Fitness Friday

I'm happy to say that I got back on track this week with my weight loss program. I was able to walk almost everyday, some days more than others. I didn't actually "walk" today, but I did go to Duck Duck Goose. It is in the old Kmart in Knoxville and I walked back and forth over the entire store for 3 hours. My feet hurt, my legs hurt, my back hurts so I would say that can count as exercise.

They say when you are trying to lose weight to only weigh yourself once a week. I disagree. When I step on the scales and see they have not moved or they have went down 1/2 pound or a pound, it gives me more incentive for the next day. If I wait several days and I feel like I should have lost and nothing moves. I get depressed and want to just eat. But if I stay the same everyday and see it is the same every day, it makes me push myself harder and reminds me daily why I'm doing this. That may not work for everybody, but a daily remind of what my weight is provides EXTREME motivation.

I did get a little out of control with the Junior Mints this week. I need to take the candy dish off my desk. Not only do they add to the weight problem, but they aggravate my acid reflux. However, doctors recommend that dark chocolate is healthy for you in some ways.

I've been cutting down the portions on my meals. This is hard to do when my hubby makes my favorite food, but I have been strong.

I haven't implemented anything new this week. I'm sticking with the "drink more water, eat breakfast, cut down on everything and walking." I'll see how that goes then experiment with something new next week.

Hope everybody has a great weekend.

I'm addicted to bubbles...

I have come to the conclusion that I’m a fanatic about bubbles. I didn’t realize it until last night. I was looking through the “junk food” drawer hoping to find a pack of Bazooka or Dubble Bubble. I may be 53, but I still love my bubble gum. I am an expert at blowing bubbles. I have been since my younger days. Some people try to blow bubbles and simply push the gum out of their mouth and into the floor. Some would prefer chewing gum so they can make it snap and pop. But I love my bubbles. I like to blow them big enough to point to and grunt so others can see how big they are, but small enough that they don’t pop all over my face. I have become an expert at it over the years. My love of bubbles doesn’t stop there. Every time we plan a summer cook out, I buy jars of bubbles for the kids to have. I usually get a bottle for myself, too. I know I won’t be able to resist the urge and I don’t want to take any away from the kids. I like to blow the really big bubbles and try to catch them with the wand after you release them. But I also like to blow a ton of them at once and let the kids chase them. Every evening, I like to take a nice hot soak in a tub of, you guessed it, bubbles. Suave Body Wash in Wild Cherry Blossom. I love the floral smell and the feel of sinking deep into the glistening bubbles. And what person, child or adult, does not love bubble wrap. It is one of those things that’s automatic. You open a box. There’s the bubble wrap and you cannot resist but to pop a few. I love my Pepsi and even though I stick to caffeine free when I can, I still have to have it while it is fresh and bubbly. The carbonation is what makes it work. Otherwise, it’s just flat brown water in a can. So there you have it. I’m addicted to bubbles.

Easter Eggs and Chocolate Bunnies

Why, oh why, did I decide to start losing weight so close to Easter. Easter is just 25 days away and I start worrying about what I eat. This is not good. I am 53 years old and have NEVER experienced Easter without the "Easter Bunny" leaving me an Easter basket. Between my mom and my wonderful husband, they have been able to contact Mr. Bunny every year to make sure I get a basket of goodies. I am still kid enough to enjoy seeing all the chocolate goodies, but I'm adult enough to realize that this is not good. When it comes to chocolate, I have no willpower. Even the out-of-sight out-of-mind routine doesn't work when it comes to chocolate. If it is not where I can see it, it makes me want it more. If it IS where I can see it, it makes me want it EVEN more. I'll just have to drop a note to Mr. Bunny and ask him to go easy on me this year. I would recommend the 100 calories snack sizes. But, I would probably eat two at a time which would make them more calories than a regular candy bar anyway. I'M DOOMED!

Wishing you butterfly mornings and wildflower afternoons

I hope your day is filled with sunshine and your soul is filled with laughter. I hope today you find joy in the moments of life. I hope that your cares float away on the wings of a butterfly and that hope springs eternal like the bloom of a fresh flower. God’s beauty is around us. His grace and goodness are everlasting. He will take your worries. He will handle your problems. Place them at His feet today and leave them there. Enjoy the beautiful day he has given us. In John 14, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” I hope your day is one of peace.

Fitness Friday (a few days late)

Fitness Friday Well, it turned out that I wasn’t very fit on Friday. Apparently my new fitness routine is affecting my brain because I forgot to give my update. The first week was rough. I developed a horrible cold and ran a fever so I had about 3 days that fitness was the last thing on my mind. However, I’m happy to say that I did drink more water than I normally do and have tried to cut down somewhat on the sweets. I did drop 2 pounds, but not sure if it was from my new routine or if it is from my cold. I am implementing a few new things to the routine this week. #1 – Move more. My job entails setting at a desk the majority of the day, being on the phone. Now, by nature, I am a pacer. When I am on the phone with family, I find myself pacing and walking around while I talk. I just love cordless phones. So, when I am on a call with a client who wants information on my services, I get up and walk around the office while I talk. This does not limit my attention to the customer as I am simply walking while I do my sales pitch. I read in an article that the more steps you increase per day, the more calories you burn. #2 – Now that pretty weather is here, I am going to quit looking for the closest parking space. I will start looking for places on the far side of the shopping cart areas of the parking lot, therefore increasing my number of steps. #3 – Me and water do not get along well. City water is blah and I refuse to pay hard earned money for bottled water. So I have purchased Crystal Light Hydration on the go. I buy the lightly lemon flavor. It is a light lemonade. Not real sweet and heavy like normal lemonade, but stronger that regular lemon water. You simply pour a packet into 16 ounces of water and shake well. I keep a 32 ounce water jug in the fridge and add two packs at a time. Then when I want a drink, I simply pour me some of the lemonade instead of a Pepsi or nasty water. There are 5 calories per 16 ounces as opposed to about 70 calories per soft drink. There are 0 fat grams, 0 carbs, and 0 sugar. It does have 75 mg sodium, which helps keep you hydrated and 35 mg potassium which helps with leg cramps. Those are my changes for this week. We will see how it goes and I’ll give you another report this Friday. I want to thank a dear friend who asked what happened to my Fitness Friday column. Better late than never.

The Father's love

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 One of my favorite ways to understand God’s word is to look at it like a Father talking to His children, which is what His word is all about. Just like we have an earthly father who loves us, cares for us, guides us, and leads us in the right way, God does the same for His children. Many times, I have felt His sweet, gentle voice speak softly to my troubled soul. And many times, I have felt like He wanted to shake me and say, “What in the world were you thinking?” There are times when He tries and tries to lead me in the way He wants me to go. And I fight him every step of the way, using that one whiny word that all parents despise…..”But,” When I get too “big for my britches” and finally figure out what He wants me to do, it’s like He is getting a little fed up with me and has to say “PAY ATTENTION”. I call those my 2x4 moments because the impact is so great it is like He smacks me upside of the Head with a 2x4 to get my attention. Joshua 1:9 is one of those 2x4 verses. If you break it down, as a father would speak to a child, it is like He is saying: “How many times do I have to tell you, quit worrying about every little thing? I’ll take care of it. I’ve told you time and time again that I’ll handle it. I’ve got everything under control so quit letting it stress you out. Would you quit trying to do it all by yourself. I’ll always be here for you.” Oh, how very much He loves us and wants to take care of us. If we would only quit asking for His help and LET Him help, I wonder how much fuller our lives would be?

Why is my purse so heavy?

I recently joked that my purses have grown so large that you could carry a third world country around in it. That may be an exaggeration, but it sometimes feels that way. I used to be able to stick my license and money in one pocket and car keys in the other and go. As I’ve gotten older, I have to have so much more “stuff”. Car keys now have those big old fancy button pushing things that you need to lock or unlock your car. I have that and my car key, house key, PO box key, daughters spare key all on one ring which is WAY too bulky to stick in a pocket. Since you want to be prepared for any contingency when you leave home, you now have to have money, debit cards, credit cards, and check books when you go anywhere, “just in case”. Not to mention office supply rewards card, three grocery store reward cards, Sam’s Club cards, AAA card, and much more. So forget sticking cash and a license in my pocket. Then of course, you need the pill case with the Advil in case somebody gets a sinus headaches, Aleve because that’s MY drug of choice, chewable aspirin in case I get one of those “sun” headaches and don’t have anything to drink to swallow a pill with, which I have now learned if a woman is having a heart attack she should take an aspirin. So if I start to have chest pains, somebody grab one of the little orange pills and stick it in my mouth. Then there is the Zantac so I don’t get acid reflux, which will make me FEEL like I’m having a heart attack. So I maybe better take a chewable aspirin with the Zantac in case it IS a heart attack instead of acid reflux. Add to that I’m obsessed with making sure I have Band Aids, nail file, nail clippers, and stuff in case of emergency. Then since we live in the germaphobic era, I have to have Germ X in my purse. Add to that my sunglasses and billfold and a notebook for my famous lists and an ink pen, and you get a pretty full package. Then on Saturday, the kids like to ride in my buggy when we go shopping so I have to stick a diaper, wipees, and sippy cup in my purse “just in case”. Then of course I always carry a calculator to make sure I don’t overspend. Then there is the famous cell phone we can’t leave home without. And Waa Lah. There you have it ….. a purse big enough to carry a third world country. I recently had some friends on Facebook sharing what was in their purse. One has been carrying enough paper trash to fill a landfill. She also had 2 packs of instant oatmeal “just in case”. One had a cup of pudding she carried for so long; she forgot WHY she put it in there in the first place. My own daughter, returning from a trip to Mickey D’s, had to dig past the fire trucks and semi’s in her purse to find the honey mustard and barbeque sauce. One Saturday not to log ago, I left my purse in the back seat of the car with the kids. On Sunday morning when I went to change purses for church, I found one of Saturday’s French fries in my purse. Like so many other things in my purse, I stopped and pondered, “How did THAT get in there.”