Health Trek Day 40

It's Thursday again and I face the evil scale once more. I have done some soul searching this week and found myself wanting in the willpower department. Every day I make a plan, but find that my day takes on a life of its own and I am still not taking enough time to do the exercise, make the healthy meals and keep track of what I eat. I am now Leader once again of our Chapter, and I hope to be an example to everyone of what to do right, not how to procrastinate and continue the yo-yo pattern that has become my life. So I am going to pretend tonight is my first night at TOPS and ask all the members to pretend with me. Than we are going to start with DAY ONE and learn together what we must do to lose weight. I hope they will agree to some weekly assignments we will do every day and discussions each week that will keep us on track.
I know what I have to do and I will do it.
I am eating healthy and exercising more, but I know my portions are often too much. I need to cut out more of the starchy and fatty foods, and limit my snacking. Night time and solitude are my worst enemies because that is when I eat. Not out of hunger but out of habit. My refrigerator will soon look like a bulletin board with all the notes to myself on it. I realize I seldom read the notes, so I need to get the food out of the house that I shouldn't be eating. First plan, shop sensibly and not when I'm hungry. Second plan, write down what I plan to eat then follow it up with what I actually ate. I have started an honesty journal where I am making two columns one for my plan and one for reality. Then I can comment on why or why not my plan for the day worked.
So everyone, no funny quips today or silly stories. I am getting serious about my health!
Rock On!

Thought for today:
Lost Sundays
Modern times have brought many wondrous things
Ipods and phones with personalized rings
Cars and appliances to make our lives easy
Magical rides that make us feel queasy
We thought years ago these inventions would bring
More time to laugh and to dance and to sing,
But the truth of the matter is we've lost more than we gained
When you think of how our free time has been maimed
We used to have Sundays as a day to reflect
A time to recoup when we felt like a wreck
Now we use our days for a chance to fulfill
A long list of chores as we chug down a pill
That will give us the energy to get through the day
Since we no longer have time to muse and to pray
Our children are schooled to use every minute
Fill all of their time without any limit
We cart them to games and to gyms and to pools
Forgetting to teach them our Lord's Golden Rules
We have become too sophisticated to believe in a God
We no longer have time to look around and feel awed
Special effects in our modern movie shows
Take away the wonder of the winter's first snows
So many take drugs to make them feel right
It is no longer safe to go out at night
Our children have lost their summers of play
And no longer sit at the table to pray
What good are the gadgets if we can't find the joy?
That we used to know as a young girl or boy?
JPH
7/7/2008

Plan for today:
Breakfast: fruit, tea and toast
Lunch: 1 piece of Shepherd's pie
Snack: apple
Dinner: Bowl of chicken soup and six crackers.
I plan to drink more water today.
Exercise: walking and Yoga.

Health Trek Day 36

I am traveling on a large river, at least I think it is a river. The banks of the river are narrow and covered with muddy silt. I am traveling with a lot of very intense beings who seem to be on a grim and determined path as they make their way through the sludge that is in the river. Many of them are weeping. Often they seem to disappear through the slimy banks of the river. "What is happening", I cry. "Where am I and who are all of you?" "You are looking within and we are part of you, trying to bring healthy nutrients to your body," one pale organism answers. "But why is the river so thick and filthy and the banks of the river so narrow and filled with sludge?" "Alas, answers my new friend, it is the junk food that you are putting in your body each day. It makes our job harder and harder and who knows how long we can prevail! Take warning... You are what you eat, You are what you eat...."
I woke with a gasp and realized I had been having a really weird dream. Boy have I been watching too much Dr. Oz! But talk about listening to your body! I guess I had better start paying more attention to what I put in it. The thought of my blood flowing through a river of sludge of my own making really makes me think.
We had a guest speaker at TOPS last night that showed us little vials of how much fat is in the basic foods we eat. What an eye opener. I did not realize there was so much fat in the foods I eat way too much of. She also had a "fat vest" she had us put on and put a bag of flour and several cans of food in the pockets which added up to about 14 pounds. It really makes you realize how hard it is to carry around that extra weight. Okay, Okay, I am convinced. I need to try harder. I will, I will! Please no more nightmares!
Seriously folks, with the holidays coming it is even more imperative we listen to our bodies and give it only what it needs to maintain our health. Get out there and exercise and take off those pounds that are causing us all the back aches, leg aches and fluid retention. Drink water and flush out the sludge.
By the way, I did lose 1 1/2 pounds this week. A big surprise as I had not eaten as carefully as I had planned. Today is a new day and I will give my body nutrition it can use well. The weekend is before us, let us use it wisely and well.
Rock On!

A quote for you today from Ralph Marston:
Smile
Sit up straight. Lift your head up. Lift your eyes. Take a
long, deep breath, and smile.
Though things may be far from perfect for you,
act like it's a great day to be alive.
Because it is!
Keep a smile on your face and in your voice.
Put a spring in your step. Act like you would act if you were
the most confident, successful, joyful person in your town.
Speak to others in kind and positive terms.
Think and speak to yourself the same way.
Embrace the challenges and see their positive possibilities.
There is no need to delay, even for another moment,
the fulfillment that life can bring.
See the world around you for what it is,
and know that it cannot bring you down.
Live today as if it is the best day you could possibly imagine.
And in doing that you make it so.
Ralph Marston

Plan for today:
Breakfast: cereal, toast, tea
Snack: fruit cup
Lunch: soup and crackers
Snack: veggies and dip
Dinner: lean pork cutlets, sweet potato, applesauce, spinach
Snack: ice cream bar

Exercise: Walk, Yoga, therapy

Health Trek Day 34

My sister-in-law is a nurse in Cape Cod. She has sent e-mails to all of the family encouraging us to get both flu shots, but availability is scant right now. I talked with the York county VNA (visiting Nurse Assoc.) and they gave me a flu hotline number to call to find locations where the vaccine is being offered. It is 283-6808. If you don't live in York County and would like information, check with your local VNA agency. My Doctor's office told me they don't know whether they will be receiving any vaccines and my best bet was to check with pharmacies or the VNA.
I have been a little under the weather all this week with plugged sinuses and have been imagining that I am coming down with a flu. I guess it is easy to become paranoid with all the scary stories we hear on the News. But everything I read still mandates that our best defense is to wash our hands frequently and stay home if we feel sick. I took my grandson to McD's a couple of weeks ago to get a happy meal and while we were eating I sneezed, covering my mouth with my hand. He looked up at me in shocked dismay and said in a very loud voice, "Nana, you are supposed to sneeze into your elbow, like this (mock achoo as he demonstrates). People don't want your germs all over the place!" Well, I was properly chastised, but glad to see that the schools are teaching even kindergartners what to do about colds and flu. Ben washes his hands with soap every time he uses the facilities. He also likes to wash the mirror and walls and even soaked my toothbrush in warm very soapy water last time he was visiting. He is such a big helper!
So on this journey to health we are traveling on, we must not forget to take care of ourselves every day so we can stay healthy and on track. It is hard to keep up our exercise and daily regimen if we feel like we have been run over by a bus. My wish for you all is that you will be able to avoid the flu this season and continue to strive towards your healthy goals.
Rock On!
My poem today is dedicated to my daughters and all the daughters out there that become our friends for life...

My daughter, My Friend
When your child begins her very first day.
You wonder what future years will portray
Relentlessly years have flown by so fast
All that I fantasized is now in the past
The woman I envisioned so long ago
Shadows the one I've since come to know
She is mother and cook, she surpasses me now
Her housekeeping ventures force me to bow
But what makes her special, what makes her unique,
Is the self she's maintained and the knowledge she seeks
She strives to look without and within
To find the pure soul that made her begin
I never surmised when I held that small hand
That the child that I taught would help me understand
That balance exists between body and mind
That enables a peace and a joy for all time
I am filled with such awe at the woman I see
That is such a great part of what used to be me
I treasure each moment and will to the end
For the child, My daughter, My mentor, My friend.
JPH
2001

Plan for today:
Breakfast: tea and toast
Snack: a bosc pear
Lunch: Chicken soup
Snack: carrot and celery sticks
Dinner: Teriyaki stir fried beef and veggies
Snack: ice cream bar
exercise: Yoga and Mr. G's list. Walking outside on my road.

Health Trek Day 30

Halloween is almost upon us. We don't get many children here, but I always feel the need to buy some candy, just in case! It was so much easier when you could buy a bushel of apples and pass them out, but now the fear of needles being pushed inside or some chemical injected into them, we have to go with safe, individually wrapped treats. The only problem with that is the candy sits on the shelf singing out to me all day long. I find myself eating two for each one I pass out. This year I am making the candy part of my Halloween decoration in hopes that I will think of it as just decor and not listen to the little voices calling to me. As soon as Halloween is over, the rest goes to the Grand kids!
Holidays are difficult as we are all programmed to make food the basis of our celebrations. As much as we know we can cook healthier dishes on Thanksgiving and Christmas, we all have our traditions. So I am making a game plan as of today. I am planning to eat all I want on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. The rest of the time, however, I will eat salads and take walks and go to the gym. When I do eat holiday foods, I shall put little small portions on my plate and savor each bite. I have read that when we crave a sweet, it is the first 3 bites we enjoy and if we could all stop there, we wouldn't have a weight problem. If we can remove the guilt of eating sweets, then perhaps we wouldn't feel so compelled to gorge when we do "cheat". So I plan to let myself enjoy small portions on very special occasions, then get back on track. No guilt, no beating myself up, just savor the food I choose to eat. Now, let's hope that greedy glutton that dwells somewhere in this over sized body of mine is listening to this plan! I shall keep her in her prison and not listen to the voices. Pretty soon, the men in white coats are going to carry me away if I keep talking about voices. But I am referring to those thoughts that pass through our minds about pouncing on the snacks that are lurking in our pantries and on the grocery shelves. Let those thoughts sail away, or visually throw them away and think about how good you will look in that size 10 outfit. Or how good it will feel to be able to take a hike outdoors in the spring with no pain. Concentrate on a goal and let those temptations go flying in the wind. Make good choices and enjoy the holidays.
Rock ON, All!

Dieter's Prayer
Strict is my diet. I must not want.
It maketh me to lie down at night hungry.
It leadeth me past the confectioners
It trieth my willpower
It leadeth me in the paths of alteration
for my figure's sake
Yea, though I walk through the aisles
of the pastry department,
I will buy no sweetrolls
for they are fattening.
The cakes and the pies, they tempt me
Before me is a table set with green beans and lettuce
I filleth my stomach with liquids
My day's quota runneth over
Surely calorie and weight charts
will follow me the rest of my life
And I will dwell in the fear of the scales forever!
Author unknown

Plan for today:
Breakfast: toast and tea
Snack: yogurt
Lunch: ham sandwich with lots of lettuce and a smidge of mayo
Snack: forgetabboudit, I messed up and ate a tootsie roll.
Now it's time to go to my TOPS meeting
Dinner: Out with friends, I will choose wisely!
No evening snack, kitchen closed!

Exercise:
No, the handle on my recliner, does not make it an exercise machine, so I will get up and put in a healthy DVD. Tonight I am dancing and singing at our meeting and when I get home I will do my Yoga P.M.
oh yes, mustn't forget Mr. G's list!

Health Trek Day 27

It was quite a weekend. Fall Rally was a lot of fun. For those of you who went, I hope you had as much fun as I did. We performed a skit that we had only had time to rehearse twice and when we got on stage, I think we both froze a couple of times. I forgot to put on some of the costume accessories, we messed up lines and made total fools of ourselves, but it was really fun. We are going to do the whole thing again for our Chapter on the 29Th. What a couple of hams we are! The entire event was a nice mixture of humor and emotive stories of weight loss successes as well as rewards for our efforts over the summer. My cheeks are still aching, Charlie! (Not saying which ones!)
I really do believe that laughter is the best medicine. I have been full of happy feelings and bursting into song ever since I left the Civic Center. So another formula for weight loss; Don't worry, be happy!
We are all packed, except for last minute items, for our camping adventure in Massachusetts. We have a house sitter, and the weather looks like it will be going up. I have been thinking really hard sending brain waves out to Mother Nature that this would be a really good week for an Indian Summer! So when the weather gets nice and toasty for the next few days instead of feeling like the beginnings of an ice age, you can thank ME. And don't forget to send a big thanks to Mother Nature herself. We don't want to anger her this close to the big W. (Winter that is)
I have great plans to keep my weight under control this week. For one thing we will be doing a lot of walking. When we eat out, I am going to let my husband order for me. He always nags me about eating, so I decided to let him be my conscience. The Camper is not big enough for me to hide food and sneak candy bars and we are only bringing healthy snacks. Anytime I feel like hitting him over the head with my exercise dumbbells, I will think of Fall Rally and h0w much I want to be up on stage telling my weight loss story, or better yet, graduating at SRD! So I plan to smile sweetly and not let food become the center of this vacation.
Tomorrow will be my last Blog until the 28Th of October unless I can figure out how to use WiiFi or whatever it is called. So don't think I have dropped off the ends of the earth if you don't hear from me. I will be recording our adventures along the way, and perhaps writing a few more poems to share with you next week.
So enjoy our nice weather and don't forget, everyone, to
ROCK ON!
I have a bit of Prose to share with you today, that I didn't write, but agree with wholeheartedly:
Attitude
The longer I live, the more
I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude to me is more important than facts
It is more important than the past
than education,
than money,
than circumstances,
than failures,
than successes,
than what other people say or do,
It is more important than appearances,
giftedness or skill,
It will make or break a company..
a church...a house.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day
regarding the attitude for that day
We cannot change our past...
we cannot change the fact that
people will act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the string we
have, that is our attitude...
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens
and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you,
WE ARE IN CHARGE OF OUR
ATTITUDE!
By Charless Swindell

Plan for today:
Breakfast: cereal, toast, tea
Snack: jello
Lunch: hamburger, lettuce, tomato
Snack: apple
Dinner: Beef Stew
Kitchen Closed at 7:00 P.m.
Exercise:
Long walk with my Grandson, Ben
Mr. G's list
Yoga before bed.
:)

Health Trek Day 26

The scales were good to me last night. A small loss, but at least going in the right direction, down! Probably had the pounds freeze off yesterday. It sure is cold for October! We are getting ready to go on our camping vacation next week and ding dang it, I want an Indian summer. Don't you think we're entitled after our 3 week summer? So I am thinking warm thoughts and hoping for the best. We are spending part of the time at my Sister-in-laws house on Cape Cod so we can always go inside if we get cold.

I didn't go to the gym this morning as I am hostage to the LIST this morning. We have this check list we need to do before we go and as usual I have procrastinated all week so have to rush around today to get everything done. I also have to rehearse and memorize 4 songs before the Fall Rally tomorrow. All this and exercise too! I will try to fit in some yoga and my therapy while I clean, pack, do laundry and check and re-check the list. We are not leaving until Wednesday next week, but my husband always like to have everything done early and where he has to work, he'll want me to have my part done before the weekend so he can check and re-check to make sure I did it right and we have everything we need. We will most likely have enough paraphernalia to entertain the entire East coast by the time we hit the road.
How come having fun is so much work?
I hope I can come back from the vacation with a loss and not a gain. Perhaps the walking and sight seeing will take off the pounds I gain from eating out and at other people's houses. I resolve to make smart, healthy choices!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and remember to
ROCK ON!

Since we are going to visit family next week, I thought I would share a poem with you that was written on one of our family get gatherings. Perhaps you can relate....
Hallspeak
Whenever the Halls should congregate
Talk always results in a great debate
It's amazing what subjects will evolve
And all the problems they deign to solve
Topics expand like an ivy trail
Each opinion expressed in a raging gale
From a distance the noise seems quite absurd
All voices demanding to be heard
It seems that everyone talks in sync
Expounding to all just what they think
Not a thought goes to waste in each busy head
They pass through the lips without worry or dread
"But who is listening" I wondered one day
With so many talking, with so much to say
Then I perceived to my great surprise
An astounding feat right before my eyes
One who stated his wise verbation
answered a question without hesitation
added a thought to another topic
and didn't appear the least myopic
if Olympians awarded for tall stories told
then Hallspeak would surely bring home the gold!
JPH
Plan for today:
Breakfast: toast and tea, fruit cup
Snack: apple
Lunch: leftover beef stew
snack: pretzels
Dinner: pork chops, baked potato, spinach
Dessert: angel food cake with mandarin oranges and fresh raspberries
Kitchen closed!
Exercise:
Yoga, Mr. G's list and racing up and down stairs doing housework and packing,, yikes, look at the time, I had better get started!

Health Trek Day 25

I received another one of those e-mails that get sent to everyone. This one was called "Just a Mom" Perhaps you've seen it. It described a woman renewing her license and when asked her occupation she replied "I'm a research associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations." It was a cute story, but made me stop and think how important titles are in our contemporary society. When I was young my first job was as a secretary in a medical records room. Nowadays they would be called medical transcribers. Secretaries are now Executive Assistants. A teacher's aide is a Technician I, II or III depending on the assistance you give the teacher. It has become so important to have a nice title, and don't even get me started on this Political correctness madness. So I guess maybe we could take our weight loss journey more seriously if we considered ourselves "Adipose removal research associates"; Or "Exercise Research and Development Lab Actuators". Sounds good doesn't it. Our journals can become our research tools and even our clothing can be labeled as design modules for more efficient exercise techniques. Boy aren't we important now! I am going to dress in my athletic clothes and get out my YOGA DVD. I have all the equipment, the title and the pounds are just going to fall off. (I hope they don't make a mess of my rug!"
Tonight is our TOPS meeting and we are getting all charged up for our Fall Rally! How about you? Hope to see you all there!
ROCK ON!

I wrote this poem back in the sixties when I was part of the "Woman's Movement" I don't take things quite as seriously today. My reward for being is woman is to see all the blessings I have in the faces of my children and grandchildren...

The Void
The problem that has no name
No woman needs this phrase explained
We all play the losing game
and hide the fact that our smiles are strained
"Anatomy is destiny" cry Men like Freud
Women must adjust to the feminine role
Have children- that will fill the void;
Let your husband's success become your goal.
If it's natural for us to be just wives and mothers
Why do our souls cry out in vain?
Why if it's natural to give all for others
Does our loss of self emit such pain?
We must admit aloud that our pain is real
Reach out a hand to our sisters of Earth
Our souls will not begin to heal
Until in unison we proclaim our worth!

JPH

Plan for today:
Breakfast: Egg, toast, tea
Snack: apple
Lunch: salad
Dinner: Beef Stew
Snack: ice cream bar

Exercise: Yoga, Mr. G's list

Health Trek Day 24

This morning as I was walking on the treadmill, trying to ignore the pain in my hip, I wondered just how much the weather really affects arthritis pain. When I got home I did a little research and found articles that confirmed that arthritis aches and pains, asthma and even migraines are definitely affected by weather changes. Hot humid weather can exacerbate respiratory problems as well as migraines and joint pain. Cold, damp weather also contributes to all those little oohs and ouches we suffer through. There are even weather channels now that have a health scale to warn you of those aches and pains you will be getting from the forecast. (All that meteorological mumbo jumbo gives me a headache!) I can't help but wonder if they are getting a kickback from the pharmacy companies for all the pain medicine they will be selling because of the forecasts. Anyway, the articles explain how changing weather can cause your bodies to expand and contract, joints to adjust to these fluid changes and the result is a big ouch. I guess it makes me feel a little better blaming it on the weather because I know the weather will change and I will get some relief. Until it changes again. But just being able to blame the weatherman or should I be politically correct and say weather person, helps to cope with the pain. The important thing is that I still drag myself out of bed and go to the gym to do my exercises. One thing to share in case you don't know it, my orthopedic doctor told me last week not to worry about increasing the intensity of machines as I walk. The arthritis condition I have can be harmed more by putting to much strain on the bones than the exercise benefit could do So instead of increasing the intensity, I am increasing the time that I walk. I started with 15 minutes a session and I am up to 30 minutes now on the treadmill and the bike. I increase my speed on the bike up and down in spurts, keeping the level low. I have been able to get my heart rate up to the target level doing this and I break out in a sweat so I know I am doing something. The important thing, my wise Doctor advised me, is to keep moving. Sitting in a chair does more damage than any other bad habit I have. I also know that I eat more when I am just sitting in my chair. So plan for this week, keep moving, keep busy, stay out of the kitchen.
I spent Sunday rehearsing with a friend for Fall Rally in Augusta. I hope to see all of you there and you will get to see us make total fools of ourselves once again. I hope I get motivated so much it will take me through the holidays and well into next year and I can start watching those pounds fall off! (Wouldn't it be ghastly if they actually fell off all over the floor and we had that mess to clean up? Yuck!)
I hope to see all of you at the rally.
ROCK ON everyone!

Humor for today:
Senior Citizen Alphabet
A for arthritis
B for bad back
C is for chest pains, perhaps cardiac?
D is for dental decay and decline,
E is for eyesight- can't read the top line
F is for fissures and fluid retention
G is for gas (which I'd rather not mention)
H is for high blood pressure (I'd rather have low)
I is for incisions with scars you can show
J is for joints, that now fail to flex
L is for libido--what happened to sex?
Wait! I forgot about K!
K is for my knees that crack when they're bent
(Please forgive me, my Memory ain't worth a cent)
N is for neurosis, pinched nerves and stiff neck
O is for osteo-and all bones that crack
P is for prescriptions, I have quite a few
Give me another pill, I'll be good as new!
Q is for queasiness. Fatal or flu?
R is for reflux- one meal turns into two
S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears
T is for tinnitus- I hear bells in my ears
U is for urinary: difficulties with flow
V is for vertigo, that's "dizzy" you know
W is for worry, now what's going 'round?
X is for X-ray- and what might be found
Y is for another year I've left behind
Z is for zest that I still have in my mind.
Have survived all the symptoms my body's deployed,
And kept twenty-six doctors gainfully employed!

thanks for whomever sent me this via e-mail and to whomever out there in the world wide web that wrote it!

Plan for today:
Breakfast: egg, toast, tea
Snack: jello
Lunch: grilled cheese, baked chips
Snack: apple
Dinner: tuna casserole
Snack: ice cream bar

Exercise: Gym- treadmill 35 minutes. No bike today, some young man had the audacity to use my bike when I wanted it!!!
Yoga for the rest of us DVD; Mr. G's long, long list!

Health Trek Day 22

It was a good weekend. My husband was able to scratch the last item off his getting ready for the winter list. It is incredible how much time we get ready for each season. Living on a lake makes the chores endless. We have docks to put out, boats, jet skis, canoes, and water toys to launch. Then after just a few brief weeks of being able to play with all these toys, we have to take them out and put everything back in storage! It gets harder and harder to lift, tote and tug all this paraphernalia back and forth as our backs get weaker and the arthritis attacks our joints, so my genius hubby keeps coming up with all these amazing ideas as to how to store everything most efficiently. He designed a wooden pulley that he attaches the docks to and then pulls them up the hill using his jeep or his son's four wheeler. Too bad he couldn't get them to stack themselves too!
I always swore I would never make lists! I was raised by lists. My mother worked as a waitress and had to leave for work as soon as I got home from school and could watch my younger brothers. She would leave lists all over the house. I had instructions on what to make for dinner. Lists of chores I needed to do. Reminders to make my bed, brush my teeth, no television until the chores were finished, what snacks to eat, what not to eat. Labels and lists on everything in the house, put this away, don't touch my makeup. stay out of my closet, don't play with my shoes (my Mom had hundreds of shoes and I was always playing grownup with them). So I grew an absolute abhorrence of lists! Promised myself I would never leave them for my kids! So I resorted to charts. I made incentive charts where the kids could earn extra allowance if they chose some chores from the charts and did them without asking. Sort of worked, sometimes...
Now I find myself making lists again. But I don't leave them around as orders for other people. I make them to remind myself what I need to do. Chores I need to get done each day to keep myself on track so I don't end up reading, knitting or playing computer scrabble all day!
Post Its are another wonderful invention. I shudder to think what my mother would have done with them! But I use them as reminders to myself. Stay out of the Fridge! Kitchen closes at 7:00 P.M. Remember the pants in the closet you are striving to fit into! Don't eat this, it's for supper! (that one for my husband who eats constantly and stays thin!)
Then there are the perpetual shopping lists. We write things down on a list we keep on the table then forget to take them when we go shopping. Always something I forget!
If lists work to help keep us on track, so be it. We'll do it. What keeps you on track? I would really enjoy hearing some comments from some of you as to how you are doing and what is working to keep you motivated. I have the most trouble on weekends, as meal planning seems to be hit or miss. We have company or got out more and the best laid plans seem to go out the window. It is harder to keep my will power in check when I have a perpetual eating machine at my side.
So It is Monday and we start again.
Have a productive day everyone and remember
ROCK ON!

Poem for today, written for my son when he was growing up:

Chores!
Chores! Chores! Chores!
No wonder that word rhymes with bores!
School is out, I'm finally free
I should be feeling full of glee
but Daddy says to mow the grass
It's not so high it wouldn't pass
At least to my eye it looks fine
I'd rather be swinging from a vine
Wouldn't it be super great
If a jungle I could create
With grass so high that I could hide
"Okay Dad, I'm going outside."
Now Mom says to fold the clothes
I'd rather spray them with a hose!
I would say we had some rain
But it would only be in vain
She'd only make me do it later
I am a good procrastinator
I hid them once beneath the bed,
Boy did my Mom's face get red!
When I wake up to morning's light
I start to plan my day just right
I'll string the hammock in the shade...
then I spy the list they've made
"Don't forget to take out the trash;
use the leftovers to make some hash;
Wash the dishes, sweep the floor;
Ye Gads, you mean there's even more?
Trim the hedges, paint the wall,
Clean your fingerprints off the hall
It's enough to make you mad
It's summer now, I should be glad
By the time these chores come to an end
It will be time for school again!

JPH

Plan for today:
Breakfast: Oatmeal, toast, tea
Snack: jello
Lunch: Soup, six crackers
Snack: apple and cheese
Dinner: cube steak, broccoli, baked potato

Exercise: 1 hour hard labor at the gym (been there, done that at 4:30 this morning!)
New exercise DVD: Yoga for the rest of us. Very good for anyone--she gives lots of hints to modify it for those of us who have been certified couch potatoes for so long.
And of course, Mr. Gestapo's list!

Health Trek Day 20 10/08/09

The phone rang this morning, jarring me from a sound sleep. A dear friend was on the other end asking me to come to her house quickly as her husband has had another attack. I mumbled, sure, hung up the phone, looked at the clock. 4:00 a.m! I threw on some clothes, grabbed my bag and keys and raced out the door. As I was driving to her house, I thought of all the questions I should have asked. "Did you call 911?" Is he conscious? What did you want me to do? Watch the cat? Drive you to the hospital? I looked at my gas tank and groaned, it was almost on empty. I noticed the day before but it was too early when I came home from the gym and it was raining so I figured I'd go to Plummer's this morning and get gas. Now I wish I had gone yesterday! When I arrived at her house, I saw the flashing lights of an ambulance, a fire truck and a police car. OMG, I ran to the house fearing the worst. I found my friend pacing, agitated but okay. They had her hubby in the ambulance and she asked if I could drive her to the hospital. She has a bad knee and is scheduled for surgery herself in two weeks, so I was glad to be of help.
As we sat in the hospital, I thought about how fragile life is. We never know when our health will be jeopardized, whether a loved one could get sick or hurt or even die at any time. We really need to appreciate what we have and let our loved ones know how we feel and what our wishes are when we die or are unable to make our own decisions. We all hate to talk about death but it is a natural part of life and we shouldn't fear it so. If we meet it head on and are prepared, I feel it would not seem so scary. My friend's husband had a similar attack a year ago and was diagnosed with blood clots in his legs and lungs. So we expected this was the case today, but it was not. He has a severe kidney and bladder infection. What a relief! They gave him antibiotics and instructions to follow up with his doctor. So he will be fine, my friend can relax and I can go back to bed!

I guess after this morning's scare, the best message I can impart today is to celebrate life. Make each moment count, stop stressing about all the little unimportant things in your lives. Even the scale. We are all trying to get thin and healthy. Try every day, but don't make it the focus of your life. If you are out there living your life, moving and shaking, then you will be healthier. If you are sitting at home thinking about what you want to eat next, that is self destructive. The scale is one way to measure success, but being able to climb the stairs without huffing and puffing is another measure. You won't be able to do that if you don't get up and walk up and down those stairs a few times!
Make good healthy choices. Spend quality time with family and friends. Get out and ROCK ON!
None of us know how much time we have left.

POEM for today:

Celebration:
Webster defines age as "the length of time one has existed"
spending time alive we never have resisted
But did you ever ponder another way to measure
The time that we have spent that we should really measure?
We've survived adolescence, acne, dating, diapers, braces
Surely most embarrassments time lovingly erases
we've seen our children grow and our friendships blossom
Technology advances in our lives are awesome
We know where we have been and perhaps where we are going
Yet we have the option to continually be growing
As we watch our children grow up and face life on their own
It's splendid when we can reap the seeds that we have sown
And share the dividends of our children's joys and pleasures
as we graciously accept our newest little treasures
Soon we get to bounce a grandchild on our lap
and become a bridge across the generation gap
Our future's still a mystery as it was when we were twenty
But we can proudly say that we have been blessed with plenty
So we'll celebrate our lives and dread not our natal day
We've touched so many others and surely paved the way
We have a store of memories of all the years bygone
And the chance for many new ones as the future marches on.

My plan for today:
Brunch: Eggs and English muffin, fruit and tea
(I missed breakfast and couldn't wait for lunch so combined them!)
Snack: apple
Dinner
Stir fry and rice
Snack: low cal ice cream bar

Exercise:
Walking DVD, Mr G.s list, evening Yoga
I'm ready to meet the evil scale tonight be it up or down! I am getting healthier and I feel terrific!

Health Trek Day 15, 10/01/09

Today is the first day of October and I really enjoyed my ride home from therapy today. The foliage is lovely, the air crisp and the sun is shining! I am glad to be alive and in moderately good health! My Blog is late today as I slept until 6:30 and had to leave the house by 7:30 for my therapy session. I feel like I've turned a corner, some of the exercises on my list are getting much easier and my range of motion is improving. Mr. Gestapo called in sick today so I had his assistant, Igor. He was thrilled to have a list of all Mr. G's tortures and even had a few of his own up his sleeve, so we managed to get through the hour without too much screaming and crying. (Actually I'm quite stoic and do my exercises quietly and with dignity, except when I get a hot flash.)

I found out last weekend that I am going to be a Great-Grandmother. At first I had a mixed range of emotions stemming from how old I am getting to how is my little grand daughter going to handle being a mother. For that matter how is my baby daughter going to handle being a grandmother. She is my youngest girl-child and I haven't quite got it through this old gray head of mine that she is a grown woman with grown children. So I have been doing a lot of thinking about how and when to let go. Somehow we are expected to have these adorable, albeit individualistic babies, teach them, raise them, worry about them and then one day just let them walk out your door and then not interfere in their lives ever again. Except when they want to move back in, borrow your car, money, or ask for your sage advice. Which they never take. It is a monumental task and we all have problems with it. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful relationship with all my kids, but still find myself trying to solve all their problems for them and sometimes have to be told to back off (in a nice way of course). I did teach them to be polite!
My thoughts began to extend themselves to all the other things we find hard to let go. Like our habits. When I was a teenager, I could eat a platter of french fries every day after school, which I ate as I danced to American Bandstand. I could wolf down burgers and shakes as I tap danced around the house. I think I am beginning to see something unfold here. I used to eat like a lumberjack, but I also used to think nothing of walking 3 miles to the library, ride my bike all over town, tap dance all over the house, dance and jiggle as I did my chores to music on the radio. Now I need a pulley to get myself out of my chair and all my "activities" are sedentary. So I need to let go of the portions that I used to eat, and eat according to my habits. I have been going to the gym for a few weeks now and after one hour of walking, biking and sweating, the machines tell me I have burned between 150 and 200 calories. That is one granola bar. So how much food do I have to subtract from my diet to actually start losing weight. I need to let go of the notion that I can exercise 3 times a week then eat what I want. So for this week, I am telling myself if I want to eat anything for a snack, I have to get up and move for at least 15 minutes before I eat it. Yesterday I got involved cleaning out a cabinet, and totally forgot to stop after fifteen minutes for the snack and by the time I noticed, it was time to make supper. So I will keep trying to see how many habits I can let go.

Here is a poem I wrote for my little girl when she got married:
A Mother's Poem
The first time my tiny infant
snuggled closely to my breast
My mind was filled with wonder
at how sweetly I'd been blessed
The future lay before me
like a never ending road
How little did I realize
how fast the years erode
I remember those first footsteps
as she struggled to my side
Now her footsteps seek another
as a lovely, blushing bride
In the years I took to teach her
and prepare her for this day
I forgot to teach myself
how to give my child away
Those arms that ache to keep her
must somehow let her go
The words of wisdom spoken
mock the heart that loves her so
But as I catch her smiling
with such love upon her face
The child I have been hoarding
is tenderly erased
A woman stands before me
at the threshold of her life
Soon to start her own adventure
as a mother and a wife.

Judy Patt Hall
May 21, 1990

We forget that we were the same age when we started our life. It is so hard to know that your children need to find their own way, even if they make mistakes and do things differently than you think they should. We need to let them go, but be there in the shadows to give them love and support when they ask for it.
The one thing we don't have to let go of is the memories. Hold on to them with all your might and make new ones with the new people you have yet to meet whether it be friend or a brand new great grandchild!
Rock On everyone and have a productive day!
Judy

Plan for today:
muffin for breakfast before dashing out the door.
Lunch: spinach salad
snack: apple and cheese
Dinner: Hamburg and cabbage casserole
Snack: ice cream bar

Exercise: one hour therapy workout with IGOR; Yoga chair exercises; Walk for at least 15 minutes.

Health Trekker Blog, Day 12 9/28/09

Another Monday, another weekend of friends, celebrations and food! As much as i try to stay wth just healthy foods, it all seems to go potty on the weekends. Our stay in the camper was a big success. it is comfortable, warm, cozy and everything works beautifully. We had a few friends over for a little camper party and birthday celebration for my brother-in-law. We ate, played games, ate, talked, ate, laughed, ate and finally went our separate ways. So this morning I was up at 4:00 a.m. and off to the gym to work off the weekends indiscretions as well as try to lose a few pounds before I face the scale on Thursday.





Have you heard of the "cat who" books? They are delightful little stories about a bachelor journalist and his two siamese cats named Koko and Yum Yum who help him solve mysteries. He is always looking for topics for his Newspaper column. One of the articles he wrote was entitled "Nobodies". He said we should look for the nobodies in our lives instead of doting on all the celebrities. Like the people who do random acts of kindness without expecting a return; those with a specific talent they share just for the fun of it; the teachers who love their jobs and inspires their students; the person who holds those signs at construction sites in all kinds of weather... Just ordinary people like you and me are the important ones and we can all catch them doing good things on a daily basis. Perhaps they are the ones we should emulate instead of the notorious persona that ends up on the National news. Food for thought- non-fattening and can sometimes take us beyond ourselves into a new realm of consciousness... Look around today and see how many nobodies you can find. Enjoy the smiles and kindnesses bestowed on you, then pay it forward!





Poem for today:


WHY


I know the Why of my need to reduce


I dream of the day when my clothes are all loose


Yet night after night, I sabotage my goal


By trying to fill this big empty hole


We live in a world of immediate need


With instant credit we give in to greed


Our parents worked hard to reach their goal


We buy now, pay later, and often lose control


Sometimes we all feel worthless and sad


We stress over behaviors that we deem as bad


And to comfort our egos we reach for the food


And all that we do is increase our bad mood


Habits are formed where food seems to be crucial


While reading a novel, munching chips seems essential


but how much food do we mindlessly consume


Once we're aware, we are filled with such gloom


If we ate as a child, only eating a mite


Letting each bite fill us with delight


Push away from the table when we'd had enough


Wouldn't our lives be a little less tough?





Judy Patt Hall


March 21, 2007

Have a great, healthy day and ROCK ON everyone!

Judy

My plan for today:


Granola bar at 4:00 a.m.


Breakfast: one egg, toast, tea


Snack: Grapes


Lunch: Chicken and tossed salad


Snack: Apple and cheese stick


Dinner: Cube steak, small baked new potato, broccoli


No evening snack to make up for the weekend!





Exercise: 1 hour workout at the Gym; Mr. G's list, Yoga in the evening

Health Trekker, Day 11, Sept. 25,09

Welcome to my new Blog site. I also came up with a new name that is both positive and appropos! I will be experimenting with this page and adding information as we go along.

This morning after I went to my lab appointment, I spent an hour working out at the gym. My muscles and joints are still protesting and voicing their incredulity at my putting them through such an ordeal after spending the last two months basking in the comfort of my recliner. My therapist, Mr. Gestapo, informed me a few weeks ago that even though my recliner has a handle, it does not qualify as an exercise machine, so I gotta do what I gotta do. He has a nifty little machine at his office that I sit at and turn handles in large circles making my rotator cuff feel like it is being ripped out of my arm, then he hands me weights with instructions, do 2 sets of 20 or 30 each. After ten I feel like my arms will fall off and lay at my feet like two limp noodles, but I do my best to comply. So working out 20 minutes on the treadmill is almost like a vacation until I get off and my right hip decides to go on strike and I hobble to the ladies room appropriately called the "rest room" for a brief respite before I tackle the bike. Now the bike is a piece of cake except for the pain in my left leg each time I make a revolution. So another 20 minutes of "Oh my god, why am I doing this "as I smile lamely at my daughter who is literally bouncing up and down on the elliptical with a blissful smile on her face! Senior citizens were not meant to work out in a gym with teenagers giggling all over the place, but I at least have my kindle book to read while I work out and take my mind off the whole process. I am still telling myself this will get easier after a few weeks, months, years....

I came home from the gym and raced right to the fridge. I had to fast before the lab work then went straight to the gym, totally forgetting I had planned to eat a granola bar first. So I had breakfast,snack,lunch and then tackled this BLOG research project. Funny how it took me a whole hour to burn 200 calories and about five minutes to eat 600! Guess I better go watch my YOGA DVD and get busy with Mr. Gestapo's list.

I hope you all enjoy this new BLOG site and will comment on how you are doing with your quest for being your best! Have a great weekend and we'll touch base again on Monday.
ROCK ON!