MOKAKAFFEE's SparkPeople Blog

Did well today, let's see how tomorrow goes.

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:09:03 EST

I followed my plan today, got plenty of exercise, ate well, made smart decisions.

Tomorrow will be a challenge, though.

I have a meeting scheduled with an auction house to see about selling some of the paintings I inherited from my dad. I just don't have the space to display them all; and I doubt my dad wanted me to live in a museum of his work, anyway. However, anything related to my dad tends to exhaust me and make me a bit emotional. As we all know, being tired and em...

My plan for success tomorrow

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:50:28 EST

I have Wednesdays off all to myself, and I want to start making better use of them. I find I'm more likely to follow through on things when I go public with it. I don't want to be dishonest, so if I say I'm going to do it, then I am. So this is what I want to do tomorrow.

311 First thing in the morning, a spinach and blueberry smoothie and a twenty minute walk. I actually start every day like this, it helps to start the day on a healthy note before I'm awake enough to ch...

Wonder Woman

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:54:06 EST

When I was a girl I wanted to change my name to Wonder Woman.
I looked for role models. I found princesses, damsels in distress,
Wearing fluffy meringue dresses and impractical shoes.
I wanted to learn to be strong.
They said don't play too rough with your cousin.
She's just a girl
just a girl
just a girl . . .

The answer came to me in a cartoon!
Wonder Woman! Girls can be tough.
It only takes divine intervention.

Why didn...

Things I know for sure, a list.

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:15:52 EST

It's hard to live a healthy lifestyle. It's much harder to be happy while unhealthy.

It's far better to do something -- anything -- than to do nothing but complain about your fate.

It's worth paying more for the good bubble bath.

Never trust a little dog named Precious or Sweetpea.

Leaf blowers are the devil's handiwork.

I will always look rediculous trying to dance hip hop.

Same with Zumba.

A glass of water left on...

Thoughts on 2013

Thu, 3 Jan 2013 22:00:35 EST

I'm feeling really optimistic about the new year. Only three days into it, things are already looking up. I have three main resolutions.

1 Stick to my Spark goals, more produce, more water, more exercise, less take out. Hubby and I have been doing well in this area, but now we're going to try pushing to the next level. We already go for a 20 minute walk in the morning (not easy when it's 30 degrees outside), but now I want to follow up with some strength training or yoga in the aft...

End of a three week hiatus

Thu, 31 May 2012 23:46:25 EST

So I was doing well, had a 45 day workout streak going, eating healthy . . . then I hit a wall.

My dad died from lung cancer at the beginning of this month. He was 58 years old. I found I could only concentrate on one thing at a time, and grieving won out. I spent three weeks thinking about my complicated relationship with my father, dwelling on some unfinished issues we had that will never get resolved, and eating like crap.

Well after three weeks, I'm ready to sta...

Trying this again

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:05:18 EST

So I know I was going to start being good to myself at my birthday, and I did . . . for a little while. Then winter happened, and I was cold, and then . . . long story short there were a lot of excuses. I've gotten better now though! I've been eating healthy and exercising every single day for FOUR WEEKS STRAIGHT! So why hasn't the scale budged? I really am the exact same weight as I was a month ago. My body is conspiring to make me give up and quit! It won't work though. I've noticed the SP...

So this is what 30 feels like

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:53:53 EST

Yesterday I turned thirty. I wasn't happy about it. I actually spent the last few months fighting it off the best I could. You can imagine how well that turned out. No matter how much you argue, the calendar refuses to yield. Well, if I have to turn thirty, I might as well try to do it well. It's time to focus on my well being, instead of the years going by. Add life to your years as you add years to your life, or something like that.

I've already gotten better at getting my fruit...

You know you hate exercise when . . .

Sat, 21 May 2011 14:47:17 EST

5: You enter "heavy cleaning" into the cardio tracker, because you'd rather scrub a toilet than lace up tennies.

4: You hear yourself say, "I can't go to the gym today. How can I leave the house when the goldfish is sick?"

3: You'd really LOVE to go exercise, but it'll have to wait because (darn it) the sock drawer won't organize itself!

2: Who has time to exercise when there are only 217 shopping days left until CHRISTMAS!

1: Y...

Yay I Did GOOD

Fri, 6 May 2011 01:31:49 EST

So I was in a frump yesterday, missed a workout, but I made up for it today. YAY ME! I ran a 12 minute mile, kicked butt at a 10 Minute Solutions - Knockout Body segment, that makes up for the 20 minutes of cardio I missed yesterday. I also TOTALLY ROCKED my strength training today, did more reps with better form, WOOHOO!

I usually have trouble being proud of myself, focusing more on what I didn't do than what I did. I'm trying something new today. I'm going to celebrate my ...

Status Report

Sun, 1 May 2011 20:50:01 EST

135 Item 1: Stress Level -- So I'm doing well to not overreact to little stresses anymore, which is good. There isn't a whole lot I can do about the big stresses though. Positive thinking won't cure my dad's cancer. And deep breathing won't pay for the car repairs we needed and couldn't afford. I'm hanging in there though, and I've accepted that sometimes that's all you can hope for. I know it sounds pessimistic, but waddya gonna do? Sometimes life just sucks.

...

Beating Clutter 1 Project at a Time

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 23:14:42 EST

One of my first goals towards reducing my stress load is to reduce clutter around my apartment. It's hard, the place has NO storage at all. Nowhere to put anything so everything goes anywhere. The goal seemed so overwhelming, but I remembered from SP that small steps add up. So, I'm doing this one step at a time. Today, I focused on fabric. I tackled my sloppy dresser drawers and out of control linen closet. Yep, I did it! I finally learned how to FOLD A FITTED SHEET! WOOT! Now my s...

My First Christmas

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:01:34 EST

Well, this year my mother went to the other side of the country to spend Christmas with the in-laws. I was going to house sit and take care of the dog, no big deal. But the thing is, my mom always hosts and cooks the big family Christmas dinner. So on a whim I say, why don't I do it this year? I'm no slouch in the kitchen and Hubby and I will be all alone in that great big house. None of the relatives really have the room for the big get together. It'll be a since. Mom said sure, just ...

My bird eats better than I do

Sat, 4 Dec 2010 23:42:58 EST

For dinner he had some home made mash diet, which is:

50% whole grains and legumes, consisting of roughly equal parts mung beans, adzuki beans, wheat berries, spelt, kamut, quinoa, and barley;
40% vegetables, carrots, squash, zucchini, mixed dark leafy greens, broccoli, and snow peas;
10% mixed berries;
All this topped off with ground flax seed, chopped walnuts, and spirulina.

I had KFC.

Granted it was grilled, and I washed it down with a V8, ...

Update on Dad

Fri, 3 Dec 2010 20:39:21 EST

So after about a million neurological tests, we finally got a diagnosis, lung cancer. A tumor on his lung has been affecting his cerebellum, they remove the tumor, his speech and coordination should go back to normal. Hard to believe but cancer is actually good news, it's treatable, and really after this much time, ANY diagnosis is good news. This was the last stop before they shrugged it off and sent him to physical rehab to play patty cake and pass the ball with no answers at all. So ev...

Bringing Home Baby

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 12:23:27 EST

On October 20th, we brought home our little Sweetums. He's a baby Pacific Parrotlet, blue mutation. The picture I posted of him does NOT do him justice, his color variations and highlights just don't show up. And he's the sweetest most loving little guy ever! I've been needing a pet for a while now, just something to come home to, since my husband works evenings and I work mornings, I'm usually all alone when I get home from work. My goldfish and kingsnake just weren't happy to see me, s...

Shopping in my closet

Fri, 8 Oct 2010 00:13:48 EST

I wear size five shoes. Yeah, tiny little baby feet. People say I'm so lucky because I have such adorable little feet. They don't know. Do you know how many local shoe stores even carry a size five around here? ONE! And they have a lousy selection. I hate buying shoes online, can't tell if they're comfy or true to size, or if the heel is well balanced or will send me toppling down the moment I trust them to hold my weight. So the change in the seasons can be a bit depressing as I see ...

Where's the beef

Sat, 2 Oct 2010 22:29:07 EST

So I don't know what it is, but there seems to be a nutrient in beef that I might be deficient in. I don't know how or why, since I take a multivitamin/mineral everyday. I eat well, staying perfectly in range for all my nutrients just about everyday. But when I go for a long period of time without eating beef, I get cranky, sleepy, argumentative, and just plain fussy-don't-wanna, yeah just like a three year old who missed their nap. Then if my hubby makes me a burger, I feel great within ...

family stuff getting me down

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 23:26:01 EST

So my dad is sick. He's had blood work, multiple MRIs, x rays, every test you can think of. All of them show he's completely healthy and normal, but he can't walk or talk normally. First they thought it was a stroke, nope scans said his brain is fine. Not an inner ear issue either, they scanned that too. No tumors, no infections, nothing. He's seeing a new neurologist now, but so far all we have are negative test results. Part of me sees this turning into the next episode of House. If...

My views on immigration

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:07:32 EST

Graven on a tablet within the pedestal on which the statue of liberty stands,

"The New Colossus" By Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her...

But but but . . . I've been GOOD!

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 12:27:14 EST

I've been working on the whole consistency thing, and I've been doing SO WELL at it, eating healthy meals in my calorie range, exercising everyday, being extra diligent without overdoing it or burning myself out. I've been following every piece of good advice I've gotten. But I'm STUCK at 131.4 lbs. It hasn't budged in WEEKS! I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Or worse yet, maybe I'm not doing anything wrong and so there's nothing I can do. I mean I haven't budged one ounce. It so feel...

Gripes from the grooming table

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:18:31 EST

Okay, 99 out of 100 days, I love my job. That last little 1 percent though, well, I need to vent.

1: I AM NOT A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR
When on the way to drop off your dog, you decide to have him shaved before summer, and your spouse is going to pick up the dog in the afternoon, please make sure he knows the dog is getting shaved! Don't yell at me for your lack of communication! I don't even like shaving dogs, it's boring, never looks all that great, and most dogs hate having ...

Yesterday was awesome!

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:12:17 EST

The veterinary hospital I work at decided to close yesterday so the doctors and nurses could go to a small animal symposium. I'm just the groomer, so I found myself with an extra day off and nothing to do with it. So here's how it went.

I woke up at my usual workday time, had a cup of green tea, then went for a 20 minute walk/jog to get the blood flowing. Came home, had a nice healthy breakfast, poached egg, whole wheat toast, and berry juice. Mid morning I got on the exercise ...

Time to get over it

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:23:51 EST

I know when I'm driving to work, and I see someone out jogging in the spring rain or early summer heat, I think to myself "Wow, what determination! Good for her!" So why is it when I go jogging I think everyone I pass is judging me? Like I should be going faster, or walking less, or wearing something less revealing. It's probably fair that if I've never judged anyone on their performance, then they probably aren't either. Besides, I'm doing this for me, not them. I'll never see them aga...

Can't ONE part of this be easy?

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:18:15 EST

There is nothing hard about this whole healthy lifestyle that isn't hard. I mean, I know it's supposed to be challenging, otherwise everyone would be fit and trim, but I feel like the whole thing is a struggle.

I've never had an easy time eating healthy. I love junk food. I hate fruits or vegetables. Thanks to being a (I admit it) spoiled only child, I was a picky eater. There was no "Eat it because it's all you're getting." So now, I have a really unrefined palate with hyper...

I'm finally back!

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:07:58 EST

So for two straight weeks I was sick as a dog! (side note, I hate the phrase sick as a dog, what does it mean? At my best and fittest I can only chase a tennis ball so many times in a row!) So I finally got better and felt well enough to eat something besides soup, tea, and Spaghetti O's. As soon as I got well, my husband got fall down sick too. So I was so busy playing nursemaid to him (only fair since he nursed me back to health for so long), that I couldn't really keep my own goals g...

Little minor set back

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:18:09 EST

So I woke up this morning with the mother of all sore throats. I never go a day without coffee (my one true indulgence), but I couldn't swallow even a sip without searing pain! So today it was nothing but chicken soup, split pea, tea with honey, and sugar free pudding. Anything else hurt too much to swallow. I know I didn't get nearly enough calories today; which means my metabolism is going to be wrecked by the time my throat gets better. Oh well, I'm actually ahead of schedule on my ...

A Prayer To Coffee

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 18:52:02 EST

Okay, I found this on the web, and it made me giggle. My sincerest apologies to Christians everywhere.

A Prayer To Coffee

Caffeine is my shepherd; I shall not doze.
It maketh me to wake in green pastures:
It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.
It restoreth my buzz:
It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for its name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction,
I will fear no Equal™:
For ...

Has anyone else experienced this?

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 18:45:47 EST

After really buckling down for the last couple weeks, working out more regularly, eating more nutritious foods, I have become EXTREMELY emotional. It can't be a coincidence, I don't think. But I find myself just bawling my eyes out at the tiniest thing. Not like sad depressed crying, but that kind of crying you do when you see good triumph over evil, and when the guy finally gets the girl at the end of the sappiest movies. I actually cried at the end of an episode of Nova! They did it! ...

3 Is a magic number

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 21:12:13 EST

My three goals about three:

1: Strength training 3 times a week, lower body on Sunday, upper on Tuesday, core on Thursday.

2: Three servings of fruit a day, usually a banana at breakfast and a small glass of berry juice at lunch.

3: Three servings of vegetables a day, usually one at lunch and two at dinner. My favorites are peas, green beans, carrots, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes. Oh, and the old standby V8 when I'm in a rush.

We'...

My Biggest Setback

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:48:23 EST

I have i in my head that being less than perfect means failure, that if I slip a little, then it's all been for nothing. So I'd start stong, have an off day, then give up entirely.

I know it isn't a healthy mindset, but it'll take a while to reset my brain. First step, I wrote it out and taped it to my wall. "Imperfection does NOT equal failure." Maybe I should go old school and write it 100 times like I'm in the fourth grade again. Maybe that'll teach me I'm allowed to be h...

Lesson 4: Second helpings aren't harmless

Tue, 4 Aug 2009 00:11:09 EST

The calorie count doesn't really consider that second piece of meatloaf (complete with mashed potatoes), part of the same meal. According to the numbers it's like having an extra meal entirely. No more thinking to myself, "I'll just have a little more." The correct phrasing is "I'll just have another dinner," because that's what it equals out to. Another helping sounds so much more harmless than another meal. (Sigh)There's another habit I have to break. Oh well, tomorrow's another day.

Lesson 3: No one gets diabetes from too many carrots.

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:00:51 EST

Yes, it's true, some veggies (and especially fruit) are technically high in sugar. But the benefit, nutrients, fiber, far far FAR outweigh the effects of the sugar content. And the sugar in my banana is nothing compared to all the Hostess snack cakes I've eaten in my time. Produce is produce, and it's all better than other convenient alternatives.

Lesson 2: The veggies you eat are healthier and cheaper than the veggies you don't.

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:52:23 EST

I absolutely hate salad, but leafy greens are packed full of nutrients. So, I would buy bags of salad mix out of guilt, then watch them go bad before I could convince myself to eat them. Instead, now I spend extra and buy micro greens (MUCH tastier!) to put on my sandwiches. $3 gets me 2 cups, enough for 4 sandwiches each week. Hey, it beats the 0 cups a week I had before I found them.

Lesson 1: Pretty glasses and plates make healthy food appetizing.

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:50:04 EST

I can't stand berries, but I know how good they are for me.. So, I found a berry juice made from whole berry puree. I find it tastes better and goes down easier when drunk out of a champagne flute. Same thing works for V8 as well.