I've been such a slacker with exercise. I really do want to be fit and active -- I love biking, hiking, all the water sports, and more -- but I can't seem to find the energy and motivation to get out there and get back in shape. Exercise is just no fun for me at this level (i.e. complete lack) of fitness.
Does anyone have a suggestion for how to get over the hump and become consistent with this habit?
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
pleased monday
I lost another eight-tenths of a pound this week. It may be slow, but at least it's the right direction.
Here's my weekly weigh-in chart.
Here's my weekly weigh-in chart.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
m-o-n-e-y !!!
During a bout of insomnia the other night, I decided to start tackling the pile of clutter I call my office. I pulled out an old file box that's been carted from home to home with me but hasn't been opened for 10 years or so. I never got rid of it because I knew there were important documents in there.
So I looked, and there WERE important documents in there!
I found a statement of investment with a mutual fund that I had entirely forgotten about. This is very wrong and irresponsible behavior.
I received a gift of about $2500 when I was 18, and my boyfriend at the time helped me pick out a mutual fund to park it in. My file contains all of the statements that I dutifully read and organized during the time that I was in college. I did everything right, just as my mother taught me.
My mom is the most organized person you will ever meet. Literally. A few weeks ago, I mentioned going to my grandma's birthday party. Since it was to be a surprise, and my mom and I were the ones to take Grandma there, Mom had to rely on other folks to set it up. She had everything needed for the party packed in boxes labeled with typed inventory lists that she delivered ahead of time. Jars and containers inside the boxes were also labeled, even though the contents were unquestionably clear. She even had different agendas for everyone helping that said things like: 3:00 arrive at site, 3:05 set up chairs, 3:15 put tablecloths on tables, 3:20 unpack box #4, 3:35 break, etc. On top of this, each person received an emailed list of instructions that rivaled Tolstoy's War and Peace in length. All this for a party of about 25 people.
So it is expected that I carry out my life in a put-together, responsible fashion. I did that for a while. But I take after my father more than my mother, and he is the most DISorganized person you will ever meet. Really.
My natural tendency is not for planning and following schedules and the like. My true nature reared its ugly head after I got out of college, and my life fell to pieces. I try to keep those pieces together, but I must admit it's a struggle. Sometimes I lose track of one thing or another and have to go urgently scrambling after it, begging and pleading for things to work out, while I momentarily neglect everything else in my life.
This is not a recommended way to live. I have enough sense to know that, but I have not been able to convince this mind of mine to change for any appreciable length of time.
So I found this thing I had lost. When I called the fund, I found out that their address of record for me is a place I never even lived. It is the apartment I was supposed to move into when I left college. See, Mom? I was organized for a short period of time. Before I moved away, I arranged a change of address. <pat on back>
But since I didn't move into that address, the fund had no way of obtaining a new address from me. And since I didn't receive any more statements to add to my file in the little box I didn't use anymore, I plumb forgot about it.
My heart dropped when I heard that there was no record of my account number. Then my spirits soared when I found out that the problem was simply that account numbers had changed sometime during the last ten years while I was neglecting the details of my life. And now I am on Cloud Nine because it turns out that that original $2500 is now worth over $13000!
Acknowledgements: Thank you, Mom, for trying to instill some sense of responsibility and orderliness in me. I have you to thank for any semblance of order that is found in my life. And thank you, High-School-Sweetheart, for helping me pick a mutual fund that has far outperformed any other funds I've chosen myself to build on the very small sums of toiled-for cash I've managed to set aside in the years since.
So I looked, and there WERE important documents in there!
I found a statement of investment with a mutual fund that I had entirely forgotten about. This is very wrong and irresponsible behavior.
I received a gift of about $2500 when I was 18, and my boyfriend at the time helped me pick out a mutual fund to park it in. My file contains all of the statements that I dutifully read and organized during the time that I was in college. I did everything right, just as my mother taught me.
My mom is the most organized person you will ever meet. Literally. A few weeks ago, I mentioned going to my grandma's birthday party. Since it was to be a surprise, and my mom and I were the ones to take Grandma there, Mom had to rely on other folks to set it up. She had everything needed for the party packed in boxes labeled with typed inventory lists that she delivered ahead of time. Jars and containers inside the boxes were also labeled, even though the contents were unquestionably clear. She even had different agendas for everyone helping that said things like: 3:00 arrive at site, 3:05 set up chairs, 3:15 put tablecloths on tables, 3:20 unpack box #4, 3:35 break, etc. On top of this, each person received an emailed list of instructions that rivaled Tolstoy's War and Peace in length. All this for a party of about 25 people.
So it is expected that I carry out my life in a put-together, responsible fashion. I did that for a while. But I take after my father more than my mother, and he is the most DISorganized person you will ever meet. Really.
My natural tendency is not for planning and following schedules and the like. My true nature reared its ugly head after I got out of college, and my life fell to pieces. I try to keep those pieces together, but I must admit it's a struggle. Sometimes I lose track of one thing or another and have to go urgently scrambling after it, begging and pleading for things to work out, while I momentarily neglect everything else in my life.
This is not a recommended way to live. I have enough sense to know that, but I have not been able to convince this mind of mine to change for any appreciable length of time.
So I found this thing I had lost. When I called the fund, I found out that their address of record for me is a place I never even lived. It is the apartment I was supposed to move into when I left college. See, Mom? I was organized for a short period of time. Before I moved away, I arranged a change of address. <pat on back>
But since I didn't move into that address, the fund had no way of obtaining a new address from me. And since I didn't receive any more statements to add to my file in the little box I didn't use anymore, I plumb forgot about it.
My heart dropped when I heard that there was no record of my account number. Then my spirits soared when I found out that the problem was simply that account numbers had changed sometime during the last ten years while I was neglecting the details of my life. And now I am on Cloud Nine because it turns out that that original $2500 is now worth over $13000!
Acknowledgements: Thank you, Mom, for trying to instill some sense of responsibility and orderliness in me. I have you to thank for any semblance of order that is found in my life. And thank you, High-School-Sweetheart, for helping me pick a mutual fund that has far outperformed any other funds I've chosen myself to build on the very small sums of toiled-for cash I've managed to set aside in the years since.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
a whole new light
The other day one of my friends was at my house, and she casually mentioned that she had once weighed 250 pounds. I did not know this about her. She's my height and wears an 8 or 6 now.
I have another friend who is as thin as a rail. She's the singer in a band and looks pretty darn good on stage. She used to be fat too. Look at her old photos if you don't believe me.
These are two people who I met after they were thin. When each one revealed the fact of her former self, I was kind of taken aback. My first thought was no, not this person. It's like I almost couldn't wrap my mind around it. Then I started seeing each of them in a whole new light. They both won this fight I'm fighting, and that's pretty amazing. To lose many many pounds and keep them off year after year is no small feat.
But also: I get a feeling of relief from hearing this information. I can take a big sigh and let go of all those uncomfortable feelings I have about myself, if only for a moment. Because this person has been there. She can understand and relate to what I'm going through, and, honestly, that's kind of comforting.
It's also very inspiring. Here are two people in my own world who have been successful with this. Maybe that means there's hope for me too.
I have another friend who is as thin as a rail. She's the singer in a band and looks pretty darn good on stage. She used to be fat too. Look at her old photos if you don't believe me.
These are two people who I met after they were thin. When each one revealed the fact of her former self, I was kind of taken aback. My first thought was no, not this person. It's like I almost couldn't wrap my mind around it. Then I started seeing each of them in a whole new light. They both won this fight I'm fighting, and that's pretty amazing. To lose many many pounds and keep them off year after year is no small feat.
But also: I get a feeling of relief from hearing this information. I can take a big sigh and let go of all those uncomfortable feelings I have about myself, if only for a moment. Because this person has been there. She can understand and relate to what I'm going through, and, honestly, that's kind of comforting.
It's also very inspiring. Here are two people in my own world who have been successful with this. Maybe that means there's hope for me too.
Monday, April 16, 2007
contented monday
I lost a pound this week. Honestly, I was secretly hoping for more since last week wasn't so great, but I'll take it.
It's one more step in the right direction so I'm content.
Here's my weekly weigh-in chart again.
It's one more step in the right direction so I'm content.
Here's my weekly weigh-in chart again.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
map my walk, bike, jog
I imagine everyone's already tried this utility, but I'll write about it anyway because it's just so much fun.
The Map My Run site uses google maps to calculate the distance you moved. Marked running trails are great, but the ones around here sure can be boring. There's a 3-mile one within walking distance of my house, but I really prefer to walk through the neighborhoods or along the bayou because it's just more interesting. I actually don't really care so much about distance, but it is fun to go on the mapping site from time to time to see how far I've gone and get an idea of how fast I'm moving.
These days I haven't been walking for long times; I used to head out of the house and just move for an hour and a half or two. It was times like those that it was interesting to log on and see how far I travelled.
You can also put in your time and get your pace and speed. It'll estimate the number of calories you burned if you input your weight, height, gender and age. Of course, that part wouldn't be anywhere near accurate if you're using the site to find your biking or rollerblading or skipping distances.
If I ever knock the dust off my bike or start jogging again, this tool will be so much fun to use to find my distance and average pace so I can see how I'm improving. Yay for Map My Run!
The Map My Run site uses google maps to calculate the distance you moved. Marked running trails are great, but the ones around here sure can be boring. There's a 3-mile one within walking distance of my house, but I really prefer to walk through the neighborhoods or along the bayou because it's just more interesting. I actually don't really care so much about distance, but it is fun to go on the mapping site from time to time to see how far I've gone and get an idea of how fast I'm moving.
These days I haven't been walking for long times; I used to head out of the house and just move for an hour and a half or two. It was times like those that it was interesting to log on and see how far I travelled.
You can also put in your time and get your pace and speed. It'll estimate the number of calories you burned if you input your weight, height, gender and age. Of course, that part wouldn't be anywhere near accurate if you're using the site to find your biking or rollerblading or skipping distances.
If I ever knock the dust off my bike or start jogging again, this tool will be so much fun to use to find my distance and average pace so I can see how I'm improving. Yay for Map My Run!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
indulgences
That darn Costco! I've been betrayed again!
First, they took away my beloved Neutrogena facial peel. I try to use this twice a week, and my skin has never been smoother. It was a mere $40 for two jars, but now I have to pay a whole $25 for one jar because you-know-who stopped carrying it.
Then they started offering some delicious no-name vegetable patties. Yum! They're made with just vegetables and sunflower seeds and wheat or something like that to hold it all together. It's a treat to be able to quickly heat up one of these tasty creations and stuff it into a pita with some veggies and avocado, especially when most of your food is made from scratch and you sometimes just want something easy that still approximates the whole foods way of eating you're trying to embrace. Guess what? They're gone now too.
And now? Just when I've gotten used to the luxury of a chilled 10 ounce glass bottle of sparkling Perrier, they take those off the shelf. For the most part I stay away from caffeine and too much artificial stuff, so a mineral water is my treat when I don't feel like plain ol' ordinary flat water. I blame my time spent in Spain for turning me on to sparkling water, which I previously thought was not pleasant at all.
I love the 10 ounce size. It's a perfect amount. And I love the glass bottle because the drink inside stays so wonderfully cool.
Now Costco is stocking half liter plastic bottles, and that's just too much to drink in one sitting. Plus, if you drink it at a leisurely pace, it starts warming up! Gasp! This phenomenon takes away from the whole indulgent experience.
People will make fun of me for having a preference, for bothering to care. But it matters. It matters to me, and it even matters to a few discriminating people I know. At least I think it does since we've discussed similar reasons for drinking soda out of a can. The plastic bottle is so big that we never finish it, and if we come back to it later, it's lost some of its fizz so it's just not as satisfying and tasty. Plus, it warms up faster, and we really don't like that.
So, Costco, if you're listening, please bring back the old Perrier bottles. The new product offends my delicate sensibilities. And if it's not too much trouble can you start stocking the facial peel and vegetable patties again too? Thanks. I heart you.
First, they took away my beloved Neutrogena facial peel. I try to use this twice a week, and my skin has never been smoother. It was a mere $40 for two jars, but now I have to pay a whole $25 for one jar because you-know-who stopped carrying it.
Then they started offering some delicious no-name vegetable patties. Yum! They're made with just vegetables and sunflower seeds and wheat or something like that to hold it all together. It's a treat to be able to quickly heat up one of these tasty creations and stuff it into a pita with some veggies and avocado, especially when most of your food is made from scratch and you sometimes just want something easy that still approximates the whole foods way of eating you're trying to embrace. Guess what? They're gone now too.
And now? Just when I've gotten used to the luxury of a chilled 10 ounce glass bottle of sparkling Perrier, they take those off the shelf. For the most part I stay away from caffeine and too much artificial stuff, so a mineral water is my treat when I don't feel like plain ol' ordinary flat water. I blame my time spent in Spain for turning me on to sparkling water, which I previously thought was not pleasant at all.
I love the 10 ounce size. It's a perfect amount. And I love the glass bottle because the drink inside stays so wonderfully cool.
Now Costco is stocking half liter plastic bottles, and that's just too much to drink in one sitting. Plus, if you drink it at a leisurely pace, it starts warming up! Gasp! This phenomenon takes away from the whole indulgent experience.
People will make fun of me for having a preference, for bothering to care. But it matters. It matters to me, and it even matters to a few discriminating people I know. At least I think it does since we've discussed similar reasons for drinking soda out of a can. The plastic bottle is so big that we never finish it, and if we come back to it later, it's lost some of its fizz so it's just not as satisfying and tasty. Plus, it warms up faster, and we really don't like that.
So, Costco, if you're listening, please bring back the old Perrier bottles. The new product offends my delicate sensibilities. And if it's not too much trouble can you start stocking the facial peel and vegetable patties again too? Thanks. I heart you.
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