Roller Coaster

At first, I was going to say that I felt like a yo-yo. But really, a roller coaster is more appropriate for things lately, even with my weight. Since the beginning of June, I've lost 2.9, gained 2.7, lost 9.1, gained 4.7, and lost 11.5. That is ridiculous! I would really prefer to lose a nice, steady two or three pounds a week.

If I followed the pattern, I'd have a sizable gain this week (weigh in is Thursdays). And I had a bad case of food oblivion today. But I have tomorrow's food fully planned out (Greek yogurt, strawberries & almonds for breakfast, black bean salad for lunch, and steak/shrimp at Applebee's Date Night for dinner), so I'm confident that I'll be making good choices again.

I still have to exercise today, so I'll post those stats tomorrow.

It's a good thing there are no cookies in the house

Actually, there are about 30 boxes of Girl Scout cookies, and I could eat ALL OF THEM.

So I haven't posted as frequently as I promised. Things have been kind of busy. Back in February, I made the mistake of telling my doctor that my stress levels would decrease significantly after May.

HA. Truly, the past weeks have been among the most stressful in my life.

So yes, I'll be posting more in the coming days. I make no guarantees as to the subject or tone.

May Stats, June Goals

Total exercise time
May goal: 27 hours
May results: 44.7 hours
June goal: 45 hours

Average daily time
May goal: 60 minutes
May results: 86.5 minutes
June goal: 90 minutes

Number of days exercising
May goal: 27
May results: 29
June goal: 28

Number of days walking
May goal: 23
May results: 24
June goal: 28

Total distance walked
May goal: 50 miles
May results: 56.36
June goal: 75

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how May went in terms of exercise. I surpassed all my goals! The only two days I got no exercise at all were the days I flew to & from Florida.

In June, I've upped the goals a little but not a lot for the most part. I'm going camping with Girl Scouts this weekend, so I know there will be a day or two that I'll get no exercise, and I'm taking that into account.

I haven't posted much lately, but there's been a lot of stuff percolating around in my head, including: different kinds of exercise and how they work for me, body fat calculating web sites, more about music & cooking, as well as other miscellaneous stuff. So look for me to start posting a lot more frequently coming up!

Home Again, Home Again

Florida was really nice. The best part was getting to just hang out and relax. The kids were disappointed that I never did go swimming with them, but when the air temp is 75 and there was a torrential downpour the day before, I know that the water is not going to be where I like it. I'll do lots of swimming this summer.

I did go out walking three mornings. The first day was too hot by the time we got there, and the last day, I had some blisters that hurt too much to walk on. Yesterday, though, I put on my old shoes and had no problems. I do need to get real walking shoes, though. My wintry boots are fine for now, when it's still (STILL!) cold and wet out, but by the time I can wear shorts to walk, I'll need something else.

The other item on my agenda is grocery shopping. I discovered Chobani Greek yogurt in Florida, and can't believe how amazing it is. I know I won't be able to get it just anywhere, but it's worth hunting down. Vegetables are what are really lacking in the kitchen right now, though. I don't know that I'll bother making up any big new recipes, since the kids won't be back for a while, but I definitely want to have all my healthy choices around.

In fact, I'm trying to take this kid-free time to really be focused on being healthy, making sure I eat right and get lots of exercise. Cleaning up the accumulated junk from the bedroom & basement would be a nice bonus.

Dance to the Music

More like walk to the music, but you get the point.

I put some songs on the Wii, and it really does help. During my first walk with it, I finally broke the 3/mph mark, which has taken me surprisingly long to do. I didn't put a million songs on, because I'm trying to do this on a budget. I was very selective, only choosing songs that I thought would help keep me moving. This meant that some songs that I really love will never reach my MP3.

Sting's Fields of Gold? Not a chance. We'll be Together? Definitely. In addition to being pretty peppy, it was my go-to song when I was getting ready to go out when I was at Idaho State, so nostalgia puts it over the top. Disappointingly, it didn't really kick me into overdrive the way I expected. The two superstars in that area are Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation and Gloria Estefan's Everlasting Love. Apparently, I have a heart of glittery disco (shudder).

I also wanted to make sure I kept it as mixed up as possible, so no more than one song per artist (exception made for the Blues Brothers, because I already had those on the computer and didn't have to pay extra). So it was Revolution from the Beatles, but not Back in the USSR. Not yet, anyway.

I only have fewer than two dozen songs on so far, and that's a good start, but it isn't much variety. (and I still can't figure out how to set the thing to "random"--it's a Shuffle, so why does it keep playing everything in order?) I've decided that if I hit my walking goals every month, I'll reward myself with some new songs. This month's goal is 50 miles; I've done 19 so far.

I found an interesting web site that will certainly help me come up with ideas: jog.fm It lists a bunch of songs, including the beats per minute. For example, Queen's We Will Rock You has 90 bpm, but Hammer to Fall has 137. Guess which one goes in the "want" category? Again, it isn't because I think it's a better song; it's because it will keep me moving.

If I had more time, I'd go through all the CDs we have--I'm pretty sure I paid to download something we already own, and anyone who knows me knows that I can't stand the thought of that. But we're in a bit of a time crunch right now, so maybe next week I'll have some more time and make that happen.

Surreal

I had quite the "Hello, Dali" moment yesterday. All of us got new glasses, and when I put mine on in the store, I had that period of adjustment where things are suddenly MUCH clearer than before. My previous glasses were old, out of prescription, and badly scratched. The new ones are amazing. At first, everything seemed too close, but then I got the standard "everything is farther away" feeling that comes with new glasses for a severely nearsighted person. (By the way, America's Best is a great place!)

When I was driving in the car, I felt much higher up--like I was driving a pickup or minivan. When I got out of the car, it was even more dramatic. "I'm tall!" I thought. Yes, I am tall; I know that, but seldom give it more than a passing thought. Yesterday, I felt like a giant! Not only did the ground seem farther away, I actually felt like my head was closer to the trees. So I guess more of an Alice in Wonderland moment instead of Dali.

A small part of me is actually tempted to put the old glasses back on, because I think it would make it easier to get things done today if I was just back to "normal." I won't do it, of course. This is normal now and I need to get used to it.

Not Happening

I told Jeff that I'd like to take over a lot of the lawn mowing duties now that it's warmed up. Good exercise, right? We have both a push mower and a gas mower. I greatly prefer the push mower--no fumes, no noise, and I don't have to kill myself to get it started. Unfortunately, the blades aren't very sharp, and it's as likely to bend the grass as to cut it. Also unfortunately, the drive belt on the gas mower is broken, so when using that, it has to be substantially manhandled across the grass.

Since neither mower is exactly optimal, we've really let the lawn go. Jeff powered through the front over the weekend, and I told him I'd have a go at the back today. First, I got out the gas mower, but couldn't get it started. I got out the push mower, and started across the lawn. I was pleased at how it was going at first, even though it was tough going. Then (of course) I stepped into a hole and fell (the ground is very uneven in that part of the yard). Oddly, the fall wasn't the most painful part; that was when I hit the ground, and some blades of grass apparently went right into my ear canal. For a second, I was checking my ear for blood, because it did hurt that much and that's the kind of weird injury I tend to get.

At that point, I knew I wasn't going to get the whole lawn done. I was about to pack it in altogether, but ended up doing a small patch up by the garage. In order to get the rest of it done, Jeff will have to help me get the mower started, or do it himself (looking better and better!)

The best part of all this is that I didn't dislocate or break anything, or even do enough damage to cause a limp, which is unusual enough to be notable. :)

It's A Bore!

Apologies to Lerner & Lowe.

It's a bore!
Just a chore!
Walking on the street
Thinking of what to eat

Trying not to trip
Sure that my feet will slip
It's a bore!
To my core!

See the flowers
Hear the birds
Same as I saw
Sam as I heard
Every single other day
Long before the month of May

It's a bore!
And a snore!

I could go on and on, because that's the tune that was running through my head when I went out walking yesterday, and it's been my attitude for a while now. I had an MP3 player from a long time ago, but it slowly died on me, to my severe frustration. I hinted to Jeff that I'd like a new one (read: "I really want a Shuffle for Mother's Day."), and of course he came through.

It's charging up right now, and I have to put a few songs on it before I head out, but I've already got a whole list of music I want that is strictly to get me moving and enjoying my walks more. More on that later. Right now it's time to get my playlist started!

Jimmy John's

Beach Club Unwich is very tasty. For less than $6 and under 400 calories, it's great. When you missed lunch, it's unbeatable!!!

Biscuit Results

I made the biscuits from CI Best Light Recipe last night, and was pretty satisfied with how they turned out. They were considerably more work than my mom's biscuits, and somewhat smaller, but still light, fluffy and tasty. And for 150 calories each, I ended up having two.

When I asked what everyone thought, Jeff said that the true test of a biscuit was putting sausage gravy over the top. I laughed, because ANY biscuit is tasty when it's slathered in yummy sausage gravy!

End result? I'll continue to make them. That's another one to put in the "win" column for this cookbook.

Story Problem Results

• I went to all three stores.


• I think I got hit on.


• Razor blades are too expensive--I've decided I prefer Jeff scruffy. I don't think he shares this preference.


• Tonight will be Breakfast for Dinner, a perennial favorite. Specifically, bacon, scrambled eggs & biscuits.


• I'll be trying the biscuit recipe from CI Best Light Recipe instead of making the classic via my mom's recipe. We'll see how they turn out.


• Last night I made an Apricot/Orange glaze from CIBLR and poured it over leftover pork chops, red peppers, and steamed broccoli, and it was good but not great.


• Of the four recipes I've made from CIBLR, one has been spectacular (Cinnamon Rolls), two have been ok but not amazing, and one was not good (oil & vinegar dressing--too watery).

A Story Problem

If gas is $4.20/gallon, is it cheaper to go to Aldi for flour, sugar, eggs & other staples, Randazzo's for fruits & vegetables, and Meijer for meat, Old Bay seasoning, and other miscellaneous things that I can't get at the other two, or should I make one trip to Meijer and grumble about how things are cheaper elsewhere?

My preference would be to hit Aldi & Randazzo's--less than a mile apart--and leave Meijer out of it altogether, but that might not be an option. There's also a smaller grocery store that frequently has good deals on meat, but it's about as far away as Meijer, so the gas issue remains.

This story problem obviously doesn't give us enough information. I need to plan our week's meals and make a grocery list first.

April Stats, May Goals

Unfortunately, I'm still down off the wagon. Trying again tomorrow. Interestingly, looking at my exercise stats has told quite a tale. All this exercise, and yet I got almost none this past week. Maybe setting new exercise goals will be the kick in the pants I need. (I did get two miles today for the Farmington Crop Walk, but I can only guess how long it took.)

Total exercise time
April goal: 15 hours
April results: 23.9 hours
May goal: 27 hours

Average daily time
April goal: 30 minutes
April results: 49.4 minutes
May goal: 60 minutes

Number of days exercising
(some days were walking, some were Wii, some were both)
April goal: 25
April results: 26
May goal: 27

Number of days walking
April goal: 20
April results: 17
May goal: 23

Total distance walked
April goal: 30 miles
April results: 31.23 miles
May goal: 50 miles

These are considerably more ambitious goals than I had last month. The thing is, when I'm in the groove, it's easy to get 60 minutes of exercise. That's a 45 minute walk and 15 minutes on the Wii. And the weather should finally warm up a bit and maybe stop raining for a second or two, so that would help.

I've noticed something about my walks, though. Last time I was in the healthy groove, walking was a pleasure. I really looked forward to it. Now, walking is more of a chore. It's just another thing to check off of my to do list. I do it because I'm supposed to, not because I want to. I've got something in mind that will hopefully change that, but that's another blog post.

Getting Back Up

This past week, I've kind of fallen off the Healthy Wagon. Well, "fallen off" isn't really the most accurate term. "Swan Dive" is probably closer to it.

So now it's time to get back up, put down the Easter candy, and go for a walk. Today, all day, I will make good choices.

Still no head

Skirts got finished (though I want to tweak Lauren's), tops were found, walking was done (though not nearly enough to balance out the yumminess of Easter dinners), and now it's a new week.

I work today, morning and evening, tomorrow is Scouts & potluck for Lauren, Wednesday is Scouts for Sarah (she needs to bring mulled cider & custard) and I work that evening, Thursday is an open house/pictures/potluck and then I scramble right to work, and I work Friday morning. It's supposed to rain most of the week, again.

I'm glad the oven is fixed, but I can't imagine having the time to bake much of anything.

Chicken, sans Head

Gonna be busy the next few days.
Tasks include:

• make Sarah's Easter skirt--so easy, I'll probably let her do it herself (tomorrow)
  
• Lauren's skirt is more complicated, so it's all on me (today)
  
• find Easter tops to go with the skirts (today or tomorrow)
  
• get the oven fixed, finally! (tomorrow)
  
• buy myself some Easter clothes (today)
  
• work (tonight)
• check out cyber-school information with a friend (today or tomorrow--there is a deadline for this, so it can't wait)
  
• haircuts for girls (tomorrow)
• new glasses (was hoping to do it last weekend, but we're waiting to hear back about a deal at America's Best, so it's on hold)
• WALK (today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday)
  
• dinner with Jeff's family (Saturday)
  
• dinner with my family (Sunday)

I'd like to bring some healthy food to both dinners, as well. Not that there won't be any healthy options, but it'll be easier to avoid stuff that I know I love (my step-mom's potato salad, omg) if I can bring something in addition.

Soooo . . . think I should get off the computer? Uh . . . yeah.

Dragon Fruit

I've heard of Dragon Fruit before, and even seen them used in cooking shows. But I'd never seen one live and in the flesh, so to speak. So when we saw them at the produce market last week, the kids begged to get one. Hmmm . . . $4 for one piece of fruit. That's kind of a lot, especially when you don't know if anyone will even like it.

But I do try to get new foods, so we took a chance. It's an unusual-looking thing, pink on the outside, white on the inside with little black seeds. I knew to take off the skin and only eat the inside.

The taste was pretty mild. Sweet, but not overly so. The seeds were a nice crunch (as opposed to pomegranate seeds, which I dislike). Actually, I had expected more flavor. So it was nice to buy, but it won't go into standard rotation in our fruit bowl, even if it is regularly available.

Cold

It's spring, which means that sometimes it's nice out, and sometimes it's cold. Bitterly, miserably cold. Too cold to do anything except stay in the house and get the warm socks back on your feet.

It's also too cold to go out for a walk, at least for me. This presents a problem. Yes, I can still do the Wii Fit Plus. I did it yesterday for 90 minutes over the course of the day. Sixty of those minutes were spent doing Basic Step, which is just stepping on and off the platform for 10 or 20 minutes. Having loud, energetic music helps make the time pass faster. But for whatever reason, it is not the same as walking.

I've already walked 14 days this month, out of my goal of 20. That's great, but I'd really rather walk outdoors as frequently as I can.

We have some errands to do today, and I'm working tonight, so if I am going to walk, I need to do it soon. I should suck it up and go do it right now, but I'm pretty certain that I'm going to spend as little time as possible outside today.

Shot Down Again

Another new recipe, down in flames. Oh, well--I fully plan to make it again, with a few tweaks.

Whole Wheat Pasta + Cauliflower+ Red Pepper+ Shallot + Mushrooms + Broccoli + Carrot + Yellow Squash + Evaporated Milk + Cornstarch + Parmesan = Pasta Primavera, light style.

I blanched or sauteed the vegetables, boiled the pasta, and added the milk (some of it mixed with the cornstarch to make a slurry) and combined everything in a big serving bowl. It was not overly saucy, but there was definitely too much pasta. I also think I could have skipped the cheese, or rather left it on the table to sprinkle on top.

I thought it was good, but could have been better. Jeff thought it was OK. Lauren wouldn't stop talking about how she hated it until I added some salt & pepper (it really did need it, for all of us) and reminded her that there was garlic bread. Then she loved it. Sarah didn't much care for it, until I started talking about adding protein. Shrimp didn't interest her (I'm really trying to find a shrimp recipe we love, without a lot of success so far), ham is not a popular option with her, but bacon made her eyes light up. So, maybe I'll try a little bacon next time.

Bacon--is there anything it can't do?

March Stats, April Goals

I didn't start exercising until March 7, so these aren't for a complete month.

Total exercise time
March: 8.8 hours
April goal: 15 hours

Average daily time
March: 21 minutes
April goal: 30 minutes

Number of days exercising
(some days were walking, some were Wii, some were both)
March: 19
April goal: 25

Number of days walking
March: 9
April goal: 20

Total distance walked
March: 10.93 miles
April goal: 30