I'm Starting to 'Lose It!'

Over the last 6 months or so, I’ve found myself in need of some extra assistance when it comes to my diet and exercise routine. Fortunately, there is help available in the form of phone apps for just this sort of need. The one I have been using is called “Lose it!” and just the name itself was enough to get me interested. It’s basically a calorie counting app that also figures in your exercise and allows you to track how you’re doing in terms of your weight & fitness goals. You can use the free or paid version. I’ve been using the free version until I decide whether or not it’s worth the $29.99 yearly subscription price. I got started because I was having a difficult time losing that pesky 10 pounds before my son’s wedding. The cool thing about this app is that I can simply scan the bar codes on the back of the food or drink containers and it immediately logs in what I consumed and calculates calories and applies them towards my daily goal. My goal was set based on how much I currently weigh and how much I want to weigh. The really handy thing is that it remembers what I eat from day to day, so I can just grab “Larabar and coffee with cream and sugar” every day without re-scanning. Once I realized that my problem wasn’t that my body just has a slow metabolism, but that my fork-to-mouth ratio was higher than I estimated, I was forced to find some loopholes in the system, otherwise I’d never make my daily goals. One thing I discovered right away is the more I exercise, and the higher the intensity, the more calories get put-back onto my daily calorie allowance. For instance, if I take a “slow” morning walk for at least 20 minutes, I only have X-number of calories left for the day, but if I up the intensity of that same walk to “brisk/moderate incline” on the app, hey! I just built in enough calories for a snack! Same thing goes for food. If I don’t like the number of calories that a certain brand of soup has, I just scroll for a different brand of soup with lower calories. Now I can have 2 servings instead of one. I also found out that the difference between a “large honey crisp apple” and a “medium apple” is 34 calories. An apple’s an apple, right? So I’ll do myself a favor and log the medium apple and add on another mini Snickers. Apparently, I kill my daily calorie count with evening snacking and portion size at dinner. So I just don’t even bother logging those. Who wants to get discouraged just before going to bed? For now, the jury is still out on “Lose it!” I’m not sure how to rate it because I really haven’t lost any weight. I better save the $29.99 because I’m going to need to buy bigger pants. It must be my slower than average metabolism

I'm Not Wearing Socks Today

I’m not wearing socks today! I announced to my husband on March 12.
“Oh, I’ll wear socks and boots to school, but as soon as I get there, the
socks and boots go in my closet and I’m putting the flats on, without socks.”   
I usually wait until April to ditch the socks, but I don’t know if I can wait that
long. I also know that we had a warmer than usual December, but in my
mind, it started snowing in mid October and it hasn’t stopped.
My weather friends would beg to differ, but the length and intensity of this
winter have been unbearable at times. If it sounds like I’m complaining,
I’m trying not to because I do realize that I enjoyed roughly 12 snow days.
We also took a brief trip to San Francisco in February. But the type of winter
that we have endured this year calls for desperate measures. And I’m getting
desperate. I have gotten completely tired of wearing black. On my no-sock
day, I went into the attic to dig out my light pink pants. “It’s time to brighten
things up around here,” I thought. I froze my feet in the -3 degree attic burrowing
through 3 totes of spring/summer clothing, only to come up empty handed.
What happened to those pants? It can’t be spring unless I have pink pants
to wear (even if they are topped with a sweater).
But then I remembered. My over 50 statistically accurate 10 pound average
weight gain prompted me to add those cute and comfy spring pants to the
Good Will pile last summer when they proved to be slightly too restricting
around the backside and midsection. That evening I ordered a replacement
pair that would be delivered and ready to wear by the
time we got back from spring break.
Even though I know that spring is further off than I care to accept, I do like
this time of year. Unlike October, when I have the whole winter in front of
me with the dark mornings and dark nights, even a snowy spring has the
promise of warm days ahead. When it snows in November, I’m breaking out
my warm clothes and pulling the big, warm socks to the front of the drawer.
When it snows in April, I know that the snow will melt and although I need
to wear boots and socks and mittens to work, that those things can
quickly be swapped out and It’ll feel like spring inside,
even if it doesn’t look like it on the outside.

I Guess I Really am Tidy!

It turns out that I might just be a tidy person after all. Last month I wrote a column about not being a tidy person, based on the list of 5 things tidy people don’t do. I currently do 4 of the 5, so I resigned myself to the fact that I must not be tidy. With the onslaught of snow days this winter, I found myself watching far too much Netflix. After my February column, I was talking to my coworkers about my inability to consider myself a tidy person based on the blog post I referenced in my column. One colleague asked if I had watched the Netflix show, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” I had not, but on snow day #9, boredom and curiosity got the best of me and I found myself binge-watching it. Marie Kondo is the organizing guru of the moment. She advocates keeping things that “spark joy” and getting rid of things that do not, (after you have thanked each item for its service). Marie then gives a bunch of helpful tips on how to organize everything from your kitchen to photos. She calls it the KonMarie Method ™.

1.     Commit yourself to tidying up

2.     Imagine your ideal life

3.     Finish letting go first

4.     Tidy is by category, not location

5.     Follow the right order

6.     Ask yourself if it sparks joy

I was inspired. Since I had already organized my closet on snow day #5, I was ahead of the game. I went in the bathroom and systematically organized and tidied until it was like a new room. Next was my dresser. Everything came out and only the joy-sparking items returned. I thought the whole “sparking joy” thing was a little hokey, but it turned out to be a good gauge when I was on the fence about what to get rid of and what to keep.  With the new way of folding, that Marie teaches on her show, I now have drawers that are arranged in such a way that I can see every pair of leggings I own simply by opening the drawer. It’s pretty amazing if I do say so myself. I organized my scarves and bathing suits in the same way using bins in my closet. What I discovered in this cleaning and organizing frenzy, was that I was a little hasty in my decision to reject the tidiness wave and my ability to join in. It took some coaching from a Netflix mentor and a few too many snow days, but I too can say that I’m a tidy person, at least for this month.

Why I'll never be a Tidy Person

Why I’ll Never be a Tidy Person

The title of a blog caught my attention as I wasted some time on my monthly Facebook
check-in. It’s called “5 Things People with Tidy Homes Don’t Do” by Cozy Minimalist.
That article was really intriguing to me, so much so that I haven’t stopped thinking
about it since I read it. I’ve always wanted to be a tidy person. I’m envious of people
who can keep their homes in a constant state of tidiness, no matter what time of day.
You know the type.
These are the people who don’t have to frantically vacuum, dust, and pick up when
some texts to say they’re dropping by to drop off this or that. Maybe you are that person.
I most definitely am not. But I aspire to be. So I read the article wondering if I could pick
up some tips for myself on what not to do, and therefore become a tidy person in the
process.

Here are the 5 things people with tidy homes don’t do:

Tidy People don’t act like a slob all day, and then get their house tidy in one fell swoop
Tidy People Don’t Run out of Cleaning Supplies.
Tidy People never let the sun go down on their filth
Tidy People don’t store things on the floor
Tidy People don’t over decorate

Some of these made sense to me, but some didn’t. I get that you can’t act like a slob all day and
then suddenly pull it altogether. I’ve been trying to walk around and pick things up as I go. That
stray water glass on the side table, or the dog toys on the living room floor are getting more attention
from me. I’m not sure about tidy people not running out of cleaning supplies. Doesn’t everyone keep
Lysol spray and toilet bowl cleaner under the sink in the bathroom? I might not always use it, but I do
always have it. I also wonder about number 5. I think by “over decorate” the author means “too many
nick-nacks.” Too much of anything can look like clutter. My problem here is more of an eclectic mix of
things that don’t go together, rather than too much. Number 4 surprised and shamed me all at the
same time. I am so guilty of storing things on the floor. I mean, if they are attractively arranged, why
can’t I keep my orange muscle roller and my Tru-Back next to the couch? As I write this I look over
and the neck massaging pillow is peeking out from behind a chair, and yes, it’s on the floor. Before I
sat down to write this, I picked up the dog’s toy basket and put it on a shelf, misplacing the magazine,
file folder, and iPad keyboard that had taken up that space. I replaced one tidy person faux pas with
another. I could add about 3 more to that list of what tidy people don’t do, because I’m a pro at what
not to do to be called a tidy person. So I guess I have a decision to make. I can either put forth the
effort to become a tidy person, or stop reading articles that make me feel bad about not being a tidy
person. Sorry Cozy Minimalist, I’ll do the dishes tomorrow.

Global Warming is Real

I am finally a believer in the theory of global warming. You are probably thinking to yourself
that it has something to do with the fact that I’m now over 50, but I can assure you that global
warming is for real. Not only global warming, but temperature extremes. For years I have
considered both sides of the issue, but between the cooler summers and long Northern
Michigan winters, I just couldn’t commit to the idea that our planet’s temperature is rising.
I  wasn’t convinced that the planet was warming when the entire summer stayed chilly.
In fact, I came up with an idea for a T shirt that said “Anxiously Awaiting Global Warming”
(when it was still snowing in April). Still, the theory of global warming is a hotly contested topic.
Depending on what side of the aisle you lean, you might not completely agree with one side or
the other. I know I didn’t. However, In the past few months I have been provided with the
evidence I needed to substantiate the existence of global warming.

Let me present the facts:

There have been increasing instances of fluctuating heat. I’m going about my own business
and suddenly it is so hot, I’m literally peeling off layers.

I have had to purchase thin pajamas because the sweltering heat that I’m experiencing in the
middle of the night has me drenched with sweat. Tom says he doesn’t know what I’m talking about,
but he’s just in denial. Global warming is real.

Even though winter is upon us and it’s been snowing like crazy, I can’t even look at my heavy
sweaters. If I’m not sweating in the morning when I’m getting dressed, I know I’ll definitely be
sweating when the temperature randomly increases at intervals throughout the day.

That being said, I can’t only blame global warming for this constant and unexplainable heat; I also
blame faulty thermostats. The thermostat at our house can’t seem to keep things at a constant,
comfortable temperature. One minute I’m snuggled up on the couch with fuzzy socks and a cozy
blanket, the next moment I’m kicking off the blanket and socks and turning on the ceiling fan.  It’s
the same at work. I’m cold, I’m hot, I’m cold, I’m hot. When I ask my co-workers if they are
sweltering, they say they aren’t. They must be in denial too. So take it from me, I wasn’t always a
believer, but now I am. There is such a thing as global warming, even if I’m the only one in the room
experiencing it.