My Heroes... The Unknown Soldiers...

The links to the past few weeks' articles:

http://www.unknownsoldiersblog.com/2013/11/war-fatigue.html

http://www.unknownsoldiersblog.com/2013/11/the-story-goes-on.html

http://www.unknownsoldiersblog.com/2013/11/their-destiny.html

Happy Thanksgiving...

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. I spent it reading, writing, and with my sister and her family. It was lovely. I ate too much, but I did much better than I have in the past. Go me. A nap would be lovely. :-)

Week 127 of REAL...

REAL - Reduce stress Exercise Adequate sleep Lower caloric intake

What Navy SEALs are required to do to make it into BUD/S:

http://navyseal.s5.com/requirements.html

http://military-fitness.military.com/2013/01/the-spartan-300-workout-and-new-variations.html?ESRC=sm_fit.nl

RIght up front: Never in a million years could I do what is required. However, I needed to start somewhere. Considering how fit the SEALs are, I figured it was a good place to start. So my SEAL puppy reps (SEALp) consist of girls' pushups, crunches, and flutter kicks, a SEAL training basic. I started with doing one of each. 

Hip lifts

PT ~ Physical therapy using 2-lb and 1-lb weights, alternating days.

UB ~ Upper body exercises

I've worked up to 50 and then 10 more.

The 22nd: SEALp. PT. UB. No walk as it rained all day.

The 23rd: 1-mile walk. PT. Still raining. I picked up pine cones and brought them home.

The 24th: Rest. 

The 25th: 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. Made blueberry muffins. Yummy.

The 26th: I did some major grocery shopping, so I did a lot of lift and carry. I'm counting it. LOL!

The 27th: 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. I'm tired.

The 28th: PT.

The first picture was taken in February 2012. The second picture was taken in June 2012. Inspiration, at least to me:

Follow up on eating of late...

I like having tea first thing in the morning and as a last thing at night.

I've been terrible about overeating. I'm stressed, about a lot of things.

I've made a commitment to myself. How many times have I said I'd do something huge and backed out at the last minute? More times than I care to count. It's a pattern with me. I'm afraid to fail, afraid to succeed, so I freeze. This time, it isn't an option. Not to me.

I don't know if I'm on schedule or not. I've never done this before.

So I eat to give myself some control.

Oh.

It does help if I understand the driving force.

Blueberry Muffins...

I tried a new blueberry muffin recipe I found on Pinterest. I substituted the vegetable oil with coconut oil. Then I traded out the oatmeal for Rice Chex. Finally, I doubled the blueberries. They are really, really yummy. :-)

Other odd things: I used buttermilk I froze. I also used eggs I froze. It all worked, deliciously.

I'm not sure if this link will work or not:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160863017914120592/

Carpe Diem... Holiday Mail for Heroes...

I copied my sister's post from last month. I wrote mine this last weekend. I had some Christmas postcards. I found an envelope big enough, dropped it on a scale, and added postcards until it reached just under 1 oz. Four postcards. I wrote them, popped them all in the single envelope, and mailed them this morning. I hope they brighten someone's day.

Holiday Mail for Heroes:

http://www.redcross.org/support/get-involved/holiday-mail-for-heroes

Copied from the web page.

Card Guidelines:

Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.

Please observe the following guidelines to ensure a quick reviewing process:

• Ensure that all cards are signed.
• Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
• Only cards are being accepted. Do not send or include letters.
• Do not include email or home addresses on the cards: the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
• Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos: these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
• Please refrain from choosing cards with glitter or using loose glitter as it can aggravate health issues of ill and injured warriors.
• If you are mailing a large quantity of cards, please bundle them and place them in large mailing envelopes or flat rate postal shipping boxes. Each card does not need its own envelope, as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution.

All holiday greetings should be addressed and sent to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

The deadline for having cards to the P.O. Box is December 6th.
Holiday cards received after this date cannot be guaranteed delivery.

Thank Goodness It's Sunday... #182...

~ Rain

~ Cooler weather.

~ My newest cover. Perfect for the book.

~ Wonderful people who inspire me, every day.

~ Good books after a drought of not good books. :-)

My Heroes... posted on I drive warships...

This was amazing...

http://idrivewarships.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/a-sailors-dying-wish/

Eating aspect...

I have recently discovered that if I have enough bread available, say for every meal, I don't have nearly as much trouble with eating sweets. There are rice krispy treats and Halloween chocolate sitting untouched. This is most unexpected. I do have to ensure I eat enough protein as well, but bread is the big factor for me. I thought bread at one meal was enough to keep me happy. Nope. All three. And milk, even if I mix it with coconut milk, I need it at least once but preferably twice a day. I don't mean milk products, like cheese and yogurt. I enjoy those, too. I mean drinking milk either with cookies or in hot chocolate or for mixing Carnation Instant Breakfast.

Another thought: I've developed the habit of drinking a cup of tea in the morning, before I eat breakfast, and in the evening before going to bed. Is it the tea? The bread? The milk? Or a combination? I haven't stepped on the scale, but clothes don't feel as tight. It could be my imagination.

Week 126 of REAL...

REAL - Reduce stress Exercise Adequate sleep Lower caloric intake

What Navy SEALs are required to do to make it into BUD/S:

http://navyseal.s5.com/requirements.html

http://military-fitness.military.com/2013/01/the-spartan-300-workout-and-new-variations.html?ESRC=sm_fit.nl

RIght up front: Never in a million years could I do what is required. However, I needed to start somewhere. Considering how fit the SEALs are, I figured it was a good place to start. So my SEAL puppy reps (SEALp) consist of girls' pushups, crunches, and flutter kicks, a SEAL training basic. I started with doing one of each. 

Hip lifts

PT ~ Physical therapy using 2-lb and 1-lb weights, alternating days.

UB ~ Upper body exercises

I've worked up to 50 and then 10 more.

The 15th: 1-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UB. I cut my workout in half. I thought it the prudent thing to do since I slept less than 3 hours.

The 16th: 3-mile walk. PT.

The 17th: Rest. 

The 18th: 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UB.

The 19th: Nope, didn't do PT. It's tougher for me keep working out during the shorter days.

The 20th: 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UB.

The 21st: PT.

The first picture was taken in February 2012. The second picture was taken in June 2012. Inspiration, at least to me: