6:30 p.m. - Tonight, if the weather holds out, will be my first tennis lesson with Joyce. The past two weeks were postponed due to one reason or another, so I’m hoping that we will actually be able to start today. Last week, we showed up for our lesson, not realizing it had been canceled due to rain. So, instead, we found ourselves at McDonald’s, conversing over hot fudge sundaes about girl stuff.

Dark rain clouds are looming overhead, so I’m wondering if we’ll get rained out again.

Last night, I returned to karate after taking a (very long) break for my in vitro egg retrieval procedure. Prior to that, I had been doing so well, training semi-consistently and preparing for my belt exam. However, once I get derailed, I find it very hard to get back on track. This time, it’s taken me nearly three months to stage my comeback. With scheduled activities like karate and tennis, I hope to improve my health for my upcoming embryo transfer in January. I’m praying that the innards are healing nicely and will make a nice, comfy home to grow a healthy, happy baby.

** UPDATE **
8:37 p.m. - We got rained out. Joyce and I took the opportunity to hit Starbucks tonight. Sipping a steaming cup of white tea (venti!) and chatting with Joyce while watching the rain outside made for a nice evening in spite of facing our third class cancellation in a row.

Stress, frustration, annoyance, whatever you want to call it: it makes me do bad things.

Today, in particular, I broke my streak of good behavior and gorged myself on two pieces of cake (on two separate sittings, mind you, 4 hours apart). And, yes, I ate the frosting. Every last bit of it. If I wasn’t so concerned about appearing uncouth, I would have licked the plate. I guess I should also admit that I ate a Big Island Candies chocolate-dipped shortbread cookie, too. (To my credit, again, not in the same sitting.)

Undoubtedly, this kind of compulsive eating will blow any well-intentioned diet out of the water in one fell swoop. There’s something about sweets that has a soothing effect of me, especially when I’m having a particularly bad day. When things go awry, I feel justified, as if I deserve it. But when my senses return, after the momentary pleasure on my palate, I realize that comfort eating really doesn’t do me any favors. It’s not healthy to be able to measure your stress level by your growing waistline.

Since my surgery, I have been taking baby steps toward changing my lifestyle. I have been eating salads for lunch consistently and taking a brisk walk at least 5 out of 7 days of the week. I am planning my return to karate within the next week or two and I’ll be signing up for tennis lessons with Joyce in July. I hope that all of these things will help keep me on track with my health — and also help me manage my stress levels. Perhaps the latter will be more of a challenge than the former.

Some days it just comes down to this: I had my cake and I ate it two.

A cross-post from champuru h&f (health & fitness):

I’ve been pretty happy with how I’ve been doing lately.

I’ve been eating homemade salads for lunch everyday for the past two weeks, with the exception of Monday when I was out of the office at Olelo (I ate half of an oyako donburi at Hanaki) and Wednesday when I was blessed with a free bento from a co-worker. Portion control has been pretty consistent and I’ve been able to avoid overeating or binging on chocolates in the afternoon hours at the office. I’ve also successfully stayed away from caffeinated drinks, including my beloved Diet Pepsi and Itoen iced teas, opting for iced or hot water instead. I will admit, however, that I do allow myself to indulge and have a cup of hot cocoa after dinner though. I consider that my “dessert.”

Afternoon walks have been consistent, even in light of less than perfect weather today. I grabbed my red umbrella, braved the raindrops and had a wonderful, relaxing walk. I think these walks have also worked wonders on my stress levels. That and a deliberate attitude adjustment. Who knew a positive attitude could make such a big difference? (Well, Hubby did and he’s been trying to convince me for the past 15 years!)

I hope to turn these good practices into habits and integrate them solidly into my lifestyle. If I can do that, I’m sure I will see the added benefit of a healthier body and mind.

A cross-post from champuru h&f (health & fitness):

First of all, thanks to Ryan, for holding down the fort and not letting h&f go stagnant! You da man!

It seems like forever since my last entry here on h&f and a lifetime since my surgery, but that was only a little more than 5 weeks ago.

My incision has healed nicely and the tingly weirdness I was having is nearly gone. With the dissipation of my post-surgery symptoms, I have been slowly reintroducing exercise into my routine. Today marks the first time, post-surgery, that I walked my normal 2-mile route around the neighborhood. Despite threatening skies, I laced up my walking shoes and ventured out. It took me approximately 45 minutes, but I came home feeling invigorated and triumphant for surviving this milestone.

On a diet-related note, I have been surprisingly good about eating healthy these days. Last week, I prepared myself (and Hubby) home lunch everyday. This helps a great deal since making healthy eating choices is extremely difficult when you have to order a quick meal for a 30-minute lunch break, which usually ends up being a plate lunch. So, what’s in my lunch bag? I’m glad you asked. A salad, a fruit (mandarin orange or grapes), yogurt or jell-o. Good stuff — and I actually enjoy eating it. Let’s hope I can keep this up.

More posts to come. I’m back to almost normal.

Although I am “almost normal,” I notice that I still succumb to fatigue much more quickly than before. By the end of the workday, I am absolutely worn out, as if work sucks every last bit of energy from my body during those eight hours in the office. By the end of last week, I was utterly exhausted and my body felt completely spent. I am hoping for incremental improvement, so hopefully this week will be better than the last.

apples & oranges

From my Flickr:

To take a line from the Sound of Music: “These are a few of my favorite of things…”

My favorite fruit of the moment and my favorite computer of all time. Pictured here: Sweet mandarin orange from Costco and my 24″ iMac.

Before you laugh, this is an entry to celebrate the small achievements. Baby steps, I say. After all, this is only my second day back in society as a nearly full-functioning human being.

An ambitious day: worked a full eight-hour day (woo, we’re on a roll!), went walking, then made a Costco run to spend my $36.57 reward certificate and buy some mandarin oranges. What started out as a run solely to replenish my completely depleted mandarin orange supply ended with much more. But isn’t that always the case when you go to Costco? Here’s what I left with:

seedless grapes
granola snacks
cranberry raspberry juice
canned chicken breast
chicken of the sea
fruit cocktail

…oh, and mandarin oranges.

To be honest, that was a pretty modest shopping trip with a bill that totalled $69.35 with only $32.78 out of my pocket after the reward certificate credit. And, here I was wondering if Costco would give me change if I didn’t spend the entire $36.57 today. What a foolish thought! Where else can you go to buy groceries and spend nearly seventy bucks on a mere seven items — and do so happily; totally stoked about all the money you saved?

Tomorrow will be the third day in a row that I’ve made myself home lunch in an effort to pursue a healthier diet. This must be some kind of record. I usually quickly succumb to the temptations of plate lunches and greasy “Cholesterol Friday” fast food drive-thru runs. I guess the prospect of mothering a child can be quite a motivator. Let’s hope I can keep this up.

Oh, I’ve also sworn off of caffeine and chocolate. *gasp* Staying away from the Diet Pepsi and M&M’s will prove to be a greater challenge than keeping up with the home lunches.

Man, am I tired now. Is it Friday yet?

From the champuru health & fitness blog:

Today, I went in for a routine physical to ensure that my body is in decent shape to endure my upcoming surgery. My regular primary care physician was on vacation, so I opted to make an appointment with another family care doctor at the same clinic. Seated before a wall-mounted flat panel, the doctor queried me about my family medical history, current medications and past and present maladies.

His computer did a quick calculation of my BMI and found it to be 23.6.

* Underweight = <18.5
* Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
* Overweight = 25-29.9
* Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

As you can see, 23.6 puts me in the “normal weight” category — but I am pushing the upper limits. So, I asked him, what can I do to stop the upward creep toward the overweight category? Here’s what he said:

1. Exercise 4-6 times a week for 30 minutes.
2. Eat 5 meals a day. A hearty breakfast (never skip), snack, lunch, snack, and a light dinner eaten as early as possible.
3. Start eating whole grains: whole wheat bread, brown rice. If you eat white rice, try not to eat it for dinner.

He mentioned that exercise is even more important than following a strict diet. Incorporating exercise into your schedule is the best thing you can do for your health to avoid preventable ailments such as heart disease and diabetes.

None of this is new, but knowing it is one thing, applying it is another. How are you doing with incorporating these changes into your lifestyle?

Oh, and to follow up on my previous post about appearing to have lost weight? I suppose it was all a clever optical illusion, since my weight has not changed since my last visit to the doctor a few months ago. But let’s look at the bright side: at least I haven’t gained any weight since then.

From the champuru health & fitness blog:

We succumbed to the wiles of a late night infomercial and purchased the newest exercise contraption called the Fluidity bar. I ordered it Tuesday, I got notification that it shipped yesterday, and, lo and behold, it arrived today. I’m still salty about having to pay an extra $100 for shipping to Hawaii, though. Grr.

The concept behind the Fluidity bar makes perfect sense, using your own body weight as resistance and teaches a balanced program of strength and stretching. It looks like something that would benefit both Hubby and I. (Although their marketing blatantly targets the female population.) My muscles are riddled with tension and seem to be growing increasingly inflexible. I’m hoping that the Fluidity bar will help me increase my flexibility while toning those flabby muscles.

I did my first 30-minute workout tonight. Most notably, I feel it in my abs, hip flexors, shoulders, and thighs. Good stuff.