Tag Archives: walking

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12 Week Reward

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Well, after all the whining in my last post…IT HAPPENED! Twelve weeks and I made that 20 pound loss mark, 20.2 pounds actually. I am so beyond jacked!

I have four more weeks in my initial Noom registration. In that four weeks my goals are to lose five more pounds, to increase my two daily walks by 10 minutes for an extra 20 minutes a day, and to investigate some new diabetic-friendly recipes that are also calorie-friendly and Noom-friendly.

Anyway, today has been a very good day. Thanks for following along this journey, Dear Readers.

Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

PS. I am booked at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort French Quarter for my 65th birthday. Finally plan to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. It’s something to plan for, and something to help me stay on the straight and narrow.

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Disney Dreaming

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Today I received a package in the mail. The return address showed that it was from Pixie Dust Delivery Service! My heart beat a little faster, my pupils dilated, and I let out an involuntary, “Woo hoo!”

A little over a week ago I messaged Amy at Pixie Dust Delivery Service and requested three, new Old Key West Resort things: a magnet, an ornament, and a shirt. (See photos below this blog.)

I really dig the new emphasis on the lighthouse, the palm trees and of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse! It was a real “treat myself” kind of moment and a much needed shot in the arm to my exhausted-from-working-out body.

You see, even though I’m being careful when I take my walks: knees slightly bent, rolling from heel through toes, tucking my pelvis under, staying as relaxed as possible, and above all breathing, breathing, breathing, I am tired! This is hard, sweat inducing, knees aching, ankles and hips protesting work! At my weight and at my age, a simple walk exhausts me.

This package today helps me to refocus, to embrace this new more active lifestyle, to savor healthier food choices. My trip to Disneyland Paris is ever closer to becoming a reality. And I am renewed in my determination to be a healthier me when I get there.

Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

P.S. Thank you to http://www.disneyfoodblog.com for the photos! This is my favorite blog, and I check it out every day.

P.P.S. Thank you to Amy of Pixie Dust Delivery Service! I’ve ordered many time from Amy, and she has never let me down. Check her out at http://www.pixiedustdelivery.com.

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Routine and Surprise

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This morning I officially restarted Noom. So I weighed in (I hate that part), I’m logging my food, I did my ten minute lesson, and I started walking. Since I am retired, I can sustain the routine pretty easily. But I’ve got to tell you, I only walked for ten minutes, and it totally kicked my butt! (See the red, sweaty face in today’s photo.) The weight that I’ve regained in the last eight months is mostly in my belly and butt. Yugh! Moving around is so exhausting! That fat used to be more evenly distributed; now it’s concentrated in my mid-section. I’m not discouraged; however, I realize that I have  a long road ahead of me. I am not at all defeated, defeat for me is defined by quitting. I will not quit!

In 21 months we hope to vacation at Disneyland Paris. As Disney Vacation Club members, we can trade our points for five nights at Disney’s Sequoia Lodge in Marne-la-Vallee, France. We’d like to go Paris rather than Orlando next time so Emi (my daughter who lives in England) and her family don’t have the expensive flights for one vacation. So we’ll spend five nights there, visit the parks for two or three days, and head into Paris for a day or two.

This trip is my long term motivation for sticking to better food choices and for keeping more movement/walking in my daily life. I have 21 months to do this, and I want to focus every day of those 21 months on a healthier, more mobile lifestyle.

Now for the surprise: we had a short, but very sweet, drop-in visit from our dear friends Wayne and Caleb. They swung in for a cup of coffee on their way to a conference. What a delightful treat! It was a slice of Yooper heaven. Mike and I grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, so we are Yoopers born and bred. This visit was such an unexpected blessing!

Thank you for you faithfulness, Dear Readers! Meet me at the Kingdom!

Donna

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Starting down the Road Toward Disneyland Paris

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Hello Dear Readers,

Well, I finally decided to face the music. Ever since our trip to Walt Disney World in October of 2018, I have been completely off the rails.  Eating every sugary thing in sight, and sitting all day long. I’ve packed on over 30 pounds, and I feel pretty lousy.  Low energy, cranky most of the time, isolating myself. And frankly, I’ve been a bit depressed.  Wow! First world problems, right??

I restarted Noom, an online weight management program, today. It worked well for me before, so I re-upped. Tomorrow I start my daily walks again. And I will choose less dense foods, foods with more water content. For example I’ll choose a cup of grapes over a 1/4 cup of raisins. I’ll pick 1/4 pound of salad over 1/4 pounder from McDonalds, a hard-boiled egg over a fried egg, lettuce rather than a tortilla for a wrap, and a baked potato over fries.

I’m also going to start some self talk when I walk. “Heart, this walk is for you, to make you stronger. Legs, this walk is for you, to build more muscle. Brain, this walk is for you, to get more oxygen to you.” Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

My ultimate goal is looking toward March 2021, when we hope to meet up with the kids and grandkids at Disneyland Paris for 6 days/5 nights. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise…  We make plans and God smiles, right? But this goal will help to keep me on track. They do not have ECVs there, only wheel chairs, so I want to be able to get myself around the parks. I want to enjoy every minute of our time together there.

So here we go again, dear friends. One foot in front of the other, one healthy meal at a time. Will I sustain it forever? I believe I can. Mostly I believe I can do it today. And tomorrow is a new opportunity to do it again.

Join me on this road to Paris. The possibilities are so exciting. The road is mine, with the help of God, to create and choose.

Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

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Five Minutes More

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I head to Walt Disney World in twelve days, so I upped my daily walk by another five minutes today…thought I was gonna die! My walk yesterday was on a cool, overcast day. It was a pleasure. Today it was hot, humid and sticky again, and I was not prepared for it. Notice the red face and knackered hair in today’s featured photo. But then I had a think about it and realized that I’m vacationing in Florida…sunny, hot, humid Florida. I better learn how to suck it up.

Tomorrow it’s supposed to be hot here again. I will bring along some water and take it nice and easy. Lord, give me strength!

Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

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Time to Get Ready

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Hiya Dear Readers,

I haven’t blogged since November. Wah! We are just 73 days away from our next scheduled vacation at Walt Disney World. Woo hoo! We are Disney Vacation Club members with 150 points to use per year. We banked points from last year, borrowed points from next year, and are using this year’s points. That gives us 450 points to use for this trip. With those points we will stay in a three bedroom Grand Villa for 8 nights. Being able to bank and borrow points is the reason  we vacation together every three years.

By “we” I mean, Mike, Jake, Eliza, Linnie, James, Emi, Ida and me.  That’s my husband, my son and daughter, their spouses and their little girls. When we went to WDW three years ago, Emi and James couldn’t come last minute, because of pregnancy issues. Now that little issue is nearly two and a half years old. I can’t wait to watch her as she discovers her grandma’s Happy Place. It will be such a pleasure to slow down and take it at the little ones pace. I expect to spend more time at the playgrounds of WDW than we ever have before.

To get ready for WDW, I began my daily walking today. Thirty minutes is a lot for me right now, but I feel so good about getting out there. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I get to watch Linnie for a few hours. She will benefit from my walking, because she absolutely loves being outside. And, when it appears, a cruise in her stroller can even sooth the savage beast in her .  🙂  I tend to chat to her while we walk. Usually she just studies me, as we stroll along, a look of pure concentration on her sweet face. I’m grateful to Linnie for making me move around more than I have for a long time. She’s a great workout buddy.

That’s it for today. It’s good to be writing again, and I hope to keep up daily until our trip.  God bless and keep you, dear readers.

Meet you at the Kingdom.

Donna

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Carrying On

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Hello Dear Readers,

I hope this post finds you healthy and at peace.

In just 5 days I will call Disney and schedule our next trip to Walt Disney World. We hope to go on October 20 of next year. Because we are Disney Vacation Club members, we can call and book our home resort, Old Key West, 11 months in advance. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, we will have 8 nights and 9 days at Disney: Mike, Emi, James, Ida, Jake, Eliza, Baby Jarvi and me.

This time it won’t be so much about time in the parks, although we will have tickets for 5 days. This time it will be all about the babies. Ida will be 2 & 1/2 and Baby Jarvi will be 8 months old. Dumbo, Prince Charming Carousel, Meeting Mickey, It’s a Small World and splashing in the water fountains will be the focus of our days. Probably just a few hours in the parks and then time at Old Key West.

I take none of this for granted. I know that if we are all there it will truly be a gift from God. I am doing my part to be there. As of this morning, I am 54.4 pounds down since May. I am learning how to eat as a diabetic. Now I just need to start moving more. Please pray that I can and do move more.

May God bless and keep you, dear Readers. Meet you at the Kingdom.

Donna

2017 Goals, Uncategorized

January 3, 2017

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Today is back to everything day. Back to school, back to work, back to the business of life. From the time I was in grade school, I inevitably became depressed at this time.

I was born in December, and it is by far my favorite month of the year:

  1. Week 1-my birthday
  2. Week 2-my brother’s birthday
  3. Week 3-my other brother and sister-in-love’s wedding anniversary
  4. Week 4-Christmas
  5. Week 5-New Year’s Eve

It is party, party,party all month long and I love it! Think about it…a reason to have a piece of cake every week for 5 weeks.  Woo hoo!

And then comes January. Blah! There’s an 11 month wait for December. I would trudge back to school or back to work, pressing down and hiding, as well as I could, the depression that threatened to engulf me. And the only way I could pull myself out of the deep was to find the next thing to look forward to, like maybe, Valentine’s Day.

All that to say that in my second January of retirement, guess what? No depression! Total shock right? 😉 I have time to write. I have time to be purposeful about walking more without taking time away from my desk. I have time to research for our trip to Disneyland Paris next year (Yes! I can finally say next year, as we go in 2018. [Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.]) I have time to listen to David Suchet (my favorite Monsieur Poirot) narrate the Bible in a One Year through the Bible program.  You can google it at “David Suchet Reads the Bible.”  But I just downloaded the app on my i-Phone and I’m digging it at just 3 days in. I have time to think about what I want the rest of my life to be. I want to finish strong whether it’s tomorrow, 5 years from now or umpteen years from now.

So here’s to us. May 2017 be a year of love, healthy challenges and standing up for those who can’t. Thanks for reading, Dear Readers, Dear Friends! I got nothin’ but love for ya!

Donna

PS: Thank you to all my friends and family who made this year’s Christmas and New Year’s celebrations truly blessed, and magnificent. And thank you to the King of kings for his unconditional love and self-sacrifice.  God is good all the time!

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Shocked Back to Reality (Get Real)

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OK, here’s the deal. I stepped on the scale this morning, and received a huge shock. I have been living in denial…again. My weight has crept back up to an alarming number. I have been making some really lousy choices, and they have caught up with me. I love watching “The Real,” a talk show on the Fox network with a diverse group of young women. They hold each other accountable for “getting and being REAL” everyday.  I am going to GET REAL and hold myself accountable for every bite I take and for every step that I physically take.  I won’t do it to beat myself up; but to consciously make better decisions. I felt so good when I dropped some weight and was eating well and moving more; and I will strive for that again.

I had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for today. Just a routine check-up to get my high blood pressure meds renewed. I called this morning to double check on the time, and they have no record of an appointment for me.  Now I remember very well calling and making an appointment, but my doctor’s office recently moved. I’m just gonna chalk up the mix-up to their move. So I rescheduled. You see, I am prediabetic, so I always have my blood sugar checked when I go in. I have to make these lifestyle changes before I am a full blown diabetic on meds. For now it is controlled with diet and exercise. (How long is that gonna last, if I keep making bad choices?)  So…here I go again.

  1. No more sugar (I am a full blown sugar addict currently out of control) Help me, Jesus! And he will!
  2. Keep my portion sizes down (Aim to quit before I’m stuffed…eat to live, not live to eat)
  3. Lots and lots of veggies (Aim to eat veggies throughout the day, not just at dinner)
  4. Water and more water (Less coffee and more water)
  5. Walking a bit everyday (Even if it’s just back and forth in my porch, or around my house in the AC on high ozone days when my asthma kicks in)

I must admit, Dear Readers, that I am feeling a bit discouraged, but not defeated. As long as I keep do-ing, (To quote Yoda, “Do or do not. There is no try.”), I am not defeated. All prayers and words of encouragement are welcome.

Let me know what’s up in your life. Really, I want to know.  Blessings on you!

Donna

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Reason and Raving

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After much deliberation I have decided to keep the name of my blog as Donna’s Destination Disney.  Here are the reasons why:

  • As a member of the Disney Vacation Club, I plan/hope to get to a Disney destination every three years.  In 2015, I went to Walt Disney World for 8 glorious nights in October. In 2012, I went to Disney World for a week in December. In 2018, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, I hope to go to Disneyland Paris for 5 nights with the family in September.
  • The thought of visiting and walking around a Disney destination is great motivation for me to eat well and move more.
  • I am a mega Disney fan, so from time to time, I will post Disney related info, like…

Frozen Ever After and the new Soarin’ opened this week at EPCOT.  The wait for Frozen Ever After is over 3 hours long as I type this.  Holy cannoli!! I can hardly wait to ride those rides, yet there is no way I would stand in a three hour line to do so.  Geesh! What an exciting time at the Disney parks what with Shanghai Disney opening this month, too.

Now on a more serious note: the senate today voted down 4 pieces of legislation that would make it tougher to mass-shoot Americans.  Shame on them!!  I really do believe that those who voted down this legislation are representing the NRA, NOT their own constituencies.  Election time is coming and it’s time to take a stand voters; these NAY voters on this legislation have to go!

I believe in the right to bear arms. I do. If you need a pistol to feel safe in your own home, I have no problem with that. If you hunt and need a specific rifle to get it done, I have no problem with that. [I am a carnivore, too. ;)] But enough is e-bloody-nough! These assault rifles should not be readily available. And if you are on the terrorist watch list or the no fly list, you should have a hard time purchasing a gun. That just seems like common sense.

Thanks for letting me get that out of my system.

I am striving to eat better by planning our menus and by trying out HelloFresh, a home meal-delivery service.  Here’s what they say on their website:

1. We create amazing recipes. Each week our chefs create amazing recipes for you that are easy to prepare. Our meals are interesting yet simple. And we ensure that your diet is balanced and varied.

2. We do the shopping for you. Tired of wasting time at the grocery store? We do it all for you; from creating the recipes and planning the meals, to grocery shopping and even delivering all of the pre-measured ingredients right to your door!

3. Free Delivery! We deliver everything straight to your door, so you can skip the trip.

4. You prepare delicious meals in your own home. We are More Than Food. Quick and easy recipes, no fancy equipment or techniques, and no obscure ingredients. Our mission is to help you get nutritious and delicious meals on the table.

Sounds great, right? I’ll let you know what I think in a few weeks.  I am expecting my first delivery tomorrow.  I ordered 3 meals per week. I figure this will help us to try some new and interesting recipes for awhile.

As for exercise this week: I only made it to the Rec center on 2 days last week, but I did move around a lot more at home.  My walking buddy hurt her back, so she can’t come with me for awhile.  It’s so difficult to get myself up and out without her to hold me accountable. However, “I am responsible for me. I need to be the change I want to see.  I need to get up and walk.” Hmmm…not a bad mantra.

Today I got up and emptied out my closet, because there is a leak in our air conditioner in the attic and the entry to the attic is through my closet ceiling. The leak is bad enough that there is water pouring into our guest room.  Yuk! I think I walked a mile back and forth with all my stuff: clothes, books, pictures, memorabilia, etc… I was sweating like I’d had a full body workout, and now I have the aches and pains to prove it.  My walking for today will be a run to the grocery store to finish out our week of grocery needs.

Then we need to batten down the hatches, because the weather is supposed to get ugly all day tomorrow, thunderstorms, possible tornadoes and much heavy rain. Help me, Jesus!

That’s about it for today.  Thanks for reading and following me on this journey of my senior-citizen life.  You, dear reader, are precious to me.

Donna

PS: I am LOVING the Grandma gig! My grandbaby Ida is so amazing! I can hardly wait to hold her again. She’s already 4 and a half weeks old. She has a head of beautiful dark hair. She likes to hear singing (especially her mama’s voice). She’s learning so much everyday. *happy sigh* My heart is so full, as I see pictures of her growing. I am so very thankful!