art supply tornadoes and attitude shifts...

You're probably wondering where the arts and crafts went, aren't you?? well, there are tons of unfinished projects, along with plenty of ideas simmering in my head, and they're somewhere in the pit of a spare room I call a studio... I've been avoiding the clean-out that I know needs to be done. I will start on it this weekend: there, I've said it!! What I will NOT do, though, is show you a "before" picture! Just visualize a tornado tossing around books, magazines, all manner of paper scraps, rubber stamps, paintbrushes and paint tubes, then plopping it all down in the middle of the floor, and you get the picture. (I won't even let our new kitten go in there, for fear of her getting lost.)

Instead of art and cleaning, I've been focusing on the "getting healthy and losing weight thing" the last couple weeks. I started Weight Watchers on 7/12, and I have almost 2 weeks of eating healthy under my belt now (literally- haha!!...okay, bad joke...) I've tried it before, so many times, and actually was a WW lifetimer briefly about 6 1/2 years ago, so I know the WW program works: "it works if you do it!" It's just the "doing it" part that I had a problem with after reaching my goal. This time, I'm approaching it with a different mindset: it truly IS something that "just has to be done" if I want to be thinner, healthy, and to get rid of the health issues that I currently have.

It's difficult, because I don't have immediate negative effects from eating something unhealthy (like someone who has allergies would, for example), but the outcome is the same- a health disaster. My issues took longer to appear, and are less visible than an immediate allergic reaction, but having high cholesterol and a minor stroke (at the age of 40) really isn't a small thing. Even though I "feel fine" physically, I know it's still there, sort of like a ticking time bomb; I just have to remember that.

It's taken me quite a while to come around to this mindset and I wish I could say it's automatic for me, but it's not yet. I just have to remember that I was given a second chance, and to not throw it away.

Eating healthy takes planning, time, and a lot of plastic storage containers (to tote my breakfast and lunch to work with me), but it's going okay so far. I'd forgotten how much better I feel when I don't overload myself with carbs and sugary stuff! It does help that I do love vegetables and fruits, too... (Thank goodness for Splenda, though, because I'm not to the point where I can eat unsweetened hot oatmeal.) :D

a quote:

from the Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl blog, which I am slowly working my way thru (that is totally un-grammatical, but you get the idea):

"You have but one body, people, so you gotta treat it well. It's the vehicle that carries round your brain, the brain that carries round those bad, bad thoughts about yourself. Train your brain to think nice, nice thoughts about yourself. You have to learn to love your vehicle. Food is just the fuel to keep it going, it's not an evil demon that you need to struggle with. And don't worry about other vehicles with better looking paint-jobs or smoother bodies. Love your vehicle as it is RIGHT NOW, spare tyres and all. Next thing you know your vehicle's looking good, and you feel fantastic. You are cruising down the highway of life, and you are by-passing all the McDonalds drive-thrus."

...so, if you think about it like that, I've been giving my vehicle the low-octane, cut-rate watered-down fuel that you just know is bad for your engine (i.e., frozen pizzas, sugary things, chips, fries, too much salt, etc).

if I care enough to regularly maintain my car's engine, why don't I do it for the vehicle that carries around my brain? I like my brain, and I want it to be comfortable and last for well over 100,000 miles! (or a lotta years, as the case may be.) Plus, I already had a brain scare when I had my stroke, which I conveniently forget about most of the time.

(although I don't want to over-think this vehicle analogy too much, because if you ever saw the inside of my actual car, you might think a homeless person lives in it. Then again, maybe that is something to think about, after all...)

Confessions of a 3-Day slacker

So, I have officially NOT fractured any bones in my left foot!! Yeah, I know I never mentioned any problems with my foot-- that day I walked the 8 miles, I did something to it. Don't know what, but it hurts off and on. I can still walk on it, but I wanted to make sure that it wasn't serious. And it wasn't!! (I still don't know what I did to it, but as long as it's not broken, I'm good. Probably just a deep bruise.)

Now I have no excuses.

The 3-Day is only 16 weeks away (eek!! if I counted right), and I'm currently not doing everything I can be to train. There, I've said it-- I'm only walking 2-3 miles a week, and slacking.

It's just my natural tendency for delaying and procrastination kicking in, I know, but this is definitely not something I can procrastinate about, or I will regret it in November, for sure.

Last Saturday, I walked 3 miles outside in the heat and humidity (ick!!). I didn't start until about 9:45 am, and it was already over 90 degrees. My own fault, because I could have gone out at 5:30 when the dogs got their breakfast, but I didn't.

Sunday, I went to the gym and did 4 miles on the treadmill (in the AC!) 1 mile on a cross-country program, and 3 miles at a flat incline, mostly walking with a little jogging thrown in there, too. I never thought I would ever want to jog or run, but I realized halfway thru my 45 minute session that running covers the miles and racks up the calories burned quicker. Kinda elementary, I suppose, but I really never realized just how much quicker, if you know what I mean...

Thanks again to Tom for my pink iPod birthday present!! I listened to a few podcasts, including watching a video of a great TED lecture on creativity. (must find more of those!) The iPod was much better than the inane television program that was playing on the TV in the health club... a new rendition of Robin Hood- it looked more like Men in Tights to me, but not near as funny, and I wasn't sure if the humor was on purpose, or if it was just that bad. (I'm leaning toward the latter.)

(don't get me wrong, I was still watching the seconds tick down on the treadmill program, but the iPod at least made it more enjoyable.)

Last night, I started Weight Watchers again (for the LAST time, this time). I know I need the accountability with measuring and recording my food to keep me on track eating healthy things instead of "snacky empty-calorie" things, the accountability to the scale every week, and the camraderie and inspiration of the weekly meetings. I did it once before, so I know it works if you do it, I just have to DO it.

So, here's some inspiration for me:

the Front Burner blog: an interesting blog I just found, with blog posts about running

the Couch to 5K program, which literally talks you thru starting from the couch, and works you up to running a 5K (which is a little over 3 miles, I think) in 9 weeks.

Cathy Zielske ran her first 5K race 6 months after starting her weight loss and fitness journey! read about it here.

some other blogs for when I have time (I haven't actually read any of these yet, so they may be good or bad; they just looked interesting at first glance):

The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl (written by a Scottish woman)

Get Fit Slowly (weight loss and fitness from a male perspective)

Feed the Soul (nutrition and weight loss)

Yell at Your Fat (audio podcast about losing weight and getting fit)

Being Healthy for Busy People (more podcasts; these look a little like the things that run on the TV in the Dr's office waiting room)

I've never thought of myself as a runner, because to me, runners are Serious Athletes (somehow I hear it with capital letters in my head), but it would be kinda fun to be able to say "oh, it was nothing, just a 4 mile run..."

or at least be able to to walk the 60 miles without keeling over! just kidding- I don't plan on keeling over, but I don't want to be the last one into camp. (not that there's anything wrong with that, I just don't want it to be me.)