Goals For 2010

Before writing this entry, I decided to have a quick lunch. I made my favorite meal of plain noodles and a side of veggies. I decided to make up the last of the green beans. Sprinkling a little bit of parmesan cheese on the noodles makes the meal tasty.

















OK on to the resolutions...or should I say goals. I'm trying not to make any of the goals too large or too broad, and if they are too broad I will try to scale them down into smaller goals.

Goals for 2009:

1. Be patient and understanding with myself. If I need to take a break from exercise I will not beat myself up about it. If I feel any discomfort at all I will stop what I'm doing and take the necessary break. I will not gripe or whine about being off my exercise routine. I will find alternate ways of getting exercise in. When I need a break from the elliptical I will do a couple of workout videos from the SparkPeople site.
2. Stretch twice a day. This helps me tremendously. It is a fact that everybody needs to stretch, but for someone like me who has cerebral palsy, it is an absolute must. Stretching my legs not only makes them looser but also improves my balance slightly. When my legs are tight it causes me to have more issues when I walk. My legs don't straighten all the way if I don't stretch.
3. Keep up with various writing goals. I would like to keep this blog active and write frequently. Other than this blog I also want to write more personal journal entries located at another site that I keep locked. Venting to my private journal allows me to get my frustrations out and not blow a gasket. Hee hee. Another writing venue I wish to still continue with is a few freelance writing sites. In the last year I've made some side money so I can buy some fun things that I would not normally buy for myself. And the final writing goal I want to partake in is to write more creative works. Participating in 2009s NaNoWriMo was a good start for me to take up creative writing again.
4. Continue with positive thinking and positive self talk. When I catch myself thinking negatively I will make a point to stop mid thought and change it to something positive. If I catch myself calling myself nasty names or telling myself that I'm stupid, I will stop and take a deep breath and keep moving.
5. Work on balance and walking. I'm not setting an end date for this goal, this is something that I will be working on forever. I will start out slow by standing up while watching TV and balancing on one foot as long as I can and then switching legs. I did this for a while last year and I think it helped a bit. I will also use my walker to get around this room. Having three cats will be a challenge for this goal, but I will do my best. The floors out in the kitchen and hallway areas are a bit uneven making my walker seem like I'm pushing a shopping cart with one bad wheel. So I will not practice out there quite yet. I will get there in time though.

I'm sure there are more goals that I can set, but these will do for now. Through the next year I will add to my goals and maybe modify my current ones as I need to.

Have a happy new year and I wish you all the best for 2010.

Goals For 2010

Before writing this entry, I decided to have a quick lunch. I made my favorite meal of plain noodles and a side of veggies. I decided to make up the last of the green beans. Sprinkling a little bit of parmesan cheese on the noodles makes the meal tasty.

















OK on to the resolutions...or should I say goals. I'm trying not to make any of the goals too large or too broad, and if they are too broad I will try to scale them down into smaller goals.

Goals for 2009:

1. Be patient and understanding with myself. If I need to take a break from exercise I will not beat myself up about it. If I feel any discomfort at all I will stop what I'm doing and take the necessary break. I will not gripe or whine about being off my exercise routine. I will find alternate ways of getting exercise in. When I need a break from the elliptical I will do a couple of workout videos from the SparkPeople site.
2. Stretch twice a day. This helps me tremendously. It is a fact that everybody needs to stretch, but for someone like me who has cerebral palsy, it is an absolute must. Stretching my legs not only makes them looser but also improves my balance slightly. When my legs are tight it causes me to have more issues when I walk. My legs don't straighten all the way if I don't stretch.
3. Keep up with various writing goals. I would like to keep this blog active and write frequently. Other than this blog I also want to write more personal journal entries located at another site that I keep locked. Venting to my private journal allows me to get my frustrations out and not blow a gasket. Hee hee. Another writing venue I wish to still continue with is a few freelance writing sites. In the last year I've made some side money so I can buy some fun things that I would not normally buy for myself. And the final writing goal I want to partake in is to write more creative works. Participating in 2009s NaNoWriMo was a good start for me to take up creative writing again.
4. Continue with positive thinking and positive self talk. When I catch myself thinking negatively I will make a point to stop mid thought and change it to something positive. If I catch myself calling myself nasty names or telling myself that I'm stupid, I will stop and take a deep breath and keep moving.
5. Work on balance and walking. I'm not setting an end date for this goal, this is something that I will be working on forever. I will start out slow by standing up while watching TV and balancing on one foot as long as I can and then switching legs. I did this for a while last year and I think it helped a bit. I will also use my walker to get around this room. Having three cats will be a challenge for this goal, but I will do my best. The floors out in the kitchen and hallway areas are a bit uneven making my walker seem like I'm pushing a shopping cart with one bad wheel. So I will not practice out there quite yet. I will get there in time though.

I'm sure there are more goals that I can set, but these will do for now. Through the next year I will add to my goals and maybe modify my current ones as I need to.

Have a happy new year and I wish you all the best for 2010.

Recap Of 2009 Goals

Friday begins the start of a new year. Normally at this time of year people make resolutions. I used to "try" to do this, always making the same resolutions. Such as lose weight. Do such and such so many times a day every day. And other things to that effect. I started out every year OK, but I always lost steam about two or three weeks after the new year. If I had one bad day or did not accomplish what I set out to I would give up. And that would be the end of my resolution.

Last year I set some long-term goals for myself to accomplish in 2009. Actually, as I look back at it, it looks like I only had one long-term goal and the rest were short term goals or a continuation of what I had already been doing. I am copying and pasting my goals from last year into this entry.

1. Maintain my weight. Pretty sure this is a done deal.
2. Strength train 3 times a week.
3. At least 5 days of cardio. Even better would be a full 7 days even if it's only 10 minutes. I don't HAVE to do a full mile each and every time I get on the elliptical.
4. Positive thinking, positive self talk and meditation. These three things have always helped in the past, so I need to really make them habits. I tend to start these and over time they fade away. May I need a calendar reminder, lol.
5. To check in monthly with myself to see how I'm doing on my goals and how my body feels in general. See where I'm slacking and needing improvement.
6. Stretch, stretch and stretch some more. I really need to take my time and not rush through this. Twice a day, morning and evening.
7. Continue to work on my walking alone. I DO INTEND to be walking unassisted at the end of 2009. This is my MAJOR goal.

For number one I'm sorry to say that I was not able to accomplish. I ended up with quite a few injuries in my lower legs and feet and had to take several months off from my cardio. I am about 10 pounds heavier than I was last year. This is technically OK as I am still in the healthy weight range for my height. My pants still fit and that's what I go by for the most part. The scale can go up and down, and I understand that is normal. I will not be concerned too much about the number on the scale unless my pants become too tight.

For number two, I was able to stick with it. I had days off certainly, and this is normal. It's not realistic to think that I will do strength training three days a week every week for the entire year. Life gets in the way, or should I say life happens. Illnesses, vacations, and unexpected houseguests are part of life.

Number three I've come to believe was a bit more of a challenge than I should have set for myself. At the end of 2008 I believe I was doing five days a week of cardio, so I thought that I would be able to continue that. I'm not sure if trying to complete five days a week was a contribution to my injuries, but it might have been. I was stubborn and figured that I'd be able to push myself to do the same intense cardio routine every week.

Number four I did pretty well with. For the most part I did not talk to myself in a negative way. I tried my best to think on the bright side of things. I can't say that I did much in the way of meditation, but that's OK. The main thing I accomplished was positive thinking and positive self talk.

For number five I started out fine, but I slacked off after about three months. I had it in my mind to write an update on the first of every month. That obviously did not happen one month and I kept delaying getting it done until I just skipped it entirely. And of course once I skipped one month, I skipped a second month, and then I skipped a third month, and so on.

For number six again I did OK. I did go weeks and months at one point without stretching at all. But essentially I came back around to it and got it done. Stretching twice a day is good for me. I tried doing it three times a day that that was a bit much. And once a day was not enough. Doing it twice a day makes it so my legs don't completely tighten up so it feels like I'm starting from scratch the following day.

And finally number seven. My big, huge, main goal. I did the mistake of setting myself an end date, saying I wanted to walk on my own buy the end of 2009. I think this put a lot of pressure on myself and I felt like I had two get it done in record speed. The first week of January 2009 I did fairly well, but I did not take the time to do it the right way. I wanted to walk on my own so badly that I skipped certain steps. What I should have done was to set a certain time each day to practice walking with my walker. If I had done that I could have worked my way up to not needing my walker at all. My main obstacles were balance of course, but I think even more than that... I know that even more than that it was an issue of confidence and fear. Not so much confidence I don't think, although it does play a part. I still find myself concerned with what people think of me when they see me walking. For some reason it's still hard for me to get it through my head that people do not care about what I am doing or how I am doing it. They're just worried about what they're doing and how they're doing it. But the absolute main obstacle was fear. I have a fear, a deathly fear, of falling. I need to work through the fear and once I do that the rest will come easily I think.

This entry is getting a bit long, so I will post my new year's goals tomorrow. My question to you all is do you set resolutions on New Year's Eve or a week before new year's? Do you set an end date for your resolutions or do you leave them open ended? Do you have large resolutions, that you might be able to break down into smaller goals to reach your main objective?

Recap Of 2009 Goals

Friday begins the start of a new year. Normally at this time of year people make resolutions. I used to "try" to do this, always making the same resolutions. Such as lose weight. Do such and such so many times a day every day. And other things to that effect. I started out every year OK, but I always lost steam about two or three weeks after the new year. If I had one bad day or did not accomplish what I set out to I would give up. And that would be the end of my resolution.

Last year I set some long-term goals for myself to accomplish in 2009. Actually, as I look back at it, it looks like I only had one long-term goal and the rest were short term goals or a continuation of what I had already been doing. I am copying and pasting my goals from last year into this entry.

1. Maintain my weight. Pretty sure this is a done deal.
2. Strength train 3 times a week.
3. At least 5 days of cardio. Even better would be a full 7 days even if it's only 10 minutes. I don't HAVE to do a full mile each and every time I get on the elliptical.
4. Positive thinking, positive self talk and meditation. These three things have always helped in the past, so I need to really make them habits. I tend to start these and over time they fade away. May I need a calendar reminder, lol.
5. To check in monthly with myself to see how I'm doing on my goals and how my body feels in general. See where I'm slacking and needing improvement.
6. Stretch, stretch and stretch some more. I really need to take my time and not rush through this. Twice a day, morning and evening.
7. Continue to work on my walking alone. I DO INTEND to be walking unassisted at the end of 2009. This is my MAJOR goal.

For number one I'm sorry to say that I was not able to accomplish. I ended up with quite a few injuries in my lower legs and feet and had to take several months off from my cardio. I am about 10 pounds heavier than I was last year. This is technically OK as I am still in the healthy weight range for my height. My pants still fit and that's what I go by for the most part. The scale can go up and down, and I understand that is normal. I will not be concerned too much about the number on the scale unless my pants become too tight.

For number two, I was able to stick with it. I had days off certainly, and this is normal. It's not realistic to think that I will do strength training three days a week every week for the entire year. Life gets in the way, or should I say life happens. Illnesses, vacations, and unexpected houseguests are part of life.

Number three I've come to believe was a bit more of a challenge than I should have set for myself. At the end of 2008 I believe I was doing five days a week of cardio, so I thought that I would be able to continue that. I'm not sure if trying to complete five days a week was a contribution to my injuries, but it might have been. I was stubborn and figured that I'd be able to push myself to do the same intense cardio routine every week.

Number four I did pretty well with. For the most part I did not talk to myself in a negative way. I tried my best to think on the bright side of things. I can't say that I did much in the way of meditation, but that's OK. The main thing I accomplished was positive thinking and positive self talk.

For number five I started out fine, but I slacked off after about three months. I had it in my mind to write an update on the first of every month. That obviously did not happen one month and I kept delaying getting it done until I just skipped it entirely. And of course once I skipped one month, I skipped a second month, and then I skipped a third month, and so on.

For number six again I did OK. I did go weeks and months at one point without stretching at all. But essentially I came back around to it and got it done. Stretching twice a day is good for me. I tried doing it three times a day that that was a bit much. And once a day was not enough. Doing it twice a day makes it so my legs don't completely tighten up so it feels like I'm starting from scratch the following day.

And finally number seven. My big, huge, main goal. I did the mistake of setting myself an end date, saying I wanted to walk on my own buy the end of 2009. I think this put a lot of pressure on myself and I felt like I had two get it done in record speed. The first week of January 2009 I did fairly well, but I did not take the time to do it the right way. I wanted to walk on my own so badly that I skipped certain steps. What I should have done was to set a certain time each day to practice walking with my walker. If I had done that I could have worked my way up to not needing my walker at all. My main obstacles were balance of course, but I think even more than that... I know that even more than that it was an issue of confidence and fear. Not so much confidence I don't think, although it does play a part. I still find myself concerned with what people think of me when they see me walking. For some reason it's still hard for me to get it through my head that people do not care about what I am doing or how I am doing it. They're just worried about what they're doing and how they're doing it. But the absolute main obstacle was fear. I have a fear, a deathly fear, of falling. I need to work through the fear and once I do that the rest will come easily I think.

This entry is getting a bit long, so I will post my new year's goals tomorrow. My question to you all is do you set resolutions on New Year's Eve or a week before new year's? Do you set an end date for your resolutions or do you leave them open ended? Do you have large resolutions, that you might be able to break down into smaller goals to reach your main objective?

"The Spark" By Chris Downie

It's official! I have a quote in the book written by Chris Downie called "The Spark". The book appeared on store shelves today, December 29, 2009. My quote can be found on page 60 in chapter four. It's exciting to see my words in print, attached with one of the most popular healthy lifestyle web sites on the Internet today.

SparkPeople.com has helped me in many ways. It has not only taught me about nutrition and exercise, but it has also taught me how to set attainable goals. It has provided me with all the right tools to track by progress not only with my food intake and exercise tracking, but also with public and private forums to get support from other members on the web site. The site has a special section where you can ask the "coaches" for advice and with help in general. The questions are answered very quickly and the coaches are very knowledgeable.

I have yet to read through the entire book, but I'm about to sit down right now and start reading. I did have to skim through the book right away to see if my quote did in fact may get into the book. I was very pleased to see that it had. Hopefully people who are struggling not only with losing weight but accomplishing other goals will see my words and feel that anything is possible.

The book "The Spark" is available in stores everywhere and I highly suggest going out and buying it right now. I feel that Chris Downie and everyone associated with SparkPpeople.com have the right approach when it comes to losing weight and getting healthy. They understand that there is no quick fix or magic pill to lose weight. It takes a lifestyle change and a want within oneself to make that change. They help people to set attainable goals and help them accomplish what they start.

Also I go to start reading, and I will be smiling the entire time.

"The Spark" By Chris Downie

It's official! I have a quote in the book written by Chris Downie called "The Spark". The book appeared on store shelves today, December 29, 2009. My quote can be found on page 60 in chapter four. It's exciting to see my words in print, attached with one of the most popular healthy lifestyle web sites on the Internet today.

SparkPeople.com has helped me in many ways. It has not only taught me about nutrition and exercise, but it has also taught me how to set attainable goals. It has provided me with all the right tools to track by progress not only with my food intake and exercise tracking, but also with public and private forums to get support from other members on the web site. The site has a special section where you can ask the "coaches" for advice and with help in general. The questions are answered very quickly and the coaches are very knowledgeable.

I have yet to read through the entire book, but I'm about to sit down right now and start reading. I did have to skim through the book right away to see if my quote did in fact may get into the book. I was very pleased to see that it had. Hopefully people who are struggling not only with losing weight but accomplishing other goals will see my words and feel that anything is possible.

The book "The Spark" is available in stores everywhere and I highly suggest going out and buying it right now. I feel that Chris Downie and everyone associated with SparkPpeople.com have the right approach when it comes to losing weight and getting healthy. They understand that there is no quick fix or magic pill to lose weight. It takes a lifestyle change and a want within oneself to make that change. They help people to set attainable goals and help them accomplish what they start.

Also I go to start reading, and I will be smiling the entire time.

Adapting But Still Moving

I've been inspired by the blog called Carrots 'N' Cake. Tina shares photos of her day and posts them to her blog. I decided that I will try and do the same thing, maybe not every day or even every post, but I will try to post some pictures here and there as I see fit.

My exercise routine is going to have to change some again for a little bit due to more shin splints. This time I have shin splints in my left leg, while the last time I had shin splints it was in my right leg. They seem to be switching from one leg to the other. I had just gotten back to doing one mile again after not being able to do a mile for a few months. I just started to have pain in my left ankle and shin last week. Instead of trying to force myself to complete one mile every time I was on the elliptical, I decided to take some time off. I think I caught it in time, because it does not really hurt when I'm off the machine. When I first had shin splints I remember it hurt no matter where I was, I could be standing or sitting or even lying down and it would ache. So I am being smart this time and am not pushing it.















Next Monday is the beginning of Spark People's boot camp called Spark Your Body Boot Camp. It lasts for one month, just like all of their other boot camps. During this boot camp they will show a ten minute workout video everyday for the first week. After that the videos will replay for the following three weeks. Also five days a week they say you should do some sort of cardio exercise for 30 minutes every day. I hope my shin splints are gone by then, but if not I will do some sort of cardio other then my elliptical. Spark People has a few cardio videos that last for ten minutes that I can do as a replacement. The instructor, Coach Nicole, gives alternate ways of doing the movements which I love. These videos are adaptable to anyone's needs.

So because I have to stop my elliptical workouts for now, I need to really pay attention to what I eat. I adjusted my fitness goals to reflect my lack of cardio. Doing this changed my calorie range to 1200 to 1500 calories a day. I'm going to try to eat in the lower range as much as I can. If I have to eat half a sandwich then I will. I am in control of what I eat for breakfast and lunch, but dinner I have no control over as I do not cook that meal.


















For today's lunch I had the last of my left over Domino's pizza. Two slices of Philly steak and tomato pizza, an apple, and for my drink I had my usual water. Not the best lunch, but it could have been worse. Two slices of medium pizza was about 360 calories. So far today I am at a total of 647 calories. My dinner can be anywhere from 563 to 913 calories. I intend on having a banana for a snack in about an hour and I honestly have no idea what dinner will be. Hopefully it won't be anything too heavy.

As far as today's exercise went, I did do my strength training routine, which consisted of my normal ab routine, floor arm routine with eight pound weights, standing arm routine with eight pound weights, and standing leg routine. I did two sets of the arm routines and for the most part I felt fairly strong while doing it. I did get on my elliptical for about five seconds before deciding there was no way. It would be too uncomfortable and I would have injured myself further. I did that last time, and ended up taking a two month forced break.


















On my off days, which are Tuesday and Thursday I intend on doing my workout DVD which is a pilates DVD entitled Pilates Beginning Mat Workout. I bought this DVD about four or five years ago before I really got serious about losing weight and getting fit. I bought this DVD because it has the entire routine on the floor, so I don't have to worry about my balance during the exercises. The trainer in the video, Ana Caban does, the routine the traditional way while her assistant does the routine in a modified format. During this video I try to do the traditional version but on occasion I have to do the modified version. My legs are not as flexible and they won't straighten out totally. While she has her legs straight in the air, I place mine in a tabletop position (90° angle).

This is turning into a long entry so I will end this for now. I will have more things to say soon. New Year's Eve goals, and things like that are to come.

When you have an injury how do you compensate for it? Do you find alternate ways of getting exercise in or do you just take a complete break and do no exercise at all?

Adapting But Still Moving

I've been inspired by the blog called Carrots 'N' Cake. Tina shares photos of her day and posts them to her blog. I decided that I will try and do the same thing, maybe not every day or even every post, but I will try to post some pictures here and there as I see fit.

My exercise routine is going to have to change some again for a little bit due to more shin splints. This time I have shin splints in my left leg, while the last time I had shin splints it was in my right leg. They seem to be switching from one leg to the other. I had just gotten back to doing one mile again after not being able to do a mile for a few months. I just started to have pain in my left ankle and shin last week. Instead of trying to force myself to complete one mile every time I was on the elliptical, I decided to take some time off. I think I caught it in time, because it does not really hurt when I'm off the machine. When I first had shin splints I remember it hurt no matter where I was, I could be standing or sitting or even lying down and it would ache. So I am being smart this time and am not pushing it.















Next Monday is the beginning of Spark People's boot camp called Spark Your Body Boot Camp. It lasts for one month, just like all of their other boot camps. During this boot camp they will show a ten minute workout video everyday for the first week. After that the videos will replay for the following three weeks. Also five days a week they say you should do some sort of cardio exercise for 30 minutes every day. I hope my shin splints are gone by then, but if not I will do some sort of cardio other then my elliptical. Spark People has a few cardio videos that last for ten minutes that I can do as a replacement. The instructor, Coach Nicole, gives alternate ways of doing the movements which I love. These videos are adaptable to anyone's needs.

So because I have to stop my elliptical workouts for now, I need to really pay attention to what I eat. I adjusted my fitness goals to reflect my lack of cardio. Doing this changed my calorie range to 1200 to 1500 calories a day. I'm going to try to eat in the lower range as much as I can. If I have to eat half a sandwich then I will. I am in control of what I eat for breakfast and lunch, but dinner I have no control over as I do not cook that meal.


















For today's lunch I had the last of my left over Domino's pizza. Two slices of Philly steak and tomato pizza, an apple, and for my drink I had my usual water. Not the best lunch, but it could have been worse. Two slices of medium pizza was about 360 calories. So far today I am at a total of 647 calories. My dinner can be anywhere from 563 to 913 calories. I intend on having a banana for a snack in about an hour and I honestly have no idea what dinner will be. Hopefully it won't be anything too heavy.

As far as today's exercise went, I did do my strength training routine, which consisted of my normal ab routine, floor arm routine with eight pound weights, standing arm routine with eight pound weights, and standing leg routine. I did two sets of the arm routines and for the most part I felt fairly strong while doing it. I did get on my elliptical for about five seconds before deciding there was no way. It would be too uncomfortable and I would have injured myself further. I did that last time, and ended up taking a two month forced break.


















On my off days, which are Tuesday and Thursday I intend on doing my workout DVD which is a pilates DVD entitled Pilates Beginning Mat Workout. I bought this DVD about four or five years ago before I really got serious about losing weight and getting fit. I bought this DVD because it has the entire routine on the floor, so I don't have to worry about my balance during the exercises. The trainer in the video, Ana Caban does, the routine the traditional way while her assistant does the routine in a modified format. During this video I try to do the traditional version but on occasion I have to do the modified version. My legs are not as flexible and they won't straighten out totally. While she has her legs straight in the air, I place mine in a tabletop position (90° angle).

This is turning into a long entry so I will end this for now. I will have more things to say soon. New Year's Eve goals, and things like that are to come.

When you have an injury how do you compensate for it? Do you find alternate ways of getting exercise in or do you just take a complete break and do no exercise at all?

Long Time No Post

Well, let's see. The last time I entered anything here was at the beginning, or near the beginning of November. I was busy with NaNoWriMo, and I'm happy to report that I completed it and am considered a winter. As a winner I received three pictures that I have saved on my computer. The one you see here is one of those. It was a great experience to have taken part in the NaNoWriMo, and know that I can complete 50,000 words in one month if I push myself to do so. I am looking forward to November 2010 so I can do it all over again. I will need to do some preliminary work, such as more detailed character creation and also storyline direction.

As far as my exercising goes, I am back to where I was about a year ago. I am back to doing one mile three days a week on my elliptical. I took my time and didn't rush myself. I started out slow doing three days a week at 3/10 of a mile then the next week I did 4/10 and so on. I am still taking a few breaks during my mile, but I am finishing it.

I had to take about a week off, or maybe 10 days because I was sick with a really weird cold. Everybody in this house as well as the entire family got this nasty bug. We had everybody down for a joint anniversary party, and our two year old niece was running around the house with a runny nose and sniffling. We also went to Outback that night for dinner, so it's possible we picked it up there, but I am inclined to think it was from our two year old niece.

The cold hit anybody in a different way. For me, it started out as a sore throat, and then worked its way into my ears and nose. I also had a headache and was very tired, having no energy to do anything. My husband, mother in law, and our 18 year old nephew had those same symptoms as well as a very nasty cough as well as an upset stomach. My brother in law kept teasing us saying that we all had the swine flu. We did not have the swine flu, thank you very much, it was just a nasty cold.

Other than that, not a whole lot has been going on. I enjoyed some time off from writing after a whole month of getting in two thousand words every day. I am slowly getting back into writing however, and that is a good thing.

For now I will keep this short, but I will write more later. I've got a few ideas that I would like to write about. Until then, keep on moving.

Long Time No Post

Well, let's see. The last time I entered anything here was at the beginning, or near the beginning of November. I was busy with NaNoWriMo, and I'm happy to report that I completed it and am considered a winter. As a winner I received three pictures that I have saved on my computer. The one you see here is one of those. It was a great experience to have taken part in the NaNoWriMo, and know that I can complete 50,000 words in one month if I push myself to do so. I am looking forward to November 2010 so I can do it all over again. I will need to do some preliminary work, such as more detailed character creation and also storyline direction.

As far as my exercising goes, I am back to where I was about a year ago. I am back to doing one mile three days a week on my elliptical. I took my time and didn't rush myself. I started out slow doing three days a week at 3/10 of a mile then the next week I did 4/10 and so on. I am still taking a few breaks during my mile, but I am finishing it.

I had to take about a week off, or maybe 10 days because I was sick with a really weird cold. Everybody in this house as well as the entire family got this nasty bug. We had everybody down for a joint anniversary party, and our two year old niece was running around the house with a runny nose and sniffling. We also went to Outback that night for dinner, so it's possible we picked it up there, but I am inclined to think it was from our two year old niece.

The cold hit anybody in a different way. For me, it started out as a sore throat, and then worked its way into my ears and nose. I also had a headache and was very tired, having no energy to do anything. My husband, mother in law, and our 18 year old nephew had those same symptoms as well as a very nasty cough as well as an upset stomach. My brother in law kept teasing us saying that we all had the swine flu. We did not have the swine flu, thank you very much, it was just a nasty cold.

Other than that, not a whole lot has been going on. I enjoyed some time off from writing after a whole month of getting in two thousand words every day. I am slowly getting back into writing however, and that is a good thing.

For now I will keep this short, but I will write more later. I've got a few ideas that I would like to write about. Until then, keep on moving.

Ramblings Of An Insecure Writer

This is the third day of National Novel Writing Month, and I think I'm holding my own so far. I've met my goal of 2,000 words the first two days. I've not written anything today yet. Not sure why I'm procrastinating today. Seems like I'm finding other things to do and not doing what I should be doing. The story I'm writing is coming to me in bits and pieces. I'm not sure I like where it's heading, but it's the only thing that keeps popping up. I don't want to write the cliché suspense story.

I was hoping to delve into the mind of a young adult who had a horrible childhood. Not a very uplifting story, no, but it's what I came up with. And I have to give credit for my idea to one of the contestants on The Biggest Loser (no it's not about weight loss). For those of you who watch the show, my idea came from Shay. For those who don't watch the show, Shay is in her early 20s and was the daughter of a heroin addict. So my story is revolving around that. I have no idea what Shay went through growing up, I'm just going with it.

Anyway, it seems my mind wants to turn it into a suspense story. Sure, my main character is dealing with the memories of her past, that was my main idea. But an idea came to me yesterday, and I'm having a hard time ignoring it. The problem, is it's so cliché. I keep asking myself "Do I really want to go there? Seriously?", and I guess I do. After all, when I first started I said I'd let the story go where it wanted to. So I guess I'll do it.

My other thoughts are, "Am I good enough to write like this? Who do I think I am trying to write a 50,000 word novel in one month? What if I write something 'wrong'. What if I get certain facts wrong? Am I writing the same things over and over? Didn't I write a paragraph like this yesterday? Am I going to be able to meet my 2,000 word count today? I'm going to stuck and am not going to be able to get out of my blockage.".

The doubts are creeping in and it's driving me nuts. I need my mind to shut up and just write. That's the point, just write. It doesn't have to make sense. This is just getting the words out on paper (or screen). Editing will come later. If I even want to edit it. No one is going to read this except me. No one is going to say "This is wrong. This isn't how such and such works.".

So its time to get to work. I needed this mental scream to get myself going. Aye, aye, aye, what am I doing to myself?

Ramblings Of An Insecure Writer

This is the third day of National Novel Writing Month, and I think I'm holding my own so far. I've met my goal of 2,000 words the first two days. I've not written anything today yet. Not sure why I'm procrastinating today. Seems like I'm finding other things to do and not doing what I should be doing. The story I'm writing is coming to me in bits and pieces. I'm not sure I like where it's heading, but it's the only thing that keeps popping up. I don't want to write the cliché suspense story.

I was hoping to delve into the mind of a young adult who had a horrible childhood. Not a very uplifting story, no, but it's what I came up with. And I have to give credit for my idea to one of the contestants on The Biggest Loser (no it's not about weight loss). For those of you who watch the show, my idea came from Shay. For those who don't watch the show, Shay is in her early 20s and was the daughter of a heroin addict. So my story is revolving around that. I have no idea what Shay went through growing up, I'm just going with it.

Anyway, it seems my mind wants to turn it into a suspense story. Sure, my main character is dealing with the memories of her past, that was my main idea. But an idea came to me yesterday, and I'm having a hard time ignoring it. The problem, is it's so cliché. I keep asking myself "Do I really want to go there? Seriously?", and I guess I do. After all, when I first started I said I'd let the story go where it wanted to. So I guess I'll do it.

My other thoughts are, "Am I good enough to write like this? Who do I think I am trying to write a 50,000 word novel in one month? What if I write something 'wrong'. What if I get certain facts wrong? Am I writing the same things over and over? Didn't I write a paragraph like this yesterday? Am I going to be able to meet my 2,000 word count today? I'm going to stuck and am not going to be able to get out of my blockage.".

The doubts are creeping in and it's driving me nuts. I need my mind to shut up and just write. That's the point, just write. It doesn't have to make sense. This is just getting the words out on paper (or screen). Editing will come later. If I even want to edit it. No one is going to read this except me. No one is going to say "This is wrong. This isn't how such and such works.".

So its time to get to work. I needed this mental scream to get myself going. Aye, aye, aye, what am I doing to myself?

November Craziness

The month of November will be a bit crazy for me. Why? I'm finally going to do something I've wanted to try for several years. National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo, starts November 1 at 12:01 AM and lasts until November 30 at 12:00 AM. The goal? To write a 50,000 word novel in a month. That seems daunting when you look at that number. Fifty thousand words. Roughly 175 pages. In one month. Have I lost my mind? Probably. When you break it down in smaller chunks, that's 1,667 words a day. That seems more doable. My plan is to write 2,000 words a day, so in case I need a day off or I hit a patch of writer's block I'll have some leeway.

So, yes, I will probably be a crazy woman the entire month of November. Especially since I can't remember the last time I've done any creative writing. I've got a few ideas rattling around my head, so it's just a matter of organizing them and seeing where it leads. The problem is, the only plots I can think of are tragic ones. Deaths, suicides, dealing with awful events. Strange. We'll see. Am I going to share this novel? Probably not, because it's going to be really really really bad. Like I said, it's been a while, so I'm very rusty with the whole creative writing thing. Something I want to change, since I love writing.

Two thousand words a day, plus any other freelance writing assignments I can get my hands one, plus staying on top of my workouts. This is definitely going to be a challenge. If I finish, great, if I come up short, well I can try again next year. If I stay positive and don't slack off I think I'll be able to do this.

Yikes.

November Craziness

The month of November will be a bit crazy for me. Why? I'm finally going to do something I've wanted to try for several years. National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo, starts November 1 at 12:01 AM and lasts until November 30 at 12:00 AM. The goal? To write a 50,000 word novel in a month. That seems daunting when you look at that number. Fifty thousand words. Roughly 175 pages. In one month. Have I lost my mind? Probably. When you break it down in smaller chunks, that's 1,667 words a day. That seems more doable. My plan is to write 2,000 words a day, so in case I need a day off or I hit a patch of writer's block I'll have some leeway.

So, yes, I will probably be a crazy woman the entire month of November. Especially since I can't remember the last time I've done any creative writing. I've got a few ideas rattling around my head, so it's just a matter of organizing them and seeing where it leads. The problem is, the only plots I can think of are tragic ones. Deaths, suicides, dealing with awful events. Strange. We'll see. Am I going to share this novel? Probably not, because it's going to be really really really bad. Like I said, it's been a while, so I'm very rusty with the whole creative writing thing. Something I want to change, since I love writing.

Two thousand words a day, plus any other freelance writing assignments I can get my hands one, plus staying on top of my workouts. This is definitely going to be a challenge. If I finish, great, if I come up short, well I can try again next year. If I stay positive and don't slack off I think I'll be able to do this.

Yikes.

Quick Update

I know my updates seem to be nowhere lately. I've been busy with a bunch of ghost writing in the last few weeks. Having written about fifteen to twenty articles I've been a bit tied up. The sites I write for have slowed down a little bit, so I may be posting more updates here soon.

Things that have been going on with me:

• Lots and lots of writing.
• Have been keeping up with my strength routine.
• Staying off my right foot so it can get better.
• More writing.

I love to write, so I am completely happy with all of the opportunities I've been finding online. It can get a bit stressful if I can't find information on a certain topic. That's when I dig deep through the Internet and find what I need. Lots and lots of digging. The main articles I've been writing lately have been information on various countries. It is interesting to learn about these places, but trying to find information on the nightlife in them can be a bit tough. Some of the more depressed countries like Somalia or others in Africa have very little information on the evening entertainment. I've got to get creative when it comes to that section of the article. I just picked up two more of those article types that are due on Monday.

As far as my workouts are concerned, it's going well. I've kept up with my strength training, for the most part. And I'm getting back into my elliptical routine as well. My right foot seems to be doing OK, so I'm working on my endurance and distance. At the moment I'm going about .4 mile three days a week. I'm hoping by next Friday I can get up to .5 mile. And I'm letting myself take breaks when I need it. My endurance is really lacking, and I had to stop twice last Friday. But I went without a break yesterday, so it is improving somewhat. Last year at this time it's hard to imagine I was doing a full mile nonstop in about 37 or 38 minutes. I'll get back to that point eventually. With the shin splints and this strange foot thing, taking as much time off as I have has wreaked havoc on my endurance.

The weather is still trying to decide if it wants to stat with summer temperatures or drop to fall. We had a high of the mid 80s for about a week a few weeks ago. It got back up to the 100s and now we seem to be getting down into the 90s for a high. Looks like our highs will be in the 80s next week, so maybe fall will actually stick around this time.

Not sure what else to update on, not much is really happening. I've got a few posts I'd like to write here, I just need to sit down and write them, I keep saying that, and I keep procrastinating or something else pops up (like these writing assignments) and I never get to it. I should be getting more time to write soon though.

This is kind of a disjointed post, but at least it is a post. More will be coming soon.

Quick Update

I know my updates seem to be nowhere lately. I've been busy with a bunch of ghost writing in the last few weeks. Having written about fifteen to twenty articles I've been a bit tied up. The sites I write for have slowed down a little bit, so I may be posting more updates here soon.

Things that have been going on with me:

• Lots and lots of writing.
• Have been keeping up with my strength routine.
• Staying off my right foot so it can get better.
• More writing.

I love to write, so I am completely happy with all of the opportunities I've been finding online. It can get a bit stressful if I can't find information on a certain topic. That's when I dig deep through the Internet and find what I need. Lots and lots of digging. The main articles I've been writing lately have been information on various countries. It is interesting to learn about these places, but trying to find information on the nightlife in them can be a bit tough. Some of the more depressed countries like Somalia or others in Africa have very little information on the evening entertainment. I've got to get creative when it comes to that section of the article. I just picked up two more of those article types that are due on Monday.

As far as my workouts are concerned, it's going well. I've kept up with my strength training, for the most part. And I'm getting back into my elliptical routine as well. My right foot seems to be doing OK, so I'm working on my endurance and distance. At the moment I'm going about .4 mile three days a week. I'm hoping by next Friday I can get up to .5 mile. And I'm letting myself take breaks when I need it. My endurance is really lacking, and I had to stop twice last Friday. But I went without a break yesterday, so it is improving somewhat. Last year at this time it's hard to imagine I was doing a full mile nonstop in about 37 or 38 minutes. I'll get back to that point eventually. With the shin splints and this strange foot thing, taking as much time off as I have has wreaked havoc on my endurance.

The weather is still trying to decide if it wants to stat with summer temperatures or drop to fall. We had a high of the mid 80s for about a week a few weeks ago. It got back up to the 100s and now we seem to be getting down into the 90s for a high. Looks like our highs will be in the 80s next week, so maybe fall will actually stick around this time.

Not sure what else to update on, not much is really happening. I've got a few posts I'd like to write here, I just need to sit down and write them, I keep saying that, and I keep procrastinating or something else pops up (like these writing assignments) and I never get to it. I should be getting more time to write soon though.

This is kind of a disjointed post, but at least it is a post. More will be coming soon.

Thoughts About Bon Jovi's We Weren't Born To Follow Video

I'll start out by saying that most of my friends and family know that I am a huge Bon Jovi fan. When I say huge, I mean huge! I've seen them in concert twice and they're the only band I can exercise to. I've tried different bands to workout to, and they just don't get the job done. Don't get me wrong, I do like other groups, but there's something about Bon Jovi that pushes me where I need to go.

I first discovered their music I think when I was in fifth grade, certainly by sixth. Since that time, the members of Bon Jovi and their music have been a big part of my life. It was their music I turned to when I was having a bad day. When I got teased and looked at funny by other students, I remembered particular lyrics in their songs that got me through that moment. When I don't think I can go another five or ten minutes on my elliptical, I just tell myself "that's one or two more Bon Jovi songs you get to hear".

On that note, I'm a bit perturbed by their new video that was released just a few days ago. The song We Weren't Born To Follow came on the airwaves not too long ago, and it's the theme to the Major League Baseball season. That's all well and good. I believe their song Who Says You Can't Go Home from the Have A Nice Day album was the MLB's theme song a few years ago.

I've known for a long time now that Bon Jovi were huge democrats. I don't know if it was the whole band, but I know Jon Bon Jovi helped campaign for John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And that's also fine. Where I have a problem though, is when they insert political issues into their videos. They have shots of Obama in the video (as well as Al Gore), and I sort of get a bad feeling when I see that. I'm in no way shape or form a political person. I don't follow politics at all, but I do know that Obama isn't living up to what he said he would.

I've also read where Bon Jovi went after the McCain/Palin party, getting after them about using their music for their campaign. This is kind of disappointing to me because if you listen to any of Bon Jovi's songs their lyrics are uplifting and positive. Most of their songs talk about standing up for what you believe in, and to keep on fighting when things get tough. When I listen to their songs, I don't associate them with one political party or another, but I associate them with the entire human race. So when one political party is told not to use their music (or that of any other band, I think I remember the band Heart telling McCain/Palin to not use their Barracuda song during their campaign too), I get kind of annoyed.

In the We Weren't Born To Follow video there are also shots of the miraculous Hudson River plane crash, shots from NASA and a shot of a basketball team that looked to be a part of the Special Olympics and of course the shot of Lance Armstrong holding his trophy. Those are great shots, because they signify accomplishments great and small that everyone can be proud of. Everyone can be proud of Lance Armstrong for overcoming all that he has to win the Tour De France. Everyone can be thankful and grateful about the Hudson River plane incident and be very proud of Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger's heroic efforts. And everyone can be proud about the competitors in the Special Olympics. But Obama? Does he really fit in with this upbeat and positive song? Not in my opinion.

It has me wondering. If I was in charge of a particular cause that Bon Jovi didn't believe in, would they come after me for using a song of theirs? They obviously don't support the republican party, so what if they didn't support whatever cause I was standing for? Am I automatically banned from their "allowed to play" list?

I'm not saying I won't buy any more Bon Jovi albums ever again, but I am saying I disagree with some of their opinions, political or otherwise. I disagree that political images were placed into their music video. I'm going to ignore their political views and just keep enjoying their songs. I'll keep being inspired to keep on going by their music. I needed to write this down for my own peace of mind. I'll take Bon Jovi's advice when they say to take one of their songs and make it your own. Take the song Have A Nice Day. I had no idea what their interpretation of that song was originally. I took it to mean that if things weren't going your way to just smile and move on. Smile and say "have a nice day" no matter how upset you are with someone. I found out later that is was written for that exact reason, but their reason for saying it was because George W. Bush had just been elected and they are basically saying "screw you" to the republicans.

I think from now on, I'm not going to listen to anymore interviews done with Jon Bon Jovi, as much as it pains me (and knowing me I'll sill listen), because when I hear things like that, it makes me sad. So, I'll just be happy with the upbeat songs and not worry what the actually meaning to them are. I'll make my own meaning for them. Doesn't mean I don't like the members any less, just their views on certain things. It also doesn't mean i don't think the guys in the band are any less attractive, hehehe. Yes, they're in their 40's and 50's now, but they still look damn good!

Thoughts About Bon Jovi's We Weren't Born To Follow Video

I'll start out by saying that most of my friends and family know that I am a huge Bon Jovi fan. When I say huge, I mean huge! I've seen them in concert twice and they're the only band I can exercise to. I've tried different bands to workout to, and they just don't get the job done. Don't get me wrong, I do like other groups, but there's something about Bon Jovi that pushes me where I need to go.

I first discovered their music I think when I was in fifth grade, certainly by sixth. Since that time, the members of Bon Jovi and their music have been a big part of my life. It was their music I turned to when I was having a bad day. When I got teased and looked at funny by other students, I remembered particular lyrics in their songs that got me through that moment. When I don't think I can go another five or ten minutes on my elliptical, I just tell myself "that's one or two more Bon Jovi songs you get to hear".

On that note, I'm a bit perturbed by their new video that was released just a few days ago. The song We Weren't Born To Follow came on the airwaves not too long ago, and it's the theme to the Major League Baseball season. That's all well and good. I believe their song Who Says You Can't Go Home from the Have A Nice Day album was the MLB's theme song a few years ago.

I've known for a long time now that Bon Jovi were huge democrats. I don't know if it was the whole band, but I know Jon Bon Jovi helped campaign for John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And that's also fine. Where I have a problem though, is when they insert political issues into their videos. They have shots of Obama in the video (as well as Al Gore), and I sort of get a bad feeling when I see that. I'm in no way shape or form a political person. I don't follow politics at all, but I do know that Obama isn't living up to what he said he would.

I've also read where Bon Jovi went after the McCain/Palin party, getting after them about using their music for their campaign. This is kind of disappointing to me because if you listen to any of Bon Jovi's songs their lyrics are uplifting and positive. Most of their songs talk about standing up for what you believe in, and to keep on fighting when things get tough. When I listen to their songs, I don't associate them with one political party or another, but I associate them with the entire human race. So when one political party is told not to use their music (or that of any other band, I think I remember the band Heart telling McCain/Palin to not use their Barracuda song during their campaign too), I get kind of annoyed.

In the We Weren't Born To Follow video there are also shots of the miraculous Hudson River plane crash, shots from NASA and a shot of a basketball team that looked to be a part of the Special Olympics and of course the shot of Lance Armstrong holding his trophy. Those are great shots, because they signify accomplishments great and small that everyone can be proud of. Everyone can be proud of Lance Armstrong for overcoming all that he has to win the Tour De France. Everyone can be thankful and grateful about the Hudson River plane incident and be very proud of Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger's heroic efforts. And everyone can be proud about the competitors in the Special Olympics. But Obama? Does he really fit in with this upbeat and positive song? Not in my opinion.

It has me wondering. If I was in charge of a particular cause that Bon Jovi didn't believe in, would they come after me for using a song of theirs? They obviously don't support the republican party, so what if they didn't support whatever cause I was standing for? Am I automatically banned from their "allowed to play" list?

I'm not saying I won't buy any more Bon Jovi albums ever again, but I am saying I disagree with some of their opinions, political or otherwise. I disagree that political images were placed into their music video. I'm going to ignore their political views and just keep enjoying their songs. I'll keep being inspired to keep on going by their music. I needed to write this down for my own peace of mind. I'll take Bon Jovi's advice when they say to take one of their songs and make it your own. Take the song Have A Nice Day. I had no idea what their interpretation of that song was originally. I took it to mean that if things weren't going your way to just smile and move on. Smile and say "have a nice day" no matter how upset you are with someone. I found out later that is was written for that exact reason, but their reason for saying it was because George W. Bush had just been elected and they are basically saying "screw you" to the republicans.

I think from now on, I'm not going to listen to anymore interviews done with Jon Bon Jovi, as much as it pains me (and knowing me I'll sill listen), because when I hear things like that, it makes me sad. So, I'll just be happy with the upbeat songs and not worry what the actually meaning to them are. I'll make my own meaning for them. Doesn't mean I don't like the members any less, just their views on certain things. It also doesn't mean i don't think the guys in the band are any less attractive, hehehe. Yes, they're in their 40's and 50's now, but they still look damn good!

Getting Caught Up

I've been really lazy with this blog lately, and I need to kick it into gear again. For the last few weeks, I've been maintaining still. I go up two or three pounds, then I go down two or three pounds. I had a downward movement on the scale Monday morning which I was pleased to see. After caving into a Dominos pasta bowl last week and also a Big Burger and fries from Carl's Junior, it was a pleasant surprise. Don't forget the ice cream with caramel sauce and Oreos either. Pretty bad, Tee, pretty bad.

My exercise was great again last week. I met my goal of strength training three days. I stayed off my right foot again for the most part. I ran a few errands last week with my husband and the foot felt just fine. No pain or twinges at all. Then yesterday we went to see a very bad movie and I thought I felt a small twinge. I was hoping it was just my imagination, but it's still feeling odd this morning. Not at all like it felt in the beginning. It doesn't hurt constantly anymore. It feels like when you bend your finger back and leave it there for hours on end. It gets sore and tired from being in that position. I'm still bending that big toe more than I should when I walk. Or I should say, I walk more on my toes rather than the entire foot. I also find that when I sit, my feet are in a strange position. I tuck my feet under my chair, with my toes being bent in a flexed position the entire time. Just tells me I need to wear my shoes. I like being bare foot though darn it. Ah well, on go the shoes today.

I am getting excited about the new season of The Biggest Loser. That starts next Tuesday. I have a slight issue however. There are a ton of shows that are going to be on Tuesday nights, so I probably won't be able to DVR it. I'll have to watch it on Demand or on Hulu. The good news is this season will be available online, the bad news is, the shows will be put up a week after they air. So, after the premier, I'll be a week behind. I'll have to avoid my reality TV blogs and emails for a while. At least I'll be able to watch it. And as usual, I'll go back and forth rooting for Bob's team and Jillian's team. I heard a rumor they're working together this season and not competing. Not sure what's up with that, I'll have to read up on it somewhere.

September is here and that means the heat will start to go away. This summer hasn't been too unbearable. It's been a cooler summer than in the past. We only got to 120 degrees a few times. It's mainly been 110 or less. Still hot, but not like it has been. I still remember about three year ago it got up to 126. That summer was awful. So, my guess is it will be below 100 later this month or at the beginning to mid October. Can't wait. Fall and winter are my favorite times of the year in the desert. Winter especially.

Not a whole lot is going on. Just taking it day by day. I am tempted to try out my foot tomorrow on the elliptical. I really need to move again. I want to and I don't want to. I want to test it out, because I really do miss my elliptical workouts. I miss the movement, I miss how it brightens my mood, I miss seeing the miles go by on my Virtual Walk tracker. I don't want to test it out because I don't want to get on and have it still hurt. That will really bum me out. And I think the latter will happen considering I felt a twinge or two yesterday. But we shall see. Have to think positive. The lack of my elliptical workouts is starting to affect my balance. I'm starting to feel a bit shaky and unstable again. I'm fighting with it though. I have to stop what I;m doing from time to time and tell myself to relax and take it slow, and that I'm not going to fall.

My goals for this week. Stay away from the junk food! I'm out of my chocolate Special K, that's why I'm going for the junk lately. Ugh. Two days of strength training. I skipped Monday because we went out. Try out my foot and see how goes. Need to get some writing done this week also. The ghost writing site I write for is jumping lately. They're up to 23,000 writers and the articles disappear as fast as they get put up. And the second site has been empty lately. Need to do my own articles for Associated Content and eHow also. I've really been slacking on those. I have a bunch of topic ideas, I just need to sit down and do it.

And that's all for this beast of a post.

Are you looking forward to The Biggest Loser starting?

Getting Caught Up

I've been really lazy with this blog lately, and I need to kick it into gear again. For the last few weeks, I've been maintaining still. I go up two or three pounds, then I go down two or three pounds. I had a downward movement on the scale Monday morning which I was pleased to see. After caving into a Dominos pasta bowl last week and also a Big Burger and fries from Carl's Junior, it was a pleasant surprise. Don't forget the ice cream with caramel sauce and Oreos either. Pretty bad, Tee, pretty bad.

My exercise was great again last week. I met my goal of strength training three days. I stayed off my right foot again for the most part. I ran a few errands last week with my husband and the foot felt just fine. No pain or twinges at all. Then yesterday we went to see a very bad movie and I thought I felt a small twinge. I was hoping it was just my imagination, but it's still feeling odd this morning. Not at all like it felt in the beginning. It doesn't hurt constantly anymore. It feels like when you bend your finger back and leave it there for hours on end. It gets sore and tired from being in that position. I'm still bending that big toe more than I should when I walk. Or I should say, I walk more on my toes rather than the entire foot. I also find that when I sit, my feet are in a strange position. I tuck my feet under my chair, with my toes being bent in a flexed position the entire time. Just tells me I need to wear my shoes. I like being bare foot though darn it. Ah well, on go the shoes today.

I am getting excited about the new season of The Biggest Loser. That starts next Tuesday. I have a slight issue however. There are a ton of shows that are going to be on Tuesday nights, so I probably won't be able to DVR it. I'll have to watch it on Demand or on Hulu. The good news is this season will be available online, the bad news is, the shows will be put up a week after they air. So, after the premier, I'll be a week behind. I'll have to avoid my reality TV blogs and emails for a while. At least I'll be able to watch it. And as usual, I'll go back and forth rooting for Bob's team and Jillian's team. I heard a rumor they're working together this season and not competing. Not sure what's up with that, I'll have to read up on it somewhere.

September is here and that means the heat will start to go away. This summer hasn't been too unbearable. It's been a cooler summer than in the past. We only got to 120 degrees a few times. It's mainly been 110 or less. Still hot, but not like it has been. I still remember about three year ago it got up to 126. That summer was awful. So, my guess is it will be below 100 later this month or at the beginning to mid October. Can't wait. Fall and winter are my favorite times of the year in the desert. Winter especially.

Not a whole lot is going on. Just taking it day by day. I am tempted to try out my foot tomorrow on the elliptical. I really need to move again. I want to and I don't want to. I want to test it out, because I really do miss my elliptical workouts. I miss the movement, I miss how it brightens my mood, I miss seeing the miles go by on my Virtual Walk tracker. I don't want to test it out because I don't want to get on and have it still hurt. That will really bum me out. And I think the latter will happen considering I felt a twinge or two yesterday. But we shall see. Have to think positive. The lack of my elliptical workouts is starting to affect my balance. I'm starting to feel a bit shaky and unstable again. I'm fighting with it though. I have to stop what I;m doing from time to time and tell myself to relax and take it slow, and that I'm not going to fall.

My goals for this week. Stay away from the junk food! I'm out of my chocolate Special K, that's why I'm going for the junk lately. Ugh. Two days of strength training. I skipped Monday because we went out. Try out my foot and see how goes. Need to get some writing done this week also. The ghost writing site I write for is jumping lately. They're up to 23,000 writers and the articles disappear as fast as they get put up. And the second site has been empty lately. Need to do my own articles for Associated Content and eHow also. I've really been slacking on those. I have a bunch of topic ideas, I just need to sit down and do it.

And that's all for this beast of a post.

Are you looking forward to The Biggest Loser starting?

Weekly Summary And Weigh In

I did OK last week. I was a bit better with the dessert thing, although I did have four Oreos last night. One serving of Oreos is three cookies. And I've come to realize, I'm no longer a huge fan of Oreos. I used to love Oreos, but now, meh, I can do without. I'm happy with my chocolate Special K.

My exercise last week went great. I did two days of my usual strength training, and on Wednesday I had my house cleaning workout. Adding in an extra set of "manly" push ups is going to be fine I think. I did three sets of 15 on Friday and this morning. The third set was a bit of a struggle this morning, but I did it. I feel stronger with my entire weight routine with my arms. If I had a higher set of dumbbells I'd be contemplating going up in poundage. But the highest I have are 8 pounders, so I'll think about just adding another set of 15. Not at the point yet, but will get there. As it is, my husband told me Friday I had "Jennifer Aniston arms". I had to laugh at that. Fine with me! I love her arms!

I tested out my foot on the elliptical this morning, and it's still a no go. I had no pain at all Sunday and very little on Saturday. I did two tenths of a mile and had to stop. Not where I'd like it to be at this point. I am glad however, that I discovered I've only been off the elliptical for one month and not two. So that makes me feel a little better about taking more time off. I plan to take one more week off, maybe two and go from there. I may look into buying new shoes as well. Not sure though.

I did put a folded towel under my left foot to give that a leg a boost, and that will help again I think. I also concentrated on shifting my weight more back and forth and pushing with my whole foot. The shifting of my weight won't be a problem, but pushing with my whole foot will take time and practice. I find myself slipping back to the toe pushing very easily. But I will work on it and it will get there. Just need to rest my foot a little more.

Oh yes, I did weigh in this morning, and I am down a pound. That's fine, since last week I was up three I believe. And that was most likely due to the dessert thing that week.

The plan for this week is three days strength training, and rest the foot. Already have one day down so it's a good start!

How are your workout plans set for this week?

Weekly Summary And Weigh In

I did OK last week. I was a bit better with the dessert thing, although I did have four Oreos last night. One serving of Oreos is three cookies. And I've come to realize, I'm no longer a huge fan of Oreos. I used to love Oreos, but now, meh, I can do without. I'm happy with my chocolate Special K.

My exercise last week went great. I did two days of my usual strength training, and on Wednesday I had my house cleaning workout. Adding in an extra set of "manly" push ups is going to be fine I think. I did three sets of 15 on Friday and this morning. The third set was a bit of a struggle this morning, but I did it. I feel stronger with my entire weight routine with my arms. If I had a higher set of dumbbells I'd be contemplating going up in poundage. But the highest I have are 8 pounders, so I'll think about just adding another set of 15. Not at the point yet, but will get there. As it is, my husband told me Friday I had "Jennifer Aniston arms". I had to laugh at that. Fine with me! I love her arms!

I tested out my foot on the elliptical this morning, and it's still a no go. I had no pain at all Sunday and very little on Saturday. I did two tenths of a mile and had to stop. Not where I'd like it to be at this point. I am glad however, that I discovered I've only been off the elliptical for one month and not two. So that makes me feel a little better about taking more time off. I plan to take one more week off, maybe two and go from there. I may look into buying new shoes as well. Not sure though.

I did put a folded towel under my left foot to give that a leg a boost, and that will help again I think. I also concentrated on shifting my weight more back and forth and pushing with my whole foot. The shifting of my weight won't be a problem, but pushing with my whole foot will take time and practice. I find myself slipping back to the toe pushing very easily. But I will work on it and it will get there. Just need to rest my foot a little more.

Oh yes, I did weigh in this morning, and I am down a pound. That's fine, since last week I was up three I believe. And that was most likely due to the dessert thing that week.

The plan for this week is three days strength training, and rest the foot. Already have one day down so it's a good start!

How are your workout plans set for this week?

Nutritional Information On Restaurant Menus

I had my first experience with seeing nutritional information on a restaurant menu today. I know some places have this sort of thing on their menus, but I've never actually seen it for myself.

We went out to Mimi's Cafe this afternoon after running a few errands, and as I was skimming through the menu, I saw their Fresh And Fit section. I instantly fell in love with this option. I had always loved the idea of restaurants adding nutritional information to their menus, but once I actually saw it, it just made my opinion stronger. The nutritional information isn't done in an "in your face" kind of way at all. I think the type of people who are against this type of idea are those that don't like to actually see the damage their doing to their diet. They don't want to know how many calories they're eating and don't want to feel guilty about having eaten it later.

Mimi's doesn't have nutritional information for their entire menu, just for their Fresh and Fit section. I personally would love to see all the nutritional information, for every dish. As it is now, I go to the Calorie King web site to see if the restaurant we're going to has any of their meals listed. Either that or I will go to their personal web site and see if they list any there. If they don't I'm assuming the meals are high in calories and fat. But I could be wrong.

At Mimi's Cafe I had the Sweet and Sour Chicken. I would have thought that the sodium count for that meal would be high. I was shocked to see the sodium was only 209 mg. That meal was only 555 calories, 19 grams of total fat, and 3 grams saturated fat. Not too bad at all! And it was pretty tasty. I was a little hungry a few hours later, while everyone else I had lunch with was still somewhat full. So I grabbed a nectarine and that was perfect.

So, yes, I am definitely all for having nutritional information on restaurant menus! I hope this becomes standard for most restaurants. And if not, I hope they at least post the facts on their web sites. I know it takes a lot of pressure off when I know exactly what I want, and not have to guess at which meal is the healthier option.

What do you think? Would you like to see nutritional information on restaurant menus? Or would you rather not know the amount of calories you're eating?

Nutritional Information On Restaurant Menus

I had my first experience with seeing nutritional information on a restaurant menu today. I know some places have this sort of thing on their menus, but I've never actually seen it for myself.

We went out to Mimi's Cafe this afternoon after running a few errands, and as I was skimming through the menu, I saw their Fresh And Fit section. I instantly fell in love with this option. I had always loved the idea of restaurants adding nutritional information to their menus, but once I actually saw it, it just made my opinion stronger. The nutritional information isn't done in an "in your face" kind of way at all. I think the type of people who are against this type of idea are those that don't like to actually see the damage their doing to their diet. They don't want to know how many calories they're eating and don't want to feel guilty about having eaten it later.

Mimi's doesn't have nutritional information for their entire menu, just for their Fresh and Fit section. I personally would love to see all the nutritional information, for every dish. As it is now, I go to the Calorie King web site to see if the restaurant we're going to has any of their meals listed. Either that or I will go to their personal web site and see if they list any there. If they don't I'm assuming the meals are high in calories and fat. But I could be wrong.

At Mimi's Cafe I had the Sweet and Sour Chicken. I would have thought that the sodium count for that meal would be high. I was shocked to see the sodium was only 209 mg. That meal was only 555 calories, 19 grams of total fat, and 3 grams saturated fat. Not too bad at all! And it was pretty tasty. I was a little hungry a few hours later, while everyone else I had lunch with was still somewhat full. So I grabbed a nectarine and that was perfect.

So, yes, I am definitely all for having nutritional information on restaurant menus! I hope this becomes standard for most restaurants. And if not, I hope they at least post the facts on their web sites. I know it takes a lot of pressure off when I know exactly what I want, and not have to guess at which meal is the healthier option.

What do you think? Would you like to see nutritional information on restaurant menus? Or would you rather not know the amount of calories you're eating?

House Cleaning Workout

Today I did not do my usual workout routine. But I did get a workout. Between squatting to get laundry out of the dryer, pushing and pulling the vacuum cleaner and scrubbing the dog in the bath tub I managed to work out several parts of my body.

I was in a major cleaning mood this morning and I took advantage of it. I first managed to get the dog corralled in the bathroom, a major feat all on its own. George is a Chinese Crested, the kind with fur thank you, and is around ten to twelve pounds I'd guess. The first couple of times that I bathed him it was no problem getting him in the bathroom. Now, he's wise to my motives. I call him in and he starts cowering and shaking, the poor thing. So, I get him in, telling him it will only take five to ten minutes to get him all sudsy and clean again, but he gives me the pitiful puppy dog look. I lift him in and turn the water on. He behaves this time and doesn't manage to jump out like he did last time. Midway though, my lower back is aching from bending over the tub. My arms though are getting a good workout by the rub-a-dub-dubbing of the pup.

Now comes the fun part. Getting George out of the tub and trying to contain his spray of water. He has a lot of fur, a lot, and it holds a lot more water than you'd think. He recently got a trim in April I believe but he still has a lot a fur. I went through three bath towels getting him somewhat dry before letting him unleash his pent up energy through the rest of the house. I then use another two bath towels to mop up the water on the floor, toilet and walls...yes, walls. The little dog can shake I tell you. And come to think of it, I somehow managed not to get soaked.

Think that's the end of the dog washing? Nope. I don't want him to track water all over the tile in the hall and kitchen area, so I bring him into the bedroom. He loves the bedroom. Why? Because our three cats hide out there. So I let him in, and warn the cats with a "look out kitties, here he comes!" and he zooms right in. I get him over to my hair dryer and start on the long drying process. It takes me longer to dry his fur than it does to dry my hair. Trying to keep him still and in one place while drying him works the muscles too. So I hooked a finger in his collar (probably not too safe to do, for fear of attaining a broken finger) and went to business. Not sure how much time has past, but between kneeling on the tile bathroom floor and then kneeling on the bedroom floor, my legs were tired. I do a sort of "genie sit"



while drying him off so that works the fronts of my thighs.

So, with the dog mostly dry I send him out of the room, give him a treat for behaving fairly well and move on to the next task. Laundry. With most of my bath towels were used up having quite a few already in the hamper, I haul the load into the laundry room and dump them in. After I of course put the blanket that was in the washer into the dryer. Now I can relax right? Nope. Out to the kitchen I go to empty the dish washer and reload the sucker. I got balance practice in by putting away glasses and dishes on the upper shelves. Side bends were done loading dishes into the washer, and a major test in balance was achieved when putting pans on the tippy tippy top shelf of the pantry. Success.Thank goodness for the chair behind me in case I fell over.

I had a bit of a break by having lunch and watching some news. Then came time to do some squats with the dryer. Got the blanket out and it was still not quite dry so I hung it up on my elliptical (sad to see it used for a drying rack at the moment), and put the huge load of towels into the dryer. Next I hauled Ashley's (our second cat, about 10 years old) makeshift bed (my old comforter from college) and loaded it in.

Since her bed was now in the washer, I decided to give our bedroom a thorough vacuuming. I love my vacuum.



It gets dirt and fur and sand that others just don't get. I was going to sprinkle the floor with carpet freshener powder and vacuum the room a second time, but my husband got back from work. So that will have to wait until tomorrow or whenever. The carpet is starting to get that "cat" odor to it again. So after pushing and pulling the vacuum around, I was finally done. I went from about 9 AM to 1 PM non stop, other than lunch which was all of ten minutes.

And as I was writing this post, our youngest cat Abby, about 8 years old, decided to get sick on one the covers that covers the couch. So I hauled that sucker into the washer and it is now being cleaned. So with a slight headache, I am tired, but I feel very accomplished. I may not have gotten my traditional workout in, but it sure feels like it. And to all you moms out there that do this, or similar activities every day, my hat is off to you!

House Cleaning Workout

Today I did not do my usual workout routine. But I did get a workout. Between squatting to get laundry out of the dryer, pushing and pulling the vacuum cleaner and scrubbing the dog in the bath tub I managed to work out several parts of my body.

I was in a major cleaning mood this morning and I took advantage of it. I first managed to get the dog corralled in the bathroom, a major feat all on its own. George is a Chinese Crested, the kind with fur thank you, and is around ten to twelve pounds I'd guess. The first couple of times that I bathed him it was no problem getting him in the bathroom. Now, he's wise to my motives. I call him in and he starts cowering and shaking, the poor thing. So, I get him in, telling him it will only take five to ten minutes to get him all sudsy and clean again, but he gives me the pitiful puppy dog look. I lift him in and turn the water on. He behaves this time and doesn't manage to jump out like he did last time. Midway though, my lower back is aching from bending over the tub. My arms though are getting a good workout by the rub-a-dub-dubbing of the pup.

Now comes the fun part. Getting George out of the tub and trying to contain his spray of water. He has a lot of fur, a lot, and it holds a lot more water than you'd think. He recently got a trim in April I believe but he still has a lot a fur. I went through three bath towels getting him somewhat dry before letting him unleash his pent up energy through the rest of the house. I then use another two bath towels to mop up the water on the floor, toilet and walls...yes, walls. The little dog can shake I tell you. And come to think of it, I somehow managed not to get soaked.

Think that's the end of the dog washing? Nope. I don't want him to track water all over the tile in the hall and kitchen area, so I bring him into the bedroom. He loves the bedroom. Why? Because our three cats hide out there. So I let him in, and warn the cats with a "look out kitties, here he comes!" and he zooms right in. I get him over to my hair dryer and start on the long drying process. It takes me longer to dry his fur than it does to dry my hair. Trying to keep him still and in one place while drying him works the muscles too. So I hooked a finger in his collar (probably not too safe to do, for fear of attaining a broken finger) and went to business. Not sure how much time has past, but between kneeling on the tile bathroom floor and then kneeling on the bedroom floor, my legs were tired. I do a sort of "genie sit"



while drying him off so that works the fronts of my thighs.

So, with the dog mostly dry I send him out of the room, give him a treat for behaving fairly well and move on to the next task. Laundry. With most of my bath towels were used up having quite a few already in the hamper, I haul the load into the laundry room and dump them in. After I of course put the blanket that was in the washer into the dryer. Now I can relax right? Nope. Out to the kitchen I go to empty the dish washer and reload the sucker. I got balance practice in by putting away glasses and dishes on the upper shelves. Side bends were done loading dishes into the washer, and a major test in balance was achieved when putting pans on the tippy tippy top shelf of the pantry. Success.Thank goodness for the chair behind me in case I fell over.

I had a bit of a break by having lunch and watching some news. Then came time to do some squats with the dryer. Got the blanket out and it was still not quite dry so I hung it up on my elliptical (sad to see it used for a drying rack at the moment), and put the huge load of towels into the dryer. Next I hauled Ashley's (our second cat, about 10 years old) makeshift bed (my old comforter from college) and loaded it in.

Since her bed was now in the washer, I decided to give our bedroom a thorough vacuuming. I love my vacuum.



It gets dirt and fur and sand that others just don't get. I was going to sprinkle the floor with carpet freshener powder and vacuum the room a second time, but my husband got back from work. So that will have to wait until tomorrow or whenever. The carpet is starting to get that "cat" odor to it again. So after pushing and pulling the vacuum around, I was finally done. I went from about 9 AM to 1 PM non stop, other than lunch which was all of ten minutes.

And as I was writing this post, our youngest cat Abby, about 8 years old, decided to get sick on one the covers that covers the couch. So I hauled that sucker into the washer and it is now being cleaned. So with a slight headache, I am tired, but I feel very accomplished. I may not have gotten my traditional workout in, but it sure feels like it. And to all you moms out there that do this, or similar activities every day, my hat is off to you!