Where's the Chocolate??

It has taken me a long time to accept ~ I have to run to get back into shape..........because let's face it......the way the economy is going for "us" ((the nation as a whole)) it will be a long time before I can play Karate again. The acceptance of just liking to run has been hard for me...........actually I hate running. I would much rather go to a really hard and long sparing class.............I remember many Saturday mornings walking of the mat bleeding, hurt and in pain....and someone would say Wow! That was a great class........ Everyone would nod their heads in agreement and say "YAY!!" I have been trying to run for quite a long time now......maybe 2 1/2 years ...... and my resistance to running has taken it's toil on me. However, I have decided...... I have to like it...........almost as much as I like chocolate. Okay....... Not that much.

But, I love to have Ice Cream for dinner. AND If I am going to have Ice Cream for dinner, I have to exercise. Right now that exercise has to be running. So, I have been trying..........I have been drinking my water and eating right........Well, most of the time. I am trying to take care of myself for many reasons...........The biggest is my father, who has cancer and has survived much longer then the doctors ever imagined he would..........One of the things he contributes his survival to is exercise..........He has always and still does exercise even on his sick days. AND CANCER STINKS!! IT REALLY DOES! Over the past three years, I have struggled with these big issues; I am not as physically fit as I was BFME........that is......BeFore Mary Elizabeth. It has taken me a long time to accept.........I have a long way to go from pre-baby........to post-baby............even though she will be 3 next month.

And SO, I have struggled!

I think I am getting there. I think I have convinced myself..........It is okay to be where I am and I am learning to like "the" running and not pout about it "all" so much.

So here I am............With my "I love exercise Finnell Grin"

.........We have a secret........"We" the Finnell's and the Advent's are far from being athletes.....all we do is......"TRY". We pick a sport we like or in my case right now....... can tolerate and learn to like it. Then, we give it our all. We are not fast............We persevere.......We work through the humiliation of always being last. We work through the pain of what ever it is that hurts and we just 'do it'. We put our hearts into it and get the job done. And We do it with a Grin..........My sister and I have named it "That Finnell Grin"

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So anyway, I have been getting up really early........I mean really early and getting out there. The sun comes up at six. I have my shoes on. I am ready to go with my phone and my daughter’s I-pod............ I am excited about seeing how long the miles will take me and what my plan of action is for the day..............I am trying to increase my mileage and cut down on my time. It is fun right?????? That was until Monday morning..........I was going by my neighbors house........I should tell you, he has JUST started running again after 1o, 12 maybe he said 15 years........ I forget...........the most important thing here.......... IS............ HE! SMOKES!! He smokes!..............He just started running and he smokes........ Okay ya........Good for him, right?? ~ Maybe he will cut down on his smoking and all that great stuff. He will be healthy AND we all have to start some where. RIGHT?? It was about 7:00 am........and I had been running for about an hour. He sees me and says, "Why don't you run with me to the top of the hill?.......It is only a mile. I am just trying to run a mile." Being the nice, caring, encouraging person that I am ~ I said, "Okay" I have 10 more minutes........I can do that. He says, "Let's go!" He takes off.................He "smokes" me..............He "smokes" me!! I am way behind........huffing and puffing and starting to cough like the smoker HE IS..........my asthma is starting to kick in........... I can't breath..........I can't stop coughing. I can only say.........THANK GOD! My phone rang and it was a customer........I had to stop to answer my cell phone........out of breath..........I got to tell this guy.........."I am running and that is why I am sooooo out of breath and please forgive me.........could you please call my husbands phone and he will be able to help you." .............. I didn't tell this guy.........I was losing badly to my neighbor who just started running like 2 days ago and by the way he smokes............. BUT! there is good news "he" can run a 9...........I said a 9 minute mile............and he smokes.........and he just started running again.......He has gone from doing nothing........NOTHING!! to running a 10 minute mile....now down to a 9.......and he beat me...... bad!! Stupid Rick!! Where's the chocolate??? Oh! The good news..............Today .........He has shaved 12 seconds of his time..............Stupid Rick!

Oprah Said

Oprah Said, "Throw out your scale"..............I did this after I had my fourth child. Yes, I threw out my scale................Oprah told me the scale was not my friend and people do better with their weight when they go by the feel of their clothes and not the numbers on a scale. WELL! I think Oprah is wrong! 2 years later I bought a new scale and WOW!! are those numbers high! Okay! I will admit it...........It was not just Oprah that told me to get rid of the scale. I told a friend of mine that I was weighing my clothes before I put them on, then I would then put them on and then weigh myself again. AND......then every time I went by the scale.............I would get on it again and again and look. Maybe I dropped a pound by not eating that cake............ Hey, it could happen. Okay, I know....... You don't have to tell me..........My son already did....... It is all a "little" Obsessive Compulsive............I know...... When I told a friend of mine all this........ She said, "Lisa, throw out your scale." "It is making you crazy." then I heard Oprah say it and I thought well this must be right. Oprah knows about weight, being a woman and who better to listen too.............and my friend said it too. BUT! Once again, I should have listen to my dad.............When I told him I threw out my scale...........he said "WHAT!! Throw out your scale..............How will you know how much you weigh?" "That is a terrible idea."......I told him what I was doing with it and he really didn't see much wrong with that type of behavior............Thinking he didn't know much about being an expectant mother, having a baby, or being a woman.............I threw it out. 2 years later......I feel fatter then I have ever felt in my life! (Excluding pregnancies of course. ) My clothes fit me fine...........they are a size larger then I am use too.......... but, hey they fit me fine..... Then again............ I can't stand the way I feel in them............ So, I went out and bought a scale. The good news is ~ THE VERY LARGE NUMBERS DID NOT THROW ME OFF! I kind of knew what I weighed. To my surprise, I was off 5 pounds...........in my favor. YAY! So now, I am back to reality...............and weighing myself 4 - 5 - okay 6 times a day. I know it is a little Obsessive Compulsive.........but, I really did have to know! I still have my smaller clothes waiting for me............calling me...........saying....."Lisa, we miss you!" 'Come back" I miss them too! When I told another friend about all this the other day, she laughed and said "Your nuts, I love you anyway AND Oprah needs to buy a scale too!" She is a good friend. AND I don't listen to Oprah anymore. I think I am going to move the scale into the kitchen by the chocolate chips. They call me too.