Category: healthy

healthy

This Week, April 15

Angela Pea14 Comments

The Tax Man Cometh.

O mercy, I had a fright last night. I was working through our taxes, and the return kept popping up showing us owing $12,490.  I was freaking out…where are we going to find another twelve grand on top of the already ridiculous amount of taxes we have already paid?  I mean, tuition payments for next year are due two months, college payments a few months after that.  So I told Mr. Pea the bad news and then we went to bed with him reassuring me it would be okay.  I had nightmares about getting tossed in jail because of taxes.  I woke up several times during the night mulling over my math.  Our income and other deductions were really close to last year’s and I already made prepayments on estimated taxes, so we shouldn’t be that far off.  First thing this morning, I open up Turbo Tax and check my input .  Um…I had Mr. Pea’s 401K contributions categorized as taxable income. Yeah.  Pretty stupid mistake.  I toggled the correct switch and BAM!! All is well.  We only owe roughly one week’s worth of groceries.  Whew!

The Ready for Summer challenge continues!

So how did it go with last weeks mini goals?  Pretty good!  I actually remembered what the goals were this week.

  1. Weight loss – 0.1 pound loss.  A measly tenth of a pound.  That’s less than my shoes weigh!
  2. NSV – Eight Hours of Sleep minimum every night.  Closer this week, but I’m still lagging behind on getting adequate rest.
  3. Exercise –   Rocking!! DirtBike, The Architect and I joined up with our Mayor on her weekly Tour of Fort Worth ride.  And guess what??  I got to meet Roxie Stone!!  She is just as gracious in person as she is on her blog! And Inez?  Oh drool…such a beautiful set of wheels.  We biked eighteen miles on Wednesday evening.  Add to that my foray to the Botanic Garden, CrossFit on Thursday and another eight mile ride on Friday…I got my exercise this week for sure.

    The Architect and Dirtbike
  4. Nutrition – Eat more Veggies, and cut back a little more on the processed carbs that are trying to sneak back in. – Oh sadness.  I succumbed to WHITE BREAD!!  Really, and it was quite delicious.  😉  I did eat four servings of veggies every day, though.
As for the group challenge, I just couldn’t do it.  I was totally bogged down at work last week writing proposals and a report, and I used my evenings helping kids with homework.  I used my spare time sleeping. 🙂
The plan for this week is more of the same.
  1. Weight Loss – Just keep on keeping on.
  2. NSVs – I’m sticking with eight hours of sleep minimum every night, and adding in a sewing session to take in my summer skirts so they don’t slide off when I stand up.
  3. Exercise – Biking, CrossFit and whatever else catches my attention.
  4. Nutrition – A week without bread.  Try some Kale!
I’m linking up in the Ready for Summer Challenge – come join the fun!

Ride a Bike!.  Keep the Faith.

EMail Anglea Pea

healthy

PSA#8 – Hydration

Angela Pea4 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.

Hydration. Hydration. Hydration. You’ve all heard it and read it, but do you really understand why? Why is hydration so important?

Your body depends on water for survival. It makes up more than half of your body weight. Your muscles need water to stay strong, your organs need water to do their work, your joints need water in order to move smoothly. Your body is like a giant battery, with electrical impulses flying from your brain to your nerve endings…and water is the conductor. Water is essential for good health.

One of the problems with water is that you lose it just as fast as you drink it. You lose it when you pee, sweat, or even breathe. You lose water even faster when the weather is hot, when you exercise, or when you’re sick with vomiting or diarrhea. The water in your body must be replenished on a continual basis, or you get dehydrated.

That battery metaphor? What happens to a battery when it gets old and cracked and the conducting stuff inside drains out? (I know you’ve all seen corroded batteries inside forgotten toys!) Yeah. The battery doesn’t work anymore. Now think about your body as a battery…how well is it going to function without its water conductor? Uh, not at all!! When you get dehydrated, you slow down. You feel sleepy, irritable and get a headache. In its natural, hydrated state, your brain has the consistency of very wet sponge. If you let it dry out, you wont’ be able to think or react quickly. Dehydration = Your batteries are running low!!

You have to keep your body battery charged by staying hydrated. Drink up. At least 8, 8-ounce glasses of water a day, more if you’re exercising, even more if it’s hot outside. You can tell if you’re drinking enough if you pee clear or very, very light straw color. If your pee is yellow, your aren’t hydrated enough.

Water is the best option for staying hydrated, and most of your fluid intake should come from water. Skim milk, fruit and veggie juices, and herbal tea can also contribute to your daily fluids. Sports drinks can also provide the water we need with the benefits of electrolytes when exercising intensely in the heat, or when we’re sick. Be sure to read labels on sports drinks carefully as most contain extra calories in the form of sugar and some are high in sodium.

Have trouble remembering to drink water? Here’s how I do it.

  • Keep a bottle of water with me during the day. It’s on my desk, between the keyboard and the screen. I have to scoot it over every now and then to see something, and when I touch it, I drink at least 8 ounces.
  • Start and end the day with a glass of water.
  • Drink a quart* of water an hour before every exercising session and a quart after. And a quart (or two) during, especially if it’s exceptionally hot.
  • Drink a glass of water every time I pee. It sets up a sort of never-ending cycle that guarantees my hydration level!
*I drink water by the quart for exercise hydration. You may not need this much. I live in north central Texas where it is extremely dry and very, very hot in the summer. I once weighed my workout clothes, shoes and bike pads before and after a long bike ride, just out of curiosity. There was a 2.5 pound gain, which equates to a little less than half a gallon of sweat, not even counting whatever evaporated along the way.
Drink some water. Keep the Faith.

EMail Anglea Pea

healthy

Midweek – April 11

Angela Pea3 Comments

Why was I so excited about CrossFit?? Seriously?  Our new trainer cancelled yesterday.  What’s up with that?  He bailed on his first day, last Tuesday, and yesterday was his second cancellation.  Not that I was terribly upset.  After all, my arm muscles are still screaming at me from last week’s first attempt and his wimping out left me free to go biking!!   

I hopped on the work bike and hit the trails.  Halfway to the south side, I was struck by an incredible flash of inspiration and decided to visit the Botanical Gardens.  It’s only a quick jaunt across a major arterial roadway that doesn’t have a crosswalk or a signal, right?

I love the formal rose garden. Even its present state of reconstruction, it’s absolutely  spectacular.

Next winter, I am totally going to make a butterfly shaped pansy topiary and put it on my front porch.  Really.

The day was beautiful and I ended up spending just a little too much time meandering around the gardens on my bike.  Which means I was left with ten minutes to get back to the office.  Which in turn means I had to take “The Shortcut”.

Yep.  That’s The Shortcut.  Short in terms of time and distance.  Not so short in terms of effort.  I lifted the bike over my shoulder and schlepped it right up the staircase to get to the road above so I could skedaddle back to work. I received some strange glances from passing runners, and a big thumbs up from the biker at the top who was heading down the staircase with his ride as I was climbing up. Great fun!

 Take a Shortcut.  Keep the Faith.

EMail Anglea Pea