Chin Up! Shoot Down!

A picture can be worth a thousand words, or chins.

No matter how you look at it, keeping your chin up is a good thing, but if you have a choice, always have the photographer shoot down.

Let's face it, chins can be a defining characteristic - think of Jay Leno. And whether you walk tall and keep your chin level with the floor, or lift your nose and tip your chin up, or drop your gaze and dip your chin down, you can send a  message about yourself without saying a word.

And such is the reality of my recent picture at the very fun Albuquerque Roadrunner Food Bank "Souper Bowl" fundraising event. I must have been so overwhelmed that I forgot the "chin up" rule for the picture. I mean, not only do I have an obvious chin, but I have more than one.

Another way to say this might be: turtle neck sweaters are not always your friend.

And so, instead of staying as depressed as I was for the first day after seeing the picture, I have decided to pull myself out of the doldrums, stretch out the neck on my turtleneck, lift my chin and press forward.

Life will go on, although it's gonna be a bit harder than normal since I now am aware of the double weight hanging off the lower part of my face. If I really wanted to stretch the truth a bit, I suppose I could claim the title of weight lifter.

Anyway, yet another wake up call. First the heart scare, which thankfully turned out to be nothing. Then the TV spot, which caused me to gasp and turn off the TV. And now the double chin photo. It's as if the entire universe is shouting at me.

What, you are probably thinking, is the universe shouting? Well, duh, it's obvious isn't it? Whispers and hushed words and mumbled comments and forceful explosions are shouting in unity: "Get a grip, Jeannie. Stop eating, start moving, Jeannie..."

and most important....."Chin up, Jeannie!"

Done.

Being the Change You Want

Last night I had a dream. I wish it had been something as grandiose and noble as Martin Luther King's dream, or Lehi's dream, or I Dream of Jeannie, but it wasn't.

I dreamt that I wrote a book especially for people who live alone, entitled "I'm Fat and I Snore". Probably not quite what you were expecting, hmm? But yep, that was pretty much the gist of it: I'm fat, and I snore.

Not sure it's a best seller title, but I can work on that. The point is that there are reasons people live alone, some make sense, and some don't. And I am going to suggest that being fat and a snorer are not strong qualifiers in the "These Reasons Make Sense" competition for choosing to live alone.

However, having said that, and assuming there is more than one person in the world who uses at least one of these two non-qualifying reasons for their lonely nights, I have another dream. It's a dream of life without stress, food without calories, and exercise without sweat. Now THAT'S what I call a dream.

The sad reality is, for most of us anyway, that food will always have calories, life will always have a bit of stress (if not more) and exercise - real, focused, intense exercise - will make us sweat...and there will always be people who sleep alone, former beauty queens and jocks who are now overweight and out of shape, and sweet, innocent sleeping babies-turned-adults who now snore the roof off (and their partner right out of the bed) for several hours a night.

My new goal (resulting from 3 medical tests that have all come back: "You're healthy as a horse, what's your problem?!?!") is to "live with what I can't change, and to change what I can't live with". Or, more simply stated, to lose weight which will also cause me to stop snoring. (No, uh uh, the book's not about me, sheesh, heaven's no - it's about everyone ELSE with these issues).

So, to get a head start on 2010, here goes - my goals follow. I will:

a) exercise 30 minutes every day (and sweat the fat out - just aerobic/whatever else exercise)
b) sleep 7 - 8 hours every night (with less snoring as exercise and diet do their magic - physical health exericise)
c) eat 3 - 5 meals every day (with calories, but with a high nutritional value compared to a low calorie count - nutrition exercise)
d) drink 8 glasses of water every day (without flavorings, just gulp it down, sheesh - hydration exercise)
e) claim a minimum of 30 minutes out of every day for just me (destress while I do something relaxing that I enjoy - an it's all about me exercise)
f) give 1 hour of service every week to someone/something (good kharma-building exercise)
g) give thanks, study and meditate at least once a day (spiritual renewal exercise)
h) write 1 book this year, entitled "I'm Fat and I Snore: Why I Choose to Live Alone" (or something like that) (self-satisfaction/sanity-preservation exercise)
i) take a university class or 2 or 4 (mental stimulation/alzheimer prevention exercise)

And that's just the beginning. I am going to be the change I want to see in my life.

My 2010 mantra is to live with what I can't change, and to change what I can't live with. Remember, I claimed 2010 as my own a few blog posts ago...and it's a done deal: this year is all about me.

It's about time. It's about change. But most importantly, it's about me.

It's a Jeannie dream.

Let the Games Begin!

It's official. I am free to race my heart to any speed I choose. I can run and snow shoe and exercise and aerobicize and jump rope and lift weights until I sweat and my heart is pounding against my chest.

My EKG came back perfect.

What a waste of nearly 5 months while I waited for an appointment (due to my travel schedule, 2 cancellations by the doc, and one repair of the machine). Think what I could have done in the past 20 weeks.

Anyway, that's history and today is the beginning of my future.

Nothing can stop me now. My heart is ready and so am I.

It's time to rummmble!

Bonnie Tyler "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

Alligator Tears

I don't know if it's the heat from the cameras, the reduced caloric intake, the sore muscles that have been long underused, the reality that their 15 minutes of fame are at their most vulnerable moments, or maybe it's just male hormones, but the men on The Biggest Loser certainly do cry... a lot. We're talking alligator tears here, tears that match their first weigh in. Huge tears, and lots of them.

Some people are making fun of these guys, and I would be lying if I didn't admit a few eye rolls and "oh for pete's sake" comments (to myself) while I was watching my first episode ever, but you can't let those gigantic tears overshadow the amazing results these men are achieving.

So, the tears may be real, but more real is the determination and courage of these people who not only share their 15 minutes with the entire world, but they stand in front of cameras showing nearly every inch of their oversized bodies, including the large rolls of fat over their pants.

I have my own love handles, so I am not making fun and I hope to not be insensitive...love handles are cause for tears all by themselves.

Real men do cry, although as with everything on reality TV we don't really need to see quite so much or so many. And they drop the pounds too. Modern technology is amazing, there they are on TV, in front of all of us, exercising, sweating, (crying), swearing under their breath, in the sand, at the beach, on the court, and not a single electrical cord in sight.

But then again, with all the tears, it's probably better that they aren't in close range.

Sha Na Na "Tears on My Pillow"

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiii

....need I say more?

Probably not, but I will add that I am exhausted from the set up (I am soooooo not a techie) and no longer have any need to see how it works today. Multiple chords to multiple units in multiple colors with multiple uses are way beyond my normal limit. I have overdone and need a break. Once I recoup I will actually turn it on.

Foo Fighters "Exhausted"

When Life Gives You Cholesterol....

....take meds. But at least I can ramp up my exercise (now that I know that I will not keel over from a stroke - the ticker seems to be ticking strong) and my blood pressure is where it should be. Oh, one more little tidbit of news - beta blockers prevent weight loss. Great.

I liked making lemonade so much better.

Madagascar "I Like to Move it"

The Simpson's Theme Song

Elated Exhaustion

What happens when you combine lack of sleep with uber-multitasking, emotional turmoil, financial challenges and then also factor in: limited time, energy and resources?

Fatigue. Exhaustion. Stress. High blood pressure. Beta Blocker. (note the absence of "meltdown" - I consider this a personal triumph of great importance!)

Yeah, I'm tired, yeah I am now on meds, but I am not having a meltdown, on the verge of a breakdown, doomed to an eternal money pit, unable to pay my bills, unemployed, in pain or dying of brain cancer.

I am just tired. Well, maybe a bit stressed too, and out of shape, but mainly I am just tired. I tend to burn the candle from both ends, and have for as long as I can remember. You would think I would learn.

And I do learn, but then I forget and suffer the consequences. However, life has it's ups and downs and over the years I have learned to simply roll along. Everything seems to work itself out over time, one way or another, and karma reigns supreme. I truly believe that whole "what goes around comes around" philosophy that I blogged about a while back: Be good to others and goodness will come to you, be honest with others and honesty will be returned to you, stop exercising and taking care of yourself and high blood pressure and excess weight will be your reality, start exercising and eat better and improved health will suddenly make you feel younger. It's one of those eternal laws - karmic by nature, self-induced in practice.

So, it's time to take corrective steps and move forward. And I am doing just that.

I love my life, I believe in the good of people, I trust my gut, I am taking steps to correct weaknesses and flaws in myself, and I am elated that tomorrow is just around the corner. I am making better decisions, I am collecting the pieces and putting them together, I am eating better and moving more, I am snuffing out one end of the candle, and I am ready to hit the road with a better attitude and healthier body.

After doing all that I can, I will watch for 'it' to come around, and it's already started: blood pressure and weight are dropping, truth, kindness, honesty and respect are returning, laughter is increasing. It feels like me again. It feels like my life again. It feels like today. I love today, hope for tomorrow and treasure yesterday. I am excited about life and am preparing to continue to hit it head on for a very long time - in shape, in a good mood, with the right attitude. One candle burning, from one end only, at a time.

But first, I am going to take a nap (and dream of a marathon finish line and a multi-candle dinner). Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...............

Rascal Flatts "Feels Like Today"