Lately I've been buying spinach and not eating it before it goes bad. So I got some and am determined to use it! So I made my very first green smoothie this morning. Eh. Not really impressed. Will have to seek out various recipes to see what will improve the taste for me. I used spinach, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, flax seed and almond milk.
Looking back, I see that I really haven't posted photos since JULY! Part of that is because of a slow gaining back of around 10 pounds. :-P Will try to get back into good habits and posting photos more.
Cutting out dairy, gluten and corn is quite the challenge. They put corn syrup in almost EVERYTHING! I bought some coconut milk yogurt to try and it was delish! So I'm going to find more of that kind of thing because I do love my yogurt!
Weight today - 187
Currently loosely using the Flat Belly Diet plan. A healthy way of eating for LIFE!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Burnett Christmas photos
Just got home and the trip west was much quicker and certainly less stressful than 9 hours in a blizzard!!! Kitties are VERY glad to see us. And it's always good to get home after a trip.
A fairly good photo of the four of us.
My kids with their Grandpa
A fairly good photo of the four of us.
My kids with their Grandpa
Saturday, December 26, 2009
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
We have had a wonderful Christmas with family here in Arkansas.
We left Colorado on Tuesday evening during a snowstorm. It was AWFUL! Saw a VERY bad wreck on Hwy 24 before we got onto the Interstate, which was also snow-packed with blinding snow coming down almost constantly. We only got 300 miles in about 9 hours before stopping for the night/morning in Wakeeny, KS. We were afraid that we'd be stuck there for 48 hours, but when we got up around noon (we'd stopped at around 5am), it was no longer snowing. The roads were still snow-packed for a little while, but after Hays, KS, the roads were pretty clear. We did run into some rain, too that day, but it was a great improvement over the previous night. We were all pretty tired and cranky. We'd taken 2 cars, so I was driving during the blizzard and at first the next day. But then the kids were in one car and we lost them a couple times in Oklahoma. They eventually got back on track with the GPS. :-)
On Christmas Eve it started snowing/sleeting here so we did have a white Christmas. My older sister's family from Texas are thoroughly enjoying the snow and my nephew's Siberian Husky, Tifa is REALLY enjoying herself! And guess who forgot her camera - yeah, me. As my daughter said, I'm more likely to forget one of my kids rather than my camera! But my sisters, brother and nephew's girlfriend all have great cameras so I'll just a disk of photos from them. Will upload photos later. My younger sister got a FANTASTIC photo of my family on Christmas Eve, so that will probably be the first one I put up.
I saw my sister's chiropractor on Thursday and she did all kinds of testing on me. (It was my sister's gift to me.) I showed a sensitivity to dairy, wheat and corn. So I'm going to try a 2-week detox by eliminating those major 3 and see how I feel. (That will start AFTER we get home, though I have been limiting my intake of them.) She also recommended a couple of supplements, which I'm going to take and my cardiologist can kiss my butt. ;-)
I hope all of you have had a happy and healthy Christmas with family and friends. We celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
We left Colorado on Tuesday evening during a snowstorm. It was AWFUL! Saw a VERY bad wreck on Hwy 24 before we got onto the Interstate, which was also snow-packed with blinding snow coming down almost constantly. We only got 300 miles in about 9 hours before stopping for the night/morning in Wakeeny, KS. We were afraid that we'd be stuck there for 48 hours, but when we got up around noon (we'd stopped at around 5am), it was no longer snowing. The roads were still snow-packed for a little while, but after Hays, KS, the roads were pretty clear. We did run into some rain, too that day, but it was a great improvement over the previous night. We were all pretty tired and cranky. We'd taken 2 cars, so I was driving during the blizzard and at first the next day. But then the kids were in one car and we lost them a couple times in Oklahoma. They eventually got back on track with the GPS. :-)
On Christmas Eve it started snowing/sleeting here so we did have a white Christmas. My older sister's family from Texas are thoroughly enjoying the snow and my nephew's Siberian Husky, Tifa is REALLY enjoying herself! And guess who forgot her camera - yeah, me. As my daughter said, I'm more likely to forget one of my kids rather than my camera! But my sisters, brother and nephew's girlfriend all have great cameras so I'll just a disk of photos from them. Will upload photos later. My younger sister got a FANTASTIC photo of my family on Christmas Eve, so that will probably be the first one I put up.
I saw my sister's chiropractor on Thursday and she did all kinds of testing on me. (It was my sister's gift to me.) I showed a sensitivity to dairy, wheat and corn. So I'm going to try a 2-week detox by eliminating those major 3 and see how I feel. (That will start AFTER we get home, though I have been limiting my intake of them.) She also recommended a couple of supplements, which I'm going to take and my cardiologist can kiss my butt. ;-)
I hope all of you have had a happy and healthy Christmas with family and friends. We celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Is your scale stuck?
I'm just reminding myself of all the truths of working on weight loss. :-) Last week at a business women's luncheon, I bid on the MK Satin hands set and it included a weight loss book and journal. I would rather stick with my flat belly diet but am excited to have a bona fide journal to use. :-)
Great encouragement from Denise Austin:
Fitness Flash
Is Your Scale Stuck?
Many times, people who start my plan become worried when they notice a weight gain instead of a loss after their first few weeks of exercising. Or they're concerned because they've added plenty of movement to their day, but the pounds just aren't dropping off.
If you're exercising and eating right, the most likely explanation for why you don't weigh less is actually good news: your increased activity is building muscle! Don't panic: Additional muscle mass can cause you to weigh more, but it looks much more trim and fit! Muscle tissue also uses more energy than fat, meaning you'll be burning more calories even when you're not exercising.
So try to focus on more than just the scale! Don't forget to measure lost inches with a tape measure and the Inch Tracker, and remember that even if you're gaining muscle weight, you're increasing your fat-burning potential and reshaping your figure at the same time. Be proud — you're working hard and your body is changing for the better. Keep it up!
Great encouragement from Denise Austin:
Fitness Flash
Is Your Scale Stuck?
Many times, people who start my plan become worried when they notice a weight gain instead of a loss after their first few weeks of exercising. Or they're concerned because they've added plenty of movement to their day, but the pounds just aren't dropping off.
If you're exercising and eating right, the most likely explanation for why you don't weigh less is actually good news: your increased activity is building muscle! Don't panic: Additional muscle mass can cause you to weigh more, but it looks much more trim and fit! Muscle tissue also uses more energy than fat, meaning you'll be burning more calories even when you're not exercising.
So try to focus on more than just the scale! Don't forget to measure lost inches with a tape measure and the Inch Tracker, and remember that even if you're gaining muscle weight, you're increasing your fat-burning potential and reshaping your figure at the same time. Be proud — you're working hard and your body is changing for the better. Keep it up!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
10 pounds to go?
Love this advice from Denise Austin. Actually, after my recent gain, I have 20lbs. :-P
Ask Denise!
10 Pounds to Go!
Q: I've lost close to 50 pounds, and now that I'm finally down to the last 10 pounds, I'm finding it hard to stay determined. How can I keep up my motivation?
A: Congratulations — you've done a great job so far! The last 10 pounds are usually the hardest to lose, but don't give up! The best way to rev up your metabolism is to add another five minutes to your routine. Try light walking around the block, toning exercises, even light isometrics (resistance exercises during which you hold a position for a set period of time). These will all help speed up that metabolism and burn those extra pounds. Also, make sure you drink plenty of water and curb snacking in the evening. This will help you get over your last hurdle. Good luck — you're almost there!
Ask Denise!
10 Pounds to Go!
Q: I've lost close to 50 pounds, and now that I'm finally down to the last 10 pounds, I'm finding it hard to stay determined. How can I keep up my motivation?
A: Congratulations — you've done a great job so far! The last 10 pounds are usually the hardest to lose, but don't give up! The best way to rev up your metabolism is to add another five minutes to your routine. Try light walking around the block, toning exercises, even light isometrics (resistance exercises during which you hold a position for a set period of time). These will all help speed up that metabolism and burn those extra pounds. Also, make sure you drink plenty of water and curb snacking in the evening. This will help you get over your last hurdle. Good luck — you're almost there!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
HYC Check-in
Hanging in there. Definitely feeling better. Got back into the exercise habit the past couple of days. Maintained over the holiday so that's cool. My goal is to really focus on weight-lifting. Found a gorgeous dress for the New Year's gala at the Broadmoor and it has spaghetti straps. So need to firm up the flabbies. Those of you as close to 50 as me know what I'm talkin' about! ;-)
We woke up on Thanksgiving morning to an oven that didn't work! Zoinks! Hubby started looking online and found a recipe to grill the turkey. It was the BEST turkey we've ever had, so tender and juicy! Everything else we did stovetop or microwave for Thanksgiving. Got up the next morning and the oven turned on just fine. Too funny. But we plan to always grill the turkey now!!
FROM DENISE AUSTIN:
Eat Right!
Get Your Superfoods!
Looking for a way to get even more bang for your nutritional buck? Try these "superfoods"! They're loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to help you feel great, and they even help fight disease! Incorporate them into your diet today!
* Almonds: A source of "good" fat, almonds can help your heart by lowering bad cholesterol!
* Berries: They're jammed with vitamins — particularly vitamin C — but new research has found these sweet little sensations to be ace disease fighters too, helping to prevent bladder infections and even cancers, among other illnesses.
* Broccoli: Folate, vitamin C, calcium — broccoli is packed with all these awesome nutrients. Now researchers think it might also fight cancer!
* Avocado: The large number of calories in a serving of avocado is totally worth it! This source of healthy fat contains a ton of vitamin K and potassium and is also associated with lower cholesterol and even the prevention of breast cancer!
* Salmon: Low in calories, easy to prepare, and amazingly good for you — what's not to love about salmon? And the omega-3 fatty acids in salmon are great for your heart!
* Olive oil: Another good fat! Besides making your food incredibly tasty, olive oil can also protect you from heart disease.
* Green tea: So much research has touted the benefits of green tea, it's hard to know where to begin! But here's a sample: A Japanese study in 2006 showed that green tea lowered the risk of death from all causes. How's that for a superfood?
We woke up on Thanksgiving morning to an oven that didn't work! Zoinks! Hubby started looking online and found a recipe to grill the turkey. It was the BEST turkey we've ever had, so tender and juicy! Everything else we did stovetop or microwave for Thanksgiving. Got up the next morning and the oven turned on just fine. Too funny. But we plan to always grill the turkey now!!
FROM DENISE AUSTIN:
Eat Right!
Get Your Superfoods!
Looking for a way to get even more bang for your nutritional buck? Try these "superfoods"! They're loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to help you feel great, and they even help fight disease! Incorporate them into your diet today!
* Almonds: A source of "good" fat, almonds can help your heart by lowering bad cholesterol!
* Berries: They're jammed with vitamins — particularly vitamin C — but new research has found these sweet little sensations to be ace disease fighters too, helping to prevent bladder infections and even cancers, among other illnesses.
* Broccoli: Folate, vitamin C, calcium — broccoli is packed with all these awesome nutrients. Now researchers think it might also fight cancer!
* Avocado: The large number of calories in a serving of avocado is totally worth it! This source of healthy fat contains a ton of vitamin K and potassium and is also associated with lower cholesterol and even the prevention of breast cancer!
* Salmon: Low in calories, easy to prepare, and amazingly good for you — what's not to love about salmon? And the omega-3 fatty acids in salmon are great for your heart!
* Olive oil: Another good fat! Besides making your food incredibly tasty, olive oil can also protect you from heart disease.
* Green tea: So much research has touted the benefits of green tea, it's hard to know where to begin! But here's a sample: A Japanese study in 2006 showed that green tea lowered the risk of death from all causes. How's that for a superfood?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
HYC check in
Forgot about checking in! Went to my chiropractor yesterday and she did the thing to my jaw joint again on both sides. It hurt, but it definitely helps! My ears feel better and I don't hear the blood rushing around anymore.
Weight is still up. Need to get back into my walking habit! Sneezing like crazy and my sinuses feel like they are filling up. So I may be coming down with something. Ugh. Took some Emergen-C and think I'll go to bed.
Good news alert, though. My son had his annual CF app't today and he was up SIX POUNDS since Sept. That is a reason to celebrate!!!! He is ALMOST on the growth chart, near the 5th percentile. BMI is still waaaaay too low, though. But the doctor was really happy with the gain.
Here are 7 Snack-Smart Guidelines
And here is The Vending Machine Survival Guide
Weight is still up. Need to get back into my walking habit! Sneezing like crazy and my sinuses feel like they are filling up. So I may be coming down with something. Ugh. Took some Emergen-C and think I'll go to bed.
Good news alert, though. My son had his annual CF app't today and he was up SIX POUNDS since Sept. That is a reason to celebrate!!!! He is ALMOST on the growth chart, near the 5th percentile. BMI is still waaaaay too low, though. But the doctor was really happy with the gain.
Here are 7 Snack-Smart Guidelines
And here is The Vending Machine Survival Guide
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Great lists
The 20 Worst Restaurant Foods in America
I need to get my son to eat Outback's Baby Back Ribs every night. Maybe that would help him gain weight! =O
The 10 Best Foods You Aren't Eating
I need to get my son to eat Outback's Baby Back Ribs every night. Maybe that would help him gain weight! =O
The 10 Best Foods You Aren't Eating
Friday, November 20, 2009
Dove dark chocolate
Here's an interesting article from the Prevention Magazine website - Dark Chocolate and Antioxidants
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Relief
I went to my chiropractor on Tuesday and she did some weird thing, sticking her finger deep into my jaw on the right side. I iced it according to her direction that evening. Yesterday I kept a heating pad on it because it felt good. And today, my ear is feeling SO much better. Now that the right side is feeling good, I can tell that there's a bit of pressure on the left side, too so I may go back and her do that on the left side, too. I can't remember what she said it was, but it worked!
Yeah, I'll take that "voodoo" medicine every time! ;-)
Yeah, I'll take that "voodoo" medicine every time! ;-)
Monday, November 16, 2009
And today I fell
Literally, fell. Got out of bed to go to the bathroom this morning and my bladder was full so I probably was moving a little more quickly than I should with POTS. As I got to the bathroom door, things were going black, so I grabbed the door frame on one side, the other hand grabbed things hanging on the over-the-door-rack which all came tumbling down, so I fell backward and sideways and slammed my upper back onto the corner of the cupboard attached to the wall opposite from the shower. I guess that was probably preferable to putting my head through the shower door, eh?
I will confess to several non-family friendly words coming out of my mouth. It HURT! Plus I was just PO'ed that I fell. I'm 49 years old, not NINETY! Felt like calling my cardiologist and telling him that he's an ass and why am I so much WORSE than when I first went to him?????????????
Weight is up and I'm just not going to worry about it right now. I'm PMSing on top of everything else and I'm CRANKY. I'm sure my hubby will validate the truth of that.
Oh, and I noticed after having cereal that my ear (just the right one now) got worse, so I'm going to do some trials with milk - avoiding it and using rice milk for a while. The POTS website did say that some patients do have problems with dairy. Of course my doctor would probably consider that "voodoo medicine." Stupid quack.
I will confess to several non-family friendly words coming out of my mouth. It HURT! Plus I was just PO'ed that I fell. I'm 49 years old, not NINETY! Felt like calling my cardiologist and telling him that he's an ass and why am I so much WORSE than when I first went to him?????????????
Weight is up and I'm just not going to worry about it right now. I'm PMSing on top of everything else and I'm CRANKY. I'm sure my hubby will validate the truth of that.
Oh, and I noticed after having cereal that my ear (just the right one now) got worse, so I'm going to do some trials with milk - avoiding it and using rice milk for a while. The POTS website did say that some patients do have problems with dairy. Of course my doctor would probably consider that "voodoo medicine." Stupid quack.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tuesday
Weight down a bit more to 184.8.
I don't think this is tinnitus. It's not really a ringing, it's my pulse. I can hear the blood rushing around. So I'm hoping that if I can get my heart rate under control, it will ease up. I didn't get the new med until last night. Walmart has having problems with the insurance connection and when we picked it up last night, it says not to take it within 4 hours of going to bed. So I took the first dose this afternoon when I got up.
Need to get my sleep pattern under control. Staying up way too late and I know that hampers weight loss and health.
Some great lists:
8 Fatty Foods with Health Benefits
This will warm your heart as it encourages eating some of your beloved foods that you are avoiding because you THINK they aren't healthy.
The Truth behind 5 food myths
OK, the one on salt validates what my cardiologist said! ;-) I definitely need to try to increase my potassium.
Edit to note: Blood pressure today 101/67, heart rate 86 before walking on the treadmill. My cardiologist actually wants to get my BP UP, not down. :-D Yesterday and today I have noticed that my heart is getting lower than it has in a while, so maybe the new med is what I needed. Have an appointment at the acute care clinic at 10:40 tonight! Figured I would take any app't I could get today. Need to go by Walmart and pick up a new book before I go.
I don't think this is tinnitus. It's not really a ringing, it's my pulse. I can hear the blood rushing around. So I'm hoping that if I can get my heart rate under control, it will ease up. I didn't get the new med until last night. Walmart has having problems with the insurance connection and when we picked it up last night, it says not to take it within 4 hours of going to bed. So I took the first dose this afternoon when I got up.
Need to get my sleep pattern under control. Staying up way too late and I know that hampers weight loss and health.
Some great lists:
8 Fatty Foods with Health Benefits
This will warm your heart as it encourages eating some of your beloved foods that you are avoiding because you THINK they aren't healthy.
The Truth behind 5 food myths
OK, the one on salt validates what my cardiologist said! ;-) I definitely need to try to increase my potassium.
Edit to note: Blood pressure today 101/67, heart rate 86 before walking on the treadmill. My cardiologist actually wants to get my BP UP, not down. :-D Yesterday and today I have noticed that my heart is getting lower than it has in a while, so maybe the new med is what I needed. Have an appointment at the acute care clinic at 10:40 tonight! Figured I would take any app't I could get today. Need to go by Walmart and pick up a new book before I go.
Monday, November 9, 2009
HYC check in
Well I've been yo-yoing with a pound the past week. This morning's weight was 185.2, so still a net loss of 1.2lbs since last week. I'll take the loss. We went dancing Saturday night. I get a little light-headed if I dance too much, but it was fun. Today I walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes. My heart rate was up to 156, so I didn't want to push it for too long. I'm going to keep it kind of low key for a while. But I'd really like to lose 10lbs by New Year's and get a fab new dress for the gala at The Broadmoor. ;-)
The doctor's visit was still unsatisfactory. He said I'm a "puzzle" and he wants me to try another med. Still have the noise in my ears and it's still driving me nuts. I guess I need to go to a regular doctor and get my ears checked out. I have a follow-up app't with the cardiologist in six weeks. And since he REALLY pissed me off last week, (don't want to go into details right now) if I'm not measurably better then, I'm going to tell him he's fired since he hasn't helped me any, so I choose not to see him again.
Lynn at Actual Scale is having a giveaway for a $50 Amazon card to celebrate her 50lbs lost. Check it out!
The doctor's visit was still unsatisfactory. He said I'm a "puzzle" and he wants me to try another med. Still have the noise in my ears and it's still driving me nuts. I guess I need to go to a regular doctor and get my ears checked out. I have a follow-up app't with the cardiologist in six weeks. And since he REALLY pissed me off last week, (don't want to go into details right now) if I'm not measurably better then, I'm going to tell him he's fired since he hasn't helped me any, so I choose not to see him again.
Lynn at Actual Scale is having a giveaway for a $50 Amazon card to celebrate her 50lbs lost. Check it out!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Thursday - down again!
Was completely shocked when the scale said 184.0 this morning. Stayed up way too late reading. (A pox on that Dean Koontz!) ;-) But I'll take that 1.4lb loss in 24 hours.
TSO is so amazing!!!
We completely enjoyed the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert! Check out their website and you can listen to some of their songs. They had some new band members and a new stage. There were a few times when my ears were hurting, but with the loud music, it drowned out the internal sounds in them! ;-)
We like to make their concert an annual holiday tradition, but as I mentioned, I missed the past couple of years. They announced tonight that they will be doing a SPRING tour as well, so my daughter and I plan to go to that if at all possible. Hubby hates the traffic and the crowds and my son doesn't like the main male vocalist. (In fact, he didn't want to go tonight, so we invited my friend's oldest daughter. It was fun taking someone who'd never seen TSO before.) Of course, they've been saying every year for 4 or 5 years that their Night Castle CD would be coming out in the spring. Hopefully the spring tour will happen THIS spring! ;-)
Way too late. I need to get to bed. Good night!
We like to make their concert an annual holiday tradition, but as I mentioned, I missed the past couple of years. They announced tonight that they will be doing a SPRING tour as well, so my daughter and I plan to go to that if at all possible. Hubby hates the traffic and the crowds and my son doesn't like the main male vocalist. (In fact, he didn't want to go tonight, so we invited my friend's oldest daughter. It was fun taking someone who'd never seen TSO before.) Of course, they've been saying every year for 4 or 5 years that their Night Castle CD would be coming out in the spring. Hopefully the spring tour will happen THIS spring! ;-)
Way too late. I need to get to bed. Good night!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Wednesday - down again
Down another .6 today for a whole pound since Monday. I think I'll continue this trend. ;-)
12 Lies Your Menu is Telling
12 Lies Your Menu is Telling
Tuesday
Down .4 today. Can I continue? We'll see.
Today my son had his app't with the neurologist and they did the nerve conduction test. He said it was the worst test he's ever had to endure. :-( It showed that there was significant damage to the nerve, but it is re-enervating. I think that is the word she used. Anyway, there's still some weakness, but he's LOTS better and she said he should get 100% recovery. But it may cause him problems when he gets older with weakness or aching.
Tomorrow night (Wednesday) we go to the TSO concert. Yay! I have a feeling it may not be totally enjoyable if my ears are still ringing, but last year we were in Arkansas and missed it and the year before I was sick, so I'm NOT missing this year. My daughter just bought their new Night Castle CD and it totally rocks.
Today my son had his app't with the neurologist and they did the nerve conduction test. He said it was the worst test he's ever had to endure. :-( It showed that there was significant damage to the nerve, but it is re-enervating. I think that is the word she used. Anyway, there's still some weakness, but he's LOTS better and she said he should get 100% recovery. But it may cause him problems when he gets older with weakness or aching.
Tomorrow night (Wednesday) we go to the TSO concert. Yay! I have a feeling it may not be totally enjoyable if my ears are still ringing, but last year we were in Arkansas and missed it and the year before I was sick, so I'm NOT missing this year. My daughter just bought their new Night Castle CD and it totally rocks.
Monday, November 2, 2009
HYC check in - 186.4
Decided to bite the bullet and change my ticker to the true weight. Up 10 pounds or so since August. Ugh. Didn't want to admit that, but it doesn't make it go away! My head is still making lots of noise and it may very well be driving me INSANE! When there is other noise around, it sounds like someone dragging a box across the floor. When all is quiet, I can tell that it's my heart beat. The fast heart rate has been worse. Today when I got up, I just put some laundry away, cleaned up some clutter in the kitchen and heart rate was up to 150 at one time. What the ........?????? I called the cardiologist and left a message about it. An assistant called me back and I'm trying a different med. I see the doctor on Friday.
Our video camera has died. :-( Would love to be recording our cat right now. He's being terribly cute.
Our video camera has died. :-( Would love to be recording our cat right now. He's being terribly cute.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
HYC check in
I'm a little late. Haven't been feeling great and not sure if it's just frustration or something physical. My ears have had a kind of ringing or humming in them and I'm wondering if it's the medicine the cardiologist put me on. I have a follow up app't with him next week. We're having a storm here today so it's COLD, windy and snowing heavily.
Great info on healthy foods that help your skin. Most of them are a regular part of my diet. Except tuna - can no longer tolerate tuna!
10 Best foods for your skin
"A healthy and balanced diet can shield your insides from all sorts of bad health mojo. But it can also protect your outside. The right vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, fish, teas, and chocolates can shield your skin from the ravages of the environment, time, and even cancer. To address every skin woe, from wrinkles, to acne, to dryness, click through this slideshow. And prepare yourself - bartenders might start asking for your ID more often."
My Favorite?
Dark Chocolate
Skin boost: Sun Blocker
Flavonols, the antioxidants in dark chocolate, reduce roughness in the skin and provide sun protection. In a study from the Journal of Nutrition, women who drank cocoa fortified with a chocolate bar's worth of flavonols had better skin texture and stronger resistance to UV rays than those who drank significantly few flavonols.
Here are some snack tips from Denise Austin:
Best Bets for Healthy Snacking
Snacking is not a dirty word for dieters if you're careful about what you reach for! I can think of loads of nutritious, low-calorie foods that can help you feel full and boost your energy without ruining your day. Stick to a sensible serving size and you're good to go! Here are some ideas to get you snacking healthy!
* Cut up veggies with hummus
* Sliced fruit with nonfat Greek yogurt
* A few almonds or walnuts
* Low-fat cottage cheese
* Air-popped popcorn
* Hard-boiled eggs
* String cheese
* Baked tortilla chips with salsa
* Homemade smoothies or fruit shakes
Try a few of these snacks this week, and a few more next week. Constantly switch things up so that you don't get bored — and you'll be all set to handle your next snack attack!
Great info on healthy foods that help your skin. Most of them are a regular part of my diet. Except tuna - can no longer tolerate tuna!
10 Best foods for your skin
"A healthy and balanced diet can shield your insides from all sorts of bad health mojo. But it can also protect your outside. The right vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, fish, teas, and chocolates can shield your skin from the ravages of the environment, time, and even cancer. To address every skin woe, from wrinkles, to acne, to dryness, click through this slideshow. And prepare yourself - bartenders might start asking for your ID more often."
My Favorite?
Dark Chocolate
Skin boost: Sun Blocker
Flavonols, the antioxidants in dark chocolate, reduce roughness in the skin and provide sun protection. In a study from the Journal of Nutrition, women who drank cocoa fortified with a chocolate bar's worth of flavonols had better skin texture and stronger resistance to UV rays than those who drank significantly few flavonols.
Here are some snack tips from Denise Austin:
Best Bets for Healthy Snacking
Snacking is not a dirty word for dieters if you're careful about what you reach for! I can think of loads of nutritious, low-calorie foods that can help you feel full and boost your energy without ruining your day. Stick to a sensible serving size and you're good to go! Here are some ideas to get you snacking healthy!
* Cut up veggies with hummus
* Sliced fruit with nonfat Greek yogurt
* A few almonds or walnuts
* Low-fat cottage cheese
* Air-popped popcorn
* Hard-boiled eggs
* String cheese
* Baked tortilla chips with salsa
* Homemade smoothies or fruit shakes
Try a few of these snacks this week, and a few more next week. Constantly switch things up so that you don't get bored — and you'll be all set to handle your next snack attack!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Great info
Check this out - A Guide to the 9 most misunderstood foods in America that will help you separate fact from fiction in a quest to getting exactly what you bargained for every time you take to the supermarket.
Many people need to read the first one regarding DIET SODA!!!!!
Many people need to read the first one regarding DIET SODA!!!!!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
HYC check in
First, I will announce that Jen at Priorfatgirl is having a lotion giveaway. Those of us living in Colorado can NEVER have too much lotion! ;-)
Weight is slowly coming back down. Today was my cyst aspiration appointment. Oh, joy. The juicy details - 3 cysts of 12, 11 and 6ccs of fluid removed from the right breast; 2 cysts of 6 and 4ccs removed fm the left. (Wonder what kind of weight loss that will show! LOL) Yeah, I know, TMI! ;-) There were several other smaller ones that weren't worth the discomfort of continuing. So I've been a little sore and tired all day and I had to take my son to Denver to see the hematologist in the afternoon. I took the day off from exercise! Yesterday I did cardio and weight-lifting. (Lynn, for my routine, I use one from The Abs Diet for Women book. It has a set of 12 different moves and I usually do 2 sets of 15 reps.)
Last week we had a bit of fun when Kendall got up and was bleeding quite profusely from his mediport site. We had to remove the needle and put pressure on it for a while. I was glad we had the hematology app't this week. His INR level may be off because he ran out of his multivitamins with high levels of K and has been without for a couple of weeks. I hadn't thought about that connection but it makes sense. So we'll alter his coumadin dosage until the INR levels back out.
So glad I don't have ANY appointments for tomorrow or Thursday. We have a snowstorm moving in so it's a good time to just stay home! Maybe I'll get a chance to check up on my fellow health bloggers. ;-)
Weight is slowly coming back down. Today was my cyst aspiration appointment. Oh, joy. The juicy details - 3 cysts of 12, 11 and 6ccs of fluid removed from the right breast; 2 cysts of 6 and 4ccs removed fm the left. (Wonder what kind of weight loss that will show! LOL) Yeah, I know, TMI! ;-) There were several other smaller ones that weren't worth the discomfort of continuing. So I've been a little sore and tired all day and I had to take my son to Denver to see the hematologist in the afternoon. I took the day off from exercise! Yesterday I did cardio and weight-lifting. (Lynn, for my routine, I use one from The Abs Diet for Women book. It has a set of 12 different moves and I usually do 2 sets of 15 reps.)
Last week we had a bit of fun when Kendall got up and was bleeding quite profusely from his mediport site. We had to remove the needle and put pressure on it for a while. I was glad we had the hematology app't this week. His INR level may be off because he ran out of his multivitamins with high levels of K and has been without for a couple of weeks. I hadn't thought about that connection but it makes sense. So we'll alter his coumadin dosage until the INR levels back out.
So glad I don't have ANY appointments for tomorrow or Thursday. We have a snowstorm moving in so it's a good time to just stay home! Maybe I'll get a chance to check up on my fellow health bloggers. ;-)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Hip, hip, hooray!
I got to take off the heart monitor today! WOOT! I feel like a free woman, finally. But my period started today, so I'm feeling crappy because of that. It's just not my month. :-P Weight was higher today than it's been in months. Time to stop THAT trend! I did walk 2 miles on the treadmill this morning before taking my son to Denver so I'm glad of that. Yesterday I did strength training, so I'm getting into the right habits. Will get the scale moving down again in no time.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Feeling better
Hubby and I both feel better after the visit with the electrical heart doctor this morning. He doesn't think I need to do anything else. He said I could stand for extended periods to help train my body to cope with that and not faint. But he said my heart beats regularly and is strong, it just beats a little faster than most other people. He recommended I continue with exercise at whatever level I am comfortable and is going to talk to the other doctor about stopping the monitoring since they got plenty of good info already. I LIKE this guy. ;-) This was the kind of appointment I was expecting last week. Oh, and this guy also said that if the beta-blockers I'm taking make me feel fatigued, stop taking them.
I got up early this morning with less than 8 hours of sleep so I did not step on the scale. Will weigh in tomorrow.
Regarding the movie we saw last night, yeah, it was pretty scary. A few good jumps and lots of creepiness. (Just wish they didn't have to pepper every movie with so much bad language. Although my language might not be squeaky clean if I was being haunted by a demon either!) Not the scariest movie we've ever seen. We were talking about that on the way home. I think my scariest is "What Lies Beneath" because things under water totally creep me out. Gothika is a close second. Kisa said Quarantine was hers and Ken couldn't decide. The end of Paranormal Activity was NOT a satisfying end to a creepy movie. It didn't have everything all wrapped up in a little bow and that's kind of cool.
More REALLY good words from DENISE AUSTIN
"Go at Your Own Pace!
Okay, here's a news flash: You're one of a kind! No one in the world is exactly like you. And being unique is a fabulous thing! It's important to keep this in mind whenever you start spouting gloom and doom about how much longer it's taking you to lose those last 10 pounds than your jogging partner, or why your legs aren't shaping up quite like your gym instructor's. Instead of thinking negative, be positive and have more faith in yourself and your hard work!
You have your own healthy-weight range, based on your height and metabolic rate, which determines how quickly your body burns calories. Furthermore, different body types respond to exercise in different ways. If you're pear-shaped, which typically means that you carry most of your weight in your hips and thighs, you may never achieve the same athletic tone as someone who's naturally lean. It's just not physically possible. And you know what? That's perfectly fine!
The last thing you should be doing is comparing yourself with others or obsessing about the number on the scale. Focus on achieving your weight-loss goals on your own time line. Do what's right for you, and relish each and every accomplishment!"
I got up early this morning with less than 8 hours of sleep so I did not step on the scale. Will weigh in tomorrow.
Regarding the movie we saw last night, yeah, it was pretty scary. A few good jumps and lots of creepiness. (Just wish they didn't have to pepper every movie with so much bad language. Although my language might not be squeaky clean if I was being haunted by a demon either!) Not the scariest movie we've ever seen. We were talking about that on the way home. I think my scariest is "What Lies Beneath" because things under water totally creep me out. Gothika is a close second. Kisa said Quarantine was hers and Ken couldn't decide. The end of Paranormal Activity was NOT a satisfying end to a creepy movie. It didn't have everything all wrapped up in a little bow and that's kind of cool.
More REALLY good words from DENISE AUSTIN
"Go at Your Own Pace!
Okay, here's a news flash: You're one of a kind! No one in the world is exactly like you. And being unique is a fabulous thing! It's important to keep this in mind whenever you start spouting gloom and doom about how much longer it's taking you to lose those last 10 pounds than your jogging partner, or why your legs aren't shaping up quite like your gym instructor's. Instead of thinking negative, be positive and have more faith in yourself and your hard work!
You have your own healthy-weight range, based on your height and metabolic rate, which determines how quickly your body burns calories. Furthermore, different body types respond to exercise in different ways. If you're pear-shaped, which typically means that you carry most of your weight in your hips and thighs, you may never achieve the same athletic tone as someone who's naturally lean. It's just not physically possible. And you know what? That's perfectly fine!
The last thing you should be doing is comparing yourself with others or obsessing about the number on the scale. Focus on achieving your weight-loss goals on your own time line. Do what's right for you, and relish each and every accomplishment!"
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Going crazy
I HATE being hooked up to this monitor. I change the electrodes every two days, but they still itch and just generally annoy me. And I'm not even a week into this. Sigh.
Tomorrow morning is my app't with the electrical guy at the cardiologist. Not sure what he'll be looking at or suggesting. I'm still just so annoyed that I don't have a definitive plan yet. I've been feeling really tired and generally cruddy. Not sure if it's my attitude or the general state of my body and my heart working overtime constantly. :-P
This weekend has been REALLY cold here. I'm talking temps in the TEENS. Everything is covered with frost, so it looks really pretty and the clouds are down at our level, so we can't see the mountain behind our house.
We're all going to Denver to see a movie today. Paranormal Activity - a subject that seems to fascinate my children and husband.
Tomorrow morning is my app't with the electrical guy at the cardiologist. Not sure what he'll be looking at or suggesting. I'm still just so annoyed that I don't have a definitive plan yet. I've been feeling really tired and generally cruddy. Not sure if it's my attitude or the general state of my body and my heart working overtime constantly. :-P
This weekend has been REALLY cold here. I'm talking temps in the TEENS. Everything is covered with frost, so it looks really pretty and the clouds are down at our level, so we can't see the mountain behind our house.
We're all going to Denver to see a movie today. Paranormal Activity - a subject that seems to fascinate my children and husband.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Over the Top
Sophie awarded me the Over the Top award. THANKS!!
But I can't seem to get the picture of the award to upload. :-P
When I accept this award I have to:
Copy these 35 questions and change the one word answers to suit you then pass it on. Once you have filled it out ~~~ be sure to pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers and alert them that they have been awarded!
1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your hair? Clean
3. Your mother? Missed
4. Your father? Hardworking
5. Your favorite food? Greek
6. Your dream last night? None
7. Your favorite drink? Chocolatemartini
8. Your dream/goal?
9. What room are you in? Living
10. Your hobby? Scrapbooking
11. Your fear? Fire
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Colorado
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren’t? Atheist
15. Muffins? Chocolate
16. Wish list item? Cupboards
17. Where did you grow up? Iowa
18. Last thing you did? Ate
19. What are you wearing? Sweats
20. Your TV? Multiple
21. Your pets? Feline
22. Friends? Yes
23. Your life? Awesome
24. Your mood? Tired
25. Missing someone? Yes
26. Vehicle? Journey
27. Something you’re not wearing? Jeans
28. Your favorite store? Jared
29. Your favorite color? Lavender
30. When was the last time you laughed? Recently
31. Last time you cried? Earlier
32. Your best friend? Sister
33. One place that I go to over and over? Walmart
34. One person who emails me regularly? Sister
35. Favorite place to eat? Broadmoor
I'll pass it on to the following bloggers. (I read TONS and love so many of them, but lots of you have already received this one.)
Diana at Diana's Journey Through Life
Sunny at Praying for Sunny Days
I need to get to bed. Will pick a few more people tomorrow.
But I can't seem to get the picture of the award to upload. :-P
When I accept this award I have to:
Copy these 35 questions and change the one word answers to suit you then pass it on. Once you have filled it out ~~~ be sure to pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers and alert them that they have been awarded!
1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your hair? Clean
3. Your mother? Missed
4. Your father? Hardworking
5. Your favorite food? Greek
6. Your dream last night? None
7. Your favorite drink? Chocolatemartini
8. Your dream/goal?
9. What room are you in? Living
10. Your hobby? Scrapbooking
11. Your fear? Fire
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Colorado
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren’t? Atheist
15. Muffins? Chocolate
16. Wish list item? Cupboards
17. Where did you grow up? Iowa
18. Last thing you did? Ate
19. What are you wearing? Sweats
20. Your TV? Multiple
21. Your pets? Feline
22. Friends? Yes
23. Your life? Awesome
24. Your mood? Tired
25. Missing someone? Yes
26. Vehicle? Journey
27. Something you’re not wearing? Jeans
28. Your favorite store? Jared
29. Your favorite color? Lavender
30. When was the last time you laughed? Recently
31. Last time you cried? Earlier
32. Your best friend? Sister
33. One place that I go to over and over? Walmart
34. One person who emails me regularly? Sister
35. Favorite place to eat? Broadmoor
I'll pass it on to the following bloggers. (I read TONS and love so many of them, but lots of you have already received this one.)
Diana at Diana's Journey Through Life
Sunny at Praying for Sunny Days
I need to get to bed. Will pick a few more people tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I'm so wired
Literally. Got my cardiac monitor today and it's activated and monitoring everything I do. Creepy! I get to take it off to bathe or shower. And I get to change the electrodes every two days. hooray. It's already irritating me and I have 13 days to go. Sigh.
Oh, I keep meaning to post about this. Some people have received POM Wow samples and said it's good stuff. But when I see it at the store, I'm thinking "Do I want to spend over $4 for 16 ounces of POM Wow or less than $4 for 64 ounces for the 100% Pomegranate Juice? Is it really that much better????" So I got both to do a taste test. There is a slight taste difference, but not enough to make me spend 25 cents per ounce versus SIX cents per ounce. That's just the frugal side of me coming out. ;-D I do LOVE pomegranate juice.
Here are some words of wisdom from DENISE AUSTIN: (Some readers seem to think these are my words, but they are not. I get emails from Denise every day and am just passing on her wisdom. ;-D Hence the quotation marks.)
"Eat Right!
Master the 6 Diet "Dos"
I can't wait for you to be the fit and fabulous person you want to be — and you will be! Now that you're creating a healthier you, you need to learn how to avoid common diet mistakes:
Eat So That You're Satisfied!
Believe it or not, if you want to lose weight, it's important to eat! Skipping meals can leave you feeling weak and hungry, which leads straight to overeating. Eat when you need to, but make sure you limit yourself to nutritious, strength-building foods!
Include a Variety of Foods!
You've heard of diets that focus on one food, or that exclude whole categories of food from your life. Go for balance instead! Sweets, pasta, and breads have a place in your eating plan. The key is moderation! Make healthy foods the foundation of your meals.
Quench Your Thirst!
Water helps you burn calories, boosts your metabolism, and fills you up. How's that for multitasking? Bottoms up!
Concentrate on Your Health!
Diet pills, crash dieting, and products that promise instant results are never a good idea. A slow, steady, balanced weight-loss plan like mine is the most effective and the safest. You'll feel great, and you'll protect your health too!
Teamwork Helps!
Staying motivated is key! Find an exercise buddy at your office, ask a friend or family member to help you stay on track, or take advantage of my amazing online community!
Get Moving!
If you're already eating healthy, exercise can tone muscle and give you lots of energy. Even just a few minutes a day can make a huge difference. Give it a try!"
Oh, I keep meaning to post about this. Some people have received POM Wow samples and said it's good stuff. But when I see it at the store, I'm thinking "Do I want to spend over $4 for 16 ounces of POM Wow or less than $4 for 64 ounces for the 100% Pomegranate Juice? Is it really that much better????" So I got both to do a taste test. There is a slight taste difference, but not enough to make me spend 25 cents per ounce versus SIX cents per ounce. That's just the frugal side of me coming out. ;-D I do LOVE pomegranate juice.
Here are some words of wisdom from DENISE AUSTIN: (Some readers seem to think these are my words, but they are not. I get emails from Denise every day and am just passing on her wisdom. ;-D Hence the quotation marks.)
"Eat Right!
Master the 6 Diet "Dos"
I can't wait for you to be the fit and fabulous person you want to be — and you will be! Now that you're creating a healthier you, you need to learn how to avoid common diet mistakes:
Eat So That You're Satisfied!
Believe it or not, if you want to lose weight, it's important to eat! Skipping meals can leave you feeling weak and hungry, which leads straight to overeating. Eat when you need to, but make sure you limit yourself to nutritious, strength-building foods!
Include a Variety of Foods!
You've heard of diets that focus on one food, or that exclude whole categories of food from your life. Go for balance instead! Sweets, pasta, and breads have a place in your eating plan. The key is moderation! Make healthy foods the foundation of your meals.
Quench Your Thirst!
Water helps you burn calories, boosts your metabolism, and fills you up. How's that for multitasking? Bottoms up!
Concentrate on Your Health!
Diet pills, crash dieting, and products that promise instant results are never a good idea. A slow, steady, balanced weight-loss plan like mine is the most effective and the safest. You'll feel great, and you'll protect your health too!
Teamwork Helps!
Staying motivated is key! Find an exercise buddy at your office, ask a friend or family member to help you stay on track, or take advantage of my amazing online community!
Get Moving!
If you're already eating healthy, exercise can tone muscle and give you lots of energy. Even just a few minutes a day can make a huge difference. Give it a try!"
Monday, October 5, 2009
Not done yet
Well, I was truly hoping to have the final answers today and have a plan. But I was sadly disappointed. Sigh. First off, my appointment was at 2pm, got there at 1:45 as instructed. I didn't see the doctor until after 4. They couldn't find the written report of my tilt table test. They were very nice and apologetic and I had time to read an issue of Shape and copy down a few recipes.
The doctor said my stress test was actually pretty normal. The tilt table test was another story, of course, but he said it still kind of put me in a gray area for POTS. He wants me to see their electrical specialist, so I have an app't with him next Monday. And he wants me to do another holter monitor test, but for 2 weeks and one that sends the data immediately back to the lab so they can constantly see what's going on. And then I follow up with him again in a month. And he put me on a beta-blocker to try that for a while. If that doesn't work, he said there may be a procedure they'll need to do. It seems that there's a short circuit in one of the chambers of my heart. They would go in through the leg and up to the heart. Hopefully I wouldn't wake up unable to move an arm like my son! :-P
I felt crappy and tired all weekend and I'm just getting TIRED of this. I did walk on Saturday, we danced that evening and yesterday I did my Ultimate Abs ball workout and weight lifting. The doctor said he didn't want me to do anything too strenuous, but walking is OK.
The doctor said my stress test was actually pretty normal. The tilt table test was another story, of course, but he said it still kind of put me in a gray area for POTS. He wants me to see their electrical specialist, so I have an app't with him next Monday. And he wants me to do another holter monitor test, but for 2 weeks and one that sends the data immediately back to the lab so they can constantly see what's going on. And then I follow up with him again in a month. And he put me on a beta-blocker to try that for a while. If that doesn't work, he said there may be a procedure they'll need to do. It seems that there's a short circuit in one of the chambers of my heart. They would go in through the leg and up to the heart. Hopefully I wouldn't wake up unable to move an arm like my son! :-P
I felt crappy and tired all weekend and I'm just getting TIRED of this. I did walk on Saturday, we danced that evening and yesterday I did my Ultimate Abs ball workout and weight lifting. The doctor said he didn't want me to do anything too strenuous, but walking is OK.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Tilt table test done
Well, that was certainly interesting. Had to fast for 6 hours and since my test was at 10am, the last time I'd eaten was around 9pm last night. So I had a headache from not eating when we got to the clinic. Not a fun start. I laid flat for 30 minutes, then they tilted me up at a 70 degree angle for 40 minutes and I wasn't supposed to even wiggle my toes. I had to remain very still. Low lights, and white noise, no distractions. Right at the very end, I finally started to "bottom out." Tight chest, nausea, wavy vision, hot all over. Later the nurse said my blood pressure was 60/ZERO! Pulse was way down, too.
Ken and I found out afterward that the goal was to make me pass out, and they took me right to the edge. I didn't fully lose consciousness, but it was close. (And I was strapped down tight to the table so I wouldn't fall over and injure myself.) Once they put the table flat again, I started feeling better. The whole point of this is to see if my heart rate will increase when my blood pressure falls as it is supposed to do to compensate. And mine plummets, which is indicative of POTS and the nurse mentioned another thing, too. Neurocardiogenic syncope or something like that. Reading about it at these websites, lots of things make a lot of sense. I'm thinking that my heart only pumping out 50% of the blood it takes in (normal is 60%) is somehow connected, but not sure exactly how. I have my follow-up with the cardiologist on Monday afternoon.
We stopped at Rosie's Diner for lunch and when we got home, I took a long nap. Reading about the tilt table test, it can cause fatigue for a few days, so I won't be pushing myself.
Here's some really great advice from DENISE AUSTIN:
"Eat Right!
Do a Real Balancing Act!
You've probably heard of — and maybe tried — many different diet strategies. Some diets encourage you to cut starches entirely and stick with just veggies and meat. There are diets that won't let you have even a tiny bit of fat. Still others ask that you balance your meals by eating precise percentages of different foods. Really, though, eating a balanced, nutrient-packed meal is simple! You can do it any night of the week, without a graph or a scale, with almost any kind of food you enjoy. Just follow a few rules of thumb when you're planning your meal.
* Variety counts! Are you eating the most nutritious foods from several food groups? Always go for the basics — whole grains, a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins. This strategy can help you get as many different nutrients as possible without loading up on calories!
* Portions are key. Use the Nutrition Facts label on foods to get a sense of what a real portion is, then stick with it! Another good rule of thumb is to fill half your plate with veggies, a quarter with a single serving of protein, and another quarter with a healthy starch. That's really all there is to it!
* Balance high-calorie foods with low. You can have an occasional sweet or a cheesy casserole! Just be sure to factor it into your entire day's calorie intake: If you splurge at one meal, stick to a simple salad or some other low-cal dish at another. You can do it!
* Focus on fruits and veggies. This is timeless advice! Fruits and vegetables are amazing sources of nutrients, and researchers are proving that they can fight all kinds of diseases! Shop for crunchy greens, sweet red berries, all colors of bell peppers — the sky's the limit! Make these the foundation of all your meals and you'll take a big step toward better health!"
Ken and I found out afterward that the goal was to make me pass out, and they took me right to the edge. I didn't fully lose consciousness, but it was close. (And I was strapped down tight to the table so I wouldn't fall over and injure myself.) Once they put the table flat again, I started feeling better. The whole point of this is to see if my heart rate will increase when my blood pressure falls as it is supposed to do to compensate. And mine plummets, which is indicative of POTS and the nurse mentioned another thing, too. Neurocardiogenic syncope or something like that. Reading about it at these websites, lots of things make a lot of sense. I'm thinking that my heart only pumping out 50% of the blood it takes in (normal is 60%) is somehow connected, but not sure exactly how. I have my follow-up with the cardiologist on Monday afternoon.
We stopped at Rosie's Diner for lunch and when we got home, I took a long nap. Reading about the tilt table test, it can cause fatigue for a few days, so I won't be pushing myself.
Here's some really great advice from DENISE AUSTIN:
"Eat Right!
Do a Real Balancing Act!
You've probably heard of — and maybe tried — many different diet strategies. Some diets encourage you to cut starches entirely and stick with just veggies and meat. There are diets that won't let you have even a tiny bit of fat. Still others ask that you balance your meals by eating precise percentages of different foods. Really, though, eating a balanced, nutrient-packed meal is simple! You can do it any night of the week, without a graph or a scale, with almost any kind of food you enjoy. Just follow a few rules of thumb when you're planning your meal.
* Variety counts! Are you eating the most nutritious foods from several food groups? Always go for the basics — whole grains, a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins. This strategy can help you get as many different nutrients as possible without loading up on calories!
* Portions are key. Use the Nutrition Facts label on foods to get a sense of what a real portion is, then stick with it! Another good rule of thumb is to fill half your plate with veggies, a quarter with a single serving of protein, and another quarter with a healthy starch. That's really all there is to it!
* Balance high-calorie foods with low. You can have an occasional sweet or a cheesy casserole! Just be sure to factor it into your entire day's calorie intake: If you splurge at one meal, stick to a simple salad or some other low-cal dish at another. You can do it!
* Focus on fruits and veggies. This is timeless advice! Fruits and vegetables are amazing sources of nutrients, and researchers are proving that they can fight all kinds of diseases! Shop for crunchy greens, sweet red berries, all colors of bell peppers — the sky's the limit! Make these the foundation of all your meals and you'll take a big step toward better health!"
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
HYC check in
Weight is "weigh" up. :-P Haven't been sleeping well and that always shows on the scale for me. Plus, I'm not too crazy about this "adding salt" idea. Argh.
Today was the ultrasound of my ovaries and my mammogram. I was surprised that the ultrasound was INternal as well as external! The mammogram showed multiple cysts, as expected. The tech was really wonderful. She showed them all to me (at least 6 in each breast) and I've never had a tech do that for me. Then she said not to bother redressing since they would probably want an ultrasound done. I told her I'd mentioned to the gal who did my pelvic ultrasound to keep the machine warmed up because I'd be back. :-D So on the 20th I have an appointment to get the cysts aspirated. The doctor said he was willing to do as many as I could tolerate at one time or just do one side at a time if I preferred that.
We've got most of dd's stuff packed up and tomorrow is moving day. We have rented a truck to make it easier and will put some of her stuff in storage for now. We did go see our chiropractor yesterday. She wasn't sure about the knee either. She advised icing and an epsom salt bath.
Today was the ultrasound of my ovaries and my mammogram. I was surprised that the ultrasound was INternal as well as external! The mammogram showed multiple cysts, as expected. The tech was really wonderful. She showed them all to me (at least 6 in each breast) and I've never had a tech do that for me. Then she said not to bother redressing since they would probably want an ultrasound done. I told her I'd mentioned to the gal who did my pelvic ultrasound to keep the machine warmed up because I'd be back. :-D So on the 20th I have an appointment to get the cysts aspirated. The doctor said he was willing to do as many as I could tolerate at one time or just do one side at a time if I preferred that.
We've got most of dd's stuff packed up and tomorrow is moving day. We have rented a truck to make it easier and will put some of her stuff in storage for now. We did go see our chiropractor yesterday. She wasn't sure about the knee either. She advised icing and an epsom salt bath.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sense of smell
Here's an interesting article about using your sense of smell to lose weight. NOTE: it is basically an advertisement for their product so take it with a grain of salt. ;-)
And I'm not sure who they are used for their study, but most people I know who have done Weight Watchers lose more than 10lbs every 18 months! And with the Flat Belly Diet, I lost 8lbs the first month.
And, some common sense from Denise Austin:
Find the Key to Weight-Loss Success
Q: Do you recommend cutting carbs or cutting fat to lose the most weight?
A: I'm honestly more into cutting calories, because I like a well-balanced eating plan that includes such good, healthy carbs as whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables and about 25 percent good fats, such as lean chicken, fish, avocados, and olive oil. My Meal Plan provides you with low-calorie recipes that incorporate these recommendations.
Remember, weight loss is all about how many calories you eat versus how many you burn through daily movement and exercise!
And I'm not sure who they are used for their study, but most people I know who have done Weight Watchers lose more than 10lbs every 18 months! And with the Flat Belly Diet, I lost 8lbs the first month.
And, some common sense from Denise Austin:
Find the Key to Weight-Loss Success
Q: Do you recommend cutting carbs or cutting fat to lose the most weight?
A: I'm honestly more into cutting calories, because I like a well-balanced eating plan that includes such good, healthy carbs as whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables and about 25 percent good fats, such as lean chicken, fish, avocados, and olive oil. My Meal Plan provides you with low-calorie recipes that incorporate these recommendations.
Remember, weight loss is all about how many calories you eat versus how many you burn through daily movement and exercise!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
I'll take some boredom - please!
Well, daughter's knee is worse so we went to the ER again today. They did an ultrasound and didn't see anything circulatory going on. But no other answers. It's so frustrating for her. And she's reached the end of her savings, so needs to move back home which means we need to get her moved out of her apartment by Wednesday.
This weekend is the pistol course (which means all day Sunday at the range), I have two appointments on Tuesday, my son has two on Wednesday, plus dd is dog-sitting at someone's house, but can't drive back and forth if she's taking percocet. I was starting to stress out pretty bad, so first decision was to skip the pistol course's range day and will go to dd's to help her pack tomorrow. And Monday, too, since we have no app'ts that day, but I am going to see if we can get an app't for her at the chiropractor to see if she can determine anything about the knee. Ds should be able to drive himself to his app'ts on Wed, though he still isn't feeling well.
I had thought about rescheduling my ultrasound and mammogram on Tuesday, but my breasts are really sore and have so many lumps, I think I should get it done quickly.
Cat just hacked up some gunk and I twisted my knee getting up to try to get her into the kitchen and off the carpet. Argh!
OK, enough of the pity party. I keep thinking about my older sister who has 4 herniated disks and 2 bulging. She's been in a lot of pain for a LONG time, so I know that my stressors are pretty minor right now. I'll sit down and shut up now.
This weekend is the pistol course (which means all day Sunday at the range), I have two appointments on Tuesday, my son has two on Wednesday, plus dd is dog-sitting at someone's house, but can't drive back and forth if she's taking percocet. I was starting to stress out pretty bad, so first decision was to skip the pistol course's range day and will go to dd's to help her pack tomorrow. And Monday, too, since we have no app'ts that day, but I am going to see if we can get an app't for her at the chiropractor to see if she can determine anything about the knee. Ds should be able to drive himself to his app'ts on Wed, though he still isn't feeling well.
I had thought about rescheduling my ultrasound and mammogram on Tuesday, but my breasts are really sore and have so many lumps, I think I should get it done quickly.
Cat just hacked up some gunk and I twisted my knee getting up to try to get her into the kitchen and off the carpet. Argh!
OK, enough of the pity party. I keep thinking about my older sister who has 4 herniated disks and 2 bulging. She's been in a lot of pain for a LONG time, so I know that my stressors are pretty minor right now. I'll sit down and shut up now.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Stress test done
I have no idea what the results are of the stress test. They did it chemically instead of making me run on the treadmill, took pictures, injected me with more stuff while I walked very slowly on the treadmill, took blood pressure every few minutes, then took more pictures. I won't see the doctor to find out the results until Oct 5. I will be doing the tilt table test on Oct 2.
Did walk on the treadmill at home for 45 minutes yesterday and today. My heart rate gets up to around 160 doing that. I haven't been able to go over 3mph because of my knee. But I'll keep walking as much as I can. Last night my inner thighs were really sore, felt like I'd been doing the splits! I couldn't figure out what I'd done to cause that.
A friend of mine is having a Pampered Chef party and she booked it off mine so I'll be going to that tonight!
Later - battling a hideous headache. I've been feeling weird and just a little "off" for a while. Bleah.
Did walk on the treadmill at home for 45 minutes yesterday and today. My heart rate gets up to around 160 doing that. I haven't been able to go over 3mph because of my knee. But I'll keep walking as much as I can. Last night my inner thighs were really sore, felt like I'd been doing the splits! I couldn't figure out what I'd done to cause that.
A friend of mine is having a Pampered Chef party and she booked it off mine so I'll be going to that tonight!
Later - battling a hideous headache. I've been feeling weird and just a little "off" for a while. Bleah.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A cold, cold week
We had a weird "last day of summer" yesterday with snowfall! Today was in the 30's again. We may get more snow tomorrow and Thursday. It doesn't accumulate for very long at this time of year, but it sure is pretty.
My knee has really been killing me, so I've been taking it slow with exercise. Tomorrow is my stress test and I hope they don't expect me to run on the treadmill! My daughter also has something going on in her knee. Took her to the ER on Saturday to make sure it wasn't a blood clot since she has similar symptoms with heart palpitations. She's been staying here at the house with us since they gave her Percocet so she can't drive. It doesn't look like she got the job in San Antonio, though they didn't bother to call and let her know. :-( She's got a dog-sitting job starting on Thursday so she'll earn some money doing that.
Hubby had to go to San Antonio on business, so he's there now and enjoyed a 99 degree day yesterday. I'll take the snow! lol
My knee has really been killing me, so I've been taking it slow with exercise. Tomorrow is my stress test and I hope they don't expect me to run on the treadmill! My daughter also has something going on in her knee. Took her to the ER on Saturday to make sure it wasn't a blood clot since she has similar symptoms with heart palpitations. She's been staying here at the house with us since they gave her Percocet so she can't drive. It doesn't look like she got the job in San Antonio, though they didn't bother to call and let her know. :-( She's got a dog-sitting job starting on Thursday so she'll earn some money doing that.
Hubby had to go to San Antonio on business, so he's there now and enjoyed a 99 degree day yesterday. I'll take the snow! lol
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Cardiologist appt
My cardiologist thinks I have POTS - thanks, Doc, same to you! ;-) He said on the echo, my heart only pumped out 50% of the blood it takes in when it relaxes. Normal is 60%, not 100.
It's "Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome" and he said that it's not always easy to definitively diagnose it all the time, but he wants to do a stress test and tilt table test. So I have one test a week for the next two weeks, then I see him again on Oct 5th. The treatment? I need MORE SODIUM! He said salt has gotten a bad rap unnecessarily and our body really needs it to help us retain water (not in a bad way.) He said a great majority of people walking around are dehydrated because they aren't getting enough salt and that most doctors will rarely recommend a low sodium diet. And that most people can help the symptoms just by adding salt to their diet. HELLO, FRITOS! LOL Just kidding. :-D
I think my son definitely has the flu, but the fever is gone today, thankfully. I think we got on it quickly with the Tamiflu.
It's "Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome" and he said that it's not always easy to definitively diagnose it all the time, but he wants to do a stress test and tilt table test. So I have one test a week for the next two weeks, then I see him again on Oct 5th. The treatment? I need MORE SODIUM! He said salt has gotten a bad rap unnecessarily and our body really needs it to help us retain water (not in a bad way.) He said a great majority of people walking around are dehydrated because they aren't getting enough salt and that most doctors will rarely recommend a low sodium diet. And that most people can help the symptoms just by adding salt to their diet. HELLO, FRITOS! LOL Just kidding. :-D
I think my son definitely has the flu, but the fever is gone today, thankfully. I think we got on it quickly with the Tamiflu.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Medical appointments
Got my 2 mile walk in today, but my knee has been feeling funky so I'm not pushing too hard. Did the Ultimate Abs ball workout, too.
Today was my annual woman's appointment. First time I had to circle "YES" on the family history of cancer question. Once I told her about mom's ovarian cancer and her two sisters having had breast cancer, she ordered an ultrasound of my abdomen and a CA-125 blood test that shows a tendency (?) toward ovarian cancer (or something like that.) Will have the ultrasound on the same day as my mammogram later this month.
As some of you know, I have fibrous cystic disease, so always lots of lumps and bumps in the boobies. I've had cysts aspirated in my breasts more than once. During the exam today, she was "There's one, there's another. Oh, that's another one!" Whatever. She recommended I draw a picture of where I feel them and track differences from month to month.
As I was getting ready to leave the house this evening for a Dove Chocolate meeting in Denver (definitely the FUN part of my life! ;-D) I went to tell my son good-bye and he says he feels like he's getting the flu. Crap! Something we definitely DO NOT NEED with his health issues. He did have a fever so we started him on the Tamiflu, which his CF doctor gave us the prescription for at his last app't. Will call them tomorrow to let them know and see what else they want us to do.
Today was my annual woman's appointment. First time I had to circle "YES" on the family history of cancer question. Once I told her about mom's ovarian cancer and her two sisters having had breast cancer, she ordered an ultrasound of my abdomen and a CA-125 blood test that shows a tendency (?) toward ovarian cancer (or something like that.) Will have the ultrasound on the same day as my mammogram later this month.
As some of you know, I have fibrous cystic disease, so always lots of lumps and bumps in the boobies. I've had cysts aspirated in my breasts more than once. During the exam today, she was "There's one, there's another. Oh, that's another one!" Whatever. She recommended I draw a picture of where I feel them and track differences from month to month.
As I was getting ready to leave the house this evening for a Dove Chocolate meeting in Denver (definitely the FUN part of my life! ;-D) I went to tell my son good-bye and he says he feels like he's getting the flu. Crap! Something we definitely DO NOT NEED with his health issues. He did have a fever so we started him on the Tamiflu, which his CF doctor gave us the prescription for at his last app't. Will call them tomorrow to let them know and see what else they want us to do.
Monday, September 14, 2009
A new week
This was a perfect message for today. Did I walk on the treadmill or outside today? No. Did I lift weights? No. My workout was scrubbing my kitchen. Last night my son dropped a can of Big Red on the kitchen floor and it exploded. He wiped a few things down and mopped the kitchen floor three times. But when I got up today, I kept finding it EVERYWHERE! Oy! I didn't think one aluminum can could contain so much red to splatter so far! It extended into my office and the more I cleaned, the more I found. I realized the Swiffer WetJet wasn't going to cut it, so I actually got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the floor......and the fridge......and the stove. And under the stove, where I found a few things the cats had batted under there including one of my nice makeup brushes.
So moral of the story is, I'm not aiming for perfection. I'm thrilled that my kitchen floor is cleaner than it has been for a long time. But I truly hate linoleum! ;-)
From Denise Austin:
Aim Not for Perfection but to Please Yourself
Like me, I'm sure you always try your hardest to stay on top of things, but sometimes you get derailed. An unexpected phone call makes you run 15 minutes late. One of your children stays home from school with a cold, and you need to stay home, too. Or you have lunch with a friend and taste a few bites of her chocolate mousse. Then what happens? You get angry with yourself.
You aim for perfection and then get upset when you miss the mark. And that's negativity you just don't need! We all make mistakes (it's human!), but you can't let those slipups get the best of you. Don't get discouraged if you fall off your diet or miss a workout — and certainly don't throw in the towel! Plan to do better tomorrow: Do an extra 15 minutes of cardio and a few extra reps of each exercise in your strength-training workout, or walk a little bit further.
Remember: One failure doesn't have to stop your progress or take away from all you've achieved until then. Put in a little extra work later, and relax and enjoy your day.
So moral of the story is, I'm not aiming for perfection. I'm thrilled that my kitchen floor is cleaner than it has been for a long time. But I truly hate linoleum! ;-)
From Denise Austin:
Aim Not for Perfection but to Please Yourself
Like me, I'm sure you always try your hardest to stay on top of things, but sometimes you get derailed. An unexpected phone call makes you run 15 minutes late. One of your children stays home from school with a cold, and you need to stay home, too. Or you have lunch with a friend and taste a few bites of her chocolate mousse. Then what happens? You get angry with yourself.
You aim for perfection and then get upset when you miss the mark. And that's negativity you just don't need! We all make mistakes (it's human!), but you can't let those slipups get the best of you. Don't get discouraged if you fall off your diet or miss a workout — and certainly don't throw in the towel! Plan to do better tomorrow: Do an extra 15 minutes of cardio and a few extra reps of each exercise in your strength-training workout, or walk a little bit further.
Remember: One failure doesn't have to stop your progress or take away from all you've achieved until then. Put in a little extra work later, and relax and enjoy your day.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Sigh.....back to real life
I've been reluctant to get back into the real world this week. :-) I got so relaxed last weekend, it's been hard to stay focused. I'm happy that today my weight is back where it was before the weekend of indulgence. :-)
October's Prevention Magazine and my new book Juicy Tomatoes both have some good info on perimenopause and its possible symptoms. It sounds like palpitations may be one, so I'll be asking the cardiologist about that when I see him next Thursday. Another is cognitive problems so I feel better about the times I can't think of a simple word I want to use! ;-D
From the Eat This, Not That folks: 47 ways to fix anything with food (Not all of the links worked in IE, but did fine in Firefox browser.)
From Denise Austin:
"Boost Your Exercise Motivation!
Are you having a hard time staying motivated to work out? You're not alone. One of the main reasons many people are not more physically active is that they lack the drive to get up and move each day. But it shouldn't be hard to get yourself off the couch! If you're looking for a simple way to boost your exercise motivation, try keeping a fitness journal!
Just create a simple chart with the days of the week; you can even use a ready-made calendar. Then, as you're following your Fitness Planner, write down in the journal the fitness routine or exercises that you do each day as you complete them. That's all there is to it, but you'll gain plenty of benefits! You will be able to:
* Get a motivational boost! It feels terrific to be able to write down the exercises you completed each day, and it's truly motivating when you look back over a week and see how active you were. All those exercise sessions add up fast!
* Track your progress. Your fitness journal will record how far you've walked or biked, how many minutes or hours you've exercised, and how often you do it. It's hard to remember it all without writing it down!
* Pinpoint trouble spots. You can look at your weekly or monthly journal and evaluate it with an objective eye. Suppose you notice that you are great about working out in the beginning of the week but start to slack off from Wednesday on — you'll know that you need to focus on increasing your activity toward the end of the week.
Get started right now by writing down the exercises you've done today in your online Journal. If you haven't done any yet — get up and get moving! There's no time to waste!"
October's Prevention Magazine and my new book Juicy Tomatoes both have some good info on perimenopause and its possible symptoms. It sounds like palpitations may be one, so I'll be asking the cardiologist about that when I see him next Thursday. Another is cognitive problems so I feel better about the times I can't think of a simple word I want to use! ;-D
From the Eat This, Not That folks: 47 ways to fix anything with food (Not all of the links worked in IE, but did fine in Firefox browser.)
From Denise Austin:
"Boost Your Exercise Motivation!
Are you having a hard time staying motivated to work out? You're not alone. One of the main reasons many people are not more physically active is that they lack the drive to get up and move each day. But it shouldn't be hard to get yourself off the couch! If you're looking for a simple way to boost your exercise motivation, try keeping a fitness journal!
Just create a simple chart with the days of the week; you can even use a ready-made calendar. Then, as you're following your Fitness Planner, write down in the journal the fitness routine or exercises that you do each day as you complete them. That's all there is to it, but you'll gain plenty of benefits! You will be able to:
* Get a motivational boost! It feels terrific to be able to write down the exercises you completed each day, and it's truly motivating when you look back over a week and see how active you were. All those exercise sessions add up fast!
* Track your progress. Your fitness journal will record how far you've walked or biked, how many minutes or hours you've exercised, and how often you do it. It's hard to remember it all without writing it down!
* Pinpoint trouble spots. You can look at your weekly or monthly journal and evaluate it with an objective eye. Suppose you notice that you are great about working out in the beginning of the week but start to slack off from Wednesday on — you'll know that you need to focus on increasing your activity toward the end of the week.
Get started right now by writing down the exercises you've done today in your online Journal. If you haven't done any yet — get up and get moving! There's no time to waste!"
Monday, September 7, 2009
Hubby went to Jared! (Loooooong post!)
Here's the ring I got, the anniversary ring below my engagement ring! LOVE IT!
Ah, where do I begin? The Broadmoor was HEAVENLY! And well-deserving of the proudly proclaimed "First hotel in Colorado to receive the Five Diamond rating." I guess I'll go day by day and I'm warning you, this will be a LONG post! :-D This is partly to help me remember everything when I get around to scrapbooking the weekend in a couple years or so. Ha! I must admit, it's the best weekend we've ever had in our 22 years of marriage! Hubby outdid himself and spoiled me ROTTEN all weekend long. I think I'll keep him for another 22 years. We'll reevaluate then. ;-)
Friday we checked in. Had a bottle of champagne and an anniversary greeting from the CEO in our room, which was gorgeous!
Well-stocked mini-bar.
Spacious, luxurious bathroom!
Nightly turn-down service with luscious chocolates
Friday night we ate at the Tavern. (Before dinner, my hubby gave me a pair of BEAUTIFUL sapphire and diamond earrings. And yes, they were from Jared. My daughter helped my hubby pick them out and I guess they really enjoyed their shopping trip!)
At the Tavern, they had a table in a somewhat secluded corner for us. And every time we went to a restaurant or the spa, the staff greeted us with Happy Anniversary! For appetizer we had Yukon Potatoes and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Shiitake Mushrooms, Fennel, Pearl Onions and Pine Nuts (oh my!) I had the Roasted Chicken Breast with Sauteed Orzo, Jicama and Fennel salad (tenderest chicken EVER! and I love orzo!) Ken had the Rib Eye with wild mushrooms. They had live music, so we got to do some ballroom dancing, too. It was a very fun evening.
Saturday morning we got room service for breakfast. I was mad at myself that I didn't take a picture of the pretty table! I had cranberry juice, oatmeal and yogurt - I ordered a banana but it was a little too green so I saved that. Ken had a Breakfast Quesadilla with sausage. After eating we walked around the lake twice at an aerobic pace. Took about 30 minutes and was 1.5mi. The grounds are just gorgeous at this place, especially with the backdrop of the mountains. (We saw three bridal parties while there over the weekend. One of them was having the ceremony outside.)
A little after 3pm we checked in at The Spa. HEAVENLY! We had some fresh fruit and cucumber water in the Mountain View room with lounge chairs looking out the windows at the mountains and overlooking one of the golf courses. Ken was a little uncomfortable at first. He'd never been to a spa and doesn't really care for massages, but had only had a chair massage before. We had a 50 minute Swedish massage in the Couple's massage room and he LOVED it. :-D I knew he would. In the respective locker rooms, there was a sauna, steam room, aromatherapy room, private bath and shower rooms and several vanities with hair dryers and curling irons (I'm assuming they didn't have those in the men's locker room, but ya never know.) And there were gender specific fireside waiting rooms that had trail mix and lemon water. This place was really amazing. And it's touted as one of the best spas in the country. It wouldn't surprise me!
Once we got done, there was just enough time to shower and get ready for dinner. Have to make a side note here. On Thursday after I got my nails done, I thought I would stop at the fine consignment shop in the small adjacent town to see if they had any pretty, formal dresses in my size. They had a gorgeous deep blue dress with silver sequin design down one side and a swing skirt perfect for dancing. It looked GREAT with my new sapphire earrings and was a terrific bargain at $17! (Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of Ken and I together this weekend. Doh! But I really don't trust other people with my camera and I forgot my tripod.)
We had reservations at The Five Diamond-rated Penrose Room. The first and ONLY restaurant in Colorado to receive this rating from AAA. My husband said that if anyone asked how it was, he wasn't sure he could talk about it because it wouldn't do it justice. But I'm gonna give it a good try here! :-D (I didn't take my camera this night. Just didn't want to worry about it, but kind of wish I'd had it to take photos of all of the spectacular food!) We were greeted by the hostess with a "Happy Anniversary" and when she took us to our table, looking out over the city of Colorado Springs, she asked if I would like a pillow for my back. 'Why yes, that would be quite lovely!' The hostess also mentioned that the brilliant blue of my dress matched the glasses and china of the dining room! Our waiter told us that the table was ours for the entire night and they would be there to get us whatever we wished. The service was STELLAR! You can certainly understand why they received that Five Diamond rating after you've dined there. At first I thought I'd rather be looking out at the mountains instead of flat Colorado Springs, but after it got dark, the full moon rose in the east and the lights of the city were gorgeous. AND we got to see the hot air balloons glow in the distance at the Colorado Balloon Classic. So they knew what they were doing when they put us there!
After we got our drinks, Ken put ANOTHER jewelry box on the table and said he had something to go with the appetizers. I was totally shocked! I was thrilled with the earrings (AND the weekend at the Broadmoor) and did NOT expect anything else. Opened it up to find a diamond anniversary ring! Someone went WAAAAY overboard this year!
He wasn't sure of my ring size, so it needed to be sized up by one, so I couldn't wear it yet. Well, I tried it on my pinky, but it flew off when we danced, so it went back into the box!
THE FOOD!!!!!
First we were brought a tiny rectangular plate with small square bowls at either end with compliments from the chef. One held some Foie Gras thing, one held a chilled carrot soup and in the middle was a tiny puff pastry filled with goat cheese. We had teeny, tiny spoons to taste these delicacies. They were all incredible! The goat cheese filled pastry was definitely my favorite! I had a Penrose Sunset non-alcoholic drink that included Pomegranate juice. Ken ordered wine and the sommelier brought him two different kinds to taste that would go well with chicken.
For the appetizer, I ordered Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Pistachios, Golden Beets and Bowtie Arugula. Honey, there are no words for this. I will never have a salad that is comparable, I'm sure. Ken had Dungeness Crabmeat Bisque with Black Trumpet Coulis. I have no idea what any of that is, but he loved it! :-) (OK, I do know what crabmeat is! LOL)
For an entree, I ordered Carrot and Ginger Ravioli with English Peas, Caramelized Pearl Onions, Verjus Gastrique. Ken ordered Meyer Lemon Glazed Breast of Chicken with Baby Fennel, Zucchini, Petite Heirloom Tomato, Rosemary Jus. Both were absolutely delicioso! Two waiters brought each a dish and removed the covers with a flourish! (You can watch them do this to anonymous people if you watch the video on the link I provided for the Penrose Room above.) :-D
For dessert we both ordered the "Pure Caraibe" Chocolate Parfait with Praline Nougatine and Licorice Whipped Cream. A waiter and waitress each brought a plate to us that had a candle burning and "Happy Anniversary" written in chocolate on the plate. STUNNING! I did whip out my phone and take a picture of that. I couldn't resist! When I figure out how to get that onto my computer, I'll post that. All of the food items were pretty small portions and brought at fairly nice intervals, so we never felt uncomfortably stuffed and considering it was only our second meal of the day, I probably didn't do too bad calorie-wise! After all this, they also bought us a small plate with tiny lemon cookies compliments of the pastry chef. Ken had a cognac with dessert and a little later, I had a white chocolate martini. (That's where my calorie count went WAAAAY over!) But, oh, so worth it!!!!! ;-D
The Penrose Room has a live band, too and the singer there was outstanding. Our waiter had asked us what we wanted to hear, so Ken requested a rumba, which they did and wished us a Happy Anniversary once again. After we danced to that, she asked if we wanted a waltz, (Yes, please, my favorite!) so we got to do both of those with the floor pretty much to ourselves. It was a small dance floor, so that was nice. We danced off and on all night long. There were several people who complimented us on our dancing.
Later on, we went downstairs to the Tavern since they played later than the band in the Penrose Room. There was an older couple there and the gentleman was quite small, wearing an oxygen cannula. He and Ken started talking and he told Ken that he thought every man should take his woman out on the dance floor when she is bouncing in her seat. Ken asked why he wasn't out dancing, so he went and got his wife and took her out and he was quite the dancer himself. Afterward he told Ken never to challenge him, he'd do it. He was so cute, they both were! Later on, he saw us doing the cha-cha and when we came off the floor motioned us over and said he was embarrassed about saying what he did to us seeing that we were the best dancers out there! It was so very sweet. Later when almost everyone else had left, the band leaders asked us if we could do the tango, so he played the violin and we tangoed and then waltzed to the next song. I think I might have danced off the white chocolate martini by that point. LOL Once again we closed down the place!
Sunday morning we had reservations for brunch in the Lake Terrace Dining Room. This was quite the spread of food! I really don't eat enough to justify the prices at these kinds of things, but the food really was outstanding. This entire room was FILLED with all kinds of food.
Loved the ice sculpture and big bouquet
They had live piano music and I have always loved a good pianist on a quality grand or mini-grand piano!!!!
A gentleman came up to our table and said he'd seen us dancing in the Tavern the previous night. When I thought he was going to say something about our dancing, I was startled when he told me that I looked beautiful in blue! Ken just loved it! I thanked him for his kindness while Ken enthusiastically agreed. (And I was dying to tell everyone that I got that dress for $17 at a consignment store! LOL Just wasn't the place to admit that though.)
I ordered an omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes and swiss cheese. I also got one small cheese blintz - oh how I love those things! and lots of fresh fruit.
Ken also got an omelet and couldn't resist the chance to eat oysters. (Yuk)
The fruit bar
Crackers and cheese and veggies
The dessert bar (I didn't photograph everything. They also had a chocolate fountain and pastry chefs making heavenly but sinful dishes on the spot!)
My tiny desserts of choice. The tiny tart is a Key Lime pie, the square one is Hazelnut creme, the oval is creme brulee, the other is a thin chocolate cup filled with cake, fruit sauce and a whipped cream topping, the garnish was chocolate, too.
After I got back from the dessert bar, our waitress brought us this Grand Marnier mousse. Oh, mama! This was definitely the best of the desserts!!!! The "crust" was solid chocolate.
After brunch we walked alongside the lake and found some lounge chairs to relax in for a while. There was an outdoor wedding going on at that time. Clouds started moving in, we heard some rolling thunder, and the golf course sirens went off indicating nearby lightning. There were also people out on the lake in paddle boats occasionally shouting. I'm thinking that will be one interesting wedding video! :-D
We went back and relaxed in the room for a while, then got ready to go to the spa again. First we went to the fitness room. I did 10 minutes of abs stuff on a stability ball, then 30 minutes on the treadmill, then lifted a few weights. We then swam in the lap lanes a little while. Then up to the spa. I had an app't for a bath soak and Ken had one for a serenity shower. We had some trail mix and lemon water while sitting in the Mountain View room, then went to separate locker rooms. I did the sauna, a steam, the sauna again for a bit, the aromatherapy room with lavender scent, then showered. On the way out I bought a book called Juicy Tomatoes about life after 50 for women. It's hilarious! (OK, I'm several months shy, but can relate to a lot of things!) We were both feeling like wet noodles after that so we chilled out in the room, watched a movie and ordered room service for dinner. I got a Grilled Vegetable wrap with blackened chicken and monterey-jack cheese with Roasted red pepper and cilantro dressing. WOW! This was quite yummy, too. And as humungous as it was, I ate that whole blessed thing! I couldn't stop myself. It was sooooo tasty. Ken had a pastrami rueben, but was wishing he'd have ordered the veggie wrap, too!
I just had to take a photo of the tiny bottle of Tabasco!!
We were both so mellow after the spa day, we laid around in the room. Ken watched TV and I read my Juicy Tomatoes book. We went to the Hotel Bar for a drink - I just had Sleepytime Tea - then contemplated going to the Tavern since the band was playing again, but decided against it and went to bed early. I'd thought about getting up for a 7am aqua class in the fitness center, but then decided not to set my alarm.
Got up this morning, took a long, hot bath, then went to the Lake Terrace Dining Room for breakfast. It was a smaller buffet than yesterday. But I basically had the same thing except for the desserts. And I had a small portion of scrambled eggs instead of an omelet. We went to one of the shops where I got a birthday present for my niece, a cool black shirt and black & white jacket. Then we strolled around the lake and I took some more pics, mostly of the swans on the lake. We saw a couple sitting on a bench, hubby asked them if they would like a photo taken of both of them. So I did that and the gentleman said "You are the one who wore the blue dress in the Tavern the other night." It was the same man who approached us at brunch. I guess that dress really made an impression on him! LOL They said they were there celebrating their engagement and came from Texas (they were probably a little older than us.) She had a VERY nice rock that she loved showing off. They were very sweet. Then back to the room to pack and check out. Sigh. Back to real life. It felt like we were so far away, but it was nice to only have a short drive home (with a stopover at Jared!) It was nice to see the kiddos again - and the kitties! :-D
Did you read all the way through? You DID???? You deserve an award if you made it without falling asleep. Ken and I both said that this will definitely be tough to top. But we're discussing an Alaskan cruise for our 25th. ;-)
(Update on Tuesday - I did get on the scale this morning and was only up 2 pounds. Quite a relief actually. The scales at the hotel had me up by 9 pounds. The last day I finally figured out that when I hit the scale to turn it on, it said 6.0lbs, then went to zero. I usually didn't have my glasses on so I would just get on, then bend down to read it. Was having heart failure at that much of a gain - 8lbs instead of 2! But I also started my period last night - finally! So that's a factor this week, too.)
Ah, where do I begin? The Broadmoor was HEAVENLY! And well-deserving of the proudly proclaimed "First hotel in Colorado to receive the Five Diamond rating." I guess I'll go day by day and I'm warning you, this will be a LONG post! :-D This is partly to help me remember everything when I get around to scrapbooking the weekend in a couple years or so. Ha! I must admit, it's the best weekend we've ever had in our 22 years of marriage! Hubby outdid himself and spoiled me ROTTEN all weekend long. I think I'll keep him for another 22 years. We'll reevaluate then. ;-)
Friday we checked in. Had a bottle of champagne and an anniversary greeting from the CEO in our room, which was gorgeous!
Well-stocked mini-bar.
Spacious, luxurious bathroom!
Nightly turn-down service with luscious chocolates
Friday night we ate at the Tavern. (Before dinner, my hubby gave me a pair of BEAUTIFUL sapphire and diamond earrings. And yes, they were from Jared. My daughter helped my hubby pick them out and I guess they really enjoyed their shopping trip!)
At the Tavern, they had a table in a somewhat secluded corner for us. And every time we went to a restaurant or the spa, the staff greeted us with Happy Anniversary! For appetizer we had Yukon Potatoes and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Shiitake Mushrooms, Fennel, Pearl Onions and Pine Nuts (oh my!) I had the Roasted Chicken Breast with Sauteed Orzo, Jicama and Fennel salad (tenderest chicken EVER! and I love orzo!) Ken had the Rib Eye with wild mushrooms. They had live music, so we got to do some ballroom dancing, too. It was a very fun evening.
Saturday morning we got room service for breakfast. I was mad at myself that I didn't take a picture of the pretty table! I had cranberry juice, oatmeal and yogurt - I ordered a banana but it was a little too green so I saved that. Ken had a Breakfast Quesadilla with sausage. After eating we walked around the lake twice at an aerobic pace. Took about 30 minutes and was 1.5mi. The grounds are just gorgeous at this place, especially with the backdrop of the mountains. (We saw three bridal parties while there over the weekend. One of them was having the ceremony outside.)
A little after 3pm we checked in at The Spa. HEAVENLY! We had some fresh fruit and cucumber water in the Mountain View room with lounge chairs looking out the windows at the mountains and overlooking one of the golf courses. Ken was a little uncomfortable at first. He'd never been to a spa and doesn't really care for massages, but had only had a chair massage before. We had a 50 minute Swedish massage in the Couple's massage room and he LOVED it. :-D I knew he would. In the respective locker rooms, there was a sauna, steam room, aromatherapy room, private bath and shower rooms and several vanities with hair dryers and curling irons (I'm assuming they didn't have those in the men's locker room, but ya never know.) And there were gender specific fireside waiting rooms that had trail mix and lemon water. This place was really amazing. And it's touted as one of the best spas in the country. It wouldn't surprise me!
Once we got done, there was just enough time to shower and get ready for dinner. Have to make a side note here. On Thursday after I got my nails done, I thought I would stop at the fine consignment shop in the small adjacent town to see if they had any pretty, formal dresses in my size. They had a gorgeous deep blue dress with silver sequin design down one side and a swing skirt perfect for dancing. It looked GREAT with my new sapphire earrings and was a terrific bargain at $17! (Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of Ken and I together this weekend. Doh! But I really don't trust other people with my camera and I forgot my tripod.)
We had reservations at The Five Diamond-rated Penrose Room. The first and ONLY restaurant in Colorado to receive this rating from AAA. My husband said that if anyone asked how it was, he wasn't sure he could talk about it because it wouldn't do it justice. But I'm gonna give it a good try here! :-D (I didn't take my camera this night. Just didn't want to worry about it, but kind of wish I'd had it to take photos of all of the spectacular food!) We were greeted by the hostess with a "Happy Anniversary" and when she took us to our table, looking out over the city of Colorado Springs, she asked if I would like a pillow for my back. 'Why yes, that would be quite lovely!' The hostess also mentioned that the brilliant blue of my dress matched the glasses and china of the dining room! Our waiter told us that the table was ours for the entire night and they would be there to get us whatever we wished. The service was STELLAR! You can certainly understand why they received that Five Diamond rating after you've dined there. At first I thought I'd rather be looking out at the mountains instead of flat Colorado Springs, but after it got dark, the full moon rose in the east and the lights of the city were gorgeous. AND we got to see the hot air balloons glow in the distance at the Colorado Balloon Classic. So they knew what they were doing when they put us there!
After we got our drinks, Ken put ANOTHER jewelry box on the table and said he had something to go with the appetizers. I was totally shocked! I was thrilled with the earrings (AND the weekend at the Broadmoor) and did NOT expect anything else. Opened it up to find a diamond anniversary ring! Someone went WAAAAY overboard this year!
He wasn't sure of my ring size, so it needed to be sized up by one, so I couldn't wear it yet. Well, I tried it on my pinky, but it flew off when we danced, so it went back into the box!
THE FOOD!!!!!
First we were brought a tiny rectangular plate with small square bowls at either end with compliments from the chef. One held some Foie Gras thing, one held a chilled carrot soup and in the middle was a tiny puff pastry filled with goat cheese. We had teeny, tiny spoons to taste these delicacies. They were all incredible! The goat cheese filled pastry was definitely my favorite! I had a Penrose Sunset non-alcoholic drink that included Pomegranate juice. Ken ordered wine and the sommelier brought him two different kinds to taste that would go well with chicken.
For the appetizer, I ordered Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Pistachios, Golden Beets and Bowtie Arugula. Honey, there are no words for this. I will never have a salad that is comparable, I'm sure. Ken had Dungeness Crabmeat Bisque with Black Trumpet Coulis. I have no idea what any of that is, but he loved it! :-) (OK, I do know what crabmeat is! LOL)
For an entree, I ordered Carrot and Ginger Ravioli with English Peas, Caramelized Pearl Onions, Verjus Gastrique. Ken ordered Meyer Lemon Glazed Breast of Chicken with Baby Fennel, Zucchini, Petite Heirloom Tomato, Rosemary Jus. Both were absolutely delicioso! Two waiters brought each a dish and removed the covers with a flourish! (You can watch them do this to anonymous people if you watch the video on the link I provided for the Penrose Room above.) :-D
For dessert we both ordered the "Pure Caraibe" Chocolate Parfait with Praline Nougatine and Licorice Whipped Cream. A waiter and waitress each brought a plate to us that had a candle burning and "Happy Anniversary" written in chocolate on the plate. STUNNING! I did whip out my phone and take a picture of that. I couldn't resist! When I figure out how to get that onto my computer, I'll post that. All of the food items were pretty small portions and brought at fairly nice intervals, so we never felt uncomfortably stuffed and considering it was only our second meal of the day, I probably didn't do too bad calorie-wise! After all this, they also bought us a small plate with tiny lemon cookies compliments of the pastry chef. Ken had a cognac with dessert and a little later, I had a white chocolate martini. (That's where my calorie count went WAAAAY over!) But, oh, so worth it!!!!! ;-D
The Penrose Room has a live band, too and the singer there was outstanding. Our waiter had asked us what we wanted to hear, so Ken requested a rumba, which they did and wished us a Happy Anniversary once again. After we danced to that, she asked if we wanted a waltz, (Yes, please, my favorite!) so we got to do both of those with the floor pretty much to ourselves. It was a small dance floor, so that was nice. We danced off and on all night long. There were several people who complimented us on our dancing.
Later on, we went downstairs to the Tavern since they played later than the band in the Penrose Room. There was an older couple there and the gentleman was quite small, wearing an oxygen cannula. He and Ken started talking and he told Ken that he thought every man should take his woman out on the dance floor when she is bouncing in her seat. Ken asked why he wasn't out dancing, so he went and got his wife and took her out and he was quite the dancer himself. Afterward he told Ken never to challenge him, he'd do it. He was so cute, they both were! Later on, he saw us doing the cha-cha and when we came off the floor motioned us over and said he was embarrassed about saying what he did to us seeing that we were the best dancers out there! It was so very sweet. Later when almost everyone else had left, the band leaders asked us if we could do the tango, so he played the violin and we tangoed and then waltzed to the next song. I think I might have danced off the white chocolate martini by that point. LOL Once again we closed down the place!
Sunday morning we had reservations for brunch in the Lake Terrace Dining Room. This was quite the spread of food! I really don't eat enough to justify the prices at these kinds of things, but the food really was outstanding. This entire room was FILLED with all kinds of food.
Loved the ice sculpture and big bouquet
They had live piano music and I have always loved a good pianist on a quality grand or mini-grand piano!!!!
A gentleman came up to our table and said he'd seen us dancing in the Tavern the previous night. When I thought he was going to say something about our dancing, I was startled when he told me that I looked beautiful in blue! Ken just loved it! I thanked him for his kindness while Ken enthusiastically agreed. (And I was dying to tell everyone that I got that dress for $17 at a consignment store! LOL Just wasn't the place to admit that though.)
I ordered an omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes and swiss cheese. I also got one small cheese blintz - oh how I love those things! and lots of fresh fruit.
Ken also got an omelet and couldn't resist the chance to eat oysters. (Yuk)
The fruit bar
Crackers and cheese and veggies
The dessert bar (I didn't photograph everything. They also had a chocolate fountain and pastry chefs making heavenly but sinful dishes on the spot!)
My tiny desserts of choice. The tiny tart is a Key Lime pie, the square one is Hazelnut creme, the oval is creme brulee, the other is a thin chocolate cup filled with cake, fruit sauce and a whipped cream topping, the garnish was chocolate, too.
After I got back from the dessert bar, our waitress brought us this Grand Marnier mousse. Oh, mama! This was definitely the best of the desserts!!!! The "crust" was solid chocolate.
After brunch we walked alongside the lake and found some lounge chairs to relax in for a while. There was an outdoor wedding going on at that time. Clouds started moving in, we heard some rolling thunder, and the golf course sirens went off indicating nearby lightning. There were also people out on the lake in paddle boats occasionally shouting. I'm thinking that will be one interesting wedding video! :-D
We went back and relaxed in the room for a while, then got ready to go to the spa again. First we went to the fitness room. I did 10 minutes of abs stuff on a stability ball, then 30 minutes on the treadmill, then lifted a few weights. We then swam in the lap lanes a little while. Then up to the spa. I had an app't for a bath soak and Ken had one for a serenity shower. We had some trail mix and lemon water while sitting in the Mountain View room, then went to separate locker rooms. I did the sauna, a steam, the sauna again for a bit, the aromatherapy room with lavender scent, then showered. On the way out I bought a book called Juicy Tomatoes about life after 50 for women. It's hilarious! (OK, I'm several months shy, but can relate to a lot of things!) We were both feeling like wet noodles after that so we chilled out in the room, watched a movie and ordered room service for dinner. I got a Grilled Vegetable wrap with blackened chicken and monterey-jack cheese with Roasted red pepper and cilantro dressing. WOW! This was quite yummy, too. And as humungous as it was, I ate that whole blessed thing! I couldn't stop myself. It was sooooo tasty. Ken had a pastrami rueben, but was wishing he'd have ordered the veggie wrap, too!
I just had to take a photo of the tiny bottle of Tabasco!!
We were both so mellow after the spa day, we laid around in the room. Ken watched TV and I read my Juicy Tomatoes book. We went to the Hotel Bar for a drink - I just had Sleepytime Tea - then contemplated going to the Tavern since the band was playing again, but decided against it and went to bed early. I'd thought about getting up for a 7am aqua class in the fitness center, but then decided not to set my alarm.
Got up this morning, took a long, hot bath, then went to the Lake Terrace Dining Room for breakfast. It was a smaller buffet than yesterday. But I basically had the same thing except for the desserts. And I had a small portion of scrambled eggs instead of an omelet. We went to one of the shops where I got a birthday present for my niece, a cool black shirt and black & white jacket. Then we strolled around the lake and I took some more pics, mostly of the swans on the lake. We saw a couple sitting on a bench, hubby asked them if they would like a photo taken of both of them. So I did that and the gentleman said "You are the one who wore the blue dress in the Tavern the other night." It was the same man who approached us at brunch. I guess that dress really made an impression on him! LOL They said they were there celebrating their engagement and came from Texas (they were probably a little older than us.) She had a VERY nice rock that she loved showing off. They were very sweet. Then back to the room to pack and check out. Sigh. Back to real life. It felt like we were so far away, but it was nice to only have a short drive home (with a stopover at Jared!) It was nice to see the kiddos again - and the kitties! :-D
Did you read all the way through? You DID???? You deserve an award if you made it without falling asleep. Ken and I both said that this will definitely be tough to top. But we're discussing an Alaskan cruise for our 25th. ;-)
(Update on Tuesday - I did get on the scale this morning and was only up 2 pounds. Quite a relief actually. The scales at the hotel had me up by 9 pounds. The last day I finally figured out that when I hit the scale to turn it on, it said 6.0lbs, then went to zero. I usually didn't have my glasses on so I would just get on, then bend down to read it. Was having heart failure at that much of a gain - 8lbs instead of 2! But I also started my period last night - finally! So that's a factor this week, too.)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Another app't
Had an echo done at the cardiology office today. Most of the other patients at the clinic are around 20 years older than me, so I feel kind of weird going there. ;-) Follow-up app't to get results isn't until next Thursday. The supplements the doc wanted me to stop are iodine and adrenolyph plus. I stopped them both after Thursday, but had racing heart and shortness of breath every day since, so I'm not sure they are the culprit.
I've had the mood swings, the munchies and the sore boobs, but my period is over a week late. Weird. And no, I'm not pregnant. I stopped ovulating last year according to the testing I had done by my chiropractor. Argh. Really don't want to have it this weekend, so I'm hoping it just skips this month! Too much to ask???
My son saw a neurologist on Friday. She said she's hopeful that he'll recover completely but it may take up to a year and a half. He needs to have the nerve conduction test done. We'll have to go back up to Denver for that. She also asked us to get an MRI done, which we should be able to do here in our area.
OK, Sonic advertising team, looks like I have to tell you this again. ONLY THE TWO DUDES ARE FUNNY! Couple - not funny. Two chicks - not funny. Mom and son - not funny. New couple - so NOT funny. ONLY THE TWO DUDES. Don't try to mess with a good thing. Just bring back the silly boys and no one will get hurt.
I've had the mood swings, the munchies and the sore boobs, but my period is over a week late. Weird. And no, I'm not pregnant. I stopped ovulating last year according to the testing I had done by my chiropractor. Argh. Really don't want to have it this weekend, so I'm hoping it just skips this month! Too much to ask???
My son saw a neurologist on Friday. She said she's hopeful that he'll recover completely but it may take up to a year and a half. He needs to have the nerve conduction test done. We'll have to go back up to Denver for that. She also asked us to get an MRI done, which we should be able to do here in our area.
OK, Sonic advertising team, looks like I have to tell you this again. ONLY THE TWO DUDES ARE FUNNY! Couple - not funny. Two chicks - not funny. Mom and son - not funny. New couple - so NOT funny. ONLY THE TWO DUDES. Don't try to mess with a good thing. Just bring back the silly boys and no one will get hurt.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Cardiology
Saw the cardiologist today. It was basically just a get acquainted appointment and him gathering info. I'm having an echo done on Monday as a first step and he's going to try to get the details of my holter monitor results. The only thing they gave me was an overview and he said the devil is usually in the details.
He thinks it MIGHT be the iodine I've been taking and expressed some concerns about the over the counter supplements I've been taking and said that since they aren't tested, no one really knows everything they do to our bodies. I told him I'm willing to do some trials going off them one at a time to see if that makes a difference. He also said that I may just need to take a beta blocker and that if it's a switch in my heart malfunctioning, no diet or exercise steps will do anything to affect it (after I told him I didn't necessarily want to jump straight to medication.)
He thinks it MIGHT be the iodine I've been taking and expressed some concerns about the over the counter supplements I've been taking and said that since they aren't tested, no one really knows everything they do to our bodies. I told him I'm willing to do some trials going off them one at a time to see if that makes a difference. He also said that I may just need to take a beta blocker and that if it's a switch in my heart malfunctioning, no diet or exercise steps will do anything to affect it (after I told him I didn't necessarily want to jump straight to medication.)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Thanks so much to Tasha at Today is for tomorrow for the lovely award. I actually did get this one a while back so already passed it on to others. :-)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
HYC check in
How does TOM come around so quickly once again???? I'm having the munchies and the mood swings, but it hasn't actually started. Urgh. So weight is up a bit, but I'm continuing the activity. Took the whole weekend off because Saturday I was fighting a migraine and Sunday I was just in a very crabby mood. Today I worked up a stinkin sweat on the treadmill, wearing 3 pedometers to just check them against the info on the treadmill. :-) They were all fairly close, other than the first pedometer I ever bought which said I'd gone 4.88 miles when everything else said 2.4 miles.
I did walk during Kendall's OT yesterday for 45 minutes, then in the evening, hubby wanted to walk so I said I'd ride my bike and yes, it started RAINING again! But we gave it some time and did get the exercise in and I finally did my 2009 inaugural ride on my Lipton Fuji bike, that I won last year in a contest that John is Fit held with the sponsorship of Lipton.
Jen at PriorFatGirl is having an awesome giveaway so go check it out. It's for a great cookbook.
Oh yeah, daughter update. She didn't get the first job, but they called her yesterday about a different admin job that starts on Sept 24 in San Antonio. Interviewed her on the spot and really liked her personable personality. I know she'd be really happy to get back to Texas, it's where her heart is, so I'm hoping it all works out. :-D She needs to be near her beloved orcas and dolphins at Sea World.
Words of wisdom from Denise Austin
Get Past Your Cravings!
Those stubborn cravings we all get can be more than just annoying. They can even derail your hard work and effort! You can get past them, though, without bingeing or racing off track. Here's how!
If you feel hunger coming on, you shouldn't automatically reach for food. Before you eat, take a minute to think about what you're feeling. Ask yourself if you're really hungry. If you haven't eaten in a while and your energy is low, maybe your body is telling you to eat! If that's the case, grab a healthy snack and you'll feel better in no time.
But if you've just eaten, you might be having a craving. One of the best ways to beat cravings is to distract yourself. Take a walk, phone a friend, or get up from your desk and move. Sometimes just changing your surroundings can change the way you feel!
Thirst can also feel like hunger! Pour yourself a refreshing glass of water and then see how you feel. Here's another simple trick: If you're having a craving, pop a piece of gum in your mouth. Sometimes the act of chewing is enough to get your mind off that pesky craving. You can do it!
I did walk during Kendall's OT yesterday for 45 minutes, then in the evening, hubby wanted to walk so I said I'd ride my bike and yes, it started RAINING again! But we gave it some time and did get the exercise in and I finally did my 2009 inaugural ride on my Lipton Fuji bike, that I won last year in a contest that John is Fit held with the sponsorship of Lipton.
Jen at PriorFatGirl is having an awesome giveaway so go check it out. It's for a great cookbook.
Oh yeah, daughter update. She didn't get the first job, but they called her yesterday about a different admin job that starts on Sept 24 in San Antonio. Interviewed her on the spot and really liked her personable personality. I know she'd be really happy to get back to Texas, it's where her heart is, so I'm hoping it all works out. :-D She needs to be near her beloved orcas and dolphins at Sea World.
Words of wisdom from Denise Austin
Get Past Your Cravings!
Those stubborn cravings we all get can be more than just annoying. They can even derail your hard work and effort! You can get past them, though, without bingeing or racing off track. Here's how!
If you feel hunger coming on, you shouldn't automatically reach for food. Before you eat, take a minute to think about what you're feeling. Ask yourself if you're really hungry. If you haven't eaten in a while and your energy is low, maybe your body is telling you to eat! If that's the case, grab a healthy snack and you'll feel better in no time.
But if you've just eaten, you might be having a craving. One of the best ways to beat cravings is to distract yourself. Take a walk, phone a friend, or get up from your desk and move. Sometimes just changing your surroundings can change the way you feel!
Thirst can also feel like hunger! Pour yourself a refreshing glass of water and then see how you feel. Here's another simple trick: If you're having a craving, pop a piece of gum in your mouth. Sometimes the act of chewing is enough to get your mind off that pesky craving. You can do it!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Sooooo excited!
Our 22nd anniversary is coming up (Sept 1) and we decided to book a weekend at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs the following weekend. It's quite a fancy place and we've never stayed there. We also booked a couple's massage for Saturday afternoon. I can't wait! They have several types of fitness classes and if there's an aqua one on Saturday morning, I may do that, too.
Last night our ballroom dance instructor held a Latin dance from 8-11 and we danced quite a bit. It was so much fun. I even danced once with Vladimir, another instructor who has danced professionally. I was terrified but it was fun! :-)
This morning I have another migraine threatening. I'm thinking it may be a cold coming on. My sinuses are hurting. So I'm drinking the Emergen-C and taking it easy. I really wanted to go to the Farmer's Market this morning, but couldn't stand the idea of being out in the sun. :-P
Last night our ballroom dance instructor held a Latin dance from 8-11 and we danced quite a bit. It was so much fun. I even danced once with Vladimir, another instructor who has danced professionally. I was terrified but it was fun! :-)
This morning I have another migraine threatening. I'm thinking it may be a cold coming on. My sinuses are hurting. So I'm drinking the Emergen-C and taking it easy. I really wanted to go to the Farmer's Market this morning, but couldn't stand the idea of being out in the sun. :-P
Friday, August 21, 2009
Is it any surprise?
Some great links from Men's Health
Women eat more around other women
The Worse "healthy" snacks exposed
Women eat more around other women
The Worse "healthy" snacks exposed
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The beat goes on
We did dance on Tuesday night. Love the cha-cha, but it is pretty vigorous and I was a little light-headed so had to take it a little slow. It was a lot of fun. It had been a while since we did an intermediate lesson on the cha-cha so we really enjoyed it.
Felt better yesterday and walked over 2 miles while my son was at OT. A friend joined me on the walk, so it was a lot more fun and seemed to go a lot faster with someone to talk to! Thanks, Lynda! :-D
Tonight I have a chocolate party and my fridge is on the fritz again, freezing stuff, so the heavy whipping cream I need to make the mousse is a solid block so I need to run to the store. Sigh. One extra errand I did NOT need!
Felt better yesterday and walked over 2 miles while my son was at OT. A friend joined me on the walk, so it was a lot more fun and seemed to go a lot faster with someone to talk to! Thanks, Lynda! :-D
Tonight I have a chocolate party and my fridge is on the fritz again, freezing stuff, so the heavy whipping cream I need to make the mousse is a solid block so I need to run to the store. Sigh. One extra errand I did NOT need!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Healthy You Check in
I'm up a pound from last week, but I'm not going to worry about it. I've been really active; walking 6x and lifting weights 3x a week. I spent this morning in bed with a migraine trying to avoid throwing up. I'm hoping I'll be up for a ballroom dance lesson tonight. It's intermediate cha-cha. One of our favorites!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Word of warning
Taking the personal protection course made me think about my fellow health bloggers. Many of you go out running or walking with an ever present ipod. I would just like to put out a word of caution when using those. They do make you unaware of your surroundings at times. You can get so wrapped up in the music, you can not notice other things going on around you. This can be dangerous in an area where there aren't many other people around. You feel safe in your regular routine. But it can make you vulnerable to danger. The level of violence in our society is increasing and although a criminal may realize you don't have credit cards or cash on you while out walking/jogging, they may not be looking for money. So PLEASE, if you are out alone, pay attention to the environment around you. And realize that not everyone intent on mischief or violence may not LOOK like a hoodlum.
And of course this also applies to vehicles when the driver may not be attentive. Please be careful and AWARE!
And of course this also applies to vehicles when the driver may not be attentive. Please be careful and AWARE!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
My head is going to explode
It's just been a wild week. Appt's on 4 of the 5 weekdays. Then last night my husband comes home with the news that his boss in San Antonio may have a job for our daughter.....in San Antonio! OK, happy if she gets a job, but it's so far away! I was so happy she was staying in Colorado for now. Sigh. I'll be happy for her if she gets hired, her dream is to get back to Texas. But I'll miss her.
I tried three times this week to get out on my bike. The first time I discovered the tires were low, so I tried to fill them and my pump hose was broken. Got a new pump yesterday at Walmart and filled the tires. Woke up this morning planning to ride my bike, but by the time I'd dressed and fixed my protein smoothie it was raining. Walked on the treadmill. This evening, hubby wanted to go for a walk, so I figured I would take my bike. As we walked out, it started raining and the wind started blowing. :-/ Hopefully, I'll get another chance before the snow flies. But the daily thunderstorms are getting a little OLD.
Definitely starting to PMS. I want to eat everything in the house! Trying to limit it to just half of what's in the house. ;-)
OK, WHAT THE HECK! As soon as I posted this, the little advertising thing on the right said HelloSanAntonio.com ARE YOU KIDDING ME???????
I tried three times this week to get out on my bike. The first time I discovered the tires were low, so I tried to fill them and my pump hose was broken. Got a new pump yesterday at Walmart and filled the tires. Woke up this morning planning to ride my bike, but by the time I'd dressed and fixed my protein smoothie it was raining. Walked on the treadmill. This evening, hubby wanted to go for a walk, so I figured I would take my bike. As we walked out, it started raining and the wind started blowing. :-/ Hopefully, I'll get another chance before the snow flies. But the daily thunderstorms are getting a little OLD.
Definitely starting to PMS. I want to eat everything in the house! Trying to limit it to just half of what's in the house. ;-)
OK, WHAT THE HECK! As soon as I posted this, the little advertising thing on the right said HelloSanAntonio.com ARE YOU KIDDING ME???????
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
HYC check in - 176.8
Weight today is 176.8. Coming back down! I have been doing really well with my eating habits. Yesterday I walked for 40 min while Kendall was at his OT appointment, plus another 30 minute walk in the evening with my husband. There was a REALLY cool cloud over the mountains that looked EXACTLY like the clouds in Independence Day (the movie) when the space ships entered our atmosphere. It was a little freaky!
Just got some info on some incredible new products we now have with Dove. Oh, I can't WAIT to taste some of the new things. Dark chocolate caramel nut clusters. Yummmmm You can check out the new catalog here! Click on the box that says "Tour Current Catalog."
Check out All Vegged Out's Healthy Snack Giveaway.
Just got some info on some incredible new products we now have with Dove. Oh, I can't WAIT to taste some of the new things. Dark chocolate caramel nut clusters. Yummmmm You can check out the new catalog here! Click on the box that says "Tour Current Catalog."
Check out All Vegged Out's Healthy Snack Giveaway.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Whew, what a weekend!
I had SUCH a great time on the range yesterday. Shot over 250 rounds of ammo with my Springfield XD 9mm subcompact. (I LOVE that gun!) ;-)
The basic pistol class where my hubby and I are instructors is sort of a beginner's class. It covers gun type, ammo, SAFETY (the most important part!) and the fundamentals of good target shooting. It is probably one of the best courses in the country. The man who owns the gun store is very committed to teaching anyone who wants to own a gun for personal protection the most stringent safety rules for gun handling. The NRA requires that this course be 10 hours. Paul's version involves over 20. And it includes a full day on the range. In the morning, we do a round robin where everyone gets to shoot all kinds of guns owned by the store. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, a muzzle loader, an uzi, an AR15, etc. Then after lunch, we have one on one instruction with a student. We do have some experienced shooters come through who have to unlearn bad habits and learn NRA fundamentals. :-D This class meets the requirement to get a concealed carry permit in Colorado.
The course I took this weekend is called Personal Protection in the Home and is geared toward training for a reaction to an intruder in your home. (There's another course called Personal Protection OUTSIDE the home.) It covers different types of situations and how to prepare and PLAN for them. It also includes a section on the law and what you can face if you do shoot someone who is in your home. Paul also works for the public defender's office doing forensics and he often testifies at trials. One of the people who went through the basic class was an 84yo grandma. She shot and killed a rapist who came into her house. The guy had assaulted several women before that.
Yesterday at the range, we did several exercises on shooting quickly, but accurately. We also practiced shooting from behind cover. After all of the various exercises, we did a mini-match. Moving from target to target quickly and safely, using cover, shooting bad guys and shooting a steel ram from a "window." (I was so excited that I got the ram on the first shot!) One of the targets was holding a hostage and we had to shoot the bad guy without hitting the hostage. The hostage didn't survive every shooter, but I didn't hit him! ;-) One target was 3 bad guys, one partly covered by a wall, one behind the other two. Yep, I got all 3 of 'em with 2 hits each. (The targets were all cardboard silhouettes, we didn't actually shoot any bad guys. LOL) Then we did El Presidente, 3 targets a few feet apart, 2 shots each left to right, then reload, then 2 shots each left to right.
The last drill was called the pit bull drill. Someone runs away from the firing line, pulls a water bottle on a rope, so the bottle is traveling toward the shooter and they have to hit a moving target. Yep, the rabid dog died! About half of the students missed the pit bull. It was so much fun and I was quite pleased with my shooting. I've definitely developed more skills than I had! And the weekend definitely wiped me out! I slept for about 12 hours last night. Definitely needed it. (And yes, we know that not all pit bulls are BAD. :-D It's just an example of a possible living animal threat.)
Didn't track my eating at all this weekend. But I packed healthy food for the classroom and for the range yesterday. Today I'm back into the groove. Did my ultimate abs ball, 1 set of lifting weights before taking my son to OT and doing my 40 minute walk around the park. Got rained on a little bit, but it kept it nice and cool and the thunder didn't start until I was done. Woot!
The basic pistol class where my hubby and I are instructors is sort of a beginner's class. It covers gun type, ammo, SAFETY (the most important part!) and the fundamentals of good target shooting. It is probably one of the best courses in the country. The man who owns the gun store is very committed to teaching anyone who wants to own a gun for personal protection the most stringent safety rules for gun handling. The NRA requires that this course be 10 hours. Paul's version involves over 20. And it includes a full day on the range. In the morning, we do a round robin where everyone gets to shoot all kinds of guns owned by the store. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, a muzzle loader, an uzi, an AR15, etc. Then after lunch, we have one on one instruction with a student. We do have some experienced shooters come through who have to unlearn bad habits and learn NRA fundamentals. :-D This class meets the requirement to get a concealed carry permit in Colorado.
The course I took this weekend is called Personal Protection in the Home and is geared toward training for a reaction to an intruder in your home. (There's another course called Personal Protection OUTSIDE the home.) It covers different types of situations and how to prepare and PLAN for them. It also includes a section on the law and what you can face if you do shoot someone who is in your home. Paul also works for the public defender's office doing forensics and he often testifies at trials. One of the people who went through the basic class was an 84yo grandma. She shot and killed a rapist who came into her house. The guy had assaulted several women before that.
Yesterday at the range, we did several exercises on shooting quickly, but accurately. We also practiced shooting from behind cover. After all of the various exercises, we did a mini-match. Moving from target to target quickly and safely, using cover, shooting bad guys and shooting a steel ram from a "window." (I was so excited that I got the ram on the first shot!) One of the targets was holding a hostage and we had to shoot the bad guy without hitting the hostage. The hostage didn't survive every shooter, but I didn't hit him! ;-) One target was 3 bad guys, one partly covered by a wall, one behind the other two. Yep, I got all 3 of 'em with 2 hits each. (The targets were all cardboard silhouettes, we didn't actually shoot any bad guys. LOL) Then we did El Presidente, 3 targets a few feet apart, 2 shots each left to right, then reload, then 2 shots each left to right.
The last drill was called the pit bull drill. Someone runs away from the firing line, pulls a water bottle on a rope, so the bottle is traveling toward the shooter and they have to hit a moving target. Yep, the rabid dog died! About half of the students missed the pit bull. It was so much fun and I was quite pleased with my shooting. I've definitely developed more skills than I had! And the weekend definitely wiped me out! I slept for about 12 hours last night. Definitely needed it. (And yes, we know that not all pit bulls are BAD. :-D It's just an example of a possible living animal threat.)
Didn't track my eating at all this weekend. But I packed healthy food for the classroom and for the range yesterday. Today I'm back into the groove. Did my ultimate abs ball, 1 set of lifting weights before taking my son to OT and doing my 40 minute walk around the park. Got rained on a little bit, but it kept it nice and cool and the thunder didn't start until I was done. Woot!
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