So Long, Soda

After a week and some change, I’m still living mostly without soda! Diet Green Tea has been a lifesaver, it’s replaced my soda at most meals and has 0 calories. I’ve also been drinking various other flavors of tea, orange juice, water of course, and milk.

Changes or Progress I’ve Seen?
-I’ve eaten like garbage, so my weight isn’t looking any different. Granted, it’s been one week anyways.
-The lack of carbonation has really helped with my stomach. Since my gallbladder was removed in 2008, I’ve had trouble with all sorts of foods. While I’m still not perfect, I don’t think the bubbles were helping.
-I haven’t had too many problems with caffeine intake. I’ve gotten headaches in the past with no caffeine or less caffeine than I’m used to. Sometimes I have coffee, but not every day. I’ve grabbed a Red Bull here and there, but not enough to give me my accustomed dosage of daily caffeine. And guess what? No huge side effects! I had a terrible migraine one day that mainly came from stress and escalated at work while I wasn’t able to medicate. By the time I got home it was well on its way to knocking me out for a day, so I took a soda and migraine medicine to knock it out. I’ve found that caffeine helps the medicine work its way through my headaches better. But otherwise, no head problems or any other caffeine withdrawal symptoms. Surprising since I was accustomed to SO much soda.
-My husband gets soda I don’t like now. I always bought soda we could agree on, since we both drank it. This week he picked up Mountain Dew, which I hate, and has been enjoying one a day. He apparently has the self restraint that I’m lacking and can limit soda to one a day. It also makes it easier for me to forgo soda when I don’t have any I like in the fridge.
-I’m not ingesting empty calories to the tune of 300-600 extra calories a day. This was the whole reason I quit soda, and it’s a damn good one.

I’m hoping to keep it up. I don’t intend to never touch a soda ever again. That’s unrealistic for me. I limited it to special occasions, like eating out. So when we picked up food on Saturday, I had half a soda. And when my work had burgers and brats for sale and I brought dinner home from work, I had a soda. But just on any given night? No.

Now, I need to focus on MOVING. Jeez, my trips to the gym are nonexistant and my exercise DVD’s are sitting untouched. Even my Zumba for the Wii has been collecting dust in a bin. It’s getting chilly outside but I’m perfectly capable of working out still and I don’t. Bad. Not good for me at all. I always use excuses to convince myself something else is more important, but really, what’s more important? Being healthy or having a clean house? Getting 30 minutes of activity or 30 minutes of internet? Pathetic, sometimes.
My goal for the next two weeks is to do something active every day. Whether it’s a DVD, a trip to the gym, a walk up the 8 flights of stairs in my building, a brisk walk, something! Even 5 minutes of movement before I fall into bed would be better than nothing. This should be interesting because some other things are changing in my life, but really, when is life ever going to give you all the time in the world to work out? When I wasn’t working and was at home all day, every day, I STILL didn’t consistently work out. Really?! NEEDS TO CHANGE NOW.
Encouragement is welcomed

Swapping Addictions

This week—-

I’m going to try to swap my addiction to soda

For an addiction to coffee and green tea.
I’m stocked up on coffee
And green tea

Coffee has fewer calories than soda, especially when I prefer mine with skim milk and sweetener, but still has the caffeine boost I need to get through the day. I used to say I need to give up caffeine, but I’ve become realistic. Green tea is also super healthy and tasty, so I’m hoping I can swap our my evening soda for tea, which is more flavorful than water but won’t keep me up at night and won’t give me 140+ unneeded calories.
I’m having one more delicious soda tonight with some homemade chili that’s currently making my house smell ah-mazing, and then I’m going to try to kick the habit.
Let’s see how this goes!

A Mother's Prayer for Its Daughter

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.
May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.
When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half
And stick with Beer.
Guide her, protect her.
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop”, “Tower of Torture”, or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Ball featuring Aerosmith”, and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.
Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance.
Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes.
And not have to wear high heels.
What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking you, because if I kknew, I’d be doing it, Youdamnit.
May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.
Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.
Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long,
For Childhood is short-a Tiger Flower blooming in Magenta for one day-
And Adulthood is long and Dry-Humping in cars will wait.
O Lord, break the Internet forever,
That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers
And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.
And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister,
Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends,
For I will not have that Shit, I will not have it.
And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord,
That I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50AM, all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.
“My mother did this for me once”, she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget.
But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God Eyes.
Amen.

Bossypants, Page 261-263 (according to Kindle)

An excerpt from Bossypants, the hilarious work of Tina Fey. I read it a few months ago and LOVED it. I was just clicking through my Kindle for a new book to read and stumbled across my highlight of this prayer. I had to share, I love it so much. Seriously, buy this book! It’s one of my favorites of the year.
Note, I realize this might give people the wrong idea. No, I’m not becoming a mother. I just laughed out loud at this excerpt and SO many other pages of the book that I had to share. But if and when I do become a mother, this doesn’t seem too far off the mark of what I would be thinking.
For now, though, I’m telling you again to check out this book. Tina Fey is an incredible writer who wraps her life story with so much dry humor and wit. I’m tempted to go back and read it all over again just for a good laugh.

Four for Twenty-Four

To mark one year older, I’m making some new goals. I’m not usually one to make goals, but I am a list person. So maybe thinking of this as a to-do list will be more successful. Whichever way you and I think of it, it’s a couple things I’d like to accomplish in my life, and preferably within the next 52 weeks.




1. Climb Mount Fuji.

We’ve been talking about doing this since we moved to Japan. I’ve been saying I need to get in shape for it about as long. It’s probably about time I started climbing some stairs or something, huh?


2. Ski on a mountain.

There’s a lot of exploring I’d like to do while we’re in Japan. See festivals, eat new foods, see new cities. But one thing I can’t wait to do is go up into the mountains and try my hand at skiing. I did it once in Wisconsin when I was little and loved it. I’m determined to try it again, and maybe even get good at it.


3. Get a new tattoo.

My first tattoo is full of meaning and I drew it myself. Every time I look at it I remember who I was when I got the tattoo and who I am now. Now, I want a tattoo that signifies everything Japan has meant for me. It’s changed me, moving here and making a life overseas. I want to remember the fear, excitement, growth, and change forever.


4. Cook fish at home.

I grew up in a seafood-free household. My mom’s allergic, and I was the world’s pickiest eater. I’m doing my best to be courageous and try new foods. I’ve discovered my love for sushi, but I haven’t tried too many kinds of cooked fish yet. But of all the places to try fish, Japan has the freshest and most readily available of any place I’m likely to live. I’d like to learn to cook some at home. It’s healthy, fairly inexpensive in Japan, and something different.

So, that’s my list for twenty-four. Think I can do it?