Keeping Healthy

In the last 4 years I've slowly regressed to my pre college weight. For some people, this would be a really good thing. For me, it isn't.
In high school I topped out at 240 pounds. For a 6 foot tall girl, that isn't too bad, but it isn't terribly good either. For a 6 foot tall girl with chronic knee problems, history of depression, and a family history of weight related diseases such as diabetes, this weight gain is very bad.
When I left high school I moved in with grandpa, and prepared to start college. Well, I was supposed to prepare, but then I got very sick. The doctor believed it was mono. It was the sickest I have ever been. I couldn't swallow without a great deal of pain. The tonsils looked like baseballs in the back of my throat. I couldn't eat, could hardly drink, and had a fever that wouldn't go away.
After a week, the fever finally broke. Eating was still difficult for a few weeks.
Then I checked my weight. To my great surprise, I had lost ten pounds that first week. I lost another 10 the next week, and continued losing 5 pounds a week for quite a long time. Nothing fit me any more. Except my shoes. Anyone who knew me that first year of college can testify I was in baggy heaven. I got down to 175, and stayed around there for the next 8 years.
Well. Here I am. And I don't exactly want to hope for a second bout of mono. And there are other things that have also crept up into my life in the last five years that need to be weeded out. I am not the woman I want to be. Time to come clean and healthy.
First of all, I am changing my diet. I am making sure I load up on vegetables and fruits. I have two other people who are keeping track of their food intake along with me. Not exactly calorie counting. Just being accountable for what we eat. We'll be changing the dinner menu to healthier food, which will make it easier for all of us.
Second, exercise. Three days a week I will have someone with me at the gym. The other days I will be starting a running routine. I have a 10K I am preparing for in February. And I will be doing a half-marathon at some point this year. If you are interested in doing a Disney run with me, speak now. My two sources who were going to come have since dropped out for personal reasons, and I'd rather not go it alone.
Third, which should be first, spiritual and mental health. I have totally dropped off the scripture reading bandwagon. For the last three nights I have fallen asleep listening to the Book of Mormon. It's nice, because my phone turns off sometime after I fall asleep, so it doesn't wake me up. THIS DOES NOT COUNT AS SCRIPTURE READING. So. This one I am going to be accountable to myself on. We'll see how this goes. Every morning I will be reading before the gym or before taking the girls I nanny to school.
Fourth, learning Spanish. I need to grow intellectually, and this is the perfect way to do it. Every day after the workout for at least twenty minutes.
Fifth, music. I need more of it in my life. The fact I now have two music callings at church does not fulfill the need I have to grow musically. This one I am still figuring out.
There. Not exactly a New Year's resolution thing. More like fixing my lifestyle. I guess you could call it resolutions, because I am resolved.
This better stick.

Research

I have had a relaxing day. Haven't done much at all in fact.

Except play around on my lovely new phone. Discovering more of the fun things I can do with it. I really am loving it. I caught up on Bones a bit (spoiler: Bones finally got married! ), played around on Pinterest, read email, bought a new Children's songbook, downloaded music to my phone that I've wanted to own.

While dawdling around on Pinterest, I decided to search for Puerto Rico to see what people have pinned.

I discovered that there were quite a few little islands belonging to the territory that have awesome coral reefs, beaches, caves, forts, lighthouses, and hiking that I need to see. I knew of three, two of which I have visited already. But even then, one I've only done by taking a taxi to a beach rather than explore it for myself.

I was amazed at how many things I haven't even heard about. And I'm excited to travel around a bit. I can't wait to visit the other islands in the Caribbean as well.
The easy access to internet via the phone suddenly has opened up a world of possibilities for me. Glad I took the plunge and made a big upgrade in my life.

New Year's

Don't worry, not going to bore you with any resolutions I am making for the year. We'll, except that I am going to try to be vigilant about keeping the blog up to date now that I have the technology that will allow me to post easily.

I am going to say how grateful I am for the ability and blessing to start all over.

We've all made a mistake here and there, and I have made my fair share of them. They can be fleeing silly mistakes, ignorant ones, super bad where the heck did that come from mistakes, or a mistake that grows into a monster. I've been through the loop on most classifications of mistakes. I just am rather private about them because I hate admitting to my weaknesses.

So here I am, Bayamón, Puerto Rico ringing with frogs, bugs, trains, motorcycles, midnight fireworks the night after the big event, and a language I only understand bits of, looking introspectively at what I want to change. There are a lot of things on my list.

Suddenly I felt this rush of gratitude knowing that I can in fact change. It may take what feels like an eternity to accomplish all the changes I want to make in myself, but by golly I can do it.

I look forward to these symbolic opportunities to renew, to leave the past behind, and try again and change for the better. New Year's Day is a great one. Every Sunday when I partake of the sacrament is another. Every 6 months at General Conference I feel that urge to change again.

Now. I need to get working.