Editing line by line and deciding what should go, what should stay, what should alter is time-intensive work. Some authors enjoy it, others dread it. I fall over in the category with those who'd rather pull their fingernails out with tweezers than edit- at least, that is, when it comes to my own work. This has kept me busy.
That's why I haven't been posting many new blogs lately because everyday I've been trying to keep up with myself.
This year ushered in a new phase for me. I know I tend to be a creature of habit- some good, some bad. One of those bad habits, overeating, not exercising & not having good portion control at my age, which can be a lethal combination, is a habit I can no longer allow myself the luxury of indulgence. So, as this year began, I started working out to my husband's Everybody Dance video game. It has an exercise program that you can set up a profile on and it keeps record or your approximate calorie burn each day that you do the dances.
Unfortunately for me, my sedentary lifestyle has pushed me to the most I've ever weighed in my entire life and that's putting undue stress on my knees when I do the dance exercise. I've tried and failed numerous attempts to lose weight before, but this year, I've got to do something and I was really enjoying the dance. I'm not coordinated by any means, but its fun and it doesn't feel like exercise though I end up sweating bullets by the time I'm done with a few rounds of low and intermediate dance combinations.
My weight is wreaking havoc on my knees though, so doing too much dance is a journey into immobility, while I let my ligaments or joints have time to recuperate, which takes a while. After a week of dancing daily, I couldn't squat down to get a pan from under the cabinet in the kitchen because my knees and muscles all locked up. So.....after 2 weeks of dancing and not being able to move, walk, bend, squat like a normal person, I'm changing it up.
I'm now doing yoga in the mornings to hopefully balance and relax my core, my joints and muscles and bring my body into alignment with what it should be. It's not easy but it's getting better and I'm still breaking a sweat. Maybe not as much of one, but I do feel that I'm gaining flexibility and that will help a lot when I finally feel I can get back to my dancing as well.
Add to this, I'm also doing that 2 week meal plan with Special K cereal (started it this week) and so far, the past few days I've cut back my calorie and fat intake by a LOT. How do I know if I normally don't count anything I'm eating? My stomach tells me, because I still find myself wanting to snack, a LOT, but I fight it and am finding the willpower to overcome the bad habit of shoveling it in without thinking about what it's doing to me. I've also been doing my best to discover alternate snacking choices that won't be as detrimental to my success. Air popped popcorn is only about 30 calories a cup and I can still use Kernel Seasonings on it, at 2 calories a teaspoon, so it's not too bad. I'm also eating more yogurt, apples, vegetables and the Chocolaty Special K Pastry Crisps are a great 100 calorie snack.
I hate counting calories and fat, but in order to make the changes, I need to see what I'm doing to myself. The biggest thing for me is that my 4 year anniversary of quitting smoking is also coming up in March and I keep reminding myself, that if I could quit smoking, I can move more and eat less. It's not impossible to achieve this and I want to be there for my kids a long time and I want to write more of the stories in my head and spend time with my husband, my family, my friends. That might not happen unless I take control of this now.
In other news, we're contemplating dropping our satellite company and going with Netflix and Hulu + because it would save us a ton of money and I recently turned down an 8-book publishing contract, for both my Love By & Pryce of Love series. Though I was flattered by the offer, I still find myself feeling that the journey to self-publication is the right choice for me and so I'm keeping my feet on this path. The weather's been crazy here in southern Kentucky and one day you could be out in the yard wearing shorts, the next bundled up in coats and scarfs. I have to wonder if the rest of this year will be as interesting.
So, that's just a little report on the things in Taryn's World and this is only January! The last day of January at that! It's heading on like a Hotstepper- and yes, I went there....
Have a wonderful "Little" Friday!
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