Trying to get back into exercising

Since Thanksgiving, my exercise regiment has slowed down. I have been very unmotivated to wake up in the mornings to jog and since being sick and having knee problems and eye surgery, I have not had much desired to go back to the regiment I was exercising in the early fall.

This week I have done better, not perfect but better.

My exercise this week:

• Monday morning: benchpress, tricep kickbacks, military press. I lifted heavy Monday---the most I have in a very long time.
• Tuesday morning: I slept in
• Wednesday morning: leg (fairly heavy leg lifts and squat machines) and ab workout. After getting the kids ready for school, and I jogged 2.5 miles at a moderate pace (for me). The temperature was below 32 degrees and the wind was brutal. Maybe that was the reason the pace was decent. Then, I traveled out of town for a meeting.
• Thursday morning (while out of town): I slept in. My apologies to a friend who worked out and I just did not want to get out in the cold weather (I am such a wimp).
• Thursday night (back home): I jogged 2.5 miles at a moderate pace (for me) in 52 degree weather. It was very nice jog.
• Friday (we'll see)
• Saturday morning: I hope to jog
• Sunday morning: I hope to jog

If I jog on Saturday and Sunday, I will have exercised a consistent amount this week. Consistency is key for me. Although I am not suffering in a major way from cutting back on my exercise, I can tell a difference.

I also feel a difference in how my body feels and what I want to eat. It seems that when I exercise consistently and I push myself to lift heavier or go faster or longer when jogging, I eat better.

The weights give my body a tight feeling, while the cardio makes me feel good. Maybe those physical changes and feelings are what I need to remember when I start to lose motivation.

Tornado hit my hometown

A tornado this afternoon hit Prattville, AL.

29 people are injured, 2 severely, 20 to 30 homes destroyed according to this story.

The update from my family is:

• My brother's and sister's homes were not damaged and they did not lose electricity.
• My parent's home is fine, as well, but at the moment they are without electricity.
• Dad is concerned about the damage in town, but is very proud that it rained 2 1/2 inches.
• My other sister will have a very busy day tomorrow because her pharmacy will be taking the orders of the damaged store.

I am thankful all is well with them.

Fast Food Options

The other day I was in Arby's. My son ordered his usual Arby's melt. I was short on time and knew I possibly had to eat mine in the car. So, I was looking for an option that:

• I could hold in one hand
• did not contain a lot of white bread
• was not fried
• was not choked full of calories
• had some taste to it.

I chose the new pecan chicken salad in a wrap. It was made with chicken, grapes, lettuce, and pecans. It could have been quite tasty. The problem was that the chicken salad was soaked in a mayonnaise based sauce. I found it disgusting.

In trying to choose healthier foods, I avoid eating much mayonnaise and fatty salad dressing. The next time, I will order this wrap without the mayonnaise (if I can).

In my disappointment in trying to find a decent alternative to fast food lunch, I started thinking about the business opportunities and how a fast food establishment could offer healthy alternatives to existing products.

Examples:

• A pecan-grape chicken salad made with low-fat version mayonnaise using half as much as the Arby's pecan-grape chicken salad. This could be sold on a bed of lettuce, whole wheat bread, whole wheat wrap, and other breads.
• A grilled chicken biscuit made like Chick-fil-a's chicken and biscuit, except the chicken is grilled.
• A grilled chicken, egg and cheese breakfast burrito made like Chick-fil-a burrito, except the chicken is grilled.
• A grilled chicken wrap on a whole wheat wrap with low-fat ranch, low-fat southwest ranch, or low-fat honey-mustard dressing--available on the side.
• An egg McMuffin with low-fat cheese.
• Instead of fried chicken fingers, like Zappy's, grilled chicken fingers.
• McAllisters and Panera Bread have some great dishes, but would much better if they would offer half sizes (even if I paid more than half).
• Half portions of any fast food choices. Even if they are not healthy, less will mean fewer calories.

My favorite casual dining food options currently are:

• Sonic Southwestern salad at Sonic.
• Black and bleau grilled chicken salad at Zappys with no dressing.
• Grilled steak (or chicken) Sammies at Quiznos. Each for $2. I order only 1.
• Locally, I eat Breezeway and order grilled chicken salad with no dressing or Salisto turkey sandwich made with no mayonnaise on wheat bread, but I don't eat all the bread.
• Applebees Southwest Salad--half size. Applebees has some other dishes that are low calories that I like as well.

There are many other options that dining establishments could offer. I am wondering if a restaurant took the approach that they would offer healthy meals as their brand. They could even have a few unhealthy choices, but the mainstay would be healthy offerings. I am thinking this would make for a great business. Am I the only one who thinks a restaurant could make it with a healthy offering?

Gray hair and Lasik

When I told the doctor that I have been wearing hard or gas permeable lens since I was 13, he said "That is a really long time."

What! Was he telling me I was getting old? Well, I guess he was saying more than 30 years in hard lens is a long time.

Anyway, during the 3 months in my glasses prior to Lasik, my eyes seem to worsen. Last night—5 days after surgery, I looked into the bathroom mirror and realized how gray my hair is getting around the face.

Yikes...Where did all that gray hair come from!

So the downside of Lasik, I see better and I can see all that gray poking through. I guess I would rather not know that!

Batting Cage

cage
Originally uploaded by aafromaa

After a storm, the batting cage was in disrepair and I was not sure when we would have time to repair it and if we needed to put a good bit of money in rebuilding it.

On Saturday, my husband cut the limbs with a chain saw. On Sunday, my daughter's friend and my son moved all of the debris and repaired the cage.

It took them all Sunday afternoon. We are so very proud of the work they did and what a relief that it is repaired. The boys cleaned and repaired it on their own.

We still have to replace one pole because they could not repair it. That can easily be done!

Teenagers can surprise you sometimes. I am very thankful for their wonderful work!

Second day after surgery

goggledshields
Originally uploaded by aafromaa

This morning I woke up to dry eyes and my eyesight was not as good as it was yesterday. I started the morning with the regiment of eye drops. I am down to 3 different types of drops--antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and lubricant.

A few minutes later, I felt much better. And, I could see much better. According to the information sheet from the doctor, vision fluctuation is normal.

The sun is brighter today so I really need sunglasses. I am still using the cheap plastic pair the doctor provided. They are not very stylish, but they cover even the corner of my eyes. It is beginning to sink in that I am not ever going to have poor eye sight again. I have been wearing glasses or corrective lens for 36 years. It's just taking me time to get used to the fact that these are my eyes and not something foreign in them.

Late yesterday, I looked over the sheet of instructions again and I thought I would share those:

• Securely tape shields over eyes before going to bed.
• Wear the protective shields at night for the 1st week.
• Do not rub your eyes for the 1st month.
• Do not wear eye makeup for at least 1 week.
• Avoid gardening or any outdoor activity that could introduce dirt or pollen particles into the eyes for 1 week. (I guess I cannot help clean up the broken tree limbs.)
• Avoid swimming, hot tubs, saunas or any other contact with possibly contaminated water for 2 weeks. (That's not a problem for me.)
• Avoid contact or racquet sports for 2 weeks. After this time, it is strongly suggested that you wear protective eyewear while playing contact sports. (This is not a problem, although I would like to learn to play racquetball and tennis.)
• You may resume jogging, weightlifting and aerobics 1 week following surgery. Again, wear protective eyeglasses when necessary.

I can use lubricant eye drops as often as I need. I think I will try using them more today and hopefully reduce dry eye feelings in the morning.

The warning at the bottom of the information sheet said ."..if you experience progressive increase in redness, a decrease in vision or increase in pain, call the eye corneal surgeon..."

Thankfully, that is not a problem for me.

The day after Lasik

I can see. I can see. I can see!

I see almost 20/20. Though I am told not everyone can see this good this fast, the surgery has definitely worked well for me.

The only drawback at the moment is that my vision is still a little cloudy, particularly in my right eye. If I were wearing my contacts I would take the right one out and clean it.

It hasn't sunk into my head or my routine that this vision is my eyes...no contacts, no glasses.

As part of the complete package of the surgery, 1 day, 1 week, and other checkups are included. Fortunately, I am able to see Dr. Fields for the checkups. Dr. Steve Fields has been my eye doctor for years and years. He has solved some problems with my contacts that other doctors could not solve. I trust his professional knowledge and expertise. He was the one who recommended Dr. John Swann with Montgomery Eye Physicians.

The advantages seeing Dr Fields, instead of Dr. Swann, for the checkups are:
1. his office is nearby--only minutes from my house.
2. seeing him is like having a built in second opinion.

Today was my 1st day check up after the surgery.

All went well. He explained that the cloudiness would eventually go away and that my vision was very good for being only one day after the surgery. He told me to follow regiment of eye drops given to me. (I was going to that anyway.)

Dr. Fields also told me was that for the next year or so, I will not need reading glasses, though I had been wearing them with my contacts. I knew the surgery did not correct my near vision, so I am really excited about prolonging the use of reading glasses.

He also told me no jarring, lifting heavy objects, and sweating for 1 week. In other words, no running, no weight lifting.

All is well with my surgery and I am looking forward to more improvements.