Keeping my promise

Well, it's almost been one week, so I'm posting.  :D  I am working a 4 day work-weekend, so not a lot of 'fun' going on, but all is good.  Here's the update:
40x40:  I worked last Monday, but Tuesday I met with my trainer (two free sessions for new members) and took my first yoga class in a long while.  I love yoga and it was a great class (complete with scented oils and a scalp massage), but it kicked my wrists (carpal tunnel + down facing dog = excessive numbness and pain).  I'll wear my braces next time to see if that helps.  Wednesday I took my first pilates class (kicked my hips/shoulders).  Excellent class...wore me out.  Thursday, back for 2nd session with trainer.  It has been a LOOOOOONG time since I did push ups...not too shabby.  But holding plank for 1 full minute...good grief. That sucked.  Then I came home and Lon and I did some much needed yard work in 150% humidity...yucko.  Looks good, though.  So...not a bad start to my 40x40 challenge.
Looking forward to 6 days off (yay for a non-traditional schedule) and getting back to the Y.
Friday-Monday = at the hospital.

BTW, Geri Psych can be fun.  Today a patient was calling and feeding the chickens and shooing them off farm equipment.  All with his eyes closed sitting back relaxing in a recliner.  And something (who knows what) got him so tickled, he made himself cry laughing so hard.  I would love to peek inside his brain and see what he sees...but only for a moment.  The brain is such a wondrous and scary place.  Appreciate your intact memory and ability to do your mundane activities of daily living.  They are precious.

40 by 40 (aka Goal #2)

I have just over 8 months until my 40th birthday...what better time to get my butt (and the rest of me) back into some sort of decent shape.  Besides round, that is.  I figure that if I can get rid of 5 lbs per month (that's only 1.25 lbs per week!), then I can drop 40 pounds by my 40th birthday!  I'll be back to my Navy weight   and that was 12 years ago.  Being a nurse, I see everyday what kind of life you can get from hard living and from good living.  We recently had a woman come in who we all thought was probably in her early 60's.  She'll be 80 next month.  That is what you get by taking care of  yourself (or at least that what she told me).  And I've had patients who I thought were easily in their late 50's/early 60's and found out they were the same age as me!  They had not been taking very good care of themselves (by their own accounts and their lab results).  So, today I joined the YMCA.  They have Zumba (which I tried for the first time two weeks ago and LOVED it!), yoga, pilates and a ton of other classes (my preferred way to exercise).  Then of course, they also have machines, weights, track, pool, etc.  But mainly the classes.

By the way, I will not be losing these pounds...when you lose something you can find it again.  I'm dropping these and walking away...quickly.  :D  Blogging about it will make me more accountable, I think.  So as I'm doing Goal #1 of blogging at least once/week, I will also be updating my 40x40 progress.

Thanks, Mom for bringing us fresh blueberries, figs, avocados and tomatoes!  Fresh produce is wonderful and a great addition to my plan.

Two posts, one day.  Jennifer, pick your jaw up off the floor.  :)

(BTW, not my feet in the pic.  My toes are cuter.  Ask Lon.)

Green Smoothies

Thank you to Sara Janssen for introducing me to the Green Smoothie. I'm enjoying my very first one right now. Think I'm going to make a trial run of these and have one every day and see where it takes me. She issued a challenge several years ago (before I found her super-happy, always fun, inspiring blogs) to have a green smoothie every day for 30 days. Great idea, I think. Should I issue that challenge to my (5) followers? I think I will. I like to throw that gauntlet thing around. :)

Here's my challenge (and this is new to me, too!): Drink a green smoothie every day for 30 days and let me know the good, the bad and the ugly of it. (The only ugly I can imagine is either a food pairing you don't enjoy or an amped-up bowel!) What do you say? Any takers???

So far my first one is DE-licious! One thing I've found repeated over and over online is to mix it up and not have the same ingredients day after day. Sara included several different recipes on her challenge...this morning I'm enjoying a banana-spinach smoothie and can't believe how easy it is! One filling tasty (and very pretty) beverage is supplying me with 13 grams of fiber! I've already gotten four servings of fruit/veggies this morning...that puts me ahead of the game.

Banana-spinach
2 bananas
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
Ice water to desired consistency

I just dropped the bananas in my blender, topped them with the spinach and poured a little water in to get the blending going...and presto! Done. I was worried about the taste...so I stuck a spoon in to try just a tiny little bit. Banana. That's all I got. Apparently if you stick to the 60/40 fruit/veggie ratio the fruit flavor will always overpower the greens. What flavor should I try tomorrow?

Summer colds suck!

Yep...I've been fighting one head on for almost a week now. Hate these things. Stuffy head. Mouth-breathing at night = waking up with a sore throat and gross, fuzzy mouth. Disgusting. Need to buy some more generic Nyquil. The Dayquil version is the only thing that got me through one of the craziest days I've had at work yet (yesterday). NEVER a dull moment. Guess that's a good thing. Keeps me on my toes.

Learned something new yesterday (as usual). Ever heard of dementia? Sure you have. Ever heard of Lewy Body Dementia? Neither had I. Here's a great link with all kinds of info. Scary stuff (the brain changing/dying on you), but always good info to know. Will be working with the Alzheimer's Association this summer for a school project. Should be eye-opening...I know it will be heart-wrenching. If you know someone who is dealing with this debilitating disease, here is another link you might appreciate.

Never stop learning. That's my goal. Right now I'm learning the basics of nursing. Once I graduate, I'll learn how to be a good nurse. Then, as I'm honing that skill (for the rest of my career), we'll start traveling and I'll learn how to live in, hook up, tear down and care for an RV. I'll learn how to hoop dance. Learn things I've never thought of from people I haven't yet met. Learn how to live in a home where the entire country/continent is my backyard. Maybe I'll learn the location we want to call home, maybe that will continue to change. Guess I'll find out. I'll learn how other people live, work and play. I'll learn more about myself. And being the perpetual tourists we are, we'll learn about our country, its states, towns, people, historical places, natural wonders, our neighbors (CA/MX) and whatever else comes down the pike.