How I Overcame Lazy This Week - I Dreamed Big

A spray tan, good lighting and not getting too close
to the camera all make for a pretty good picture!

I’ve always wanted to be a model.  After all, I have the height – all six feet of it.  However, I also have the big schnoz, the buck teeth, the bad skin and a few (okay… several) other things that don’t exactly scream “NEXT HEIDI KLUM - RIGHT HERE!”  I’ve always wanted to be a professional athlete.  I definitely have the love of sports.  But there’s that whole lack-of-stellar-genetics-and-superior-talent issue.  I’ve always wanted to be a writer.  I have great ideas for all kinds of stories swimming around in my head, but without a publishing deal it’s hard to legitimately consider yourself a “writer” without sounding like an unemployed loser.  I’ve always wanted to be a multi-millionaire.  I certainly have the spending habits for it but that darn “having no money” thing is really getting in the way.

Although the chances of any of the above scenarios actually occurring are pretty much notgunnahappen, it doesn’t stop me from putting effort into seeing how far I can get. 

For example, I knew I’d never make it to the Olympics in track and field like I dreamed, but after high school I wasn’t quite ready to hang up my spikes just yet.  I didn’t let the fact that I wasn’t offered a scholarship stop me from walking on to the college track team.  If I hadn’t I would’ve never known that I excelled at a completely different event that I’d never tried before and I ended up doing better than many of the scholarship athletes!  I also developed a deeper love for fitness during this time that has since defined a large part of my life.

I have pretty low hopes of ever becoming a published writer.  Not that it couldn’t happen but I feel the odds are quite stacked against me.   But again, I haven’t let that keep me from pursuing that interest.  I joined a writing group which has lead me to start my fitness blog and my Golden Sneakers family fitness challenge, both of which have sparked even more ideas for future projects that are currently percolating in my noggin.  I also have actually put some of my stories onto paper, which I have found to be a very enriching and rewarding process.  Even if no one but my family and I read them, I at least got the story out into the open for someone to enjoy.



I'm pretty - yeah!!!



And as far as the modeling thing… well, despite my cellulite, spider veins, crooked smile, wrinkles (somebody stop me!) I decided to enter a contest anyway.  Those of you on Facebook know I submitted a video to Fila for their search for the next “Face of Fila Toning.”  I know that, again, my chances of winning are skinny to nada (although they say they are searching for “real” women – and it don’t get any real-er than me!) I did it anyway!  It gave me something fun to focus on and amped up my motivation level.  Sometimes that’s just what we need to keep our fitness endeavors fresh.

As far as the millionaire (heck, let’s make it billionaire) dream, that’s the one I feel is most likely to happen . . . as soon as spider monkeys fly out of Heidi Klum's butt.

How I Overcame Laziness Today

I vegged-out!

No, this is not another “I laid around all week” post.  It’s a “how I’ve made vegetables an easy and plentiful part of our family’s daily menu” type post. (And just so you know, I’ve actually had a pretty good few days of workouts, so “ppfffffttttthhhhhtt!”).

Am I wrong when I say we’re all victims of lazy eating?  Junk food, eating out, easy-prep, low-nutrient processed foods, etc.  I like to THINK my family has a healthy diet.  In reality, we probably fall into the camp of eaters who eat better than many others but worse than plenty others.  For every good nutritional habit I can pat myself on the back for, I have a bad one that is probably negating any benefit derived from that good habit! 

Truthfully, the benefits from eating healthily and sensibly are undeniable and noticeable which is why I continue to make the effort.

This week brought a focus on green veggies to my family.  I issued a St. Patrick’s Day challenge of eating one green vegetable that day to celebrate.  It was fun to see what everyone ate.  (Note to family:  the green spinach smoothie really wasn’t bad; in fact, I want to make one again, but with a better recipe).



Steamed and ready to chop!



I’ve found that fruits are pretty easy to get into the diet.  They’re sweet and yummy and require very little prep.  Vegetables have been a bit more of challenge but my world changed when I became acquainted with two things:  The book, Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld and my wonderful Kitchen Aid Chef Series Food Chopper (look how affordable it is!). 



Please note, I do not give the mentioned book a glowing review.  In fact, after initially trying out a few of the recipes, I haven’t pulled it out since.  BUT, it made me aware that finely chopped vegetables can be added to virtually any dish and taste great!  In the book, she suggests making vegetable purees so it’s not noticeable.  But I like the texture of finely chopped ones plus I figure it gets my girls used to the taste of vegetables and so far it’s worked:  they never complain.

My go-to vegetables are carrots, zucchini and yellow squash.  I usually buy those every week.  Cauliflower and broccoli are common as well.  But I add them to everything:  mashed potatoes become a “veggie mash”, ground beef/turkey for any kind of dish will always have some onion and the chopped veggies in it.  Spaghetti sauce, soups, stews, beans and rice dishes are all made better with the extra veggies.  You can add them to almost anything.  It’s so easy and takes such minimal time and effort!

Beautiful confetti, huh?
You can pulse a few more times to chop even more finely.

I usually lightly steam some chopped squash, zucchini and the pre-sliced carrots (I like these better than baby ones) all together in a zip-lock steam bag and then throw them in the mini-chopper, pulse a few times and then toss them into the prepared dish. 



That’s it.  And it guarantees at least one serving of vegetables with that meal.  Sometimes we’ll have more if I make a salad of other veggie side. 

Vegetables really are delicious.  We just need to give them a chance!

I figure this is the best way I can be “green,” since I’m not what could be considered an environmentalist’s BFF… not to mention all the methane I emit thanks to my vegetable-laden diet!  Ironic, isn’t it?

How I Overcame Laziness Today



Yay, Spring!



I embraced Springtime today. 

It is mid-March and we are in the throes of Spring here in Vegas.  The weather has been just gorgeous lately and I'm realizing that I will be committing a sin if I don't get out and take advantage of our glorious outdoors during these glorious conditions.  I'm serious about the sinning thing... I think anyone not spending a significant amount of time outdoors right now will have to answer for it at the judgment bar in our day of reckoning.

I had to do my run on the treadmill today since I chose to do it during the girls' nap/quiet time.  But being that our treadmill is in the garage, I opened that door and let the sunshine and fresh air stream in, blasted some music, added in some boxing/kickboxing on the heavy bag between miles to make things interesting and... I felt fantastic. 

And it didn't end there:  After that workout, I got the girls ready so we could head to the park and play, play, play.

We indulged in some of our favorite activities on the way to and from the park as well:


Enjoying the "beautiful" dandelions.
I didn't have the heart to tell them they're actually weeds.



Berry stomping:  they LOVE this!



Singing "Popcorn Popping" under the apricot(?) tree!

I doubt it's an apricot tree, actually.

The girls got filthy dirty and wore themselves out.  They could barely keep their eyes open during dinner.  And, boy, did they earn their bath!



Sheer joy!



Ahhh, my kind of day!  I did NOT feel lazy today!



How I Overcame Lazy This Week

Ummm, I didn’t.  I’m going to put a positive spin on this week and refer to it as a “rest week.”  Well, okay, I did manage to get in my longest run to date:  TEN miles, baby! But that’s been about it as far as workouts. 

Here’s what’s been going on:  K, my trusty workout partner, hit a tree stump snowboarding last week and cracked a couple ribs and then the genius thought it was a good idea to try ice skating like he did in his hockey days… on figure skates.  Yeah, the result was another fall, this time dislocating his shoulder and bruising his hip.  Poor thing.  So his vim and vigor is a bit reduced lately.  (But I have to add that he doesn’t give up easily – he went on his 10 miler this week also).



Yes, that's a leopard Snuggy, and I love it!



Then there’s my issues:  A slight toothache combined with a stiff neck that’s been killing me for days has resulted in a few unpleasant headaches.  As many know, a pain in the neck and an aching jaw are not the makings good nighttime sleeping conditions.  This has necessitated a few naps with the girls for me this week, which then cuts into my daily productivity, resulting in diminished chances for a workout.

I know, I know:  somebody call the waaaaambulance, right?  I realize things could be A LOT worse, but being that they could also be better, I feel I have the right to complain and use these challenges as… well, not excuses so much as… reasons my workouts were on hiatus this week. 

But by calling it a rest week, I’m avoiding the disappointment and self-sabotage that can come when I’m not performing up to par, which then feeds the fire of negativity and makes me less motivated to put any effort into correcting it.

Rest is good.  It feels good, our bodies definitely need it and it recharges us mentally and physically.  We just need to make sure we know the difference between rest and laziness, which is really what I’m doing with this post:  I’m calling myself out so this rest week doesn’t turn into a rest month.  To this end, I’ve got a multi-faceted plan for next week.  It involves making sure I get better and more sleep and that I know my basic schedule for next week and actually plan my workouts into it instead of just hoping they happen.

I don’t like to count chickens before they hatch, but I have a feeling that my next “overcoming laziness” post is gonna be a good one! 

How I Overcame Laziness This... Decade.



It'll be 11 years on May 5!



I married this guy.

I think K must be going through some sort of pre-mid-life thing.  We're only 37 (don't you have to be in your 40s to be considered at mid-life?) and I can't really say it's a crisis since it's been mostly a good thing.  But he's been fitness-ly nutty lately.  Instead of validating his youth and virility by buying a zippy red sports car or having an affair, (neither of which he could afford!) he's been ensuring that when he isn't working hard, he's playing hard!

In just this new year alone, our weeks have been PACKED with skiing, target shooting, pony riding, Red Rock Canyon hiking, swimming, bike rides, long outdoor runs, sledding, snowshoeing, and then just our boring ol' home-based workouts.

After he suggested an impromptu camping trip on the beach 4 hours away this week, I just had to tell him that I needed the week off.  Sometimes you just need to be responsible and get things done; y'know what I mean?  And although I really enjoy doing all these kinds of things, I am a natural homebody.  I love our adventures, but I don't need them ALL THE TIME in order to feel fulfilled.  But K seems to, expecially lately.  Whew!

I'm not complaining - it's been fantastic for us because it keeps us from being lazy.  Throughout our almost 11 years of marriage, we've definitely had our fitness ups and downs.  Sometimes I'm the motivator, sometimes he is; so, ultimately, we make a great team.

To celebrate our upcoming anniversary, we recently decided we're going to run a 1/2 marathon together.  I consider this a "high" for us because it's way better than our "low" of a couple of years ago when I insisted we go to Carl's Jr. so I could have the Western Bacon Burger that I was really craving.  I think I was pregnant at the time.

So here's some advice:  get someone in your life who motivates you to be your best self... and/or become that type of a person for someone else.

I wonder what we'll be doing for our 25th.

How My Neighbor Overcame Lazy Last Night

This is a picture of my neighbor, Pamela’s house.  I didn’t have the opportunity to snap a picture of her for this blog and she doesn’t even know I’m writing about her but I’m gonna anyway. 

Pamela’s fairly new to our neighborhood and I don’t know her all that well.  But she’s always cheerful and friendly and wonderful to my girls every time we see her.  I don’t get the impression that she’s a regular exerciser but I was impressed by her “unlaziness” last night. 

I was out on a neighborhood jog and, as I rounded the corner, saw a car parked on the street up ahead with a person on the sidewalk by it, kinda gyrating around.  I thought to myself, "great, I gotta swing wide to avoid this derelict", with the follow-up thought, "there goes the neighborhood."  But as I approached, I realized it was Pamela boogie-ing down as her car radio blasted.  She’d let her dog out to do his “business” at the little neighborhood park and, while she waited, she was getting her groove on!  As I got closer, I yelled out, “Nice moves, lady!”  Once she registered that I was neither a mugger nor a rapist, (and no, she wasn’t wary becuase I’m tall, have a prominent adam’s apple and kind of a deep voice – it was dark, ok!) she replied, “Hey, you’re getting your exercise and I’m getting mine!”

I have to say her workout looked a lot more fun than mine at that moment.  Good job, Pamela.  You overcame Laziness today!

I'm Lazy and I'm Proud!

K says I ramble too much on this blog.  He says I talk too much about how lazy I am and that I’m too “proud” of being lazy and that isn’t helpful to myself nor anyone else.  He says I should focus more on how I OVERCOME my laziness.  And I must say, he’s got a point.

I wouldn’t say I’m proud of being lazy.  In my blogs, I’m just acknowledging that I have strong slothful and gluttonous tendencies and then proceed to blather on and lament that I’m such a victim to the 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics’ concept that “as usable energy is irretrievably lost, disorganization, randomness and chaos [and laziness and gluttony] increase.”

So I’m going to regularly feature how I overcome “lazy” in my life and hope to hear from others via comments, facebook, email, old-fashioned conversations and the like, how they’re overcoming laziness in their lives as well.

So here’s my first installment of HOW I OVERCAME LAZY THIS WEEK:



Off on our cookie run, literally!



After 3 rest days in a row, (which for me is 2 too many!) Monday was rolling around and another rest day was looking mighty appealing.  I missed my morning opportunity for a workout (too many chores around the house!) and evening was closing in fast so chances for an outdoor workout were quickly diminishing.  With it being the last day of the month, I realized that I needed to drop some cookies off to a friend (you know what I’m talking about fellow Visiting Teachers!).  However, I didn’t have the car to perform said task.

You see where I’m going with this, don’t you?  The weather was beautiful, the sun hadn’t set just yet, my friend’s house is a mere mile away….  So I had R hop on her bike, plunked Z into the stroller and off we went.  Sure, I probably grossed my friend out by showing up panting and sweaty on her doorstep (sorry, Alisa!) and it certainly wasn’t a killer workout, but I overcame you, Laziness!  Neener, neener, neener!