Wow - I received a few e-mails today from Blogger-Ville asking me to explain yesterday's comment, "Lack of sleep can quickly turn into a cousin of death."
Oh my gosh - I wasn't talking about any actual cousins out there!
Rest assured, "a cousin of death" is not anyone we know...
What I was alluding to is:
**If you're completely exausted, you may not have your wits about you to keep yourself or your family safe during an unexpected emergency
**If you're completely exhausted and you commute 120 miles a day, you could fall asleep at the wheel of your car...
**If you're completely exhausted, the stress on your body can awaken a sleeping health problem... Don't let it happen.
After writing this, I think I'll say goodnight...
Good night Jim Bob, Mary-Ellen, all the rest...
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 10/51
Quote of the Day: "If you thought I was talking about you yesterday, you are a scream!"
- Tish
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Day #26: Did You Hear The One About The Fire?
Step, step, step... Day#26 - and holding! It's going great!
It was Saturday, January 17th, 2009. Before I went shopping that morning, Harry decided to empty our oven of the frying pans we store inside it so he could launch the self-cleaning cycle on the stove. When I came home, I was sitting at the kitchen table writing out a 16th birthday card for my talented and amazing friend, Amanda Pell, when I yelled for Harry because I thought I smelled smoke in the house. He ran upstairs to inspect - a tad annoyed actually - and then he assured me that what alarmed me was just steam coming from our dishwasher. Okay - he had a point. I could see for myself that there was steam barreling out from the top of our dishwasher, so I went back to writing out my card. I also noticed that my red Valentine's Day dish towels looked lovely against our white stove as they shielded my view of the oven window.
About five minutes later, the smoke in the kitchen seemed to get heavier and all of a sudden I found myself coughing. Oh my gosh - What was going on here? Then I jumped up, pushed aside my decorative dish towels to get a clear view of that window and there was a ball of flames engulfing our oven!
Did I call 911? No. Did I try to put the fire out right away? No. What I did was run like hell from the kitchen while screaming in flight; With my arms flailing, I ran up and down the hallway between the bedrooms and our living room at least ten times at lightening speed yelling at the top of my lungs for everyone to get out of the house. It was not pretty.
Then I proceeded to the laundry room to grab the fire extinguisher I had consciously put there in December of 2008 after the Pt. Pleasant Fire Department had to extinguish a fire that started in the lint duct and vent of our dryer. As they hauled the dryer to the curb that day, I was very upset when I realized I didn't even have an extinguisher on hand in the house to mitigate damage in such a situation. I'd buy two to be ready if there was ever a next time. If you live with Tish and Harry, it seems like there is always a next time...
I made my way back to the kitchen and tried to open the oven door with my bare hands, so I could put the fire out myself with my shiny new fire extinguisher. Harry went looking for a crow-bar to assist. The fire was contained inside the oven, so we were hopeful about avoiding another Fire Truck Scene in the neighborhood. The over door appeared to be broken. Oh my gosh - It had locked itself shut! In our frustration, we finally figured out that there was nothing left to do except to call 911!
The Herbertsville Fire Department arrived and put our fire out; they removed the stove from the house as fast as possible to limit smoke damage; and they left it on the front lawn so Uncle Wally could remove any scrap metal that could be salvaged the very next day. The cause of the fire was a plastic spatula that Harry accidentally left in the oven before he started his self-cleaning adventure. A half hour after the crisis passed, I went to Palumbo's Appliance Store to purchase a new stove. I was still pretty shook up, but I felt putting the kitchen back together as fast as possible would help us put this scare behind us.
At the store, I ran into retired Police Chief, Bob Cooper and his wife. When I told him what happened, he shook his head back-and-forth and told me that luck rained on Harry and me today when that oven door did "what it was it was supposed to do" - NOT open! If we had gotten it open, there was a high probability - in his view - that the flames embraced by the soaring temperatures of the cleaning cycle would have exploded outward towards Harry and I as soon as they made contact with the air. We both could have been seriously burned. He also believed such actions would probably have given the flames the opportunity to set a much bigger fire in our home.
When Chief Cooper asked, "Tish, what were you thinking?" I actually cried. I told him I had worked 60 hours that week at my job; that I was still regrouping from the wide range of emotions I experienced after I ran with the masses to the Hudson River to get a rubber-necker's view of Captain Sully's Plane and the Miracle-on-the-Hudson a mere two days before this fire; and then I advised the Chief that we needed to add 20 more hours to all these excuses to account for my commute to New York and Jersey City.
"My God," I said, "I was simply too tired to think." I can assert from experience that no health and wellness journey can prevail without proper rest. Perhaps someone like me should plan rest periods the same way I plan other important activities in my life.
The life lesson here which will follow TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge for the remainder of this year is that constant activity without sleep is a danger for anyone. On January 17th, my energy was completely depleted and I ignored it - which left me very ill-prepared for my fire emergency or much else for that matter...
Lack of sleep can turn quickly into a cousin of death, so I now work harder to manage it with all my might.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 10/51
Quote of the Day: “Finish each day before you begin the next, and interpose a solid wall of sleep between the two. This you cannot do without temperance.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
It was Saturday, January 17th, 2009. Before I went shopping that morning, Harry decided to empty our oven of the frying pans we store inside it so he could launch the self-cleaning cycle on the stove. When I came home, I was sitting at the kitchen table writing out a 16th birthday card for my talented and amazing friend, Amanda Pell, when I yelled for Harry because I thought I smelled smoke in the house. He ran upstairs to inspect - a tad annoyed actually - and then he assured me that what alarmed me was just steam coming from our dishwasher. Okay - he had a point. I could see for myself that there was steam barreling out from the top of our dishwasher, so I went back to writing out my card. I also noticed that my red Valentine's Day dish towels looked lovely against our white stove as they shielded my view of the oven window.
About five minutes later, the smoke in the kitchen seemed to get heavier and all of a sudden I found myself coughing. Oh my gosh - What was going on here? Then I jumped up, pushed aside my decorative dish towels to get a clear view of that window and there was a ball of flames engulfing our oven!
Did I call 911? No. Did I try to put the fire out right away? No. What I did was run like hell from the kitchen while screaming in flight; With my arms flailing, I ran up and down the hallway between the bedrooms and our living room at least ten times at lightening speed yelling at the top of my lungs for everyone to get out of the house. It was not pretty.
Then I proceeded to the laundry room to grab the fire extinguisher I had consciously put there in December of 2008 after the Pt. Pleasant Fire Department had to extinguish a fire that started in the lint duct and vent of our dryer. As they hauled the dryer to the curb that day, I was very upset when I realized I didn't even have an extinguisher on hand in the house to mitigate damage in such a situation. I'd buy two to be ready if there was ever a next time. If you live with Tish and Harry, it seems like there is always a next time...
I made my way back to the kitchen and tried to open the oven door with my bare hands, so I could put the fire out myself with my shiny new fire extinguisher. Harry went looking for a crow-bar to assist. The fire was contained inside the oven, so we were hopeful about avoiding another Fire Truck Scene in the neighborhood. The over door appeared to be broken. Oh my gosh - It had locked itself shut! In our frustration, we finally figured out that there was nothing left to do except to call 911!
The Herbertsville Fire Department arrived and put our fire out; they removed the stove from the house as fast as possible to limit smoke damage; and they left it on the front lawn so Uncle Wally could remove any scrap metal that could be salvaged the very next day. The cause of the fire was a plastic spatula that Harry accidentally left in the oven before he started his self-cleaning adventure. A half hour after the crisis passed, I went to Palumbo's Appliance Store to purchase a new stove. I was still pretty shook up, but I felt putting the kitchen back together as fast as possible would help us put this scare behind us.
At the store, I ran into retired Police Chief, Bob Cooper and his wife. When I told him what happened, he shook his head back-and-forth and told me that luck rained on Harry and me today when that oven door did "what it was it was supposed to do" - NOT open! If we had gotten it open, there was a high probability - in his view - that the flames embraced by the soaring temperatures of the cleaning cycle would have exploded outward towards Harry and I as soon as they made contact with the air. We both could have been seriously burned. He also believed such actions would probably have given the flames the opportunity to set a much bigger fire in our home.
When Chief Cooper asked, "Tish, what were you thinking?" I actually cried. I told him I had worked 60 hours that week at my job; that I was still regrouping from the wide range of emotions I experienced after I ran with the masses to the Hudson River to get a rubber-necker's view of Captain Sully's Plane and the Miracle-on-the-Hudson a mere two days before this fire; and then I advised the Chief that we needed to add 20 more hours to all these excuses to account for my commute to New York and Jersey City.
"My God," I said, "I was simply too tired to think." I can assert from experience that no health and wellness journey can prevail without proper rest. Perhaps someone like me should plan rest periods the same way I plan other important activities in my life.
The life lesson here which will follow TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge for the remainder of this year is that constant activity without sleep is a danger for anyone. On January 17th, my energy was completely depleted and I ignored it - which left me very ill-prepared for my fire emergency or much else for that matter...
Lack of sleep can turn quickly into a cousin of death, so I now work harder to manage it with all my might.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 10/51
Quote of the Day: “Finish each day before you begin the next, and interpose a solid wall of sleep between the two. This you cannot do without temperance.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Attitude Adjustments Come In All Sizes!
Wow - My company's New Year's Resolution Challenge ends today and I logged my last 8,336 steps on my Virgin HealthMiles GoZone Monitor! This was a great way to start the New Year and my New Health and Wellness Journey. My Team came in 45th out of 121 Teams and my colleagues and I logged a total of 146,760,877 steps during this competition! It was really fun. The goal now will be to keep up the 7,000 steps five days a week as I carry on with TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge. I know I have the discipline to continue this on my own!
This journey is literally a game changer for me - a real life change that requires me to think differently. It also requires lots of action on my part that I never took the time to plan or execute before. I'm calmer, more focused, a tad more structured in my daily activities. I consider myself more mellow than usual. Good gosh, I hope I don't start missing myself in February! Maybe it's just a settling period; maybe the hard facts hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized how important this effort is to my long-term health and wellness. When life changes hit there always seems to be an adjustment period no matter what age you are...
I often think about what a life change it was for my Kate when her brother arrived. She was 4 years old at the time and I had wanted to have them closer in age, but I was "busy"... My little baby girl with her rose bud lips and auburn-red curls was as fun and sweet as any little toddler on the planet! I can confirm that she enjoyed being the love-of-our-life and the center-of-all-our-attention before Scott showed up.
She'd always dance with joy around the coffee table when she heard the music from the game show Jeopardy. Kate would light up our house and our hearts when she'd sing, "Are you ready for some football?!" with her Dad every time that song played as part of the pregame show for Monday Night Football. It was no surprise to any of us that she'd feel right at home at "The Shoe" - that awesome football stadium at The Ohio State University that seats 105,000 fans because for her and her Dad, they always had football.
When Scott arrived, I think Kate had her first crisis... aside from suggesting that Grandma Eunie was welcome to take him back to Seattle with her; her mood and demeanor changed for a while as she sized up what the introduction of this new addition actually might mean to her and our family.
Can you spell the words, "S-h-a-r-e Everything?!"
Kate didn't have a bad or aggressive bone in her body, so her behavior was shocking to us when we first brought Scott home from the hospital. All 8 pounds, 15 ounces arrived by emergency c-section, so as I hobbled around the house nursing a 13 inch incision (Yes - My mother-in-law and I actually measured it!) for the first few days, Kate decided blaming him for her mommy's boo boo was an appropriate first step in their new relationship. Then one afternoon as I sat on the couch with the baby sleeping a few feet from me in his bassinet, Kate waltzed through the living room with a tender smile; walked over to the bassinet; and used a powerful left hook to smack down the mattress Scott was sleeping on with her fist. As I gasped and leaped into action, she then sprawled out on the floor and started kicking the bottom of the bassinet with both feet while screaming, "How long does HE actually have to stay with us?!"
Any life change or event that brings great joy, meaning, pain, sorrow, or laughter ushers in a process I suppose we all have to go through before we can permanently adjust or adapt. For some people, it happens quick; others need more time depending on their set of circumstances. Sixteen years later, Kate and Scott love each other; she respects him and he looks up to her, (They'll both scream when they read this, but I'm the mom and that's what I see!). Anyway, one month into this Virgin HealthMiles Program, I'm finding that being serious about this commitment was the first necessary adjustment I had to make to win!
One definition of "mellow" is "made gentle by age or experience." Being mellow is good for this journey.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 10/51
Quote of the Day: "What society calls 'doing nothing' may actually take you somewhere." - "I'd Rather Be Fishing" Sermon, Grace Lutheran Church
This journey is literally a game changer for me - a real life change that requires me to think differently. It also requires lots of action on my part that I never took the time to plan or execute before. I'm calmer, more focused, a tad more structured in my daily activities. I consider myself more mellow than usual. Good gosh, I hope I don't start missing myself in February! Maybe it's just a settling period; maybe the hard facts hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized how important this effort is to my long-term health and wellness. When life changes hit there always seems to be an adjustment period no matter what age you are...
I often think about what a life change it was for my Kate when her brother arrived. She was 4 years old at the time and I had wanted to have them closer in age, but I was "busy"... My little baby girl with her rose bud lips and auburn-red curls was as fun and sweet as any little toddler on the planet! I can confirm that she enjoyed being the love-of-our-life and the center-of-all-our-attention before Scott showed up.
She'd always dance with joy around the coffee table when she heard the music from the game show Jeopardy. Kate would light up our house and our hearts when she'd sing, "Are you ready for some football?!" with her Dad every time that song played as part of the pregame show for Monday Night Football. It was no surprise to any of us that she'd feel right at home at "The Shoe" - that awesome football stadium at The Ohio State University that seats 105,000 fans because for her and her Dad, they always had football.
When Scott arrived, I think Kate had her first crisis... aside from suggesting that Grandma Eunie was welcome to take him back to Seattle with her; her mood and demeanor changed for a while as she sized up what the introduction of this new addition actually might mean to her and our family.
Can you spell the words, "S-h-a-r-e Everything?!"
Kate didn't have a bad or aggressive bone in her body, so her behavior was shocking to us when we first brought Scott home from the hospital. All 8 pounds, 15 ounces arrived by emergency c-section, so as I hobbled around the house nursing a 13 inch incision (Yes - My mother-in-law and I actually measured it!) for the first few days, Kate decided blaming him for her mommy's boo boo was an appropriate first step in their new relationship. Then one afternoon as I sat on the couch with the baby sleeping a few feet from me in his bassinet, Kate waltzed through the living room with a tender smile; walked over to the bassinet; and used a powerful left hook to smack down the mattress Scott was sleeping on with her fist. As I gasped and leaped into action, she then sprawled out on the floor and started kicking the bottom of the bassinet with both feet while screaming, "How long does HE actually have to stay with us?!"
Any life change or event that brings great joy, meaning, pain, sorrow, or laughter ushers in a process I suppose we all have to go through before we can permanently adjust or adapt. For some people, it happens quick; others need more time depending on their set of circumstances. Sixteen years later, Kate and Scott love each other; she respects him and he looks up to her, (They'll both scream when they read this, but I'm the mom and that's what I see!). Anyway, one month into this Virgin HealthMiles Program, I'm finding that being serious about this commitment was the first necessary adjustment I had to make to win!
One definition of "mellow" is "made gentle by age or experience." Being mellow is good for this journey.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 10/51
Quote of the Day: "What society calls 'doing nothing' may actually take you somewhere." - "I'd Rather Be Fishing" Sermon, Grace Lutheran Church
Monday, January 25, 2010
Uncle John Rescues Those Two In The Bush!
Step, step, step... Day #24 and I logged over 7,500 step on my Virgin HealthMiles GoZone Monitor today. I have an appreciation and renewed understanding for the psychology behind those winning Biggest Loser Shows! It really works, so MAKE THE TIME to go find some friends, cousins or work colleagues and start your own challenge. Maybe having other people invested in our goals and success longer-term will do the trick.
Now, let's talk about "MAKING TIME" and "BEING BUSY." People hate when I say, "I'm busy," but honestly I've been busy since I was 14 years old! Everybody has commitments. In my case, hiring thousands of employees for Corporate America, celebrating my kids, enjoying time with Harry; commuting 4 hours a day for 24 years, raising money for causes I care about; writing letters to the editor; taking care of people I love; making time for family and friends; having fun; or living through life's real trials, tribulations and challenges - it just gets very, very busy. All these things can keep you from making time to ensure that your health, welfare and safety is in the forefront of all the things that keep you busy.
When Harry and I bought our first home, our Aunt Marie and Uncle Charlie came to visit and we enthusiastically gave them one of the first tours. Aunt Marie made a simple inquiry, "Where's the water heater in this house?" For a moment, Harry & I stared blankly back at each other looking a tad perplexed until we all roared with laughter as Harry blurted out, "We don't know!"
Yes - we were too busy when we bought our house, that we didn't even think to ask where the water heater or furnace was. Who needs follow-up questions when Uncle John had inspected the property and assured us that everything was solid. That was good enough for us while we planned moving men, Mike's Subs deliveries, furniture and beer runs! That was it, but the story of our water heater has followed Harry and I around the family for years...
At about midnight one January evening in 1994, we heard this loud popping sound. When I ran from the bedroom to survey the situation, I noticed that water was gushing from the water heater that was nicely tucked away in the pantry of our kitchen. It was about 10 degrees below zero that night and frozen pipes had been a problem up and down the block. I grabbed every towel and blanket in the house to sop up the water that was now flooding our kitchen, family room and part of our living room. Harry ran outside to the shed to get the tool chest we'd received as a wedding present in 1986, which was still neatly packed in shrink-wrap. Real dangers require real tools, right? While he ran, I called Uncle John and woke him up out of a sound sleep to ask him what we should do. I was kind of in a panic.
Uncle John told me to calm down, then he asked me to listen very carefully. He gave me the following instruction: "Now listen to me! Turn the thermostat to the lowest position possible and then come back to the phone and let me know that you've done that. This is important, so hurry."
I ran as fast as I could down the hall and moved the thermostat to 58 degrees - the lowest it would go and made my way back to the phone as fast as I could.
"I took care of it, Uncle John. I moved the thermostat to 58 degrees! What should I do next? What else can I do to stop this water?!"
"What do you mean you moved it to 58 degrees?? Tish - What thermostat are you talking about?" He yelled back with an alarming edge in his voice that I had never heard before.
"The only thermostat in our house. The one in the hallway next to the bedrooms that controls the heat." I asserted with confidence.
Uncle John yelled back, "Noooo - I'm talking about the one on the water heater!" Everything went silent.
Moments later, I could hear the roar of his voice through the phone, as he yelled to Aunt Nonnie to get out of bed and get dressed quickly! "Oh my Gosh! We have to get to Tish and Harry's house now - The kids are sleeping! I've got the-blind-leading-the-blind over there and I think the kids are in danger!!"
In the end, the problem was solved for the evening... and yes - we had to replace the water heater. Everyone lived. More people laughed.
The moral of this story is that we're all busy, but sometimes you have to stop the world and just get off so you can be UN-BUSY long enough to take time for what is important! Take time to plan. Take time to execute. Take time to educate yourself about things you should be aware of. Take time to enjoy what you've accomplished!
This health and wellness journey takes lots of focus, planning and time. One thing this first month taught me was this: If I was buying my first home now, I'd take time to meet the water heater man @ Home Depot.
Sometimes a change is in order or you risk being the butt of family jokes all the days that you live.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 10/51
Quote of the Day: "A bird in the hand is worth absolutely nothing if - you haven't taken the time to find out - you're allergic to feathers!"
- English Proverb destroyed for the purpose of this Blog - Thanks to M. Broyles.
Now, let's talk about "MAKING TIME" and "BEING BUSY." People hate when I say, "I'm busy," but honestly I've been busy since I was 14 years old! Everybody has commitments. In my case, hiring thousands of employees for Corporate America, celebrating my kids, enjoying time with Harry; commuting 4 hours a day for 24 years, raising money for causes I care about; writing letters to the editor; taking care of people I love; making time for family and friends; having fun; or living through life's real trials, tribulations and challenges - it just gets very, very busy. All these things can keep you from making time to ensure that your health, welfare and safety is in the forefront of all the things that keep you busy.
When Harry and I bought our first home, our Aunt Marie and Uncle Charlie came to visit and we enthusiastically gave them one of the first tours. Aunt Marie made a simple inquiry, "Where's the water heater in this house?" For a moment, Harry & I stared blankly back at each other looking a tad perplexed until we all roared with laughter as Harry blurted out, "We don't know!"
Yes - we were too busy when we bought our house, that we didn't even think to ask where the water heater or furnace was. Who needs follow-up questions when Uncle John had inspected the property and assured us that everything was solid. That was good enough for us while we planned moving men, Mike's Subs deliveries, furniture and beer runs! That was it, but the story of our water heater has followed Harry and I around the family for years...
At about midnight one January evening in 1994, we heard this loud popping sound. When I ran from the bedroom to survey the situation, I noticed that water was gushing from the water heater that was nicely tucked away in the pantry of our kitchen. It was about 10 degrees below zero that night and frozen pipes had been a problem up and down the block. I grabbed every towel and blanket in the house to sop up the water that was now flooding our kitchen, family room and part of our living room. Harry ran outside to the shed to get the tool chest we'd received as a wedding present in 1986, which was still neatly packed in shrink-wrap. Real dangers require real tools, right? While he ran, I called Uncle John and woke him up out of a sound sleep to ask him what we should do. I was kind of in a panic.
Uncle John told me to calm down, then he asked me to listen very carefully. He gave me the following instruction: "Now listen to me! Turn the thermostat to the lowest position possible and then come back to the phone and let me know that you've done that. This is important, so hurry."
I ran as fast as I could down the hall and moved the thermostat to 58 degrees - the lowest it would go and made my way back to the phone as fast as I could.
"I took care of it, Uncle John. I moved the thermostat to 58 degrees! What should I do next? What else can I do to stop this water?!"
"What do you mean you moved it to 58 degrees?? Tish - What thermostat are you talking about?" He yelled back with an alarming edge in his voice that I had never heard before.
"The only thermostat in our house. The one in the hallway next to the bedrooms that controls the heat." I asserted with confidence.
Uncle John yelled back, "Noooo - I'm talking about the one on the water heater!" Everything went silent.
Moments later, I could hear the roar of his voice through the phone, as he yelled to Aunt Nonnie to get out of bed and get dressed quickly! "Oh my Gosh! We have to get to Tish and Harry's house now - The kids are sleeping! I've got the-blind-leading-the-blind over there and I think the kids are in danger!!"
In the end, the problem was solved for the evening... and yes - we had to replace the water heater. Everyone lived. More people laughed.
The moral of this story is that we're all busy, but sometimes you have to stop the world and just get off so you can be UN-BUSY long enough to take time for what is important! Take time to plan. Take time to execute. Take time to educate yourself about things you should be aware of. Take time to enjoy what you've accomplished!
This health and wellness journey takes lots of focus, planning and time. One thing this first month taught me was this: If I was buying my first home now, I'd take time to meet the water heater man @ Home Depot.
Sometimes a change is in order or you risk being the butt of family jokes all the days that you live.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 10/51
Quote of the Day: "A bird in the hand is worth absolutely nothing if - you haven't taken the time to find out - you're allergic to feathers!"
- English Proverb destroyed for the purpose of this Blog - Thanks to M. Broyles.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
"Nothing Is Impossible" When You Keep Going!
Step, Step, Step... Day# 23 and I'm walking on air!
The doctors monitoring this health and wellness journey were pleased today:
Blood Pressure: 120/80
Total Weight Loss To-Date: 10 pounds!
The commitment to TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge grows stronger with every improved statistic! I know I can win because I feel better everyday!
Wish me luck as I enter the final week of January. Only eleven months to go!
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 10/51
Quote of the Day: "Nothing is impossible and once you see it start to happen, there is nothing that can change your mind." - Tom Venuto
The doctors monitoring this health and wellness journey were pleased today:
Blood Pressure: 120/80
Total Weight Loss To-Date: 10 pounds!
The commitment to TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge grows stronger with every improved statistic! I know I can win because I feel better everyday!
Wish me luck as I enter the final week of January. Only eleven months to go!
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 10/51
Quote of the Day: "Nothing is impossible and once you see it start to happen, there is nothing that can change your mind." - Tom Venuto
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Maternity Depts Are Only For Expectant Moms?
Step, step, step... 11,840 steps logged on my Virgin HealthMiles GoZone Monitor today, so away we go!
Oh - If you were horrified by THOSE September Lipid/ cholesterol numbers I reported in yesterday's Blog, while cheering the improvement doctors verified for me this week - you are not alone.
In June - a few days after Kate returned from college - we all know that my heart rate went bonkers and it took Kate, my neighbor Mary Pell, 6 Emergency Medical Technicians and two Police Officers to get me out of the house. I swear, in all my June blood tests - those Lipid numbers were "a mere" 40-50 points away from normal - not 90 - 100!! What the heck happened? My gosh - I think I froze... I didn't do a single thing all summer while doctor's monitored me except to focus on my work at my desk 12 hours a day! NO step, step, steps... And then as I made my way around the house, every time I stopped short, the refrigerator fell on me! Okay - I got scared, but shame on me!
The visual of my Scott fighting back tears on our front lawn wrapped in the arms of my neighbors, Maryanne and Rose, as the EMT's hauled me out of the house haunted me all summer. With great pride and unimaginable sadness, I watched as my beautiful Kate efficiently operated with grace and poise beyond her years. She called 911; held me and my hand until help arrived; escorted me in the ambulance to the hospital; called my bosses at work; she did not leave me until Daddy arrived. TishTrek is about doing whatever I can to "try" to spare my kids from having to be in this "adult" position ever again...
It's like: Hey, wait a minute! I'm the Mom! They shouldn't have to be responsible for me! Aren't I supposed to take care of them?! Okay, well there is the time when I was being a Helicopter Mom hovering over Kate at Ocean Medical Center after her sinus surgery and it wasn't exactly a Hallmark Card moment. Ok - By accident I leaned "heavily" on her I.V. while tucking her in and sent her through the roof! Mommy is still sorry, Honey!!
And yes - ha, ha... joke's on me again... Several years ago, I was jogging on Route 88 and Scott was cycling a tad ahead of me when I tripped on the lip of the sidewalk (I didn't see it; it was dusk, I swear!) and I literally plowed into him with such a force that I knocked him off his bike, sprained my wrist & right knee, and inspired him to assert, "With Moms like you, who needs enemies!" Ok - June Cleaver, I'm not. Alert the National Guard to protect my kids!
By the way, is anyone starting to think that perhaps water sports would be in order for someone like me?!
Let's change the subject! I think honesty is the best policy for this journey and this Blog, so today I want to admit that on three occasions over the last 8 years, I have actually purchased clothes in the Maternity Section of the Macy's and Target Department Stores,(Kate kept this secret!). There! I said it! By the way, you all complimented me on one of the skirts two summers in a row! Ok - and I wore one dress to a cousin's wedding. Next family bus trip, we can look at pictures of all the weddings I went to and try to guess which dress it was!! Get that look off your face - I looked good.
Anyway, since I haven't had a baby in 16 years, I want you to know that as a side-goal to TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge - I hope to never shop in the Maternity Dept again. How's that for getting a style-secret off my chest?!
Enjoy the rest of the weekend...
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "The older you get, the better you get, unless you're a banana!"
- Rose, The Golden Girls
Oh - If you were horrified by THOSE September Lipid/ cholesterol numbers I reported in yesterday's Blog, while cheering the improvement doctors verified for me this week - you are not alone.
In June - a few days after Kate returned from college - we all know that my heart rate went bonkers and it took Kate, my neighbor Mary Pell, 6 Emergency Medical Technicians and two Police Officers to get me out of the house. I swear, in all my June blood tests - those Lipid numbers were "a mere" 40-50 points away from normal - not 90 - 100!! What the heck happened? My gosh - I think I froze... I didn't do a single thing all summer while doctor's monitored me except to focus on my work at my desk 12 hours a day! NO step, step, steps... And then as I made my way around the house, every time I stopped short, the refrigerator fell on me! Okay - I got scared, but shame on me!
The visual of my Scott fighting back tears on our front lawn wrapped in the arms of my neighbors, Maryanne and Rose, as the EMT's hauled me out of the house haunted me all summer. With great pride and unimaginable sadness, I watched as my beautiful Kate efficiently operated with grace and poise beyond her years. She called 911; held me and my hand until help arrived; escorted me in the ambulance to the hospital; called my bosses at work; she did not leave me until Daddy arrived. TishTrek is about doing whatever I can to "try" to spare my kids from having to be in this "adult" position ever again...
It's like: Hey, wait a minute! I'm the Mom! They shouldn't have to be responsible for me! Aren't I supposed to take care of them?! Okay, well there is the time when I was being a Helicopter Mom hovering over Kate at Ocean Medical Center after her sinus surgery and it wasn't exactly a Hallmark Card moment. Ok - By accident I leaned "heavily" on her I.V. while tucking her in and sent her through the roof! Mommy is still sorry, Honey!!
And yes - ha, ha... joke's on me again... Several years ago, I was jogging on Route 88 and Scott was cycling a tad ahead of me when I tripped on the lip of the sidewalk (I didn't see it; it was dusk, I swear!) and I literally plowed into him with such a force that I knocked him off his bike, sprained my wrist & right knee, and inspired him to assert, "With Moms like you, who needs enemies!" Ok - June Cleaver, I'm not. Alert the National Guard to protect my kids!
By the way, is anyone starting to think that perhaps water sports would be in order for someone like me?!
Let's change the subject! I think honesty is the best policy for this journey and this Blog, so today I want to admit that on three occasions over the last 8 years, I have actually purchased clothes in the Maternity Section of the Macy's and Target Department Stores,(Kate kept this secret!). There! I said it! By the way, you all complimented me on one of the skirts two summers in a row! Ok - and I wore one dress to a cousin's wedding. Next family bus trip, we can look at pictures of all the weddings I went to and try to guess which dress it was!! Get that look off your face - I looked good.
Anyway, since I haven't had a baby in 16 years, I want you to know that as a side-goal to TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge - I hope to never shop in the Maternity Dept again. How's that for getting a style-secret off my chest?!
Enjoy the rest of the weekend...
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "The older you get, the better you get, unless you're a banana!"
- Rose, The Golden Girls
Friday, January 22, 2010
The OZ Principle & My Beautiful Ruby Red Slipper
Day# 21 - Step, step, step... Amen - It's remarkable to report that those repulsive-to-watch on TV green Mucinex Globs have actually chased my nasty sinusitis to the brink of extinction! Have you ever seen those hard-to-watch commercials? Yuk - I swore I'd never use the product and then I found myself screaming for "Team Mucous" when my head was about to explode and roll down the hallway?! Someone call the advertising firm - the little green men make for bad TV, but their pitch worked!! So here we go... Step, step, step: TishTrek is marching on and right back into the arms of my Virgin HealthMiles GoZone Monitor. Away we go... 1,2,3,4.
I'm glad my sinus is clear so I can yell from the rooftops - without my head hurting - that I've got GREAT NEWS!! Three days ago, my doctor tested the lipids in my blood which had not been tested since my September adventure at Jersey Shore Medical Center. The drum roll, please... The results arrived yesterday and they were absolutely astonishing! I am giving myself a standing ovation today! Go Tish! Go Tisha! Go Pat! Go Pat Fat! Yes, Kate! Yes, Scott! Hey, Harry - I'm hot! I don't care what you call me... Just scream, "You - Go Girl!"
If you want to focus on numbers, skip the scale in the bathroom, and focus intensely on those numbers your beating heart cares about. In 4 months:
My Total Cholesterol dropped 92 points to 195, (the goal should be less 200) - Yes!
My LDL - "lousy" or bad cholesterol dropped 89 points to 118, (the goal should be less than 100)- The work, work, work... continues.
My HDL "healthy" or good cholesterol which naturally removes that bad cholesterol from my ciruculation dropped 17 points from 67 to 50, (the goal for females is that this number be greater than 50)- Hmmm? I have to research some food choices that can keep this number higher. Any answers out there??!!
My lifestyle changes are working! Now I have to figure out how to keep my good cholesterol numbers up while keeping that bad cholesterol on this healthy downward spiral. I can do it!
When I worked for Schering-Plough, I took a training course called, the "OZ Principle" which was created by Partners In Leadership, 2006. Themes from the Wizard of Oz were leveraged as a foundation from which people could create action plans to produce positive results in their daily lives. The course which was focused on personal accountability emphasized tackling each challenge or issue in life by working hard to do the following:
1) SEE IT 2) OWN IT 3) SOLVE IT and 4) DO IT!
The instructor emphatically stressed that we can all control and/or alter an outcome and deliverable - in more ways than we ever imagined - when we work through issues with methodologies that keep us personally invested. I've been in over 100 corporate training programs throughout my career; and this one was THE jaw-dropper!
I'm pretty sure that my former boss, S-P's VP of Global Staffing Jim Toper, would remember that at the end of this training course, I actually gave the instructor a pair of ruby red slippers (a Christmas ornament) with a note. I told him that I was truly inspired by the knowledge and perspective he had worked so hard to transfer to me and others; and that the value of this course went so beyond the workplace. It was a humbling experience.
Shortly after this training, I couldn't believe it when my son Scott came home with a single ruby red slipper ornament that he had purchased for me during his 8th grade trip to Washington, DC. It was like the message from that training class was following me around with a baseball bat. I put Scott's ornament in my special cherry cabinet in my living room where a light has shined on it for over two years.
I often gaze quietly at this ornament to remind myself that the power and strength of the ruby red slipper is always within my grasp. It lives inside of me. TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge is about letting it out.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "The flower looks up high to see only the light, and never looks down to see its shadow. This is a wisdom which man must learn."
- Kahlil Gibran, Secrets of the Heart, Meditations, 1968
I'm glad my sinus is clear so I can yell from the rooftops - without my head hurting - that I've got GREAT NEWS!! Three days ago, my doctor tested the lipids in my blood which had not been tested since my September adventure at Jersey Shore Medical Center. The drum roll, please... The results arrived yesterday and they were absolutely astonishing! I am giving myself a standing ovation today! Go Tish! Go Tisha! Go Pat! Go Pat Fat! Yes, Kate! Yes, Scott! Hey, Harry - I'm hot! I don't care what you call me... Just scream, "You - Go Girl!"
If you want to focus on numbers, skip the scale in the bathroom, and focus intensely on those numbers your beating heart cares about. In 4 months:
My Total Cholesterol dropped 92 points to 195, (the goal should be less 200) - Yes!
My LDL - "lousy" or bad cholesterol dropped 89 points to 118, (the goal should be less than 100)- The work, work, work... continues.
My HDL "healthy" or good cholesterol which naturally removes that bad cholesterol from my ciruculation dropped 17 points from 67 to 50, (the goal for females is that this number be greater than 50)- Hmmm? I have to research some food choices that can keep this number higher. Any answers out there??!!
My lifestyle changes are working! Now I have to figure out how to keep my good cholesterol numbers up while keeping that bad cholesterol on this healthy downward spiral. I can do it!
When I worked for Schering-Plough, I took a training course called, the "OZ Principle" which was created by Partners In Leadership, 2006. Themes from the Wizard of Oz were leveraged as a foundation from which people could create action plans to produce positive results in their daily lives. The course which was focused on personal accountability emphasized tackling each challenge or issue in life by working hard to do the following:
1) SEE IT 2) OWN IT 3) SOLVE IT and 4) DO IT!
The instructor emphatically stressed that we can all control and/or alter an outcome and deliverable - in more ways than we ever imagined - when we work through issues with methodologies that keep us personally invested. I've been in over 100 corporate training programs throughout my career; and this one was THE jaw-dropper!
I'm pretty sure that my former boss, S-P's VP of Global Staffing Jim Toper, would remember that at the end of this training course, I actually gave the instructor a pair of ruby red slippers (a Christmas ornament) with a note. I told him that I was truly inspired by the knowledge and perspective he had worked so hard to transfer to me and others; and that the value of this course went so beyond the workplace. It was a humbling experience.
Shortly after this training, I couldn't believe it when my son Scott came home with a single ruby red slipper ornament that he had purchased for me during his 8th grade trip to Washington, DC. It was like the message from that training class was following me around with a baseball bat. I put Scott's ornament in my special cherry cabinet in my living room where a light has shined on it for over two years.
I often gaze quietly at this ornament to remind myself that the power and strength of the ruby red slipper is always within my grasp. It lives inside of me. TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge is about letting it out.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "The flower looks up high to see only the light, and never looks down to see its shadow. This is a wisdom which man must learn."
- Kahlil Gibran, Secrets of the Heart, Meditations, 1968
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Don't Stress-"Find Strength In What Remains Behind."
Day #20 - Step, step, step... Stress - that energy-draining and emotional wedge that too often stands between a person's goals and their ability to achieve them - is a centerpiece in this Virgin HealthMiles Journey - TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge. I just find the issues related to this topic harder to talk about.
With reverence, today I'm taking you to a place that I now call the "Post-Traumatic Stress Event" of my generation. To never talk about 9/11 - after I witnessed it first-hand - is like not talking about "that elephant" in the middle of the room.
Ignoring it and the stress-triggers tied to it could defeat my current journey because I - along with lots of other people - live with the flashbacks of this enormity of horror every single day. Nine years later, some of us are doing well; but others are still struggling to regain their footing.
9/11 left a hole in my heart, but fortunately my Mom had always taught me that the power of my keyboard or pen can help me "find strength in what remains behind." I did not fully comprehend the awesome power of my Mother's message and encouragement until September 12th, 2001.
On Tuesday, September 11th, I wrote: Our View from NY Harbor
This morning 8:30 a.m., we boarded a Seasteak America Inc. Ferry in the Atlantic Highlands and then headed for New York at exactly 8:45. It was a clear day. We had overslept. As we watched out the window, we saw what looked like smoke billowing from the top of the World Trade Center. A fellow commuter called his wife. She confirmed there was a fire.
Moments later, over a ferry radio system the news arrived that - in fact - a hijacked plane had hit the World Trade Center. There was stunned silence while no one could remove their eyes from this view in the horizon as this terrifying history played out...
Our ferry continued under the Verrazano Bridge. As we continued to watch and as we drew closer to the Statue of Liberty, suddenly there was a fireball that we thought was bringing down an entire side of the WTC. A loud and breathtaking gasp filled the air. Whether it was our focus on the flames engulfing the first building or a matter of our view, none of us saw a plane coming... Moments later more radio communication at sea informed us that a second plane had actually hit the second tower. Fear and silence filled the air...
After being informed that Downtown Manhattan, the New York Stock Exchange, and all associated buildings were closing and being evacuated - we were told that the air around Manhattan had been "sanitized," which meant it had become a no-fly zone. Any plane trying to fly in that space would be shot down. Our eyes and our collective fear scanned the skyline and silently we prayed that all other landmarks would be protected, and that we - feeling somehow vulnerable in the middle of this water - would be safe too.
The crew of the Seastreak informed us that we were going to Pier 11 near South Street Seaport to help as many people as possible who were attempting to leave the city. There were thousands of people trying to get back to NJ. We could only take a couple hundred. We could only hope that more ferries would arrive there soon. We watched swarms of people begin their trek northbound towards the Brooklyn Bridge as they tried to beat the unknowns and the aftershock of what was to come.
As we pulled away from the dock, we looked up to the sky from the East River and watched the smoke pour over Wall Street from atop the Woolworth Building, the AIG building, and JP Morgan Chase. It was not like anything we had ever seen. Two of the largest buildings the world had ever known were spewing pieces from their silver shells which were brilliantly highlighted by the sun as they rained down on the East River, the Hudson River, and NY Harbor... This sad, reflective and horrifying moment reminded us that each reflection in the sky somehow symbolized a human life that wasn't returning home today.
Then came the news that our Pentagon had been hit... Our confusion and sadness heightened. The mushroom cloud that followed after these magnificent and incredible structures succumbed to the terrors of our society made us all realize that this was war.
A few hundred passengers on a simple commuter ferry alarmed, dazed and stunned, some with tears streaming, some with more fear than others - all of us frozen and bound together by a silence louder than any voice we had ever heard. It was the voice of "terrorism." - Tish Ferguson, 9/11/01 - 11 a.m. (portions of this piece were published in The Asbury Park Press & The Ocean Star, NJ - Sept., 2001)
***************
Later that day, my 8 year old son Scott got off his school bus in Pt. Pleasant, NJ and ran into my arms as I sat on the front steps of our home with my friend, Cheryl.
"Mommy! he yelled out. "Did you hear what happened today?"
"James said a giant plane flew into a big building in New York City!"
I threw my arms around him and hugged him as if it were the day he was born, and answered, "Yes, Honey. We heard about it. And Mommy loves you to the moon and back!"
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day:
"What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind"
— William Wordsworth, (Intimations of Immortality)
With reverence, today I'm taking you to a place that I now call the "Post-Traumatic Stress Event" of my generation. To never talk about 9/11 - after I witnessed it first-hand - is like not talking about "that elephant" in the middle of the room.
Ignoring it and the stress-triggers tied to it could defeat my current journey because I - along with lots of other people - live with the flashbacks of this enormity of horror every single day. Nine years later, some of us are doing well; but others are still struggling to regain their footing.
9/11 left a hole in my heart, but fortunately my Mom had always taught me that the power of my keyboard or pen can help me "find strength in what remains behind." I did not fully comprehend the awesome power of my Mother's message and encouragement until September 12th, 2001.
On Tuesday, September 11th, I wrote: Our View from NY Harbor
This morning 8:30 a.m., we boarded a Seasteak America Inc. Ferry in the Atlantic Highlands and then headed for New York at exactly 8:45. It was a clear day. We had overslept. As we watched out the window, we saw what looked like smoke billowing from the top of the World Trade Center. A fellow commuter called his wife. She confirmed there was a fire.
Moments later, over a ferry radio system the news arrived that - in fact - a hijacked plane had hit the World Trade Center. There was stunned silence while no one could remove their eyes from this view in the horizon as this terrifying history played out...
Our ferry continued under the Verrazano Bridge. As we continued to watch and as we drew closer to the Statue of Liberty, suddenly there was a fireball that we thought was bringing down an entire side of the WTC. A loud and breathtaking gasp filled the air. Whether it was our focus on the flames engulfing the first building or a matter of our view, none of us saw a plane coming... Moments later more radio communication at sea informed us that a second plane had actually hit the second tower. Fear and silence filled the air...
After being informed that Downtown Manhattan, the New York Stock Exchange, and all associated buildings were closing and being evacuated - we were told that the air around Manhattan had been "sanitized," which meant it had become a no-fly zone. Any plane trying to fly in that space would be shot down. Our eyes and our collective fear scanned the skyline and silently we prayed that all other landmarks would be protected, and that we - feeling somehow vulnerable in the middle of this water - would be safe too.
The crew of the Seastreak informed us that we were going to Pier 11 near South Street Seaport to help as many people as possible who were attempting to leave the city. There were thousands of people trying to get back to NJ. We could only take a couple hundred. We could only hope that more ferries would arrive there soon. We watched swarms of people begin their trek northbound towards the Brooklyn Bridge as they tried to beat the unknowns and the aftershock of what was to come.
As we pulled away from the dock, we looked up to the sky from the East River and watched the smoke pour over Wall Street from atop the Woolworth Building, the AIG building, and JP Morgan Chase. It was not like anything we had ever seen. Two of the largest buildings the world had ever known were spewing pieces from their silver shells which were brilliantly highlighted by the sun as they rained down on the East River, the Hudson River, and NY Harbor... This sad, reflective and horrifying moment reminded us that each reflection in the sky somehow symbolized a human life that wasn't returning home today.
Then came the news that our Pentagon had been hit... Our confusion and sadness heightened. The mushroom cloud that followed after these magnificent and incredible structures succumbed to the terrors of our society made us all realize that this was war.
A few hundred passengers on a simple commuter ferry alarmed, dazed and stunned, some with tears streaming, some with more fear than others - all of us frozen and bound together by a silence louder than any voice we had ever heard. It was the voice of "terrorism." - Tish Ferguson, 9/11/01 - 11 a.m. (portions of this piece were published in The Asbury Park Press & The Ocean Star, NJ - Sept., 2001)
***************
Later that day, my 8 year old son Scott got off his school bus in Pt. Pleasant, NJ and ran into my arms as I sat on the front steps of our home with my friend, Cheryl.
"Mommy! he yelled out. "Did you hear what happened today?"
"James said a giant plane flew into a big building in New York City!"
I threw my arms around him and hugged him as if it were the day he was born, and answered, "Yes, Honey. We heard about it. And Mommy loves you to the moon and back!"
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day:
"What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind"
— William Wordsworth, (Intimations of Immortality)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Enjoy Some "Food For Thought!"
Day #19 - Step, step, step...
After yesterday's Blog, I wanted to circle back to let you know that my husband and I have some Life-Rules and here are just a few:
We don't tell other adults what to eat, drink, or wear. We also don't tell them when they should come and go; or what habits or hobbies they should dabble in or eliminate from their lives. The same rules apply to this Blog.
Okay - I admit it! I do carry on (for hours...) about Driving-While-Texting since I personally have to dodge that danger on the "Killing Field" called the Garden State Parkway during my commute every single day! And if anyone caught the faces of the deceased on Oprah's January 18th show when she covered this topic, you'd create your own monologue to stop this insanity!
But honestly, what I'm doing in Blogger-ville is sharing a person's life experience with a hope that something I learned (or will discover in this process...) might actually help or motivate someone else today or at some point in the future. Maybe I can save someone from my mistakes, but probably not...
Yesterday's Cream Cheese Entry was only meant to ask readers to think about this food choice by explaining how truly surprised I was to discover "where" exactly my Bagel-Buddy landed on that Healthy Heart Buster List.
A reader may decide that extra steps might be in order for those days when a bagel + cream cheese becomes the treat-of-choice; or eliminate it from a diet altogether. Others may conclude that their good health, metabolism + activity levels create better ADME-process (Absorption, Distribution, blah, blah) excellence than most of us enjoy, so they may choose to ignore the Blog entry altogether.
In the end, this Blog is meant to be fluid and informative; poignant and personal. There are no mandates and nothing is meant to be judgemental, bossy, or disrespectful. Consider the whole effort as "Food For Thought."
The 24/7 Cardio-Net Event Monitor with the sticky leads and wires hidden under my shirt that tracked my crazy arrhythmia's last summer is now replaced with my "easy-to-wear" Virgin HealthMiles GoZone Step Meter. My September electrophysiology study and ablation procedures are a distant memory, so this journey is definitely about getting my head out of my heart chamber and looking forward. It's about participating in the decision over which monitor will control my life going forward.
With God's help, I figured out that celebrating all the moments that got me here is the only strategy that can help me win. Thanks for joining me in this adventure.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "Some of us think it's holding on that makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."
- Hermann Hesse, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946
After yesterday's Blog, I wanted to circle back to let you know that my husband and I have some Life-Rules and here are just a few:
We don't tell other adults what to eat, drink, or wear. We also don't tell them when they should come and go; or what habits or hobbies they should dabble in or eliminate from their lives. The same rules apply to this Blog.
Okay - I admit it! I do carry on (for hours...) about Driving-While-Texting since I personally have to dodge that danger on the "Killing Field" called the Garden State Parkway during my commute every single day! And if anyone caught the faces of the deceased on Oprah's January 18th show when she covered this topic, you'd create your own monologue to stop this insanity!
But honestly, what I'm doing in Blogger-ville is sharing a person's life experience with a hope that something I learned (or will discover in this process...) might actually help or motivate someone else today or at some point in the future. Maybe I can save someone from my mistakes, but probably not...
Yesterday's Cream Cheese Entry was only meant to ask readers to think about this food choice by explaining how truly surprised I was to discover "where" exactly my Bagel-Buddy landed on that Healthy Heart Buster List.
A reader may decide that extra steps might be in order for those days when a bagel + cream cheese becomes the treat-of-choice; or eliminate it from a diet altogether. Others may conclude that their good health, metabolism + activity levels create better ADME-process (Absorption, Distribution, blah, blah) excellence than most of us enjoy, so they may choose to ignore the Blog entry altogether.
In the end, this Blog is meant to be fluid and informative; poignant and personal. There are no mandates and nothing is meant to be judgemental, bossy, or disrespectful. Consider the whole effort as "Food For Thought."
The 24/7 Cardio-Net Event Monitor with the sticky leads and wires hidden under my shirt that tracked my crazy arrhythmia's last summer is now replaced with my "easy-to-wear" Virgin HealthMiles GoZone Step Meter. My September electrophysiology study and ablation procedures are a distant memory, so this journey is definitely about getting my head out of my heart chamber and looking forward. It's about participating in the decision over which monitor will control my life going forward.
With God's help, I figured out that celebrating all the moments that got me here is the only strategy that can help me win. Thanks for joining me in this adventure.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "Some of us think it's holding on that makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."
- Hermann Hesse, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946
"In Youth We Learn; In Age We Understand."
Step, step, step... remember you only have to log 7,000 steps five days a week at the beach, in the mall, on a treadmill or in the park to get to an activity level that will help you. Make time for you. You are worth it!
In March 2000, my heart doctors and I did try conservative drug-therapy before deciding on the pacemaker solution. That approach only worked for six months because my body adapted very quickly to all prescribed levels of meds and that fact superseded the benefits of our drug management program. During this time period, I received my VERY FIRST LIST of heart-healthy & heart-buster choices which started with consumer products I should work to eliminate and/or avoid as often as possible.
It was no surprise that tobacco was at the very top of that list, but right next to tobacco was cream cheese! "Cream cheese?" I yelled. Yes - I said, cream cheese!! As a self-proclaimed dairy-crazed, cow-obsessed, cheese-lover, I had never focused on what it would take for my body to ABSORB cream cheese; DISTRIBUTE it through the bloodstream to tissues and organs; METABOLIZE it through the liver & gastro system with the help of enzymes; and finally EXCRETE it through the intestines and/or kidneys. In short, this mild soft unripened cheese made from whole sweet milk enriched with cream is a very slow-mover in the body and leaves a trail. In pharmacokinetics,(**Definition below signature today), & pharmacology circles, this end-to-end process is called "ADME" for short, so allow me to use this acronym throughout this text.
Obviously, I was in the earliest stages of my denial, so threatening to wall-paper the bathroom with these food choice lists (along with all lists like them...) and looking for matching boarder at Siperstein's made for loud rip-roaring jokes! Looking back - the joke was on me.
Six years later, I found myself working an intriguing contract assignment at Schering-Plough Pharmaceutical in Kennilworth, NJ and there was just no running away from the body's ADME processes and the fate of substances administered externally to a living organism.
My recruiting management background was 90% Global Financial Services and I always ran from the sciences the same way I hid from organized sports. The first assignment executives handed this english major with a smoking keyboard was in "Global Pharmacovigilance" - which is the "pharmacological science relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects to minimize hazards associated with medicines and to prevent harm to patients." Oh my gosh - I didn't even know how to spell the department name, so how could I succeed? Why was I here at all? Happily, those answers came soon enough...
To become the credible representative I needed to be to sit face-to-face with employment candidates who applied for jobs in Schering-Plough's Research Center, I learned as much about this industry and the world class tools, technologies and methodologies that drive it as fast as I could. The professionals at Schering-Plough, like my own cousin Michelle (Chilinski) Brugger - a top notch Scientist in S-P's Radio-Chemistry Department - literally work everyday to deliver products and medicines that keep people alive and/or keep the quality of patient's lives in-tact for decades on-end.
My gosh - I couldn't believe I was learning life-enhancing tips about my own body through the window of global information systems that capture this data for the purpose of research that saves lives throughout the world. One amazing project required that I source, identify and recruit high caliber Computational Chemists to work in the area of Bioinformatics and whose responsibility would be to predict the Toxicity qualities of compounds as they made their way through the ADME processes in the body. Such work is executed through methods involving Quantitative Structure-(Activity & Property) Relationships, (**Definition below signature today or you can phone Brian Conaghan or Tom Brusgard who can explain further).
I sat in complete awe, as I listened to one PhD candidate after another describe their life's work: patents, projects, analysis, clinical trials, go-to-market strategies and results which had changed the face of how this research was done around the globe.
I want to make this explanation easy for my girls at OSU: Leaders in these fields dedicate their lives to understanding how the human body Absorbs, Distributes, Metabolizes, and Excretes everything we put into it. Everything that goes in "will do its own thing" - good or bad - and then make it's way out. Some products, medicines and food choices have an easier time going though our system than others, (i.e. apple sauce vs cream cheese). Some products create toxic experiences. In many cases, the longer it takes for a product to execute the ADME process, the more bad stuff it has the potential to leave behind for you and me to deal with, (i.e. - Mommy, where are my cholesterol pills?)
I NOW know why I worked at Schering-Plough. I'm supposed to create my own "ADME-Covigilance" Department in my house. That is, use the same science pharmaceutical firms use to create my own plan relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects in my body when I choose to administer substances externally.
I now accept the fact that I own full responsibility to minimize hazards to myself associated with all consumer products. As part of this commitment and to prevent harm, I will work to mitigate risks as I see them. Afterall, the goal of TishTrek is to be here for my husband Harry, my beautiful daughter Kate and my wonderful son Scott as far into the future as biology and a healthy body will allow.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "In youth we learn; in age we understand."
- Marie Ebner von Eschenbach
** Definition from Wikipedia:
Pharmacokinetics, sometimes abbreviated as PK, (from Ancient Greek pharmakon "drug" and kinetikos "to do with motion"; see chemical kinetics) is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to the determination of the fate of substances administered externally to a living organism. In practice, this discipline is applied mainly to drug substances, though in principle it concerns itself with all manner of compounds ingested or otherwise delivered externally to an organism, such as nutrients, metabolites, hormones, toxins, etc.
Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) (sometimes QSPR: quantitative structure-property relationship) is the process by which chemical structure is quantitatively correlated with a well defined process, such as biological activity or chemical reactivity.
In March 2000, my heart doctors and I did try conservative drug-therapy before deciding on the pacemaker solution. That approach only worked for six months because my body adapted very quickly to all prescribed levels of meds and that fact superseded the benefits of our drug management program. During this time period, I received my VERY FIRST LIST of heart-healthy & heart-buster choices which started with consumer products I should work to eliminate and/or avoid as often as possible.
It was no surprise that tobacco was at the very top of that list, but right next to tobacco was cream cheese! "Cream cheese?" I yelled. Yes - I said, cream cheese!! As a self-proclaimed dairy-crazed, cow-obsessed, cheese-lover, I had never focused on what it would take for my body to ABSORB cream cheese; DISTRIBUTE it through the bloodstream to tissues and organs; METABOLIZE it through the liver & gastro system with the help of enzymes; and finally EXCRETE it through the intestines and/or kidneys. In short, this mild soft unripened cheese made from whole sweet milk enriched with cream is a very slow-mover in the body and leaves a trail. In pharmacokinetics,(**Definition below signature today), & pharmacology circles, this end-to-end process is called "ADME" for short, so allow me to use this acronym throughout this text.
Obviously, I was in the earliest stages of my denial, so threatening to wall-paper the bathroom with these food choice lists (along with all lists like them...) and looking for matching boarder at Siperstein's made for loud rip-roaring jokes! Looking back - the joke was on me.
Six years later, I found myself working an intriguing contract assignment at Schering-Plough Pharmaceutical in Kennilworth, NJ and there was just no running away from the body's ADME processes and the fate of substances administered externally to a living organism.
My recruiting management background was 90% Global Financial Services and I always ran from the sciences the same way I hid from organized sports. The first assignment executives handed this english major with a smoking keyboard was in "Global Pharmacovigilance" - which is the "pharmacological science relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects to minimize hazards associated with medicines and to prevent harm to patients." Oh my gosh - I didn't even know how to spell the department name, so how could I succeed? Why was I here at all? Happily, those answers came soon enough...
To become the credible representative I needed to be to sit face-to-face with employment candidates who applied for jobs in Schering-Plough's Research Center, I learned as much about this industry and the world class tools, technologies and methodologies that drive it as fast as I could. The professionals at Schering-Plough, like my own cousin Michelle (Chilinski) Brugger - a top notch Scientist in S-P's Radio-Chemistry Department - literally work everyday to deliver products and medicines that keep people alive and/or keep the quality of patient's lives in-tact for decades on-end.
My gosh - I couldn't believe I was learning life-enhancing tips about my own body through the window of global information systems that capture this data for the purpose of research that saves lives throughout the world. One amazing project required that I source, identify and recruit high caliber Computational Chemists to work in the area of Bioinformatics and whose responsibility would be to predict the Toxicity qualities of compounds as they made their way through the ADME processes in the body. Such work is executed through methods involving Quantitative Structure-(Activity & Property) Relationships, (**Definition below signature today or you can phone Brian Conaghan or Tom Brusgard who can explain further).
I sat in complete awe, as I listened to one PhD candidate after another describe their life's work: patents, projects, analysis, clinical trials, go-to-market strategies and results which had changed the face of how this research was done around the globe.
I want to make this explanation easy for my girls at OSU: Leaders in these fields dedicate their lives to understanding how the human body Absorbs, Distributes, Metabolizes, and Excretes everything we put into it. Everything that goes in "will do its own thing" - good or bad - and then make it's way out. Some products, medicines and food choices have an easier time going though our system than others, (i.e. apple sauce vs cream cheese). Some products create toxic experiences. In many cases, the longer it takes for a product to execute the ADME process, the more bad stuff it has the potential to leave behind for you and me to deal with, (i.e. - Mommy, where are my cholesterol pills?)
I NOW know why I worked at Schering-Plough. I'm supposed to create my own "ADME-Covigilance" Department in my house. That is, use the same science pharmaceutical firms use to create my own plan relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects in my body when I choose to administer substances externally.
I now accept the fact that I own full responsibility to minimize hazards to myself associated with all consumer products. As part of this commitment and to prevent harm, I will work to mitigate risks as I see them. Afterall, the goal of TishTrek is to be here for my husband Harry, my beautiful daughter Kate and my wonderful son Scott as far into the future as biology and a healthy body will allow.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "In youth we learn; in age we understand."
- Marie Ebner von Eschenbach
** Definition from Wikipedia:
Pharmacokinetics, sometimes abbreviated as PK, (from Ancient Greek pharmakon "drug" and kinetikos "to do with motion"; see chemical kinetics) is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to the determination of the fate of substances administered externally to a living organism. In practice, this discipline is applied mainly to drug substances, though in principle it concerns itself with all manner of compounds ingested or otherwise delivered externally to an organism, such as nutrients, metabolites, hormones, toxins, etc.
Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) (sometimes QSPR: quantitative structure-property relationship) is the process by which chemical structure is quantitatively correlated with a well defined process, such as biological activity or chemical reactivity.
Monday, January 18, 2010
"Good Fences Make Good Neighbors" in Kitchens too?
Yahoo - the fever broke! I'm out of bed and I'm thrilled because I'm returning to the Virgin HealthMiles GoZone later today to rejoin my Team! I'm a little behind in my contribution and it'll take my best effort to catch up, so that's what I will commit to today.
When I started this journey, I was clear that I was going to focus on increased activity and changing behaviors that control what goes into my body and how I respond to stress. The Virgin HealthMiles Program at my job gave me the tools to focus on the activity issues immediately, so I just went for it. But make no mistake - all of these issues are critical and interchangeable in terms of order of importance. If I don't put on boxing gloves to swing back at stress at the same time I'm changing eating habits, it's impossible for me to focus on "complete" health and wellness.
With this in mind, I'm moving away from the topic of activity today to talk about food. "Good fences make good neighbors," Robert Frost wrote, so that's where I first came up with the idea to put up a wall in the kitchen between me and my refrigerator. No contractor had ever heard of such a thing, but think about it - if a person - like me - has success with visual learning, this idea could have wings.
I want to talk about Refrigeration Management. My Uncle John used to joke that if you put melted cheese on an automobile tire - cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, provolone - that my Aunt Nonnie and I would eat it! After my Mack-Truck awakening when Katie was three years old, I went out and lost 41 pounds and this is all I did: I jogged 3 miles four mornings a week; eliminated cheese and mayonnaise completely from my diet; and drank as close to 8 glasses of water (or seltzer) a day as I could stand. Everything else was done in no-holds-barred moderation. That's it. It worked.
Yes - I was younger then. I was 34 years old, but I actually believe I have a much better shot at keeping the weight off in 2010 because guess what happened in 1992?! I looked so good that my husband Harry couldn't stop chasing me around the house, (it was fun!). Nine months and Fifty-five pounds later, that little brother arrived for Kate Cecilia!
With the same kind of energy that fueled the feud between the Hatfield's and McCoy's, I ran out to the hardware store right after Scott's birth to purchase neon yellow Caution Tape to renew my war with the cheese in that refrigerator! Okay it took 16 years, but now is as good a time as any to remove the shrink-wrap packaging from this tape to create boundries in my personal No-Go-In-The-Kitchen Zone! I'm happy to report that I haven't reached for a single slice in 17 days!
And PS - Screaming "Cheese!" during pictures is no longer an option in our house!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "Good fences make good neighbors."
- Robert Frost, (Okay - Barricading the ice box was not his point!)
When I started this journey, I was clear that I was going to focus on increased activity and changing behaviors that control what goes into my body and how I respond to stress. The Virgin HealthMiles Program at my job gave me the tools to focus on the activity issues immediately, so I just went for it. But make no mistake - all of these issues are critical and interchangeable in terms of order of importance. If I don't put on boxing gloves to swing back at stress at the same time I'm changing eating habits, it's impossible for me to focus on "complete" health and wellness.
With this in mind, I'm moving away from the topic of activity today to talk about food. "Good fences make good neighbors," Robert Frost wrote, so that's where I first came up with the idea to put up a wall in the kitchen between me and my refrigerator. No contractor had ever heard of such a thing, but think about it - if a person - like me - has success with visual learning, this idea could have wings.
I want to talk about Refrigeration Management. My Uncle John used to joke that if you put melted cheese on an automobile tire - cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, provolone - that my Aunt Nonnie and I would eat it! After my Mack-Truck awakening when Katie was three years old, I went out and lost 41 pounds and this is all I did: I jogged 3 miles four mornings a week; eliminated cheese and mayonnaise completely from my diet; and drank as close to 8 glasses of water (or seltzer) a day as I could stand. Everything else was done in no-holds-barred moderation. That's it. It worked.
Yes - I was younger then. I was 34 years old, but I actually believe I have a much better shot at keeping the weight off in 2010 because guess what happened in 1992?! I looked so good that my husband Harry couldn't stop chasing me around the house, (it was fun!). Nine months and Fifty-five pounds later, that little brother arrived for Kate Cecilia!
With the same kind of energy that fueled the feud between the Hatfield's and McCoy's, I ran out to the hardware store right after Scott's birth to purchase neon yellow Caution Tape to renew my war with the cheese in that refrigerator! Okay it took 16 years, but now is as good a time as any to remove the shrink-wrap packaging from this tape to create boundries in my personal No-Go-In-The-Kitchen Zone! I'm happy to report that I haven't reached for a single slice in 17 days!
And PS - Screaming "Cheese!" during pictures is no longer an option in our house!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "Good fences make good neighbors."
- Robert Frost, (Okay - Barricading the ice box was not his point!)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Friends & Family Package...
Darn it! No steps allowed... Sinusitis attacked me Friday night, so stepping is not an option. I'm going to have to hope that members of my team can pick up "my step-slack" this weekend. A fever sent me to bed for the last two days, but the doctor gave me an antibiotic and a decongestant to relieve this affliction, so I should be good-to-go again soon.
Since I'm in the quiet-zone today, I want to write about something that feels very personal. On recent blog pages, I've carried on about what an active and fun-loving non-athlete I've been my entire life. Then I shared how a diagnosis of the heart left me in denial and disbelief for years... I never really understood what that was all about until I read an enlightening article written by Dr. David Swee, MD, professor of family medicine and associate dean for education at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey. When asked, "How difficult is it for people to cope with a new diagnosis?" Dr. Swee responded:
"A person's ability to cope generally depends upon his or her health condition and personality. For instance, if someone has symptoms but is unsure of the cause, a diagnosis, especially if it's minor, can come as a big relief. But a diagnosis of a very serious condition often triggers a grieving process - people mourn for the "healthy" person they once were, while learning to accept their new condition."
Some people get on to accepting their condition quickly; for others - like me - it can take years. Some choose to never accept it.
Anxiety and depression are not signs of personal weakness. People need to know this. They are - in fact - very "common" reactions to coming up against life-changing situations.
If you're lucky enough to have a wonderful family, loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends - go find them! You don't have to talk about your diagnosis, anxiety or fear... Throw yourself in a room with their positive energy and it will help you through.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "Just find someone to turn to, and you'll always come around."
- Lynn McGuiness, 1975
Since I'm in the quiet-zone today, I want to write about something that feels very personal. On recent blog pages, I've carried on about what an active and fun-loving non-athlete I've been my entire life. Then I shared how a diagnosis of the heart left me in denial and disbelief for years... I never really understood what that was all about until I read an enlightening article written by Dr. David Swee, MD, professor of family medicine and associate dean for education at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey. When asked, "How difficult is it for people to cope with a new diagnosis?" Dr. Swee responded:
"A person's ability to cope generally depends upon his or her health condition and personality. For instance, if someone has symptoms but is unsure of the cause, a diagnosis, especially if it's minor, can come as a big relief. But a diagnosis of a very serious condition often triggers a grieving process - people mourn for the "healthy" person they once were, while learning to accept their new condition."
Some people get on to accepting their condition quickly; for others - like me - it can take years. Some choose to never accept it.
Anxiety and depression are not signs of personal weakness. People need to know this. They are - in fact - very "common" reactions to coming up against life-changing situations.
If you're lucky enough to have a wonderful family, loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends - go find them! You don't have to talk about your diagnosis, anxiety or fear... Throw yourself in a room with their positive energy and it will help you through.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 7/51
Quote of the Day: "Just find someone to turn to, and you'll always come around."
- Lynn McGuiness, 1975
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Celebrating 55 Pounds of LOVE: My Kate & Scott!
Day #15 - Step, step, step...
I want to talk quickly about THOSE numbers that I stated I do not want to FOCUS on to explain one of my strategies in this journey.
When I was pregnant with both of my children, I operated completely differently on both counts with regards to activity and cravings:
In Kate's case, my Harry would have to execute U-turns across 8 lane highways so I could get a Big Mac at McDonald's because for whatever reason those Golden Arches had my name on them for 9 months! I also had a weird craving for peanut M&M's. Maybe I needed salt? Who knows? I cannot explain why. It just happened.
In Scott's case, my Aunt Nonnie inspired me to join Living Well Lady Health Club and we exercised together on bikes and treadmills, in pools and we walked for miles on the Spring Lake Boardwalk religiously and with a passion. It was an impressive effort.
Guess what? I gained 55 pounds during both pregnancies! The most interesting part of this story is the fact that in Scott's case, I lost 28 pounds before I even brought him home from the hospital. In Kate's case, I didn't lose one pound until a few days after her second birthday when a picture arrived showing a backside view of me serving a super-sized Little Mermaid cake at my beautiful Kate's Birthday Party. A Mack-Truck had replaced my back-end! I screamed and jumped into action.
My point here is that if I had stayed hyper-focused on the number FIFTY-FIVE, I might have given up taking all that healthy action I had the "opportunity and time" to take when I was pregnant with Scott. Obviously, what happened with him is that I set my body up to bounce back after my little bundle of life-long joy arrived!
So many women focus on NUMBERS, so I've decided to ONLY focus on the 51 pounds I want to lose. That number will either stay the same or go down if I continue TishTrek with energy and conviction. If I was standing on a scale that read 251 pounds three weeks ago and this week it's only reading 244, there's a good chance I can swamp my mind with disappointment because this society hasn't conditioned any of us to celebrate numbers in the 200's - no matter how hard we are working.
My score changed at the doctor's office last night and I'm proud of myself, but I am not focused on THE big number. I'm happy that I'm down 7 pounds which means 44 more might follow. This journey is all about progress!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 44/51
Quote of the Day: "Cruel words, (Such as, "Did you hear Mrs. Ferg gained 55 pounds during both her pregnancies?!"), do to the spirit what a vacuum cleaner does to dirt - suck you in and entrap you."
- Living Successfully with Screwed-Up People, Elizabeth B. Brown
I want to talk quickly about THOSE numbers that I stated I do not want to FOCUS on to explain one of my strategies in this journey.
When I was pregnant with both of my children, I operated completely differently on both counts with regards to activity and cravings:
In Kate's case, my Harry would have to execute U-turns across 8 lane highways so I could get a Big Mac at McDonald's because for whatever reason those Golden Arches had my name on them for 9 months! I also had a weird craving for peanut M&M's. Maybe I needed salt? Who knows? I cannot explain why. It just happened.
In Scott's case, my Aunt Nonnie inspired me to join Living Well Lady Health Club and we exercised together on bikes and treadmills, in pools and we walked for miles on the Spring Lake Boardwalk religiously and with a passion. It was an impressive effort.
Guess what? I gained 55 pounds during both pregnancies! The most interesting part of this story is the fact that in Scott's case, I lost 28 pounds before I even brought him home from the hospital. In Kate's case, I didn't lose one pound until a few days after her second birthday when a picture arrived showing a backside view of me serving a super-sized Little Mermaid cake at my beautiful Kate's Birthday Party. A Mack-Truck had replaced my back-end! I screamed and jumped into action.
My point here is that if I had stayed hyper-focused on the number FIFTY-FIVE, I might have given up taking all that healthy action I had the "opportunity and time" to take when I was pregnant with Scott. Obviously, what happened with him is that I set my body up to bounce back after my little bundle of life-long joy arrived!
So many women focus on NUMBERS, so I've decided to ONLY focus on the 51 pounds I want to lose. That number will either stay the same or go down if I continue TishTrek with energy and conviction. If I was standing on a scale that read 251 pounds three weeks ago and this week it's only reading 244, there's a good chance I can swamp my mind with disappointment because this society hasn't conditioned any of us to celebrate numbers in the 200's - no matter how hard we are working.
My score changed at the doctor's office last night and I'm proud of myself, but I am not focused on THE big number. I'm happy that I'm down 7 pounds which means 44 more might follow. This journey is all about progress!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 44/51
Quote of the Day: "Cruel words, (Such as, "Did you hear Mrs. Ferg gained 55 pounds during both her pregnancies?!"), do to the spirit what a vacuum cleaner does to dirt - suck you in and entrap you."
- Living Successfully with Screwed-Up People, Elizabeth B. Brown
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Ut-Oh! "It'll Always Be My Achilles Heel!"
Day #14 - Woo Hoo! I've been in the Virgin HealthMiles Program for two weeks and today I logged 7,027 steps on my monitor!
In 1997, I managed recruiting for 9 offices of Cisco Systems in the Northeast and I was always racing across Manhattan to get to the next client meeting. One day, as I stepped off the curb at West 33rd Street, from inside my high heel I began to experience the most agonizing searing pain anyone could imagine. A stinging sensation ripped its way up the outer rim of my left ankle and into my calf muscle and down again sending my lungs into a breathless spasm of screams that literally stopped commuters and shoppers alike in their tracks. These onlookers watched in stunned awe as I lost my balance and fell sideways into traffic on 7th Avenue. My gosh, what a scene and this time I couldn't even blame a basketball!
An elderly man in a tailored suit took one look at my ankle, and blurted out, "Oh boy! I'm really sorry dear, but if I'm a betting man, I'd say you've torn your Achilles tendon." This "perfect" gentleman helped me to the front of the taxi station at Madison Square Garden; handed the cab driver $60.00; and asked him to take me directly to Bayonne Hospital in Jersey. That facility was close to home. He handed me his business card from Paine Webber and instructed me not to even think about returning the cash until I could announce that I was back on my feet. Off I went...
I had a small tear of the Achilles, so the Orthopedic doctor put me in a walking cast for eight weeks; and then he sent me off to physical therapy for six. All the while, I literally hobbled on-and-off commuter planes from Boston to Herndon, Virgina; continued to drive myself to work with my good foot; attended my sister Maggie's big summer party to celebrate her Master's Degree where I literally danced on one leg; and slowly I managed to nurse myself back to good health without throwing my back out.
Yesterday, I was reminded of this true story of embarrassment & triumph. After logging over 20,000 steps on my Virgin GoZone Monitor, I could feel the tension of that same tendon from 13 years ago tugging at me late into the evening. Ut oh, I thought... I've done too much.
It's important to respect the Achilles Heel in your life - in all its vulnerable forms - because there is no chance to win, if you can't stay in the race. 15,000 steps is my new Daily Virgin HealthMiles limit.
PS - I returned the money to my friend Nick from Paine Webber and thanked him for reminding me - yet again - why I love New York!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote of the Day: "Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can."
- Vince Lombardi
In 1997, I managed recruiting for 9 offices of Cisco Systems in the Northeast and I was always racing across Manhattan to get to the next client meeting. One day, as I stepped off the curb at West 33rd Street, from inside my high heel I began to experience the most agonizing searing pain anyone could imagine. A stinging sensation ripped its way up the outer rim of my left ankle and into my calf muscle and down again sending my lungs into a breathless spasm of screams that literally stopped commuters and shoppers alike in their tracks. These onlookers watched in stunned awe as I lost my balance and fell sideways into traffic on 7th Avenue. My gosh, what a scene and this time I couldn't even blame a basketball!
An elderly man in a tailored suit took one look at my ankle, and blurted out, "Oh boy! I'm really sorry dear, but if I'm a betting man, I'd say you've torn your Achilles tendon." This "perfect" gentleman helped me to the front of the taxi station at Madison Square Garden; handed the cab driver $60.00; and asked him to take me directly to Bayonne Hospital in Jersey. That facility was close to home. He handed me his business card from Paine Webber and instructed me not to even think about returning the cash until I could announce that I was back on my feet. Off I went...
I had a small tear of the Achilles, so the Orthopedic doctor put me in a walking cast for eight weeks; and then he sent me off to physical therapy for six. All the while, I literally hobbled on-and-off commuter planes from Boston to Herndon, Virgina; continued to drive myself to work with my good foot; attended my sister Maggie's big summer party to celebrate her Master's Degree where I literally danced on one leg; and slowly I managed to nurse myself back to good health without throwing my back out.
Yesterday, I was reminded of this true story of embarrassment & triumph. After logging over 20,000 steps on my Virgin GoZone Monitor, I could feel the tension of that same tendon from 13 years ago tugging at me late into the evening. Ut oh, I thought... I've done too much.
It's important to respect the Achilles Heel in your life - in all its vulnerable forms - because there is no chance to win, if you can't stay in the race. 15,000 steps is my new Daily Virgin HealthMiles limit.
PS - I returned the money to my friend Nick from Paine Webber and thanked him for reminding me - yet again - why I love New York!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote of the Day: "Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can."
- Vince Lombardi
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
"Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Fear Itself!"
On Wednesdays, I cut out my 4 hour commute to-and-from work by working remotely from home. I now call it "Work-Out-Wednesdays!" While attending conference calls, interviewing employment candidates and talking to colleagues today, I walked on the treadmill for two hours and no one knew it! By the end of the day, I logged 21,857 steps, (It's a big deal in the Virgin GoZone when you log over 20,000 steps, so I am absolutely psyched!)
Do you remember on Day #5 when I carried on about being fearful of letting team members down when I joined the New Year's Resolution Group Challenge?! Remember me whining about not being an athlete and being consumed by self doubt?!
Well, today is Day #13 and there are only 14 days left of this challenge and I'm holding my own and contributing in a big way! My best effort has been enough so far! Below are step results for my team taken right from the Virgin HealthMiles Website and Support Center:
Real Name Total Steps (As of Wednesday, Jaunary 13th, 2010 @ 9:35 p.m.)
Tish Ferguson 106,516
Jason 93,879
Cory 81,559
Jeffrey 70,212
Francisco 66,129
John 63,436
Jeane 34,561
I'm doing it! I'm not letting anyone down at all and this personal challenge is doing wonders for me! Look at the steps I logged, so what on earth was I afraid of on Day #5?
From now on, I'm keeping step with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's quote from his First Inaugural Address which taught us a long time ago that the "Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Fear Itself." (March 4th, 1933).
From this day forward, fear is banned from my Virgin HealthMiles GoZone!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote of the Day: "Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis doesn't spend much time celebrating or reflecting on past wins. He's instantly on to the next task at hand."
- Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
Do you remember on Day #5 when I carried on about being fearful of letting team members down when I joined the New Year's Resolution Group Challenge?! Remember me whining about not being an athlete and being consumed by self doubt?!
Well, today is Day #13 and there are only 14 days left of this challenge and I'm holding my own and contributing in a big way! My best effort has been enough so far! Below are step results for my team taken right from the Virgin HealthMiles Website and Support Center:
Real Name Total Steps (As of Wednesday, Jaunary 13th, 2010 @ 9:35 p.m.)
Tish Ferguson 106,516
Jason 93,879
Cory 81,559
Jeffrey 70,212
Francisco 66,129
John 63,436
Jeane 34,561
I'm doing it! I'm not letting anyone down at all and this personal challenge is doing wonders for me! Look at the steps I logged, so what on earth was I afraid of on Day #5?
From now on, I'm keeping step with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's quote from his First Inaugural Address which taught us a long time ago that the "Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Fear Itself." (March 4th, 1933).
From this day forward, fear is banned from my Virgin HealthMiles GoZone!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote of the Day: "Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis doesn't spend much time celebrating or reflecting on past wins. He's instantly on to the next task at hand."
- Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
"Pat Fat" Ate My Brain!
Day #12 and I'm cutting out early today to get some rest. I only logged a tad over 3,000 miles, but that's okay because tomorrow will be a more productive day. I'm thinking I have to get these steps done first thing in the morning because I get very busy at work; couldn't break out until after 8 p.m. this evening and just ran out of time. While I work on this time management issue, I have an important story for my girls at The Ohio State University...
In grammar school everyone knew me as Patty Hart. Kids being kids got a giant kick out of calling me "Pat Fat" or "Fatty - (you fill in the blanks) - the last name started with an "F" and rhymed with ART!" I laughed with them, but the first chance I got to move my nickname from "Patty" to "Tish" so these name-games could be history, I went for it!
I'm now convinced that some kind of "Pat Fat" phenomenon stayed with me. It would lead me to scores of ridiculous diets and remedies that never actually helped or lasted. Look at this exhausting list: I invented my Summer of 1973 Tomato Soup and Tab Soda Diet and actually inspired friends to join in. Then, there was the Cambridge Diet, all those Weight Loss Supplements containing Phenylpropanolamine including, but not limited to Dexatrim, Accutrim, the Chromo-Wonder pill you had to send away for, Fen-Phen, (yes - that bad combo prescribed to me by doctors long before it was recalled by the FDA!); Alli; the Blue Pill that ruins furniture, the High Fiber Diet, the Chinese Slimming Tea Secret, Patty's Private Potion, the Detox and Cabbage Soup Diets, Dr. Atkins, cases of Slim-Fast and of course starvation - that short-lived 3-day stunt I only used when jeans had to fit by Friday! What the heck was I thinking? I look back and ask, "Did "Pat Fat" eat my brain?!
So here is an important Mom Monologue for the masses, (No eye rolling please; I need you to listen!): OH MY GOSH - On December 21, 2000, The New England Journal of Medicine published the link between Phenylpropanolamine and the Risk of Hemorrhagic Stroke in women! (Volume 343:1826-1832 / Number 25)
When I read the report, I cried because it was clear that some of those crazy diets and over-the-counter witches brews could have maimed or killed me and the generation of incredible women who traveled with me. It was one of "those" days.
RESEARCHERS: Walter N. Kernan, M.D., Catherine M. Viscoli, Ph.D., Lawrence M. Brass, M.D., Joseph P. Broderick, M.D., Thomas Brott, M.D., Edward Feldmann, M.D., Lewis B. Morgenstern, M.D., Janet Lee Wilterdink, M.D., and Ralph I. Horwitz, M.D.
BACKGROUND: Phenylpropanolamine is commonly found in OVER-THE-COUNTER and prescription appetite suppressants and cough or cold remedies. Case reports have linked the use of products containing phenylpropanolamine to hemorrhagic stroke, OFTEN after the FIRST USE of these products.
To study the association, the long list of doctors above designed a case–control study.
CONCLUSION: The results suggest that phenylpropanolamine in appetite suppressants, and possibly in cough and cold remedies, is an independent risk factor for hemorrhagic stroke in women, (i.e. We're talking about a stroke brought on by bleeding in your brain because you wanted to drop a couple pounds by the weekend!)
Looking back is not an option... The great news is that TishTrek and my Virgin HealthMiles Program keeps my personal health, welfare and safety at the forefront of this journey.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote of the Day: "In order to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume."
- U.S. Government Health & Wellness Site, HHS.gov (Small Step)
In grammar school everyone knew me as Patty Hart. Kids being kids got a giant kick out of calling me "Pat Fat" or "Fatty - (you fill in the blanks) - the last name started with an "F" and rhymed with ART!" I laughed with them, but the first chance I got to move my nickname from "Patty" to "Tish" so these name-games could be history, I went for it!
I'm now convinced that some kind of "Pat Fat" phenomenon stayed with me. It would lead me to scores of ridiculous diets and remedies that never actually helped or lasted. Look at this exhausting list: I invented my Summer of 1973 Tomato Soup and Tab Soda Diet and actually inspired friends to join in. Then, there was the Cambridge Diet, all those Weight Loss Supplements containing Phenylpropanolamine including, but not limited to Dexatrim, Accutrim, the Chromo-Wonder pill you had to send away for, Fen-Phen, (yes - that bad combo prescribed to me by doctors long before it was recalled by the FDA!); Alli; the Blue Pill that ruins furniture, the High Fiber Diet, the Chinese Slimming Tea Secret, Patty's Private Potion, the Detox and Cabbage Soup Diets, Dr. Atkins, cases of Slim-Fast and of course starvation - that short-lived 3-day stunt I only used when jeans had to fit by Friday! What the heck was I thinking? I look back and ask, "Did "Pat Fat" eat my brain?!
So here is an important Mom Monologue for the masses, (No eye rolling please; I need you to listen!): OH MY GOSH - On December 21, 2000, The New England Journal of Medicine published the link between Phenylpropanolamine and the Risk of Hemorrhagic Stroke in women! (Volume 343:1826-1832 / Number 25)
When I read the report, I cried because it was clear that some of those crazy diets and over-the-counter witches brews could have maimed or killed me and the generation of incredible women who traveled with me. It was one of "those" days.
RESEARCHERS: Walter N. Kernan, M.D., Catherine M. Viscoli, Ph.D., Lawrence M. Brass, M.D., Joseph P. Broderick, M.D., Thomas Brott, M.D., Edward Feldmann, M.D., Lewis B. Morgenstern, M.D., Janet Lee Wilterdink, M.D., and Ralph I. Horwitz, M.D.
BACKGROUND: Phenylpropanolamine is commonly found in OVER-THE-COUNTER and prescription appetite suppressants and cough or cold remedies. Case reports have linked the use of products containing phenylpropanolamine to hemorrhagic stroke, OFTEN after the FIRST USE of these products.
To study the association, the long list of doctors above designed a case–control study.
CONCLUSION: The results suggest that phenylpropanolamine in appetite suppressants, and possibly in cough and cold remedies, is an independent risk factor for hemorrhagic stroke in women, (i.e. We're talking about a stroke brought on by bleeding in your brain because you wanted to drop a couple pounds by the weekend!)
Looking back is not an option... The great news is that TishTrek and my Virgin HealthMiles Program keeps my personal health, welfare and safety at the forefront of this journey.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote of the Day: "In order to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume."
- U.S. Government Health & Wellness Site, HHS.gov (Small Step)
Monday, January 11, 2010
Don't Drown the Good Swimmer!
Hello out there in Blogger-Land! Day #11 and I hit the trail by logging 15,726 steps, which is a nice way to jump-start any Monday!
In my family, I was #5 of nine children and our parents taught us that we had the power to transform any negative situation by simply finding the courage to say or do something positive. Mom was very clear on what she expected us to do if we ever found ourselves hanging out with people who were engaged in tearing down or mocking another person.
The rule was: If a group of kids was talking about how awful someone was dressed; or how different that person looked compared to everyone else in the room; or how they had failed big-time at some important task, our job was to scream out loud, "But she's a very good swimmer!" We found that highlighting a positive to undermine the negative always worked!
Tish Trek - my 51/51 Challenge can be won if I take the time to acknowledge my own "Good Swimmer Moments" along the way...
I don't know who else would admit to all this, but yes - I've eaten Stouffer's macaroni and cheese while watching David Letterman for 20 years because customer support @ my job and a 4-5 hour commute extended my day and my eating schedule into hours when most people were sleeping. Okay - After life-altering medical procedures, I sometimes operated more as a spectator rather than a participant in my own healing process; I skipped doctor's appointments and pacemaker check-ups because I was too busy and changing a calendar item on a whim was easy to do. Now I'm thinking I probably participated in putting my caloric intake and/or triglycerides right through the roof because my cousins and I love Pinot Grigio and ice cream.
Yes - I'm guilty of all these vices, but harping on such facts can weigh you down when you're in the Virgin Healthmiles GoZone. It's important to reach for some Good Swimmer moments and to shout, "But hey - I never smoked!" or "But wait a minute, I jogged on-and-off for 30 years." These facts could help make this journey kinder and gentler for me after all.
In closing, just remember this: It's okay to give yourself a standing ovation if you've earned one!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote of the Day: American writer James Baldwin once said: "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
In my family, I was #5 of nine children and our parents taught us that we had the power to transform any negative situation by simply finding the courage to say or do something positive. Mom was very clear on what she expected us to do if we ever found ourselves hanging out with people who were engaged in tearing down or mocking another person.
The rule was: If a group of kids was talking about how awful someone was dressed; or how different that person looked compared to everyone else in the room; or how they had failed big-time at some important task, our job was to scream out loud, "But she's a very good swimmer!" We found that highlighting a positive to undermine the negative always worked!
Tish Trek - my 51/51 Challenge can be won if I take the time to acknowledge my own "Good Swimmer Moments" along the way...
I don't know who else would admit to all this, but yes - I've eaten Stouffer's macaroni and cheese while watching David Letterman for 20 years because customer support @ my job and a 4-5 hour commute extended my day and my eating schedule into hours when most people were sleeping. Okay - After life-altering medical procedures, I sometimes operated more as a spectator rather than a participant in my own healing process; I skipped doctor's appointments and pacemaker check-ups because I was too busy and changing a calendar item on a whim was easy to do. Now I'm thinking I probably participated in putting my caloric intake and/or triglycerides right through the roof because my cousins and I love Pinot Grigio and ice cream.
Yes - I'm guilty of all these vices, but harping on such facts can weigh you down when you're in the Virgin Healthmiles GoZone. It's important to reach for some Good Swimmer moments and to shout, "But hey - I never smoked!" or "But wait a minute, I jogged on-and-off for 30 years." These facts could help make this journey kinder and gentler for me after all.
In closing, just remember this: It's okay to give yourself a standing ovation if you've earned one!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote of the Day: American writer James Baldwin once said: "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
No Beating Yourself Up in the GoZone!
Day #10 and I only logged 4,143 steps. This is not a great step score for someone who is working to support a team average, but given I hit over 17,000 on Saturday, I'd say I had a good overall weekend of activity. The Virgin Healthmiles Program tells us that completing 5 session of 7,000 steps or more over a 7 day period means you are finally getting enough activity. So I did it! I won last week! I was more active than I have been in months! I feel great!
Yesterday, I enjoyed a glorious day with cousins celebrating the birth and christening of Derek Raymond Gunsiorowski. Yes, as in Derek Jeter! The sports themes joyfully go on-and-on in my family! I didn't think jogging in-place at church would be appropriate and my trips to the veggie and fruit platters weren't long enough treks to pile many steps on.
Okay, I suppose I could have gotten up earlier on Sunday and started with some steps, but the weekend is over now. Looking back is only good to do if I want to assess my actions and activities with the goal of crafting a better plan for this week. Beating myself up for a stat I can't change would be counter-productive in this process, so I'm not doing it.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote of the Day: "History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it."
- Winston Churchill
Yesterday, I enjoyed a glorious day with cousins celebrating the birth and christening of Derek Raymond Gunsiorowski. Yes, as in Derek Jeter! The sports themes joyfully go on-and-on in my family! I didn't think jogging in-place at church would be appropriate and my trips to the veggie and fruit platters weren't long enough treks to pile many steps on.
Okay, I suppose I could have gotten up earlier on Sunday and started with some steps, but the weekend is over now. Looking back is only good to do if I want to assess my actions and activities with the goal of crafting a better plan for this week. Beating myself up for a stat I can't change would be counter-productive in this process, so I'm not doing it.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote of the Day: "History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it."
- Winston Churchill
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Grandma Knows Best: "The Bladder Matters!"
Happy Weekend! Yesterday was Day #9 and I logged 17,779 steps. This week's rule: If you can trek 3 miles to a relatives house (and borrow the bathroom), you can trek back!
I'm proud to note that I went to the doctor's office for my first "Wellness Visit" since my youngest child was born. As I mentioned earlier, I have two children and my youngest - Scott - is 16 years old and a tad over 6 feet tall this week. I admit that since he was THE last child, every time the poor kid made some progress, I found myself shoving him back in the bassinet! But think about it, 16 years since my last wellness visit? What was I thinking?
Like many people, I grew up understanding that you only go to the doctor for the birth of children -(if you didn't opt to have them at home, so you could return to housework an hour later...), illness that was accompanied by a fever - (sometimes...), emergencies -(maybe...) and surgery. I'm at the tail-end of my grandmother's generation and I'm telling you that you'd never go to the doctor to say, "Doc - I feel great this week, let me know what else I can be doing to make sure this super good health patch continues!" Are you kidding me?! If we did this, our grandmothers would think we were looking for attention!
The tough birds we called "family patriarchs and matriarchs" prevailed long into their 80's AND their smarts and biology goes down as one of our great family secrets!
I believe Grandma Sharkey would approve of TishTrek because I'm FINALLY walking! For 30 years, I stopped to have tea during my early-day jogs at her home on New Jersey Avenue in Pt. Beach and she'd always warn, "Stop that jogging or your bladder will fall out!" Oh my gosh - in 1995 - it did! I mean the bladder. It actually fell out! She was right and bless her heart because 180 stitches later, she NEVER once said, "I told you so!" My point here is that our grandmothers didn't have to go to the doctors because they were much smarter than all of us. We're not that smart, so call your doctor, make that Wellness Appointment!
She was the greatest and wisest grandmother a girl could wish for...
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote for the Day: "Be wise: let Reason, not impulse, be your guide."
- Kahlil Gibran
I'm proud to note that I went to the doctor's office for my first "Wellness Visit" since my youngest child was born. As I mentioned earlier, I have two children and my youngest - Scott - is 16 years old and a tad over 6 feet tall this week. I admit that since he was THE last child, every time the poor kid made some progress, I found myself shoving him back in the bassinet! But think about it, 16 years since my last wellness visit? What was I thinking?
Like many people, I grew up understanding that you only go to the doctor for the birth of children -(if you didn't opt to have them at home, so you could return to housework an hour later...), illness that was accompanied by a fever - (sometimes...), emergencies -(maybe...) and surgery. I'm at the tail-end of my grandmother's generation and I'm telling you that you'd never go to the doctor to say, "Doc - I feel great this week, let me know what else I can be doing to make sure this super good health patch continues!" Are you kidding me?! If we did this, our grandmothers would think we were looking for attention!
The tough birds we called "family patriarchs and matriarchs" prevailed long into their 80's AND their smarts and biology goes down as one of our great family secrets!
I believe Grandma Sharkey would approve of TishTrek because I'm FINALLY walking! For 30 years, I stopped to have tea during my early-day jogs at her home on New Jersey Avenue in Pt. Beach and she'd always warn, "Stop that jogging or your bladder will fall out!" Oh my gosh - in 1995 - it did! I mean the bladder. It actually fell out! She was right and bless her heart because 180 stitches later, she NEVER once said, "I told you so!" My point here is that our grandmothers didn't have to go to the doctors because they were much smarter than all of us. We're not that smart, so call your doctor, make that Wellness Appointment!
She was the greatest and wisest grandmother a girl could wish for...
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 5/51
Quote for the Day: "Be wise: let Reason, not impulse, be your guide."
- Kahlil Gibran
Saturday, January 9, 2010
The Sneaker: A Gift Tied With Laces!
Greetings! Yesterday was Day #8 of TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge and all is well in the Virgin Healthmiles GoZone because I honored my commitment to myself to simply stay active five days in a row!
I logged 12,987 steps! Last night, while power walking in Ocean County Mall an hour before attending my nephew Mike's basketball game, I was reminded of a quote I made up which landed on page 295 of Kate's 2007 high school yearbook. It reads,
"When challenges mount, grab a pair of sneakers from your closet; put one foot in front of the other; and let the path you choose guide you."
Pt. Pleasant Borough and Monmouth University Basketball coach, Ron Krayl, has been a revered teacher, coach and mentor to students and athletes in our area for about 40 years. I'm very happy that he was my gym teacher in the early years of his career at Memorial Middle School because the quote above actually sums up the legacy he left for lots of us non-athletes out here!
Sometimes it was Mr. Krayl's thumbs up from a distance; other times a toot of his car horn as he and his family acknowledged a former student engaged in a "very slow" jog along Route 88. It could be ten years after he had you in a class; or - as in my case - you could be long gone from the school district when a shout out of "good job" or "keep going" arrived to propel you forward.
Small acts of encouragement by adults revered by others can bolster a child's self esteem for a lifetime. I know this for a fact because it happened to me... many times.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 4/51
Quote of the Day: "Light up your own life by becoming a fan of someone or something."
-Kate's Mom
I logged 12,987 steps! Last night, while power walking in Ocean County Mall an hour before attending my nephew Mike's basketball game, I was reminded of a quote I made up which landed on page 295 of Kate's 2007 high school yearbook. It reads,
"When challenges mount, grab a pair of sneakers from your closet; put one foot in front of the other; and let the path you choose guide you."
Pt. Pleasant Borough and Monmouth University Basketball coach, Ron Krayl, has been a revered teacher, coach and mentor to students and athletes in our area for about 40 years. I'm very happy that he was my gym teacher in the early years of his career at Memorial Middle School because the quote above actually sums up the legacy he left for lots of us non-athletes out here!
Sometimes it was Mr. Krayl's thumbs up from a distance; other times a toot of his car horn as he and his family acknowledged a former student engaged in a "very slow" jog along Route 88. It could be ten years after he had you in a class; or - as in my case - you could be long gone from the school district when a shout out of "good job" or "keep going" arrived to propel you forward.
Small acts of encouragement by adults revered by others can bolster a child's self esteem for a lifetime. I know this for a fact because it happened to me... many times.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 4/51
Quote of the Day: "Light up your own life by becoming a fan of someone or something."
-Kate's Mom
Friday, January 8, 2010
Weigh This... Scales belong in Doctor's Offices!
Greeting! I'm celebrating this morning because yesterday was Day# 7! That is a milestone because I kept my commitment to TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge for one full week! I logged 15,214 steps on my Virgin Healthmiles monitor and enhanced my Team's score which is terrific news because my month of January is about increased activity and exercise!
I was chained to my desk in Jersey City all day yesterday, so I didn't have time to take my mid-afternoon multi-mile trek in the Newport Mall or along the Hudson River. Out of respect for my knees and bladder, I'm walking this journey. And yes -I used the word "respect." If I don't respect my body or listen to the noise it makes when it doesn't like some action I'm taking, who's going to?
Today's blog is dedicated to my Kate and the awesome young women who are following my journey at The Ohio State University. When I started out last week, I made a mistake by emphasizing losing 51 pounds in my 51st year. Today, I want to take the focus off of those numbers. Oh no - I'm not throwing in the sweat towel! What I know is that if I find time for activity, make good choices about what I put into my body, and work hard everyday on changing my reaction to stress, the pounds will leave as a result of my choices and these efforts.
My doctor believes that 51 pounds would be within my reach if I keep up this commitment, so that's where that number came from. As a result of rethinking this important issue, I'm going to weigh in at the doctor's office once a week. I will quietly update that score under my signature without fanfare to accentuate the point that TishTrek is focused on a life change to health and wellness.
I learned from age twelve onward that if you place a DAILY focus on that scale in the bathroom - which is only one small tool in this process - there's a very good chance you will derail your mission to feeling better. What I also know - for a fact - is that focusing DAILY on pounds "gained-or-lost" actually plays mind-games with you and sets you up to potentially harm to your body.
Think about this: We're finally working out at a gym and our bodies demand hydration (lots of it!) and healthy food choices to feed this fantastic effort, but that scale that stares back at us is screaming that we haven't lost a pound in a week despite all the hard work and amazing effort. Admit it - You already know what too many wonderful and intelligent people end up doing. My gosh - they stop eating and/or stop drinking altogether(sometimes all fluids including water!) because they are so determined to make that stupid needle on that **%@* scale move.
When you mess with fluids, you are messing with all vital organs and the electrical system that supports the functioning of your heart. If that system doesn't work, the upper and lower chambers of the heart that keep you alive cannot function in-sync with each other, (think electrolytes!). If your liver or other organs have to go hunting-for-hydration, they will start robbing some from your brain, and this "thigh bone-connected-to-the-hip bone" domino-effect biological thievery goes on-and-on... The end-result can alter the quality of life today or at some later date; and/or it can kill you.
My prayer today for all my beautiful girls in Columbus, Ohio is that they can find the RIGHT METERS TO MEASURE their daily and weekly SUCCESSES! Introducing the Virgin Healthmiles meter into my life at age 51 has been very inspiring... if the monitor on my waist reads 14,500 steps and my goal for that day is 15,000 steps, I'm in control. I can walk an additional 500 steps and go to bed feeling great about myself and invigorated to start again tomorrow. If I step on that scale and weigh-in at 150 pounds, there is NOTHING HEALTHY I can do to change that number today.
I'm so glad we're on this topic because I love my boys too and I've been waiting to say this for 35 years: I wish all the wrestlers who do "crazy & dangerous" things to their bodies to stay in their Weight Classes could read this blog today! Let's face it, none of us would wish sweating pounds off under mats; laxative management; purging or starvation on our worst enemy; so how come these tactics are acceptable and okay for high school champions?!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Quote of the Day: "Choose meters and scales that measure something meaningful."
-Kate's Mom
I was chained to my desk in Jersey City all day yesterday, so I didn't have time to take my mid-afternoon multi-mile trek in the Newport Mall or along the Hudson River. Out of respect for my knees and bladder, I'm walking this journey. And yes -I used the word "respect." If I don't respect my body or listen to the noise it makes when it doesn't like some action I'm taking, who's going to?
Today's blog is dedicated to my Kate and the awesome young women who are following my journey at The Ohio State University. When I started out last week, I made a mistake by emphasizing losing 51 pounds in my 51st year. Today, I want to take the focus off of those numbers. Oh no - I'm not throwing in the sweat towel! What I know is that if I find time for activity, make good choices about what I put into my body, and work hard everyday on changing my reaction to stress, the pounds will leave as a result of my choices and these efforts.
My doctor believes that 51 pounds would be within my reach if I keep up this commitment, so that's where that number came from. As a result of rethinking this important issue, I'm going to weigh in at the doctor's office once a week. I will quietly update that score under my signature without fanfare to accentuate the point that TishTrek is focused on a life change to health and wellness.
I learned from age twelve onward that if you place a DAILY focus on that scale in the bathroom - which is only one small tool in this process - there's a very good chance you will derail your mission to feeling better. What I also know - for a fact - is that focusing DAILY on pounds "gained-or-lost" actually plays mind-games with you and sets you up to potentially harm to your body.
Think about this: We're finally working out at a gym and our bodies demand hydration (lots of it!) and healthy food choices to feed this fantastic effort, but that scale that stares back at us is screaming that we haven't lost a pound in a week despite all the hard work and amazing effort. Admit it - You already know what too many wonderful and intelligent people end up doing. My gosh - they stop eating and/or stop drinking altogether(sometimes all fluids including water!) because they are so determined to make that stupid needle on that **%@* scale move.
When you mess with fluids, you are messing with all vital organs and the electrical system that supports the functioning of your heart. If that system doesn't work, the upper and lower chambers of the heart that keep you alive cannot function in-sync with each other, (think electrolytes!). If your liver or other organs have to go hunting-for-hydration, they will start robbing some from your brain, and this "thigh bone-connected-to-the-hip bone" domino-effect biological thievery goes on-and-on... The end-result can alter the quality of life today or at some later date; and/or it can kill you.
My prayer today for all my beautiful girls in Columbus, Ohio is that they can find the RIGHT METERS TO MEASURE their daily and weekly SUCCESSES! Introducing the Virgin Healthmiles meter into my life at age 51 has been very inspiring... if the monitor on my waist reads 14,500 steps and my goal for that day is 15,000 steps, I'm in control. I can walk an additional 500 steps and go to bed feeling great about myself and invigorated to start again tomorrow. If I step on that scale and weigh-in at 150 pounds, there is NOTHING HEALTHY I can do to change that number today.
I'm so glad we're on this topic because I love my boys too and I've been waiting to say this for 35 years: I wish all the wrestlers who do "crazy & dangerous" things to their bodies to stay in their Weight Classes could read this blog today! Let's face it, none of us would wish sweating pounds off under mats; laxative management; purging or starvation on our worst enemy; so how come these tactics are acceptable and okay for high school champions?!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Quote of the Day: "Choose meters and scales that measure something meaningful."
-Kate's Mom
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Big Steps... But I'll Always Have Keyport!
I'm proud to report that I did my part for my NEW Team today which is Day #6 of TishTrek - My 51/51 Challenge. I actually logged 15,576 steps! 21 Days left before this FIRST group challenge ends.
I actually watched a very serious competitor and colleague log almost 25,000 steps by jogging in place at his desk all day. He's a senior executive, so no one will say a word... Me - I got up; spent an hour on the treadmill; went to work; took the steps instead of elevators; then made my way back home and walked on the treadmill for another 1 1/2 hours while watching the news. If I can read or watch TV, I can be walking, right?
I know I've been carrying on about this team stuff, but in the name of genes, everyone always swore I had to have abilities like all the great athletes in my family. I never saw it. It never happend. If you can believe it I was sent to the Pocono Invitational Basketball Camp in the summer of 1973 and WNBA Hall of Famer - "Lady Magic" herself - #10 Nancy Lieberman was one of my coach/counselors and that fact did not help, (I have pictures!). My poor parents didn't find out they had wasted their money until the Pt. Pleasant Borough vs Keyport Girl's Basketball Game. We were expected to win by 60 points, so the school was convinced I'd get a chance to play that day. Coach White even made a special effort to make sure my mom would be in the stands.
My basketball debut went like this: Diane Callender and Laurie Grassi lined up the perfect shot; they threw me the ball; I dribbled to the north for 40 seconds; tripped over my own two feet; fell to the floor; punched myself in the stomach with the fists I had clenched to block the fall; and ended up knocking the wind out of myself. When I came to, the seniors carried me off the court.
When the season ended, I got dropped off at the brand new Performing Arts building where my musical debut in "Stop the World - I Want to Get Off" worked out better than Keyport. My thanks to Mr. Donley! I'm so glad they named the building that saved my freshman year after him!
AND PS: What a basketball taught me was this: "If at first you don't succeed... it's okay to move to the next option with enthusiasm."
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 4/51
Quote of the Day: "If you want something to be different, you must do something differently."
- Living Successfully with Screwed-Up People, Thirteenth printing, August 2006
I actually watched a very serious competitor and colleague log almost 25,000 steps by jogging in place at his desk all day. He's a senior executive, so no one will say a word... Me - I got up; spent an hour on the treadmill; went to work; took the steps instead of elevators; then made my way back home and walked on the treadmill for another 1 1/2 hours while watching the news. If I can read or watch TV, I can be walking, right?
I know I've been carrying on about this team stuff, but in the name of genes, everyone always swore I had to have abilities like all the great athletes in my family. I never saw it. It never happend. If you can believe it I was sent to the Pocono Invitational Basketball Camp in the summer of 1973 and WNBA Hall of Famer - "Lady Magic" herself - #10 Nancy Lieberman was one of my coach/counselors and that fact did not help, (I have pictures!). My poor parents didn't find out they had wasted their money until the Pt. Pleasant Borough vs Keyport Girl's Basketball Game. We were expected to win by 60 points, so the school was convinced I'd get a chance to play that day. Coach White even made a special effort to make sure my mom would be in the stands.
My basketball debut went like this: Diane Callender and Laurie Grassi lined up the perfect shot; they threw me the ball; I dribbled to the north for 40 seconds; tripped over my own two feet; fell to the floor; punched myself in the stomach with the fists I had clenched to block the fall; and ended up knocking the wind out of myself. When I came to, the seniors carried me off the court.
When the season ended, I got dropped off at the brand new Performing Arts building where my musical debut in "Stop the World - I Want to Get Off" worked out better than Keyport. My thanks to Mr. Donley! I'm so glad they named the building that saved my freshman year after him!
AND PS: What a basketball taught me was this: "If at first you don't succeed... it's okay to move to the next option with enthusiasm."
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 4/51
Quote of the Day: "If you want something to be different, you must do something differently."
- Living Successfully with Screwed-Up People, Thirteenth printing, August 2006
Stamp Out Self-Doubt in the BIG VIRGIN GoZone!!
It's TishTrek Day #5... and the BIG VIRGIN GoZone STEP CHALLENGE starts today! I woke up repeating my family's motto: "You are able, if you think you are!" "You are able, if you think you are!" And then threw the covers over my head and screamed, "What the heck am I doing??!"
What if I end up the biggest loser who can't log enough steps to keep my team happy or in the running for those awesome prizes?! I can see myself on January 28th sending little notes of apology to my entire team with the $50 Visa Gift Cards that they could NOT win because of me! Healthy fruit baskets will follow... Oh gosh - Could it be that I joined a group challenge too soon?
Hey wait one minute... Hold it right there! How come whenever we're trying to do something good for ourselves... visions of losing stalk us like a hot flash in the night?! Who am I doing this challenge for anyway? If this is my personal 51/51 Challenge, how come I'm worried about what everyone else will think of me?
This journey to health and wellness is too important for me to worry about what other people might think. Let the stepping begin...
Doing the best I can will be good enough.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 4/51
Quote of the Day: Do not compare yourself with others..."for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself."
- by Max Ehrmann - The Desiderata Poem, which hung on the wall in my childhood home forever...
What if I end up the biggest loser who can't log enough steps to keep my team happy or in the running for those awesome prizes?! I can see myself on January 28th sending little notes of apology to my entire team with the $50 Visa Gift Cards that they could NOT win because of me! Healthy fruit baskets will follow... Oh gosh - Could it be that I joined a group challenge too soon?
Hey wait one minute... Hold it right there! How come whenever we're trying to do something good for ourselves... visions of losing stalk us like a hot flash in the night?! Who am I doing this challenge for anyway? If this is my personal 51/51 Challenge, how come I'm worried about what everyone else will think of me?
This journey to health and wellness is too important for me to worry about what other people might think. Let the stepping begin...
Doing the best I can will be good enough.
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 4/51
Quote of the Day: Do not compare yourself with others..."for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself."
- by Max Ehrmann - The Desiderata Poem, which hung on the wall in my childhood home forever...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Anyone Can "Win with a Schwinn!"
Wow – today is TishTrek Day #4 of my 51/51 Challenge and my best effort so far! I logged 12,442 steps on my Virgin HealthMiles monitor AND with just 34 minutes before the deadline, I actually signed up for “The New Year’s Resolution Challenge” in my office which will put me in an official Step Competition from January 6th thru January 27th. There will be 7 to 8 work colleagues on each team! Right about now I’m praying no one who works with me in Jersey City gets stuck with me…
I’ve always been the lone jogger, swimmer or girl-on-the-bike. I’ve never taken one group aerobic class in my life because I’ve been working for 40 years to lose enough weight before opting to exercise in front of others, so this ought to be one interesting adventure. I'd like to add that I've actually competed with good athletes before. During several 20-Mile Beer Bike Rallies, as I peddled away on my rusty no-speed black and silver Schwinn singing, “Win with a Schwinn” at all the spots in Monmouth County where the movie Annie was filmed, the serious bikers (in the spandex pants) did not find me (or my hysterical cousins) amusing at all. Help – Let's hope I’m not in over my head with this challenge. I’ll keep you posted.
Best regards,
Everybody’s Cousin Tish
Score: 3/51 and counting…
Quote of the Day: “Things could be worse than this little competition… We could be trying on bathing suits!” – Hallmark Card Store, Pt Pleasant, NJ
I’ve always been the lone jogger, swimmer or girl-on-the-bike. I’ve never taken one group aerobic class in my life because I’ve been working for 40 years to lose enough weight before opting to exercise in front of others, so this ought to be one interesting adventure. I'd like to add that I've actually competed with good athletes before. During several 20-Mile Beer Bike Rallies, as I peddled away on my rusty no-speed black and silver Schwinn singing, “Win with a Schwinn” at all the spots in Monmouth County where the movie Annie was filmed, the serious bikers (in the spandex pants) did not find me (or my hysterical cousins) amusing at all. Help – Let's hope I’m not in over my head with this challenge. I’ll keep you posted.
Best regards,
Everybody’s Cousin Tish
Score: 3/51 and counting…
Quote of the Day: “Things could be worse than this little competition… We could be trying on bathing suits!” – Hallmark Card Store, Pt Pleasant, NJ
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Make Words Matter: "I am thankful for my heart"
Day #3 of TishTrek and my NEW score is 3/51! Yes - I have lost 3 of the 51 pounds I’m determined to lose in my 51st year! I also reached a personal daily goal by logging over 8,000 steps on my Virgin HealthMiles monitor yesterday. I’m on a roll. My energy and enthusiasm is high, but today I have to start reaching for the support that is all around me to make sure I can continue this journey for 52 weeks with the consistency it requires.
For over twenty years, my mom always liked to jump-start her day by reading a little book called the Daily Word for inspiration. I never paid much attention to this peaceful morning ritual until she brought the book to Jersey Shore Medical Center the day of my first pacemaker surgery. Right after doctors rescued me from acute bradycardia, I rested peacefully and felt joy because they had successfully addressed the breakdown of that internal electrical system that controls the beating of my heart. When I got out of recovery, my mom leaned in close and read the designated prayer for that day to me. It was dated 11/14/2000. There seemed to be a remarkable coincidence... it was as if somehow the topic was written specifically for me and my challenge that day. It was entitled, “Heart Blessing - I am thankful for my heart.”
I've kept this prayer in a frame on my refrigerator for nine years, so I've decided to repeat the words daily during my 51/51 Challenge to help me stay focused on what this important health and wellness mission is really all about. The message is universal: you don't have to get sick or be a pacemaker recipient to find good reasons to put heart health first... From page 29 of the Daily Word, below is the cherished gift my mom shared with me:
I bless my heart in prayer, faithfully affirming that the life within the cells of this life-sustaining organ responds to my words of life and renewal:
“God, whether I am awake or asleep, active or at rest, my heart continues to pump, circulating nourishment throughout my body.”
“I am thankful for my heart, and I am willing to do whatever I need to do to help keep it functioning at its best.”
“You have already provided for the renewing and healing of my heart, God. Being a thankful, responsible person, I avoid or stop any habit that would interfere with the steady, strong beat of my heart.”
“Thank You, God, for providing me with a strong heart and for the ongoing renewal of this magnificent organ.”
I am thankful for my heart.
Wow - I'm inspired to work my way to Day #4!
Best regards,
Everybody’s Cousin Tish
Score: 3/51!!
Quote of the Day: “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast.”
- Psalm 108:1
For over twenty years, my mom always liked to jump-start her day by reading a little book called the Daily Word for inspiration. I never paid much attention to this peaceful morning ritual until she brought the book to Jersey Shore Medical Center the day of my first pacemaker surgery. Right after doctors rescued me from acute bradycardia, I rested peacefully and felt joy because they had successfully addressed the breakdown of that internal electrical system that controls the beating of my heart. When I got out of recovery, my mom leaned in close and read the designated prayer for that day to me. It was dated 11/14/2000. There seemed to be a remarkable coincidence... it was as if somehow the topic was written specifically for me and my challenge that day. It was entitled, “Heart Blessing - I am thankful for my heart.”
I've kept this prayer in a frame on my refrigerator for nine years, so I've decided to repeat the words daily during my 51/51 Challenge to help me stay focused on what this important health and wellness mission is really all about. The message is universal: you don't have to get sick or be a pacemaker recipient to find good reasons to put heart health first... From page 29 of the Daily Word, below is the cherished gift my mom shared with me:
I bless my heart in prayer, faithfully affirming that the life within the cells of this life-sustaining organ responds to my words of life and renewal:
“God, whether I am awake or asleep, active or at rest, my heart continues to pump, circulating nourishment throughout my body.”
“I am thankful for my heart, and I am willing to do whatever I need to do to help keep it functioning at its best.”
“You have already provided for the renewing and healing of my heart, God. Being a thankful, responsible person, I avoid or stop any habit that would interfere with the steady, strong beat of my heart.”
“Thank You, God, for providing me with a strong heart and for the ongoing renewal of this magnificent organ.”
I am thankful for my heart.
Wow - I'm inspired to work my way to Day #4!
Best regards,
Everybody’s Cousin Tish
Score: 3/51!!
Quote of the Day: “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast.”
- Psalm 108:1
The Energizer Battery Lady stops laughing...
Today is Day #2 of my 51/51 Challenge and I’m pumped up! I logged 4,614 steps on my Virgin HealthMiles monitor yesterday before I joined 189 second cousins to celebrate the end of a perfect holiday season! I walked 2 miles on Al Saner Track and skipped all desserts last night, so I hope that's considered a start. The score is still 0/51 - (0 pounds lost in my 51st year), so TishTrek continues...
In the 1980’s and 90’s, I was in control. I was strong. I could run five miles at a clip and cycle 50 miles from Rutgers University to Pt. Pleasant, NJ every single time I made up my mind to do so. I arrived on this earth without expert skills for organized sports, so I got creative and used my energy to simply become everyone else’s biggest fan. I raced in 10 Lion’s Club Inner Tube Races in the Atlantic Ocean and had such fun in my teenage years executing leg kicks on the Antrim School Football Field as the first ever Pt. Pleasant Beach High School Mascot. Yes – I was the Garnet Gull, (A dancing bird – beak and all - prepared to take on any Radio City Rockette on a good day!)
In 1995, confidence turned to chaos. I had never really known fear until I was terrified by a phenomenon I could not predict, identify, control, or talk about. Without a moment’s notice, my body would literally drop to the ground as if someone had released helium from a balloon. It happened everywhere. For three years, following every such incident, one fabulous emergency medical technical unit (EMT) after another picked me up in New York City, Bayonne, Jersey City, at work, at home, on the New Jersey Turnpike and successfully delivered me to the nearest hospital. The symptoms that put me in hospitals refused to show up when medical technology was watching until one day the experts - who never gave up on me - discovered that without warning my heart rate would drop into the high teens and low 20’s. I was 41 years old, when I had a dual-chamber pacemaker installed. But there I was - the luckiest woman on earth because my heart rate had never gone to zero while I slept.
First I felt relief, but denial and disbelief lingered for years after the device was inserted in my chest. All I did was joke about becoming the Energizer Battery Lady or the self-appointed President of the Pacesetters Club. My sense of humor overpowered my abilty to focus on what I needed to do to embrace this life-altering event. I suppose it was my coping mechanism, but avoiding what I eventually had to face resulted in letting myself down. How come I didn't walk out of that hospital and immediately take charge of all the things I could control to give myself a greater shot at maximum long-term survival? The Energizer Battery Lady finally stopped laughing.
This 2010 Journey – losing 51 pounds in my 51st year - is called “TishTrek” because I'm celebrating the actual rebirth of my heart that started on November 14th, 2000. Wish me luck as I work hard to get to Day #3. I’m going to win!
Best regards,
Everybody’s Cousin Tish
Score: 0/51
Quote of the Day: “What you avoid controls you.”
Author - Elizabeth B. Brown
In the 1980’s and 90’s, I was in control. I was strong. I could run five miles at a clip and cycle 50 miles from Rutgers University to Pt. Pleasant, NJ every single time I made up my mind to do so. I arrived on this earth without expert skills for organized sports, so I got creative and used my energy to simply become everyone else’s biggest fan. I raced in 10 Lion’s Club Inner Tube Races in the Atlantic Ocean and had such fun in my teenage years executing leg kicks on the Antrim School Football Field as the first ever Pt. Pleasant Beach High School Mascot. Yes – I was the Garnet Gull, (A dancing bird – beak and all - prepared to take on any Radio City Rockette on a good day!)
In 1995, confidence turned to chaos. I had never really known fear until I was terrified by a phenomenon I could not predict, identify, control, or talk about. Without a moment’s notice, my body would literally drop to the ground as if someone had released helium from a balloon. It happened everywhere. For three years, following every such incident, one fabulous emergency medical technical unit (EMT) after another picked me up in New York City, Bayonne, Jersey City, at work, at home, on the New Jersey Turnpike and successfully delivered me to the nearest hospital. The symptoms that put me in hospitals refused to show up when medical technology was watching until one day the experts - who never gave up on me - discovered that without warning my heart rate would drop into the high teens and low 20’s. I was 41 years old, when I had a dual-chamber pacemaker installed. But there I was - the luckiest woman on earth because my heart rate had never gone to zero while I slept.
First I felt relief, but denial and disbelief lingered for years after the device was inserted in my chest. All I did was joke about becoming the Energizer Battery Lady or the self-appointed President of the Pacesetters Club. My sense of humor overpowered my abilty to focus on what I needed to do to embrace this life-altering event. I suppose it was my coping mechanism, but avoiding what I eventually had to face resulted in letting myself down. How come I didn't walk out of that hospital and immediately take charge of all the things I could control to give myself a greater shot at maximum long-term survival? The Energizer Battery Lady finally stopped laughing.
This 2010 Journey – losing 51 pounds in my 51st year - is called “TishTrek” because I'm celebrating the actual rebirth of my heart that started on November 14th, 2000. Wish me luck as I work hard to get to Day #3. I’m going to win!
Best regards,
Everybody’s Cousin Tish
Score: 0/51
Quote of the Day: “What you avoid controls you.”
Author - Elizabeth B. Brown
Saturday, January 2, 2010
TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge!
Happy New Year, Bloggers!
On December 12th, 2009, I was with family in New York City on the last day of my fifth decade and we had an excellent time! To honor the start of decade #6, I've decided to give myself the greatest birthday gift of all. I'm going to work hard to lose 51 pound in my 51st year! Welcome to this unbelievable journey... I'm "Everybody's Cousin Tish" and today I start my 51/51 Challenge called TishTrek!
My New Year's resolution is to execute actions in 2010 that will help my mind focus like a heat-seeking missile so I can target, destroy and melt away the 51 pounds that literally sit between me and my most precious goal. That goal is to be here for my husband Harry, my beautiful daughter Kate and my wonderful son Scott as far into the future as biology and a healthy body will allow.
It's Saturday, January 2nd and today is Day #1 for Everybody's Cousin Tish. So far I've lost 0 of those 51 targeted pounds and my official score is 0/51! Holy cow - there's lots of work to do, but first things first: This kind of life style change takes planning, so I just joined the Virgin Healthmiles Program at work! It's an important baby step towards gaining the awareness I need to assess where I'm at and what I've been doing, so I can successfully get to where I have to go. Every physical step I take towards better health this year will be recorded. Bolstered by the Virgin HealthMiles support system and all of you, I'm confident I will prevail.
I'm a little nervous, but very excited. I'll report back tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 0/51
Quote of the Day: "You are able, if you think you are." - author unknown
On December 12th, 2009, I was with family in New York City on the last day of my fifth decade and we had an excellent time! To honor the start of decade #6, I've decided to give myself the greatest birthday gift of all. I'm going to work hard to lose 51 pound in my 51st year! Welcome to this unbelievable journey... I'm "Everybody's Cousin Tish" and today I start my 51/51 Challenge called TishTrek!
My New Year's resolution is to execute actions in 2010 that will help my mind focus like a heat-seeking missile so I can target, destroy and melt away the 51 pounds that literally sit between me and my most precious goal. That goal is to be here for my husband Harry, my beautiful daughter Kate and my wonderful son Scott as far into the future as biology and a healthy body will allow.
It's Saturday, January 2nd and today is Day #1 for Everybody's Cousin Tish. So far I've lost 0 of those 51 targeted pounds and my official score is 0/51! Holy cow - there's lots of work to do, but first things first: This kind of life style change takes planning, so I just joined the Virgin Healthmiles Program at work! It's an important baby step towards gaining the awareness I need to assess where I'm at and what I've been doing, so I can successfully get to where I have to go. Every physical step I take towards better health this year will be recorded. Bolstered by the Virgin HealthMiles support system and all of you, I'm confident I will prevail.
I'm a little nervous, but very excited. I'll report back tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 0/51
Quote of the Day: "You are able, if you think you are." - author unknown
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