Getting Sick and Losing Weight

This is a train of thought from my own little mind today, there is no medical basis or research that I have pursued to support it whatsoever.  It has to do with dieting during cold and flu season.

It’s a common joke people make. “I lost 6 pounds since I had the flu. Yay! I need to get sick more often!”  I have made that comment myself, and maybe AFTERWARD there is some truth to my words, but I know that DURING the illness, especially the miserable sick feeling that accompanies the never ending vomiting, my mind set is more like, “Please make it stop! I’ll absorb 20 pounds straight to my ass if you will just please for the love of God make. it. stop.”

I don’t think I have ever heard the topic flip flopped though. I have heard people say they feel like they get sick more often when dieting, but not so much, “Dieting gave me the flu.”  No, that doesn’t even make sense, right? Or does it?

First of all, “Diet” is a weird word. It has a bad connotation.  A lot of times people don’t want to admit they are on a diet. You may want your kids to be more active and trim some fat but you don’t want it to be said that you put them on a “diet”.  But diet really just means whatever it is that you eat.  A diet can consist of salad and cottage cheese or it could consist of pizza and beer. It does not necessarily go hand in hand with an attempt at weight loss.

How this relates to my cold/flu & weight loss ramblings today is although it may not immediately occur to you that trying to lose weight could increase your risk of getting sick during cold and flu season, it is actually health 101.  So basic we kind of forget about it.  Here’s what I’m thinking.

You are very likely to come into contact with contagious sick germs, right?  And the stronger and healthier your body is to begin with dictates your likelihood of getting sick.  So naturally if you are practicing some sort of starvation diet, your body, although it may be getting skinnier, is not going to be at its peak health to fight those germ bugs off.  You already know that starvation diets are unhealthy and ultimately result in weight gain.  Well also by not eating a balanced diet, or not eating at all, you are robbing your body of antioxidants and vitamins that good fresh food provides. This poor nutritional quality of diet will make your body very weak, increasing your susceptibility to all the bugs you come into contact with during the cold and flu season.

Now this is not to say that you cannot attempt to improve your level of health and fitness, and lose weight during the winter months. Increase your activity and decrease your food intake! Go for it! But make sure you are eating ENOUGH and that you are loading up good healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. With this “diet” you can lose some weight, get healthy, AND build a stronger body to carry you through to Spring.

In summary, I declare there is truth to the notion that trying to lose weight during the cold and flu season can make you sick.  What do you think?

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Did you get a chance to see Extreme Home Makeover this weekend? I think this week, The Hill Family, might have been my favorite house. I always love the stories and the families, and the Hill Family was no exception. But the appearance really appealed to me this week.

We have watched some magnificent houses being built on this show, haven’t we? I am mostly drawn to the sprawling ranches with the peaks and stone and huge windows. You know, the progressive stuff. But this week a little calm washed over me when the bus pulled away and revealed the grand two story waiting to be toured. The house, for me, was the perfect blend of old style and contemporary. I could see their big ol’ family gathering and welcoming friends and family into their home, creating new memories and continuing to give back and enrich the lives of others.

The inside was a little more modern than the outside, but still very warm and inviting. The colors outside and in are so tranquil and that dining room table was really special. The lower level, dedicated to the teenage boys was amazing but a little flashy for me. I will say that I loved that flashy wall game. There always has to be something breath taking and one of a kind, doesn’t there?

I would love to have my house redone, who wouldn’t, right? Someone needs to produce a show to help home owners who are not quite in as desperate situations as the Extreme Home Makeover people. People whose maintenance is BECOMING overwhelming but they haven’t quite lost it yet. Those would require smaller budgets and would maybe save a lot of people from going into those dire straits. Or maybe folks with special needs that don’t need a whole rebuild, maybe just some specializing to meet their wants/needs, like walk in tubs, finished basement with playroom and privacy for growing family, new windows and a roof… whatever the case may be. Think something in scale between QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY and EXTREME HOME MAKE OVER. That’d be cool.

For my make over I don’t think I want anything elaborate. Maybe some more windows put in where the builder skimped, um… finished basement with laundry room, office & play area. OH! And a fancy multi head shower! That would be my luxury splurge. How about you?

Here’s a tour of the Hill House if you would like to see it.

You might think by my obsession over my recent discovery of these fine lines around my face, that I don’t have enough to do.  Not true.  I have so MUCH to do that I choose to dwell on small, less significant things to keep my mind off the potpourri of priorities dancing inside my head.

Like most everyone else I suppose, before you even get into your to-dos, to-donts, and priorities for the day, there is an underlying stress related to personal finances, struggles, job security, the economy, health, etc., that wakes up with you every morning and tries to set the tone for the day.  From there, it’s all worries and dwelling over everything big and small, usually resulting in the loss of perspective as even the tiniest things become monsters in your mind.

In order to tame those monsters I try to remember to smile as soon as I wake up. Notice I say “TRY”.  Because I do not always succeed! Even if I can’t get my eyes open and even if I don’t feel like smiling I force myself to do it because it gets my face moving. Energy flowing. Mind working.  Most times I end up feeling like laughing because I think about how I must look laying there with my eyes glued shut trying to talk myself into smiling. I really do say “Good morning! It’s going to be a super day” when I wake up to the Universe.  Which also makes me laugh because I say “SSSUPER” with a bit of a lisp which makes me think of Elle from “Legally Blonde” which always makes me smile.  Do you see how this is coming together?

There is nothing mystical about it. I am not speaking to the Universe so that it will speak back or deliver something magical to me.  I am simply responding to myself and have figured out what changes my mood and keeps the underlying stress and worry from hitting me hard and heavy first thing in the morning.  If you have a hard time waking up in the morning, figure out what you can do to make yourself laugh when you’re laying there grumbling under the covers.

Once I’m up and have made my list, I follow it.  I do what it says, cross it off the list,  and move on to the next thing.  I don’t think beyond the task at hand.  What I think about is the silly stuff.  Researching the best wrinkle creams. What I am going to make for dinner. I really need a haircut.  How much I miss Adam Lambert since Idol has been over.

What gets you going for the day?  What sneaks in and distracts you? My latest addition to the underlying stress is the realization that the holidays are fast approaching and I haven’t even bought school clothes yet! Oh no.  Breathe. “It’s going to be a SSSUPER day. laundry is all caught up. Maybe I’ll make fajitas for dinner.  I wonder what Adam Lambert’s up to.”

Here is a fun distraction for you speaking of Adam Lambert. He recorded the theme song to the upcoming movie “2012.”  It’s about the world coming to an end. Hm. Maybe I could have come up with a better distraction

I like this time of the year when the sun is still warm but the breeze is cold.  It is toasty during the day and chilly late at night and early in the morning.  It’s the time when you stop wishing you had central air and find yourself thinking about heated floors. 

Heated tile floors is one of those things on my mind for my “dream house” one day.  I always thought they were a difficult expensive home feature.  Maybe not.  New, more affordable products are being developed so that anyone can have the luxury of warm floors, even on a budget. You can even save money by installing the radiant heat tubing yourself which comes with a how to install heated floors manual.

I know slippers are cheaper and fun to pick out.  But they are hard to keep up with.  And the cutest ones keep falling off my feet anyway!  Wouldn’t it be nice to tip toe out into the kitchen onto heated tile floors first thing in the morning for a hot cup of coffee?  <sigh>  One day.

Okay.  There is really no topic today.  Just sharing some excitement about Coconut Oil and football.  If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you know I received a bottleof coconut oil for review and am experiencing high energy today after spreading some on my toast.  Actually, to say that I have increased energy doesn’t describe it accurately.  I have diet pill energy.  ROCK STAR energy, even!  Run out and by Metallica tickets and rock out all night ENERGY!    You have probably also heard me complain the last two weeks about feeling extra lethargic and eating everything in sight. So this is a real change for me!  And speaking of eating…  It is 2pm and I haven’t thought about lunch or had any appetite at all until now.  Been satisfied!  And I don’t really feel excited about eating right now. I just will have something small because I know my body needs nutrition.  You know what else is on my mind today? FOOTBALL!

Crazy right?  I’m not the sports girl at all but I do love University of Michigan football.  Tiger baseball too.  I can see perfectly clear pictures of sitting with my Dad when I was a kid watching the Tigers or the Wolverines play.  If I close my eyes, I can even hear the crack of the ball against the bat as it for a second crowds out the sound of the crickets through the screen of the patio door behind us during night time games in the summer.  And speaking of sounds, I don’t even have to try hard to hear the Michigan Marching Band playing the fight song as clear as if they were in the kitchen with me right now.  One of my favorite school memories is playing flute in the band and every year marching through the school playing HAIL TO THE VICTORS to antagonize the Ohio State fans in anticipation of that big game. 

Although Dad and I went to see some Lions games when I was growing up I have never been to a Michigan game.  Tickets are hard to come by.  I know where you can get Penn State Football tickets or Philadelphia Eagles tickets. (Heehee.  That’s a little jab to my sport loving friend Al in Philly) But I am pretty sure the Michigan Tickets are all sold out.

Anyway, this weather has me all excited for the first Michigan game this weekend.  I am sad to see summer go but I like these hot days with the autumn breeze blowing through.  And just to button up this whole post and tie things together I will share that in my so far brief research into coconut oil I learned athletes prefer it to other oils because it has less calories and converts to energy more quickly. 

Have you tried coconut oil? Excited for college football?  Have anything random to say at all?  I’d love to hear

How do you think the programs your kids watch today on tv stand up against what you watched back in your day?  I think about it in passing all the time but today I over heard the words “nether regions” and “num nums” used on a cartoon and I thought, “huh. Not sure how I feel about that.”  To be fair, that was the show “6Teen” which is geared toward teenagers, but still.  Anyway, for fun, I compared TV then to TV now.

The cartoon experience

Remember when Saturday mornings were the highlight of your life?  SCOOBY DOO, LAFF OLYMPICS, & SUPER FRIENDS were my favorites. Then Sundsay night was the Disney feature.  OMG that was so exciting.  Sadly, my kids today have no reason to be excited on Saturday mornings or Sunday evenings because they have all the same shows available to them 24/7.  There is no sense of something special or exclusive.

Same goes for after school.  I couldn’t wait to get home for SPEED RACER & LOONEY TUNES after school each day.  But today I am not aware that there is anything on that they can’t catch some other time.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing that they are NOT glued to the tv after school, it’s just a bummer that they don’t know that excitement we had at cartoon time when it was a more limited commodity.

programming quality

As much as I loved SCOOBY & LOONEY TUNES, though, and feel that scheduling was more exciting in my day, some of the programming is really good.  I really like I-CARLY, ZACK & CODY, and HANNAH MONTANA and can only imagine how I would have looked forward to shows like that in my day.

I would say it is the cartoon programming that gets under my skin. Is it just me or are the voices and sounds really high pitched and irritating?  I despise just hearing POKEMON in the background.  Then we have these visually ugly and depressing shows like CHOWDER, FLAPJACK & COURAGE THE DOG.  Why in the world would someone make these shows?  They are so unpleasant.  Do we really need these images influencing our kids?

Other than Pokemon my kids watch a lot of Boomerang which makes me happy because they are passing on these gloomy shows and instead watching things like THE PINK PANTHER.  That makes me sort of happy.  We really do limit our tv time but it’s hard, especially in the summer, when I work from home and need to create a few blocks of quiet time so I can stay focused.  TV and Wii are the only babysitter/daycare we can afford right now.  Now that I think about it, it’s probably the increased viewing hours this summer that have me so aware of kids programming right now.

What do you think?  Do you ever find yourself shocked by something you see or hear on your kids “kid shows”?

I gave up coffee a while ago because doc says I have to keep my caffeine to a minimum.  With all the cream and sugar I dump into my joe, I am surely better off without it. But as I sit here, zipped up in Hub’s Aero hoodie, shivering and listening to the rain drops as I watch them plop onto the deck, I suddenly have a craving for it.  Coffee, that is.  And as I am completely distracted by my delicious brew and gloomy view it hits me.  HALLOWEEN IS COMING!!!

I love Halloween.  I love that Sari’s birthday is November 1st so her birthday can have a Halloween theme if we want.  Not that we ever HAVE because up to this point she has only wanted Barbie, Tinkerbell, Carebears, and Mermaids. But as she approaches 10, I think I may have finally coached her into something more age appropriate like zombies, goblins, and haunted mansions.  Muahaha!

I am not a big fan of  annual birthday parties for kids because I think it’s indulgent and sends a bad message.  But  the thought of planning Sari a Halloween themed birthday party gets me all giggly.  Filling out Halloween invitations, making elaborate ghoulish treats, and planning old school party games with apples, blindfolds, and squishy feeling stuff… one day that party planning will be mine!

Alas, that party is not this year.  Sari wants to go to Cedar Point’s HALLOW WEEKENDS this year which is just as exciting.  I swear I didn’t coach her it was all her idea! I would love to hear if anyone has been to Hallow Weekends at Cedar Point before.  Have any tips for us?

If you are not familiar with Cedar Point’s Hallow Weekends here’s a good video I found that has a good sampling of the day and nighttime action. In addition to the rides there are parades, shows, haunted houses for all ages, scare zones and ghouls roaming to keep you company. Check it out!

You know why I don’t want to work out at the gym?  The equipment is too crazy! I get intimidated trying to remember how to operate some of the machines, and frankly, I think it’s a little too dangerous! Take a good look at an elliptical machine.  There is just way too much going on for the average person to coordinate.  Two arms and two legs going in different directions.  It’s just not for me.  And how about the treadmill?  Well, actually I love the treadmill but have you seen some of these boneheads falling OFF them?

What is so funny about watching people fall?  I don’t know either, but it sure is!

Where has all the fun gone? Remember anticipating being a parent and raising your family? There were no thoughts of cleaning gutters or finding affordable life insurance on your mind, right? Somewhere along the way, our fun got buried by responsibilities. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Before I was a parent, I was a good aunt and was sure I’d be a super fun Mom. I was always available for whatever came up, had lots of disposable income to buy the best presents, had never ending ideas of fun stuff to do and abundant energy to do it all. It was sure to be even better when I had my own kids. Does this sound familiar?

The obvious difference in being an aunt and a mom is that it was not so much my job to teach, guide, or discipline nieces and nephews. Of course we want to be a good role model and good influence. But that is not the point of the relationship. The point is fun and love. Well sure that’s the point of parenthood too, except you have to also make sure your kids behave and learn and grow and thrive. That’s not all though.

The big challenge in parenting and fun is the pressure of everything going on around you. There is a mortgage to pay, a house to maintain, a job to do, cars & food & clothing & LIFE to pay for, people getting sick, losing loved ones, mowing the lawn, and so much more! Unfortunately our family bonding and fun time can easily take a back seat to all that. It doesn’t have to, though.

I bet if you sat back and analyzed the situation, there IS time to squeeze in a game of CONNECT FOUR with the family or go for a bike ride through the neighborhood after dinner. It isn’t always the TIME that is missing, but the quiet of mind that allows you to REMEMBER to do it. Even if the kids say, “Hey, wanna go for a walk?” your reaction might be to think you don’t have time. But I bet you do.

Sometimes just the idea of a game or an activity sounds too overwhelming to get started. It will just make another mess to clean up. It won’t work out anyway. Have you ever had these thoughts yourself? Well I have found so many good and easy and fun activities on the internet. I have long planned an organized schedule here at Her-Family-Blog offering different themes for different days. It’s funny how my schedule today is so different than the one I planned a year ago. Ideas for at home family activity and projects is a valuable resource right now especially. With our extra money on low, and stress & depression on high, what could be more important than finding as many ways as we can to have fun and bond as a family, without having to save up or even go out!? So my fantasy blogging schedule definitely has family activities on the roster. We’ll see if it transpires

For now, here is a super activity, perfect for this time between summer and fall. I searched out “bug catchers” specifically because my Sari loves catching and observing bugs. This is not only a great video, but the end product is cooler than I ever imagined! Can’t wait to try it!

As Part 1 of this post discussed, I was touched by this year’s Blogher theme of “In Real Life”.  But I wasn’t the only one.  And it wasn’t all smiles and feather boas either.

The first night of parties was good.   Gwynne was recognized by more people than I was.  That was okay, though.  I drank more vodka and cranberry than she did. I believe I had just as much fun!    I met many interesting people but the one who stood out that evening was a very artsy, cool looking woman who won my heart by offering me a drink ticket. The means to my first and much needed cocktail.  The next day I recognized her as a speaker in one of my sessions, Melissa Lion, author and social media whatchamacallher. I went to the bookstore that day to return the drink ticket favor and buy her book.  I read 6 pages of “Upstream” and was already choked up and in love with my new writer/blogger friend.  By the time I finished the uncluttered, straight to the heart 150 pages I was fully completely attached to all the characters, had laughed and cried, and been left with a feeling of hope and optimism. Two thumbs and big toes up.   Turns out the book is under movie option.  So you should visit her website or read the book right now so you can say you knew of her when. Thank goodness I didn’t know all that BEFORE I stalked her a lil bit and finally worked up the nerve to ask her to autograph my book after lunch. 

The second night of conference I was completely on my own and, you guessed it, ended up  crying in my room too afraid to go to the big parties alone.  I had returned to the hotel room after sessions and started getting ready.  I was all excited and looking in the mirror curling my hair and I literally saw the change in my face as I realized, “Whoa, I am headed out alone”.  Now I like to be alone for sure, but not GOING OUT alone in CHICAGO alone.  I texted my family and they couldn’t be found. I Facebooked. I texted a few friends to try and nonchalantly suck some of their good energy.  In the end, it was the sucking dry of the vodka in the mini bar that turned my frown upside down and got me out the door. Thank goodness because had I not gone out that night, I would not have received my tiara or had my first experience with a chocolate fountain.  Vodka, chocolate, and a tiara. Every girl’s dream. 

The natural buzz I picked up from daily sessions was made of the same stuff that gave me the energy to stay up too late and show up early to breakfast networking and each day’s classes. Women continued to recognize, hug, and support one another. We did networking speed dating which was exhausting and fun. We learned tips, teckie stuff, and held Q&As.   Then it was time for Community keynote speakers. That’s when I realized.  It wasn’t just me whose life had been enriched by involvement in the blogging community and by this remarkable event, but community wide, people’s lives were changing for the better.   Gathered in the ballroom 1500 deep, we all laughed and cried together as winning blog authors read for us their favorite posts.  I would challenge any woman to try and NOT be touched in some way by the presentation of each and every blogger that read to us, regardless of whether or not you could relate to the topic.  There were a few, though, that spoke most directly to me.

As a woman torn every moment of every day between the beauty and the pain of the world as well as my own community,  I cheered the testimony of one blogger’s Obama election reflections as she taught me about “racial skepticism” and related it to the barriers and stereotypes suffered by many groups.  She touched us with hope that these issues would one day soon be distant memories.  A blogging mommy made a change in me as she told me how my life time practice of using the word “retard” hurts her, her family, the precious son she lost, and the sweet child she later CHOSE to make part of her family. And as an adoptive mother of 2 I  lost my breath as the story unfolded of the blogger on a quest to find the brother she didn’t know she had, who was given up by her mother all those years ago because she didn’t know she had a choice. If you are reading these posts as you go and could use a laugh (and a tissue?) right about now I will also share the story of this hilarious blogger as she chronicles her relationship with Diet Coke.  Still others shared intensely personal stories ranging from hilarious to heart wrenching and as they laughed and cried during the presentation of their blogs you could see and feel the joy, the therapy, the pain, and the relief that their posts had brought them through not only the writing, but the posting, the community response, and the public presentation.  Powerful stories, incredibly talented writers.

At Blogher ’09  we had the opportunity to interact with high profile women in entertainment, communications,  and publishing.  We picked their brains and they picked ours.  We learned tips and strategies to get just what we wanted out of our blogging experience be it socializing, informing, or monetizing.  We were treated to incredible food, samples, gifts, and rewards, feather boas and tiaras, celebrity guests and entertainment.  Yet all that pales in comparison to the knowledge that soon our odd and misunderstood hobbies and businesses would one day, sooner than later, be mainstream “in real life”.  And most of all we were able to meet the incredible women and feel the blogosphere’s electric vibe as we brought that amazing community into OUR REAL LIVES.