Hi Starflower!
Great to see you and glad that you found some value in that exercise on self-compassion!!
Hi Matcha!
Thanks for kind comments !!
Hi Journal,
YAY – TGIF --- It is Friday!!!
Here are some food pics.
My favorite food ever!!! Behold, the potato fries!!! Eating a bit less of these lately, but a favorite of my son too!
Lunch plate with Stokes and Japanese sweet potatoes with salad veggies, corn, and smashed beans. Can’t love this lunch enough…and it is super fast to put together --- bonus!
Roasted veggies in Pyrex --- zucchini, bell peppers, portabella mushrooms. These are great!
Split pea soup ready to be cooked! I think I do have a problem here… but it is compliant!
Not food!!! Ha! Book recommend --- can read it for free if you have Libby app through your library. One time that AI was right about me --- this is super cute / cartoons that you will enjoy if you have a book problem!! I loved it so much that I ordered a hard copy (and a couple extra for bookish friends) and I am seriously trying to declutter.
Brand new Purple Pickleball paddle!!! Hoping to have mentoring session next week --- got it almost “for free” with work health $ earned by tracking steps and such.
Adventures in Exercise:
Totally loved Deep water running and indoor cycle classes and will continue on with them. These are both great options for folks of different fitness levels to participate in --- like nobody is going to come and jack up the resistance on your spin bike --- it is in your hands!! Had a bit of minor soreness in weird places --- but nothing of note and pretty much all gone now! Only learning that I would share… for Deep water running --- if you try it, make the flotation belt a good clip tighter than you may want to (but where you can still breathe!). I left a bit of slack for first session (not knowing) and fought with the thing the whole time --- and was really wasting energy trying not to be-bop all over the pool… (and yes, I was all over the place! But the next time with tighter belt was much better!)
Still walking the track … still doing parts of this walking and talking. Love the people! Thinking I may swim some laps before one of the DWR classes next week since I have to get in swim suit anyway. These would be lazy laps – think elementary backstroke!!! Actually, the “worst” part of getting in the pool is how to travel back home (with the cold)… I’m always in a hurry on the way out to get to work --- and yeah, easiest to just throw yoga pants and sweat shirt over swimsuit does not cut it in the Midwest winter!!!
Signed up for Highland Park Strong Half Marathon for virtual (learned my lesson last year!) to walk it. Wasn’t really on my bucket list but got the email today and it is supporting victims of last year’s July 4th shooting (heart-strings in overdrive). This used to be called North Shore Classic --- and was the first half marathon that I ran (a long, long time ago). Thinking of walking my favorite yellow hiking trail which is about 6.5 miles X2 with a bit of change to get to 13.1. Have until June 4th to make a plan (but will need to do a few longer walks)!
“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” – Rabindranath Tagore
“Ain't nothin' gonna to break my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down, oh no
I got to keep on moving
Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride
I'm running and I won't touch ground
Oh no, I got to keep on moving”--- Matthew Wilder
Below is Behavioral assessment that I will post to Time & Adherence group for 2/17.
Hi Team Time & Adherence,
Here is my week!!!
1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes, for breakfast 7/7. Mostly, for dinner 6/7. A couple of times for lunch. 2 Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert.
YES. Still oatmeal plus fruit for breakfast every morning. Loving (as always) roasted potatoes with beans, corn, and salad veggies and / or roasted veggies for lunch. The sweet potato has really grown on me --- I’ve probably eaten more in the last 4 months or so than in the rest of my life combined. Stokes (purple!) are my favorite. Also had Mississippi yams and Japanese sweet potatoes this week with veggies. I continue to try to get sick of split pea soup --- but keep eating it and making a new pot when the old runs out. 3 Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
Yes. Reduced, not eliminated. 4 Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes.5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes. 6 Eliminate any added oil.
Yes. 7 Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes, puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn, and dried fruit).
Yes. 8 Don’t drink your calories especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes. 9 Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
Yes, not starving or stuffing. 10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
YES. 7/7 days. Took a couple of new (to me) classes at the gym that were fun - deep water running and indoor cycling. Also, did a bunch of brisk walking (a couple of days outside with unseasonably nice weather). Keeping on with body weight exercises for resistance and some stretching exercises. Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Mark – So glad that you and your family liked the “Smells Like Stuffing”!
In case you make it again, have found that you can double the 4 herbs and it is even more fragrant!!!
Bambi ---
Meant to mention to you last week that I also tried the Pineberries. Thought they were delicious!!! Congrats on your upcoming retirement!!!
Rebecka ---
Flowers are an awesome gift!!! Cool that your friend cares about what would be meaningful to you.
Holly ---
you are rocking the potato Mary’s mini!!!! Also, amazing NSV’s!!!! Keeping it simple for the win!!! Awesome!
Eric ---
Hope your Super Bowl event went ok --- appreciate what you said last week --- “Congrats to everyone who keeps pushing the rock up the hill.” Onward for sure!!!
Beth --
-I always learn from your posts and am inspired by what you have achieved. So sorry that you hurt your knee --- wishing you quick healing.
Gimmelean ---
Thanks for sharing the 5 things that may make us eat more in winter. I am with you that “the danger zone” falls after the holidays and into the deep winter. Appreciate what you posted here. By the way, how did you post that heart??? OMG --- please share !!!
Greens –
Your #5 thing from last week… this is one that would be super tough for me to resist too… (sounds delicious!) both the spirit of the friend and what it was!!! Great job in getting right back!!! When I read some posts, I understand that I am “lucky” to not have many (or any?) in my circle who serve / offer food that would be vegan, but not MWL… Hope your husband is healing well!
Noella --- Your burrito bowls sound INCREDIBLE!!! I eat something like this, but yours sounds more delicious!!! Glad that you are feeling better!!! Hope your wrist continues to heal.
A huge HI and Keep going to everyone!!! Us MWL’ers need to stick together!!! Every week I am so inspired by this group --- moderators, material shared, fellow participants… Very grateful!!
I really enjoyed the material
Mark shared last week.
The James Clear quote resonated with me quite a bit / made me think (scary!). So, to me… thinking that following the MWL checklist is a journey --- not a destination. It makes me happy to follow --- not sure that I could do it if it didn’t… meaning, not liking the process? Anyway, it has helped me to find the joy in eating oatmeal, potatoes, rice, beans, corn with some fruit and veggies --- and totally will never aspire to be perfect here… but I do embrace the thought of just continuing to follow this.
Definitely love JeffN’s “Get a Life” article. For me, find it timely, relevant, impactful. Have a couple of reactions that may not fully align with message / just my thoughts.
1) Last week purchased something like a “Vegan bundle” for like $50… I bought it mainly because Dr. McD has a new talk in it… Anyway, lots of stuff for the $... BUT, even if I took all year, never could get through even half of it --- based on my own prioritization of time. Overwhelming amount of information. I picked maybe 5 items in total to review and downloaded them --- and will keep it to that.
2) The concept of doing things that you love with your time… have been thinking about future retirement and what would a day in the life look like… not bucket list stuff like walking the Appalachian trail or visiting Galapagos Islands, but just a typical day… This is really helpful train of thought to also go a step further and think… well, why are you waiting --- just do it now??
Wishing everyone an exciting and successful upcoming week!! Enjoy!!!
Cheers,
Stephanie