We’re having nice weather here in Arkansas today. I’m planning to spend some time in the yard again today, pulling out spent plants, trimming, pruning, etc. I’m concentrating on not overdoing it, since the people on TV keep insisting on calling me ‘the elderly’ when they’re talking about Covid and vaccinations. GRRRR!
I would like to remind them –
So we will run an errand or two and then I’ll spend several sessions in the yard today – resting in-between – and see how much good I can do out there. :0)
Have a wonderful day!
With all the pain and suffering going on in our world today, I’m conscious of trying to stay emotionally afloat. I thought you might be having some trouble from time to time, too, and thought it might be good for us to share ways that we try to cope. These are some of the things that help me – in no particular order. I hope you’ll share what helps YOU.
Filed under Attitude, Beautiful Boxes, Challenges, coping mechanisms, Encouragement
Most of the time I don’t think about “age.” Happily, I feel good enough to do most of the things I want to do, and I’m trying to move and exercise daily so that I continue that.
My world is expanding. I love to learn new things. YouTube is a wonderful resource for that. I’m also discovering other sites like this, and I feel a whole new world is waiting. We heard about Rumble and Substack, and our son told us about Bitchute and Odysee. I’ve bookmarked them, but haven’t made time yet to explore and decide what I think.
Art techniques demonstrated on YouTube make my mouth water. I saw one a couple of days ago called, “Dutch Pour,” a delicious injection technique a lady used to create a fabulous design with acrylic paint.
I feel old when –
I’ll declare victory each morning I wake up!
Filed under Attitude, DIET!, Encouragement
When I’m feeling down, something I see brings me right out of it. I’ve told you that I think attitude is all. Here is an example –
Filed under Attitude, Awe-Inspiring Photography
I FINALLY got back to the 30-pounds-off-since-my-heaviest mark this morning! HOORAY!! Thanks again to Maria, who suggested in her blog – FlowingWatersArt.wordpress.com that big goals should be broken down into more doable chunks. I haven’t met my “doable chunk” goals for the three weeks I’ve been trying, but my motivation is high, and that’s the more important thing right now.
I’m building good habits – watching my portions, eating healthy snacks, drinking THREE to FOUR 17.9 oz bottles of water each day (my eyeballs are floating as I run to the bathroom), exercising, etc.
I’m doing yoga stretches and abdominal exercises every day.
This week I started exercising with 5-pound weights- Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I do a pretty short session – enough so my arms are definitely feeling it, but I’m not incapacitated on doing my normal activities. Monday and Wednesday I did two short sessions with the weights during the day plus my yoga.
Yesterday I found a 3-minute video on the net. The lady was using 3-pound weights, so I switched to those and exercised along with her. She was doing different things than I was doing with the 5-pound weights. My arms felt pretty ‘used’ when I finished, but this is a good addition to what I’ve started to do. I plan to do a session with the 5-pound weights and another with the 3-pound weights with the nice lady MWF next week.
I feel good that I’m taking one day at a time, making short-term goals that seem more achievable, am moving and exercising more.
Short term goals are –
Filed under Attitude, Cause for Celebration, Challenges, Changes, DIET!, exercise
Today is DAY 4 of my new motivation to lose my lard and increase my flexibility and stamina.
I’m feeling good about things, even though I didn’t shed any weight yesterday. I will ‘keep on keepin’ on,’ one day at a time, looking at each one as a day to maybe lose a bit and work on getting stronger.
I’m doing my yoga-snack-water thing each afternoon. I have some sore stomach muscles in particular, a sign that my body recognizes a change. That’s GOOD. I’m finding it easier to get out of my chair, get my yoga mat and get started. Once I finish, I get my husband his bagel with cream cheese, chives, and onion, and I get MY snack of some raw veggies and a bit of dip, plus a bottle of water.
My husband, of course, isn’t even trying to lose weight at this point, or exercise, but is ahead of me on weight loss. I’m trying to be adult enough to realize that each person is different, that men seem to lose weight more easily than woman, and hitting him in the mouth won’t solve my problems. :0)
I have my desk calendar set up to get my stars for doing what I should today, and it makes me smile when I earn them.
I am feeling more in control of my habits and I’m pleased I’m doing some good things for my health.
Filed under Attitude, DIET!, exercise, getting the lard off, taking care of yourself
We’re all still going through a very stressful time. It’s hard to try to get to whatever the ‘new normal’ is without at least a twinge or two about risk.
I’ve chosen to read as much as I can about what is going on in the world around me – reading as many different sources as I can find – decide what I want to do, and just do it.
Life is too short to live in fear of everything. I’m going to die of ‘something’ at whatever time I do. I can only take whatever precautions I think are reasonable and get on with it. I don’t want to miss the rest of my life because of fear.
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Encouragement
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!
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.
The weather forecast says, “Check on the elderly.” I have no problem with this idea, except they are talking about ME!
I choose to age with sass.
Here are some quotes I love about aging –
Wisdom is the reward for surviving our own stupidity.” — Brian Rathbone
“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
It is lovely to meet an old person whose face is deeply lined, a face that has been deeply inhabited, to look in the eyes and find light there.” — John O-Donohue
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
“As long as I am breathing, in my eyes, I am just beginning.” — Criss Jami
“When I grow up I want to be an old woman.” — Michelle Shocked
Filed under aging, Attitude, Favorite Quotes
We stopped the orgy of strawberries and ice cream, but wanted to celebrate our 52nd anniversary by sharing a seafood platter at one of our favorite local restaurants, The Dari, last night. Today I’m up a pound. UGH.
I can TELL myself that I’ll only celebrate a 52nd wedding anniversary once, but THEN I find myself celebrating the end of Daylight Savings Time, and Belly Laugh Day and, and……
Weight loss comes from your mind. Your conscious decision to control what goes into your mouth EACH time, EVERY time. That doesn’t mean I’ve decided not to celebrate important milestones anymore, but it DOES mean I’m going to TRY not to use holidays and special occasions as an excuse to start another binge.
Last night I felt my age was 108 or so. I spent some time in the yard yesterday, stuffing the remainder of the black plastic that used to be the floor of our now dismantled greenhouse into a leaf bag. I had stretched it out first thing yesterday so the sun would hopefully dry up the water and I could shake off the mud enough to get it into a bag. I hauled the bag around the back of the house to the garage, ready for next Tuesday’s trash pickup. I also spread a lot of grass seed on the rectangular section of mud out there now. Happily enough, we got a bit of rain later, so hopefully it’s a start for the area to go back to the tall grass area it was pre-greenhouse eventually. All that bending, pulling, and hauling and trips back and forth to the garage made my parts yell in protest later in the day, making my “feels like” age (like the heat index) soar to 108 or so.
I slept like a log last night, and feel only my actual age this morning. I have found that I have a new pet peeve – I react quite hostilely to being referred to as ‘elderly.’ I never thought about the word much. The picture in my head when I hear that word is someone VERY frail, who can barely get around, has little or no hearing, and can’t follow the conversation around him or her. They fall asleep at the drop of a hat, etc. (The fact that this sometimes is a good description of me is only a coincidence…. )
My hostility started during the pandemic, when they kept emphasizing the group at most risk for dying from the virus. I realized with horror they were talking about my husband and me! Yeah, we’re older than dirt and do have health issues, but that doesn’t translate to ‘elderly,’ in my opinion. We are fully vaccinated, so these two ‘elderly’ people are as safe as possible. I got hostile again this morning reading the local weather website. It’s suddenly summer here, and we may have to break down and turn on the a/c this afternoon. The forecast said, “Check on the elderly.” He was talking about US!
I get hostile realizing that the heartthrobs of the day on TV and in movies are young enough to be my son. At least I’m not old enough to be their grandmother – yet. I may be old, but I ain’t dead yet! I even feel maternal about my primary doctor! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!
I will just continue to keep on keepin’ on – working in my veggie garden; weed whacking in the yard; helping my husband get the irrigation system on, repaired, and scheduled; playing in my art room; reading; enjoying music; writing my blog posts; adding new products to my Etsy site; exercising; and more. Maybe I AM old enough to be considered ‘elderly,’ but I’ll think of myself as the person in the picture above until further notice. :0)
Filed under aging
“Note to Self:
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be still. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.”
Nanea Hoffman
Sweatpantsandcoffee.com
creativeartworksblog 