One Year of Changes

It has now been 1 full year of changes. 

I started this journey in February 2013 and the following is a brief update of the past year through February 2014.

This past year I ran my 1st 5K with Kimberly to benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.  Kimberly has run this every year since the death of her Grandpa.   It was a pretty emotional time for Kimberly and me.  We both had a little cry when we wrote Papa's name on the remembrance wall.

Mark, Chloe and Mackenzie came to cheer us on.

I also ran a half marathon.  Who would have ever thought I could run 13.1 miles!?!  I'm not sure I will ever run another one but am proud of myself for the accomplishment.  I'm sure there were some walkers who finished ahead of me but I did my funny little jog the whole way after all I wasn't in a hurry.  The only time I wasn't running was through the water/hydration areas.  I walked through those because I'm not talented enough to run and drink at the same time.  

My medal and bib.

Josh and Claire surprised me at the finish line.  (Claire was taking the photo)

I'm on my 5th pair of shoes for the year and I'm looking forward to 5 new pairs this year if I can keep up the pace with my 10,000 steps a day.

Here's to another year.   

Totals for February 2013 - February 2014. 

Steps:  4,133,199   Yep, that says 4 million!

Miles: 1864.2

Changes

Changes come in many forms and this year I have made quite a few.

1.  Diet--thanks to My Fitness Pal app I now make healthier choices when eating.  By tracking my calories I have learned to eat better plus I've learned when you eat better you feel better.  I've also found I'm not doing the unnecessary snacking because my body is satisfied.

2. Fitness--I walk at least 10,000 steps a day and I miss my daily walk if I don't get it.  I feel sluggish, my stress and anxiety levels go up and I feel as though I'm letting myself down.  In the past I always tried to get some sort of exercise everyday but in the past 12 years I had become a couch potato and with the inactivity I gained too much weight, my knees, feet and back hurt daily.  Now the pains are gone and I also sleep better at night.

3. Weight loss--by adhering to my calorie and fitness tracking I am now almost back to my pre-Houston weight.  It has been relatively easy for the most part but not without some aggravation.  It did not happen overnight.  I've been on this journey since February.  I'm hoping to have the final 3 pounds off by the end of August.

4. Shoes--I'm now on my 3rd pair of shoes.  It's amazing how fast you go through shoes when you walk everyday.  I knew I needed new ones when my feet starting hurting after my walks and my little toe starting peeking through the side.

5.  NO more Dr. Pepper--this ties in with #1.  I used to drink a Dr. Pepper 1st thing in the morning.  Well it has 150 calories in 1 can.  I had to decide if I wanted to use calories on a soda pop or save them for something fun in the evening like a cup of ice cream.  I chose the latter.  I have not had a Dr. Pepper or soda pop of any kind since March.  Guess what....I don't miss them.

I hope I have officially passed the hump of making this a lifestyle change.  I can't imagine going back to my old ways.

Step update:

June 1-30

Steps:  356,222
Miles: 166.8

TOTAL-so far

Steps: 1,698,342
miles:  770.2
weight loss: 22.2 lbs.  (3 more to go!)

Second pair of retired shoes.  Notice the hole in the side.  Gotta love crooked toes.  

Wogging

I've reached a new phase in my fitness/wellness journey.  I am now "wogging".   Wogging the term I use for my morning walk/jog intervals.

Each morning I go for a 2.5 mile walk and had worked up to a fast pace walk.  After a few weeks I decided to challenge myself and see if I could jog a little between lamp posts.

I'm not going to kid myself, it was a hard thing to do but I worked up a very nice sweat and elevating my heart rate felt very productive.

Each week I tried to jog a little further by jogging 2 lamp posts and walking 1.  My pace was a 12 minute mile.  Not fast but enough to feel great.

I am now up to jogging about 1/2 of the 2.5 miles at a 10.5 minute mile pace.  I feel invigorated after these wogs.

I'm convinced the cause of my new obsession is the Jawbone UP bracelet.  Since it tracks my steps and pace I only have to challenge myself and hold myself accountable.

April 27- May 31

Steps taken: 481,378                    Distance traveled: 218.2 miles

Total since starting February 19

Total steps taken: 1,342,120           Total distance: 603.4 Miles
Total weight loss 19.4 lbs.

Might be time for a new pair of shoes.

Another Stamp In My Passport

Craig and I recently had a very relaxing trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The trip was a surprise to me.  I only found out about a week before we left town.  Craig wanted it to be a surprise for my birthday.

This trip we decided would be nothing but pure relaxation and that is what it was; tons of laying on the beach and just walking around town.

We stayed at what was basically a bed and breakfast call The Bungalows.  While it was not in a house it was small with a total of 16 rooms each with it's own hammock.   It was just a about a mile from the beach and a shorter walk to everything else.  So we took advantage of the close proximity of everything and just walked everywhere.

View from our room

Craig was in heaven

The breakfasts each morning were fantastic.  I wish the señoras who prepared the meals would come to my house and cook breakfast.

Each morning was a different fruit plate which was a variety of mango, honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon and kiwi.  We had fresh juices of watermelon, papaya and hibiscus.  The main breakfast dishes we were served were a vegetable omelet, apple pancakes with walnuts, banana pancakes with walnuts, Mexican style eggs benedict and cinnamon french toast with a cream cheese and walnut filling.

Fresh fruit and juice appetizers at breakfast

Needless to say we were glad we were walking every place.

We tried out a few of the street side cafes.  Our favorite was a little open air taqueria.  We walked by several times and it smelled delicious so we had to give it a try.  It tasted even better than it smelled!!!

Notice the roasting pork to the left

The fresh vegetable tray to add goodies to your taco

2 roasted pork tacos with grilled green onions on the side

The only 2 "adventures" we took were a zip-line and repel excursion and a sunset cruise of the Sea of Cortez and a short jaunt around the peninsula to the Pacific Ocean side.

The zip-lining was a blast.  We rode 9 different lines.  The longest being around 300 yards with a speed of approximately 35 miles per hour.  There was just 1 repel site at the half way point of the zip-line course.  It was a 180 foot cliff.  It was exciting and I handled it like a pro.  Several other women went to the edge, started crying and refused to even try.

Me getting fastened in

Here I go

Craig getting fastened in 

And he's off

Ready position for the 180' repel

Repelling down the wall

Craig in ready position

On his way down

The sunset cruise was beautiful.  We saw the famous arch, a pack of sea lions and a humpback whale spout.  The boat captain tried to catch up with the whale for a better look but he was gone in a flash.  At least we saw the spout and a little of the tale.

El Arco de Cabo San Lucas a.k.a The Arch of Cabo San Lucas

Sunset Cruise photo op

Sunset on the Sea of Cortez

The rest of the time we were just lounging beach side doing absolutely nothing.

Beach on Sea of Cortez

You don't swim on the Pacific side because of what you see here.

Can't wait to go back!!!!

Just Keep Walking

It has been a little over 2 months since I have started my journey of tracking my calories and counting my steps.  And what a journey it has been.

I am now so accustom to taking my walks I feel sluggish all day when I don't get one in in the morning.  Walking has truly helped my anxiety and stress levels.

I choose to walk with no headphones, music or even my phone.  As I said in a previous post this is my time; it is for me.  I find that if I'm listen to music or have my phone with me my mind just won't relax.  I enjoy listening to the sounds around me.

To mix things up a bit when I take my usual path I will jog between every other street lamp.  It's not a lot of jogging and to be honest these old knees won't hold up to a long jog but with the small amount of running it kicks my heart rate up and brings on a very nice sweat.  (I am my father's child...I love to sweat!)

Counting calories has become a part of my routine too.  I'm not annoying about it and don't look at my calorie counter when we are out with friends.  I'm pretty good a guesstimating which selections are the best.

All in all this has been an easy transition.

Between March 27 and April 26 I took 429,732 steps or walked 193.8 miles.

Since my journey began I have walked a total of 860,742 steps or walked 385.2 miles.  I have lost a total of 13 lbs..

So for now I'm going to JUST KEEP WALKING.

These Shoes Were Made For Walking

February 18 was the starting point for a somewhat change of lifestyle for me.  As I told you in my previous post I have decided I needed to do something for me.  While it could be considered a selfish act on my part in the long run it will benefit my whole family.

Research has shown there is a direct link between a person's cognitive functions and exercise along with nutrition.   There is an alarming rise in dementia as well as Alzheimer's.   It has been determined good nutrition, hydration and physical exercise can help to prevent the onset of these conditions.

So for me it was a "no brainer" ( no pun intended ) that now was a good time to get started with a daily program and lifestyle change.  To be quite honest I thought it would be harder to maintain it as a daily routine but I've found it to be quite the contrary.

Daily nutrition is logged using the Fitness Pal app on my phone.  It is to log my daily caloric intake.  It is super easy to look up different foods to help make choices.   My first day or two I had a mental thing going on thinking I would truly starve but to be honest after the first couple of days I found I was eating so much of the right kind of foods that I was full and had to make myself have a couple of snacks so I could get my needed calories for the day.

Breakfast has never really been my thing but I've been told over and over again how important breakfast really is.  Come to find out a person's metabolism slows down while sleeping and in order to "jump start" your metabolism, in the mornings a person should have something to eat within about 45 minutes of waking up especially if you are going to exercise in the mornings.  Otherwise your metabolism will slow even more because there is no energy source for the body to pull from.

Daily exercise is logged on my Jawbone Up band.  It logs each step I make.  My goal each day is 10,000 steps.

I've become very selfish with my walks.  Unless something extremely important overrides my walk I start every day with a moderate pace walk to jumpstart my day.  I try to leave my cell phone home so I have time to clear my head, relax and listen to the sounds of nature around me.  It's amazing how many different sounds you hear if you don't have you music playing or talking/texting on a phone.

Since starting my daily logging I have lost 7.5 lbs..  I'm very pleased with that number.  I do have a ways to go but slow and steady wins the race.

I retired my first pair of shoes on March 25.  I can't believe the amount of ground I've covered.  For the half  month of February, I took 85,199 step which translates to 37 miles and for March 1-25  I took....drum roll.....346,811 steps or walked 154.4 miles.  Grand total for so far is 7.5 lbs., 432,010 steps or 191.4 miles.  I honestly can't believe it!

I'm more committed with each step I take to keep going.  

I Am AcCOUNTable

Over the past few years anyone who knows me has been told how mad I am at myself for getting so out of shape and adding so many unneeded pounds.  I am holding myself acCOUNTable!

It's no ones fault that I sit idle for so many hours.  It's no ones fault I eat enough to fill a grown man twice my size.  It's my fault.  I am accountable.

I have grown tired of hearing myself say "I need to get these pounds off" and "What happened to my thighs".  I am acCOUNTable.

Time has come for a change!

First step:  Getting ahold of my daily diet routine

In order to get a realist idea of what I'm doing wrong I decided to chart my calorie intake.  The problem was I didn't want to have to carry a notepad to write it down then head to the computer to look up calories for individual foods, drinks and snacks.

I found an excellent smart phone app called My Fitness Pal.  You can find it in the app store on Droid and iPhone.   This app allows to you connect with friends to see their progress and offer encouragement.  No, you don't see their weight or other personal information unless a person chooses to make it public.  I of course did not and will not make that information public.   After entering your starting weight and your goal weight it will tell you how many calories you need to consume to maintain your metabolic rate and still lose weight.  It also has a fitness tracker which will adjust your calories with fitness to give you a net consumption for the day.

I was shocked at what I was consuming without realizing it.   Now I think about am I eating because I'm hungry or just bored.

Since starting my daily calorie counting, I have been surprised what I have learned about my eating habits.  Now because I'm aware of my consumption I am making healthier choices.   And believe it or not at the end of the day I'm usually scrambling to find something last minute to eat because I'm under my daily metabolic calorie count.

I am now acCOUNTable.


Second step:  Get moving

With each decade a persons metabolic rate slows down.  In order to keep that from happening a person needs to move.  I was under the impression that with all the movement I general make during the day since I'm a fidgeter I was probably not too bad off.  I have read many times in order to improve your health/metabolic rate a person needs to walk 10,000 steps a day.

No problem...I was sure I was doing that with all the up, down, in and out of my daily routine.   

WRONG!!!

I purchased a Jawbone UP band.  The UP band has an app on Iphone and iPad but not on Droid.  It tracks all steps taken during a 24 hour period.  All you do is plug it in to you phone or iPad to sync.

I found out I was only taking about 3000 steps a day with my daily routine.  I was shocked!!

Time to get moving.

Taking walks by myself was something I didn't like to do and made every excuse in the world to not do it.  Now it has become my own personal challenge to take those 10,000 steps a day.  After all I am acCOUNTable to myself AND this is for ME.

I have discovered if I take a 40 minute brisk walk I can add about 5000 steps to my 3000 daily count.   I want those 10,000 steps for ME.   I deserve 40 minutes of ME time.

The UP band has a "timer" which makes the band vibrate if you have been inactive for too long which reminds you to get up and move.  Plus it has a sleep mode you turn on as you go too bed to chart your sleep cycles.  If you don't get enough sleep you are hurting your metabolic rate too.

All in all, I think I'm on the right track and I'm having fun with it.  Both are now a part of my daily routine and I'm making slow progress.  It took me years to get where I'm at so I don't expect a quick fix.  Slow and steady will get me the changes I need and want.   This is for ME.

I am acCOUNTable.

More Privacy

Our backyard is a place to sit, swim and relax out of the eyes of the general public but lately our backyard has been a place of "spying" eyes.

Since there are no alleyways in our subdivision we share a common back fence with our neighbors.  For the most part it is no problem, everyone minds their own business.  However....this summer it has become a problem.

The neighbors behind us are adding a outdoor living space and pool addition.  Their project started mid-March....mid-MARCH...and they are still not finished.  UGH!!!!!!  The pool is just your typical pool but it took them until the week of Father's Day before it was completed.  The patio and outdoor kitchen is still under construction.  I actually feel sorry for my neighbors.

We have had weeks and weeks; months and months of hammers, saws, drills, etc..  Once again, it is nice but nothing "grand".  Problem is there are only 2 workers doing the project and these men work a few days, don't work a few, work a few mornings, work a few afternoons, work evenings, sometimes they work on weekends.  One night they were laying concrete until after midnight using flashlights.  No the patio is not that big, believe it or not they were using individual bags of QuikCrete (I'm sure the neighbors won't have problems with that later on and yes I looked over the fence to see what was going on so late)

Anyway...it seems like everytime we walk out the back door someone comes to peek through the slats in the fence which is annoying plus we are not that interesting.  Craig finally got a belly full last week when we were out enjoying some quiet time in the pool, low and behold the neighbors started mowing their lawn.  Again usually not a problem, BUT this time it was.

Our neighbors son mowed back and forth along the same path 2 times, then the dad weedeated back and forth 2 times, THEN the dad mowed back and forth along the same 2 foot wide path next to the fence 3 more time.  Are you kidding me, it takes 10 trips along the same path to cut the grass plus 4 trips with the weedeater?   NO WAY!!  Craig also noticed as they were "mowing" along the fence they were peering through the slats. Maybe they were looking at what we have planted around the pool to get some ideas, who knows, but that was the straw that broke the camels back.

Time to make our "privacy" fence more private.

In our Home Owners Association builders guidelines fences are to be constructed every other section flat.  Their reasoning is no one has to have an entire backyard of the "ugly" side.  My personal opinion is it just makes both side ugly since it is not uniform. 

Our solution was to add pickets to the "ugly" side which are off set from the other side eliminating the gaps plus we put lattice strips over the other gaps.  Until the new pickets and strips weather like the rest of the fence we have a striped back fence but at least we don't have spying eyes.

before

after

before

after

                                                                         

Out with the Old...In with the "New"

Craig and I recently began considering trading the 2006 Acura for something a little newer with less miles.

While the Acura was still a good car, it had 115,000 miles and wouldn't be paid off until September 2013.  The A/C was also going on the fritz so we were going to have to spend some $$$ to get it fixed.

Anyone who knows us will realize this was not an easy decision because we literally drive a car until the wheels fall off because we don't like car payments and only had 1 year until the Acura would be paid off. 

Last week we discovered we could join Johnson Space Center Credit Union and they were offering used car loans with interest as low as 1.74%.   Yes...that's right 1.74%.

Ok, so we decided it was the right time and shouldn't pass up on cheap interest if we could find a vehicle we both liked.  Off to CarMax we go.  

Craig had his sights on a couple of luxury type cars but I wasn't too keen on some of them.  I was looking for a small SUV which Craig wasn't keen on so I suggested we look at crossovers.  I thought a crossover might be comfortable for both of us; something not too small and claustrophobic for Craig and something in which my feet would touch the floorboard.

After talking to my sister who has a GMC Acadia and loves it, we found the Chevrolet version.  So we decided on a 2012 Chevy Traverse with 9100 miles on it.  So far we are both really loving the car.  And the best things are it still has all the new car warranties, an interest rate of 1.74%  and our car payments didn't go up.

My Eleven.

What is "My Eleven"?

I was tagged by Kimberly at "Granthamania".

I have to post a photo and mentioning 11 random things about me.  I then have to answer 11 questions from Granthamania.  Finally I have to create 11 new questions and tag some friends to do the same.

There are 6 rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself & 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you've tagged them.
6. No saying, "If you are reading this, you're tagged."

11 Random things about me

1. I'm a pretty good Scrabble player. I don't use big words but am able to find bizarre places to use a vowel and get a score from 2 words at once. I'm sneaky. :)
2. I was voted an Amarillo College beauty while attending Amarillo College.  Not a big deal since I was 1 of 8.
3. When I was around 6, the neighbor kids and I used to ride our bikes behind the crop dusting plane to feel the mist on our skin.  Gotta' love that DDT. ha
4. When I was in 1st grade the school house merry-go-round (the old fashion kind suspended on a center pole that you sit on and dangle your feet)  fell and trapped my foot under it.  I remember it hurting really bad but have always been told I was just good at pretending.  It has taught me to not complain when something hurts.  Just suck it up and go on.  lol
5. My 1st car was a Ford Pinto.  Loved that little car.  3 speed stick....zoom zoom.
6. Estoy aprendo espanol.
7. I like getting sweaty/dirty. 
8. I had Bell's Palsy when I was 14.  The left side of my face was paralyzed for almost 6 months.
9. I like doing yard work.  Refer to #7 
10. I absolutely hate car payments.  I know they are a necessary evil but I wish I could not have a car and ride my bike everywhere. Not practical in Houston
11. I thoroughly love warm humid salty air. (Take me to the Caribbean!)

11 Questions from Kimberly at Granthamania

1. What is your earliest childhood memory? Is it a good memory for you or a not-so-good one? At the age of 3, having my photo taken for the Friona newspaper with Jay Jarboe.  We were Mr. and Miss Valentine for the year.  It's a good memory.
2. What is your favorite book? The Bible doesn't count for this answer. Erma Bombeck's "Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession".  It always gives me a belly laugh. 
3. What is THE ONE thing you would do if you knew you were going to die tomorrow? Have you done it already?  Get the photo albums organized.  I'm working on it.
4. If you could live anywhere, where would you live? On a tropical island as long as my kids are there too.  Something like Gilligans Island or Swiss Family Robinson. :) 
5. What is the one thing you would want your children to remember you for? I want them to always remember me for always being "in their corner" and how very proud I am of them.  
6. Would you rather be able to run faster than a cheetah, fly or breathe under water? Breath under water
7. What is your favorite song? Otto Titsling.  Just kidding I have lots of favorites.  My favorite church song is "In the Garden".
8. If you could travel time, what are three points in time you would visit? The roaring 20's, Woodstock and I'd like to see the pyramids being built.
9. Would you rather have a full-time housekeeper or personal stylist? personal stylist!
10. Would you rather be smarter or prettier? smarter... yeah definitely smarter.
11. What is the strangest thing about yourself that you're willing to share? (Keep it PG-13) I like to watch scary movies when I'm alone?  Not sure that's strange. 

11 Questions for my tagged friends

1. If you were a celebrity what would you be famous for?
2. If you were given an all expense paid 1 month vacation, where would you go?  And why.
3. As a child what was your favorite toy and why.
4. In any situation, if you knew then what you know now, what would you change?
5. Do you have a hidden talent?  What is it?
6. If no one would ever know, would you have plastic surgery to look younger?
7. Do you prefer a massage or facial?
8. If you had to eat the same meal everyday for a year and you wouldn't gain weight what would it be?
9. If you won the lottery, what would your first splurge purchase be?
10. What sport in the Olympics do you wish you could win a gold medal in? Why?
11. What's the 1 thing you would be willing to walk 10 miles to get? 

My tagged friends are:

Gaye at Life at the Ham's House
Jennifer at The Huntington's
Sarah at Mas & Sarah + Saylor
Donna at Gore's Go Costal

Have fun

Counting Skills

Chloe shows off her counting skills.

Christmas 2011

The holiday season this year was a blur.  Seems like the world was spinning twice as fast as usual.

The week before Thanksgiving and the week after Thanksgiving Craig and I made 2 quick trips to Austin to help Kim and Mark close-in their utility room.  It looks fantastic!

The weekend of December 9th, Kimberly and Chloe came to Houston.  Kimberly took me to see the Houston Ballet's Nutcracker.  We had a great girls night out while Pop (Craig) had Chloe duty.  Mark was unable to come because of work.

Dressed up and ready for the ballet.

While Chloe and Kimberly were here Chloe decorated some Christmas cookies to take back to her Daddy.

Painting icing on the cookies

She wants to do it herself.

Chloe's creations

Of course she needs to try a few.

Chloe loves her Uncle Josh.  (notice Chloe's "cheese" face...she's a natural)



A couple of weeks went by and the whole gang arrived for Christmas. 

The stereotypical family photo in front of the tree

My mom came for Christmas. We were all glad she could make it this year.

Last but not least, here are a few of our goofy photos from Christmas 2011.

Supper time.

My kids are such good sports.  Love my little sock money's.

Chloe in her Mom's sock money hat.

Our tradition is to take a non-traditional family photo at Christmas. 

"Do It Anyway"

a motivational poem by Mother Teresa.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.

Pod People?

Anyone who knows me knows I love "scary" movies.  One such movie is The Invasion of the Body Snatchers; not the new one but the 1978 version with Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum.

In the movie, there is a mysterious plant which grows pods.  These pods "grow" the body snatchers.

Over the last few months, we have had a mysterious plant growing around our pool. On this plant we have discovered a pod.

Mystery plant

Is it an invasion?

A tiny pod

Could it be we are being invaded by body snatchers?
The answer will be unveiled at a later date.

While Mom and Dad are Away, Chloe will Play

Kim and Mark celebrated their 4th wedding anniversary with a weekend trip to NOLA.  Craig and I were thrilled to have Chloe all to ourselves while her Mom and Dad were relaxing on Bourbon Street.

Chloe was just a doll while they were gone.  There were no tears, no tantrums, just lots of hours of playing. 

Maybe Mark and Kim will plan another trip sometime soon so we can Chloe sit again soon.

Pop taking Chloe for a stroll.  We put her legs in a pillow case to keep her legs warm.

Blueberry pancacks for breakfast.

"Look Mom, Shorty let me have goldfish"

I don't think Chloe was still for a minute the whole time she was here.

We played ball out front.  She would run with the ball.

She'd carry the ball.

And she'd kick the ball too.

Chloe got a new ride.  Her own "Smart Car".

All she needs is chrome wheels.

Modeling her new threads.

She had Pop hold the book so she could read to him and the bear.

Taking her animals for a stroller ride.

She spent hours walking the stroller around the kitchen island and up and down the halls.