Little of This,Little of That

Some randomness, but important randomness...

I've signed up for our local Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk to Cure Diabetes, on October 4th. I hope you'll consider sponsoring me. I've also got a link in my sidebar, if you'd like to think about it for a bit first. No amount too small. :)

On October 15, 2007, I participated in the first ever Blog Action Day, a single day with bloggers all around the world blogging on one subject: the environment. Over 20,000 blogs participated, an amazing number for the first year. The organizers are holding the event again on October 15th this year, and the theme is Poverty. On that day, participants' posts should focus on the issue of poverty as it relates to their general blog topic. Click here for information and/or to sign up.

Moving on, good article on clutter and diet on Unclutterer today.

For non-cooking types like me, check out smartcooking.com. Very basic, with short (and cute) video guides for many recipes.

And that's all for me today. Killer workout tonight, so a nice soaking bath is in my immediate future. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! (Within reason. I can't help you out if you need bail money.)

~

Step Up!!

During some work-oriented link-hopping, I found this creative little acronym, and I like it for the fit-life change especially. Not surprising since it's basically what I've been doing for the past 18 months. Only I wasn't bright enough to create the acronym. :)

STEP UP FOR CHANGE

1. Sense what you need to change for the better.
2. Think creatively of ways to make your life work.
3. Energize yourself to charge up your life.
4. Plan your strategies for action.
5. Use resources and tools to aid you.
6. Perform regular review to improve.

My comments:
#2 & 4 are my favorite parts of the process. I love inventing new challenges for myself or "work-arounds" for situations that usually present problems. For example, I took three vacations last year and lost weight on two of them. I think I would've lost on the third one if I had eaten more calories. (I didn't factor in how much walking I was doing at the BlogHer Conference and most of that walking with my computer bag strapped to my back.)

#3 is HUGE. There's a great quote attributed to Sarah Bernheardt: "Energy creates energy." Every success is a spark and a bunch of those sparks creates a fire, and when you reach that stage, there is NO turning back. All of your attention is forward-focused and you know the results will follow. Sure, there are down times, but when there's that much energy in your body, the negativity just won't stick. (Believe me, I tried!)

#5 for me was Sparkpeople, Fitness Together, this blog, and your blogs. (See sidebar for links.)

#6 made me laugh. IMO, "performing regular reviews" does NOT mean weighing oneself every half hour. ;-)

How is this similar or dissimilar to your plan? Are there elements you would add to it or omit completely? I'm always curious...

~

Yesterday's Gone

Before I get to the day that was, a couple of follow-up items:

Sagan asked about a horizontal pull-up. I apologize, Sagan; I meant to link to a demo. You'll find a horizontal pull-up demo here that's similar to the kind I'm currently doing. The main difference is that my feet are on the floor, and the guy isn't swearing. :) Also, toward the end of each set, my "ups" get a little more shallow.

Trihardist? Thanks so much for the compliment! You made my chest swell with pride. Lord knows, it needs swelling these days. ;)

And to you, kikimonster, if you even think about coming to Memphis and not letting me know...well, there will be repercussions. That goes for ALL of you. :)

Today was a great day. Almost all my MITs for the weekend are done, I got a great walk in this afternoon, and I received an early birthday gift.

Gift first: my parents gave me a bike rack for my car! No more subdivision! I can go to area parks or greenbelts and see some actual scenery! I've got it on the car now and will load up the bike tomorrow morning and head to the closest bike trails. Film at eleven. Or maybe just photos.

Something interesting happened on today's walk. I realized shortly into it that I'd forgotten to put on my HRM/watch to track my speed. Oh no! The horror! But I didn't feel like coming back to the house, digging out the key from the Top Sekrit hiding place on the patio, finding my handbag, digging for the watch, and then starting all over again, so I decided to let the timing go for today in favor of continuing on. But then I couldn't figure out whether I wanted to do the 2-miler or the 5k (I had about 100 yards to decide.) It was gorgeous weather--a little warm-ish, but a nice breeze. It occurred to me during my intense internal debate that it might be more interesting and enjoyable to simply walk. To forget about time and distance and routes, and instead, to let the music fill the weary parts of my brain, to feel the sun and the breeze on my skin, to appreciate being outside in air that I could breathe. To revel in the joy of walking because I can. What a concept!

I'm not sure I could even map the route I took. I just walked and sang and smiled. It was great. I didn't worry about pace or distance, although I suspect it was very similar to what I normally walk given that I was returned home almost an hour after I left. The only I time I consciously sped up was during Fleetwood Mac's Don't Stop, and really who can blame me? The lyrics really speak to me these days and I just have to MOVE when I hear them:

Don't Stop
Written by Christine McVie

If you wake up and don't want to smile,
If it takes just a little while,
Open your eyes and look at the day,
You'll see things in a different way.

Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow,
Don't stop, it'll soon be here,
It'll be, better than before,
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone.

Why not think about times to come,
And not about the things that you've done,
If your life was bad to you,
Just think what tomorrow will do.

Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow,
Don't stop, it'll soon be here,
It'll be, better than before,
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone.

All I want is to see you smile,
If it takes just a little while,
I know you don't believe that its true,
I never meant any harm to you.

Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow,
Don't stop, it'll soon be here,
It'll be better than before,
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone.

Dedicated to the ones I love, for the next time you start raking yourself back over the coals for your behaviors. Singing this song will cure that, especially if you smile while you're singing:

Why not think about times to come,
And not about the things that you've done,
If your life was bad to you,
Just think what tomorrow will do.

Like I said, today was a great day. I hope yours was, too! And if it wasn't?

Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone.

Gold Medal Workout

If they gave Olympic medals to chubby girls working out, I do believe I could've won the gold tonight. It was one of those workouts, exhausting and exhilirating all at the same time. (30 horizontal pull-ups--yaaay! And some of them were proper form, too!)

I don't know about you, but I'm surely glad this weekend finally arrived! I've got loads on my plate for tomorrow, but the heat wave has broken and I feel like I have the energy to get a good bit of the list taken care of. We shall see. The MITs will get done for sure.

A couple or three links to share before I call it a day:

From wisebread - Two dozen uses for toothpaste aside from cleaning your teeth

From zenhabits - Minimalist Fitness: How to Get in Lean Shape with Little or No Equipment

And for you cyclists who want to take care of your own bicycle maintenance, check out the online bicycle tutor.

That's it--short and sweet today! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Catching Up (aka What Thursday?)

First, an apology for not posting yesterday and a big THANKS to those of you who inquired. All was well. The daytime hours were jammed, and last night I simply ran out of steam. :)

Another big THANKS to all of you who shared your thoughts on the LA fast food ban. One thing that occurred to me yesterday was the dangerous precedent for letting one group or entity decide what constitutes "fast food" or even what aspects of fast food are healthy vs. unhealthy. We all know the wide spectrum of viewpoints on the topic even within our own blogging community. But many, if not most, of us agree that freedom of choice—even bad choices—overrides the presumed good intentions of the planners. Information and education are critical pieces of the solution along with ensuring access to affordable healthier foods. (Btw, check out this link for a list of 20 healthy foods to buy for less than $1.).

Huh. Am I the only one to whom it is abundantly apparent that the rest of the world need only check with us first to receive all the answers they need? :)

Winding down, I have no real news report. It's been a great week workout-wise, and an almost great week for eating healthy. Hmm, on second thought, make that a great week for eating healthy, too. We'll count the cake and ice cream I had in the mental health column.

I have my MITs for the weekend ready:
Chores:
Tame the paperwork beast
Clean the car, inside & out
Organize home office, including computer cables

Errands:
Dry cleaner
Grocery store
Post office
Macy's (Tax-free shopping weekend in TN)
Running shoe store (see note on taxes)

Throw in a couple of cardio workouts and at least one good nap, and I'll consider it a great weekend, too!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Hydrate, use sunscreen and don't overdo!*

*(Why, yes, I do feel it is my place to boss you around. I'm a Leo and that's what we do.)

~

Linkety-link-link

If you live anywhere near me, take my advice and RUN!!! I'm grumpy with a capital GRUMP this evening, and I have no idea why. I had a rather bland (and enjoyable) day: a 1-hour zoo walk this morning, Target run, nap, Best Buy (bought a new flat screen TV for my home office as a reward for...well, I'll think of something), then to the gym for a 30-minute bicycle ride, and then the grocery store. Somewhere between the gym and the grocery store, I did my Incredible Hulk thing and turned into a raving lunatic. I swear it must have been "Stop my car/cart right in front of Cammy Day", because every time I turned around I was being boxed in by someone. Then, worst of all, Kroger doesn't seem to carry melba toast! What the heck kind of grocery store doesn't carry melba toast?!! Sheesh!

Okay, rant over (and I thank you for sticking it out.) Time for the real purpose of my post: the sharing o'the links! I stayed in last night and finally got caught up with my Google Reader. Well, except for the technology folder and that one I don't mind catching up on at work. Thought I would share some of the more interesting articles I found:

From The Office Diet: The Unwritten Rules of Office Food
I must say these are definitely true of my workplace. The food "noise" and aromas are two of my biggest irritants. Burnt microwave popcorn will stink up the office for days. Fortunately, the person who burned it most frequently has transferred out of the office.

Going a completely different direction, this link discloses Peanut Butter Boy's own personal method of stirring/enjoying natural peanut butter.

From the fine folks at Lifehacker, this article: Calm Your Fears to Avoid Late-night Eating. This is one that hits me where I live.

Alex Shalman, guest blogging on zenhabits, theorizes on why it's not our fault we're overweight. He makes some interesting (and accurate) points, but it's still within our power to change, IMO. He offers some rather run-of-the-mill ideas on that, too.

Since I turn 50 in a month, this article from Dumb Little Man on how to shed 10 years off my age caught my eye. I'm going to try a couple of these, I think, and a couple others I'm already doing. If these don't work collectively, I think I'll just take the easy way and lie about my age.

Green link: TipNut shared 12 Ways to Reuse Newspaper around the House.

Some frozen treats for the hot summer days: Margarita Ice Pops from epicurious (via TipNut) or these treats from Lifehacker.

And finally, my favorite link of all, Jonathan Fields, Awake @ the Wheel, wrote this brilliant little piece of prose. I'll be reading this one to the woman in the mirror every morning. She needs to hear it now and then. :)

All right, I'm off to soak my feet...and possibly, my head. Grocery store trip aside, I had a fantastic weekend, and I hope you did too!

~

Updates: Mom, Nutrition Class

I've got a few loose ends to tie up, and now seems like a good time.

First, my Mom is home from the hospital and at last report, soaking in a real tub and getting ready to get in her very own bed. No evidence of a stroke or of blockage in her neck arteries. They did observe some minor instances of plaque behind the brain, which will be handled through her blood pressure medication. (If I understand correctly, that is. Remember, my medical knowledge comes mostly from Reader's Digest.) Thanks for your well wishes for both of us! Kelly and June, know that you and your families are in my thoughts.

Up next, the follow up to the nutrtition class I took. First half notes are here, but I totally forgot to post what we covered in the second half of the class. That's mainly because we spent most of the class discussing how to read food labels, which I already knew about. :( But, I did enjoy the class overall and I'm glad I took it. For one thing, that moment of joy when I fit into the chair (with room to spare!) was one I'll never forget. Ever!

Leslie did share some useful weblinks with us, and I'll share them here, just in case you haven't seen them before:
— http://www.mypyramid.gov/
— http://www.nutrition.gov/
— http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/
— http://www.eatright.org/
— www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition

One other interesting thing she discussed briefly in class was the increase in portion sizes in the U.S. over the past 20 years. She even had pictures of a 1970s ad for an order of fries as compared to an order of McD's super size fries. Amazing! According to Leslie, if you want the proper portion sizes, at most restaurants you'll want to order the kid's meal. (I've been doing that for years, anyway. ::pats self on back::)'

And finally, following up on the two fitness challenges I started at work, I'm pleased to report that I have 21 people climbing stairs with me and 10 people joined in on the Hundred Pushup Challenge. Plus, some folks on other floors in the building are expressing an interest in the stair challenge. For the stair challenge, I've made everyone badges that fit on top of their nameplates, and I made stickers for the 100 pushups. I get reports all day long of how many stories people have climbed. I'm at 27 stories through today, which puts me on track to reach the top of the St. Louis Arch by Monday. :)

Does that catch me up with follow-up stuff? I can't remember anything else, but then again, I have difficulty remembering yesterday.

In new news, I'm mourning the loss of a long-time fast food favorite from my past life: the Taco Bell Burrito. I had one today for lunch (strange circumstances), and it was the last one I'll ever have. The lettuce and tomato were nice and fresh, but the rest of it? Greasy, greasy, greasy. Maybe it was just this one, but I suspect they were that greasy all along, and I just didn't have a clue. If I'm caught at TB again (which I hope I won't be), I think I'll follow a tip I read somewhere, which was to get a couple of Fresco tacos and merge the fillings into one shell. But I really think I'll limit my Mexican food to homemade or a couple of local places that go heavy on the veggies and lighter on the greasy stuff.

Other than that, nothing really new to report. I had a great workout with Trainer Kevin tonight, who murdered my poor widdle arms. Really! And he did it gleefully, too!

My word, I can ramble on, can't I? Sorry about that. :) I'm off now to continue catching up on blogs. It's so easy to get behind, isn't it? I also have to start shopping for a virtual outfit for the party Ready Maid is throwing me when I hit the three-digit mark. Okay, maybe it's a little soon. At my current rate, we may be in fall or winter wear by that time. LOL But that's okay, too.

Hope you're all having a wonderful second half of the week!

~

An Epiphanette and Some Randomness

This doesn't quite qualify as a full-blown epiphany, but it is a damn fine idea, if I do say so myself. You know those cable ties used for organizing computer cables? You bought them but you never managed to get around to using them so they've just been cluttering up a drawer for the past four or five years? Oh, c'mon. I know I'm not the only one.

Anyway, did you know these cable ties are the perfect instrument for scrunching up t-shirt sleeves? Official sleeve scrunchies are around $5/pair, while cable ties can be found for as little as $1/dozen on Amazon.

Decluttering and new fitness apparel, all in one swoop. Some days I amaze even myself.

Continuing randomness...

Trainer Kevin is off in some bodybuilding contest this weekend, so Trainer Wayne pinch hit. Ouch. Dumbell Walking Lunges, Bulgarian lunges, and a whole host of other forms of torture. I loved it. :D Seriously, it was a great Friday night workout. Considering that my work schedule kept me from a proper workout on Wednesday night, I'm not going to complain too loudly. Well, except to Wayne.

More randomness: Today's DLM feed contained an interesting article: The 60-Second Guide to Healthy Living. Nothing new, but a nice checklist all the same.

Final randomness: Here's a new trend I'm noticing in local food-type places: tip jars at the cash register! ::scratches head:: I stood in line for 10 minutes, then waited the 2 minutes it took them to slide my sandwich down the veggie line, wrap it in paper and hand it to me across the counter. And for that they want a tip? Lest you think I'm sounding miserly, I promise I'm a generous tipper in full-service restaurants and other service venues (manicurist, hair stylist, etc.) I even double tip between Thanksgiving and Christmas! I just don't feel it necessary to tip for a 2-minute interaction in which the transactor moved a total of 3 feet. I'll admit I've given into it, to some degree, by dropping the coinage from the return cup into the tip jar at my favorite Subway (they start making my turkey sandwich when I drive up!), but I'm not all that happy about it as a general trend. And so help me, if there are tip jars at the cash register at JCPenney tomorrow, I'm going to 100% online shopping. I'll just have to learn to cook. ::shudder::

Well, I've zigged and zagged all over the place and made myself a little dizzy. I'm sure I've forgotten something along the way. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, I hope yours is superb and that you have a most enjoyable weekend!

~

Sharing the Love

Before I do anything else, let me first report that I've been a bad, bad blogger! In posting the Pumpkin Spice Cake/Bar recipe, I failed to give credit to the source! **Gasp** I apologize to SHESCRAFTY at Sparkpeople Recipes for the oversight.

Some interesting links I've come across lately:

From Dumb Little Man, one of my favorite blogs, this link will have you thinking twice the next time someone asks how you are and you say, "Fine."

From the sadly neglected folks at Sparkpeople.com (neglected by me, anyway), this link is useful for those who quake in their shoes at the very notion of eating healthy at a fast food restaurant.

In this link, from dietriffic, you can find a checklist of habits that might be interfering with your fitness efforts. Practical stuff most of us know, but it might be useful for a review.

And last but not least, another one from Dumb Little Man. For those of us who struggle with junk food and sodas, this link has a tippy toe approach to conquering those addictions that just might work.

I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and for those of you traveling on this (U.S.) holiday weekend, please drive safely! And don't forget the sunscreen!