MIA

Sorry....I'm still out of commission with my blogging right now. My mother-in-law is starting her FOURTH (yes, you read that correctly) week at the hospital following her aortic valve replacement and triple bypass. She has had just about every complication under the sun happen to her. The doctors always preface their statements with, "You fall into the small percentage of patients who blah, blah, blah" and then they start streaming forth medical lingo about why she isn't popping back to good health. The surgery was a success...but in the meantime she's had bloodclots, a pacemaker put in, a titanium filter put in her neck to keep blood clots from going into her aorta, a purple leg filled with blood clots that they said 'may have to be amputated' (but luckily, she's out of that danger zone)...and the list goes on. Needless to say, things have been turned upside down, spun around, and sideways around here as of late.
I will get back to regularly scheduled blogging once life settles back into somewhat of a routine!

Thanks to my friends in the real world and the blogosphere who continue to send forth well wishes! I soooo appreciate all of you!

Hiatus

Not going to be blogging for a few days....my mother-in-law had to have open heart surgery (unexpectedly) yesterday afternoon. She had an aortic valve replacement and a triple bypass. We're very thankful that she came through just fine! However, we've been spending our days at the hospital with her, and that's going to continue until she gets discharged. Therefore, I'm not going to be very up-to-date on my posting until next week.
Please send out positive vibes :) for good healing!!!

The "Log" #1

So Day One of Dr. Natura Colonix program....
1) woke up, took two tablets (liver, kidney, colon cleanser) with a full glass of water and about puked. I HATE drinking water first thing in the morning.
2) waited 15 minutes and then drank 1/2 scoop of this herbal fiber (the stuff that creates a spongy mass in your colon to help dredge out waste that has accumulated over the years) and mixed it with my chocolate flavored soymilk. Not too bad.
3) had to drink another full glass of water and again about puked...did I mention that I detest drinking water in the a.m.????
4) ate my mini bagel for breakfast and had my one cup of coffee (pretty much routine)
5) attempted to drink my 64 oz. of water today....that's a helluvalot of water....I had no idea I was soooo bad at keeping myself hydrated. However, I couldn't stick with just water....I figured 'fluids' could count. So I had one diet coke, 2 glasses of Crystal Light, and 4 glasses of water. I peed a LOT today.
6) took my two Probiotic tablets just a little bit ago (to help keep the healthy bacteria in your colon during the cleanse) and had to drink this stuff called "Kleri-Tea". I'm not a tea drinker...not in any way, shape, or form. I had to drink a cup (8 oz) of this tea before I head up to bed because it will supposedly 'stimulate' the bowels. This brings up a big fear of mine with this program...I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night with the scoots. I'll get up so fast because of the urgent need to go, that my vertigo will hit. Then I'll fall flat on the floor and will inevitably poo all over myself.
7) So far, the worst part is the drinking the two glasses of water in the a.m. I gagged the tea down, but I didn't feel like I was going to hork it back up like I did this morning with the H2O.

Stay tuned....

Fitness Fridays #....oh, wtf!!!

yea, yea...it's Monday and I'm posting...so, I'm not so great on this whole Fitness Fridays thing. I give major kudos to Stacey over at Touched By Madness because she totally ROCKS with her commitment. I on the other hand? not so much.

I got the surgical SuperClog off on Tuesday, and I've definitely been more active...but didn't actually log time doing exercise. I can say that I've eaten much healthier this past week which was one of my goals. And I've done something that I've enjoyed every day...like sitting outside and reading, hanging out with friends, going out to lunch with my sister, shopping, etc. And that was another of my goals. Two outta three ain't so bad, is it?

However, I also embarked on a new journey with my sister (Bear). She and I both got hit last summer with that terrible flu (Noro Virus) that went through our beach house. I kept getting sick and I was hospitalized later in the summer with continued stomach issues. We both have had numerous dr. visits and tests run to rule out any variety of digestive ailments. No go on anything.

SO....a hospital technician suggests to Bear that she try some natural holistic medicine for digestive problems. And Bear shares this information with me. A handshake to seal the deal later, and we've both ordered (and received) Dr. Natura Colonix program. We are TERRIFIED to start this, but we've shelled out the bucks and are going to start the program together tomorrow (Tuesday) and follow it for one month. Now, if you visit the Dr. Natura website, do not for a second think that I'm going to be posting that testimonial crap (no pun intended)...and I most definitely will NOT be posting pictures. BUT (butt), because many of you know that I do like to talk about poo, I will probably be telling y'all about my experience.

Since I'm already sucking up the joint on the Fitness Fridays theme, I'm going to change things up and instead will be doing a log (again, no pun intended) about my experience with this program. I've heard good things....regularity (which would be new and different for me), less bloating, flatter stomach, weight loss, and more energy. It's my hope that I'll achieve all of these things!

I'm not going to get graphic...that's just icky. But I may be talking about poo more than I normally do! Wish me luck....and if you want to donate toilet paper, I'll give you my address.

Fitness Fridays #3

So here we are on Fitness Friday #3...except I'm posting on Saturday because I was out CELEBRATING the fact that yesterday was my last day of school at Alcatraz! Hallelujah!

Summer break starts for me today and with it a whole new outlook....health and well-being!

So...how did I do on my goals this week? Let's take a look-see:

#1) Do 15 consecutive sit-ups at least 4 days out of the week: Mostly. I did it 3 days this week. It was HARD, people. I have not-so-steel-like abs. The first 5 situps were pretty easy and I was all, "Hey, this isn't so bad!" Then I hit 6-10 and I was, "Woo...this is kind of hard." 11-15 just about killed me...I was SHAKING. How sad is that?

#2) Make healthy food choices: Um....not so much. At school this past week we had 2 Kindergarten graduations, a 5th grade graduation, a Retirement party, and our End-of-the-Year gathering. The graduations and Retirement party all had cake with lots of leftovers that made their way to the teacher's lounge. I'm really not a fan of cake....can pretty much walk away from cake at any time and not feel the slightest twinge of desire. HOWEVER, frosting is a completely different story. So I managed to probably consume about a gallon of frosting. People know that I like the thick, sugary sweetness of frosting and so they scrape it off of their cake and give it to me and I give them my actual cake in return. PLUS, there was alcohol consumption twice this week. Oops.

3) Positive thinking: I managed this one just fine. Everyday I was thinking "today is my last (insert name of day) with the juvenile delinquents!" That made what could have been a hellish week a real spark of sunshine!!!! I was VERY positive all week long :)

So, goals for this coming week? Let's see....
#1) I'll be getting my surgical shoe off on Tuesday, so I'm going to add 30 minutes of treadmill walking 3 times this week. I will also continue with my initial goal of 15 consecutive sit-ups 4 days this week.

#2) EAT HEALTHY....this is a no-brainer considering the epic fail of this particular goal this past week. Fortunately, I won't be around frosting.

#3) Do something that I really enjoy each day as a positive for myself. Seriously, folks, this past school year really did a number on me. I have always been passionate about teaching, and it was all I could do to drag myself in to work each day. It was a 'bummer year' and it truly felt like I was in a grieving process all year long because I felt so overwhelmed with negativity about my job. SO....I really need to amp myself up with good things this summer and see if I can get my mind back to a good place.

So there they are....the three goals for this week! Hooray!

p.s. One of my parents actually gave me an end of the year gift of Svedka Vodka and Cosmopolitan mix. How cool is that? She thanked me for all of my patience and figured I could use a nice night of drunken frivolity. I officially love her now.