Focusing on the positive today

That is a whole lot of positive on many fronts. Well done!

Sexy old wise Scrappy!

Life is same as ever here. Although I have a sense of things rapidly accelerating. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with the house. Apparently it was meant to be that we didn't sell it 4 years ago when we moved to Pompano. Although we maybe should have done many things differently with the bank they wanted it for a good reason. The value per Zillow has nearly doubled in the last 4 years. The neighborhood has become extremely popular with the young professional family crowd. I'm just stunned with the prices people are asking for and getting for the houses within blocks of us that aren't even on the lake. Time to get while the getting is good.

Discouraged with my progress on the health front, but that is totally on me. Going to do a Lent thing (not remotely a practicing Catholic, but it is Ash Wednesday so why not) and do a low fat vegan diet starting today. I've downloaded the meal plans and such. Exercise is problematic with the weight, but the men have promised to go to the gym with me and do weights. See my resolve face.

Exercise is problematic with the weight, but the men have promised to go to the gym with me and do weights. See my resolve face.

My one bit of advice on this is don't be so ambitious that you wind up discouraging yourself.

Doing a little bit more often is usually the way to get started, and you start feeling the benefit quickly.

I'm a big evangelizer now on the benefit just steady and regular and light exercise. You don't have to get to marathon level - you just have to move your body on a regular basis. Three times a week.

I am not giving up anything for Lent (I don't think I've done so since freshman year of college, almost 20 years ago...when I gave up caffeine!!). But I have been giving myself star stickers on the calendar when I work out, and have managed to work out 4 times a week since New Year's. So my plan is to go on vacation tomorrow, and when I come back, try to add "healthy eating" to the "working out" plan.

(I will go on record as highly recommending the "put calendar on wall, buy gold stars, put on calendar" method--it's surprising how motivating it is!!)

I should try your gold star method, meara. I need a better motivator now that my stretch teacher is in Prague again. For the bazillionth time.

I have to do some walking every day because of the large dog. I also walk to get lunch most days, but today was too hot so I drove. Should have walked anyway! I have a 8 lb weight on the floor next to where I watch tv and will do some arm stuff from time to time when I think of it. I just need a more concrete schedule.

Hmmm, I'll have to see if I can do a star on my Google calendar somehow.

try to add "healthy eating" to the "working out" plan.

I'm amused at how suddenly easy it's been to add a lot more veggies to our dinners once I tied fiber to a concrete result (that would be gastrointestinal stuff, damn you, 42-year-old body). I could never, ever do it with the vague goal of "eating healthy." Well, fuck "eating healthy." But pooping on the regular? I'm on board with that.

Y'all are cracking me up. Only because it looks like I'm not the only one going through it. Yes, this weekend, I've endeavored to get back on the exercise contraption. For now, just slowly, to do stretching, more than anything. I'm hoping to do it a few times a week. So far, this week, twice in three days. And yeah, fiber. Fun. The doc wasn't lying when she said "eat the cereal that looks like twigs, it's the highest in fiber content". Thank you Kashi. 42% of fiber needs, just for breakfast. And yup, looks and tastes kinda like twigs. Sometimes, growing old sucks.

today was too hot so I drove.

These words together don't make any sense. We had surprise snow overnight, which is melting nicely today, but more is expected.

I'm going nuts not being able to exercise. Not that I was great at it before, but I had a routine. I will be bugging my doc next week about how to work back into a routine.

And yup, looks and tastes kinda like twigs. Sometimes, growing old sucks.

Then don't eat it. There are a lot of fiber-y foods out there that don't taste like twigs. I mean, I haven't added veggies into our dinners and then resentfully choke them down as punishment. No way. They're tasty as hell. I don't care how good it is for me or if it will make me poop; I'm not eating something that tastes like ass.

I guess it was a good thing that I have been pescatarian for about 30 years. It was long before I thought of fiber. I just always loved the veggies and fruits and fish. And of course I have the big big love of cheese. But for the next 40 days. No fishies and no cheese. At least I love to cook and that makes it easier.