pjena Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Experiments/Reminders/information are all worthwhile. Remembering the 3am headache should help you get back on that wagon. I like both the idea of giving yourself a break for the rest of the month and the idea of then putting some structure around writing. Enjoy your trip to WI and good luck with the food/drink challenges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted June 16, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted June 16, 2015 Thanks, Jen. Looks like it's just the two of us these days! Tying up lots of loose ends this week. Feels good to do that before the trip. This plan may be just right. I'm actually really looking forward to my Writing Whole30 in July. And I received the most delicious invitation last night while having dinner with one of my best recently graduated students. Her family owns a farm up north and have a cottage about a mile away on Lake Michigan. She asked me to come visit and offered the cottage as a writing retreat. So incredibly generous and amazing! I plan to take her up on it. Meanwhile, I'm knackered. Only about six hours sleep last night because I opted to do bootcamp rather than sleep in. Maybe a nap is in my future. Reviewing a show tonight, so another late night and writing deadline tomorrow. But it's all good. I'll have a very early night Wednesday, bootcamp Thursday morning and then off for my trip around the lake with planned pit stops for a little outlet and Trader Joe's shopping. Must eat all the produce in my fridge by then. That's the kind of challenge I can seriously win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 What a nice offer! That's so generous. Time away from it all and by Lake Michigan sounds like the perfect place to write. I grew up on Lake Superior and find big water is the most soothing for me. I love going to sleep with the sound of waves coming through my window. My little lake across the street just doesn't quite compare! I envy people who can nap. Take one for me. I have a produce problem, too. I stopped at the farmer's market this morning and couldn't help buying some veggies even though I have a fridge full at home. I just can't resist. I need to work out the timing. For the past few years, we've gotten a CSA box Thursday night and I would fill in what I needed with my grocery shop on Friday. This year, we decided to use the farmer's market instead (having to pick up the CSA at a certain time on a certain day got stressful) but it's Tues morning and I haven't quite figured out how to buy less on Friday so that I need more on Tuesday. Working on it. And more produce isn't a problem. Just means we have to eat more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I'm back! I hope your weekend back to WI went well. The no alcohol sounds like a necessary approach to a potentially stressful time. I love your W30 - writing-style! Such a fantastic idea. Glad you are through graduation, enjoy the rest of your freedom June! I'm back on the warm lemon water in the morning, sort of missed it while in Ireland... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted June 22, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted June 22, 2015 I had the nicest trip to Wisconsin I think I've ever had as an adult. It was just the right length, and even though I went running from family member to family member, it wasn't too taxing. At least I spent the night in the same place every night. And I came home with a funky vintage cruiser bike! I went looking for one at a bike shop, but it was pretty pricey. Then I told my uncle about it, and he said, "Oh, you mean a bike like this one?" as he pointed to a cool old black, white, and red Huffy in the corner of his garage. It's so cute! And I rode it all over the countryside in their little town and to my other aunt's house and back. It made SUCH a difference to get plenty of activity each day. I also got to swim in a spring-fed lake with my favorite dog in all the land, Buddy the English Golden Retriever. Food was pretty decent, given where and with whom I was. I ate a pancake, a fried cheese curd, and an ice cream. Other than that, I was basically compliant, thanks to a trip to their gorgeous farmers market and my cooking. Most importantly, I really enjoyed being with the people who have known me the longest. It really is such a relief to be with people you don't have to explain yourself to. They've known me since I was born. And it was bittersweet to be with my mom's mom and sisters; so many mannerisms, intonations, facial features are hers. I must do the same thing for them. Even though she's been gone nearly two years, she remains embodied in us. And after a year of being apart, it was kind of lovely to be reminded of that. And I received one of the nicest compliments from my aunt. She said, "I'm so glad you're taking care of your arms." Then she waved her "wings" at me and said how she is always telling her daughter to do what she can to avoid it. But if my aunt is noticing and commenting that my arms are toned, then all my workouts are definitely paying off! It reminded me, though, that there are limits to what we can do with the bodies we have, and that's OK. There was relief, too, in being with women who more or less share the same body type. I felt this way when I was in the Czech Republic, too, one of the places from which my people hail. So many of the women there had the kind of apple shape that my mom and her sisters and I have. There's a lot we can do to make the most of our health and figures, but we'll always have that fundamental shape. I have decided to try out a new practice of going for a long walk first thing in the morning. Today I walked to the path in the woods and made the loop a couple times. It was lovely to be out before most people even wake up--smelling the musky earth and fresh green things and feeling the morning dew and early light. I've shifted my workout schedule to the following: barre at 9:30 am M-F and bootcamp at 5:30 pm M-Th plus swimming at 11 am when I feel like it, bike rides when I feel like it, and now gentle walking in the morning. I think the walk will do me more good than my morning twitter fix, don't you think? So, lots of activity and that makes it really feel like summer. My time is my own now, and this is how I choose to spend it. But where to fit in the writing is what I must figure out by the end of the week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I'm so happy for you that you had a nice visit with your family and came back feeling good. I'm sure it is bittersweet to spend time with your mom's family and them with you. Whenever we see husband's mom's family (she passed when he was 6) they cry. But in a good way. They just love seeing their beloved sister's son and grandsons. It's good to stay connected with family. A morning walk sounds perfect! Almost meditative. A great way to start the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I think a morning walk sounds fantastic and will hopefully fire up those creative, writing flames. It sounds like a lovely visit, although bittersweet. I hope you found more sweet than bitter in your maternal family. And congrats on your new cruiser! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted June 24, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted June 24, 2015 BFF and his boyfriend have been in town visiting from San Francisco, so I've been a little MIA. Their visit has been an opportunity for me to continue to figure out how to be in summer mode without being self destructive: work in plenty of exercise, eat as compliant as possible and moderately, and drink only when it's truly worth it and make it a one-drink limit. Monday night dinner out included halibut with rhubarb chutney and polenta with an exceptional glass of wine. Skipped the shared appetizer, bread, and salad. When we went for drinks afterwards, I drank water. No one cared. Tuesday lunch was in a local brewpub's biergarten by the river after a lovely trail walk to catch up with BFF on our own. Lovely. I drank a beer and ate a beet salad and roasted chicken. Oh, and I didn't skip any workouts. It was good to put my needs first, and it all worked out. I did tweak my knee a bit at bootcamp last night, but it didn't affect barre class this morning. Thinking it will work itself out with a bit of rest. Planning for a beach day today after getting a few things done at home. Tomorrow I'll head to Detroit to connect with the boys again before they fly home. Excited to see the big Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibit at the DIA and laugh and play with people who know me well. Oh, summer. You're so good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Your post makes me happy! Glad you are feeling comfortable in your life and are enjoying summer and your BFF. Sorry about the knee, and hope the recovery is quick. Mine was tweaked a bit after the long flight, but worked itself out by the next day. I truly don't know how taller people manage. I'm only 5' tall and I find airplane seating to be uncomfortable and claustrophobic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted June 25, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted June 25, 2015 My knee is better. So happy that was short lived. Yesterday was the perfect beach day and I enjoyed every moment. Got a little too much sun, but just a little. Did plenty of walking up and down the beach. Meandered into town, had a perfect cold brew coffee, and spontaneously bought the cutest polka dot 1940s style bathing suit and a new white sun hat. Saw on Facebook that a friend I hadn't seen in ages was also in town for the day, and met up with him poolside. No cocktail necessary. It was 7 when I got home, and I was happy tired and hungry, so I made a giant salad for dinner. I'd brought a tin of sardines, sugar snap peas, and strawberries to the beach for lunch. A very good eating day! Bootcamp this morning was killer, and I'm still going to do barre, though I'm definitely feeling the effect of barre every day and bootcamp three times this week. But I'm feeling good about getting in my workouts despite all the travel and visits. Trying out a new second ferment with my booch I'm excited about: hibiscus orange using dried orange slices. I hope it's delicious and fizzy. I've had some duds lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Glad to hear the knee is better! Sounds like a perfect summer day. Ah, I'm jealous. I am glad I made the effort to get outside a couple of times yesterday and enjoy the sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted June 26, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted June 26, 2015 Detroit was wonderful. Very special exhibit followed by excellent eats (best steak I've ever had) and drinks and fun shopping. May have overdone it a bit in all areas, but I'm not too mad about it. Back to the beach today with dinner and a show later. One of my all-time favorite students is coming back to town this weekend, and I can't wait to see him, too. June is shaping up to be pretty dang stellar. Was toying with the idea of a W30 in July to coincide with my Wwriting July, but then thought better of it. That's just my way of signaling to myself that I've been off roading a bit too frequently and it's time to get back to basics, the ways of eating that serve me best. So, I can simply do that. Off to barre here in a bit. My body is tired this week, but in a good way. I will be glad to have rest on Sunday. I've earned it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Hope you got some rest on Sunday! Here's to a stellar June and Wwriting July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Love your June! Ours is too darn busy. I need some lazy days. Maybe this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted June 30, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted June 30, 2015 Stellar weekend spilled into Monday. The show Friday was spectacular; Saturday I wrote my review and hit the farmers market; Sunday gave me my first tea dance of the year, which meant drinks and dancing like 500 beautiful gay men were watching. Came home yesterday and had lunch with my all-time favorite former student--also squeezed in a barre class and bootcamp. Is it any wonder summer is my favorite? Two more reviews this week, one of which is up north, so I'm turning it into a proper trip. I'll visit an old writing buddy then spend the weekend helping out with maintenance at a yoga retreat center I've frequented over the years. They call it "Karma weekend," and they'll put me up, feed me, offer long afternoons of meditation and maybe some yoga in exchange for my labors of love. Sunday I'll stop and see my recently graduated student with the cottage on Lake Michigan. Our plan is to harvest and then prepare dinner together on the farm. Splendid plan, no? Not to mention this means escaping the annoyances of the city 4th of July weekend, specifically the shenanigans of amateur fireworks arsonists. Amid all the travel and joyful reunions, I have managed to keep up my workouts. I have also flagrantly and consistently off roaded. However, I'm feeling quite content about it all. I'm enjoying, not stressing, and therefore not feeling out of control. What's working for me is eating as many veggie-heavy compliant meals as I can in between off roads. And enjoying myself. That's the key. I think we're calling it the Nadia Effect. I do regret drinking more than I should have Sunday, and need to learn how to drink more moderately at tea dance. I am fully and shamelessly wearing bikinis these days--in public--and even allowed myself to be photographed in one, so I guess that's a pretty clear indicator of my body confidence and comfort right now. One of my bootcamp instructors likes to say during class "We're here because we love ourselves." I make fun of him for it, but it's true, and the message sinks in. I've spent more time than I'd like to admit not loving myself. Now I love myself exactly as I am, perfection be damned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Wihoo for loving yourself, you deserve it, M! Sounds like you are enjoying life and your body, while still trying to be good and kind to yourself in terms of eating, exercising, and drinking. Enjoy your weekend away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Love your weekend plan! Perfect! And, I love posts like this. You sound like you're in such a good place, which is an inspiration for the rest of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadia B Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I am throwing my hands up in the air and ready to dance reading this. This joy in your post is so contagious. Absorb up all the love, external and internal, let your soul run free! To the summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted July 7, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted July 7, 2015 Another extraordinary summer weekend (and by weekend I mean Thursday through Monday!). The Shakespeare Festival was superb and I found a couple new favorite spots up north. Had an amazing weekend at the yoga retreat making new friends and transforming my understanding of what it means to do service. In addition to yoga, chanting, meditation, hiking, and swimming in a lovely rushing river, I ended up working in the garden and the kitchen, feeding 25-30 people each meal--and I had a blast! It is a vegetarian kitchen, so not W30 compliant, but I avoided eating my main offenders and had no problem. I may go back for a month-long work-exchange/writer's residency in October. Amazing place with amazing people. Then on to the organic farm where I tasted everything right out of the dirt and learned to forage a few different wild things, but mainly leeks/ramps which we pickled. Such fun! Long talks, sunset swims in crystal clear water, and warm strawberries wrapped in just-plucked spinach leaves are among the highlights of that leg of the journey. On my way home I stopped at a couple lakeshore resort towns and sampled more gelato and cookies and jam than was advisable, but whatevs. I'm calling it one of my rare spectacular off roads and got right back to business as usual today. I have a meeting tomorrow with the big boss to go over my review at work. Feeling some stress about that but hoping it will lead to clarity surrounding certain expectations if I am to successfully earn tenure. One of my favorite yoga teachers is back in town and gave a class this morning at 6 am that made my lower back pain go away. Totally amazing. Must figure out what we did that was so dang magical so I can reproduce it. My back/SI was really bothering me with all the driving, but now it's good--as in better than it's been in ages. Barre, too, was excellent this morning, and I'm about to head off for a bootcamp class. Then I may be utterly wiped out. But I love a well-earned exhaustion, don't you? Also, I came home from the farm with a cooler full of all kinds of fabulous greens, radishes, strawberries, herbs, jars of pickled wild leeks, and some smoked whitefish. I made a batch of fabulous green goddess and am now pretty much set for the week. Lovely, lovely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Wow! Sounds like a lovely, wonderful, joy inducing long weekend. So glad you enjoyed it and are right back on it. Good luck with your meeting today. I hope expectations are clarified! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Fabulous weekend! It sounds so refreshing. Good luck with your meeting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted July 9, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted July 9, 2015 The meeting couldn't have gone better. Thanks, ladies! Not too much to report here. I'm eating down my goodies from the organic farm and seriously enjoying the outstanding beet kvass I've made. A small glass before bed is my new ritual, and it saved me last night. Was feeling snacky and like I wanted some kind of sweet thing after dinner, so I decided to run a few errands and get out of the house. Temptation everywhere outside of the house, too, though. Thought I might pick up a little coconut or dried fruit treat at the store where I was shopping, but also thought about frozen yogurt next door. I just kept delaying the choice until I realized I was more tired than hungry--it wasn't real hunger, anyway--and that sweets before bed, even fruit, give me fitful sleep. And I reminded myself that I had a savory, earthy, salty treat in my beet kvass to look forward to and that sealed the deal. My how I've grown. At least in that moment. Strong bootcamp this morning and heading off to barre shortly. Definitely feeling sore, but I have a massage scheduled Saturday and that gives me permission to keep working to fatigue. Thinking I need another yoga class this week, too. Maybe at home or maybe in the studio. Not sure yet. But still ever so grateful that I can continue working to potential. Barre and swimming on tap tomorrow. Barre and yoga Saturday, methinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Congrats on the meeting! I had a win at work yesterday also. Great job working through your sweets temptation. And all your activity sounds great and a massage will be a fantastic way to end the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted July 14, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted July 14, 2015 Massage was fabulous. So was the musical in the park Friday night with friends, the farmers market, my work Saturday night reporting with a bunch of mounted sheriffs on patrol (I fell in love with a horse named Roscoe--and walked/ran/followed cops on horses for four hours), and a lovely leisurely Sunday full of fun experimentation in the kitchen (pickled chicken hearts and pate and potato salad with homemade mayo and fermented green beans and kohlrabi). Barre this morning and bootcamp this evening with walking and biking in between. 6 am yoga tomorrow with my favorite yoga teacher. Barre and bootcamp and walking on tap, too. Picked up a new tutoring job for a friend's kids, and we'll start that tomorrow, too. How did summer get so dang busy? Off roaded Sunday with homemade popcorn cooked in ghee. Totally worth it. Wanted chocolate and ice cream afterward but didn't have any in the house (so often my saving grace) and didn't want to go out and get some (laziness can be a saving grace in the right circumstances). Otherwise sticking to the template and making sure to nourish myself appropriately considering my high level of activity. Saving my starch for meal three seems to be working quite well. AF is due any day and that seems to quell her. Save for the chocolate craving now and again. But since I generally only allow myself to off road once a week, max, I'm going to make sure it's well worth it. And I'm thinking Wednesday is a beach day, so I'm holding out for that in case I want to off road then. But I can always hold out longer than that. Reading/book group Friday evening will be all wine, bread and cheese. I may or may not partake. Probably not. We shall see. Saw FMD today and things seem to be on track. She says my body is continuing to detox after having gone off my thyroid meds, so we just need to wait and see what my body wants in terms of its shape. She thinks I'm continuing to lose weight. I haven't stepped on the scale in weeks. I would like my middle to smooth out, but I'm happy with my overall strength. I'm in a good place. My massage therapist noted that my body has completely transformed since we met last fall. She said it's not just physical, but energetic as well--and that I'm much more powerful in every way. That was pretty awesome to hear. So, that's me. Working. Working out. Playing in the kitchen. Playing outside. No complaints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Sounds wonderful! That is so awesome that your body has changed physically, but also energetically. The riding/running with the mounted police sounds like fun. How is your writing going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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