Brownies...

Brownies with a Difference!
by Rich Deem

Many parents are hard pressed to explain to their youth why some music, movies, books, and magazines are not acceptable material for them to bring into the home or to listen to or see.

One parent came up with an original idea that is hard to refute. The father listened to all the reasons his children gave for wanting to see a particular PG-13 movie. It had their favorite actors. Everyone else was seeing it. Even church members said it was great. It was only rated PG-13 because of the suggestion of sex--they never really showed it. The language was pretty good--the Lord's name was only used in vain three times in the whole movie.

The teens did admit there was a scene where a building and a bunch of people were blown up, but the violence was just the normal stuff. It wasn't too bad. And, even if there were a few minor things, the special effects were fabulous and the plot was action packed.

However, even with all the justifications the teens made for the PG-13 rating, the father still wouldn't give in. He didn't even give his children a satisfactory explanation for saying, "No." He just said, "No!"

A little later on that evening the father asked his teens if they would like some brownies he had baked. He explained that he'd taken the family's favorite recipe and added a little something new. The children asked what it was.

The father calmly replied that he had added dog poop. However, he quickly assured them, it was only a little bit. All other ingredients were gourmet quality and he had taken great care to bake the brownies at the precise temperature for the exact time. He was sure the brownies would be superb.

Even with their father's promise that the brownies were of almost perfect quality, the teens would not take any. The father acted surprised. After all, it was only one small part that was causing them to be so stubborn. He was certain they would hardly notice it. Still the teens held firm and would not try the brownies.

The father then told his children how the movie they wanted to see was just like the brownies. Our minds lead us into believing that just a little bit of evil won't matter. But, the truth is even a little bit of poop makes the difference between a great treat and something disgusting and totally unacceptable.

The father went on to explain that even though the movie industry would have us believe that most of today's movies are acceptable fare for adults and youth, they are not.

Now, when this father's children want to see something that is of questionable material, the father merely asks them if they would like some of his special dog poop brownies. That closes the subject.

Back in the groove...

I feel so much better when I'm eating right and exercising!! Why is it so hard to do this long term instead of thinking of it as a weight loss only goal, or a "diet". I hate that word by the way. I'm not on a diet. I'm eating healthfully!
So I started out slow yesterday, mostly because I wasn't quite sure what type of weight lifting/strengthening exercises I was going to do, so I just decided to do interval cardio. I did 20 minutes on the stair mill. I am so out of shape!! I have a very strong core, but because I hadn't been doing consistent cardio, I was wiped out! Today I was at the gym at 8am! That might not seem like anything special to you, but that's a near miracle for me! I did a bunch of lunges, push-ups, squats, overhead presses, plank, bird dog, some pilates (which felt a little strange in a corner of a gym), then cardio. Unfortunately my fun watch/heart rate monitor is on the fritz and was only recording my heart rate for about 5 seconds out of every minute. I'm going to have to check the battery.

Also, I am so very excited. This Saturday I am going to my first running class in preparation for a 1/2 marathon and Pear Blossom run ( I think it's a 10k). I have always enjoyed running, but my body seems to not enjoy it as much, as I always end up hurting in one place or another. I figure this is from not having the right shoes and running on crowned roads...and probably starting out to hard (I'm not very patient). Anyway, this class will be great as we are all beginners, and it will be good motivation to be running with others. We'll see if I actually make it to the 1/2 marathon. So far that is not really a goal, as I feel like I have a ton of other things on my plate right now, but we'll see how it goes.

Last night I taught my first Pilates class for the community college. There are 8 students (including my dear Mom). I was SOO nervous as I kind of felt like an imposter pretending to be a Pilates instructor. There is still so much I feel I have to learn. Anyway, I had copious notes that I studied (so I wouldn't have to read them all to the class). Since it is a college course, I felt like a proper introduction to Pilates was needed instead of just jumping into the exercises without any knowledge about the key principles. After all the talking I did, we only had time for 1 exercise, Pelvic Curl, which is one of the warm-up exercises we do at the beginning of almost every class. Tomorrow should be more fun as we delve into more exercises.

Starting tomorrow...

I am such a nut job. My relationship with food is odd. I do not consider myself an emotional eater, but once I am off the proverbial wagon, I am WAY off. As in, let's eat every bad thing that is within reach because I know when the new year starts I'll start eating healthier. I am going to start going back to the gym because this is what I am most consistent at. Working out from home is good in theory, but I just have a hard time implementing it on a daily basis. Plus, I think for me being home most of the day every day, getting out to go somewhere (even the gym) is exciting. I'm actually looking forward to using the Stair Mill again (the machine with the rotating stairs)....it is my favorite cardio machine, and I've missed it these last several (8 or so) months.
Tomorrow I also start teaching a new Pilates class for the community college. I'm trying to look forward to it...right now I'm just nervous and tired just thinking about it.
I've ordered the new book by Tom Venuto "The Body Fat Solution: Five Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscles, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight". Tom is a very well respected voice in the fitness industry, so I think it's going to be a useful tool. I also ordered a Wii game called My Fitness Coach, which has gotten good reviews on Amazon, so I think it will be fun. Have you noticed that I need a LOT of variety in my workouts. Mostly though I just need to get my head in the game and think of this as life long healthy living, not a diet or a lose weight fast plan. I just need to eat healthy and exercise. How hard is that??? Seriously, for me it's 90% mental, and it takes a lot of focus to keep my head in the right place. I wish I were one of those people who just craved vegetables, and loved drinking spinach smoothies, and loved to get up at o'dark thirty every morning to get a workout in. I guess I just need to remind myself I'm worth it, and it's never going to be easy.

My plan is to eat the way I know I need to, not with any set diet plan or rules, but I did Body for Life long enough that I know what healthy eating consists of. I won't be counting calories, but will attempt to eat 5-6 small meals a day consisting of about 250 calories each. I need to drink WAY more water than I have been lately. I will be having a free day once a week, because this keeps me sane and generally increases the likelihood of my success. I will be doing interval cardio combine with some combination of Turbulence Training style weight lifting, as well as trying to get more Pilates in for myself.

I have a specific weight I would like to get to, but more than that I need to decrease my body fat a LOT! I bought new running shoes, which I hope to use on the days I can't make it to the gym.

Wish me luck!!