately last year during two of the food days, I accidentally ingested some sort of nut. Had the fat lips and itchy mouth and thankfully I had some quick dissolve Benadryl strips on hand both times. I bowed out of food days permanently after the second time. Now, I know that many of you don't have nut allergies, but I will tell you that five years ago when I was on the path to losing weight, I gracefully declined to participate in these grazing days. I felt that if I didn't bring anything, I didn't have a right to make a hog of myself and trough-out. I didn't even feel like I could make a little piggy of myself and nibble on anything that was out there. Because I didn't contribute, I didn't feel like I could eat the food. This was incredibly helpful in staying on track. Some people feel funny about saying no to participating in such gatherings at work because it may appear to be snobbish by not participating and partaking. My thought is that I am going to do what is best for me and it is best for me to stay away from naughty food.
Once a month at work (if not more), we all take turns bringing in some sort of treat for the office. I usually pick bagels and reduced fat cream cheese as do many of the others. Of course, someone has to make brownies, salsa con queso with meat and tortilla chips, Russian tea cake (I think that's what it's called), scotcheroos, cupcakes, homemade salted nut rolls and the occasional box of Casey's frosted sugar cookies. Sigh, I'm a SUCKER for frosted sugar cookies. I love them. Love them. Love them. Yum. Sigh. Unless it has peanuts or some sort of nuts, I'm all about those treats. Dammit. At least it is only once a month and the naughty snacks aren't more than once a month. I would be in trouble.
I have said that I keep healthy snacks at my desk. And I really do. I keep a small pantry there. It lessens the chances that I am going to go and get something quick and unhealthy when I'm hungry. I also take my lunch to work. I realize that this is not possible for everyone and that eating cold sandwiches can be boring and actually force you to binge on things that aren't as good for you. If you are a habitual out-for-lunch eater, try taking your lunch a few times a week. Utilize leftovers, if you have a microwave available at work. Not only can you portion it out ahead of time, you also know what is in your meal that you prepared yourself.
I mentioned that I utilize work breaks to take walks. I like these boosts of exercise throughout the day whenever it is possible. Almost everyday, I walk during my morning and afternoon breaks. Then, if it is really nice, I will eat my lunch quick and use the rest of my lunch to walk. You have heard people say to take the stairs and park farther away. I also think these are good small things to do during your day. Funny thing is that I take the elevator in the morning at work because I am usually carrying so much stuff and have wobbly legs from working out. I DO take the stairs the rest of the time. Most of the time. Ha! I don't generally park farther away because it is still dark when I get to work. I'd rather not have to walk across a dark parking lot first thing in the morning. Of course, if I am a little scared, I could turn that into a jog into the building! Well, now we are back to all the stuff I haul to work in the morning. Sigh. I'll keep you posted on that one.
Things you can do at work, especially if you have a job where you sit at a desk all day is keep good posture. Tighten your abs while you work. It will eventually come to the point where you don't have to think about it anymore.
If I start to feel a sleepy after staring at my computer screen for hours or if sitting in my chair starts to make my hips ache, I WILL get up and do a set of jumping jacks or set of squats. Gets the blood flowing and my mind rejuvenated. They don't take more than one minute, so it isn't like I'm spending incredible amounts of time doing things other than working. It helps me to be more productive.
Good luck to you to START SMALL! Make the changes! Be the changes! I don't even know what that means. That was ridiculous actually. But I'm not taking it off. Extemporaneous writing at its finest!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you that can't wait to get to work to try these out, until next time...
Unfortunately last year during two of the food days, I accidentally ingested some sort of nut. Had the fat lips and itchy mouth and thankfully I had some quick dissolve Benadryl strips on hand both times. I bowed out of food days permanently after the second time. Now, I know that many of you don't have nut allergies, but I will tell you that five years ago when I was on the path to losing weight, I gracefully declined to participate in these grazing days. I felt that if I didn't bring anything, I didn't have a right to make a hog of myself and trough-out. I didn't even feel like I could make a little piggy of myself and nibble on anything that was out there. Because I didn't contribute, I didn't feel like I could eat the food. This was incredibly helpful in staying on track. Some people feel funny about saying no to participating in such gatherings at work because it may appear to be snobbish by not participating and partaking. My thought is that I am going to do what is best for me and it is best for me to stay away from naughty food.
Once a month at work (if not more), we all take turns bringing in some sort of treat for the office. I usually pick bagels and reduced fat cream cheese as do many of the others. Of course, someone has to make brownies, salsa con queso with meat and tortilla chips, Russian tea cake (I think that's what it's called), scotcheroos, cupcakes, homemade salted nut rolls and the occasional box of Casey's frosted sugar cookies. Sigh, I'm a SUCKER for frosted sugar cookies. I love them. Love them. Love them. Yum. Sigh. Unless it has peanuts or some sort of nuts, I'm all about those treats. Dammit. At least it is only once a month and the naughty snacks aren't more than once a month. I would be in trouble.
I have said that I keep healthy snacks at my desk. And I really do. I keep a small pantry there. It lessens the chances that I am going to go and get something quick and unhealthy when I'm hungry. I also take my lunch to work. I realize that this is not possible for everyone and that eating cold sandwiches can be boring and actually force you to binge on things that aren't as good for you. If you are a habitual out-for-lunch eater, try taking your lunch a few times a week. Utilize leftovers, if you have a microwave available at work. Not only can you portion it out ahead of time, you also know what is in your meal that you prepared yourself.
I mentioned that I utilize work breaks to take walks. I like these boosts of exercise throughout the day whenever it is possible. Almost everyday, I walk during my morning and afternoon breaks. Then, if it is really nice, I will eat my lunch quick and use the rest of my lunch to walk. You have heard people say to take the stairs and park farther away. I also think these are good small things to do during your day. Funny thing is that I take the elevator in the morning at work because I am usually carrying so much stuff and have wobbly legs from working out. I DO take the stairs the rest of the time. Most of the time. Ha! I don't generally park farther away because it is still dark when I get to work. I'd rather not have to walk across a dark parking lot first thing in the morning. Of course, if I am a little scared, I could turn that into a jog into the building! Well, now we are back to all the stuff I haul to work in the morning. Sigh. I'll keep you posted on that one.
Things you can do at work, especially if you have a job where you sit at a desk all day is keep good posture. Tighten your abs while you work. It will eventually come to the point where you don't have to think about it anymore.
If I start to feel a sleepy after staring at my computer screen for hours or if sitting in my chair starts to make my hips ache, I WILL get up and do a set of jumping jacks or set of squats. Gets the blood flowing and my mind rejuvenated. They don't take more than one minute, so it isn't like I'm spending incredible amounts of time doing things other than working. It helps me to be more productive.
Good luck to you to START SMALL! Make the changes! Be the changes! I don't even know what that means. That was ridiculous actually. But I'm not taking it off. Extemporaneous writing at its finest!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you that can't wait to get to work to try these out, until next time...
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Officially in the 160's!!!!!
Reporting to you, proudly, that I am officially in the 160's!! It is the upper 160's, but it is such a huge milestone for me. I consider being "officially" in a different weight range when, at any time during the day, I can get on the scale and still be in the range. Successful all week long!! What a relief!!
In addition to seeing the changes on the scale, I'm also noticing things fitting differently. My bras are now too big in inches, so new ones will be in my near future for sure! I have mixed feelings about that because I like bra shopping about as much as I like to shop for swimming suits. Thin or not, bra and swimsuit shopping sucks.
I got a sweatshirt for my birthday, which was a couple months ago, from my sister, brother in law, PC and Bee. I find that it is now a little bulky and where I notice it most, is in the sleeves of all things. I would have thought it would have been elsewhere, but no. I must say that I am a little sad about it because it has become my new favorite. Of course I'm still going to keep it. And of course I am still going to wear it. Duh. It's me, I wear sweatshirts until they are holey, stained with mustard and thinning. That, my friends, is not going to change. Thin or not.
My shoes seem to fit better now. Oddly enough. Not that I ever considered my feet to be on my top ten list of things that are fat, they apparently were. They don't feel as snug anymore.
I recently got new socks and before, they would leave indents in my ankles. How I missed nearly having cankles, I will never know. I don't get the indents as bad anymore. Of course, if I wear the socks and am working out or go on a walk, I tend to swell a bit, leading to indents from my socks. Enough about my cankles and indents.
The biggest change I have noticed is that my underwear no longer rolls due to my gut pushing them down. What a relief! I never thought I would see the day when that would happen!!!
Pulling up my pants. Before, I would pull my pants up because my gut would do the same thing to my pants. now, I have to pull them up because they are legitimately falling down. Can't say that I mind because I was used to doing that anyway. Where's my jean-hiking dad when I need him? Maybe I'll bring back suspenders. Hellloooooo 90's.
I did have to buy more workout pants with drawstrings because the sweats I wore didn't have drawstrings and they seemed to end up falling to the floor whenever I would workout. True story. That was a bit more agitation at 4:30 in the morning than I was willing to deal with. I put on an old pair of capris that have a drawstring and those fit so strangely now. I don't really know where the difference is, but they are ankle length now and they just look weird when I have them on. Will I stop wearing them? No. Will I stop wearing them in public? Probably...not. Again, it's me. Fashion faux pas all the way.
These things are small to note, but small milestones that I have reached on this adventure. I am enjoying celebrating the little things, makes the wait for the big things a little less painful!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you checking to see if you have sock indents, until next time...
In addition to seeing the changes on the scale, I'm also noticing things fitting differently. My bras are now too big in inches, so new ones will be in my near future for sure! I have mixed feelings about that because I like bra shopping about as much as I like to shop for swimming suits. Thin or not, bra and swimsuit shopping sucks.
I got a sweatshirt for my birthday, which was a couple months ago, from my sister, brother in law, PC and Bee. I find that it is now a little bulky and where I notice it most, is in the sleeves of all things. I would have thought it would have been elsewhere, but no. I must say that I am a little sad about it because it has become my new favorite. Of course I'm still going to keep it. And of course I am still going to wear it. Duh. It's me, I wear sweatshirts until they are holey, stained with mustard and thinning. That, my friends, is not going to change. Thin or not.
My shoes seem to fit better now. Oddly enough. Not that I ever considered my feet to be on my top ten list of things that are fat, they apparently were. They don't feel as snug anymore.
I recently got new socks and before, they would leave indents in my ankles. How I missed nearly having cankles, I will never know. I don't get the indents as bad anymore. Of course, if I wear the socks and am working out or go on a walk, I tend to swell a bit, leading to indents from my socks. Enough about my cankles and indents.
The biggest change I have noticed is that my underwear no longer rolls due to my gut pushing them down. What a relief! I never thought I would see the day when that would happen!!!
Pulling up my pants. Before, I would pull my pants up because my gut would do the same thing to my pants. now, I have to pull them up because they are legitimately falling down. Can't say that I mind because I was used to doing that anyway. Where's my jean-hiking dad when I need him? Maybe I'll bring back suspenders. Hellloooooo 90's.
I did have to buy more workout pants with drawstrings because the sweats I wore didn't have drawstrings and they seemed to end up falling to the floor whenever I would workout. True story. That was a bit more agitation at 4:30 in the morning than I was willing to deal with. I put on an old pair of capris that have a drawstring and those fit so strangely now. I don't really know where the difference is, but they are ankle length now and they just look weird when I have them on. Will I stop wearing them? No. Will I stop wearing them in public? Probably...not. Again, it's me. Fashion faux pas all the way.
These things are small to note, but small milestones that I have reached on this adventure. I am enjoying celebrating the little things, makes the wait for the big things a little less painful!
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you checking to see if you have sock indents, until next time...
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Yes, I have a neurologist. No, it is not for that.
I do have a neurologist and no it isn't to fix whatever is wrong with my brain and its inability to stay on task while I blog. That's something that isn't fixable. FYI. I have been plagued by headaches most of my life. They returned with a vengeance about eight months ago. After multiple visits to my wicked awesome neurologist, we have found a medication that works and actually allows me to lose weight. Hooray!!!
I think going to the neurologist is funny. I have to do a battery of tests each time that I compare to what I have seen on TV for field sobriety tests. I pass every time, although the thought to drink a forty of OE before I go has crossed my mind.
I am more focused than ever being nearly headache free. How many of us put off taking care of ourselves due to the inconvenience, the time or the thought of even adding one more thing to our lists? I know I have. I still do. But I also know what I put off these days does not inhibit my ability to drag my flabby ass outta bed at 4:15 in the morning. Should I put headaches on the back-burner of solution, my motivation would go down.
The equation is simple. A happy you + feeling good about yourself * the motivation you bring to yourself = x (all the great things you can achieve)
Cheesy as Chester Cheetah. I know. But it is true.
I'm not a big fan of excuses. There is no excuse for excuses. It boils down to you. No matter which way you cut it. Your failures and your successes are all you. Be proud of each. I think all successes follow great failures. Think about it. How many times did you whizz in your pants before you "got it" and started using the toilet? Same goes for crapping your pants. Hey, maybe you still do both from time to time, maybe because of laziness, lack of control or just for fun. Any way you roll, I'm not here to judge what you do in your underwear. Anyhoo, thinking about failures before successes: how many times did you fail tests to realize what you needed to do to get a better grade? How many times did you burn your supper until you got it right? How many "bad" jobs did you take before you took the right one? How many friends did you lose before you figured out how to treat people? The list goes on and on.
How many roles do you fill in a day? Example for me: I'm wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, coworker, tutor, friend, niece, cousin, granddaughter and wicked awesome blogger (right? right!). Again, another list that could go longer if I thought more about it. Point is, right there, those are pretty great successes for me, too. No one has disowned me... yet. I figure I can't be all of that without some sort of success. I guess you could add the prefix of "shitty" to each one and the effect is wrecked. Touche. Touche. Let's pretend I didn't type that "shitty" part.
If you have made it this far in life and are reading my blog, you have a lot to be proud of. START SMALL and work your way up to find all of your amazing successes. I can only hope that this journey of being thinner and healthier is going to be one of my amazing success stories. Lord knows I have failed quite a few times at this stuff. Hopefully I'm getting it right this time around.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you trying to not be the shittiest you can be, until next time...
I think going to the neurologist is funny. I have to do a battery of tests each time that I compare to what I have seen on TV for field sobriety tests. I pass every time, although the thought to drink a forty of OE before I go has crossed my mind.
I am more focused than ever being nearly headache free. How many of us put off taking care of ourselves due to the inconvenience, the time or the thought of even adding one more thing to our lists? I know I have. I still do. But I also know what I put off these days does not inhibit my ability to drag my flabby ass outta bed at 4:15 in the morning. Should I put headaches on the back-burner of solution, my motivation would go down.
The equation is simple. A happy you + feeling good about yourself * the motivation you bring to yourself = x (all the great things you can achieve)
Cheesy as Chester Cheetah. I know. But it is true.
I'm not a big fan of excuses. There is no excuse for excuses. It boils down to you. No matter which way you cut it. Your failures and your successes are all you. Be proud of each. I think all successes follow great failures. Think about it. How many times did you whizz in your pants before you "got it" and started using the toilet? Same goes for crapping your pants. Hey, maybe you still do both from time to time, maybe because of laziness, lack of control or just for fun. Any way you roll, I'm not here to judge what you do in your underwear. Anyhoo, thinking about failures before successes: how many times did you fail tests to realize what you needed to do to get a better grade? How many times did you burn your supper until you got it right? How many "bad" jobs did you take before you took the right one? How many friends did you lose before you figured out how to treat people? The list goes on and on.
How many roles do you fill in a day? Example for me: I'm wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, coworker, tutor, friend, niece, cousin, granddaughter and wicked awesome blogger (right? right!). Again, another list that could go longer if I thought more about it. Point is, right there, those are pretty great successes for me, too. No one has disowned me... yet. I figure I can't be all of that without some sort of success. I guess you could add the prefix of "shitty" to each one and the effect is wrecked. Touche. Touche. Let's pretend I didn't type that "shitty" part.
If you have made it this far in life and are reading my blog, you have a lot to be proud of. START SMALL and work your way up to find all of your amazing successes. I can only hope that this journey of being thinner and healthier is going to be one of my amazing success stories. Lord knows I have failed quite a few times at this stuff. Hopefully I'm getting it right this time around.
Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you trying to not be the shittiest you can be, until next time...
Friday, April 6, 2012
Minor injuries
I once posted on Facebook a direct quote from Brett:
"I think my days of being invincible are effing gone."
So true. So true. Of course, Brett was one of the few people I knew that actually believed he was invincible. Welcome back to Earth, Brett!!!! I find that my resilience is not as great as it used to be. No, I'm not talking lemon drop shots at a local restaurant and having to call Brett to come and pick me up because I didn't realize that my friends were drinking a glass of water in between their drinks. I'm talking about feeling like I am able to bounce back with a muscle strain or most recently, stubbing my toes on a dog toy.
Yes, you read that correctly, a dog toy. Dog toy. It was a little dicey walking about for a couple days, but now, it has healed pretty well for the most part. What was strange is that I started to panic, even with a contingency plan in place. I didn't know what I was going to do if I had to take a break from TurboFire. I know that I said I could do chair aerobics and sign up for water aerobics, but COME ON!! I'm 34 years old and I really cannot see myself workin' it chair aerobics style, especially not for jammed toes!!!!!! If the injury were serious enough, I would like to think that I would rock the chair aerobics, but now, I doubt my own contingency plan.
Because I have working out as such a high priority, it makes it really hard to swallow even the thought of not being able to workout for a while. Eek. I will say that the one good thing about going a little easy on myself having toe injuries, is that I can really focus on technique. That is something that usually gets put on the back-burner because I get so caught up in the energy and momentum of the workout.
We crowned the biggest loser at work a week early. He won by a landslide and for anyone to catch up would have been near impossible. He lost over 25 pounds and towards the end of the competition, he was even stepping on the treadmill twice a week!! I was so proud of him and still am. He came to me a few weeks ago and said, "I know how to make walking on the treadmill go faster. AC/DC." My reaction was , " you are walking on the treadmill?!?!" he said only a couple times a week. Then it dawned on me and I said, "YOU listen to AC/DC?!?!?!" I'm not sure which one surprised me more about my farming country friend. I am so proud!!!!
Now that the competition is over, there are five in my department that will still be keeping track of our progress. As of Friday, we had lost over 73 pounds in eleven weeks combined!!! Pretty impressive, I think!! I am now free to move my Free Friday into Sunday. I still have to come up with a catchy name for it. Stay tuned. Sunday's work way better for me because if I just want to eat naughty stuff, I am still likely to workout whereas Fridays are still routine with work that I can continue to stay on track!
Well, here's hoping for no more dog toys in the hallway! Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you thinking of catchy Sunday names, until next time...
"I think my days of being invincible are effing gone."
So true. So true. Of course, Brett was one of the few people I knew that actually believed he was invincible. Welcome back to Earth, Brett!!!! I find that my resilience is not as great as it used to be. No, I'm not talking lemon drop shots at a local restaurant and having to call Brett to come and pick me up because I didn't realize that my friends were drinking a glass of water in between their drinks. I'm talking about feeling like I am able to bounce back with a muscle strain or most recently, stubbing my toes on a dog toy.
Yes, you read that correctly, a dog toy. Dog toy. It was a little dicey walking about for a couple days, but now, it has healed pretty well for the most part. What was strange is that I started to panic, even with a contingency plan in place. I didn't know what I was going to do if I had to take a break from TurboFire. I know that I said I could do chair aerobics and sign up for water aerobics, but COME ON!! I'm 34 years old and I really cannot see myself workin' it chair aerobics style, especially not for jammed toes!!!!!! If the injury were serious enough, I would like to think that I would rock the chair aerobics, but now, I doubt my own contingency plan.
Because I have working out as such a high priority, it makes it really hard to swallow even the thought of not being able to workout for a while. Eek. I will say that the one good thing about going a little easy on myself having toe injuries, is that I can really focus on technique. That is something that usually gets put on the back-burner because I get so caught up in the energy and momentum of the workout.
We crowned the biggest loser at work a week early. He won by a landslide and for anyone to catch up would have been near impossible. He lost over 25 pounds and towards the end of the competition, he was even stepping on the treadmill twice a week!! I was so proud of him and still am. He came to me a few weeks ago and said, "I know how to make walking on the treadmill go faster. AC/DC." My reaction was , " you are walking on the treadmill?!?!" he said only a couple times a week. Then it dawned on me and I said, "YOU listen to AC/DC?!?!?!" I'm not sure which one surprised me more about my farming country friend. I am so proud!!!!
Now that the competition is over, there are five in my department that will still be keeping track of our progress. As of Friday, we had lost over 73 pounds in eleven weeks combined!!! Pretty impressive, I think!! I am now free to move my Free Friday into Sunday. I still have to come up with a catchy name for it. Stay tuned. Sunday's work way better for me because if I just want to eat naughty stuff, I am still likely to workout whereas Fridays are still routine with work that I can continue to stay on track!
Well, here's hoping for no more dog toys in the hallway! Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you thinking of catchy Sunday names, until next time...
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Interestingly enough
I had an interesting conversation last week with my two doors down friend. She and I were discussing being big and being healthy. Which, by the way she kept telling me, "but you aren't that big!" Isn't she sweet??? Can I also say she is a lot smaller than yours truly and four years younger?
Anyway, while she is trying to talk me down off my ledge of not seeing the scale budge for a couple weeks, she was reassuring me that while I am not seeing the results I want, I am doing the right thing by exercising, eating right and being healthier. She is right. BUT, I want to see the results on my digital scale, dammit!!!!!!! Ha!! I also told her that I wasn't okay being a size 14, but being "fit." Maybe I'm being contradictory to myself, but at least I'm being honest???? I want the extra weight off!
It is hard when the scale doesn't move to keep the motivation and the mad drive I have. I do know my ham hocks are getting smaller, but I would like to see the weight go down. I really really wish I would have kept measurements this time. I guess I was feeling overconfident in my ability to take this as it comes and as it happens. I surprised myself this time.
My two doors down friend also has a child two months younger than Ty. She and I used to get together in my driveway everyday after Ty and I got home. Since I've been busy keeping up my non-negotiable workout schedule, I've been trying to keep up with household duties as soon as Ty and I get home instead of letting the boys play together and having "Mommy's Sanity Hour." She runs at least 5 times a week and when I am done with my workout, she is usually starting hers for the day. I can see a light on at her house when I get done working out. I've been known to ask if she worked out or not on a particular day if there is no light. Ha!! How's that for trying to sleep in and thinking no one else will notice?
I am really fortunate to have found this friend. She and I are a lot alike and so different in so many ways. We get along like sisters and that, my friends, is very hard to come by with someone you have known for so little time. Positive and healthy relationship? I think so.
We also live next door to a wonderful family. The dad of the family is quite fond of Ty and we find that we are going to have to keep a close eye on Ty because he now knows where this family keeps all of their basketballs. They are really good to him. The mom is awesome. She and her daughter make us a plate of goodies every Christmas. I am so grateful for these as I am not a baker. I'm actually pretty bad at it. They also have two sons, one that is in college and he stops by when he is home to see how much Ty has grown. Ty still knows him by name even though he doesn't see him that often. The younger son is 17. I tutor him in Spanish and being with him reminds me SO MUCH of Brett. You know, the smart ass, slightly rebellious type? I laugh and sigh and thank God Brett has matured slightly from when he and I were 17. Ha! Positive and healthy relationships? I think so.
Again, I'm busy surrounding myself with awesome people all the time. We are fortunate to have such great neighbors and extensions to our family.
Family is such a relative term. No pun intended. Family does not mean blood related. The relation is that we all have blood running through our veins. How can you really go wrong by accepting someone as family into your house and heart? Until Ty is old enough to choose whom he surrounds himself, Brett and I do that for him. The more people that love him, the better. Is there something as being loved too much? I don't think so. He has tons of honorary aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents that he shouldn't have to go a single minute feeling unloved. We're busy surrounding him with positive and healthy relationships.
Ooh! I also subscribe to get the Dali Lama's status updates. Whether or not he is actually on his laptop everyday posting good stuff about relationships, life and staying positive, is still TBD. I still love the wisdom.
I've gotten off the beaten path once again. I think I veered off when I stopped talking about my ham hocks. Let's see, yes, the ham hocks are getting smaller. I have been getting up at 4:15 routinely to accommodate a full hour workout with a couple minutes extra for water refills and to switch out DVDs. This has been working really good. Because I'm able to get in a longer workout in the morning, I don't feel the push AS MUCH to workout in the evening for a second time. I am able to get to bed a little earlier if I don't workout a second time.
Speaking of which, I'm sitting here typing this and it is WAY past my bedtime. I need to sign off for now. To all of you near and far and to my two doors down friend making something out of canned chicken, until next time... :)
Anyway, while she is trying to talk me down off my ledge of not seeing the scale budge for a couple weeks, she was reassuring me that while I am not seeing the results I want, I am doing the right thing by exercising, eating right and being healthier. She is right. BUT, I want to see the results on my digital scale, dammit!!!!!!! Ha!! I also told her that I wasn't okay being a size 14, but being "fit." Maybe I'm being contradictory to myself, but at least I'm being honest???? I want the extra weight off!
It is hard when the scale doesn't move to keep the motivation and the mad drive I have. I do know my ham hocks are getting smaller, but I would like to see the weight go down. I really really wish I would have kept measurements this time. I guess I was feeling overconfident in my ability to take this as it comes and as it happens. I surprised myself this time.
My two doors down friend also has a child two months younger than Ty. She and I used to get together in my driveway everyday after Ty and I got home. Since I've been busy keeping up my non-negotiable workout schedule, I've been trying to keep up with household duties as soon as Ty and I get home instead of letting the boys play together and having "Mommy's Sanity Hour." She runs at least 5 times a week and when I am done with my workout, she is usually starting hers for the day. I can see a light on at her house when I get done working out. I've been known to ask if she worked out or not on a particular day if there is no light. Ha!! How's that for trying to sleep in and thinking no one else will notice?
I am really fortunate to have found this friend. She and I are a lot alike and so different in so many ways. We get along like sisters and that, my friends, is very hard to come by with someone you have known for so little time. Positive and healthy relationship? I think so.
We also live next door to a wonderful family. The dad of the family is quite fond of Ty and we find that we are going to have to keep a close eye on Ty because he now knows where this family keeps all of their basketballs. They are really good to him. The mom is awesome. She and her daughter make us a plate of goodies every Christmas. I am so grateful for these as I am not a baker. I'm actually pretty bad at it. They also have two sons, one that is in college and he stops by when he is home to see how much Ty has grown. Ty still knows him by name even though he doesn't see him that often. The younger son is 17. I tutor him in Spanish and being with him reminds me SO MUCH of Brett. You know, the smart ass, slightly rebellious type? I laugh and sigh and thank God Brett has matured slightly from when he and I were 17. Ha! Positive and healthy relationships? I think so.
Again, I'm busy surrounding myself with awesome people all the time. We are fortunate to have such great neighbors and extensions to our family.
Family is such a relative term. No pun intended. Family does not mean blood related. The relation is that we all have blood running through our veins. How can you really go wrong by accepting someone as family into your house and heart? Until Ty is old enough to choose whom he surrounds himself, Brett and I do that for him. The more people that love him, the better. Is there something as being loved too much? I don't think so. He has tons of honorary aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents that he shouldn't have to go a single minute feeling unloved. We're busy surrounding him with positive and healthy relationships.
Ooh! I also subscribe to get the Dali Lama's status updates. Whether or not he is actually on his laptop everyday posting good stuff about relationships, life and staying positive, is still TBD. I still love the wisdom.
I've gotten off the beaten path once again. I think I veered off when I stopped talking about my ham hocks. Let's see, yes, the ham hocks are getting smaller. I have been getting up at 4:15 routinely to accommodate a full hour workout with a couple minutes extra for water refills and to switch out DVDs. This has been working really good. Because I'm able to get in a longer workout in the morning, I don't feel the push AS MUCH to workout in the evening for a second time. I am able to get to bed a little earlier if I don't workout a second time.
Speaking of which, I'm sitting here typing this and it is WAY past my bedtime. I need to sign off for now. To all of you near and far and to my two doors down friend making something out of canned chicken, until next time... :)
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