Good night all

“Health is the first muse, and sleep is the condition to produce it” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


If sleep is the condition to produce health, then I'm all for it.   I am so blasted tired that I can't wait to go to bed tonight.  I probably fall asleep the minute my head hits the pillow.
 
It was an awesome day at work but one that required my co-workers and I to be on the go and on our feet all day long.   The special event had plenty of ins and outs, ups and downs, however, it made for a memorable event to celebrate a major milestone for the college.
 
It's been a long day.  I'm wiped out.   It's time for sleep.  Good night all.

More sleep, less exercise

"Exercise should be regarded as tribute to the heart." ~ Gene Tunney

I am tired and wiped out and exercise is the last thing I feel like doing. 

Last night I turned off the alarm and decided I would let my internal clock wake me up.  It was my intention to get caught up on my sleep. I don't know that I caught up on my sleep but I did sleep a little later. My internal clock went off at 5:30 a.m.  

I got up but I didn't have time for a full workout so I did some stretching and some situps. So, that is all the body got for today!

Slowly slipping into a sugar coma

“Dinosaurs didn’t smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or eat junk food… and where are they now!?”  ~ Randy Glasbergen

I'm really struggling this evening. I am eating it all.  

I kicked off the evening with a leftover brownie. Then while helping Logan with homework, I ate Triscuits straight from the box. Even after a delicious pork loin, a four layer cheese rice dish and steamed carrots, I still unloaded the tub of chocolate chip cookie dough from the freezer so I could bake some cookies. 

It's insanity. I have thrown the diet out the window today and I am on a sugar high.  Soon I will crash and burn just in time for bed. 

Together again at the dining table

He who eats alone chokes alone. ~Proverb


Tonight was the first night all five of us have been home at the same time. We actually sat down at the dining room table for dinner.

It was a superb meal. Paula grilled steaks, cooked green beans and twice-baked our potatoes. It was delicious.

It was a great way to end the weekend.

I need sleep

"Sleep is the best meditation."
-Dalai Lama

Oh sleep would be so nice.  After two late nights in a row, you would think that I would sleep for hours and hours.  However, I didn't fall asleep until 11:00 p.m.  and then I was up at 6:00 a.m.  

In-between the loads of laundry, I am hoping I get some much needed sleep.  

Sleep is good for my health, so I best get plenty of it.  Not only is it good for my health but good for everyone else around me!  

Tired feet and a beautiful moment

"Walking is free. Get up and get moving." ~ Bob Harper

No more walking for me today, maybe not even tomorrow. I'm thinking no walking for the rest of the weekend!

I just got home from three days of a superb outdoor leadership course with my son Caleb.   Besides all the ropes courses and the swimming there was excessive walking.  And it seemed we walked uphill everywhere we went. 

The walk to the cabins was uphill. The walk to the shower house was uphill. The walk to the pool was uphill. The walk to the dining hall was uphill.  The walk from the lake back to the top of the slide was ... well you get it... Uphill!

Although my feet are tired, I am thrilled the camp went so well for the  junior high school kids.  I am always amazed by the confidence the ropes courses build in each and every student.  Left and right, students are climbing poles and walls,  crossing wires, and jumping from trees.  With each drop of sweat, they let go of their fears and put their trust in themselves and others. 

Perhaps the most awesome moment of the entire camp was when a young man facing his own physical challenges was able to garner enough self confidence to climb the pole and get on the walking bridge. What brought me, as well as other adults, to tears was witnessing over 40 some teenagers stop what they were doing to focus on helping the young man have the courage to get across the high wire walking bridge. 

A beautiful moment!

Everything is uphill at Camp Sabra

"God sent Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden for eating the apple. Apples have carbs and carbs are evil." ~ Randy Glasbergen 

It's been an exceptionally good day with a bunch of teenagers.  

It's been a mentally and physically challenge day at Camp Sabra with St George's Junior High.  We walked  many miles. We climbed high into the sky. And we swam in the pool and lake. 

As one parent said, "I think everything is uphill around here!". That is how much we've walked and hiked today.

Great day for the kids and the adults. 

Off to camp we go

"I just look at a bagel and my a** gets bigger!” ~ Jillian Michaels

I'm loading up on the protein this morning.  I have ate three eggs and a large glass of chocolate milk.

I'm participating in St. George's annual trip to Camp Sabra for the 6th, 7th and 8th graders.   It's been my experience that the meals at the camp are high in carbohydrates.   It's great for the kids because they are climbing walls, crossing tight ropes and zip lining.  For me, the food just goes to my hips!

Anyhow, looking forward to another fun time at camp.

Paula Deen again

"I'm your cook, honey, not your doctor!" ~ Paula Deen

Tonight Paula came home to inform us she was trying a new Paula Deen recipe. Logan instantly moaned.  "Not that again!"

The last time Paula sprung a Food Network recipe on us Logan wasn't impressed.   Paula made what she called Rachel Ray potatoes.  According to Logan they were nasty!

Anyhow, despite Logan's comments, the Paula Dean enchiladas were delicious. 

Under stress, living with kids. You might be fat!

“Forget your diet, let the chocolate chips fall where they may.” ~ Author Unknown

At the dinner table, Caleb tells me that he heard on the TV that most people who have kids and are under a lot of stress are usually fat. 

I looked at him with a glare. "What are you trying to say Caleb?" I asked. 

According to Caleb there is a medication I can take to get rid of the fat. 

I thought he was going to tell me that there is a drug to get rid of the kids and the stress. 

Of course, Caleb can't remember the medication's name.  "I think it starts with a Z."

Thanks a lot Caleb!

Munchies

"My diet says I can have 1800 calories per day. It doesn’t say anything about night!” ~ Randy Glasbergen

Munchies. I have the munchies really bad today.  

Do you ever have days like that? You eat something and an hour later your looking in the pantry or the refrigerator looking for something to eat. 

It is days like today that I consume entirely too many calories. I am guessing that I have went over my limit. 

I hate days like this!!

Moving forward

Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever. ~ Lance Armstrong

While the lightening was dancing in the sky early this morning, I was safely tucked away inside the gym on a treadmill.  While it rained, I jogged. 

In addition to the jogging I lifted some dumbbells. It was the day to workout the arms - the shoulders, the triceps and biceps.  It turned out to be a very productive forty minutes. 

I'm still dealing with the awful blister on my foot. Despite the pain I am pushing through it and making some progress. So today's forty minutes were an even bigger deal for me. I'm not quitting. 

Step on scale, suck in your stomach

“Self delusion is pulling in your stomach when you step on the scales.” – Paul Sweeney

I stepped on the scale this morning. I believe I might have rid myself of a pound.  At least, it was a number I haven't seen in awhile. I didn't even have to suck in my stomach before getting on the scale. 

Tremendous boredom

The word aerobics comes from two Greek words: aero, meaning "ability to," and bics, meaning "withstand tremendous boredom." ~ Dave Berry

I've been considering the P90X workout or maybe the other workout by Mr. Horton.  What's it called, intensity or insanity?  I don't recall. I've hesitated purchasing or even borrowing the DVDs because I have tried such silly exercise programs before only to be - how did Dave Berry say it - "tremendously bored".

I'm getting ready to calculate my calories and activity for the day. I'm anticipating it won't be pretty. I didn't workout today so there won't be any activity to record. As for the food I ate, well it was a high calorie, high carbohydrate day.  Lasagna and pizza in the same day.  Not exactly diet food.

By the time I am done calculating my calories, I might be wishing I put one of those boring exercise DVDs in the player this morning.

Five calories over the limit

"It is a scientific fact that your body will not absorb cholesterol if you take it from another person's plate." ~ Dave Berry

I'm back to counting calories. Counting calories isn't fun but it does work for me. 

For the last couple of days I've been under my calorie count. Today I was five calories over.  I should have skipped the bowl of ice cream tonight. 

Although it isn't fun, it is easier to do nowadays with online services and mobile applications to do the work for you. Now if there was an app that did the exercise for me I would be set!

Downsizing

"Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos." ~ Don Kardong

It's time to get serious and eliminate some calories from my daily diet.

I'm starting with ice cream. I'm not giving up ice cream. Let's not be crazy.  I'm trying to downsize my ice cream bowl.   I have been eating from a soup bowl, a large soup bowl, more like a gravy bowl.  So this evening I ate my chocolate chip ice cream in a smaller soup bowl.  

Bucket of chicken

“It’s not food if it arrived through the window of your car.” ~ Michael Pollan


Tonight’s dinner didn’t arrive through the window of a car, but it did arrive in a cardboard bucket from Wal-mart.

Unfortunately, it was less than what I had anticipated. On many occasions my family and I have purchased the $10 buckets of chicken from Wal-mart especially when there isn’t time to prepare dinner. Usually, we dine on three very delicious flavors of piping hot chicken.

Sadly, the usual flavors of chicken weren’t available. The only options were chicken tenders, popcorn chicken and deep fried ravioli. Although it might sound appetizing, it wasn’t. The chicken tenders were hard as a rock and the popcorn chicken tasted like breaded little balls of grease.

Despite a less than satisfying high calorie dinner, I did stay under my calorie budget for the day.

Giving the kneeboard a workout

"The water is your friend. You don't have to fight with water, just share the same spirit as the water, and it will help you move." ~Aleksandr Popov

Kneeboarding is an acquatic sport.  My first clue that I wouldn't be good at kneeboarding should have been the word - sport.

Last year while camping at Mark Twain Lake, I tried kneeboarding. I tried over and over again to get myself up on the kneeboard. I actually got up on the board but don't blink because you would likely miss it. 

One year later, I am back at Mark Twain Lake, back on a boat and once again in the water trying to get my big ole behind on a tiny little flat object floating in the water.  After three or four tries, I finally got myself up on the kneeboard and for a few brief moments I was gliding across the water.  It was quite a workout getting on the kneeboard. Staying on it not as much.

All adults and children on the boat feared I would be in pain this morning when I got out of bed.  I didn't dispute it. I was certain I might experience a number of aches and pains. Fortunately that wasn't the case and I was one of the first up this morning ready to go! 

Horse flies and blisters

Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.  ~Wallace Stevens

I took a walk around the Mark Twain Lake early this morning. I didn't come back with any truth. Instead I came back with a huge blister. 

I've been wearing these new tennis shoes for over a month.  Not once did I get a blister. Today I take a leisure forty minute walk down the highway near our campground and I get a huge blister. 

Not only did I get a blister the size of a quarter, I also got attacked by a vicious horse fly.  It was relentless.  I tried to out run it but it insisted on joining me for what was suppose to be an enjoyable stroll. 

Half way back to the campground the pain from the blister became too much. I took off my tennis shoe and hobbled the rest of the way back to the campground. Every time the horse fly showed up I would shake my shoe at it. 

For all the pain and turmoil of this morning's walk, surely I've lost a half a pound of fat!

All food bad for you after forty

"After age 40, all food is bad for you.  Learn to chew air and eat rocks." ~ Randy Glasbergen.

My family rushed me to make a decision about what I wanted to eat at McDonalds. I didn't want to eat at McDonalds for lunch but we are on our way to go camping and the boys were in a hurry. 

There aren't very many healthy options on the menu.  Since all food is bad for you once you reach 40, does it really matter if I have the five dollar grilled chicken sandwich or the  buy one get one free Big Mac.  I think not!

And by the way, the rocks in the parking lot didn't look all that tasty. I should just do as Randy Glasbergen suggests and chew on air.

Pumping iron vs. Sawing logs

"Get comfortable with being uncomfortable." ~ Jillian Michaels

Oh, geez. Jillian Michaels is right.  I'm really comfortable sitting here on the sofa so the thought of going for a walk or even a jog seems very uncomfortable. 

This morning when the alarm went off, the pillow under my head was comfortable.  However, I got up and pushed my body to the limit lifting weights.  It was a great way to start my day. 

Ten minutes on the treadmill

"I have a confession. I bought the treadmill to cover a stain on the carpet." ~ Randy Glasbergen

Treadmills. What an interesting piece of exercise equipment? I would say it is the most dreaded piece of necessary equipment in the gym and when it's in your home it always seems to make a fantastic clothes rack. I've never owned one, but I have used them from time-to-time at a number of fitness centers. Today I used one for ten minutes. I didn't allow myself much time to exercise this morning, so ten minutes was all I had time for today.

Have you noticed the minute you update your status on Facebook, the related ads change on the right hand side of the screen. I posted today's quote about buying a treadmill to cover a stain on the carpet. Instantly, the quotes changed to the Fitness Zone, Sports Art Fitness and Flex Band Online. Obviously, the widgets that make the ads pop up thought I needed to purchase a treadmill or some other piece of exercise equipment. I seriously believe there is a flaw in the dynamics of the words Facebook's automated system selected for me. Maybe what I really need is to have my carpets cleaned or maybe I just need to purchase a bottle of Resolve carpet cleaner.

Be careful what you post on Facebook, you never know what Facebook will have you purchasing.

Plenty of vegetables and boys in the kitchen

“The first Food Pyramid was built in ancient Egypt by a Pharoah who hated vegetables so much he buried them at the bottom.” ~ Randy Glasbergen

Vegetables.  Did I have vegetables today?  I had pizza sauce with my pizza at lunch.  Does that count as vegetables?   I did have a salad with my pizza.  It was suppose to fill me up so that by the time the pizza came to the table I wouldn't eat the whole 9-inch pizza.  It didn't exactly work the way I planned it.   I ate half the salad and all the pizza.

Yes, vegetables.  I remember now, I had a spoonful of green beans with my steak.   Does a bake potato count as a vegetable?  What about butter and sour cream?  My steak was good.   Derek has become really good at grilling steaks this summer.   The best part is that he enjoys doing it and we don't even have to ask him to do it.  I came home from work and he had just finished grilling.   Add a baked potato and some green beans and you have yourself a meal in a matter of 15 minutes.  Awesome!

Yep, I had vegetables today.   I also had pizza, steak and chocolate chip cookies.   Cocoa comes from a cocoa bean, right?  Beans are vegetables, correct?   I wasn't planning to have any more "vegetables" today, but Logan insisted on baking cookies.   He was outraged that he had been at a friend's house last night when we baked cookies and there were only two left when he got home.  I couldn't hurt his feelings and not eat one of the cookies he baked for us.  Speaking of chocolate chips, I've been told that Caleb makes a really good chocolate chip pancake.  It seems Caleb has been the first one up in the morning which would be eight or nine o'clock in the morning during the summer.   He must be a master chef when it comes to making breakfast.  I've yet to sample his master pieces.

I could get use to my sons making me breakfast, lunch and dinner.   I'll be fat, but I'll never have to cook again.

Have you kept your New Year's Resolution to lose weight?

“My advice if you insist on slimming: Eat as much as you like – just don’t swallow it.”- Harry Secombe

Are you keeping your New Year's Eve resolution?  I had resolved that I would reach a normal body mass index of 24 which meant I had to lose almost 42 pounds.   I lost 30 pounds by April and then gradually gained 20 of those pounds back.  I stopped exercising on a daily basis and I stopped eating healthy.   Now as we get closer to the end of the year, I'm desperately trying to get back into a routine of eating less and exercising more and it's been tough.

Also, I pledged to myself that I would post a quote about dieting and exercising every day on my Facebook page and I would blog about dieting and exercising every day.   So far I have kept that commitment.   I started out being somewhat inspirational to others, but now I'm just battling the bulge like everyone else. 

So that's where I stand on my New Year's Eve resolution.   I still have 145 days left.   Perhaps I'll kick it into high gear and surprise myself with a miraculous weight loss story.  :-)

Calculating calories accurately

I lied on my Weight Watchers list. I put down that I had 3 eggs... but they were Cadbury chocolate eggs. ~Caroline Rhea

Earlier this year I downloaded the Lose It application for my phone.   I was faithfully and honestly recording what I ate and how much I ate.   As I started to fall off the diet wagon, I wasn't as faithful about it, nor was I as honest about it either.   After you've ate more than a dozen cookies in one day, doesn't it really matter if you really ate 15 cookies instead of twelve.

Gaining muscle?

"My gym has special bodybuilding workouts for beginners. I signed up for the grunting class." ~ Randy Glasbergen. 

For the the fifth day in a row I have made it to the gym.  Some days I have only worked out twenty minutes and other days it has been thirty minutes.  Today was a little over forty. 

No matter the minutes, I suppose showing up is what counts.  

I guess I will go back on Monday. After a week of weight lifting I wasn't all that thrilled with the scale at the gym this morning.  I weighed five pounds more than I did on Tuesday.  How the heck did that happen?!  

I guess I could let myself believe that I gained that in muscle but I seriously doubt it!

Starting the day off right

"The healthiest part of a donut is the hole.  Unfortunately, you have to eat through the rest of the donut to get there!” ~ Randy Glasbergen

I avoided the donuts today although the sinfully delicious treats were available.  Instead, I started my morning with weight lifting and a delicious breakfast of sausage and eggs. It was a great start to my day and luckily my eating habits remained healthy throughout the day. 

Oh how I hate to run

"Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter; long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best." --Michael Johnson

What a blessing to finally find a quote that speaks to the "sprinter" that dwells inside of my mind, my body and my soul.  

I so admire all of you who enjoy running.  I'm in awe of all the people who fall in love with running so much that they will run a marathon.   Heck, I'm amazed by anyone who runs a 5K.  I have never signed up, nor do I expect to sign up, for any of those sort of races. 

I have never been a long distance runner.  I hate it.  I simply do not enjoy it at all.   I've tried it many times and I still find no enjoyment in it at all.   Perhaps I don't stretch enough.  Maybe I don't breath right.   I'm not real sure what it is about running, but I am not a fan.

You will find me sprinting.  I would much rather do twenty or thirty minutes of sprinting on a tread mill or a track than to run at a steady pace for any long distance.  

I was never on the track team in high school, but I think I might have enjoyed it.  I might have even been good at it.  As for cross country, I would have sucked wind, passed out and rolled down the hill.

Anyway, I'm glad to see the weather shifted today.  The rain came and the excessive heat slightly dissipated.  And for us sprinters and runners up early this morning, the clouds enhanced an already gorgeous sunrise.  

Avoiding obstacles

"A strong body makes for a strong mind." ~ Thomas Jefferson

I have to agree with Mr. Jefferson. I have a much better day when I start my day with exercise. I am usually in a better mood. I make better decisions. And I generally feel better about myself.

Despite many obstacles - getting out of bed late and going back home for my phone - I did get in a quick twenty minute workout.

The pizza's hot idiot

"If pizza is hot enough to burn the roof of your mouth, why isn't it hot enough to burn belly fat?" ~ Randy Glasbergen

While eating pizza at Dave's Pizza and Wings with a co-worker, I started shoving pizza in my mouth the moment the waitress placed it on the table.  Immediately, I moaned in pain and reached for the water.  I scalded the roof of my mouth. 

I suppose that's what I get for eating    salad and pizza. I ate well all morning. I had a healthy homemade burrito for breakfast including a banana  and then an apple for a snack.  Of course, while I was out with a co-worker I was easily talked into eating lunch out.  I had plenty of salads to select from at Dave's, however I was weak and I opted for the salad and the pizza.  

Is it any wonder I struggle to lose and maintain my weight?  

Good thing I got in a workout this morning because the pizza burned the roof of my mouth and not my belly fat!

Expensive snacking

"Don't tell me to improve my diet. I ate a carrot once and nothing happened!" ~ Randy Glasbergen 

Why is it eating healthy is so expensive?  

I bought a prepackaged container of sliced apples and diced cheese for a snack today.  When I paired that with a bottle of water, I was shocked when it rang up for three or more dollars. I realize it was prepackaged but did it really cost that much to cut the apples and dice the cheese. For a dollar, I could have ate three chocolate chip cookies from McDonalds.  

So, I can either be thin, healthy and broke or I can be fat, happy and filthy rich.