Tag Archives: Walt Disney World

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Queen for a Day

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Day 16 on my trek to Mickey.

I want to thank you, kind readers, for the outpouring of love yesterday.  I didn’t mean for yesterday’s post to be a “woe is me” entry.  I see it as a positive to be able to look into myself and work through the issues that have added to my present condition.  I can then work through those issues, and come out on the other side healthier both in body and mind.

Here’s today plan: I will do 20+ minutes of Tai Chi today, plus 6 minutes of Shake Weight.  I’m going to work my arms today.  The Tai Chi will warm up my still sore muscles (from the Grunt Work-see 3 blogs ago) and the Shake Weight will give my arms a good workout.  (Tee hee.  The motion of the Shake Weight still makes me giggle.)

AND I am getting all fired up by watching The Travel Channel’s shows on Disney World today.  Oh, yeah…I am so going to ride the “Seven Dwarves Mine Train!”   And I want to dine at the Be Our Guest Restaurant.

I am still sugar-free, and I was given a crown as sugar-free queen last night.  It feels great!  Thank you Jake and Eliza for that special treat.  I’m going to wear my crown as I work out today.  🙂

Love and blessings to you, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom.

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True Confession

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Day 15 as I dance toward Disney World.

True confessions day.  

I once attended a one day retreat at Chicago’s Botanic Garden.  At one point we were instructed to find a place of solitude, and work our way through a set of questions as we meditated.  One question resonated with me.  “What kind of a tree are you?”  Shades of Barbara Walter, right?  As I contemplated this question in quiet serenity surrounded by beautiful nature, the answer came to me.  I am an English Oak.  Not tall, like our American Oak trees, but sturdy, solid, capable of holding heavy burdens.  Strong, upright, with significant mass.  I cried a bit as I thought that this is what God has called me to be.  Solid, strong, able to share others burdens.  And it was an affirmation that God created me for purpose and that I have self-worth.  When we regrouped to discuss our responses to the questions, I shared my thoughts.  Around me everyone looked confused.  The question that I had read and reread and reread again, was NOT in the booklet.  A mini-miracle when God met me where I needed him.    

I do not and have not ever loved myself.  I don’t know why.  There is a deep seeded self-loathing, that God is only just revealing to me. I have no single traumatic event to attribute it to.  However, I believe this is why I have attempted to create this layer of protection on my body.  It has led to my isolating myself often, and this creates a false sense of safety and security.

So here’s the plan: I will go to church and pray for the Lord to teach me to love my self.  He tells us to love our neighbor as ourself, but if I don’t love myself, then how can I truly love my neighbor?  Scripture also tells us that our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit.  I have been a deadbeat landlord of my temple.  Now I want to take better care of this body.

Kinda heavy today, but as I make this journey I pray to uncover the issues that have added to the problem.

Looking forward to partying at the Kingdom.  Meet you there.

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Making Plans for Nutritious Meals

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Day 14 of getting ready for Mickey

Wow!  Two weeks in already.  Last night Mike and I brought all the equipment back into the church and set it up.  Holy wah!  What a huge task!  Platforms and cords first, then chairs, then all the gear.  It took us two and a half hours.  I prayed for strength before we went, and, thank you, Jesus, I was able to do quite bit.  It was empowering.  For a change, I did not hide from the physical work.  I dove right in and survived!  Halle-J-Lujah!

When I meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom, I want to feel my best.  Nourished and healthy.  So here’s today’s plan:

  1. I will research 3 new healthy recipes online.  (skinnytase.com and ifoodreal.com here I come)  🙂  
  2. I will plan my menu for the week.
  3. I will make up a shopping list for needed ingredients.

I am also visualizing:

  1. I’m climbing into a boat on “It’s a Small World.” Then I’m singing along to that wonderful song ’til the end of the ride.  🙂
  2. I’m flying over London on “Peter Pan’s Fight.”
  3. I’m careening down a mountain on “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.”
  4. I’m in the final free fall on “Splash Mountain.”
  5. Yo, Ho, Yo, Ho, a pirate’s life for me…  “Pirates of the Caribbean” is next.

There’s a huge grin on my face right now.  🙂

Thanks for reading.  Meet you at the Kingdom.

 

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Taking the Onus

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Day 12 marching to Lake Buena Vista.

I want to thank all my supporters for your prayers and kind thoughts yesterday.  There were several salads on the menu at the Mexican restaurant, and the salmon salad that I had was a real treat.  No chips and guac for me.  I felt a bit deprived until I started eating my salad, then no more.

My plan for today is to step up and take the responsibility for my own state of being.  I put the food in my mouth over the years.  I shunned exercise like it was Amish and had turned away from the faith.  🙂  I made the choices that got me here, and I can make the choices to a healthier me.  No more excuses.  I want to stare the truth of my condition in the eyes and then wrestle it to the ground and come out on top.  That’s a bit mixed up, but I hope you get my meaning.

So here’s to a new beginning at almost 59 years old.  I am very optimistic about this journey with you, my dear readers.  Thank you for following my blog.

Can wait to dance with the Mouse!  Meet you at the kingdom.

 

 

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Ole!

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Day 11 in my trek toward Disney World.  (Oh, Mickey, I’m so excited!!)

Well, I hit a wall this morning.  I woke up thinking, “I want a cupcake!”  I felt so tired.  But fear not; I got up, got dressed, ate a healthy breakfast and headed off to work.  I really felt much better after I’d eaten breakfast.  I didn’t want to immediately have a cup of coffee, because I need to feel what it’s like in my natural skin.  Yes, even caffeine-less.  And what I found this morning is that it’s pretty low, but it’s do-able.  I can function without sugar and without caffeine.  Now don’t get me wrong; at 10:30 a.m. I poured myself a cup of 50/50 (half decaf and half caffeine) and enjoyed it to the max!

This getting to know my body and getting to know the natural flavors of foods is pretty interesting.  What a fascinating journey so far.  God is good all the time!

We are meeting Jake and Eliza (our son and daughter-in-law) tonight for dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  Yum!  So…here’s my plan for the day: I will make the healthiest selection that I can find tonight, and I will bypass the chips and guac for this one evening.  I can do it for this ONE evening.  I’m hoping to find a salad on the menu.  I know that’s really optimistic for a Mexican restaurant, but hope springs eternal. Please say a little prayer for me, dear readers, and I will say one for you.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: I received my “Trim Healthy Mama” book yesterday, Jean.  Thank you so much!  It’s pretty heavy reading (both literally and figuratively).  But I look forward to all I have to learn there.

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Getting Busy with It

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Donna’s Disney Quest Day 10

Today I need to remind myself why I’m doing this.  I want to be able to walk 5 miles in 14 months.  If I can get there, then I can truly enjoy the Walt Disney World Parks.  Disney World is my happy place; no doubt about it.  But let’s face it, if you have ever visited there, you know that it is a marathon, not a sprint.

I broke my plan last night.  (I  don’t plan to do that ever, but it happened.)  I didn’t do Tai Chi and the Shake Weight when I got home.  I had had such a physically active day at work that I was pooped out.  You see, instead of sitting at my desk “too busy” to help out, I rolled the cart out to the car, I helped load the food into the car, I rolled the cart back into place in the church.  All this to get necessary items to a local temporary food/housing program for the homeless.  It felt so good to help.  Then I walked out to get the mail at work and wondered why the front door was tied open.  So, being very helpful, I untied the door and let it close behind me.  As I traveled down the sidewalk to the mailbox, I heard a loud ‘click.’   Yup, it locked behind me.  So I got a nice long walk around the building to the rear entrance.  (#happy face, #doh!)  I’m just sure God was smiling at that one.

Anyway here’s today’s plan: I plan to eat healthy portions of nutritious foods, and I plan to get up and walk/move around every hour at work.  I put a pot roast in the crock pot before I left for work this morning with the help of my delicious husband.  (He would blush if he saw that!  tee hee  He’s not following my blog yet.)  🙂

Thank you for reading, my faithful few.  Meet you at the Kingdom.

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Recipes for Success

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“Welcome home.”  These are the words that greet us as we check in at Old Key West, our timeshare (sort of) at Walt Disney World.  This morning I long for those words.  I’m a little sore, a little tired, a little uninspired; however, I am not discouraged.  I chalk it up to coming down off of my long-term sugar high.  I am low-energy today.  So I will be gentle with myself.

When I spoke with my health coach last Thursday, we came up with two goals for the next three weeks.

  1. For every hour that I sit, I will get up and move for 5 minutes.
  2. I will research and prepare new sugar-free recipes for dinner for Mike and I.

Yesterday I accomplished # 1 and will continue in that vein today.

Today here’s the plan: I will research sugar-free recipes online and find 4 new recipes.  I will print them.  I will prepare a grocery list to shop for needed items tomorrow.  AND I will cull some of the UNhealthy, sugary food from my pantry.  (I ate most of it before I started all of this last Monday.)  🙂  But I still have some cereal and bread where sugar is the second or third ingredient listed.  Since the ingredients are listed by volume (or is it weight?  I’ll look that up.), I want sugar no higher than four on that list.

It’s been a busy work week, dear readers, both at the office and at home, so let’s be gentle on ourselves today and do something fun.

Meet you at the Kingdom.

 

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Mayo Clinic Health Coaching

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Day 5 in the trek to a healthier mind and body for me (and Mickey).  🙂    I did my Tai Chi last night.  I had it wrong though.  The dvd is in 20, 40 or 60 minute increments.  I did 20 minutes of sit-down Tai Chi, then I did 6 minutes of “Shake Weight.”

Are you laughing now?  There’s something about the motion of that exercise device that is a little naughty.  🙂  But, I can sure feel it in my arms today.

Today’s Disney Dreams step is talking to my new health coach.  I know…who can afford that right?  Again through my benefits at work (I am a secretary in an ELCA church), I qualify for a personal health coach.  Here’s why: weight, high blood pressure, pre-diabetes.  Not a very fun trifecta!  However, I am going to make use of that free resource!

Here’s what they say: “You qualify for Mayo Clinic Health Coaching. Take advantage of this phone-based service at no cost to you and let an experienced coach help you reach your health goals. You choose the health areas most important to you — then team up on an action plan personalized to your life. You’ll learn proven techniques to change habits for good and get help with challenges along the way.”

Here’s the plan: Talk to my health coach for one half hour today, and set up an action plan.

And I am still sugar-free.  The headache is subsiding.  Only a dull ache now.  🙂

A special shout out to my bestie, Jean, for sending me the book, “Trim Healthy Mama.”  I am so blessed and grateful to have you in my life!!  Love you.

Thanks for caring enough to read.  Meet you at the Kingdom.

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Ohm….

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Day 4 in the trek to party with Mickey.  “Eighty miles an hour through Baton Rouge and he’s on the other side.  Finally gonna see my baby tonight.”  I wrote a song that includes these lyrics in 1996.  The “my baby” that it refers to is Mickey Mouse.  Oh, yes, we were on our way to Walt Disney World.  I am simply mad about the Mouse!

I am hanging on to that love extra hard today.  BECAUSE I am still going sugar-free and moving the gear last night kicked my butt big time.  I am quite headachy, sore and pooped.

So here is the plan for today:

30 minutes of sit-down Tai-Chi as the sun sets into the west this evening.  (Thank you, Oprah!  She had a show on Tai Chi a while back, and I immediately ordered the dvd.  A very versatile dvd, with instructions for 20 minutes, 30 minutes or 60 minutes–standing or sitting.)

Should be good to start being more purposeful about stretching and flexibility.  I am so relaxed after I complete the Tai Chi.  Kinda love it.

That’s all I’ve got for today.  Meet you at the Kingdom.