Overweight Housewife Hiking to Health

I sent the following write-up to the features editor of my local paper. I'll let you know of they print it. (Keep your fingers crossed.)
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Everyone has a claim to fame. Mine is that I’m Google’s number one overweight housewife. Meaning, if you type the terms “overweight housewife” in a Google search, my blog will be the first result listed. I should be embarrassed about that, but I’m not. Something in my personality makes me perfectly willing to look bad if it will help someone else feel better. For example, when I end up at the grocery store without my hair done or make-up on, I put a big smile on my face and tell myself that I’m making someone’s day. When other women see me, I just know they’re going to feel a whole lot better about themselves.

I’m bringing my strange sense of altruism to the pages of this newspaper. This year I’m planning to go on two showshoe/hiking outings each month in training to climb the Wellsville Mountains in early September. Basically I’ve subscribed to the idea that things which don’t kill you will make you stronger. Or at the very least, they’ll help you drop a few pounds.

My journey to the top of the Wellsville Mountain range started with a little hike up Green Canyon. I chose this hike first for two reasons. One, I’m familiar with it. I’ve done it before. And two, it’s fairly easy. I didn’t want to keel over from a heart attack on my first outing.

As I pulled into the parking lot at the mouth of Green Canyon, I could see three women just starting to snowshoe up the hillside trail. A couple cars up from my parking spot another woman seemed to be converting a bike trailer into a ski trailer. I’ve never seen anyone pull their child behind them up the canyon while they cross-country skied. Just the thought of it made me break out in a cold sweat.

While my sister and I waited for my friend Tina to arrive, I checked the contents of my fanny pack: two bottles of water, three plastic bags for collecting doggy doo, a hat, gloves, wallet and small emergency mirror to be used for flashing sunlight into the eyes of search pilots sent to rescue our party of hikers should we somehow lose our bearings and become lost. All appeared to be in order. Moments later Tina arrived, and before long our all-female group of three hikers and three dogs headed up the trail.

We left the snowshoes in the truck and trudged cheerfully up the packed, icy slope. The dogs alternated between racing ahead and charging straight back at us. Every time they ran at me I’d stop for a second and brace myself for impact. Four knee surgeries are enough for me, thank you very much. I wasn’t about to let an exuberant dog disable me at the beginning of my hiking career.

From time to time we’d stop for a breather and a little water. My dog, Annie, continued trying to get her new found friends to engage in a little dog-wrestling in the snow, but had no takers. Tina told us the story of how Senator Bob Bennett’s office came to her rescue when she kept getting the run around from the U.S. passport application people. Time flew by, and after almost an hour my knees spoke up and told us it was time to head back down the canyon. They continued to complain as we made our way back to our vehicles.

It was just one hike, but already I’m feeling stronger. Not physically, per se, but mentally. I’m proving to myself one hike at a time that being an overweight housewife with a bum knee can’t stop me from living a healthy life.

Fitness Goal: Prepare to Hike to the Wellsville Cone

I've found a goal to help me focus my health and wellness efforts. My goal is to hike to the top of the Wellsville Cone in September of 2009. Here are the specifics of the hike from "Cache Trails -- 2004 edition."

Deep Canyon Trail to Wellsville Ridge Trail

Distance: 6.1 miles up the Deep Canyon trail and along the Wellsville Ridge to the Wellsville Cone

Rating: Strenuous

Elevation Gain: 4,070 ft.


I plan to purchase the maps of the hiking area, maybe even post them as additional motivation to keep me on track. I haven't sat down to create a detailed game plan yet, but I'm going to start by walking everyday with my dog and gradually increase our walking time. Twice a month I'll do a hike in the nearby mountains, starting easy and working my way to longer and more difficult hikes.

During the winter I'll snow shoe and come spring and summer I should be well on my way to better health and stamina. Because the hike is steep and strenuous, I'm going to feel it in my knees. I'm planning to do weight training that will focus on building my leg muscles to support my knees.

I also think it would be fun to invite the Young Women in my ward to join in my hikes. We can do some of the easier ones in preparation for girls' camp. I'm also planning to invite them to join me on the final hike up the Wellsville mountains. I wish that I'd had the opportunity to hike them when I was younger, back when my body actually worked.

But it's not too late for me. I'm excited about this hike like I've not been excited about anything in a long time! Yeeha! Watch me go!

I Need the Power of the Pen!

It's Monday. The day I usually step on the scale. Well, this morning the number wasn't good. And I know why. I haven't been writing down what I eat or tracking carbs/calories.

When I keep a food journal or track what I eat, I inevitably lose weight. But when I wing it, I gain weight.

It works inversely for money. If you don't track your money, you lose it. And if you write down or keep track of what you spend, you're more likely to watch your savings account gain funds.

I'm fairly good at writing down what I spend. I'll just have to apply those same principles to tracking what I eat. Knowledge is power!

Remember Rings . . .

I've slipped a bit in eating lately and have been eating more carbs. I'm sticking with the excuse that it's because I've had a head cold. For a couple days orange juice sounded better than anything else did. So I drank it.

I have, of course, experienced the consequences -- water retention, carb cravings and weight gain. So starting today I'm going to wear my 'Remember Rings.'

I've got two pinkie rings that are silver and turqouise. I'm wearing them to remind myself of two things that really help me feel healthier:

1. No snacking. Three balanced meals a day is enough.

2. Don't forget to pray. (I'm trying to make morning prayer a habit. This morning I said mine standing up in front of the washer and dryer. That's where I was when I remembered that I'd forgotten to check in with The Man Upstairs.)

----------Daily Menu for Monday, Nov. 10th----------

8:30 AM
2 eggs, fried in bacon fat (1)
3 oz. mozzarella cheese (2)
1 c. frozen raspberries (6)

1:45 PM
1/4 c. macademia nuts (2)
salad greens (4)
1/2 c. kidney beans (12)
2 Tbsp. ranch dressing (2)
5 oz. petite sirloin steak
1 Tbsp. A-1 steak sauce (3)

4:00 PM
Dove dark chocolate (4)

5:40 PM
Low-carb Hawaiian Haystack (without rice)
chicken and sauce, 1/2 c. (7)
over salad greens (2)
grated cheese (-)
diced tomatoes (1)
1/3 c. pineapple (6)
2 Tbsp. coconut (5)
F.H.E treat -- Sonic diet cherry limeade (10)
almonds and macademia nuts (7)
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Total net carbs: 74

Kick Butt Workout Tunes

Starting this week I'm going to only blog three times a week. I also wanted to add some structure to my posts. You can plan on reading about

Motivation on Mondays

Wellness on Wednesdays

Food on Fridays

Today I'd like to write about what tunes get me motivated, really pump me up when I work out. I have a play list on my i-pod that I call "kick butt." That means that songs are over 110 beats per second and make me want to move.

Here's a list of some of my favorites:

All Fired Up, Pat Benatar
Call Me, Blondie
You Give Love a Bad Name, Bon Jovi
Holding Out for a Hero, Bonnie Tyler
The Cup of Life, Ricky Martin
Kids Wanna Rock, Bryan Adams
Pump up the Jam, Technotronic
Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down
What I Want, Chris Daughtry
Crazy Train, Ozzy Osbourne
Women, Foreigner
Invincible, Pat Benatar
She is Beautiful, Andrew W.K.
Follow You Home, Nickelback
Another One Bites the Dust, Queen

You can hear the songs by clicking "play" on the link in the left column of this blog. It's under Healthy Housewife's Kick Butt Tracks.

What songs motivate you to move?

----- Menu: Sunday, Nov. 2nd -----

6:30 AM
2 Tbsp. cream cheese fruit dip (8)

7:40 AM
2 eggs fried in bacon fat (1)
1 c. frozen raspberries (6)
1/2 c. 2% milk (6)
packet Splenda

12:40 PM
chicken breast in a bit of Italian cream cheese sauce (3)
12 pistacios (1)
1 c. frozen raspberries (6)
20 almonds (1)
1 pkt. Swiss Miss no-sugar added hot cocoa (9)
green salad with tomatoes, ranch (8)
roast beef

5:00 PM
small gala apple (15)
2 tsp. cream cheese fruit dip (3)
chicken breast in a bit of Italian cream cheese sauce (5)
small serving of noodles with Italian cream cheese sauce (25)
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Total Net Carbs: 97