One month down, two weeks to go

I have now made it a full month straight without drinking alcohol. As part of my experiment, I decided to keep a log of my observations and feelings throughout the process. The first 16 days can be found here.

As for Days 17-31, much of it was riddled with allergy attacks, which left me not even wanting to eat very much, let alone think about the drinks I might be missing. Here's some observations from these two weeks where I did have the opportunity to stick to my promise:

Day 17: I likely would have attended a wine tasting tonight, but made a conscious decision not to when making this pledge. Even if I would have enjoyed the food, no reason to put myself through that kind of torture! But it was a tough day at work and I was exhausted by my post-work haircut. I would have had a glass of wine but opted for coffee instead. Drinks skipped = 1.

Day 18: Couples' night out. We did pick a restaurant (Indian) where it was easier for me to skip wine (and for one of the others to skip chocolate, which she gave up), but I still would have liked to have a glass. Drinks skipped = 1.

Day 20: Two opportunities today: after work gathering with co-workers, and then Adam made spaghetti for dinner, which we usually enjoy with red wine. If I was drinking and had to pick, I would have probably picked dinner's beverage. Drinks skipped = 1.

Day 22: At the end of a 2-day allergy bout, I got a little jealous when Adam grabbed a beer before bed...until I remembered he bought me some ginger beers. It was delicious. Realized I just wanted a festive beverage.

Day 25: Went out for tapas with sis and bro-in-law. If I was drinking, I would have had mojitos there, and then Adam and I probably would have hit the piano bar in the complex for more entertainment (and drinks). Over the course of a long night, I estimate drinks skipped = 3.

Day 27: Volunteer meeting after work. My volunteer "boss" remembered my pledge and made a point to be sure I could have some sparkling water. I really appreciated that! It was festive enough that I didn't miss the wine. Skipped drink = 1.

Day 29: Now that I've made it past the four week mark, realize I don't miss alcohol so much, but do have moments where I miss it intensely. I guess we want what we can't have, right? At this point, I'm starting to think about what my stance will be when Lent is done. I've noticed I attend a lot of functions where it is very easy to allow myself a glass. Beginning to wonder if I should form a framework...maybe only have one if I've worked out that day, or limit just to weekends. I feel confident I can make it.

Day 30: After an intensely stressful afternoon, the confidence almost gets thrown out the window. Adam has restocked the house with beer and red wine. I almost give in, thinking 30 days is a significant achievement. But then Adam reminds me how good the beer with the crawfish he's promised me at the end will be, and I realize I can't give it. It won't be as special! I settle for sniffing the beer bottle.

Day 31: Leadership class day. A lot of my classmates want to know what differences I'm seeing...have I lost any weight etc? I really haven't, but I have noticed I didn't have the big mid-semester weight gain I usually have, so that's a victory. Skipped drink (at happy hour) = 1.

Skipped drink total these two weeks = 8, total = 27.

So two weeks to go. In there, I will have my allergy treatment and recovery, so plenty of time to think how I will return to normal life!

One quarter down...

It's hard to believe a fourth of the year is gone already. I thought it might be a good time to check in and see how I'm progressing on my 2011 plan:

1. Running: I've run 1 of 8 races promised this year. I'm signed up for another on 4/23. I had to back out of the Rodeo Run due to an injury flare up. Thanks to my allergy issues as of late, I've had plenty of time to rest and heal. I'd like to get in at least one more before the heat of summer, if possible.
2. Staying active: My workout streak peaked at 62 days, ending in mid-February due to mentioned injury flare. Not bad to work out 2 months straight! I have logged 3063 minutes the first 90 days, an average of 34 minutes a day, and that counts my 13 days off. That's a good pace...if I take off 13 days a quarter, that's 52 a year...allowing plenty of room for wiggle in the 300 on/65 off plan. Just like last year, January was my strongest month. The challenge will continue to see if I can pick it back up.
3. Eating/tracking: I will admit I've been hit or miss with tracking on Weight Watchers. I do at least log my activity there. I have still lost and kept off a good 5 pounds since Thanksgiving. If I can become more active again over the summer when my schedule eases, I may get to that under 150 goal after all this year (only 2.4 away).
4. Professionally: I took my CFRE course, applied for the exam an am now just waiting for them to approve my application so I can test in June. I plan to do a lot of studying later this month (flash card time!).
5. Personally: I'm almost done with book 6 for the year, so almost 3 ahead of schedule on my 1/month plan. 2 were fiction, 2 were leadership related and 2 were how-to styles. A decent blend, I'd say. I have some running books on the horizon that should be fun as I pick up my training, as well as some more fiction planned for summer vacation.

A good start to the year, I'd say. Further along on some goals than others, but hope to still make progress in all areas this year, even if I don't hit the goals perfectly.

It is about balance among the chaos after all, right? (Must remember this when I feel overwhelmed...I can do a lot but can't do it all perfectly!)

16 days down, 30 to go

When I made my Lenten pledge to give up alcohol, I decided it would be neat to keep a log of my thoughts and experiences during this experiment. As an adult, I've become much more interested in science and logic ... plus, I noticed many other blogs and articles online from folks who gave up drinking for a period and they were pretty interesting.

Since it would practically be a book if I waited until Easter, I decided to post in phases. So here's the first third:

Day 1-Had a tough day at work, and by 3 p.m. I was already questioning my pledge and resolve. The more I thought about it, I was really just tired. Though when I got home, I noticed a few bottles of wine in the fridge that will go bad by Easter as they are sweeter wines than Adam likes. Probably would have had one glass that night.

Day 2-I am already noticing a reduction in the redness (think rosacea) on my face. Does alcohol really affect me that severely? Met my buddy Felicia for happy hour and the employee at Chacho's looked at me like I was crazy when I didn't order a drink. I would have had a frozen Jack and Coke. Skipped drink count to date = 2.

Day 3-Leadership Houston class day, which always ends with happy hour. Enjoyed club soda with lime. It was fizzy and festive enough. My not drinking offered solidarity to another classmate who is pregnant and almost didn't come to happy hour since she couldn't drink. Also noticed I felt more engaged in conversations. Afterwards, made a better dinner choice of a salad...probably would have gotten a burger or something fried otherwise. Also learned that my friends are closely following my adventure and that it is making them think about their experiences with alcohol. Skipped drinks to date = 4.

Day 4-Went to Easter Seals crawfish boil with Adam. Actually had 2 charity event options that day, but Tequila Throwdown would have just been too much to bear. This was the first time I truly missed a drink as a beer would have been nice to quench the saltiness of the crawfish. This is the day Adam first points out that I am likely substituting sweets for alcohol. It was a nice night, weather wise, and thought about wine on the patio, which I also missed. Skipped drinks total = 6.

Day 5-Put in almost a full day at the office, even though it was Sunday. As I walked to my car, realized I'd normally reward myself with wine for working so hard. I found this interesting as I've heard of people using food as a reward. Instead, I put Crystal Light tea in a wine glass, which was delicious. Skipped total = 7.

Day 6-Home sick with allergies and a dentist appointment. Did not feel like eating much, so it was easy not to crave anything with dinner. I even skipped brownies afterwards!

Day 7-Did not even think about drinks today, but did have to start turning down offers of drinks at the rodeo for the coming weekend.

Day 8-Pottery night with the girls. The bottle of wine on the table wasn't even a temptation as I was too zoned in on my painting. Remarked at the irony there was a glass or two left in it at the end of the night.

Day 9-St. Patty's Day, but this was not a problem as we hadn't been out since '08 (though this was the day I attended rodeo in '10). However, when I got home, I would have loved to have a drink and nap...instead, have a cupcake (green velvet and my first sweets since Sunday) and a gym trip. What a great swap!

Day 10-Rodeo round 1. Big props to my buddy Jose, who showed solidarity and also did not drink...if we would have drank, we'd have likely split a bottle of wine. It was VERY interesting to observe others' behavior sober! Feeling very alert even after a busy week. Skipped drink count = 9.

Day 11-Rodeo round 2, the full day. Apparently, I missed out on something called milk punch (offered twice), as well as mimosas and other drinks. Determined that I skipped 5 drink options over the course of the 12 hours. Susan and I splurged instead on fried sweets (I had a snickers) and funnel cake. Skipped total = 14.

Day 12-Despite eating like a pig Friday and Saturday, gained no weight! Felt a bit tired but recovered quicker than if I'd been hungover. Might have had a glass of wine on the the patio this evening...had a hard time unwinding today. Skipped total = 15.

Day 13-Off work today. I'm down 1.4 pounds from last week! Loaded up on water and iced tea, then noticed craving a glass of wine in the evening just for a different flavor. Had some lime LaCroix instead which knocked out bubbly and sweet at once. Skipped total = 16.

Day 14-Long stressful day making up from being off the day before (hello 70 emails!). Would have had wine when I got home but went for a walk instead. Skipped total = 17.

Day 15-This was the hardest day yet. Was in meetings nearly all day. This led to scarfing 3 orange rolls at my dinner meeting! First time in two weeks I felt regret at my pledge. Would have had wine when I got home. Skipped total = 18.

Day 16-Skipped champagne at tonight's meeting. And after consuming a very large cupcake after lunch, decide it's time to give sweets the boot...at least during the week. I am likely undoing the benefits of skipping alcohol calories and eating more sweets than I usually do. Find it interesting that when you take one vice away, another can creep in. Vow to try not to have sweets for at least a week and see how I feel. Skipped total = 19.

So what have I learned so far?

1. If you add up 19 drinks for at least 100 calories each, I've lost at least half a pound just by not drinking. And the other pound I lost is probably from better food choices (save the sweets) and more consistent exercising.
2. I find it easy to crave an adult beverage when stressed or tired. I've started substituting exercise in more.
3. I attend a lot of meetings and social functions where alcohol is present. Therefore, even if I reduce my consumption once Lent is done (versus resuming normal levels), I will still need to work at holding back.
4. I'm probably noticing the drinks I've "skipped" because I am thinking about it more. I probably don't crave drinks this often usually...maybe it's withdrawals?

It will be interesting to see what the next two weeks bring. Rodeo was a big challenge, but I'm proud I stuck to my guns.

71 shots

No, I didn't fall off the wagon. That's how many times my arms got poked last week when I visited the allergist. Though I've lived in Houston before, my seasonal allergies became unbearable last year. I lost most of April to the sniffles, sneezes and congestion. I had some challenges this fall but not as many.

So when I woke up on Feb. 28 miserable with hay fever, I decided enough was enough. I called my doctor and got a referral to Houston Allergy & Asthma Associates. My appointment was last week.

It was a pretty efficient experience. I was taken back to the exam room within 5-10 minutes of arriving. I had my vitals taken and had to do a quick breathing test. I scored 400 when 480 is ideal, so this day, I was not too badly affected.

The doctor followed pretty quickly after the nurse. He was willing to bet I was allergic to trees and grasses, and wanted to test me on everything (but food) to be sure. For the testing to be effective, you're supposed to be off antihistamines for five days. I took one Sunday morning, and this was Thursday afternoon, so I was borderline.

A quick first poke with the histamine (positive marker) showed I was reacting, and we could proceed. Before the poke, I was given 56 lovely lines up and down my forearms. Each line was a poke, and each poke, a tree, grass, mold, dust or other pollen. For the ones I had no reaction to, a second group of 15 more pokes were done on my right bicep.

The best news? I'm not allergic to pets (though I insisted if I was, I was still keeping Buddy!!). The bad news, I'm allergic to just about every tree, grass, weed, dust and mold ... except oak. The doctor said he would have lost money on that bet.

Since I am fairly healthy, he said I am an excellent candidate for immunotherapy. In the meantime, Zyrtec and Nasonex are my friends. This article which discusses the 100th anniversary of immunotherapy sums up why I'm willing to explore this option: sure, I can take meds for the rest of my life, and deal with losing days every year to illness. But if there's a chance that I could prevent the allergies from getting worse, avoiding possible asthma and possibly enjoy remission of my allergies, I think it's worth a try.

This will be a long-term commitment for me. I had to agree to stick with it for three to five years. I will begin at some point in the next month. I plan to start out with a rush treatment and take a day off work to get me to the monthly maintenance in one or two months versus six. It's more manageable on my schedule to take one sick day versus several hours a week for weeks on end, and may even save me some money doing it in one visit thanks to co-pays.

So a year ago, if you would have told me I'd be seeing my regular internist, plus an endocrinologist and an allergist twice a year, I would have laughed. But our bodies are like a car or house...you have to do maintenance to keep them running well. And I can't trade up for a new one if this one wears out so I'll do it.

I'm just thankful I have great insurance that makes this affordable. That could be a whole blog entry onto itself.

Off the sauce ... for now

After discussion of what I should give up for Lent generated 73 comments on my Facebook status the other night (possibly my most prolific post yet), I decided it was only fair to let everyone know what I picked and how I got there.

I have given up alcohol for Lent. No booze until April 24. I know, shocking! While I'm not really someone that goes overboard, I do enjoy a good glass of wine or a mixed drink, and with my work and social schedule of late, it's been more nights a week on than off. One has to think that may have a cumulative effect.

So as Mardi Gras approached, and my schedule began easing (the only night planned out this week being Fat Tuesday itself), I started thinking again on how I could continue to focus on my quest for health and well-being. I realized though raised as a Catholic, I have not given up anything for Lent in many years. I think my last true Lenten observance was 6 years ago, when I read The Purpose Driven Life each day.

So what to give up? Giving up something for Lent is supposed to be a true sacrifice, not something easy that you won't miss. And then it hit me.

Alcohol. THAT would be a challenge.

So I started testing it out and telling those closest to me on Monday. They were a bit surprised, and I think intrigued too. I started outlining the many reasons/benefits that were piling up in my brain:

• I bet it will help with my weight loss. It will help me cut back on empty calories. Maybe this is why it's been so hard to lose.
• It might help me sleep better.
• It will help with my 10k training.
• It will save me money.
• It will help keep me from eating the wrong stuff, which I tend to do once I've had a drink or two.
• It's a convenient time of year to try it. Many people give up something this time of year. Less peer pressure!
• And finally, I'm just curious to see if I CAN. If I could work out for 62 days straight, surely I can do this for 46?

Yes, I admit, it wasn't religious reasons, but health reasons (and just plain spite) that pushed me over. Because I briefly debated giving up sweets instead. Sure, those are empty calories too. So why not sweets? Because I don't have them often enough to be a true sacrifice. And if presented with a plate of cookies or a glass of wine, I can have one cookie and stop. I can't just have one sip of wine. It would feel weird and wasteful.

In making my choice, I carefully thought through my schedule for this month (the halfway point). There's pretty much an event or two a week that involve alcohol. But I plan to enjoy the activities without it. I'll probably even paint a better piece of pottery next week!

This got me thinking that it might be too easy for me as an adult to reach for a tasty beverage in a social situation, without thinking if I really want/need it. There's nothing wrong with having them, and I don't want anyone to think I'm judging since I'm often in that camp. But I've decided to treat this as a little experiment ... what if I just focus on interactions with friends and colleagues at these events, rather than the beverages? How will the experience be different? As long as I'm enjoying myself and the company, I'm predicting the activities will still be fun. Maybe this will also help me be more selective of how to spend my free time and help ease the overflowing plate.

Because after all, it's all about the relationships in our life. And I'm just taking a small break from mine with alcohol to focus on the one I have with my health. It will be interesting to see what the end result will be.

Back to basics

After nearly a week of suffering allergy-inflicted sinus irritation, and nearly a month since I strained my foot, I was anxious to get back to some activity as soon as I felt able. I will say, I'm proud that I found ways around my injury to stay active (mostly through some light walking), but I really missed a great, calorie burning, sweat inducing workout.

I started slow Friday night with stationary cycle and most of my weights routine (I'm still a little slow to put all the leg weights back in due to the strain). It felt good, good enough to want to take a Zumba class Saturday. It was great but it kicked my butt! It was almost like hot yoga! (Which by the way, I think I'll go back to on Sunday, and just omit any moves that hurt my foot too much.)

Random passing thoughts tend to roam my brain during these workouts, and one was the realization that next week, I'm only out on the town one night. So besides working the basketball game today and going in tomorrow to do paperwork, I have a lighter schedule again. The rest of the month is not too bad...maybe 2 nights a week out, and a few things scattered on the weekends.

This got me thinking it's time to take advantage of this lull and get back to basics. I need to re-implement what worked so well in late December and January:

• Eating more fruits & veggies. Remember my nothing but fruit & veg after dinner rule? That went by the wayside fast with the schedule. And also, I need to stop eating dessert at all these catered functions I'm attending. Sure, it may be tasty, but is it worth the sweat later? Between that and the yummy cheesecake I made, it's no wonder I'm a little bloated this week. Dessert should be like what eating out was when I was growing up: for special occasions and to be savored.
• Getting serious workouts in. Walking will go back to the last resort workout. It would be nice if I didn't take any more days off this month. The 6 for the year is not bad, but I want to save up "off" days for later in the year when I'll be busier again. I plan to get back to yoga, elliptical, weights and eventually, running (right now, I can stand about 5 minutes a week broken up into intervals). I have 7 weeks until the next race.
• Focusing on a good night's sleep. I've been slacking in this department too. The recent allergy bout reminded me I'm best on 8 hours a night. I will work to manage my time better to make this a priority.

And that's just the health and fitness goals. With more free time this month, I need to tend to items at Casa Burns again (especially the taxes!).

Sometimes, the ebb and flow of life amazes me. I must remind myself that we all have a certain amount of control over it, and for the rest, just go with it and enjoy the ride.

You deserve a break...

I will admit, it's been a tough few weeks for me. February brought a flurry of activity at work and in my volunteering, and I was feeling the toll.

After 62 days, I took a day off from working out. It came at the end of one of my busiest weeks, and I was in the middle of the CFRE review course. My foot was seizing up a bit from sitting in conference for 2 days straight. Since I was in pain, I decided it was not worth making it worse.

Days 2 and 3 for the year came the next week, more from exhaustion than anything. Days 4 and 5 (yesterday and today) came from an early attack of spring allergies. When your head feels like it's going to pop off, a walk outside is the last thing you want to do.

Despite the 4 days off in February, I still managed 869 minutes of activity, 2260 for the year so far. That's about 37 hours! My average is still about 38 minutes a day, so that dropped about 6.5 minutes

On the weight loss front, needless to say that's been a challenge too. I've had several patches this month where I was busy and decided not to watch what I ate. Combine that with being sick and not wanting to eat (and not judging myself for what I did when I did), it all evened out. I bloated back up to 154 for a while but that was water retention. I'm back to 150.8 as of today.

So what does all this prove? It's OK to be human. It's OK to take a break. Sometimes, your body forces you to (as it's done for me the last 2 days). Other than not running a race this month due to healing, I'm not that far off my plan for the year.

So why am I so hard on myself?

Dr. Oz tweeted a great article from the New York Times citing research that shows we should show ourselves more compassion. Basically, it states that we aren't perfect, and instead of being hard on ourselves for it, we should show ourselves sympathy like we would someone else in the situation.

So I'm going to focus on the positives. That 5 days off for the year is still less than where I was this time last year. And I'll be back to my activity level soon enough. The break is actually making me appreciate what I had. I miss yoga. If I feel up to it, I may go this weekend and just avoid any poses that hurt or strain. And yes, my schedule was crazy last month. But March should be better (after Saturday) and hey, I took the review course, so I'm one step closer to my goal of becoming a CFRE this year.

After all, life is a journey, and sometimes, the detours are worth it.