Dr. Oz's 100 Weight Loss Tips/Turning 50 and walking a marathon

My mom and I are fans of Doctor Oz... today to celebrate his 100'th show he had 100 people on that had lost at least 100 pounds. Excellent show... Below is a listing of the 100 tips from his website.

So many people start out on their weight loss, or fitness journey feeling like they are totally alone. Even in a crowded room... it feels like a lonely journey.

You do not have to do it alone! There are many many of us on the journey. Reach out ... connect. Whether it's a blog, a phone call, facebook, twitter, tv... whatever.

Reach out, see what others are doing. Engage your mind... then engage your body. Take care of you. Some of the sources I have reached out to are, facebook, twitter, Dr Oz Show, Women's Health, Beachbody (of course- excellent source), and so on. I post my daily routines on facebook, successes and slip-ups. I am 20 pounds down with approximately 134 lbs to go. My goal weight is 145 lbs. Last year I couldn't bring myself to say that. I had a goal of 149 lbs because that gave me just 150 lbs to lose.

I couldn't stand the thought of having over 150 lbs to lose. Although I already had that much because I had gone over 300 lbs. I don't know how much over 300 lbs because I did not get on the scale at my largest. When I did get on the scale I was at 299 lbs.

I started off last year going great guns.. then freaked out. Numerous stressful life events piled up and I did not deal with them very well. All in all I came through the year with a 10 lb net loss. I had lost more but gained some back. I am going on from here.

I am stronger and more determined day by day. I am who I am. I was so excited to see the 10 lb loss for my first session this year. That was a 4 to 5 week session. 10 lbs and 7 inches, the inches just thrilled me to pieces...lol.

I am starting on my second 4 week session. I had a challenge near the end of my first session. I came down with pneumonia. Knocked me for a loop and put a stop to all working out for a while.

I am starting up my second session today. A 4 week set of Turbo Jam, combined with training to walk a marathon. I am concerned about the lost conditioning time for the Marathon the end of May. I may not be ready for a full marathon. If I am not, I will do as much as I can and go on from there. I will get a marathon in this year. It's a mental thing... I seriously want to do a marathon distance in my 50th yr. I turned 50 Feb 5th 2010. I have lived 50 years. Half a century... kinda cool actually...lol. Frankly it amazes me that I've lived 50 years. Who'd a thought.

50 yrs, I'm eligible for AARP now. You know that was a total brain twister for me. I am determined to not spend the second half of my life; or the rest of my life, however long that may be out of shape and over-fat. I love the way working out makes me feel. I can already see differences in my body. I can definitely tell differences in my mental state, as well as how I feel physically.

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians in Wild Wonderful Wyoming
Independent Beachbody Coach: Helping Others help themselves... find health and fitness in this life
307.788.0202

Here are the 100 Tips from the Dr. Oz Show.

1. Automate your eating by planning your meals ahead of time. That way you're less likely to make an unhealthy last-minute food choice.
2. Oats are your friends! Eating a cup of oatmeal in the morning will prevent you from gorging in the afternoon.
3. Foods with healthy fats such as olives, salmon and walnuts help you feel satisfied.
4. Skipping meals can cause your body to go into a fat-storing starvation mode, making it harder to burn calories.
5. Got nuts with nuts. Eating a handful of nuts will help you stay full. Try soaking them in water for a different texture.
6. Use meditation to help you cope with chronic stress, which can lead you to crave feel-good carbs.
7. You may be used to fried foods but there are other, sometimes healthier, ways to cook including: roasting, steaming, poaching, baking, braising and broiling.
8. Do your grocery shopping with a list and a time limit; that way, you're less likely to stray into the processed foods section.
9. Don't confuse thirst with hunger. Drink a glass of water when you feel hungry to see if that's what you're really craving.
10. When out at a restaurant, ask the server to hold the bread, snack mix or chips and salsa that might come before the meal. If you're hungry, you'll be tempted.
11. Tired of eating your salad on a plate? Fill a whole wheat pita with salad and a splash of lemon for a twist.
12. You might do better to replace an occasional dinner with a nice roll in the hay. Healthy sex may help control the amount of food you eat and it's great exercise.
13. Create emergency packs filled with healthy foods such as nuts, fruits or sliced vegetables to help you avoid unhealthy temptations.
14. Add red pepper flakes to your pantry. When eaten early in the day, red pepper lowers the amount of food you'll eat later.
15. Odds are you're eating too fast. Try holding a conversation while having a meal so you're not gulping down more than you need to feel full.
16. Take a brisk walk before lunch or dinner. Not only will you get in some exercise, you're less likely to choose something unhealthy after a little movement.
17. Looking for the benefits of salmon but you don't feel comfortable cooking fish? Try canned salmon as a simple and affordable alternative.
18. Are your dishes too big? A healthy dinner should fit on a 9-inch plate. You may find that kid-sized plates are more appropriately sized to feed an adult!
19. Never eat any snack food out of the box, carton or bag it came in. You're less likely to overeat if you separate snacks into appropriate fist-sized servings.
20. Boost your metabolism with some green tea or chili peppers.
21. Get your Zzzzzs. Sleep deprivation alters levels of hormones in the body that regulate hunger, causing an increase in appetite.
22. Muscle burns at least four times as many calories as fat does, so try twenty minutes of strength straining two to three times a week.
23. Decaf coffee is a great low-calorie fluid when you're having cravings (and a great source of antioxidants).
24. Eating liquid-based foods such as natural smoothies and low-sodium soup can help you cut back on calories yet feel full.
25. A pedometer can help keep track of your steps. If you're not getting 10,000 steps a day, you’re not moving enough.

26. Natural applesauce is an excellent dip for fruits such as bananas and melons.
27. Take every opportunity to move around, even in small ways. Studies show fidgety people tend to be skinnier.
28. Identify the emotional triggers that lead you to seek unhealthy comfort food. Picture your goal weight the next time a trigger strikes to help you resist temptation.
29. Use a vegetable bean dip such as hummus instead of ranch dressing or a fatty cream-based dip.
30. People who regularly weigh themselves and keep track of their progress in a journal are more likely to lose weight.
31. Use a dash of cinnamon to give fruits such as bananas and melons a richer dessert feel without the sugar.
32. Give your protein extra low-calorie flavor by adding a salsa or chutney instead of a gooey cream sauce.
33. Distracted dining will get you in trouble. Avoid eating in front of a television or in a movie theater, as you're bound to consume more calories.
34. Pass on pop. You'll be amazed by how much weight you drop by simply switching to water.
35. Beware of "fat-free" or "zero trans fats" foods as you could be trading fats for huge amounts of sugar or sodium.
36. Try drinking skim milk at breakfast instead of juice. Overweight people who drank skim milk for breakfast ate fewer calories
37. Sugarless chewing gum can suppress your appetite in a pinch.
38. Snack attack! Puree peaches, berries or pears for a sweet spread to go on pita chips.
39. If you're having trouble getting started, make a small move such as starting an eating log or buying walking shoes. You're three times more likely to follow through if you start with small gestures such as these.
40. Always have vegetables on hand. Sauté a big bag of frozen mixed vegetables in olive oil and garlic. Add some red pepper or turmeric for additional flavor and separate into portion-sized containers for the fridge.
41. Edamame (soy beans) are a great low-cost snack. Look for them in the frozen foods section.
42. Soups can be both filling and comforting. Try making a garden or bean soup with low-salt broth and store in portion-sized cups for later.
43. Save time and money during the week by buying lean protein such as chicken breasts in bulk and cooking a week's worth on Sunday night.
44. Save the kitchen and the dining room table for cooking and eating. Try not to use it as a place to do work or other activities, or you may be tempted to eat more.
45. If food was your only source of pleasure, make sure to reconnect with other things you enjoy -- music, sports, volunteer work or movies, for example.
46. Try to have a little lean protein with each meal, as protein tends to be more satisfying than carbs or fats.
47. Think ahead to how you'll eat and exercise on the weekends. It's easy to get too relaxed on Saturdays and Sundays, but healthy living is a 7-day-a-week endeavor.
48. Dump the junk food. If you want to avoid temptation, make sure you clean out the fridge and the pantry
49. When you eat calorie-friendly fruits and vegetables that are in season, they tend to taste better and you're more likely to enjoy them.
50. People who eat breakfast have a better shot at losing and maintaining weight loss.

51. Replace your scale with a tape measure. Aim for 32 1/2 inches or less for women and 35 inches or less for men.
52. Make sure you check food labels and avoid anything with more than 4 grams of sugar, especially high-fructose corn syrup, per serving.
53. Eat a fiber-filled apple before a meal to help you feel full faster.
54. Opt for peanut butter or almond butter spreads instead of cream cheese or butter.
55. Remember these five essential smoothie ingredients: frozen berries, a banana, skim milk, a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of psyllium seed husks.
56. Researchers found that dieters who ate eggs in the morning were less hungry than those who ate carb-heavy meals.
57. The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon may dial up your body's ability to burn fat, especially if you add some exercise.
58. A Mediterranean diet not only comes with heart benefits, studies show it leads to more weight loss than low-fat diets.
59. Replace your regular pasta noodles with whole wheat pasta for a more filling meal.
60. When eating out, ask your server to point out the healthiest options on the menu.
61. You don't have to make a three-digit number your weight loss goal. Aim for a certain dress size or waist measurement.
62. Go lean with bean protein. Beans are an affordable and healthy alternative to meats and are wonderfully filling.
63. Energize plain-tasting proteins such as eggs or chicken with metabolism-boosting chili pepper sauce.
64. Try a plain Greek yogurt with frozen berries for a pre-workout boost.
65. Turn dinner into a healthy lunch the next day by wrapping your lean leftovers in a whole wheat wrap. Add a little Dijon mustard or curry powder for added flavor.
66. Eat a rainbow of colors. Have at least one brightly colored fruit or vegetable in each meal, and, if appropriate, eat the skins -- that's where you'll find a powerhouse of antioxidants.
67. Make an office snack box of your own so you're not tempted by your colleague's candy bowl. Fill it with small individually packaged portions of soy chips, almonds and dried fruit.
68. Make an office snack box of your own so you're not tempted by your colleague's candy bowl. Fill it with small individually packaged portions of soy chips, almonds and dried fruit.
69. If you're 'cooking' food in the microwave, chances are you're eating unhealthy packaged foods. If you must microwave, consider soy chicken patties, veggie burgers or steamer vegetables and brown rice.
70. Make your wardrobe match your goals. As you lose weight donate the clothes that no longer fit you as an incentive to stay on track.
71. Pick up a 5- or 10-pound weight at the gym and visualize that weight coming off. Holding the weight in your hands helps bring home just how heavy even 5 pounds of extra fat can be.
72. If you find yourself at a weight loss plateau, up the duration of your exercise routine by five minutes.
73. Pounding out your meat will help healthier portions go a longer way visually, and it's good stress relief.
74. Silken tofu makes a wonderful replacement for cream in some recipes.
75. Save 85 calories just by swapping mustard for mayonnaise in a sandwich.

76. Do your best to ensure you're not eating after 7 o'clock at night. You're more likely to make unhealthy choices and less likely to sleep as well after a late meal.
77. Try a pasta-less spaghetti by mixing shredded zucchini, veggie meatballs and raw tomato sauce seasoned with a dash of zesty oregano.
78. Fresh herbs can really zing up a healthy meal. Try growing some in the kitchen using a strawberry pot. Preserve the flavor by adding fresh herbs at the end of the cooking process
79. Fast food is salty food. If you cut back on the salt, in a few weeks you'll be able to better taste the natural salts in food and may not crave the junk as much as you used to.
80. The rub on ground turkey is that it's dry. Add some olive oil and finely blended onions to a turkey burger or turkey meatball to enhance its juiciness.
81. If you're trying to lose weight with your significant other, pack each other's lunches. The lunchbox surprises will keep the both of you motivated.
82. If you're eating out, make salad the appetizer. Most starters are fried and come with unhealthy dips or sauces.
83. Savory 'umami' ingredients such as mushrooms, low-sodium soy, asparagus and olives can help you feel full and add an earthy, home-y quality to your healthy-dishes.
84. Make it a point to use the steps whenever possible. Use the bathroom on a different floor at work, take the stairs at the bus station, the airport or the mall.
85. Try baking apple slices as a healthy alternative to potato chips.
86. Eating water-rich foods such as melons, tomatoes and celery can help fill you up without adding too many calories to your day.
87. Avocados can be your secret weight loss partners. They're high in fiber and healthy fats, giving you a meaty-tasting meat alternative.
88. A handful of unsalted pumpkin seeds make for a healthy mid-day snack. They're rich in magnesium, which helps lower blood pressure.
89. Keeping good posture will not only strengthen your core, but will also add a small extra-calorie burn, because you're working slightly harder to maintain the position.
90. Cravings can sneak up on you when you're tired. Try taking a nap if you feel yourself wanting some junk food.
91. Share your weight loss goals with your friends and family. Make it a positive life change and ask for their encouragement.
92. Take a photo of yourself each week so you can see your physical transformation.
93. Store-bought salad dressings can be packed with calories. Make your own vinaigrette and store it in a small spray bottle to coat your greens without over-dressing them.
94. Yoga may be relaxing but you can also get a good workout. An hour of yoga can burn up to 350 calories.
95. Get familiar with quinoa -- a wonderful grain that's easy to cook and goes great with sautéed vegetables or mushrooms.
96. Ditch the mayo, cheese and top bun if you want to scrape off 250 calories from a restaurant sandwich.
97. Resistance bands are a comfortable and affordable at-home exercise option for strength straining.
98. Use the freezer to add some extra oomph to summer foods. Freeze grapes for some bite-sized delights. Or get a popsicle mold and freeze some Greek yogurt with berries.
99. Wrap up any extra food you've cooked before you sit down to a meal so you're not tempted to get seconds.
100. Take a 30-second break in the middle of your meal. Evaluate just how hungry you still are before getting back to your food.

10 Ways to Speed Workout Recovery and Gain Performance

It doesn't matter at what level you are... whether just starting out on conditioning, skinny as a rail, working on fat loss and changing your body's composition, training or an elite athlete; there is some excellent info here. Read on peeps.

I came across this article on my facebook page. Posted from active.com If you haven't gotten into this site; check it out. Seriously people; there is some excellent info there. Excellent as in extremely useful!.

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream with Our Pomeranians in Wild Wonderful Wyoming
Independent Beachbody Coach: Doing it with a Passion
307.788.0202



By Lynda Wallenfels
LW Coaching

Spring is the time of year when many athletes ramp up their training in order to prepare for racing. Athletes should also ramp up their recovery habits to stay in balance.

Over-reaching is required to stimulate your body to adapt. Full recovery is required to allow that adaptation to take place. Partial or no recovery leads to partial adaptation, lack of performance gains and eventually, over-training.

The quicker and more complete your recovery from a workout, the faster you can move on to your next quality training session. The more total sessions you have the energy for, the faster you will ultimately be.

Top Secret Ergogenic = Full Recovery

No matter what you do, when you extend yourself, your body requires a specific amount of time to refuel and repair. Full recovery takes time.

USA Triathlon Level II coach Steve Seide says: "Quality training time is extremely valuable. By quality, I mean when you are fully recovered and able to put in complete effort and focus. These sessions should be spent wisely."

Plan adequate rest into your weekly routine and schedule a rest week every third or fourth week. Manipulate volume and intensity during rest weeks to unload accumulated fatigue, maintain fitness and sharpen performance.

Recently, I did a big volume, three-day block of training. As an athlete, it was thrilling to put down some huge training. As a coach, I know it should take a week to recover and produce benefits from this type of training.

10 Ways to Speed Recovery

1. Daily Nutrition Habits
Daily nutrition dictates the health status of your body, plus the amount of training you can withstand and adapt to. What you eat and drink every day sets your athletic potential. If you eat poorly on a daily basis, your athletic potential ceiling will be low.

"You can wear yourself out with bad nutrition even faster than by exercise without discipline," advises Ultrafit coach Tom Rodgers.

Maintaining daily optimal health through a nutritious diet will do more to speed your recovery from workouts than any other factor.

2. Sleep Habits
Sleep is vital for recovery. Sleep is when your body does its best repairing and rebuilding. Skimp on sleep and you will delay recovery. Through the course of a night's sleep, you cycle through several phases. During the slow-wave stage, growth hormone is released by the pituitary gland, stimulating tissue repair.

3. During-Exercise Nutrition Habits
Fueling and hydrating properly during exercise will put you, at the end of a session, in the best possible shape, needing the least total recovery. For easy workouts of less than an hour, water will suffice. For workouts lasting longer than one hour you should consume a sport drink containing carbohydrates, electrolytes and possibly protein (if your GI system is receptive to this).

Hydration and electrolyte replacement: Your body's thirst drive depends on two things: an increase in blood salt concentration and a decrease in blood volume. Both of these occur when you sweat. Research has shown your body will absorb and retain more fluid when electrolytes such as sodium are added to whatever you are drinking. Drinking plain water dilutes the sodium in your blood and shuts off your thirst mechanism, so you drink less and tend not to hydrate fully.

Refueling: An athlete can burn more than 900 calories per hour during exercise. However, research contends the maximum rate at which carbohydrate can be absorbed from the stomach and processed by the liver is 1 gram per minute. This is a measly 240 calories per hour, so replacing every calorie burned is an impossible task. Focus on replenishing as much carbohydrate as your body can process. Consuming more than this will leave you bloated.

Food choices: Exactly the right solid, semi-solid (gels) and liquid food combination to consume during exercise is highly personal. One athlete may thrive on bananas and Gatorade. This menu may send another athlete sprinting for the port-a-potty. Use trial and error to figure out what works for you. It is vital to practice in training many times what you plan to consume in a race.

4. Post-Exercise Nutrition Habits
The job of post-exercise nutrition is to regain hydration status, replenish electrolytes, replace carbohydrate and provide protein for muscle repair and antioxidants to reduce cellular damage.

During exercise, your muscle cells take up glycogen at a higher rate than when at rest. At the end of an exercise bout, this effect lasts up to 30 minutes. Glut-4 molecules hang out on the muscle cell membrane and grab glucose from the blood. Glut-4 molecules are super-activated by high intracellular calcium and insulin levels produced during exercise.

Refueling within 30 minutes of the end of an exercise bout enables you to take advantage of the Glut-4s while they are still ramped-up. This will quickly replenish your muscle glycogen.

If you miss this window it can take up to 48 hours to fully replenish your muscle glycogen fuel stores. Also, immediately consuming protein may reduce post-exercise muscle breakdown.

5. Remove Heat Stress
In hot climates, immediately after a race or workout, remove heat stress from your body. At most triathlons, you finish near the swim start. Walk waist deep into the water and stay there for five minutes or until your body temperature feels down to normal.

6. Time Management
A day spent running all over town, doing a month's worth of errands in a day, does not equal a recovery day. Poor time management can also eat into sleep hours.

7. Stress Management
Chronic stress causes illness, injury and burnout—not good things for athletic performance.

8. Pre-Exercise Nutrition
Ensure you begin a workout with your carbohydrate tanks full and fully hydrated. If you work out first thing in the morning, consume some "low glycemic index" carbohydrates with water to replenish stores after your overnight fast. (Visit GlycemicIndex.com for more info on this concept.)

9. Yoga
Stretching, relaxation and meditation have been shown to speed recovery.

10. Massage
Massage increases circulation, flushes away waste products and brings in fresh nutrients while promoting relaxation.

Lynda Wallenfels is a USA Triathlon, USA Cycling and Ultrafit certified coach, and the author of The Triathlete's Guide to Bike Training. For more information about Lynda and her coaching services go to her website at www.lwcoaching.com.

It's 99.9% Mental... make it happen... Get OFF The COUCH!

View your goals as a ladder.

One ladder rung at a time.

Until you reach your ultimate goal...

To start... just get up and move!!!

Week 6 - Michael's Challenge
Speedy Peterson gives Michael some motivational words.




Link to the Biggest Loser Video Clip... Just in case it does not load here


Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs (Pomeranians)
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream In Wild Wonderful Wyoming
Independent Beachbody Coach: Fighting Obesity One person at a time...

Eating Well: The Best Fitness Foods for Women

I was sorting through my email in box and came across the following article from Women's Health. I always have an eye open for viable useful info. This caught my attention. It's practical useful info. enjoy. This article is out of their Eat this not That newsletter.

Food for health and fitness- try these for a strong body

The cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fat in these green health bombs can help keep your body strong and pain free. University of Buffalo researchers found that competitive women runners who ate less than 20 percent fat were more likely to suffer injuries than those who consumed at least 31 percent. Peter J. Horvath, Ph.D., a professor at the university, speculates that the problem is linked to extreme low-fat diets, which weaken muscles and joints. "A few slices of avocado a day are a great way to boost fat for women who are fat shy," says Leslie Bonci, R.D., director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Never mind Dr. Atkins—carbs are the optimal workout food. "Not the simple ones, because they wind you up and drop you down," says Jackie Berning, Ph.D., R.D., a nutrition professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and counselor to sports teams. "You want complex carbohydrates in their natural package, aka whole grains." A whole-grain bagel is an ideal pre-sweat-session pick: You'll digest it slowly because of all the fiber, which will deliver a steady flow of energy over time rather than one big burst.

Thanks to bananas' high potassium content, peeling one is a speedy solution to that stitch in your side. While a lack of sodium is the main culprit behind muscle cramps, studies show potassium plays a supporting role: You need it to replace sweat losses and help with fluid absorption. Bananas are also packed with energizing carbohydrates. One medium-size fruit has 400 milligrams of potassium and as many carbs (29 grams) as two slices of whole-wheat bread.


USDA researchers recently placed fresh berries on their list of the 20 foods richest in antioxidants. Just a handful of blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries is an excellent source of these potent nutrients, which protect muscles from free radical damage that might be caused by exercise. Shop for berries by the shade of their skin: The deeper the color, the healthier the fruit.





Close your eyes and they almost taste like crunchy candy. Carrots pack complex carbs that provide energy to muscles and potassium to control blood pressure and muscle contractions, says Leslie Bonci, R.D. And a half cup has just 35 calories.







Looking for something to nosh before you hit the gym? Raid your cereal stash. The healthiest brands contain endurance-boosting complex carbs and muscle-building protein. Sixty minutes before a workout, fuel up with a 200-calorie snack: ¾ cup of whole-grain cereal with 4 ounces of fat-free milk. "When you eat something before exercising, you have more energy, so you can work out harder and perhaps longer. And you'll be less likely to overeat afterward," says Leslie Bonci, R.D.



Skimp on iron and zinc and your energy will flag. Cooking up some juicy chicken thighs or turkey drumsticks is the best way to get more of both. "Dark-meat poultry is significantly lower in fat than red meat yet has all the iron, zinc, and B vitamins that women need in their diets," says Seattle sports nutritionist Susan Kleiner, Ph.D., author of Power Eating.





There's way more to milk than just calcium. In fact, it's a damn near perfect food, giving you a lot of valuable energy while keeping your calorie count low, says nutritionist Susan Kleiner, Ph.D. The chocolate kind is loaded with calcium, vitamins, and minerals just like the plain stuff, but new studies confirm that milk with a touch of cocoa is as powerful as commercial recovery drinks at replenishing and repairing muscles.




Despite its frumpy image, this diet staple packs 14 grams of protein per half-cup serving, along with 75 milligrams of calcium and 5 grams of carbohydrates. That protein is crucial to healing the microscopic muscle tears that occur during exercise, says Amy Jamieson-Petonic, R.D., health education manager at Cleveland's Fairview Hospital.





This packable fruit delivers a generous pre- or postworkout blast of carbohydrates (25 grams per ¼ cup). Plus, cranberries have proanthocyanins, compounds that help prevent and fight urinary tract infections. Running to the bathroom every 5 minutes definitely isn't the kind of workout you need.






Don't skip the yolk. One egg a day supplies 215 milligrams of cholesterol—not enough to push you over the 300-milligram daily cholesterol limit recommended by the American Heart Association. Plus, the yolk is a good source of iron, and it's loaded with lecithin, critical for brain health, says nutritionist Susan Kleiner, Ph.D. What does brain power have to do with exercise? Try doing a sun salutation without it.




"Flaxseed is full of fibers called lignans that promote gut health," says nutritionist Susan Kleiner, Ph.D. Since flax lignans contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, they keep you regular. "When you're trying to do an endurance sport, it can be disruptive to have digestive problems," she notes. A daily dose of 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed tossed in your cereal nets you fiber without fuss.




Complex carbohydrates, protein, and unsaturated fats—all the right elements to fuel activity—meet in one healthy little 70-calorie, 3-tablespoon package. Plus, hummus is often made with olive oil, which contains oleic acid—a fat that helps cripple the gene responsible for 20 to 30 percent of breast cancers, according to Northwestern University researchers.





"They're portable. They're a fruit you can get year-round. And they're a rich source of vitamin C," says Leslie Bonci, R.D., "which helps repair muscle tissue." One orange has all the C a woman needs each day—close to 75 milligrams. Vitamin C is also key for making collagen, a tissue that helps keep bones strong.






No wonder Mr. Peanut never stops tap-dancing. Female soccer players kicked and sprinted just as well in the final minutes of a game as they did at the start when they added 2 ounces of peanuts a day to their regular diet, says University of Buffalo professor, Peter J. Horvath, Ph.D. The extra fat may help improve endurance by giving muscles energy to burn up front so they can spare muscle glycogen stores later.




Sweat like a pig? Four shakes of salt (about 1,100 milligrams of sodium) and a small baked potato is the perfect recipe for electrolyte replacement. "The electrolytes, sodium and potassium, help maintain fluid balance in and around cells and make sure muscles contract as they need to," says Leslie Bonci, R.D.






Great for heart health, but here's an added twist: New studies are suggesting that monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fats might help lessen abdominal fat. It's too soon to understand the link, but "this could be particularly good for women working to tone their core," says nutritionist Susan Kleiner, Ph.D.





I hope you found the above article interesting and informative.

Below is a link to the article on their site.

Eating Well: The Best Fitness Foods for Women | Women's Health Magazine: http://bit.ly/aQV9tV

Life is a journey... enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs (Pomeranians)
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream in Wyoming
Independent Beachbody Coach: Fighting Obesity One Person at a Time
307.788.0202

Epiphany!

So how does the following post relate to fitness? If you are having challenges with weight issues, follow-through, getting your butt off the couch; it applies. In any event there is always some reason for your activity or lack thereof. The question is; what is it and what to do about it…

(This post is related to the 30 day project from the Ed Severance Blog: Rewire the Damaged Hardware post)

30 Days to change the way I think: to rewire the damaged hardware.

Hmmmm. What would be the foremost, the optimum thing to change. To truly create the life I want to live. God has given me the ability to create the life I know I want to be living!

Ok, so what am I working on? The list seems insurmountable. Goes on and on adinfanitum. Bits of this and bits of that, list after list. Truth be told all of it fits under a couple of points. One word is the major player. So what is it? It is: F-E-A-R. That’s it fear. Such a small little word, only four small letters to have such a huge impact on so many people’s lives. Yes I know I’m not alone in this.

Ok, so the list of fears could go on and on. Big fears, little fears, erotic fears, infinitesimal fears, probably a few psychotic fears.

So what is the heading, or umbrella that all these fears are running around under? What is it?! It’s not fear of failure. Failure is a very safe place to hide. It’s not fear of fat. A fat suit is another safe place to hide. Fear of discovery. The fear that you may see who I really am.
Nah, I’ve pretty much put that out there. Amazingly enough I actually like myself. Fat a** and all.

Ok so what is it. What has been tripping me up for so many years. The self sabotage queen. Grrr. Truth be told it really pisses me off. You know what? I do know what it is. I actually do. Ok so what is it?! It’s Fear of success. Not fear of failure. Fear of Success.

Fear of reaching my goals and finding the reward to be an empty thing indeed. If you don’t open that bright shiny door, you can’t find out that there is nothing there.

Ok so now I know what it is. Now what do I do about it. What is success really? Ask 50 different people that question and you’ll get 50 different answers. So what does that say? It says that success is something different to each person.

Ok, so what is success to me? Stripped of all the pomp and circumstance, just the bare bones of it. What is success to me?

• Is it being a millionaire? Nope, although that can be a side effect. Note the can be, not always is.
• Is it losing 150 pounds? No
• Is it being married for nearly 20 years, and actually still loving your partner? Nope
• Is it owning multiple homes? Nope
• Is it completing a marathon? Nope
• Is it graduating from university? Nope

Ok, this list of questions could go on forever. So what is it and why have I been tripping over it.

First what is success to me: It is a mindset. A way of being, a way of living.

Ok, it’s true. This is a relatively new definition of success for me. Over the years my definition of success or a successful person has changed dramatically.

In the past my definition of success was wealth. As in monetary wealth. Over the years I have found that definition to be false. There are some extremely wealthy people that are not successful. Wealth can be a nice benefit of success, but it is not success. If it were it would be an empty thing indeed.

At one point I defined success as career achievement. Then I looked around at executives defrauding people, and their life’s work disappearing before their eyes. False housing booms, and manipulated stock markets. And I thought this is not success.

I looked at marathoners, gymnasts, football players, Olympians. Medal winners, and thought perhaps that was success. Only to observe the dissatisfaction in so many of their lives, and thought this is not success.

I’ve watched churches turn in on themselves and spew venom and hatred in the name of their God; and I thought this is not success either.

And I wondered is all naught? Do I even want to be successful? Not by those definitions I don’t. Seriously, what’s the point? Emptiness and self loathing ala carte. Thanks anyway I’ll pass. Been there done that. Over it.

It’s not fear of success per se. It’s fear that I’ll achieve financial, physical, religious, whatever success and find it to be an empty barren thing. The fear that I’ll become a cardboard cutout of who I actually am. Empty of life other than desolation and rage. Look around they are all over the place. Here and there you see the cardboard rip and they unload an Uzi on everyone around them. Wouldn’t have to be an Uzi, an emptied milk jug with a few common household chemicals would be just as effective if not more so. Enough said, I’m not going there.


Ok so how do I untie my hands, so to speak? How do I stop the self sabotage and allow myself to follow through on some projects I find interesting.

That is the question. So what is the answer? Thinking, pondering, fingers are twitching with the urge to write something.

The answer, you do realize that each person’s answer is individual. Yes? So what is my answer. Tapping on the mouse, waiting for words to come. Concept is there, now to get it into actual words.

Success is a mindset. A way of being, a way of living.

Yeah ok, so success is a mindset, a way of being a way of living. Big woop, what is the practical application of that?

Ok, here goes. Rather than letting your wealth, or lack thereof, work, athletic prowess, religious endeavors, life events, happenings, relationships, whatever you encounter in your journey through this life define who you are; what you are, whether you are a success or failure in this life, you define your life, rather than the events in your life defining you.

Clear as mud?

Be who you are.

I am that I am. I am at peace within myself, I appreciate the beauty of each day. I live now, fully in each moment that occurs. I accept and love myself as I am, therefore I am free to love others.

As such, I am a success, my life is successful.

I am no longer in bondage, I am free.

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip
.
Mary E. Robbins

Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream in Wyoming
Happy Healthy Hairballs: Otherwise Known as Pomeranians

Independent Beachbody Coach: Fighting Obesity One Person at a Time
307.788.0202

Whoo Hoo! Lost a total of 5 pounds this week.

Whoo Hoo! Lost a total of 5 pounds this week. Journaling what I eat and doing the ranch workout. Rockin it baby. Been logging into Beachbody and the online gym all week too! Whoo Hoo! I did measure, unfortunately I did not have any change in the measurements that I did. That will come. I didn’t do hip hop abs or any other dvd workout this past week. I will be adding some back in this week; in addition to slogging about in the snow…lol… I overloaded and crashed a couple of weeks ago. So am being a bit more conservative.

Frankly I do not have the time to crash. So a consistent build is for me rather than a total overload. I’ve been watching the Biggest Loser. It would be great to be able to put hours into the gym. However I am not living on the Biggest Loser Ranch. I am living on Robbins Run Ranch, so a big part of my day is taking care of business here. Frankly I am pretty excited about a 5 pound loss. Whoo Hoo! Kind of giddy actually at the prospect of meeting my 50 pound weight loss goal for the year. It’s really happening! I am really doing it! One day, one step, one pound at a time.

Keeping the food journal has been a boon. (a good thing) Writing things down actually calls to mind what is being eaten; and has helped in the change in mindset towards food. I am eating now because I am hungry, not out of frustration, anger, stress, boredom, etc. Anger does still trigger an urge to eat but not an uncontrollable one. 

I am using Shakeology. It is excellent when I workout first thing in the morning. Mix it up and have it after my workout. It helps in muscle recovery and keeps my energy level up. Not psycho buzzing up, as in a speed overload. But healthy, cognitive, good frame of mind for a productive day up. Lol…

It makes an excellent breakfast for me when I’ve worked out early a.m.

The hunger monster has been jumping on my back in the evenings. I think I’m going to try out the Shakeology for my evening snack or dinner. See how that works out with the growling stomach at night…lol. Really do not want to eat for a couple of hours before bedtime. But having that protein, vitamin and mineral boost in the evening will give my body the protein and nutrients it needs to replenish itself while I am sleeping.

Want to get into a stretching routine before bed. Not set in stone, but a good stretching routine at the end of the day would be excellent for my body.

Yes I want the fat off, but I do not want to be a flappy skin monster either. So stretching and working out is a must.

It’s a glorious Day outside! We’ve had over a foot of snow fall this last go around. Between the last 2 days of snow it is knee deep in most places around the ranch. Absolutely great for the pastures. It amazes me how much the amount of snow fall can vary over just a few miles. I believe there were 6 or 8 inches in Torrington. Or maybe that was 6 or 8 additional inches. I’m not sure. The actual town of Torrington is about 17 miles from us.

It was so calm outside this morning. Just beautiful calm, no wind at all. It’s 26 degrees out and feels warm to me, because of the lack of wind. Totally amazing. The hairballs are out playing in the snow having a grand time. The doors we put on the calf hutches really worked well. The houses are warm and dry inside. Gives the hairballs a great dry place to play after bouncing around out in the snow.

Keep in mind folks, unless your pets are acclimated to the weather they can become hypothermic just like you can. I’m loving it outside but I’ve been out in it. So going outside in calm weather at 26 degrees doesn’t feel cold to me.

If/when the wind picks up the wind chill will drop body temps in a hurry without adequate protection. Translated it will freeze you to death in a hurry. Your pets too.

I’ve been pretty happy with my snow ranch workouts. As in slogging through knee deep snow. Dragging 100 ft of water hose and feed tubs. But I pace myself and have been working out in it. Pay attention to your body or you will give yourself a heart attack.

As in from the couch directly to the sidewalk shoveling snow if you have not been active at all. Pace yourself people. The early winter round of heart attacks are waiting in the wings; so to speak. Be smart, take care of that body you are living in. It’s the only one you have.

Have a glorious day!

Life is a journey, I am enjoying the trip.
Mary E. Robbins
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream in Wyoming
Beautiful Pomeranians
Independent Beachbody Coach: Fighting Obesity one Person at a Time.
307.788.0202

The Sun Is Shining!

A bit late on my morning workout. I actually slept after working in the kennels all day. I scrubbed out all the water and play buckets, over 40 and groomed 3 poms, mucked out the whelping house, took care of the fowl, and my sweet puppies.

It feels like the Karate Kid workout...lol. Paint the fence, wax the car; and so on.

Here we go again. Coffee, breakfast and out the door to muck out the whelping house, dump all the waters and refill. Groom another set of poms plant 3 plum trees, and hopefully get the garden fence up. I am sooooooo late with that fence.

Plan may have to be modified if I have to go with my husband and mother to get their glasses. If they will go on their own, I'll keep at it while they are gone.

I worked my knee for most of the day yesterday. It's catching a bit today but not so that I can't keep going. I have a support coming that is not as bundlesome and restrictive as the ones I have. The ones I have are too much at this point. They are going to do more damage than good. Need to strengthen the muscles around my knee joint not restrict them.

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.

Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
Independent Beachbody Coach: Live your life as you choose.
307.788.0202

Personal Conflict Resolution: Day 52 of 90 day Action Plan

I think I will start today’s entry off with a quote.

“Believe in yourself…
You will be
A shining star.” -Rui Huang Washington Ballet

I found this quote in a dance magazine. I’ve been looking at it all week as my resolution falters. Last night my resolution faltered big time. No binging, just sad and tired, and a lot of pain in my leg. No binging is a good thing, major progress there. I could do without the overwhelming sadness though. Sadness with the tinge of anger, boiling rage if the truth is to be told. With a HUGE dose of frustration.

What am I depressed and angry about? Why am I writing it out? I am writing it out to work my way through it. Who knows perhaps it will help someone else work their way though whatever is going wonky in their lives as well. That would be a good thing.

I am depressed and angry that:

(1) I blew my friggin knee out climbing over a bloody snowdrift. It’s been 33 days since that nightmare began. I have another appointment with the ortho on May 6th. I thought she was nuts when she put it off a month, the first time I went in. Now I understand why. She was waiting for the inflammation to go down. It has to some extent. Actually it has a lot. I am still not able to walk naturally. I am walking nearly stiff legged with my left leg. I can bend it now when I am lying down or sitting. But it doesn’t want to bend on its own if my leg is fully extended.

I am waiting to see if I have a torn acl and/or meniscus. I found some info on acl damage on about.com, mostly about recovery from reconstructive surgery.

My hams and calf muscles are screaming and knotting up like crazy. I did get a hinged brace to help stabilize it. I’ve cut back on my workouts, however I haven’t been able to cut back much on the ranch work.

If any of you have had experience with jacking up your knees and have come through it I would love to hear how you worked through it. I don’t want to leave it inactive because it will stiffen up and weaken. I am trying to find a balance between overdoing it and doing even more damage and rehabbing it, hopefully avoiding surgery. I know that’s unlikely if I have ripped that acl.

One more month until my husband is on vacation, and then there will be someone to pick up a bit of the slack on the ranch/kennel work. At this point just getting through the ranch/kennel work is wiping me out for the rest of the day. I can’t believe how much effort it is taking to handle what I normally do.

(2) Here comes the next round. April 14th, 2009 our family home of over 100 years burned to the ground, no there was no insurance on it. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. The neighbors dragged my mom out with a broken power wheel chair, in the clothes she was wearing. The Poms and birds I’d been trying to get her to send over here burned to death. I keep thinking I should have just taken them before this happened, but legally I couldn’t do that. I should have done it anyway. On my way over there I kept seeing one little Pom’s face in my mind’s eye. I still see her in my mind’s eye.

On the drive over there, as I was trying to keep from running the van in the ditch, totally panicked, not knowing whether my mom had burned alive in that fire all I could see is that Pom. Mom’s special baby. Her little face kept popping up in front of me.

I got there to find mom in shock sitting out in the road, no shoes, not even realizing how cold she was. I was glad to see she was alive, but I wondered if she would survive it. That has been questionable for the past couple of weeks. She is starting to come out of the shock of it all now. Most of the first week and a half she slept. Having nightmares of fires, afraid to be alone.

Before this happened she could transfer from chair to chair, get into the van and so on. After the fire she lost the ability to transfer. When she tried to stand she got confused and the ground started spinning. There is still some confusion but she is standing a bit better. Still very little leg control. I’m not sure if it’s all shock related, or if her arms and legs were hurt being rescued. I think most of it was shock related.

I watched her sink into confusion after discussing the burned out remains of her home. Her complexion would actually gray and she would sink back into a shell after each conversation.

Frankly I can understand it, I lost it when I went to the burned out carcass of our family home to feed the cats. In the state mom was in she didn’t realize what was happening, so David and I discussed it with her. There hasn’t been much in the way of discussing the burnout since then. Talk about it later when there has been some time for healing.

I don’t think the people hashing it out with her realized what was happening. She didn’t sound confused during the conversations, she collapsed afterwards.

(3) The third issue is related to the two above. From what I’ve been told scavengers have been digging around in the remains of the house. It’s bad enough that 100 years of memories went up in smoke, its adding insult to injury to dig around in the carcass of our home. Frankly I would like to set my house guard dogs on them and leave them in bloody pieces strewn across the burned out carcass they are ransacking. Right now it’s best that I stay away, because I am really reeeeeeaaaaaally angry. If my kennel, my mother, and my husband weren’t relying on me I think I would mount a little hunting party. A scavenger hunt so to speak. I can think of a delightful prize for these digging thieves, desecrating the grave of our family home. How about an ant hill massage, neck deep with some honey for hair dressing. That is if I called the dogs off them before they were carcasses themselves. Frankly allowing the dogs to do the deed is just too quick. A slower process is more appropriate.

You know, karma, the Golden rule, etc will take care of it in the long run. But it would work off some anger to help it along. No I’m not going to do that. Hello journals and blogs. Yes it’s true I write my way through rage.

(4) The fourth thing that is getting at me is trying to determine what the best thing to do for my mom is. A friend that I hadn’t seen in 6 years. (I’d moved, she started her own company, and we lost touch) Stepped up and has been an invaluable help. She is a professional nurse and she was excellent in working with my mom. Thank you Pat. Mom started coming out of the confused haze when Pat started coming out to transfer her from chair to chair, and visit with her. I tried to do it and failed miserably. My knee gave out, and frankly I had no idea how to do it without hurting mom and myself. If Pat hadn’t come, mom would be in the hospital, or a care facility. Then I wonder if she would have ever come out of the confused state she was in.

Right now she is sound asleep in a lift chair in the corner of my office. I thought of turning my office into a bedroom for her, but that isn’t going to work since my office also is a walkthrough hallway to the upstairs. No Privacy for her. I thought about moving our room upstairs and giving her our bedroom. That’s not going to work; the upstairs bedroom is going to be filled for a good bit of the summer already. So what do I do? I need a room with some privacy, a bit of space, that she can call her own. The only room I have is my pantry. When we first bought this place she popped into the pantry and said “this can be my room” I remembered that comment too. So the pantry is going to be turned into her room. It isn’t huge but it isn’t a closet either, keep in mind this is a small semi-berm farm house. The room is about 10 by 15 give or take a few inches either way. What can I say it’s an old house and the measurements vary lol. I think It will make a cozy room once I get my pantry supplies out of it.

Now to figure what to do with the pantry supplies. I’ll figure out something. Probably put the back up frig in the quonset. It would be great to have a storage/pantry room built inside the quonset. That isn’t going to happen immediately but down the road a bit. I would like to put a gym together in there too. One step at a time.

(5) The fifth thing that has been concerning me. Actually the thought of it about drives me batty. Is a long history of misunderstandings, and crisis creation in this family. Makes for a toxic living situation. I refuse to live in the middle of it. After last years mess, I had separated myself from it almost entirely.

With mom moving in with us I was concerned that it would start swirling here again. So I came up with a “house policy” When a he said/she said, whomever said whatever repeated commentary comes up. The parties involved will get together and clarify the comments.

When I made this policy known, there were some rather negative reactions. Mom’s reaction was let it go.

No I am not going to let it go. That is like seeing a toxic waste dump in your living room and letting it fester and put off toxins.

Frankly I would think that folks would want to clarify discussions so relations could flourish in a positive environment. Unless stirring up a toxic mess was the intention in the first place. In that case I can see where being called into conference to clarify and take responsibility for one’s comments would be an issue.

It’s pretty simple really, if you don’t want to take ownership of your words, then don’t speak them. Because whether you want to take ownership of your actions and words or not. They are your words and your actions, you own them, you are responsible for them. Such is life. Denying responsibility doesn’t take the responsibility away, it simply puts you in a state of denial.

If someone vents to you, it was for your ears. Not for someone elses. If they want me to hear it they will say it to me. Otherwise I am not interested in hearing it.

Frankly I don’t think I will have to mediate many if any of these conversations. I think the knowledge that I will pull the parties together to discuss it will be enough to stop the most of it. However if I have to mediate nonsense I will.

I wish someone would have stepped up when I was a child and done this. It would have made a major difference in the relationships within my extended family. It’s amazing how people pick at and hurt each other over and over again. There were a couple of them that actually used to laugh about it. Stir up a toxic mess then laugh. If they want to live that way, fine. But it isn’t going on in my home.

Some of them have passed on to the other side, leaving unresolved toxic issues behind them in their wake. It’s sad that so much family life was missed out on because of the toxic lifestyles that were lived. Lonely toxic people.

Well that was a very long post. I feel better, hopefully it will benefit someone else as well.

Oh… I almost didn’t mention. I have lost 21 pounds so far this year. Whoo Hoo! The compulsive eating is no more. All of the stress over this past month didn’t trigger a single episode. What a wonderful sense of freedom.



I am actually eating to live, rather than living to eat, or hiding in food. 21 pounds lost, 129 pounds to go for my goal of losing 150 pounds. There are two places online that I am so very glad I found. One is the Midwest center and the other is Beachbody. Both have been a blessing in my life transformation.

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.

Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians.
Independent Beachbody Coach: Helping others reach their fitness and financial goals.
307.788.0202

Broke Through the Plateau April 2nd, 2009

I got on the scale this morning. I broke through the plateau. Whoo Hoo. I weighed in at 283 lbs this morning. That is a 5 pound loss. For a total of 16 pounds down. 299 – 16 = 134 lbs to go to lose 150 lbs. I lost an additional 1.5 inches off my body measurements for a total of 12.75 inches lost so far this year.

I know I should be excited, however I did want to be farther along than this. However it is great that it’s coming off. That 4 week plateau was a bear. Big time mind twister, which of course made it even more difficult.

Injuring my leg and becoming ill didn’t help my fitness level any. I am really exhausted just taking care of the kennels at this point. Seems like a never ending task. This bloody blizzard really threw a curve into my goals. It takes so much more energy to take care of the dogs the way I have them now that it is draining my reserves big time. No energy left to get bookwork, or anything else done for that matter. Frankly I think the physical, and psychological overload is what caused this last bout of illness.

4 more pounds till 20 pounds down. Whoo hoo. Truthfully right now I am so tired and discouraged that it feels more like phhhhtttt! Than whoo hoo.

The rate in which I am losing fat may not be earth shattering. But there is a definite upside to it. Losing it slower gives my skin time to shrink back to where it belongs. So hopefully I won’t need to have surgery to get rid of excessive skin. I guess time will tell for sure on that score. Although the thought of having to have mounds of skin surgically removed is not appealing in the least. Neither is having all that skin hanging around getting galds and nastiness under it. Yuck.

I’ve got to head out to the dogs and take care of them. I hope I can still function when I get back inside. I am so bloody tired that I’d like to just disappear. Poof! Gone, find someone else to dump on.

Ok I can have a totally crap day, or I can decide to live now and have a great day. Choose. Make the decision. I choose to enjoy the rest of my day no matter what the circumstances.

I feel better already.

Life is a journey, decide to enjoy the trip

Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
Independent Beachbody Coach: Helping others Reach their Fitness and Financial Goals
307.788.0202

March 25th 2009, day 17 of 90

Day 17 in my 90 Day Action Plan.

My plan for this 90 day action plan hasn’t gone exactly the way I had envisioned it. No surprise there I suppose.

I am probably 1/3 of the way through the tax work that is a must do. Little frustrated there, wanted to be completely done with it by now. But am making progress.

On the fitness front. Yes I am making progress. Bumpy road but progress. The biggest bump in the road is the pain in my left leg. Working in the blizzard, climbing through snow drifts, yes falling off the top of them, etc. Did a number on it yesterday. Yes I’ve been bathing in liniment. Yes it is helping.

All the Hairballs (poms) are inside. Not so much room to run, but warm and dry. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking I’d missed one of them. I hadn’t, it was just a nightmare. The guard dogs were barking and the coyotes were howling, geez they were in close. My husband and I piled more straw in the guard dog’s houses. Makes me nervous having the electric fence buried in the snow.

The coyotes and cougar don’t come past the electric fence when It’s on. I will be VERY GLAD when this snow melts. It would have been wonderful if the wind hadn’t blown so hard. There are big stretches of no snow at all, then monster drifts.

We need another layer of snow fence to help catch it and keep it out on the range. The shelter belt tree row we put in is buried under snow but it wasn’t enough to keep it back out of the dog yards.

Looks like the roads are clear enough to get out with a 4 wheel drive. Weird storm. It was between 70 and 80 degrees the day before the blizzard. It started as a driving rain, then turned into a wet sticky snow. I found one of our hens sitting on a fence yesterday encased in snow. I picked her up and took her into my dog house to melt the snow off. Then took her over to the chicken house and put her inside. She must have gotten confused in the blinding snow and wind and just hung onto the fence. I’ve never seen a chicken snowball before.

I bet ranchers lost calves out in this mess.

Life is a journey, some travels are in blinding snow
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
Independent Beachbody Coach: Turn Weightloss into Profit
307.788.0202

My Butt fit in the Salon chair!

Beauty Salon chairs, movie theatre seats, airplane seats, office chairs with arms, bucket seats in some cars, all were a; what do I say.

An absolute embarrassment, misery; truthfully the words that come to mind are considerably stronger! It was one of those, take a look at the chair, estimate whether my fat rear would fit in it, then ease myself down into the chair one butt cheek at a time. Then pop! The butt cheeks stick out on each side through the chair arm loop. When you get up be very careful to ease out of the chair, or you are standing with a chair stuck on your butt.

Frankly I avoided this situation whenever possible. Sometimes it was unavoidable. The last time I flew to a business conference for example. The flight from Denver to Los Angeles. Cheek to Cheek to Cheek all the way. Fortunately the guys sitting on either side of me were skinny. Had all three of us been rather large in the rear it would have been something out “Saturday Night Live”. I couldn’t get the plane seat arms down over my rear, so I rode with them up under my arms.

Frankly I doubt if it was any more pleasant for the two guys, but to their credit they didn’t say anything, at the time. It’s not that the seats, chairs, etc are too small. It’s that my butt is to frigging big!

Denying it doesn’t change it. The chair is not too small; the rear end trying to wedge itself into it is too lardy. No, that was not a misspelling. Lardy as in large filled with lard-FAT.

Yesterday one of the things on my list as I blasted my pickup truck into town for supplies was to get my hair cut. I printed out a picture of the hair cut I wanted, grabbed my supply lists, climbed into my trusty truck and headed down the gravel road preparing myself for the “infamous butt-chair wedge”.

I arrived at the salon, chatted a bit and we headed for the torture chair. I looked at it, got ready to squirm and twist to get into it, and WOW! I slid right in. I stood up. Turned around and looked at it again. Then slid right in. No pinching, no twisting, no chair stuck on my butt!

Then we went to the shampoo station, and slid right into the seat. My butt fit in the salon chair. My Butt fit in the salon chair. My Butt fit in the salon chair! Gee suppose I said that enough?

I am one happy camper, lol. I still have a long way to go to my healthiest size, but I am on my way. I am losing inches. Yes I know I can tell that by a tape measure, but sometimes that doesn’t really sink in. Now, my but not having to be wedged into a salon chair, that makes a major impression in my mind.

Good by Jabba the Hut butt! As in a butt as big as Jabba the Hut.

Day 8 in my 90 Day Action Plan.
My workouts for today are elliptical and Hip Hop Abs: fat blasting cardio.

Oh, by the way, my haircut came out great!


Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs

307.788.0202
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians

Independent Beachbody Coach: Helping to turn Flabby into Fabulous

Plans and Poetry: March 14 2009

Cheyenne, my senior border collie, drove me out of bed at 4:00 a.m. this morning. What can I say, she is an old lady and had to go potty. Truth be told I was none too happy about it at the time.

It turned out to be a good thing though. Now I am up for the day, getting an early start on a very full day.

Written Much Later in the Day:
Today was a full workout day. Day 6 of 90 day action plan. I am happy to say I am current with my planned workouts. 12 workouts in 6 days. I am tired though, should be better in a couple of weeks. Need to get myself on a consistent sleep pattern. Workouts are good, eating pattern has been inconsistent. Be better tomorrow. No sense in crying over spilt milk. Just pick up from here and go on.

David was called to work, he is sleeping so much I am concerned. Seems like he is always tired.

I decided to wait until April 1st to measure and update photos. Then follow up each month around the first of the month, rather than mid month.

Bits and pieces of life
Snapshots of a moment
Glimpses into another

A Peek into an underlying consciousness
A photo frozen moment
An awakening comment

Notes of a favorite song
Visual blurb in video
A tenuous connection

Exploring new relationships
Reconnecting with friends lost in time
Bits of truth

Something’s missing
Look again
Found a friend



Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
Independent Beachbody Coach: Join the Team Beachbody Club and Get the Body You Want

Weigh in Day: Resulting 90 Day Action Plan

Day 4 of 90 day action plan.

Last week March 5th I weighed myself and found I had gained 2 pounds. This week I stayed the same, didn’t lose didn’t gain. I looked back over the past 2 months and reviewed my eating patterns and activity levels.

I was not happy with what I saw. I was working out about half the days. On days that I workout my eating patterns are healthy. On the days I missed my workouts, my eating patterns were not healthy.

I also noticed that my state of mind is much better when I work out. It would seem there is a direct correlation between working out and a happier healthier me.

When I look at the total amount of fat I have to lose, it can be rather discouraging. As in what’s the point I will never get there. When I think like that it is a self defeating attitude.

This journey is like driving a car, where you look you go. In this case, where I think I go. So what is the solution?

I already have access to excellent workouts, top notch support, and fitness experts thorough Beachbody. However the only person that can actually make this happen is me.

You can have the best trainers, workouts, fitness experts etc available to you but if you do not make use of them then your results are nada.

Rather than beating myself up over a 2 pound gain, I started asking, how can I do this. How do I keep going?

An idea was born. Pop! See the little light bulb light up!

My 90 Day Action Plan came into existence!

The core premise is to workout 2 times a day for 90 days.

180 workouts in 90 day.

Log into WOWy, Beachbody’s online gym for each workout.

Day 1 I followed through. The night of day one I didn’t sleep.
Day 2 I messed up. I didn’t workout.
Day 3 I caught up on the missed workouts. Did 4 in one day. That was a grit it through day by the end of the day. But I felt good about myself even though my muscles were screaming.

Day 4 I am heading for my first workout of the day.


An added bonus to logging into WOWY every day. I am entered into Beachbody’s daily contest every day. Increases my odds of winning something in the daily giveaways… it’s fun to see who won each day and what they won.

What will I do at the end of my 90 day action plan? I will evaluate my progress and format another 90 day action plan. There may be some defeats and setbacks, but my days of failure are over.

90 days, one day at a time, I CAN DO! 90 days at a time to a rockin bod!

Life is a journey, one day one workout at a time.

Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
Independent Beachbody Coach: Move it from fat to fit!
307.788.0202

Later tater… I’m logging in and working out!

Pigeon Toilet

I feel a bit better. Knee is still grinding. Still congested, not as bad though.

I need to increase my activity level. Even though I am exhausted. At this point I think it is feeding on itself. The longer I am inactive, the more exhausted I become. So its grit it out and move.

I know that being inactive has a negative effect on my state of mind. Frankly this past week I have been inactive physically and mentally for the most part. I did read an excellent book, 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life by Don Piper. But that was devoured in a couple of days. The rest has been thinking about what was in the book and sleeping. It’s been think, a little, eat, and sleep. On auto repeat all week. Truthfully my attitude has been in the dumper as well as my activity level.

The two seem to be tied together. Translated, when I keep myself active, physically, and mentally I am a much happier person. When I am inactive I turn into an exhausted (and not in a good way) depressed angry troll. On the really bad days I can seriously look like one too. Hair sticking out all over the place, snarl on my face, gray complexion, sweaters on my teeth, and total dragon breath, roaring when anyone tries to get near me. Or farther down the line, turning to stone, as in unresponsive lump of rock.

Ok so here we are at the crossroads. Choose, happy healthy successful human, or pissed off lump of depressed rock. Basically, it’s happy or pigeon toilet. Hmm…

Sounds like a simple choice doesn’t it? It is and it isn’t.

Fear can be a huge motivator to stay as a pigeon toilet. With all the crap consequences.

Here’s the thing. When you are in full pigeon toilet mode. You always have the option of doing something. “You Could Be” “You Could Do” and your mind runs off with all the possibilities bright and shiny for the moment. And you think I can be this or that and sink off into the oblivion of sleep, or just staring off into nothingness totally on idle.

The trap is, the longer you are a pigeon toilet. As in a rock that doesn’t move, the harder it becomes for you to move. The less you actually can move, so bit by bit you actually do become immobile. Either, too weak, too sick, too fat, too depressed to move. Then the rock you have become becomes the boxed decaying mass under another rock in a garden of rocks remembering what was or what could have been. I do believe that garden of rocks is called a grave yard.

By that time your what if’s are gone, your could have beens are no longer, your possibilities and potential wasted as a pigeon toilet. On the bright side pigeons always need a place to poop.

Time to brush off the residue and get moving…

Life is a journey, keep moving
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
Independent Beachbody Coach: Helping to transform Pigeon toilets into rolling stones.