P is for Procrastination...

Like, isn't today supposed to be Q?  Where did yesterday go?

I hadn't decided what to use for P. I was thinking of Plan, but that would be like the diet post, and next thing I knew it was today.

Have a great weekend!  Don't put off something you really need or want to do, okay?

O is for Olive Oil

A somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at this miracle substance.

It's supposed to be one of the most healthy natural oils.  Did you know you can also use it for a  hair treatment?  And you can buy olive oil cooking spray.  You can get mayonnaise made with it. You can shine your sink with it.  In a pinch, you can use it for lip balm or to soften your feet at night.

You can buy it in Virgin, or even Extra Virgin.  Just in case you need a virgin around for a rainy day.

The difference between "OO" "VOO" and "EVOO" is....found at WebMd .  Apparently you have to be careful to read labels, because much of what is sold as EVOO is not as pure as it should be. That's probably the stuff I buy, because I don't like the super expensive kind. It kind of hurts the pocketbook.

There's even light olive oil. I always wondered about that.   It's oil, how can it be lighter than oil?  Well, it turns out it is simply filtered more thoroughly, so that it is a lighter color.  Who'd-a-thunk?

Look for where it comes from, not where it is bottled. It could have been grown anyplace, then sent to France or Spain to bottle it so it looks more  Mediterranean.   Ooh-la-la.

You also have to watch for when it was bottled, and if you must keep it in food storage, be sure to rotate it through. It does go rancid after a year or more in storage.  I think the solution is to buy what you can use in a few months, and use it freely, so you always have a fresh supply.  In some countries they actually dip their bread in it instead of using butter.  It's quite tasty--as long as you are absolutely sure it isn't rancid. You can buy it with herbs in it for extra flavor, or soak your own herbs in it for a while and achieve the same thing.

If something says it has olive oil in it, read the label there too. Some things say "Olive Oil" and it's in there, about three ingredients down from canola or soy oil.

Some people keep olive oil in the fridge where it gets partly solid, to delay spoilage.  I figure if I have to heat it to use it, why bother?  Doesn't that make it spoil faster anyhow?  I just get smaller bottles and use it up!  I guess if you want to buy the mega-size bottle and keep just a small portion in the cupboard at a time, that could work too.  Depends which is more important to you, the hassle or the money.  And how many rug-rats you're feeding it to.  A small bottle will last me for months in  my empty nest, but we'd have gone through it in a  minute when I had four teenage sons at home.


An olive branch is a symbol of peace. To "hold out the olive branch" indicates asking for forgiveness, truce, or resolution.

But olive branches woven into a wreath, like laurels in a wreath, denotes victory or a champion.


Olive oil, the new breakfast of champions?

N is for Nothing

That's about what's on my mind tonight.

I do want to look into the New American Diet, which I found at AARP, but I haven't had time to research it yet.  My taxes took forever.

M is for Marshmallows

What do marshmallows have to do with fitness and health?

They don't!  But once in a while you get a little treat, right?

I went to part of a women's conference on Saturday, arriving as they served dessert.  It looked wonderful--vanilla and chocolate ice cream, lots of toppings.

Well, ice cream is out. (Dairy)  Caramel Topping is out (Dairy), Crumbled cookies are out (gluten), that leaves...

Mini Marshmallows!  Strawberries!  Pecans! 

Just a couple of small spoonfuls of each. 

Drizzled with chocolate syrup. 

Believe it or not, that's a wonderful combination for a rich, tiny treat.  Should I feel guilty?  Nah...not when everyone else there had two scoops of ice cream with cookies and all the toppings!

L is for Leadership

You can't run a successful organization without good leadership, and this week we had our leadership installation ceremony.  Most of them stayed the same, but our long-time secretary declined to run again, so we have a new secretary.  Many thanks to all of them!

Our Leader Pat and Co-Leader, Pat.  

Pinning the corsage onto our leader.

New Secretary

Outgoing Secretary. She always had a great quote to start off the reading of the minutes.

Club Members "Giving a Big Hand" to support our new leadership.

Treasurer

New Weight Recorders.  We sure depend on them!

K is for Kickboxing, Karate, and Kakuro

Quick Quiz:  Which of those three is not exercise?  What is it?

I was stretching to get K's today.  Kickboxing and Karate are both great exercises, if you can do them. I can't.  The short, choppy movements are too hard on my body.  But it's okay.  I find things I can do, things that don't hurt my knees.

Hey, I should have just gone with...

K is for Knees.  

My sister told me that for every x- number of extra pounds, it creates y- amount of stress on the knees.  I can't remember the numbers but it was scary. Researching this, I am finding numbers like 3 and 4 times as much as the weight.  So if I weigh 75 pounds more than I did when I was young and healthy, I am putting 225 to 300 times as much stress on my knees as I should.  It appears I am doing more damage to my knees just by being overweight than by extreme exercise.  

I'm sure it's not just the knees, either. The entire body supports the weight. More incentive to keep going! 

J is for Judging

How easy it is to judge others, and how quick we are to do it.

Even though I am overweight, it's easy to quickly judge people who are more overweight--or that I perceive as being more overweight.

The thing is, our perception is skewed.  One time I walked toward a building, and coming toward me I saw a woman who was overweight and kind of sloppy-looking.  See how quick I was to judge?  Did I see a busy, happy woman who was going to the library with her children in tow, taking time out of her day for them?  Did I see a woman who was doing the best she could in spite of chronic fatigue?  Did I see a good mother out for the afternoon with her children? Did I see someone who hadn't slept well in years and carried on in spite of it?  No, I saw a woman who was overweight and kind of sloppy-looking. Snap judgment.

As I got closer, I saw the woman more clearly--and it was not someone who was coming toward me through the doors, it was my reflection.  Two things came of that:  I decided to lose weight, and dress a little better--and I stopped to think more about how judgmental I was.

I admit it didn't cure me.  Sometimes I'll see someone who must weight at least 100 pounds more than me, and I'll say to myself, "That's incentive!  I don't want to look like her."  How quickly I forget that I don't know what's in her life, what it's like to walk in her shoes.  I was at a walking path the other day and saw a woman who was so heavy it must have been painful to walk.  My first thought was "Wow, look at her thighs!"  I had to remind myself to admire her for the effort she is making. There she was, chugging along a 1.8 mile path with her dog.  Not only was she exercising, she was taking care of a dog, more than I am willing to do.

We've taken to walking in the mall when it's my husband's turn to choose where/how we exercise.  Sometimes I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the window of a store, and I judge myself for what I see.  I feel brisk, and young, and slim, as we stride along.  Then I see how I look to others.  I quickly look away.  I don't like to think of myself as a short, fat woman.  I'm not short; I'm average height, but to myself in the mirror I'm short and fat.   I am at least 2 sizes bigger than that woman I saw at the library that day a few years ago. I know how that happened, but I am working to change it.  So I quickly look away and focus on the fact that I am working to return to good health. Not only am I exercising, but I have a support system going with my husband. And it doesn't show in the mirror yet, or to those who see me, but we increased by one lap around yesterday.

So, next time you see someone overweight, or messy, or whatever strikes you on first impression, please don't judge them.  There is no possible way to walk a mile in their shoes--unless it's your own reflection that you see.  Then I hope you are trying to walk that mile, and more!  Be kind to yourself while you are making changes, though. Stop judging yourself on only the outward things and look at the work you are doing to return to good health.  One day at a time and all that. Rome wasn't built in a day--nor was it overthrown in a day.

Okay, I'll get the short fat lady off the soapbox now--she's got a walk to take.