#Gratitude

I am sitting with my husband this morning completely overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the blessings in my life.  He is hooked up to a cryo therapy (ice) machine that is accelerating his healing from knee surgery yesterday.  He had a meniscus tear repaired.  He is doing fabulously!  I am so grateful for so many things. 

First of all, for his strong baseline health.  He takes very good care of himself and is strong and healthy.  So, even though he tore his meniscus, he is in awesome shape. 

Next for the fact that we have good health insurance and can select the finest surgeon to fix his knee.  Thank you Dr. Tallman.

Next, for my Mom, who sat with me during his surgery.  It was so nice to have her company!

Next, for my sister who provided healing homeopathic therapy to speed his healing process.

Next, for the abundance in our lives so that we can afford to buy the cryo therapy machine, which is not covered by insurance, but is considered to be the gold standard in rehab therapy.

Next, for my parents who made Allen his favorite meal, homemade pasta, so he could enjoy it as soon as he was home and propped up for healing. 

Next, for the healing love in the Christmas cookies Mom and Dad brought him for further "pain: medication!

Next, that I work for a company who is happy to give me a few days off so I can be by Allen's side during his initial healing.

I hope that all of you will sit in gratitude and count your many blessing.  It sure is a good time of year to do just that!

Desire to act with gratitude.  Dedication to count our blessings.  Discipline to be sure to thank our loved one for all they do.

San Diego vs. Green Bay

I am sitting here this morning with my beautiful niece (23) who has moved to San Diego from Green Bay 4 months ago.  We just enjoyed a delicious Christmas breakfast including a limoncello mimosa.  Delicious!

We were talking about the beautiful weather here in San Diego after facetiming with her folks (in Green Bay) who had to go out and blow the snow from the driveway so they could go pick up visiting family for the holidays.

We also talked about indulging for the holidays and I said we can all diet on January 1.  Emily reminded me that I had told her never to diet, because the word diet has the word die in it!

First of all, I was tickled pink that she remembered something I had told her!  That in itself was an amazing thing! Then I reflected about what she had said and I actually agree with her!  Diet does have die in the word.  We want to alter the way we eat to become healthier, not to die!  So as I enjoy the treats of the season, I do want to move towards continued health and give zero thought to the word "die".  So we will all continue on our healthy journeys and never diet again!!!

Desire to increase health. Dedication to listen to the wise ones in our lives. Discipline to never DIEt again!

Tri Tri Tri!

One of the most amazing blessings of my life is my husband Allen.  He is the love of my life, the wind beneath my wings, my biggest supporter, my better half and so much more.

An important part of my healthy journey has been to support him and his efforts.  So, this morning he competed in his first ever triathlon, sprint distance.  He is a super star.  He has always been athletic (motocross, rugby, etc.) but this seems like a bigger deal than before.

Yes, I got up at 4:30 on a Sunday and went with him, but he did all the hard work.  I am so proud of him!  If you know him, please send him congratulations!

It takes a lot of training and preparation to do these competitions, even at the sprint distance.  My running days are behind me, so I won't do one, but he represented the McKay name quite well this morning!

Desire to support my loved ones.  Dedication to be his cheerleader.  Discipline to wake up with him at o-dark-thirty.

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

Not just now during this very busy season, but all throughout the year?  So many times, getting enough sleep surfaces as a critical success factor for reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.  I know this is an ongoing challenge with my healthy journey.  My sleep patterns are all &$#+ed up.  This week was a particularly notable week of bad sleep due to an unbelievably busy week at work.  My mind simply doesn't shut off for long enough.  I fall asleep easily and well.  But I tend to wake up 4-5 hours later and finish the night with tossing and turning. After 4 nights of sleep deprivation, it is harder to function well.  It is enough to drive me crazy.  There is no doubt in my mind that the added stress of sleep deprivation impedes my ability to easily shed weight.

I have tried everything short of sleep drugs.  I just can't bring myself to do drugs.  Restorative yoga, herbal teas, warm relaxing baths, reading, no TV in the bedroom (never had on in the bedroom, don't believe in it), light dinner, avoid caffeine, no sugar near bedtime, going to bed and waking up at a similar time each day and so much more. 

BUT once in a while there is a fabulous reward, like yesterday.  It rained in San Diego much of the day and my hubbie and I got under the covers in the late afternoon, read a little bit, then took a nap.  IT WAS A LITTLE SLICE OF HEAVEN! 

My happy holiday wish for you all is that you find a way to enjoy some blissful, much needed, hard earned rest and relaxation.  It is the best gift you can give yourself!

Desire to sleep well.  Dedication to keep trying ideas to get me there.  Discipline to do all the right things for peaceful sleep.

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

And by rumble, I mean rumbles in the tummy, as in hungry...  Thanksgiving was awesome and is now past so we have 3 weeks to practice deprivation to be able to enjoy more holiday celebrating without guilt!

I am going to eat clean protein with lots of green veges.  After all, I need to counter act the effects of the Thanksgiving holiday and make calorie room for my Mom's famous Christmas cookies!

BTW, my sister introduced me to a wonderful new pumpkin treat.  She found pumpkin lollipops at See's candy store.  They are delicious, last a long time and have only 70 calories, 2.5 grams of fat and 8 grams of sugar.  All in all, not a bad nutritional summary for a delicious treat!  Just thought you might like to know.  The pumpkin flavor is seasonal, so if you are interested, go now to try them!

Desire to seek balance.  Dedication to myself.  Discipline to practice caloric deprivation.