ZuMbA Anyone?

Did you Zumba today? Oh, let me tell you I sure did! I completed another first today. I participated in my first class at the gym EVER in my adult life. And it was. . . FUN!!! As you may have figured I went to a Zumba class. Before I explain Zumba to those not in the know. I have another accomplishment I would like to brag about. It is Wednesday night and I have at least met my small goal of working out at the gym at least two times per week. So yay! Now back to Zumba. I am just going to start off that I am a bit of a klutz and without the dancer physique. But I do appreciate those who have talent in the dance field. I love dance movies, dance tv shows, and appreciate those who can do a mighty fine jazz square (that's especially for you my theatre compadres) :) Zumba is a cardio class made up of a little of everything. The class I attended tonight is an hour long and we covered a little bit of everything. I think the dance types they tend to focus on include some salsa, line dancing, hip-hop, kick-boxing, dance basics and etc. The point is to get your heartbeat up, learn some "easy"choreography for roughly 9 songs, and most importantly to have fun. I really appreciated that we all were in the class learning. The instructor stressed to listen to your body if you need a break take it. (I did the full sixty without a sideline break thank you very much:) but I did learn I will bring water the next time I attend!!!) The other bit of advice is if you lose your footwork keep marching. I did march...quite a bit :) I would get pretty excited when she hit the box step and the grapevines. I'm thinking "SCORE!!!" also I do wiggle a fine shimmy if I do say so myself;) But I did have fun. Another great thing to Zumba being my introductory class is that everyone is at a variety of skill levels and stages of physical health. As I mentioned the instructor made it clear to step aside if the joint work is physically uncomfortable. I noticed jumps not my forte right now. There is a little more of Suzy than Suzy prefers for gravity to work against. So as I get stronger "and lighter" the jumping might get a bit easier , I hope ;) That's where marching and I got to be close personal buddies. There was one song where we kept a bounce to the rhythm with our legs and worked our arms the entire song. I will proudly say I was not the only one groaning with relief at the end of that number. Wowsers!!! Loved the two closing numbers as it was all about the stretching. And for the first time in the class I almost felt as if I was up to snuff:) Zumba was definitely a new experience that I am thrilled I tried. What lessons did I learn to carry with me as I continue my HealthFULL Journey? I truly can move for a continuous sixty minutes and still function afterwards. I am klutzy. And the most thrilling discovery, that I can still laugh at myself. :) Life offers too many scenarios where laughter is needed; I am glad that I can still pack a sense of humor no matter where this journey leads, even if it is to a Zumba class. I recommend Zumba to everyone. It is an energizing, challenging, and fun work-out for any skill level. Here's my last question, Zumba Anyone? :)

Changing up the Schedule . . .

Every day consists of twenty-four hours, seven days to a week, fifty-two weeks to a year. This journey is meant to stretch the full year. We are five weeks into this accountability blog. I reviewed my checklist, my starting statement, and the basic why I want to Fully Understand Life by Living. And let me tell you by the checklist if I was grading myself I would have to give me an F. Have I tried to adhere to the different guidelines? Absolutely! All together? Not so much. . . Consistently? Not even close! But the good news, I am not grading myself. I haven't seen the pounds fall off. I have fallen to temptation. I still feel uncomfortable and still desperately want to change. What's so good about that? Is that I still am working towards the checklist. I like Thomas Edison have found thousands of ways to fail. I have had the chance to step back and take inventory of my schedule, my reactions, my physical well-being, my outer appearance, my instincts, my thoughts, and my desires. I am allowing myself to feel and to express those feelings. In the last two months I have stepped more out of my comfort zone than the last decade. Without the daily routine being followed automatically I see (and appreciate) what aspects of my daily schedule needs to be attended to or scrapped altogether. Things that tempt me with no benefit to my well-being, Adios Amigo! Those that work in my favor are allowed more space in both my thoughts and my schedule. Changing up the Schedule does allow for a new perspective and more introspection. It allows me the chance to be vulnerable. It offers the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail. At any moment excitement, adrenaline, and fear all could be around the corner. The day is not scheduled and maintained, but rather lived. This HealthFULL journey exists and I am so excited you are taking it with me. Let's keep Healthy Together and may you Fully Understand Life by Living. 'Til we meet again. . . .

Do you have a Leek?

Well if not you should find yourself one or two or three!!! They are super yummy! If you guessed that Leeks are the new veggie (or fruit) of the week, you would be correct. We went grocery shopping today and kept a look-out while perusing the produce. What veggie would be the rookie of the week? When we spotted the leeks they looked perfect. Now perfect might make it sound all dramatic, but I am kind of picky when it comes to produce. I promise you that you don't want to get me started on ripe/overripe bananas. I have heard a lot about leeks (and I think vaguely I might have sampled one at some point to say I have tried them, but it did not leave a true impression.) So we bought the leeks for less than three dollars and you get three healthy size stalks. If you have never met with a leek face-to-face they resemble the love child of a green onion and a celery stalk. Leeks are hardy looking. The height of celery, with the width of a big carrot, and the "look" of a green/spring onion. When you cut into the stalk of green you create the prettiest rings. There is a multitude of various green shades. My husband chopped these gorgeous stalks down to create a scrumptious leek - mushroom casserole (layered with a little butter , milk, and bread crumbs). The leeks tastes like a subtle onion. Sometimes an onion can overpower the meal's taste, but the leek's flavor melts into the dish and finishes strong. Most of the dishes I have heard about incorporating leeks are either soups or a potato dish. There is something so comforting about the leek, when you combing the mild flavor, the delicate coloring, and the strong shape. If you are having a bad day or feel a bug coming upon your household look for your friendly leek to save the day! This new " tasty discovery" on my HealthFULL journey will hopefully become an old friend as we replace the bad habits with some good ones. May your travels carry you to a destination full of Hope, Happiness, and Good Health.

The Difference Between Intentions and Actions

I have great intentions! And if I was able to carry out half of what I planned then I would be beyond amazing. Can you relate? Do you have moments of pure genius? That feeling where you feel victorious at the mere thought of the unlimited possibilities. That confident demeanor in knowing what you plan to do is for the good of all. That nod of assurance that today is the new day that everything changes. But then life happens and all the good intentions get washed away by the need to survive until the end of the day. I need to be honest I am losing the pep to be healthy. The creature comforts of bad habits have the way of fitting themselves back into the daily grind. It can feel like treading water. The hope is still there and the intention is ever-present. But the energy. . . is sorely lacking. I can intend to go to the gym, to plan healthier meals, to blog early in the week, to get enough sleep. But the doing is the problem. The comfort of bad habits are cozy and familiar. They are instantly rewarded. The healthier choice is unfamiliar and definitely uncomfortable. I am aware of quite a few of the tips and the tricks to "sneak" in healthier aspects of a daily routine. That one day will be second nature and not a forced puzzle piece. Please do not think this is throwing in the towel. I am on this journey for the long haul. I am just being honest that this week is hard. That this point I am seeking out a better foothold. The honeymoon phase may be over, but this HealthFULL Journey is a commitment and we will reach the finish line together.

Sleepy-Sleep

Hectic week, so I am squeezing in two blogs tonight. As I shared my delight for the Purple Sweet Potato. I wanted to share a little humor about sleep.

Sleepy-Sleep

Oh bed how do I love thee?

You demand nothing of me.

Every night you provide my sleepy-sleep,

And every morning I so dread the beep-beep-beep.

As night grows near;

It is so nice to know you're always there!

I crawl myself to you

And hope that you can help me renew.

I slowly pull back the sheet

Because I feel so beat.

As I wearily crawl in

I feel your soothing coolness against my skin.

I pull the blankets up;

Kiss my hubby, my kitty, and my lil' pup.

I close my eyes

and hope it takes forever for the sun to rise.

Because my friend,

You know me from beginning to end.

You know how to hold me tight

and how to keep me comfortable throughout the night.

Please bed never think I intentionally shun. . .

Just some days everything feels undone.

Thank you for being a bed that understands

That sometimes the world has high demands.

You give and you share

And Without a word you show that you care.

So when we do not spend enough time

Think of this little rhyme.

Know that my adoration is true

and that I can't wait to dream my dreams with you.

I have no criticism against you, not even a peep!

Because Bed, I am always thankful that you provide my needed Sleepy-Sleep!

Pleasant dreams when you find yourself needing a well-deserved rest on your HealthFULL Journey.

Naturally Purple

I am a big fan of the purple:) Our household cheers on LSU and we wear our purple proud. I appreciate the association with royalty. And I just think it's pretty. So what new fruit or vegetable should I try this week that combines with my love for purple? Think about it? Did you guess eggplant? Nope (though I am a big of the typical eggplant :) We tried purple sweet potato. Oh that's right, not the typically confused is it a yam or orange sweet potato, but a PURPLE sweet potato. And let me just tell you the look alone is pretty fancy. Or you might think mega food coloring. However, knowing that it was meant to be this deep rich color of violet. GORGEOUS. If you need an impressive dish that could incorporate sweet potato, GO PURPLE!!! Taste-wise I couldn't really notice a difference. There is a mid-taste that registers on your palate a tinge differently. We fixed them like a typical baked sweet potato. Throw it in the oven wrapped in tin foil. Then top it with a tish of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. YUM! I did leave more peel than I usually do. It had a bit of a sourness to the skin. I don't know if that was more the type of sweet potato or more of a result due to age. Now texture-wise big difference. Normally I would describe the well - known sweet potato , once cooked to have almost a melting, almost creamy texture. I would say that the purple had almost a paste-like thickness. Think oatmeal. If you like a heartier soft texture I would go this route. Baking it was great. I don't know if I would go the mashed route with this pastier texture. Though I think it could be a great addition to hash, something needing cubed, or just baking some sweet potato chips. Definitely worth a try! So if you are looking for a pretty, mouth-dropping, original addition to party fare Think Purple sweet potato! May your healthfull journey include surprising twists and new - found delights.

Beware or Be AWARE?!!

I am starting off with a confession. This week health has not been my number one priority. Looking through the checklist I am not sure if I could proudly claim any of them being completed this week. There are reasons, excuses, distractions, other priorities, or whatever you want to call them for this upside-down week. Though in truth doesn't everyday have a reason, excuse, distraction, obstacle, challenge, etc. ? The exciting thing to share about this announcement is that I don't carry fear or disappointment in my heart. Yes this week I am off kilter but I haven't full fledged dove into the unhealthy ways. I am just not taking the strides I am hoping to work towards for the big picture. That's what is exciting about traveling this journey and not following a diet. Diets in my eyes are always telling us to BEWARE of fats, carbohydrates, sugar, salt, calories and the list goes on and on. We're told do this, change that, be scared of everything!!! Only one mistake can lead to downfall. So as humans we are on high alert of when and where one can error. Everything in our routines carry the ghoulish, heart-pumping, nervous perspiration warnings to BEWARE! On diets you can easily fail, but can one ever truly win? But a journey. That is a whole different approach. Yes, on a journey it is still easy to lose footing on the path but here, we can call that trip - "taking the scenic route". There is no "wrong" way because there is no "right" way. Each pathway is a choice. This is to be aware of what surrounds us daily. What do I like right NOW? What is not working right NOW? If we end up somewhere we don't like, we can retrace our last steps or just create a whole new road. Right now, I am not loving the view from this point of the journey. But I am also not scared! I am not ready to throw in the towel and remark that once again I have failed a diet or that a diet failed me. I plan to Be Aware in this moment. To Listen to my thoughts, Observe the View, Feel out my footing, Sniff out new paths, and Begin to Taste the Sights. On this Healthfull Journey let's ignore the warnings to BEWARE, and together enjoy being aware.

Phasing out the Bad by Welcoming the Good :)

Have you ever suffered from a bad headache?

How about a week - long headache?

Or a headache where the growing gnawing nauseousness

or where light is painful

or noise beyound obnoxious

or just that fuzzy cloudy feeling?

Any of this sound familiar?

If it does, don't feel alone!!!

I too, can relate to the variety pack of headaches.

I really can't remember my life without headaches playing a part, I usually say I remember them starting when I was seven years old. Not that I know for sure that's when they started. I just remember having a headache that young. I would say it was pretty common to have a headache of some sort at least once a week until I was sixteen. It was at age sixteen that I received a concussion and for many years suffered the gambit of headaches on a pretty steady daily basis. I saw countless doctors about what I could do and ran many, many tests (including a new cat scan). I tried a variety of "cure-alls" from giving up caffeine to increasing caffeine to peppermint oil, keeping hydrated, several different vitamins, etc. Many factors acted as "stressors" and I tried to eliminate them as I went about my routine. I just made sure to keep my friendly tylenol or advil, handy. When we moved out of North Dakota to South Carolina my headaches diminished quite a bit. Though I think the move and change in weather and atmosphere played a part, there were other factors probably contributing to the success of less headaches. Most of the credit goes to the fact that I pretty much had given myself the okay to take 600 mg of advil daily. I would take it in the morning and go headache-free for 85% of the time. I felt this was a preventative action. I never exceeded my daily limit and was always upfront with anyone taking my medical history that I did this on a daily basis. Well from my last post you would know that I have started reading the labels of what I consume. Recently, I informed my husband that I am not suppose to be taking these OTC (Over the counter as it has switched to generic ibuprofen) medications on an ongoing long-term basis. I know this is going to sound ditzy, but I was shocked! I don't even like taking medicine and I realized how long I had been taking this on a daily basis. If I truly wanted to participate in my HealthFULL Journey I felt this was a big step to take. I had to let go of my head-ache free blanket and see what would happen. So I slowly phased out the pills. I was taking three 200 mg pills daily. So each week I dropped a pill from the routine. And I am proud to say that it has been a week without my morning safety net and for the most part have been head-ache free. Though I have tried several cure-alls in the past I think I am remaing head-ache free because of the joint effects of incorporating a healthier lifestyle. Where maybe in the past one cure-all didn't solve all the headache triggers. By combining extra sleep, tons more water, cutting way down on soda, adding excercise and trying to push out junk food and adding in the healthy nutritious food it is possibly fighting off the headaches for good. I of course don't know which combination is directly responsible but I am enjoying the benefits. I think a HealthFull Journey is all about Phasing out the Bad by Welcoming the Good :) May you find out how to Fully Understand Life by Living while welcoming in the good habits and phasing out the bad. Good luck on your HealthFULL Journey!!! See ya next week. . .

The Tales and Fables of Nutrition Labels!

*Dunh duh duh* *Dunh duh duh* - of course this signifies scary music *Hear scream in the background* We are covering the scary world of nutrition labels. Have you taken the time to read even one of these lately? The food that we carelessly throw into our carts as staples of our everyday diet is scary stuff!!! Sure, you may know to glance at the calories, but are you applying basic math to multiply the servings? Pizza, bag of chips, and Ben and Jerry's not meant for one consumer? No way! WAY, my friend, or should I say WEIGH!!! Even the "healthy" stuff, not so healthy. As I am trying to discover a healthier lifestyle I am trying to make more conscious choices of what I eat as fuel. (Not that I needed the Label to tell me I haven't been eating so well.) Some of these labels you need to understand chemistry and I am proud to announce I didn't study that in high school. I did take Physics and do understand by eating junk food, my acceleration is low as I got a lot of gravity working against me :) So moving on. These unpronounceable ingredients don't exist in Nature. Or worse they do but have to be covered up by an 18 letter word. Not good signs people! A nutritional tidbit I have heard is that if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it! And the longer the ingredient list the farther away the product is from it's natural whole food state. Here are some of my findings while casually scanning the nutrition labels. My big holy batman moment ( I went with this saying because if you remembered the batman tv show when they would fight the bad guys the expressions Pow! Bam! Ka-boom! would appear and that's what I am picturing) was picking up a can of Hearty Tomato Soup. A Healthy go to lunch or a dinner alternative for those nights you don't want to have think or prepare anything. I'll fess up I would probably eat a whole can of tomato soup with a grilled cheese and call that a yummy almost healthful supper. Let's check the label and see what we find. Well the calories are great as eating the whole can would equal only 120 calories. Great! Fat grams equal the big zero. Healthy so far. Wait, Sodium percentage? That can't be right. There are two servings in this can of soup. And one serving equals forty percent of the recommended amount for the day?!?!?! So two servings equal eighty percent!!!! That's crazy people. This is how we easily consume on average twice the recommended amount every day! Unto our next label - what do I see in the ingredient list? Anchovies are in worcestershire sauce. I had no idea that fish were in a typical condiment. For some reason that blew my mind! What else would I discover as I donned my Sherlock Holmes duds? That "Light" added to a label is only in comparison to its own product line. Peanuts and milk could be in almost any product it seems as warnings were present everywhere. That there is quite the legend on many packages after warning (vegan, not vegan, K for kosher, no msg, etc) That Natural Flavors appears at the end of lists quite often without narrowing the subject down (couldn't almost anything be considered a natural flavor? ) Why are minerals being added to semi-healthy choices. Do you need (or want) calcium added to orange juice or applesauce? Speaking of applesauce I am not a gourmet chef, but I am confused to why is there more than two possibly three ingredients for apple sauce. To me all you need is apples and water maybe a spice (along the lines of cinnamon). I picked up five different brands of apple sauce and not one had a list of ingredients shorter than six ingredients. WHAT?!?! I also felt a company wasn't completely telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth when I picked up a raisins pack and only one ingredient was listed. Do you know what that one ingredient was? Raisins! Do raisins exist without processessing? No, because they start as grapes! With that theory Cake Mix could list cake mix as its only ingredient and be telling the truth. But we want more information. So raisins fess up. Share your journey so the public will be informed. This concludes the Tales and Fables of Nutrition Labels. Beware consumers of what you consume and for your health please Be AWARE!!! Tomorrow we'll chat about Phasing out the Bad by Welcoming the Good :)

Have you Scuppernonged?

Scupper what? That's right Scuppernong! Not a fancy dance nor a hip new club. Scuppernong is the new fruit of the week. I live in South Carolina and have seen these delicious fruits and always been a little intimidated. How do I describe the Scuppernong? It was originally known as the "Big White Grape" (Thanks Wikipedia!). Think grape on steroids. They looked interesting but it was the name that caught my interest. Trying a Scuppernong sounded daring and risky. But again I refer to the fact that they looked like grapes that had been pumping their iron and taking their vitamins. I had no idea how to prepare these intriguing fruits. When I picked them up at the store because I no longer could handle the mystery I wasn't sure if they belonged with grapes, berries, or stone fruit. But this adventure is all about being fearless and trying new things. I got on the google :) to see what tasty recipe would be recommended. My options seemed to be wine, jam, or jelly. Though I am breaking out the Suzy Homemaker skills I haven't quite reached the canning process or fermenting my own fruit. But who knows the journey is just beginning. So since the recipes seemed a little out of my league. I decided this morning I am bringing these intriguing characters for lunch. However, I didn't want my first taste to be at the office and find out I was deathly allergic or that it was just plain yucky without my toothbrush handy. So with a little rinse in the sink, into my mouth I popped the pumped up, plumped out Big White Grape and my new friend, the Scuppernong! It was quite tasty. VERY SWEET! My initial reaction was that it tasted like a pear crossed with a grape. Because the outside skin is quite firm and squishing it between the teeth one feels a little resistance. The peel then forces the juicy meat out of the fruit with a squirt! I am enjoying the pleasant surprise of sweetness (I have a crazy sweet tooth!) Then I began to chew and became not as big of fan. The seeds are horribly bitter! I am not a big fan of grape seeds, really not a big fan of Scuppernong seeds. However, my tip around this bit of unpleasantness is to either discreetly spit out the seeds. They are noticeable in your mouth and easily can be extracted once you open the fruit's skin. or swallow them whole with the juicy pulp. So I give the Scuppernong a big friendly Southern nod as a great way to bid farewell to Summer. (and a big farewell to the Scuppernong seeds). Y'all come back now, ya hear! As we tune in tomorrow for the Tales and Fables of Nutrition Labels!

Are you Open?

For the most part the word Open has a positive feeling. We hope stores our open. We wait impatiently for elevators and subway cars to open. In sports you tend to get the ball more when you're open. We speak highly of people who remain open-minded or that they love so openly. I think we all can appreciate openness because it means we are allowed entrance. When you open yourself up to another it allows people to share and experience new information, new memories, and most importantly new possibilities. We cannot learn when we are not open. Several years ago I started to close myself off from the world into my own little safe corner. I think one possibility could be in response to losing a lot of people in a short amount of time. It was easier to shut down than to be open about feelings of grief, hurt, pain, and such sadness. It became hard to answer a telephone because who knew what awaited on the other end. But by protecting myself from harm, I lost myself. By opening up about my feelings roughly six weeks ago on Facebook; my world has flipped upside down and all around and I am truly loving it. Things are appearing I would never have seen, had I not opened up my heart and my eyes to see the new world all around me. My fantastic hubby and I spent today being open to new experiences and window shopped and tried new shops. It is interesting to see what is available at all of our fingertips. I hope you find your opened door to a whole new world of possibilities.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find: knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives: he who seeks finds: and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

God bless you my friends on this HealthFULL Journey!

Let's Squash our fears about Squash!

First let me start off with my gym count-down....When I visited the gym on Wednesday it had been 114 days between my visits. This time it had been a day. That's right my hubby and I squeezed in a work-out for our Friday night date. To switch things up I didn't head directly over to my friendly Elliptical. I headed to the Ladies Only section and worked the circuit weights. It is set up very much like the Women Friendly gym, with a name that emphasized the womanly shape :) Where you hit a cardio rate because you quickly move from weight machine to the next. When I started I was thinking no way does this count as a real work-out. By my third machine I was pouring sweat and a little wobbly on the legs. So I take back my thinking. It was a work-out and I was ready to be done after only five minutes. But I went through a set. I shouldn't be shocked but did discover that I do not have strong abdominal muscles, if any. There is this crunch contraption where you reach your hands over your head and wrap your legs around a footrest and TOGETHER pull closer, hands down and legs up. When I first made an attempt I thought the machine was broken because nothing happened. I moved the weight to a lower number and this attempt the machine budged. I went to the lowest setting and "crunched". So yeah, anyway I will be working on that muscle and conquering that machine in the not so near future. So let's now move on to the new veggie of the week. At the beginning of the week we enjoyed roasted butternut squash and tonight our entree was spaghetti squash. If you have boiled water, turned on an oven, or used your microwave and combine it with your childhood carving pumpkin skills. You too can enjoy squash. There are tons of options with this amazing vegetable. They tend to keep quite awhile in your kitchen without refrigeration. That is a huge plus for me. They also are quite pretty and add great color to any meal. And do you know what color means in food, (natural color that is, I am not referring to the wonders of food coloring) Color means nutrients, different colors equal different nutrients. To start most squashes the best preparation is to split the squash down the middle and scoop out the seeds. This is when your carving pumpkin skills come in handy. Then for the butternut squash I prepared you take off the peel by cutting away the outside (think cantaloupe) and cutting into cubes. Don't go too small because as the squash heats up it will shrink. Also try to keep the cubes even for an even roast. Then for a quick glaze to add to its natural sweetness (very close to a sweet potato flavor) you melt some butter and either you could add a cinnamon spiced sugar or we used brown sugar mixed with the butter and a pinch of salt and pepper and scattered over the cubed squash. We roasted it for about forty five minutes to let it get tender. Flipping the cubes every ten minutes to make sure the whole bite cooked. This glaze also works great on roasted baby carrots. Voila! Now the spaghetti squash is kind of out there, but super fun. Do the basic cut in half and remove seeds. Then you have two options to prepare it either by throwing it in boiling water for 15 - 18 minutes or placing a little water in a microwaveable bowl and cooking it in the microwave for about 13 minutes. We did the boiling approach. You know your squash is tender when you can prick the peel easily with a fork. Drain the water ( save a little to dampen the squash if needed). Then the fun begins you just use a fork to pull out the squash that breaks up like pasta strips. Then the options are endless. If you like marinara sauce on pasta, go for it on the spaghetti squash. Or keep it simple with either a butter or olive oil, cheese, and pepper and salt. We used a drizzle of olive oil and then used grated Asiago and Parmesan cheese. Mmmmm! See how easy squash is to prepare for a tasty feast. Split in half and remove seeds (with a spoon and both squashes took less then two minutes for this full step). Then pick an easy cook method, boil, roast, or yes even microwave. No shame in any approach. Next you pick out your spices - and decide if you want to go sweet or savoury. Put 'em together and Bon Appetit! Thank you for your encouragement and support. Together we are squashing out fears and fully embracing the HealthFULL Journey! Happy Travels!

114 Days!!!

(Trumpet Fanfare) Drumroll please..... pah-rump pah-rump pah-rump The gym strike is officially over! I entered the gym last night (September 2nd, 2009) with resolve to actually work out. I hung out by the door to let the athletic gentleman slide his little keychain pass through first because I had an embarassing question to ask the gym employee. Me: ummmm, does it tell you on your screen there the last time I've uh been here (the gym). Her in her cute little figure and super - friendly smily manner: "Sometimes" she chipperly replied. And quickly she scans my little way underused member pass. She reads off the screen " 114 days since your last visit" and she nicely hands me back my pass with a tilt of her head. You know, the look you give a kid who just can't score a touchdown regardless of hours upon hours of practice or the look you might give a three-legged puppy. The look that says "Awkward" in the friendliest way possible. I of course countered with a chuckle and a nod "Yup, just needed that for motivation." But that was kind of what I needed all day...all week actually. I started this HealthFULL Journey so gung - ho, so excited for the "new day". I felt strengthened by my determination and encouraged by those I hold dear. I even questioned why I didn't get healthy earlier because everything was going so well and smooth. Corey and I were planning meals, getting out regularly to walk our adorable persistent puppy, and feeling good! But then old habits started to creep slowly back into my routine. The water consumption started to wane, sleep seemed less of a priority, cravings for sweets piled upon me, and just a little rain discouraged our faithful puppy walks. One day slipped into another as each habit slid back into my life. And honestly I welcomed their " easy comforts" that have a way of morphing into lists and lists of excuses: " We can't walk it's raining" " a sweet treat won't kill me" "I can blog tomorrow it's the beginning of the week" "I've had a rough day I deserve a treat" - seriously, I deserve a treat? First off, it is never "a" treat. Because if I deserved the first, I also feel entitled to the fifth and the twenty-eighth and so on. The treat I do deserve (and everyone deserves) is to feel healthy, energized, and strong. Which I need to remember daily and hold close to my heart because when ease and comfort whispers in the ear it is way too tempting! So I figured if one bump in the road could cause a slide down the unhealthy path, maybe one good bump or several could push me back into my Healthfull Journey groove. Which is why I promised myself I would go to the gym. It took half a week of planning but I got there! I picked the day I could leave work and go straight to the gym. I packed myself a gym bag and threw it in the car. This two minute action is what got me to the gym. Because in the morning I can accomplish anything, I make plans what I can do that night, how much cleaning I am going to get done, what meal I could cook. In the morning I have the best intentions in the world and if I completed half of the ideas I envision, I'd be a shoe-in for sainthood or at least a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. Because in the morning I am on fire! Then afternoon sets in and my body way too tired and by the end of the work day. I feel it is an accomplishment just to drive myself home. So when the end of the workday rolled around I will admit to throwing a little tantrum in my car. My head filled with the whining, "I don't want to go to the gym" "It's too far" "It's too late!" "I'm tired!" "I can go tomorrow!" And then I reminded myself I packed my bag. I promised myself and what am I really going to gain by getting home an hour earlier than planned? Extra tv time? With a huge side of guilt? Way easier to go to the gym and I started to focus on baby steps. Take a turn here, cross this road, look for this sign, and even thought if I stay only five minutes it is better than nothing. So then I faced-off with the friendly employee and heard that it had been almost four months since I had STEPPED into a gym. That's a lot of monthly payments doing no good. But the strike is over and I lived to share the tale. I was so energized after my little work-out that when I got home I still took my puppy for a quick walk after paying some bills. So maybe, just maybe, I found my stride back into a HealthFULL Journey! Meet ya back here tomorrow to discuss " Why we need to Squash our Fears about Squash! "