Phew!  I feel so much better!  I got my hair cut today and I feel like I've lost about 20 pounds.  (Not that I look that way, just feel it.)  It's cut pretty short because I'm trying to get the gray hair out from under the dye I've been using for the past several years.  I still have about 1 1/2 inches to go before I'm completely au naturel, but it's coming along.  Not too shocking, imho, but we'll see what everyone else thinks.  Dan hasn't noticed yet.

I also had a heck of a workout today with my trainer, Calin.  Calin is of African descent, has dreadlocks down to his booty and has a take-no-prisoners attitude about training.  He had me do the usual warm up, stretching and core exercises...then he got me to do --among other things--100 crunches (100!) and 35 push ups on the cable machine.  (I'd have to show you but believe me, it's harder than a regular pushup because you're balancing in midair on cables).  Then it was a super set of 30 overhead tricep thrusts and 20 bicep curls with an added 15 bicep curls using a 30 pound bar instead of a 20 pound bar.  This girl's gonna be sore tomorrow.

That's good though...because if I keep going like this, and implement my eating plan just a little bit more faithfully, I'll be "taking a load off." 
Other than that, not much to blog about today.  Just errands, appointments and a meeting to start the last phase of the Great Landscaping Project of 2007.  The only thing left to do is the "art"--copper cut outs of monstera leaves and a honu to go on top of the patio.  Oh!  I'll post some new photos below.

Can't wait till that project's done.  It will be (you guessed it) a big load off my mind.

Just read a great quote on www.myfooddiary.com (a great website for tracking calorie intake and expenditure).  The quote fits perfectly with today's activities.

"Success and failure.  We think of them as opposites, but they're really not.  They're companions--the hero and the sidekick."  --Laurence Shames

Shames is a novelist and erstwhile ghostwriter, so I imagine he knows a little bit about success and failure.  I have to say, running across this quote today was a nice synchornicity.  I was journaling this morning about expectations versus realities...for two reasons.  1. I am playing in a golf tournament today (best ball format so it's not too stressful).  2. I am re-renewing my commitment to eating healthily and working out regularly.

As a recovering perfectionist, it's hard for me not to see failure as both enemy and excuse.  Perfectionists start endeavors with the highest of goals.  They often achieve a great deal because they drive themselves to meet those goals at some pretty ridiculous costs.  But when they (inevitably) prove to be mere humans instead of demi-gods, the crash is hard and the "failure" can become an excuse not to try again.  And/or a nice bludgeon for hitting oneself repeatedly over the head.

So in my journaling today, I wrote a few realistic expectations down for today's golf outing.  I will contribute to the team by enjoying the day and the company.  I will also contribute 3-5 good shots to the overall effort.  Anything more is gravy.

As to the renewed commitment to a healthy lifestyle, well...that's going to be full of Shames's companions--success and failure.  I am sure I will have great days of working out and eating only things that are good for me.  I will also have days where I don't make it to the gym and still manage to eat a serving of chocolate souffle after a steak dinner.  In this case, it's more about the trend than it is about the incident. 

I've also discovered, thanks to my friend Erik, that a weekly day off from being a dedicated intake monitor, is a wonderful way to stave off the "failure" syndrome that so often accompanies eating plans.  Instead of saying, "Oh well, I had the souffle, I might as well eat my way through the rest of the week until Monday," I can plan for the souffle and avoid the guilt.

So, today, I'll have two companions with me on the golf course and at table.  Success and her sidekick, failure.  If I can get the 3rd companion of grace to join us, it should be an awesome day.

Dan and I are just getting ready to sit down and watch the final round of the Tour Championship, so I thought I'd sneak in a blog.  It's been a great day so far. 

A bit of a lie-in for me, getting up around 8:30 and then we were off to breakfast at a local bakery followed by a stroll through the farmer's market.  Today's purchases included some delicious figs, cheese, a zucchini mix, cherry tomatos, pears, some gorgeous lettuce and two loaves of bread (vegan...yummy!).  We took our reusable bags with us and also re-used one of the plastic bags from last trip.

It's a bit ironic to me that the farmers' market, wherein all sorts of greenies hang out, uses a ton of plastic sacks each week.  People give me strange looks when I say, "Oh, I don't need a bag," but I have gotten some positive comments as well.  More importantly, I save about 10 bags each time I go, since every vendor puts each group of like items into a separate plastic bag.

I went to the website for reusable bags (1 Bag at a Time) that has some interesting facts and comparisons in it for those who are interested.  They make their bags out of petroleum products, similar to the single use bags we get at the market.  But their bags are designed to be reused for up to two years.  They're washable, roomier than regular one-use bags, and recyclable at the end of their life.  I may pick up a few next time I'm at the store.  Right now I have 3 different bags from three different stores.  One's canvas, one's a sort of fiberous material (free at a store's grand opening and in need of mending after a year of use), one's of the same material as the 1 Bag at a Time brand.

I did remember one other green thing I'm doing (left off of yesterday's list).  Dan and I both are switching from drinking bottled water to drinking the filtered water we have in the house.  That should save at least 24 bottles per week from this household.

But I digress.  After the farmers' market, we went out for a long walk in the neighborhood.  Lots of hills around here!  The rest of today will be laundry (using up the last of the "less bad" soap before switching to green soap), watching the game and cross-stitching, barbequing with our friends Tom and Renee' and watching the Chargers win (I hope!) tonight.  I'm wearing my team shirt all day today...if that doesn't generate mojo, I don't know what will!

I am SO excited.  The new 24-Hour Fitness (Agassi Center) just opened about 1/2 mile away from us.  I've been there the last two days and not only is it spacious and full of equipment, they actually got smart and put in a dedicated stretching area.

Yaay, 24-Hour!

This is not to say that I don't miss my old gym, Spectrum.  That was truly a gym experience that spoiled.  They had towel service, hair dryers, two full basketball/volley ball courts--not that I ever played but it was fun to watch the games while running on the treadmill or using the elliptical.

I'm trying to get myself back into "fighting trim."  I had a rough start to the year what with biding my time until our friend, Dan, got out of prison...then finding out he wasn't getting out of prison.  I tend to comfort myself with food and wine.  Not so much with exercise.

I also haven't had a personal trainer during the past 10 months.  I would have said that I would be able to keep myself going without a trainer, but it appears I'm not "there" yet.

So I'll be seeing if I can find a good trainer at 24-Hour.  The last one I had at their flagship gym in Irvine was not a good fit with me.  Probably too much like me...and I'm not all that coachable (a skill I'm trying to acquire late in life).  I'm especially not coachable by women who have attitude.  Hmm.  Yup, too much like me.

I have managed to keep reasonably fit from a cardio standpoint, but where I've lost traction is in core strength and muscle toning.  And, as luck would have it, that's where most trainers focus.

So, I'm glad for the new gym.  I am looking forward to a new trainer.   And I am extremely fortunate to be self-employed/retired/working on personal projects so I can fit it in!