It's Definitely Monday

I had a lot of work to do today so I decided to get up extra early.  And my boss was coming over to go over Quickbooks stuff so I wanted to clean my workspace a little.  I've been after Mike to find the box to some binoculars he bought because I needed the UPC for a rebate.  Well guess what happened when I went through the pile on my desk?  Yep, I found the flattened box.  Oops.  I'm such a piler when it comes to personal paperwork.  I need to work on that.

I've started a 3 week cleanse to try and drop the few pounds I gained over the Holidays.  I should NEVER stop recording my food in Myfitnesspal because that is what happens.  You would think I would learn!  I'd been going gluten free for several days, but then my pal and I saw JJ Virgin on the Rachael Ray show while walking on the gym treadmills.  She promotes going Gluten, Soy, Dairy, Corn, Egg, Peanut, and Sugar free for 3 weeks.  Then each week you will try adding gluten, soy, dairy, or egg back in and see how you feel. (She never wants you to add back in Peanut, Corn, and Sugar).  I KNOW that eating gluten makes me feel sluggish and like I have a basketball in my stomach, but I hadn't thought about eliminating the rest, except for peanuts of course.  That's easy with Caroline's allergy.  I'm on day 4 and I feel really good.  I had a headache the first couple of days, but not anymore.  Just what am I eating you ask?  Well, I'm drinking a rice protein smoothie for breakfast and lunch and for dinner so far I've kept it pretty much the same each night.  I'll have something like a chicken breast, a sweet potato, and asparagus.  Saturday night, Mike and I went to Outback and I had a 6 oz filet, sweet potato, and broccoli. I also have 2 snacks.  So far they've been turkey slices rolled up with guacamole and brown rice cakes with almond butter.   I've done many different "diets" in the past.  But since I turned 35 the same things don't seem to work anymore.  So I'm giving this a whirl. 

After I made my smoothie, Caroline wanted one.  I have a Blendtech...it has a lawnmower motor...sometimes it's a little scary. I've made many smoothies in it, but today the lid popped off, the frozen banana went flying through the air, and smoothie went all over the counter and cabinets.  Fun.  Then I proceeded to break the handle on my toilet.  More fun.  I told Mike about everything and he texted "Happy Monday".  I'm just glad this happened on Day 4 of the Virgin diet and not Day 1 or 2 because I would have probably given up and eaten some cheese pretzels or something!

If you're interested in the Virgin Diet read the reviews here. 

Fitbit Fanatic

I confess.  I'm a Fitbit fanatic.  A few months ago, I decided I wanted to start making sure I was getting 10,000 daily steps.  I researched a few pedometers and settled on the Fitbit.  We have literally been attached at the hip, and sometimes bra, since then.  It goes everywhere with me and tracks my daily activity.  If I forget, and leave it at home, I will turn the car around to retrieve it.  Usually to whines of "Uggghhhh, not the Fitbit again!" from the backseat.  There have been a couple of times that I have driven to a local park or trail to run and didn't remember until I got there that I'd left it.  And I feel like it's all in vain because those steps are not being recorded.  Isn't that crazy?  But, it has kept me on track with my exercise.  I love scrolling through the the little screen during the day to check my steps taken, calories burned, floors/stairs climbed, miles traveled, and flower growth.  Yes, I said flower growth.  One screen sports a little flower that continues to grow if you stay active.  Caroline loves to check it during the day to see how tall it is. Since it is early in the day and I've only traveled around the kitchen, it is just a sprout right now.

This handy little gadget also came with a wristband for wearing it when you sleep. It monitors how restful you are sleeping by how much movement you make.  I was pretty much getting 99% sleep efficiency every night, so I don't track that anymore.  Mine just takes a break on the nightstand.  And in the morning, when I pick it up, it says things like Move it, Burn it, Howdy, Love Ya, and other cute motivating sentiments.  

If you want to track your food, you can do so on the Fitbit website.  I use MyFitnessPal for that, and guess what, it integrates with Fitbit.  So, if I forget to record my activity in MyFitnessPal, Fitbit will do it for me.  I just love this little motivator.  It was really an eye opener.  On days that I work and spend most of the day at the computer, I usually only get around 2,500 steps.  It makes me want to get out in the evening and at least take a walk around the neighborhood to get some exercise in.  It has paid off because I've lost some weight and inches and I feel better.  So, get a pedometer. I bet you'll be surprised at your steps.  Well, gotta get moving.  My Fitbit dashboard says I've only walked 32% of my 70,000 weekly steps.