Ruminations and Uncovering: Toward a New ME!

Doable targets

2012-03-04T16:54:00.000-06:00

Parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin experienced a late winter storm over the past week with areas in the north receiving record amounts of snow (22-26 inches). In Minneapolis we had about 4 inches of the fluffy stuff. A warm up is on the way though with 50 (!!) degrees in the forecast for the week. The mix of weather meant for me a mix in the kind of exercise I undertake and or where I did it. I biked 19 miles indoors using my trainer and five miles (!!) outdoors on my steady Dutch bike. I snowshoed .4 miles, cross-country skied for a total of 3.66 miles, and walked a mere 2 miles. Here are a few tracks of my snowshoes in northern Wisconsin (22 inches fell) and biking along one of the bike paths in Minneapolis.

Speaking of exercise there was an interesting article today in the Star Tribune about the importance of stretching and form while doing exercise and the necessity of mixing up the kind of exercise you do. I admit I have not been good about stretching especially with cycling. I am glad that on my own I have found out that cross training with other exercise activities is important, not just to get through winter, but in terms of using different muscle groups and avoiding repetitive inquiry syndrome. “Injuries tend to occur when monotony sets in” which is something I would like to avoid.

Doable target: I steadily make progress in exercise and eating each and every week. Even with my efforts, I am not really losing anything. As a matter of fact the three to four pounds that I gained during my three-week break are still with me. Today, I am setting a target for myself to get below 170 pounds before my birthday (May 22). Right now that is about 7 pounds. I know that is a doable goal for me. I plan to step up my exercise, especially cycling, now that the weather is starting to transition to spring. I believe my eating is good (about 1500 cals a day). Ramping up my exercise and being even more conscious of my calories will make the difference for me, I believe.

One more thing: I think most of you know thatI am a science and mathematics academic. This semester I am teaching a sciencecourse for non-science majors at my college for the second time. This time around I am teaching a unit on healthand nutrition, including using one of Marion Nestle's books (What to eat) and aplethora of other materials from various credible resources. Part of myinterest in this whole topic is my own journey to become healthier and I willeven share my own story. But it is more than just about me. I have found thathealth and nutrition are sadly absent in most general science courses at thecollege level as well as absent in the guidelines that are established for manystates across the country called standards. I will do my part to make these complex, interesting,political, and personal topics more visible from now on in my own teaching.

Have a great week everyone! Stay strong in your lifestyle commitment. Thanks for reading. TTFN, Michele

Uncovering my discerning palette

2012-02-25T21:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Saturday!

Hubby and I recently celebrated our anniversary. Forthat occasion we went to a local restaurant with Latin fusion food. Theappetizer (best guacamole I ever had and I am from California!) and the dessert(lemon pie, which we split) were luscious and delicious. The entrees were awonderful mix of seeming healthiness: including grilled salmon and veggies.They looked scrumptious, but, with one bite, I knew that a ridiculous amount ofsalt was added which obscured the flavors and subtracted tremendously from thehealthy goodness they promised. Disappointing. Neither of us finished ourentrees. Like I said, the dessert and the appetizers were divine. What Ilearned from this little outing is that I have developed a discerning palette.Yep, I can cook, and do so frequently. What I choose to cook is usually absentof salt and made with the freshest ingredients. Before I started my trek tobeing healthy and foot, I doubt I would have noticed the abundance of salt. Iwould have gobbled up the food and licked my plate, too! But no more. Now, I ampicky, not about the kinds and types of foods I eat like a child, but picky inthe sense that I want my food prepared so that they remain healthy and the mixof ingredients enhances the flavors and not detracts. I plan to communicate my disappointmentto that restaurant and ask them why the salt?!?!?!

In case you were wondering, yes, I just had anothergreat week of moving forward to better health. Yes, I ate my anniversarydinner, but I learned 10 months ago how to prepare for such an event: budget my caloriesaccordingly. Sure I ate a little more than my allotted 1500 calories a day, butnot much. Actually, planning is my new best friend when it comes to healthyliving and eating. You all know that I am back to work as an academic. Imake my lunch every day. Many days I get a start on dinner by prepping thelettuce for our almost daily salads at the same time. I am in the kitchen already, so cutting and washing lettuce is just asnap. When I come home starving I just open the fridge, toss in a few otheringredients (like beans, shredded carrots, and some onions), grab a plate and I havesomething to get me through until hubby and I sit down for dinner. Easy.Really. It is.

In case you were wondering what else I was up to last week: I cross-country skied 9 miles, walked 4 and biked for 13 miles last week.3/7 days I spent 30 minutes on exercise, with 2/7 days over 60 minutes. Notbad for a working girl! Enjoy a few pictures of my tracks in our lovely winter landscape.

A map of my 3.75 route today!

Finally thanks for reading. And new followers, thanks for coming along and sharing with me in this getting healthy thing. You all make me aware daily that I am not alone. Have a great week! Stay strong and TTFN,Michele

Good week and short post

2012-02-18T21:05:00.001-06:00

Hello Friendly Bloggers!Another good week just past. Not perfect, but very good. Stayed below my 1500 cals on 5/7 days. Everyday I packed a lunch and snacks so I always had very healthy and good things at my side while I was at work. I exercised 6/7 days with 21 more miles on my bike with trainer and 2.2 miles of cross-country skiing. I had to get up a couple days very early (5am) to get my exercise in, but I did it. No weight loss, but no gain either. So another good week. It was a beautiful day in NW Wisconsin today and a great day for XC skiing.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Thanks for your support and encouragement Have a great weekend and week. By all means: stay strong. TTFN, Michele

Update and cooking with Poblano chiles

2012-02-12T22:14:00.001-06:00

Greetings!My first week back to academia went well. I managed to get in 23 miles on my trainer and today completed another 1.5 miles of cross-country skiing. So for my first week back I achieved my first goal, which was making time to exercise almost every day. I can now ride for 35 minutes at a steady pace on my trainer. I did track my calories every day, too. So, all in all a great week back to work and staying true to my getting healthy and fit goals.You all know that I have found my inner cook. Well, last week, I took my first every cooking class at one of my favorite kitchen gadget shops in Minneapolis: Kitchen Window. I took a class called Healthy Winter Foods: Latin Flavors. In this class we were introduced to a number of healthy, vegetarian recipes, including corn and green chili chowder that I made tonight. Fantastic! I can now say that I can roast my own Poblano chiles, which are a main ingredient to the delicious chowder. The woman who taught the class, Anna Dvorak, is a certified nutrition and weight loss counselor. I did not know that when I signed up, but her philosophy of healthy easing and good health permeated everything she taught us about cooking. I still have a number of other recipes to try out from Anna and promise I will post pictures soon. I treated myself to my first ever “chef’s knife.” I never knew that chopping veggies was supposed to be THAT easy!Here is to a great week to all of you and Happy Valentine's, too! Stay strong in your own journey to be fit and healthy! TTFN, Michele

XC, Endomondo, baking and a great week!

2012-02-05T19:34:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a great day for cross country skiing.

Sunny, clear and of course snowy.

It's fun to try to figure out what animals left tracks.

My tracks.

Not as delicate as the animals, but pretty straight,

don't you think?

Today the oaks leaves were iced at the tips.

Yesterday, I tried a new recipe for French bread. They came out great! Don't you think? I had just two pieces and tracked my cals.

Many of you know Maren who blogs about her weight loss journey from beautiful Norway. Last week she posted about this cool little app called Endomondo. I was sold immediately when I foldout that it tracks many sports, not just walking, but get this, stair climbing, cycling (sport and mountain!), walking, cross country skiing and many, many others. The download for the “pro” version was $3.99, a bargain. It really is a dandy. It tracks your exercise distance, duration, calories burned and with GPS plots your course and produces these cool little maps of your route and calendar.

Pretty nifty, eh??

I had a great week last week! Tracked my calories and exercised well. Our weather was warm for Minnesota, which allowed me to get in TWO bike rides outside for a total of 12 miles. I did another nine on my trainer. I am getting better at keeping a steady pace on my trainer, clocking in two 30-minute rides. I cross-country skied 6 miles and walked 6, too! I know I will shed that extra couple of pounds I picked up during my three week hiatus in quick order with week's like the one just past.

Now, I am back to reality. Sabbatical is over. Back to academic life for me on Monday.

Look forward to checking in with all of you, too. As always, thanks for stopping by and sharing part of your day with me. Have a great week and stay strong! TTFN, Michele

XC Skiing, week report and spend your life wisely...

2012-01-29T09:22:00.001-06:00

Beautiful fresh snow means one thing: cross-country skiing!

Yeah!!

First, put on your cross-country skis.
A handy chair is helpful.

Notice the skis are long and narrow and the

boot clamps in only in the front to allow for smooth

running like movements as you ski.

Let’s break some trail!

Just you and your skis out here. Quiet..

A great 45 minute outdoor outing! No problem staying warm either!

Weekly update: I rode my bike using the trainer 4 times for atotal of 2 hours and about 12 miles. The bike via trainer remains challengingfor me. I increased my steady pace endurance to 15 minutes without stopping. Iplan to keep at it.

I had an uneven week as far as eating. I wasover my calorie budget (10500) by 1500 calories for the week. I am making noexcuses, but know that this red over expenditure leaves me with no weight loss to report for this week.

In other health related news: I am moving forward on one other lifestylechange: elimination of all caffeine. For years I sipped 3-5 cups of coffee throughoutthe morning with a couple of diet sodas thrown in during the afternoon. I am leaving allthose favored beverages behind for now, and maybe forever, as I seek alternativemethods of overcoming my chronic migraine headaches.Going cold turkey, too!

In the news:Wonderful piece/metaphor in the Star Tribune todayabout a crying baby in the audience of a speaker about to make an importantpoint “that could change the lives of all in attendance.” The speaker wasdistracted and never regained the momentum to make that punch.Whatever it was. Ross Levin writes how we all get distracted by thewailings around us and spend an “inordinate amount of time paying attentionto things over which we have little control and virtually have little to no long-termimpact on us.”

"What if in 2012 you said yes to something that you wantedto do but had been afraid to do? Are there things you have been putting offbecause you hear old wailings distracting you from creating new stories and newmemories? Spend your life wisely."

Stay strong. TTFN,

Michele

Trainer, bike events and more about me

2012-01-22T08:12:00.000-06:00

We arewarming up in Minnesota/Wisconsin. It is now about 21 degrees and I havealready walked 1.5 miles with our dog. Last week I got back in the game as faras my healthy living. I would like to report that I met with good success.Tracked my food and exercised. I am confident the five pounds I gained duringmy three week holiday will soon be a thing of the past.

My Trainer: I am learning the rhythm of my trainer.It is not as easy as I thought it might be. Part of it is me, but some is alsodue to the resistance that is part of this trainer. What I think is happeningis that I am becoming (or will become) a better and more steady rider. It isstill hard for me to go more than 8.5 minutes without stopping. When ridingoutdoors, you stop momentarily and keep moving forward just due to momentum; onthe trainer you don't. So, I am getting a good workout on my trainer as mysweaty body attests when I am done.

Speaking of cycling: I decided on my second bike event forthis year: the Venus de Miles is onAugust 26 and takes place near Boulder, Colorado. Jackie is also targeting thisevent and it is from her that I learned about it. I have my sights set on a 67mile course with a 2600 foot elevation change over the course. There is also a51 mile course that would be my second choice with a 1600 foot elevationchange. Riding in the Venus provides support for Greenhouse Scholars: “anorganization dedicated to helping high-performing, under-resourced studentsreach their full potential.” But there is more: it is a ALL women’s road eventand a celebration of the sister hood of cycling. It looks to be a great targetfor me, a worthy cause and the event itself a great deal of fun. I have alreadyregistered for my first bike event, the Tour de Cure, where I am targeting a 62mile course that winds trough the trails of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Bothevents will push me forward in my fitness. They are both a way for me to celebrate my improving health.

Iwas tagged once again by Marsial.I found her questions to be provocative and thoughtful which compels me torespond. Here is a little more about me:

Describe how you met your spouse/significant other/love of your life (even if you are no longer with that person).

My hubby andI were pen pals starting when I was 14 and he was 15. We wrote back and forthbut not regularly until we were young adults. He is from the Netherlands. WhenI was a mere 18, I set out to explore some of Europe, making the Netherlandsone of my first stops. It was not love at first sight, but love grew over thatsummer. I have never looked back and he has not either. He immigrated here in1973 and we are about to celebrate 38 years! Best thing that ever happened tome.

2. Describe anything from yourchildhood you still own -- a book, a toy, article of clothing, etc. -- that youhope to pass down to someone younger, like a child or grandchild. Why isit meaningful to you?

Idon’t have anything from my childhood. But, we (hubby and I) do have somethings that are precious from Holland and his family that we will pass down. One thing comes to mind: a tile that is delft blue. It was one of many tilesthat lined the mantel of the fireplace in the old farmhouse where my spouse wasraised. The tile depicts a painted scene of a child carrying water buckets in arural area. The old farmhouse was demolished many years ago to make room fornew and more modern homes, thus this tile is one small reminder, just like thatchild carrying water of time of life and living in rural Holland many yearsago.

Describe your billfold or wallet. French purse? Clutch? Snap or zip closure? Color? Leather or fabric? Why did you choose this particular wallet?

Small, leatherwallets are for me. Small so I can, if desired, stick it easily in a pocket.The one I have now is coffee brown with two zipper openings. One is on the topand one is on the side. The top one holds a small leather insert that I use formodern day plastic cards such as library cards, credit cards, insurance cardsand even my own academic business cards. The second small zipper pocket I usefor change and folded money.

Describe one extravagance you have for which you will never apologize.

I love, lovea hot bubble bath.

Which author do you admire so much that you have read more than one of his/her books.

There aremany. I love the classics like Hemmingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Up until afew years ago, I read every book that ever came out from John Gresham.

Who is your favorite newscaster and why?

I rarelywatch TV news. Instead I listen to NPR or MPR or catch Charlie Rose. I adore All Things Considered, This American Life,Fresh Air and Science Friday-all NPR programs that I find informative,alternative at times and just plain good news broadcasting. I adore the styleof Charlie Ross and his interviews, too.

Is there a movie you once loved but years later felt you outgrew or it didn't "speak to you" anymore? Which one?

No, quitethe contrary. When our children were little and finally to bed we startedwatching Masterpiece Theater on PBS. Brideshead Revisited was one particularseries that we both loved. We bought it a few weeks ago and now I am watchingit as I get up on my bike with the trainer. I find that I still enjoy ittremendously. But it is with a different view because so much of my own lifehas transpired since the 1970s when it was originally on. Beautiful.Sentimental. Thoughtful. Educative. Privileged. Tolerance are all words thatcome to mind now as I watch it.

In as much detail as possible, describe your kitchen. Tell me not just how it looks, but how it makes you feel when you are working in it.

At our cabinI have a long galley kitchen. The long counters make it easy to do almost anykitchen task. My kitchen opens to the great room where as I work I can see myhubby, our dog or any visiting family members and share in their conversations.There is a wonderful old bar that borders the kitchen counters. Most of thetime when our family is here, or even my hubby, they pull up a bar stool and wetalk together. My kitchen makes me feel loved, privileged and included. I neverhad any fondness for a kitchen before, but this one is special. I am finding myinner cook and I adore that place.

When you and life partner have a disagreement, is there a routine you follow to make up? For example, do you talk it out OR does one of you walk out of the room OR do you both just stay quiet long enough for life to continue normally OR ?????

We usuallytalk it out later.

If a younger person asked you, "How can you tell when you're in love?" what would you reply?

When youknow that you can talk about anything with that person and want to be with thatperson all of the time.

Have you found your "purpose in life" or are you still searching? If you believe you have found it, describe it.

Yes, Ibelieve I have, both professionally and personally. Professionally I work atuncovering the beauty of the natural world, especially our regional naturalhistory, with students of all ages. I assist teachers, whether inserviceor preservice, to become exemplary, confident and effective in scienceand math, but also in other areas of their teaching and learning. For me, thework I do is for the kids who are our greatest treasure. Personally, my purposeis to be the best human being possible: kind and compassionate but also aquestioner and a steward. I am a work in progress and will be until my last day.

Fun to play the tagging game. You can read more about how I passed on the tags here.

Finally, How about you: Are you planning any fitness or physical events to celebrate your own increasing good health this year?? Have a great week and TTFN,

Michele

Grit

2012-01-20T09:55:00.004-06:00

Happy Friday Bloggers!

The dead of winter....

Gives us in the North Country the promise of spring and the great outdoors:

Time to work with our trainers:

While watching great old programs like this one:

What's that you say: workout done!!!!
Wow that was a fast

No excuses now, hear?? True grit for you and me!TTFN and stay strong, Michele

Trainer Tuesday!

2012-01-17T16:51:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday!

I bought a trainer today! No, not a personal trainer!

A cycling or bike trainer. Here is Millie's rear wheel clamped in (thanks, spouse!).

It is a CycleOps' Fluid 2 Trainer.

The trainer elevates the bike a couple of inches which is

enough to make it hard for this shorty to get on. So, summon the little red step stool!

Right now I have her in my living room, but,

I have been told that even though I am an empty nester,

we will be relocated to the "spare" bedroom.

In case you are wondering, I did my first 22 minute ride. Because my bike frame is small I can not adjust the resistance really low, which makes for a good work out (the more resistance the better the work out, right?). The beauty of this trainer is that I can adjust my work out to include all my normal bike gears as I gain stamina working through the resistance. So, I am not cycling outdoors in the winter in Minnesota, but I am cycling!! Stay tuned to see how I grow into this trainer! Stay strong and TTFN, Michele

Weekend highlights and getting back in the game

2012-01-15T21:15:00.001-06:00

Just coming off a wonderful weekend with lots to share with all of you.

Sewing weekend: One of my daughters, two daughters in law and two granddaughters and I just finished our inaugural sewing weekend. This was a time for us to share in each other’s company while making a few simple clothing items with a little guidance from me. Besides passing on some of my sewing skills, I cooked up a storm this weekend including delicious salad and soups, but also some other wonderful foods including crusty breads and cinnamon rolls.


First sewing weekend!

Beautiful winter weather: It was a great weekend to get outside and enjoy the winter weather. As you can see the lake was frozen which made for some great winter walking, skating and cross country skiing. We all tried out cross-country skiing and to everyone’s surprise, it was a good work out and a lot of fun. I will not say any of us are ready for the Olympic trials, but our spirits were high.

My daughter, Julianna and our dog Giovanni

Autumn and Ellery (7)

Ellery

My first time on skiies


Nani (8)

Getting back in the game: It is time for me to get back in the game. I gave myself permission to take a break from my serious focus on getting healthier and fit for the past few weeks. Now that the holidays are over and my last conference travel is also behind me, it is time to start moving forward again. As I wrote above, I have cooked up a storm in the last weeks and it was not all healthy cooking. Time to get back in the game. I needed a break and do not regret the one I took. But, I end my break being up five pounds and am putting the breaks on. Back to tracking my food and staying around 1500 calories a day. For this week, I will set some walking targets (7.5 miles for the week) and at least 2 more cross country ski work outs. I can no longer bike outdoors, however, I am going to try out the trainer below at my local bike store as an alternative to outdoor biking for the winter season. From the research I have done online and with other users (thanks, Karen), I believe I will be able to hook up my road bike and continue to get a decent bike workout indoors with that device.

The information on this trainer (CycleOps' Fluid2 Trainer) states that it has a smooth "Power Band" technology that allows for distinct resistance-level changes with the large flywheel delivering a realistic road feel. It is not my first choice for exercise, but with winter in Minnesota fully upon us, real road biking is just not in the cards for me for obvious safety reasons. Besides, I would like to be ready to reach a higher level of biking come summer. In addition, I am hoping to do two road events this year, the Tour de Cure on June 2 and more than likely the Venus de Miles on August 26. So this trainer might be a great way for me to keep in and move forward in my biking shape. I will keep you posted as to what I think about this tool.

So, we are now starting the third week of 2012 and I am finally jumping back in. How about you? How are you doing in your own getting healthier targets for 2012?? Have a great week and stay strong! TTFN, Michele

"Us go to Florida" and tagging

2012-01-13T00:05:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday Blogger Friends!

My hubby and I are back from my last professional conference of my sabbatical and an overall fabulous trip to Florida. I presented three papers, chaired a committee and an event sponsored by that committee and was honored to accept an award for one of my papers. Having two grandkids and their shenanigans in tow made the conference extra fun and light as you can see for yourself.

After the conference we took the boys to Disney World.
Or as Hann, one of the four year says: "Us go to Disneyland!!"
It was magical...

entertaining...

and... exhausting.

We walked 11 miles one day and 8 on another.

Good thing we rented a stroller for the tikes.

We brought two pirates home to their parents and now we are recovering!

Tagged:I was tagged by both Julie and Rochelle last week. Thanks you two! A fun way to share a little bit more about me and learn a little more from some of you, too! There are a few rules about being tagged:

1. Post these rules.

2. You must post 11 random things yourself.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

5. Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.

6. No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this." You legitimately have to tag 11 peeps!

Here are my eleven random tidbits:

I easily find something to laugh out loud about everyday. Laughter is the best medicine! My grandbabies keep me laughing all the time. I can be one of those annoying persons who laugh alot during a movie at a movie theater.
I think I could talk with almost anyone in the world. I am generally not afraid to ask questions and can do so publicly.
I do not wear nail polish on my fingers. Ever. Keep my nails trim and neat. Now, my toes: I like them pretty and Polished. Orange, red and pink are my favorite colors.
I can sew almost anything, but (like Julie) can not stand to mend anything.
I iron. Yep, really. Love the steam and the pressed fabric.
I rarely watch any commercial TV.
I love a good story and believe everyone has one to share, even kids. It may be about your life, but it is interesting to me. One of my favorite radio programs is "This American Life" on M(N)PR.
It is the stories that make it easy for me to adore Prairie Home Companion. I listen almost every Saturday night, plus re-stream it regularly when I am home.
It is the story that draws me into a good movie, another form of entertainment that I adore. Right now my favorites are: Midnight in Paris, the Descendants, Hugo and the Adventure of TinTin.
And it is the story that I try to describe as I write up my research into papers. I am always asking myself: What is the story here? as I deliberate over all my data.
Love post-it notes. Can not read a book without them.

Now on to Julie's questions:

1. How did you handle a friend departing your life?

Likemost everything else: move on and of course savor the memories.

2.Empty nest?

Yep, loving it.

3.am or pm workouts?

Anytime and depends on season/weather since I am mostly an outdoor work out type.

4.Self employed, employed, full time, part time, retired?

Employedfull time, although on sabbatical until February 7.

5.College? Not?

Overeducated(college and then some) liberal artsian graduate with a passion for the natural world of science and the patterns and language of math.

6.Treadmill or outside?

Outside!

7.Favorite candy?

Butterfingers!

8.Camping or hotels?

Both.Depends on where I am. We tent camped for years when our kids were growing up.Now mainly hotels especially with conference travel. I prefer being ina beautiful natural environment in accommodations that are eco-friendly and comfy.

9.Do you make a lot of food from scratch?

Almosteverything.

10.Do you write hand write notes or just e-mails?

I hand write notes, especially thank-yous. Love picking up master art work cards at museums or when I travel.

11.Blogging a hassle or fun or just something to do?

Myown blogs are a way for me to process my getting fit journey and other parts ofmy life. They are helpful to me and therapeutic.

Rochelle is next:

1. What would the opening line of yourautobiography say?

Michele lived afull and blessed life each and every day, loved her family, especially those GBS, and grew throughout her life as a good and kind human being.

2. What is your favorite alcoholicbeverage - or non-alcoholic if you don't imbibe?

Love a cold, darkbeer: like Old Speckled Hen or locally Schell’s Dark.

3. What is one thing that you would never want to change about yourself?

My tenacity. It hasgot me though a lot.

4. What is the one characteristic about other people that you simply cannottolerate?

Chewing with mouth open...

5. Name a time when you felt extremely proud of yourself.

Pretty much rightnow: an award winning paper and on the road to fitness.

6. If you could relive (and make -over) a year of your life, what yearwould that be and why?

I am very happy with my life so no one year would need to be relived. But, I would like to go back to one event, my son Josh's wedding (2001) only because both my mother and my mother-in- law were alive. I would like tell them at that event how much I loved them and how my life would not be the same without them. Next I have a few questions I would like to ask them....

7. Is there a particular unusual ritual or routine you do in the exact same wayabsolutely everyday (something other than brushing your teeth, for example)? Ifso, what is it?

I wear eye glasses and have a "thing" about cleaning them a certain way every day and with the same little cloth.

8. What is a talent you do not have but wish you did?

I would like to be able to roll my tongue.

9. Build your ideal person. Fill in the blanks: I'd want the hair of Miss Piggy, the face of Jasmine , the body of Betty Boop, , the brains of the Baudelaire orphans, the talents of Woody, the sense of humor of Roger Rabbit , and thebank account of Harry Potter. (IOW: I am very satisfied where I am at!)

10. What do you feel the worst thing is about trying to lose weight?

The slowness of it.

11. What song best defines where you are in life right now?

The promise of theprelude from the Back Cello Suite in G major. The hope, the optimism, thebrilliance (well the hope and the optimism…)

Now, passing on the tags. Loads of you have already been tagged, so I extend the tags to the following blog author's and welcome responses from ALL readers of this (my!) blog:

Myra,

Pockets,

Maren,

Jackie,

Mer,

Mo,

Jo,

Joy,

Roz

The Doc,

Dawn,

# 12 Shane!

with these questions:

1. Did you play a musical instrument in school?Which one? Do you still play?

2. Do you collect things? What?

3. What was the last sporting event that youattended?

4. Have you ever seen brilliant night sky stars?Where were you?

5. What would a perfect day be for you?

6. What is one of your latest book reads? Whatkept you reading it?

7. What kind of pen do you use?

8. Apple or PC?

9. What magazines or weeklys do you read orsubscribe to?

10. Whatsatisfies you about the work that you do?

11. Whatdo you hope for yourself in one year?

I look forward to reading and learning more about all of you. Thanks for sharing a bit of your day by stopping by. Have a great weekend everyone and stay strong in your journey to be fit and healthy!

TTFN,

Michele

Focus points for 2012

2012-01-04T17:52:00.000-06:00

Last year I focused on three overall themes:balance, downsizing and organization. You know from my last post that I madeconsiderable progress on all three. This year, I will continue downsizing asone of my main areas of focus. Other themes for 2012 are: stretchingmyself out of my comfort zone, communication, and playing. In what follows I will share some of my targets and goalswithin each of those themes.

Downsizing

Overall, I would like to be solidlyinto the 150’s by the end of 2012. When I say solidly, I mean below 155. For methat means that I will shed at least 18 pounds. To achieve this target I planto:

Track my food and stay around 1500calories a day: I know this works for me.
Take my measurements: I have not done this atall. Iplan to take them every two months.
Overweight BMI: Move from the obese category tothe “overweight” category by my birthday (May 22). For my height I will need tobe 160 to be in the overweight category.
Increase my fitness with exercise: I plan to keep up my fitness leveland increase the rigor of my regime. Consistently I have exercised about onehour a day. Now that winter has set in , my main from of exercise will be walking,ice skating and snow shoeing. Returning to my academic position will challengeme to find other options for exercise time. My plan is to get in 6 hours a weekof exercise even once I get back to work.

Hereare some of my distance targets for 2012 for a number of exercises that are part of mylife:

1850miles biking
450miles walking
8,000 stairs climbed

Iplan to ride in the Tour de Cure (June2) and have set my sights on the 45 mile course which is an increase of 18miles from 2011. I do plan on entering one other road event that will challengeme in cycling whether in distance or in elevation, just not sure where or whenyet (probably end of the summer).

Stretchingmyself out of my comfort zone: I would like to do some hiking and canoeing. I cando both, but do not feel very competent in either. With hiking I would like togo on at least one long hike with an elevation increase of 1500 feet. Canoeing: I wouldlike to canoe across a few lakes and maybe even portage.

I am interested in stretching myself further inother areas, too. Much of this may be about learning and exploring other thingsbut there is more. I want to embrace more of my lighter side. Like tellingjokes or getting people to lighten up with laughter. I can do it and it comesout spontaneously, I just want to do it more.

Communication: I firmly believe that really goodcommunication is an art. I get by and most people would say I do it fine,but, I really want to work on navigating difficult conversations with peoplethat I care about including a few that I work with. For me part of this theme is about really listening andbeing present.

Playing: For me this is about making time tojust have some unfocused time to enjoy something: whether it is swimming on ahot day, spending time with my grandbabies, or enjoying the company of my husband.Playing: just messy about or hanging out with few time constraints or agendas. Everyweek: play, laugh and tell jokes.

Iwill document more about my downsizing theme on this blog and probably share more about the other themes on my other blog, but wanted you to all know my areas of focus for 2012.

I am taking off for my very last conference of sabbatical in Florida. This is where I will accept an award for one of my papers. I am honored and excited to accept this award! I have two grandbabies and hubby with me for entertainment in Orlando after the conference finishes. Take care my friends. Stay focused and TTFN! Michele

Ruminations at the end of 2011!

2011-12-31T10:42:00.002-06:00

Greetings blogger friends on this the last day of 2011!My family and I enjoyed a remarkable Christmas. First of all we had SNOW in NW WI (!!) and cold enough temperatures to freeze the lake into ice unlike most other geographic locations in the upper Midwest. Here are a few pictures of Christmas at the cabin:

That is Hann
(4.5 years) putting the star on the top

Table ready for 18 family members!

How about some ice fishing?

Hubby making our first ever ice skating rink by hand of course!

Animal prints

Wind swept snow (below).

Well, it was not all a perfect Christmas. Our well pump sprung a leek (see that hole in the pipe right center) at 11:30 (!!) pm on December 23. We are so grateful that Dave, our well guy, made it a priority to be at our house on Christmas Eve morning at 10:30 am. He drove 55 miles to get here, too. Thank-you, Dave!

We have a new pump now that should last for MANY Christmases to come!

Now: A few words of rumination on this the last day of2011. My goals and themes for 2011: balance, downsizing (notjust physically) and organization. These ruminations will be about downsizing thatrefers to physical health. On January 1, 2011 I laid out several goals:

First goal: Be at 170 by the middle of April 2011. If you havebeen following my blog, you know I did not make this goal. On Christmas Eve Iwas still at 173. Being at 170 by April was just not realistic for me and whereI am in my life metabolism wise. I lost 18 pounds this year for a total (youall know this already) of 40 pounds off. As I make my 2012 goals, I will keepin mind that I basically lose about . 5 pounds a week.

Second goal: Keep up my fitness level and increase the rigor ofmy regime. Yes. Resounding YES. I have added distance and speed to mycycling regime, I jogged up thousands of stairs across the year and increasedmy time and distance for walking. I have never felt so physically fit as I amnow, even though I know I have a ways to go.

Third goal:Track miles walked and biked for the year.Yes. I walked at least 442 miles this year. I did not always carry mypedometer, that is why it is “at least.” (So, Julie, I made our walking challenge! My biking total stands at 1583 miles.I do not know how many stairs I climbed, but it is about 5, 000.

Fourth goal: I would also like to start the Couch to 5km by February 19. No,I did not even start. I decided that I would like to be down around 160 before Istart to actually run. It is just too hard on my body.

Ifeel very good about the progress I made on getting healthy and where I amheading on this last day of 2011. It was SO good to be “downsized” for the holidays. Next postwill be about my healthy and fit themes and goals for 2012.

To all of you: Happy New Year! May this new year see you exceed your own goals for health and fitness. TTFN and thanks for stopping by, Michele

Muir Woods, Final Challenge Updates and Happy Winter!

2011-12-18T04:30:00.000-06:00

Greetings to all of you, friendly Bloggers!I am back from a great, but intense trip to San Francisco! We were guests for the first day with our son, Sean, and his new wife, Anne: aren’t they the sweetest??

Anne is in her last year of school at the University of California, San Francisco. She will graduate as a nurse practitioner with a specialty in psychology and counseling next spring. Anne is from Marin County, which was great because the first thing we did was go to Muir Woods.

Muir Woods: If you read Ewa's blog you know of her many treks through these woods. The woods are as magnificent as Ewa described and as I had dreamed. A woods teaming with biodiversity took this botanist’s heart. The California redwoods are standouts. See for yourself:

We crossed over this bridge (recognize it anyone??) to get back to San Francisco from Marin County.

Cooking: Anne is quite a cook. She made us the most delicious polenta. Polenta (this is new to me) is an Italian food made with cornmeal. She used it to make a deep dish type pizza. She also had this cookbook which I took an immediate liking to it. I aspire to make bread.

Word on the street is that Santa will be bringing me one!! I am betting you will hear more about that book in the near future.

Tough love: We spent four days with my brother and his wifein Mountain View. We went to celebrate his birthday, which we did, and that wasjust fine. The real business of our trip was the conversations that we had withthem. That is why the trip was intense and tough at times. It is hard, veryhard, to support and straight talk people you love deeply who are losing theirway because of addiction. Weworked hard at talking with them. Very hard. They need help, professional help.Enough said for now.

On Friday, the Star Tribune published a greatarticle about biking in Minneapolis. Probably no surprise to you that bikingincreased by 22 (!!)% in Minneapolis this past year. “Thenumbers are still low compared to car usage. But, experts say, they are bigenough now to make an impact on health, air pollution and traffic congestion.” Although I am not winter biking just yet that is where an increase has occurred with many folks donning spiked tires to help retain traction. "Altogether, it means that there are now nearly 7.5 million miles of transportation in and around Minneapolis that are not taken by car, said Tony Hull of Bike Walk Twin Cities." How do you like those apples?

Last Challenge update:
Track my food intake daily: Well, for the first time, not so good on this one because of traveling: 4/7 days only. Stick to under 1500 calories on average a day: Yes, but only 4/7 days. Exercise, rigorously, at least 8 hours per week: I walked 14 miles this past week which accounted for about 6 hours of exercise. Weigh in: I am about the same: 173. Plan for eating for the big holidays: Well, I did plan, but given the circumstances of travel, I cut myself some slack here. Continue to learn about what works best for me in this journey to better health, specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolism slows down: Yes.Support and encourage other weight loss bloggers: Yes indeed!

This will be my last post for both of the holiday challenges, albeit a little early for Give Yourself the Best Gift. Overall I feel like I gave myself the best gift ever just like I set out to do.

I plan to give myself a gift this holiday season. It is the gift of commitment to continue to move forward toward good health and renewed fitness by eating less and moving more. At the end of the season, my gift will be not only quantifiable in terms of pounds lost and miles cycled or walked, but will be the feeling of satisfaction and pride in my continued efforts to regain my health, even during the holiday season. I lost seven pounds during this challenge, starting at 180 pounds. I am a slow loser, obviously, but I am HAPPY with my overall loss! My total weight loss today is forty pounds, which for me is fantastic! I also biked 575 miles, walked 92 miles and stair stepped up 4099 stairs over the course of this challenge (September 15). I easily met my goals for exercise. Thank-you to Thrice-Blessed for hosting this challenge. I believe my results support the high level of motivation I had throughout.

You already know that I met my ChristmasDress Challenge by wearing that dress in early December. I will post a picturevery soon! Thank-you to Thursday'sChild for hosting this challenge, too.

Thank-you: I would like to express my gratitude to somany of you, my fellow bloggers and challenge friends, for all of your supportduring these past three months. I have said this before, and I will say itagain: the support and encouragement that you leave with your comments helps meto feel that I share in this journey with you. And I do. Thank-you. Thank-you.Thank-you.

I will be checking in with all of you, my blogger friends, inthe next few days, however, after I complete my check in, I will take ablogging break until January 3, 2012. Looking forward to reading and catching up with all of you.

For those of youwho celebrate: Merry Christmas to you and your family! Happy Chanukah to those who celebrate. For allthe rest: Happy winter! Enjoy the season whatever thatmeans for you and continue to be mindful of what you eat and your exercise (you know: eat less, move more!).

TTFN and stay strong, Michele

Quick update from San Francisco!

2011-12-10T10:08:00.001-06:00

Hello Blogger Friends,

Just a quick update for my two challenges:

Challengeupdates
Track my food intake daily: Yes. Done 6/7 days. Stick to under 1500 calorieson average a day: Well, I did this for 6/7 days. It was Dutch Sinterklaas thisweek; I went over by 500 calories on Monday, but the rest of the week wasgreat. Exercise, rigorously, at least 8hours per week: I exercised 5/7 days for a total of 5 hours with 12 miles. Now that biking is on hold, I will need to pick this up a little more. Weigh in: No weigh in this week.December 17 will be the next one. Plan for eating for the big holidays:Yes, good for the most part. but no biggie. Continue to learn about what works best forme in this journey to better health,specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolismslows down: Yes. Support andencourage other weight loss bloggers: Yes indeed!

We are off on a quick trip to San Francisco to visit my brother and his wife for his birthday. We will also get to see our son and new daughter-in-law! They have their proofs from their recent wedding: can't wait to see all the pictures! We will get to do some hiking today in Muir Woods (Ewa, I will think of you!) and of course eat plenty of good and healthy (mostly) food. Have a great weekend! TTFN, Michele

Leaving fall for winter, cooking and challenge updates

2011-12-04T21:21:00.001-06:00

I snapped that picture above just five short days ago
while on an early morning10 mile ride around the lakes here in Minneapolis.
The light was just beautiful, don't you think?

I was able to get in 30 mileslast week, even a 10 miler on December 1,

but, that may be the last riding for me for a whilebecause this is what it looks like now:

My two daughters and I set a side one day last week to bake and cook together.

We tried loads of new recipes, including one for Bruschetta:

Another for Margherita pizza (only 250 a slice):

and whole wheat bread.

My Cuisenaire really had a work out last week. I am more confident using it and believe me it is a TON of fun. That Bruschetta is about as easy as can be and healthy, too. Tomatoes, basil, garlic and a little olive oil are the main and simple ingredients. I did not take a picture but I also made my first homemade hummus. Both the hummus and the Bruschetta were served at a holiday party this weekend. It is a fun challenge for me now to try to find good and healthy things to make for special occasions and even to tweak some of our family's holiday favorites. We made some holiday goodies including some muffins, pumpkin bread, cookies, and caramels almost all healthier versions using applesauce or whole wheat flour. I am very proud of the fact that throughout our baking I had no licks, bites or chews! Everything is safely frozen for Christmas.

Challenge updates
Track my food intake daily: Yes. Done all 7 days. Stick to under 1500 calories on average a day: Well, I did this for 6/7 days. Last night at the holiday party I did go over, but only by three hundred calories. So, no big deal in my book. Exercise, rigorously, at least 8 hours per week: I exercised 5/7 days for a total of 7 hours. My biking mileage came in at 30, which is low, but it is probably the end of the season for me; stair steps were 800 again, plus I walked 14 miles. Weigh in: I did weigh in and am the same: 173. Plan for eating for the big holidays: Yes, although like I wrote, I did eat more at that party, but no biggie.Continue to learn about what works best for me in this journey to better health, specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolism slows down: Yes.Support and encourage other weight loss bloggers: Yes indeed!

Now for the dress:

No, that is not me (!!), but I DID wear that beautiful dress to the holiday party. My hubby says I was a knockout (!), regardless of what he said though, it felt GREAT to finally wear it and fit in it, too. It really was a great marker as to how far I have come. I will wear it again and next time will have someone take a picture of me in it.

Looking forward to reading and catching up with all of you. Have a great start to your week! TTFN and stay strong,Michele

Post-Thanksgiving, new kitchen gadget and challenge updates

2011-11-27T15:38:00.001-06:00

I hope those of you who celebrate had a great Thanksgiving! It was a wonderful Thanksgiving break for my family and I. We have much to be grateful for and are. The food was terrific and plentiful. I ate 500 calories extra for a total of 1500 extra calories over three days, which is what I had planned. I enjoyed two pieces of pumpkin pie and ate them slowly. I made an old fashioned recipe this year with whipping cream instead of condensed milk. I figure if you are going to indulge, make it worthwhile. I did and they were. Every last bite. Yum.

I know I have made enormous strides in my eating habits and healthy living over these past 18 months and it showed over Thanksgiving. I exercised hard (on T-day alone I rode 17 miles), plus I planned well eating HUGE green salads on Th, Fri. and Sat before our big family meals. I still have an enormous sweet tooth and doubt this will ever be totally gone, but, I can tell you that some of my once favorite foods were TOO sweet: like apple and pecan pie. No, thanks, at least not the ones I tried.

My daughters, DIL and I make downtown Minneapolis our destination on Black Friday and this year was no exception. We started it a number of years ago to avoid the craziness at the local malls and big box stores, plus it is a great way to support our local businesses. One of our very first stops was the Kitchen Window a locally owned cooking and kitchen outfitters. I tapped into my thriftiness (and coupons!) to purchase this little dandy:

It is a Cuisenaire food processor! I have never owned one nor even used one, butnow that I am finding my inner cook, I was intrigued by all the options and flexibilitythat this dandy little machine will bring to my kitchen. Yes, you read thatright: I am discovering my inner cook! As my journey has progressed I haveslowly become interested in cooking healthy and delicious foods. Over the pasttwo weeks I made split pea and butternut squash soups, omelets, and low fat muffins, just to name a few.Like Sharon, I feel so relaxed while I am cooking, and I do not even mindcleaning up afterwards. That Cuisenaire will make it a snap to chop and shred avariety of ingredients for cooking and salads. Can’t wait to use it more!

Challenge updates:

Track my food intake daily: Yes. Done all 7 days. Stick to under 1500 calories on average a day: Well, like I wrote above, I went over 1500 calories on three days, but I am not worried at all. That was my "allowance" if you will. No worries for me being on track again.

Exercise, rigorously, at least 8 hours per week: I exercised 5/7 days for a total hours of 9. My biking mileage came in at 39 (which is astounding for late November in MN!) stair steps altogether were 800, plus I walked about 11 miles. The stairs I normally climb (right photo) are now closed for the winter, so I am now climbing the set of 25 steps on the left. They are wider and will be cleaned of ice and snow throughout the winter making them a good choice for this part of my work out.

Weigh in: Will be on December 3.

Plan for eating for the big holidays: Yes, done. Quite happy with how I did.

Continue to learn about what works best for me in this journey to better health, specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolism slows down: Yes. I am reading and learning more things about my body as I age.

Support and encourage other weight loss bloggers: Yes. I continue to do this.

All of the above helps me to meet my target for the Christmas Dress Challenge. I remain focused and moving forward.Only two more weeks to the holiday party where I will wear this dress!

Overall: I am very happy with where I am in these two challenges. Looking forward to reading and catching up with all of my bloggy friends. Have a great start to your week!

TTFN and stay strong,

Michele

Snow and challenge Updates

2011-11-20T07:13:00.001-06:00

Greetings on a beautiful snowy morning!

Winter has made its first appearance in Minnesota.

Probably not going to make it out on my bike today, but this snow will be gone in a couple of days. Weather over Thanksgiving is predicted to be 50 (!!), so you can bet I will be on my bike in a couple of days!

Time for challenge updates:

Give Yourself Your Best Gift and Christmas Dress

Challenge updates:
Track my food intake daily: Yes. Done all 7 days. Stick to under 1500 calories on average a day: My average was 1525, so great here. I actually came in under 1200 on four days that made it possible for me to have a higher calorie day, 2000, yesterday.

Exercise, rigorously, at least 8 hours per week: I exercised 5/7 days for a total hours of 8.5. My biking mileage is at 36, and I once again climbed those stairs 6 times or 588 stair steps altogether, plus I walked about 8 miles. I continue to include these core exercise from WB MD, too (twice), that are helping me to strengthen other parts of my body. Five full days of exercise!

Weigh in this week was on Thursday. Most of you know that I hit another "low" at 173. I have lost 7 pounds since starting these challenges in September with 40 pounds total lost since June 26, 2010.

Plan for eating for the big holidays: Well here comes the big holiday and one of my favorites: Thanksgiving. I plan to allow myself 2000 calories on T-day, so YES!, I will have a piece of pumpkin pie (a piece). Our dinner is always late, 6 pm, so on T-Day, I will eat lightly with generous helpings of salad and other veggies for lunch. We will have a tray of veggies, too, for appetizers that I will enjoy. I plan to bring some fruit (we still have plenty of Honeycrisp apples) for me to munch on as I play games with the GBS while the turkey is a-roasting. Plus it will be a warm Thanksgiving for us, so a-biking I will go later this week.

Continue to learn about what works best for me in this journey to better health, specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolism slows down: Yes. I am reading and learning more things about my body as I age.

Support and encourage other weight loss bloggers: Yes. I continue to do this.

All of the above helps me to meet my target for the Christmas Dress Challenge. I remain focused and moving forward.Only two more weeks to the holiday party where I will wear this dress!

Enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, for sharing with me in my journey to get fit and healthy. Have a great week. TTFN, Michele

By the Numbers!

2011-11-17T08:26:00.005-06:00

June 26, 2010

November 17, 2011

Temperature in Minneapolis this morning

Better dress warm for outside biking!

Miles biked:

TTFN, Michele

Give Yourself a gift for Today!!

2011-11-13T11:48:00.006-06:00

Blue Shield/Blue Cross of Minnesota's current ad campaign is called Today is the Day We Stop Making Excuses. The TV ad follows a group of overweight/obese people adding more food to their plates at a buffet line or laying on the couch holding a remote with empty food dishes scattered around them. Each of the actors are singing revised lyrics of Tomorrow (think Annie, the musical) about how their weight loss and getting fit efforts will wait until Tomorrow. It is a clever musical ploy to get people thinking about their health. I love their approach and I am guessing similar ads may be found in other geographic markets across the country.

It is no secret to any of you reading this blog, that obesity is a significant health issue in the US. Twenty three percent of us are obese with 39 per cent of us overweight. The prevalence of heavy drinkers, smokers and those living in poverty are only 6%, 19% and 14% respectively. It is easy to put off taking care of ourselves because the effects of being overweight/obese do not really surface for 10-30 years. I think many of you know the risk factors for obesity and being overweight so I will not go into more details here.

Instead, how about we renew our commitment to make tomorrow today for our health?? We all know that the holidays are here. If you are like me, in years past you have put off to the holidays are over to take care of yourself. Many of you may be even tempted now to put a hold on your emerging healthy habits, especially if you have waffled in your efforts. This year: let’s make tomorrow today. Let’s give ourselves our best gift (Thrice Blessed) by caring for ourselves in sensible and responsible ways. Let’s not let another holiday season go by without caring for our health and fitness. Sure it is not easy at times and there is no magic just: eat less, move more. Plus, there will be all those wonderful holidays foods. But, you can do it. You can find a way to plan to eat some foods you like AND continue on your health and fitness journey. If I can, you can!!

Challenge updates: Give Yourself Your Best Gift and Christmas Dress Challenges

I tracked food again 7/7 days, coming in about 1500 calories every day. I exercised 6/7 days for a over 7 hours this week; with a cycling total of 53 miles, walking 6.5 miles and went up and down the stairs twice (588 steps). All of those efforts paid off, because I am down TWO pounds to a new low of 174.5! I checked in with all challenge bloggers spreading some love. I am reading more about out changing metabolism as we age and weight loss. In sum, I am giving myself the best gift every day: caring for myself. All my efforts will get me into that pretty little red dress and soon!

Remember: make tomorrow TODAY! Have a great start to your week. TTFN,
Michele

Sticking with it!

2011-11-06T09:32:00.009-06:00

Greetings Fellow Bloggers and Readers!
Another fabulous fall week behind us and another great one just getting started! With temperatures in the 40s and 50s nearly everyday, cycling is still an option for me even as we move into the second full week of November. Dressing in layers really helps guard against the cold. It is the wind that I am trying to tame. Not just the wind that is blowing around, but the wind that I create as I cycle. I have not found just the right outer layer to keep me free of the effects of wind, but am searching. Kind of a fun challenge for me.

Give Yourself Your Best Gift and Christmas Dress Challenge updates:
Track my food intake daily: Yes. Done all 7 days. Stick to under 1500 calories on average a day: My average was a little over 1500. I am happy with that total and here is why. Those of you who have been following for a while know that I include all calories in my daily totals. It is about accountability for one. But, it is also about the idea of building in some of the foods that I enjoy into my getting healthy journey. Halloween was Monday. I did not have any candy until that day. I indulged in 4 “fun size” candies (Butterfingers if you are wondering) for a total calories of 332. On top of that I had two small pumpkin muffins at 150 each. My grand total for eating Halloweeny foods was: 632 calories. I planned to enjoy a few foods on Halloween and I did just that. I did not binge and I did not overeat. As a matter of fact I think those few items are remarkably normal for someone like me. And that is what I am trying to do. Enjoy a few foods that are not my usually fare once in a while. Done. No regrets.

Exercise, rigorously, at least 8 hours per week: I exercised everyday this past week. My biking mileage is at 58, and I once again climbed those stairs 12 times or 1,176 stair steps altogether. While I am happy with what I did, I found through WB MD a “how to” on seven other exercises that will help me strengthen my core and other parts of my body.

No weigh in this week.

Plan for eating for the big holidays: see above. Check.

Continue to learn about what works best for me in this journey to better health, specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolism slows down: Yes. I am reading. I am learning, too. Aging and the inevitable process of menopause, too, definitely change our metabolisms. Many of you may know Dr. Christiane Northrop from Oprah’s show. I am reading her book, the Wisdom of Menopause. Definitely an illuminating read for both women and men.

Support and encourage other weight loss bloggers: Yes. I continue to do this.

All of the above helps me to meet my target for the Christmas Dress Challenge. I remain focused and moving forward.

Finally, a couple of pictures from this week. The first, Lake Harriett in Minneapolis on a foggy cycling morning. The last, my walking companion, Giovanni.

Thank-you all for sharing part of your day with me, especially my new followers. It takes a village to do what we are doing. Have a great week. TTFN, Michele

Two gifts of inspiration and challenge updates

2011-10-30T07:32:00.005-05:00

Happy Halloween!
As we enter the holiday season, I will share with you two of my favorite pieces of life inspiration, both easily accessible to the public. The first is the Stanford Commencement speech by Steve Jobs (2005). It is succinct, inspiring and profound. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html. The second is found in Thomas Friedman's book, The World is Flat. Chapter 7 is one of the most compelling and brilliant chapters written on the "The Right Stuff," an overview of the kind of education required in our ever changing world. That book is easily available through public libraries. Neither are about getting healthy or being fit, but instead offer wisdom about living your best life that might give you the inspiration to keep moving forward on your, our, journey to better health.

Challenge Updates!!
I will begin today with my last update for the
My goals for this challenge were:

1. To aspire to 300 miles of cycling in October. I am shooting for 26/31 days on the bike. How did I do: Great! I rode 27/29 days for a total mileage of 325! We were lucky to have excellent weather for the most part fall in MN. I did not let the cold stop me (one day 28 degrees F) as I learned how to dress and cycle in cold, but clear weather.

2. Walking: I am going to strive for 10 days of walking and a total mileage of 35 miles walked. How did I do: I walked only about 20 miles all together, so I did not quite make this goal. I climbed that set of 49 stairs many times, including 14 times this week over four days. I know the walking and stair climbing will prepare me for the change in weather that is coming our way that will mean I give up cycling for a few months, at least outdoors,and do much more walking.

You all know my statement by now:
I plan to give myself a gift this holiday season. It is the gift of commitment to continue to move forward toward good health and renewed fitness by eating less and moving more. At the end of the season, my gift will be not only quantifiable in terms of pounds lost and miles cycled or walked, but will be the feeling of satisfaction and pride in my continued efforts to regain my health, even during the holiday season. To achieve my gift, I plan to adhere to the following action goals:

1. Track my food intake daily: I did this 7/7 days.

2. Stick to under 1500 calories on average a day: I came in most days at or under 1500 cals. So, I will check this one off as success, too.

3. Exercise, rigorously, at least 8 hours per week: I exercised again well over 8 hours this week. I cycled 79 miles, walked 5 and went up and down the stairs 14 times.

4. Weigh in every two weeks: I did weigh in and my new weight is 176.50; a 1/2 pound loss! That is 3.5 pounds for me for this challenge and I will take them all!

5. Plan for eating for the big holidays and other events during this challenge, including football games, Halloween, concerts, Thanksgiving and of course Christmas: I can check this one off, too. This week, I prepared for Halloween with a cookie bake with the GBS. I did not eat a single cookie, nor dough, although I had a "lick" of frosting. I also have 4 bags of treats for Halloween, two are candy. I am HAPPY to report that they are all UNOPENED for the first year ever!

6. Continue to learn about what works best for me in this journey to better health, specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolism slows down: Yes, I did make progress here thanks to a prompt by a good friend (thanks, C!). I found out that I can access the New England Journal of Medicine via our public library. Although I did not find anything, yet, specific about metabolism, aging and weight loss, I did read this article: Weight Loss, Exercise, or Both and Physical Function in Obese Older Adults where the authors point out non-surprising findings: "In conclusion, our findings suggest that weight loss alone or exercise alone improves physical function and ameliorates frailty in obese older adults; however, a combination of weight loss and regular exercise may provide greater improvement in physical function and amelioration of frailty than either intervention alone. Therefore, weight loss combined with regular exercise may be beneficial in helping obese older adults maintain their functional independence."

7. Support and encourage other weight loss bloggers (including some butt kicking as needed): Yes, I checked in with all of you, at least I believe so, spreading encouragement and straight talk where needed.

Finally:
In sum, I think I am doing great for the Christmas Dress Challenge, too. If I do say so myself, I am moving ahead and forward. I am a slow loser, but am losing. I did try on that dress over a week ago (it zipped up!), but will wait to closer to Thanksgiving to try it on again.

Just for fun, here is a link to a rating scale for some of the candy that will be part of Halloween from Live Strong. Thanks for reading. Stay strong and TTFN! Michele

Just for today....

2011-10-26T00:07:00.000-05:00

Just do it:

Eat less.

Move More.

Fall break and challenge updates

2011-10-22T21:47:00.009-05:00

Greetings from the Northwoods!
It was a beautiful fall Saturday in the Northwoods of NW WI. For the last five days I have enjoyed the company of some of my favorite little people who were on fall break from school. It was warm enough for a picnic by the lake on Thursday afternoon with three of the grandbbaies. We rode our bikes two miles to this little county park. Noah (2) was in the Burley.

They played by the lake after we ate.

The grandbabies definitely slowed me down on exercising, although I still did get in over 51 miles on my bike. Many of those rides were slow because they were with me. I also towed the Burley over 20 miles with that two year old. I used our riding time to share bike safety with them and taught them a few tips about going up and down hills. Slow, but sweet rides.

Here is Owen my biking companion all week....

I can't believe we are in the third week of October!! Ready for my challenge updates?? The first two are:

You all know that I am taking part in three weight loss bloggy challenges. You have read my statement for the Give Yourself the Best Gift challenge: (I plan to give myself a gift this holiday season. It is the gift of commitment to continue to move forward toward good health and renewed fitness by eating less and moving more. At the end of the season, my gift will be not only quantifiable in terms of pounds lost and miles cycled or walked, but will be the feeling of satisfaction and pride in my continued efforts to regain my health, even during the holiday season). I will summarize my progress on my action points next:

I tracked food again 7/7 days, coming in about 1650 calories every day. I exercised 6/7 days for a total of over of 7 hours this week, with a cycling total today of 51 miles, walking 4 miles. I did not get up the stairs once this past week, but did walk a couple of small hills. I did not weigh in this week (every two weeks). I believe I checked in with all challenge bloggers spreading love. I failed (again!!) to read more about changing metabolism as we age and weight loss, but will! In sum, I think I am doing great on both of these challenges. I tried on that little red dress and it zipped up!! Snug, but zipped!! The fall challenge (next) will make that little red dress a reality.
My goals for this challenge are:
1. To aspire to 300 miles of cycling in October. I am shooting for 26/31 days on the bike. How did I do: Great! I rode 6/7 days with a total mileage so far of 51. My October mileage is: 248!! I am right on track for 300 miles.

2. Walking: I am going to strive for 10 days of walking and a total mileage of 35 miles walked. How did I do: Great! Walked for a total of 5 miles.

Have a great rest of your weekend. Thanks for reading and stopping by. TTFN! Michele

Ruminating on challenges....

2011-10-14T12:23:00.006-05:00

Happy Friday!
I just completed a 22-mile bike ride. The brisk wind and the fact that it was 48 degrees made the ride not easy. As I rode into the wind sometimes hardly able to hold my bike straight I thought of cutting the ride short. I was cold and let’s face it, it was not my idea of a FUN ride. But, I did not stop. I kept going. I persevered. I faced that wind and cold head on.

And here’s the deal: I could have easily quit or not even started in the first place. Along that 22 miles there were plenty of land mines in the shape of wind and cold. I kept on going on my bike because this is my NOW. I am deeply committed to renewing my health, my fitness level, and ridding myself of my obesity NOW. Not tomorrow, not on a calm and warm day, but NOW. Today. Because each day I stick to my basic plan of eating less and moving more, I am closer to realizing my gift to myself.

You all know that I am taking part in three weight loss bloggy challenges. You have read my statement for the Give Yourself the Best Gift challenge: (I plan to give myself a gift this holiday season. It is the gift of commitment to continue to move forward toward good health and renewed fitness by eating less and moving more. At the end of the season, my gift will be not only quantifiable in terms of pounds lost and miles cycled or walked, but will be the feeling of satisfaction and pride in my continued efforts to regain my health, even during the holiday season). To achieve my gift, I have outlined a plan and I am committed to following it. No one really would know if I shortened my ride or did not even go out and exercise today. But, I would know. I am not giving into the multiple landmines that I face every day on this journey to better health. Because this is my NOW and my gift will be better health and better fitness.

What about you? Is this your NOW?? I read many challenge update posts this week. Many of you are achieving your goals. For those folks: Bravo! But..... some of you (and you know who you are) are falling short of your goals. Your landmines might not be cold and windy weather, but they are there. You identify them in your blog posts. Whether it is overeating your caloric budget, failing to exercise, eating fast food or whatever, you are falling short. If not now: when? When is your NOW? When will you give yourself the gift of renewed good health and fitness. When my friends? It is a long and slow process, but it can be done. I am proof that eating less and exercising more works. So is Dr. Fit. So is Debbie. So is Mike. So is Deb. So is Empty Nester. Give yourself that gift. Face that cold and brisk wind, like I did, head on! You can do it.

Now for the rest of my updates:
I tracked food again 7/7 days, coming in about 1550 calories every day. I exercised 7/7 days (total hours: 8); cycling total as of today is 74 miles, walking 3.5 miles and did the stairs twice. All of those efforts paid off, because I am DOWN 1 pound to a new low of 177! I believe I checked in with all challenge bloggers spreading some love, but also kicking some butt. I failed to read more about changing metabolism as we age and weight loss, but will! In sum, I think I am doing great for the Christmas Dress Challenge and Give Yourself the Best Gift, too. The fall challenge (next) will also make that little red dress a reality.

My goals for this challenge are:

1. To aspire to 300 miles of cycling in October. I am shooting for 26/31 days on the bike. How did I do: Great! I rode 7/7 days with a total mileage so far of 74. My October mileage is: 197!!

2. Walking: I am going to strive for 10 days of walking and a total mileage of 35 miles walked. How did I do: Great! Walked 2 days for a total of 3.5 miles. I also climbed that set of stairs I did with the June Boom (49 steps) twice.

Thanks for reading. Make today your NOW! TTFN! Michele

Picture time and challenge updates

2011-10-08T19:54:00.016-05:00

It was a great, great week last week for me and our lovely state of Minnesota! First our weather was just terrific! 70-80 degree every day. Sure, it was windy, but look at our beautiful fall colors.

All of the pictures above were taken on a 20-mile ride around lakes and through ravines in Minneapolis on Millie, my road bike.
But the fall beauty does not stop there. Here is a view from my deck. That little head in the lower right corner is a certain two year old GB boy. We were having lunch and I just could not believe the majestic yellow surrounding us.

You may have heard about this:

I was lucky enough to attend my first WNBA Finals when the Lynx were at home. Seimone Augusta (at the line) and Maya Moore (post game on scoreboard) are two women who we will all hear from for years to come. Seimone earned MVP for the Finals and Maya is the Rookie of the year. From all I read and hear they are terrific women, role models and athletes to boot. What a treat for all of us to have this team make Minnesota home.

Now onto.....Challenge Updates!!
Let me begin my updates with:
My statement:
I plan to give myself a gift this holiday season. It is the gift of commitment to continue to move forward toward good health and renewed fitness by eating less and moving more. At the end of the season, my gift will be not only quantifiable in terms of pounds lost and miles cycled or walked, but will be the feeling of satisfaction and pride in my continued efforts to regain my health, even during the holiday season. To achieve my gift, I plan to adhere to the following action goals:

1. Track my food intake daily: I did this 7/7 days. If I do say so myself: I rocked this action point (again)every day!

2. Stick to under 1500 calories on average a day: I did not stay below 1500, I actually was above most days with an averagof 1650 per day.

3. Exercise, rigorously, at least 8 hours per week: I exercised again over 10 hours this week. I cycled 102 miles, walked 6 and even went up and down the stairs twice.

4. Weigh in every two weeks: I weigh in only every two weeks, so no weigh in to report.

5. Plan for eating for the big holidays and other events during this challenge, including football games, Halloween, concerts, Thanksgiving and of course Christmas: I could have done better here. I was at two major sports events this week. I had my usual popcorn and diet soda, brought sliced apples, but also had (actually shared it) an ice cream on both days.

6. Continue to learn about what works best for me in this journey to better health, specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolism slows down: Okay, still did not get to this....

7. Support and encourage other weight loss bloggers (including some butt kicking as needed): I checked in with most people on the challenges. Looks to me there are a whole bunch of folks finding success. Wahoo!!
In sum, I think I am doing great for the Christmas Dress Challenge, too. I am going to take Thursday's Child's suggestion and just try the dress on once a month.The fall challenge (next) will also make that little red dress a reality.

My goals for this challenge are:

1. To aspire to 300 miles of cycling in October. I am shooting for 26/31 days on the bike. How did I do: Great! I rode 7/7 days with a total mileage of 102.

2. Walking: I am going to strive for 10 days of walking and a total mileage of 35 miles walked. How did I do: Great! Walked 2 days for a total of 6 miles. I also climbed that set of stairs I did with the June Boom (49 steps) twice.

Now I am off to check on all of you! Thanks for reading. Stay strong and TTFN! Michele

Meet Morgan and Challenge Updates

2011-10-02T00:59:00.009-05:00

Meet Morgan:

She is an older model mountain bike and remarkably fits me great. Yes, I am somewhat of a bike junkie. This one is used (left at our family cabin by the former owners) and in pretty good shape. She needs a little adjustment to the derailers, but rides quite nice. I took her out today for the first time (14 miles). The area around our cabin has a number of hilly roads. Many of the roads in NW WI were once logging roads so at times the pavement runs out and they become gravel which makes for rough terrain for my road bike.

Plus, our driveway is sandy.

Like her sturdy horse namesake, Morgan took to these surfaces with ease.

Today, I went up and down a few hills...

To here:

The St. Croix River

And back around a lake...

A perfect fall day in Minnesota for cycling!

Now onto.....Challenge Updates!!
Let me begin by update with:
My statement:
I plan to give myself a gift this holiday season. It is the gift of commitment to continue to move forward toward good health and renewed fitness by eating less and moving more. At the end of the season, my gift will be not only quantifiable in terms of pounds lost and miles cycled or walked, but will be the feeling of satisfaction and pride in my continued efforts to regain my health, even during the holiday season. To achieve my gift, I plan to adhere to the following action goals:

1. Track my food intake daily: I did this 7/7 days. If I do say so myself: I rocked this action point every day!

2. Stick to under 1500 calories on average a day: I stayed below 1500 calories per day all week!

3. Exercise, rigorously, at least 8 hours per week: I can easily check this one off, too. I exercised for about 10 hours, with 93 miles biked so far this week (my highest weekly total). I also did a couple of great and long walks.

4. Weigh in every two weeks: I am happy to report that I am down TWO pounds!!!!! Back to 178!

5. Plan for eating for the big holidays and other events during this challenge, including football games, Halloween, concerts, Thanksgiving and of course Christmas: I am going to the Lynx final game today. I plan to have a diet soda and maybe some popcorn, but that is it.

6. Continue to learn about what works best for me in this journey to better health, specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolism slows down: Okay, still did not get to this....

7. Support and encourage other weight loss bloggers (including some butt kicking as needed): I am still making the rounds, but it looks to me like most of you are doing great!!
In sum, I think I am doing great for the Christmas Dress Challenge, too. I am going to take Thursday's Child's suggestion and just try the dress on once a month.

Another challenge: Some of you are taking up this challenge sponsored by Clyde and Jessica.
I think this will be a great challenge to make that pretty little dress even more of a reality.

It is simply called the "Fall 31-Day Challenge" and started on October 1. I think this challenge will help me focus on some tangible and real numbers that will ultimately pay off in that dress. Here is what I am going to do:

1. I would like to aspire to 300 miles of cycling. October is the last really good month of cycling in Minnesota. So, I am upping the ante. I am going to shoot for 26/31 days on the bike.

2. Walk: I want to increase my walking to get ready for winter. I am going to strive for 10 days of walking and a total mileage of 35 miles walked.

Finally: The best sporting news in the Twin Cities remains the WBNA Minnesota Lynx.

They open the WBNA Finals against the Atlanta Dream at home today.
As a team they have given us something to stand up and cheer about!

Thanks for reading. Stay strong and TTFN! Michele

Many of you know Shane from Losing it for the Family. He had great success in his weight loss, but was absent from blogging for a while. Let's give him a great welcome back!

1000 Miles!

2011-09-28T21:03:00.006-05:00

I hit 1000 miles cycling today!!!! I did not set out to hit that mark, but the weather was such grand MN fall weather, I could not stop. Plus, I am trying to learn some of the cycling trails in north-west Minneapolis, an area that I have not biked much. There are a number of beautiful natural areas and parks, but, many trails crisscross and it is easy to make a wrong turn (yep, I did that). Once I got to 15 miles, I knew I was going to reach the full 19 miles I needed to hit 1000 miles.

One thousand miles in 15 weeks is 66.66 miles per week. Just think of all the places one could go from Minneapolis with about 1000 miles. How about: Knoxville, TN; Dallas, TX; Butte, MT; Buffalo, NY; Denver, CO; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada or Pittsburgh, PA? I think that is way cool. I was at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and took this picture late this afternoon. I did not know that my ride today would be the cherry on top!! Have a great evening and TTFN! Michele

Five % ruminations

2011-09-27T22:26:00.002-05:00

Wow! You all really surprised me with all of your comments on my last post. Thanks! Many of your comments were about my challenge goal of 8 or more hours of exercise a week, something that seems out of reach for many of you for a variety of reasons. Well, here is the deal: I did not get to that level overnight.

When I started this journey (June 26, 2010), I hoped I would move more. It is actually part of the mantra from Marion Nestle that I follow (you know the eat less, move more thing at the top of this blog). I had not exercised regularly for years. Years. Not regularly. Not really. Sure I took a walk now and then, even hoped on my bike. But because I was so out of shape when I did those small physical activities, I was slow, winded and sluggish. Not to mention embarrassed. I can remember going on a bike ride a couple or three years ago with my hubby. I did not know the trails around Minneapolis like I do now. Not only did we drive to the trail (which is less than a mile from my house!!), but I could NOT make it up a small incline along a grove of trees that I now regularly fly up. I had to literally stop in the middle and could go no further. That is how out of shape I was. I started really cycling shortly after I started this journey. I worked at it slowly; adding in longer rides over greater distances over a long time. I still do not think of myself as a fast rider, but I am way better than I was.I found my groove.

I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to be in the biking groove. It is like a little piece of heaven to me. To be humming along on my bike on a well-maintained biking trail, with our magnificent natural world wizzing by (trees, birds, insects and yes, weather elements) is fantastic! I can feel my bike purring when I am in that groove and I am purring too (if that were possible). You see, I love being outdoors. Getting on that bike and feeling the elements of the natural world around me while I am exercising is pure pleasure. Love it. Love it.

As much as I enjoy cycling, our season is too short in Minnesota. I doubt I will be riding much past November 1. Last year, I turned to walking when the weather went south. This year I hope to include (for the first time) cross-country skiing. To me the key to moving more is finding something that I really enjoyed. I did. But, I need to do more, just like Ewa suggested. I need to include strength training in my work out regime. I plan to, although I do not know what or how right now.

But there is more that I have been ruminating about regarding those eight hours. Eight hours is less than 5% of all the hours that I am given each week (168 BTW). To me spending 5 % of my week on exercise is reasonable, sensible and a habit I hope I to continue to cultivate when I head back to my normal academic life once my sabbatical is over. Five percent is not really much when I consider the investment return I get in increased stamina, vigor and sense of accomplishment. Not much at all.

Finally, what I really want to say is that you can do it too. Maybe not cycling but something else that suits you and who you are. You can do it. You can move more. You can. So, what about you: what percentage of your weekly hours can you invest for exercise? Can you shoot for 5 percent? If not now, maybe soon???

Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support. Stay strong. Eat less and move more. TTFN, Michele

Fall and challenge updates

2011-09-25T10:56:00.006-05:00

Greetings on a fine autumn morning in Minnesota!
The leaves in our beautiful hard wood forests are just beginning to color. For starters enjoy a few pictures.

Challenge Updates: Let me begin by update with:
1. Track my food intake daily: I did this only 4/7 days. I definitely need to improve for next week. Tracking is key to my successful weight loss. I am not going to dwell on all the reasons I opted to not track. Suffice is to say that I am ready to get back on track!

2. Stick to under 1500 calories on average a day: I know I was over, especially on the days that I did not track. Again, better to move on than dwell on the reasons I was over.

3. Exercise, rigorously, at least 8 hours per week: All together I did 5.5 hours on my bike and 1.5 walking. One hour short is not bad. Next week: full 8 hours!

4. Weigh in every two weeks: Next weigh in is October 2!

5. Plan for eating for the big holidays and other events during this challenge, including football games, Halloween, concerts, Thanksgiving and of course Christmas: I attended a couple of great Lynx games. I ate really well: diet soda and a couple of cups of popcorn.

6. Continue to learn about what works best for me in this journey to better health, specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolism slows down: I did not do much this week, but plan to look up the articles that I mentioned in this post.

7. Support and encourage other weight loss bloggers (including some butt kicking as needed): Yes, I was able to get around to most of the bloggers on both challenges. Many of you are off to a GREAT start!
You can see by my seven action points above that I did not make much progress for this challenge. However, I will try that dress on at each weigh in and let you know how it fits.

New followers: Thank-you for following me! Thanks for reading. Thanks for stopping by and spending part of your day with me. Have a great start to your week and TTFN! Michele

PS: The MN Lynx are going to the WNBA Finals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wahoooooo!!!

Blogger love, Biking and Minnesota sports!

2011-09-21T20:32:00.012-05:00

Blogger love: I will begin this post by spreading a little blogger love: Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for the wonderful comments and encouragement on my last post about the latest challenges that I have begun. I never feel alone in this journey, but instead feel you all right there with me.

Joy presented my blog with the Liebster Blog Award.
If you do not know Joy’s blog, you should. She has made considerable progress on her own getting healthy journey. She is truthful and inspiring in her efforts to get healthy. "Liebster" means "favorite" or "love" in German and can be presented to bloggers you love that have fewer than 200 followers. I will pass this award on to some of my favorites. I hope they will become some of your favs, too, they are all very different from each other:

Bruce has met many of his weight loss goals. His main focus now is on staying fit with running. Top notch blog.

Dawn has met with a great deal of success in her weight loss journey. Inspirational.

Ewa is post weight loss. Her blog is about being fit and healthy and always features a healthy dose of outdoor adventures.

Mike is in line to meet his goal of 200 pounds shed by the end of the year. If you do not know his honest and thoughtful blog you should.

Sharon is thoughtful and inspiring. Always.

Biking: It has been great to finally get out on my bike the last few days. I have been on Millie (my road bike) and Merel (my Dutch bike) many times. You can see by my mileage ticker that I am closing in on 1000 (!!) miles ridden since June 10 when I started logging with Daily Mile. One of my favorite quick rides is still to Minnehaha falls, about a 12 mile round trip. Enjoy a picture of the falls!
Merel is a great bike for around town, doing errands, watching the grandbabies play soccer and going to sporting events in downtown.
Speaking of sporting events: I wrote about our WNBA Minnesota Lynx last Friday. Well, you may not have heard that they made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. I tell you these women are superb athletes, team players and fantastic role models. Their games are unfortunately sparsely attended. I predict the low attendance will change with their current record. I was lucky enough to score a couple of tickets at center court for last night’s winner takes all game. My 8 year old aspiring basketball player granddaughter, Nani, and I attended together. It was a thrilling game!

Imagine our surprise to find this person sitting in the seats right next to us. For those of you who do not know, that is our Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton.I doubt Nani will be a professional athletic and probably not a professional politician, either. But, right now she has an image of some powerhouse women and understands that a high level politician is a fan and a human being just like her. Imagine that. Wow. Sometimes life is just amazing.

Game on, Ladies!

Happy Friday and new challenges!

2011-09-15T20:53:00.009-05:00

Greetings and Happy Friday!
We had our first frost in Minnesota over the last couple of days. It was not a killer frost in Minneapolis (we covered our delicate plants and veggies), but it is a sign that fall is on the way and winter is not far behind it.

Truth be told, it was a sluggish week for me on my getting healthy journey. I worked very hard this past summer and even over the course of our last trip to England with eating, tracking food and of course exercise. I kept up my exercise this week, but eating, not so much. My sluggishness showed up on the scale with a two pound gain from my low of 178. No regrets, but time to pick up the slack and get back on track!

The Slimmer This Summer and other challenges really helped me to maintain my mojo and of course created accountability throughout the summer. News of other challenges geared for the holidays peeked my interest this week. I will be joining Thrice Blessed's Give Yourself the Best Gift and Thursday's Child's Christmas Dress Challenge. Linking to both of those blogs will allow you to review the rules if you are interested and to even join! First my statement and action points for:
I plan to give myself a gift this holiday season. It is the gift of commitment to continue to move forward toward good health and renewed fitness by eating less and moving more. At the end of the season, my gift will be not only quantifiable in terms of pounds lost and miles cycled or walked, but will be the feeling of satisfaction and pride in my continued efforts to regain my health, even during the holiday season. To achieve my gift, I plan to adhere to the following action goals:

1. Track my food intake daily.
2. Stick to under 1500 calories on average a day.
3. Exercise, rigorously, at least 8 hours per week.
4. Weigh in every two weeks
5. Plan for eating for the big holidays and other events during this challenge, including football games, Halloween, concerts, Thanksgiving and of course Christmas
6. Continue to learn about what works best for me in this journey to better health, specifically losing and maintaining weight loss as we age and our metabolism slows down.
7. Support and encourage other weight loss bloggers.

For my second challenge I decided on one very tangible goal: to fit into this lovely little red dress by December 10, which is the date of a holiday party that I attend every year.
I bought this dress last April at a super sale to wear at one of the events around my son’s recent wedding. I knew it was too small (size 16), but, I thought it would be a perfect fit for the wedding in August. Not. Imagine my chagrin when I tried it on about a month before and realized I was not going to make it. I think losing about 10 pounds should get me into that dress. I lost 8 pounds with the slimmer this summer challenge, so I think 10 pounds is reasonable and doable over the next 14 weeks. I plan to weigh in every two weeks and post my weight on this blog. Because I am a slow, but determined weight loss loser, I am grateful that Thursday's Child accepted my variance of weighing in or demonstrating measurable accountability only every two weeks. I will post my progress toward both of the challenges every week although I will weigh in only every two weeks. My seven action points above will contribute to my proposed 10-pound weight loss. Holiday weight loss and getting healthy challenges here I come!!

What about you? Are you participating in any challenges this holiday season??

We have tickets to the first season home game for the MN Vikings on Sunday. After last week's derailment in the second half: any one want to trade a couple of tickets to the Vikes for tickets to the Lions? Or better yet, any one have tickets to the Lynx on Friday night?? Kidding aside: our Mn Lynx's women's basketball team is kicking it up, especially our own hometown girl Lindsay Whalen. A fantastic bright spot in Twin Cities sports right now.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for reading and TTFN,
Michele

Pictures of Devon: Dr. Oz and health articles

2011-09-12T00:39:00.007-05:00

Greetings on a lovely September day from Minnesota! I am back from a terrific trip to England. My hubby and I spent the last few days of our trip in Dartmoor and then Exmoor National Parks in south western England in the area known as Devon. They are both famous for their extensive open moorland and exposed granite hilltops (especially Dartmoor) called tors. They both have abundant walking, bridle and cycling trails. Because of the intermittent rain we went on short hikes for the most part with no cycling unfortunately. Here are a few pictures:

Open moor land

Tors

What image comes to your mind with the granite below??

We definitely had to get used to driving on the left hand side of the road in the UK.
We never expected the beautiful roads of Devon
would be narrow one-laners with hedgerows on either side.
Believe me they make for a tight squeeze if another car comes from the opposite direction.

How about this perspective with hubby (6'3")?
Sometimes the signs were virtually "growing" in the hedgerows!

The lovely stone walls throughout the moors and the countryside

The gate below was one of the access points to the higher moors

A friendly horse along one of our trails

The lovely medieval village of Dunster on Exmoor's border

A wonderful pub near our B & B

Village where our B & B was located

On the weight loss front, two terrific articles were published recently. Time, September 12, 2011, has an excellent series of articles on “What to eat now.” None other than Dr. Oz penned one article I found particularly illuminating. His credibility certainly was enhanced through his spots on Oprah, but many do not know that he has conducted over 5, 000 heart surgeries as a skilled cardiac surgeon. His article is filled with research based information about how food reacts in our bodies. Here are some of my favorite quotes that I think of as great tips for healthy living:

The problem isn’t that people don’t want to eat well and be well. Trust me, no one who’s ever been wheeled into my operating room is happy to be there. And the problem, believe it or not, isn’t that they doubt the wisdom of a healthy diet. More often than you think, the problem is that a lot of folks just don’t know what a healthy diet looks like~and why should they since the rules keep changing (p. 50)?

Want to get healthy? Then forget about diet sodas and low fat foods. Instead tuck in some eggs, whole milk, salt, nuts, wine, chocolate and coffee. Despite conventional wisdom, all of these foods and more can be beneficial to your body (p. 50).

A big new study showed that over four years increased amounts of different foods (nuts vs French fries) led to different outcomes on the scale (p. 54).

Of all the changes taking place on the food front, one of the most important concerns the balance between diet and exercise (p. 52). You should be serious about exercising (p. 58). And keep in mind that we all overestimate the caloric benefits of exercise (p. 58).

Human beings are the only species in the world that has figured out how to be in complete control of its own food supply. The challenge now is to make sure the food doesn’t take control of us (p. 58).

The second worthy article appeared in the Economist, August 27, 2011 and is titled Obesity: A widespread problem. This article reports on a paper published in Lancet from Kevin Hall of the National Institute of Health (NIH). Hall proposes a new model regarding the difficulty of losing weight. This new model takes into account our bodies' shifting metabolism as we age and accounts for baseline characteristics that are different from person to person. The body mass simulator can be viewed here and is a "much more realistic assessment of what some one needs to do to get slim." I found this model particularly interesting as some one who is aging and a very slow loser.

Thanks for stopping by and having a read. Have a great start to your week. Stay strong! TTFN, Michele

Lovely Exeter

2011-09-03T14:46:00.006-05:00

Lovely is my new favorite word. That is what they say here in Exeter for anything that is delightful, fun, fabulous, pretty, beautiful, tasty, well you get the picture. It was a GREAT conference! I feel like I just completed a graduate course in research. Your brain gets so full of all the ideas and other research. It is really lovely, and of course stimulating. I will spend the better part of the next four months writing and writing some more. For me this was an important conference to immerse my own small slice of research into an international context. Now, that is DONE!! We are on to a few days of holiday here in the south-eastern part of England. We leave tomorrow morning (Sunday) for a few days in the national parks of Dartmoor and Exmoor. I won’t have Internet access now until I get back, but will share all my lovely pictures with you when I return.

Oh, today after the conference finished we went out for cream tea with clotted cream and scones. I don’t know if you ever whipped your own cream (but you should!). I think clotted cream is when you mix whipped cream too long and it becomes very textured. It is not sweet, but tastes, well, lovely! I do not even know how many calories are in the scones and cream might, but I am tallying in 500 for one scone and that clotted cream. Absolutely lovely!

I have done well on eating. Except for last night's gala dinner, I stayed within 1500 calories every day. No biking, but walked between 3-4 miles every day. Exeter is hilly, so all those mile were up and down hills, too.

Enjoy a few pictures:

First some pictures of the Exeter Cathedral.
You can see the square around the Cathedral is full of cafes.

I have a "thing" for church ceilings.
This one is particularly beautiful.

It is a little hard to see, but that is moon and
stars painted on the ceiling below. Just breathtaking in person.

These chairs have cushions that were needle pointed by the church ladies.
They are so sweet and I bet comfy when you are sitting for a long service.
The quaint view from the
University that I looked out on every day!

Row houses built along the hilly terrain

The River "Ex." Here it is channeled
with bike paths on the edges.

Here it is natural

Another view of town

I also have a thing for old trees.
This is an English oak.

That lovely tree next to the Cathedral tower is an English chestnut.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.
Thanks for reading and stay strong! TTFN from Merry Old England!

Michele

Travel!

2011-08-30T15:40:00.006-05:00

Greetings from Exteter!
I wrote before about the travel I am privileged to do because of the professional work I do, plus remember I am on sabbatical. This time I am at the University of Exeter in southern England at a conference from the European Association for Learning and Instruction. I will present two papers, one on Wednesday and the other on Friday. Exeter and the area around here is beautiful and quaint: rolling hills, winding roads and of course everything English. Enjoy a few pictures!

One of the old squares at night

Close up of a beautiful old building

A view from campus of the hills and countryside

Beautiful old trees on campus
Clock tower

In case you were wondering: YES! I am still tracking my food (even the tasty beverages at the pubs!). I so far have not done any cycling, but I tell you, walking up and down the hills to different sessions is burning some calories. My pedometer for today says I walked 3 miles.
Cheerio my friends!
Michele

Final Slimmer This Summer Update

2011-08-26T21:36:00.007-05:00

178. Those are my NEW numbers! That means that I lost 8 pounds on the Slimmer This Summer challenge. 178. My accumulated total loss is now 35 pounds since June 26, 2010. I am HALF way to my “dream” goal.

For me losing that 8 pounds means that I finally broke through a stall that seemed to go on forever. From January all the way to June 17, 2011, I did not record any loss. Since June 17, I posted another 4 pounds lost. I have worked incredibly hard for those 8 pounds, too. Incredibly hard. Here is what I have done:

Moving more: You can see in my cycling mileage accumulation that I am up to 757 miles biked. I started logging into the Daily Mile in late May. That means I rode over 250 miles each month. Besides biking, I made a practice in May, June and July of tackling stairs, too. I consistently climbed 400 or more stairs at least three times a week.

Eat less: On May 13th I started logging my daily food intake. Throughout the 12 weeks of this challenge, I averaged 1450 calories per day. I started the STS challenge with a goal of 1250 calories. I soon learned that this was simply not enough calories for me with my level of exercise, so I increased it a bit. During the STS challenge, I traveled to the Netherlands/France, a son was married, went to a number of sporting events, birthday parties, picnics, concerts, and other celebrations and regular events. I tracked my calories through it all. The only time that I did not track was 5 days when we were gone to my son’s wedding in WA state.

Ruminations on the weight loss: I am happy that I lost weight during this challenge. But here is the deal: eight pounds is not a lot for twelve weeks. Again, I worked incredibly hard. I was not perfect, but, I was pretty darn good. Better than I have ever been. Really and truly. I am encouraged that I lost weight, but discouraged that it required so much effort. I learned that my caloric window for losing is very, very narrow.

Most of you know that a pound of fat is equal to about 3500 calories. To lose a pound a week you need to have a caloric deficit of 500 calories over seven days. I am learning that this simple math does not work for me. For whatever reason, (mainly I think this is my age), I can not lose more than .75 pound per week at the most with vigorous exercise and careful monitoring of my calories. I wish it was not so, but, it is. Again, I am happy that I lost eight pounds. I am. I am a slow loser. It will take me at least another year to shed that other 35 pounds. You should also know that I am going to check in with my doctor about my track record so far, just because.

But, here is what I really want you to know: (my list of my CAN dos, one for each pound (!!))
1. I cannot remember when I last weighed in the 170’s. Honestly I cannot.
2. Physically I am stronger and more fit. Sometimes I surprise myself with my increased stamina. I can bike 10 miles with ease.
3. I can easily go to the MN State Fair and budget fair foods into my daily allotment: that would be ONE corn dog and half a Dairy Barn Blackberry malt.Trust me. I did just that.
4. I can go to a professional sporting event and eat healthy.
5. I can go to a birthday party or other family event and not overeat cake, even ice cream or frankly most everything else. Ditto for weddings (two!).
6. I can wear a belt. I have not worn one in years, but two days ago, I grabbed one because my pants would not stay up.
7. I can find something to eat that is healthy on almost any restaurant menu. “Garden salad for me, please, dressing on the side.”
8. I can wear a swim suit and not feel like I want to hide.

To Mir and Debbie: thank-you for hosting this challenge. The Slimmer This Summer challenge gave me an added boast and motivation to stay the course. Thank-you for your encouragement and support.

To all of my Slimmer This Summer friends: if you are still here: you rock! It takes time, determination and inspiration to really stick to something for twelve weeks. Lifestyle changes are not easy. Thank-you for sticking with me. I thank each of you for your encouragement.

To all of you weight loss bloggers: here is hoping you each find success in the coming weeks on your journey to be healthy and fit. I thank each of you for your support, too. Stay strong and TTFN,
Michele

Apples and STS updates

2011-08-21T08:14:00.007-05:00

It’s the beginning of apple season in Minnesota! One of my favorite apple varieties is a Honey Crisp apple followed closely by a Haralson. Both apple varieties are hybrids developed through research at the University of Minnesota. Our countryside is doted by apple orchards selling all things apple and seasonal. I stopped last week at one of my favorites. While at the check out I could not help but notice a very large man with a number of apple sweets, including Carmel apples. This man was tall and plainly morbidly obese. He exited the shop heavily and I could easily see ambulating was difficult for him. A few moments later I was out in the parking lot loading up my apples into my car when I saw him in his car, chowing down on his Carmel apples. Eating in his car along the side of the parking lot. Alone. Scarfing them down. Alone. Probably not even tasting them. Alone. I could feel his desperation.

I will carry that sad image with me for a while. Like many of us, I have been in his shoes. Not necessarily scarfing down carmel apples, but other things. It was not the time to talk to him, but I wish I could. If I could I would tell him that there is hope. I am proof of that and so are many of you. It is a hard road, with no short cuts. But, it can be done. Eat less and move more. It can be done. But, I also realized as I left that apple barn that I have slowly developed a more normalized attitude about eating. I still crave certain foods, but because I eat a few of them here and there and always count them into my caloric budget, I never feel the urge to binge or to scarf those same foods down. I have come a long way. Many of you have come along, way, too. He can, too.

Now for my second to the last Slimmer This Summer update:

Weight loss:
No weight loss to report. I will weigh in this week, Thursday August 25. I am excited!

Tracking food: Yes, each and every day. I averaged 1400 calories each day. That works well with my average of 10 miles per day of biking.

Move more: I did not make my goal of 85 miles per week, but did log 58. Most of my miles have been in that hilly area around where our new cabin is. I will get in another 10 miles today.

Blogger love: I continue to do this. I am happy for many of the STS bloggers who report their successes, whether in weight loss or fitness. It all counts. But more importantly are the new life style habits that are being forged. Those new habits will continue long past the conclusion of this challenge.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support. Have a great start to your week! TTFN, Michele

A new place to gather

2011-08-19T00:01:00.006-05:00

Happy Friday!
Today's post has really nothing to do with my weight loss journey, rather something else that has been part of my life this year. I wrote last week that we have acquired a cabin. Many of you who have been reading my blog are aware that our beloved farmhouse was a total loss to a fire (struck twice by lightening) on March 22. It is now almost 5 months since that fire. It was a process to go through to get beyond the grief and emotions and exploring what to do next and then making a decision about what to do. In the meantime we looked at rebuilding (way TOO expensive) and finally decided to look for a very different property for our family. I wrote about this process more on my other blog, if you would like to read more.

Our cabin is on a very small, spring fed lake in NW Wisconsin. Topographically the area is hilly and heavily wooded. The hills will make for great biking challenges for me for years to come. The area features very sandy soils because of the glacier remains from millions of years ago which means that there are many sandy bottomed and spring fed lakes. This cabin is totally different than the farm. First of all it is in a coniferous/deciduous biome rather than the prairie/deciduous biome of Mankato. Most of the furnishings were part of the deal, so we did not have to buy hardly anything which is great for folks who lost basically everything from a home. It will be a new place for our family to gather and to celebrate. I know that for certain. There are three bedrooms, all large so we can accommodate many people. It has a great room type kitchen, living and dining room with a large fireplace. It is in a very, very quiet area of Northern Wisconsin. Did I say quiet???

Out of the ashes of our farmhouse fire came this opportunity for us. We will retire here when the time comes. In the meantime, we know we are privileged and fortunate, yet, with the fire, I do not think we will ever take our cabin for granted. Enjoy a few pictures.

A glimpse of the cabin and the woods.

Our dock on the lake.

One of the best places to gather is our screened in porch which
is a great asset in an area known for flying critters!

Looking out the porch screen to the lake.
We are on a small point.

Hubby on first canoe trip with some of the grandbabies.

Just some of our bikes!

Thanks for stopping by and spending part of your day with me. Have a great weekend! Stay strong in your journey! TTFN, Michele

Ownership

2011-08-16T19:03:00.004-05:00

Greetings from a beautiful sunny Minnesota!

When I came back from our trip to Washington state, I envisioned three different posts about my experiences there: our trip to Olympic National Park, the wedding of our son, and lastly some rumination about it all. This will be the last post about our trip: ready for some ruminations?

It was a nearly perfect trip. I got a speeding ticket. Let me explain: on the day of our rehearsal lunch we ended up staying behind at the venue to finish up a little business. Our DIL's father lent us his car (a large SUV) to drive back to Fort Worden. Since most of the people were from out of town, we as the grooms’ parents, hosted a little gathering Friday afternoon. Our guests were counting on some simple road signs to direct them to our quarters at the officer’s housing, which we forgot to set up!! We zipped over to Safeway to get some poster board and markers. Now we were running late. I started to envision people getting lost and frustrated which led to my distraction while driving that large SUV. That SUV is of course a potentially speedy vehicle. I was nailed going about 35 in 25 MPH only blocks away from our little gathering. I was not paying attention to the speedometer, so immersed in thinking about our gathering, the bride, and THE SIGNS that were not up. I was driving along, but my mind was elsewhere, not on my driving. As I sat there giving the officier my license and the car’s registration my mind started to whirl about all the things that were going on, including the simple fact that our son was getting married the next day. Immediately I caught myself thinking about excuses: excuses that would some how get me off the hook. But, I was at fault, for crying out loud: I HAD been speeding. Caught red handed. Dang it!

My little speeding ticket is an analogy to my obesity. For years, I was too distracted by my life (kids and their events and lives, grandbabies, my career, aging parents) to really be present and see what was right before me: I was not healthy and was closing in on being morbidly obese. Plus, I used all of my life events to create a zillion excuses of why I could not care for myself right now, well...because there was always tomorrow, once this last “big event” was over. You name it, I had an excuse for why I could not focus on my own health until whatever day. Sitting alongside the road waiting for that officer to finish writing my ticket, I was amazed at how quickly my mind went to creating excuses, instead of just taking ownership of what I had done: speeding. It was the same with my obesity, until I stopped making excuses, I was not able to take ownership of my own obesity, let alone start to look at what I was going to do about it.

It was a great wedding. I am so happy for our family and for us as parents to welcome our new DIL. I am also very proud of how far I have come in my own journey to take care of myself and really take ownership of my obesity. That was just a speeding ticket. It was dumb to speed, just like it was dumb to overeat and allow myself to become so out of shape. I am not proud of that speeding ticket, nor am I proud of my obesity. I am proud of the fact that I finally took my obesity by the reigns and finally looked at all those excuses for what they really were: excuses. That's it. Excuses. How about you? Have you gone beyond your excuses, yet??

Have a great day and stay strong!

Michele

Brief update for STS

2011-08-14T16:55:00.004-05:00

Hello All,
This is just the briefest of updates. Summer is just too short here in Minnesota! I am currently playing at our new cabin with the grandbabies: more later this week!

Slimmer This Summer Challenge update.

Weight loss:
No weight loss to report. I plan to weigh in again on August 24. But, I can feel a difference in my clothes!!

Tracking food: Yes, this is still going well.

Move more: Biking is up to 69 miles this week. I will get in one more ride today, so should be over my goal of 85 miles.

Blogger love: Yes, I did spread lots of love last week. This week will be a bit more minimal, but I will be reading!!

Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support. Have a great start to your week! TTFN, Michele

STS Update!

2011-08-06T11:19:00.005-05:00

Slimmer This Summer Challenge update.

I am happy to report today that I bounced right back to eating well and exercising after my return from the wedding and vacation. Here is my Slimmer This Summer Update:

Weight loss:
No weight loss to report. I plan to weigh in again on August 24.

Tracking food: I picked up tracking again on Wednesday. I returned Monday night, so gave myself one day off before getting back at it. Since I restarted tracking calories per day have averaged about 1500, a little high, but you will see that I have been hard at cycling this week.

Move more: You can see by my mileage tracker that I have logged many miles this week. As of today 117 miles, although to be fair 35 of that was on vacation, putting 82 miles for Tuesday through today, Saturday. Our bike season is at its peak right now thus I am taking advantage of every possible moment. This week I completed two-twenty mile rides and for the first time joined the Twin Cities Bike Club (TCBC) on a 30 mile ride.

TCBC is a voluntary organization that hosts rides every day of the week for riders at various levels with "C" being the lowest and "A" being the highest. I am at a "B/C" level meaning I can keep the pace of B (13 MPH average) but where our rides average about 11 MPH (level C is 10 MPH average). Average is the key word here. Our range for the ride I went on was 8 (hills) to 17!! I made it the whole way, too! I was in the rear on our last few miles but I stayed with the pack and leader the first 20 miles or so. It was a lot of fun, plus, I learned some good safety tips for stopping with straps on my pedals. Here are pictures of the falls (Camden Falls) where we rode, plus a group picture of the 8 of us. I plan to do at least one ride a week with this group from now until the end of biking season.

Blogger love: Yes. I checked in on all of you this week, plus, I even checked in on some of the June Boomers (Alan's challenge) to see how they were doing. I was surprised at how many of the original Boomers are no longer blogging. With the STS, I only checked those who posted on Debbi's page. Of those, most are doing very well in meeting their goals. Getting healthy and fit is hard and takes time. Stay with us, you are worth it!

No big plans for the weekend for me except cleaning up and tackling some more organizational tasks. Hope to catch a movie this weekend, too! How about you? Any plans for the weekend?

Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support. Have a great weekend! TTFN, Michele

Wedding pictures and WA State, Part 2

2011-08-04T20:33:00.009-05:00

In my last post I shared with you some of the pictures with an overview of our trip to Washington State and Olympic National Park and Port Townsend. Today, I am happy to share with you some of the pictures of our son’s wedding. These are pictures that I took, or someone else, not the “official” photographer’s photos. Come join me while I share one of our family's precious life events.

The festivities started with a shower for the bride on Thursday. When the women of my family arrived, we got this glimpse of the bride peeking out at us from the hotel. It is one of my favorite moments and set the stage for so many wonderful interactions between the two families and all of the guests.

On Friday, my hubby and I hosted a rehearsal lunch at
the Clam Cannery in Port Townsend. This was the setting!!

My son, Sean, and his bride, Anne, were married on their property in
Port Townsend. They will eventually build a home here.
Here is a glimpse at the preparations:

The runner making a walkway through the forest.

We all stayed at Fort Worden in PT. There was an old gas station that
made for a great backdrop for pictures of the groomsmen, groom and our family before the wedding. Their wedding had a slight prohibition/twenties theme.

My hubby and I with our six grandbabies!

Owen, age 6!

Hann, age 4.
All six dressed and ready to go!

Me!
The flower "chaos" as it was called.

Here comes the bride!

Wedding vows

A newly married couple!

The get away truck!

The pictures do not covey the depth of pride I felt at the way our son and daughter-in-law planned this wedding, including the service. It was beautiful and poignant. Something unique that they did was to have the officiant share with all of us what it was about their partner that made them certain he or she would be the one for life. In addition, they found a way to thank all the parents for their role in creating a partner who they so loved. We are so very happy that they found each other. Life is good.

Thank-you for reading. Have a great weekend and stay strong in your journey to better health!

Michele

Back! STS update and WA State, part 1

2011-08-01T16:49:00.005-05:00

Hello Everyone Out in Bloggyland!!

I am back from an absolutely terrific trip to Washington State and our youngest son’s wedding. I am going to break the story of our travel into three blog posts. This one will be about our trip to Olympic National Park and Port Townsend, the next post will be about the WEDDING (still have some photos to upload) and the final one will be some ruminations on it all.

Port Townsend, WA: My hubby and I and our son Jacob and his wife Jenn and their three children started our Washington experience by first traveling around the Puget Sound to Port Townsend (where my son has property) and west to Olympic National Park. Our son is a boat builder and is working for the summer as an instructor at a boat school. He and his new wife will eventually make Port Townsend their home. Here are a few pictures of the scenery around PT.

Hubby and our son gazing at the Sound in PT (above).
Another view of PT (below).
Fort Worden Lighthouse (below)
PT at sunset

Olympic National Park: We stayed for four days in the Sol Duc Valley, which is in the northwest corner of the park and features old growth forest, subalpine lakes, and snowy peaks. The Sol Duc River serves as a key highway for coho salmon, running through the valley and ascending to the lakes and headwaters in the surrounding mountains. Sol Duc is also famous for a series of mineral hot springs which were very close to our cabins. Each day we hiked on the well marked trails, starting with a trail that wound up to the Sol Duc Falls.

Sol Duc River below

Sol Duc Falls

More of the trail

Relaxing after our first hike

On the second day, we did our major hike, a 5.2-mile hike to Mink Lake with a 1400 foot elevation gain. We kept a steady, but slow pace with the three kids along. We stopped along the trail for snacks and to view all the wonderful invertebrates. Here is one of the many foot bridges we crossed on this hike.

The kids were really troopers, completing their longest and most difficult hike ever.

Mink Lake in Olympic National Park

Baby came, too!

Here I am walking across a small creek

On our last day, we meandered over to Lake Crescent and down to Hurricane Ridge. The scenery here is just breath taking as you can see from these few photos. Wild lupine is one of my favorite flowers, so you can imagine my delight to see it blooming throughout the mountains. Here is a view of Lake Crescent.

Views from Hurricane Ridge

Wild lupines below!

Olympic National Park is a jewel of a place to visit and a genuine treasure of our national park system. If you have not been there, I would encourage you to put it on your “must see” list. The pictures I included here represent a fraction of the natural beauty of this park.

Slimmer This Summer Challenge update.

I was on vacation last week, plus we had the wedding, but I am happy to report I did really well.

Weight loss:
No weight loss to report. I plan to weigh in again on August 24.

Tracking food: I tracked my food for the first four days. Each tracked day averaged about 1350 calories. Starting on Thursday and through Sunday I stopped tracking because it was the wedding. We hosted a number of events that included food. At each, I was careful to include salads or fruit, however, I also ate in moderation the other wedding event foods. I never once binged or overate on any of these foods. I feel really good about my food choices and feel that I will have no problem getting back to tracking each and every day this week.

Move more: As you read above, I did several hikes in ONP totaling about 10 miles. I believe I was in the best shape ever for the hikes that we did. I was happy with my pace and best of all was only a little sore at the end of the day. While stair climbing is not mountain hiking, I do think it prepared me for some of the switch backs we climbed on hike 2.

What you do not know is that I rented a road bike (!!) from the Broken Spoke in PT once we were settled in at Fort Worden after our ONP excursion. I put about 35 miles on that bike during the 4 days we were in PT for the wedding. There was no odometer on that bike so I am estimating my mileage. PT is hilly!! I had to walk my bike each day up a few of the steepest hills, but each day saw me getting better at them.

Blogger love: Not last week since I was gone. But, I will be checking in on you all soon!

Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support. Have a great start to your week! TTFN, Michele

Biking away, STS and WI!

2011-07-22T15:11:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday to All of You!

I had to bring Millie (above, my road bike) in for her first check up today. Since I bought her in early June, I logged 479 miles. I ride my other bikes, too, but Millie is my main exercise vehicle. I was out on a twenty-mile ride on Thursday. The entire ride was on a bike trail or path except for the mile or so to the trail where I ride through my neighborhood. Like many cycling days, I do a warm up ride for a few miles, this time I warmed up by going along the Minnehaha Trail to the falls. You have seen this picture before!
What you have not seen is that if I get back on the trail it continues on and joins another trail that takes me across the Mississippi River. Here I am on the Ford Bridge crossing the Mississippi.
I then pick up a trail on the East Mississippi River Road that takes me about 4 miles north. I then start to cycle east along another bike trail. Below you can see the biking trail and how it follows the light rail tracks.
Below is a view of the biking bridge that I take over the light rail line.
I continue East along trails that look like the one below and are known locally as the Midtown Greenway.
I once again arrive at the chain of lakes that makes SW Minneapolis so famous. This is Lake of the Isles and Grand Round trail system. The fun part of cycling in a mecca of biking trails like this is that I do not make any decision about where I will go until I am actually on my bike.
You cannot see the trail below, but it winds around the tunnel and edge of the lake.

I think most of you know that I have made it a habit to stop at a flight of stairs along one of the lakes as I am out riding. I take those stairs almost every time I am out now. But, I started thinking about what else I might begin to incorporate in my workouts and happened upon this little gem of a playground.

Did you ever climb monkey bars? I did when I was a kid and I loved it. Plus, I was agile back then and of course not overweight. So, I thought: "why not give it a try?" I really need to work on my upper arm strength anyway, so why not? Well, I tried it and guess what? I could not swing myself at all. As a matter of fact, I could only hold on for a few seconds. So, I am going to start bar swinging (not that kind!) as part of my fitness regime. I am not setting any goals. But, boy do I feel it when I hang for a bit.

Challenge updates. I am down to just one. This one:

For me, the Slimmer this Summer (STS) challenge continues to go GREAT!!
Weight loss:
That number might not mean much to any of you, but it reflects a 2.5 pound loss over the past 3 weeks and a 4 pound loss all together for STS! In 7 weeks I have lost 4 pounds. Not much, but it is the first downward slope I have had in over 5 months. I have lost a total of 31 pounds since I started this journey last year. Need-less-to-say, I am happy with the results.

Tracking food: Food was spot on again. I am proud of the fact that I have logged all of my food for 8 weeks now! I also came in at 10,100 calories! So, a good week here, too!

Move more: Well, you can see by my side bar that I will end this week at 48 miles, so short of my 85 targeted miles per week. I climbed the stairs 4 times, plus, you already know I started the monkey bars

Blogger love: Yes, I have spread the bloggy love.

Weekend: we leave tomorrow, Saturday, for Seattle and the Puget Sound and our son's wedding. I am so excited! We will spend 4 days first in Olympic National Park near Lake Crescent doing some day hikes. One of our other son's and his family will accompany us to the Park. The wedding of my son is on Saturday, July 30th. Pre-wedding activities begin next Wednesday!!!! Expect lots of pictures when I return.

I am going to go electronic free, except for a camera, while I am away. No computer and no (not sure if I can do this!) iPhone. I believe it is important to take an electronic vacation from time to time. So, I will catch up with all of you upon my return on August 3.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support. Have a great weekend and back on August 3! TTFN, Michele

Alert, Alert! Huge Milestone for Another Blogger!!

2011-07-21T09:00:00.004-05:00

Hi Bloggers!
Mallwalker over at Getting Healthy has just reached the phenomenal milestone of 100 pounds off. Stop on over at her blog and spread some bloggy love! Have a great and strong day everyone! Michele

Cruise control, part 2

2011-07-20T15:54:00.005-05:00

Last night the Minnesota Twins were down 0-1 until the bottom of the ninth. They rallied and fought back with two runs to win the game! On Sunday, I was watching the Tour de France. Did you see that finish? Wow! Talk about exciting!! There was a trio of leaders ahead of the Peloton for most of the race, up until the last 4 minutes or so, when it became a sprint to the finish with Michael Cavendish from the UK coming in with the same time as the USA’s Tyler Farrar!! A marvelous finish to an over 4.5 hours ride.
I am in no way close to a finish, but I am closing in on my official weigh in on July 23. I am aiming for a WIN!!! I worked really hard these past few weeks and am hoping that I will finally break through and have an actual weight loss. In the meantime, there are tangible ways that I can see results of my good habits whether or not I see a scale difference on Saturday. Here are some of my other wins:

1. My clothes are loser and in the case of some: downright baggy. I can bunch up a ball of lose fabric in my summer Capri pants especially at my waist and around my upper thighs. I am in no hurry to trade these lose clothes in either. Everyday I wear them is a reminder to me of how far I have come. Which leads me to...

2. I wear my clothes with more confidence, even my swimming suit. No buttons are about to pop off or fail to stay closed, either!

3. I wear sleeve less shirts now. Well, it is summer, so even in Minnesota it is hot. I NEVER wore sleeveless before. Now, I do and with confidence.

4. 10 miles on my bike is almost a “warm up” now. Now remember I live in Minneapolis so there are not too many hills, but I easily complete 10 miles and do almost every day.

5. Because I have ridden so many of the trails and bike paths around Minneapolis and St. Paul I have learned better ways of getting around all together, whether by bike or by car. Today, I finished a meeting in St. Paul and took the Minnehaha Parkway home (by car). Nice.

6. Speaking of that meeting: I make a lunch just about every time I go to a meeting. Most of the organizations where I meet provide a lunch that is catered or ordered out, rarely are any of the lunch fixings appropriate for me and my calorie budget. I do let the folks in charge of the meeting know that I will bring my own, too. I do not want them to order something for me and then it goes to waste. I have no problem eating my lunch, either, with everyone else. Honestly most people do not even notice.

7. I can walk a good clip up that flight of 48 stairs, near my bike trail. I would not say that I am sprinting, but, I definitely have some skip in my step. Thanks Alan for planting that seed.

8. I drink a tall glass of water before I have my morning coffee and all day long I pour refills. It is a habit.

9. I am not afraid to go out to eat or to a birthday party or whatever. I do not let the occasion be a reason for me to eat more than I should or foods that I shouldn’t. Last Sunday was my DIL birthday. I knew (since I bought it) there would be a Dairy Queen ice cream cake, one of my favorites. I budgeted 300 calories for a small sliver of that cake. It was fantastic and I enjoyed EVERY bite.

10. When I go out to eat I can find a salad on any menu that will work for me and I do and regularly.

11. Most of the time, I can have one bite, one taste or one sip of something that I should not have. And most of the time one bite, taste or sip is enough.

12. I have become a super tracker of my food. I just completed 7 full weeks of doing it every single day. No matter what I ate. No matter how high or low the calories.

13. My shoe size is smaller. Okay, this might be to aging, too. But, I was an 8 and now I am a 7.5. For real. Check out my new size 7.5 sparkly shoes for the wedding!

14. I am so excited for my son’s wedding on July 30th! Of course I love his future wife and it will be a GREAT celebration with my family and extended family, but, I love what I will be wearing to all the festivities, including this dress below that is a size 16 (I have not been in that size for over 15 years!).

15.I am NOT afraid to speak out about making the decision to take care of myself or for all of you: yourselves (some of you have received comments from me about just this on your blog). This getting healthy and fit lifestyle is the most important gift you give to yourself and your family. Take yourself and your own worth seriously and just DO IT!! You all know that I waited way too long, 57 years. Time to make THIS time count, like I am and stop being wishy-washy about it. It is hard. But, it can be done. Just do it. Get ‘er done!

16. Okay this one is personal, but here goes: I can use a regular bath towel to wrap me up when I am done. Enough said, but wow is that something!

17. I am looking forward to doing new or near new physical activities: like paddling (thanks, Julie!), hiking, and playing tennis.

18. Mostly what I want to tell you is how terrific I feel about myself. I know I have made progress in getting healthier and fitter. I am taking care of myself. I feel it in my stamina, I see it in my clothes, and I feel it in how well I sleep.

All together, lots of wins for me! So, how about you, where are you winning your own race lately?

Thanks for stopping by. Stay cool and stay strong everyone! Michele

More to meeting another blogger

2011-07-17T20:10:00.009-05:00

Julie and I met up on Saturday afternoon!!! It was fun and definitely a little adventure. She lives about 2.5 hours from Minneapolis in Northern Minnesota, a wonderful mix of lake country with mixed forest. It was just a magnificent day, getting to know someone in "real” time and learning about her neck of the woods to boot. First we strolled through her acreage: the near forty, the middle forty and the back forty (of her 120 acres!!). For me it was a biologist/naturalists’ heaven of plants and small invertebrates. Her acreage is no longer farmed and is now a beautiful mix of open prairies and meadows amidst rolling hills with hardwood and coniferous trees. Every corner we turned we were greeted with the sound of the woods and open fields, including the quaking aspens that stir and quake with harmony as the breeze moves their leaves. I don’t think Julie has ever conveyed what a beautiful slice of this planet she lives on in her own blog. Take my word for it, it is lovely. Just lovely. There were hairstreak, fritillary, monarch and cooper butterflies flying all around, with at least a dozen different types of damsel and dragonflies, soaring, too. Of course there were plenty of other insects and birds, but it is the diversity of butterfliies and dragonflies that captured my attention the most.

Our state is one of the best-kept secrets in our country. We have majestic prairies, small, but ragged mountains, and fabulous hardwoods and coniferous forests. You also know about our lakes, right? Well, Julie has a small puddle (beautiful small spring fed lake on her property) and right down the road, not even a mile way is another beautiful lake where you can motorboat. The area where she lives is known as lake country throughout our state. I can see why.
So, you get it, the natural world around Aitkin, Minnesota is fabulous. But the best part, was strolling along with Julie. Having quiet conversation and getting to know each other. Julie is gracious, kind, and compassionate which make for easy and free flowing conversation as we walked and talked. After our stroll we had lunch together. I had brought along some of my favorite salad fixings including a couple of different salad greens, some beans, beets, shredded carrots and a favorite raspberry vinaigrette, plus some Joseph’s pitas and fruit.

As promised Julie took me out to her small lake to paddle. Truth be told, I have always been afraid of canoeing, because I felt that if I ever tipped over, I would never be able to get back in, you know the obesity actor. I wanted in the worst way to get past this fear and Julie was there to show me the way. Julie is a great and gentle teacher, instructing me to keep my back straight and not wiggle from the waist up. We stayed upright just fine. After a circle around the lake and a few back and froths, she asked “are you ready” and then capsized us. It was at that moment in the cool water that I had to face my fear and risk humiliation by getting back into the canoe on my own accord. Boy, was that hard. Julie coached me. Michael, her son, used his long arms to keep the canoe from flipping over as I tried to get in, and after about what seemed like 20 tries I finally made it in. I know I could not have done it without them. I know, too, that I need to work on my upper arm strength. But, the best past is that I left that lake feeling like I had FINALLY done something that I had put off for so long because of my girth and low fitness level. Now, that my girth is decreasing and my strength is increasing, and a good new friend at my side, I tried something I never thought I would do: paddling and getting back in a canoe. I am guessing there will be many more paddle days in my future.
We finished the afternoon touring around the countryside in her car, including Serpent Lake in Crosby, Minnesota. There are actually several lakes here that were created when the old Cuyuna Iron Range open mine pits stopped operation. According to the Cuyuna Lakes website once the pumping stopped, the excavated mine sites turned from scarred earth to a new wonderland reclaimed by nature. We finished our day by meeting one of Julie’s friends for dinner at a local restaurant, who, although not a blogger, has lost 50 pounds. Together the three of us had lost a total of 140 pounds! Pretty cool to be amongst big losers like the two of them! As I drove home, my mind was swirling with ruminations.

If you are reading this post today you are more than likely a weight loss blogger like me. Each of us have our own reasons why we chose blogging as a way to document our getting healthier journeys. Each of us has also discovered that the weight loss blogging community is supportive and encouraging and for many of us, myself included, help us keep accountable and moving forward. We are all moving forward in varied ways. Many of you like me (and Julie!) are simply eating less and moving more. We are learning that there are no magic or easy steps to weight loss and getting fit. It is hard work. It takes commitment, determination and at times sheer grit. But, we are not alone because we are members of this blogging community. We talk about and process our day-to-day efforts and struggles, our triumphs, and our frustrations regarding our own personal journey to get fit every time we post.

For so many years my own obesity and lack of fitness was something that I never talked about with anyone. No one. Of course everyone knew what I did not: I was overweight and obese. It was a major turn for me when I came out with this blog and started to really tackle my obesity and all the other life style and emotional habits that got me here in the first place. As much as blogging has been a great support network, the downside to it is that it is virtual. Real people post on their blogs, but our relationships are virtual. For me there is now one blogger whom I have an emerging real time friendship that began with one of the most personal journeys I have ever undertaken. There is a trust and honesty already present that will serve as roots for a friendship to grow in ways I do not know. My own life will be richer and expanded because of it. That I am certain.
So, my weight loss blogger friends, do you ever think about meeting another blogger?

Have a strong start to your week and TTFN,
Michele

STS and other challenge updates

2011-07-15T18:54:00.009-05:00

Happy Weekend, Bloggers!
We are already midway through July! Summer is so short here in Minnesota that I just want to make every day count. Like most of the country Minnesota is in for some very HOT weather this weekend! I will try to get out on my bike early each morning. Speaking of bikes and cycling, this will go down as one of my lowest mileage weeks of the summer. I taught all week at the U of Mn. Summer teaching is always very intense. I worked long, long days. Like many of you have blogged about, getting out early to exercise (like before 6am) was just not realistic. Several evenings I had meetings, too. So, thus, low mileage. I will get another 10-mile ride in Saturday morning.

Challenge updates!

My target for week 5 (July 10-July 16) for Small Change Challenge was to target experimenting with some "core" exercises this week. Well, I did not do any of those core exercises. So, guess what my small change goal is next week: yep, core exercises!

For me, the Slimmer this Summer (STS) challenge is going GREAT!!
Weight loss:I will not weigh in until July 23. So, no news here.

Tracking food: Food was spot on. I am particularly proud of the fact that I packed a lunch each and every day that I was teaching. You see they provide the most delicious lunches for the teachers. Delicious. The teachers rave about them. But for someone that is watching what they eat and calories: a no go. I did not have one bite of that food; nor one single bite of all the candy that was up for grabs either.

Move more: Well, you already know I did not make my 85 mile goal. I will add another 10 miles on Satirday for about 35 for the week. I did do stairs twice for 300 steps.

Blogger love: Yes, I have spread the bloggy love. I can see that the linky list on Deb's blog is smaller. I hope folks are not dropping out. I can not tell you how many times I dropped off of working on my weight and fitness. It is hard, and almost every day hard. But, you know, this is my life and I want nothing more right now then to be healthy and fit. If you are reading this and you are thinking about letting yet another weight loss journey go, think again. You are doing this for YOU! But you are also doing it for the people that LOVE you! Get your fitness together well before I did! Please!!

Finally, this weekend will be another first for bloggy love for me. Julie and I will be meeting for the first time in person!! I am so excited! Many of you already know that she is a Minnesota blogger, too, from Up North! I am betting that we will hit it off just great. As a matter of fact, we already share a common bond: weight loss blogging. We are a special breed, us weight loss bloggers. We know each other's stories at least parts of them because we live and have lived them. So already many shared commonalities. Julie is going to help me become a paddler! Well, at least learn the basics...

Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support. Have a great weekend! TTFN, Michele

Finishing a strong week and challenge updates

2011-07-09T09:36:00.004-05:00

Happy Weekend, Bloggers!

It has been a really strong week for me! I continue to learn more about my own body and its response to both increasing exercise and calorie intake. I tracked my food carefully and came in at about 1300 calories on three days. Most of you know that last week I started including protein powder in my food program as a way to mediate my light-headedness. Because of the heat and humidity this week, I did most of my cycling early in the morning. This made a huge difference for me in terms of my calorie intake. I was able to get in three 1300 or less calories a day with a full week of good exercise. I know that I will actually lose weight if and only if I can get my calories to about 1200. I do not weight in until July 23, so hoping that I will record a loss with this new regime.

Before I get to my challenge updates, a couple of items:
Are you a Tour de France affectionado? If you are, you might like to know there is a great link (passed onto me by my son) where you can watch it live via the web. Enjoy!

Next: wear sunscreen! Two members of my family recently had surgery on their nose and chins because of skin cancer. We are older than many of you, plus there was NO sunscreen in my youth and even my early adulthood, thus many of you "youngins" have less risk than we do. I make it a habit of putting some on my nose (especially!), my face and neck every day, whether I will be out in the sun or not. There is no reason anymore for any of us adults to get sun burned. So, protect your skin: use a good sunscreen this summer and every day.

Challenge updates!

My target for week 4 (July 2-July 9) for Small Change Challenge was to eat more protein calories at breakfast and lunch. This worked really well for me. I will keep it up.

Next small change goal (July 10 to July 16): I am going to target experimenting with some "core" exercises this week. Not sure what, but, know that this will be another step forward for me.
For me, the Slimmer this Summer (STS) challenge is going GREAT!!
Weight loss:I will not weigh in until July 23. So, no news here.

Moving more: You can see by my mileage in the side bar that cycling was very strong again this week, too. 5/7 days I climbed the set of stairs I wrote about last week. Actually this stair climbing is becoming another habit at this point.

Tracking food: I target 1400-1500 a day. As you know from above, I made it under 1300 calories several days. I did go over one day, too. I did great tracking in both water and food every day.

Blogger love: Yes, I have spread the bloggy love. Many of you have had significant weight loss success.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support. Have a great weekend! TTFN, Michele

Cruise control

2011-07-05T12:43:00.002-05:00

I am going to start this post by sending out a word (or a few) words of thanks for all the positive and encouraging comments I am receiving on this blog since I started the Slimmer This Summer and other challenges. It is not an easy trek to get fit and healthy but I never feel alone because of all of you. Thank-you for stopping by and spending part of your day with me.

I hope you all had a great Fourth of July! Several of our family members traveled by bike to several Minneapolis destinations include lunch, a swimming beach and fireworks over the Stone Arch Bridge. All together we did about 20 miles of leisurely bike riding with kids in tow. Eating was good, actually very good, including a few beers. My average calories for the three days were under 1600. With all my exercise I aim for 1500 a day, so 100 more, is pretty dang good for me for a holiday weekend with lots of family time.

I am working on adding more protein into my diet as a way to mediate my light-headedness when I am exercising. I bought some protein powder at Trader Joe’s this weekend. ½ scoop has 9 grams of protein and only 50 calories. I add it to milk for a combined total of 160 calories and 16 whopping grams of protein. I am trying to take this milk in about an hour or so before I start a ride. Worked well the last three days.

Speaking of riding, I am moving into cruise control, so to speak. My favorite bike ride right now is three loops around Lake Harriett for 10 miles. The trail is even and in excellent condition, which means I can ride about 15-16 MPH with ease. I am working on my “form” right now and my pace. Trying to keep my knees in, back straighter and my pace even. I challenge myself by trying to keep at a steady pace, say 14mph for as long as I can. Plus, I am working on my time for those 10 miles. On hot days I am doing it in about 50 minutes, today cooler, I did it in 44. Another thing is that I am making it a habit to climb those stairs almost every ride. Today I did three times up and down.

So, both my eating and my exercise are in cruise control. I am moving forward with what works for me. I have decided that I am not going to step on the scale until July 23 (the day I leave for Port Townsend, WA and my son’s wedding). As a matter of fact, I think I will only weigh in once a month from now on. It is just too frustrating. I know I am doing really well in both exercise and eating. Sure, I can do better, but I have never done as well as I am right now. The scale simply does not reflect my efforts. I do not want the scale to define my progress, but rather, my continuing stamina and the fact that my clothes fit better and loser. So, I am in cruise mode for now. Hopefully unexpected bumps in the rode will be minimal.

Thanks for reading. Have a great start to your short week. TTFN and stay strong, Michele

Embracing sweat, baseball and challenge updates!

2011-07-01T15:55:00.003-05:00

Happy Fourth of July Weekend to all USA Bloggers!
After a very rainy and dreary June, Minnesota has finally welcomed summer, meaning warm temperatures and even a HEAT advisory! For me this means that I am getting out early for my bike rides. I can't remember ever sweating so much as I have in the last week. But, I know that it also means that I am exercising hard and really working out and outdoors! So, I am embracing my sweat as yet another indicator of my improving health and fitness levels!!

This week, my favorite ball team, LA Dodgers, was in town for a three game series with the MN Twins. Neither team is remarkable this year and both teams are plagued with injuries and in the case of LA, precarious finances because of their owners. Despite their records and other things, I went to all three games. Twins took the series, 2-1, but I did not care. I actually like the Twins, but when my hometown team comes to play, I bleed blue, just like Tommy! My Dodger fan get-up was outnumbered at least a 1000-1 by the hometown team, again, no problem for me. The sense of camaraderie amongst us few fans was tremendous though with many of us stopping to share our own Dodger stories with each other at the concession stands or when we were standing around in back of the first tier of seats by home plate.

That was my first time to our new baseball stadium, Target Field. It is a beaut. Love, loved it. Of course, I love Dodger stadium, but this one is a close second. Basically any seat in the house is a good one. They planned well for the angle of the sun, so for any evening game, most all seats are shaded. One of the best parts was that I rode my bike to each of the games. I discovered after riding to the first two games, that one of the bike trails goes right under the stadium. I now know that I can ride from my house out to Minnehaha Trail (this is the one I usually bike on) and all the way to the stadium on designated bikeways. Here are a few pictures of the stadium and the trail.

The Grand Rounds Trail map

(below)

I live West of Lake Harriett. I ride 6 short blocks to get on the biking trail. I follow on the east side of L. Harriett to Lake Calhoun and then head a little NW to Cedar and Brownie Lakes. The Cedar trail way (a commuter bike route) intersects with the Lake trails (otherwise known as the Grand Rounds). I can follow this to the Target Stadium and come out only a block away. There are tens of bike parking areas, too, at the Stadium. All together, about a 7 mile ride each way. Believe me if you ever come to Minneapolis, you need to get a bike!!

Challenge updates!!

My goals are:
1. Exercise every day at least one hour, with twice a day for 3/7 days in a week. I did another 6/7 days of exercise this week. You can see by my mile ticker that I logged in 85 miles on my bike and it is only Friday!!! Overall, I exercised 27/30

2. Start stair climbing: I am really proud (Alan are you ready??) to report that I officially stair climbed this week!!! I ride by several really great outdoor stair steps on the Minnehaha Trail and it was this week that I actually thought: "Hmm, why don’t I give those a try." Truth is, I had stopped for a drink of water and looked up and was like: Wow! how could I have not thought about these before!!! Here they are:
They are steep set of stairs with small step and a short rise. 48 all together which make for great stairs for me. I climbed those stairs FOUR different times this week; twice I did the stair case twice, and the other two I did them thrice! It was hard, I was embracing my sweat, but doable. I finally feel like I am starting to train for our Olympic National Park hikes at the end of the month! The cool thing is these stairs are right off the trail where I bike. So, I can do a loop or two around one of the lakes, then get some cross training in by climbing stairs, then make another lake loop. The bike ride all together is about 10 miles. June Boom for Michele: a great success! Thanks Alan, for hosting this and all your encouragement. It was a great motivation for me to try something new!
My target for week 3 (June 26-July 1) for Small Change Challenge was to save more calories for the end of the day. I was able to save about 400 calories for the end of the day. However, because of the warm weather here in MN, I did my exercise early in the morning, so I did not need as many calories later in the day. It still was nice coming out with a few more at the end of the day.

Next small change goal (July 2 to July 9): Eat more protein calories at breakfast and lunch. On days that I eat more protein, I do not get light headed when I exercise hard. So, more good protein earlier in the day.
Weight loss:I am staying away from the scale for now. But I can feel a difference, in the way my clothes are fitting!

Moving more: This week I easily made my target of 85 miles. I will probably get close to 100!!

Tracking food: I targeting 1400-1500 a day. I made it under 1400-15500 calories every day but one. I did great tracking in both water and food every day. Every day!

Blogger love: Yes, I have spread the bloggy love. Keep strong everyone. Big weekend ahead!!

Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support. Have a great weekend (Fourth of July!). TTFN, Michele

Ruminations on a year....

2011-06-28T10:57:00.005-05:00

I am still here after a year…

I am still here. To me that is already a huge accomplishment. A year of moving forward, albeit slowly, to better health and fitness, including of course weight loss and chronologging that journey here in bloggyland. The fact that I am still here after one year, moving forward, including regularly blogging is evidence for me that this trek to become fit and healthy is here to stay, no matter how long it takes. Ruminations are in order. Don't you think?

When I started last year on June 26, I thought I would need a year to get healthy. Boy, was I wrong. I am definitely healthier, but, now I know that I will need at least another year to get to my goal or target weight and to become fitter. I think after all the years of being in denial about my weight and obesity, I was initially still convinced that I could lose a couple of pounds a week and be done with all the “weight loss” stuff. Wrong. I now know that what I am doing now is for life.

Which brings me to where I am today: I acknowledge that I am a slow weight loss loser. I probably always have been; I just did not know that until this past year. After one year I have lost just about 30 pounds, which means I have lost .57 pounds a week. I admit that I do get frustrated at times because my weight loss is so darn slow, but, that is how my body seems to work. The way I see it now is it took me over 25 years to get to the weight that I was when I started. I am guessing it will take me a full 2.5 years (or 10 percent of 25 years) to be at a normal weight for my body size. As much as a “quick fix” seduces me, at times, I know there is no quick anything in my case.

I believe most everyone reading this blog knows that I am taking extraordinarily simple measures to get healthy and fit by following the advice and mantra of nutritionist Marion Nestle. I adopted her adage: eat less, move more, eat plenty of fruits and veggies and go easy on the junk food. The first 20 pounds or so were honestly easy to lose. But every since that first 20 pounds came off, it has been harder and harder for me to lose. I started to track my food and water every day about 6 weeks ago. I learned that for me to lose weight I need to eat about 1200 calories a day or 1500 if my exercise is heavy.

I am moving more. Much more. You all know that I have become a cyclist over the past year. I started out slowly with maybe a 1-3 mile ride and slowly increased my stamina. By the end of last summer I was doing 8-10 mile rides. Now I can ride 20 or more miles at a time, and often do 15 or 16 a day. I find, too, that I rarely use my car in the city. I can easily go to the store or do most errands on one of my bikes. I have made it a habit to bike downtown when we take in a concert or a sporting event. Cycling is away for me to challenge myself in the space that I enjoy the most: the outdoors.

I definitely eat more fruits and veggies: It is a habit now for me to cut up apples or take grapes with me, everywhere using a lunch box with a cold cube. I have learned to love carrots (raw, too!), eat salad, and enjoy other veggies more often like cauliflower and broccoli.

Junk food: I eat little junk food now. I do allow my self sometimes those 100 calories Keebler snacks. Sometimes it is hard to stop at one package, so I do not do this often. I do allow myself treats, or things that I think are treats, but I budget them in, most of the time. Like an In and Out burger or a DQ ice cream cone.

Like many of us as this first year progressed, I learned more about myself and why I eat, or overate. I did over eat and regularly, my new tracking habit was hard evidence that I overate for a long, long while. I have learned portion size and that having a bite or two of something can be enough. In short, over this past year I slowly cultivated some good habits and made changes that are moving me forward to my goals of being healthier and fitter.

I know the changes are for good, too. Here is why: Like many of you, I had two significant events this past year. My father become ill and died last August. He was not by anyone’s definition a good or great father, but he was mine. His passing brought out front and center many difficult conversations with my siblings. The passing of a parent is never easy especially with one so provocative as my father. Second, on March 22, just three short months ago, we lost our long time hobby farmhouse to fire. It has been a process of grieving, acceptance and now , I think, making plans for "what's next." During both of these events, I ate more calories than I needed to lose weight, but did not gain any weight. I maintained what I had lost. I now know that I can weather big life events and not eat my weight though them.

I traveled quite a bit this year, too. Most of you know that I am on sabbatical, which made it possible for me to have the time to travel. Again, I ate more than I needed too to lose weight, but maintained what I have lost on each and every trip. I never brought a scale with me, but did weigh before and after I returned from a trip. I practiced my better eating habits most of the time when I traveled and found ways to exercise by walking, taking stairs or even biking.

I do not share often my frustrations with my slow weight lose on this blog. But, you can bet I am frustrated and discouraged at times, just like we all can be. Yep, I too, just want to be done with “this” sometimes. But, more and more, I know that is wish full thinking. I know that if I do not continue to become more fit my health will suffer in ways that I do not even know, and so will my family because of my ill health. That is unacceptable to me. Most days I accept the fact that my body if very finicky about shedding pounds. I wish it wasn’t, but that is who I am. I am in this for life, my life. I want this one life to be as healthy as possible.

So after one year, I am here to stay: on this journey and documenting it through blogger. Blogging can be time intensive, but it is a tool with many benefits. For one, I never feel alone. Never. Because of all of you. Because you are the folks that really get this weight loss thing and what it takes to DO it. We are in this together and together we can kick our tushies, butts, buns
caboose, taillights, derriere, what ever you want to call our collective rear ends, toward better health.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for stopping by and spending some of your day with me. Thanks for your support. Thanks for taking care of yourself and being an example for me. Thanks for making a difference by blogging about your journey to better health. Thanks for your camaraderie. Thanks for your humor. Thanks for your tips and recipes. Thanks for your friendships. Let’s stay together for the long haul, no matter how long it is. Okay??

TTFN, Michele