Author: Angela Pea

Wife. Mother. Engineer. Cancer Survivor. Knitter of Marvelous Things. Rider of Multiple Bikes. Fabulous Cook. Reader of All the Books. Eternal Optimist. Perpetually Happy.
healthy

E2E Challenge – Week 8 – Spring Madness

Angela Pea7 Comments

ACK!!  Let the spring madness begin!

Stephen Breen basket ball tournament kicked off yesterday with setup…I’ll be living at the school gym for the next two weeks, along with Mr. Pea and the kids.  None of ours are playing this year; we’re just volunteering.  I’ll be keeping the scorebooks, Princess Pea is helping with the games, give aways and contests, The Architect will be working the sound board, DirtBike is our very best all around gopher, running errands, fetching and carrying, and Mr. Pea – he’s the best.  He (and several of the other fathers!) are the ones who stay late after every game and clean up. I’ll also be cooking a few nights for the volunteers – I have veggie lasagna planned for one evening, and homemade macaroni and cheese another [Friday] evening.

Went mountain biking today – got in fifteen miles.

Here’s the prescribed update for Week Eight.

1. Item of clothing and a picture of me. *sigh*.

2. Weight This Week: 160! Waist 30″.

3. Goal Recap

Shed Five Pounds:  Hopeful again that this might come to pass.

Five Pullups:  1 and 1/2 this week!  Progress!

Firm Up the Arms:  Lots of arm work – curls, snatches, pushups (100+), rows and lat pulls. The arms really are toning up, not hardly any flapping anymore.

4. Books

The End of Overeating by David Kessler.  This book is diving into the “How To Stop It” section now.  I’m still processing info, but will be sure to share over at E2E.

I continued to read along with Jenny at  A Minute Captured.  Reading my Bible is proceeding.

5. Catch up with the Challenge Buddy.  Done!

7. Visit Other Challengers:  Yes!

8. I do hereby solemnly swear to NOT QUIT.  Amen.

Steal Some Time Away With Your Sweetie. Keep the Faith.

EMail Anglea Pea

healthy

PSA#6 – Proof Your Space

Angela Pea3 Comments

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or fitness guru. I am sharing what I’ve learned through research and experience; you all must use your own judgment in deciding what is best for your and your own health, including checking with your doctor before beginning any exercise or dietary program.

The day I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes, my doctor sent me to a nutritionist.  I needed a refresher course in the basics of healthy nutrition, and I needed to learn how to choose and prepare foods that would prolong the life of my dying pancreas. My first homework assignment from the nutritionist was to purge my kitchen.  As in get home before husband and offspring, pull out a contractor sized garbage bag and toss away every crumb of processed non healthy food in the house.  She meant chips, cookies, candy, shortening,  overly salted prepared frozen food, ice cream, soda and sports drinks.  Did I do it?  You can bet your sweet patootie I did. I’m in charge of the procurement, preparation and presentation of all food in the Pea household, and if I was going to dive head first into a healthy lifestyle, I was going to take the rest of them with me!

The whole point of the homework was to Proof My Space – that is, make it a safe environment for me while I relearned the basics of healthy eating.  Remove the temptation in front of my face while I reined in my eating habits and detoxed from my carb loaded sugar frosted lifestyle.  The plan was to replace the garbage with healthy choices such as fresh fruit and veggies, lean protein and low-fat dairy products.

(Aside – In all honesty, it wasn’t too terrible on the rest of the family, because growing teens are totally starving all the time and will pretty much eat anything you set in front of them.  I also made a house rule that if anyone just had to have nacho cheese Doritos or Fudgsicles, they had to buy them with their own money.  Funny how much more appealing apples, celery and peanut butter became if Mom was paying for them!)

I’m just about at goal weight now, and my home is still a Food Safe arena.  Oh yes, there is ice cream in the freezer for Mr. Pea and the Offspring, but I’m okay now with leaving it there. I don’t feel the need to go out to the garage with spoon in hand and eat half a gallon at a time. My fridge is loaded with fresh produce, and the pantry is full of low sodium, whole grain goodness.

I’ve also created a Food Safe Space at the office.  I do NOT have a candy dish on my credenza anymore.  I have a fruit bowl.  Everyone in the office is welcome to help themselves, just as they were welcome to my candy dish.  See?  I’m actually helping others to get and stay healthy!

It’s full of my current favorites – Honey tangerines and Opal apples. And a random pear from last week. You NEED to try the Honeys.  Don’t let their ugly peels deter you – low acid citrus with a mellow, honey sweet flavor.  The Opals are just as fabulous!  The flavor of golden delicious, with the snap and juiciness of a Honeycrisp, as well as the most incredible golden-yellow color.

Proof Your Space(s).  Keep the Faith.

EMail Anglea Pea

healthy

E2E Challenge – Week 7

Angela Pea6 Comments

Hello, Friends!!

Guess what Mr. Pea and I did this weekend?  Ran Away!  🙂

Actually, we were chaperoning Princess Pea and six of her friends on a road trip to San Antonio to cheer on their school soccer team in the state finals and then visit the outlets in search of prom dresses.  It was So Much Fun…we let the girls have a little leeway exploring the River Walk and the Outlets on their own, with them checking in every thirty minutes or so.   Mr. Pea and I had dinner at Zumi (FAVORITE!) and so thoroughly enjoyed some quite time.  This was the first time we’ve been away together sans offspring in twelve years!

Here’s the prescribed update for Week Seven.

1. Item of clothing and a picture of me. I tried on seven or eight dresses this weekend, and couldn’t find a fitted sheath dress that fit, because slopers are made for ladies with tiny boobs.  Seriously.  My shoulders, waist and hips are a size 10 dress.  My bustline is a size 16. I did, however, try on a dress from last summer, and it fits even better now. I will have Princess Pea snap a photo this evening and will update.  I’ll continue to look for that perfect  Easter Dress.

2. Weight This Week: 161.4. Waist 30″. Weight up a bit more, waist same. It’s still freaking me out, and I’m trying not to go ballistic over the number.

3. Goal Recap

Shed Five Pounds:  Grrrrr.r.r.r.r

Five Pullups:  Bryan had us doing ladder “Dropdowns” again this week, working on strength for pullups.

Firm Up the Arms:  Lots of arm work – curls, snatches, pushups (100+).  Oh!  Mr. Pea and I worked out at the hotel gym, and there was a rack of medicine balls there.  The heaviest one was 12 pounds, and when I picked it up, it felt like nothing. NOTHING, I tell you!  I guess all the serious curls and exercises with the 25 pound kettlebells are working.

4. Books

The End of Overeating by David Kessler.  This book is making me MAD.  Like seriously furious.  Did you know that most of the pre-made foods we purchase here in American supermarkets and restaurants are specifically engineered to have just the right combination of texture, flavor, chewability, fat, salt and sugar that MAKES us CRAVE it?  Makes it irresistible to our puny brains? Forces us to run out, buy it, gobble it down and then buy more?  It’s all in the name of making more money.

I really hope that the second half of the book offers advice on breaking away from the gastronomic food dystopia that is the American Food Industry.

I continued to read along with Jenny at  A Minute Captured.  Reading my Bible is proceeding.

5. Catch up with the Challenge Buddy.  I can’t remember.  Beat me with a stick.

7. Visit Other Challengers:  I think I did, but my blissful weekend is still casting a glow over my brain cells, and I’m just not up to trying to remember.  I’ll surely get around to everyone this week!

8. I do hereby solemnly swear to NOT QUIT.  Amen.

Steal Some Time Away With Your Sweetie. Keep the Faith.

EMail Anglea Pea