Jumping for JOY is Good Exercise

Original mixed media painting by Emily

Exercise......iCK! I'm sorry, but the people who say they LIKE to exercise...they are LYING!!!!! Exercise hurts me & makes me sweat ~ ewwwww.

I have always been a "couch potato". I would rather lie on the couch and read a good book  than to get down on the floor & do push-ups. I would rather take the elevator than climb stairs. Why walk when there is a perfectly good mode of transportion called a CAR?!?

All joking aside, exercise really does HURT me. I have a REALLY REALLY bad ankle that I broke 18 years ago and now arthritis has destroyed the cartiladge between the bones ~ OUCH. I cannot walk without the assistance of a brace and a cane. I also suffer from sciatica and we all know what a PAIN IN THE BUTT that is!!!

Recently, I have been reading about how exercise can help prolong my life and help me feel better & happier. (Bless those little endorphins.) Exercise also helps keep me mentally sharp, helps in weight control...and if that's not enough...

Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life.

 Alrighty then...

Seeing the need to start exercising, I purchased this FABULOUS DVD from my husband's niece:

 

Circle of Stones Wellness Life Coaching, LLC

Tammy is inspiring me to take better care of myself so I can have a much longer, richer, fuller life! Thank you Tammy!!!

and remember...Jumping for JOY is good exercise!

Runs with Scissors

Runs with Scissors Scrabble Saying available at:

Remember Me Paper Arts & Vintage Goods

Ok, it's true...I run with scissors. I know our mothers told us NOT to do this, but I have not always done what my mother said... I know this shocks you! Sorry Mom.

Don't you just LOVE all the "Momisms"???

* Don't sit too close to the television, it'll ruin your eyes.

  * How do you know you don't like it if you haven't tasted it?

* I didn't ask who put it there, I said "Pick it up!"

* Isn't it past your bedtime? 

* Look at me when I'm talking to you.

*  Say that again and I'll wash your mouth out with soap. 

* I don't care who started it, I said stop!

* Don't you run through this house with those scissors.

The funny thing is...as much as we hated hearing all those one-liners...we eventually turn into our mothers and say them ourselves! Yes, it's true. The first time I told my daughter to TURN DOWN HER STEREO I cringed in fear & quickly covered my mouth with my hands. "What am I saying?!?!?" I still, to this day, play my stereo REALLY LOUD.

As my children grew, I finally realized that my Mom told me all those things because she LOVED me & wanted the best for me. I even remember calling her as my children approached puberty & apologized to her for all the hurtful things I had said & done to her. (I really was a brat with a sassy mouth in my youth ~ I know, hard to imagine NOW.)

I began to understand the concern in her voice: "Call me when you get there, just so I know you're okay." I began to understand her desire for me to have a healthy body: "Eat your vegetables, they're good for you." And I began to understand her wishes for me to have a happy, joyous & beautiful life: "Go play outside! It's a beautiful day!"

Thanks Mom. I love you!!!

 

Dieting is NOT a Piece of Cake

Retro Kitsch Art Assemblage Robot Doll
available at:
Remember Me Paper Arts & Vintage Goods

Since receiving my DIABETES diagnosis almost two years ago...I have been ABSOLUTELY eating healthier. For years I was addicted to sugar ~ had to have something sweet every day ~ usually candy, cookies, pie or cake. It was so yummy and I (thought that I) enjoyed every bite!  However, being addicted to sugar set me up for a life filled with disease and bad health. Sugar has contributed to my high cholesterol level, in particular raising my triglyceride level. Sugar helped contribute to my obesity which I am sure, in turn, contributed to my developing cancer. Obesity may have also triggered/aggravated my sleep apnea which can be a life threatening condition.

 Photo courtesy of: kimberlykv

I remember after each "indugence" that I would go into  a "sugar coma" ~ blissed out, happy, oblivious to the world & my problems...now tell me SUGAR is not a DRUG?!?!?!?

Photo courtesy of: mckaysavage

Now I am eating a balanced diet with lots of fresh organic fruits & veggies, whole grains, and very little meat & dairy. I feel sooooooooo much better!!! And now that I have gotten off that "eat sugar, crave fat/eat fat, crave sugar" merry-go-round I find that I am actually craving fruits & veggies instead! Our brains & bodies know how to eat for our good health, but by introducing so many fast food/sugar & fat filled goodies into our lifestyles, we have set ourselves up for disaster!

Even on my diabetic food plan, I am ALLOWED a treat now and then. However, I usually choose NOT to indulge because I know I could be easily lured back into that seductive world of sugar addiction. I know what my "trigger" foods are and I know to stay away from them! HA! Recently, my husband, who bless his heart has agreed not to bring treats into the house, brought something in one day that was starting to get me into trouble... "Take those "EVIL" things downstairs & HIDE THEM would you please?!?" I scolded him....poor guy.

For those of you who struggle with your weight every day ~ I'm with ya. Leave me a comment and maybe we can encourage each other. Although I am eating better, I am still not exercising which is KEY in weight loss....that will be the subject of another post.

I must admit that I DO miss cake (and ice cream) most of all.

And oh! pecan pie.