4th of July

Probably my favorite holiday--it usually means get-togethers and barbeques.  And so it was.

Cookies, brownies, hamburgers and hotdogs, and salads.

And soda.

The soda was my assignment, but I didn't have any.  And I only had one hamburger, a small dollop of the cottage cheese/jello salad and only a few Doritos.  Of the cookies and brownies: I only had one.

Of each...

And there were a few options...

Still, it was a successful week: I'm down a few pounds overall and I unintentionally wear my pants like my son wears his. Time to cinch up the belt. Me likey!

Went on an awesome hike/trail run Saturday.

McCade gets to put me through the wringer tomorrow morning--and to that, I say, "Bring it!"

Curve Balls

WARNING: I’ll probably overdo this blog thing.  Case in point:

We think we know exactly where that ball is going, and then…

Swing and a strike.

Stupid curve ball!

Curve balls are a common occurrence in probably every aspect of our lives.  Even the 100-Day Heart Challenge.  Stuff happens.  Things get in the way and try to derail our best intentions.

Last night was one of those 100-Day curve ball nights.  Curve balls create stress.  Stress that says, “Hey—you’ve got crap happening and you don’t need to deal with all that healthy eating or exercise, at least for a couple of days, right?”

Sure (said the spider to the fly).

Last night my granddaughter was admitted to the hospital.  Not a huge deal (we hope); mostly precautionary: 24 hours of observation and IV fluid replacement.

I remember these kinds of things when it was my own kids.  It didn’t matter if was a mountain or a mole hill—“something is wrong with my kid and I’ll drop everything ‘til all is well again.”  Note: the stress level doesn’t decrease with grandkids.  At least not for me.  If anything, it’s gotten worse.  Now I’m not only worried about the sick grandkid, but I’m also worried about my kid and how she’s dealing with the whole thing.

But I digress.  Sorry.  I tend to do that a lot (and ramble on about nothing).

With all this going on last night and today, it’s been very tempting on a few occasions to drop the ball, at least temporarily.  Dinner at Wendy’s or pizza delivered by Domino’s would have been very easy and convenient.  Cancelling my training session this morning with McCade so I could get an extra hour of sleep sounded soooooo good at 12:30, 2:30, 4:15, and 6:00.

The smoke from the fires could have been another swing and a miss.  It’s too smoky to run outside.

A baseball game. 

Weeds in the garden. 

A book I’m so close to finishing.

Big and small.  Important and trivial.  They all compete for my time and attention.  And many of these things should rank very high on my priority list (if not the top spot).  But if I cut bait on the first snag that comes along, I'm not really making those lifestyle changes that this program is all about.  I need to learn to deal with what life gives me and still make those heart-healthy choices.

Look at me waxing all pontifical… (eyes rolling)

All I intended/wanted to say here is this: I found a legitimate reason to cut a corner on one meal and one training session, but I didn’t.  No one suffered a lack of attention as a result.  Sure the boy wasn’t as happy with dinner (a frozen pizza from the freezer) as he would have been with pizza delivery, but he survived; and I spent some quality time with my daughter and son-in-law at the hospital.

I think it’s human nature for us/me to look for or make excuses when we really don’t need to. 

There’s got to be a lesson in there somewhere.

Way excited!

A bout with Rheumatic Fever when I was 11 or 12 has kept me fairly aware of heart health and my particular need to take care of my own heart.  My grandfather died in 1985 of heart failure--and as a child, he also had Rheumatic Fever.  Grandpa was extremely limited in his last years and required supplemental oxygen.

I'd prefer not to have to pack an oxygen tank around with me

But I also want to be able to look as good in swim trunks as grandpa did at 62.

Sorta.

So, I was pretty excited when I got the news I was in the 100-Day Hearth Challenge.  To be honest, I really didn't think I'd ever be selected because I'm already fairly active: I run.

Marathons.

Where I totally stink at the heart health is in my eating.  And there's a reason for that--but no good reason.  My marital status went from married to not 8 years ago and suddenly I had to fend for myself.  Fending for myself, at least in the food category, for much of that time has involved a close and personal relationship with Del Taco, Wendy's, sometimes McDonald's, and more recently, In-N-Out Burger.  That and the 32oz to 64oz (and beyond) daily Pepsi habit I've had since high school (all hail the Big Chill!).  Even with all my running I have been unsuccessful in getting my weight and cholesterol down to respectable levels.

So, here I am, 3 weeks in and only one Double-Double and 3 plain old bean and cheese burritos from my old stand by's.  Oh!  And zero carbonated beverages!

And exercise.  If I thought I had been (exercising) before, I was sorely mistaken.  Apparently I need to exercise muscles other than those used to run.  Who knew?

My trainer is awesome.  Props to McCade.  I'm very excited and hopeful for what we'll accomplish before this thing is over.

Most of all, though; I'm looking forward to making changes to my dietary habits.  Already I've found that it doesn't have to be a difficult process fraught with bothersome calorie calculations and confusing conversion tables.  Just a little time and a willingness to get out of the drive-thru.  Plus, I figure I can save a few bucks here and there too!  Bonus!

Here we go!  Join me on this journey, will you?  And who knows--maybe I'll set myself up for a BQ opportunity as an add on.