Happy Being Me...

For those readers you followed me from my old blog , you know that one of the things I have struggled with is the eating disorder bulimia. Although, I have not had an episode in nearly 4 years, I have still struggled with the underlying issues that led to my disorder - obsession with what foods I eat, working out, feeling bad if I ate something unhealthy.

Since M and I have been together he has helped to me to shift my focus from a # of the scale or a size on a clothing label to just being healthy. And for him being healthy means not obsessing about the numbers, enjoying a piece of cake if he wants eat, moving more if his jeans get snug. I've been working to adopt his mentality, but haven't felt like I was getting anywhere close to that place, until yesterday.

The hospital that I work for opened our new 2nd floor addition yesterday, complete with ribbon cutting ceremony and lots of yummy foods. Pre-M, I would have calculated the calories in each hors d'oeuveres, avoided everything but the fruit and veggies, and not had a piece of celebratory cake. Instead, I had small samples of each yummy item, went heavier on the fruits and veggies, and had my piece of cake. The best part was that I ate and didn't feel bad about it afterwards. I didn't dash back to my office to tally the calorie damage and estimate how long I would have to work out to burn off the calories I had consumed. And I didn't skip dinner to offset the meal either.

Instead, I did the 20 minutes of step aerobics that I had planned on doing prior to the festivities, ate a reasonable supper, and felt good in my own skin. And that's a HUGH accomplishment for me!

Spinning Wheels

M and I had a wonderful Sunday together.  Waking up early, we were able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast (I had another Green Monster and he had eggs and toast) while watching ESPN. Then it was showers, dressing, and off to Sunday school. Following our song service and presentation of a bible to our graduating senior, M and I left church and headed to Statesboro to meet up with my Aunt for lunch.

 

We dined at a lovely home style placed called Fordham's Family Farmhouse. I had a delish grilled chicken breast with greens beans and squash casserole. Aunt Gail and M both had pot roast with sweet potatoes and mac&cheese. After lunch, the three of us went thrift store hopping and scored some great deals. I picked up a pair of New York and Company khakis, four skirts, and a pair of Tommy Hilfiger khakis for M  all for the grand total of $25.00.

 

Following our shopping excursion at the thrift store, we headed to the mega-store mecca Wal-Mart.  On Saturday, my SIL and I had attempted to purchase bikes at our local Wal-Mart. She managed to score the "beach cruiser" model that she wanted. But the mountain bike I wanted was not in stock. So M suggested we look at the Statesboro Wal-Mart. Not only did I find the bike that I wanted, I managed to convince M to purchase a bike as well. Now we will be able to bike together - since running is out of the questions thanks to my knees. :-) 

 

Now it is a rainy Monday and I am headed to work. The forecast calls for wet conditions all week. Hopefully, there will be a few spots of sunshine in the mix, so we can test out our new wheels.

 

Lazy Saturday

M had to go into work (he's real job not the farm) so I have an entire Saturday morning to myself. I was lazy and slept in till about 8:15 a.m. Then I got out of bed, slipped into my robe and settled in with my laptop to do a bit of blog reading. After catching up on my favorite blogs, I decided that I was hungry. So I decided to be brave and make a Green monster . Up next is a shower and rumaging thru my closet to find a cute summery outfit to wear for my shopping excursion with my sister-in-law.

Hopefully M will be done with work around lunch and he can meet up with us to grab a bite. While I am not happy that I had to spend my Saturday morning alone, it has bee nice.

Staying Fit Together

Over the year and a half that M and I have been together, a large portion of our conversations have centered on health and fitness. We have watched our parents struggle with weight loss and our grandparents battle health issues. We have always said that we wanted to adopt a healthy active lifestyle. And at times we have made great attempts - we ran a 5K together last June, played a little tennis, and sporadically lifted weights. Things haven't stuck. It seems that life always manages to get in the way. But the turning point came in December, as M and I stood in my father's ICU room. He was hooked up to a vent having just undergone 5 bypasses. I will always remember looking at M, tears in my eyes and saying "I never want to do this again. I never want to be in this situation....".

While I know that M, myself, or a family member may someday have heart issues - I also know that there is a lot that M and I can do to offset the chances of that happening. Since our wedding we have been eating at home more often, cooking healthier/lighter meals - thinks salads or yummy turkey burgers. And now that the weather is warming up, we've taken up tennis again. We've made "dates" to play with another couple so that we are less likely to flake out. I know that we still need to incorporate more cardio and weights, but I feel like we are finally making our fitness a top priority - and not letting small changes in plans derail all of our efforts.

I wonder, do you readers, have tips/tricks/suggestions on how you and your significant other can pursue a fit lifestyle together? What about your whole family???

Things I'm thinking about today

• Should I seperate my blog into multiple blogs - one for the things related to married life and one related to fitness/health
• Why are my knees hurting today?
• Thrift store shopping can turn up some very good bargains.
• Do I really need the items that I bought today?
• Turkey bugers for dinner sounds yummy --  but do I want to clean up the mess???

I realize my list is very random, so I am wondering readers, what are you thinking about today???

Happines is....

• Sharing breakfast with my husband and his parents.
• A birthday party for my oldest nephew. It is hard to believe that the baby who made me an Aunt for the first time is now 4 years old.
• Water slides, wading pools, sprinklers, and cold water from a deep well. (Can you tell my nephew's birthday party was "water-themed")
• Spending an afternoon in the glorious sunshine.
• Eating hot dogs, cake, and ice cream after the afternoon in the sun.
• Dinner out with my parents, M's parents, M's grandmothers, M's aunt, M's brother and sister-in-law, our nieces, and my sister-in-law's family
• Steak cooked perfectly
• Telling stories and jokes, and celebrating our mothers
• Making milkshakes with my nieces on Sunday afternoon.
• Playing tennis with my hubby and one our favorite couples (Steph and Rusty)
• Birthday party leftovers for supper in front of the t.v. on Sunday night.
• A wonderful weekend spent with the people I love most in the world.

A little bit work, A little play, A little bit of life

I apologize for the delay between my last post and this one - life has gotten busy for M and I. Now that spring has sprung, farm work is kicking up a notch. M is not only working with his blueberries on Saturday, but most afternoons as well. In another month, we will start harvesting our crop which means M will work to dark most nights and every Saturday. However, I am learning to love farm life - and all the chores that come with it, so most times I can be found side by side with M - whether it is riding the tractor, walking the rows to ensure the irrigation is working properly, or tinkering around the barn.

 

In addition to working on the blueberries, we have started (along with M's father) planting our spring/summer garden. Hopefully, we will have lots of yummy fresh veggies to eat in the coming weeks. We have planted corn, squash, zucchini, green beans, peas, tomatoes (2 or 3 varieties) and a myriad of peppers. I can't wait to use them!

 

When M and I aren't working on the farm or the garden, we are usually lounging around the house - which is a nice thing but isn't very healthy as we tend to munch mindlessly while watching t.v.  So M and I have decided to try and get back into our workout routine. My knees seem to be holding their own as long as I brace them, and ice them down after my workouts. No major pain in a week or so - and that was after 2 step aerobic workouts and tennis with M.

 

Ah yes, M and I are once again picking up our racquets and playing tennis. Well, playing might be a stretch. I am more apt to describe it as hitting the ball back and forth, and then chasing every third one since it doesn't stay in the court.  I think we are going to incorporate tennis into our Friday night date nights, and again on Sunday evenings. :-)

 

I think that is all that's going on in our world - of course I am probably forgetting a lot. It's a busy life, but it is a full life and we like just that way.