Resolve

I'm not sure why people make resolutions. So few of us keep them. But we keep trying, and I guess that's a small victory. That we don't just say "screw it." and walk away.
I found a new toy over the holiday from work. It's called "Fitocracy". It takes working out and makes it like a game. You log your workouts and you get points. There are quests and achievements and there's groups of peeps you can join and compete with. It is entertaining and I find myself trying to work in some exercise just so i can log it and get points. Hey, I use whatever works.
I like to keep my resolution list short and concise, mostly because there's so much I need to improve I think I might need about 3 different lists. One for my health, one for my finances, one for my general state of being. But since I don't think anyone here cares overmuch if I vow to knit more, I'll give you the short version.

1. Make Cracksandwiches a once-a-week thing, instead of an every other day thing.

2. Hit the gym 2 times a week. At least.

3. Work my program. Track the points, pay attention to what I'm doing.

There, those are my three big ones. What are some of yours? What do you resolve to do in the coming year? Do you make the same resolutions every year? Or do you have an ongoing outline and just review it at the end of every year. Checking off what you've accomplished, refining and reorganizing as you go?

But have a cup of kindness, my friends, and let's drink to auld lang syne.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Pudding

Have you ever noticed that holiday foods always outlast the holidays? The trifle, the pie, the ham and the roast beast that hover around your kitchen for at least 3 or so days until someone eventually gets tired of looking at it and boots it out with the trash? I'm not usually one who overeats on the actual day of the festivities, due to the fact that I've spent most of the day helping to prepare it. Once you've spent the better part of a day working on a meal, the desire to actually consume it yourself fades away. But I am a grazer. After all the relatives are gone, the trash is out and we're just vegging out, I'll be poking thru the fridge, finding something to snack on. Since I didn't eat much during the meal, I'm likely a bit peckish. And the next day, since we're all done cooking for a bit, we all have ham and turkey sandwiches for lunch and dinner. So I contend that Christmas pounds are not gained by one day's feasting, but by a string of days that, individually, are not so bad, but taken together, add up to some serious pudding, especially around our midsections.
But what the hell, it's only once a year.

Noel

Happy Holidays to all, be you far or near
Season's best to you and great good cheer
Be loved, be happy
Be Blessed.

Eating My Heart Out

Sorry I left you for a bit of a while my friends. The dirigible of work stress just went all Hindenburg on me and I've just been trying to hack my way through the last bit of time before holiday break. Which brings me to a topic of some interest...why do you eat? We all know that what we eat is important, but sometimes just as important is why we eat it. When you are stressed out, sad, happy, angry or what have you, is the kitchen your first stop? Here lately, I've been depressed about my job, my hubby's solution to this problem is taking me out to dinner. Hard day at work? Stop by the local Olive Garden for a bowl of pasta and a Crown & Coke. Stressed? Soda will dull the nasty edge of headaches.
Food becomes more than just a way to fuel our bodies. Now, I grant you, even without it's emotional suitcases that it totes about, food is high art. It's edible science. A way to express anything from love to gratitude to get well soon. But when we let food become our security blanket, then it becomes a problem. That's always been something that is hard for me to get away from, that emotional eating. It is, after all, bred in us from the cradle practically.
So what can we turn to in our times of high tension? The gym is rarely as soothing as a cookie. But how about a cup of tea? There is not much that is better for you than a nice hot cuppa. So I think this is something I will attempt, before reaching for the fridge, let's reach for our teapots and kettles. Trying, of course, to ignore the tea biscuits that tend to go with it.
But hey, they call it comfort food for a reason.

Mayday

The Mayday call goes back to 1923, when it was adopted as a international distress signal for aviators and mariners. The call is always given three times in succession, along with name of craft or call sign, position or heading and help that is requested.
We talk about help a lot in my meetings. How to ask for it, how to get along without it. Because even when folks want you to be successful, they don't always want to have to change what they do. After all, they aren't the ones who are overweight. They aren't the ones with a problem. It's a quandary. Because to be successful at weight loss, you have to be able to control your environment to some degree. Now I don't think that because I'm watching what I eat, that no one out to dinner with me can eat dessert. That's silly. But if you know that soda is my weakness/addiction, why would you bring them into my house? And why, for one minute, would you think that I would not drink them? There is a reason I don't bring ice cream, cookies or regular sodas into my house. Because if I had any willpower, I wouldn't be 30 pounds overweight, now would I?

It's hard to ask for help. It's hard to send out that Mayday call. Not because it's so hard to ask those we love for help, but because sometimes, the answer is no.