Category Archives: exercise

Thoughts on a Thursday 6-24-2021

buzzfeed.com

Our heat index this afternoon will reach the triple digits, so I’m going to get our to the shop pretty soon to continue work on refurbishing the ‘turkey’ yard art critter I started yesterday. I’m hoping he can go back out to his place at the base of a tree beside the driveway by the end of the day. I forgot to take pics of the ‘before’ on the turkey. He was basically just super dirty and desperately in need of new paint. I’ll take pics to share when he is back in place.

Did I tell you I HATE automatic Windows updates? For some reason they always cause us problems. We can’t NOT do the updates, but it’s sure a pain to deal with the havoc they generate. Yesterday it was one of our printers that suddenly won’t print plus our personal DVD computerized collection isn’t opening as it should. My husband fought with it most of the day yesterday to no avail. He wrote Microsoft and is hoping they have some help for us. He also talked to our son via a conference call, in Thailand. Hopefully, answers will come today.

Tomorrow at Lunch Bunch we’ll celebrate the birthday of one of our core members. Our friendship – going on 20 years now – is priceless.

My husband has been celebrating the lack of rain lately. He’s been praising the ‘brown and crunchy patches of grass in the yard, meaning he has to mow less. I told him to enjoy it while he could. Rain is due this weekend.

My spring garden is about to come to an end. I got what is probably the last of the yellow squash, leaving only sweet onions. I’ll probably pull the onions soon, leaving them to dry on the trailer bed and clean up the garden. On the good side, though, we had the first two ripe tomatoes of what I hope will be a wonderful season. My husband and I shared them for lunch yesterday. They were delicious. I hope we get enough that I can share them.

Every year about this time I wish we had been able to build the pool we wanted when we built the house. Since we’re on top of a ridge line, we had to do a lot of blasting to build a house amid all this rock. We blasted for the septic tank, the basement, and then blasted the whole back yard for the pool. We ran out of money before we got to the pool, though, so it never got done.

I worked every summer from the time I was 14 through college teaching swimming with my 6th grade gym teacher to make money for college. I really miss the great exercise I got. I tell myself that if we had a pool, I would go out and swim every possible night before bed. The reality of that would probably be that I would gritch and moan about having to get my exercise cleaning the pool, rather than getting to swim in it. I would have to fight for space to swim laps, having to dodge raccoons, opossums, squirrels, and other critters I don’t want to think about who thought we had built the pool for THEM…

Stay cool and safe!

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Diet Lesson for the Day

Unknown

I lost half a pound yesterday. Hooray?

My husband, who paid no attention whatsoever to what he ate – including a bagel slathered with French Onion and Chives Cream Cheese – lost a full pound. Arrgh!

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A Bit of Success

WiffleGif

I finally had a bit of success on losing the lard. I’m almost back to 30 pounds down since my heaviest now – hoping to hit that officially in the next day or so. I’m learning once again how much easier it is to put it ON, rather than taking it OFF.

Yesterday I was moving most of the day. I was in the shop working on the refurb of our Box Turtle Yard art piece. It was hot in there, but I had a fan. I was up and down, pulling and hauling. After resting a bit, I weed whacked, doing two sessions that I had to stop when the weed eater started to smoke! My husband will look at that today to see if it is salvageable. Anyhow, it was a lot of work out in the hot, so I guess that helped finally shed a bit more of the lard.

Today I’m going to put the refurbed box turtle back where he lives in the yard, take pics to show you, start work on another piece, use the leaf blower to clean up the two sidewalks and garage pad, and then cut up lots of veggies for the “kielbasa and veggies” cookout for tonight.

I hope you have a happy Sunday, too.

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.2

sparkpeople.com

My trying to lose the lard is sometimes like trying to swim though peanut butter – excruciatingly slow and a LOT of work.

I was really good yesterday, eating only HALF of the chicken ‘thingers’ is ordered at Lunch Bunch. I brought the other half home for another meal. I drank lots of water, kept moving a lot of the day, ate some raw veggies with a small amount of dip as a snack to tide me over until dinner.

The end result is .2 lb down. hooray. It’s definitely better than when the scale shows I’m hanging onto weight or even gaining, but no confetti is being tossed.

I’m going to just keep on keepin’ on, keeping all appendages crossed.

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Getting Older

suzyswede.com

I have a yoga routine that I am trying to do every afternoon now. It’s “Old Lady” yoga, emphasizing good, long, slow stretches rather than asking me to fold my body into a paper airplane and then fly out the window.

I’m grateful to Kat Kabira for making a DVD that got me started several years ago now. She has given me the opportunity to get more flexible, strengthen my core muscles, lessen my pain, and learn to relax. (Of course, I actually have to DO the routine in order to reap its benefits. I am finally caught up enough from gremlins causing problems in our house that I am actively making time for my practice now.)

I’m also adding some positions to my core routine. Since it will be too hot, even with the fan on the all, to do my elliptical trainer out in the garage, a longer, richer yoga routine should take up some of the slack. I’m trying to add at least one new position to my routine each day.

I don’t want my body parts to fall off as I’m working in the garden. It’s good motivation to keep up the yoga…

giphy.gif

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Interesting Thought

Signs of Wisdom

I am practicing a number of things, trying to get the lard off.

For several years now I have tried to get taller. I figure that if I grew several inches, I wouldn’t have to be so concerned about my weight. As it is, even though my wonderful massage therapist has TRIED to help once a month by pulling on my appendages and head, it isn’t working. So the concern remains.

  1. I fast between dinner the night before and lunch the next day
  2. I eat very careful lunches and dinners. My husband and I fix the meals together so we can ‘watch’ each other and encourage each other. We eat a lot of healthy individual frozen food dinners from Real Food and Stu’s Clean Cookin’ in Greenwood.
  3. I’m trying to move more and – if I eat between meals at all – I try to snack carefully.

My biggest problem times are about 4 in the afternoon and in the middle of the night if I’m having trouble sleeping.

We eat lunch at noon. We eat dinner around 7pm. Around 4 I am hungry. I’m really trying to have healthy snacks on hand and eat one of them carefully. In the middle of the night, all bets are off.

So, overall I’m losing some of the lard, albeit V-E-R-Y slowly. I yoyo a bit because of any extra eating I do. As long as the general trend is downward, I’m trying not to beat myself up too much about lapses.

Each day is a new day.

taolife.com

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Adding Weight to the Argument

boredpanda.com

I’m frustrated that I gained half a pound.

I wouldn’t be upset if I had eaten something I shouldn’t . Hopefully, that half pound and more will have bitten the dust tomorrow.

WiffleGif.gif

Maybe it has to do with the fact I started up my yoga practice again yesterday.

I will just keep on keepin’ on, hoping my efforts will come together.

Isn’t this dog the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? :0)

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A Bit of Progress

Cheezburger.com

I am FINALLY making a bit of progress on my efforts to lose the lard. My new goal is to try to lose 2.5 lbs each week. That should be doable. I am concentrating on eating controlled portions and not snacking in-between, drinking lots of water and staying active, moving as much as possible.

I was working a lot outside, trying to get my veggie garden going, so I haven’t been ‘exercising’ as I should. I will try now to get back into my yoga practice.

I’ll plan to bring you a ‘progress’ report or two. Fingers crossed.

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Trying Not to Stuff My Face

AmazingCreatures.gif

All this activity of going through everything in our office and living room, moving things off the floor and out of furniture and taking it elsewhere for the laying of new carpet and flooring soon has increased my hunger. I feel I could eat the wall, giving a bit of cheese on it or some honey mustard.

I ordered some green tea extract and received it today. I’m supposed to take one capsule a day. I read a lot of reviews and decided that I would try it, hoping for some increased ability to NOT snack between meals, or to be able to choose HEALTHY snacks that will coordinate with my efforts to eat less.

Fingers crossed.

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Lots of Exercise

Ara-Twitter.com

We are continuing to empty furniture little by little – trying to find space ‘elsewhere’ for all the ‘STUFF’ we have in our office, foyer, and living room in our project to get ready for new carpet plus vinyl for the back porch.

We have plenty of time to get this done. The installation will be sometime the first week in May, but I may not have EMPHASIZED enough how much “STUFF” we have. We have built-in shelving on both sides of the doorway in the office and built-in drawers and counter-top around two sides of the rest of the room. We don’t have to do anything with those – just the furniture that needs to be moved. These have to be empty.

We have two 4-drawer file cabinets and one 2-drawer file cabinet. We have movable shelving – one 6-shelf piece, one 4-shelf piece, and two 2-shelf pieces. And the list goes on.

I’m trying to throw things out as I move things elsewhere. I am PROMISING myself, as I take things up and down the stairs to my art room or our guest room – that I will take just as much time putting things back together as I have taking things apart, go through and throw out MORE as I bring things from ‘elsewhere’ to back where they live.

One good thing I’m noticing is that, with all this activity, I’m getting a LOT of exercise, cleaning out, hauling up and down stairs or into another room – and that I’m dropping off to sleep like I’ve been hit with a sledge hammer. I just wish I had this cute little baby elephant with his purple ball to exercise with! :0)

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Arrgh!

yourshot.nationalgeographic.com- Rita Mantarro

This is me in a nutshell and my basic attitude toward the world.

I particularly felt this way this morning, when my scales greeted me with a big raspberry because SOMEHOW I gaine 1-1/2 lbs yesterday. I wasn’t aware that I ate lead, but apparently that is the case.

I have decided to ignore it, since I ate a normal lunch and will eat a normal dinner. I’m HOPING that I’m just retaining water and find it gone tomorrow….

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Eating with Winnie the Pooh

A. A. Milne – E.H. Shepard – Winnie the Pooh – DreamsQuote

Last night I gave into our desire for comfort food, since our weather has been gray, cool, and rainy lately and made hamburger patties and macaroni and cheese. It hit just the right note with my husband, and he declared the meal ‘delicious’ several times.

Mostly we are trying to watch what we eat in an effort to lose our lard, get as healthy as we can, and be able to continue doing most of what we would like to do. We have found two places locally who are offering REAL FOOD and STU’S CLEAN COOKIN’ – individual frozen dinners with few ingredients – all of which you can pronounce and understand – with measured portions that are GOOD for us. We feel as it we have found a treasure trove.

Particularly when the weather is good, I like to spend a lot of time outside – working in our veggie garden, gathering harvests of lettuce, spinach, radishes, yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli, onions, and tomatoes each time I can for us to enjoy right from the garden. Much of the time I am helping with the lawn or weeding my flower beds, so it’s nice to have veggies from the garden and a good-for-us delicious dinner that only has to be nuked to be ready to eat.

As soon as I finish here, I’m planning to go out and take pics to share with you, hopefully harvest my first gathering of veggies, plus get things ready to cover the plants for some possible freezes this week.

I hope that you are well and happy this morning, and that your Sunday is a nice one.

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Filed under DIET!, exercise, Funny Signs - Humor, Gardening, getting the lard off, Great Companies Who Deserve Your Business, Healthy Eating, Poohisms, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds, taking care of yourself

Shopping

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April 16, 2021 · 10:03 am

A Wonderful Find

BoredPanda.com

I’ve been spending time lately on Pinterest, especially on the home page where ‘someone’ provides pics they think you will be interested in. It’s a little bit, creepy, to be honest, because someone is getting it right.

A thing I like lately is yoga poses for women like me – women who have no interest in folding themselves into paper airplanes and might be carrying a bit more meat on their bones than they would like. There are some wonderful down-to-Earth women, some of whom make ME feel better about myself and my lard, who are truly impressive in their ability to manipulate their bodies to get into poses I have honestly avoided. I have selected all kinds of stretches in my own practice, but these new poses will allow me to expand my horizons without having to have my husband call the paramedics to get me off the floor when my practice is finished and may also result – with some good work on my part – with a stronger core, less pain and stiffness, and an ability to move much more easily.

It’s funny. Normally I don’t like seeing clothes for sale on plus sized women. Somehow, I stupidly cling to the illusion I could look more like the model if I bought whatever it is. But seeing ‘meaty’ women truly amaze with their flexibility gives me hope that I, too, can improve more than I have been.

I have printed several of the articles and poses and plan to try at least one of the articles this afternoon, after I have finished carrying my 2-gallon sprayer full of KillzAll around the yard. (I have sprayed TWO containers-full so far.) I will be tired, stiff, and sore, the perfect condition for stretching, relaxing, and trying a new pose – or 5 – since they are supposedly for beginners, to see how well they work for me.

I’m truly energized by what I found on the Home Page of Pinterest – even though it IS still a bit creepy… :0)

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Ugh

Tail and Fur

I got up this morning, as ready for the day as I ever am, and found that I gained a pound.

My head tells me that it’s probably retained water, but the REST of me is down.

I’m trying really hard to eat less and move more. I’ve been working in the yard each day and doing LOTS more than I sometimes do. If I eat a snack, I try to make it a healthy one, like cottage cheese, raw veggies and dip, etc. I DO eat a no-sugar-added low calorie ice cream bar by Sweet Freedom at night.

It SEEMS that if I’m eating carefully and moving MORE, the scale should be showing some improvement.

UGH.

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Getting-Staying in Shape

QuotesGram

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Mirrors

Source Unknown

I have been really active (for an old lady) lately. This has resulted in a combination of exhaustion, aching back, and hunger. I’m trying to slowly drink a full bottle of water and then wait awhile, hoping the hunger will pass until the proper time. If that doesn’t work, I’m trying to eat a combination of raw veggies and dip.

If I keep this up, hopefully, I can build a new habit. “If wishes were fishes….”

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Good Job for an Old Broad

Wiffle Gif

I’ve been moving a LOT more lately, but I’m not nearly as cute as this sweet girl.

Yesterday I started going through things that I brought home from the booth I shared with a friend in town. I’m planning to add more of my products to my page on Amazon Handmade. I will then put away the other stuff. This means a lot of bending over, cleaning out boxes and bags, stacking things I want to list, taking some stuff to my art room upstairs, taking other things out to my bins in the shop, etc.

I had gotten a pretty good start on this when we discovered that the work on the house would be starting at 8am this morning. That meant that everything on the porch needed to go elsewhere. My husband was working on our mower, so I spent a couple of hours going up and down on a step stool, taking down our decorations and taking them out onto the deck or into the garage, depending on whether they could stand to be rained on or not. Now the deck and garage are full of stuff and the porch was clean and empty.

Today I will do a bunch of weed whacking since my husband is doing the mowing. I will also do clean up of the debris with the leaf blower.

In the meantime, I’m weeding the new spring garden, cleaning out planters, getting flowers to plant, and we will check the irrigation system for the yard, repairing any blowouts or leaks.

If there is time and energy, I’m trying to work in my yoga stretches and time on my elliptical trainer in the garage.

This old broad is moving! Just hope that this makes and keeps me stronger and stronger. It DOES help me sleep well…

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Seasonal Help with Eating

BoredPanda.com

I’m grateful for spring also because this season of the year helps me in my efforts to lose the lard.

I’m growing leaf lettuce, head lettuce, radishes, yellow squash, zucchini, red onions, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, and celery. Being able to look forward to harvesting some of this straight from the garden to our table at night makes a big difference in my eating. I can throw off the comfort food of the winter and embrace being outside longer each day and eating big, healthy salads for our dinners.

All of my outside activities encourage me to drink more water, as well. My pedometer takes notice of my increased mobility and that encourages me to do even more.

Fingers crossed that this all comes together and I can make some good progress on my efforts to get healthier, stronger, and more flexible.

123RF.com

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Essentials

Charles Schultz – Peanuts – http://www.snoopy.com

Spring officially starts tomorrow. I’m hoping to be able to get some veggie plants for my garden today, kicking off my season of being outside every possible day, kicking up my activity level, cutting DOWN on my comfort eating!

I will also look forward to eating fresh stuff from my garden. I always try to grow lots of spinach and lettuce, radishes, onions, and broccoli, and then whatever else looks interesting. In two other planters, I plant tomatoes. Availability varies, but I LOVE watching things grow, taking care of my plants, and then harvesting the results.

Some years I’m really successful and I can take fresh food to my friends. That is the BEST. :0)

Each year I feel renewed hope for the growing season – a new lease on life.

It’s especially welcome this year, and I look forward to sharing my efforts with you.

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Journey

Kerri Walsh Jennings – DevelopGoodHabits.com

In my efforts to move more, I’ve decided to change things up a bit today.

You might be able to hear me breathing a bit hard as I type. I just came in from taking our trash out and getting our mail. That doesn’t sound like much, but our driveway is gravel, STEEP, and more than 650 feet long. I carried the trash bag and box about half of the way, changing from one hand to the other, walking carefully so I didn’t skid and fall on my head. I also brought my phone in my pocket, to be able to call for help, if needed. I dragged the trash bag part of the way.

Going down, I was mainly worried about losing my footing. I really need cleats. Once I got down to the bottom of the driveway, I put the trash where it is picked up and got our mail. THEN there was the process of walking UP the steep driveway.

By the time I had made it about a third of the way, I was breathing hard. I stopped and breathed for a minute or two, and then started in again. By the time I got about half way up, I started thinking about the children’s book, “The Little Engine that Could,” and started thinking, “I think I can. I THINK I can…”

I had to stand and rest a couple more times before I reached the top, humming the theme from “Rocky.” :0)

My breathing has returned to normal. My husband was taking a nap when I decided to do this. He roused enough to ask, “Do you want to drive the trash down now?” I calmly smiled and said, “I just did.”

joemarino.org

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Decision

Toni-Sorenson – Womens Day

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“When I grow up I want to be an old woman.”

The above is a quote from Michelle Shocked

I am 74 today – older than dirt – older but not wiser – still ornery and kickin’ .

I have started a petition – in my own mind at least – to obliterate the word, “Elderly.” Supposedly, this includes people 60 and above. Every time I hear the word, realizing that the people uttering it are referring to ME, I get hostile.

“I’ve enjoyed every age I’ve been and each has had its own individual merit. Every laugh line, every scar, is a badge I wear to show I’ve been present, the inner rings of my personal tree trunk that I display proudly for all to see. Nowadays, I don’t want a “perfect” face and body; I want to wear the life I’ve lived.”
— Pat Benatar

I’m just getting a good start now. Right at this moment, I’m feeling a bit older than usual, though. My husband and I got our first shot of the COVID vaccine yesterday. My arm is a bit achy, and I’m not feeling very energetic, but that is a TEMPORARY condition, and this one time I’m glad I’m ‘old enough’ to get something.

I am full of plans for spring. I want to re-plant the elephant ear plant bulbs I’ve been storing in the garage for the winter. I want to repair our irrigation system where the cold weather busted one of the pvc pipes we use to water our plants. I am eager to uncover my raised bed planters so I can get spring veggies started.

I have ideas rattling around in my head for things I can try in my art room. In fact, I’m planning to spend part of my birthday today up there. :0)

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”~ Sophia Loren

It’s a nice day, so I’m going to spend time on my elliptical trainer in the garage, and then do a good, long session of yoga stretches this afternoon.

BoredPanda

“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.”
— George Bernard Shaw

I truly love finding things to post on this blog. There is so much to share that is hopeful!

“As long as I am breathing, in my eyes, I am just beginning.” — Criss Jami

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Tense and Tubby

A. A. Milne, E. H Shepard – Winnie the Pooh – DreamsQuote

Things have been challenging here lately, and my reaction to it is to tense up, sleep sporadically and poorly, and ‘scrunch up’ so I hurt all over – being stiff and sore.

My old lady yoga stretches are saving my life. I try to routinely do about 35 minutes of so, just to stretch things out. Lately, I am taking more and more time in my efforts to relax and rejuvenate. It really helps.

I’m grateful to Cat Kabira who makes wonderful yoga DVDs for getting me started. She has such a kind manner, stressing that it doesn’t matter if you can touch your toes or not, or if you cannot fold yourself into a paper airplane in a particular pose. She says that the relaxation, breathing, and stretching as far as you can at the time is what is important. I would have given up almost before I started if I hadn’t been lucky enough to find her on the Sixtyandme.com website.

Now I do my own routine, spending as much time as I need to in order to make up for the day’s challenges. I feel much better after I do my practice.

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New Month – New Chance

Spoon University

My scales are finally beginning to take notice of my efforts to lose the lard.
Though I vary on eating between meals, my basic program remains the same. I am eating healthy individual portion frozen dinners prepared by good people at either REAL FOOD or STU’S CLEAN COOKIN’ in Greenwood. The ingredients and amounts are listed on the meals. No unpronounceable additives or preservatives are used.

Otherwise, a sandwich or tuna salad, sugar-free jello, and olives or grapes for lunch.

Now that our weather is finally warming up, I don’t dread spending time on my elliptical trainer in the garage as much. I’m trying to do 35 minutes on it three times a week and my yoga stretches every day. I’m doing pretty well at that, even though I have missed days due to helping my husband fix all the stuff that is falling apart around here lately.

I gave up on my efforts to start seeds. I got some messy sprouts, but all were trying their best to die, so I stopped. My title as ‘Serial Seed Killer” remains. :0( Happily, some plants are available locally. I’m trying to decide if I should go ahead and plant things, even though our average last frost date isn’t until April 5th.

I hope that today is a good day for you.

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Thoughts on a Thursday 2-25-2021

forwarded from a friend

I want to adopt this dog. NOW. I simply melted into a puddle when I saw his little face.

If you’ve been following the blog, you know our generator suddenly wasn’t working. Yesterday we found a man in Ft Smith who could look at the starter motor to see if he could fix it. It turned out he couldn’t, but he had a new one for us. I was asleep when he called, and my husband insisted he would go and pick it up.

I was worried by the time he returned. He said he ran over something on the way home that flattened a tire. He was able to limp to a tire store and buy a used tired to get home. So now we have bought a new starter motor for the generator and ordered two new tires for the Vette. Oh, joy.

We worked on the starter motor most of the remaining afternoon until dark. He was able to get the motor in and running, but will have to tweak it today. He said he had to loosen something to get the motor out that apparently controls the speed of the motor. He will see if he can get that into the proper position today. I hoping this goes smoothly and solves our problem. He really had to work hard yesterday.

I am also hoping for a quiet day so I can get back to exercising. Both my husband and I have been either doing errands quickly, putting out ‘fires’, or working on the generator the past few days, so all routines and idea of a ‘regular’ schedule have been out the window. Instead hot showers, heat pads, muscle gel and Tylenol have kept us afloat.

My mantra is “things will get better.”

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Snacks

imgflip.com – tumblr – Spoon University

This is DAY THREE of not eating anything between meals. That, along with portion control at meals and my efforts to move more should result in happy results on the scales and on my measuring tape. The weather is finally warming up, too, which means I can get outside more. I feel that things are coming together now.

It would be easier to simply sign up again for a weight loss/meals provided program again, but I’m determined to take responsibility for what I eat and drink. We are getting lots of help with two new places here locally who each provide individual portion frozen healthy meals. We eat one of those for dinner. I make us a sandwich or tuna salad for lunch. My husband eats snacks when he likes. He is much closer to his goal weight, but we’re still trying to watch his sugar intake.

I’m trying to build good habits that will result in my getting and staying in reasonable shape so I can continue to do most of what I would like for the rest of my life. I’m kind of using you as a check for accountability and reporting. I hope you don’t mind.

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Weight-a-tude

Grand View Health

ATTITUDE comes first. The DECISION to do all you can to get the lard off. Next comes the actual DOING.

I found a great thought for weight loss this morning – “BE STRONGER THAN YOUR EXCUSE.”

This really resonated, since I’ve been mentally and emotionally using the fact we’re snowed in as our excuse the past week or so. Last week we were iced in. Now we’re snowed in. (We got more overnight.) Both are great excuses to open mouth and insert foot – as well as other things that don’t belong.

It has also been too cold to do my elliptical trainer in the garage. I just can’t do it. This has led to only doing my yoga, even though I do have several good DVDs I could use.

I will try to heed the great weight loss thought above and squash the enticing ‘slug bug’ mentality.

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Thoughts on a Friday in February

MAN v FAT

It’s harder to stick with a rational, mature eating plan when the weather is yelling for comfort food. It’s 17 degrees F here in Greenwood, Arkansas. February is always our coldest month, but I was beginning to believe we wouldn’t have much of a winter this year. Hahahahahahhaha! Our highs are in the 20s, we have ice everywhere, our deck is a skating rink unfit for old folks to fill the bird feeders, and our 650+ foot long, STEEP driveway and the road that runs in front of our place are not encouraging travel – even to retrieve our mail at the bottom of the driveway. The forecast is for ‘dangerous cold, and snow Sat – Monday, then again Wednesday of next week. Did I tell you I HATE February?

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I’m trying to be the “mature adult woman” that I’m supposed to be, NOT stuffing my face while continuing to earn my gold stars on my desk calendar for exercise. I put on my sweatshirt, sweat pants, puffy vest, knit hat, and gloves to go out to the garage to put in my time on my elliptical trainer. The good thing is I feel very proud of myself if I manage to get my time in out there each day. The yoga in the afternoons is easier.

Yesterday I finally got the seeds planted for my spring garden. The seed starter tray is sitting on our dining area table where the seeds will get the best sun. I’m watching the tray like a mother hen, hoping my seeds will sprout and then do really well so that I’ll have healthy, good-looking plants to put into my raised bed square foot garden the first week of April.

I am planning to continue my efforts to clean and reorganize my art room today. So far, the only clean area is my drafting table. Today I’ll tackle this table.

I hope you’re having a good Friday. Maybe we can start a petition to do away with February…

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Filed under Challenges, DIET!, exercise, Gardening, Mother Nature, Organizing/DeCluttering, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds

The Battle Continues

MAN v CAT

My scales gave me a thumbs up again this morning. I’m determined to take this one day at a time, though my goal is a long way off.

The MyFitnessPal.com website is helping me stay accountable for what I’m consuming. It’s so easy to tell yourself you’re not eating that much, but the ‘grazing’ adds up around here, and the website makes me acknowledge where the problems are and help me concentrate on solving them. Today I will cut up raw veggies to enjoy with dip for my mid afternoon snack.

Penn Fitness Warehouse

My efforts to do 35 minutes a day on my elliptical are having varied success. My excuse NOW is the weather. I’m wearing a vest and my gloves, but the elliptical trainer is out in the garage and it is REALLY cold out there, even though I’m moving. I’ve decided that if I get out there and do as much as I can before freezing to death, that’s all anyone should ask. I’m really earning my gold star there.

One Green Planet

My afternoon yoga is going much better. My body is starting to loosen up a bit. It’s amazing to me that I must spend much of the day trying to curl up into a ball. It’s hard for this old broad to stretch out. It actually takes me a minute or two for the act of lying down flat on my back on my mat to stop being really uncomfortable. I have to concentrate on relaxing (“relaxing jaw – relaaaaaaaxing face) with my head and neck propped up on a wonderful wedge I bought online after my massage therapist tried it one day a couple of years ago. When I stop hurting, I then put my head flat on the floor and relax some more.

I spend 30 -45 minutes most afternoons doing slow, careful, thorough stretching. My body feels a lot better afterwards.

This post reminded me of a sign I found recently –

dumpaday.com

I hope I’m not boring you to tears. If I am please just scroll through it rapidly, delete it, write me a note…..

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Filed under DIET!, exercise

And My Scales Said, “Ah!”

SuperFastDiet

I’m beginning to see a welcome difference when I step on the scales each morning. Not a huge one, but a good one, nonetheless. (I know, some people say you shouldn’t weigh every day. Each person has to do what works for him or her, though, and being accountable every morning seems to help motivate ME not to stuff my face.)

I’m still RE-losing, but soon I will be at a new point in my losing-the-lard efforts. I’m earning gold stars for my exercising, too.

I also decided to start using MyFitnessPal.com again, since we have moved to frozen meals coupled with our own, and I need to be more mindful of my eating – particularly of snacks – which can get out of hand quickly.

It’s good to finally feel things coming together to make a difference.

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Filed under DIET!, exercise, getting the lard off