Category Archives: Health

The Chunky Dunker’s Club, Week 6

Good evening!

Welcome to week 6, of the Chunky Dunker’s Club!!! Can you believe it has been Six weeks already??

Every week I post a new Chunky Dunker’s article ever Wednesday evening, and you have the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! We will discuss hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!!

Tonight’s topic: Staying with the Program When the Program Gets Tough

We are at six weeks in our get fit journey, and I don’t know about you, but there have been a few times that I want to throw in the towel. WHY? I don’t know, there are lots of reason at different times:

  • I’m tired
  • What’s the point?
  • This is taking so much time
  • The weight isn’t coming off fast enough
  • This is too hard
  • Blah! Blah! Blah!

Have you dealt with any of this yet?? Or is it just me? I thought tonight would be a good time to talk about this. To get this out in the open so that we can push through this sixth week so we can keep going on our journey to get fit. How can we make the lulls easier??

  • Get support, reach out and talk to someone who will genuinely cheer you on and help motivate you to keep going!
  • Do at least one thing that you didn’t think you could do before. Once you accomplish that task it will empower you to keep going!
  • Change it up! Is the reason you are wanting to quit because you are bored? Try a new activity, recipe, or something that you have been wanting to do but haven’t taken the time to do yet!
  • Look at the “old you” versus the “new you”. For example, the old me would have eaten that whole box of cookies in one sitting, changes to, the new me was able to eat just two cookies, and walked away.
  • Find something fun to do as exercise, so you trick yourself into burning more calories. For example, tomorrow night I am starting a belly dancing class, something fun, but something that will also get me moving!!
  • Remember why you wanted to get fit in the first place. Me wanting to be able to walk all over Paris without getting tired is great motivation for me to keep going!

What are your thoughts on sticking through to your journey of fitness? Have you had any inclinations of quitting, or giving up? What were some of your reason? Do you have any ideas to add to help the group keep on keeping on?

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts and how all of you are doing. If there is anyone new who has just stumbled onto this blog, feel free to join the discussion in the comments section. This is not a closed group – the more the merrier!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

A New Morning!

Good morning!

I must confess I had a bit of a rough Sunday, and a bad night trying to sleep. Now I find that I am grumpy. Hrmph! Ok, so this is not like my normal happy-go-lucky self, but I am just acknowledging the feeling so that I can get on with my day!! I am hoping that it will be sunny today! I could really use some sunshine! I am also thinking that a walk through Bush Park might be pretty cool too!!! Think calm, oasis, peace, balance!! Aaaaaah!! Ok, that is much better!!

I have a lot that I want to get done today!! Both at the office and at home today. I have to make a list of all of the projects that are half completed, or not even started and that are causing me anxiety. Then I have to decide if they get to stay on the list, or if I am going to let them go. If they stay on the list, then I have to start actively working on getting each one crossed off!! Life is just too short to have nagging things going on in your home! Your home should be the place that rises up to greet you when you come in from the sometimes overstimulating outside world! That is my goal.

OASIS! HAVEN! SANCTUARY! HOME!!

I am not going to take too long to dwell on this, this morning! I just wanted to throw it out there, so I do not forget! and to really change my perception about this morning, and I think it worked! I feel much better now!

I spent an hour this morning, doing my third day of Morning Pages, from the book “The Artist’s Way”. I think that this activity is going to be a life changer. The practice of doing this seems to help clear my head from all of the nonsensical chatter, and helps me see and hear what it is I want to most be/do/have. It just sweeps out all of the miscellaneous nonsense that I have been letting hold me back.  All of the excuses, time wasters, and whining. It shows me that it is time to put my big-girl panties on and get to work on creating the life that I want, while also living with my eyes wide open to see all of the blessings that are happening all around me, right her, right now! That is an AWESOME gift!!

Alright, I have to zip off to work now if I want a good parking spot – so I am on my way!!!

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉

The Chocolatier Is In!

Good evening!

This is going to be a nice and quick post! My sweetie is busy in the kitchen filling our home with the smell of chocolatey goodness! I took a quick peek, and what I saw made my mouth water!!! 😉 Our counters are covered with chocolate covered strawberries, haystacks galore, and a new invention that he dreamed up tonight, which doesn’t have a name yet. They look like haystacks, but they are dollops of crushed pretzels, chopped walnuts, and rich dark chocolate in the cutest little white paper cups – very creative, my love!! I can’t wait to taste one of your delectable homemade treats!! 😉

Anyway, just to give you an update on what I did today…well, nothing too exciting! I spent most of the day by myself, which was kind of a nice change from the norm! I hit St Vincent de Paul’s to check out their book selection, and of course I walked away with 3 books, but one of them is a gift, so I don’t feel too badly about that! Besides they totalled exactly $3.50 – so there you go!!

Next, I headed over to the craft store, which was ABSOLUTELY SWAMPED!!! There were people doing craft classes, and demos in almost every department, but I still managed to spend at least an hour toodling around, looking for inspiration and ideas, and I am very proud to say that I got out of there empty handed – thank you very much – that took the will of a saint!!! 😉

Afterwards, I met Jason for a very late lunch at one of our favorite little restaurants, and have spent the rest of the afternoon at home, watching a couple episodes of Bones, and spending time together just the two of us and our two little girls hanging out! Now he is busy creating all kinds of goodies out in the kitchen! Well, I am going to have to do some extra working out to keep on track with my fitness plan, but don’t you worry! I will behave!!

As for you…

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunkers: This is a good time to say that you don’t have to give up all of your favorites to get fit and healthy. Just remember to enjoy your favorites in moderation. It is all about balance!! GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!! 😉

Getting to Happy!

Good morning!

I am up REALLY early this morning!! I think my body and I are finally starting to work together!!! I take my tired self to bed earlier, and my body can then get me out of bed with my first alarm that goes off at 5:30 am. AAAH!! That feels GREAT!! What a novel concept! If I take care of my body, it will take care of me!!

So, here it is, 6am, and I am dressed and ready to go to work! I have stopped to take a mental check of how I am feeling this morning, and I have to confess, I am happy! Like consciously, in the know happy! What a FABULOUS feeling!

This morning, I thought I would start something different for me. I would LOVE to post an interview once a week from someone who interests me. Just to get the ball rolling, and really because I am still yet a big chicken, I decided that just to break the ice, I would interview MYSELF first!!

Interview: Christina Basso-Lenz.

Christinaville: What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier?
Christina: I always feel absolutely rejuvenated after getting together with family and friends. It doesn’t matter if we are getting together for a cup of coffee, the holidays, or just a random Tuesday! When we get together, we re-energize each other through laughter! You can’t help but leave their company feeling happy!!! I love my peeps!! 😉

What’s something you know now about happiness that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old?
I don’t think I gave any thought to happiness whatsoever when I was 18, I just assumed I always would be happy. Not that I was happy all the time, I was plagued with insecurities and doubt, but I assumed happiness was something that I deserved – like it was going to be given to me.

Now that I am 35, I am much more comfortable in my skin. I now realize that happiness isn’t something that I am entitled to, happiness is an active choice. Barring anything catastrophic, I will be happy if I choose to do/be/have the things that I deem make me happy. I am the deciding factor in my own happiness, and if I want it, I have to go out there and get it. No one is going to give it to me.

Is there anything you find yourself doing repeatedly that gets in the way of your happiness?
Dreaming big and then not taking action. This has been something that I consciously struggle with. I have this little bubble of fear that has a tendency to hang over my head, and I worry about being a failure or disappointing the ones I love. I have to constantly remind myself that this is the only life I ever get, and if I am going to get out there and do it, now is the time!

Is there a happiness mantra or motto that you’ve found very helpful?
I have a strong foundation of faith and I like to remind myself that God has a bigger dream waiting in the wings for me then what I can see right in front of me. Whatever troubles or struggles are going on right now they will pass. It is up to me to look for the lesson in whatever it is that is going on in my life at any given time so that I am ready for the bigger blessings heading my way.

Has there been a book that has been particularly useful?
A helpful book for me is any great fiction that can whisk my thoughts away to distraction. My favorite for that is probably something like Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, or The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I love the idea that I get to step into other women’s lives, and get to share some of their adventures with them. I have become infatuated with the idea of the southern belles.

If you’re feeling blue, how do you give yourself a happiness boost? Do you have a comfort activity? (like reading children’s books).
There are a few things that do this for me. Purchasing a new journal, or a good quality pen – I love writing my thoughts down on paper. There is something about fine paper, a smooth-writing, heavy pen, and large swirly penmanship that are immediately calming to me.

I also love getting creative whether that is doing some interior design, creating jewelry, or handcrafting a little something for a friend. I love seeing the joy that something I can make can bring to someone else!

Do you have a comfort food that adds to your happiness?
I do have a few of comfort foods that I love to partake in when I am feeling blue – all of them from my memories of my mamma’s kitchen; her fried chicken, baked pork chops, lasagna, those are all foods that can whisk me right back to being a happy little kid in her kitchen!! YUM!

Is there anything that you see people around you doing or saying that adds a lot to their happiness, or detracts a lot from their happiness?
My husband and I have been married almost 16 years, and because we don’t have children of our own, I really notice peoples’ parenting skills, or lack thereof. In my observations there are so many parents who don’t actually take the time to raise their children. They seem to think that great adults just happen all on their own. It makes me sad knowing that those parents will miss out on knowing what great adults their children could have become with some healthy and consistent guidance.

Have you always felt about the same level of happiness, or have you been through a period when you felt exceptionally happy or unhappy – if so, why? If you were unhappy, how did you become happier?
I have always generally been a happy person, but there have definitely been dark periods in my life. My darkest times have been during those periods where I have lost loved ones, but the most difficult was when I lost my mamma, 11 years ago. I have been able to get through those times by surrounding myself with a bunch FABULOUS family and friends – the ultimate support team. They remind me why I work so hard at living my life to it’s fullest; because life is short and yet so very precious!

Do you work on being happier? If so, how?
Yes, I try to live consciously, to be in the moment. One of my hobbies is photography, and sometimes I have to remind myself to get out from behind the camera and see what is going on in real life, not just through my lense. I have a tendency to live my entire life that way – through a lense, as if all of this is make believe and I will get another chance to live my real life.

Have you ever been surprised that something you expected would make you very happy, didn’t – or vice versa?
Yes! Growing up in a family who really didn’t have much materialistically, I was sure that if I acquired this certain thing or that particular object, then I would be happy. I have since learned that is an American myth. Matter of fact, the more stuff that you own, the more bogged down your life can feel. Happiness is all about the people you surround yourself with and the experiences that you choose to partake of. All of this other stuff is just fluff.

Anything else to add?
Get out there and go find your ladybugs! (Under the Tuscan Sun movie reference: “Listen, when I was a little girl I used to spend hours looking for ladybugs. Finally, I’d just give up and fall asleep in the grass. When I woke up, they were crawling all over me.”)

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉

The Chunky Dunker’s Club, Week 5

Good evening!

Welcome to week 5, of the Chunky Dunker’s Club!!! Can you believe it has been Five weeks already??

Every week I post a new Chunky Dunker’s article ever Wednesday evening, and you have the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! We will discuss hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!!

Before I get on tonight’s topic, I am VERY HAPPY to report that I have lost 7.2 pounds since our very first week!!!! YEAH!!!

Tonight’s topic: Tracking Your Way Towards Progress

By no means am I an expert in this area, but I am coming to realize that tracking your journey could be the key to your fitness success. The primary benefit of logging your diet and exercise is motivation. It is much easier to stay on track if you can look back after sticking to your program for a period of time and see that you’ve lost several pounds or shaved a few seconds off your routine neighborhood run; and if you should keep your weekly weight on a simple chart, then you can see that descending line or the ascending graph of your weight loss progress. These visual cues are reminders that you are taking small steps each and every day toward your larger goal and it’s working.

Having your diet and exercise plan in writing greatly increases your chances of sticking to them versus simply trying to “cut back” on unhealthy foods or “exercise more”. Defined goals and plans to reach those goals will ensure that you achieve what you wish. Sometimes your mind will tell you that you’ve been exercising regularly when you can look back at your training log and see clearly and definitively that you’ve only averaged one workout per week for the past month. I find that when I track my food, I actually have eaten more than what I thought I had, or eaten more of the wrong things, then what my memory could recollect, which is why writing it down has become key for me.

Whether your goal is to lose 10 pounds by next summer, lower your blood pressure by 5 points, or shave 30 seconds off your weekly club 10k time trial, you will need a plan. By tracking your exercise times, distance, diet, measurements, feelings, and any other thoughts or goings on a daily basis you will be in a much better position to understand what you need to do to reach your goal.

There are many ways you can start tracking your progress. There are many online tools that you can use, my personal favorite is LiveStrong.com Thier . Or, you can keep your details in a journal, spiral notebook, or some other paper-based device – the choice is yours. I personally track my food and exercise using LiveStrong.com’s My Plate (which is free, btw) and I journal for the most part either on paper, or on my daily blog, which most of you already read. 🙂 I weigh and measure every Wednesday morning, and I LOVE keeping that progress in a simple Excel graph! Being visual it is GREAT motivation to keep doing a good job!
So, tell me what you think?? Is tracking your progress something that you might want to do? If so how, and what are you going to start tracking? Also, how has your Kaizen assignment been going from last week? Also, I want to know what is working, and what isn’t working with our Chunky Dunker’s Club. Do you have any ideas that might help us make our group more successful? I am always up for suggestions!!
With that, I am going to wrap it up, and we can open up our discussion in the comment section of this posting!
Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

A Tired Tuesday Evening!

Good evening!

I think my body is still trying to recuperate from being so sick this last week, because for some reason I am really achy and if I were to close my eyes right now, I would be out like a light!! So, I am going to keep this short! 😉

I wanted to make sure I posted my Kaizen activities for today:

  1. Got up on time
  2. Brushed my teeth
  3. Walked 2 blocks from parking lot to my office
  4. Walked up 3 flights of stairs
  5. Had a healthy breakfast
  6. Tracked my breakfast
  7. Walked down 5 flights of stairs
  8. Walked 2 blocks to lunch and then back again
  9. Had grilled chicken instead of beef at lunch
  10. Requested extra veggies with my lunch
  11. Walked 2 more blocks to get from office to parking lot
  12. Drank about 2 liters of water today
  13. Had some extra vegetables with dinner tonight
  14. Ate an orange for dessert
  15. Started reading a health/nutrition book this evening
  16. Doing kegals while blogging! 😉
  17. Brushed my teeth again
  18. Flossed
  19. Will do a stress relieving meditation before bed
  20. Took some time to stretch before bed

Today was a day about hope, love and gratitude. There have been a lot of stressful things going on in my life, at both work and at home. Today was a day that I chose to change my perspective and focus on all of the blessings that come my way everyday!! There are a lot of things and changes going on at work right now that we are hoping will really help make our jobs more enjoyable, and less stressful. My home is clean, and my husband loves me like crazy, and I love him right back! We have every need taken care of, plus some for helping others with. We are blessed!

We are blessed! We are blessed!
and today, I am just soooo thankful!!!

Before I go for the evening, I wanted to remind you that tomorrow is our Chunky Dunker’s Club meeting!!! I will try and post by 6:30 tomorrow evening! Don’t forget to hop on so I can hear how everyone is doing!! I am excited to weigh in the morning and let you all know how I am doing too!! 20 pounds is the goal!!!! YEAH!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

Spending the Night With Ruby!

Good evening!

I am needing some chearleading to stay on the straight and narrow with my fitness plan this evening, so I am spending some time watching some Ruby!! I love that girl! She is just such an inspiration to me, and I just hope that I can finally start seeing that blasted number go down on that scale. This episode is the one where she realizes her dream of going camping for the first time! I love this episode, and I just ADORE camping!!

I must tell you, Jason makes camping soooo much fun! I love the zen, the quiet, the peace, and being in the great outdoors! I just love the whole experience of camping!!!

Anyway, back to Ruby and getting back on my own wagon of getting fit! I did do some Kaizen actions today, and I really do want to share them with you today!!

Kaizen actions:

  1. I have drank about 2 liters of water today
  2. I had a healthy breakfast
  3. Walk two blocks to and from lunch today
  4. I had a very vegetable heavy lunch today
  5. I literally took a break just to breath when things got a little stressful at work this afternoon
  6. I did some extra walking after work today
  7. Had a large salad with dinner
  8. I took some time after work to have a really GREAT laugh with my sweetie – a few times tonight!!
  9. Throughout everything I have done today, I have really tried to keep perspective and remain thankful for the blessings that I do have
  10. I did some stretching before going to bed
  11. and I did a 10 minute meditation to get me ready for going to sleep.

So between seeing this list, and the inspiration of watching Ruby making progress, I know I can do this – little by little. Ruby reminds me to not give up on myself – that I AM WORTH IT!! and that I can wake up every morning and find it inside of myself keep taking my baby steps!! God bless you, Ruby!! You keep going girrrrl!!! I know I will!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunkers: If I can do this, so CAN YOU!!!! Don’t give up on yourself!! GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!! 😉

Getting With The Program!!

Good morning!!

It has been a while since I posted first thing in the morning, so I thought today, I would get with the program, and get my morning thoughts down on paper, so to speak!

A couple of years ago, I remember watching this woman, on Oprah. This woman had the seemingly perfect life, whatever that is, and decided it was time to edit her life and surround herself with only the people, things, and activities that were the MOST important to her. I was so in awe of the changes that she made that I recorded that clip on my DVR, and literally watching one, two, and sometimes 3 times per day for almost a year. I no longer have that DVR clip, no longer having a DVR and all, but I am still so drawn to the idea of learning happiness through your actions, versus happiness through accumulation, that I often think of this woman and her family. It was AMAZING to me to see the transformation in her life, and to listen to her story. How calm and soft spoken she sounded – TWO MAJOR things that I AM NOT!! and how utterly happy she was, with what looked like SOOO LITTLE. I find that as much as I am drawn to the idea happiness through simplicity and focus, my actions in my own life don’t reflect this belief.  Knowing that I don’t has caused me to live in an almost in a constant state of fear of the unknown and a never ending barrage of stress knowing that I am not honoring my authentic Christina.

With all of the stress that I have let myself be put under, I have been wanting to learn more about stresses effects on a person, so yesterday I watched an interesting documentary on stress and what it does to you on a biological level. What I heard was not good. Without going into any long, boring details. Mamma has got to start making some serious life changes here – and I have to do more than just TALK about it!! I want to live a LOOONG and HEALTHY life!!!

So, that is where my focus is today! What can I do to live a life that is more in balance with work/play, good stressers/bad, togetherness time/alone time, and me time/others time. I am not sure what that is going to look like, or what form some of those actions might take, but I am excited to see where the journey takes me!!

As for this exact moment? This journey is taking me to get my booty to work!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉

The Sweetness of Doing Nothing!

Good afternoon!

I am doing much better today!! I am still taking it easy and taking care of myself, but the worst is over! Thank goodness!! 😉

Anyway, I am taking some time this lovely Saturday afternoon to watch the movie Eat, Pray, Love, and I know I have spoken about this movie before, but I am trying to look at it with new eyes. I still think the movie is by no means as good as the book – hardly any movie ever is, but the movie is still a feast for the eyes!!! I have never wanted to go to Bali before, but now I may have to add this to my Life list. I love the spirituality of the author’s story. The complete breakdown and break apart of this woman’s life to discover who she truly is and what she truly wants. You do not know how many times I have dreamed about doing this with my life, but the idea of living without Jason in my life is so foreign and something I don’t EVER want to experience. HOWEVER, I could totally get on board with cashing in all of my assets, quitting my job and taking time to roam the world. Jason would be a GREAT traveling partner!! We would journey through Ireland, tour England, eat our way through Italy, make the rounds in France, marvel at Russia’s architecture, hula our way through Hawaii, and then take some time to explore our own continent.

At one point in the movie, Liz, our main character says, “I want to go some place where I can marvel at the world.” I want this too. I want to be in awe of this great place God has blessed us with. Sometime I watch travel shows, and am AMAZED that these GREAT places are actually on the SAME PLANET that I am on!! I HAVE GOT TO GET OUT THERE!!!

Liz says, “I remember an old catholic joke about a man who spent his whole life going to a church every day and prayed to the statue of a great saint begging “please, please, please, let me win the lottery.” Finally the exasperated statue comes to life and looks down at the begging man and says “my son, please, please, please, buy a ticket.” So now I get the joke, and I bought three tickets.”

Another part of the movie that really hit home for me:

Luca Spaghetti: “Americans. You work too hard, you get burned out. You come home and spend the whole weekend in your pajamas in front of the T.V.”
Liz: “That’s not far off, actually.”
Luca Spaghetti: “But you don’t know pleasure. You have to be told you’ve earned it. You see a commercial that says: ‘It’s Miller Time!’ And you say, That’s right, now I’m going to buy a six pack. And then drink the whole thing and wake up the next morning and you feel terrible. But an Italian doesn’t need to be told. He walks by a sign that says: You deserve a break today. And he says, Yes, I know. That’s why I’m planning on taking a break at noon to go over to your house and sleep…with your wife!”
Giovanni: “We call it “dolce far niente”, the sweetness of doing nothing.”

At one point in the movie they talk about what is your word. What is one word that describes you wrapped up all in one word??? This is not the same word that you would use to describe what you do for a living. I am not sure how I would answer that! Right now that might be….hmmm…dreamer. I would LOVE it if that word was TRAVELING DREAMER! Ok, I realize that is more than one word! but I’m just sayin’!!! 😉 Maybe I had better do a little more soul-searching to try and decide what word would describe me!!

As I spend some more time just enjoying this movie, and not psychoanalyzing it and me to death I hope that you all have….

A FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

Sick As A Dog!

Good morning!

Ok, so I am realizing no matter how much you try to take care of yourself, when your body decides to get sick you have no choice but to pay attention!!! So, today I am down and out with a REALLY bad bug!!

This mornings’ post may be really short, but I wanted to make sure that I posted my Kaizen actions from yesterday:

  • Drank a glass of water as soon as I got out of bed
  • Brushed teeth – hey this counts
  • Wore walking shoes to work
  • Did Kegals during breakfast – it was a tiny action and I want to be fit EVERYWHERE!
  • Took a few minutes to stretch before I left for work
  • Ate a healthy breakfast
  • Had a multivitamin with breakfast
  • Walked two blocks from parking lot to office, swiftly
  • Walked up two flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator
  • Tracked breakfast
  • Picked up medication from pharmacy
  • Walked four blocks from pharmacy and back
  • Had a light, vegetable-based lunch
  • Walked 2 more blocks from office to parking lot
  • Took my sick self home from work at noon
  • Took medication
  • Put myself to bed
  • Slept most of the night
  • Drank a total of 6 glasses of water

Before I leave for the morning, I have to give a shout out to my sweetie! I really love that man o’ mine, and I would not have made it through the night without him! He knows what I am talking about!! 😉 I love you, Baby!!

Have a FABULOUS day!!