What's healthy: Me and We time

Adam and I recently returned from our "summer" vacation...we spent 6 days back at the site of our honeymoon 10 years ago, El Dorado Royale in Puerto Morelos, Mexico (appx 30 mins south of Cancun). Though our anniversary is not until July, we have more flexible work schedules now and didn't want to mess with any threats of hurricanes.

It was absolute paradise. Not only did we have gorgeous scenery and great weather, but spending time together without the hustle and bustle of daily chores, work and other activities was such a treat. The three weeks prior to the trip were especially hectic...I am holding down two departments at work due to an unexpected vacancy, plus with trying to wrap everything up for the end of the Junior League year, get ready for the trip, study for my certification...let's just say I'm grateful Adam pitched in a lot at Casa Burns and did not complain.

I spent some time on the trip, and in the days since (I don't return to work until Wednesday) evaluating how I would handle the day to day moving forward to incorporate some aspects of the Me and We time I so enjoyed. Perhaps it was the salty air, or maybe it was after reading The Long Run about the NY fireman who recovered from a horrible bike accident to run marathons again...but something was nudging me to take a step back and think about how life is short and priorities have to be set and enforced by ME.

Typically, summer is an easier time, schedule-wise. Campus is quiet, and it tends to be our planning season for the next school year. Volunteer commitments still exist but are minimal compared to the school year due to family vacations. It made me realize if I could work so hard on all these other items, why not take this "bonus time" the next few months and work on Me/Us??

So I have recommitted myself to a fitness plan. In fact, I've already worked out 8 days straight. If I can keep it up at least through July, I'll have a new workout streak record. While on vacation, I worked out in the morning (first thing or right after breakfast) all days but two, and one of those I got an afternoon workout (the other was the day we flew in and travel took the good part of that). So as much as I hate getting up early, I'm committing to morning workouts. Already got the first one tackled today and the clothes out for tomorrow's gym trip.

I've also recommitted myself to healthier eating. Since Sunday, I've been tracking Weight Watchers points again. Right now, I'm trying to get used to writing what I bite again, but we did load up on fruit and veg on Sunday's grocery trip, and I'm doing a better job of having fruit and/or yogurt as a nighttime snack. I came back from vacation up about 4.5 pounds and have shed 1.5 in just 3 days by watching my food and exercising. (I KNEW some was bloat!)

Part of this is more meals at home...and that means cooked at home, not picked up on the way home. This is where some of that WE time comes in. With less nights out for commitments, we can plan a whole week's worth of meals together, take turns cooking them and enjoy them together. I've already cooked 3 times this week...possibly more than the rest of the month combined! And there's nothing like family time enjoying a meal together. (Not to mention...this will make leftovers for healthier lunches!)

I'm also going to cool it but not totally restrict alcohol and sweets as I had PLENTY on vacation. That was actually the point of my challenges...I wanted to go without before so I could enjoy on vacation. But it's time to get those indulgences back to what they should be...treats, not everyday menu items.

So instead of getting in shape FOR summer, I want to be in shape by the end of summer...which happens to be my next birthday. In the long run, the gift of health is the best one I can give to Me/Us. I have a good 13 weeks. Let's see what can happen! So who's with me?

How Sweet It Isn't

It's been 15 days since I've had sweets. I have passed up candy, chocolate, cookies, cupcakes and yes, my beloved orange rolls. I'm exactly halfway through my 30 day challenge.

I will admit, as I suspected, this is harder than giving up alcohol. Sweets are EVERYWHERE. For example, your co-workers don't keep a flask on their desk and invite you to take a swig. Just like the last challenge, the first week or so was spent noticing how often I had access to the offending items.

And much like the last challenge, I've noticed a little substituting. This time, it's more crackers and bread products to replace some of the desire for dessert. I am working to re-implement my fruit as desserts plan to help with this part.

But for the most part, this isn't that bad of a challenge. I know it's short term, and I think we can take on any challenge for a short period of time ... much like my current experience at work, where I am temporarily running both the development and marketing teams in the college due to a vacancy. Sure, it's been extra work when I already have a bit on my plate to catch up this month before summer hits. It's a little stressful. But it won't last.

I am a big believer in challenges making us stronger people. As long as you learn something from the process, it's not a total loss. It's like my injuries ... I end up becoming a stronger athlete through them. Or my allergies ... sure, I've lost some ground on the workout front due to illness and then treatment, but it's work it for the long-term gain. I will say the alcohol challenge has kept me focused to stay at a very healthy 1/day average in the two weeks since completion.

And speaking of exercise, April was my worst month to date this year. I took 10 days off and logged about half as many minutes as January (my best weight loss month of the year). I've decided I need to work on consecutive days again and upping my minutes as my responsibilities lessen over the course of the coming weeks. It's a matter of always observing and fine tuning oneself.

I'm liking these mini-challenges. I think they help build a greater awareness of balance in life. I think when I finish this one, I may take a short sabbatical from social media...maybe just for a week. Would be fun to see what life would be like disconnected, but that's probably as long as I can manage since my work and volunteer lives require some level of usage.

Looks like we made it...what's next?

I will admit, the last third of my 45-day abstinence from alcohol was a bit of a breeze. Finding substitute beverages, plus other ways to be social or unwind, were a bit old hat. Top it off with going through rush immunotherapy on day 37 (which means absolutely no drinking the days before and after either), and I think I only would've had about 5-6 drinks in these two weeks -- one with some awesome steaks Adam made on day 32, two on day 35 to relieve stress, and then one again on day 44 for the same...and maybe some wine at meeting on day 43 and a beer or 'rita with fish tacos after our Leadership class road rally on day 45.

Estimated drinks skipped: 32 for the 45 days. That's not even 3/4 of a drink per day, affirming the "but you don't have a problem" comments I got from some when learning of my self-imposed fast.

Sure, I am not addicted. But it doesn't meant there aren't negative effects on my health that I wanted to test. I estimate saving 3200-4800 calories over these past 6.5 weeks. That's a good 1-1.5 pounds I did not gain! Sure, I did not really lose weight...but I have maintained the 5 or so pounds I lost between semesters. Usually, I have a 3-5 pound gain each semester, take it off in between, add it back...so I believe I am out ahead.

Not to mention, it's helped my finances. I have probably saved a good $160-320 on not having those drinks out (estimated $5-10 per drink, knowing some would have been had at home for cheaper). And saving money means less stress, which is always healthy!

So what's the plan when I resume drinking later today? I want to be more conscious of what I drink and when...mostly for the calorie count. My goal is to only allow myself a drink if I've worked out 30 minutes minimum that day. That seems fair since it's a simple equation of calories in v. calories out. It may help me get back to my 300 minutes per week plan.

I've also decided it would be fun to challenge myself to give up other "sinful" items throughout the year, to reset myself. This has been a great experiment in learning my relationship with foods and drinks I enjoy perhaps too easily, so I'd like to extend it.

So what's next? No sweets for 30 days, starting today. No chocolate, no ice cream, no cookies or cupcakes, not even my beloved JL orange rolls. This, I think, will be harder than the alcohol. Sweets are everywhere. It's acceptable to walk around munching a cookie. It's not acceptable to walk everywhere with a drink. What I have going for me is we don't keep a lot of them in our house, so it will be mainly sticking to not buying any, and not having any at luncheons etc.

It will be fun to see what impact this one may have on my weight, as I know I enjoyed quite a few sweets during Lent in lieu of a drink. All the more reason to give this a try.

Rush Immunotherapy

For those of you that are faithful Facebook followers, you already know that spring 2011 has been an allergy season of epic proportions for me. I'm not the kind of person who is sick often...maybe, I miss about 2 days a year total. This March, I missed THREE days due to allergy issues. That's not normal. So when I went in for allergy testing, my allergist suggested I'd be a great candidate for shots. I'm allergic to most grasses, trees, dust, mold etc...just enough that therapy might provide some relief. I had the option of regular build up...which would take 6 months and start out with 3 sessions a week for 10 weeks. Or I could do rush immunotherapy, which involved a full day of intense treatment, and then I'd be at the monthly maintenance in about 1-2 months. Knowing my schedule (and the desire to feel relief faster), I opted for the rush treatment. To prepare, I had to take a series of meds the day before, the day of and the day after...this was to avoid any possible reaction to the introduction of so many allergens at once...it's like an intense vaccination process. I had to be sure to hydrate well the night before and morning of the treatment. And I had to wait until the IV was inserted to have my beloved morning caffeine. I have to say, the folks at Allergy & Asthma Associates were top notch. It really felt like a bit of a spa day the way they waited on me! I arrived with 3 bags in tow: blankets (as the room gets cold, and I had to wear shorts and t-shirt to make treatment easier), pillow, lunch and snacks, movies, laptop, magazines and study materials for my CFRE exam (which I'm taking in June, as long as my application is accepted). I had my own private room for the day, complete with recliner. We started by taking all my vitals, including several breathing tests. My favorite was the computer game where I had to blow down the 3 pigs' houses. Then insertion of a tiny IV, which lived in my left arm all day. I'm glad it wasn't my visions of hospital IVs that I'd have to carry down the hall on restroom trips! We then began the series of 11 shots. For each, I got a shot in each arm...with 20 minutes in between each series. Before every shot, my vitals were measured again. It was great to see my blood pressure readings so low for once!

• The first 4 shots were from silver vials, which were mostly saline. The nurse explained that as the vial colors changed, the concentration of allergens would become greater. My nose got slightly itchy after these but this disappeared quickly.


• The next 6 were from green vials. With every new set of vials, I got to verify that they were prescribed to me, which was nice. I felt pretty good after these but a little sleepy...but then, it was close to lunchtime. I felt less sleepy after eating.


• The next 6 from the blue vials made my ears pop a bit. Nothing major or uncomfortable, but doc and nurse wanted to know about any changes as they happened. They were great in constantly checking on me.


• The last 6 were from gold vials. The nurse warned me that these are the ones she'd watch my reactions the closest since they were the strongest. She said I shouldn't be freaked out that she'd be looking closely at my eyes, since that would be the first sign of a bad reaction. After the last set, I became a bit sleepy again. More snacks helped a little.

After finishing the shots, I then had to stay for 2 hours with vitals checked every 30 minutes. During the first hour, I got sleepier and warmer. I could feel my ears get toasty and they said they got a little red even, along with my face getting flush...but that this was completely normal. By the time Adam picked me up, I was still a little flush (enough that he could notice) but feeling good enough to grab a sandwich around the corner before heading home for the night.

About an hour after I got home, I was kind of miserable...I could tell I needed rest, and another Zyrtec as my sinuses felt irritated. The 2 hour nap really hit the spot...but then screwed up my sleep cycle a bit. Really, all my cycles were a bit off. I ate lightly during the day, so got hungry again around 11, then didn't go to bed until 2:30.

I don 't feel too badly today...just tired and a little lightheaded, but that may be more from my interrupted sleep. I am retaining water like crazy...up 5 pounds! But again, may be more likely to my late night meal and little sleep. I'm going to hydrate well today and rest up as much as I can and see how it goes.

Probably the worst part is BOY are my arms sore! Not sure when I will get a workout in, but accepted it may not be until early next week. Not even sure really how much I will leave the house the next few days (took today as a sick day too) but it's a small price to pay for the road to relief.

My next steps are returning in a week to get my next dose. I have 9 to go until I only have to go once a month for maintenance. My goal is to get there before Memorial Day.

The rush therapy is not for everyone, but it was not as bad an experience as I imagined it to be (of course, I pictured the worst).

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.