Plan B

The exercise schedule in my head called for a long run this weekend.  However, my two littlest toes on my right foot have been getting a little too close and I have a very painful corn that's developed between the toes.  Painful as in it hurts to walk without a layer of silicon between the toes.  Painful as in no way I was going to wear anything but roomy clunky shoes to church this morning.  Painful as in running hurts and would most likely exacerbate the problem with my toes.  You might have noticed in the upper right of my sidebar, that my little Nike+ running avatar is dissing me.  :D I may start wearing it when I walk with DH at night, just so it gets some action.

Not exercising is not an option.  I did kettle bells last night [only 1 more session until my guaranteed results!!] Today, I needed some good cardio.  Biking to the rescue!  I so enjoyed my long ride with Sharon on Thursday that I've decided to explore some more of the great biking trails in this area and expand my repertoire of biking routes.

Today I went the other direction on the Mount Vernon Bike Path, towards Alexandria.  Another glorious day.  I set off about 2:30 without a distance or time goal in mind.  I decided I'd just bike and turn around when I felt like it.  The first part of the path is very familiar to me as I usually do my running on that path.  The bike took me further, though, and I saw some beautiful neighborhoods and areas of my city that I'd never seen.  I ended up riding about 20 miles in two hours.  My little toes felt just fine.

I'm still taking encouragement from my physicsdiet.com charts.  Losing slowly, but losing.  Oh, I was able to finally wear the green dress (size 10P) that I bought at the beginning of September.  Here's my chart from Aug 31 to today.  [you can click on the chart to enlarge the picture]

What do YOU do when your exercise plan doesn't work out?  Do you have a Plan B?

What's Happening

Another fly by sort of post.  Sorry.

Thanks for all your good wishes to DH.  He's off refereeing 2 soccer games this afternoon.  Both bones in his right forearm are broken at the wrist and he's sporting a molded splint thing, and his fingers are swollen and he can't do any fine motor tasks (I had to pull up his referee socks and tie his shoes as well as retie the bandaging on his splint for him).  Typical guy--he still wants to referee because he said he would, and he likes doing it,  and because his leg's not broken [YET!].

In the hubbub of the emergency room, closing on two houses and the rest of life during the past couple days, DH forget to remind me that he had invited a nice young couple he knows from doing pro bono legal work to dinner last night.  Thank goodness they called in mid-afternoon to get directions.  Lots of scurrying around picking up toys, a last minute grocery trip and a very contrite DH, but I managed to get a pretty decent dinner on the table by the time they arrived.  We had grilled salmon with apricot glaze, whole wheat couscous with dried apricots, mint, and toasted almonds, and peas.  For dessert, I removed WW frozen yogurt strawberry bars from their popsicle sticks and topped them with fresh cut strawberries and a dollop of ff cool whip.  We had a fun evening, and  I even got in a kettle bell session in the afternoon in lieu of the nice long bike ride I was planning.

Anyway.  I'm off in a bit to meet one of you guys for coffee!  You know who you are, but we'll tell the rest of you about it tonight.  I'm going to put my camera in the car right after I type this sentence so I don't forget it.  'Til tonight!

Numbers Game, WI

0       The number of days I've taken "off" from exercising in the past month

1       The number of bloggers on my blog roll that I will have met by the end of the week!

2       The number of strength workouts I do at the gym each week

3       The number of consecutive Turkish Get Ups I can do in my Kettle bell workout

4       The number of "sticks o' butter" I lost at today's WI

5       The number of months I've been blogging

7      The number of days since I've eaten any chocolate

7       The number of inches I've lost from my hips
8       The number of lemons I bought today
10     The number beginning to appear on the labels of my clothing
13     The number of weeks left in the Hot 100 Challenge
15     The number of days until I meet my 2nd blog roll friend!
16     The number of additional pounds I will lose to reach my WW goal
22     The number of weeks I've been seriously working on losing weight
29.2  The number of pounds I've lost since I got serious
32     The number of miles of my longest bike ride (yet)
39.2  The number of pounds I've lost since my highest known weight
41     The number of Followers to my blog.  Thank you, thank you!
59     The number of years since I was born
59.9  The number of miles I've run per month on avg for the past 4 months
62     The number of miles of an upcoming Bike Holiday ride, done over two days
93     The number of years my dear father has lived
179   The number of pounds I weighed at my WI today
1012 The number of miles I've run in the past 23 months

Yes, green is good!

Seven Successful Days in the Hot 100

179.0

Full Steam Ahead

I made up for my lazy day yesterday.  I got up early to do a run.  It was 60 degrees and perfect running weather.  I'm happy to report that my run was a lot better than it has been of late.  I felt good and was able to run without feeling the need to take walk breaks nearly as much.  I probably could have run the entire four miles without any breaks, but I knew what was coming, so I took it a bit easy. My pace was the fastest it's been in recent months.  I got home and just had time to catch a shower and dress before I went to my Praise Moves class.

I really liked the class.  I went to a yoga class last Saturday and enjoyed that class too, but it felt just a little strange assuming meditative poses without a clear focus for meditation.  I am a Christian and I like the fact that in the Praise Moves class the focus is very clearly on core beliefs that I hold dear.  Leslie mentioned in a comment to my last post that her teenage daughter  was practicing yoga at a Christian camp and was criticized and upset by a camp leader who told her that yoga was an "agent of the Devil" and non-Christian.  I'm so sorry that happened.  I think the person who said that was wrong to criticize and also wrong in her statement. To me yoga is a wonderful exercise, good for posture, balance, mental clarity and muscle tone as well as an ancient expression of faith and belief.  Our yoga leader last Saturday (who was an Indian American) sang to us as we did the final relaxation pose at the end.  She had a lovely voice and it was a beautiful song in Hindi and, as she explained to me later, it told the story of an early Hindu saint.  If I didn't have Praise Moves available, I would not hesitate to take the yoga class--not for any religious reason, but for its other benefits.  In the end, though, I loved the Praise Moves class, the leader was very good and the class was well paced.  I enjoyed spending time with some friends I seldom get to see.  The class is a drop-in class, offered three times a week.  I can't do three times a week, but will try to do at least one of the classes each week.

I got home just in time to receive J&E.   After I gave them lunch we walked over to the nearby elementary school.  They are both ga-ga over school buses!  We played on the front lawn while school let out and they got to see a lot of school buses.  We counted them.  Several times.  They loved seeing all the children and it was fun to see all the parents greeting their children.

Tomorrow is my DIL's birthday and they are coming to dinner.  I'm making lasagna roll ups (individual lasagnas made by rolling up a noodle with the filling, cinnamon roll style.  Because of different likes and allergies, I'm making both a standard (WW) lasagna and a seafood (scallop & shrimp) lasagna.  I have a detailed shopping list and am headed to the store early, before J&E get here.  I promised E that she could help me make the birthday cake.   She wanted to be sure that I have her apron ready.  (It's FUN being a grandmother!  I never wear aprons, but all of my grandchildren have them and wear them.)  It's the day before my WI, so I'm hoping that I can eat the way I should eat tomorrow without face planting in the cake or overindulging in the lasagna.  I'll send the leftovers home with the birthday girl.

Oh!  I'm delighted to report that when I did my kettle bell routine last night I was able to do TWO of the dreaded Turkish Get Ups!  The funny thing is that I could only do them from one side.  I couldn't wrap my head around reversing the moves.  I was most satisfied with my two though, and decided to rest on my laurels.  I also have graduated to doing most of the "real" moves rather than the abbreviated moves for beginners.  Yay me. Only six more sessions until my guaranteed results!!

Lazy Sunday

Today was a really relaxed day for me.  I slept late, but we got to church in time for choir practice.  When we got home after church, I read the paper, made my usual cottage cheese & fruit lunch and messed around on my computer.  Our Internet connection was out for part of the afternoon and you'd think I'd have gotten something accomplished, but no, I "whiled away the hours."  [name that tune!]

I made another old favorite for dinner tonight.  Osso Buco in the crock pot.  I think having dinner cooking all day so that it's ready at meal time sounds like such a good idea, but honestly, I don't like most meats cooked in the crock pot.  Except for this recipe.  It's a winner.  I first had Osso Buco when we lived in Italy.  It's basically a fall-off-the-bone beef stew.

Osso Buco

I also made a big green salad with my own vinaigrette dressing.

Big Green Salad with Avocados, Tomatoes, Pine nuts and Vinaigrette Dressing

I'm thinking about trying a new exercise class tomorrow.  It's sponsored through our church and is, essentially a Christian yoga.  I talked to the teacher today and think that I may go tomorrow just to see how things go.  I'll have to get up an hour earlier than normal to get my Monday run in.  Even if the class is great,  I need to see if the timing works out with my schedule.  It seems like it will be sort of tight, getting back to be here when J&E are dropped off.  We'll see. I don't want to over-extend myself, but I like the idea of the class and a couple of friends are planning to be there.

Our local guys are playing the Big Bad Cowboys as I type this.  It seems we're ahead--so far, but our team has been remarkably consistent in losing in the last play or two over the past couple of years.  GO Redskins! It would make DH really happy.  But I think there are a few of you who are for the Bad Guys.  No?  :)

Well, I still need to exercise today and, I think I can safely leave the rooting for the home team in DH's capable hands.  I'm off for a date with my Kettle Bells.  [do you still call it Kettle BellS if there's only one weight??]

I could while away the hours conferrin' with the flowers consultin' with the rain . And my head I'd be scratchin' While my thoughts were busy hatchin' if I only had a brain.  
Sung by the Scarecrow, from the Wizard of Oz

Be good!  

This recipe is from the WW cookbook "In Good Time--123 Slow Cooker Recipes to Come Home To."

You could put this together in a large pot with top and let it simmer (on low) for several hours if you don't have a crock pot.  

I put the things together in the  crock pot the night before and put it in the fridge, to be popped in the next morning. It filled the house with a heavenly aroma and everyone loved it, it's a winner! I served it with a  baked potato or whole wheat wide  noodles for a filling, wonderful 10 point dinner.

OSSO BUCO

2 tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 tsp pepper
4 (10 oz) veal shanks (1.5 inches thick) [you can substitute beef shanks]
1 TBSP olive oil
1 c chopped carrot (dice size cubes)
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped onion

1 c sliced mushrooms [not in the original recipe, but a good addition IMHO]
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 c dry white wine [I use red or white, whichever I happen to have]
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 TBST chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
Rosemary sprigs (optional)

1. Combine flour and pepper in a pie plate or shallow dish; stir well. Dredge veal ini flour mixture; set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add veal; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place veal in a 4 quart electric slow cooker; set aside.

3. Add carrot and next 3 ingredients to skillet; saute over medium heat 5 minutes. Add wine, swcraping bottom of skillet to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute. Pour vegetable mixture over veal iin slow cooker. Add tomatoes, rosemary, salt, and bay leaf. Cover with lid; cook on high heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low heat setting, and cook 6 to 7 hours or until veal is tender. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 veal shank and 1.25 cups sauce).

Points 7; diabetic exchanges 3 veg, 6 L Meat

Per serving:; Cal 328, Pro 48.3g, Fat 7.6 g (sat 1.8 g), CARB 14.6, Fiber 3.0, Chol 180mg, Iron 2.9mg, Sod 638, CALC 103mg.

Summer Diet Buddies Summary, WI

The Summer Diet Buddies Challenge ended this week.  I had set a goal of losing 12 pounds in the eight weeks of the challenge, from July 4 to Sept 7.  Long story short, I'm happy with my progress.  I didn't lose 12, but I lost 10.2 pounds.  I also trimmed 2 inches from my bust and from my hips and 3 inches from my waist.

Mystery Loves Company Book Shop

I'm still feeling great about all the biking I did last weekend.  Our weather is turning beautiful (cooler and waaaay less humid) and I plan to get in some more, longer rides on the weekends.  Our last morning on the bike holiday, I decided to get in a run before we had to check out. DH went out for one last (fast) bike ride while I ran for about an hour through the beautiful residential streets of Oxford.  It was lots of fun. I found myself running by a book shop called Mystery Loves Company. Of course, I had to stop and go inside.  What fun!  I love small, independent book stores.  There were no other customers in the shop and the owner and I had a great chat.  She's a former public librarian and we have similar tastes in reading.

I ran again this morning, my usual four mile "last chance" run before my WI.  I'm loving the weather and hope to work on the quality of my runs (less walking, more even pace) during the next month or so. After a quick shower, I stopped by for a brief visit with my Dad, and then went to WW.  Despite the weekend's splurges (Smith Island Cake, Raspberry Sorbet, Key Lime Creme Brule, toast  and butter with breakfast,  and bread with dinner)  I managed to lose one pound at my WI.   Yay!  I'm guessing that the ~7 hours of biking calories spent probably cancelled out the extra calories from my splurges.  Oh, and I got in Kettle Bell workout #3 on Monday, too.  This time the Turkish Get Ups were a tiny bit easier

I had a fun NSV yesterday.  I set out for the Farmer's Market with the grand babies, but they were being great, so I ducked into a shop and noticed some cute dresses.  I decided that I would try them on.  J&E were in a shopping cart and cooperative, so I grabbed my favorite four dresses.  I decided I'd only try on the size 12s, except for one which was a petite, so I grabbed the 14P.  All of them fit, more or less, and I bought two of them. The 14P was my favorite.  It fit okay, but I decided I'd lose 5-7 more pounds before I'd wear it. That's okay.  I like goals like that.  Here's the NSV---When I got home, I noticed that I hadn't gotten the 14P, I'd grabbed the 10P !!!!!

180.8

There Were Bells in the Air . . .

Two points if you can name the movie  (or hum the tune).

I ran this morning, as planned.  It was hot, but not terribly humid.  A slow four miles.  I'm happy with four miles, though, my goal is to run 3-4 times per week running 4-5 miles each time.  I'm doing that and more these days.  I don't have a race in view and may not do one.  I've done a few in the past couple of years, but I really prefer running by myself and the pressure of not having to train for a particular day.  My little Nike+ gal  in the upper right sidebar of my blog is getting close to 1000 miles.  That's since Oct 2008.  I'll probably reach it by mid-September.

I was going to do kettle bells while the babies napped today, but young Master J decided that he didn't  wanna take no stinking nap and so, when I finally gave in and rescued him from his crib, we played and read instead.  It was fun.  And I'm not saying whether or not deferring the kettle bell session had anything to do with my caving to a 13 month old's wishes.

I finally got to it after dinner.  It was a little easier this time.  At least I got the moves down better.  BTW I wasn't sore at all today, so my muscles had time to recover from the last session.  The too-tricky Turkish Get Up (?) is still beyond my pay grade.  I just watched from my place on the floor while they did the impossible move from flat on the back to standing without benefit of hands or elbows.  They showed off and did the move several times in quick succession.  Maybe some day.

Bells in the air?  Oh, I missed one of the transfers and sent the five pound purple plastic coated bell flying across my sitting room.  Fortunately it found a soft landing on the sofa.  I'd hate to have taken out the TV screen.  Poor Kelsie would have thought I was unhappy with her harranguing  teaching.  Only eight more sessions until my guaranteed visible results!

Our weather has gotten a little hotter this week.  Not terrible humidity, but definitely hot.  It makes it easier to remember to drink all my water.  Speaking of weather.  We're keeping our fingers crossed that the hurricanes in the Atlantic don't hit the DelMarVa coast this weekend and rain out our bike excursion weekend.  Our reservations are non-refundable, so if we end up in the path of the hurricane, we may just go and enjoy the bad weather with books, umbrellas, and walks along the shore.  I'd rather ride though.  Our bikes are at the "bike spa" now getting all fancied up for their weekend.

There were bells in the air, but I never heard them ringing, no I never heard them at all, 'til there was you . . . .    from the Music Man.  This was one of the first "popular" songs I learned to play on the piano.

WI is day after tomorrow.  Why is it that I'm so much more tempted to snack on inappropriate things right before my WI?  I'm fighting it, though.  I want to knock off some serious sticks o' butter this week!

Weekend Wrap-up

It's hard to believe it's already Sunday night.  Tomorrow in our county the teachers go back to work.  When I was teaching I loved the beginning of school.  Putting new ideas to work.  Meeting the new students.  Introducing the kindergartners to the wonders of the library.  Now, though, that I've not taught for a couple of years, I really am happy not to have to go back tomorrow.  I really love getting to take care of the grand babies a few days a week and I love my free time.  A lot of my time and thought and energy are now devoted to getting myself in shape.  When I taught, I'd usually lose 10 or 15 pounds each summer and gain them back during the school year.  It was hard to find time for me.

I am so impressed with how well those of you who are working outside the home are able to do getting exercise, watching your diet, and coming here for mutual support in blog land.  Kudos.

I woke up sore and achey this morning.  :(  I felt about 100 years old going down the stairs.  It must have been the kettle bells. Things eased up a bit as my muscles warmed up, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to bike tonight.  I decided to give it a try and we had a fabulous ride.  We added about 20 minutes to our usual hour and I wasn't sore at all.  At the far end of our ride, we loop a couple of miles in a beautiful little park.  There was band concert and we could hear the band playing for most of the loop.  It was so nice that we added an extra lap. I'll tackle the kettle bells again tomorrow.  Maybe while the children are napping.

Tomorrow we're going to take our bikes into the "bike spa" to get them all tuned up for our weekend trip.  I'm getting excited about the trip and the bike ride(s) we're planning.  I've got to spend some time with the book Lori recommended to me,  A Woman's Guide to Cycling.  If I can overcome the falling, I think that biking is going to be a really good exercise for me.  I love having an alternative to running.  Basically I like choices.  It's all good.  Tennis, running, biking, hiking, strength training, kettle bells, my DVDs, and the Wii tennis and yoga.  Biking and hiking are activities I can do on fairly equal terms with DH, though and that's fun.

Today's picture: With my siblings a year ago.  We got together (from TX, GA, VA and Japan) to take our Dad up to his 70th reunion at West Point.  My sibs all got the skinny gene.  I was feeling fairly trim at just about my current weight.


My eating was right on target today.  Cereal with 1/2 a banana for breakfast.  Cottage cheese with mandarin oranges for lunch.  Snack of almonds and 1/2 oz of dark chocolate.  Grilled scallops, whole wheat orzo, lettuce, and mango avocado salsa for dinner with a WW  strawberry froyo bar for dessert.

Tomorrow I plan to run early and then do the kettle bell workout during nap time.  I'll stop by the store on the way home from my run and pick up some fresh veggies to have with salmon for dinner.

Do you have a plan to keep yourself on track?

My New Favorite Four Word Phrase

My new favorite four word phrase? = "Put down the kettle bell." Today I tried out my new kettle bell set. My daughter Laura decided to torture gift me with it as a belated birthday present. It came yesterday and I resolved to try it out today. It's The Firm 5-Pound Kettle Bell Kit with Transfirm Your Trouble Zones DVD.  I waited until after dinner and cleared a workout space in the privacy of our sitting room upstairs.  I dressed in workout clothes (so as not to feel outclassed by all the buff girls modeling the moves in the background) and popped in the DVD.  First I viewed the introductory Learn the Moves section. Then I decided to go for the whole enchilada and clicked on the Full 45 Minute Workout.  I could have chosen the 20 minute "Express" workout, but nooo, I go and choose the 45 minute workout. The instructor, Kelsie, is very clear and encouraging; she reminds me a bit of Leslie Sansone in the Walk Away the Pounds videos.

I'm definitely not a natural-born dancer, but the choreography isn't too hard and it was fairly easy to catch up if I missed a move.  Thankfully there is an option for beginners (that's ME, folks) to do abbreviated versions of some of the moves (yes, please).  They guarantee visible results after 10 workouts.  I decided to take and record my current measurements again, just to test this claim. We'll see. I was able to do the entire workout except for the floor exercise just before the cool down section. This involved a diabolical flat-on-your-back-to-standing move (without benefit of help from your elbows or arms) that was impossible a little too tricky for this grandmother of five. You know it's tricky if I fall back on hiding behind my grannyhood! It was a good workout. I'm hoping that maybe as the scrapes, bruises and aches from last night's bike fall fade and as I continue to practice with it, the moves will get easier. For now, though, I'm thinking the several sections that commenced with my new favorite four word phrase were the best part of the workout!  There may be more Ibuprofen in my future at bedtime tonight.

For your viewing pleasure:  A picture with my sister taken at my Dad's 93rd birthday dinner last month.  I have lost 8 more pounds since this picture was taken.

We're down to just the three of us again, as my brother & his friend left today.  Back to our normal routines. It's time for me to get back in my own routine to keep trimming away these pounds so I can get to my goal by Thanksgiving.  We'll have the whole family here (all the kids and grands!), lots of fun and lots of pix.  I think I can be at or very close to my WW goal (20 pounds lighter than last week's WI weight) by then.  That's three months--13 weeks.  I'm going to DO it.  Having a goal helps.  I haven't quite reached my goal of 12 pounds for the Summer Diet Buddies challenge, but it's still possible.  The challenge ends Sept 7th--that's 10 more days. I have 4 more pounds to lose to meet that goal.  My morning weight this week is looking good for melting away several sticks o' butter by my Wednesday WI.

I did a little closet shopping the other night and there's a very nice size 12 dress that bodes well to fit this fall.  I can zip it up all the way now, but maybe a few more pounds and a little more torture work with the kettle bell set will do the trick and smooth out the too-bumpy bits.

Are you setting short term goals to keep yourself going?

Fall (Updated)

I went for a run this morning and it was great!  First the weather--it has turned beautiful this week. Temps in the high 70s, sunny and no humidity. Who could ask for anything more?  I wanted to get my run in, but also spend time with my brother, who is leaving tomorrow, so I limited my run to 60 minutes. With the temperate weather I was able to run much more easily. I still had some walking parts, but a lot fewer. I've always heard that interval training is good for runners, maybe my run/walk pattern might serve as some kind of an interval and, in fact makes me run better . . . . (you know I'm an optimistic glass half full kind of person!)

As I was coming to the end of my run, I happened to look down and saw these on the path.  I stopped to scoop up these few and brought them back to show you proof that fall is actually coming.  I also saw about 3 fuzzy/wooly caterpillars today--doesn't that mean that winter is going to be cold? 

My eating was a bit unusual (for me) today but falls within my WW Core guidelines.  Breakfast was my usual unfrosted mini wheats and half a peach.  For lunch I went out with my brother and his friend.  I ordered a cheese steak sandwich. I cut my sandwich in half and gave each of the guys a quarter piece.  I thoroughly enjoyed my half a sandwich and refuse to feel guilty.  So there! For dinner, we were 10 (we 3, brother & friend and son John's family + his SIL).  I made grilled sirloin/veggie skewers, apricot almond couscous, and broccolini with smoked paprika almonds and garlic. We had coffee and WW strawberry frozen yogurt bars for dessert. It was yummy.

broccolini with smoked paprika, almonds, and garlic

After dinner we went for an impromptu bike ride in the neighborhood. "We" is my bother, his friend and me. It was getting dark, so we stayed close to home.  My brother's friend was riding DH's bike (his first time with shoes & "snazzy pedals").  He fell, twice.  I fell once. Very embarrassing. It was not so much a matter of forgetting to unclip as it was trying to make too tight a turn. In any case, I got a skinned up elbow; not pretty, but it doesn't hurt--too much.  UPDATE:  It got achey after an hour or so, so I had to take some pain reliever to get comfortable sleeping.  I also have a lovely long bluish purple bruise and related tenderness on the side of my hip. Thanks Karen for the tip:  Unclip the shoe on the on the side of the tight turn so I can balance.  Sure hope I get this all down soon.  I'm a little old to keep diving toward the pavement elbow first.

Laura sent me a belated birthday present that arrived today--A Kettle bell plus a DVD set she says is very good.  Now I get to be one of the "cool kids!"  Thank you, beautiful daughter!  Yes, Laura has become a reader. She's on the other coast and is going great guns exercising, eating well and losing weight.  

I like trying new things. Chayote Squash was new yesterday. Broccolini was new to me tonight--it was deelish. Kettlebells are new to me. I'll try them out tomorrow and let you know. Falling with my new bike gear? It was new, but now it's old hat. I don't need to fall any more!

How about you?  Have you tried anything new lately??