Mmmm Turkey
I absolutely believe a person can be bullied by food. Picture it, Jackson, Mississippi. A hot muggy August afternoon in the JFP office and a can of "Mexican Layered Dip" Pringles walks into my life. We had a good time for a short while but I had to let the relationship go, It wasn't good for me.
Getting It Together
I haven't been as consistent with my Road to Wellness goals as I should have been. Actually, I forget about them quite often. I totally forgot about finding a new hobby, I still forget to stretch in the morning because the pets are begging for their breakfast, and don't even ask me about going outside for 15 minutes. The last class I was in was very challenging, and I have a deadline looming, so thinking about anything else has been difficult to do. Therefore, I've come to the conclusion that the road to wellness is way longer than 12 weeks. For me, it's going to take much longer to learn to stop putting my needs on the back burner. I may need to just pick a goal and work on that for a while, and then I can move on to the next one. I think it would be better to meet one goal at a time than to meet none at all.
Me and My Cardio
I like three things about a workout on the elliptical:
I've developed a strong appreciation for the elliptical machine -- I'd never really used one successfully until this Road to Wellness challenge, and now -- unless they're all taken when I get to the gym -- I'm spending about 45 minutes at least four days a week on one.
A Small Victory Along the Road!
After my last blog and a poor cholesterol report from the doc, the results of my 2nd round of blood work came in letter form to my home address. "Dear Lydia, We are pleased to inform you that the result(s) of you lab work done on 07/14/2010 was/were normal. We recommend this evaluation be repeated in one year." And a little hand written note on the bottom of the letter read, "Cholesterol 165. Great job! Keep up the good work!". I lowered my cholesterol 52 points in 3 months! It's good to know that I can control this and I don't have to take medication to lower my cholesterol (maybe a few vitamins, but that's cool with me).
Why I Still Drink Coffee
On pain of death (or, rather, pain of dirty looks from Ronni), I'm taking stock of my five wellness goals. I'm falling short on some: my afternoon coffee intake has risen, not dropped, and I'm meditating about half as often as I'd like. The coffee goal might be a bad one, though. While I don't love the headache and sluggishness that comes with a caffeine deficiency, I find something perversely romantic about the whole ritual, about sharing this weakness with so many people.
What I Learned From Being Carless
I successfully, but barely, made it a month without having a car in one of the hottest months of the year. Initially, I thought to myself " I don't need a car, I'll be the bike-advocacy poster child."
My newly paved road
I started the journey with high hopes, forgetting one little thing... I have ZERO will power! I haven't been eating the best food these past few weeks. This week I'm starting a new plan, no meat or dairy products for a month. I've found this is allowing me to use the many vegan and vegetarian cook books I own. So many tasty veggies ready to be consumed.
Built for Comfort
For the last issue of BOOM magazine, one of our photographers sent a photo to a professional retoucher to um, retouch. For those of you who don't know, that's a person who takes photos of normal folk and makes them look taller, lankier, thinner and poutier-lipped than they ever will be in reality. The photo came back looking bizarre in a Vogue magazine kind of way. We went back to the original.
Slim-Down Challenge
The sugary-sweet scent of morning pastries pervades the air among the boisterous morning patrons in the tiny, single room of Scurlock's Donut Shop and Eatery near the corner of South Congress and Pearl streets. What better place to meet with two men who have recently embarked on a weight-loss challenge?
Hedonistically Healthy
I'm not big on deprivation. Never have been, and I've been blessed to not feel like I've had to deprive myself much over the years in order to be healthy or to maintain a decent weight. Of course, I suppose I've been blessed that I'm not a big fan of many habits that are really bad for you, like eating meat or smoking. To me, those things aren't hedonistic pleasures. They are habits that offend my sensibilities.
The Literate Wind Down
One of my Wellness plans was to actually sit down and
Breathe!
One of the items on my Road to Wellness list is to do deep breathing exercises. I must admit that I had forgotten all about this, but I remembered it after having a pretty rough week, especially when I accidentally turned off my computer while modifying an 84-page PDF file. The power strip was next to my foot, and I accidentally shut it off with my toe. After restoring power and kicking the power strip in anger, I decided that I must take steps to release tension.
Bad Genes or Personal Problem?
At my last doctor's appointment, I was told that I have high cholesterol at a total of 217. I'm am 26 and have had high cholesterol since I was 18. Bad genes? They gave me two months before a second appointment to try to deal with the problem on my own with a healthy lifestyle. I'm guessing if things still don't look so good by July 14th, they might put me on some sort of medication. I have enough pills to worry about on a daily basis between me and my two kids to have to remember yet another dose every day.
And So It Goes
July 4th in Lousiana with the family has come and gone. Family was visited, pies were resisted, drive-through daiquiris were acquired. The weather was hot but the water and lemonaid were free flowing. My cousins are having babies already so I was able to shake some kids up and send them home to their mommas. Drama was almost completely nill. As far as health and balance goes, I consider that a pretty big win.