#100HealthyDays 28-30 and Sunday Sixteen Minute Freewrite Combined!

#100healthydays 28 was a rest and self-care day so I spent face to face bonding time with @nancy_higgins, got my hair cut and colored by @rachelgeorge8 (and she gave me this lovely tea cup), and had a massage with Emiko Soon. #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 29, 2016 at 8:27am PST

#100healthydays 29 - How appropriate to get the "official" certificate in the mail on the day I train my first client! #100daysTD #nasmcertified

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 29, 2016 at 11:36am PST

#100healthydays 30 - Saturday morning cardio and Phase 3 resistance training. Think I will go at 7:30 am as the weight-lifters start coming at 8:15. #100daysTD #snapfitness247 #snapnation

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 31, 2016 at 8:18am PST

Here we go with a sixteen minutes free flowing freewrite to let my fingers do the talking across the keyboard. This will be great for my soul. Woops. George just woke up, and I fixed him breakfast, and he is sitting across from me expecting conversation. So, I will put this on hold until he goes back to bed as he is sick. 

So here I go now at 10:14:

I am doing two things at once. I am hearing Donald Trump's interview with Face the Nation. Talk about a spoiled sport. Seriously? Megan Kelly treated you badly by asking a legitimate question? So sad. So he raised 6 million dollars for vets. He is very impressed with himself. It is so sad. He is so insecure. 

This week was really good. I had a hard time fasting for the week of prayer and fasting with teaching Pilates and doing personal training work. So, I just did it partially on Monday and Tuesday. It is hard when you are in a resistance program. I am OK fasting if I am doing light exercise, but it is not easy to do it when you are improving your cardiovascular and in Phase 3 Hypertrophy stage of weight training. I had a GREAT time all week praying though. I am so loving praying through Pray for the World! So I really emphasized that this week.

We are going to try to go to Adoration tonight even though George has not been feeling well since Friday. Yesterday, after I walked and lifted weights, I rested with George and watched the rest of Downton Abbey with George (I had already finished it on Tuesday night by myself but watched it again with him). After that, we went back to Series 1! It is so fun to see the foreshadowing now that I know how each of the characters ends up. BUT MUMS THE WORD! I would not give the ending of this great show away before the world sees it. So, MUMS UNTIL MARCH!

So, I am getting a lot stronger. That has been so great. I am SOLD on the Optimum Performance Training model of the National Academy of Sports Medicine! It was so great for me to go back to square one of the whole thing. If I had not had that injury, I would never know what it was like to go back to square ONE which is where most people start! :) I am as strong as I was when I was lifting really heavy weights during the Group Power class that I took three times a week for 2 1/2 years. It was so hard to go back to it after my injury because I could not be supine on my back well! 

I have two new clients and maybe three. Most are deconditioned, and I am happy to help them get conditioned! 

Well, there you go. I wasted some time looking at some other stuff.

Oh, by the way, I am doing a 2 1/2 week trim down. I have a pecky five pounds that I let creep up during my Pilates training in August. I was not burning as many calories but getting stronger! I do not regret it, but I want to burn those stored calories! Calories in and out! So, February 1 - February 18 when we go to San Diego. 

#100HealthyDays 20-27

#100healthydays 20 - Zumba with Jamie! Come T/Th 5:30-6:15pm at Circle Snap Fitness and join the fun. #snapfitness247 #snapnation #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 20, 2016 at 1:21pm PST

#100healthydays 21 was a low key day with not very many steps because I sat and talked and prayed with my 90 year old mentor most of the day and skipped Zumba! Spiritual health is so important! #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 23, 2016 at 7:21am PST

#100healthydays 22 - "To the left" because to the right of SNAP is a French Bakery! I ran in the sunshine, lifted at SNAP, and walked home. Such a great morning! #snapnation #snapfitness247 #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 23, 2016 at 7:26am PST

#100healthydays 23 - Glorious morning run before getting in the car to Ashland. #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 25, 2016 at 8:24am PST

#100healthydays 24 - Instead of posting the Bonnie Butter birthday cake for Michael's 24th, I am posting the hike we took on the Lithia Park Trail! #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 25, 2016 at 8:27am PST

#100healthydays 25 #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 26, 2016 at 10:06am PST

#100healthydays 26 - It came on my free day and one day early! Waiting on my doorstep after walking home from a SNAP strength workout! Can you say REWARD? #100daysTD Happy Dance!

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 26, 2016 at 1:27pm PST

#100healthydays 27 - riding bike home from work. #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 27, 2016 at 4:27pm PST

5. My Name is Mahtob by Mahtob Mahmoody

My Name Is Mahtob: The Story that Began the Global Phenomenon Not Without My Daughter Continues by Mahtob Mahmoody
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such a beautiful memoir. Despite the horror she endured as a child, she has come out free! This was an encouraging read because I had read her mother's book and saw the movie, Not Without My Daughter , 25 years ago and had prayed for this young woman and her mom. So nice to read of the answer to those prayers. This is a page turner.

View all my reviews

Friday Freewrite Fifteen

I had a very relaxing day yesterday. I did not walk or run or lift. I didn't even go to Zumba like I had hoped. I came back from Lorraine's in McMinnville pretty exhausted. I am not sure why. I had a lovely time, and I had a lovely time just relaxing when I came back.

Now I am listening to Jon Thurlow's "Soothing Worship" 24 minute prayer soak. I love it! Today will be a low-key day. I hope to lift and maybe run (at least walk) and do some Pilates on my own. That will be more than enough for me today. Tonight I meet with K and the whole group after a long break since the beginning of December.

My time with Lorraine was wonderful. We prayed for all the things on our hearts and ate dinner with a lovely couple who used to be pastors at Faith Center in Eugene. We knew a lot of the same people. After that I was supposed to wait with and then be with Lorraine during a manicure, but the smells in the beauty parlor at the assisted living facility were too overpowering for me, and I started to feel sick. I usually leave at 2 pm anyway, but Lorraine thought I was going to stay later than usual (not sure why - I came earlier than I usually do. I usually am up with her from 10-2 and have done that for fifteen years. 

I thought I had fifteen minutes of things to say, but I don't think I do. It was a lovely day. It was a "soul" wellness day because Lorraine is always good for my soul as we agree on so much about life. :) She is my 90 year old soulmate! 

4. Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace

I loved this book with all my heart.

Ben-Hur has been my favorite movie since I was in my 20's. I remember introducing it to a group of friends one night, and it ended in a group prayer time full of tears. It was so moving.

This book has been on my list for years. I loved it. It was sentimental and had long sentences, but it is what my soul needed to read! 

Thursdays Thirteen Minute Freewrite

We had a later evening talk with someone overseas, and I was so FULL in my heart afterward that I had the hardest time falling asleep. So, I did something I do not usually do: I took a generic Tylenol PM. I didn't want to be up really late because I knew I had to get up and go to visit Lorraine in the morning so I knew I could not sleep in. I took a full dose, something I never do, and now I remember why I don't take a full dose on days I have to go and do something: GROGGINESS! I am an "upsy daisy, don't be lazy" type of person. I don't know what it means to "need caffeine" in the morning to start to function; but this morning, I do! It is nice to develop empathy for what most of the Western world goes through every morning. :)

Now my homemade chai tea is coursing through my veins at a rapid speed. I had a double dose which is something I usually do not allow myself unless I have eaten within my calorie limit the previous day, and I am not sure I did. I burned a lot of calories yesterday though. Lots. So I am treating myself.

It is also pretty amazing that I took that Tylenol PM with NO PAIN on my body! Seriously, I sit here typing in a chair I could not even SIT in six years ago, let alone have no pain as I type. Not even tightness. 

So, I am sold on combining Pilates with a progressive resistance training program. Pilates was my base, but I really needed to move on and go back to resistance training, but every time I tried to go back to something like the Group Power class I regularly attended before my accident (I guillotined my big toe tendon with a broken glass tumbler while making chai tea in November 2009), I would injure myself. I had never had to build up from a "nothing" base of strength before because I had done resistance training consistently since 1977. So, enter studying for my NASM Personal Training Certification Exam, and I applied the principles of the Optimum Performance Training Model and started myself at Phase I (Stabilization Endurance), and now I am at Phase 3, (Hypertrophy) and so strong! 

I have more to say on this, but I need to go because it has been longer than THIRTEEN minutes, and I have to go get gas before going to Lorraine's! 

BYE!

#100HealthyDays 18-19

#100healthydays 19 - Wonderful Worship Wog (walk + jog). Too bad it's not a Wednesday! (Get it?) #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 18, 2016 at 8:56am PST

#100healthydays 19 - Truth of my new shirt. #100daysTD #snapnation #snapfitness247 #powerpilates

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 19, 2016 at 4:16pm PST

#100HealthyDays 16-17

#100healthydays Day 16 - Mile 36 for the week gives me a blue sky break! #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 16, 2016 at 4:06pm PST

Day 17 of #100healthydays - Supported Dumbbell Rows #snapnation #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 17, 2016 at 9:06am PST

Evaluation:

Heart - I was with George from Wednesday - Sunday night. My heart is FULL!

Soul - Super Soul Sunday! I am filled! Reminded to SWAP for 2016 (Lord's Strength, Wisdom, Authority, and Power). Directed to go to a meeting and got an unexpected treat of learning my first counselor, Pearl Tadema is still alive!!

Mind - Ben Hur ROCKS!

Strength - Two days last week of Phase 3, and I am not SORE! I am getting STRONG and NO PAIN! Saturday cleared up, and we had a very long walk under blue sky! 

#100HealthyDays 13-15

Day 13 of #100healthydays - Another day at the office. #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 13, 2016 at 8:15pm PST

Day 14 of #100healthydays - Walk after Phase 3 Hypertrophy Training at Snap in Beaverton. Hair weird! #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 15, 2016 at 9:21am PST

Day 15 of #100healthydays - Walk and no rain! #100daysTD #hillsborolibrary

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 15, 2016 at 9:25am PST

Evaluation of Days 13-15 
(wrote most of this in a half day of prayer yesterday)

Heart - I am well with my emotional life despite little face-to-face time with peers. I do like that I have the SNAP Pilates class because I see people I love every Monday and Wednesday that are more peers than students. George and I are having great time together, and he is my bestest of friends! Going to try to have some face to face with Kim and Nancy next week and maybe talk to Debbie on the phone. 

Soul - Gospel Harmony Book Club is a LOVE. I had a worship and prayer walk yesterday in Hillsboro. 

Mind - Loving Ben-Hur. Having a hard time getting into The Thistle and the Drone (third try). I want to read the spiritual books by Tolstoy. The novel Resurrection and plays about redemption. Or is that the other way around?  I started studied Integrated Flexibility Training yesterday afternoon. 

Strength. Walked 19,500 steps yesterday (the beginning of my walk is the beautiful picture over Dawson Creek pond above) and my seven day average was 11,178. I also got great deep and REM sleep last night. I did a ball class (picture above) on Monday and Wednesday last week and a band class on Wednesdays. Then, I started 3 sets of 8 reps using heavier weight for resistance training. I was not sore afterward. Slow and steady. Eating was OK. It helped to not be at home and not able to snack in the afternoon! 

More Words for 2016

“Strength and honor are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come.”

Excerpt From: Wallace, Lewis. “Ben-Hur; a tale of the Christ.” Proverbs 31:25

#100HealthyDays 11-12

Day 11 of #100healthydays - Sunday was a day of rest. #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 11, 2016 at 3:43pm PST

Day 12 of #100healthydays - It is a very dark rainy day and feeling a bit low so I googled "foods for depression" and Omega 3 fats were #1. So am fighting it with a Salmon burger and veggies on a sunshine plate with 70's music playing as I dance and cook! Should video that! Get down boogie. #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 12, 2016 at 10:48am PST

Evaluation:

Heart - Fought low feelings. I think it was because of several factors: still not feeling 100%, my first day without a major project, the start of a new term and the responsibilities along with it, dark and rainy day. I combated it well as Day 12 can attest.

Soul - Good

Mind - Listening to Ben-Hur has sucked me in. 

Strength - While Monday was a very active day (3000 cal), Tuesday was not. I did dance, and my UP3 says I am still well above the daily average of steps for others in their 50's. Walking outside in the fresh air is what I do to combat down days, but it was POURING outside all day. I can walk in the rain, but I cannot walk in pouring down rain, andI just did not have the gumption to go to SNAP (not to mention that I had an appointment in the middle of the day so I could not exercise after it because I needed to rest).

I did not eat as well as I would have liked. I made a Dr. appointment for my annual check up (March 16) so I want to be really disciplined for the next two months in my eating, but that is my downfall. I always eat healthy (for the most part), but I eat too much. I am still well within my healthy weight range, but I like to be lower. So, here I go again! 

Tuesday Twelve Freewrite

I have set the timer and am just going to stream my consciousness right here on the blog screen.

I really love to write. It is part of a healthy balance to my life. I need to meditate, move, read, write, listen (to God and people), and pray. That makes for a very healthy, healthy day for me. A little bit of each does me just right! Hey, it is the State of the Union address tonight. In past years, I would write about the "State of the Weaver Union" LOL! I should do that now, but can I do it it in twelve minutes? Usually it is a LONG freewrite.

I will try. I will go by the above "balance" things.

Meditate - I have loved meditating on the life of Jesus through the Harmony of the Gospels. Always a good choice for me to start the year off this way! I love meditating on Scripture and praying through them too. Thank you Kenneth Boa for your lovely book that I have used for 16 years!

Move - I realized this morning that I started wearing fitness trackers way before they were "all the rage"! I thought I could do without my BodyBugg, but I love the feedback. So, I have enjoyed moving and tracking with my UP3 even though the calorie burn is not as accurate (3600 calories) like the BodyBugg (a day like yesterday would have been more around 3000). It is still much more accurate than the FitBit! I loved moving a lot yesterday after being sick all weekend. I also love that my WORK is my WORKout! YAY! Three Pilates classes and a walk from campus (3+ miles) was so great yesterday! I also like that the UP3 reminds me to move every fifteen minutes which is what I need to keep my back healthy!

Read - I am listening to Ben-Hur and wish I would have started it at Christmas instead of that depressing book Half the Sky! SO GOOD! I am loving it! Long book though.

Write - #100HealthyDay and this blog and freewrites are my writing lately, and that is just enough for me!

Listen (to God and people) - Daily shower time listening to God. I have a whole list of words and phrases on my shower wall. So funny. Valentina is going to love cleaning it off. She must think I am nuts!  I also was able to listen to Elizabeth as she is back from India and caring for her mother. It looks like it will be a year of this, and I want to be a support to her!

Pray - Sweet times of prayer, but I want more. He must increase, and I must decrease. I am loving praying for the World, and I pray for the whole continent of Africa today! WOOHOO. I might just open my home on Tuesdays to do that, but I have some "Hearth and Home" stuff left over from the summer that I am committed to finishing.

Hey, I did it in twelve! YAHOO! No proofreeding though! BYE!

Days 8-10 of #100HealthyDays

Day 10 of #100healthydays - I am such a data nerd! The UP3 records Resting Heart Rate. My three day average shows I am in the athlete range for heart health! Woohoo! #100daysTD #up3 #jawboneup3 #jawbone

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 10, 2016 at 9:58am PST

Day 9 of #100healthydays - The sun came out and have been feeling unwell since Friday afternoon. So we took a walk together. Realized I was sick and leaned on my partner of 25 years the whole way and went back to bed on return! #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 10, 2016 at 9:51am PST

Day 8 of #100healthydays - Love learning my sleep patterns in more detail! That is a huge advantage of the UP3! #100daysTD #up3 #jawboneup3 #jawbone

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 10, 2016 at 9:47am PST

HEART - So good!

SOUL - So good! Love my time in the Gospel Harmony Book Club every morning. Also loving my new thing of writing my "word/phrase for the day on my shower wall! I wanted to go to #LightCorvallis so badly! But God said to "rest and repair," and I obeyed. I had a week of many new adjustments: kids going back to school, me going back to work at OSU with two new classes, NOT studying for my personal training exam and going hard on my "hearth and home" project of finishing up my photos (which I finished all but the Christmas photos for 2015 because I am waiting on a new Creative Memories album to arrive), etc. Consequently, I needed to rest from all the adjustments! Good choice made!

MIND - Finished Mary Poppins and Winnie-the-Pooh. LOVE! Started reading The Thistle and the Drone about our "anti-war" president and his "love of predator drones" who have killed so many innocent people! This book is written by a Pakistani so he has no political agenda. He is just stating the facts that most Americans do not know.

STRENGTH - I received Christmas gift money from three different people. So I bought a #JawboneUP3! I love it (as you can see from my instagram photos above)! I miss my BodyBugg for calorie burn 94% accuracy, but I am very good at translating calorie burn from how active I have been during the day and from my steps. While UP uses an algorithm for calculating calories, I still think it is closer to accurate than the FitBit which GROSSLY exaggerates the calorie burn and is making people fatter because they think they can eat more based on their calorie burn. Still hoping Jawbone incorporates sensors like the BodyBugg since they have the patented BodyBugg technology! :) 

I lifted weights on Friday and walked. My activity has been low the last three days because of feeling sick, but I will ramp it up tomorrow since I go back to teaching three Pilates classes. Here we go. I will rest today to get ready for it! 

Day 7 of #100HealthyDays

Day 7 of #100healthydays - Jawbone UP bought out BodyBugg in 2013 and discontinued it. Sad because BB was the most accurate for calorie burn, but they incorporated some of the BB technology into UP so I got it yesterday and am tracking again! Bye bye BodyBugg and thank you for helping me keep my weight down! #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 8, 2016 at 8:56am PST

Heart - Awesome

Soul - Awesome time in prayer and gospels 

Mind - Listened to Winnie the Pooh and LOVED!

Strength - Not super active. I just walked back from Trader Joe's and was going to go to Zumba but was on people overload after three meetings before 3 pm. You can see above that I have a new fitness tracker because I love feedback, and I got all but $7 toward it in money for Christmas. I wish it would give an accurate calorie burn like BodyBugg, but I am good at knowing what I need to do to burn enough calories for the day to eat what I like! I didn't track food again. It is hard for me to do that lately. FOOD intake is my biggest obstacle in my healthy goals! 

The biggest thing I did was to journal through all 400+ pictures from our 2014 Cruise. I also journaled through August of 2015 photos! I should finish all by tomorrow; but for now, I must go and work out before my doctor's appointment.  

3. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Peter Dennis gives the definitive narration as you can read from the quote by the real Christopher Robin Milne on the picture of the cover. It was pure joy to listen to, and it is the first time I have read it for myself rather than for my kids! Pooh is great for any age. 

I wish I had abandoned the last book I read (or at least suspended it) because this book would have been so much better to listen to around Christmas joy time! I laughed out loud on several occasions. I am sure I looked strange while walking and listening to this delightful book! 

Friday Fifteen Freewrite

I am trying a new font for this freewrite.

6:20 am. Go for fifteen minutes without stopping to proofread or edit. Writing FREELY on a FRIDAY!

I have come to the end of my first week back to work at OSU. I did not have to go in on Monday because of the treacherous road conditions, and that was a smart move on OSU's part. So, I got extra time with my sweethearts: George, Michael, and Paul. Michael stayed an extra day and missed his first class because of the roads. I loved that! We were able to have our Epiphany a day later, but it was still early. 

I always sort of dread getting out the door to go to work. I am such a "stay in my cozy home" sort of gal. I am always productive, but God told me to take this job and at the end of both the classes, I am always energized and glad I am teaching. Both my classes seem very nice. I like that they laughed. The ones last term were so somber, and I am not sure why. This is what I love about teaching college students:

1. They are required to be there. Therefore, they improve.
2. They have not done too much damage to their bodies so I can progress them quickly.

I am sure there are more reasons, but the improvement part just is great for me to see. I love my SNAP classes for other reasons. I love helping deconditioned people get conditioned and people with diseases heal from the movement. I also love the smaller nature of the classes. I love the personal touch and long term relationships that form as a result of having a class that goes longer than just one term. So, I like them both for different reasons. I would love to take some of the deconditioned ones and help them with more than just their core. I like starting with the core though. That is where it all comes from (like Jesus is my core, and everything that I do comes from that stable base). 

Look at me, I am sitting at my chair typing away, and I notice tension in my neck and improper posture. Another reason I like teaching is that I am more aware of my posture because I am teaching proper posture. So, I have brought my shoulder down and in their pockets and have aligned my neck with my ears. Practice what you preach baby!

I am almost done with all my photos! I finished all the Europe pictures from 2014. That was a BHAG of mine! Now, I have put in an album and dated up through October 7, 2015! I still need to journal all of that, but that will take no time because I dated them already. I would have gone through December 28, but I ran out of albums! I am hoping and praying that George remembers to pick me up another one at CostCo before he comes home tonight! Then I can have closure. I also need to create a cover page for my two Europe albums. I am not sure how to do that, but I am sure I can Google that, and I might just print it up on my own computer instead of sending it to Shutterfly to print it up (or do a temporary one on my printer since I don't have enough pictures to have another Shutterfly order). I am so excited to be TOTALLY caught up on my pictures except I have to decide if I should do a separate Christmas scrapbook. I finished 25 years of scrapbooking Christmas in 2014 (woohoo!), and the book is so beautiful and fun to look at. It is so expensive to do any kind of Creative Memories kind of scrapbooking, but I do like those books better than the "This Life" kind of books. Even though I did use "This Life" cards for my Europe book, I was not super impressed with the colors and choices. I am wondering if just buying multicolored blank index cards would have looked just as nice. 

Hey, my fifteen minutes is gone, and I am on a roll! HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Well, I am off to read at the Gospel Harmony Book Club and have some prayer time! 

Day 5 & 6 of #100HealthyDays

Day 6 of #100healthydays - First day of class and they laughed at my jokes! Love that my job fulfills my healthy goals too! #powerpilates #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 6, 2016 at 12:05pm PST

Day 5 of #100healthydays - Food #100daysTD

IA photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 6, 2016 at 8:11am PST

Evals:

HEART - Super. What was I heart-crushed about the other day? Oh yes, being excluded. I don't care! I am glad I was. Not sure I would have liked going to what I was excluded from anyway. So great to be back in focus. YAY!

SOUL - Loving Gospel Harmony Book Club reading and applying. God keeps giving me words for each day! 

MIND - I finished Half the Sky (I know I already wrote the evaluation, but sometimes, I write them after I am halfway through the book. I knew this week would be busy so I did it when I had time). It is interesting because I have read reviews that say they sensed a "smugness" in the writing, and I am glad I am not the only one! Their chapter on women and Islam was the best. 

I also got a photo project done. Finished all of 2012 for my kids and for me! Now, I just have to do Spring 2014 on. This includes many pictures from Europe. They are already in the album, but I still need to journal about things. That takes time. BUT I have budgeted the time for it. I also have 2015 in a box and ready for the album, but that will be easy because I didn't go on a fancy trip last year! Easy journaling job! Still did not do my kids for 2015 because I told them that they could do it themselves! LOL! They are both old enough to do that now. I loved all the years of doing photobooks for them though. Part of my mothering. All that said, I have this under "MIND" stuff because looking at PICTURES always makes me SUPER DUPER HAPPY! I loved all the great memories! 

STRENGTH - I walked yesterday and today. I did Zumba and lifted weights last night and led two Pilates classes today and will lead one more tonight. I am back on track. Yesterday, food was great until after 9 pm. Then I had a second helping of almonds. I can really overdo it on those! All in all, pretty good though and even better today! 

BYE! 

Day 4 of #100HealthyDays

Day 4 of #100healthydays - I couldn't take another day of inactivity due to weather. So, I am on the treadmill desk working on projects today! Love this thing! #100daysTD #lifespantreadmilldesk

Day DA photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 4, 2016 at 9:51am PST

Day 4 Wrap Up:

Heart - Much better day today after that heart crusher two days ago. I feel like time heals all wounds. Got even more clarity as to why we were not invited to an important event with many old friends in attendance. (Or were they ever really friends in the first place or just "friends of convenience" when they needed something from me?) 

Soul - Continue to cherish going through the Gospel Harmony Book Club readings (even though I wrote them). I am so blessed that Nancy is doing them with me! I wish Patty would interact with me over them, but she tends to go off the radar once she goes back to teaching. I meditated on the pursuit of wisdom of the Wise Men and listened to The Promise by Michael Card. I love that music, and I felt like God gave me the go-ahead to pursue a Christmas extravaganza using the music, but I have to talk to some people, and I am afraid to do that. 

We also had an "Early Epiphany" since Michael went back to SOU. I love our Christmas devotional times. I miss the times of reading and relating on our couch every morning during homeschool, but that is OK. They are grown up, but I had them from December 12 until yesterday, and that was lovely! 

Mind - Listened to a bit of Mary Poppins. I did something else for my mind too, but I cannot remember what that was.

Strength - Because of the sleet, OSU was canceled for all day. So there was no bike to campus and teaching two classes. I did teach my evening #SNAPFITNESS class, and there were seven people! That was fun! I also did the treadmill as I worked on projects (picture above). It was only about 46 minutes of walking, but it is better than sitting all day. I also MOVED for hours taking down Christmas decorations so it was, overall, a more active day than the previous two.

Alas, the eating is still not reigned in! I feel the obligation to finish all the Christmas treats, but I think I am going to have George take them with him to Newberg to give them to his aunt and mom. Temptations, be gone! 

Day 2 & 3 of #100HealthyDays

Day 2 of #100healthydays - I did well drinking my nine cups! #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 3, 2016 at 9:29am PST

Day 3 of #100healthydays - This app helps me to self-monitor! #100daysTD

A photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 4, 2016 at 7:20am PST

I wish I could say I went and lifted weights, but I felt sick on Saturday and Sunday was a SNOW DAY! So, I stayed inside and rested for two days which is not such a bad thing! So, YAY for me. 

I was encouraged that at least I got a report for December even though I pretty much did NOTHING on Sunday (not even stretching which I usually do every single day)! 

Here is the update for . . . 

Heart (emotional health) - I had sort of a heart-wrenching thing happen after my time with God on Sunday morning that rocked me. I was preemptive though. I prayed with George. I asked Nancy to pray. I took a shower and had my listen to God and obey time as I wrote what he told me on my shower wall with my shower crayon.  Then I moved ON! This morning it is a "No worries" and "So what" whereas yesterday is was the end of the world. I have not been down in the dumps like that since June 9 (the day after our missional community ended). So there you go! I am growing in emotional health and wellness. Duh. That is what this blog is about.

Soul (spiritual health) - Wonderful time with God before I had the heart-wrenching thing above happen. I am loving the Gospels and loving doing it with Nancy, my faithful-friend and soul sister. My friend Patty is also doing it, but I have not heard how she is liking of not liking it. She is in a different place than Nancy though. I love praying for the world too. Love my E. Stanley Jones devotional too. All in all, it was an excellent day in this department (especially after my Listen and Obey ["LO"] shower time).

Mind (attitude and learning) - George and I finished up Man in the High Castle. What is it about me and my love for dystopian novels made into movies?Worth watching and discussing. Also learned about the background with this standoff in Burns, Oregon. So fascinating how the government can be vindictive. I think the BLM needs to be investigated. 

Strength (physical) - Well, I rested all day. I did not do a lick of anything. I feel great. I kept telling myself that Monday is an active day with three Pilates classes and getting to and from the university. So, I am relaxing in that. I will not stress. Physical activity is not my thing as much as my desire to snack in the afternoon. I held it off until after dinner. Then those leftover Christmas treats started calling my name! :) (Geo made an APPLE PIE too!)

Day 1: #100HealthyDays

Day 1 of #100healthydays - loved #100Happydays so much that I am concentrating on healthy heart, soul, mind, and strength now! Come join @redgypsie and me!

ADay photo posted by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Jan 2, 2016 at 9:02am PST

Day 1 was good! 

Soul Health: I got up early and had a devotional at www.gospelharmonybookclub.blogspot.com and praised God for all God is doing in the world from Pray for the World and read from Abundant Living by E. Stanley Jones. So great

Heart Health (this is my emotional well-being): Had great interaction with some friends on Facebook. Our annual January 1st walk/hike with George where we discussed last year and this year's goals. Also watched a new drama series called The Man in the High Castle. Oh my, just our cuppa tea (has a little language in it and violence but they always cut away from that so you don't see it, just the suspense). 

Mind Health: Listened to a bit of a book.

Strength Health: Self-Myofacial release, stretching, walk/hiked 4.82 miles, SMR and stretch again, push ups, Pilates, and I did OK on eating. I did have 3 cookies, but I still stayed at a deficit. (Goal to lose 5 pounds. That is all I need to do to be at the low range of my weight!)

2. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide

Must have listened to an interview on PBS because I have no idea why this book was on my audiobook Library2Go "Wish List" for reading. 

I needed a book to read, but it was not the most pleasant reading the week before Christmas, but it was fine for starting out the New Year, so I put it on hold and finished it after Christmas. 

I almost abandoned it because the authors are so left-leaning that it is almost comical. Any slam of the Bush (elder and younger) administration is relished with abandon. "Surprise" is always communicated when a democrat does something anti-women, policy-wise. Contrarily, there is surprise when a republican does anything pro-women. So, it got a little tedious to listen to for that reason. 

With all that said, the stories of women around the world are heart-breaking. What some of those women did with their suffering is inspiring. So, I solute the women they highlight and not their silly BIAS in reporting these stories. I also liked Chapter 9 on Women and Islam. I found it very sound. The book would have been so much better if they would have left their their LEFTNESS out of the whole thing! 

Lord willing, I would like to donate a percentage of my earnings through personal training and Pilates to some of the worthy causes highlighted in this book. So there! I am a conservative who cares for women. I wish the authors would just realize we are "all in this together"! 

One particularly moving story is on YouTube:

Story of Muktar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlhKyPOuRvA

1. Mary Poppins by J.L. Travers

They aired the Mary Poppins movie on television over the holiday, and there was some history behind the story. So I thought I would read the actual story. It was delightful! The movie does a good job of following it up to a certain point. They leave much out in the movie. Mary Poppins is much more of a grouch in the book too. I guess there is a whole series of books. I never knew this and may partake of more in the series. Sophie Thompson does a first-class narration too!