Where, Oh Where Can She Be?

I'm still kickin', as we say Down South.  I have been going to the fitness center five days a week.  Doing Zumba Gold three times weekly and then using the recumbent bicycle and cross trainer machine on the other two days.  I think I mentioned that a weight loss challenge similar to Biggest Loser is offered at the center.  The hubs and I are going to sign up for the next one that starts January 24th.  I am basically trying to get myself in better shape for the challenge. 

So, I'll bet you are thinking, "that Susan, I'm so jealous of her...she must be losing weight like crazy".  Ahhhh, right...no, I still haven't lost a single pound.  I haven't lost any inches yet.  I find this so bizarre.  I am really being diligent about my workouts, but while I'm not going crazy on holiday foods, I'm not "dieting" as we know it.  I'd like to say that I'm saving that for the challenge, but I doubt you would actually believe that.  My point being, even though neither the scales nor the measuring tape has changed, I feel different.  I think I might even look smaller in the mirror.  I really think that something is happening under these massive layers of skin and tissue that cover my muscles.  Yep, I really think that those muscles are changing, so I am beginning to realize that I may need to reevaluate my goals.  While I really do want to lose weight and I really want to be smaller, I have to say that my main goal is to get stronger.  My sister and I were discussing last night, the fact that something as simple as opening a jar is much harder now than when we were whipper snappers.  So, I'm thinking that my long term goal will be strength.  I want to be strong enough to open jars, and fling up windows.  Strong enough to go up the steps without relying on the handrail.  It's good to be careful and use that handrail when I need it, but I don't want to depend on it any more. Strong enough to lift my large boxes of art supplies or containers of beads without saying a silent prayer that I won't drop something and knock myself in the noggin.

So here goes, my long term goal is to be as strong as I can be by 2012.  That's the year I go into my next chronological decade. That's all I'm saying about that, but you get my drift.  Anyway, I want to be strong.  I want to be able.  I want to be capable.  And if it means making changes in my lifestyle, well that's what I'm going to do.  I don't like to exercise, but I don't like being a roly-poly Weeble, either.  Now don't get me wrong, I love Weebles. We all love Weebles. After all, Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down.  They are cute and fun to have around, and while their body shape is good for them, it's just not for me.

So that's it from snow covered Virginia.  We're healthy, happy and awaiting a new year.  I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  And speaking of Merry Christmas, here is a little one that will be experiencing his first Christmas this year and he is a doll baby to be sure.

So as a fun gift to them, how about you stop by and see Aaron and his Mommy at her blog, and tell them Auntie Susan sent you!  So if I don't post before Christmas, Merry Christmas to All and to All A Good Night!

Happy Thanksgiving

It's almost Thanksgiving here in the States and while I am prayerfully thankful all year long, this holiday does make us stop and think of how blessed we are with the family, friends and talents that we have.

For years, I went all out with the traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Then several years ago, my hubby asked if my feelings would be hurt if we didn't go with the huge bird.  He sheepishly admitted that he really didn't care for all the left overs but knew how much I liked to cook and didn't want to hurt my feelings.  Since then we have had various things for Thanksgiving, but finally settled on, of all things...Hungry Man Dinners.  He loves them.  They are made by Swanson, the original frozen food folks.  I add some extra instant mashed potatoes and gravy from a jar and a can of jellied cranberry sauce.  Hmmm, are you seeing a pattern here?  Nothing made from scratch.  My hubby is a simple guy and gourmet food is just not his thing.  I love to cook and usually feed him plenty of fresh fruits, veggies, fish and chicken.  But when Thanksgiving comes around, he's anxious to have his TV dinner, knowing that he wont have to eat any left overs except pumpkin pie, which is going to be a pop-in-the oven and bake treat.

So Thursday's dinner is all planned.  This is just Tuesday, what to do until then?  How about hitting the gym?  I have been going to three Zumba classes a week and getting a real workout.  On the other days I'm pedaling away on a recumbant bicycle and sometimes the recumbant stepper.  I round it out with 30 minutes on the indoor track.  In January, I am going to embark on our health club's version of The Biggest Loser.  We will meet with a trainer twice a week for fifteen weeks.  Fitness, nutrition, trips to the store, weigh ins and the like are included.  Under normal circumstances 30 individual sessions with the trainer would be around $1200.00.  This program is only $200.00 so I am psyched to be getting such a deal, and the trainer is my Zumba coach instructor and I really like her.

I mentioned previously that I was going to a hoopercise class.  I only lasted 15 minutes, the warm up was too much for me.  I'm just not ready for an intense core workout.  If you are in better shape than me,  and you want to work your core, then the hooping just might be for you.  It never hurts to try.

Well, that's it for me for a while.  Hope everyone is staying healthy and happy.  Please be careful during the holidays, especially if you are travelling.

Enjoy life and remember to be Thankful.

It's going quite well....

Wow, I mentioned last time that I had signed up for the gym membership.  Already I have had a blast.  I did Zumba Gold three times this week, swam once and used the bike and treadmill already.  I am not even the slowest person there, as I thought I would be, so it's not intimidating.  It was mentioned to me that this is a family gym and for the most part, the....let us say "overachievers" usually go to Gold's gym and places where weight training is the main focus.  While I look forward to getting to the point of weight training, right now I am enjoying the group classes. 

Zumba Gold  is designed for participants with very little experience exercise (real exercise beginners, so to speak), individuals that have physical limitations or inactive older adults. The system was created to be easier than the basic Zumba (which is very high energy) but just as much fun. The moves have been carefully designed to be easy to follow by individuals of any size or age. In some instances, there are even routines that can be done in a chair or a wheelchair.  Well, don't get me wrong, this is a workout to be sure.  The first time I did it, was also the first time actually teaching it for our instructor, so it took a bit longer than usual, and since I was the only one that showed up for the class, she was quite mindful of my current physical condition. It was like a private session and even though I was quite hot and red faced when we were done, I knew I could do it.  Each class since then has gotten easier to do.  I'm a bit sore, but it feels good to know that exercise is the reason.

Next week they start hoopercize, which I'm pretty sure involves a hula hoop.  I used to be able to hula hoop a little bit, so we'll see how that goes.

So that's it for now.  I hope everyone is feeling good and trying to take care of themselves.  If not, step back, or sit down...and ask yourself why?

I am sombody!

Do you remember Steve Martin in The Jerk?  When he saw his name in the phone book, he got all excited because he "was somebody".  Today I feel like that!  I finally signed up at the gym.  I am somebody! I'm a member.  They even took my picture to have on file.

I have been talking about signing up for the gym for well over a year.  My recent swimming lessons at this same center got me going in that direction.  My swimming instructor teaches water aerobics, and you have to be a member to participate.  There are, other water classes that are separate, but the one she teaches is a member's only class.  There are several classes like that. Ones that really are an incentive to become a member.  So I signed up today and even used the recumbent bicycle.  I cycled for fifteen minutes and went two miles.  I thought since I was new, that I had better take it slow.  I tried the elliptical machine for only two or three strides before I realized that it hurt my knees so bad I couldn't continue.  I then walked the indoor track four laps, which is only 1/4 mile, but since I have swim class tonight, I didn't want to overdo it.

Recently I started taking Green Tea Extract, the one I am using is Mega T and it is supposed to help rev up your metabolism.  I thought it would make me jittery like those old No Doze pills did, but this is very different.  I have been feeling energetic, but not manic.  I do have a bit of a caffeine sensitivity, so I make sure I take them pretty early during the day.

So I'm off to my 12th swimming lesson tonight and probably will do water aerobics tomorrow.  The reason for these changes...I am not happy at all with the numbers on my scale and I am going to try harder to get more movement in.  I'm taking it easy, but not too easy.

Nobody can do my exercises for me, so give me an "Atta Girl" and join me if you want. 

We'll talk soon.

Hey, Hey, Hey it's italics day...

Hey ya'll, it's me again.  Have you ever wondered what makes us what (notice I didn't say who) we are?  Have you ever wondered what has happened in our lives that makes us either think of food as a treat, or something we deserve because we have been through so much.

As you know by now, many of us share the same traits.  We are intelligent (we know we are overweight) and we are apparently motivated (weight loss and fitness are never far from our minds).  We educate ourselves on solutions to the problems we face, using tools such as the internet and books and magazines.  But some of us, (if this doesn't apply to you, don't get all braggy and know-it-all on me) still don't do the things that we need to do to lose weight.   I still weigh over 190 pounds and am not quite 5'4".  I like the way I feel for the remainder of my day after recovering from a workout. I like not having acid reflux from eating the wrong foods.  Shoot, I'm even learning to swim at the ripe old age of 57.  All this being said, I still find myself wanting to put 2 teaspoons of sugar and a generous splash (almost 1/4 of a cup if I'm using a big mug) of milk in my coffee and settling down with my latest book and chowing down on 2 English muffins with butter and jam.   I do this, knowing that black coffee and one muffin with a piece of fruit would probably be better for me.

At Thursday's swimming class, we practiced motivating through the water using our legs only.  We quickly found that I don't move through the water without using my arms.  My instructor is stumped by this.  At first she thought I needed to kick more from my hips and very patiently helped me improve that technique.  Then we thought it was perhaps the kick board that was keeping me stationary, so I kept my arms at my sides and tried to kick my way down the lap lane.  She is stumped and at the risk of working me too hard in the pool, she said I was probably one of those swimmers that would have to power myself through the water with my arms.  She is being so sweet about this.  But I know what is wrong.  I have little strength in my legs.  My legs are going through the motions, but I'm not achieving my goal of propelling myself forward.

So that is where I am right now, I'm going through the motions but I'm not getting anywhere.  Am I ready to actually start doing the work that I need to do to get healthy?  I have to be honest with myself, I really don't know if I am.

That's if from me today.  Let's go and have some coffee and at least think about it.  Love ya!

Back to the old grind...

...or there's no place like home.  I'm back from vacation and while I loved seeing my sister and had a bunch of fun with her, I was ready to come back home.  Home to my darling hubby, home to my usual routine and home to step on the scales and see how much I gained.  Well, I was up a few pounds, but nothing I can't bounce back from.

I finished my first round of swimming lessons and have signed up for eight more.  We will have the same instructor, so she already knows our confidence levels.  I can still get a little wonky and flail about and can't remember how to "right" myself, but for the most part I am quite proud of my progress.  After "playing" in their pool with me and accessing my newly acquired skills, my sisters stationed themselves on opposite sides of the pool and had me swim from one of them to the other, until I was in the deep end.  So, for the most part of our pool day, I swam in eight feet of water.  I was completely unafraid and had a blast.

Now, since their pool is surrounded by beautiful, lush tropical plants...

I wasn't surprised to find the next day my allergies were acting up.  I didn't let a few sniffles and snorts slow me down any.  We had lots of fun going out to eat, doing art, shopping and visiting a wonderful art museum. Shucks, we even went to the shore and watched the surfers.

But, as they say all good things do come to an end, so I'm back here in the South, in my home city, sometimes called Big Lick.  I'm getting back in the groove, ready to start back on my treadmill and continue my swimming. 

That's all for me, hope everone else is having a blast.  So let's get ready for the new week, planning  our meals, our snacks and even our treats.  That way we are in control.  Now I'm sure I'm the only one out there with control issues, but that's another post for another day.

Take care and we'll talk soon.

Goin back to Cali

Almost ready to head west to visit my sister. This was somewhat of an impulse trip and the hubs will be staying home while I'm gone.  I come back on Wednesday and he has a weekend trip on Friday and Saturday.  Even though I miss my three kitties, it is easier to just take off on the spur of the moment without having to make vet or sitter arrangements.

I will miss two of my swimming lessons, but our instructor has given me some "homework" to  practice on while I'm on vacation.  In case I haven't mentioned, during lesson four, I learned to breathe and swim at the same time.  I swam almost the entire length of the lap lane, twice. Samantha is so proud of us.  She never thought she would even be able to pry us away from the edge of the pool. She passes out hugs like we were her favorite aunts. We are all at least twice her age.

Sister and I are both artists and are going to use this time to do some painting on location, maybe at seal beach
and will probably go to the local pastel guild meeting, as well as a few art museums.  Yesterday when we were talking, we discussed healthy eating and the possibility of also using our time together as what we jokingly call "fat camp".

So I will be packing art, swimming and healthy eating into the times when I'm not sitting on my tuckus in the plane, eating airline food.  The food these days is not that bad, so I'm pretty sure I won't go overboard and gain while I'm gone.

I'm even getting my hair cut for the trip.  As close as I can tell, it's been almost two years since I went to the salon and I'm ready for a nice trendy new cut.  Probably will go back to the soccer mom style that was popular several years back, that looks pretty good and is low maintenance.

So hopefully when I return, I will be relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenated. If I can just get plenty of easy-to-fix meals ready for hubby we'll all be doing just fine. I don't want him eating junk while I'm gone.  Six days is a long time to fend for yourself, poor baby...I miss him already.

Take it easy and maybe, just maybe I'll check in from the West Coast next week.

It's a new week!

Didn't get to work out very much this weekend, as the hubby was out of town and that just throws my game off. I did do something brave and exciting last week though.  I signed up for adult swimming classes.  Gulp. The reason for my gulp...

My Mom's dad died when she was 12 years old from an accidental drowning.  It was during the depression and she was the only girl in a brood of five.  Due to losing her beloved dad, and she was a Daddy's Girl, I'm sure, she had a fear of allowing us around water.  Honestly, I don't even know if she could swim herself, I never asked.  I remember going to visit a family friend that had a lovely in ground pool and wading around in the shallow end.  I was chubby then and had a yucky kid's bathing suit. I was excited about the outing and convinced mom to let me pour myself into my much slimmer sister's suit, because it had a cute pleated skirt on it. Baby brother was probably about five and he was going to run and do a cannonball jump in the water.  It was the shallow end and he would have probably had a blast.  When she heard him yell "watch this" and start to jump, she was up from that lounge chair screaming "stop him, stop him" in such a fashion that I was pretty much afraid from then on.  She acted like there were alligators in the pool. 

When we were in our early twenties, my sister and I took swimming lessons at the new pool in town and learned to float and swim some, enough to get to the edge of the pool if we were in trouble.  She has her own pool now and is more comfortable than I am, and encouraged me to take lessons again, because she knows how it feels to be uncertain in water. I don't like to have fears or phobias and I'm hoping that at the ripe old age of 57 that I can conquer this thing.

I want to swim laps.  I want to be able to know that even though I'm in 6, 7, or 8 ft of water I can still swim. My main problem is that I don't like to know that the water is over my head.  I like to have my feet on the bottom of the pool. Shucks, I don't even like to sit with my feet dangling  in the air.  Sis says it's sounds more like a fear of falling than fear of drowning, because rationally I know that I'm not really going to drown, because she and I are so buoyant that we can't even stay under water.

But I digress.  Fast forward to Sunday when I got out the new bathing suit that I had only worn once and realized it is a size 14. OM Gosh I haven't been a 14 in years.  I certainly wasn't a 14 when I purchased it.  Apparently I was still in denial at that time. I tried it on and I looked again like the chubby kid who is squeezed into her sister's cute swimsuit. So Monday I was on a search for a size 18 granny suit and lo and behold there was one left in the stock room at Catherine's.  So tonight at 6:30 pm I will be traipsing into a locker room, (first time in years) preparing for a swimming lesson.  I don't know what to expect. I'm ok with public nudity, but I don't really like it.  Yikes.  I feel like a kid.  Do I lock everything up in a locker?  What do I do with my key?  Will there be room for me to have my glasses handy?  I don't see well without them.  Will there be boys there?  Will anyone be looking at me?  Wahhh, I'm scared and I don't want to go.

Ok, regroup...I'll be ok, I just know I will.  I feel so silly having these emotions.  This is something I really want to do.  I want to be a swimmer.  A swimmer, not a wader.  I want to swim laps.  I WILL swim laps.

Alright y'all, wish me luck.  And, just for now, let's not share any of those "I almost drowned" stories with me, okey dokey?

Happy Labor Day

Even though I took early retirement four years ago, I still remember the feeling of having an extra day off.  I don't miss working AT ALL and I encourage anyone who can swing it, to either work from home or don't work at all. It is wonderful.  Anyway, I can relate to a nationwide Day Off.  Especially from work.

Speaking of work, I promised myself that I would start Slim in Six today.  The hubby has been doing it off and on for several months now and while he hasn't lost that much weight, his tummy is shrinking.  I hadn't done this workout (or any for that matter) for a couple years, so I took it slow thinking I would be miserable.  Actually I wasn't.  I finished the 27 minute workout with only minimal breaks, but I took them when I needed them.  I know if I push myself too far, I will get discouraged and quit.  The second and third stage of the program are actually quite intense and I never really mastered the third stage at all.  Three years later and 20 pounds more will make working out a bit different for me, but I have been walking some and hopefully I have a bit of endurance built up.  I'm just not used to sweating.

I'm struggling to do this, but I've decided to post my before picture.  I took this picture last month using the self-timer and I look a bit goofy because I kept having to run back in place to pose.  I would like to think that this picture shows me as chunkier than I really am, but alas, that is probably not the case.

So here I am at 190.8, 5'3-3/4" and having to put an extender on a size 38 "over-the-shoulder boulder holder".  I want to get healthier so I can enjoy these years of early retirement.  Hope these photos motivate you to see yourself as you really are and keep plugging away at healthy habits.

Love ya all and Happy Labor Day!

The never ending saga

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think I'm ready to try again. I went to Kroger's this evening to get a rotisserie chicken. They are always very tasty, and I use them for salads with bagged greens, a hard cooked egg, some shredded cheese and grapes or strawberries.  While waiting for the birds to be cooked to perfection, I was chatting with a lady that was telling me she has lost 12 pounds and I asked her age.  She said she is 61 and that it is working.  Drinking lots of water and has cut out most sugar, especially sodas and especially junk.  She gave me a thumbs up and said age shouldn't be a factor.  I know from personal experience that it is much more difficult to lose weight now that I'm older,  but I actually feel hopeful.  In other words, yes... I'm ready to try again.

I'm wearing a pedometer now and am trying to get in more motion.  I'm going to get back on track.
So once again, I'm going to try to lose, actually lose some weight.  I'll keep you posted.

Another quick post...

Sorry for such brief posts recently, but I just don't want to bore you with details of my life that do apply to weight loss and good health.  Now if you want me too, believe me I can go on and on. Just let me know.  Any hoo, if you haven't done so, get a pedometer.  It is such a fun tool to have.  While not an athlete at all, I am really get a kick out of competing with myself each day to see how many more steps I have added.  I am finding that if I don't get on the treadmill I'm very low on my step count. As an artist, I sit for hours at a time, so that makes sense. There is not much research on counting steps and what is best for us.  Most of the info is from a Japanese study from a few years back, but I don't think obesity is a problem in Japan, so that's ok by me.at

So that's it for now. Make sure you have an accurate scale, and get a step counter.  According to my new scales, I am down five pounds.  I'm not telling anyone but you, cause I don't want to jinx it, but I think I'm on my way...finally.  YaY for me!

Do you really know how to use a treadmill???

This may sound like an insulting question, but it's not.  This is an excellent article, though pretty long, so for those of you that use a treadmill (or are considering one)  you may want to save it to your desktop and go back to it.  For me, I realize that there are several things that I am doing incorrectly.

Whatever exercise we choose, let's get moving!




p.s. I got new scales yesterday, ugh...the truth hurts. 194 not 190.  DagNabIt!!

Back on track...

I'm trying to get back on track. Got a new diet journal to keep track of everything in. Check it out...

It's got lots of tips, as well as two pages per day to record your food, water and exercise. There is plenty of room for a bit of journaling and reflection. There is a fold out spreadsheet, a pocket sized journal and best of all...gold star shaped stickers that you give yourself when you meet a daily goal. Plus I like the title.

Well, that's all for today. Hang in there, bloggie friends, Friday's coming!


Enjoy your weekend, when it gets here and have fun and stay safe!

Another week has passed

Another week has passed and I just got around to getting back on the treadmill. There a couple weeks that I didn't update my stats, so they are off and I'll probably remove that from my sidebar. I have skipped my exercising for about three weeks. I am still trying to accept the fact that if I eat anything salty, my feet swell like crazy. If I exercise and drink plenty of water and stay away from chips, peanuts and such, I seem to be ok. I really think it is a temporary thing, but I am having to be mindful of it.

Not much going on here on the home front. I'm still overweight, but I take no medications, my blood pressure is good as are my cholesterol levels. I feel really good. Imagine how great I would feel if I lost forty pounds. I'm not going to ever give up on this quest, but man it is an ongoing struggle and sometimes it's a bit tedious to know that you "need" to lose weight.

I know you all struggle with these same feelings, otherwise you would not follow my journey. I am very proud of my friends that have lost weight, especially Tina. She has really worked hard and she is looking and feeling great. She and I met through our blog surfing and she has become an inspiration in several ways. Let's give Tina an "Atta Girl". Stop by her blog and see her and her art and maybe you'll make a new friend today.

That's it for me. Take care and enjoy your weekend.

I'm still here

Just popping in to let you know that I'm still around. I've been doing a lot of art lately, and have sort of let my blogging here sag. Sorry about that. I have no weight loss to report, but I will mention that I'm dealing with swelling. I have periodically had a problem with swelling of my fingers, especially if I sleep a long time. This happened as a teen quite often as I loved to sleep in. Now I'm noticing that my left foot is swelling if I nosh down on salty snacks. So for the next few days, weeks, etc. I'm going to really be monitoring my salt and sodium intake. What about you? Do any of you have to deal with this? What's your take on it?

Have a great weekend, eat healthy, drink plenty of water and watch that sodium. Read your labels carefully and make good choices.

Talk soon.

Another week, another chance

I learned to diet when I was 12 years old. That was when it was suddenly noticed that I was too heavy for my age (read no longer cute to be so chubby) and the pediatrician put me on a diet... that included diet pills... diet pills for a seventh grader, sheesh. It's been a life long struggle for me and sometimes I get so tired of having my entire life revolve around my weight. Due to this lifetime of dieting, I tend to evaluate my weight loss program and goals on Mondays. While I'm not gaining, let's say that I'm having limited success losing the 20 pounds that my sister and I are trying to lose together. She was the slim one in the family and doesn't have this particular life experience under her belt, but is now experiencing her own version of "the battle of the bulge". At the risk of sounding like I bounce from one plan (I have tried the above mentioned diet pills, OTC pills, Metracal, Ayds reducing candies, Slim Fast, WW, Atkins, South Beach, Sugar Addicts diet, the 7-up and nabs plan, the hamburger and egg diet, cabbage soup...just to name a few) to another, last week I participated in Karen's "ask the trainers" segment of her blog. Based on what I told them, they confirmed what I have known all along. Strength training. I need to add more strength training to my daily routine. When the experts tell you this, it's a bit different from already knowing what you need to do. Knowing what you need to do and doing it are two different things.

I am also doing some research on Web, MD that is quite motivating. You can get a personalized plan based on a series of questions that you answer. I know that you all must get bored of hearing me talk about losing weight and never losing any. It really is frustrating, especially when you "carry your weight" as well as I do. I am otherwise extremely healthy, take no meds and not to "toot my own horn" still look pretty good. All that being said, I do know I am really going to have to ramp things up a bit.

Wahhh, I want to wave a magic wand or snap my fingers and be slim again. Ahhh, well.

Self imposed rules

I did something yesterday. I broke one of my self imposed rules. For some reason, I have made it a hard and fast rule, that in order to walk on the treadmill, I have to have exercise pants on. Yesterday I decided to find out why I had made this rule. I am such a rebel...I just turned the machine on and walked in jeans and guess what? Nothing unusual happened. I didn't get too hot, or too tired or too anything.

So perhaps this weekend would be a good time to re-evaluate your rules. Are they legitimate or or they excuses?

Think about it and act on it. You'll be glad you did.

Have a great weekend.

Saturday's Child

Remember trying to figure out what day your were born, so you would understand this little poem?

Mondays child is fair of face,
Tuesdays child is full of grace,
Wednesdays child is full of woe,
Thursdays child has far to go,
Fridays child is loving and giving,
Saturdays child works hard for his living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

I'm a Saturdays child and I used to bemoan the fact that I would have to work for a living. As we know as adults, anything worth doing takes a little bit of work. I must say that I have done quite well this week "working" my Larry North plan. I am keeping a journal of everything I eat and I am learning that I need to be more consistent in the times that I eat, seems that I am not eating often enough and on week two I will be working more on that. I didn't lose a huge amount of water weight, like I used to back when I was younger, but I did lose two pounds and one inch from my waist.

The treadmill walking is working for me and since I have a radio/cd player close by, I am motivating myself with some peppy music. This week I'm listening to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers greatest hits and it's working really well, several fast songs followed by a slower ballad to catch my breath to. Twice this week I challenged myself to walk 60 minutes instead of 30 and while it really was a challenge, it felt good.

Well, that's it for me for today. I hope everyone is hanging in there and being good to themselves. Staying healthy, whether it is losing weight, exercising more, or eliminating negative influences, in the long run, is for you and you only. If you make choices that keep you from being the best you can be, while someone else may pout or fuss, it's actually you that suffers. So rethink some of the "not so great" choices you may have made recently and make some changes. You'll be glad. I always am.

And for all my friends that are celebrating Mother's Day this weekend, hope you have a great day. No moms left in our family, but we will be remembering them on Sunday, just as we do every day...fondly and with laughter and love.

Take care and have a great weekend.

May 1st

Well, my trip to Cali is over and I'm back in my old routine. That's not so good. For some reason that old routine has gradually come back to mindlessly eating peanuts by the handful for fiber. That old routine seems to think that when the hubby wants treats, that I need treats too. That old routine seems to include watching television during the day and sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time, when I could be up and puttering around.

When my sister and I were together, we were on the go. Now I know that we were trying to pack in all the sister goodness that we could in those three days, but it did get me thinking about how little I move on a daily basis. When I was going from one end of the airport to the other, I was moving like crazy. My two months of treadmill work really helped there. Man, it felt good, being able to move like that while carrying two shoulder bags. I was passing people like I was a young gal.

While out in California, I was surprised to see numerous real size ladies, as well as some quite obese folks. This is surprising because when I started going out to see my sister seven years ago, everywhere we went we were the only ones who weren't skinny minnies. I was glad to see the real size gals, but was thinking about the obese ones. Were these the real size gals from seven years ago. I'll bet so.

Thoughts like these, and the fact that I couldn't find any slacks that fit me exactly the way I wanted, led me to offering up a challenge to my sisters. We discussed that we thought realistically we could all lose twenty pounds by my next visit in October. Basically there are twenty or twenty 0ne weeks until my next trip and I know that you are supposed to be able to lose 1-2 pounds a week on a healthy plan. So that's the challenge. Lose twenty pounds by October. Can I do it this time? I'm praying that I can. I don't want to be one of the real size chicks that ends up being morbidly obese in five years.

For the first three weeks, I'm going to use Larry North's 21 day plan, Slim Down For Life. Although it is a ten year old publication, it's still a good guideline to get me back on portion control, as well as eating three meals and two snacks. I tend to either graze all day, or not eat at all and then overeat at dinner.

We all know that exercise is a great way to ramp up weight loss and good health in general and he lists lots of one minute exercises that almost anyone can do. I plan on adding these moves to my current program of treadmill walking and I'm sure as each day goes by, I'll have more energy and drive to continue.

So that's it for me today. The first of a new month, a great time to start getting healthy. My last treat was a strawberry shortcake with ice cream at the local Strawberry festival. Hey, it's to support the kids.

Look at the heart shape randomly formed by two strawberry slices, aww it loves me as much as I love it.

Have a great weekend and let me know if you are interested in cheering me on in my six month challenge. Join me if you want. Come on, it'll be fun!

Back from trip

Just to let my friends know, I'm back from my quick trip to CA. Check out the pictures of my sister and me here. Enjoy. I'll be back soon with new weight loss challenges and lots of motivation. Stay tuned.

I'm just sayin'

Just popping in to say hi and to let you know I'm still kickin'. I am firming up! I have been walking on my treadmill at least 3 times a week and am trying to walk for at least 30 minutes. Sometimes I kick it up a notch and run for 30 seconds at a time. I know athletes would laugh at someone saying they could only run for 30 seconds, but some of you out there, know that this is a pretty good start. In this 3o minutes I can almost always walk one full mile, sometimes more. Those same athletes would giggle at that milestone, but did you know that one mile is equal to 17.6 football fields laid end-to-end? But I digress...

Anyway, I was walking through the dining room yesterday with my stretchy pants and my long tee-shirt on and the hubs just came right out and ask "are you losing weight?". I had to tell him, no, but I'm firming up. He said he could tell. I can only figure if I continue to work out several days a week, I will eventually lose some weight. I take vitamins, drink water and eat healthy. One of these days, I'm going to look at the scales and realize that I have lost pounds. Until then, I'm gaining endurance, stamina and flexibility and have ordered new shoes that will help stabilize my alignment. Someday I just may be able to run for more that 30 seconds.

Well, that's the news for me. Take care and hang in there!

Saturday Session

Saturday Session....If you're from my town, you will recognize the name of a high school dance show from the 50's, 60's and 70's that was done live from a nearby town each Saturday. I don't know if my sister ever got to go on the show, but I did. It was 1969 and we were in 10th grade and it was a blast. The only bad part is you never got to see yourself on television. It was a live show and there were no VCR's or DVD's back then. You had to rely on someone else to tell you how cool you looked doing the Skate, or the Shing-a-ling or the Jerk. I guess you have figured out that I'm no spring chicken.

I tried searching for the show on the web, but only one clip came up. This is the same year that I was on, and apparently this young guy was fairly local and had cut a record. I guess that's why he got a tape of the show. You have to wait until after the interview, but you will get the gist of the show. Check it out.

I hope your Saturday has been a good one. I'm still hanging in there. Not eating as healthy as I should. Tired of always worrying about the numbers on the scale or the size in the jeans. But if that's all I have to worry about, I'm doing pretty good. I stay happy, healthy and have a wonderful life.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Peace.

Spring is here

This week the sun has been shining and we have broken several temperature records. It seems like it has gone directly from being sweater weather to shorts and flip flop weather. Now that I am passed age 55, the skorts are usually for home wear only, but if these temps stay up there, you never know.

Springtime brings out the quirky little urges in us. In addition to wanting to clean and rearrange things, mine this week was to work out. Yesterday I followed my personalized SparkPeople routine, and even though I took it fairly easy, I am sore today.

I was scheduled to do cardio today, but I couldn't bring myself to do much. I cleaned and organized my art supply closet so at least I did get some movement. I have accumulated a lot of things that I need to donate, so I'll be going through things like jewelry, clothes and art supplies.

I went to the mall yesterday and tried on clothes and talk about depressing. I have been lulled into a false sense of security by....yoga pants. They are so stretchy and comfortable, that even though the scales kept going up this winter, my pants still fit. Fast forward now to me trying on my regular tops and jeans and none of my clothes fit. So what do you do? Hide all summer and try to lose enough weight to get in your clothes or bite the bullet and buy the next size up? I'm at such a strange place, size 16 is too tight and size 18 is too big. Ahh, well.

Did I mention that I have a cough? A bit of bronchitis, we think, but it sure hurts when I cough.

I hope everyone had a good weekend and is prepared for a wonderful week. Remember to keep the families of the fallen miners in your prayers. My mother used to say "there, but for the Grace of God, go I". I can understand what she meant. I may be overweight and dealing with less than optimum health, but my family is safe and not touched by grief. For this and many other things, I am thankful.

Hang in there friends. Take care and enjoy the rest of your week.

Mixed martial arts (reposting because of holiday)

Recently I mentioned on my other blog something I often call "guilty pleasures". It usually consists of a comfort food that you love, or a television show that you sneak and watch. One of the ones I didn't mention in that post is Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). I like to watch this and have for quite some time. I have utmost respect for the training and preparation that goes into being an athlete, especially a UFC fighter. The program showcases fighters that are proficient in various types of martial arts. Initially when I started watching, there was a strong underlying element of what I suppose would be called street fighting. Over the years this has since been toned down quite a bit and is now considered a much more respectable sport. I am not a physical person really, but there is something empowering about watching the athletes execute some of these moves. You start to think...."man, I'll bet I could do that".

Being from the old school, to me, martial arts was considered self defense. I mean, even Elvis had a passion for martial arts and who wasn't done their version of a karate kick (or two). I never got around to studying any martial arts, but it's probably not too late. All this being said, recently, out of the blue, I was contacted by Alexia Krause. She came across my blog while researching blogs on fitness and weight loss. She is affiliated with MMA Industries and they are trying to gain some new exposure for mixed martial arts. I told her that my blog isn't for commercial purposes, but more for promoting healthy living for the every day person. She was quite understanding and respectful of my stance on this. After several e-mails, and getting to know each other better I have decided to include excerpts from an article that she has written regarding the MMA industry.

Average People Can Enhance Their Overall Strength and Endurance by Adding Aspects of an MMA Workout Routine into Their Daily Fitness Regimen

By Alexia Krause

It’s pretty obvious that the workout regimen and strength training of a mixed martial artist is gravely different than that of your average day-to-day gym goers. A MMA fighter has to build a body that can both take and outlast the punishment of the sport. This is much different than average gym goers who are usually looking for a healthy workout just to maintain their physique. However, this doesn’t mean that a MMA workout can’t fit in with the workout routine of an average person.

One of the biggest differences in a fighter's workout routine is that it focuses on the whole body in one session rather than the different sets of muscle groups. Most people workout legs and back one day and arms and chest the other. Fighters, on the other hand, need their bodies to work as one complete unit.

An exercise you don’t always see in the gym is jumping rope. Based on this fact, it would seem that most people don’t consider that jumping rope requires all aspects of the body to be moving in order be done correctly. Mixing this exercise into a workout routine adds enormous value to your level of endurance while sharpening reflexes and reaction time.

This doesn’t mean that average gym-goers can’t maximize their own workout. By adding aspects of the MMA fighter routine into their workout 2 or 3 times a week, an average person can build up a higher level of endurance and strength than they would normally be accustomed to achieving. This may not get them ready for the cage anytime soon, but it will definitely make their workout more effective.

I personally like the part about jumping rope, as you may remember. I also like the thought that you can workout your entire body as a complete unit.

At the risk of sounding like a commercial, which I hope I don't, I have always thought that anything worth doing was worth doing right. I know that I'm much more motivated to work out if I have my good shoes on and my workout clothes. For this reason, I'm linking Alexia's website MMA Industries, because MMA gear isn't just a fashion statement. It's the real deal.

If you are interested in learning more about mixed martial arts, or want to add some elements of MMA to your workout, why not do some research. There are several local studios listed in my yellow pages and I'll bet there are in yours also.

Happy Easter

And the winner is....

Cindy...Letters from Midlife!



Cindy, I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. I put all the names in my cute little pink hat and the name was pulled by my sweet hubby. Cindy, if you will e-mail me your address, I'll ship this out to you asap.

All is well here in sunny Virginia. I have been walking on my treadmill at least 3 times a week and hope to work up to every day. It takes about ten minutes for me to get in the groove, but then it becomes a sort of competition. You know, at the next 30 second mark I increase the speed to 3 and jog for 30 seconds and then put it back on 2 and walk it off. Then I decide to take the incline up a notch every 30 seconds. That sort of thing. I can tell when I am getting tired, because my shoes make a high pitched squeak if I'm not lifting my feet up completely. When ever that happens I take it down to a slower pace and recover. I also thinking about getting a recumbent stationary bike. I loved the one in the store and I have a friend who is a bike rider and he uses his to train with inside, so it must be pretty good exercise.

The hubby had the flu and dealt with that for about eight days, but he feels much better today. We had errands to run and while he was in the post office I waited in the car. I didn't hear anything with the windows up, but all of a sudden I saw a huge plume of black smoke in what appeared to be a residential area nearby. The smoke disappeared almost immediately and while I did see an emergency vehicle, things seemed quiet. By the time hubby got back in the car I didn't even mention the smoke. We were listening to talk radio and the local folks came on at the normal time with a report of a small plane crash nearby. After some erroneous reports of possible fatalities, everyone involved seems to be ok. It was the talk of the restaurant and we got rerouted several times on the way home because of a power outage.

That's it for me today. I'm remembering to go easy on myself when necessary. I'm going to lose my weight and get stronger slowly and methodically. I'm loving life and hope you are too.

Have a great day and congrats again to Cindy at Letters from Midlife.

Let's have a give-a-way!

Well, not much to post today, except I finished the book Secrets of a Former Fat Girl. What a great book. It wasn't at all what I expected. I figured it would be the typical do's and don'ts and BMI's and such. Nope, it's more like an autobiography, telling you how she lost weight and how she has kept herself motivated to keep it off for twenty years. It is told from the perspective of a girl that has been fat since childhood (to which I can totally relate), but addresses fully gals that didn't grow up fat and just became that way through out the years. Yes, it's a really great read and quite motivational, too.

With all this in mind, I'm having a little give away. Since I liked it so much, I know you will too. So if you leave a comment telling me that you are interested, I'll enter you in and next week, I'll pull out a name and send you a copy of this super little book.

I'm going to mention it on my art blog also, so don't forget to comment to get in the drawing. Good luck and have a great week!

Wearing of the green

For all of you Irish folks, Happy St. Patrick's Day. Me, I'm celebrating walking on the tread mill again. Prevention Magazine online has a 12 week treadmill program and I'm just getting started on it, but I think I can do it. I'm trying to remember to post my times daily in my sidebar notes.

I picked up a pretty interesting book from Books A Million called Secrets of A Former Fat Girl. If you were a fattie as a younger person, you can really relate to this book. If you've only recently gained your weight, you can still benefit from her wisdom. She's a bit too skinny for my taste, but I'm hoping to use some of her ideas to help me achieve my desired weight and stay there. I know from experience, that exercise is the key for me, because I eat pretty healthy and as much as I hate to exercise, if I can do it, I know you can. Find something you will do on a regular basis and do it. No where to walk in your neighborhood? Go to the zoo and walk around there. Like to play golf? Walk some of the holes instead of riding. Like to dance...put on some music and shake your grove thing. Borrow a kid and go to the park. Any little thing will help if you do it. Don't let that little voice in your head tell you that you can't do it, because I know that you can. I'm gonna lose weight this time. No question about. I want to be healthy. Being old and feeble, is not an option for this happy chick.

All that being said, enjoy your week and get moving!

New Treadmill

The guys set up our new treadmill today and I did log in about 15 minutes at an average of 2.5 mph. I tried out the pre-programmed weight loss routine, but I'm not not ready for that. The top speed on that program is 5 mph and there's no way I can do that yet. It is a goal, though.

I still need to eat dinner, but I've logged in all my particulars for the day on my SparkPeople.com account and I've had plenty of water.

That's it for me today. Hope everyone is healthy and happy.

Take care.

It's in the works...

We went today and purchased a new treadmill. Will be around one week before delivery. We decided we would be more motivated to workout at home than going to the fitness center.

This is the first picture that I have loaded using my laptop. I normally used my desktop computer for my blogging, but I'm really trying to learn new things.

Anyway, the exercise program is in the works. When it is delivered I'm sure I'll have more pictures and lots more motivation.

That's it for now. Thumbs up for new exercise equipment!

How you doin'?

Not much to report today. Just got back from going with hubby to dentist. More work toward getting dental implants. Not fun, but he always does OK. I took my laptop but no one knew the password for clients to use their wi-fi.

Went to Fresh Market last night in hopes of a better quality selection of organic fruit. Not so. Must be the time of year. Kroger has just as much in their organic section and usually less expensive. Why is it so hard to pick out oranges. I got six individual organic oranges and the first I peeled looked like terry cloth inside. Completely dry. Grrr. So far the others have been juicy and sweet. What is your trick to picking out the best orange?

I did pretty good over the weekend, staying away from junk food and watching portion control. We did go to Firehouse to get turkey subs yesterday, but they aren't that bad. Low fat and under 400 calories. I did eat chips and a soda, but I'm OK with that once in a while. Since the hubby wont be able to eat real food for several days, this was our reasoning (read excuse here) for also getting a large candy bar apiece.

No loss, but no gain. Keep plugging away and eventually we'll get healthy. Just wanted to touch base with everyone and let you know that I am sincere when I say we're all in this together. Staying healthy is not that easy even if you are already healthy. Getting healthy and correcting the malnutrition that has caused us all to gain weight...not easy at all. Add the changes that come with age and it's even more difficult. Do your best to get healthy now and believe me you'll be so glad you did. Hang in there and feel free to use my comment section periodically, if you want to tell us what been helping you reach your goals.

If it's snowing where you are, know that it can't last forever. Spring is right around the corner, pull yourself up by those snow bootstraps and keep going. We're going to make it.

It's really not a cop out

I know it must sound like a cop out, an excuse, yet another postponed start date...but it's really not. I honestly feel like it is true. What could I possibly be talking about, you might ask. The reason I have such difficulty ...Getting healthy... Losing weight... Doing the right thing. But here's the deal, I can't be positive about being healthy when there is still snow on the ground and the sky is gray. It drags me down and I just don't want to eat right. I'll bet one of the reasons that I lose followers, is that I have no successes to show you. That's ok. My blog isn't titled Let's Gain Followers This Year, now is it?

I may not have successes in weight loss, but I won't let that stop me or my little weight loss blog. I'm waiting out the storm. I'm looking forward to sunny days and a lawn dry enough to withstand the delivery of some new exercise equipment. I will have successes to report, I know I will.

Until then, I am prayerfully thankful that I have a wonderful life. I have a very sweet sister and a loving husband. That husband, a great guy who wanted hot dogs and chili and chips for lunch. I fixed them and they were yummy. I did use Hebrew National franks, so I can give myself a pat on the back for that. I'll get back on track tomorrow.

I don't give up and I don't beat myself up when I over eat. That's not my style.

Well, that's it for me today. Thanks for listening and thanks for sticking with me.

Up to 20...

Once again with the small goals. I'm up to 20 jumps with my little purple jump rope. I found that I can jump easier if I do a "fast jump" without a little skip/slide between jumps. So for now I'm doing a really fast boxer type jump. It doesn't sound like much, but I leave the rope where I can see it in the family room downstairs and I have been doing jumps several times a day, most days.

We still have snow on the ground, so there isn't much incentive to be outside. Until I see some dry grass and warmer weather, I'll be staying in doing art and making jewelry...and jumping rope.

That's it from the Star City. We'll talk soon. TTFN.

Small Goals

Just because my treadmill is discombobulated and I'm not ready to tackle the fitness center, doesn't mean I can't do something....so I decided to try jumping rope. Until the weather is better, I am going to use the laundry room. My longest streak so far is...TA DA...7 jumps. Gotta start somewhere. I'll be doing that fast boxer's training jump before you know it.

That's it for today. Remember to hang in there, we didn't get here overnight, so let's be reasonable in our expectations and not so hard on ourselves.

Old dog learns new tricks...

That would be my headline for today. For years I have heard that spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta. Since I realize that angle hair pasta is one of my trigger foods (as in it triggers me to eat until I'm miserable), I decided to go ahead and buy a squash. I saw an excellent recipe in a magazine and went for it. The only type of squash I have ever prepared is crook neck summer squash and I really do like it and it's easy to slice and cook. I was totally prepared to follow the cooking instructions, and I knew I had to cut the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Sound easy, huh? Well, you better have what my family call a "butcher knife" and a lot of elbow grease. It took a few minutes, but I got it sliced and cleaned and didn't need any first aid . The cleaning of the seeds took longer than it might for you, because I had to stop and decide if I wanted to clean and keep the seeds to make jewelry from. But, I digress...

Okay, so the squash is cooked and cooled just a bit so I can handle it. For some reason I really didn't understand how it would come out in strands, but it does.

This bad boy yields quite a lot, about five cups. I took the contents of the first half and showed the hubby. I had mentioned a new recipe, which he already knew he wouldn't be eating, because he thought I was making spaghetti with squash in it.

Imagine his surprise when I showed it to him. Totally confused, he didn't know what it was, and said "what, does it come in a pod?" so I brought him into the kitchen to see what it look liked. He was completely aghast, ready to run. It apparently conjured up frightening images of scary things in pods and he was not impressed with my newly found food or the attack like method of using the fork to make the strands. He shivered visibly and retreated to the safety of the living room.

There was so much that I froze half, leaving plenty to use for the recipe I'll try later this evening. It's simple: reheat, add a bit of chicken broth, a table spoon of olive oil and some Parmesan cheese. It could be served chilled, like a standard pasta salad.

Well, that's it for today. Hope everyone is having a great week. Remember you're never too old to learn something new. For me it was cooking a squash, what will it be for you?

Take care and stay healthy.

I did something today...

I did something today that is such a big step for me I just have to share it. Before you get all excited, and then feel the let down of "is that all?", I must say that it really is one of my stumbling blocks. My husband and I eat large healthy fruit and veggie salads almost daily. I use the bagged salad greens and add grapes, strawberries, and walnuts. For some protein, I add baked chicken breast, cut in to bite size pieces and sometimes a hard cooked egg. Just a tiny bit of shredded cheese tops my salad. Today I splurged and cooked some turkey bacon. Really sounds good doesn't it? All in all, the salad "as is" has a calorie count that is reasonable, maybe even low, but as you know, the main way to turn a healthy raw salad into a calorie ladened monster, is to dump dressing onto it. For me I have always used a salad as a reason to eat buttermilk/ranch dressing. I love the stuff. So now with that background, you will be happy when I tell you that not only did I put my dressing on the side today, I actually found out how tasty the salad was without dressing. I had assumed that it would be dry and crumbly, but it was yummy. I dipped my fork into the dressing several times, but it actually was taking away from the taste of the salad.

So, since I'm up ten plus pounds since I started my blog, I think I'm really ready to make some changes. I can only imagine how many calories I can save in this way. I'm really excited about this breakthrough and wanted to tell someone that understands.

That's it for me. Have a great week and make a healthy change. If I can do it, I know you can.

xoxo
Susan

...those Bill Cosby records

When I was a kid, my little brother loved Bill Cosby's records about Fat Albert and the Gang. This was before there was the cartoon show. Anyway, he could recite every line about the Chicken Heart and little brother Russell. My mom just didn't get it. She would state repeatedly to little bro, "if you put half as much energy into learning your school work, as you do in those records, you would be on the honor roll". We were extremely smart kids, in a school that had the traditional curriculum , so we sought out stimulation through things other than studies. Ahhh, but I digress. My point in this little story is this. She was right. I find myself putting so much time into art and reading and fun things that I don't spend quality time on getting healthy. I think that I'm one of those folks that thinks because I'm healthy now and always have been, that I always will be.

Don't get me wrong, I have made lots of changes over the years. I don't drink, or smoke and have been married to the same hunky/sweet guy for 22 years. I don't engage in risky behavior, at all unless you count being 40 pounds overweight risky. At my age, I suppose it is. I care about how I look, although not quite as much as when I was younger. I apparently drove my uncle crazy standing in front of the mirror doing my hair.

But, they're all gone and I'm still here and it's time I take responsibility for my weight gain. I have always struggled with my weight. From the time I started to gain as a second grader, until now. It's been and up and down saga with me. I have lost 50 pounds three times. I have lost 25 pounds probably five times. I can't even count the times I have lost 10 pounds. It would be safe to say that I have lost at least 300 pounds in my career as a professional dieter. Well, losing weight and keeping it off is difficult. People will tell you this and that about losing weight and maintenance and blah, blah, blah. I've heard it all and done most of it. I'm guess I'm just tired of thinking about my weight all the time. I can say, "oh, I just want to be healthy or firm up a bit", but it's not true. I want to lose weight because I look good when I don't weigh so much. So, at age 56 (almost 57) with silver hair and a sagging jawline staring back at me in the mirror, I still want to lose weight because I'll look better thin.

Sorry, this is such a rambling post. I want to snap my fingers and zip up a size 12 jeans. I want to wave a magic wand and be worried that my boobies are shrinking too much from so much weight lost. I want, I want, I want...

You know what? I think I want a blueberry bagel and some hot tea. Thanks for letting me vent. I'll do better later, I promise.

xoxo
Susan

Sweet Dreams

For those of you that don't read my art blog, I am re posting this collage...


It shows the conflict that we sometimes experience when dealing with wanting sweets, when we know we should have fruit. The meditating girl was from an ad in Fitness magazine (the one sent to me anonymously), the cake at the top was from Cuisine magazine, and the strawberry sundae is from an old Life magazine. The verbiage at the bottom that is hard to read, says torn between two lovers, which I think says it all.

I do love fruit, but I just don't get the emotional release that something less healthy gives me. It even comes through in my art. Ahh, well.

That's it for today. Have a healthy weekend.

Don't call it lazy...

I used to hate to hear someone even say the word lazy. I'm not lazy at all, but sometimes I am unmotivated. I'm a hard worker, a quick study and an all-around good egg. Just don't call me lazy, "them's fightin' words". Anyway upon reflection, as we are so apt to do at this time of the year, I decided to get this book.

It's written by the founder of SparkPeople.com, a weight loss website that I've been on for about 16 months. I haven't worked the program and I have gained 10 pounds. It's not their fault, at all. I think I need more motivation. The reason that I got the book, is that even though I love the internets and the world wide webs, I love to have a nice hefty book to carry around with me. I need to have something to go to as a guide, when I'm feeling sluggish in my drive to be what I want to be. Sometimes I'd rather go to page whatever, than go to the computer. I'll let you know how it works for me.

How are things going with all you cats? Are you motivated and pumped up? Have you started new programs? Let me know what keeps you motivated. Keep me posted.

That's it for today, talk soon. xoxo