One step at a time

So, I decided to start wearing a pedometer daily again. I had been trying to start a walking regime in the mornings again, and have been hit or miss. A friend of mine wears a pedometer every day which I had forgotten till Matt found it on her belt and wanted to play with it one day. I remember hearing that those who wear pedometers are more active because it makes them more aware of it, which is definitely the case for me. When the "step" programs were popular a while back I know they said 10k steps a day to maintain your weight, so I was curious how I do with that, while chasing my toddler. I don't hit 10k every day but I do pretty well as long as I get at least a 15 min. walk in. If I don't get the walk in I get just over halfway there. Since I'm back up to the heaviest weight I've ever been before, I need to get serious about losing it as I don't want to trend higher. So far I've been down a few pounds, but not consistently on the scale. So, I really like the routine it helps to wear the pedometer with, and it definitely makes me think more about being active.

candy almost gone

The bacon caramels are gone. We have a little bit of peanut brittle around. And the the See's Candy also got finished off.

I have not gone running. I have not gone swimming. or biking. or hiking. or even for a walk (just for the sake of going for a walk).

Hmmm... maybe I need to get some exercise.

how not to lose weight

bacon caramels & peanut brittle -- those are my excuses for not going swimming this morning.

my friend Mir came over last night and made peanut brittle. since she brought her handy dandy thermometer gun with laser sighting (which T loved, of course), we decided to re-cook the failed bacon caramel. we had to wait until this morning to see if worked!

lo and behold, it did. so before T's carpool showed up this morning, we were manically wrapping bacon caramels. he did most of the half with lots of bacon, and I segregated out the bit that had substantially less bacon and wrapped those after he left.

but, with all that fun, I would have been too late to work if I went swimming.

of course, I also have about a pound of bacon caramel and two pounds of peanut brittle that isn't helping my attempt to lose weight. *sigh*

BUT, I can say that we managed to weasel in a fair amount of chemistry. nucleation sites, Fahrenheit vs Celsius, boiling point, heat capacity, black body radiation, crystalization... enough to make your head spin and your teeth ache.

Late New Year's Resolution...

Since about Xmas I've been trying to put exercise back in my life. Although it feels like a lost cause, I'm not giving up. I was doing okay until work and life didn't get better in the middle of January.

So this morning instead of going to work, I emailed in sick with a head cold, took some sudafed, and went for a run. Maybe it's counter-intuitive, but I've found a short run (isn't that the only kind?) makes me feel better. I figure it's because I tend to hack out all the crud in the process. Then a steamy shower to clean out the rest. And I always sleep better nights when I've done some exercise.

Also, I'm going to plan to go swimming at lunch later this week. I'd been avoiding it because I hate the sense that I'm just stripping all the color I just put in it. But I've decided that I need to swim. My knees and feet aren't happy with this extra weight and running just exacerbates it.

Maternal Worries

I guess I worried too soon yesterday. Turns out they did very well, and the directors told them so even before the results were announced. I'll blame it on an early morning that did not start out well and still thinking of my 14 year old as a sensitive preschooler.

I can already see that it will continue to be hard to see my children face adversity as they grow older. When they're small, I can wipe the tears and counsel about friendships and give constructive help. As they get older, I can listen, and facilitate activities, and nag about responsibility. And I'm sure as they leave the nest we'll be torn by the need to support financially versus the character building of making it on your own. I can only hope that we find the right balance. I don't want my children to come back and live in the basement, but on the other hand, I want them to know they will always be loved and we'll catch them if they fall.

I don't think it gets easier as they get older, just different.

The Danger of Baking, or "Self-Control? What's That?"

I have to figure out how to make just enough baked goods for band events with a little leftover for the family and not enough for me. Of couse, that doesn't seem to be helping me stop sampling while I'm baking. Making only enough for the band doesn't help, because then I get the huge guilt trip from Rachel and William.

I made blondies for the football game on Friday night, and have eaten an embarrassing amount since then (both baked and unbaked, I'm afraid). John refused to take them to Maryland with him, but every time I walk by the kitchen they are calling to me.

I suppose I need William to hide them, because if I hide them? I still know where they are.

Biggest Loser

I feel like I should preface this with "I'm not dead yet!" because it's been so long since I posted. It's been a mixed summer - I've gained back some weight, not as much as I had thought, but more than I hoped. I'm getting back into going to the gym regularly, which should help. Routine helps - I'm very bad about mindless eating when we're just hanging out around the house. Although given how badly I've binged and the crap that I've eaten, I don't feel too bad about the weight gain. Not like it was a surprise.

I've signed up for the Biggest Loser competition at the gym again. Based on last years experience, I could win this time. But I did it in the spring and didn't take it seriously. Feeling more motivated now. If I can really focus on the eating plan, I know the weight will come off - I just have to maintain focus. And I'm going to try to add in some other exercise as well. Last time was only Curves, now I hope to add some aerobic something on other days as well.

Anybody else feeling motivated with the new school year?