Wrong side of the bed?!

Last night I slept on the other side of the bed and it felt very "wrong".  It wasn't right or wrong obviously, but it felt awkward.  So I've been pondering why it felt "awkward".   If I sleep in a hotel bed or at my mother's house or somewhere else and I'm on the other side of the bed, it doesn't feel awkward.  So I've come to the conclusion that it is simply that we are creatures of habit and breaking outside of our habits feels awkward.   And in some cases it can be downright hard.

Take eating and exercising habits for instance.  We get into patterns - whether good or bad - and then it's awkward to break the cycle.  This is a good thing with the good habits, but when we have bad habits that we are trying to break it can be very difficult.  Although sometimes uncontrollable forces have a very definite impact on our habits and can throw them off kilter before we realize it has become a problem.

The change in seasons has done that to me.  I was really enjoying my exercising and running outside through the spring and summer.  Now the weather has turned rainy (cold isn't so bad...but it just seems like it's raining all the time) and I'm finding myself not exercising nearly as much as I used to.   And suddenly it feels awkward - and I don't like it.

I'm going to have to weigh the options and decide a new course of action.  Last year I used my elliptical almost daily.  It was convenient and I really enjoyed it.  This year it doesn't sound quite as appealing, and I'm not sure why, but I think it has to do with the social aspect that I've come to enjoy when I run or bike with friends.  My initial thoughts are to join the YMCA, another gym, or to use the work out room where I live.  In the past I've been quick to join but then find that I don't use the membership and the $$ goes to waste, so I don't want to just jump into that course of action without a strong commitment that I'll go and use it.

I think half the battle is REALIZING that a habit is heading in a "not so good" direction so that corrective action can be taken before a new "bad" habit has been created and accepted.

I'll let you know what I decide.  In the meantime I'm going to go put on my workout clothes, get on my elliptical and contemplate which side of the bed to sleep on tonight.

I Get My Moxy From Fern

As I type this my 91.5 year old Grandma Fern is laying in hospice.  She has been strong in spirit, mind and body until a couple weeks ago when she had a stroke.  Then a week later she had a seizure and another stroke and now there is no hope for her recovery.  They are doing everything they can to make her comfortable and there has been family by her side 24/7 for the past 10+ days.

Grandma Fern is the type of woman everyone wants for a Grandma.  She is kind, intelligent, has a good sense of humor, is a hard worker, gives great back rubs, makes an awesome fish fry, (northern and walleye caught by Gramps from Pelican Lake) always looks like a million bucks, is a devoted Packer fan and has been known to gamble here and there.

By example she has taught her daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters how to live and love.  (I'm sure the male types in our family learned a lot too, but this is being written from the female perspective today, sorry guys.)  I was in my early 20's before I realized that not all mothers and daughters got along!  My grandma and her daughters should be the poster family for how to do it right.  I have nothing but deep respect for all of them.

My grandma is not a complainer.  She likes to shock us with a funny "zinger" when least expected and make everyone laugh.  Even now, laying there and fighting for breath for over a week and barely a moan or grumble from her.  She's a fighter.

I'm not sure what her image of heaven is, but Grandma thinks my Grandpa has probably found someone else up there.  We all know better.  They were married for over 60 years and he's waiting with his arms wide open for her to arrive.  The best is yet to come.

She's got MOXY, and I'm proud to say that that's where I get my moxy from.

Changes, changes and a fresh look!

Hi all!

Since a healthy lifestyle is about SO much more than food, I have decided to expand the focus of the blog to include not just the food stuff, but a healthy lifestyle as a whole.  There will still be stuff about food - I love food!  That's a sure bet, but I'll be expanding my posts to include exercise, and the spiritual aspect as well. (Even more than in the past.)  You'll probably find that the posts will be a little more on the personal side as well.

So with the slight shift in content.... a new template was in order as well.

Out with the old and in with the new.  I'm liking it!

Filling Out My Tracker

In the meeting room this week, we challenged everyone to fill out their trackers and bring them in next week.  I'm filling mine out faithfully and do you know how many times I have either not eaten something or really thought about it twice because I know I have to write it down?

As you know, I lost my weight on Weight Watchers CORE program where tracking is not such a big deal.  I'm not a tracker by nature and so this is a real chore for me.  I'm still following the Core (now Simply Filling) technique, but I'm writing it and tracking it.  AND it's making a difference.  I'm sure of it.

The power of tracking should NOT be underestimated!  

The Marathon!

I'll bet you've all been on pins and needles waiting to read about the WhistleStop Marathon.  My deepest apologies that it's taken this long to post.  Life has raced along at a crazy pace ever since the race.

I FINISHED!  Yay!  I did it in 4 hours 39 minutes and 01 second.  Truly if I'd have known they were counting the seconds I'd have run a little faster!  Ha!

I'm so glad I did it.  It was not easy.  In fact mile 23 and 24 were VERY hard and if it wasn't for the support of my "fan", I probably would have walked the rest of the way.  I'd have finished... but it would have taken me a lot longer.  I am happy to say that following a couple days of stiff legs, I was walking normally only a couple days later.

I highly recommend doing a marathon.  If I can do it - you sure can too.

And I got a free t-shirt - whoot, whoot!