Team Building through Pom Wonderful

The kind folks at Pom Wonderful sent me, along with bunches of other bloggers, a case of their 100% Pomegranate Juice to try. (Thank you, Pompeople!) I received the product last Friday, and I have to say that the cute little bottles caught my eye immediately. I'm a sucker for hip packaging.

Unfortunately, snazzy bottles do nothing for my health, unless I fill them with sand and do some presses with them. Included in the Pom package was a flyer touting the health benefits of POM Wonderful. The company has funded numerous studies into heart health, prostate health, erectile dysfunction, and other age-related functions. You can find the details on their website HERE.

Speaking of those studies, you may be aware that in the past, POM was on the animal-rights hit list. I believe that's all behind them now, because in early 2007, the company agreed to stop all animal testing. And rightfully so, IMHO.

Okay, on to the product itself. Since I'm not normally a juice drinker, I thought it might be wise to NOT rely solely on my opinion. Thus, I conned engaged my co-workers in the Pom tasting. With all those penile promises, I targeted more males than females for the survey. But only if they swore not to discuss any results with me.

After much sipping, slurping, and lip-smacking, the overwhelming consensus was positive for tastiness. "T" described it as a cross between cherry and cranberry juice. ("CforCammy" thought it tasted like cough syrup until she realized that she was supposed to shake the bottle before drinking. Then she thought it tasted like super sweet cranberry juice.) "S" said he wanted to try it mixed with sparkling water. Everyone liked it...

...but not everyone plans to buy it. A couple of folks said they thought the cost might be too prohibitive given the amount of juice you're supposed to drink to receive the healthy benefits. (A 48-oz. bottle--not quite a week's worth--is $13-15 in this area.) Four of the six guy tasters planned to buy some this weekend. :)

So there you have it. A successful (and fun) team taste testing, resulting in 13 out of 16 thumbs up, if I'm counting right.

In the News...ME!

In the midst of all my pondering of the past week or so, I think I forgot to tell you that I did my first mainstream press interview last week! It was very unnerving, and I babbled a lot. I was sure I hadn't given the reporter anything worthwhile, but she came up with an article, which you can find here. (My sister posted a sweet comment, too, which gave me a misty moment.)

None of the quotes are exactly what I said, but the gist of them is right. Like I said, I babbled. :) At first I was embarrassed to read it, but then I remembered that it was my first press interview. Assuming (see: delusions of grandeur) I receive another request at some point in the future, I know that I can be a little more composed and coherent.

Hey, it could happen! Didn't Oprah get her start in Nashville? :)

Seriously, if anyone has any interviewing tips (other than being myself, which I think I was--perhaps a bit too much so *g*), please pass them along!


Shifting gears, Deborah asked about my zebra board, specifically for a picture of it.



Even though I'm not a crafter, I love my zebra board. I wanted a magnetic board for my home office, but I didn't want sterile white. I saw some cutecutecute ones on Etsy, but they were too expensive. I thought about making my own from plywood and magnetic paint, but that was also expensive and the splinter potential too high.

Oh dea, what's a girl to do?

Improvise! This is a plain white board from the $2.50 bin at Target. The frame was easily removable/reattachable. I grabbed a $0.99 zebra-print bandana at a craft store , which I wrapped around the board and fastened to the back with duct tape. (I also bought a black one with white polka dots if I want to switch out sometime.) I need to take it apart to iron the bandana, but that's a piddly thing for a day when I'm really, really bored. :)

Hope you're all having a great week!

The Benefits of Procrastination

I can hear you now...

Has she completely flipped? She was just here yesterday yammering on and on about putting off procrastination, and now she's saying it's good for us?!!

{Unsubscribe}

Wait! Come back! I haven't lost my mind. Not completely, anyway. It's just that your luscious comments have had my mind whirling and thinking about how I operate. (I appreciate you all for that!)

I think maybe I'm being too hard on myself. Yes, I am a procrastinator, but I also get things done. I work full-time, blog part-time, exercise regularly, do laundry and dishes, get my MIT's completed (usually), keep the house--ahem--reasonably clean, shop for groceries, maintain my yard, and so on and so on. There's always something to do.

There's always something to do.

That's not a bad thing, is it? I'm always working toward something. I'm rarely bored. I have loads of energy (most of the time) and if I can manage to get that energy organized, I'll get more "somethings" done.

And that's another benefit of procrastination: You get other things done while you're avoiding something else. I focused on working out, while I avoided making decisions on some household projects. I painted my bedroom and raked 80 bags of leaves while ignoring my filing. I made my own zebra-striped magnetic board (something I'd been wanting to do forEVER), but my laundry didn't get done that day. Other things are getting done, just maybe not the ones I think (in hindsight) should be getting done.

Probably the biggest benefit (for me) of procrastination jumped out at me and landed in my lap today. Really! I was beginning the process of clearing out files at work, and one of the folders fell off the stack. It was a bunch of notes on a project I'd always thought I'd like to take on. The problem was that it was a BIG project, and the only person who would benefit would be me. Since I won't be there anymore, I'm glad now that I procrastinated. Saved myself some effort in the long run. :)

I'm rambling here, but I think you see what I'm getting at. Planning, organizing, prioritizing--they're all important for an orderly, productive life. I get that, and I'm working on it. But there are times when not running full steam ahead, when putting something off for a little bit, might bring a different type of reward, and it pays to be open to that.

Being a procrastinator isn't a horrible thing, as long as you're moving forward in a positive direction.

And as long as you don't run out of gas. :)

As always, sharing of stories is encouraged (and greatly appreciated.) I'd love to hear about a positive result of your procrastination. Give credit where its due!

Makeover Monday: Getting it Done

I don't think I've ever mentioned that I'm a multi-year gold medalist in the Procrastination Olympics. (I don't like to brag, you know.) I procrastinate the important. I procrastinate doing the mundane. If it can be put off until tomorrow, I will put it off until the day after tomorrow.

Case in point: I spent a cold and rainy Saturday morning running about town looking for a birthday gift for my uncle's 80th birthday party that afternoon. I first learned about the party two weeks ago. We've had temps in the 50s and 60s, but no, I waited until the last minute when it was 30 degrees outside and pouring rain.

Second case in point: Despite the fact that I can see the gas needle going down, down, down on my car, I invariably wait until the little light comes on before I take it to fill up. Even then, I keep a running estimation of the miles I've driven and delay going to the gas station until I'm around the 20-mile mark. This means, of course that I'm usually standing out in frigid weather wondering if my hand is going to freeze to the pump handle.

Having read your blogs, I know I'm not the only one in this room who procrastinates. That's why I spent a good deal of time Sunday afternoon contemplating the why and what to do about it of it all.

Why do we procrastinate?
A quick brainstorming session led me to these reasons:
-We don't see a payoff, or the payoff is not enough of a priority for us.
-The task seems too daunting.
-It takes too much time.
-We don't know how to do it.
-We don't like doing it.
-We're not good at it.
-We're not "in the mood."
-We don't know where to start.
-We're afraid of the results.
-We're afraid of the lack of results.

Those are most of the reasons I'm personally familiar with. If I missed your reason for procrasting, sing out!

What to do about it?
More brainstorming, this time using things I've tried in the past with varying degrees of success. Maybe we can find something to help with our current procrastination problems:

Change our language. Instead of "I have to…", say "I want to…" Replace "I can't have…", with "I'm not having…" (My mother quit a 40 year smoking habit by repeating, "I'm not smoking right now" to herself over and over (and over and over.)

Make a plan. Plan it in detail, right down to making appointments for key items:.
"At 9:00 p.m., I will sit down at the desk and pay my bills."
"At 6:00 a.m., I will be at the gym."

Break it up! Don't think of a task in its entirety. Focus instead on individual pieces. A scheduled two mile walk then becomes 1) Getting dressed, 2) getting out the door, 3) the first ½ mile, etc.

Calculate the cost of not doing it. Assign each open task a "cost" or consequence if it's not done. This will help prioritize. Anything that can cause financial, health, or family welfare repercussions should move to the top of the list.

Just get started. Often times our perceptions of the task change once it's underway. We might procrastinate starting a two-mile walk, but if we focus instead on just getting our butts out the door and moving, it's entirely possible our mindsets will shift once we get started.

Accept that your efforts might not be perfect. (This one's got a big ol' "Cammy, are you reading this?" sign attached to it.) The thing is that we're human and that's an automatic disqualification in the perfection sweepstakes. By focusing on progressing an action rather than perfecting it, we'll move along with our plans much more quickly.

Recognize the benefits of accomplishing tasks. Every task has a payoff. In our fitness world, we see the payoff in improved strength, better health, greater confidence, and so on. In other areas, the payoff may be free time or more money. Or maybe we're completing something to benefit someone else. Heck, the payoff may be the simple satisfaction of completing something difficult.

And if you can't see the rewards, make some up! Whether it's Cake Day or a spa day or simply an hour dedicated to reading for pleasure. Associating an unpleasant task with a desirable reward will go a long way in fueling the motivational fires and reducing the procrastination patterns.

With that, I will stop procrastinating getting a start on my day! I'll start with blow-drying my hair.

Are you a procrastinator? If so, what actions will you take to overcome it? Choose from the list above or supply your own success-making tools. Please.

Have a great week, everyone!

~

Million Dollar Maybe

Today is Powerball Lottery Day, which I think of as Million Dollar Maybe Day. I have a ticket and the jackpot is $125MM. That would net out to a $30 million payout, no small amount of money. Winning it would certainly change my future plans.

Or would it?

Several years ago on my old and defunct blog, I pondered the idea of winning a mere $10 million jackpot. What follows is the substance of that post:

I've read stories about lottery winners who were penniless a few years down the road. How does that happen? How can you have $20 million dollars one year and be broke the next? Poor planning, to say the least. That's why I have it all laid out. Here's what I'll do if I win:

1. Give $2.5 million to charity right off the top. No, I'm not just saying that to get in the good graces of the Higher Powers. It just seems like the right thing to do. I even have the charities all picked out already.
2. Quit my job. Isn't that what everyone says? I'd still work, but I might look for something part time. It's not that I hate my current job; I'd just like to try different things. Plus, wouldn't it be great to apply for a job and not have to even ask about the salary? Or care whether or not it offers health insurance?
3. Pay off my mortgage. Ahhhh.
4. Finish the remodeling projects lined up for my house. All at once, not staggered out over a period of time.
5. Do some nice things for friends and family. Pay off my sister's mortgage. Buy my parents new cars.
6. Create a college fund for the children of all my friends and family.
7. Hire a personal trainer.
8. Try to build a 'professional' writing career.
9. Hire a housekeeper.
10. And a landscaper.
11. Go on extended road trips.

So I'm down to about $2.5 million now, and I have everything I want. I can conservatively invest the remainder and live a nice, comfortable little life. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

I have to wonder, though, what's next? What would I be moving toward? How would I define accomplishment and achievement? Who would my friends be while my real friends were at work? And would I lose the ability to tell the difference between real friends and pretenders?

Another thing I wonder is why I'm not doing most of the things on my list today. Okay, I don't exactly have $2.5 million on me right now, so I'd have to cut way back on the charitable donation. But I'll bet if I looked things over, I could find more to contribute than I do now.

And, no, I can't quit my job, because I need those benefits, but I'll bet I could keep an eye open for new and different things to do at work.

I can work harder to pay off my mortgage, and if I try, I'll bet I can organize those remodeling projects so that they're completed before the next millennium. I can't do the same things for my friends and family that I could do if I had $10 million, but I can do some nice things for them.

Everything else on the list? I could do it today, if I wanted. So why am I making a list and hinging the possibility of having 'everything I want' on a million dollar maybe? I've got the sure thing right in front of me.

That was in 2005. Fast forward to today, and I have to laugh at the difference a few years makes:
- I didn't quit my job; it's quitting me. And I'm okay with that.(#2)
- Yes, these are the same remodeling projects that are still open for today. Most of them anyway. I did get a few things done.(#4)
- I hired a trainer, lost 100 pounds, and changed my life.( #7)
- With the approach of #2, I'm definitely going to be writing more. (#8)
- I have at least THREE road trips planned for this year. I'm currently planning for one of them to be 4-6 weeks.

This entirely-too-long post could have been summed up in a single quote from Dr Cherie Carter-Scott, author of If Life is a Game, These Are the Rules:

“There” is no better than “here.” Very often people will get stuck in the here/there syndrome: “When I lose 10 pounds…when I find my soul mate... when I win the lottery…when I retire... when I something”. It’s the when I, then I syndrome.

I seem to need to be reminded of this rule every few years (which is direct confirmation of one of her other rules: "Lessons are repeated until they are learned.")

Sometimes it's not possible to get 100% of my dreams, but I as I said in my original post, why hinge everything on a million dollar maybe when I have some sure things right in front of me?

All of this pondering has me wondering about YOUR dreams and what YOU can do to find the "sure things" that may be sitting right in front of you? (Y'all know how nosy I am!) I'll bet you can find something, if you try.

Debt of Honor

(With special thanks to Christie for the inspiration.)

A couple of years ago, I was listening to an interview with Anne Lamott. She was talking about writing (of course) when she said:

"I do it by pre-arrangement with myself, because I know I'll feel sad and terrible if I shirk on that days writing. I do it as a debt of honor, to myself, and to whatever it is that has given me this gift of being able to tell stories, and to make people laugh."

In addition to seeing the value for applying this to my writing efforts, I immediately saw the correlation to the fitness quest and incorporated it into my approach. Many times when I wanted to skip a workout or have an unplanned splurge, I would think debt of honor and I'd be back on track. I remember on more than a few occasions even whispering it to myself.

What resonated in this quote, for me, was the concept of combining debt (something of value that I owe to myself) with a noble concept like honor (which for me translates as love and loyalty and faithfulness.) To NOT pay the debt (whether it is writing or exercise or drinking water or any other gift I have the ability and the opportunity to achieve) violates my pledge to love myself more.

Now seems like a good time to resurrect this practice. I'm going to affirm for myself every day that making (mostly) healthy choices is a debt of honor to myself. I've been blessed with the gift of achievement, and to not honor it is to not treasure it. (I'll be applying it to writing, too, and to the house project, but this is a fitness blog.)

What is your debt of honor? What gift have you been given that you're not using or applying? Is it possible that thinking of it in terms of something you owe yourself will help you focus on it? Even for a bit?

(Nosy critter, ain't I?) Share only to your comfort level. :)

Prioritizing in a Minor Storm

I found out last week that my last day at work is April 30. It's a relief to have a fixed point in time with which to work. I can plan and prioritize now. I've got tons of ideas and enthusiasm; I just needed a place to direct it. My mind has been in a whirl, trying to figure out what to address first, but now I can get everything down on paper...with a timeline!

{Pause to allow more stress to drop from shoulders.}

Nicely coinciding with the employment news was the first night of a continuing ed course I'm taking on publishing a non-fiction book. It's something I've thought about since this whole tippy-toeing thing started to work, and now I'm thinking it's probably going to happen. I'm just shelving it until May.

Managing my health is my major priority every day. But since I'm not on Biggest Loser and no one is going to give me a check for $250,000 (unless, one of you was planning to, and then I'm sorry I spoiled the surprise) , I don't need to spend an inordinate amount of time on this. I just need to make sure I do it every single day.

Finishing the major remodeling projects on my house needs to happen before April 30, so we'll add that to the daily list. That means time spent blogging will need to be redirected to house issues for a while. I do take frequent breaks, though, so I'll try to keep up as best I can. Please understand if I occasionally get behind.

So, the priorities before April 30: health, house, blogging and other fun pursuits.

After April 30: health, book, blogging and other fun pursuits.

I believe I have a plan! It will not be perfectly executed and certainly not always pretty, but things will get done.

{Pause for more stress-dropping!}

In parting news for today, I'll put this bug in your ear: I'll be having a special guest and a giveaway in the days ahead. I don't know precisely when, but I'm super excited about it! Hope you'll drop back in to check it out!

Makeover Monday: Hair Today...

For this week's Makeover Monday, we're covering the fascinating topic of leg hair.

(Pauses to allow male readers to rush from the room.)

Confession: I loathe shaving my legs. I often wish I could do as a friend of mine does and go the all-natural route, and I've honestly tried that a few times. I make it as far as the stubbly phase and I cave. You see, as much as I dislike shaving, I love having smooth, silky skin more. What can I say, I'm a girly girl.

I've tried a few options other than shaving:

The Epilator – fancy gizmo yanks your hair out by the roots. Ouch.

Nads – YOU yank your hair out by the roots. Double Ouch.

Nair – didn't yank the hair out, but didn't remove much hair at all. Plus, it stinks.

Smooth Away – you buff the hair off your legs. Save yourself some $$$ and use any extra sandpaper you have laying around the house. Or just go out and rub your legs on your asphalt driveway.

Those are the schemes I've tried. Well, the ones I can remember right now. There are other treatments I didn't try for leg hair removal:

Electrolysis – Basically, they stick an electric current inside your skin and shock the hair into falling out. It's painful and can leave sores.

Professional Wax Removal - wax and cloth strips are used to yank your hair out by the roots. (Nads, by a professional.)

Sugaring - sort of like wax removal, but sugar and some other gooey bonding agent like honey are used with cloth strips.

Laser Hair removal – It worked for me on other areas, but I didn't think the mortgage company would float me a second loan just so I could have smooth legs for a few months.

Hmmm....I'm missing something, but I swear it's not coming to me just now. Sing out in the comments if you tried any others.

As for me, I'm sticking with shaving. It doesn't take long and it's inexpensive. Plus, if you approach it with the right attitude (which I rarely do), it is a great way to reaffirm your commitment to take care of your body and look your best.

After years of trial, error, and countless Cosmo articles, I've arrived at the following routine, which I highly recommend, at least until you guys present me with something better, and as long as you remember that I'm no cosmetician or any other sort of licensed professional:

1) First, soak or wet your legs with warm water. Don't just hop in the shower and start whacking away at your legs. Let the heat from the bath or shower warm and soften your skin first.

2) Wash your legs and use an exfoliant (a sugar or salt scrub) to remove dead skin cells. These can clog up your razor and cause nicks, or prevent you from getting a good close shave (thus meaning you're going to have to repeat this ordeal sooner.)

3) Spread a shave "product" on your legs. You can use one specially formulated for women, if you'd like, but I generally just buy men's unscented shave cream. It's cheaper, and I like drawing pictures in the foam. In a pinch, I've also used hair conditioner or conditioning shampoo (really handy when traveling!)

4) You're ready to shave. Your razor of choice is a personal decision, I like the ones that have "lubricating strips" and pivot heads for catching the weird angles around knees and ankles. The most important thing is that you use a razor that's *fresh* and shows no signs of rust or clogging. (I usually go 2-3 shaves before I change razors.)

5) There are two (or more) schools of thought as to direction of shave stroke. I start at the bottom of the leg and shave upward (against the hair growth), but some folks prefer to shave in the direction of the hair. As I understand it, shaving against the hair growth increases the chances of developing ingrown hairs. In the nearly 40 years I've been shaving my legs, this hasn't been a problem for me, but it might be an issue for you and the rest of us will love you anyway if you want to shave "backwards."

6) For a closer (and safer shave), pull the skin taut before you apply the razor. I didn't always do this, and I can really tell a difference. Also, don't go over an area repeatedly or you'll risk a good case of razor burn. (I hate that!)

7) Move slowly and rinse your razor frequently, checking it for clogs when you rinse.

8) Splash your legs with water, rinsing well, then brush lightly with a loofah or mesh scrubbie. I remember reading somewhere that you should rinse with cooler water than you washed with, but I've never done that. (And yet, I live on.)

9) Apply a moisturizer. I prefer unscented lotion, but I've used baby oil on more than a few occasions.

Another random tip I remember reading at some point in the past: a suggestion that we refrain from shaving for the first half hour or so after we wake up, under the theory that our skin is puffy after sleeping and waiting a bit allows it to de-puff (I'm sure they used a technical term) and expose more of the hair shaft. I'm not sure why my brain didn't discard that tidbit, since I never had any intention of using it. I'm not about to put a sharp object anywhere near my skin until several hours after I've gotten up in the morning.

That's all I have. I think. If you have any shaving tips, products, or ideas, please let us know.

Here's wishing you all smooth shaving….

A Sunday Funny

Nothing newsworthy or even remotely educational or inspiring to report today. That would require actual effort, and it's just not that kind of day.

Instead, I give you this link. If you're a dog-owning yoga fan, you won't want to miss it. :)

Hope you're all having a happy, healthy, heart-filled weekend!

On Motivation and Habit

A G-rated post today. :)

(No, no, come back! I'll do another smutty one soon, I promise!)

Great little post by Ali Hale over on Dumb Little Man yesterday. It's about staying motivated to achieve your health goals. You can read the entire post here (and I highly recommend it.)

One bit kind of leapt off the page at me:

Make It A Habit
Do you brush your teeth every day? Hopefully so – and you probably don’t ever think about being “motivated” to do it. Brushing your teeth is simply a habit. A great way to circumvent the need for motivation is to turn your health goals into habits. If you go for a walk every day before breakfast for three weeks, chances are, it’ll become as much a habit as brushing your teeth is. If you always eat a piece of fruit before deciding if you really want that chocolate bar, again, this becomes nearly automatic.

Simple. Basic. I like it.

To be nitpicky, though, I think there's more to it than simple habit. While I understand (and appreciate) the author's intent, brushing my teeth isn't something I do just because it's something I always do. I do it to maintain healthy teeth, which without regular brushing will rot and die. AFTER I spend a fortune trying to fix the problems.

It's the same with exercise and healthy(-ier) eating, I think. I do it because without it, my body will suffer. My arteries will fill up with Silly Putty, my knees will grow weary of toting an amount of weight they were not designed to carry, and my spirit will rot and die. Sure, there are medications that will help me manage those problems, but there are side effects of those that extend beyond the bank account.

So it seems easy enough. Just like I brush my teeth to maintain their health and longevity (on the issue of daily flossing, I plead the Fifth), I exercise and eat healthy(-ier) so that I will have better health and live longer.

The thing is--and this may surprise you--I don't exactly wake up and bounce into the bathroom to brush my teeth every single day. Sure, sometimes I do, but there are quite a few days when you'd think I was headed to a guillotine. I actually have suffered carpet burn due to my chin dragging the floor.

I'm like that with exercise, too. Some days I start watching the clock in early afternoon, eagerly awaiting quitting time so that I can head to the gym. Other days, I will actively try to invent reasons I shouldn't go.

I have "the beginnings" of a headache.

I have important things to do at home.

I had such a good workout last night that I can afford to take a day off.

You see what I mean.

Or I'll try to justify to myself the reasons it's okay that I'm under for the day on veggies or over on the 100-calorie snacks. (The justification is usually tenuous, at best.)

Do I ever grab the excuse strings? You betcha, but it's rare. My motivation is my desire to live, and my life is more than a habit.

On its surface though, I liked the DLM post. I'm just suffering from thinkstoomuchitis.

~

Personal note: Final results in on all the medical tests and I'm three-for-three. Mammogram, Pap smear, and colonoscopy are all A-Okay! Even better, I don't have to go for another colonoscopy for 10 years. Hooray! That gives them 10 whole years to come up with a better plan.

Nine Great Benefits to Exercise and One Fantastic Possibility

(This post is for mature adults only, which will let out about half of you, I realize, but them's the breaks.)

I get asked a lot about my exercise habits, why I still exercise so much even though I'm in my goal range. {sigh} I, of course, reply that exercise is about a whole lot more than losing weight.
Exercise:
- makes us stronger (Duh. )
- gives us more energy
- makes us smarter (There's actually research on this.)
- gives us confidence
- builds a stronger immune system
- helps us sleep better
- helps us handle stress better
- builds toned muscles
- helps us manage our weight

Okay, those are all fine. Strength, longevity, brilliance, muscles, yadayadayada, fine. The #1 benefit I've just read about for exercising? Well, see for yourself.

Now, I haven't tried this and if I do, you'll never know about it. (I'd appreciate not knowing if you tried it either.)

And that's all I'm going to say about the benefits of exercise.

Except that it's entirely coincidental that I joined the 200 Sit-up Challenge. Honestly.

Makeover Monday: Love is in the Air

(photocredit: droogi via flickr)

This Friday Saturday (edited for idiocy) is Valentine's Day. My first Valentine's Day at a healthy weight...and still no Mr. Cammy (or almost-Mr. Cammy or Mr.-even-remotely-interested-in-Cammy) in sight. That wasn't actually a goal of getting fit, mind you, but a just-for-me box of chocolates would've been nice.

Just kidding, of course. Even when I've been in a relationship at Valentine's Day, it's one of those holidays that doesn't excite me. Kind of like Labor Day or President's Day, only with no accompanying white sale at Target. I have friends, however, who go through serious cycles of depression around V-Day. It really bothers them that they don't have a significant someone to shower love upon them. Really.

Well, bah-heartbug, I say! (with a straight face, even.) Congrats if you DO have a romantic kind of person in your life who will make your day extra-super-special, but what if you don't? Will you spend the day moping? Pouting? Stuffing your face full of chocolate? Doing something else that won't do anything at all to improve the situation and will likely only send you into a deeper sprial? (Not that I've ever done any of those things at any time in my past.)

If you chose any or all of the above, stop that right now. The fact of the matter is that you DO have someone who loves you. Or someone who SHOULD love you. In fact, this person has to love you before he or she can ever love anyone else.

By now you probably realize that that person is right in front of you. Well, if you're standing in front of the mirror.

Yep, I'm talking about YOU (and ME.) Loving ourselves enables us to show love for others. For those of us who have struggled with this, we have to learn to break through all the negative clutter in our heads and start showing ourselves the loving graces of compassion, generosity, and forgiveness. What better time to start (or re-commit) than Valentine's Day?

Here are just a few ideas for celebrating this Love Yourself Valentine's Day:

Write yourself a love letter. Remind yourself WHY you're so very special and love-worthy! You can put it in a pretty Valentine's Day card, or send it to yourself via email, or you can even send it to yourself on some predetermined date in the future.

Make a list of the things that make you happy, and ask yourself what you've done to bring more of them into your life. Make another list of the things you'll commit to doing now to make yourself happy.

Take time to focus on yourself on V-Day with some good old-fashioned pampering:

• Buy yourself flowers. Who says someone else has to buy them for you?


• Take a bubble bath with the works: candles, music, the really good bubbles


• Give yourself a facial and/or a manicure/pedicure


• Cook yourself a nice meal, or treat yourself to a meal out with friends


• Have a movie marathon


• Make time for exercise, especially if you've been too busy for it lately.

And some fun external-to-you ideas:

Plan an 'I love myself' party and invite friends over.

Practice kindly love all day long. Smile at strangers. Give compliments.

Celebrate love by calling the people you love to let them know how special they are to you.

Experience gratitude. Spend some time reflecting on all the people who love you now or have loved you in the past. (Don't forget pets! They count!)

The goal is to cherish the act of loving, starting with yourself, and then spreading the joy

So, what will you do this Valentine's Day to prove your love for YOU?

Me? I'm going to the gym! And then maybe having one wee piece of chocolate. :)

In My Rearview Mirror, Feb. 8, 2008

Yesterday was a great day--warmer, if not warm, with lots of opportunity for outdoor activities. I raked and swept and toted (sorry, no chorus line or jazz hands, ani *g*). I finally completed a long-desired project to pull up the cheezy indoor/outdoor fake grass carpet the previous owners glued to the patio, and I also took a "time out" and went for a walk on a new-to-me trail along the Wolf River. I usually only do paved trails, but this time of year, the snakes and other creatures whose sole purpose on Earth is to try to give me a heart attack should be tucked away in their winter habitats.

By the time I landed indoors late yesterday, I was a dusty, dirty, sweaty, stinky mess...and it felt so good, although the folks at Subway might not agree. It reminded me of a day last year when I "got it" re: exercise and exertion and learned to embrace the odoriferous results as agents of change, as opposed to expired hygiene. I blogged about it, of course, and if you'd care for a looky-loo, heres the link to eau de change.

Today's plan will include a birthday dinner for my Mom (yay! barbecue!) and another walk on the trails. Then it's back inside for those mundane household chores that won't do themselves.
Oh, and I have to write our Makeover Monday episode for tomorrow. Nightfall will be here before I know it. Yikes!

So how have you spent this weekend? Anything special, or has it been a delightfully ordinary weekend?

Red Friday Wrap-up

What a difference a week makes. Last Friday I was preparing for a colonoscopy. Today, I'm preparing for a warm, pre-spring weekend and lots of outdoors-y activities. It's kind of amazing how all my outdoor "to-do's" miraculously shot to the top of the priority list. So instead of the gym, I'll be raking and sweeping and bagging.

One of the most delightful surprises in becoming more fit is how much I've truly enjoyed incorporating "functional exercise" into my life. Raking leaves or sweeping is nothing more than a series of upright rows. Bagging leaves (done the Cammy way) involves full out squats, or if I'm feeling bored, moving the bag so that lunges are required. And don't even get me started on how happy it makes me to have my exercise requirement and my chore list rolled into one time slot. I feel so...efficient!

As promised, I'm posting my fabulicious-in-red photo today (you'll pardon the big swollen eyes--it was early). I'm thrilled with the participation at work. It's a SEA of red everywhere I look! Even some of our guys are sporting red shirts or sweaters today.

Let me know if you post a red-loving photo today!

I've become quite the red geek, haven't I? :)

Have a lovely, healthy, stupendous weekend, everyone!

Flying Through with a Red Reminder

Don't forget to drape yourself in red tomorrow for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women event. And if you post a photo, please let me know so I can see you in all your fabu-redness!

No idea what I'm talking about? Check here for more info.

(Edited to add what prompted me to post the reminder in the first place (sheesh!):

Macy's is offering 20% discounts tomorrow if you wear red! (Thanks for the info, Bargainist people.)

Dashing off again, but first, here's a great sign I saw the other day:



LOVE it!

Here's hoping you're all having a great week and are looking forward to an outstanding weekend of being ALIVE!

Brought to You by the Letter M

It’s that time of year when those of us on the fitness/weight loss train start to experience a little bit of sag in energy levels. The new year has lost its luster, spring seems forever away, and one gray day after another begins to wear on the spirit.

Or is it just me?

I’ve pondered the subject this morning, considering just what it is I think will give me the boost I need to remain focused over the next few months, and I came up with three basic components. Feel free to adopt them, if you think they will help.

Motivation – Why are we doing this? Why is losing weight and/or becoming healthier more important than eating a bowl of cheese dip and/or a platter of chicken wings? What are we expecting to see on the other side?

This morning, I revisited my Reasons Why, which I first posted over a year ago:

• For general health. I'm not getting any younger.
• To improve how I look (confidence)
• To change how I'm perceived by others (confident, in control, capable)
• To shop in "regular" stores
• To reduce or eliminate blood pressure medication
• To meet more people
• To try new things with confidence, or at least a sense of adventure
• To make my family proud
• To experience success
• To be my best self, the one who's hiding
• So that I can be rescued, if it's ever required (see original post--linked above--for explanation)
• To travel to San Francisco and ride a bike uphill with my friend
• To help and inspire others to take on their personal demons and defeat them
  

I’m pleased to say that almost all of those reasons have been realized. Fortunately, I didn’t have occasion to be rescued . Also, I haven’t made it to San Francisco yet, but my friend and I did meet up in Austin and rode bicycles up hills.

It occurs to me that these are all worthy reasons to maintain my weight loss, and I’m going to take some downtime this weekend to consider whether there might be new reasons to add.

Momentum – I never expected momentum to be such a powerful factor in my own weight loss. At some point along the way, the process became more about continuing my efforts rather than on the results of those efforts, if that makes any sense. I was more focused on NOT stopping what I had started—on keeping the plan in motion-- than I was on getting to my goal weight. Once I started, I didn’t want to stop! Momentum: I love it!

Moxie – One of the best compliments I ever received was from a manager who said I had moxie. At the time I wasn’t even sure what that meant (I thought it sounded sort of Barbara Stanwyck-ish), but I was pleased when I looked it up:

mox-ie  [mok-see]
–noun Slang.
1. vigor; verve; pep.
2. courage and aggressiveness; nerve.
3. skill; know-how.

Moxie is figuring out how to make something happen with what you do have, rather than dwelling on what you don’t have. It’s trying what you thought you couldn’t do and doing what you’d really rather not do. It’s recognizing what doesn’t work and learning how to convert it into something that does work.

And there you have it. Three basic elements--motivation, momentum, and moxie--that can enable you to turn dreams into goals, goals into actions, and actions into results. It's a powerful, life changing combination, so hold on tight!

Makeover Monday: Have a Heart

For many of us in the fit-blogging community, losing weight is as much (or more) about being healthy as it is about looking better. As our sizes start dropping, though, it's easy to get caught up in the external results and lose some of our focus on the really cool improvements we're making inside our bodies.

February is American Heart Month, and now seems like a good time to focus on this somewhat important part of our bodies. The fine folks at sparkpeople.com have made it super easy for us by putting together this calendar with a tip a day for improving our heart health. (Gotta love a plan that includes nuts, relaxation, chocolate, and laughter, among other things.)

It goes without saying that healthy hearts are important for men and women (as well as for those in transition), but this year has a special emphasis on heart health for women. Check out these sobering statistics from the American Heart Association:

• Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women and stroke is the No. 3 killer of women. Heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases kill more women than the next five causes of death combined.


• Since 1979, the death rate for heart disease in men has declined by more than 17 percent, but the death rate for women has declined by only 2.5 percent over this same period.


• Minority women are particularly at risk for heart disease and stroke. For example, nearly half of African American women (45 percent) have some form of cardiovascular disease, compared to 32 percent of white women.


• More than 90 percent of primary care physicians don’t know that heart disease kills more women each year than men.


• Women are less likely than men to receive certain diagnostic testing and treatments, such as angioplasties and stents, for cardiovascular diseases.


• Drug and medical device effectiveness may differ in women and men yet doctors and researchers often don’t know how safe and effective a particular medicine or device is for women.

In the fall of last year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HEART for Women Act (the vote was 418-4), and the U.S. Senate will have an opportunity to vote on it when it is re-introduced in mid-February. YOU can make a difference by sending a note to your senator encouraging an 'AYE' vote. The AHA even provides an easy-schmeasy tool for you to do so.
(Note: if you don't live in the U.S., you can still support the effort by offering prayers and meditations, lighting candles, or crossing your fingers--whatever constitutes wishing us luck in your part of the world. We Yanks appreciate it!)

Finally, in symbolic support, Friday, Feb. 6th is National Wear Red Day. I'm wearin' it, and I'll have the photo to show for it! What would be really, really cool is snapping a pic of yourself and sharing it on your blog on Friday. More symbolic support, but it shows the world that We.Mean.Business in the fitnosphere.

Another cool thing would be if you'd spread the word about the HEART for Women Act. Don't worry about linking back to this post--just get the word out!

As for my own heart health, I'm going to focus on fitting in more exercise in February. In addition to the stair climber at the gym, I'm going to put in more time on the treadmill at home. With the bedroom painting out of the way, I've got everything all set up again and ready to GO!

What will YOU do to improve your heart health this month? Let us know, so that we can cheer you on!!