I’m Back!

It’s been a while since I posted.  The last couple of months have been fraught with distractions, like eating Thanksgiving pies, Christmas cookies, Marge’s homemade angel food, Dave’s birthday lasagna, cheese cake, Christmas ham, Lucy’s yummy chocolate truffle cookies, and assorted dips, cheeses and crackers.  Not to mention half of the tin of homemade cookies my mom gives us every year that I assured her I would leave entirely to Dave (I cannot be trusted to promises made when it comes to baked goods).

Mmmmmm….cookies!

I have also been distracted by a game on my iPad, introduced to me by my nephew.  My adult nephew, who is 30 years old and expecting his first baby and whose care-free video game playing days will soon be coming to a crashing sleep-deprived halt.  Excuse my cruel chuckle as I experience the empty nest days of doing whatever the heck I want whenever the heck I want to, as long as it doesn’t break any laws, interfere with my job, breach national security, or send us spinning into bankruptcy.

The game in question is The Simpsons Tapped Out.  First, let me say that I don’t even watch The Simpsons.  I think, in the entire 500 years it’s been on the air, I may have watched 3 episodes.  I have paid enough attention to pop culture to know who Homer, Marge, Maggie, Bart and Lisa are, but that’s really about it.  I would never have looked for this game on my own, because I wouldn’t have cared enough to even think it might exist.

So, when David showed me the game on his iPhone, I thought it was in complete innocence, one gamer to another.  No.  He was seductively trying to suck me into the vortex so he could add another friend to his game and fulfill a quest.  I watched in fascination as he clicked on people and buildings, collecting cash and making Bart go to church and Ned Flanders take power walks.  My eyes dilated and my finger reached tentatively out towards his phone.  Then he said the magic words…”It’s free, Aunt Sue”.

This is not a game for those afflicted with OCD.  I became obsessed with rebuilding Springfield and fulfilling quests.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner were soon filled with the sounds of my finger spastically tapping on glass.  I started bringing my Ipad to work to sneak extra game play during the day, where I hunched over my iPad, tapping furiously while casting furtive glances over my shoulder.  I needed to buy more land and build more buildings!  I needed more cash!  More Halloween Treats!  More Christmas coins!  More friends!  I visited Tapped Out forums to find strangers to add to my ‘friend’ list and forced my friend’s 12 year old son to “add me”.  I almost went as far as buying fake donuts with real cash, just to be able to build the mad scientist volcanic lair.  Oh yeah.  I was hard core.

This baby cost 200 donuts.

Somewhere between Christmas and New Years, we ran out of the Christmas cookies that I was using to feed my gaming frenzy, and I realized I needed to get my life back.  The dogs were picking thru garbage and hanging out on the street corner, harassing the neighborhood collie (Hey you.  Yeah, you!  Look at you behind your fence, pansy boy!  Oh yeah?  I dare ya!  I triple-human dare ya!). The cat was cooking ‘nip in the basement and selling it to unsuspecting kittens.  The boys were mixing lights with darks in the laundry room while surviving on Hot Pockets and Tina’s frozen burritos.  I had 10,679 unread emails just from Kohl’s alone (Save 30%!  Free shipping!  Get Kohl’s Cash!), and was so far behind on Facebook that I didn’t recognize any of my friends.

“Pssst. Little kitten! I have some candy for you!”

So I quit.  Cold turkey.  I don’t recommend this to the faint of heart.  First came the shakes.  Then then the delirium.  I cried.  I giggled maniacally.  I sobbed in hysterics.  I beat on my Ipad, shouting “WHY?  WHY?” And then I crashed.  It was the worst ten minutes of my life.

And now I’m back to my barmy old self, ready to motivate the hell out of you  to work out, eat right and pray your socks off in 2013.  Are you ready?  Let’s ride!!

Black Friday

Well, at least they are running…

Oh yes, I just shamelessly used the words “Black Friday” in my title, knowing it might give my blog a few more hits.  But for those of us trying to maintain a healthy weight, the day after Thanksgiving can indeed feel like Black Friday, should one be so stupid as to step on the scale.  Therefore, instead of being out shopping with the Crazies, I am at home, drinking coffee and writing an exercise entry in my blog.

Oh yes. This is exactly what I look like drinking coffee. Uh huh.

If you are like me, you know the holiday season can wreak havoc on the best laid plans of healthy eating and exercise.  In the long, dark days of winter, it’s very easy to choose sleep over an early wake up call to the gym, or to just go home after a late day at work, and watch the Big Bang Theory while eating your dinner instead of bundling up for a walk or run in the dark.  So, now is the time I encourage you to add some spice to your normal routine.  Boredom is the number one killer of exercise programs!

“You can’t make me go to the gym! You can’t make me, you can’t make me, you can’t make me!”

The first thing I did this year was to join the Y.  I haven’t belonged to a gym in over 3 years, choosing instead to utilize the gym we have at work with my co-worker workout buddies.  Very cheap (free) and it’s always more motivating to know someone else is depending on you to be there.  But lately, we find more and more excuses not to go.  It seems like such a chore – depressing even – and if one person backs out, it sucks the motivation from the rest of us.

Joining the Y has brought some spice back into my workout plans.  I can join a spin class, hit the pool, jiggle my love handles in Zumba, or run on the indoor track (so thankful I won’t have to think about running across ice patches this year).  It was just enough to bump my brain out of hibernation mode.  If you already belong to a gym, but are bored and find yourself not going, try creating an at home program.   Or find ways to exercise outside – like snowshoeing or cross country skiing if you have snow, or biking, running and/or walking if you don’t (be sure to read some articles on cold weather exercise.  There is a good one here:  ACTIVE.COM).  Or join a new gym – maybe one that offers some things you don’t have at your current gym.

Totally.

The next thing I did was purchase an Ipad, which led me to justify said purchase by figuring out how to use it for reasons other than playing Spider Solitaire or Siege Hero.  I started looking for good workout apps, and found a few worth mentioning:  Daily Workouts, IPersonalTrainer, and Workout Trainer.  I’m not going to review them today, but brought them up because it was in my search for workout apps that I ran across a video called Plank Workout for Flat Abs and Toned Arms, led by a cute, perky girl who made doing a plank look oh-so-easy, even while adding in weights and arm movements.

Even perky while planking!

Further investigation brought me to more videos and then her website –Blogilates.com.  Oh my goodness – so much more perkiness (really, I am 48 years old – not much of me is too perky anymore) and sweating.  Seems an odd combination, but this girl has some killer moves.  Her name is Cassey Ho, and despite her everlasting good mood, or maybe because of it, I absolutely love her workouts.  They challenge my strength, they teach new moves to this old dog, and they make me sweat like a pig.  (Hmm…maybe that last bit wasn’t very appealing…).

Plus, she makes new videos all the time!  And she has a clothing line!  And she has a monthly workout calendar.  And she has recipes.  And meal plans.  And inspirational stories.  And icing on the cake –  she is FREE (although you do have to subscribe to her newsletter for access to some things, like the workout calendar).

Her videos are about 10-15 minutes long, so perfect for those days you need something quick.  Or you can do two or three in a row, or you can do what I did.  I went thru a few of her videos, pulled out the exercises I wanted to try, and created an hour long workout routine that we did in the gym at work.  Holy sweat balls of fire.

And my last bit of advice – sign up for an event that will make you start training.  It doesn’t have to be grandiose (but it can be, if you want) – maybe as simple as just wanting to get personal best, or try something new.  Need some inspiration?  There are a lot of charity events and organizations (like My Team Triumph or the Leukemia Lymphoma Society Team in Training) you can work with to add some meaning to your training.  I have found I train better knowing I am running for someone who can’t run for themselves.  It adds a spiritual level to my workouts, and reminds me to be grateful and humble.

And that my friends, is that.  For now…

Sue

 

Battle Plans

You know, I was sitting here freezing, wondering if I should turn on the fire-place and lay on the couch or try to be productive. I choose productive, for the simple reason that I found my socks.

The Bees Knees in footwear

I have this favorite pair of alpaca wool socks, and they had been missing for at least a week. At first I thought they were in the wash, so dutifully wore my other socks until I got around to doing the laundry. Ten loads of laundry later, they were still missing. Then we had a spurt of warm, fall weather – well into the 70’s – so I didn’t notice too much that my feet were clothed in mere cotton.

But tonight, I walked the dogs in a chill 40 degrees with only a sweatshirt and came home cold, tired and footsore. I wanted my socks, dog gone it. I began to suspect a sock thief, but realized that the only other two occupants in the house are both males and unlikely to be sock stealers (unlike a certain daughter I know), so did the next logical thing. I looked under the bed. Viola! I pulled them on, and felt instantly better physically and emotionally. It got me to thinking too, about the up coming winter, and how I was going to battle the short, cold days of gloom and snow.

I’m going to need a battle plan. I can already feel myself being dragged into the comfort food vortex, where fuzzy blankets, mystery novels and video games conspire with the evil war lords from the Land of Carbohydrates, in a battle for my soul and my waistline. And to be honest, I am a willing victim.

Obviously, the socks are my first line of defense. They really do give me actual ‘warm fuzzies’. I love these socks, and I do not use the term loosely. You can get a pair for yourself here.

I didn’t have a SAD light picture, so had to settle for a Sue’s A Dork picture. Yes, those are glasses with windshield wipers.

My second line of defense is to buy a SAD light (SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder, not Sue’s A Dork…just sayin’). My trusted healthcare professional (interpret as you wish) has assured me it will be the best $60 I will have ever spent. I certainly hope he is right. Mine is coming on Tuesday (if the FedEx website is correct), so I will keep you posted. I’m supposed to use it every morning for 30 minutes, which won’t be a problem. I spend the first 30 minutes of every morning huddled around my coffee mug, staring into the glowing screens of one electronic device or another so what’s one more in the mix?

“Dog Breath set to ‘stun’, Mr. Scott”

My third line of defense will be to get outside, as often as possible, when it is light out and especially when the sun is shining. This is difficult during the work week, when I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark (hence the need for the light). But on weekends, I need to be diligent about finding time to be out, even when it’s so cold Lucky can’t make it to the corner with out pitifully holding out a frozen paw. (Lucky is one of our yorkie-poo’s. He acts tough, but is pretty much a wuss, although he does have breath that could kill a man. Right now he is sleeping under the bed. Weirdo.)

And my last line of defense will be to join the Y- for a couple of reasons. First, because the idea of having only the sweat box (our pet name for the gym at work) to go to for exercise all winter is enough to make me want to gnaw off a limb. The other reason is to get some swimming in after work. With the longer days, I am used to being active in the summer until at least 8 or 9 at night. In the dark of winter, I tend to completely shut off by 6:30. Maybe if I swim a few times a week after work, it will trick my brain into resetting its winter activity clock. Plus, it will give me an alternative on the weekends when the weather prohibits outside activities.

Oops – not THAT Frozen Tundra

I think it will help if we get some snow too. Last year we had very little, and I think that actually made winter seem longer. If I have to live in the Frozen Tundra, I want to have fun in it. Dave got me a pair of snowshoes last Christmas, which I was able to use only one time on a test run in the back yard. Of course, if it doesn’t snow, I can keep riding my bike…ah but we need the moisture more than I need to ride all winter. Plus Kay did invite me snowmobiling, and if I know Kay, it will definitely be a good time had by all. Maybe this winter won’t be so bad after all!

How do the shorter days affect you? Are you a winter hater or lover? What do you do to combat cabin fever?

Sue