A clean car? Inconceivable!

Today I decided I delayed cleaning the car for long enough. Fifteen pounds of gravel and pennies had accumulated under my feet while heart attack sacks piled up on the passenger side floor. It was quite a disgrace, and I knew I needed to take the time to cull crap out and organize. In addition, my mother - the rightful owner - would be driving Beulah the Buick tomorrow so it needed to be at least a little closer to her standards than mine.

Grabbing the foam carpet cleaner (did I forget to mention unidentifiable stains on the seats, with only some correlating to the fast food trash?), a rag and refuse bags, I flung open the driver side door and began in earnest. I didn't quite finish with the same enthusiasm, but over the course of forty-five minutes, I picked out the gravel, sifted through and found pennies, dimes, and the key to the storage unit (score!), several pens, a chapstick missing its cover (gnarly!) and something that may have been a living organism at one point. Okay, that was bad even for me.

After scraping off the floor and scrubbing out the seats, I organized the glove compartment. Maps, take-out menus, owner's manual and CURRENT registration and proof of insurance all neatly organized, in case there happens to be another unexpected visit with the local police department. Now, I just have to tackle the back seat after items bound for the Monday auction are unloaded, vacuum the heck out of the ol' girl and she'll be almost as good as new. Or as good as new as a car can look when it has transported me around.

Guest Post: Fighting Cancer with Fitness

One of my biggest pet peeves about myself is how I tend to let life get in the way of my living - does that make sense?  Anyway, I am very excited to introduce my first guest blog post, "Fighting Cancer with Fitness"  by Milady. Melanie, also known as Milady, is "an advocate for natural health and cancer patients, so you will often find [her] highlighting the great benefits of different nutritional, emotional, and physical treatments that can significantly help those going through a time of illness."  I hope you'll enjoy the article, as it provides a different perspective to fitness.

Fighting Cancer with Fitness

For healthy individuals, regular exercise provides a means for keeping fit and relieving stress. While these same benefits apply to someone suffering from mesothelioma, there are additional challenges and difficulties when undertaking any exercise program.

Types of Exercise:
Aerobic exercise refers to anything that boosts cardiovascular function through increased blood flow and oxygen uptake. Cancer patients can benefit from aerobic exercise that is not too strenuous on the heart or lungs but improves overall function. Flexibility training involves stretching activities that promote muscle and joint movement. Resistance training strengthens the muscles while aiding in muscular endurance.

Limitations of Exercise:
Activities that cause rapid spikes in heart rate, such as running, basketball, tennis, or certain types of resistance training, may be contraindicated for some patients. However, most physicians will recommend that their patients pursue a healthier lifestyle through light to moderate exercise. It is essential, though, to obtain a physicians approval before embarking on any fitness regimen.

Benefits of Exercise:
Fitness activities, including walking, water aerobics, yoga, biking and light resistance training, can illicit great benefits for overall cardiovascular function, functional muscle maintenance and flexibility. Yoga is especially helpful for enhancing breathing ability and aligning posture while increasing range of motion.

There will be times when patients feel fatigued and they are physically limited. Engaging in even light exercises, such as stretching and flexibility training, can reduce unpleasant effects of bed rest, including bedsores and joint stiffness.

Loss of appetite is common among those undergoing chemotherapy. Exercise boosts the metabolism and can help to stimulate the appetite due to increased energy expenditure and caloric demands.

In addition to the physical benefits, exercise boasts a plethora of emotional advantages as well. Exercise can improve the appearance, which thus leads to a higher self-image. It helps to reduce stress and anxiety while simultaneously releasing endorphins that actually serve as mood enhancers.

Environment of Exercise:
It is critical that the patient feels comfortable not only with the exercise routine but also with the exercise environment. For those who are just beginning, exercising at home may be the best starting place. A gym, health club, or park can also provide a safe venue. Working with a personal trainer may be helpful for both motivation and assistance as long as the trainer is certified and familiar with routines specific to cancer patients.

Starting an exercise routine can aid the body in responding to cancer treatments and greatly enhance overall sense of well-being. Talk to your doctor today and get moving!

Tipping the scales in my favor...

I have a confession.  I am obsessed with the bathroom scales. It's strange, but regardless of what number shows up, I LOVE weighing myself. I have absolutely no idea why. Perhaps it fills the void as some sort of mutated superstitious ritual, the sort of ritual I thrived on while playing softball in high school. Instead of bringing victory to the team, the scales dance is a victory against the weight. At least when the number drops from the previous day or week, anyway.

Calling it a "scales dance" is not far from the truth. I wake up, go to the bathroom, and place the scales in the spot in the room where I seem to weigh the least. The laws of physics are apparently fluid in the bathroom; sometimes I weigh three-tenths of a pound less if I slide the scales to the left along the floor about four inches. I have slid the scales around the linoleum a few times before realizing that I have reached the lowest number I will reach. Since our scales typically display lower numbers, I always weigh myself at least three times. Or until I see the same weight three times - whichever occurs first.

Some days I am pleasantly surprised to step on and not see an increase. I am elated when I see a loss even if it is less than half a pound. Of course, some days I step on and scratch my head, wondering why I gained so much in such a short period of time (most weight loss resource materials tell me that there is a one to two pound variation in weight day-to-day). I'd be lying if I said it never gets to me but I try to keep numbers in perspective.

Therefore I utilize body measurements when the scales are holding steadfast and denying me a sense of progress. It is extremely gratifying when I see the inches dwindle off my waistline (Fredo is not completely gone yet). Finding moments of self-satisfaction contribute to building and maintaining stamina throughout the weight loss journey.

On a side note, I am extremely excited to announce that my FIRST guest post will be up in the next day or two....I'm so excited!

Menu Planning...for next year

When the wind is whipping through your jacket and pants, chilling your hands and making you curse your climate, it can be difficult to imagine gardening. But when it's necessary for survival, you think about it daily during the dark days of winter - especially when the most recent harvest is fully depleted.

In preparation for this year, my mother and I have hoarded seeds like house-bound field mice in late autumn.  While shopping the Macy's of Maine, Marden's, we discovered packets of seeds for a quarter apiece. We loaded up on marigolds, beets, and I picked up some peppers. In fact, I picked up a lot of peppers this year - green peppers, carnival hybrid sweet peppers (literally a rainbow of peppers!), banana peppers, Big Jim Chili peppers, and pepperoncini. What inspired this pepperpalooza? I'm hooked on snacking on miniature sweet peppers...which none of these varieties are, but I am determined to make good use of whatever I can grow. Ma, on the other hand, chose to clean out Galusha's stock of shell beans since they are usually the only ones to carry that variety.

Today, we enjoyed the fun and exciting phase of Seeding. Ma pulled out her small plastic tubs, filled them with starter soil, strongly discouraged the cat from treating them as litter boxes as she ran upstairs to retrieve a knitting needle, and gave the soil a nice healthy drink before violating it with said knitting needle. My responsibilities included handing over seeds and plant markers inscribed with the intended crop.  After another soil drenching, Ma moved the temporary seed homes to the large basement window sills, again instructing the cat to leave them alone. Fingers crossed they will survive both the cat, and my inability to remember such tasks as, say, watering.

A "Dear John" letter to my dear gut

For anyone who has fought or is fighting in the Battle of the Bulging Belly, you have probably read or heard a variety of techniques to motivate you to exercise, stick with a diet, etc. One method that I came across several years ago spoke to the writer in me. The person wrote a break-up letter to her stomach.  I thought it was an interesting concept, so I gave it a shot. This version is edited slightly; I can be a bit vulgar sometimes but on this platform, I try to keep it clean. I chose to name my gut (which is the excessive part of my abdominal area - not the essential organs and such) "Fredo" after the character from The Godfather.

Dear Fredo, 
I know we've been through a lot.  You came into my life in full force when I was 10 so Mom started taking me to WeightWatchers with her. That was just the beginning of our relationship. In fact, I haven't been able to shake you since then.

 I thought I would move on without you after my freshmen year of high school when I flirted with Field Hockey that fall so you weren't around as much. But  then I spent less time with Field Hockey and more time with you and that other couple we've spent so much time with, Food and Television. I'll give you credit for sticking with me during the turbulent teenage years of high school, and then the stress fest that was college. We didn't do the Freshman Fifteen - we went all out for the Freshman Forty! 

I got serious about ending things during my junior year when I went to Weight Watchers at Work.  The leader was great, I enjoyed my fellow attendees, and faithfully attended meetings - until the summer was over. I still don't know how you convinced me to just go for weigh-ins...that I didn't need to stay for the actual meeting. After college, we partied like rock stars when I moved home with the parents, and then to Vermont for work. Despite everything I said about getting in shape those next few years, I never followed through.

Then there was that "intervention" with the girls in the fall of 2009. We agreed to train for a 5K together - and I really, really thought you were moving out for good. Even after the lay-off and a seizure resulted in me being in Maine without driving privileges, I kept exercising and you were disappearing. When I thought I was well on my way to being on my own, there they were: cupcakes! I just know you had something to do with that. You know how I feel about frosting.

Finally, the third Weight Watchers attempt over a year ago didn't take after the parents' divorce and the holidays from hell. And now? Well, now I am tired of the excuses I make to myself for not kicking you out permanently. You're bad news for my bad back and bad knees. You do NOTHING for me. You are sucking the life out of me - emotionally and physically. We're done. Pack your bags of lard and get out!!

Not-so-fondly,
Stroutacus

Facebook: Friend or Foe?

I am a Facebook addict.  I have tried to "kick the habit" and even went off line for several days. And by several, I mean three. Okay, two and a half. Anyway, the point is that I still regularly log in, both on my computer and via my phone.  On my phone I tend to focus on alerts from close friends and updating my own status or uploading photos. On the computer, however, I find myself  scrolling through the newsfeed and refreshing constantly for new comments, notifications, any information that I can use as a distraction, and (guilty pleasure confession) playing games. I chastise myself for wasting time with it and yet I continue to incorporate it into my daily routine.

Over the past several years, my use of Facebook has evolved almost as much as its privacy policies.  At first, I almost exclusively reported that I was "working" or "should be working but playing Farmville instead." Since then, after  a combination of deeper psychological probing ("what's on your mind?"), an exponential increase in my number of associates ("friends") and family drama, I decided to incorporate a greater purpose to my contributions to the site.  For example, I started a page for my favorite Simmental cow Lisa, in which she posts periodic updates about life on the farm from her perspective. Writing for Lisa allows me to use Facebook as an educational tool to promote agriculture as well as practice to sharpen my writing skills.

Beyond my posts, I have connected with people from all areas of my life. As a result, I have been inspired and educated. For starters, several people have enlightened me to various weight loss tools or shared their personal journeys which I find motivating. I discovered My Fitness Pal through Facebook and I cheer on friends making healthy decisions for themselves through programs like Weight Watchers. I've also seen some neat agricultural promotions along with general quotes and sentiments that stimulate my mind. Occasionally professional information and job leads are available.

Bottom line: Facebook can be a foe but it can be a friend. It's all in how you use it, I guess.  In the grand scheme of things I may regret spending so much time on Bejeweled Blitz (even if I did torch it up for over a million points), but there are people who would not be in my life at all if it weren't for social networking. Besides enjoying those renewed friendships, I hope to continue to utilize it in the most positive and beneficial manner possible for both my weight loss struggle and agricultural advocacy, or "agvocacy".  Granted it would be a bit easier if everyone chose to be more positive in their posts but life is meant to be full of challenges, isn't it?

Resolutions Still on Track!

It's strange how I was convinced I blogged twice in January when, obviously, I did not. As an update on my New Year's Resolutions, I have not lost one pound.  I have lost TWO pounds!  So now, for the next eleven months, I just need to "maintain" my success.

This post is part of my second resolution, to blog more regularly.  Knowing how busy I will be in the coming months, I plan to write at least once more this month so I can stay on top of my goal (ten entries over eight different months).

I'm still working on family member forgiveness. No major progress on that front.

I haven't pulled out the novel in a while, but that WILL change this month. I promise!

Still no (full-time) job. Yet.

I recently considered nother writing goal: writing a poem a week.  I wrote a short one for my grandfather's birthday but I still need to write about five more to catch up.  I'd feel a strong sense of accomplishment at the end of the year if I have written 50 poems that are not absolutely dreadful.

I've been doing some reading, too.  In January I finished Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor and Billy Blockade/Morality by Stephen King. I'm currently reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and I am finding it enjoyable.

Finally, I find myself trying not to watch any more repeats on television. There are many wonderful new contributions to culture that I have decided to take advantage of, like Suits, Elementary and my latest obsession: Downton Abbey. I am five episodes into the first season and unanswered questions are eating me up...like what is up with Bates's situation and why can't he and Anna just be happy together???