Beautiful Behaviors - June 2017

@katadx - Prayers, do hope your grandfather is doing better. Prayer has helped me and I'm not super religious. I talk to him like he's my father (he is). I hold conversations with him and then I try to give it to him and let it go. Because holding onto what we can't control is not healthy. I'm so glad you are practicing this.
@rheddmobile - That's awesome that you blasted through your arm workout! Sometimes we have to make ourselves do this. I would definitely invest in some 15 lbers if you can. For now, maybe do more reps at a very slow pace, this will put stress on your muscle (which is good). I sometimes do a burnout round where after lifting at my heaviest for about 6-8 reps, I go down in weight and slowly (with good form) see how many reps I can do until failure (failure meaning you just cannot absolutely lift with good form). Keep it up
@str8bowbabe - I am Super Happy that you are listening to your body and resting when need be and not pushing. I am very stubborn and tried to push when I had neck issues and it took me away from volleyball for over a year! You get a Gold Star for the meal prepping!!! I know it can be tedious but it's so beneficial and you're right it does save money.
@jessiquoi - Like I said above, I will reitorate: Listen to your body. Last year I tried to squat to heavy and ever since then my knee gets a catch in it (not pain). So, I squat much lighter than what I know I actually can but I definitley don't want injuries. It's frustrating but I'm not a spring chicken anymore lol. I have been struggling with food too - you are not alone. I have been busy too. Keep going
@autumn_row - I can't wait to here all about you and your beautiful behaviors! I love reading this thread and even people's struggles are inspiring to me.
@aleahurst - How are you doing? How's the water intake? Have you been out with nature lately? Sending you a smile

Update: I have been so busy that I have not been able to check in here. I also feel like I may do a social media cleanse, meaning - that I will limit myself for about a week to almost none. Last night when I was logging my workout - I realized that I log my exercise on about 3 to 4 different sites!!! Yes, I love inspiring others and have followers on all sites but it is time consuming too.
Saturday I went swimming with my sisters, it was nice to be with them both. Sunday I cleaned house big time, mainly angry cleaning because I was upset with the bf (but we talked it out). Also Sunday I did about an hour of legs. Monday I went home and did about 20 minutes of HIIT cardio, sweat was dripping from my chin. Then when the bf got home we went to the gym and did shoulders. Last night the bf and I did about 80 minutes of biceps and abs. Tonight will probably be a rest night, I may get some stretching or core work in but I didn't sleep well.
Work has been busy and full of drama (mostly drama for others but I try and listen and let them vent to me).
The bf and I are supposed to be going on a weekend trip this weekend. I say supposed to because he always cancels on me at the last minute, so I am used to dissappointment (this is something he is working on). This will be the first weekend getaway or trip for us since we've been together (and we've been together about 7 years). I think this is ridiculous, but he seems to think it's normal. *** What's normal to one person is not to another, I guess. At least he cares enough to want to make me happy, and that is why he has not been kicked to the CURB! LOL

Okay, enough of my rambling and life story haha

Thought for the day: Healthy is an outfit that looks different on everybody. ***This, all day THIS! Society has burned it into our brain that we should look a certain way. Even those stupid BMI readings say that we should weigh a certain amount for our height and age (even though they don't think about muscle mass). BREAK this way of thinking, everyone is different and that's what makes this world so interesting. I love the bigger curvy look, I also appreciate the frailer/thin look, I like muscley look, flat, big, athletic, pear, apple and everything in between. However the best look is someone who makes me laugh and who has a positive vibe. Confidence (not arrogance) is also a great and infectious thing about a person. We all have different goals and similar goals at the same time, but we are individuals. Try new things and keep the good habits and things you like, let go of what "they" say you should do.

Happy Wednesday! (I had to actually check to see what day it was *Also I hope that I stay awake today)ha

I'm hanging in there, thanks for asking - spent today getting medical tests for my husband. Will get results tomorrow.

Thinking about the senses right now, how we depend so much on food for pleasure and how the other senses get neglected. Right now the sky is soft bright blue with light filtering through green leaves, the sound of rustling and peeping, gentle breeze caressing me, and I can smell the warm earth. Sometimes I get positively hungry for color - it's why I like quilting. And as I work out more and become more active I notice more about how my body feels. It seems like turning up the other senses helps balance the clamor of food cravings.

Huge sigh of relief - my husband's biopsy came back and he has a variant type of skin cancer (infiltrative basal cell carcinoma) which likes to invade neighboring tissues, but his cat scan shows that it hasn't done that and should be able to be removed with simple surgery. We still have to worry about how to finance this, but that's minor.

I mostly behaved myself as far as diet and exercise during the stress of waiting for test results, but it was hard - I skipped everything but my basic cardio cycling for two days, and it shows in my blood glucose. Can't keep doing that! On the other hand, I learned that I can successfully bring my glucose from almost 170 down to 90 by excusing myself at the doctor's office to go and do body weight squats in the women's loo. It's nice to have a portable workout for emergencies! And it's also nice to know that even when stress is making my glucose soar, I can slap my pancreas and get its attention by exercising.

As far as counting nutrients is concerned, I'm having a terrible time meeting my iron goals! My hematocrit is just barely acceptable right now at 37 and I think I'm going to start taking a supplement. How does everyone else manage to get sufficient iron on a restricted diet?

Okay. @jessiquoi - record food for next challenge. For me, recording food accurately is an emotional challenge, because I am a stubborn willful child when it comes to keeping an accurate daily record. And I'm 62. You would think I had grown up years ago! Okay. LET'S DO IT!!! YAY GO TEAM!!! WOOOOO! What will the rules be? Set your number of days? Meet a certain goal? Only record when you are feeling clever and sassy about the way you diet? I like that one!

@happysherri - July 1 is when we start the new challenge... ARE YOU READY???? YAY GO TEAM!! WOOO!

@rheddmobile - well. Since I'm anemic, iron in foods is real important to me as well. I don't know about you, but there isn't a supplement that I can take. So instead I eat beans and pumpkin seeds and whatever is high in iron. Question: How can we make getting sufficient iron a goal for July? Should we research high iron foods? Let's make it a goal. ???? Glad your hubby found out it was basal cell and not something worse. However, he may still need surgery, skin graft, prayer, etc.

Okay. Was that it? See, every time someone makes a post, I sit in my chair bopping up and down, and screeching, "oh. Oh. Oh. I want to say something to..."

So here comes the long post!

My oxygen level dropped to 88 today. Dang it. I'm back on the machine all day.

For three days in a row, it didn't go under 95. I was so active!!!! It was fantastic! I did yard work barefooted. Now I have chigger itches everywhere you shouldn't ought to scratch!

Love to all.

Lea

@katadx - I'm so glad you took that page! It sounds like you had a wonderful day!