Healthier a Day at a Time--Friend Support

I've joined a Facebook group started by my niece. It's called "Healthier a Day at a Time."

We each set goals and record our points as we work toward the goals. At the end of a month we will each pitch in for a gift card for the winner. It's only $5 a month, and it sure gives me incentive to keep up on my goals. I adjusted her logo to make a personal goal sheet. A visual record gives me even more incentive.

If any of my few loyal readers are interested, give me your email or find me on Facebook, and I will add you to the group. The more the merrier, apparently. The bigger the group, the harder the challenge and the bigger the prize.

For this first month, I have not set the full five goals. I am setting them one at a time, for ten days each. This means that I will have no chance at the prize the first month or two, but I will have more chance at succeeding at my Health Goals.

I'm Back

Since I've been in grad school, I've hardly had time to post. When I'm not in class, doing homework, or at work, I'm busy with church stuff or goofing off.

Okay, I admit it, too much goofing off, and too much bad eating, rushed eating, whatever-I-can-grab eating. And it shows in my saggy belly, wide load hips, and overall fatigue.

Today I slept off and on until 4:15, with short spells of goofing off in between.  I'm still in my PJ's at 7:15 p.m.

Back to setting goals and trying to get my health back!

The Inchworms won the TOPS measuring tape contest. It was close, but at the end we beat out the team in second place by a few inches. Third place, well, they had 15 inches to go!  Anyway, now we get to relax while the others put on a program for us.

Early?

So far the only thing I've been early to do is procrastinate...

I did go to bed earlier last night than the night before, which means 1:50 a.m. instead of 2:30!  Maybe that's the solution, just do it by degrees.

And I got up and went to TOPS yesterday morning, and it was good because now I'm part of a team for a new contest, which gives me some incentive to get moving again.  

We're doing this thing where we cut down a tape measure little by little as we lose weight. The first team to get it all cut off wins.  Our team name turned out to be Inchworms, which is great for my whole Early theme.  

EARLY

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

My very smart, beautiful-design-talented daughter-in-law got me started on this "word of the year" thing. She picks her word and makes beautiful reminders. I'm more likely to pick the word and plant it in my brain so you won't see it in a gorgeous thing here probably.
Anyway, every year now, thanks to Holly, I think about it. Last year, my word was COMMITMENT and I wrote about it last January..

This year, I have chosen EARLY for my word.

I was going to choose LARK. I need to stop thinking of myself as a night owl and sabotaging my life by going to bed late after doing very little because I'm tired.  I've done that since I was a teenager (much to my sister's annoyance, I'm sure) and it's time to get serious about stopping it.  Then I thought of other ways I am late, and I decided to expand my focus a little.

EARLY to bed (that means before midnight, not early morning.)

EARLY to rise (giving myself enough time to shower, eat a healthy breakfast, do daily devotional time, and get off to wherever I need to go without having to raise my blood pressure by hurrying.)

EARLY to classes, finding a good seat, being settled and organized when class starts.

EARLY to work, saving my job and eliminating stress, again being able to be settled and focused when I punch that time clock.

EARLY to get going on projects and get them done.

and EARLY to sign up for the gym when the new semester starts.  I pay for it with my student fees, and it's not an optional fee, and I need it, so why not use it?  I have to pay extra for a trainer, but I think I'll go that way for a while to increase commitment (still working on that!) and to get an exercise regime that won't make my foot hurt more from plantar fasciitis.

EARLY to find a new podiatrist who will help me get over that aching foot. I've got a recommendation but haven't made the call.

EARLY to be cheerful in the morning and kinder to my loving husband.

Last of all, EARLY to choose my word next year (unless I forget until Holly mentions it on Facebook which is what usually happens.)

I think I'll design myself a cute little worm to put on my desk or fridge to remind me of my word.  The EARLY bird gets the worm, right?  Or maybe I'll ask Holly to do it!  She's the design queen!

On the other hand, this little guy is cute, and free! And it has a butterfly, in keeping with my blog butterfly theme!

To find this and other cute clipart, go to AnimalClipart.net

DROP50

License plate seen on a car yesterday.  Is it a sports metaphor or a weight-loss motivation?  We see Sports stuff all the time around here; our University fans are quite enthusiastic about personalized license plates in the school colors.  But DROP50?  What does that mean?

Well, that's a good plan for the year. Drop 50.  A pound a week...well, I lost 2 pounds in 4 weeks, so I guess that's a start.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Carrot Bread

I made my favorite pumpkin bread for our church harvest party yesterday, and won third place in the bread category!

Third Place Winner

I label my bread, Gluten-free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, and I'm afraid people will see that and think it's some kind of weird health food thing, but it flies off the plate anyway. I've had the same thing happen with corn bread, brownies and chili that I have taken. It's pretty awesome.

A couple of people asked me for the recipe, so I am posting it here.

Pumpkin Carrot Bread

Preheat oven to 350.

1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin*

2 cups sugar*

1.5 cups salad oil

4 eggs

4 cups GF flour*

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground allspice*

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground mace

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp orange peel*

1 tsp. rum flavoring

2 cups finely grated raw carrots*

1 cup nuts (optional)*

Combine flour and other dry ingredients in smaller bowl.

Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, and eggs. Beat for 2 minutes. 

Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Mix well.

Stir in rum flavor, carrots and nuts.

Bake

Muffins: 20 minutes

Small Loaves: 35 minutes

Large Breads 55-65 minutes.

*Make sure you get the pumpkin, not the pre-spiced pumpkin pie filling. If you use that, you can leave out the spices or cut them in half. It's not the same flavor, but it works. Or you can use 2 cups of home-cooked pumpkin if you wring it through a cheesecloth to get out all the extra moisture. 

*I used about 1 cup and a half of natural cane sugar, and a half cup of brown sugar because I ran out of the cane sugar.

*I used about 2 cups of Domata Living Flour, and about 2 cups of another brand, I think it's Better Batter. 

*If it's easier you can just throw in a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon. I like the mixture for flavor and because cinnamon is also on my food sensitivities list. 

*Orange peel is the dried kind in the jar, but I'm sure fresh would be good too. It adds a little zing. 

*I like baby carrots for their tenderness and sweetness, but regular carrots can be used, or even dried carrots if they are properly soaked first.

*I leave out the nuts for church parties for a certain little girl I know can't eat them.