That's not you!

A mini weightloss victory:  the other day, I went to get my oil changed.  On the back of my credit card, I have written "check ID" so the gentleman ringing me up asked to see my ID - this doesn't happen often. 
I showed him my license and he said: "that's not you." 
"Sure it is."
"No, that's not you."
"I assure you, it is me."
"Well you are withering away.  But you know, in a good way."

Kind of a weird compliment - I assume it is weightloss related. I'll take it!

Technology and Wellness

I read an article on the 64 best health and fitness apps of 2013 and wow.  Most of the apps are free which makes me super happy.  Couch to 5K made the list which is great.  There are a couple of different apps available that are all very similar in getting someone ready to run a 5K.  I only have experience with C25K (free) and Ease into 5K (paid).  I think both are great, but C25K has a free version that is the complete program, where many of the other free versions are really just "lite" versions of the program and only include a few workouts. 

The app from the list I am most excited about is Teemo.  It has all these little challenge courses you work your way through.  Each course has multiple exercises that only take a few minutes and no equipment.  I love this because I can do one challenge while my oatmeal is cooking, or a multiple challenges to make a longer workout.  It seems like a new, kind of cool way to incorporate extra physical activity into my normal day.  The downside is you have to have a Facebook account to use the app.  I do have a Facebook, but I don't play games or run any of my other apps through it.  The app is designed to be social, but I am not sure I want to use it that way.  You can choose to not allow the app to post on your behalf. 


There is also an Eat Local app on the list that intrigues me.  I like to eat local whenever possible and I love going to a Farmer's Market, so this is something I may have to try.  I think I know about all the local Farmer's Markets near where I live, but the app is free, so it could be fun.  The Weight Watchers app was also included on the list and I do use it to track my daily points and weekly weigh ins.  Something that was not mentioned in the article: the app is free to download, but you have to be a Weight Watchers member to log in and use it.  An app that did surprise me as being a wellness type app was Instagram.  I have not jumped on the Instagram bandwagon.  I did download the app months ago to see what it was all about, but haven't really used it.  Greatist.com claims you can join communities and there is one that celebrates making healthier choices.  Making good choices is a strong theme in the lessons and workshops I created during my undergrad and into my career.  So I may have to become an instagramer. 

An app that I can't believe exists is STD Triage.  How it works is you take a picture of your problem (most likely located on your genitals) and submit the picture along with a description of your symptoms.  A dermatologist will review your problem based on the supplied information and you will receive a notification once a diagnosis has been made (which you then pay for).  The best part of this?  The app icon. 



*I don't know if I need to say this, but these are just my opinions (obviously!).  I was not paid by any of these companies or app type people to write this.  It is simply a collection of wellness related apps that I love or want to try (or scratched my head at).  And thanks to Greatist for making this killer list!

FPM

So, I nicknamed my weekly Weight Watchers meeting my Fat People Meeting, which is wrong on so many different levels.  It's mean, but I don't care: FPM makes me giggle, and to me that is important.  Not all the people at the meeting are fat, some are lifetime members that have reached their goal and continue to attend meetings for support.  Which is great, support is such a vital part to successful weightloss.  My progress for the last two weeks was not spectacular, but I am trying not to be bummed about it.  I missed a FPM, because of my eye injury, so my weigh in this week was for two weeks and I lost 2 pounds.  I am trying to be positive about it because any loss is good: I didn't put the weight on overnight, so I won't lose it overnight either.  Plus, I spent the better part of last week camped out on the sofa with a cold washcloth over my eyes.  I should be jumping up and down, shouting "Boo Yah!" to my fat. 

Not really related, but begging to be shared: I like to eat oatmeal, it is tasty.  Oatmeal is like ice cream, but hot and oaty.  What I mean is you can put fun toppings on it like you would for an ice cream sundae. I am usually a fruit and nuts kind of girl (haha!), but sometimes chocolate is required.  This morning I made my oatmeal, topped it with 8 pecans - chopped, a teaspoon of raw sugar, and half a teaspoon of cinnamon.  Then I poured my hot Irish breakfast blend tea on it.  Seriously.  I just stood there and stared at it for a minute, trying to decide if I should dump it and start over or mix it up and eat it anyway.  Then a stroke of genius hit me: drain it over the sink.  Okay, maybe not the stroke of genius you were expecting, more like stroke of common sense.  I don't know what was going on in my brain this morning.  Tea doesn't go on oatmeal!

Bucket List

3. Go to a murder mystery dinner.
Kind of cheesy?  Yes.  Fun? I hope so.  All I know about murder mystery dinners: I want to go to one, I want to dress up, and I love the movie Clue.  After some fancy googling, I learned there are options.  You can be creative and plan one, you can be less creative and get a kit, or you can let others be creative for you and go to a show. 

4. Learn to whitewater kayak.
I am already an active flatwater kayak type person: love love love being on the water.  Whitewater kayaking has always been something I have wanted to learn, but I let my weight keep me from taking the first step (or roll class so I don't get dead).  Now that I am doing something about my weight, I am making a goal to make this happen.   

5. Go kayaking in a bio-bay.
Okay, bio-bay is short for bio-luminescent bay, which means that it is a body of water that contains millions of micro-organisms (called dinoflagellates) that briefly glow when agitated.  So while kayaking at night everywhere your boat or paddle disturbed the water would glow.  Spectacular!  I tried to find some good pictures, but so many had been edited to make the glow brighter, and that is cheating!  Anyway: three bio-bays can be found in Puerto Rico. 

Heart Rate

I have seen some great playlists created for running out there in the interwebs. For me, music is great for pacing, which is something that a lot of people struggle with, specifically new to running or start again type people. There are some great running apps available (I used - and still use - Couch to 5K and am a big fan), but if you don't want to pay for it or don't have the technology, the advice I frequently give is to jog for a song, walk for a song, repeat. If you can't make it a whole song that's is okay, just keep at it, your endurance will get better.

I love music, discovering new (at least to me) bands, checking out the local talent, whatever. I always keep a playlist specifically for running on my iPhone; it is titled heart rate. Because I love music and making lists is fun, my current running playlist.  I just put it on shuffle and go.  According to iTunes, my playlist is 1.6 hours; I typically make my running playlist longer because I play the shuffle game; I find this is more than long enough for my warm up, run, and cool down. The type of running goals I am setting now are distance and pacing related because of my half marathon goal. 

Magic: B.o.B (feat. Rivers Cuomo)
So Good: B.o.B
I Know What I Am: Band of Skulls
One Week: Barenaked Ladies
Done.: The Band Perry
Timebomb: Beck
Crazy in Love: Beyonce
Hunting for Witches: Bloc Party
Runaway Baby: Bruno Mars
You Make Me Feel...: Cobra Starship (feat. Sabi)
Turn Me On: David Guetta and Nicki Minaj
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This): Eurythmics
Good Feeling: Flo Rida
Give a Little: Hanson
I Kissed a Girl: Katy Perry
Peacock: Katy Perry
Blow: Ke$ha
Somebody Told Me: The Killers
Say Hey (I Love You): Michael Franti & Spearhead
Seven Seas Blues: Monster Truck
Chocolate Raspberry Lemon and Lime: Muscles
Moving In the Dark: Neon Trees
A Good Idea At the Time: Ok Go
Breakin' Dishes: Rihanna
Get Busy: Sean Paul
Got 2 Luv U: Sean Paul
Shut Up and Let Me Go: The Ting Tings
That's Not My Name: The Ting Tings
Drive By: Train

Bucket List

 

Tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM, I have to report to a testing center to take a professional exam that will qualify me to do professional type stuff.  I should be practicing good test taking procedures like studying, going to bed early, and eating a good breakfast, but it is likely that won't happen.  What will actually happen is I will roll out of bed late, pull on a pair of running shorts and my favorite Adidas jacket with the thumb holes, and eat an energy bar on my way to the testing center.  Since I know myself so well and am okay with the reality of what will go down in the morning, I am surfing the web and looking at other people's bucket lists on Pinterest.  Which got me to thinking: I have never actually committed to making a "bucket list." To be honest, I don't even like the term, but it is better than "to do" list and flows better than "make it happen" list.  Instead of creating one long list that will take half your life to read, I am creating a running one as inspiration hits. I love to travel and take pictures, so a large portion of my bucket list will likely involve travel of some kind (but who's doesn't?).

1. Climb the Tower of Pisa. 
The tower leans about 3.99 degrees, is absolutely beautiful, and you get to climb it!  Look at it all leany and stuff.

2. Go to a drive in movie.
I have never had the opportunity to go to a drive in movie.  Unfortunately, this style of theater is not common anymore.  I know there is one near me; I sometimes drive by it when I go hiking.  So I really need to make this happen.

Maybe I could be a pirate impersonator

I am afraid I am going to turn into a mole person. Or a bat. A bat would be much cooler with the flying and the sonar. I have spent the week with my eyes closed, forgetting how to blink was becoming a real fear. But I have listened to enough daytime TV to turn me into a bored housewife. Or a hermit. And I learned I really like Ellen Degeneres. What really happened: Sunday I scratched my cornea during some extreme yard work. And when I say I scratched my cornea I mean a tree jumped into my eyeball, competed in battle, dominated, and took a scoop of my cornea as a trophy. A giant scoop! This entire experience has been so terrible. I went to the doctor, she put numbing drops in my eye (which are magic!) then drops to dilate, did some other stuff involving lights, crazy eyeball microscopes, and an orange eye crayon, and a contact lens to serve as a "bandage." Then she left the room and I passed out. It was so weird, I have never fainted before, I got nauseous, felt really hot, then woke up slung sideways in the chair with my head on a cart. My brain said: "huh." Because that's all I could manage.

But now I am healed enough to open both eyes! Which is so exciting I can't put it into words. I am going to try driving tomorrow. I am ashamed to admit that I haven't been running since Sunday. Something else to try tomorrow! This injury really knocked my on my booty, I never imagined this kind of injury would disrupt my life so much. Maybe it's just me, but a scratched cornea doesn't sound like a big deal, besides I have a spare right? It so didn't work that way; whatever the good eye did, so did the injured eye and that was a whole new level of suckage. It is possible I am just a weenie, but my ego is telling me that's not the case.

Comeback Post

So, I suck at this whole blogging thing. 

Number one reason for my (not so) triumphant return: I am making a serious effort to become more healthy and lose the weight gained in college and maintained my first few years of working.  Writing about it here will hopefully keep me motivated and maybe even hold me accountable.  It is very frustrating when I look in the mirror and see how much weight I have gained, especially since I have earned a degree in Lifetime Wellness and I try to live an active and healthy lifestyle.  I know how to lose the weight and tried for two years to lose it on my own.  I started running, most of the food I ate was nutritionally sound.  I understood I didn't put the weight on overnight, so I was not going to lose it overnight either.  I wasn't having much success and that frustrated the hell out of me.  I don't often feel fat (until I look in the mirror, struggle with a yoga pose, or walk into a fitting room).  I still feel like the girl I used to be, but with a better understanding of how to style my curly crazy hair. 

So I am doing this little thing called Weight Watchers, maybe you have heard of it? I don't 100% agree with everything Weight Watchers does (and I am not going to open that can of worms yet), but a lot of people have had great success with the program and I need to do something.  I have been a member for 12 weeks and as of Monday, I have lost 15 pounds and received some very cute little star stickers as evidence of my success.  Obviously something is working: I think it is the stickers. But my jeans still squeeze me and I can't tell a difference.  My long term, end of the tunnel, holy freaking cow goal is to lose 119 pounds (or so - this will put me in the middle of my "healthy" weight range.  BMI weight charts: another can of worms).  I find this to be daunting, heartbreaking, exciting, and really scary.  Now I am going to chronicle this bad boy of a goal. 

The second reason for my comeback: my public needs me!  Not really, but I have received a few very sweet messages inquiring why I stopped posting.  So I am back, my wonderful people, all seven of you.