Hoo-boy, it's been three weeks since my last weekly update! It sure seems like everything has been going crazy at once. Work has been screamingly busy, and we had an offsite meeting as well as a company dinner one of the evenings. Throw in Father's Day, Anniversary, kids getting out of school, my mom having another procedure (for her irregular, fast heartbeat: successful!) and the like, and it makes for times that test even the most composed. Of which I am not. ;-)
Oh, and speaking of my mom, I have to brag about her a little bit. She did not go back to smoking after her time in the hospital in January. It's one of the hardest habits to break--especially if you're worried about gaining weight from quitting--and she did it. AND, once she got feeling better after her surgery, she started walking and is now walking around 6 miles/day! Yeaaaaaay, Mom!!!
More good stuff: I met with my new doctor and it went well. I like her. And good news: my a1c is 5.3%! Down 0.4% from January! Woo hoo!!! I'm also happy that I got my little Women's Challenge trophy every week but one so far, and there's only one week left. Even though I don't work out each week with equal intensity, I feel like I'm at least hanging in there. And hey, I've still got nearly 3 months until my tri in late September. I'll be ready!
Progress last week
7-day blood glucose average: 104 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting average: 101 (met goal of less than 120, 100% of days)
Weight goal: +1.2 lbs. (Did not meet goal of either maintain or make progress toward goal. It could have been a lot worse. My entire month was up & down, with net progress of -.6 lb.)
Food goals:
I didn't track this week. I ought to have done so, but I did not. Oh well. I know I got at least one healthy fish meal in there and a couple of meatless breakfasts.
Exercise goals:
With our offsite, I didn't get my BodyPump class in there or my swim. However, I got two good runs, a spin class, some strength training via DVD, and a dance DVD session. Met my Women's Challenge goals for the week.
Misc. goals: Got adequate sleep.
Monthly Measure
My result seemed a bit weird. I wasn't expecting any changes, but I lost an inch off my waist and around my ribcage. Other measurements were unchanged.
Goals for this week
7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.
Food goals:
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- On work days, switch to tea and plain water after that first cup of coffee.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources. I'm dropping the "work up to 50 grams fiber/day" part, because it's pretty darn hard to get even 30.)
Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of workout 5 days/week. Workouts to include at least 1 bike, 1 run, and 1 swim per week, plus 2 strength training per week.
Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Busy times!
I've been pretty swamped with everything lately: home, work, and juggling in fitness. I'll be resuming my regular weekly update schedule on Tuesday, but I just wanted to post a little something to say I'm still around!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
"Be the Match" Marrowthon
I usually write about my stuff on this blog, how dealing with my type 2 diabetes diagnosis (a year ago last Sunday!) has transformed my life in so many ways.
But this week I wanted to call your attention to the National Marrow Donor Program's "Be the Match" Marrowthon. I had never given much thought to bone marrow donation, but a little boy in our neighborhood--a good friend of Things 1&2--was recently diagnosed with a disease that may, if his current treatment does not work, require him to receive a bone marrow donation. This inspired the Mr. and me to sign up for the registry. We missed the bone marrow donor drive offered at the church affiliated with his elementary school, but we went to a drive at our local farmer's market, because *another* local boy also needed to find a donor match.
The National Marrow Donor Program typically askes for a donation from potential donors to cover the cost of processing, but from June 8-22, there is no cost to joining the registry. For more information, please see the "Be the Match" web site. People can join by either stopping by a local donor drive or by ordering the online kit. (At a donor drive, it takes about 20 minutes or so to complete the paperwork and cheek cell swab.)
But this week I wanted to call your attention to the National Marrow Donor Program's "Be the Match" Marrowthon. I had never given much thought to bone marrow donation, but a little boy in our neighborhood--a good friend of Things 1&2--was recently diagnosed with a disease that may, if his current treatment does not work, require him to receive a bone marrow donation. This inspired the Mr. and me to sign up for the registry. We missed the bone marrow donor drive offered at the church affiliated with his elementary school, but we went to a drive at our local farmer's market, because *another* local boy also needed to find a donor match.
The National Marrow Donor Program typically askes for a donation from potential donors to cover the cost of processing, but from June 8-22, there is no cost to joining the registry. For more information, please see the "Be the Match" web site. People can join by either stopping by a local donor drive or by ordering the online kit. (At a donor drive, it takes about 20 minutes or so to complete the paperwork and cheek cell swab.)
Monday, June 8, 2009
Weekly update, 6/9/09
The Latest
What a couple of weeks this has been! The week before the big 5K went well, but this past week saw the best laid plans completely laid out: I was sore after the race (especially my shins!). I got a nasty head cold, and I learned that illness and poor sleep=not so great fasting numbers in the morning. My work week was screamingly busy, and of course that meant my home life stuff would be, too, because it all happens at once, doesn't it?
I took a day off to chaperon Thing 1's school field trip to an art museum, which was in jeopardy of being cancelled. Ah, the 2nd grade perspective: already much snickering at the nudie bits. For example, reaction upon viewing a Renoir of a mother, half-naked toddler, and cat: "Hey! Look! You can see that little boy's buns!" I tried to make a teaching moment of it by pointing out that earlier painters did more formal portraits, whereas modern painters portrayed people in more naturally, in less formal settings: "...and, well, it doesn't get much more natural than that!" Fortunately, we had diverting tasks, such as counting the number of paintings with dogs, finding a still life and counting the number of bugs in it, and tracking down works by painters they'd studied. I enjoyed seeing the small gallery of Impressionist works and the Rodin sculptures, but the Picasso sculpture and large amount of Medieval art (nearly half the museum!) didn't do much for any of us, I'm afraid. We braved the porcelain gallery, and the kids were surprisingly interested in the novelty teapots and serving dishes. (I was not-so-surprisingly interested in escaping the gallery with the nick-knacks unscathed.) They gamely counted bugs painted on the still life-themed plates as I wondered what had inspired such dinnerware: 18th-century attempts at weight-reduction-through-aversion, perhaps? Not for restaurant use, obviously, what with patrons' constant complaints of dragonflies in their soup and all.
We also enjoyed 3 straight days of dance recital rehearsal+performances+volunteer duty. (I didn't screw up Thing 2's makeup too badly...I'm surprised I still know how to apply the stuff at all! Thank goodness for the dance teacher's makeup cheat-sheet.) Until I eradicate the "Mary Poppins" show tunes ear worm, though, I'm going to be humming "Jolly Holiday" and "Chim-chim-cheroo!" under my breath. Things 1 and 2 were in 2 dances: the barnyard scene as ducks, and in same costume for the "Let's Go Fly a Kite" finale at the end. They had a great time, looked totally adorable, and Thing 2 is still prancing around in her yellow tutu.
The good thing about all the craziness last week was that food dropped in priority. The bad news was so did my regular exercise routine, but I kept as active as possible, considering how things were going. I got in lots of walking and a little bit of strength exercise at home, but gym classes and regular workouts went "poof!" I was back at spin class yesterday, though, and it felt good! And it feels healthy to not be freaked out over having to take some "active rest" time. (I would really have freaked out about this last summer or fall, for example.)
Progress last week
7-day blood glucose average: 96 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting average: 100 (met goal of less than 120, 100% of days)
Weight goal: -2.2 lbs (met goal of either maintain or make progress toward goal)
Food goals:
- Consumed 4 meatless, low-fat meals and 1 fish meal. (met meatless meal goal; missed fish meal goal by one meal)
- Met fiber goal 2/7 days.
- Met my coffee goal.
Exercise goals:
Did fine the week before the race, except I was one strength workout shy of my Women's Challenge goal. Week after the race? I pretty much had a week of active rest (read lots of strolling and some more serious walking), punctuated by some light strength exercises a couple of days.
Misc. goals: Got adequate sleep all nights except Wednesday night, and it showed in my morning blood glucose number.
Goals for this week
7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.
Food goals:
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- On work days, switch to tea and plain water after that first cup of coffee.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day and work up to consuming 50 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)
Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of workout 5 days/week. Workouts to include at least 1 bike, 1 run, and 1 swim per week, plus 2 strength training per week.
Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.
What a couple of weeks this has been! The week before the big 5K went well, but this past week saw the best laid plans completely laid out: I was sore after the race (especially my shins!). I got a nasty head cold, and I learned that illness and poor sleep=not so great fasting numbers in the morning. My work week was screamingly busy, and of course that meant my home life stuff would be, too, because it all happens at once, doesn't it?
I took a day off to chaperon Thing 1's school field trip to an art museum, which was in jeopardy of being cancelled. Ah, the 2nd grade perspective: already much snickering at the nudie bits. For example, reaction upon viewing a Renoir of a mother, half-naked toddler, and cat: "Hey! Look! You can see that little boy's buns!" I tried to make a teaching moment of it by pointing out that earlier painters did more formal portraits, whereas modern painters portrayed people in more naturally, in less formal settings: "...and, well, it doesn't get much more natural than that!" Fortunately, we had diverting tasks, such as counting the number of paintings with dogs, finding a still life and counting the number of bugs in it, and tracking down works by painters they'd studied. I enjoyed seeing the small gallery of Impressionist works and the Rodin sculptures, but the Picasso sculpture and large amount of Medieval art (nearly half the museum!) didn't do much for any of us, I'm afraid. We braved the porcelain gallery, and the kids were surprisingly interested in the novelty teapots and serving dishes. (I was not-so-surprisingly interested in escaping the gallery with the nick-knacks unscathed.) They gamely counted bugs painted on the still life-themed plates as I wondered what had inspired such dinnerware: 18th-century attempts at weight-reduction-through-aversion, perhaps? Not for restaurant use, obviously, what with patrons' constant complaints of dragonflies in their soup and all.
We also enjoyed 3 straight days of dance recital rehearsal+performances+volunteer duty. (I didn't screw up Thing 2's makeup too badly...I'm surprised I still know how to apply the stuff at all! Thank goodness for the dance teacher's makeup cheat-sheet.) Until I eradicate the "Mary Poppins" show tunes ear worm, though, I'm going to be humming "Jolly Holiday" and "Chim-chim-cheroo!" under my breath. Things 1 and 2 were in 2 dances: the barnyard scene as ducks, and in same costume for the "Let's Go Fly a Kite" finale at the end. They had a great time, looked totally adorable, and Thing 2 is still prancing around in her yellow tutu.
The good thing about all the craziness last week was that food dropped in priority. The bad news was so did my regular exercise routine, but I kept as active as possible, considering how things were going. I got in lots of walking and a little bit of strength exercise at home, but gym classes and regular workouts went "poof!" I was back at spin class yesterday, though, and it felt good! And it feels healthy to not be freaked out over having to take some "active rest" time. (I would really have freaked out about this last summer or fall, for example.)
Progress last week
7-day blood glucose average: 96 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting average: 100 (met goal of less than 120, 100% of days)
Weight goal: -2.2 lbs (met goal of either maintain or make progress toward goal)
Food goals:
- Consumed 4 meatless, low-fat meals and 1 fish meal. (met meatless meal goal; missed fish meal goal by one meal)
- Met fiber goal 2/7 days.
- Met my coffee goal.
Exercise goals:
Did fine the week before the race, except I was one strength workout shy of my Women's Challenge goal. Week after the race? I pretty much had a week of active rest (read lots of strolling and some more serious walking), punctuated by some light strength exercises a couple of days.
Misc. goals: Got adequate sleep all nights except Wednesday night, and it showed in my morning blood glucose number.
Goals for this week
7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.
Food goals:
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- On work days, switch to tea and plain water after that first cup of coffee.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day and work up to consuming 50 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)
Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of workout 5 days/week. Workouts to include at least 1 bike, 1 run, and 1 swim per week, plus 2 strength training per week.
Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
I Ran for Chocolate and Champagne!
On Saturday, I ran in the See Jane Run "I Run for Chocolate and Champagne Half-marathon and 5K." What an awesome event! Definitely worth getting up at 5:15 a.m. and driving for an hour to get there.
The Details
With a name like "I Run for Chocolate and Champagne," there was no WAY I could pass up the opportunity to run this race: I wanted that t-shirt! So I signed up many months ago.
Most of my training during the past couple of months has shifted from primarily running to preparing for a sprint triathlon in September. So I've done less running, but I've added strength (BodyPump class) and an intense spin class each week. I feel like these have really helped push me to develop more strength and endurance than I would have on my own. So I wasn't nervous about the run itself. I was nervous, however, about driving to a part of the Bay Area with which I'm totally unfamiliar and getting there in time for the race! Mr. Handsome-and-Handy gave me a tremendously nice gift: he looked up the course and showed me how to get there on Google Maps. (Highlighting key points with street views...I'd printed a map, and had a GPS to navigate with, but this prep-time ended up helping quite a lot.)
Being a Friday night at Casa de la Pubsgal, though, no one got to bed early. I laid awake for a long time...woke up several times during the night...and ended up with only 5 hours of sleep. Stress + lack of sleep raised my fasting blood glucose to nearly 20 points higher than normal! Oh great, something else to stress about! But not for long; it was time to go!
My stomach was in knots on the whole way to the event, but I found my way to there, eventually found a place to park (fortunately, lots of free residential parking), and made it to the starting area. Whew! I picked up my bib and chip, navigated the humongous line through the porta-potties, checked in my bag, and cheered the start of the half-marathon. Lots of runners going the big distance! (Nearly twice as many as were running the 5K, I later found out.) I wandered around and had a snack, got my temporary tattoo, and then participated in the energetic warmup. All while trying to find fellow type 2 diabetes & wellness blog buddy, Foodie McBody, via Twitter! (Read her excellent race report here.)
Time to line up! The grey morning fog was not going anywhere, but it was still scenic, with a line of palm trees down the road to the trail that ran along the bay. Race organizers had marked the palm trees with one's "per mile" time as a guide to where to line up; I positioned myself around the 10-minute mile, near the middle of the pack. The horn blasted, and we cheered and were off! I underestimated how long it would take for the crowd to shuffle-bounce through the starting gate and onto the course. I found myself passing people; a curious sensation! I wondered a little if I was pushing myself too hard. But then I decided to just go for it, because in previous races, I think I didn't push myself hard enough.
I loved everything that I loved about my first race. Even though I wasn't running with anyone, I felt that feeling of community with the other athletes. I loved seeing the line of people winding through the course. I loved that there were so many people of various ages, shapes, and sizes; so many people out there, giving it their best! And I love the cheering for/being cheered by all of these stranger-friends during the race; I made an extra effort this time to do so, since I still feel kind of shy. (One woman had on a tank top with the following words printed along the bottom edge: "Does this shirt make my butt look fast?" No shyness about cheering that sentiment!)
The first mile felt really fast. Just past the 1 mile mark, I started seeing runners heading back from the turnaround. Wow! I reached the turnaround point and felt heartened, got back to the water stop and thought, "Yes! I'm almost there!" But just past there, the course diverged, and I think I misjudged how far it was. I saw the finish, and it looked straight ahead, but as I got closer, I noticed that the course made a fairly large loop up into the park. The race started to feel really long at that point. I tried for a final kick once I got closer; my body was still okay with running, but it refused to sprint. OH well. I whooped a hearty "woo hoo!" as I went through the finish, delighted at knowing I did WAY better than my race in February and even the race back in October.
At the finish line, we got our chips clipped off and the wonderful medals! (My kids especially love these!)
The race after-party was nice! I caught up with Foodie McBody and got to meet her family, too. We wandered around and collected post-race swag: t-shirt, champagne flute with 3 chocolates in it (yeay, a little 70% dark chocolate wedge!), snackies, water, and the like. I hung out a little while longer after Foodie & family left, soaking up the atmosphere, doing a little shopping, and checking out the official results. (I should have done a little more *stretching*, I'm still sore today!) I felt a little twinge as they announced the half-marathon runners' names as they crossed the finish line. I didn't think I wanted to do longer running races, but that twinge made me think again: "Hmmm....maybe someday."
Race results:
New PR of 31:36! (7:53 better than my PR for 5K set in October; 14:13 better than my 3.4 mile race in February. Goal for next time? 5K in under 30 minutes!)
21/100 in my age & gender group, females 40-44
223/747 overall
Pictures!
Here are some scenes from the race...
Pre-race 80's music warm-up!
At the starting line. There were 747 people running and walking in the 5K event.
Sweet victory! We all got great race-day swag, including medals, a glass champagne flute, and an awesome t-shirt, as well as lots of free snackies.
Oh, and the cool temporary tattoos!
The cool tattoo, close-up
Best of all, I got to meet fellow blogger, Twitter-buddy, and Team MizFit member: the wonderful Foodie McBody!
The Details
With a name like "I Run for Chocolate and Champagne," there was no WAY I could pass up the opportunity to run this race: I wanted that t-shirt! So I signed up many months ago.
Most of my training during the past couple of months has shifted from primarily running to preparing for a sprint triathlon in September. So I've done less running, but I've added strength (BodyPump class) and an intense spin class each week. I feel like these have really helped push me to develop more strength and endurance than I would have on my own. So I wasn't nervous about the run itself. I was nervous, however, about driving to a part of the Bay Area with which I'm totally unfamiliar and getting there in time for the race! Mr. Handsome-and-Handy gave me a tremendously nice gift: he looked up the course and showed me how to get there on Google Maps. (Highlighting key points with street views...I'd printed a map, and had a GPS to navigate with, but this prep-time ended up helping quite a lot.)
Being a Friday night at Casa de la Pubsgal, though, no one got to bed early. I laid awake for a long time...woke up several times during the night...and ended up with only 5 hours of sleep. Stress + lack of sleep raised my fasting blood glucose to nearly 20 points higher than normal! Oh great, something else to stress about! But not for long; it was time to go!
My stomach was in knots on the whole way to the event, but I found my way to there, eventually found a place to park (fortunately, lots of free residential parking), and made it to the starting area. Whew! I picked up my bib and chip, navigated the humongous line through the porta-potties, checked in my bag, and cheered the start of the half-marathon. Lots of runners going the big distance! (Nearly twice as many as were running the 5K, I later found out.) I wandered around and had a snack, got my temporary tattoo, and then participated in the energetic warmup. All while trying to find fellow type 2 diabetes & wellness blog buddy, Foodie McBody, via Twitter! (Read her excellent race report here.)
Time to line up! The grey morning fog was not going anywhere, but it was still scenic, with a line of palm trees down the road to the trail that ran along the bay. Race organizers had marked the palm trees with one's "per mile" time as a guide to where to line up; I positioned myself around the 10-minute mile, near the middle of the pack. The horn blasted, and we cheered and were off! I underestimated how long it would take for the crowd to shuffle-bounce through the starting gate and onto the course. I found myself passing people; a curious sensation! I wondered a little if I was pushing myself too hard. But then I decided to just go for it, because in previous races, I think I didn't push myself hard enough.
I loved everything that I loved about my first race. Even though I wasn't running with anyone, I felt that feeling of community with the other athletes. I loved seeing the line of people winding through the course. I loved that there were so many people of various ages, shapes, and sizes; so many people out there, giving it their best! And I love the cheering for/being cheered by all of these stranger-friends during the race; I made an extra effort this time to do so, since I still feel kind of shy. (One woman had on a tank top with the following words printed along the bottom edge: "Does this shirt make my butt look fast?" No shyness about cheering that sentiment!)
The first mile felt really fast. Just past the 1 mile mark, I started seeing runners heading back from the turnaround. Wow! I reached the turnaround point and felt heartened, got back to the water stop and thought, "Yes! I'm almost there!" But just past there, the course diverged, and I think I misjudged how far it was. I saw the finish, and it looked straight ahead, but as I got closer, I noticed that the course made a fairly large loop up into the park. The race started to feel really long at that point. I tried for a final kick once I got closer; my body was still okay with running, but it refused to sprint. OH well. I whooped a hearty "woo hoo!" as I went through the finish, delighted at knowing I did WAY better than my race in February and even the race back in October.
At the finish line, we got our chips clipped off and the wonderful medals! (My kids especially love these!)
The race after-party was nice! I caught up with Foodie McBody and got to meet her family, too. We wandered around and collected post-race swag: t-shirt, champagne flute with 3 chocolates in it (yeay, a little 70% dark chocolate wedge!), snackies, water, and the like. I hung out a little while longer after Foodie & family left, soaking up the atmosphere, doing a little shopping, and checking out the official results. (I should have done a little more *stretching*, I'm still sore today!) I felt a little twinge as they announced the half-marathon runners' names as they crossed the finish line. I didn't think I wanted to do longer running races, but that twinge made me think again: "Hmmm....maybe someday."
Race results:
New PR of 31:36! (7:53 better than my PR for 5K set in October; 14:13 better than my 3.4 mile race in February. Goal for next time? 5K in under 30 minutes!)
21/100 in my age & gender group, females 40-44
223/747 overall
Pictures!
Here are some scenes from the race...
Pre-race 80's music warm-up!
At the starting line. There were 747 people running and walking in the 5K event.
Sweet victory! We all got great race-day swag, including medals, a glass champagne flute, and an awesome t-shirt, as well as lots of free snackies.
Oh, and the cool temporary tattoos!
The cool tattoo, close-up
Best of all, I got to meet fellow blogger, Twitter-buddy, and Team MizFit member: the wonderful Foodie McBody!Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Welcome, Mills-Peninsula's Healthpoint Magazine Readers!
If you cracked open the Mills-Peninsula Healthpoint magazine's summer 2009 issue, and didn't get too distracted by all those yummy recipes, you may have stumbled across an interview on page 10. Yep, that's me, and if you were curious enough about my blog to check it out, welcome!
There's an interesting story behind the article. On February 11, 2009, I sent a letter to Jenny Ruhl, thanking her for her Blood Sugar 101 book and accompanying web site (and for her role in likely having saved my eyesight or a limb or two). She responded:
"Do pass on what you've learned to other people it might help. Word of mouth is the only way this news will ever reach so many of the people who need it."
Later that same day came what I call a "woooo-woooooo" moment: I received a call from my CNE at Mills-Peninsula, asking if I would mind sharing my story for their Healthpoint Magazine! Would I?!?! Even if I hadn't received the message from Jenny, it's what I aspire to do: show others the possibility of thriving in the face of type 2 diabetes, just as it was shown to me. Many thanks and kudos to Angela Anderson for her wonderful writing and to Paul Kitagaki, Jr. for the great photo. (And to both for making the process lots of fun!)
I hope you enjoy my blog, and please consider checking out some of the folks on my blog roll. There are lots of inspiring people out there writing some fantastic blogs.
There's an interesting story behind the article. On February 11, 2009, I sent a letter to Jenny Ruhl, thanking her for her Blood Sugar 101 book and accompanying web site (and for her role in likely having saved my eyesight or a limb or two). She responded:
"Do pass on what you've learned to other people it might help. Word of mouth is the only way this news will ever reach so many of the people who need it."
Later that same day came what I call a "woooo-woooooo" moment: I received a call from my CNE at Mills-Peninsula, asking if I would mind sharing my story for their Healthpoint Magazine! Would I?!?! Even if I hadn't received the message from Jenny, it's what I aspire to do: show others the possibility of thriving in the face of type 2 diabetes, just as it was shown to me. Many thanks and kudos to Angela Anderson for her wonderful writing and to Paul Kitagaki, Jr. for the great photo. (And to both for making the process lots of fun!)
I hope you enjoy my blog, and please consider checking out some of the folks on my blog roll. There are lots of inspiring people out there writing some fantastic blogs.
Weekly update, 5/26/09
On a side note, Pubsgal arrives late to the party...
When writing today's update, I noticed something really weird. My subconsious aparently staged a rebellion, because my log is blank from Wednesday evening through Monday. I knew I didn't track over the weekend, but I forgot that I had kept leaving my log at home during the week and didn't track then, either. I'd have been much more more okay with this if it were a planned vacation from tracking, but it wasn't. Now, I wasn't going to beat myself up about this, but I was going to issue a stern warning. Then I started writing about something curious that happened to me on the way home yesterday.
Last spring, I bought the May 2008 issue of Oprah magazine, the spirituality issue. I had ripped out all the articles I wanted to read and recycled the rest, then the articles ended up at the bottom of my travel bag for the past year. Finally, on this trip, I dug them out and started to read. I especially liked the "Blinded by the Light" article, but some of the other articles made me feel--um, how to put this nicely? Less than spiritually uplifted. (Reading the interview with Eckhard Tolle, for example, gave me a headache. I find that Pema Chodron works better for me; she's funny, describes concepts concretely, and while she is serious about her material, she has this not-taking-myself-too-seriously vibe that I like.)
Then I ran into the summarizing letter, ostensibly written by Oprah herself, in which she states:
Him: *man sigh* "She doesn't write that stuff, she has a whole group of people who do!"
Me: "Even the letter, written in the 'I' voice?"
Him: "Yes!"
Me: "Well, she really ought to read stuff attributed to herself, then."
I didn't quite grok it either. It felt frustrating...because while I respect that she has done good things in the world and has the position and power to continue doing much good, I don't quite grok the whole Oprah fanaticism thing. And yet, here I was, getting worked up over the ironic contrast of Oprah's spiritual life and physical existance. It seemed to me, to paraphrase the last sentence of her letter, that she must have stopped making the daily choice "to be in the world, not of it."
Now, I don't think that being spiritual means totally neglecting the body; on the contrary, feeling like Oprah described has come to mean the following things for me (everyone else's mileage may vary):
Back to the van: Thing 2 picked up on my mood and (thankfully) interrupted my frustrated attempts to explain how I was feeling. "Mommy! I have a song for you!" I stopped, a little reluctantly. And then she sang me the "Skinnamarinkadinkydink" song, complete with hand motions. That girl has the best timing.
Progress last week
7-day blood glucose average: 96 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting average: 97 (met goal of less than 120, 100% of days)
Weight goal: +0.8 lb (did not meet goal of either maintain or make progress toward goal)
Food goals:
Of what I did track...
- Consumed at least 4 meatless, low-fat meals and 1 fish meals. (met meatless meal goal; missed fish meal goal by one meal)
- Fiber? I know I ate with an eye toward it, but I'm only sure about getting at least 30 grams last Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Did not meet my coffee goal.
Exercise goals:
Met my Women's Challenge goals (thanks to the difference between my personal tracking running Tues.-Mon. and WC running Sunday-Saturday and my having gotten in a 30-Day Shred workout the prior Monday). However, I didn't quite meet the personal goal of 30 minutes x 5 days/week. I missed my swim and spin. Did one walk, Body Pump class, and one terrific run. During our trip, though, I played with the kids a lot (including doing some rail push ups and attempts at crossing the monkey bars) and we had a great afternoon recreational swim at the pool.
Misc. goals: Got adequate sleep all nights.
Monthly Measure
Bust, -.5; hips, +.5; everything else unchanged. Weird. I also measured both thighs this time, and--maybe it's just a measuring anomaly, but there seems to be a 1" difference between the two.
Goals for this week
7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.
Food goals:
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- On work days, switch to tea and plain water after that first cup of coffee.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day and work up to consuming 50 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)
Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of workout 5 days/week. Workouts to include at least 1 bike, 1 run, and 1 swim per week, plus 2 strength training per week.
Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.
When writing today's update, I noticed something really weird. My subconsious aparently staged a rebellion, because my log is blank from Wednesday evening through Monday. I knew I didn't track over the weekend, but I forgot that I had kept leaving my log at home during the week and didn't track then, either. I'd have been much more more okay with this if it were a planned vacation from tracking, but it wasn't. Now, I wasn't going to beat myself up about this, but I was going to issue a stern warning. Then I started writing about something curious that happened to me on the way home yesterday.
Last spring, I bought the May 2008 issue of Oprah magazine, the spirituality issue. I had ripped out all the articles I wanted to read and recycled the rest, then the articles ended up at the bottom of my travel bag for the past year. Finally, on this trip, I dug them out and started to read. I especially liked the "Blinded by the Light" article, but some of the other articles made me feel--um, how to put this nicely? Less than spiritually uplifted. (Reading the interview with Eckhard Tolle, for example, gave me a headache. I find that Pema Chodron works better for me; she's funny, describes concepts concretely, and while she is serious about her material, she has this not-taking-myself-too-seriously vibe that I like.)
Then I ran into the summarizing letter, ostensibly written by Oprah herself, in which she states:
"Spirituality isn't something I believe in. It is what and who I am: a spiritual being having a human experience, as the French philosopher and priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin profoundly said.Reading this--which was written before the hullaballoo about Oprah's berating herself about her weight, but read by me well after it all--made me feel sad for her. It seems to me that if a person truly believes, deep down in one's soul, that one is more than one's body and one's mind, wouldn't one be more at peace with both? I tried discussing with Mr. Handsome-and-Handy, but he didn't really quite grok why this was bothering me.
"Knowing this has made all the difference. It allows me to live fearlessly. And to make manifest the purpose of my creation. And I will be bold enough to say I know for sure it's the greatest discovery of life: to recognize that you're more than your body and your mind."
Him: *man sigh* "She doesn't write that stuff, she has a whole group of people who do!"
Me: "Even the letter, written in the 'I' voice?"
Him: "Yes!"
Me: "Well, she really ought to read stuff attributed to herself, then."
I didn't quite grok it either. It felt frustrating...because while I respect that she has done good things in the world and has the position and power to continue doing much good, I don't quite grok the whole Oprah fanaticism thing. And yet, here I was, getting worked up over the ironic contrast of Oprah's spiritual life and physical existance. It seemed to me, to paraphrase the last sentence of her letter, that she must have stopped making the daily choice "to be in the world, not of it."
Now, I don't think that being spiritual means totally neglecting the body; on the contrary, feeling like Oprah described has come to mean the following things for me (everyone else's mileage may vary):
- Taking care of the body with proper food and activity.
- Being free from caring overmuch about society's standards for what's physically attractive, where "overmuch" means to the point of disorder or avoiding doing the things one likes to do because one doesn't "look good" doing it. (Swimming and swim suits come to mind here. Probably because I read Cranky Fitness: "How to Survive Swimsuit Season" today. ;-)
- Gently noticing my past mistakes and quietly deciding that I can do better, starting right now (vs. intense self-flaggelation).
Back to the van: Thing 2 picked up on my mood and (thankfully) interrupted my frustrated attempts to explain how I was feeling. "Mommy! I have a song for you!" I stopped, a little reluctantly. And then she sang me the "Skinnamarinkadinkydink" song, complete with hand motions. That girl has the best timing.
Progress last week
7-day blood glucose average: 96 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting average: 97 (met goal of less than 120, 100% of days)
Weight goal: +0.8 lb (did not meet goal of either maintain or make progress toward goal)
Food goals:
Of what I did track...
- Consumed at least 4 meatless, low-fat meals and 1 fish meals. (met meatless meal goal; missed fish meal goal by one meal)
- Fiber? I know I ate with an eye toward it, but I'm only sure about getting at least 30 grams last Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Did not meet my coffee goal.
Exercise goals:
Met my Women's Challenge goals (thanks to the difference between my personal tracking running Tues.-Mon. and WC running Sunday-Saturday and my having gotten in a 30-Day Shred workout the prior Monday). However, I didn't quite meet the personal goal of 30 minutes x 5 days/week. I missed my swim and spin. Did one walk, Body Pump class, and one terrific run. During our trip, though, I played with the kids a lot (including doing some rail push ups and attempts at crossing the monkey bars) and we had a great afternoon recreational swim at the pool.
Misc. goals: Got adequate sleep all nights.
Monthly Measure
Bust, -.5; hips, +.5; everything else unchanged. Weird. I also measured both thighs this time, and--maybe it's just a measuring anomaly, but there seems to be a 1" difference between the two.
Goals for this week
7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.
Food goals:
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- On work days, switch to tea and plain water after that first cup of coffee.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day and work up to consuming 50 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)
Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of workout 5 days/week. Workouts to include at least 1 bike, 1 run, and 1 swim per week, plus 2 strength training per week.
Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.
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