friendship

It’s the Food, Stupid!

Okay, I shouldn’t be calling myself Stupid. But nor should I be shocked or surprised to return from my little vacation (less than a week!) to stare at a brand-new, unwelcome number on the scale. I was so glad to be all active, and get in runs and hikes and shredding and such, but on the food arena? Not so good.

And the “food part” is really more than half the equation. Some say it is 70%. It’s definitely at least 50%. Food intake and activity are BOTH important. But last week I was being so focused on my activity, I sorta (no, not sorta) turned a blind eye to my food intake. Because it was sooooooooo good.

You know we all engage in some kind of weird magical or wishful thinking when it comes to food. It doesn’t count if… you’re standing up. Or if it’s after midnight. Or you’re wearing a blindfold. For me, I tend to discount my intake if it’s beautiful, expensive, gourmet or lovingly homemade food. I “know” that fast food or junk food can be excessive or whatever, but … what if it’s Chez Panisse? Or some other amazingly wonderful place? I tend to turn a blind eye.

We went to an area that has an incredible bounty of amazing food. It’s the home of Cowgirl Creamery and oysters and and and… we ate at amazing restaurant after amazing restaurant. Then when we were sick of eating out, our friends came up to visit us and brought a crazy array of homemade and bought goods and we had an insanely delicious feast. Juniorette has turned into the world’s most awesome baker and she brought (I am not kidding) the Best Scones I Have Ever Eaten In My Life, plus some beautiful pecan shortbread. Neither of which I could (or wanted to) resist. But here I am now.

It’s the tracking. If I had tracked all that luscious food (which I obviously did not) I would have woken up very quickly to the reality that I was going over my points in every which way. But I am back now. I’m home. I’m back on track and trying to not turn blind eyes anymore.

I don’t regret it. I enjoyed every single morsel. But I think if I had it to do over, I would’ve been just…a little…more… mindful.

insanely good homemade roast beef sandwich (I had mine openfaced)

November 23, 2010 4

Mister McBody, Meet Jillian!

So we are on vacation. Not where we thought we were going to be on vacation, but a lovely getaway nonetheless. It turned out to be a road trip instead of a plane trip, thanks to $&*#! American Airlines. More on that elsewhere. Anyway, there was some rain in the forecast and Mr. McBody expressed some concern that instead of going to a hotel or resort, we are renting a private house without a fitness center. He definitely likes his fitness center, his machines. Whatever will we do?

Never fear! I tossed a couple pairs of hand weights, a foam roller and medicine ball into the car. This is the joy of car travel – you can take ANYthing with you! (I also brought a big bag of books, all the shoes I own and a ton of other stuff I would not have brought on the plane) Plus about 4 Jillian Michaels DVDs, including the 30 Day Shred, which has kicked my butt and made me happy on numerous occasions.

I went for a 4.75 mile walk in the cool rain yesterday morning. My DirectLife told me that this was pretty good, but only 70% of my daily target. Hmm. Who knew. Running is a much more efficient calorie-burner than walking. (duh) I knew I’d have to do something else.

I started in to bugging him around 2pm. He hemmed and hawed. Finally he set me up with a deal: If I would listen to a 20 minute podcast about WWII and the Great Depression (did you know he is a MASSIVE and I mean MASSIVE history geek?), then he would do the 30 Day Shred with me. OK. DEAL.

I listened to the podcast. It was pretty good, and not the greatest hardship in the world, since in some parallel universe, I happen to be writing a historical novel set during WWII. So it was helpful, kinda.

The moment had come! But we are staying in a super fancy rental home with a space-age entertainment center, a cabinet full of electronic equipment that says DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING OR YOU WILL BE CHARGED $100, and a remote control with 500 buttons on it. We got the DVD into the player and could not for the life of us get it past the menu where you have to choose which workout. We wrestled with the remote for about half an hour, which burned about 20 calories.

Then we came upon the brilliant idea that we could play it on our laptop. Voila!!

He was a trooper. He said he’d go for Level 2. I was like, YEAH Mister! Jillian started it up and from then on there was not much conversation. But he hung in there, I hung in there (with 8 lb weights!) and we had a KILLER workout that left us both sweating rivers. It was excellent.

He was way impressed! On the way to dinner, he said (several times) “I’m really glad we did that! I feel great!” So yay. Maybe tomorrow (today?) we will try the Yoga one. He also expressed amazement that she did not humiliate us during the workout. Haha.

So go Jillian, you’ve got another convert! and maybe I have an at-home exercise buddy.

November 20, 2010 7

Lifetime: It’s A Long Time

Last weekend we had a special meeting for Lifetime Members at our Weight Watchers center. Lifetime members are people who reached their goal weight then maintained it for a minimum of six weeks. Many Lifetime members have been at their goal weight for YEARS (one woman there has been at goal for 17 yrs!!!!!!!) and others for shorter amounts of time. It was an awesome meeting. We talked about how exciting it can be to lose, and then, when you hit goal weight and maintenance, it’s: gain a pound. Lose a pound. Gain a pound. Repeat. You don’t get the same sense of celebration as “losers” do.

That is one reason that I jumped onto WW staff the second (and I mean the SECOND) I reached Lifetime. I knew it would be super challenging to maintain my weight loss. I knew I had to do it. And for me, to be on staff has been more rewarding and amazing than I ever could have imagined. I have gained an incredible community of friends who share the same healthy goals. I have the resources of this amazing organization. I am constantly learning new things: about health, and about myself.

People talked about feeling “invisible” in the mass of people who are primarily at WW to lose weight. On one hand, I know what they mean. But at the same time, I have to say that every single topic that we discuss in the meetings are JUST as relevant for maintainers as for people who are trying to lose. I personally reflect on every topic that we have, and each one is meaningful because they are all about living healthy lives. For good.

Another thing we talked about is this idea of maintaining being “hard.” Is it harder than losing? Yes and no. I think it’s hard when we realize that reaching a goal weight does not mean Immunity. Ha ha ha ha. You just have to keep doing what you’re doing, and do more of it, like, forever. I think it’s easy when we’re generally feeling better and healthier than we ever have. So it’s both.

I’ve made a personal vow to make sure the Lifetime members in my meetings feel just as welcomed and celebrated and honored as anyone else. They are inspirational! and awesome for what they have accomplished. And it also made me think hard about how important it is to constantly work to keep myself motivated. I have to keep changing it up.

On Sunday, we had the WW Awards event which was super amazingly awesome. It’s sort of like the Oscars of the WW world. I was proud to be part of some great accomplishments this year, especially for the Alameda Center. We also heard that the Northern California region, which was #14 in the country (for weight loss/maintenance accomplishments) last year – fantastic- has jumped to NUMBER TWO this year! Woo hoo! Go Northern California Weight Watchers!

I’m doing a bunch of things to change things up recently. To keep it fresh. I’ve made a new commitment to fresh produce. I’m going to go to the Farmers’ Market at least once a week (if not more). I’m going to keep reading new things and thinking about my health in new ways. Because there is no such thing as Immunity.

September 30, 2010 9

10k Race Recap, and “Feedback, Not Failure”

What a bizarro week it’s been. I think I can safely say that the motto of the week is “Feedback, not failure.” (a WW favorite) I think it pretty much applied to everything I did and experienced. I got a lot of feedback. But I don’t feel like I failed.

First, the food. See details here. At the beginning of the week I was in a bit of a cocky state, crowing “I can eat cookies! I can eat pizza!” because at first, my weight just went up a teensy bit. Then like 3 days later, it went up a LOT. Okay. So I can’t eat “everything.” Especially not all in one week. It has now settled back into my regular range, so that’s good, but it was, I suppose, a bit of an eye opener. I did learn a few things from my week of Indulgence though:

A lot of people avoid sugar because they feel like it will be like a Gateway drug into more and more and more sugar. This was not my experience at all. I ate cookies for a couple of days, and my response was, I WANT VEGETABLES. Same thing with the fried chicken and pizza. They made me crave greens and vegetables and “clean” food like nobody’s business. So that was kind of illuminating, and also a relief. I feel like I don’t need to see another chocolate chip cookie for a long time. Or pizza, for that matter.
It took like 72 hours for the food to “settle” onto my body.
But it also went away pretty quickly. Most of it. Not all of it.
It’s just really, really hard to stay in a good range when one eats out a lot. Which I really did this week. So. Lesson learned.
I’m not about beating myself up or feeling “guilty” or like I blew it. I don’t think I blew it. I think I learned stuff. Yay for that.

Now, to my 10k race this morning. Haha ha ha! Let me just say that until I was actually on the course, I never really believed I was going to run a 10k today. If I had, maybe I would’ve, like, TRAINED for it? Ha ha again.

Back up. I found out that this race was happening in a park very close to my house. Which got me all excited. It’s a beautiful park in the redwoods. I vaguely remembered seeing people doing this very race (or maybe it was a different one) a few years back, and what I remembered was a few people running, and a bunch of Sierra Club-ish septegenarians with hiking boots and walking sticks. And their website says “hikers welcome,” meaning you don’t have to run it. So this WHOLE TIME I was thinking, I’m gonna hike this baby. Easy peasy.

But several elements transpired to transform this thing from an easy 6.5 mile hike into a crazy, grueling, up-and-down hills 10k RUN. First, I got to the registration place. I did not see a single 75 year old with a walking stick. Not a one. Instead what I saw was shirtless people with 2% body fat. I immediately felt faint, and like, UH OH. Then I ran into my friends: one of my Team Penguin buddies (surprise! yay! he was doing the 20k, ooh!) and my friend Sarah from solo performance workshop, and a WW buddy.

They herded us into different groups: 10k, 20K, 30K, 40K and FIFTY KILOMETERS. Holy mackerel. The woman with the megaphone referred to the 10k as a “lollipop run” to which Sarah took offense (“What are we, babies?”) but then I pointed out I think that was the SHAPE of our course, not our level of difficulty. I nervously noted that MOST of the herd was in the 2ok and up crowd, and the 10k bunch was relatively small (50? 70?).

They counted down (about 20 minutes late) and then were off. The trail was really narrow so it was pretty much single file. People were passing me like crazy, including a woman with one leg and one spring. That was impressive. After a while the course thinned out incredibly and I was in the company of this guy who looked Not At All Like A Runner, wearing snowboard pants and a wool cap. And carrying a loose water bottle in his hand. This other guy, who was Most Definitely A Runner, kept running up ahead at great speed, then coming back to check on the snowboard dude. I later learned they were brothers. I am not sure if Snowboarder was grateful or wanted to kill his marathoner brother.

Anyway, I ran the first half-mile or so then it started going uphill. Then REALLY uphill. Like a ladder. And my ankle, in spite of its sturdy brace, began experiencing major stabbing pains. It just DOES NOT like inclines. Or declines. Or anything other than pure flat terrain. My missing toenail, on the other hand, did not bother me at all.

The trail was really beautiful. It looked mostly like this.

Very pretty. People kept passing me. Eventually Snowboard Guy, who was behind me for a mile or two, passed me. These two women, who were behind me, passed me. Finally I was all alone. It occurred to me that chances were VERY HIGH that I was the Very Last Person in the 10k pack. And I had to do some serious talking to myself. I felt sorry for myself. I felt like a loser. I felt stupid for not training more, and for not really checking out what this race was truly like.

Then I remembered this guy from this video I saw last night.

And I started crying. I was like, Guy, if you can do what you did, I can get through this 10k. And I also thought, even though I am probably the END of this pack of athletes, I am HERE. I am doing this. And how many people are not doing any 10K at all, OR a 5k or even a 1k. And then I felt a little better.

Running is such a psychological experience!

I had a few periods of what I call “gazelle running” – when I was truly running fast, LEAPING over logs and just flying. For me. But then other times I was trudging up steep inclines. And my ankle was crying. And then a few times I got all dizzy and nauseated and my hands went numb and I knew I was getting dehydrated. It turns out that they do not have aid stations every mile or so, like regular big runs, but instead EVERY TEN KILOMETERS. In other words, when my race was over. And I was not carrying any water. Duh. When will I learn? (Today, Jesus, today!!!!!!!!!)

I did have a KIND bar which I think helped me with hypoglycemia. So I got through it. I eventually finished. I felt like both crying and throwing up when I finished, but I did neither. I had to rush off to pick up my daughter from crew practice, because Mr. McBody (um, Dr. McBody) was on call and could not do it. So that also helped me hustle my little tushie through the woods in a timely manner. For ME, I ran my ass off, and it was still really really hard.

My final time was 1 hour and 50 minutes. This was not stellar. I was, I think the last person in. The first finishers finished a full hour before me. But you know? I feel good about it. And sort of dumb. I wish I’d realized I was going to RUN this thing. If I had, well, I either would have dropped out ahead of time, or I would have prepared better.

Live and learn, right? For now I am feeling pretty proud that I did this thing.

September 18, 2010 24

I’m Going to Fitbloggin’ 11!

Oooh! I’m so excited that I just signed up for Fitbloggin’ 2011. What is it?

The FitBloggin’ Conference is for anyone who blogs about fitness, wellness, good food and a healthy lifestyle – regardless of where they are in their journey. The goal of FitBloggin’ is to bring together the community of health-conscious bloggers for a day of education, networking and friendship.

More than just “another blogging conference”, FitBloggin’ is all about the desire to use technology, blogging and social media to motivate, inspire and foster a culture of health and wellness. We strive to bring together bloggers from all walks of life to create a tightly connected group of men and women who care deeply about and are committed to spreading this passion for fitness.

All I can say is, I’m incredibly excited to meet many of my invisible friends out there, people I’ve been admiring and inspired by this past year. We’re going to get to meet, talk, run together (there’s a 5k!) and blog about it all. Woo-hah!

August 20, 2010 10

Comfort vs Comfort Food

This event from yesterday impacted me so much that I am double-posting part of it from the food blog. Here’s what happened:

the problem was, I didn’t get enough sleep last night. I went to bed really late and got up unrested and so that was the wrong foot. It’s a Monday after a nice celebratory weekend. I went to work and the poor guy I had to work with was just a miserable soul in a lot of pain. I felt for him, and his pain leeched into me.

So by 11:30am I was just feeling terrible. Exhausted, cold (SO cold!), sad, lonely, (this is my not-so-social work place, as opposed to my super buddy workplace) and just DOWN. I began plotting all the ways I could comfort myself at lunchtime. I would take myself to this restaurant across the street that has ginormous portions of comfort food. I told myself I’d “forget” to bring my camera. YIKES.

But I was trying to be mindful. I was trying to recognize the fact that I was actively planning to use food for non-food distress. (even though hunger was part of the mix too) I teased it out in my head. I told myself, I could go to a soup place instead, and that way I could take care of cold, hunger and comfort all at once. That was a really good first step. Then I felt willing to bring my camera.

THEN I had a REAL stroke of genius. (ha!) I remembered that it was Monday, the only day of the week when Mr. McBody and I work about 2 blocks apart from each other. I texted him. “Lunch?” He had already eaten, but he said he’d come meet me. I waited on the street corner and man, I was never so happy to see someone. I really felt like he was literally saving me from a binge.

And it was like: OMG. I wanted comfort. And I got REAL LIVE human comfort. How fantastic was that!! He gave me the biggest hug. And all of a sudden I didn’t even need the soup. I was warm! I was loved!

We went to my favorite salad bar place and he sat with me while I ate my salad and listened to my woes and then gave me another big hug. And then I felt like I could make it through the afternoon.

I actually can’t stop thinking about this and I credit the reading of Savor (which I love) – about slowing that moment down, being mindful, and saying, what do I REALLY need?

I was hungry. I needed food. But what KIND of food?
I was cold. I put on my jacket.
I was lonely and needed comfort. I called out for my dear spouse, who luckily was close by.
I was tired. I had a cup of coffee because I couldn’t really go for a nap at the moment. But it taught me that going to bed early is key.

I was so ready to go and get some plate of SOMETHING to deal with all those things when in fact it would have helped none of them, not even the hunger, because it would have most likely been something regretful that I would then feel physically and emotionally bad about.

I’m learning! I’m really learning.

August 17, 2010 8

Guest Post: Karen from Before-And-After

Welcome to Karen, one of my first friends in the blogosphere. I’ve been so moved by her thought-and-feeling provoking blog, and happy she is here.

————

I am so honored to be guest posting for Foodie while she’s away. For me, she is a role model extraordinaire and I admire her on so many different levels.

I am here to talk about my journey a little bit. What I want to discuss specifically is overall health and how it can affect one’s ability to lose weight. I am not a doctor or health care professional so this is just my opinion, based on my experience.

I have come to believe that health issues can cause obesity, not necessarily the other way around (although both can be true). A year ago I was depressed and in chronic pain (muscles and joints). I felt like my brain was in a fog most of the time. I craved sugar in all its forms. I felt out of control with food and wine. I binged. I had regained 25 of the 55 pounds I had lost back in 2005 and 2006. I was a hot mess. I felt like a lazy, out-of-control failure.

In November, I went to see a naturopathic physician (http://www.naturopathic.org/) based on the recommendation of my chiropractor. He said that the naturopathic approach to medicine is more holistic and about balancing the body as an entire system, versus putting a band-aid on symptoms in the form of medication.

For example, a naturopath might see a slightly elevated thyroid number and instead of prescribing a drug, will look at adrenal function. Elevated cholesterol might be a function of elevated thyroid function. Nasal allergies might be due to an imbalance in the gut (as my husband found out after he saw the naturopath…after 50 years of suffering, he hasn’t had to take any sort of decongestant or allergy medication in nine months and his post-nasal drip is gone).

I was curious, but also somewhat skeptical. It’s not that I thought she was a “quack” or that naturopathy was like voodoo, but I think I had given up hope that a naturally healthy body weight, without extreme diets, and without doing what I find uncomfortable and difficult, was possible. I thought I was just getting old and tired.

So on my 47th birthday I had my first appointment with my naturopath. If you’re curious, you can read about the specifics here and here and here.

And details of my visit with the hormone specialist are here.

Why I am sharing all of this? Because I am no longer a hot mess. My aches and pains are (for the most part) gone and I enjoy exercising. I no longer crave any type of food or alcohol or feel “false hunger.” I do not overeat or binge. I am happy and my thoughts are clear. And I am losing weight naturally, without having to over think it, worry about it, or feel deprived. This is how I always thought it should be.

In addition to this, another huge component of my journey has been really getting in touch with who I am, what I want, and the emotions that surround food, my weight and my body. I didn’t want to discount that aspect of what I am doing for myself.

And finally, I want to say that in addition to the naturopath and hormone specialist (who is an MD and formerly practiced as an OB/GYN), I have a primary care doctor with whom I’ve been for 13 years. I keep all three of them in the loop!

I fully understand that each of us is on our own path and that what we learn and when we learn it happens at the right time for us. I am not here to say that the way I am doing it is the only way, but rather to share my experience. If you see in yourself any similarities to what I’ve described here, please advocate for yourself with your physician and/or seek alternative care through a licensed naturopath (http://www.naturopathic.org/).

July 31, 2010 7

Guest Post: @dailykat says it’s “Never Too Late…”

Welcome Kat from FitMindBodySpirit!!

Never too late….

I was excited and honored when Susan asked me to write a guest post for her this week while she is away on vacation. Then I panicked for a moment about what to write about… Weight loss is one of the most challenging things I have encountered in my forty three years here on the planet. It is challenging, but no matter what our situation, as long as we are breathing, it is not too late to reach for our goals, whatever they may be.

It is never too late to reach for our dreams and live the life we want to live. We all have challenges in our life at certain times. My road to weight loss has been full of ups, downs, starts and stops and has taken me much longer I initially expected. I am grateful that I am still in the game and that I haven’t given up. A little history…

In early 2006, I went on a spa trip with my girlfriends to Rancho La Puerta, a wonderful health spa in the northern mountains of Mexico, about an hour outside of San Diego. I had wanted to go to Rancho since I was a little girl. My mother went there when I was in the first grade and I remember wanting to go with her then. I looked forward to hiking and eating healthy food and getting a spa treatment or two. I knew that my weight had crept up over the previous 5 years, and was the highest it had been in my adult life. It had been 5 years since my last successful dieting attempt, I knew that I would not be running up the mountains, but I expected to be able to keep up with my girlfriends and have a good time.

What I didn’t expect to happen was what I now call my “Aha Moment” The first morning on “the ranch” I chose to do the gentle “rolling hills” hike while my girlfriends did the more strenuous mountain hike. I didn’t expect to be last in the crowd of the “easy hike.” I didn’t expect the “easy hike” to kick my ass completely. I didn’t expect to get really deep blisters on my feet the first morning of the week. I can go on and on with the list of challenges that I faced with that week. I had an emotional meltdown after a Pilates reformer class that left me feeling clumsy and not graceful. The tears turned into heaving sobs and I was in touch with a part of me that I hadn’t seen in awhile. I was blessed to have a close fried with me to help me get through those tough and raw emotions. My trip was much more uncomfortable than I had planned. As I was dealing with the physical pain from the blisters and my sore body, I also had to deal with the emotional wrenching process of confronting my morbid obesity and utter lack of fitness. Looking back now, I am very clear that this was my “Aha Moment”.

In 2007 I went back to the ranch with my girlfriends. I had lost about 25 pounds by this time, but had been exercising regularly for the year. It was a very cool feeling to be able to hike the more strenuous hikes and to be able to see the top of the mountain. It had been a good year and I was so pleased to see the progress with my fitness and the weight coming off.

I haven’t been back to the ranch since 2007, but I have continued to exercise. I have lost a little over 70 pounds since my first visit to Rancho La Puerta. This past year I got in the habit of daily exercise and am committed to losing more weight and becoming more fit. This past June I ran my first 5k, something I never expected to do. Next week I will begin training for the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Half Marathon on December 5^th.

It is never too late to reach our goals. We need to believe in our abilities and visualize our success. We need to gather the tools that we need to be successful. Keep on trying and don’t give up. Ask for support and believe in yourself. Seek progress, not perfection. Don’t forget to breathe. Forgive. Be grateful. Learn to love yourself. You ARE worth it!

Gently moving forward,

Kat

July 30, 2010 8

Guest Post: Healthy & Happy Living Tips from the Opposite Family

Welcome to Pubsgal from An Opposite Life! The first healthy-blogger friend I ever met.

(….And Possibly Only Applicable to the Opposite Family)

Hi, Foodie McBody fans! Foodie sent out an invite for guest posters,and I was excited and happy to have the opportunity to write a little something for “Food Food Body Body.”

But, um…what to write? I wanted it to be something about healthy living, but it seems to me I’m almost too immersed in this blogosphere to have any fresh ideas at the moment. So I thought, “Why not interview my family, who have been so supportive in my quest for a healthy body and a healthier approach to food?”

First I asked The Things, so named after the mischief-makers in “Cat in the Hat.” Thing 2, my 6-year-old daughter, was wheedling me to play a board game with her as I was snarfing down some nuts and a little Merlot for dinner. I interviewed her as she set up Littlest Pet Shop: The Board Game….

Pubsgal: “Do you know what ‘advice’ means?”

Thing 2: “No.”

Pubsgal: “It means ideas for things people need to do. What advice would you give people for being healthy?”

Thing 2 [after a thoughtful pause to consider]: “Eat healthy foods.”

Pubsgal: “For example…?”

Thing 2: “Don’t pick your nose and put it in your mouth. Use a tissue.”

(Did I mention that The Things are consummate masters of the non sequitur?)

Pubsgal: “Okay…Anything else?”

Thing 2: “Don’t kiss other people, other than your family.”

Pubsgal: “Why?”

Thing 2: “Because you’ll share germs.”

Well, now. I guess I won’t have to worry about her for another year or two or hopefully 20….

Thing 1, my eight-year-old son, wandered in from playing outside with a neighbor friend. Which was just as well, that homemade bicycle ramp was looking kind of rickety….

Pubsgal: “What advice do *you* have for healthy living?”

Thing 1: “Wash your hands always.” (Rich, considering how much we have to coach on this item.)

“And drink good and fresh water.” (Something they fortunately do. We keep a water dispenser in the fridge and their cups on the counter next to the fridge, so they can self-serve as desired. They *usually* remember to close the fridge door all the way….)

“And…Oh, Mommy! Check out these cars I got today…” (I guess toy cars are part of the healthy living formula. Which translated to more general terms means, “Have an interest or hobby.”)

Pubsgal: “Any more?”

Thing 1: “Always brush your teeth good. Eat healthy foods. Not just the food like donuts. Never eat junk food.”

Pubsgal: “Never? That sounds kind of extreme.”

(So…we should give up Sunday Donut Day here at Casa des Pubsfolk?)

Thing 1: “Well, just once in awhile.”

Pubsgal: “What should people do to be happy?”

Thing 1: “Play lots of play.”

[Exit Thing 1, to play with his new Indy cars. Quod erat demonstrandum, indeed!]

Thing 2 [chiming in]: “Play board games together.”

Pubsgal [reaching for the board game spinner]: “Hint taken.”

Thing 2: “Play with your family and friends. And do chores and…”

Pubsgal [perking up, dreaming of uncluttered floors]: “Oh! Does doing chores make you happy?”

Thing 2: “No.” [Pause to consider this quandary.] “Get all your chores done so you won’t have any more.”

So we finished up our game, and I wandered over to Mr. Handsome-and-Handy, who was just settling into the Man Cave to chillax on the computer. He worked hard taking care of The Things today: bathed kids, shopped with kids, fed kids, took kids to the park, and supervised the neighborhood bike and scooter session.

Pubsgal: “So I’m writing a guest post for Foodie’s blog today. What advice do you have for healthy living?”

Mr. H&H: “Get outside.”

Pubsgal: “Anything else?”

Mr. H&H: “Don’t read the news.”

Works for me. My philosophy? If it’s really big and important, the news will find me. Mr. H&H has been feeling rather stressed out lately by following news a little too much.

We then moved on to the “happy living” question. We made several obvious jokes that I won’t bother repeating here…I then asked the question muchly on my mind lately: “So what do *you* do to get out of a funk?”

[…more winking and nudging…]

Mr. H&H: “Oh! Hang on. Close your eyes.”

(What could it be? He was launching something on the web browser last I looked…)

Mr. H&H: “There. Open them.”

On the screen was Netflix, opened to a “Trailer Park Boys” episode.

There you have it! You may or may not find *all* of our family tips useful in your own quest for health and happiness, but hopefully they at least gave you a chuckle or two. They work for us!

July 27, 2010 10

foodfoodbodybody

eat, move, think, feel

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