Patriotic Mirrors

Sorry, It has been a while since a posting. I have been busy, and this week won't get less busy, so I might miss a day or two. That doesn't mean I have slowed down, just prioritizing my time.

Motivation:

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." ~Walt Disney

Diary:

Monday
B: egg and turkey sausage
s: protien bar
L: bbq pork and green beans, xs energy, and vitamins
s: orange, celery and peanut butter
D: beer, mostly beer for dinner, with a small side salad.
g: elliptical 1.97 miles, walk 1 mile, sauna

Tuesday
b: egg and turkey sausage
S: protien bar
L: bbq pork and green beans, xs energy, and vitamins
s: orange, celery and peanut butter
d: side salad with thousand island, apple slice, whole grain pasta with organic tomato sauce and meatballs. (made by Mom at Sister's place.)
g: no gym today, due to the story below. Read on:

Notes:

Less than a month after purchasing my current vehicle (in 1999), I was upset from working a 12 hour day (which was common for my job at that time) and backed out of the parking stall to turn a little too soon. I smacked the side of my car against a cement pole in the parking garage and shattered my driver's side mirror. It was intact and while the glass was in pieces, I could actually still see through/into it. I didn't want to report the incident, so I just lived with it.

During last winter, I again in a tired state, drove out of my garage, and ripped my passenger side mirror clean off. Some duct tape later, and I re-attached it, but it wasn't always right. Later in the winter, the driver side mirror decided that it had been hanging on for enough, and just fell off. Some more duct tape, and all was fine.

As the winter progressed, and 4 or 5 duct tape rolls later, the sticky residue was now having little to no affect in keeping these things useable. By St. Patrick's Day, these plastic mirror holders were merely flapping in the wind while I would drive to work and back. It was annoying now to the point that I decided to get them fixed.

I found an auto salvage depot (junkyard, for some of you) that had replacements for my brand and make of car, and they were pretty cheap, (relative to other quotes I got) so I bought them. The only issue was they said they weren't an "exact match".

I also found a collision cosmotology technician (auto body shop) that would do the job of installing them.

So what is the purpose of this story. Here is the deal. Recall that I didn't go to the gym. Here is why. When I dropped it off, they asked if I needed a ride to work, and indicated that they didn't have any drivers, so it would be 'a while'. I decided to walk. I walked under a bridge, past a fence, over the railroad tracks, under the bridge (again), accross three intersections, past a big building, and finally made it to my office. I went at a pretty good pace, and made it to work in time for my conference call.

Then, when they called to say it was done, I walked back. What I didn't reallize until later, after checking google maps for distance, was that I walked 1 mile each way. 1 mile to office, 1 mile back. I wasn't really even working up a sweat, and was making good time. I felt pretty good after this and decided that this was a pretty good workout, considering the day that I had.

The best part of the walk? In the morning, I passed a little flower garden that had tiny tight bulbs, not yet open, in all different colors - orange, yellow, red. They were like little lolipops all standing up straight, ready for the day. By the afternoon, I walked by that same park, and the flowers all opened up and beautiful displays inside. They were almost saying "hello, we knew you'd be back, so we put on a show..."


Later in the day, I played with my niece, and did some (very little) work in the backyard. I don't feel too worn down today. I need to fold and hang laundry, and then my day will be complete. Not bad for a day. Not bad at all. I think when you can get to a point in life where you can be comfortable with the amount that you did in a day, that is a good feeling.


Oh, yeah, the "mismatched pair" of mirrors.... It had to do with color. One is Red, and the other is Blue. Since I have a white car, we did some pondering. One idea was to paint the hood with red and blue stripes and make it look like an american flag. Another was to paint the MN Twins decal on the hood, and fade it from blue to red.

Either way, the folks at the auto shop said "that is cool, I am glad we didn't paint them." I agree. At least, I will be able to find my car in a crowded parking lot. I am styling.





Here are some other things for today's extended blog:


THE 5 IMMUTABLE RULES OF WEIGHT LOSS

Color Your Diet
Buy the brightest vegetables you see. Vibrant colors usually correspond with more vitamins. Load up on carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, and sweet potatoes. They're higher in vitamins such as A and C. Romaine lettuce has nearly seven times the vitamin C and twice the calcium of its paler iceberg cousin.
(The same holds true for fruit. Pink grapefruit, for instance, has more than 40 times the vitamin A of white grapefruit.)

Drop Two
For safe, lasting weight loss, don't lose more than 2 pounds per week. People who shed pounds quickly typically rely on extreme exercise programs or very-low-calorie diets, which are tough to maintain for more than a few weeks. Rapid weight loss also involves losing fluid, which can be dangerous if you're engaged in serious exercise. Often, those who quickly lose a lot of weight rebound to a higher weight.

Weigh Yourself
The biggest health risk for adults is weight gain, so monitor yours regularly. When you see an increase, immediately go to portion control and increase physical activity. You usually cannot sense a 3- to 5-pound weight gain without a scale.

Never Let Yourself Get Hungry
Rather than three big meals per day, try to eat five or six smaller ones. The trick, however, is not to eat any more calories than usual but to spread them more evenly throughout the day. This strategy prevents overeating, since you're never ravenously hungry. It also keeps your body from lowering its metabolic rate and conserving fat. Plus, it eliminates dips in mood and performance around 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Make Fiber Your Friend
Fiber is incredibly important when it comes to weight management. There are three reasons for this:
(1) Fiber-rich foods generally take longer to chew, meaning you'll eat more slowly and probably eat less.
(2) They take longer to digest, which means more time will pass before you feel hungry again.
(3) Putting fiber in your stomach is like eating a sponge; it soaks up surrounding water, making you feel fuller. Strive for 25 to 35 g fiber every day.


more later...

Chazz