700 Gardetto's calories!

That's what you eat when you are completely stressed and decide that you need something to take your mind off of how far behind you are at work.  It worked, I must say, as I then switched my focus to why on Earth I thought eating five servings of Gardetto's would help the situation.  The work didn't get done any faster and any interest I had in eating supper this evening was completely gone.

What I really wish I had been doing (instead of eating my weight in rye chips and trying to get two days worth of work done in one) is finding a way to support the Occupy Wall Street movement from my perch in middle America.  There have been some protests at my local state capital, which I could somehow join, I suppose.  But since I barely find the time to get done what needs done anyway, taking time out to stand with a sign seems like the least important way for me to spend the weekend.  And yet I look at this situation, which is the sign of hope I have been seeking for so long, and I know that I need to give it my support somehow. 

 I have this lovely, developing human being right here in my house and I need to show her that this is something her mom and dad see as important and necessary.  I tried to explain in a way her four year old brain can understand, as we listened to public radio on the way to the library, that it is our right as people in the United States to peaceably protest our government when we feel it is the right thing to do. That was a first step.  But how do I show her what it means to be involved in something bigger than herself?

One thing she seems to like is making things for others--especially food things (she is, after all, my child).  When I have made cookies or soup to give to others, she is always quite interested.  She seems to understand the concept of taking care of others by providing them nourishment.  So what about providing some cookies for the protestors? Or maybe carrot sticks and string cheese? If you were spending your day on the cement, maybe that would give you the energy to keep going for a few more hours of sign holding and chanting.

It's only Tuesday.  Maybe I'll come up with something more before the weekend is here.  But for now, I am thinking, that come this Saturday, if there are protestors downtown, they may just have a few cookies coming their way.

Road trip musings

As I write this, I am sitting in the last row of a Grand Caravan, along with four female co-workers as we make our way to one of our company’s offices to provide a training session.  The two women in the second row of seats are each perusing magazines.  To the left, we have Bon Appétit.  To the right, Fitness.  Isn’t that the ultimate struggle, really?  Food and our bodies?  To eat the way we desire and still look and feel our best?

I have battled this demon since I hit puberty.  In high school, despite my mother’s best intentions, I supplemented my diet with Funyuns, strawberry Twizzlers, and Dr. Pepper.  It was not a good idea.  I also spent those years rebelling against the idea of organized sports.  Who wouldn’t, when she had spent her junior high years picked last for kick ball?  I had found my niche—music and drama  (neither of these burn many calories).  I was setting myself up for a lifetime of clothing sizes with more than one digit.

I’ve lost weight once in awhile—just enough to buy a smaller set of clothes here or there.  Never enough to transform me completely and never for long enough to declare the battle over.  I also discovered that really working up a sweat on an elliptical or on a gym floor can be extremely fulfilling—nothing like the days of forced physical education.  When I make time to do it, that is.  It’s always been pretty easy to exercise for awhile--make that sweeping proclamation that I will always make time to do it, buy new shoes, get a gym membership… and then get easily sidelined by a head cold, a business trip, a load of laundry.

Of course, these days, my diet is very rarely Twizzlers and even more rarely Dr. Pepper and Funyuns.  The culprits are more likely to be some great crusty bread, prosciutto, and a glass of sauvignon blanc. Alright, two glasses. And throw in some smoked almonds and dark chocolate while we’re at it.  See?  Pretty easy to let a couple of pounds get tacked on here or there and the next thing you know you are no longer shopping in the “normal” clothes section.

So, one big goal for this “Fifteen to 40” is to reach a weight that is healthy, attractive, and makes for easier shopping.  Which brings me back to my current road trip. Gummy bears are being passed around. Wish me luck!