Week One-Hundred Seven 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 weights

UB ~ Upper body exercises

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

BD ~ Belly dancing (my version of it, anyway)

The 5th: 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UB. BD.

The 6th: 3-mile walk. PT. BD. Yard work.

The 7th: Rest. Slept 12 hours. Not good.

The 8th: 1-mile walk. SEALp. PT with 3-lb weights. UB. BD. Cut the distance considering the temperature was over 90 degrees at 5 AM. 

The 9th: PT. BD.

The 10th: 2-1/2 mile walk. SEALp. PT w/3-lb weights. UB. BD.

The 11th: PT. BD.

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

Interesting observation about meals...

Now that I'm changing my attitude about food ~ gratitude instead of curse ~ I'm learning to be more flexible. I'm learning to pay attention to what I eat, how I eat, and why I eat.

Not too long ago, I complained about those who demanded the 5-6 meals a day. I prefer 2 meals a day.

Last week, once I'd taken my stand on 2 meals, I discovered I'm happiest with flexibility. Some days, I want to eat every 2-3 hours. Other days, I'm only interested in food every 5-6 hours. Sometimes I want a full, well-rounded meal. Other times, I want a nibble.

What do you know... I'm learning to listen to me.

Latest food on the chopping block...

In case you didn't know, I don't pay attention to the experts anymore, except to mock them. I've been through my last "eggs are the perfect food ~ eggs aren't meant for people" tennis game.

The latest article I read was about how reduced-fat milk isn't good for you. They declared that you don't need 3 glasses a day. They also said you could eat your calcium other ways, like in kale. Yeah, sure. Three cups of kale equals one cup of milk. Quite the trade off there.

I went without milk for years because I thought it caused acne.

I've tried nonfat, 2%, and whole milk.

What works for me?

Whole milk. For the record, it's also known at 4% milk, about 3 cups a day, mixed with a bit of coconut milk.

I'm happier on milk than off. I feel better on milk than off. It is easier for me to reduce my weight if I'm drinking milk than when I'm not.

If God didn't mean for us to drink milk, then why do cows produce way more than they need? Did God really mean for it to go to waste? Really?

Is milk for everyone? Nope.

Know thy self.

Carpe Diem... Daytona...

NASCAR ~ Carl came in 29th. :( He is still 2nd in the Chase. Go Carl!

Writing. Writing. Writing.

I'm actually making good progress on the book due at the end of the month. Mary gave me some great advice and an awesome pep talk. I also had some wonderful encouragement from a couple other dear friends. Thanks Margaret and Jan! I'm so grateful for those who see me through the dark moments.

Thank Goodness It's Sunday... #162...

~ New opportunities encouraging me to grow.

~ Learning to be possessed of a grateful heart.

~ Hearing from friends who've been absent for a time due to health. Good to know they're still fighting the good fight.

~ Dogs. God bless dogs.

~ Fascinating TED video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfBpsV1Hwqs

I to do some rethinking.

My Heroes... Granite Mountain Hotshots...

Last Sunday, 19 firefighters were lost in the Yarnell Hill fire, 18 from Granite Mountain and 1 from another group. These firefighters are the best of the best. They are also Prescott's hotshot fire department. It is the largest loss of firefighters in wildfire history. They were doing their job, fighting the fire. The fire surrounded them. There are no guarantees in life. Perhaps it is a reminder that we shouldn't beat ourselves up when we do our best and things still turn out badly. God is in control, not us. They are in God's hands. If God is able to heal us the moment He touches us, does it matter if we are broken?

Names of those lost were listed here:
http://firecritic.com/2013/07/01/prescott-az-firefighters-identified-granite-mountain-hotshot-crew-lodds/

Andrew Ashcraft
Robert Caldwell
Travis Carter
Dustin Deford
Chris MacKenzie
Eric Marsh
Grant McKee
Sean Misner
Scott Norris
Wade Parker
John Percin Jr.
Anthony Rose
Jesse Steed
Joe Thurston
Travis Turbyfill
Billy Warneke
Clayton Whitted
Kevin Woyjeck
Garret Zuppiger

And Unknown Soldiers:
http://www.unknownsoldiersblog.com/2013/07/fourth-of-july.html

Week One-Hundred Six of REAL...

Posting a day late so I could focus on Independence Day.

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 weights

UB ~ Upper body exercises
I've worked up to 50 and then 10 more.

BD ~ Belly dancing (my version of it, anyway)

The 28th: 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UB. BD.

The 29th: 5-mile walk. PT. BD. Yard work.

The 30th: Rest.

July

The 1st: 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UB. BD.

The 2nd: PT. BD.

The 3rd: 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UB. BD.

The 4th: PT. BD. Happy Independence Day!

Not doing well. Not sleeping well. Out of sorts. Don't know why.

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

Independence Day...

Freedom isn't free.

Men and women lived, fought, and died for Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

The USO posted the above on FB to be shared. The below picture was on a freeshare site.

I love Lee Greenwoods "God Bless the USA."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZf619DIpo&feature=share

A little catching up on my reading...

I've read a lot of books. I'm always reading a lot of books. However, I haven't been reviewing them here. They mostly haven't been review worthy. I've added more authors to my "No" list. Sometimes it's simply a matter of the swear words. It may fit the story, but it's distracting. Sometimes, the love scenes have nothing to do with love. Sometimes, the characters are too annoying to spend one more moment with them. If I'm going to share my precious time with these strangers and embrace them as friends, then I want them to add to my life, not make me wish I could recover the hours lost.

Teri Wilson's "Alaskan Hero" was delightful. It's her second book with Harlequin. I loved the first one, and look forward to her next one. I also own her other books. Her first book I read was "Cup of Joe." Her stories include animals, dogs, wonderful dogs. I always feel the richer for reading her stories.

Rethinking how I think about my body...

The following link was posted on FB:

http://www.rolereboot.org/life/details/2013-06-when-your-mother-says-shes-fat

I'm not a mother. My mother didn't say those things about herself; she did say them about me, even though I wasn't fat. Example: "Men don't marry girls who weigh as much as you do." I look at the pictures of my much younger self and stare. I was perfectly proportioned. The perfect hourglass. Really. Curvy the way a woman should be curvy. Soft the way a woman should be soft, with nothing extra. I bought clothes off the rack, and they fit perfectly, except jeans/slacks/trousers, which never fit properly. They either fit in the hip and were too big in the waist, or they fit in the waist but were too tight in the hips. I didn't appreciate my body because I was told it was bad.

Now, I know better.

I'll never be that shape again. I'm sad for me. I'm sad for my body.

I'm even sadder that I've punished my body for not meeting impossible expectations.

I was trained well. If I liked a particular dish, it was changed until I didn't like it. I'm able to recognize now it was to stop me from eating.

Food is necessary for life.

I am worth feeding. Starvation is not being kind to me. Trying to eat like "the experts" advise is not being kind to me. I'm smart. I know what is healthy and what isn't. I sometimes make unhealthy choices. This does not make me stupid or bad. I make a lot of healthy choices. This is also not something to celebrate, doing so gives it too much "weight." :-) It's common sense.

Food is a God-given blessing.

I was taught to curse the food that sustains me. How messed up is that?

I'm working to learn to appreciate all my blessings, including food. God created some truly amazing goodies.

Maybe I need to try gratitude: Instead of lamenting my weight, I need to thank God for every delicious bite. It doesn't cost me anything... except a change in my thinking.

So it begins...

Carpe Diem... Kentucky...

NASCAR ~ Harrumph. Carl started out so well! He came in 21st. He's still 2nd in the Chase. Go Carl!

Writing... yes, that's actually the theme for this month. I'm going to attempt something new: Writing a book in two months. I've done one in four. This is going to require turning myself over to God. This is not easy. It requires faith and trust not only in God but in myself as well. This is something I've struggled with all my life. Perhaps it's time. "With God all things are possible." We're going to prove it.