One Pound Weights Will Work, Right?

There’s this log by the side of the road – I pass it on my way to work. It just appeared one day, out of the blue. I’m intrigued by it & wonder what it might have to tell me.

I was thinking of carrying it around like the Log Lady of Twin Peaks. Remember how her log told her things?

Source: flamelikeme

But I suspect that I’m not strong enough to carry around a log that large. So I started a weight training regimen.

How long do you reckon until I’m ready?

I Have a Plan!

I’m not a big bundle of energy at the best of times, but things seem to have hit a new low. Basically, my eyes would prefer to remain closed at all times. And there’s extra gravity. Writing this post is exhausting. [Please note the Drama Queen label on this post.]

But I have a plan!

• I’m going to try to eat all my recommended fruits & veggies each day.
• And, although I have managed to walk almost every day, I’m going to add more minutes (probably by walking more often).
• And I’m going to add a “weight training” activity a few days a week (since I’m starting with 3 pound weights I’m not sure it really counts as actual weight training).
• And I’m going to try to be in bed by 10:30 each night. It doesn’t matter if the score is tied at the top of the ninth – if it’s 10:30 I’d better be snoozing.

Wow – I feel more energized already! Or maybe it’s the cantaloupe I’m eating right now…

Some Random on a Wednesday

Coincidentally, right as I rejoined Weight Watchers, my work has started a health plan. We’ve all formed teams & set goals & been issued new pedometers. Our team is going to work on increasing our number of steps each day, and weight loss. The program officially starts June 25, but of course I’m not waiting until then to implement changes. I’ve already been walking every day & watching what I eat.

Speaking of walking – my hip does not hurt when I walk. However, my legs each weigh 400 pounds & everything else hurts (ok, really just my right calf, but I’m doing stretches to help with that). But anyway, My Hip Does Not Hurt. Hallelujah and Amen.

It’s felt like there’s been a lot of bad news lately – a friend’s mom is in critical condition with an infection, another friend’s dad has prostate cancer, another friend is going through an unknown crisis. I don’t live anywhere near these folks, so I feel helpless to do more than just pray for them. But I guess that’s something.

Dr. M & I surveyed our kingdom yesterday. Our hanging baskets are gorgeous. We have daisies, mums & lilies about to bloom. There are blossoms on the volunteer tomato plant. The yarrow is out of control. AND he bought me new gardening tools the other day – I’m planning on planting some more flowers. That way I’m adding an upper body workout to my regimen.

I am bereft of poetry lately. Every time I try to write something the words are just not there. I think that I’ll enjoy the quietness in my head & watch the world in our back yard for a while.

Put your money where your mouth is

I don't want to blog about this. I'm actually quite tired of the subject. However, Amy at All Things A Ro has issued a challenge and I just can't let it go.

As many of you know, I really struggle with eating healthfully. I crave sweets and I often don't make the most healthy meal choices either. And the more I read about artificial sweeteners, the more I think that my Kroger Big K Diet Citrus Drop is sabotaging me. I know, I know, they've been talking about it for years, but I've ignored it. But now I'm actually paying attention to how I feel while I'm drinking the Drop. And what I feel is – where's the rest of my food? I have more drink left, but I'm out of food. Alternatively, I'll think that I want a drink, but I can't have it without also eating something. For some reason, I'm not sure why, but that just doesn't sound right to me.

I also struggle with moving my body. Some days it's a literal struggle – the old hip is wonky, or my foot hurts, or my shoulder is bugging me. But most of the time it's just inertia that's keeping me down (in my chair, in front of this very computer). My dad likes to say of me sometimes, "for such a smart person you sure can be dumb." It's true! Despite incontrovertible evidence that eating right & exercising are overwhelmingly to my benefit, I sit, eating bonbons (not literal bonbons – at least not recently).

So, here comes Amy Ro with a challenge. She says: Every day that I get up to exercise I will donate one dollar to the Special Olympics.  Every day that I eat without gluttony and choose healthy options and have a healthy attitude towards food I will donate one dollar to my local food pantry.  It is a win win situation.  I will become more thankful for my blessings, I'll be able to help others who aren't as fortunate, and I will become a stronger healthier person...not to mention some tax write offs at the end.

Well heck Amy, that's just entirely too healthy of a goal for you to have on your own. So I'm joining you darn it. You can tell I'm very excited. Sigh. Truth be told, I would rather just do whatever I want to. But somewhere deep inside, my (actual) heart (muscle) is saying, "At last!"

I don't want to disappoint it. Or let Amy earn more bucks than me (she will anyway – she's disgustingly disciplined). Join us if you dare!

Unrelated Paragraphs

• This week I lost .5 pounds, but more importantly I got my lazy caboose out of bed & worked out. Just for 15 minutes, & just on 3 days – but I just started Wednesday, so I'm pretty pleased with myself. Next week I expect to see even more progress - & I plan to discuss some excellent food choices with you. As soon as I figure out what those might be.
• So there's this guy at work who collects egg cartons. One day I asked him why – his daughter has chickens & sells the eggs. I like the idea of reusing instead of just recycling, so I told him I'd bring mine by as I accumulate them. I put one on his desk on Monday when he wasn't there. Why am I the kind of person who wants to be acknowledged for her good deed? Every day this week I've had to bite my tongue as I walk by his desk, prepared to casually mention as I glance at the cartons still on his desk, "Oh, I see you got mine!" (Flicking self in the forehead)
• I tried to give blood yesterday, but was denied! Apparently there is a new strain of HIV that they can't test for? And people living in Zambia during a certain period of time might have this strain? So now I'm permanently banned from giving blood! I need to research this further. I do not enjoy giving blood - but I liked that I was able to help another person by donating.
• I WON something else! I'm on a roll I tell you! Gretchen from Second Blooming was giving away the Classic Sampler from Saltistry Artisan Infused Sea Salts, the most amazing, delicious, decadent salt in the world. Five flavors - Lemon Thyme, Herb Grey, Six Pepper, Genmaicha, and Smoked Chili. I thought these would be just the thing to help make healthy food even better (in moderation people!), so I entered the contest & I won! Thanks Gretchen!
• This has been Way Back Week on Facebook. I change my profile picture practically daily, so of course it was no trouble at all for me to participate. Here is The Bug's 9^th grade school picture. I know – I'm a poster child for the 70s. And, really, I look like a boy. I wonder if I cut my own bangs? Looking at that girl would you guess that she's the grammar police? She gets to wear those braces for two more years - woo hoo!

Wherein Bug Notices Her Body (it's about time!).

I weigh more now than I ever have in my entire life. I’m 5’4” & my current weight is ____. Did you really think I’d tell you? My family & friends are going, well yeah, you usually do LOL. I might tell you. When I’m on my way down. I’m not sure the number means anything though. What that number tells me is that I am ignoring my body. Since I plan to keep using it for another good long while I had BETTER get with the program – any program!


My program of choice is Weight Watchers (online) – Bug Style. I’m going to be weighing in on Fridays with a coworker in her office (yes, she keeps a scale in her office - heh). We’re both pretty determined to try to be healthier. That’s my goal this time around – I want to lose weight, sure, but I want to eat right & exercise too. If those two things can become a habit then I’ll be able to keep this up because it really is a lifestyle change, not a diet.

I’ll be posting my results each Friday. The whole post might be about how evil food is (food isn't really evil, I know - but it does have a siren call for me), or it might be about something else with a footnote. But I’m going to make my commitment to better health public & that means you’re my witnesses. You lucky dogs!

Here are a couple of images to help with my motivation. My "before" picture - is from a cruise I took in 2004 - I had hit goal a couple of days previously (you can see my gold WW goal star that I wore the whole cruise to remind me to not go crazy at the buffets!). Boy, am I a pear or what? The "after" picture is from this summer. I don't really think it needs any explanation.

Cake Walk

We lived in the mountains. And they sure were beautiful – but for reasons unknown to me I wasn’t able to make walking a habit there. Too much up & too much down. No sidewalks. I just knew that if I lived by a sidewalk I would practically be an athlete!

Then we lived in a city. The terrain was pretty flat. There was a sidewalk just outside my door – at the bottom of two flights of stairs. Getting to the sidewalk wasn’t a problem, and walking wasn’t a problem (except for the cars whizzing past & ruining my reverie). Getting back up to the 3rd floor was the problem – dragging myself up & thinking that this IS NOT fun! Forget being an athlete – I’ll be a master Spider Solitaire player!

Now I live in a small town. In a neighborhood built in the 1950s. In a box made of ticky tacky. And my sidewalk is just THERE. And when I get back from my walk I sidle in the front door like it was a piece of cake. And it WAS a piece of cake. I’ll be an athlete yet!

But only if there’s cake.

The Ants Go Marching, One By One...

We have been invaded by ants. Currently they're just in the bathroom. Dr. M says "squish 'em!" That way the scouts won't report back about this vast white playground called our tub, and the rest of the colony will think they died of smallpox & won't invade us. Wait, that didn't really work in history, did it? We came on over here anyway...

Dr. M's second interview has been moved to the 14th - they don't have class on the 9th (oops!). He says they need an admin to keep them straight. I think I'm the person for the job! Now I just have to convince them that there is a job. And that they need to pay me mucho bucks. Ha!

I am actually going for a walk this afternoon! It wasn't my idea, I was asked, but surely even moving my body reluctantly helps my heart... And really, it's GORGEOUS here today - there won't be any reluctance once I step outside the door. Off I go - into the wild blue parking lot! Not a ton of nature to be had at my office...

Update: Apparently I misheard Dr. M, & my grasp of history is so poor that I thought I was making sense. Sorry! There is smallpox involved, but it's instead of squishing.