Day One

Top of the Mornin'!

Today is St. Patrick's Day.  

As it is March Break, I admittedly slept in this morning!

Dr. Oz regularly reminds his viewers and readers that the most important meal of the day is breakfast.

 Usually when I wake up I am not hungry.  I nag for everyone in my family  to eat a meal before heading out the door but I fill up on coffee and then chow down a five minute quick bowl of cereal in my classroom or a take out breakfast sandwich before my students file in. 

Within minutes of waking up, my kids asked me if we could go to McDonalds or a greasy spoon restaurant for some breakfast on the way up north to visit my parents.

"Absolutely not, it's my first day of living Dr. Oz so we are having a healthy breakfast!".  Both of them  scrunched up their noses and muttered something under their breath.

"We have those coupons to use", protested my 14 year old soon.

"It's not about saving money", I retorted.

"Okay, then how about you take us to McDonalds and you don't order anything?" asked my son.

"Nope, I am making smoothies if anyone wants one", I answered.

After breakfast I am off to buy a pedometer.

It's cold out, there's frost on the windows of the cars on our driveway and the idea of walking to the closet drug store to buy a pedometer doesn't appeal to me.  It will be about a forty minute walk round trip. I could drive but that would defeat my goals.

(As I write this I am drinking  coffee with cream and sugar.  Technically I have already veared off the Oz plan before I have begun. But, when I made my first cup of Colombian coffee, drinking it sans sucre with skim milk was not my idea of jolting my day with java. I missed the taste of coffee with the fixins. I consoled myself with the fact that most people are going to have slip ups especially when they first begin their health makeover).

Habits are hard to break.

 I'd rather be toasty warm in my plush blue robe watching a local morning talk show but I have told everyone I knowincluding strangers at the bar of the Bloor Street Diner last night about living Dr. Oz.

 I can't let myself down or my fellow North American average-sized woman.

Enough of the procrastination and blog chatter.

 Time to power up the Magic Bullet, bundle up in layers and get this program underway.

Day One 3:30 p.m.

I officially did 10,000 steps between walking across Lake Simcoe to an ice fishing spot, freezing my ears and extremeties off and back again to my parents' place.  The whole "exercise" philosophy that physical activity creates endorphins translating into good hormones that make you feel energetic is TRUE. 

Usually by this time of day I have a mid afternoon slump but I am feeling sharp and alive!  Fresh air, minnows and a south wind were my timbits today. Plus, I ate 2/3 vegetables for lunch (greek salad) and a chicken breast for lunch along with two cups of herbal tea.  Eating lighter and healthier =carefree and happier mood .

On Dr. Oz's website he mentions that in a 30 minute walk (4 miles per hour) you can burn 135 calories. 

Tonight I tune into Dr. Oz while I create a seafood, multi-grain pizza and spinach salad.  I will choose two suggestions from his show tonight to implement tomorrow.

My 12 year old daughter told me yesterday when I announced my intentions to create a blog,
"I think it would make more sense if you gain another 50 lbs first and then start the blog".

"Why?" I asked her.

"It would be more interesting", she said. 

Yeah, sure on American Reality TV this would be the norm.  But, in real life, most people are looking to lose 20-40 lbs. Most people are not 100 lbs overweight! 

The average woman is not 235 lbs but veering closer to 160 lbs.  She is the one who buys the $80.00 bottle of cellutite thigh reducing cream hoping to see instanteous results in 24 hours. 

Most of the people who are in Dr. Oz's audience are in the  30-50 age range carrying extra belly weight,falling into the hands of temptation when it comes to their health and waiting to be motivated to do something about it.

What propelled me to take action? 

Not having a size 12 piece of clothing fit when at one time I was size 6.

And the "Yes Men" made me do it. 

I saw the documentary "The Yes Men Fix the World". Two fellas who are fighting capitalism by playing hoaxes on major governmental agencies and corporations.  They were not sitting back complaining about the state of affairs in society. They did something.

Which is what I realized I had to do with my health.

Just do it.