Sorry, I haven’t had anything up the last couple days.  Mike shared his stomach bug with me yesterday,  so no workout, but definitely a quick diet plan ;-(  Today, the day seems to be slipping away from me as well,  and yet at 8:36 pm, I still haven’t found time to make supper.   It’s probably one of our worst eating habits that we frequently don’t find supper until 9 or 10 in the evening.  If it were up to me I would grab a small sandwich or snack in the evening, but the kids and Mike are usually ready for a larger meal.  I usually have an evening appointment so when that’s finished I’m trying to figure out what to cook quick.  Now with basketball season, too often it’s hot dogs and nachos at a ball game, or pizza after.

I did get into the cc late this afternoon, and YEAH,  I found teammate Debbie getting a tour of the facility.  Her son Casey was coming out of the pool and youngest Dillon was in the nursery.  Glad to have one more friend to keep me in line while I’m up there.  When Debbie caught up with me, I was on the stair climber.  I usually just run on manual and turn it up as I want to, but today I stuck it on one of the strength training workouts.  20 minutes of three mountains to climb.  I really felt it by the time the 20 minutes were up. I’m not good at talking and doing anything else at the same time,  so, sorry, Debbie, I was probably huffing away at you.  Then I found my favorite treadmill open so I ran 1 mile to the sounds of  TranSiberrian Orchestra.  Ok, it was weird music but it definitely was energetic.  A little ab workout at the end and I was definitely was ready to go home.

At home, I found both my kids shooting baskets in the Rutland gym.  It was nice to know they were getting a little exercise as well.  Tomorrow morning we GET to start our day at 6:30 swimming.  Mike is SO excited.

I did sign up for the indoor “Try a Triathalon” at  the end of February.  It’s a shorter version of the triathalon we did in April, and it’s all inside.  6 laps in the pool, 6 miles on a stationary bike, and 1.5 miles on the treadmill.  So, here’s your suggestion for the day: Pick a goal that you can accomplish in the next month to six weeks.   Choose something that is not a weight loss goal, because well, we all have those goals, and it’s too easy for weight goals to be out of our controls. Maybe it’s running your first mile on the treadmill without stopping,  swim forty laps in the pool,  or maybe try the triathalon with me, or complete the entire Biggest Loser  dvd workout plan.  Pick something that has a definite beginning and an end, and then start working at it.  Plan your time around accomplishing your goal.  Let someone else in on your goal so you have someone who helps to encourage you.  Then make sure when you reach your achievement,  you reward yourself, and also, let us know, so we can cheer you on.

I spent the first half of today serving at Ester Brandes’ funeral.  She was one of the older ladies in the community that has  always stood out in the history of Madison.  She ran the paint store and had a big “Julia Child”-like voice and personality.  I bet half of Madison has at least one story about her or her late husband Joe.  Joe was Santa Claus in town for many years. She and her lady friends were known to frequent the coffee places around town, and whether I was their waitress or just caught up with them for a chat, I always enjoyed their warm hearts and well wishes.

Funny thing about funerals.  Just like every other gathering in SD, there must be food.  The family provided catering from Sunshine today.  Scalloped potatoes, coleslaw and the every present cake.  It was good, church food, and definitely a midwestern affair.
Years ago, I went to a funeral out East for my uncle.  It’s a much different tradition out there.  Instead of  being served by the church ladies in the church basement, the family made a huge spread at their house after the funeral.  The family spent hours and hours cooking and cleaning and preparing for everyone they knew to come and partake in this huge buffet.  As much as I appreciate all my aunt’s and her families efforts that day,  it seems we Midwesterners still take the more practical direction in our traditions.  Plus,  it gives the community a chance to offer its little bit of support to the family.

After the funeral,  I quick did my workout with Lisa.  Mike was under the weather so no workout for him.  You guys on our team are really going to have to get after him to kick it up a notch.  He did say he is losing some weight.  That’s good.  When Mike works out with me, I can pretty well predict how long an hour will be, but when he’s not there the hour seems to just fly by.  Lisa had us bike today and then do an arm and ab workout.  All those scalloped potatoes were trying to make their escape by the time we were done with the abs, so I was definitely  ready to be done.
This afternoon we took pictures at the Madison Dance Academy, 70 or so adorable young people from age 3 all the way up to 14.  I wish I had that much abounding energy.  I think the weight would just fall off then.
Suggestion for the day: ( I just read this one somewhere again,  but I can’t remember where–old age setting in. )  When eating out,  plan to eat less than the portions given.  Either get a doggy bag ahead of time and immediately put half of it away, or cut off half the proportion and put it to the side of your plate.  When you reach the end of your new smaller portion, cover your plate with your napkin to tell yourself that you are done.    When eating out,  I plan to share with one of my family members and they have gotten used to my doing this.  They can have whatever they want and I ask for an extra plate and  eat the smaller portion.  If I don’t think it will be enough, I order a side salad, with the dressing on the side to supplement the smaller portion.  Considering the size of most entrees, I’ve never left hungry.

Saturdays are our Mondays in the studio.  We are usually busy all day.  Studio appointments this time of year or weddings later in the spring.  The kids have two or three of their own activities, so juggling is usually the exercise of choice.  Yesterday was no exception.  Rachel had a dance recital planted in between our morning and afternoon appointments.  We had planned to workout to the Biggest Loser DVD, but we noticed when we received it that it was scratched and yesterday it wouldn’t work at all.  So no exercise.  Along with our busy days come bad eating choices.  It’s hard to find time to eat right.  We had a sandwich at Subway after the recital and then didn’t find our house for supper until almost 10:00.  It’s not uncommon for us on wedding days to have a large breakfast and not eat anything again until 9 or 10 at night.  Knowing that that is probably the worst eating pattern, I have tried to keep granola bars and water with us to keep us from “manging” on wedding mints and punch.  Almost all diet plans suggest eating consistently throughout the day so you are never starving yourself.  Smaller portions more often.  You’re also supposed to plan your meals so you don’t  find yourself in situations where you have to starve or grab fast/convenience food.  When we are in Rutland, it’s not so bad, but if we are out on sessions, it’s easy for all of those rules to go out the window.

Today, Mike and I both woke up achey, not sure if it was a touch of virus or all that time couped up with little exercise made us stiff and cranky.  Late this afternoon, I convinced Mike we needed to go work out.  The CC was busy tonight.  The sunshine must have made everybody feel more active.  I did a good cardio workout.  20 min on the stationary bike, 10 sets of stairs, and a mile on the treadmill.   I felt a lot better when I was done.  My mind was more active and I wasn’t as achey or cranky.  The endorphins must have worked.
It looks like it’s finally going to be a beautiful week, so here’s my suggestion for the day:  Play outside.  Bundle up and take a walk.  Make a snow fort or go sledding with the kids.  Trudge through some snow.  If you have the time, try snowshoeing,  cross country skiing or snowboarding.  Have fun while the weather’s on our side.  The sunlight will make you feel great, and when you come in, you can splurge on hot chocolate.

Yesterday, cold again and stuck in the house/studio again.  Someone said-33 below the night before.  I know it felt cold in the house.  I decided to make banana bread with some bananas that were ripening.  Not sure the calories are really good in banana bread, but I did switch half the white flour for fresh ground whole wheat and then added about 1/4 cup ground flax.  I figured that additional nutrition doesn’t hurt.  Plus, a new step for me, when it came out of the oven, I immediately cut it in half and put half in the freezer.  That meant everyone had some banana bread, but the whole loaf wasn’t sitting there tempting us all day.

By 3:00, I had had enough of tripping over whining kids who had been locked in too long, so we loaded up the van and headed to the cc.  I expected it to be busy, but it was really quiet.  I don’t know if everyone was bundled in tight or what.  Anyway, Rachel went swimming for a little while and then found a friend to hang out with.  Dacey forgot his clothes, but was able to challenge his mother at racquetball. (Make sure this time of year, you throw your extra tennies in the trunk, because the cc doesn’t really appreciate the wet shoes on the floors or equipment. )  After the kids burned off a little energy, I noticed a marked improvement in their attitudes and cooperation.  Probably we all feel that way if we are cooped up too long.

Besides the racquetball,  I did get my run in, shot a few baskets, and did a little ab workout.  When we looked at the clock, we all managed to lose about two hours up there.  Then we went to visit my grandmother.  Although the years are beginning to show its wear on my grandmother, at almost 89, my grandmother has amazed us at how she has worked to preserved her mental acuity.  Her family has a history of Alzheimers. Yet my grandmother still does her crossword puzzles and word puzzles everyday, still loves to work on picture puzzles and works to stay active in our family social life.
Always in tune to keeping my own mental acuity in check, I just read an article in this month’s Women’s Health online, “Twelve Steps to Boost Your Brain Power.” The first one was to dance. The music and the steps uses all different parts of your brain.  I can’t dance , and look as awkward as a horse doing the cha-cha,  but last year Rachel and I did take a Zumba class up at the cc, and we had a blast.  It’s a low impact aerobic class based on Latin Music.  You learn some basic steps and get your heart moving while laughing at how silly you are.  Rachel was nine at the time and wasn’t the youngest in the class, and then there were ladies in their sixties and seventies that were keeping up better than I was.  So, if you are looking for something easy and fun, give it a try.  I think it’s Mondays from 5:45 to 6:30.

Ok , so back to the article.  The second suggestion was laugh. –Well the zumba class just proved I’m good at laughing at myself.  Otherwise, find your grandchildren or borrow someone else’s.  Little ones can’t help but put a smile on my face.

Almost every article I’ve read lately has suggested the power of eggs.  I get the best eggs straight from my mom’s farm.  The Brain Power article suggests that egg yolks are better that spinach as far as lutein, because it’s easier to absorb the ingredients in the egg.  If you are high in cholesterol, mix one egg yolk to every two egg whites.  Egg yolks are also supposed to be high in antioxidants for women’s  health.

Another brain booster the article suggested was adding spices.  Their suggestions were Rosemary, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Basil, Oregano, Thyme and Sage.  Almost all those basics you can play with instead of  Salt.  I’m not much of a salt eatier, so adding other kicks  makes me happy.

Finally, the article suggested the regular hints you hear, like read a book, study a foreign languare, get enough sleep.  All those things you know we should do anyway.  So suggestion for Today:  Turn off the tv, turn up the music, do a little cha-cha for me.  Then do a crossword puzzle or help your son with his algebra. You will feel that gray matter perking up,  and  you will be adding one more step to a healthier 2010.

Thanks again, for the new members of the team;  we are so excited to have you join.  If you haven’t joined a Fitness Challenge Team yet, here’s your last call.  You need to email your weight in today to weighins@yahoo.com.  Let them know you are on the Black Studios team.  Then email us to let us know your email address and your mailing address. Mike needs a few more men to keep him in line, so, guys, listen to your wives, or listen to me, and sign up today.

Lisa was tough on us today.  We went early for our workout, trying to get home before the wind picked up.  She had us run the treadmill.  As I said before running isn’t exciting for me.  Today, she wanted us to run  one and half miles.  Yes, I know, I’m a wimp, but anything after 1 mile and I start seeing stars.  I did it! Yeah!  without stopping or falling off the treadmill.  Dacey’s Christmas present to me,  a wireless mp3 player, really helps.  I can find a tune with a little beat and it helps me pace a little better and not think so much about the fact that I am falling apart.  (lungs hurting, side hurting, bladder exploding–why am I doing this?)  Anyway, we survived that and then continued with a leg and abs workout that included lunges, squats with weights, and a new toy:  Remember those fun little scooter we used to sit on and scoot around in relay races in elementary school.  Who knew they make great torture games for trainers.  We used them in plank fashion to push ourselves across the floor.  It looks like fun — but as usual, I have little core strength and the two lengths of the aerobic room were more than enough fun for me.   We finished with Lisa’s ritual ab workout.  Mike was whining a lot so Lisa let us end five minutes early.  Thank you, Lisa.

I came home craving beef stew.  Unfortunately, blizzards make me feel like hot chocolate, beef stew, homemade bread, brownies, –any other comfort foods I can find.  Having kids snowed in with me doesn’t help.  Tomorrow doesn’t look  like we will be wandering out too far.  The interstate is closed at 7 pm and the winds are suppose to increase as the temperatures drop.  We will have to figure out how to get moving and eat healthy while stuck in our little house.  Any suggestions?