blood pressure

Hey Heather,

I think maybe you found your long-term goal: lower your blood pressure by 2009.  Good job on going for early morning walks.

I haven't done a very good job with exercise, partly because I've had a cold the last week.  But I'm starting to come out of it, so there goes that excuse.  I've also decided to try keeping a food journal, since I think that my snacking is my biggest hindrance to getting healthy.  I'll let you know if I find the practice helpful or not.  I'm not really restricting myself from any foods, but trying to hold myself more accountable to eating them.

I'm off to work.  I'll try to get a run in after class this afternoon!

good and bad

hey all,
so good news - i had a very successful early morning walk. it was great and i was energized all day. bad news - i have high cholesterol. we had our blood work done for life insurance and it turns out - i have the family blood too.

which leads me to some questions, nurse mamawebsterjames. what do i do about it? let me know.

love you guys!

gonna need your support :)

becky and i are going to walk 3 times a week. i'm feeling very optimistic about this - but we're planning on going mon and wed at 6:15am and saturdays whenever we can. the thing is - i get up with evey around 5:45 anyways, so actually getting up at that time isn't that freaky. but i am a little nervous. it's early, but i really need to make a plan and have a partner. so, becky's on it. i'll keep you posted.

wish me lucky tomorrow...

also - ben webster's show rocked tonight. he was amazing!

Tammy

I think we should include Tammy in this blog. She is clearly in better shape than any of the rest of us. I think she would be a good balance for the rest of us. Caleb, would you send it to her?

I agree with Caleb

Little goals are great. I've got the goal to workout tonight. Hmmm...that doesn't seem quite big enough for the little goal. I'm not really sure yet. I guess I'm looking for ideas. I'd kind of like to lose some weight too, but I'm so hesitant to set a goal. I think I'm afraid of failure. Plus, I've never operated by weight. So then I was thinking pant size. But then I think I'm afraid of failing on that too. Sigh...not too sure. Guess we'll focus on tonight. I'll take ideas, anyone.

Love you!

And, go Caleb - I know you can lose that weight. Our visit focused more on pastries than on workouts, but we sure did walk a lot. That was good, right?

New mini-goal

Hey all,

I've noticed that we seem to all be losing steam and running out of things to say on the post.  I'm still brainstorming ways to keep this thing active and helpful.

One idea I have had is to do some mini-goals.  A year's resolution can be a big chunk to take on at once, so maybe setting weekly or monthly goals would be helpful.  I think it will for me, so here goes.  My goal for March, which I am getting a head start on now is to hit 260 lbs.  I've gained small numbers the past three weeks instead of losing, so I'm going to set that number as a six week goal.  I'm at about 274 right now, so it will take some significant work.  But I know it is reachable - realistic enough to accomplish but not so extreme as to be unrealistic.

I'll let you all know how it is going in the coming weeks.

STRONGER

Kanye West once said....Work it, make it, do it, Makes us harder, better, faster, STRONGER! Us Webster kids can become stronger. It'll be tough, but it will happen.
Ben W

Hannah Montana

Well, way to go Hannah! We are going to have so much fun watching you on National TV.

I have bad news on the fitness front. In spite of my 6 day a week treadmill walking, I have gained weight the past two weeks, 2 #. I know it will pay off and I feel better, but it is discouraging to go to Weight Watchers and see the numbers going the wrong way. Oh well, next week should be better.

1/12th of the way to the New Year

Can you believe we're already four days into the second month of 2008?  It's going by fast.

I wanted to give the update about my resolution to lose a pound a week.  This week was my first time to fail on that goal (damn Super Bowl party).  I gained .6 lb (I like the precision of our scale).  I am glad I built in a safety clause to the goal, giving myself 12 weeks in the year to not lose a pound, so I don't have to give up on the whole goal because of this one defeat.  But overall, January was a great month (I know I have to give some credit to my "-itis"-filled adventure in Korea).  I lost 12 lbs. from Jan 1 to today.  I think cutting out soda and beer was a huge part of this.  As Jillian from Biggest Loser says, "We never want to drink our calories, people."  I don't expect as big of numbers the rest of the year and expect I'll have to work harder for the pounds I do lose.  I haven't exercised as much as I would like - partly because of the weather, partly because of figuring out the new semester's schedule.  But with only one car I have done a lot more walking, which is a great thing.

So, my goal for this week is to be more careful with what I eat, get a little more exercise, and take off that 6/10s of a pound (plus one)!

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

I made these today and took them to a Super Bowl party. I think I was the biggest fan of them, but they are almost as good as those at Montana Brewing Co.

1 large sweet potato, peeled
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheet with cooking spray. Thinly slice potatoes in a food processor or by hand; they should be no more than 1/8 inch thick. Arrange slices on baking sheets so they don't overlap. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake chips until they begin to lightly brown. (I got this recipe on weightwatchers.com and the cooking time was supposed to be 15 min. But it took well over half an hour to cook and I turned them over halfway and added more salt.) If leftover chips become soggy, put them back in a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp them up.

Hannah: A Sore Tale.
So this week I went to yoga with Angela and had my bum kicked, well actually my hamstring. I loved it and I think I will go to it weekly. Also, Angela and I had a fabulous day after that of kickboxing, oh my word. We ran lines and stairs and it basically destroyed me, but it also made me crave healthy food, a good start.
Today I could barely walk...but I felt pleased.
Mom, I channeled you and said, "Back, thank you. Legs, thank you."
Love you guys.