Making Strides for Survival

2013 Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk, a set on Flickr. I walked my first survivor walk about 12 years ago in memoriam of my great aunt who passed away when I was 12 and other loved ones that had dealt with breast cancer. About 6 years ago, however, things hit a little closer to …

Butts and Guts

Friday, I used my lunch break to explore downtown Charleston, West Virginia while at a convention. After a few steps, I noticed smoking was apparently the norm. Outside the back door of the hotel, there were a dozen employees talking and smoking.  Walking along the street, employees were seen forfeiting minutes from their lunch break …

Slow and Steady or Complacent?

A couple years ago, my water bill started to increase a little bit each bill cycle. Last summer, my son noticed a leak in the basement. When a family friend came over to inspect, he said it was because of the toilet. He fixed the leak, and consequently the water bill, but said eventually the …

Staying Connected

Getting Connected Sometimes I think it would be cool to go on a reality show about weight loss where I could just focus on weight loss for a couple months. A few years ago, my favorite show used to be Celebrity Fit Club. Each season, 8 overweight celebrities were taped over a course of 16 weeks while …

No Pain No Gain

"People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous... Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they’re wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain." - Jim Morrison Jim Morrison died before I was born but his words …

Be Honest With Yourself

Where Did the Week Go? I can't believe it's Wednesday! There was Friday. Friday morphed into Memorial Day. Then Memorial Day became Wednesday. At least that's how I remember it. Luckily, I have been using DailyMile.com to track my workouts. Last week, after I realized I was stuck at the same 6 pound weight loss …

The Next Step

The First Step I am sure I have broken a record on the amount of weight loss and exercise books and literature I have consumed through the years. Every couple years there is a new breakthrough method or diet. Many things are different, but all the major ones start with the same step: Love Yourself. …

Love, Drive, and Desire

Untamed and Unafraid This past week has been all kinds of disappointing and stressful. I have had some success; I am down 6 pounds and I have met my daily commitment 7 days out of 11, but I could feel myself slipping last week. Death of a family member on Thursday was the final straw …

Same old, Same old

 Have you ever found yourself in the same position that you started from? Whether it's trying to lose the same the 30 pounds you lost two years ago or (another) first date or moving...it can feel like you haven't really made any progress. The last few years have been full of change and transition for …

Healthy Les – Grocery List

The grocery store can be a scary place when you are on a budget or watching your diet. So, I went armed: I had my list of things to pick up at the store and how much I could spend.  I find that I eat less if I have less. So, I just purchased one …