Fail … NOT

So ya, I have been ignoring you. I don't like to blog when I am not performing up to my own standards. I am still not back on track. My current downfall has been that I've been drinking too much. WTF is it with addictive personalities??? If it isn't food it is alcohol. If it isn't alcohol it is cigarettes. If it isn't cigarettes it is food. If it isn't alcohol it is shopping. What AM I searching for? What is lacking in my life? I have not figured it out just yet.
However, kudos to me for not giving up! I may not be doing as good as I should, could, would, want, hope, wish, to be doing, but I am not giving up. I would have given up long ago if I hadn't changed at least some part of my personality and life.

Believe it or not, my eating is still mostly clean and healthy. However, after a MONTH of having a bottle of wine a night, my tummy has expanded a full SEVEN inches!!!!!!

I know I have to cut this out and I am working on that. I am down to two bottles of wine over the weekend. I have NOT smoked at all this year, though I have come close. I am also still walking ten minutes per day. 

Now that summer is here, my 13 year old son and I will go out biking more. Our first outing was this week. We got to the trail and headed out. I noticed my tire was low. We stopped at a repair station, on the bike trail and tried to pump air into the tire. We ended up making the tire flatter than it was! I had no choice but to walk the 2.5 miles back to the van; and it was so hot and humid!!!

I've been practicing yoga for over three years now. It is the one exercise that I have kept up, out of all the exercises I've tried. For the past several months I have been substituting as a volunteer yoga teacher at our local senior center. Our regular teacher has been out with knee surgeries. I have found that I rather like teaching. I get a lot of kudos from my fellow practitioners. 

Perhaps, instead of fighting the thought of being recognized as "That woman who lost all that weight" and someone who knows all the answers for exercising and eating right, perhaps, I should embrace this newer version of me?

This in mind, I am toying with the idea of becoming a certified yoga instructor. The biggest thing that is holding me back is the expense. It costs about $3,000 for the classes and materials. It takes nine months to complete. I am tripping up over the expense of taking the classes. It isn't that I am not worth it. It is more that it is a hardship to afford that much money. I am not sure that this is a path I should take. The money is the negative part. We could carpet several rooms in the house. We could buy a new dishwasher. There are so many practical things we could do with that money. 

There are many positive aspects to becoming certified. I could be an advocate for heavier people and people in their senior years who think yoga isn't for them. I might even be able to get paid a little for my services. Of course having a bunch of people bowing down before me, has nothing to do with it!

That is the latest from this crazy house. I really am doing well, other than not working as hard as I should to figure out how to take off the weight I've gained. I am more happy than not. We've been playing music at the tavern and that makes me feel good. OH! I have also kept up with that Abs challenge and a squat challenge for June. NOT easy!!!! But I AM doing it. GO ME!!! hahahaha

Walk-on dear readers…it is the least we can do!

Tummy Tucking

Restarting again, again. I got over my 'thing' with not going into my sewing studio. The fabric therapy has definitely helped me! I am not sure I can do this June challenge, but take a look at this:

It has been all over FB and I don't know the origins of this challenge. I know my form will be non-existent, but am wondering if I can somehow DO this? I will let you know.

Plans are to update you on more of what is and is not going on in my life. It is not pretty nor is it awful. It is what it is.

Till then, if you can, Walk-On!

I am still out here

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Sometimes we need to take a step back and regroup. I am in the process of doing that now. I have a lot of different 'parts' of me that tug me in many directions. Like a diamond, I have many facets.
I am an artist with fabric, paper, and pen. I am a crafter. I am a writer. I am a wife. I am a mother. I am a yoga instructor (sometimes)….a financier….a gardener…a musician….a costume maker….a member of two quilt guilds….a member of a senior center….a leader of a support group….an avid reader….a chef….a chauffeur….a personal shopper. I exercise every day, and do lots more. You get the idea. Where do I find time for all this stuff???

I am working out what is the most important for me to do; figuring out what I WANT to do, and trimming off where I can so that I am not so overwhelmed. I feel like I am on the cusp of really learning who I am. It is frustrating and fascinating at the same time.

The Minstrel Cid

Lady Ellen, Master Thomas, Minstrel Cid

Recently my family and I went to two renaissance faires. Have you ever been to one? They are based on Elizabethan times, around the 1500-1600's, in England.
We are traveling minstrels; a family of three. We play several different instruments and love being entertainers.

 We like it so much that when we are not performing at renfaires we seek other venues to play at. We finally found a local venue just last week. It was an 'open mike' night where any musician could take a turn at playing on a little stage. This is myself and my husband, enjoying that fun night:

Anyway, back to the renfaires…..It was a long ride to and from the event, and I had a lot of thinking time. I  thought more about not wanting my life to be all about weight loss and exercise. I am so much more than a number on a scale. I do not want to define myself by how much weight I lose or how much weight I keep off. That is a PART of me, but I do not want it to define who or what I am.
I still want to encourage folks. I still want to help where and when I can. I just need to prioritize things differently. I think this has been the source of some of the struggling and depression I've dealt with over the past year or so.

Abby goes to the renaissance faire too!

SO, I have started taking Saturdays off. This changes my usual Saturday routine. I did not go to the support group. It felt so freeing! I did feel a little guilty, but I enjoyed spending time with my husband and son more. All week long they are at work and in school. The weekends were the only time to really see them and to spend quality time with them both! I think I am on to something by getting back to the real me, the person I am and the person I want to really be.

Once you lose weight, you are only changed on the outside. Your inside self is still pretty much the same. If you haven't addressed issues, you will still have those issues. That is why so many who lose weight, gain it back. They were able to rise to the challenge of weight loss, but once there, then what? Did they magically change? Not if they didn't address why they overate in the first place. Maintenance is hard. If you've never been a healthy weight, it is hard to figure out what your 'real life' your healthier-you-life should be. We slip and stumble and slide and fall.

Maintenance means we get back up and keep working on figuring out what that means to us, to our unique self. Do we need to change something else to keep from sliding? Do we need a cane to steady us to keep us from stumbling? Do we need to hang on to the sides of the slide to keep from sliding too fast and too far? Do we need a hand, some help, to get up after a fall?
Learning what it is that we need to fix, change, work on differently, is what maintenance is all about. It will always be a part of us, a part of our new and improved lives. It takes time. So give yourself some!

In health news around the web, it is said that early morning sunshine helps you lose weight! It is something about the endorphins and the way the sun affects the brain. Go get some sun in the morning and see how skinny you get!

Want a good coating for baked fish or chicken? Grind up some rolled oats (oatmeal) and use that instead of flour.

It is spring time. The weather is turning around and walking is picking up. Ziva likes hitting the trails as much as I do! We've gone for several long walks each week. It feels so good!

Speaking of feeling good, exercise is important. If you don't like what you are doing for exercise, try something new! Keep trying different things until you find several that you like. Walking is my base exercise of choice. I also do yoga two days a week. I like that too! I have tried many different types of exercises. The newest one I plan to start is working with a kettlebell. I have no clue if I will like it or not!

Finally, exercise does not have to be an organized specific event. Gardening is exercise. I worked for several hours, with my young son, to join the garden on the left to the one on the right. It was fun and it turned out so good! I really slept well that night.

Speaking of sleep, it is now bedtime. I need to tuck Abby and Ziva in and get some Z's. Tomorrow promises to be a busy but fun day!

Walk On dear readers!

Walker Lady - Reloading

So I stayed off the scale for a month and gained almost ten pounds. Ain't that just a kick in the head? I know I've been skating along for the past year and this weight gain really is no surprise. I just kept thinking the fat loss fairy was going to hang around even though I was eating more and exercising less…a LOT less.

I'd been listening to some older podcasts from Heather's selections on "Half Size Me". This particular episode was from August 2012. She interviewed a woman who had lost 120 pounds and had another 120 to go. She sounded so positive and promising. I went and looked up her blog to see how she was doing now and discovered that she had gained a lot of the weight back. Ack! I feel so bad for folks like that. It is SO common too.

Which plan of attack do I try? What do I change first?

I read that getting as little as 23-30 minutes of sunlight before noon can affect your BMI by 20% for the better!

I am NOT going to be one of those who loses all that weight and then puts it all back on again! I do not want to go back there! I know a wise woman with a lot of great advice. I shall start listening to her again. I hear she goes for lots of walks with her dog.

Where do we go from here?

If you could visit with anyone from the past, who would it be? Would you want to visit with a famous person? Or a family member? Once you were done visiting, what then? Do they just go poof, back in to the other world?

I have been wondering about "what then" as it pertains to me.
I lost a bunch of weight, what happened then?
 I'm gaining some back.
Why?
Because I am not eating as good as I was and not exercising as hard as I used to.
Why?
Because I've gotten lazy and distracted.

What is distracting you?
Well, every week my brain and I jump around various thoughts and in no particular order, some of these are:

• I need to remember to do my ten minute walk every day
• I plan meals for myself and my family as well as making those meals. (one drawback of healthier eating is taking time to prepare more of your meals from scratch)
• I have yoga class twice a week and currently am also teaching one of those classes….this involves time prepping for class by watching videos, reading, or watching yoga classes on TV.
• I have the weight loss and healthy living class twice per week. I co-lead that and it also involves research to be prepared to have a topic of discussion, among other things.
• I need to practice playing my music for our performances. This is not easy because I can't read music!
• I want to draw and develop Abby and Ziva cartoons
• I want to make art dolls, I want to make more quilts, I want to make more art quilts
• All the work involved with keeping a house in order...cooking, cleaning, shopping, balancing the checkbook, making appointments, laundry, errand running, taking and picking up my son from school, etc.
• Writing a book…I keep being told to write a book. 
• Checking FaceBook, emails, newsletters, and other time suckers on the computer.
• Making decisions for the family. This is harder to explain, but I am the driving force behind whether or not we get a new sofa, or tear down the old shed, or comparison shop for a new shed, or replacing vs repairing my vehicle. Hubby is sweet and mostly says whatever I want is ok. That is a lot of added responsibility though.
• Worrying. Yes, I worry too much. I worry about not only myself but my family, both here and extended. Is everyone happy? If not, can I make them happier? Are they healthy? How much should I push to encourage changes in anything? 
• How will we afford to send youngest to college?
• Toss in wanting to get an RV again and to travel again. I miss that SO much! We can't get one though. No, wait, we COULD get one, but it would really hurt the budget and be very irresponsible.
• I want to smoke cigarettes but know I should not. (I've resisted so far this year)
• I enjoy my wine. The stigma of drinking any alcohol makes me feel a bit guilty because my parents were heavy drinkers.
• Dealing with the past because we made the biggest mistake of our lives by leaving California when we did. I know the past is past and we can't change it, but it still bites and hurts.We lost so much, and feel too old to start all over again.
• Hating where we live but feeling trapped here.

That is a lot to think about.
Yes, I know!
Why do you think it is hard to figure out where to go from here?
I think part of it is that I am afraid of making a mistake. I mentioned the huge mistake we made by leaving California. There are other smaller ones that all add up. I've tried to get the right sofa for our family room without spending several thousand dollars on one that the cats would shred. So far I have tried four sofas over six years and none of them has worked out. This means I've cost the family precious dollars.

Why do you think you are so hung up on money?
Of course it doesn't grow on trees, so there's that. We lost most all our life savings in the move, and jobs here don't pay what they did there. We can't get ahead anymore. We are just coasting. That means that every time I buy something that doesn't work out or is wasted, I've thrown away money that will take a long time to make up. My ex-husband was also super frugal and he had major issues with how I spent money. Details don't really matter, but 20+ years of marriage to him gave me a lot of money worrying brainwashing to deal with now.

Where do you go from here?
One thing I think I need to do is to define exactly, or more exactly, where I want to go for the rest of my life. How much time do I want to devote to what interests me most? How can I find happiness now? I used to join in a lot of online swaps with fellow quilters. I miss that. I didn't realize just how much until recently.

You know, this sounds like goal setting, don't you?
Yes, I suppose it does. Just as soon as I find the time to sit down and work on it.

Would you still love me if...?

I am musing about something tonight and wondered if I wasn't all about weight loss, would I still have followers? What if I went on an adventure? I mean a real honest to goodness adventure? Would you still read my blog? Perhaps you would read it more!
hmmmmmmmmmm

Walk-on dear readers…I'll keep you posted

Happy Trails to Youuuuuuuu, till we meet again!

Well hello there! How are ya? I'm fine. No, really, I AM! 

I am doing a lot better and have been for several weeks now. I don't have all the answers yet, but I am figuring out the questions better! To catch you up on a few things, I am off all meds now. Seems I am not the chronically depressed type person that needs to be on a medication to cope. Now I might need a short term zap now and then, but overall, I don't seem to need a full blown antidepressant.

I understand that some people DO need medications and I have no problem with that. I do not doubt that full blown depression is a serious illness that the right medications can really help with. In my case, I honestly feel that my doctor was just trying to help in the easiest way he could, by tossing me a pill that would instantly 'fix' me. I would agree that there have been times when a medicine was the best thing for a short term bout of stress, for me. I do not think I need to take an antidepressant on a regular basis for months or years. We shall see if I am right or wrong. For now, I am grateful that life is on track and I seem to be coming out of my winter funk.

Does this mean I am magically never depressed? Of course not! Does this mean I will never need to take a medication to help me over an especially stressful period in life? Piffle! I might need help in the future. The difference is that now I will be asking for short term help, not months' worth of scary pills.

Ok, enough depressing talk! On to other things that piss me off bug me. There was a blog post on a web site that I go to every Sunday, regarding eating disorders. I was a bit miffed that most of it talked about the anorexics and bulimics and not the obese. The posting had a link to an eating disorder self test and help for "College Students" and "General Public". I don't have a disorder, according to their tests. So what DO I have? I didn't get as fat as I was from breathing fumes from the Fat Fairy's magic wand! Where am I going with this? I am just complaining. Being chronically overweight is an eating disorder. I think it is still thought of differently though, than those who starve themselves or throw up after binging. Just sayin'.

I have also been trying to figure out what my Happy Weight will be. At one time, I thought 5'9" and 150 pounds would be superb! That is what the charts said I should be at…at least when I was in my 20s. Of course that doesn't work quite as well for a woman who is almost 60. Now I think the ideal weight would be 175.

That is the IDEAL weight, I am not saying it is a realistic one for me, nor what my Happy Weight would be. Right now my Happy Weight would be anything back in one-derland!!!

Yippee!!! 199.999999 pounds! (someday soon)

I will have to work on that. Once I am back in one-derland, I will see how I feel. Perhaps I will find that my Happy Weight is not a number so much as it is a feeling. I could be just sitting here fooling myself too. I'll keep you posted.

Last week I went for a long walk on the trails with a friend of mine. I hadn't been out there for months! I forgot how good that can make me feel!!! I felt so good that I went out again on Friday. Following is the first of what I hope to be many, Trail Tails:

We've had a bout of late spring type weather. This means temperatures in the 60s and 70s. The sun was shining and the time was right to get out and breath some clean fresh air! I was stoked and ready to enjoy my long walk. I had no idea how badly I had missed my trail!!!

If Ziva could have human expressions, she would have had the most astonished look when we turned to go to the trail instead of staying on the streets. "Really Mommy? We are really going down to the REAL trail???!!!! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!" And she bounced around me as we headed down the hill to the trail head.

It was downright criminal, how wonderful that day was! The sun was shining and the birds were singing! There were some early spring flowers poking their heads out. Granted there weren't any butterflies, but there should have been, as nice out as it was!

There was one scary part of the trail. We heard a noise off to our right. As we neared the area I expected to perhaps see a deer! Then I heard voices. I tightened my grip on Ziva's leash and was on guard for any funny business.

All of a sudden, from out of the bushes I was attacked by a Ginger!!!! "ACK! RUN ZIVA, RUN AWAY!!!!"

Oh the horror of it all! We barely escaped with our lives! Gingers are very scary beings. I've heard all the horror stories on South Park. 

Ziva says "Mom, it looked like a kid with red hair, just cutting a branch off a tree." 

I don't believe Ziva. She is a dog. I am a human. I am the smarter one!

Tonight we have winter weather threats again, for later in the week. I know those in the north are having it a tougher, so you'll have to believe me when I say that here in the south, this is pretty rough. I hope we don't get snowed in or iced in again!

When the weather turns nice again, may all your trails become happier ones! Sunshine makes everything happier! Well, unless you're in a drought state. Or the desert, with no water. Or you are sunburned. Then it isn't as happy.

Walk-on!

Almost, but not Quite

Is there such a thing as being "almost depressed"? That is somewhat, what I struggle with. When someone says they are depressed, do you automatically think they are suicidal? I have no suicidal thoughts. Perhaps my depression does not need medication but needs talk therapy. I think I will look into that more. I am not liking the side affects of my current meds and truly believe that my doctor meant well, but threw pills at me instead of making other suggestions that don't have quick fixes.

In other news, the trainer just is not going to work out. He met with me, was going to arrange sessions and then bailed on me again. I think over a year of trying should tell me that it is time to give up on him.

I am on to plan B. The weight loss support group is going to meet twice a week for strength training exercises. I am hoping the accountability will help us all work on strength training in a positive way with a good outcome. I may even work on a routine so those who are new to strength training, can follow along easier.

That's it for today. Short posting, no photos. I am off to my meeting and my ten minute (or more) walk!

Till next time, Walk-On!!!

What Then?

"I want to get to my goal weight and be happy."
"You're not happy now?"
"I will be happier when I've lost all this weight."
"How will you be different then? Why does a few pounds make you a happier person?"
"Well...well because all my troubles will magically go away when I am thinner!"
"Do you think thin people are always happy?"
"I suppose they are sometimes unhappy, but being thinner must make them just happier people in general."
"Do you know how ridiculous you sound?"
"Um, ya, I guess I do."

I've been a bit under the weather lately.

Call it the winter blues, Seasonal Affective Disorder, cabin fever, gray skies, or depression…I have had a bout of it. It is under control now. I am doing better. Thank you to those who sent words of encouragement.

Depression is a very scary word to many people, including myself. I hate/loath/detest the thought that taking a little pill can help me cope with the world so much easier. Why can't I just suck it up and get over myself? Why do I keep feeling the urge to have a pity party full of tears and angst when I am not taking an anti-depressant? I have tried three different drugs over the past four years. I hate feeling dependent on them but I like having the roller-coaster rides stop when I am taking them. I like feeling more in control. I do not like admitting I need this type of help. I still do not fully accept that I do, indeed, NEED these to cope with life. I will probably try going without again, once the weather changes and I can get outside more. This is what I am telling myself anyway. Right now, this very moment, I don't know what else to say about it.

So, changing topics ... I listen to podcasts all the time. A recent one gave me a small epiphany. I do not believe in myself yet. I do not believe I can keep most all the weight off that I lost. I still think I will gain it all back. I try to trick myself into thinking I won't, but then I start dinking around and having an extra bite of this or that, or I come up with another excuse to not change up my exercise routines. I like being in this rut. I like trying to fool myself into thinking I will be just fine without changing certain things in my life. I like thinking the Foodie Fairy will wave her magic wand and take out all those extra calories found in peanut brittle.


I touch and dance away and touch again. What can I get away with? Can I eat the extra English muffin every morning and get away with it? Can I have that wine on the weekend and not gain weight? Does it really matter?

These are the games I (we) play. Even as I write them down, I know I won't play this game again and gain all my weight back. Even though I do not totally believe in myself, I have not totally given up on myself either. This is one huge thing that is different this time around. I truly am NOT working that hard on maintaining a healthy weight or getting to a goal weight right now. I haven't really worked that hard on this, all along. It took such tiny changes to make, to get spectacular results! Now I am down to the last few pounds though. What I need to figure out is just how much work I am willing to put in to being at a certain weight. What will I cut back on, or give up, or change, in order to weigh less? I don't know yet. I am still trying to figure that out. I have heard this called "finding your happy weight". That is what I am searching for right now...I am trying to find my happy weight.

I actually had one less English muffin for breakfast, two times, this week. That is a step in the right direction. I don't need the extra muffin to feel full or satisfied. Why did I think I needed it? Because it was there. Really. It was there, therefore I must eat it. I used to eat two muffins (and more), so I should be able to do that again but not gain weight, right? What kind of reasoning is this? It is the reasoning that many of us have when fighting food fights. Irrational thoughts. Now I am in the process of learning what rational thoughts are like.

Learning how to live at a healthy weight after having had weight issues for well over 40 years, will take some time. I experiment with myself all the time. I learn new things every week about how to live a healthier life and how to actually LIKE living a healthier life. I keep searching to find my personal "Happy Weight" and this will take more time.

Another thing I'd like to ask you is this; if you were already weighing what you wanted to weigh, how would your life be? What would it be like? What, then? Do you think you will magically change into a unicorn? How about a ballerina? Will everyone suddenly notice you and like you more? You lose the weight...what then?

In other news, the organic strawberries actually looked good this week, in the grocery store. They are terribly expensive still, but oh my they tasted so much better than the non-organic ones. I splurged and got two boxes of them to enjoy. Yummy!

I have kept up with both my resolutions this year. I am still smoke-free and I have walked ten or more minutes every day. Today I went out because I saw it was snowing! We have had ice and sleet but very little actual snow. It felt good, hitting my face as Ziva and I went for our walk. I might have felt different about this if I lived back in Minnesota or on the East Coast. Sorry guys, here in the south, it was a treat for me!

This is it for today! I hope I've given you some food for thought...this type of food has no calories, additives, chemicals, or restrictions! Enjoy! And as we figure all this out, walk on dear readers, walk on!

Creepy!

I have seen it so many times. People who have a wonderful blog or podcast or group, share their successes on weight loss. It is impressive. It is motivational. It gives one hope that they too, can succeed!
Then the person disappears. On average, it seems like these people last about two years before vanishing. It is often weight creep that seems to do them in. It doesn't matter how they've lost weight. It doesn't matter if they've done a program or changed lifestyles. After about the second year into maintenance, they start giving up. I believe I am suffering a similar issue right now. My weight is creeping up.

I, however, refuse to accept that I might gain all my weight back! Not this time! I worked too hard to get where I am at today. What's a girl to do then? Well, goal setting is a start. I have set a goal of walking ten minutes a day for 365 days in a row. I am not sure I can do it, but I am going to see how close I can get! I also have a goal to be smoke free in 2014. I hope I can do both!

The weather has been up and down across the whole United States. Sometimes it is downright COLD here, and not comfortable to go out for a walk. I haven't let it stop me yet. I bundle up and do at least ten minutes and often a few more!

I am also looking way way back to what I was doing when I was feeling the most successful. That would have been in 2011. What was I doing differently then?

I am not too far off on the eating. I need to pump up the greens a bit and cut out the wine a lot. I also think it is time to get even more serious about finding a trainer to get me back in to strength training.


So where do I go from here? I go forward and don't look back!  What do I do now?
I set a new start date of February 1st. I made an appointment with a trainer. We meet up next week. I saw my doctor and got a cortisol shot in my knee. It hurts tonight, from the injection, but the osteoarthritis pain is gone. I hope this will allow me to hit the trails again.


I also asked the doctor about meds for my depression. I haven't had anything since September last year. I suffer from mild depression and anxiety. I find it hard to accept medication to help with the ups and downs of the mood swings. Lately, I've been in tough shape. I can hardly talk to anyone without tearing up. What has me so upset? I am homesick. I've been homesick for years and for now I can't go home. When depression sets in, I long to be back among our friends and family. I have neither here. I have tried, but it just isn't the same. So doc suggested a new med for me. Perhaps this is just the winter blues, perhaps it is just that I am one who suffers from depression. I must admit, I hope these pills help with the mood swings, the crying jags, the lethargy, the lack of sleep, and the feelings of hopelessness. I want to feel strong again.

So there you have it! It has not been easy to admit I am struggling like I am. On the other hand, it has comforted me in that I am NOT giving up! I WILL get this all figured out and I WILL get back on track and I WILL get back into one-derland. Yes, I WILL!

Till next time, walk on!

Happy New Year!

Abby and I are stepping in to the new year with hope, anticipation, dread, determination, and more confidence! We are also smoke free right now. We are also going to do ten minutes of walking today. Will we make it for 365 days in a row? Only time will tell! Happy and healthy New Year wishes to everyone!

Walk-On!

Out With the Old

Most likely this will be my last post for 2013. I have been enjoying a period of permission to lay off eating real well and have not been exercising. It is almost like daring myself to see how far I can go before I blimp-up again! Today was the last yoga class for this year. It is in the same building where I teach classes in weight loss and healthy living. I dared myself to get on the scale today, after yoga class. I haven't weighed myself for several weeks now because I just know I will go over 200 pounds. I was right and I weighed in at 202 pounds. There is no real excuse. I have just been lazy. I have also been struggling with the cigarettes, but only had half of one yesterday and none, so far today. I have my fingers crossed that I am on my way to come back to the body and lifestyle that I like better.

I have heard about 'weight creep' and today's weigh-in was part of that process. What does one do about it? This is how I am tackling it. I am working on goals that I will set for the new year. I guess it is something like the traditional New Year's Resolutions. It is almost 2014. I need to be ready to do something that has me going in the right direction, in the new year!


One challenge that I am considering is to walk every day for at least ten minutes. That would give me 3,650 minutes of walking for the year. Right now it is cold outside. Abby and I do not like walking in the cold. But what could we do? We could pace in the house. We could go to The Center and walk on the track. We could also go to The Center and walk in the pool. There is no end of possibilities. Always try to not say "I can't" but instead say "Well, what can I do?" Negativity is what often does us in.

I have doubted my continued success for this past year. I have felt that no matter how often I tell myself (and others) that I can do this well into my later years, I am saying in my inside voice, that I can't. I will be 60 next year. Can I really keep this up? I am not sure. But I AM sure that I am not ready to give up. I want the body I had about a year ago when I was in the 180's. I am just thinking that I need to give myself permission to do this, one step at a time!!!

So the new year will start out with the celebrations and partying. I am already feeling joy in the fresh start and anticipation of new beginnings, that the new year brings to one's heart.

I need to keep the momentum up as we head into 2014.


Even though I will wake up a bit tired from celebrating, I will get my coffee and start the new day with hope and plans for changing back into the healthier person I know I can be!

I will go back to the basics and rebuild the old me that was the new me, last January. I am even craving oatmeal again! I haven't had any for months. I think my body wanted to hibernate. Time to wake up and smell the coffee, and roses, and life!

Walk-on dear readers, in ... to the new year … with me!

Merry Christmas - Part Two

Abby wanted to wish everyone a joyful holiday season too. These are just random thoughts she's had since Thanksgiving:

Walk-On!!!

Merry Christmas

Or Happy Holidays! Ziva just speaks dog, so I am not sure what she'd say, exactly.

We have such pretty places to go for walks:

Above is in a neighborhood near here, called Lakewood.

Below is also near here:

 "Old Mill" is an interesting park. Part of the old movie, "Gone with the Wind" was shot here. Those bridge railings look like tangled trees, but are actually sculpted from concrete!

Hope Santa is good to everyone! Don't forget to walk-on!!!

Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z

Getting enough sleep is very important for weight loss as well as healthy living. Many of us do not get enough sleep. You would think that the more you are awake, the more you burn calories. Funny thing about that though, your body needs to rest and rebuild cells. A lot of that happens when we are at rest and our metabolism doesn't have to think about other things like laundry, dishes, cleaning the toilet, what to fix for breakfast/lunch/dinner, feeding the dog, feeding the cat, getting to class, getting to the gym, going for walks, sweeping the sidewalk, etc. The brain does a lot of multi-tasking! It needs that down time to renew and rejuvenate.

Abby, often has trouble getting enough sleep. I wonder what the problem is?

I wonder?

The weather is getting friendlier for walking again. I've been busy, inside, due to ice and snow and cold. Trouble is, part of that business was baking things for holiday parties that were cancelled. Now what will I do with all this pumpkin cheesecake???

Walk-on....yes, I shall walk-on!!!

Abby has been busy during the month of November. She did her third Big Dam Bridge Full Moon Walk.

 She also was trying to figure out what to do to make her weight move back down.

  Should she workout more?

Did she need to eat
 more or less? 

She was not amused

 with her obsessing.

 

She did have a mammogram that had normal results. Her bone scan showed she was losing some bone density and had shrunk an inch!

 With her partner out of town for three weeks, she started smoking again. It is bad when you are in yoga class and wishing you could have a smoke.

She is doing ok though and has her patches ready to help her quit the smokes again. She has decided to relax and just increase her daily activity levels back to what she was doing around the beginning of the year. She'd slacked off a bit TOO much we think.

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Join Abby and I as we "Walk-On" into the rest of the holiday season!