Catherine Corley - Get On Your Feet!

Hi there, friends!  Well, we are half way through the month of January already!  Did you make a resolution to lose weight?  Eat healthier?  Be healthier?  Exercise?  How's that working out for you?

Last year, I made those resolutions and I kept them.  Besides that whole tumor surgery thing, I think it went pretty well.  And, bonus, even that made me healthier!  My heart and blood pressure are already so much stronger!  So all things work together for good.

My problem is getting back into a full workout routine and avoiding junk food while I am recovering.  I started my workouts back up as soon as the doctor said I should.  Yay me!  That was hard and it took a little Vicodin to get through each of them, but I have done them.  The doctor's office said, sadly, most people don't even try.  I am also trying to avoid the temptation of junk food while I recuperate here at home.  It's been a week now.  I should be able to resume most normal activities like driving and leaving the house in the next couple of days.

This recuperation time has given me a slow-down time where I can really focus on goals and who I want to be in this new awesome stage in my life.  My list of things I want to accomplish this year and who I want to be is quite long at this point.  God has kept me on this planet yet again, so there must be a reason.  I thought maybe this Cat had used up her nine lives, but apparently not.

So what are you going to do today that is healthy, I ask you?  Did you make some resolutions, like I asked before?  Are you still trying?  It's amazing to me how, a place like Weight Watchers, will be so crowded the first week of January, but by the first week in February, for the most part only the hardcore people are still there.  My cousin, Ruth, and I belong to Weight Watchers and we have missed the month of January so far because of my surgery, but I am anxious to see who is there next time we go.  I wonder how many new faces will be sitting next to our familiar friends.

So if you are having trouble sticking to your goals, let's take them in baby steps.  Try just focusing on one day at a time or one meal at a time.  Try to get in your exercise every other day if you can't do it six days a week (with a day to rest).  Try eating healthier foods.  I am more than 50 pounds less than I was this time last year, but I hate hate hate vegetables.  I hate most salad dressings.  I forget to eat my fruits.  Ruth makes fun of me, but I would rather be hungry sometimes.  But this year, especially after what I have been through in the last couple of months, I am eating a rainbow of colored fruits and vegetables each day.  I am thanking God for the different nutrients found in those foods.  I also plan to start cooking more, now that I should have more energy, and I want the foods to be "clean" foods.  I have been reading everything I can on clean eating during this down time.

Since I have had this surgery, and one of my final obstacles is GONE, I plan to eat healthy foods 90% of the time and I plan to be on my feet!  Our bodies weren't made to be inactive.  They were made to move.  Set a timer if you are watching too much TV to remind yourself to get up and move around or do some crunches.  I hula hoop while watching TV (when I haven't just had major surgery).  I have a weighted hula hoop and I use it while I am emptying my DVR.  Exercise during commercials.  Be more active.  

Every time Ruth and I are faced with a huge challenge (like the day we had to cut up a fallen tree together), I ask her, "How do you eat an elephant?"  And she replies, "One bite at a time!"  So break down your goals into small goals that you can achieve and don't give up!  And, don't eat an elephant if you are trying to lose weight!  Smirk.

Be healthy, be strong and believe!

Cathy

Catherine Corley - These are a Few of my Favorite Things

Last night, our family had a much needed family night for Momma!  It made me think this morning, before I even got out of bed, about my favorite things.

I am 46, so of course I grew up with the movie, play and songs of "The Sound of Music."  I saw the movie every time it was on TV as a child.  Remember, we didn't have VCRs or DVD players back then.  We were at the mercy of the networks.  My father would adjust the color on the console television set before it started so we were ready for the beautiful scenery.  Being the youngest sibling who loved to sing, I started clearing my throat getting ready to "bless" my family with my "gift of song!"  I'm sure my siblings loved that!  I grew up with that iconic movie, as did most of my friends.  Was there ever a year in school chorus when we didn't sing a song from that movie or from The Carpenters?

But I digress.

Here are a just a few of my favorite things:

My children's laughter!  From the time they were babies until now when they are in their twenties, I love the sound of the hearty laughter that comes from the bodies of my children, especially when they are together.  Last night, even when they were in the family room in the basement, I could hear the hilarious laughter all the way up to the second level of the house.  It brings tears to my eyes to think that my children love each other and are still best friends as adults.  They "out joke" each other at every turn and laugh at everything.  Music to this Momma's soul!

The comfort of family and friends!  At this stage in my life, I have more friends in my life than I do family remaining.  So I make my family as I go!  It is so comforting to have a friend come by the house for a quick cup of coffee that turns into an entire afternoon of stories, laughter and sometimes tears.  The best "comfort of family" however, comes on Sunday mornings when I walk into my childhood church where friends who have known me my whole life (some even knew my mother her whole life), wrap their arms around me and make me feel loved and protected.  I have a bunch of new friends there too who do the same thing which is awesome too.  Also, seeing friends who are family anytime is a blessing!  Comfort to this woman's soul!

The promise of tomorrow!  There have been days I don't care to remember that I didn't think I would see "tomorrow."  But I did.  Whether at home in bed or in a strange room in a hospital, tomorrow always came.  It is the peace I have at night.  Though sorrow, sickness or fear may come at night, joy always comes in the morning.  And if I should die before I wake, I know the Lord my soul will take.  Reassurance to this survivor's soul!

The adventure of meeting new people!  I have this uncanny ability to make friends or conversations wherever I go.  Sometimes it is a blessing and sometimes it is a curse!  If you know everyone by name at the grocery store, you can't quickly sneak in with no makeup, your hair a mess and exercise clothes on just to grab a gallon of milk without everyone yelling, "Hey there, how are you doing today?  Long time no see!  How's the family?"  

Better yet, I also have the ability to hold up a meal order by getting into a long, in depth conversation with the struggling, single mom who is serving us.  Too many times to count, I have upset my hungry family by listening to the woes of a server (or bank clerk, or pharmacy cashier, or grocery store employee, or librarian), sometimes even giving her my phone number to shorten the conversation, all because I looked into her face and said, "How are you doing tonight?"

One of my best stories is when my children were young and their father and I, though we were separated, would always have family night each week where we would go do something special just the four of us.  One night, we were going to have dinner and then see a movie.  We were under a little time crunch, so as we walked into the restaurant, their dad grabbed my arm and slowly pulled me back as he whispered, "We have to make it to the movie on time, so DON'T make eye contact!"  He watched me like a hawk as I placed my order studying the menu with my eyes down and no expression on my face.  But I love making conversation with strangers.  Daily blessings to this gabby woman's soul!

Spending time with my cousin, Ruth!  Ruth and I grew up in the same area and were more like sisters than cousins.  Now that she lives with me and we spend our days together, we joke that we are cousins causing trouble.  You never know what kind of day we will have.  Mischief finds us or sometimes we go looking for it.  You never know what we wacky girls will do, especially when our "adopted" mother, Margaret, is along.  We are stuck like glue.  Cousins causing happiness in this woman's soul!

But, my very favorite thing of all...the sound of the key in the door at the end of the day when I know that amazing, handsome man of mine is home and everything is right in the world.  Now THAT is this woman's favorite thing!

Catherine Corley - The Importance of Exercise Even in December!

Have you ever thought you had a plan?  You've heard the expression, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  I'm a planner by nature.  I pretend I fly by the seat of my pants, but really, I like to know what's going to happen next.  I use a printed Day Runner, a computerized to do list, a food and exercise journal AND my iPad calendar with pop-up reminders.  I like to think I know what's going to happen each day and how I am going to get it accomplished.  But, seriously, I rarely do anymore.

Life catches us off guard, especially when it comes to food choices and making time for exercise.  Are you stressed out right now with all that is going on during the holidays?  You have so many tasks, so many commitments, and so little time.  I assure you, there is a need at this time of year more than ever to plan your healthy food habits and your exercise routines around all those holiday joys and worries so you don't end up gaining during the holiday season.  

Before I had a set back with my health recently, I worked out religiously every morning from 9 a.m. to noon.  I did my cardio and my strength training.  Some days, I added in Pilates or Yoga.  It was great.  Everyone knew not to dare call me during that time.  That was my "me time" and it really paid off.

That being said, lately I have been "slacking off" on MY exercise routine or only doing lower intensity workouts needed by other people I workout with.  I have been avoiding the high intensity, early morning DVD workouts, mostly out of fear that my body will fly into the flat screen and leave a permanent imprint of my face sliding slowly down towards the ground.  I need to shake off the fear and I also need to schedule my own workouts every day around the other commitments.  

The reason I am telling you this is, on the first day of December, I recorded my beginning of the month weight and measurements, as I always do.  Although I weigh almost exactly what I have weighed consistently every week for the last five months, I had a huge shock.  My body fat registered 5% higher!  So even though I am the same weight, my body isn't as strong and lean as it was with consistent exercise at MY proper level of exertion.  I didn't realize what a difference those workouts made.  But I do now!

Please make time for yourself each day and keep up with your diet and exercise plan as well as you can through the holiday season.  You will thank yourself when you are ahead of the game on January 1!

Today, I am scheduling my workout, no excuses and no fear.  How about you?

Catherine Corley - I Can't Even Pick Up 83 Pounds!

Today is "Talk About Diet Thursday!"  At least this week it is!  I thought I would share about my weight loss journey.  I have always struggled with my weight--it has never stayed the same for most of my life.  I was a sickly toddler, who became an overweight child, who (thankfully after hitting an early growth spurt at 12 to becoming 5'9") became a less overweight teenager.  I had my children in my early twenties and became an obese mom.  In 1992, I lost just under 100 lbs. on Weight Watchers and I thought I was cured!  The trumpets played; the angels sang!  I didn't bother doing the maintenance program because, at 26, I thought I would never be fat again.  Oh, youth is wasted on the wrong people!

Over the next 20 years, my weight fluctuated up and down...mostly up.  When I found out I was very ill several years ago, my cardiologist yelled at me about my weight and told me my heart couldn't handle the pain I was inflicting on it.  He said I had better lose a lot of weight right away or I would die!  Every time I saw him, he would say that and I would cry.  I thought he was a mean man!  But he did look a lot like a clean-shaven Dr. House, so he had that going for him!  

I slowly lost a lot of that weight and gained a healthier outlook on life.  I wasn't thin, but I was doing well.  I could run the hospital steps when my father was being treated there.  I could easily get through the day as a care giver and wear cute yoga clothes doing it.  Again, I thought I was cured.

Last year, almost a year of bed rest because of a terrible, life-threatening infection, and the inactivity it brought, shot me back up again to where I didn't want to be.  Not as bad as before, but 30 lbs. heavier than I was.  So in January of this year, I made a resolution once and for all that I would get back to my 1992 Weight Watchers' goal weight by my 46th birthday and stay there for the rest of my life.  

The day before my birthday, I had lost over 50 lbs. and I reached that goal and have remained below the goal every week since then for five months.  I think that might be a record for me!  I really lack self-control in this area, but it helps to weigh in at Weight Watchers every week with my cousin, Ruth.

By the way, I am NOT cured.  I am 83 lbs. lighter than I was when my Dr. House-wannabe told me to lose weight; however, I am always going to be a fat girl on the inside.  The moment something trips me up, I feel like grabbing a Twinkie...oh, I guess maybe I should change snack foods at this point.

This won't be the only time I talk about weight loss.  Nutrition and exercise are two of my passions now.  I used to hate exercising!  Now I love the feeling after a workout.  Some days, I work out for three hours; some days, I don't.  I can run farther than I ever imagined and I can do 75 pushups and hundreds of crunches.  On Thanksgiving a year ago, I was too weak to sit up in a dining room chair.

I am the smallest I have ever been in my adult life, besides that brief period in 1992, which I think lasted about six days!  Well, maybe six months.  I wear clothes I never imagined I could wear.  But the best part is, every day, that sick little heart of mine keeps on beating because it doesn't have to pump blood nearly as hard as it did before.  My wonderful doctor was right!  He saved my life in so many ways, and I am thankful for every time he made me cry because it made me the person I am and it kept me alive!

How is your heart?  Do you get check ups?  Do you know your numbers --  cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc.?  Trust me, take care of your heart.  I sure wish I had my healthy heart back!  Be kind to yourself.  Feed yourself nourishing foods and find an exercise routine that you love and can live with.  Avoid stress or at least learn to deal with it appropriately.  Don't make excuses!  And don't set unrealistic goals.  Love yourself enough to take care of yourself.  If you don't, who will?

I will share more of my tips and how I lost the weight in upcoming blogs.  I will also share my cousin Ruth's weight loss journey as well.  She's doing great!

Until next time, be kind to your heart!

Simple Paths Forward - What's It All About?

Why did I start this blog today?  I have been thinking about starting a new blog for some time now, but today seemed the perfect day.  I have been handed more than I thought I could handle in the last week (over Thanksgiving week as a matter of fact) and I know today is the perfect day to begin a new path.  A new blog with a new attitude, to be more precise.

Sometimes I forget that I need to reach out and share in the midst of a crisis.  Other times, I think I don't shut my mouth for a second.  Lately, I think it has been a combination of both.  So my blog will be a way for me to truly express myself and I hope you will give me feedback and express yourselves as well.  We are all in this world together.

My life is pretty ordinary.  I live in a nice house in the suburbs.  I haven't worked outside the house since I quit my job at a large law firm to take care of my father for three years until he passed away in 2010.  I lost my mother to cancer ten years almost to the day before I lost my father.  

After my round-the-clock care giving days ended, I really didn't know what direction my life should take, so I didn't take any direction!  Most of my days were pretty ordinary.  My children are in their twenties and they don't need me very often, but they love me all the time and I love them!  Each day seemed pretty much the same, that is until I got an unexpected addition to our family.

No, not a new baby at 46 years of age.  But a lovely, caring adult cousin with special needs who was added to my family and my home.  Ruth is a 42-year-old who brought with her her own set of requirements and concerns.  She lives courageously with mild cerebral palsy, epilepsy and learning disabilities.  She also came to me complete with one of the nation's biggest health problems, morbid obesity.

Now that I have mentioned her "disabilities," let me tell you Ruth's "abilities!"  I will name just a few, because there is only so much space!  She is the bravest person I know.  She is also the brightest, cheeriest, warmest, kindest and best person I have ever met.  She has courage beyond measure and strength to do what others wouldn't even try.  I am blessed to be her cousin. 

Ruth also has the best memory of anyone I ever met.  She can listen to a CD and remember most of the words after the first time and sing along the next time in the car while I mess up all the words even though I've owned the CD for years!  She doesn't forget anything.  If you told Ruth to call you on such-and-such a date, say six months from now, to remind you to make a doctor's appointment, she would not only remember and call you, but more than likely, you would probably have forgotten the purpose of her call.  She is spectacular!

We now have new challenges that Ruth and I face together and individually.  For instance, I just finished my weight loss journey (if you can ever consider yourself "finished" since it is ongoing) and she has just begun hers.  

We spend our days together and look for ways we can help each other and people around us.  Ruth has the most giving heart I have ever seen.  She loves to help touch the lives of people.  I think she does that automatically just by being herself, but in addition, she looks for ways she can purposely touch people's lives and bless their hearts too.

I want this to be about paths.  Paths we all take whether we are prepared for them or not.  Sometimes those paths are so unfamiliar we don't know whether to sit down and cry or run like a maniac to find our way!  You may be a new parent.  Maybe you are part of the sandwich generation like I was--taking care of children and a parent or two.  Maybe you are an empty nester.  Maybe you, too, have a challenged child or adult family member.  Or perhaps you just need a little more sanity in your life, your home, your food habits, your job or your relationships.  

Let's get on the path and move forward simply together.