Wednesday, December 31, 2008

It's a resolution, baby!

There are just 7 hours remaining in 2008 -- a year that I will remember for its crazy, crazy weather, tumultuous economy and the $2+/gallon drop in gasoline prices. I'll remember it personally as the year of my trip to Phoenix, my tattooed backside and my growing kinship with working out.

There was nothing I could do about the global events. For the most part, there was little any of us could do. But the personal events -- now there's something I have some control over.

Every year I write my list of resolutions on a piece of paper and stick it in a drawer in my dresser at home -- and every year, a few days after Christmas and before New Year's, I pull it out to see how well I did.

I couldn't find this year's/last year's list. I'm going to assume I did pretty well and just move on.

A few things I can remember that were on the list -- hits, of course -- were having an improved sense of self, living just a little more healthfully and "dare to be different" each month (hence the tattoo).

My sense of self did indeed improve and while I am still working out and watching what I eat, I am getting to be happy with who I am. We have always loved veggies and fruit at our house, but we have spent the year eating fewer fried and fatty foods.

I haven't been as consistent with the "dare to be different" vow, but I did get the tattoo, started working at a fitness facility (and fell in love with it -- I actually look forward to working out!), and have learned how to live happily single.

So on to 2009:

-- I'm going to try, again, to "dare to be different." Try something new -- just once -- each month in 2009. (Calm down, Mom, I've already got the tattoo. Another one wouldn't be "different" now, would it?!)
-- Have a little more "me" time. This isn't a selfish resolution -- right now I have virtually no "me" time, and the kids have better social lives than I do. That has to stop. ha!
-- Time with the kids will be quality time as much as possible. I have just a little over a year before the first one graduates from high school and, theoretically, leaves the nest. I am eager to watch him spread his wings -- and just as eager to have him return to that cute little blonde 5-year-old I escorted to kindergarten.
-- Spend more time with the folks. This year has been an interesting one with them -- Dad fell on the ice in February and has been battling a shattered shoulder, and the two of them renewed their vows in September -- and I've remembered how much I enjoy spending time with them, and how much I miss that.
-- Embrace technology. It's the world we live in.
-- Be happy. Be frustrated, disappointed, worried, scared -- but be happy. Know where happiness comes from and thrive.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

When is a loss a victory?

Food is still winning the fight, but I'm about to make the battle a little more public.

It's no secret that people gain weight over the holidays, but I thought maybe I'd be the exception. After all, my part time job is at a fitness center and in December I started a "butt busters" program with some of the members.

Then I started to feel a little thick. And my wonderful new pair of slacks got tighter. The holidays created shorter hours at the fitness center, so I went a week without working -- or working out.

Today I stepped on the scale. Four pounds more than when I weighed two weeks ago.

So here's my plan: I'm going to hit it hard every week, regardless of whether I work or not, and provide weekly updates through this blog. You'll get to know how many times I worked out in a week, how many pounds I've lost -- or (ick) gained -- and how my inches are going. I won't give out my starting weight, just the difference from week to week (give me some dignity, please!).

There will be blog posts that have nothing to do with this new challenge, but there will be at least once a week updates on how things are going.

To keep it honest and keep me accountable - somewhat - here are my goals: to lose 10 pounds by my birthday in mid-June, another 15 by Christmas 2009 and to drop two pants sizes over the course of a year.

So here we go -- the journey starts on Monday! Feel free to play along -- post a comment with your goals and we can trade weekly results.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Retaliation of the food variety

I think my food is starting to fight back.

No, I don't see my cauliflower sprouting legs and arms and throwing the carrots at my head. My baked chicken isn't suddenly coming back to life and chasing me into the living room.

But I have received a series of injuries -- minor injuries, but injuries all the same -- over the past week that were all due to my consumption of food or beverage.

On Wednesday, while working from home because of snow, I tried to crack open a walnut and the shell sliced my thumb. On Thursday I was reaching into the freezer and an ice cube (yes, an ice cube) pierced my index finger.On Friday I was eating a chip with lunch and a corner stabbed my gumline. And just today, a too-warm cup of coffee burned the tip of my tongue and the roof of my mouth.

What gives?

It could be that for the majority of my life I've had to "battle with my weight." I was only what I would call "very heavy" in the latter years of my marriage but I've never been uber-thin. So I've fought the food battle -- keep an eye on the amount of fried foods I ate, fortunately I've always loved fresh veggies. My weakness for chocolate was offset by my love of salad. I gave up doughnuts and pie and cake and other sinful delicacies long ago.

But now I wonder if the food is starting to fight back.

"C'mon," I can hear it saying, "just one bite. We won't hurt you. You'll like us, we promise."

Yeah, right.

Where do I find self-defense classes to protect me from attack food?

Monday, December 1, 2008

And for the rest of you ...

Forgot to add these to the bottom of my last post, but here is a list of other fun holidays in December:

Dec. 2: National Fritters Day
Dec. 4: Wear Brown Shoes Day
Dec. 8: National Take It In the Ear Day
Dec. 12: National Ding-a-Ling Day (See? Everyone gets a holiday!)
Dec. 13: Ice Cream and Violins day (I have no idea why these two go together)
Dec. 16: National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day (Yet another favorite!)
and ...
Dec. 30: Festival of Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (There's only one of those each year?).

A day just for me

Finally, a holiday devoted to me and my kind that I can truly, truly relate to.

The day after Christmas, Dec. 26, is National Whiners Day. I can't wait.

I don't know if I've always been a whiner or if the people I know now just bring it out in me -- but for the last three years I've become somewhat of a whining icon. I even won a "High Maintenance Award" in 2006 from my then-editor.

Whining truly is a craft. I don't whine like my 13-year-old daughter whines -- you know, with the foot stomping and "it's not fair!" declaration at every turn. I apparently got so good at disguising my whines that for the longest time I didn't realize that what I was doing actually WAS whining. Until I asked my friends. Co-workers. Family. Kids.

Oh, yeah. I'm a whiner.