This blog is for and about the Webster family. Each of us want to make choices every day that will result in optimal health and fitness. We represent different generations and different places in life - from empty-nesters to young families to students. Our health goals are as varied as we are, but we want to have a common place to post our progress and our challenges. We will be accountable to each other - to provide support, design incentives, share information we come across, and in general cheer each other on and celebrate our steps toward fitness! If anyone happens upon this blog and is inspired to be more fit and healthy that is icing on the cake. So here we go!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Kathy - Just for Today, Revisited

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun?!  I intended to post right away to let you know how much I am enjoying this 'Daily Goal' thing.  Guess I have gotten busy focusing on reaching the goals I set for myself daily...

It got started with Katie suggesting doing an 'accountability partner' thing.  We each set goals for the day and then report in with how we did - it is rather casual.  We don't report in with great regularity and goals are not stated formally every day but there are several things about it I like:

1)  I like actually completing my goals in a day.
2)  If I fail to reach my goals on a particular day, I have only failed for a day.  Tomorrow I start again.
3)  I can tailor my goals to the day.  Of course it is impossible to foresee how a day may go, but if I know I have a meeting scheduled in the evening I can adjust my goals accordingly. 

I have found it helpful for myself to make a list of my goals for the day and check them off as they are completed.  This gives me a great feeling of satisfaction and keeps me focused on accomplishing them.  


After doing this fairly successfully for the last five days.  I have found that it is easy to let several days slide because the 'it is just one day' mentality can add up alarmingly.  Thus, I have an ultimate goal.  My ultimate goal doesn't have a set end point such as losing 10 lbs by Christmas.  It is simply an ultimate goal.  This gives me something to work towards, but I am taking it in totally do-able segments of time.


If was an organized person I would post my daily results and goals on the blog, but that is a goal I am not prepared to set at this time.  I will keep you updated from time to time on how the daily goal thing is going, meanwhile, if anyone wants to have and be an accountability partner let me know and we can do this together. 

Sleep update:  I think the beasts are starting to adjust to the group-sleep arrangement.  They are sleeping much better - and actually made it to 5:00 a.m. the past few night - sleep, glorious sleep!



Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Kathy - Just for Today

Just for today I am going to walk a mile on my lunch break, tromp with the dogs, do Day One of the Kettlebell 21-day challenge, and not eat dessert.  I will drink plenty of water (at least 2 quarts) and add one packet of Emergen-C to a bit of it.   I will not have dessert.  Just for today. 

Just for tonight I would like to get lots of sleep but there are no guarantees on that one.  (We are still night-training the pups and 3:00 a.m. seems to be a magical and exciting hour wherein dogs must walk around, drink lots of water, bark a bit, throw up, be petted, get into the garbage, and generally live on the wild side). 

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Kathy - Fresh Night Air

When talking about fitness the most important components mentioned are generally diet and exercise. There are actually many components to health and fitness as well, such as adequate rest, fresh air, drinking plenty of water, etc.  While FL and I generally open our bedroom windows at night all year long to enjoy the benefits of fresh air, last night we also opened our bedroom door.  Admittedly this was not so we could get more healthy by breathing more fresh air.  The real reason is because all the dogs slept inside last night.  Until now the Beast has had the bedroom floor to herself but last night FL and I decided it was time for Chubs and Charger to join her.  We left the bedroom door wide open so they could get to the backyard should they have the need during the night.  Things started out beautifully - all three animals stretched out blissfully and we all drifted off to sleep.  FL, being the responsible person he is, slept lightly with a flashlight by his side so he could check on things should any situation demand his attention. Chubs left for a brief jaunt to the yard around 11:00 p.m. (according to FL, I did not sleep so lightly).  So far, so good, the night was progressing better than we thought it would - Chubs and Charger were champion sleepers.  The problems began at 3:00 a.m. with the Beast.  She was restless - don't know if she missed her usual amount of floor space or what, but she paced back and forth between FL and my side of the bed shoving her nose into our faces - perhaps trying to tell us that she, for one, did not like this intrusion into her personal sleeping quarters.  When we repeatedly ignored her and whispered sharply for her to "Lay down and go to sleep,"  she decided that since the pups had gotten an upgrade in their sleeping situation she should too - and proceeded to try to crawl in bed with us!  Not once, but twice.  Not terribly amusing at 3:00 a.m.  She obviously did not understand the health concept of adequate rest.

Yes, the pups will sleep inside again tonight and perhaps by the time winter sets in we can shut the bedroom door.  Meanwhile, today we took them all for a 4 mile hike this morning before church, gave them a swim this afternoon, and will take a turn around the Field of Death this evening striving for exhaustion for the Beast so she (and us!) will sleep long and deeply tonight.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Kathy - Process-oriented or Goal-oriented? So Conflicted!

Although I loved the concept of the most recent challenge:  earning points for healthy lifestyle choices, I grew discouraged midway because I didn't want to rack up a bunch of points and still look the same when I went to the spa.  I want to be trim and fit.  That being said, isn't this blog called 'Day by Day' for a reason?  The journey to fitness takes place in a day by day process.  At the same time I want to set a goal and actually reach the goal. I think what I really want is to do a day by day process that results in reaching a goal!  This leaves me wondering how to design a challenge....the first challenge was definitely goal-oriented.  The second challenge was definitely process-oriented.  Actually, do we even want a challenge or do we just want to write about our journey, or interesting information on health and fitness we find, etc.?  The purpose of challenges is to help motivate ourselves, but is something else more motivating?  Guess I need a bit of input on this one...

Meanwhile, this summer, for about 2 cycles (10 days)  I did Joel Marion's Extreme Fat Loss program.  It was quite interesting and resulted in losing about 5 lbs.  I have managed to keep most of it off.  I would not be adverse to doing it again, but I really want to find a healthy diet/exercise lifestyle that naturally results in health and fitness. I came across the Crazy, Sexy Life blog.  Kim, the person who created it has written a book  called The Crazy Sexy Diet.  I read a sample of it and for the most part it looks good.  I am not sure I agree with the gluten-free aspect of it, but am considering buying it.  Meanwhile, check out her blog - lots of good and interesting information. 

Monday, August 15, 2011

Kathy - A Grim and Macabre Game

I am discovering that though the new tromping grounds may seem like a civilized stroll it hides within its heart the dark (and tasty) remains of death.  This is how the current tromp has developed.  FL, myself and the beasts all make a mad dash down the road for the safety of the fenced field down a ways on the other side of the road. At least all of us but Chubs, who sort-of lumbers quickly along.  Once we reach the field, FL and I stay close to the perimeter to get the maximum amount of tromping in - Chubs usually stays with us.  The Beast and Charger head into the middle of the field and snuffle and circle around looking for dead stuff.  They never fail to find it.  Thus the game begins.  The Beast usually finds the choicest selection of nastiness, which is irresistible to Charger.  The Beast brings her delicate find closer to where we are tromping.  This causes Chubs to be aware of the treat and thus desire it as well.  With Charger and Chubs both after the prize, the Beast dashes ahead so she can lie down and have a few undisturbed moments savoring her find.  Charger, who is in hot pursuit doesn't allow her much time so the Beast dashes off again, Charger at her heels.  Chubs, bringing up the rear, sniffs the area where the treat briefly rested on the ground.  This pattern continues until they are all distracted by the delights of the irrigation ditch, where they take long drinks and hopefully wash away all remains of remains. The fitness benefit of all this is I have no desire to eat anything the rest of the evening - how is that for creative appetite control?!

Kathy - A Gentler, More Civilized (slightly) Tromp

My favorite form of fitness, the daily tromp with the beasts, has undergone some changes this summer.  First we could not take off up the hill behind our house because of the wheat planted near the top of it, so we had to drive to a field on the very top of the hill.  When the cheat grass in that field became lethal to the beasts we had to shift yet again.  For a time the main form of exercise for the beasts was swimming, not much exercise for us unfortunately.  Recently a field near us has been emptied of cows and provides a perfect place for the daily tromp.  This field is almost right across the road from us has a small stream (irrigation ditch) running along the side of it and tromping the circumference of it is a mile. The thing I like most about it is that we do not have to load the beasts into a vehicle, the thing I like least about it is that it is completely flat, so it is not quite the exercise the other tromps have provided.  Still, it is much better than nothing!


The beasts adore it - at least the Beast and Charger do.  Chubs likes it just fine once you force him away from the comfort of the yard.  They love dipping in and out of the small stream and there are enticing carcasses to be found, from tiny, crunchy, carcasses (guessing bird or rodent) to deer carcasses.  Charger lugged an entire deer leg for a ways before she had to drop it because it was just too huge.  Chubs scored a scapula, which he also abandoned, mostly due to his overwhelming urge to avoid extra exertion at any price.  To balance things out a bit the sky this evening was absolutely stunning!  Because of  the western hill behind our house  we generally miss out on sunsets, but this sunset was so spectacular it spilled over into our portion of the sky.  The undersides of the clouds covering the sky were brilliant red - quite a nice addition to the tromp.  So glad to have tromping grounds until the wheat is harvested and we can head up the hill once again. 

Monday, August 1, 2011

Brooke-Time marches on

 I haven't deserted the health endeavor... although I have not been running (never have submitted the registration form for the run) or working out at all; I have been studying the raw lifestyle. I have played with a few recipes (raw sushi, cabbage noodles, banana ice cream) but that is about it. I did purchase a Champion juicer (thank you Craigslist) and have made a few juices. I have not "gone raw" but I have been trying to eat more raw foods. There is so much information and so many fun creative ways to not cook! I have checked out a couple of books on the raw lifestyle and am reading and absorbing the information. Eating raw and juicing makes so much sense. Anyhow, I haven't lost any weight and I haven't been counting points.

I guess I am improving my mind more than my body at the moment. I am planning on purchasing a few raw recipe books and basic raw staples to start moving in that direction. I can't force my family to eat raw but I can add more of it into our diet. Chad and Emery both loved the raw sushi I made. Emery and Chandlar really like fresh juiced fruit juice. Garrett and Chandlar love fruit. I haven't figured out how to shop for quantity of fresh foods. I'm never sure how much to buy. I don't want any of it to go to waste.

So that is a small blurb of what I have been up to. Sorry Mom that I haven't been blogging. I do read it though. I just need to sit down and do it. Can't wait to see the family this weekend.