Photo Fridays

One of my sweet sisters has a Facebook album where she posts a picture every single day.  She started on January 1 and hasn't technically missed a day since.  I'm her biggest fan, commenting on every single picture.

I dream of being able to do something like this too, but I know the work it takes and the effort just to remember to take a stinking picture every day. (I'm not kidding. It takes a lot of effort.) I won't be starting a similar album anytime soon, but thought that I might occasionally post pictures from my week on a new segment I'll call Photo Fridays!

Enough words. Here's my week in pictures.

I've decided I need to wear cute dangly earrings with my new
haircut.  I bought these to get me started.

We got some new sculptures on campus.
I tell you what, this frog ballerina is rockin'
the self confidence!

Look at these amazing chicken pizza packets I made.

My other meal of the week was a very tasty, low-fat
cheeseburger pie! (It tasted a LOT better than it looks.)

This is the track/gym where I've bee pounding the pavement
this summer while it's so hot outside. I love this place.
 Sorry for the blurry- I was running when I took it!

They're refinishing the floor outside of my office
using these buckets.  This one  says "Kosher Pickle 1/4"
Slices".  The bucket comes up to my knees.  My question
is HOW MANY 1/4" dill pickle slices fit in this
 GINORMOUS bucket?

Here I am happily working away in my little nook.  

PS I've also been inspired by April's Insta-Friday. Check it out on a Friday near you!

Living in the Gray

Maybe it's because fitness magazines and diet blogs talk a lot about how we (as a society of fat women, I guess) should not "diet" anymore, but embrace the healthy lifestyle, but I feel like a failure when I'm not 100 % on track. I feel like a failure because I'm not craving healthy foods, but still fried stuff and chocolate.

Over the last two years, I've always classified myself as either "good" (i.e. eating within my calorie range, working out six times a week, not eating out) or "bad" (i.e. eating well over my recommended calorie range, skipping workouts, eating out more than once a day at times). I have "good" or "bad" days, but mostly I have "good" or "bad" weeks that tend to lead into "good" or "bad" months. It's all black or white.

I've tried somewhat unsuccessfully to eat in a way that I refer to as "normal" without having to count my calories. Not black or white, but somewhere in the gray. It hasn't exactly worked for me. I always let it get out of control. Lunch eaten out can lead to dinner out.  One cookie from the batch a co-worker brings leads to four cookies from the batch a co-worker brings.  You get the picture.

'Cause if you can only have one more cookie, it might as well
be this one.

I think the key to living in the gray is perspective. I haven't failed if I go out to lunch.  I can go out to lunch, eat less snacks and a sensible dinner and stay within my calorie range (or close to it.) Eating a cookie doesn't mean it will be the last opportunity to eat cookies that I'm going to have in my life. One or two should be enough, because there will always be another time for cookies, right?

I think in the last week or so, I've been close to striking the balance and living in the gray.  At first I was quick to label the excessive amount of meals out lately (Note: I still have room to curb this habit) as failure.

But I need to recognize that there have been some successes mixed in as well. I went to a party Saturday and didn't eat one bite of the party food. I ate multiple meals at home over the weekend, which is prime eating out time. On two separate days, I did eat out, but still managed to stay within my calorie range.

Living in the gray is a lot harder than living black or white. Black or white garners expectations and boundaries, but gray is a looser goose. Despite the challenge, though, I think it is what makes this lifestyle do-able.

Maybe I'm finally starting to grasp what the fitness magazines and diet blogs are saying.  It's not about extremes. It's about a lifestyle you can maintain.  It's about not feeling deprived but not indulging every whim. It's a tricky balance.

What's Up Wednesday: What's Your Favorite Body Part?

We spend too much time picking over the parts of us that we don't like, so on today's What's Up Wednesday, I'm dying to know: What's your favorite body part or physical attribute?

Sorry for the close up, but if it weren't a
close up, you wouldn't be able to appreciate it

My current answer is my collar bone.  Two years ago, I wasn't even sure I had a collar bone.  I thought my head was just wedged into my shoulders somehow.  When it first popped out, I was pretty surprised, and it quickly became my favorite body part. It  is a daily reminder of just how far I've come. Especially when you consider I didn't even know it needed to be seen two years ago.  But, oh, it does need to be seen.  It's damn sexy!

I'm also in love with my calves (a lot of work has gone into them) and have been caught off guard by the beauty of my eyes from time to time.

Now it's your turn.  Don't be bashful! Tell me what you love about your body!



Make sure you've checked out the other What's Up Wednesdays:
Motivation
Healthy Snacks
Guilty Pleasure Food
Celebrity Doppleganger

Self Confidence Secret

Turns out a few consistent workouts in a row makes you feel worlds better about yourself and your body, if you tend to be one of those people, like me, who get down on their physical shape from time to time.

Exhibit A.

Take a few consistent workouts in a row and pair it with new shape-flattering clothes and you've got an instant self confidence boost.  This weekend I received another bag of clothes from my friend April.  Inside were some amazing dresses, colorful cardigans, cute skirts and sensible shirts. See exhibit A.

So for three days in a row, I have worn new-to-me dresses and have been showered in compliments.  More than that though, I feel like a different person in these dresses.  I'm not Jill who wears only solid colors, lots of black, can't seem to tame her hair or get through a workout.  I'm Jill-with-bright-colors-who-wears-cute dresses-and-cute-hair-then-beasts-her-workouts.  Think of it as my Indian name.

 Also, today I beasted my workout.  I finally believe I can be a runner again, as long as I'm consistent with my three-times-a-week efforts.

PS I'm sorry I've been slack about posting lately.  I just want to make sure I've got something to say before I say it, if you know what I mean.
PPS I'm sorry if me mentioning "Indian names" offends anyone.  Feel free to insert "Native American names" if that is less offensive to you.

Quick bites

Everyone's busy on Saturdays, right? So here's some quick things for you today:

Farm Fresh Fridays ended last week and I had no idea! I went to pick up my produce yesterday and no one was there.  I've opted not to do the fall delivery system. No more vegetable excitement for me. :(

I ran an entire mile this morning!  It's been awhile since I've run a continuous mile without walking at all. It's amazing how it makes you feel to accomplish something.

I also had my first bike mishap today. My chain popped off as I was changing gears and got stuck between gears.  Some strangers stopped to help me, but none of us could get it unstuck. Luckily I was only about a mile from my car, so I was able to walk it back. Before I got it stuck I did six miles...I was hoping to get in 10, but I'll take what I can get.  The bike shop guy fixed it later in about 10 minutes.

My parents have returned to the land from which they came, Effingham, Ill., for the next week.  My entire life we have made the trek to Effingham at least once a summer. Since I've become an adult, I've visited less often, but I do wish I was there to hug my Granny on her birthday - her 92nd - tomorrow!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Assessing my Thoughts

I've been primarily sticking to the healthy eating for three whole days now (ooh!).  I have not gone unchallenged in this endeavor. Work has been especially stressful and crazy busy of late. Because of this, all day yesterday  I really wanted to eat bad foods. I really wanted to go out to lunch, but having already skipped my lunchtime workout on Monday, I didn't have any room to be bad and still be somewhat good, if you know what I mean.

At the time, I guess it kind of put me in a bad mood that I couldn't just do what I wanted, ie eat what I wanted.  However, I'm glad I stood up to that temptation. I feel much better about myself now. If I had given in, I would feel now like a failure, which would make it that much harder to try again in the future.

However, that being said, I did still go out to eat for dinner last night with some friends. I was torn, because I've made rules for myself that say no eating out on weeknights. But I was also sad about being on a stupid diet to begin with and allowing the diet to interfere with my social life was making me even madder.  So, I stopped and pored over my food tracker and decided I had enough calories left in the day to go out to a sensible dinner. I ended up about 200 calories over my expected total for the day, but I think it was worth it for a sense of normalcy.

In the end, I'd chalk the week (well, three days) up to a victory.  It ain't easy, but I think I'm making good choices and being healthy in my attitudes toward food.

Now to survive the weekend...does anyone else feel like the weekend is where all good diets go to fail?

What's Up Wednesday-What's Your Motivation?

This What's Up Wednesday is a little deeper than usual. I hope you'll dive into the deep end with me.  I'm wondering this week, "What's Your Motivation?"

I think most people who read this blog either try to live healthy lifestyles by eating right and working out or really want to start being healthier.  Since I'm in the middle of a diet reboot, I'm searching for motivation this week. I really want to know what makes you want to exercise when you just don't feel like it or what you think about when you're trying to stay on track with healthy food choices??

In the past, I set goals with rewards to help me in the motivation department.  That's how I got to go skydiving, how I got my victory boots and part of the reason I went to Europe.

Now I'm trying a more internal motivation thing. I want my motivation to be feeling good from eating right and feeling strong and energized from exercising.  I think its a process of continually reminding myself that these things are true. I feel better phsyically when I eat right and I have a better attitude about life after exercising.






What about you? What's your motivation?  What's your better reason to paddle?