Coming Out of the Closet

Somebody better at "figuring out the details" than I am may have a suggestion how we can help each other out with the clothes we've shrunk out of.

I'm about ready to do something with the 16's now taking up space in my closet. And probably somebody else who is sliding down to a 16 could make good use of some of these items.

And I'm guessing that because so many HYC bloggers are closet fashionistas anyway, we could probably make this work pretty well - if only we had a plan.

Ideas, anyone?

P.S. Happy birthday, Mom!

Green Initiatives

One of the advantages of living in Hot Springs, Ark., is being only 15 minutes away from Hot Springs Village, home to nine beautiful golf courses. What's even better is that property owners can play a round on several of the state's top 10 courses for less than $25 (including cart), plus monthly association dues of $37.

As part of my commitment to become more active this year, I agreed to learn to play golf - as long as my DH agreed to pay for a series of lessons from a professional golfer so that I could learn the fundamentals the right way the first time. DH agreed, and set me up with Steve Wheelis, a golf pro who lives in the Village.



I had my first lesson yesterday as an introduction to grip; alignment; set-up, ball position and athletic posture; and swing plane. WOW, was it ever fun! I may be hooked!

Golf may not burn as many calories as the treadmill, but it's a great way to spend time outdoors between workouts. Stay tuned for updates!

Making Commitment Less Taxing

Most of you have probably already read the HYC Blog Post of the Week. Written by Briy, an American educator in Korea, she uses her teaching gift to explain the importance of consistently making the right choices over time.

(People who have lost a lot of weight) had to make a million correct decisions to get there. Day after day, they forced themselves onto the treadmill or into the gym. Meal after meal, they turned down the extra helping, threw away the chocolate. And each step, each decision, was so relatively unimportant. Passing on the dessert just once has almost no effect. But passing on that same dessert 20 days out of 30 in a month... how many pounds could that be? Like today, I went to the gym and jogged/walked faithfully on the treadmill for 30 minutes, for a total of about 275 calories burned. But that's a drop in the hat. I have to do that same thing six times a week, and eat on-plan, to succeed in losing the week's allotted 1-2 pounds. Then repeat that, all the while upping the intensity, 49 times to lose 100 pounds. That's why each step is so "halting and painful" - because it is so small.

On her vision board, Briy observes that developing discipline in one area of our lives often spills over into another area. Am I the ONLY one in this bunch who waited until the last minute to file a tax return?? Talk about self-induced STRESS!

DH is a left-brained salaried employee who ordinarily filed his taxes the day after his W-2's arrived...until we got married. I, on the other hand, am a right-brained self employed freelancer who, although diligent about keeping accurate records, has in the past, procrastinated compiling the records for our CPA. Why? Who knows.

So, Miss Briy, thanks for helping me see that the same principles we use to help loose weight - small steps, small decisions, made consistently over time - will also help prevent last night's scenario in our household from ever happening again.

Today, I will begin keeping my records up-to-date each week. And I will not begin next week's work until that task is completed.

But now, I'm off to my first GOLF lesson!!

Inspiration: Our Gym Hero, Part II

A few days ago, I mentioned an interview with David Elmore, a Marine veteran wounded in Vietnam, who inspires many of us to work out, even when we don't feel like it.

I finally wrote the story yesterday for publication in the May issue of a local magazine. You can read it now by clicking here.

***In other news, it's weigh-in day for 2008 Healthy You Challenge participants. I am happy to report that after having lost only one pound each of the past two weeks, I dropped FIVE pounds and an additional 1.75 inches this week - bringing the totals since January 15 to 32 pounds and 28 inches lost.

Do I have an explanation? Not really. Calorie count still averaged right at 1300 a day, but I was able to put in more strength training this week, once I got off the road and back into my home gym.

A special thanks (which takes a few seconds to load) to everybody who encouraged me during the "slow weeks."

Reporting to you live from Happy Dance Hall...

Recommended: Bob's Red Mill Products

Most nutritionists agree we should incorporate more whole grains as well as high-fiber fruits and vegetables into our diets.

Although it provides no nutrients by itself, fiber benefits our bodies in several ways. Insoluble fiber (wheat bran, and some fruits and vegetables) assists the digestive tract by helping to push along other waste. And soluble fiber (fiber that dissolves in water) helps prevent cholesterol from being absorbed into the blood stream.

Bless my DH's heart; he's just not a high-fiber kinda guy. He'll take white bread, white rice and rolled oats any day over more substantial varieties because they "are too chewy" or "taste like cardboard." And he's not really keen on green, leafy vegetables, either. Unfortunately, that may be one reason why he had his gall bladder removed last week.

Of course, I've taken tips from healthy bloggers and learned to slip pureed veggies or wheat germ into other recipes to increase the fiber in his diet. (As I've said before, some of this lifestyle change is akin to training children.)

For the rest of us, high-fiber foods not only taste better, but also help to stave off hunger.

One of my favorite product lines is Bob's Red Mill, purveyors of old-fashioned stone ground whole grain products.

"Our slow turning millstones grind the bran, endosperm and germ (containing its nutritious wheat germ oil) into flour in a cool natural way, creating a more assimilable food," says Bob's web site, which is full of good recipes.

One of my favorite Red Mill products is Steel Cut Oats. Until I tried Red Mill varieties, I thought hot breakfast cereals were pretty "run of the mill."

Then! On the last press trip, one of the foodie journalists told me she BROWNS the entire package of oats - either under her broiler or in a cast iron skillet - before storing them. When cooked, she says, they deliver a delicious nutty flavor that's hard to beat. I agree! I agree!

And of course, I usually add chopped apple, raisins or dried cranberries to my breakfast delight - just because I like it!

How do you pump up the fiber content of your meals?

Inspiration: A Taste of Spring

Azaleas are decked out like flocks of pink flamingos outside my office window. Tulips, irises, dogwoods and wisteria accent the canopy of delicate greens at Garvan Woodland Gardens, where I have spent most of the weekend officiating wedding ceremonies.

Martin Luther once said, "God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.”

This morning, I put together a "gratitude video" to help me remember the beautiful flowers I have seen during the past year.
In fact, I think I'll take a long walk outside this afternoon, just to enjoy the beauty and fragrance of the season.

Music on the video is "Credo III" from the Solitudes collection,
"Illumination:Peaceful Gregorian Chants." Enjoy!

(To view Full Screen - which is really prettier - click here . After the video opens, click on the icon in the bottom right corner of the viewing screen.)

More Choices, More Rewards

Yesterday, a group of my friends surprised me with a birthday luncheon at the country club. Because I'm out of town a lot, I don't socialize so much as they do, especially those who are retired or semi-retired. For that reason, I especially appreciated their time and effort to gather us together.

We all enjoyed a delicious salad buffet; but right in the center of our table sat a gorgeous Italian cream cake - my absolute favorite - as a gift from one of my best friends.

"Surely you're going to have a piece," they chimed.

"Well, I certainly am going to make a wish, blow out my candles and take a picture of that beautiful thing!" I said with a big huge smile.

As soon as the luncheon was over, I drove straight to Garvan Woodland Gardens to perform a wedding ceremony - one of four I officiated this weekend. When I got home, lo and behold, the remaining half of that cake PLUS a dozen cookies was sitting in my kitchen! I declare, the sugary concoction developed a voice, and has been calling me ever since.

This is the first time since January 15 I've had "unhealthy choices" in my kitchen, and I can tell I'm not ready. So, I've made up my mind: Tomorrow, when I go to the gym, I'm taking the desserts with me and giving them to the staff. Why not? After all, I'm miserable knowing they're in the fridge; but I'll feel worse if I eat all that sugar. Right? Right.

Maybe Garland Mitchell, the man in the picture, will be there. Next Friday, he'll be 94!! And the gym staff tells me he comes to work out five days a week. THAT'S inspiration!

Here's a little more inspiration. The past two weeks, I've plodded along with one-pound losses each weigh-in. This morning, I stepped on the scale, and knocked down three more pounds - jumping past the big 3-0! Bling, bling!