Night Walk

You may have noticed that I haven't posted on this blog for quite some time. Blogging has kinda gone the way of my weigh loss and exercise journey...sputtering in fits of get up and go...to not moving at all. The only thing moving are the numbers on the scale. Unfortunately, while my exercise routine has been mired in a gully, my weight has been on a steady incline. I am trying to psych myself back into "moving" and with the days gradually becoming longer, I am getting out more...and now that all the Christmas "junk" is gone, there is no excuse for not eating better.

The other night, in anticipation of the forecast rain for the next day,  

Hubby and I cleaned the snow off the pond so we could get some skating in, 

something we haven't done in over fifteen years. 

Tonight, I walked back to check the ice

...it was perfect, 

although I didn't venture on it because of the mild temps over the last few days.

Notice the dark circles in the ice...

Close up they looked like giant eyeballs.

The night sky was beautiful!

I had a great walk and came home to

... a healthy meal

of fresh veggies with hummus,

a sandwich, orange sections and a glass of vegetable juice.

Getting back on track with healthy eating,

avocado

...a batch of yogurt 

...and seeds in my sprouter 

for extra greens next week, 

...one lonely candy cane, 

the last of the Christmas junk.

Happy walking,
Marisa

Finding Love In A Bowl Of Oatmeal

As a child I hated cooked oatmeal....neither the instant kind you just added hot water to or porridge cooked slowly in a pot on the stove. I found its slimy texture disgusting and no matter how many times my mother cooked it and offered it to us kids with  encouraging words like "it's good for you", or on a cold winter day, "you need a hot  breakfast to warm your belly", I couldn't stomach it. While I cooked oatmeal occasionally over the years for hubby or for the girls as they were growing up, I always declined eating it myself until the past week because I know my mom was right...oatmeal is good for you! So, in my attempt to eat healthier high fiber non-processed foods, I bit the bullet and ate my oatmeal.

But I still don't like it...however, topped with a spoonful of ground flax seed and All Bran cereal, a dollop of plain yogurt and a chopped apple and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, it was at least palatable.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hiker's motto:

"Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints."

Traditionally, Thanksgiving for our family means sitting around the table and stuffing ourselves with food...all the holiday fixings of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, gravy, several vegetable side dishes and Sweet Potato Casserole, followed by coffee and your choice of at least three different pies and perhaps even a cheesecake. After enjoying food and company we waddle to the living room to settle our food and wait for the pain from over stuffing our stomachs to subside so we can  wander back to the kitchen to try a piece of the pie we didn't have room for earlier.

This year we broke from tradition and spent the day hiking along the trails at Cape Blomidon on the Bay of Fundy. The day couldn't have been more perfect... sunny but with a cool breeze that made our four hour hike enjoyable.

When we arrived at the Cape, the tide was in.

From the bottom parking lot, it was a very steep uphill climb on the Jodrey Trail

til we reached the camp ground,

but the view was worth it.

We took a break at the camp ground playground 

to have a little fun!

After getting our second wind, we hit the trail again. 

While still going up, the trail was more gradual and  easier.

Stopping at one of the viewing stations.

The view looking down.

The view from the very top.

 

 Heading down.

By the time we reached the bottom, the tide was on it's way out.

We ended our hike with a picnic of turkey sandwiches, 

cookies and brownies

before heading home

...where we

stuffed ourselves with pie.

But our choices were limited to two,

Pumpkin or Lemon Merguine.

For more Sunday Citars, join Tabitha at Fresh Mommy.


Happy Thanksgiving
and happy walking,
Marisa

Lets Get It On

Pineapple Salad

A bed of fresh salad greens and dill from my garden 

topped with mushrooms, peppers and pineapple

and sprinkled with sage flowers. 

~great with Mango dressing~

So many people bemoan the idea of  going on a diet or switching to a healthier life style with the mistaken belief that they will be required to give up their favorite foods and commit themselves to a lifetime of nothing but  rabbit food to eat. Nothing can be further from the truth. There is a wide range of foods to to enjoy. The secret is limiting the junk food, paying attention to portion size and tracking calories. I've found that using this free, easy to use online diet site, "Loose It.com" helpful in keeping track of how many calories I take in and how many I burn each day through exercise. Setting a daily calorie limit and seeing what I've eaten listed on my computer screen  in front of me helps me to choose foods with a lower calorie count allowing me to eat more ...thus I am not fighting pangs of hunger. But that doesn't mean you can't treat yourself to your favorite cheesecake once in a while, you will just have to cut back for the rest of the day or  increase the amount of exercise you do to make up for your indulgence.

Speaking of exercise, with Loose It.com you can even calculate the amount of calories burned doing "the nasty",  although I should point out that, according to Loose It, moderate sexual activity burns only 9 calories for 30 min. of activity and by stepping it up a notch, you can burn 15 calories for 30 min. of  vigorous sexual activity. Ho hum...just 15 calories ... me thinks the next time hubby gets randy and suggest we burn a few calories, I'm gonna pass him  Nordic walking poles and tell him to go take a hike ...and I'll go too....and burn 173 calories for 30 min. of Nordic walking...

"I'm ready babe...lets get some action on."

Happy Walking
Marisa