Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Wednesday Workouts

Well, it's practically Thursday, but I'm sticking to the plan. If it's Wednesday, it's time to talk about working out. I think we can all agree that exercise is a major key to success, whatever your definition of success might be.

Since I'm about 2 months post-op now, my goal is to be regularly active, tone up, and keep my metabolism in overdrive.

Currently, my routine consists of a 35-58 minute walk 4-5 days/week. I use a fitbit to keep track of my steps taken, miles walked and calories burned. It's fantabulous.

But even with that routine, I've been stuck at the 31-33lb zone. Hello, plateau! I've realized the answer to this situation lies in one simple word - routine. I won't say I'm stuck in a rut, but I do think my body has gotten too comfortable.

I've been trying to brainstorm and come up with other forms of exercise that might drive my body out of stubborn mode. What are you guys doing to stay active? Do you find yourself in a set routine or do you constantly change things up?

Enlighten me! :)

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Encouragement.

A friend of mine posted a link to this blog tonight and I was moved and inspired. I think we all could probably benefit from reading, re-reading and then reading this post yet one more time.

Here's the link :)

You're welcome.

Tuesday Tunes

Okay.. I've decided I needed some sort of structure around here to kinda keep me on task. I've been slacking in the blogging and food-tracking department, so maybe this will help with my accountability.

To start things off, let's talk tunes. Music and songs can do SO much for a person. They can motivate you to take another 1500 steps. They can make you feel like dancing.. or crying.. or laughing.. or help you process anger. Remind you of someone special. Remind you of a really great night. You're getting the picture, I hope. Maybe you're even nodding in agreement. Or maybe shaking your head in disagreement. I'm good with that. We're going to be discussing all types of music and creating all types of lists. Hopefully we can discover some new music in the process and learn more about each other.

Today's Tuesday tunes assignment... tell me 5 songs that are currently motivating you on your workout/walk/activity sessions. I'll go first.


  1. Bigger Than My Body - John Mayer
  2. Shake It Off - Florence + the Machine
  3. Miss You - Foster the People
  4. Firework - Katy Perry
  5. My Body - Young the Giant


What are yours? Readysetgo!





P.S. Here's a sneak peek of what's to come.... and of course they're subject to change.

  • Monday Moodiness (get your negative self-talk or crankies off your chest)
  • Wednesday Workouts (tell me what you've been doing or are working towards)
  • Thursday Thoughts (we'll discuss movies, tv shows, books, quotes, etc)
  • Friday Five (random questions)
  • Saturday Silliness (need I say more??)
  • Sunday Stats (let's weigh in!)

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

To date or not to date.. that is the question.

Thank you, Mister Shakespeare. I'm blatantly stealing from your Hamlet soliloquy. Now I think we all are probably at least somewhat familiar with that scene in Hamlet. The one where he's weighing it all out.. and thinking that it feels better to just give in and kill himself - rather than to keep pressing on.

Don't panic. I'm not talking about suicide. Not in the literal sense. But in terms of dating. Confused? Just wait till I get going.. ;)

So I've got a confession to make. And perhaps your story will sound a bit like my own. I didn't have my first REAL boyfriend until I was 27. I didn't date in high school. I didn't have any undergrad love affairs or hookups. Well maybe there was one or two. But they weren't necessarily good situations. But essentially, I am and have been pretty clueless when it comes to relationships.. maybe moreso than the average girl. I'm most definitely a late bloomer. I fell in love with my (unbeknownst to me) gay best friend and for 2 happy years, I thought we were dating. Imagine my shock and dismay when I discovered "happy pictures" on my computer. That's an entirely different therapy session.

So my first boyfriend. Ben. I seriously thought he was the one. That's how naive I was. My first real boyfriend... thinking he was the one. How cliche. He broke up with me 3 months into the relationship because I wouldn't sleep with him. Whatevs... I moved on. I had some wild oats to sow. And this is how I became a player. Oh yes. Little old inexperienced me. I juggled 6-7 guys at any given time. Not that hanky panky was going on with all of them... but I had a date whenever I wanted - and I wanted a date 7 nights a week. I did this for 2 years and finally decided I was too exhausted to keep that up.

Fast forward to nursing school.. I dated a few guys, but it still wasn't working. One of these guys became a stalker. For a YEAR. Cuckoo crazy, my friends. Perhaps we both were. When I broke up with him, his response was to start crying, hyperventilating, and clinging to my leg. I cannot make this stuff up.

I moved back into player mode. It felt safer. All the while, I was struggling with my weight. And my self image. See?? I really did have a point. So my self image. Funny thing about having a date anytime you want is that it feeds the ego - but not necessarily the soul. I was continuously giving of myself and really getting nothing back in return. For me, it was an "acceptable" form of self-destructive behavior. No one even questioned it. Knowing that these guys were not long-term material, I could just blame things on my weight or my appearance when it didn't work out. Freud would have a field day.

As years went by, I started gaining some wisdom. And I had my epiphany. I was only attracting guys who were as emotionally healthy as I was... and I was essentially scraping the bottom of the barrel. And I realized that if given the chance, I probably wouldn't date me either. So I did the necessary emotional overhauls.. which took some SERIOUS work. And moved along with my life. But my outside still didn't match my inside. And I was still attracting the wrong kind of guy. Most of the guys who were interested in me were couch potatoes and emotional eaters with baggage that rivaled Kate Winslet's in Titanic. NOT the kind of guy I'm looking for.

Which leads me to my dilemma. I ended a serious long-term relationship last April with a man I probably would have married. But he just wasn't the right one for me. I would have been settling - and sadly, we both knew it. So now I'm 38.. single.. kidless.. and SO ready to settle down. In my group of close girl friends, I am the only one who isn't engaged, married or at least a single mom. (Yeah, I know... the grass is always greener...)

I've done a lot of the emotional legwork, although I feel like that's a daily process. And I've had my surgery, lost some weight, gotten some really good habits in place. I feel like I am a fantastic catch, but most guys aren't looking past the physical to see who I really am.

Will dating/attracting quality men become more of a viable option once I get more weight off and can be even more active than I currently am? Or will it be the same old crap? Do I give up on dating and wait until I'm a more "attractive" version of me? Do I "get thee to a nunnery" and forget about settling down altogether? Or do I just keep swimming... inquiring minds want to know.






Monday, June 4, 2012

Full moons and Mondays...

Do you ever have that feeling of having your finger stuck in an electric socket?? Yep, that's a pretty good description of today. Thankfully, my initial instinct is "OMG I need to go workout!!!" instead of "OMG I need some chocolate!!!" - and actually, after eating a piece of dark chocolate earlier, I threw away an $8 bar of fancy dark chocolate because I didn't trust myself to stop. But the walk through the neighborhood? Oh THAT is SO on...

And honestly... if you'd told me even a month ago that I'd get back to that mindset where I start getting itchy, twitchy and witchy when I miss a day of activity, I'd tell you to take some crazy pills. But unbelievably, all my weeks of taking my furbaby for a walk have turned into a habit.

I think there are multiple reasons to blame for this antsiness. I'm pinning a little bit on the full moon and today being a Monday in every sense of the word.. but I'm also pinning some of this on hormones. PLEASE tell me I'm not the only bander who has had issues with Aunt Flo since having the surgery. That's just not statistically possible. But good grief... over the last 6 months, they've gotten further and further apart. I'm so not okay with this. I get all the fun of the mood swings and the cramps and feeling like I need to devour everything in sight but no payoff. Again. SO not okay with this. I'm hoping that my hormones will eventually stabilize, but I'm about 2 days late for the start date projected by my period tracker. Things at work are a mess. Things in my dating world are a mess, but that's another blog altogether. And because I cannot fall back into old habits, I think I'm feeling all the external stress a bit more.

So while rainy days and Mondays might have gotten Karen Carpenter down... for me, it's full moons, Mondays, periods that are AWOL, stupid boys, stupid jobs (that I'm happy to have!! i acknowledge my blessings!), and the inability to go back to bad eating habits that are bringing me down.

Thank goodness for the wisdom of Anne Shirley... rather than wallow, I think I'll take some pointers from her.

“Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it.” 
― L.M. MontgomeryAnne of Green Gables

“It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.” 
― L.M. MontgomeryAnne of Green Gables

“Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.” 
― L.M. MontgomeryAnne of Green Gables

“Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" 
― L.M. MontgomeryAnne of Green Gables