What will I be Kind Cleaning in 2018?

Not mine!  Just an example

As I near the end of my first year using my Passion Planner (PP) and my thoughts are naturally turning to the promise of New Year Resolutions I’m reflecting on how to better make use of the planner as I strive to make the world a better place.  Whew!  That sounds rather lofty!  But I will explain: my PP has been a wonderful tool to organize various areas of my life from fitness goals to dentist appointments.  It allows me a creative outlet to decorate the pages and setup inspiring spreads for tracking progress toward my goals. The “Passion” facet encourages creating a roadmap to my future.  There are steps for creating your future “wishlist” and your main “gamechanger.” Areas for “Space of Infinite Possibility” allow the visual learner in me to create a cluster chart including all the different areas of my life and then detailing what changes in those areas I want to make this year.  Laying out a graphic organizer helps me decide where my priorities should lie and how to best align my time with those priorities.

Writing continues to be one of my main goals for 2018. In 2017 I transitioned from “KindCleaning” my home of toxins to “KindCleaning” my body of toxins. This year I will seek “KindCleaning” of my digital/quasi-monopoly toxins – primarily the shopping aspect. Many people I know (me included) complain of the loss of small shops and a downtown area to mingle with neighbors and friends. But then add to our Amazon carts and hitup the local big box discount retailer weekly (WalMart, Target, etc.). My “gamechanger” for 2018 will be to drastically REDUCE reliance on mega-retail and spend my money supporting local businesses without grossly overpaying for daily items. Meanwhile I will take steps to reduce the personal data I passively allow social media to record.

Upcoming posts:

• ·         How does “Shop Locally” benefit the economy and strengthen communities
• ·         Graphic tracking of expenses: how much is going to the mega-stores? Where can changes be made?
• ·         Community Supported Agriculture – the key to healthy local food
• ·         What about the products that are just overpriced by the local small grocer?  Ie.) Tide and Pet Food
• ·         Which local businesses are successful and why?  Personal services?
• ·         Disentangling from the consumer/social media “Big Brother”

November ~ My FAVORITE Month

Since I’m long overdue for an update I’ll spend 10 minutes on this breezy November morning to post my progress!

• Exercise = A+
• Diet = C+
• Motivation = A-

In September I started focusing on posting about my diet rather than exercise, thus I haven’t been recording my exercise on line. But I HAVE BEEN EXERCISING.  It’s really just a part of my lifestyle now.  I walk/run 4-5 days a week for a minimum of 2 miles and usually not more than 3.5 miles.  I practice Yoga 1-2 days a week and hit the gym about 3 days a week.  \So in total I’m getting in a minimum of 7 exercise sessions a week.The weeks I really push and exercise at the max end of my range, I have 1 day that I am almost immobilized with exhaustion (still get my 13,000 steps but really slowly)

My Diet remains my most difficult aspect.  Although I use S Health to track my calories, I still tend to track for about 2 weeks then take 4-5 days off.  I cured my old habits: binging, treating hunger as an emergency, giving up, etc. So whether tracking or not I tend to stick in the 1650 – 2300 range, possibly exceeding that 1 day out of 90.  However I need to stay closer to the 1650 number more of the time for consistent weight loss and therein lies my challenge! 

It’s hard to believe that after a solid year of my healthy lifestyle I’m still learning new things about myself.  But each revelation results in an increased awareness of how to overcome a challenge.  I realized last month that when all my kids are home (I have 2 away at college) I quickly give up the exercise and start making family favorite comfort foods.  My oldest daughter requested stuffed peppers and my oldest son requested tuna-noodle-casserole (“not the healthy one you make, Mom, the one with cream of mushroom soup!”)   On the verge of Thanksgiving I am committed to planning out my exercise and meals so this doesn’t happen. My motivation is solid – not absolutely consistent day to day (ya know those 2300 calorie days aren’t the result of super high motivation) but overall I’m focused on lowing my blood pressure and getting my heart as healthy as it can be.  The weight loss is so slow that it gets frustrating at times, but my real goal is being healthy and I know that as a healthy person the weight decreases (but just so slowly).

NSV’s (Non-Scale Victories)

• -          All my pants are getting baggy (again!). Last Spring I happily removed all of my size 20 pants from my wardrobe and now all of my size 18 pants are getting super long and roomy.  Yippee!  I actually only own 1 pair of size 16 so I’ll be doing some shopping soon. Even my stretchy exercise pants are getting loose, but they’re not falling off yet.
• -          After months of “nothing to eat” (from my kids) I acquiesced and agreed to make chocolate chip cookies this week – but I used chopped Snickers (from the Halloween collection) which prevents me from eating them! (I’m not allergic to nuts, I just don’t like nuts paired with sweets at all).

Scale Victory: a slow and steady ½ lb a week which looks more like 4 lbs. down one week then 7 weeks of a little up, a little down.

May everyone reading this enjoy the nice cold weather November brings and remember to make soup instead of your other cold weather go-to dishes.  Today I’m making a lovely Squash Soup with this beautiful Kabocha squash.

September Struggles

I'm so happy to return to a routine as my youngest finally headed back to school the day after Labor Day.

This months focus is to remember the 80/20 rule and really work on healthy meals.

Tuesday:
80% Food:  I ate the following plus too many apple cinnamon rice cakes and a dinner of 1 cup spaghetti w/homemade veggie sauce and a salad.
20% Exercise: Arms workout

Wednesday:
80% Food: started out with a mimic of the day before but stumbled a bit in the afternoon.  I need to plan some better high protein lunches!  Full Disclosure:  breakfast was eggs & toast (as on Tuesday) but about 11am I started cruising for something sweet and settled on Honey-Nut Cheerios w/ a few choc. chips sprinkled in.  Then I felt so bloated I skipped lunch unitl 2:00 when I was out and about CRAVING some warm meat.  I ate some chicken and then had my planned dinner: Hamburger, swiss chard and a few tater tots w/ketchup.
20% Exercise: HIIT Treadmill as shown

A Healthy Summer Wrap-up: Old Me vs. New Me

Summer was wonderful!  (although I enjoyed beautiful walks almost daily and composed multiple blog posts in my head, I never decided to sit at the laptop and type them up. I made some scrawls on the back of an old envelope so I may use that for inspiration in the next few weeks)

On the positive side, I finally jumped off my weight loss plateau and my new total weight loss is 33 lbs. I’ve spent the past 10 days flirting between 31# - 33# so I’m hoping I’m not on another plateau.   Also, I’ve discovered that since I’m losing weight SOOO SLOWLY my body can handle a couple days off.  Now don’t think “oh, here we go, this is the beginning of the end for Carol!” When I say “days off” I mean eating a meal at a restaurant, skipping 2 days in a row of exercise, or indulging in pizza night or 1 sensible serving of dessert.  I eat and exercise so differently than the old me did, that I’d like to take a look (reflection time!) at the differences:

Old: Follow strict diet & lose 8-10 lbs in 2-3 weeks

                 ~ New:  Exercise & eat healthfully & lose 1.5 lbs. in 2-3 weeks

Old: Take a break from diet & gain 50% of my loss back in 1 day

                ~ New: take a break and maintain my weight

Old: Binge eat out of sugar craving desperation.

                 ~ New: Sugar cravings are gone; eat some sweets in moderation but always know that after 1-2 days I will go back to very low sugar.

Old: Exercise but try not to sweat or change my clothing more than 2x/day

                 ~ New: Get totally sweaty and enjoy it!  Have as many “exercise” clothes as regular clothes and change back & forth all day.

Old: after 2 months be right back at my starting weight, spend 2 more months gaining a few extra pounds.

                ~ New:  for each 5 pounds down I gain 1 back, then just keep going and it leaves again and takes another pound with it, Yay!

Old: Reads the latest “lose 30 lbs. in 8 weeks!” and is tempted to see what it’s all about

                 ~ New:  I’ve got this, I know what I need to do and how to do it.  I also know that the person who loses 30 lbs. in 8 weeks, gains 15 back in week 9. (at least when that person is ME)

On the negative side I’ve realized that all the exercise in the world cannot make up for a poor diet. My summer is over so no more off days with ice cream.  Fair season brings its own challenges but my tastes have changed enough that I’m really not tempted by that stuff.  Well, maybe the big doughnut…errrhhhh, I can resist and take just 1 bite out of someone else’s.  So my September Goal is NUTRITION Mindfulness. 

=> Protein at every meal

  

=> Increase Veggies & Fruits

  

=> Decrease Breads & Pasta

I’m also going to post on FB my food pictures with motivation instead of my workouts.

How to Exercise & Eat Healthfully over Summer Vacation

I haven’t blogged in over a week because I’ve been cementing my healthy goals into my summer routine. Many of us moms with school-age children operate on an entirely different schedule in the summer. Those bits of time we’ve carved for ourselves when the kids are in school have vanished and now new challenges threaten to sidetrack our health program.

For me summer means moving to a shoreline cottage with habits of ice cream runs and fried clam dinners. This year I knew I had to change those habits. 

Preparation:  Mental preparation is a tool that should never be underestimated.  I began planning for my new routine by identifing my challenges:

• ·         No Gym nearby
• ·         My usual walk/run spots would be unavailable and I have yet to find comparable parks nearby (specifically ones where I can let my dog run off-leash on trails with me).
• ·         How to break the cycle of eating more because “I’m on vacation” and because “every year we eat…”

Create Solutions:

• ·         No Gym? My husband foraged through our sons’ weight sets and created 2 dumbbells for me (they are now 12# each, and I have four 5# rings I can add.  In addition I brought with me a Kettlebell that adjusts to various weights and my yoga mat.
• ·         Walk/Run?  I need to get out every day to a State Park which I have easy access to; I’ve realized it’s time to separate dog walks from my runs.
• ·         Eating more on “vacation mode?” Setup a kitchen full of healthy food and stay committed. I’ve finally (at age 51) realized that I can buy sweets that I don’t crave for my children.  I always took pleasure in sharing special treats with them that we both enjoyed. 
  

Practice:

As soon as I unpacked on my first Saturday I ran through my arms strength training routine with my weights.  I’ve done it 3 times in the past week and I’m committed to making it a habit.

My location is set on the CT shoreline with beautiful views! I need to be out running and enjoying my setting. It’s become habit to walk my dog first (warm-up), then bring him home and leave for my walk/run. Although I hope his endurance returns in the cooler weather, for now 1 mile in the morning and another in the evening are enough for him.

I’ve researched some local gyms and may be using a “trial week” at a few if I feel that will help my goals. For now I feel the weights and runs are giving me what I need in exercise.  I’ve also participated in a weekly outdoor yoga class.

Healthy nutrition is the toughest challenge for me. I’ve setup a good routine but will continue to focus on creating healthy meals. My difficulty lies in those extra events that crop up: Lobsterfest this weekend! So I just take it one day at a time and be the best I can be. Since I want my 11 year old to enjoy vacation mode, the house is loaded up with a bag of Gummy Bears and Ice Cream treats (frozen cones, popsicles) neither of which tempts me in the least.  If I’m desperate, I’ll take a spoonful of Peanut Butter over Gummy bears or a popsicle.

And did I mention?  I don’t have a SCALE here!!!  Yes, I brought down a food scale (I’m not crazy) but no scale to weigh myself. I’m not sure how that will work, but on Thursday I’ll be where there is a scale and be able to tell if I’ve finally jumped off the plateau that has been frustrating me.

What If....I'm the Last Fatty Standing

You know that feeling of seeing someone you haven’t seen in a long time and they’ve lost tons of weight but you haven’t.  You’re happy for them and want to know how they did it, but part of you feels a rock in your stomach as you realize you’re the last one in this group of friends who is shopping in the plus sized section.  Days like today I like to look for that rock and remember the feeling.  I don’t want to be the last one.  I saw a photo of someone I haven’t seen in a while and that was my thought – she’s lost all the weight, we’re no longer the chubby buddies complaining together about ill-fitting bras and worrying about having to get on a scale before getting on an airplane.  Turns out it was just a very complimentary photo, but I still look to embrace that feeling because it motivates me.

As I pounded away on the Elliptical Crosstrainer today I imagined going to a party, reunion, etc. and everyone is normal weight but me.  That’s scary stuff.  What if…school resumes and I’m the last plus-size mom at pickup in September?

(I realize this is a very shallow post – no, I don’t dwell on comparisons of myself to others!  But sometimes these thoughts enter my mind and if I can use them for motivation, what’s the harm?)

(and don’t get on me because I used the term “fatty” – everyone has their words of preference for unpleasant things; I have absolutely no problem with the word fat and I’m using it to describe MYSELF.  I would never use it to describe another person – then I go for the gentler adjectives or just describe th

e person as being “my size”). 

Wearing Shorts and other Mini Motivators

Celebrate the small victories because the big ones are few and far between. I'm on a VERY LONG journey to a healthy weight, if I didn't take time to recognize my small steps of progress I would quit.  Who's making 2017 a journey to fitness year and what are your victories?  These are mine:

Mini-Motivator #1: White Shorts

I’m sitting here comfortably wearing a pair of white shorts that last summer were impossible to zip up and the summer before (when I bought them) were “stuffed sausage” tight. The scale didn’t bring me a broken plateau yet but I know the inches are decreasing.  Everyone said to measure my inches when I began, I didn’t – did NOT want to know how high that tape measure would go.  Kind of wish I did, but I can tell by the way my clothing feels.

Mini-Motivator #2: Five Minute Pause

Today, once again, I found myself gladly making that turn into the gym parking lot, but then just sitting in my vehicle.  I pulled my phone out and took my first look of the day at email and Facebook.  Once I saw a post from the #GoRedGetFit group I clicked on the group and read lots of motivation.  Then I proceeded into the gym wondering if it was wrong that I took a few minutes in the car.  I’ve actually noticed other people in the gym parking lot that seem to do the same.  I concluded that as long as my pause doesn’t last more than 5 minutes, reading motivation helps me continue and it would be an OK habit to continue.

Mini-Motivator #3: Rediscovered Abs

For those reading who haven’t tipped the scales as much as I have, let me inform you that there comes a time when you can no longer “hold in” your stomach.  You make the crunch motion but nothing really changes externally or internally.  And the middle & upper abs?  I’m not sure how long its been since I felt those babies.  In the past few months I noticed while running that I could effectively contract my stomach (lower abs)! That was enlightening for me.  This week I’ve located my middle & upper abs!  I can feel all 3 sections contract as I work them.  It’s thrilling!  Feeling that really motivates me to continue ab work, which luckily I can do every day at the gym!

Today I completed my arms/hips workout + 20 mins on the Elliptical. Between sets I did various ab work on the exercise ball or floor.  Thanks to the other lady in the room doing her routine, she gave me lots of ideas. 

Later I took Otis on a 2 mile walk.  

P.S. yesterday I DID take the walk (it was drizzly but I took these nice photos)  and ended the day with over 18,000 steps!

Back in the Game, Baby! Mini Blog Post ~ 6 June 2017

Hit the gym this morning with nothing but my phone’s access to limitless exercise suggestions.  Queried some balance ball exercises and tried a bunch out. The following 2 images were the most helpful.  Some proved impossible for me, but I tried out about a dozen. 

Then found 2 abdominal resistance machines to do (the basic ab cruncher and the twister one). Finally headed upstairs for 35 mins on the Elliptical crosstrainer.  While at the gym, I had a friend cancel our scheduled 9:30 walk, but I hope to get out there a little later (it’s raining) for at least 2 miles.

Came home and made my standard Quaker quick steel cut oatmeal w/1 diced apple & cinnamon, but forgot my almond slivers so I’ll add them to my salad at lunch.

Below is my standard Monday/Wednesday/Friday routine:

My strength training routine: everything is 20 reps, beginning at 10 lbs. weights (transitioning to 150

·         Biceps

o   Trad. Curls

o   Hammer Curls

o   Wide Curls

·         Triceps

o   Standing Kickbacks

o   DB Close Grip Press

o   Lying Extensions

During my 90 sec. breaks I fill in with Lunges, Yoga Warrior Poses, abdominal crunches on an exercise ball and other stretches.

·         Hips

o   Hip Adductor resistance machine @ 140 lbs.

o   Hip Abductor resistance machine @ 140 lbs.

I run through the entire workout twice and then do the Biceps & Triceps a 3^rd time.

Reward at the end is a CandleStick pose on the foam roller.

Mini-Blog Post ~ 5 June 2017 (This one’s not “mini” but they will be the rest of the week)

In an effort to overcome my now 3 MONTH  plateau weight I’m going to be posting on FB daily and blogging more.  My posts may be annoying to some (you can hide them) but many have told me they are inspiring to them.  Most of all they must be inspiring to ME because as I posted a bit less, my plateau set in.

Of course I can rationalize it all: I’ve spent these 3 months cementing my new weight, which is still 25 lbs less than when I began. Muscle weighs more than fat. I have been exercising and adding new routines.  In addition to my walk/runs which still are usually between 2-3 miles a day, I’ve added Yoga a couple times a week and strength training my arms at the gym 3 times a week.Blah, blah, blah - I need to step it up!  My goal is to become a person who easily has 2-3 exercise “events” per day rather than my old philosophy of “one and done.” At this point 3 events leave me exhausted and useless; 2 events I still feel spent, but can recover and show a little productivity.

(Isn't that image below cute?  It's not me, but could be: the chubby chick with the weights! The other morning at the gym I was probably the only chubby one there which honestly doesn't bother me. But another chubby lady came in for the tour and sales pitch about the gym. I bet she was really happy to see me there! Maybe I should get a kickback if she joins.  Despite the motivation inherent seeing fit people exercising it's just so nice to see someone who is in your same struggle).

Also, after giving away 7 pair of pants that were too big (WOO! HOO!), the size I’m wearing now tend to be a little baggy in the butt and incredibly long. It sounds strange because I haven’t decreased in height or weight but as I’m toning; my pants aren’t all stretched around me so tightly they hike up. At home I’ll just roll up my jeans so I don’t trip over them. The problem is the waist fits nicely, but they’re just too long and I don’t have any more to downsize into. So I’m definitely adding a couple new pairs of pants on my “Mission Slim” weight loss/reward tracker.

So I’m determined that this week will set me in the right direction! I know how to maintain, but I MUST increase exercise and STICK to my diet goals so the scale begins to decrease again.

Stresses:

• Daughter home from college - she is totally a health nut, but I’ve indulged in lunches with her and other not-so-healthy choices. She’s young & fit, one diner lunch won’t affect her, but that one lunch derails my whole week.

• Summer Free for All – I’ve built a nice structure/schedule which helps me stay on track. I’m home with my youngest this summer while 2 other kids will be in and out working various jobs and basically making sure every day is an entirely  unpredictable. I have a hard time with this type of flux.

Challenge:

My challenge this month is to really get my diet in line with my goals. I know that eating between 1650-1850 calories works for me to lose weight at my activity level.  I recently saw that weight loss is 30% exercise and 70% diet....hmmmm....I need to meditate on THAT when the leftovers are calling to me.

Today I hit the gym this morning for arms/hips then grabbed a protein shake breakfast and went to yoga.  Maya’s Monday/Friday classes are always a good challenge for me. I’ve been working on getting into my lunges more quickly, but Pigeon is still too scary for my knees.

Came home at 11 and ate a big salad and a leftover veggie eggroll (only 100 calories according to my tracker)…but the leftover lo mein kept calling to me until I had some!  We had Chinese Take-Out for my son’s birthday on Saturday, so it’s not a usual dinner. I’m over it – moving on and eating better is all I can do.  Scallops and Broccoli Noodles are for dinner. I’ll go very light on the noodles for my plate.

(If I had the expertise or time, I'd put an arrow just slightly in front of the first girl, showing where I am in the journey).

If You Want to Be Serious About the New Feminism...

We’ve all seen the social media memes about women raising each other up rather than putting each other down. This morning at the gym while watching The Today Show a very famous woman was being interviewed whose initials are J.L.;) .  Apparently she is producing and judging a new Dance show. As the closed captions streamed by I read “busiest woman in television” and later “when she’s not making the rest of us look bad…”  (the two female interviewers were laughing) What?! Is this now how a major network morning program passive-aggressively puts down a successful woman?

Ladies if you’re going to post the memes, then you need to talk the talk also. I don’t follow celebrities but do know that J.L. is very successful. So why are these women implying that her success would “make them look bad.” Perhaps it’s supposed to be a joke, but in these days when people are going through sensitivity training for numerous issues, shouldn’t we be a little more careful in how we “raise up...don't tear down” other women?

I recently personally experienced how saying something incredibly innocuous online quickly turned into an assault on my good name. In my case I agreed with a Facebook Group poster that the addition of a chain budget store was a disappointing approval made by our shoreline town which is mostly quaint shops with a large summer tourist influx. Suddenly I was a “rich” person who didn’t want to allow poor people a place to shop.  The post was eventually removed because one of the budget store lovers (perhaps a champion for the poor) let loose some choice words for anyone who opposed the store.  After that Saturday morning laugh, I knew it was time for a break from the internet. 

Another incident in distant internet history was of a woman posing in a bathing suit with her family of young boys. The youngest was an 8 month old infant. I found her line “What’s your excuse?” a reminder not to let the excuse of young children keep me from taking care of my health. Apparently this picture was “mean” according to the trolls because it made other woman feel bad that they couldn’t lose the baby weight that quickly. People are different. As someone whose body never looked like this woman’s, before or after pregnancy (or even at 20 years old, haha) I was flabbergasted that my sisterhood of women would be so judgmental. 

So let J.L. be happy in her success!  Let thin momma have a fun photo session with her kids!  And for the love of gosh-darn, let me express an opinion without assuming anything beyond the actual words I typed.

And for the record, I would rather promote that we ALL build each other up rather than tearing each other down. Men and women work together in American Society of 2017.

Another Note: I've never liked labels of any type and am even hesitant to use the term "feminism" since it connotes such a wide variety of characteristics to different people.  So I'm using this definition, and no other!

New feminism is a philosophy which emphasizes a belief in an integral complementarity of men and women, rather than the superiority of men over women or women over men

Remember Long Distance Charges? Calling Cards? And the Futuristic Idea of Telephones with Video?

People of my generation often comment about the amazing advancements we’ve seen. Communication progress has astounded our wildest dreams. When I was in middle school the year 2000 seemed so far away! And by then we would surely all be using the metric system.  In high school the idea of a telephone with a TV screen attached so you could see the person you were talking with seemed the ultimate futuristic gadget. We pictured it in the kitchen right next to the wall phone; of course it had a cord connecting the handset. The biggest concern was that one would need to be “ready” – meaning, well dressed with hair brushed to use this type of telephone.

Now I video chat often and post pictures of myself without a thought to the status of my hair (sometimes I care, but when enjoying NYC with my daughters or hoping to inspire others with my running pictures, it’s “messy hair, don’t care.”)

Skype is the first video chat service I recall and I’ve used it to talk to the girl we sponsored  in Ukraine. When my oldest spent a semester in Rome, Italy our T-Mobile service allowed for unlimited text & data, but a small charge for talk.  We started with Facetime, but found better reception using Google Hangouts.  It truly is amazing to think when I was in college, someone overseas for a semester had to WRITE LETTERS and then wait for weeks for a response.  Kids, we did have telephones and could make a call, but there was this thing called “long distance” charges that were cost prohibitive until the 1980s.  Calls just one state over incurred charges pretty high. Even in-state calls outside of your immediate surrounding towns cost money.  This is why companies began using 800 numbers – so you could call them for free.

My son resides in the largest dormitory in the world, Bancroft Hall on the U.S. Naval Academy.  Located on a secured military base (although Navy folk call them “yards”), the hall is built like fortress thus restricting data signals.  Initially he would go outside to telephone (located on the water, lots of wind noise), but then found he could use OoVoo from his laptop (wired) for the weekly calls home.  The calls often last a half hour or more as he gets comfortable on his end, and I and other family members hangout around my laptop.  Both parties may open another window and look things up to share or just multitask. Last year’s roommates would notice the parents and say hello or wave from the background, Twice this year I’ve been on a video chat call and his roommate has started undressing in the background. I have to start waving wildly at the camera and yell “someone’s changing!”  Everyone has a good laugh and boy, have we come a long way from that kitchen wall phone with the long cord.

(Since my heart healthy lifestyle is plodding along s….l….o…..w…..l……y, albeit successfully I need to find more to blog about. My head fills with ideas while I’m on my daily walk/run, but when I sit down to write, all ideas have vacated the chamber.)

The Fat Cell Jellies are Running through my Body trying to Sabotage Me!

Chief Jelly: “Listen up, this is an ENTIRE BODY emergency meeting!  As you’ve noticed some among us have been SHRINKING!  We need to put an end to this.  As a group we are releasing the “SUGAR CRAVINGS.” This trusted tactic has worked for years but seems to be malfunctioning of late. Please check your sugar craving enzymes and release those cravings immediately!

…..

Brain Jelly: “there is liquid entering the body….is it sweet?” 

Neck Jelly: “Ugh! It’s water. AGAIN!

Thigh Jelly: “Chief, I’ve been taking an especially hard hit in my area, I’ve seen many of my troops shrinking and a long forgotten muscle is growing. I petition for intensified action.”

Upper arm Jelly: “Well, I’m doing fine up here, this silly chick is running and doing all that sweaty, heart pumping exercise, but she’s forgotten about us, hee hee hee.”

…….

Chief Jelly:  “Attention, the sugar cravings are still NOT working. Time to add LETHARGY!”

Belly Jelly: “Thank goodness, Chief, although I like jiggling around on these ‘runs’ I’ve noticed a muscle pushing my troops around and trying to shrink them also.”

LETHARGY runs rampant.

Chief Jelly: “Why hasn’t sugar consumption resumed?  We’re using CRAVINGS and LETHARGY.”

Back Jelly: “From where I can see, it looks like our body has discovered large quantities of VEGETABLES. Can we make them taste worse?” 

Chief Jelly: “That was my fear, we can’t. Now that She hasn’t had sugar for a while, the VEGETABLES are tasting good. Jeez, we had her roped into a 12 year old’s palate for so long, NOW she decides to grow up and squash our Fat Cell Jellies.”

…………….

Calf Jelly: “She’s moving again chief, this is ridiculous. What else can we do?”

Chief Jelly: “We need to attack on two fronts: HEADACHE and STRESS.  Eye Jelly: you know what to do, make the head throb.  Brain Jelly, send her images of imaginary scenarios of her kids getting hurt to increase the stress. “

Brain Jelly: “Doing my job, boss.  She just texted her son to find out when he’d be home; I’m reeling her in with Stress.  She’ll be scrounging for some leftover Easter candy soon!”

Eye Jelly: “I wish I was more helpful, I sent her a big HEADACHE and she is now ‘taking a nap.’ Backfired big time, sorry, Chief”

Upper Arm Jelly: “Eeeek, why are my muscles groaning and stretching? What is Yoga? What are Free Weights? Brain Jelly, can you tell her those aren’t for her?”

Brain Jelly: “No can do, DETERMINATION and MOTIVATION are in my way.”

Narcotics Addiction Lurking in Suburbia

 Narcotic abuse is rampant in our society and we have all become complicit in ignoring its causes.

As I wrote about on April 3, I recently had minor surgery.  An endometrial ablasion,  which is a 1 day procedure that includes a D&C.  As I sat in pre-op I was visited by no less than 5 people. They each introduced themselves and reviewed what I was having done. Someone mentioned I’d be going home with 2 prescriptions: 800mg Motrin and Percocet. I was a bit nervous and really just wanted to be knocked out and taken to the OR. Actually they kept me awake so in the OR everyone could again identify themselves and say what they were there to do. My brain wanted to explode – please just put that mask of propofol on my face! 

Finally I was awaking in recovery. A nurse noticed and was at my bedside explaining she would get my Percocet and be right back. My groggy self knew enough to realize that I was not in pain at all. I was too out of it to verbalize anything. Luckily it took her awhile so when she came back with her tiny paper cup holding the pill I had the wherewithal to protest. No I do NOT want a narcotic. She was surprised and asked me my pain level from 0-10, I said 2. She agreed to “dispose” of the pill. Flashes of Nurse Jackie pocketing the pill ran before my eyes, but no matter to me, I did not want nor need to ingest it.

Today I’m 10 days post-op and didn’t fill either prescription. I took 3 standard Motrin the evening of the surgery. A couple more the next day and that was it. I never had anything close to severe pain. I was sporadically uncomfortable for a day or two as my uterus recovered from the invasion. I don’t have an unusually high tolerance for pain which makes me wonder if other people think being a little uncomfortable is reason for narcotics. I wouldn’t want someone to needlessly suffer in pain, but doesn’t a reasonable amount of pain mean your body is coping and you are alive? 

Maybe I’m the odd-man out. I never have understood women who wanted to have an epidural as soon as they arrived at the hospital for childbirth.  My thinking is that if I’m going to deliver a 7 lb. baby that it is going to hurt and I did know that when I got myself into that situation. I guess I’m of the “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” mindset. Well, at least epidurals are not a highly addictive, easily acquirable drug.

Back to our nation's narcotic/opiod crisis. This situation that I was in is repeated daily thousands of times across the US. Percocet and Oxycodone are routinely prescribed for a multitude of surgeries. See the astounding data from the CDC here. Otherwise sane, productive, normal people go home and fill these prescriptions. Some of them will become addicted. Many who are able to just take a few pills or never take any more will find their pills being pilfered by someone in their household. A teenage child, one of the child’s friends, a service person, even one of their own friends who is hiding his/her addiction will find themselves sneaking 1 pill while using the bathroom.

The only power I have is that of AWARENESS. Please pass the word and research this yourself.  If you don’t think you personally know someone addicted to narcotics, you are probably wrong. There are many, many very good people hiding their addiction right in your insulated suburban neighborhood.

Although this blog has morphed from KindCleaning (with Norwex) to KindCleaning (your body for healthy living) I cannot ignore some social problems that definitely affect the health of our society.

Making Friends as an Adult is Yucky

Making new friends as an adult is a yucky and awkward business if you’re not a natural friend-maker.  Some people are, I have a friend who has relocated several times and always seems to find a group of close friends wherever she lands.  But for the rest of us, it can be a daunting process.  I’ve never had even a bit of this friend’s natural friend-making ability (which is very different from just being “friendly”).

• Nursery School – no friends at all, played alone.  Scared my mother one day when the teachers couldn’t find me.  I was hiding in an indoor playscape.
• Elementary School – friend who was a natural friend-maker lived across the street so I rode her coattails through middle school.
• High School – no friends at school; but when I started working in retail and fast food I found camaraderie with the other teens and finally had my own group. And there was one good friend who sought me out because she noticed I loved Adam Ant as much as she did.
• College – friendships mostly based on roommates and their ability to make friends
• Working World – made friends with those in my “training class” and finally did cultivate a few friendships on my own (well, it’s about time!)
• Home with a Newborn – whoa, nothing prepared me for this glut of friends.  I expected a Lucy & Ethel relationship with one of my neighbors but as I pushed the stroller past the homes during the day they were silent. It took me a couple of years to find other homemakers in the neighborhood and then to find someone whose company I really enjoyed was another challenge.

About this time one of my friends from that training class explained that making friends as an adult was kind of like dating.  You start by getting a phone number, then gauge receptiveness to getting together with the kids. Finally you see if you can branch beyond mommyhood to doing something without the kids or even having a phone conversation that isn’t about drop-offs, pick-ups or which kids have a cold.

Currently I’ve discovered several new friendships forming and I’m proud of this because they were ones I actively chose.  With my new interest in healthy living I think I’ve become a better “potential friend.”  Being happier with myself, I’m more willing to approach others and suggest a get-together.  Being someone who is activiely promoting a positive lifestyle makes me more attractive to others as a friend. 

So ladies, as we pursue our #GoRedGetFit goals be assured that our healthy lifestyle reaps many rewards.  We are healthier in body AND in mind; and that healthy mind allows us to spread our internal goodness (love) to those around us.