DAY 29 - DAY TRIP WITH FAMILY

170.6 lbs

Today me and the family will be getting a little more exercise than I have had for a few months.  We are going a Theme Park.  So a lot of walking...

Walking is good for your health.  Everyone should do some walking exercises every day.  I will let you know how I do...

THIS IS A TEST.

DAY 28 - ROUTINES

DAY 28 - 170.2 lbs

Today is officially my last day on Disability and I will be returning to work on Monday.

Establishing Healthy Habits is really important so that I can continue becoming more fit.  Benjamin Franklin once said:  "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise".

An essential part of healthy living is establishing good sleep habits.  This means that I can't stay up all night with Victor watching episodes of Voyager or Babylon 5.  Prior to that we were watching Charmed and Grey's Anatomy.

Simple fact: Healthy sleep is just as important to your health as exercise and a balanced diet. You can't live life to the fullest without it.

How much sleep does a person need?

In my home everyone has made declarations on how much sleep they need.  Sometimes this results in heated debates... :)  I say I need 8 hours of sleep; Victor says that he can function on less than six.  My kids try to function on less than 6 hours of sleep.  I know they need more...  So, I have researched the information on the internet (take it as a grain of salt).

MedicineNet.com has this to say about sleep:

"Individuals vary greatly in their need for sleep; there are no established criteria to determine exactly how much sleep a person needs. Eight hours or more may be necessary for some people, while others may consider this to be too much sleep.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that most average adults need about 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Newborn babies, by contrast, sleep from 16 to 18 hours a day. Preschool-aged children typically sleep between 10 and 12 hours a day. Older, school-aged children and teens need at least 9 hours of sleep a night. Women in the first trimester of pregnancy have been observed to need a few more hours' sleep than is usual for them."

There are a few things to remember.  Habits to help get good sleep:

Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol use before bedtime. Some studies have shown that caffeine consumed early in the day can have an effect on the ability to fall asleep at night. 

Have and adhere to a regular bedtime and waking schedule

Maintain a comfortable sleep environment, including a comfortable temperature

Do not lay in bed awake, worrying about not sleeping (or anything else negative). This produces anxiety that can actually make the problem worse.

Get regular daily exercise (it is recommended that individuals avoid exercise two hours prior to bedtime

DAY 27 - EVALUATION

Although I haven't recorded my progress on a daily basis for the past two weeks, I continue to work on getting fit and staying fit.  One of the things I haven't done in this process is to take measurements and to officially document my progress.  So, today I will take and write down my current measurements so that I can properly assess my progress going forward. 

I know, this is a little gutsy and daring for a usually very shy and reserved person.  However, I must be true to myself.  So, here are today's measurements:

169.6 lbs / 28.9 BMI  (I have a really nice scale that measures four different components)

Chest:  38"
R. Arm:  14.5"
L. Arm:  14.5"
Waist:  36"
Hips:  41.5"
R. Thigh:  24.5"
L. Thigh:  23.5"  (The difference between the thigh measurements could be from the physical therapy)

There has been some weight fluctuation over the past two weeks.  Over the past 4-5 months I have lost nearly 20 lbs.  Some of the weight I lost prior to my surgery on October 28th.  I guess it was about 8 lbs.  I was trying to lose some weight so that there was less weight for my knees carry.  The rest of the weight has been since I have been home on disability.

There are a few things that have changed over the past three months:

1)  There isn't a vending machine in my kitchen - I guess I need to avoid the vending machines at work when I return to work on Monday.

2)  Added a little exercise to my daily routine.  Since getting rid of the crutches and the brace I have gone to the mall a couple times and walked around.  Victor and I have also gone to the Farmer's Market the past few Saturdays.  The walking is helping me to strengthen my left knee.

3)  I love Voltage Mountain Dew.  I was drinking them every day before my surgery.  After my surgery I slept most of the day.  I detoxed my body from the soda.  I still have one every once in a while.  I never drink a whole one any more.  I will open one to drink and then it mysteriously disappears - It turns out that Aislyn enjoys Voltage Mountain Dew and will snake mine when I am not looking.

4)  I have become more aware of the food I eat and I will choose healthier foods when going out.  The grocery shopping has changed a little as well.  We used to fill the cart with cookies and crackers and other snack type foods for the kids.  The problem:  I would eat a lot of those snack foods.  We asked the kids what kinds of things they wanted for after school snacks.  Their choices are pretty healthy.  We buy more fruits and vegetables.  We bought a box of clementines and half was gone in a day.  Yesterday I bought a flat of strawberries.  1/4 of the strawberries were consumed last night.

A few small changes a little at a time will make a difference.  So, I will keep moving forward.

DAY 14 - OVER ATE

Yesterday, Evan was out of school - new semester starts on Monday.  When my kids are home we enjoy each other's company by eating together.

I ate way too much.  So, today I don't feel so good.

In the evening Victor and I dropped the kids off at Golf 'n Stuff.  We went to Topper's Pizza.  Victor ate almost a whole medium pizza.  I had a baked Turkey Bacon sandwich with Kettle Chips and a rootbeer.

We then went to Lassen's to pick up some items.  I love their Molasses cookies.

Then we went to Barne's and Noble.  While their Victor ordered a slice of Pumpkin Cheese Cake and a large Carmel Apple Cider. 

After three hours of play we went back to Golf 'n Stuff to pick up the kids.  On the way home we stopped at the donut shop and picked up a dozen donuts - my favorite...  apple fritters.

Friday was definitely my junk food day.  I am paying for it today.

DAY 13 - EATING RIGHT

Yesterday was a busy day for me.  I weighed in at 171.6 lbs with 38.6 % fat...  nice...

Ryan and Jody Maloney - the happy couple - married on the beach - and me.

Victor and I had a few errands to run before we attending a wedding at the beach.  Because we had a late start one of our stops was to get something to eat.  When Victor asked where I wanted to go and eat I mention a few places that had fruit bowls or salads. 

One of Victor's favorite fast food places is Wendy's.   He likes their fresh cut fries with sea salt.  Their okay.

When we finally got to Wendy's I chose one of their salads:  Apple Pecan Chicken Salad Half-Size

This salad contains: 
Iceberg, Romaine and Spring Mix, Blue Cheese Crumbles, Dried Cranberries, Apple Chunks.
This salad is served with Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing
Total calories is about 340.  Not bad for a mid-day snack that tastes really good.  I like this particular salad because it has the perfect combination of sweet and sour.

In the evening we went to dinner with friends to celebrate our birthdays (mine and Victor's).  We went to Wood Ranch.  It can be really hard to eat right here.  The food portions are larger than normal and it can be easy to over eat.

I ordered a House Salad with ranch dressing on the side:  Lettuce mix, fresh white corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons and avacado.

For my entree I ordered Top Sirloin with mashed potatoes.  I had them butterfly the steak and ended up eating half.  Brought the other half for my 16 yr old son to eat. 

Extras that kill the diet:  Barq's Rootbeer, dinner rolls, fried chips (with salsa). 

It is okay to splurge a little - as long as you don't do it every day.

DAY 12 - TALKING SKIN CARE

I still have the sniffles and my joints are a little achie.

I weighed in at 172.4 lbs this morning.  So it looks like a gained some water weight while I have been under the weather.  It could also be that I am pre-menstral.  Most women will gain water weight before and during their cycle.  I am no exception.  So, when I weigh myself during that week I scoff at the scale and in my mind I say: "You don't know anything.  I really don't weigh that much!"

During my teen years I would have terrible acne during this time of month.  To hide it I would cake on foundation.  During my twenties I would do whatever I could to hide the blemishes.  This meant that I would put on cream, consealer, foundation and powder.

Sometime in my late 30's I stopped worrying about the pimples and started wearing less makeup.  I noticed that I had fewer breakouts. 

Shortly after I turned 40 I started looking at my skin more closely and noticed that it looked better.  I became more selective about what I put on my face.  I have actually taken the "less is more" approach.

Since I have been out on disability, recovering from reconstructive surgery on my left knee, I haven't been wearing makeup.  When I have plans to leave the house I will apply the war paint.  All of my makeup is natural.  I will apply light powder to my face before applying the eye liner, eye shadow and mascara.  I use lip gloss with a tinge of color.  Depending on my mood I will apply a light pink blusher or a light bronzer to my cheeks.

I learned over the years to keep my hands off my face and this has made a huge impact. 

I woke up with one blemish this morning that will be gone in a couple days.

Everyone has their own personal preference when it comes to keeping their skin clean.  I have oily skin.  The less I do with it the better.  When I clean my face I use Oil of Olay cleansing clothes.  My face gets clean and doesn't dry out. 

My face is soft and healthy looking.  I believe that drinking water makes a huge impact on how skin looks, so I drink a lot of water.  I carry water with me from room to room so that I always have it with me.

I also enjoy fruits and vegetables.  These also keep my skin looking nice.  When I get the munchies I will eat carrots, celery, broccoli, sweet peas and cucumbers.  During this time of year oranges and tangerines are plentiful.  This week we bought a bag of navel oranges and a box of clementines.    The whole family enjoys citrus fruit.  The clementines have been treat/snack food in the evenings when we are watching tv with the kids.

For all you crazy makeup addicts, try not wearing it for a day.  You will feel better.  Love your skin.

DAYS SICK (SIX) THRU ELEVEN

Not much activity over the past week because I have been sick.  The trick is to drink lots of fluid.  I am feeling better and will continue tomorrow with better results. :)