Hip Bursitis

I was diagnosed with bursitis a couple of weeks ago when I was experiencing pain in both hips.  Now my moderately-active lifestyle has been reduced to almost sedentary.  No stairs. No walks.

I miss my long walks.  They help clear my head, perk up my mood, and keep depression at bay.  My mom has a new in-chair-aerobics exercise dvd for us to try.  That should help.

The good news:  the medication, an anti-inflammatory called diclofenac, seems to be kicking in.  I was more active yesterday. The goal is to do more strength training for hips and core.  And, of course, get the joint-damaging poundage off.

I've been tracking my calories and had reduced them during my sedentary days.  I had lost 7 pounds but am since up 2.  More adjustments.

Here's a quote from Angela's blog, Isla de Angela:  What if you woke up today with only the things you were thankful for yesterday?

I hope you have a great day!

June Gone So Soon

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This is NOT my summer so far.

June has kicked me in the butt.  I have absolutely nothing to complain about -- it's been great, actually -- but just so busy.  It's like every moment is spoken for.  No lazy days of summer here.

But now, I have an empty house (even the dog has gone to Grandma's), so I thought I'd check in.

I've maintained my weight, which pretty much means I'm still fat.  I've really been lacking the meal-planning department and have not been cooking much.  The amount of restaurant and fast food we've consumed astounds even me (not to mention the cost).  Ugh.  I feel hypocritical because my beliefs have been "I shouldn't be too busy to eat right."  Then, when demands on my time increase, I'm in the frame of mind, "Okay, I'm needed here.  Let me get this done then it's back on the straight and narrow."  Or "There's only so much I can do in a day, you want me to cook, too?"

{grrr, empty house not empty anymore  -- sigh}

I have been walking, though, which is a God-send.  It has really perked up my energy and mood, AND I've been staying off the caffeine, which helps me sleep better at night.  High activity -  good; not caring what I eat - bad.

So, what happened with the Eating for Your Soul program?  I still believe in most of it, but I have not been applying myself or given much thought to intuitive eating.  It's a program that teaches about having a good relationship with food and your body, but it's not a weight-loss program.  When I told the leader, Jarah, at the last meeting I've really enjoyed the program and felt I learned and applied a lot BUT that I have to lose the weight -- it's not an option, my body and especially my feet hurt -- and how do I go about it, she pretty much said that when I work the program, I'll eventually start eating less and less.  She added I won't lose the weight until I stop thinking about losing the weight.

That was so discouraging.  Maybe she's right, but she hasn't lived it.  How does she know? Food (overeating/binges/obesity) has not been an issue for her.  That's irrelevant, I suppose, because I'm the one that has to take the time to focus on what I'm putting in my mouth and why.  Like any program, I have to do my part.  In all honesty, I haven't (except for the exercise).

Jarah recommended one-on-one work, and I agreed, but I haven't heard from her since.  I also wanted to purchase two more workbooks (one for my mom and I to work on together and one for a friend).  I was supposed to get those over a month ago, but I haven't even received a phone call nor an email.

...not sure why...  maybe her summer has been as busy as mine... 

I hope you have a great Independence Day

Exercise with Immediate Results!

"Don't you just love it when exercise feels like it has a purpose?!"

That was a comment from Jill under my "5K Pioneer Style"  post. And it is so true.  For a person that likes to see immediate results for effort, it's hard to walk on a treadmill that goes nowhere or lift a bunch of weights and then look in the mirror to see nothing has changed.

Well, here's some exercise with purpose.  (I should have taken a before picture).  Recently, I've been putting in a garden.  My yard is on a slope, and I wanted a place to grow vegetables, so I put in a couple of retaining walls and soil.

When I said "I put in," I literally meant I put it in and didn't hire someone.

-Dug in and removed sod and hauled it

-Loosened dirt underneath, removed rocks and chunks of cement

-Picked up retaining wall bricks brick-by-brick from d.i.y. center and put them on hand cart.

-Put the bricks brick-by-brick into vehicle, then out of vehicle, then eventually into position, carrying many uphill.

-Did this also with soil.

This is the top level.

The almost-finish product.
I started off with two short walls that just
ended bluntly .  I added the top level and
extended the bottom levels, curving them around.

There, I planted white onions, garlic, collard greens, Swiss chard, lettuce, lots of spinach, summer squash, jalapeño peppers, carrots, parsnips, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, basil, cilantro, radishes, and tomatoes.  The Brussels sprouts will go in later, and I need to find a spot for the spaghetti squash.  I may plant them in front of my house with some pumpkins.

Hopefully something grows.

 

After I finished the garden, neighbors came over and offered their unused garden plots for our use.  They are elderly and don't keep them up.  My kids were thrilled!  We've been weeding and hand-tilling (okay, they weren't thrilled about that part).  My 11 y.o. son planted his corn "field."  My 5 y.o. son planted his watermelon patch.  And my 10 y.o. daughter is surrounding the garden with giant sunflowers.  I'm putting in cantaloupe.

We're dirty.  We're tired.  I'm sore.  But it's great to accomplish something.

I may see that I don't look much different in the mirror, but the yard sure is different, and that is so satisfying.  I tried to use good form while lifting each brick or shovel.  It seemed like every muscle was being used.

And I was tired each day.  A good tired.

I'm not trading my weights or kettlebell for a landscaping business, but it was nice to exercise the original way for a while.  

I have a friend who's exercise routine is vigorously cleaning her house.  She really puts herself into it and works up a sweat.

Do you have a non-gym activity that gives you a good work-out?
Blogging has not been on the forefront.  I hope to catch up with y'all in between summer activities (including weeding).

Blurry and Out of Focus

It's 4 in the morning and my head is spinning with my to-do lists.  Items continue to be added to it, and the line between what is important and what is urgent is blurred.  Everything is good, but it's so easy to slip back into old, familiar eating and nonexercise patterns when there is a lot demanded from me.


I noticed lately that I'm not taking the time to truly taste my food nor eat slowly.  I'm busting over my stop signals and eating things that I don't even like much.

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I am by habit a "chaotic eater"* as defined by Jarah Christensen's  Eating For Your Soul.  When I multi-task and am being pulled in many directions, I don't take the time to feed myself.  Then I become famished and make poor food choices and overeat or binge on those poor choices.  Starve - binge - starve - binge.  When I'm in this chaotic mode, I hate dealing with food (especially when I'm the only one that cooks).  I don't hate cooking, but there's only so much of me and my time, and I don't want to deal with it.


So, yes, I'm slipping back into that way of  eating.  "Chaos is not conducive to listening to my body."  No kidding.


I've also traditionally been an "emotional eater."  I don't think I've slipped back into this.  If I have, then not by much.  But, I don't emotionally binge the way I used to:  buying packages/trays/bakery boxes of pastry-type stuff and digging in, sometimes crying, sometimes numbly staring off into space.


*{Other types of eaters are:  Control Eaters, Professional Dieter, Waste-Not Eater, Offend-Not Eater, Emotional Eater, and Closet Eater}.

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So, what am I going to do about this?  I can't be cloned.  The list isn't going away.


I am important; my well-being is good for everybody and the list.


Be still, then move
First, renew my focus.  I will take quiet time for myself -- no kids, no computer, no list  -- and meditate/ponder/pray about what I want to do for my body that day.  I'll write it down, say it out loud, come up with a mantra - something - to reinforce listening to my body.


Second, move.  I will take at least a 5 minute walk or turn on music and dance.  This is separate from regular exercise.  This is just to pump up some energy and my mood.  If I can take a quiet walk, that will help clear my head about priorities.


My plan of action doesn't seem like much, but it's a foundation.  It's so easy for me to just roll out of bed and get into auto-mommy mode and not even think about the day ahead or to let the day go by without focus nor quiet time.


What do you do to get your vision back?

5K Pioneer Style

I don't remember having such fun school field trips when I was a kid in Phoenix, AZ.  Today I helped chaparone a 20-handcart trek for my daughter's 4th grade field trip -- it was literally a trip through a field.


Each handcart had a "pioneer family" of about 8 people.  We took the handcarts from her school, through the neighborhood and turned into a field and then crossed a creek (mud and all) into a wetland reserve that I never would have known was there from driving by.  There we had a chuck-wagon lunch and learned different skills at several stations.


What's a Handcart?
During the 1800's, memebers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka "Mormons") were driven from their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois.  Some had covered wagons and horses, but supplies and money dwindled, and many resorted to handcarts.


Here in Utah, especially Utah County, having pioneer ancesestors is common, even if one isn't an active LDS member.  Students are taught to appreciate the pioneers, Utah history and its settlement.


I had a great time, and was super hot and tired when finished.  I'm treating a headache now -- so worth it.  I'm thankful for a cool home to go to and clean water from the faucet. 

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Beginning our trek from the school and through
the neighborhood.

"Fun" hills.

Going down and down and down.
The kids had to do all the work.
The front steers.  Those holding the back of the
cart keep it from going too fast.  Those with the
ropes are the "brakes."
Teamwork.  Trust.

Muddy creek.

Marie and me.
(That dress is so comfortable and forgiving.)

Marie catching a bug.

Row of 20 handcarts.

Stew by the stream.
(And cornbread with honey butter and the best
apple I've ever had).

I get to call this part of my home.

Marie and me.

My girl.

Trekkin' On

I'm sorry I haven't been around lately nor visited your blogs.  Anybody else feeling the end-of-the-school-year crunch?  Reports are due.  Costumes need to be made.  Field trips attended.  It's all good but just busy.  I'll be going with my daughter on her 4th grade field trip:  a pioneer handcart trek this Friday to aid in Utah history studies.  I'm getting our "pioneer" clothing and supplies ready.

Then we'll be getting up the next morning at 5:30 to get ready for her Irish dance competition that day.

Next in line is making a sea-creature type costume for her 4th grade "opera" which she is dreading.  "It's so embarrassing," she says.  She's looking forward to making the costume, though.

I'm feeling bloated and bleh.  Last week I was roaming for chocolate.  I stopped paused myself and wondered why I wasn't listening to my stop signals.  I checked my calendar and sure enough, I was two days away from "lady time" (as a blogging friend calls it), and the urge to overeat was strong.  I became extra busy and didn't plan very well and my choices were not good.  My body has been complaining about it, too.

How was your Mother's Day?  I have a funny story.  Last Sunday, my youngest needed my help cleaning him after his BM.  So there I am, toilet paper in hand and helping him when he sweetly and sincerely said, "Happy Mother's day, Mommy."

"Food" -- Poor Puppy Dog (Quickie Humor)

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I noticed the original link was broken.  I have since updated The Ultimate Dog Tease link.

This reminds me of me during a restrictive, deprivation diet!  

Click HERE.
(About 1 minute length).