Category Archives: exercise

Dead Eye

Spic.one

I finally saw some progress on my scales this morning. My husband and I have been eating well, enjoying individual frozen meals from Real Food and Stu’s Clean Cookin‘ in Greenwood.

The problem is that we’ve been enjoying too much OTHER food that isn’t so good for us. The pandemic is our latest excuse, but the real problem is us.

I have decided – once again – to be responsible for my OWN eating, letting my husband stuff his face with ‘sticky buns’ – his latest indulgence, while I drink more water, eat some raw veggies with Ranch dressing as a dip, and hopefully continue to see results on the scales. The fact that HE is also seeing results is maddening – but I’m too old too whine and pout – MUCH…

I will concentrate on doing my elliptical trainer this morning, my yoga this afternoon, eating my raw veggies and drinking water, and looking forward to the scales being impressed with my efforts.

Please wish me luck.

123RF.com

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Brrrr!

Oklahoma Humane Society

It’s cold and wet here today – and the first day of winter isn’t until next week! The forecast is for rain/sleet/snow and flying hairballs all day today and overnight. It has been pretty warm here in the afternoons, so I’m hoping that it will just end up being a cold rain, as far as the streets are concerned. We plan to say in, being grateful we have a warm, dry home.

Penn Fitness Warehouse

My elliptical trainer is in the garage. It will be cold, but it will be dry, so I’ll be heading out there in a few minutes to get my rear in gear.

Pinterest

My back started to hurt a couple of days ago, so I’ll also plan to do a session of yoga stretches this afternoon to see if I can stretch things out.

I hope that YOU are having a great Sunday, too!

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Best Exercise for the Heart

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December 10, 2020 · 11:25 am

Getting Serious about Exercise

EattoPerform

I am finding that my yoga stretches are helping me more and more.

Each day where Mother Nature is cooperative, I’ve been trying to get outside and do at least a half hour of yard work, trying to neaten up the yard for the winter. I find that if I don’t do my yoga stretches, I get up from my chair later and feel really stiff and sore. If I DO a series of stretches, I don’t have near as much of a problem – PLUS I put a gold star on my desk calendar. :0)

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Making Calories Scream

Pinterest

I am trying to get outside about 30 minutes to an hour each afternoon to continue making the yard as presentable as possible for the coming winter. I’m doing it in the afternoons because right now it’s 32 degrees F. and absolutely too cold to care about yard work. If it warms up to the low 50s as it’s supposed to, I’m planning to stick with my plan.

I enjoy working in the yard unless it involves lots of hauling or things that make my back hurt. Happily, most of the things I’m doing are simply good exercise. I can enjoy the sun, fresh air, get some good exercise, and earn a gold star to go on my desk calendar while making the yard look a bit nicer. :0)

Yesterday I PLANNED to weed whack in the garden area. I MEANT to do it, PLANNED to do it, THOUGHT about doing it, but didn’t actually get out there and DO it. My only excuse is sloth. I DID so some cleaning and cooking, but hopefully I’ll do a better job today.

I’m also trying to do a half hour or so on my elliptical, but the yard work is tending to take the place of that – particularly since it is in our garage, and the priority is to get the yard work done while the temperature is warmer. I AM doing a session of yoga to stretch everything out before the afternoon is over daily.

All this makes me wish I were what I call an ‘exercise nut,’ who LIVES to run a million miles a day, or work themselves into a frazzle at the gym, or fold themselves into a pretzel while touching their nose to the floor – their feet stretching to the wall behind them, forgetting to eat in their zeal for a lithe, slim, limber body.

I’ll have to content myself with the IDEA that I might be making a few calories scream…

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Did It!

Dreamstime – Pinterest

Mother Nature warmed things up here yesterday afternoon for long enough that I was able to clean out the second tomato planter. This was a laborious process of trying to untangle or cut the plants off the tomato cages and supports, then stack the cages and supports out of the way, then pull the plants out – sometimes one branch at a time – then gather the frozen tomatoes that could now be used as ammunition in case of intruders, then dispose of the vegetation, then clean up a bit and put the wheelbarrow away, I was tired and cold by the time I finished, but feeling triumphant that another yard project could be checked off my list.

We had a nice tomato harvest this year, even though our weather was a bit wonky. I’m still enjoying some cherry sized tomatoes for snacks and in salads. :0)

Today’s project – again if Mother Nature is feeling cooperative – is to do some weed whacking in my garden area.

Winter for our Square Foot Garden

We converted two brick planters on the far side of the house to be used to grow tomatoes. Those are the ones I’ve been trying to clean out. As you can see here, our square foot garden is ready for the winter. This is the first time we’ve used the tarps. This is to keep the Mel’s Mix Soil Alternative from blowing out and also hopefully to keep weed growth to a minimum as far as getting the planters ready for spring planting.

It’s the perimeter of the garden outside the fencing, plus the area around the trash barrels that hold the Mel’s Mix ingredients and around the propane tank for the shop that need attention with the weed whacker. I will be happy if I can get that under control today. :0) Right now it’s 37 degrees F. – too cold, but the forecast is for 59 this afternoon. Fingers crossed.

This and my yoga will be my exercise for the day.

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In My NEXT Life…

Nurse Nightmare on Trauma Drama

I have always had an appetite that would kill a horse.

My father did, too. He would eat humongous mounds of food, but HE had a metabolism that wouldn’t quit, also, so he always fought weighing too LITTLE. Unfortunately, I seemed to have inherited HIS appetite and my MOTHER’S metabolism.

Since I essentially stay hungry all the time, I have tried appetite suppressants – to no avail. I’m drinking enough water to make my eyeballs float and keeping healthy raw veggies and low-fat/no-sugar dips in the fridge ready for snacking. I’m exercising most every day.

It would be MUCH easier if I weren’t ready to eat AGAIN right after finishing a meal… :0)

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Frustration

Pinterest

My weight loss efforts follow a pattern that I find very annoying.

Whenever I am making a good effort to keep moving, to do actual exercises plus my normal yard work, I either hold onto my current weight or I GAIN weight.

I tell myself all the cliches’ – that muscles weigh more than fat. yata yata – but I resent it that I am eating right, exercising, drinking lots of water, and GAINING.

I know. Life isn’t fair. It will ‘all come out in the wash.’ The scales will finally catch up with my efforts….

But I would be happier if my ‘goodness’ showed more quickly…

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Thoughts on a Rainy Wednesday

Contra Spem Spero – Et Rideo-Wordpress.com

I didn’t get my tomato plants pulled out yesterday, so I just went out and tried to do it. It didn’t LOOK like it was raining much. It waited for me to get the wheelbarrow and get started pulling plants out and then the sky opened up. I put the wheelbarrow under the porch as quickly as possible and came back inside, grabbing a towel on the way to the office so I can dry my dripping hair. I’m happy that our schedule is clear today. This is a perfect day to crawl under a throw in a recliner, a cup of coffee beside you, reading or watching TV – and probably taking a nap somewhere along the way. I may gift myself some time in my art room this afternoon.

Pinterest

I am newly aware of how much my old lady yoga stretches help me. A couple of days ago I spent about half the day off and on cutting the leaves off my poor, frozen elephant ear plants, then digging out the humongous bulbs, storing them in a trash can full of peat moss and potting soil in our garage for the winter and then cleaning up outside. I really stiffened up, and shoveling things that don’t want to come out of the ground has never been a skill of mine – and certainly not since I’m older than dirt.

I did about half an hour of my yoga stretches and that loosened me up a lot, even making my back stop complaining. I did it again yesterday, doing a longer session because I had stiffened up again and my body was telling me that I’m no longer 20. Between yoga stretching, slowly and carefully, and muscle gel, I’m almost back to normal this morning.

This, and time on my elliptical trainer today will be a good amount of exercise even though Mother Nature is making this an ‘inside day.’

I hope that you can make this a good day, regardless of the weather.

Stay safe, warm, and dry.

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Hard

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December 1, 2020 · 9:31 am

Welcome, December!

Nathan and George – Firefighters of Australia calendar

I bought this calendar to contribute to the fundraising efforts of the firefighters of Australia. Getting to enjoy handsome men with bulging muscles and cute animals is a great way to welcome each month with a smile on your face, as well. :0)

If you would like to get one for 2021, you can order one here.

Yesterday I cut off the leaves of my two wonderful elephant ear plants, and then dug up the bulbs to store them in peat moss and potting soil in our garage for the winter. I’m HOPING they will do well, being ready for me to replant them next spring, when all chance of frost has passed.

Today I plan to pull out my tomato plants.

Judging from my sore muscles from all the digging, shoveling and hauling I did yesterday, I will try to do a LOT more yoga today than the 30 minutes or so I did yesterday

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An Old Broad’s Exercise

I gave myself TWO gold stars on my desk calendar yesterday:

One for 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer in the garage; and another for the 30 minutes or so of old lady yoga stretches I did in the afternoon. :0)

Clipart Library

I am planning to do this again today – not making excuses or giving other things priority – a difficult thing for me.

Even though I KNOW that I actually feel better when I exercise – feeling more in control, a bit ‘virtuous,’ and actually looser – I fall into my bad habits over and over.

I’m hoping that the fact that I keep trying is a good thing overall.

I will get some added exercise today – we had a freeze overnight. I thought my plants had come through it, or it didn’t actually get to freezing, but just discovered I was wrong.

Before the freeze

My elephant ear plant leaves are hanging over, completely done in by Mother Nature. It’s really cold outside now – 29 degrees F. with a stiff wind, but I will go out and try to cut the leaves off and bring the bulbs into the garage for storage in peat moss and potting soil.

Maybe with the added work outside, I can give myself THREE stars today…

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Message from the Scales

Funny Jokes

The scales are sneering at me this morning, but I don’t care. I am thoroughly enjoying the splurge from Thanksgiving. We still have some deli potato salad and some deli baked beans. The rest is a fond memory.

I even made some chicken chunks over rice for last last night. This time I used small bowls, rather than the large pasta bowls I have used in the past, giving us each a nice portion. After we finished, I spread out the rest into eight individual servings in freezer containers and added them to the frozen meals we get from REAL FOOD and STU’S CLEAN COOKIN’ in Greenwood. I am hoping that this will allow us to enjoy the favorite meals we like in moderation from time to time without undoing our efforts to lose the lard.

I’m heading out to the garage soon to try to do 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer. I’m hoping to continue my resolve to keep good habits going with a 30 minute session of yoga stretches this afternoon. (Two gold stars for my desk calendar…)

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Good Food

LiveAbout

Isn’t this the sweetest dog? I really like this gif!

I LOVE the fact that I am losing weight AND enjoying the food we’re eating from REAL FOOD in Greenwood, Arkansas. We will pick up our newest order today.

I’m doing a better job of staying active, too, now that the weather is more fall-like. My elliptical trainer is in the garage, and – even though I have a fan in there – I really get too hot out there. NOW it’s great. I’m trying to do 35 minutes daily. I’m doing a half hour or so of old lady yoga stretches daily that are really good for trying to building strength and flexibility, plus even some balance. It’s also good for getting rid of the sore muscles I get from doing other physical stuff. Rounding these out with the yard work I’ve been doing means that I’m getting a good workout most days.

taolife.com

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Good ‘Eats’ Result in Less Lardage

“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

My husband and I really tried with the prepared meals weight loss folks – Nutrisystem, South Beach, and BistroMD – and we lost some weight, but it was grim. They either discontinued the food we really liked, we weren’t happy with the meals, or the food tasted so bad we just couldn’t hack it.

My husband was almost to his goal weight, so I was trying hard to make the keto diet work for us. We really like the recipes by Suzanne Ryan in her cookbook Simply Keto. The biggest problem with that was that we tended to eat more of whatever it was than a ‘portion.’ It was totally a self-discipline problem.

We lucked out when two new companies came to Greenwood AR recently – The Real Food Company, and Stu’s Clean Cookin’ – both offering frozen meals that are individual portions, heat up in the microwave, are good for you and TASTE GOOD!

We are happy as clams now, continuing to lose weight by declaring the frozen meals, individual portions, our main meal of the day, having tuna salad or the equivalent for lunch, and no breakfast. We are trying to limit our snacks, as well, eating healthy things – though my husband uses it as an excuse to splurge. Since HE is at his goal weight and his blood sugar numbers are now better than mine, I should look to HIM for advice…

I am continuing to drink as much water as I can without my eyeballs floating too badly, and I am trying to get in both my elliptical trainer and yoga stretches daily. My weight loss is slow and steady.

We are looking forward to our meals now, instead of gritting our teeth and making do while resenting the fact the food costs so much. Tonight, for example we are looking forward to trying “Teriyaki Chicken Lo Mein” from The Real Food Company.

Bon Appetit!

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Diets

Dolly Parton – MyWeightLossDream.co.uk – QuotesGram

Nutrisystem, South Beach, BistroMD – all helped, but we stopped, feeling the same as this wonderful quote by Dolly Parton above.

Now we are lucky because two new companies started businesses here in Greenwood – REAL FOOD and STU’S CLEAN COOKIN’, both offering healthy frozen individual portion meals at reasonable prices.

We plan around eating their meals 5 days a week. I then fix a keto-friendly meal that has enough for the weekend, and maybe even a lunch the following week. We eat a frozen meal at night, usually tuna fish salad for lunch, and as few careful snacks as possible the remainder of the day. It’s working for us, albeit slowly.

My husband is basically at his goal weight now. We are trying to be very careful of his sugar, since he is Type II diabetic. I still have about 30 lbs to lose to get to my goal weight. I’m losing more slowly, am the one who is actually exercising, and does all the orchestration of our eating. I would bite my husband in the leg, but basically like him too much to do that just because he seems to lose weight effortlessly. (If he gives me another reason, all bets are off.) :0)

I really like not having to figure out what to cook every day. I also like the fact that we are eating good, healthy food with portion control that actually TASTES GOOD. We can still go to Lunch Bunch to meet our friends each Friday without losing the ground we’ve gained during the week.

I am hopeful that if we ‘keep on keepin’ on,’ (‘holding our mouths right’ as we say in Oklahoma and Arkansas) maybe I will eventually meet MY lard-loss goal, too.

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Filed under Attitude, DIET!, exercise, getting the lard off, Healthy Eating, taking care of yourself

Favorite Exercise

me.me

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A Little Progress

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I’ve told you that we have changed our eating habits, trying to make sure we control our portions while actually enjoying our food while trying to lose the lard.

I also told you that my husband has essentially reached his weight goal. We are still watching his sugar like hawks, since he is Type II diabetic and I am trying to encourage him to exercise – something for which he just gives me a long, long look.

I just weighed and measured this morning, hoping for some progress. I’m delighted to report that both the scales and the tape measure were only smirking, rather than laughing at me! :0)

I am now down 42.4 pounds from my lardiest, and there are 42.95 inches less of me. I would like to lose another 30+- pounds.

123RF.com

I haven’t just picked a number from a hat. It would be the middle of the BMI healthy range for my height. I also read an article that said, although the BMI charts may be ‘obsolete,’ your waist circumference is a good indication of your overall health. I would like to lose 3 more inches from my waist. (I’ve lost 9 so far).

My yard work, elliptical trainer, and yoga stretches are helping me get more flexible and improve my balance. I’m hoping to be able to report more progress at the end of the month.

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Progress Report 9-30-2020

“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

I have been trying to get as healthy as I can so that I can continue to do what I love for as long as possible. This means losing as much of my lard as I can and trying to move more.

Since my lardiest, I have lost 40 pounds and there is 34.7 inches less of me than there was at one time. My goal is to lose another 30 lbs. and to continue exercising. As we age, we tend to move more hesitantly. That might not be the best descriptive word, but it’s the one that comes to mind. The feet start to shuffle, the movements become more tentative, as if we’re testing the waters before diving in. I am hoping that my efforts on the elliptical trainer and my yoga stretches will delay that for several more years.

My husband and I are very happy with our new eating plan.  We ate “Pork, Black Beans, Brown Rice, and BBQ Sauce” from Stu’s Clean Cookin’ last night and it was YUMMY! Otherwise, I ate tuna fish salad and  green olives for lunch and some cottage cheese as a snack.  I’m drinking enough water to float a boat. (or at least it SEEMS that much…)

This seems to be working for us. My husband looks forward to his meals again (we were cringing for awhile with the prepared plans we were on). He is basically at his goal weight and is mainly trying to hold the line on sugar and hold the new weight. I can’t get him to exercise, but I will continue to ‘try to set a good example’ and hope he’ll want to do it, too. I can’t really talk very loudly since he was never as overweight as I and can still outlast me on stamina when we’re working on a project together.

I have set my goals for the next month, hoping to be able to report more progress to you at the end of October. In the meantime, I have finished a cup of coffee, so it’s time to replace my cup with a bottle of water…

taolife.com

 

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More Rain!

Stephanie Stamm

It’s quite dark outside right now. Our rain is supposed to finish sometime this afternoon. All our growing things have really gotten good, thorough drinks the past few days.

Since it’s not a good day to continue work in the garden, I’m switching to INSIDE things. Since I’m such a lousy housekeeper, there is a plethora of things from which to choose on things needing to be cleaned. :0/

I am planning to try to get up to my art room today to try to finish the bookmarks I started recently. I have more ideas rattling around in my head that I would like to start when I finish the current project and get things cleared off.

source unknown

I am happy to report that I lost another couple of pounds this morning!  That gets me back to my 40 pounds off from my lardiest!

These sweet bears are from when I lost weight several years ago with Nutrisystem. As with the gold stars I put on my desk calendar for exercise, these were motivating. We stopped this program because they discontinued most of the food my husband liked.  I’m happy to have re-earned the green bear…

So far I am very happy with our new eating regimen of having our main meal of the day a frozen entrée from REAL FOOD in Greenwood. Their food is delicious, and the portion is controlled. We are skipping breakfast and eating something light, such as tuna fish salad, for lunch and then MAYBE a careful snack mid to late afternoon, if we are hungry. The careful eating plus exercise (elliptical trainer and yoga stretches) seem to have me on track again, and for that I’m truly grateful.  (We will pre-order for next week when they list the choices this afternoon. )

I hope that you are having a good day, full of love and free from stress.

Stay safe and well.

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Thoughts on a Tuesday 9-22-2020

“The one red leaf, the last of its clan,
That dances as often as dance it can,
Hanging so light, and hanging so high,
On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.”
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

 

Evgeni Evgeniev-Unsplash

Fall is my favorite season.

I love it when I am a bit too cool and need to throw on a hoodie to be comfortable. I enjoy snuggling under my throw in my recliner and nodding off when I get sleepy. One of my favorite drinks is hot chocolate. A fire in the fireplace is a luxurious, comfort thing. The colors of the leaves lift my spirits.  I hope we get a good, long autumn this year!

Gardening Know How

I got SOME of the onions harvested yesterday before I pulled one and a gazillion ants swarmed out. Thankfully, I was armed with my new 2-gallon sprayer of Eight Bug Killer and hosed down the planter box again. It’s raining today (Tropical Storm Beta) but I’ll try it again when the weather is cooperative.

 

Depositphotos

I also managed to file (or throw away) the huge pile of paper sitting on the table beside my computer yesterday. Today I will tackle August bookkeeping. Hopefully, I can get that accomplished today – since September’s stuff will be staring me in the face soon.

 

“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

My husband and I enjoyed Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad for our dinner last night from REAL FOOD in Greenwood. It was truly YUMMY. We are so lucky it is so good and so convenient for us. I also lost a bit more weight! I looked at my records for South Beach and BistroMD, and I’m losing at the same – if slow – rate. If I live 100 more years, I’ll eventually reach my goal! :0)

Penn Fitness Warehouse

Another thing I love about the fall – I can use my elliptical trainer in our garage in a lot more comfort. My husband mounted a wall fan on the wall in front of it for the summer, but I still end up overheated when the temperatures and heat indices go nuts in the summer. I won’t say I look forward to going out there, but putting in the time is much more palatable now.  My yoga stretching in the afternoons is rounding out my exercise nicely.

I don’t have a big project for the day. We drove the trash down to the bottom of the driveway, and I have load #2 in the clothes washer. The dishwasher is running. I’ll go do the elliptical (hopefully doing 35 minutes) and then hit the bookkeeping. I live such an exciting life! :0)

I hope that things are good for you today.

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Eating vs NOT Eating

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I have told you that my husband and I are REALLY enjoying the frozen meals from REAL FOOD in Greenwood. My experiment, since the food is SO good (but has no nutritional information provided) is to monitor the scales, take our blood pressure and blood sugar measurements twice a week (we BOTH are on meds for high blood pressure, and my husband is a Type II Diabetic – although he will deny that, saying only that he has a ‘sugar problem.’) and use these frozen meals as our main meal of the day, skip breakfast, and eat a snacky lunch (such as tuna fish salad) and a CAREFUL snack, otherwise.

We are finishing our first week and will enjoy our last REAL FOOD meal for the week this evening. I will make some keto chili (Suzanne Ryan, Simply Keto) tomorrow for the weekend.

I am continuing to drink water until my eyeballs float, and am conscientiously doing my exercises morning and afternoon (elliptical trainer in our garage in the morning and yoga stretches in the afternoon.)

I lost a pound this morning! 

Life Death Prizes

Fingers crossed that when I measure at the end of the month, the measuring tape will at least smirk at me, if not smile a bit.

I am determined to get as healthy as I can – losing the lard, strengthening my core, and increasing my flexibility – so that I can enjoy life, doing what I would like to, for as long as possible.

 

“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

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The Verdict So Far is “Delicious!”

“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

We have now eaten two frozen meals from REAL FOOD in Greenwood. 964 East Center Street, Greenwood, AR 72936.  (479) 414-6337.

We liked last night’s meal – “Home Fries, Roasted Chicken, Bacon and Cheese” even better than the first night’s, and that’s saying a lot. :0)

I have asked the owner if she would consider posting at least ball park estimates of nutritional information on the website so that we can try to plan around the one GLORIOUS meal we’re eating each day. (We are doing a combination of intermittent fasting and very light lunches.  If we have a snack, it’s a keto-type one.)  This afternoon the choices for the coming week should be posted.

I’m also going to concentrate on my exercising more, now that our weather is cooling off a bit. I’m aiming for elliptical trainer in the morning and yoga stretches in the afternoon, with as much walking in-between as I can get in.

 

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Hooraaaaaay!

“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

 

Tonight we eat the last meal from BistroMD. This program was not a good match for us, and we are happy to be able to move on. Sad to say, I didn’t lose any weight over the past week – just held my own. (I didn’t get any taller, either.

If I grew about 5 inches, I would be in MUCH better shape. I have a massage next week and will encourage my wonderful therapist to redouble her efforts to pull on my head, legs, and arms enough that my problem might eventually go away. :0)  (One can dream….)

We are looking forward to a week off. We have ordered some hand-prepared frozen meals from Real Food in Greenwood. We will pick up our order Monday. Some of our Lunch Bunch friends say their food is delicious!   In the future, we will do a combination of keto meals and meals from Real Food – if we like it – concentrating on portion control, good choices, and exercise. Fingers crossed.

 

 

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BistroMD – First Impressions

Caught Red-Pawed – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

 

Our BistroMD first week’s food was delivered yesterday afternoon. The package warned of dry ice, but it was all melted. The food seemed to be good and cold, though.

One thing that is different from the other plans we have tried is that they want you to take out the food for the next day, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge to thaw slowly. I do that with meat, chicken, and fish, anyway, but this is the first time we have done it with frozen dinners.

Our first meal was dinner last night. My husband had “Beef Stroganoff” and I had “Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken.”   These are both from the Diabetic Menu, since we are both trying to avoid any added sugar.

We both thought our dinners were OKAY, and certainly better than the South Beach frozen stuff. (We both had really LIKED the “White Bean Chicken Chili” and “Cheeseburger Soup” in tiny bowls from South Beach for lunch and dinner, though, so we don’t want to rush to judgment. We may still be in withdrawal from finishing those.) This is more nutritious than what we have been eating lately, with the veggies being included in the meal, rather than depending on the customer to add good choices as a side. The Beef Stroganoff included mushrooms, and broccoli, with linguini. The Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken included carrots and a barley salad with spinach, red onions, and slivered almonds.

A drawback, as far as I am concerned, is that they did not have a keto eating plan choice. Since my husband has Type II diabetes, though, and my goal is to simply lose the lard in the most healthy way I can, this is certainly worth a try. It looks like they are arranging the day’s food to be around 1000-1200 calories.  I am hopeful these good people can help us lose the lard and eat healthy.

I was able to do my yoga stretching yesterday for the first day since I got bitten/stung by the ants last week, and I’m planning to do that, plus a good amount of yard work today as my exercise.

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Happy September!

Cheyne and Eva help us welcome September 2020. This photo is in the Australian Firefighters 2020 fund-raising calendar. (Actually, I have no clue if any of these gorgeous men are firefighters, but they are nice eye-candy, aren’t they? And the animals are so sweet, as well. You can order the 2021 calendar starting October 7th, using the link above, if you are interested.

 

Quora

Our area is now under a Flash Flood Warning due to all the rain we’ve had – and are still getting – through tomorrow. Thankfully, we live on top of a ridge line. Today that is a good thing. Not so much in lightning storms or tornadoes. :0)  We are hoping the rain will stop this afternoon. We went down to take 7 leaf bags of trash from the clean- out of the ruined greenhouse to the bottom of our driveway for pickup this morning when the rain let up a bit. As we were emptying out the truck, the rain came down hard again. We finished putting the bags out and the mailman came by.  We were so wet by the time we got back up to the house, we had to change our clothes! It still is almost dark as night outside.

I will do my elliptical trainer and my yoga today, plus regular household chores, and hope we can get out and get our errands done this afternoon. We have the doors open, enjoying the cool breeze and the sound of the rain. A great day for an afternoon nap, too!

Have a pleasant, soothing day.

 

 

 

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Thoughts on a Saturday 8-29-2020

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My heart goes out to the people suffering from Mother Nature’s fury. So many good people are hurting, with physical and emotional damage on top of the pandemic concerns.  We just need to concentrate on helping each other the best way we can.

We are getting to the bottom of our South Beach diet boxes. I am DIYing more and more as we run out of things, gradually making my way to the point where we will be on our own once again. The two month reboot for our keto efforts has been good in many ways

  • a blunt reminder of what a ‘serving’ is – and is not
  • a more subtle reminder that we don’t need to walk around hungry. There are good choices for snacks mid morning, mid afternoon, and before bed that remind us that each meal is NOT our last. I’m stocking cut up fresh veggies, cheese sticks, hard-boiled eggs, nuts, etc.
  • a reminder that eating right is only part of the equation to being healthy. I’m am still trying to do a 35 minute session of my elliptical trainer in the mornings (though I just do it until my body complains too much and then I stop, regardless of the time – at LEAST doing 15 minutes. Lately, I have been substituting heavy yard work (cleaning up after the storm) and cleaning out our ruined greenhouse (hauling things out and taking them to the garage and/or the shop). I am then doing a good session (35 minutes +) of yoga daily. These stretches are gauged for Seniors, so are NOT trying to get you to fold yourself into a paper airplane. They are designed to help you gain flexibility, core strength, and relaxation.

Unsplash

(I have ALWAYS been somewhat stiff and inflexible. I was in an exercise class in college. We did an exercise where we were lying on our stomachs. We were then told to lift our arms and legs simultaneously up as far as we could get them, and then move them down again, over and over. I did the ‘up’ just fine. The ‘down,’ not so much. I went up, something ‘caught’ in my back, not allowing me to bring my parts down again. I was yelling in pain. They finally got two big guys to lift me up over their heads, like the prow on a ship, and carry me to the infirmary. When they finally got me fixed, I had a waiver for that exercise. Being long-in-the-tooth only exacerbates my normal stiffness, so it’s more important than ever)

  • I am gearing up to cook all the time again. I will miss the stuff the South Beach Diet people sell in tiny bowls – ‘cheeseburger soup,’ and ‘a white beans something-or-other.’ Both were delicious. We ordered a few more packages of pancake mix, because my husband really likes those, to let us down gradually. In the meantime, I will look for ingredients so I can make low carb pancakes from time to time from scratch. We also like the shakes, but won’t order more.
  • At this point, I have lost 40 pounds and 43+ inches. I will do everything I can NOT to regain any of this back, and will keep trying to lose more. I would like to lose another 30 lbs to get into a good, solid, healthy BMI range for my height. (I’ve tried getting taller, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards.)

Otherwise, the ruined greenhouse is now empty.  My husband and I have agreed that we will let the shell sit until things get cooler. (Today’s forecast is 98 degrees F. with a heat index of 112) Today I will concentrate on getting my seed-starting area in the garage workable, with things either stored out of the way or taken out to the shop, and things I need easily accessible.  My husband fixed one of my lights over the counter. I found, and hooked up, my grow light, so I have a start.

I hope that you have a happy Saturday.

 

 

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Filed under DIET!, exercise, Gardening, getting the lard off, greenhouse, Healthy Eating, Mother Nature, quality of life, taking care of yourself

Thoughts on a Monday 8-24-2020

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Isn’t he beautiful?

 

My project of emptying out our ruined greenhouse is coming along. I figure that in a couple more days of filling up the wheelbarrow with salvageable things and gathering one leaf bag full of trash, I’ll be down to the tables we set up. Once the greenhouse is empty, we MAY leave it to the fall for the final take-down of the structure. It’s too hot now for two old people to be laboring in the sun for long.

 

Meanwhile, I cleaned off my counter space in the garage so that I can set up a seed-sprouting station with grow lights. We will get a new switch for one of the lights at Yeager’s today while we’re out. We already have a nice grow light. I will continue reorganizing the ‘stuff’ UNDER the counter so that I can THEN arrange the supplies I need for the grow station. Between this and a wonderful video my friend, Cathy, sent me about growing hacks that I can do on the window sill or on the deck, I hope to be able to grow several of my own plants to put in the garden this spring, rather than having to buy them at the store.

My diet and exercising efforts have been going well. I’m using all the work pulling and hauling in the greenhouse as my ‘elliptical trainer’ exercise, and then doing my usual half hour or so of yoga stretches daily.  I am continuing to lose weight slowly, and am almost into ‘new territory’ on weight loss.  To date I am down 40.2 pounds and 33.2 inches. I plan to lose another 30 pounds or so. My husband has agreed, since we will finish our Month # 2 boxes of the South Beach diet soon, that he will try not to fill the grocery cart with things we are trying to avoid that call to me from the pantry. I hear, “Linnnnnnnnnnnnnn-dahhhhhhhhhhhh…” over and over coming from the greasy, salty, delicious chips of various types, cookies, and bread.  He has agreed to eat what I fix, as we transition to all DIY meals soon.  He only has about 7 more pounds he wants to lose, but the keto diet is also good for his Type II diabetes, so he SAYS he will cooperate… We will have DIY bacon-wrapped hamburger patties, sliced tomato, and spinach tonight for dinner.

Our wonderful plumber, Travis Hawkins, is TRYING to get to us this week some time with a new water pressure tank for the well house. With the pandemic, and our kids going back to school, he has been working non-stop on modifying all of the water fountains in all of the schools so that they are safe for the kids to use without transmitting the virus. He has also had people with NO water, or water leaks, and that beats out our small problem of low water pressure. He is the best guy, and we are lucky he is trying to fit us in.

My heart and thoughts go out to California, with the wildfires, and to the people in the path of the tropical storms/hurricanes.

Stay safe and well.

 

 

 

 

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Thoughts on a Friday 8-21-2020

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I can’t decide my favorite between the Tawny Owl and this sweet Shoebill Stork. I think they are both wonderful.

I had fun yesterday working in my art room a bit. I decided to try a new ‘stained glass’ look on a couple of pairs of earrings. I’ll post them later to see what you think.

My South Beach efforts are paying off. I’m down 11.2 lbs since we started with them, and down 40.2 overall since my lardiest. I’m almost into ‘new territory’ on my weight loss efforts – about 2 lbs to go.

I’ve decided that no matter how hard I try, my body measurements aren’t that accurate. Today they are showing I’ve lost 33.2 inches since I began trying to lose weight and exercise. This varies – due to my ineptness – but it shows the general trend is downward, always a good thing. Suffice to say I’m down a few sizes and my current clothes are looser. My husband noticed my jeans are looser, and I was able to finally wear a blouse today that I’ve kept for years, hoping I could lose enough weight for it to not be too tight. Today it’s loose! :0)

I’m getting into the habit of doing my elliptical trainer (or equivalent cardio/whole body exercise plus about 30 minutes or so of yoga stretches & abdominal exercises daily. I am feeling better with less pain/stiffness and am feeling my stomach muscles when I walk now, if that makes any sense…

We will join our friends for Lunch Bunch in about an hour. I love getting to see their faces, laugh with them, and catch up on what has been happening since last week.

I will start getting things out of our greenhouse today.

It would take too much money and too much work to get it back to working condition since the storm. We weren’t able to afford to heat and cool it, so it’s better to take it down. We will do this a bit at a time, salvaging what we can.

Our weather has been perfect lately – cooler temperatures and lower humidity. I think tomorrow we start getting back to our normal too hot, too humid summer tomorrow, so we will enjoy every minute today, enjoying having the doors open and ceiling fans.

I hope YOUR day is wonderful, too.

Stay safe and well.

 

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Thoughts on a Tuesday 8-18-2020

Tawny Frogmouth Owl-hcreations72 via Penny Yaffe Krakow

I LOVE this bird!  So ugly she’s beautiful. AND unique in the world.

Lowes

I will finish the yard clean up today from our storm last Friday. I have used all the picking up branches and using the leaf blower to try to clear up the yard as a stand-in for my elliptical trainer since Friday. I have done at least two sessions each day in the hot sun, getting my heart rate up, breathing hard, then resting and drinking LOTS and LOTS of water to re-hydrate. I’ve been finishing that off with an abbreviated session of yoga each day to stretch out my poor, sore muscles.  I had one day of neck, shoulders and arms really complaining about working with the leaf blower again, so  finishing today will be a good thing.

I have a haircut this afternoon!  I go to Tangles in Greenwood, owned and operated by Michael Remillard. He has cut my husband’s hair and beard, plus my hair, for years now. He makes us look presentable, and that’s no small task!  I went really short last time and I have really liked it, so I’ll ask him to do that again. I just wash and blow it dry every morning. No muss, no fuss. Wonderful!  If you would like to contact him, his phone number is 479-357-9305.  He is the best.

I have lost almost 10 lbs via South Beach now. I am about to break into new territory on my losing-the-lard efforts, rather than re-losing what I lost before. I will be really happy when I reach that point, and will probably make you roll your eyes with my jubilance when that goal is reached. :0)

Gfycat

I am trying to finish my newest earrings today, putting various findings on them, (pierced, post, or clip-on) so I can take individual pictures of each pair and list them for sale on my EyecatchingEarrings on Etsy website.

I have no big project today, other than finishing the yard clean up. If I can do that, plus get the newest earrings finished and listed, I will be happy with my day.

 

 

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Exercise

Pop Sugar

I am counting the work I’m doing in the yard each day, trying to clean up from the storm, as my elliptical/cardio exercise for each day. Yesterday I spent a total of 2 hours out in the hot sun blowing leaves and picking up branches.  I gave myself a gold star for each hour. I drank water like a camel preparing for a stroll across the Sahara, and that led to a lot of exercise getting up to pee!  I had a nice shower and did a very abbreviated set of yoga stretches to try to keep myself from feeling sore.

I plan to do more of the same today, since everything is still covered in branches and leaves. I will do short sessions, drinking lots of water and resting in-between.

Tonight is a DIY (do-it-yourself) meal on our South Beach plan. Thanks to Suzanne Ryan of Simply Keto, I have a recipe for bacon-wrapped chicken breasts that is to die for. My husband’s reaction when I told him what I planned to cook was, “Oh, GOOD!”

I am PLANNING to get up to my art room to work on the newest earring painting.

I hope you have a beautiful Sunday!

 

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