A goal for the day...and the days after that

For those of you know know me, you know I like my food way too much to do anything stupid like those feeding tubes that only give you 800 calories/day.  (Hello...starving yourself NEVER works in the long run....haven't we learned this yet??)  On my wedding day, I'd like to be trimmer, but I'm not willing to give up my muscle to also lose the fat, and that's all these crazy diets will do. 

I am, however, trying to eat healthier and be more active.  My fiance is too.

And that started with a trip to NYC.

While we ate whatever we wanted (sadly, I did not eat enough of the chocolate chocolate chip bundt cake my mom made for my birthday while we were up there), we also walked.  And walked.  And walked some more.  In total, in 4.5 days of taking my fiance's dad and stepmom sightseeing, we walked 36+ miles.

I'm sure you've read it, but you're supposed to take 10,000 steps every day to be at a healthy activity level.  I miss having to walk everywhere.  Driving, while super convenient sometimes, is also super inconvenient other times (parking and traffic, just to name a couple).  Mass transit has its downs as well (nothing like spending a sweaty hot August day crammed up next to thousands of your fellow NYers...whether they have bathed or not), but at least you have to walk to the subway and from the subway to your destination.

Then there's the vertical living.  My parents house is a four-story (five if you count the basement) brownstone.  Their part of the house is the top three floors and they rent out the garden apartment.  Just to get into their house, you have to walk up one flight of stairs (affectionately named "the stoop," for those of you not in the know).  My fiance joked that the first time he came to our house, he needed a break to use an oxygen tank half way up before getting to the top floor where my room was.  And this most recent time, I was definitely winded when I sprinted up the stairs like I did as a kid, but at least I was walking up stairs.

How did I measure the walking we had done, you might ask.  The answer is by using a little pedometer on steroids called the FitBit.  I bought it through my work gym maybe about a year ago, and it's been probably the one thing I've stuck to more than other gadgets (which I do like a lot, I'll admit).  In the clutter that is my house (don't get me started on the fiance moving his stuff in and adding to the chaos...that's for another post), I had lost the charger for this little gem, but I contacted the company, and even though I had not made the purchase directly from them, the customer service person was nice enough to send me a charger for free.  That, my friends, is how you grow a loyal customer base.

Plus, this thing is really neat.  It measures steps, miles, and gives a rough estimate of calories burned, but that really is based so much on your body fat percentage, resting heart rate, etc. that it'd be difficult for this little thing clipped on your belt to measure accurately.  I'm competitive, so it's just the little push I need when I look down after a day of working at home and see that...GOOD LORD...I've only walked .32 of a mile.  That will not do.

I won't always make the 4 miles (10,000 steps), but it gives me a really attainable and immediate goal.  It's a lot easier for me to focus on that rather than on something I'm looking to do for the entire week.  It's literally step by step, day by day.  What I do on top of my regular walking around will be the icing on the cake (so to speak).

So, I'm going to do my best to identify some other opportunities to be active (hiking at our greenbelt, walking around the neighborhood with the dogs, doing housework, etc.) and being more thoughtful about my food.  I think my trimmed down/more active/healthier goal is definitely achievable...but over time.  It's not about a quick fix. 

That's one more vote for next Spring.

How do you begin?

Everyone is asking, "so when are you having the big day?"  The short answer is, "we don't know."

We live in Texas, so the heat of the summer is not to be underestimated.  That brings us to the fall.  In September alone, we've got 5 birthdays (my dad, my sister, two cousins, and...my fiance).  October's a possibility, but then you've got the holidays coming up soon thereafter.  And, I have two cousins whose babies are due that month, so while we're not arranging this day to suit anyone other than ourselves, we are trying to be considerate of others.

So, the next option is late Winter/early Spring.  I've been answering "we're thinking maybe February" mostly to just give people an answer, but to be honest, we haven't really talked about it yet.  I do suspect it will end up around that time frame, but then you have to contend with the rain and/or randomly chilly days.

And, that's almost a year away.

While I know we'll easily be able to fill up that time with planning (or resting from planning), I'm eager to get our joint life started.  Even my mother is saying we should elope.  We're looking forward to starting a family (something I've wanted since I was about 12), and I'd love to get on his health insurance so I can start my entrepreneurial ventures tied to my passion for education.  Both of those things certainly don't have to wait until we're married (well, my getting on his health insurance does), but it's the order that we'd like to do things.

Anyway, all of this is to say, we don't want a super long engagement, but we also want to plan the wedding the way that works best for us while getting our lives together going.

So, if you're curious when our wedding is, for the time being "we don't know" will have to suffice.

Welcome to the Gauntlet?

It has happened.  My beloved Dog Park Boy has asked me to be his wife.  I, of course, said "YES!"  We waited to post on Facebook until we had told his family since we were going to see them that weekend, but once we posted, the comment melee began. 

There was one comment from a friend who said something like, "Welcome to the Gauntlet."  But it doesn't have to be...right? 

I plan on journaling about this process not only to be able to look back on the fun and stress we had when planning, but also to hopefully provide some ideas for some others going through the same happy time.  I know that none of what I'm doing is radical, but I love writing, so really...this is just an excuse to write.

As an aside, I feel lucky to be able to marry the person I love.  Not all of my friends are legally "allowed" to do that, and while I'm certainly happy I have that right, it kills me that not everyone has that same right.  Hopefully my children won't have that same bittersweet feeling.  Fingers crossed.