I'm just your average, everyday, divorced 38 year old girl -- overweight, tragically unhip,
and trying to make a life for myself. I live with two furry beasts, Dave and Abby, whose
feline mission in life is to choke me with their fur. Nothing special.
Day dreams about night things in the middle of the afternoon
Thursday evening. I've been having the strangest day dreams, always about men. It's pretty clear to me what this "means", it's just odd that they're suddenly cropping up when I haven't really given the other sex much thought in, well, a while. There are two particular men that are featured in these thoughts/dreams/fantasies (not both at the same time - what kind of girl do you think I am???) and they could not be any more different, so I wonder if they represent the different forces at work inside me? One is older than I am (this is rare for me), stable, settled, looking for love (not with me, of course, but that's just a technicality), and very handsome. The other is younger than I am (this is not rare for me at all), stable, relatively settled, incredibly fun, and unsure of his desires. Oh, and he's really cute. So, what do these two bachelors have in common (other than my preoccupation with them)? Well, they're both in the financial world and they're both male. Sad. I really need to get a life.
For the DIFD challengers, have you been getting your 30 minutes of cardio in? This morning nearly broke my resolve because it was raining and cold, but then I thought about Daddy and all of you and got myself out of bed and onto the pavement. Damp but ready to face the day, I got home about 40 minutes later with my mission accomplished. I hope you're all finding this little challenge helpful and I truly hope that it will help someone avoid the ugly path that leads to eight hours of surgery.
I don't want to be here (at work) any more, so I'm going home. 'Night.
Getting back in the swing of things and DIFD challenge check-in
Wednesday morning. I only had 365 emails waiting for me at work, which is less than I'd thought, so that was good. By noon, I'd caught up and was ready to go. Of course, my first meeting was at 10am, so that was unfortunate. I'd also scheduled a meeting at which I was the driver for 2pm and had to send out supporting materials prior to the meeting, which was accomplished...but only just. Being gone for a week at this time of year is always challenging, but Life doesn't always give you what you want. (I'm fairly certain my dad would have preferred 50 hours of work to what he endured over the last week!)
Things started out well, food wise, and then deteriorated as the day wore on. I think the key to using non-food supplemental nutrition (Glucerna, in this particular case) is eating more frequently, so I'm going to grab my decaf, nonfat, sugar free vanilla latte mid morning (10-ish) then have my shake for lunch right at noon, followed by some fruit and a string cheese at about 2:30, then home for a Lean Cu1sine, some more fruit, and another small latte. By spacing it all out and not letting myself get too hungry, I'm hoping to make this work. (Given that I have next to no money right now, I just can't afford to be running out for meals or eating in our cafeteria at work anyway.)
OK, it's time to check in on the brave souls who have accepted the Do It For Daddy challenge. So, how did you do? Did you manage your 30 minutes of cardio yesterday? I should have mentioned that, if you find 30 minutes all at once too challenging (time or fitness level-wise), you are welcome to break that up into three separate sessions, just like Daddy does. For many who work in office buildings like I do, that would be three walks around the building, and I feel confident that anyone can do that. I also sent the challenge to my team and fellow project managers at work, several of whom have decided to join in, so we are in good company, my friends. Don't forget, that's 30 minutes of any kind of cardio (walking, swimming, jogging, biking, rowing, aerobics, dancing, whatever) each day this week. I know it sounds daunting and some of you are probably thinking that you can't possibly do it, but it's only 30 minutes (or 10 minutes three times) and it might just be the thing that keeps you from developing heart disease, so give it a try.
Bottom line? When you don't want to do it for yourself, Do It For (my) Daddy!
I'm back and the introduction of the Do It For Daddy Challenge!
Tuesday morning. Well, I'm home for more than an overnight stay and, for better or worse, Mom and Daddy are on their own now. I'm a bit scared, but I know that they have the information that they need to be healthy and successful (and my phone number, just in case).
For myself, I've decided to let my father be my fitness inspiration for a little while. Let me tell you, if watching a man who's had his chest cracked open, veins from arms and legs removed and grafted to his heart, and been in hospital for four days go for a daily walk doesn't inspire you, you mustn't have a soul. Seriously, watching and going with my dad on his walk yesterday just brought it home for me, again, how important it is for me to take care of my own diabetes. If I don't do the same things he is doing (walking regularly, eating properly, and managing stress), I will end up in the exact same place he is in a few years. I don't want that and neither would he, so I strapped on my running shoes and took a 30 minute walk this morning.
While I was walking, I started thinking about how I could take better care of myself and, perhaps, inspire my dad at the same time. It wasn't until I got home and started drinking my Glucerna shake (I missed the deadline for my healthy, prepared meals for this week) that it hit me what I will do: I'm creating the Do It For Daddy (DIFD) Challenge. Basically, the idea is that, every week, I'll come up with a specific goal to work on, based on the things that my dad is supposed to be doing in his rehabilitation program. I'm sure it would do my dad a lot of good to know that he's helping others around the world through his struggles, so, if anyone's interested in participating, just follow along and/or leave a comment.
This week's DIFD challenge: Take a 30 minute walk every day. Your exertion level should be about a 6 on the perceived exertion scale (you can talk, but it's an effort) and you should be sure to check out the flowers or other fun things along the way.
Remember, if you don't want to do it for yourself, your health, or your family, Do It For (my) Daddy!
