Two Tenths...

It's been a busy few days although I know you're sick of hearing that from me. I am going to do a quick random thoughts post to sum up my week. Two tenths of these random thoughts will be related to Healthy Living in honor of losing two tenths of a pound this week! ha ha! I know it's not much but it's a loss and after losing 3.5 last week (not to mention a total of 73) I can't expect to have huge losses each week so at this point, .2 is fine.

• I've suddenly realized that the hip pain I was experiencing during my runs is gone. G-O-N-E... Gone! I don't know what the specific reason is but I suspect it's a combination of losing more weight, new sneakers and better form. It seems to coincide with the arrival of new treadmills at the Y. Treadmills that have personal viewing screens which mean that I am staring straight ahead at the TV instead of up at a group TV or down at the image of the red dot going around the virtual track. What ever the reason, I managed to run my treadmill 5K at 30:33 yesterday. I'm running in a race in Philadelphia on Sunday, November 1st and hope that I can manage to get near that 30 minute goal... any suggestions? I'm open!

• I've also realized that really monitoring my sodium intake is helpful in weight loss. I've been trying to cut down on most processed foods and foods that contain any kind of "flavor packets." It's meant a lot less wild mushroom cous cous than I was eating and no more tacos or chicken fajitas with the seasoning packets BUT on a positive note, I feel a lot thinner, no water retention! I've already stopped eating frozen meals except when in a real pinch and then I only choose "Healthy Choice" brand or "Kashi" brand, both brands have lower sodium than some of the other choices. Like I've said before, I don't believe those things have to be cut out entirely, I love a good "Lean Cuisine" but I'm just more mindful of it than I was before. I also happen to be allergic to MSG which is in SO many foods that you don't even realize being mindful of flavor packets in general has been really good for me.
  

• My dog Ziggy is SO cute. He's terribly smart which isn't always a good thing. See that black "box" collar around his neck? That's his "zapper" collar that we control with a remote. It can beep or shock him if he's really naughty. The problem with his intelligence however, is that Ziggy actually knows if we don't have the remote in our hands or if the batteries are dead in his collar. He totally takes advantage of that too. I also wonder why he's so smart, but not smart enough to just realize he should be GOOD! He's incorrigible! Lucky for him, he's cute. This is his patented super-cute head tilt. We love when he does this.
  
  

• I keep having dreams (like four times now) about getting my nails done. I used to have acrylic nails and really liked them but then just couldn't keep up with the appointments when I wasn't living in The City any more, there's not a nail salon on every corner out here. According to several dream analysis websites, I have a host of subconscious concerns ranging from money to sex (Hi Freud!) personally, I just think I want my acrylic nails back and I'm considering it.
  

• We just got invited to a wedding of people we thought were already married! I LOVE it! It's not a big deal but was quite a funny surprise to me. It also means that I can get dressed up and buy something cute to wear so I was thrilled!
  

• Speaking of wearing something cute, The Husband's holiday party is at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia this year. I'll be wearing the same dress that I buy for the above-mentioned wedding! Should be a good time!

• Do you know what this is? The Son sure does and I'll be doing a post about it soon!
  
  
• We are heading to the Pumpkin Patch/Apple Orchard this afternoon. I need to get my annual pumpkin pictures of The Son. I realized that I really used to look forward to all the junk food I would consume on this annual pilgrimage. Not any more. I'll have to be pleased with just apples, no more funnel cakes, apple cider donuts, apple pie, pepperoni bread. NO MORE! I am thinking of trying to come up with an individual apple crisp recipe tonight though. YUM!
  

• I am having Thanksgiving dinner at my house this year. It will be the first year that we haven't gone out to dinner. While we'll miss visiting with extended family that we usually get to see on that day, I think it will be a nice change and a fun new tradition for us. I'll keep you posted on the menu. I can tell you it WILL include my famous apple pie of which I WILL have a piece, ONE piece, and the rest will be sent away with the guests when they leave. I'm also modifying my recipe so that it will no longer contain Crisco but just butter... no more trans fats in this house!

• I am starting another weight loss/nutrition group on Tuesday, it will probably only be about 8 people (my current group has 16) but any amount is good practice for me so I'm excited. January is also shaping up to bring me even more groups. It's so exciting to have a new career!
  

So there you go, a random thoughts post to get me pretty much caught up with another week of not much posting. I hope you are enjoying what's left of your weekend! Have a great Sunday!