Itty Bitty Hooves

Finding A Better Way

I was just reading an article from a much loved diet related website ‘Sparkpeople.com’ and they suggested that for weight maintainence after you’ve reached your goal that you should incorporate daily weigh-ins to keep a watchful eye on your new-found thinness. That’s such a double-edged sword, in my opinion. It’s true that most people, both men and women will regain a large portion of the weight they lost, and some even exceed their previous ‘high mark’ within a year or two of stopping their diets. And yet, constantly weighing both during weight loss, and after can lead to an obsession just as wicked as that of the previous food obsession. It’s kind of important to realize, I think, that people with weight problems are often obsessive just like those addicted to other forms of negative reinforcement, ie: drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, amongst others.

Perhaps the most important maintainence regime is making sure you have a good support system in place to keep things on a level keel. If you don’t have it from home sources, family, friends, be sure to find a reliable source online. Find it SOMEWHERE. Perhaps a quality health center, or gym where you can find others deeply commited to their own health as well as being a good source of inspiration to you. That can help immeasurably both during and after weight loss…

but no matter what, make no mistakes, diets fail largely because they are ‘diets’ that you will eventually stop. True weightloss occurs, and REMAINS when you finally realize it’s a lifestyle choice — something you will learn to embrace, and keep, or not, and end up back where you started. Walk the walk, and live the life, and love the process… no more yo-yo’s, find a better way to live.

Company Loyalty

Our life insurance is coming up for renewal soon and it’s time to start looking at other life insurance quotes. Our rates have stayed the same for many years but I think that now as we’re getting older this renewal is going to bring some unpleasant surprises. All in all I haven’t been all that happy with our current companies new representative anyway so I don’t feel guilty for looking around. It’s important anyway, with the price of insurance being what it is to find out if you can get a better deal somewhere other than where you are at currently. I mean, I grew up in a time where you learned to be loyal to the companies you worked with, and that went far beyond the ones you physically worked at for pay, but those you did business with for all your personal needs as well. Those days are long past since most companies aren’t loyal to you either, it doesn’t make sense to hold on to that feeling of guilt over not being faithful to them. I just hope we can enter our golden years with a decent form of life insurance without paying through the nose for it.

Summer Hiatus

I spent the afternoon yesterday packing away all the trappings of summer. My barbeque aprons, the tongs, the pool floats. I scrubbed the grill one final time to prepare it for storage in the shed. It’s kind of a sad day at the beginning of November for me. Reminding me that the cold winds and snow of winter are just around the corner. I still grill during the winter. I just use the table top grill and a regular kitchen apron, but it’s not the same. It isn’t the same as the delicous inviting smells of barbeque that fill the air on a warm summer evening. It isn’t the same as an afternoon spent lounging in the pool before everyone settles into an evening on the patio laughing and eating. I miss summer already, and it is only just now leaving.

Smokey Mountain Backdrop

There’s something to be said for the idea of a vacation in a small rural, rustic area. Something about the feeling of comfort, and splendor of surrounding mountains and down home people. It’s not exactly ‘roughing it’ when you stay in Pigeon Forge cabin rentals, they’re lovely, well-appointed cabins, that make for a pleasant, and relaxing vacation in the heart of Tennesse. There is so much to see in the country music ‘mecca’ of Tennesse and yet you can return back at night to the rustic beauty of a relaxing cabin and enjoy the beauty of the Smokey mountains as a backdrop. What could be better than a luxurious cabin in the mountains for a real vacation… one that you don’t have to rest up from when you get back home.

Report The Real News Please

Michael Jackson’s about to lose his famed (or infamous, whichever you prefer to consider it) Neverland ranch… no he’s not… yes he is… no he’s not–if you pay attention to the entertainment media at all you are sure to get whiplash from the ping-pong match that goes on in regards to that one piece of (arguably) prime California real estate. What exactly drives such insane speculation, and why, exactly does anyone care? For some reason the media thinks that people salavate over what goes on in the private lives of public figures. When it comes to the piece of land above, it’s been in the news more than any other piece of property in the world for the last seven years or so, with a constant bombardment of how it’s on the bring of disaster, and yet somehow, unlike most other parts of California, be it from earthquake, or fire, disaster never seems to really strike. When it comes right down to it, is it necessary for us to know what is going on in the pocketbooks, or homes of people like Mr. Jackson, or Ms. Spears, or anyone else that doesn’t share our immediate vicinity? Does it have any affect at all on how our lives will turn out? Is this really news? Tell me about the horror of the fires in Malibu and San Diego… yes. Why? Does it really affect me? No. It does however spark a feeling of sorrow for those devestated by the huge loss of homes and personal memories contained therein. It also gives me the sense of ‘there but for the grace of God, go I’… as it does a lot of folks I imagine. Grace of God, or not, I, nor most people on the planet will never have to worry about losing thousands of acres of prime real estate over and over again, however… here’s a call to the media–report the real news please.

Inspriational Reality

The Biggest Loser is one of my favorite shows on tv right now. Being that it’s a reality show that’s saying a lot because as a writer, reality shows really bug me in general since there’s no writing involved, but even just as a viewer, I like fantasy, and fiction, not reality slapping me in the face. Although I have to admit that the Dr 90210 reality series also gets me involved, but I don’t set the clock to see it either. Those two shows speak to my personal interest right now so that’s the only reason really.

What does get me a little upset is how on the Biggest Loser show they have to have eliminations. Now I know, I know, the entire basis of a reality show (in order to keep the general public interested) is to make it a ‘game’ where there is a winner. Okay, I get that, but in THIS case, kicking these people off just seems cruel. This is about more than just winning the ‘race’ it’s about getting their lives back, getting healthy, LOSING WEIGHT. It shouldn’t be about the game. In the first few episodes (I admit this is the first season I’ve watched it, although I’ll be sure to be watching subsequent seasons) you didn’t hear about the ‘game’ aspect as much. The contestants were all deeply involved in the goal of losing weight, and when the DID have to eliminate one of their members because of the ‘game’ at the end of every show they cried… hard. Really emotional moments. More and more in the last couple episodes, and really high-lighted in the episode last week the ‘game’ is becoming more prominent, and even a degree of treachery added. That’s just not right. Not when you consider the nature of this ‘game’. All in all though, I really like the show and it is massively inspiring. What gets me is the transformation stories at the end of each show that shows how the eliminated contestants do even after they go home, and what amazing results they continue to have… good for them, and extremely encouraging for those of us also on that journey to fitness.

If you have to have reality shows, at least it’s good when every once in awhile it can be inspirational reality.