My kind of Snow Day....

When I woke up this morning, I drank a glass of water, stretched a little, looked out the window and then I turned on the TV. What's that? Rome Public and Parochial Schools.... Closed?? No other school listings, just Rome. Hmmm, must be a mistake. I looked out the window again. Nope, nothing. Just grass and a few patches of snow. I changed the channel, and there it was again. Hmmm. Okay, then. Gonna be that kind of day, huh? :)

Now, many of you already know that I am a huge NCAA basketball fan. To be more specific an SU basketball fan. Lifelong. Grew up in Syracuse, went to SU, love my Orange. One of the things I have ALWAYS wanted to do is see them play in the Big East Tourney in NYC; the ultimate kick-off to March Madness. And this is the year! Mom and me, my brother and sister in law and a few of her family members, too, are all heading to the Big Apple to cheer on the Orange. I have it all ... an orange purse, orange scarf, orange shirts, orange jewelry, even orange hair! The one thing I have needed, and putting off getting, is new jeans. I only have one pair, and I'm not in love with them.

I have been putting it off forever. Quite honestly, the only thing I like shopping for less than jeans is a swimsuit (ugh, need a new one of those soon, too). However, I can't go to a series of games in the same pair of jeans all week. So, after work tonight, I headed to pretty much the only clothing store in Rome ... JC Penney's (not thrilled with the changes in their pricing, but getting used to it).

Wandered in, wandered around, gathered several pairs of jeans and headed to the changing room to try them all on. Only to discover that I had to put them all back and get more in a different size ... A SIZE SMALLER!!! Yes, that's right, I have lost a size!!! I knew I was doing well. I feel good, I have had some compliments from random people, I'm being diligent, and I have lost about 10 pounds over the last month. But this is the first tangible evidence that something I'm doing is working.

And that's MY kind of Snow Day. :)

Thanks for listening.

Sleep well, sleep deep, sleep long

Well look at that, I survived week one and have even decided this may not be so bad after all. I have gotten myself in a pattern of drinking water all day. The two water bottles helped a lot with that. And it's a funny thing ... once you get your body used to being hydrated, you really miss it when you're not. My body has been telling me when I need to drink more water throughout the days. The last 3 days of the week, I actually drank all 64 ounces of my "required" water before 4pm! Bonus, I weighed in and have lost 10 pounds! It was a good week, a very good week; and I do feel a difference. I feel better, and ready to move on.

So, now we are on to week two, step two, change two. This one is going to be a little more of a challenge for me.

This week's change is sleep. Get seven to eight hours of good sleep a night. Piece of cake, right? Um, well....

Sleep. I have a love-hate relationship with sleep. On one hand it's one of my favourite things to do. On the other, it has become more elusive as I have gotten older. I've always been a bit of a night owl, staying up late reading, watching movies, gaming. And yet, I work a job that requires me to be up fairly early most days. I love to sleep in, and naps are a favorite activity of mine. And yet, sleeping later and during the day does affect sleep at night.

So, I shall follow the plan. I will keep the tv off in the bedroom at night (I'm not getting rid of it; I use it in the mornings and often while doing housework). I will limit my caffeine, sugar and liquids after dinner (it's so ironic that one week after making me dramatically increase my water intake, the plan is to sleep through the night *sigh*). I will develop a sleep routine. I will try to be more consistent in bed and rising times. And I will continue to drink water all day long. And we shall see.

Thanks for listening.

So far, so hydrated....

Just checking in mid-week to let you all know I haven't given up. Or drowned. :)

This has been a pretty easy way to slip into the new project. I like water; I drank a good amount of it even before beginning this journey. I was just never sure HOW much. Well, now I know exactly how much. I started the week keeping track of my water intake as I drank it, a cup or two at a time. I use Lose It! to log my daily food, so I just started adding water to the log. However that quickly became a hassle. Between drinking water, bathroom breaks (hey, all that water has to go somewhere!) and logging the ounces, I was running myself ragged. I thought that was probably not a good side effect of the program, so I knew I had to come up with something else.

So, I got myself a couple of good water bottles ~ exactly the same ~ 32 ounces each; one for work and one for home (that way I can't forget it in one place and be totally lost in my hydration).

I had only two requirements. First, it had to be bpa free:

And second, it had to be made in the USA (I'm getting a little more vigilant about this):

Oh, and third, it had to have a loop (to carry it) and a wide mouth (so I can add ice). I hate those little sippy spouts. They are impossible to clean and always seem so ick.

Mission accomplished! I am on my way to making it a habit to be hydrated. Hope your week is going as well as mine.

Thanks for listening.

It's the small things

It has recently been brought to my attention that it's now been almost a year since I wrote anything here. And to tell you the truth, I have missed it quite a bit. I just have been lost for a meaningful blogging project. For me to blog, there needs to be a plan. And now I have a new plan.

First, a little back story .... I decided this would be the year I get healthy. And stay healthy. So, I made an appointment and a few weeks ago I went for an annual physical. Well, I say annual, but to be honest it was the First Annual. Blood work analysis and all. And the results weren't all good. Most of the numbers were fine ~ lipids, -emias, blood pressure, were all perfect. My weight isn't perfect (not even close). My sugar was a little elevated (one above normal, so not so bad). And my cholesterol was high. Very high, actually. So, I have been making some changes in my diet and moving a little more. I've lost 8.8 pounds since January 31, so it must be working. But I decided that just wasn't quite enough. It's all well and good to be physically healthy, but I wanted an over all makeover project. Nothing drastic, just something to tweak the edges a little.

I did a little research and found a book. It's called 52 Small Changes: one year to a happier, healthier you by Brett Blumenthal. I looked into it a bit, and I decided it was exactly what I am looking for. I know a few other people who are reading it and they gave me positive feedback. And bonus ~ I only have to read one chapter a week. I invite you to read along with me and see if these changes really do make us happier and healthier. I'm sure the book is available at your library (after a short wait on the holds list, probably). Or you can do as I did and get the book for yourself (the link above is to the Amazon page). Or just follow along with me. I welcome feedback and encouragement. :)

So, here we go....

It all starts today with a glass of water. Well, with 8 glasses of water, actually.

The first week of change is to up the hydration levels. I already drink a good amount of water and seltzer. I do not, however, have any idea of the actual amount. So, starting today, I am going to log my water intake. My goal for now is to drink at least 64 ounces a day. At this writing, I have had 32 ounces; I guess I am off to a good start.

Something tells me this is not going to be quite so easy every week. :)

See you next week. Thanks for reading.