With my 17 year old daughter's strong encouragement, I am going to pick up blogging again, mostly to focus on healthy eating and fitness over the next four months. I will throw in some other subjects like my favorite books or a movie I've enjoyed or just life themes like happiness, etc. but the primary impetus at this point is to connect with others who want to take exceptional care of themselves, but sometimes fall short.
Why am I picking four months as my time-frame? Well, in four months exactly from today, I turn 48. And I want to do it with pizazz. I remember celebrating my 40th birthday with a sunset swim with about 20 or so of my friends. Many things were going very well for me at that time. I was a long-distance runner. I was fit. I was publishing articles as a freelance writer and, more importantly, having a great time as a mother to my children. I thought I had the world by the tail. A friend and I vowed to make our forties the fabulous forties...well, they have been fabulous in many regards, but they have also been challenging.
On the bright side, I went from being a freelance writer to a published book author at the age of 42. On the crazy side, the month my first book came out (September 2007) was the same month I was in the hospital after major surgery for ovarian cancer. I came out of that surgery very weak and injured myself badly shortly after which resulted in back surgery only months later and years of struggling with nerve damage that went from my back down through my left leg and foot. I wasn't able to run during that time and ended up putting on a lot of weight. Not helping matters any were other very stressful events like the serious illness and death of both of my husband's parents and my father and a very dear friend in rapid succession. I never thought that I would write and deliver two eulogies in a matter of weeks for two people I love as much as I love my dad and my dear friend Mary. We struggled through it all with lots of prayer and, in my case, lots of food.
A little over a year after I was declared cancer-free, I had weighed almost 40 pounds more than I weighed when I was in the hospital. A big breakthrough came when I was able to start running again in June of 2011. It was not easy and I still deal with residual nerve damage that is worse sometimes than others, but I felt soooooo free being able to run again (jog, I should say). I have even run some road races again in the last year or so. Not as fast as I used to be...some of that because of age and some because of my nerve damage, but I may be the happiest slow runner out there.
With a return to running, I lost about 15 pounds in a matter of months and I felt so much better. During the same time period, I made stabs at eating healthier, but I didn't go all out (though I intended to). The next big breakthrough came about a year later in May of 2012 when I was visiting the local YMCA for my regular weight workout. My friend Debbie Wog who is an amazing fitness trainer, teacher and expert invited me to attend her Body Pump class. I have never been a fan of exercise classes (I feel a bit uncoordinated trying to stay in sync with other participants), but I thought I'd give it a try and the first time out I was hooked. It is basically a very, very challenging free weight class where you exercise everything in 55 strenuous minutes - biceps, back, thighs, abs, everything. With that class, I have gained more strength than I have had in years. I didn't lose weight, but I am pretty sure I lost some inches and just felt better about myself overall.
Part III of my get fit and lose weight program came into being when I finally got motivated to rework my diet. I have always loved healthy food but not exclusively. I am also a really big fan of combos that include sugar,flour and butter in yummy homemade things. But between my husband's heart attack a year ago and my own terrible LDL Cholesterol level(categorized as severely elevated in my lab work), I was finally motivated to work on the diet. Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn's book, "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease," was a life changer. It argues for an extreme diet, focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, but he says that even if you do it about 85% you will have dramatic results in weight loss and cholesterol. And I have definitely had positive results in weight loss with another 12 pounds lost which brings me to a 27 pound total weight loss since June of 2011. And I want to lose 5 to 10 pounds more between now and my birthday as well as have my LDL cholesterol test in the normal range.
Another motivator for finishing the weight loss strong by June 20th is that two years ago, my oldest daughter Amanda told me that she wanted to take me shopping and buy me a new outfit for my birthday. I told her how touched I was by her offer and that I really wanted to take her up on it, but needed to lose weight desperately before I would feel good about getting a new outfit...so she's been waiting patiently overall and I think that this year is the year! I even told my husband that I would like him and the rest of the kids to help pick out another outfit or two for me for my birthday!
So, yes, I am motivated. I have worked hard the last 20 months to take better care of myself and I want to be especially focused on driving the weight loss to the finish line in the next 4 months. When I celebrate my birthday, I want to feel strong and energetic so I can make the most of all the years yet to come.
What about you? What's your story as far as nutrition and fitness? What are your goals for the next week? The next month? And the next four months? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
As I close this letter to you, just let me say that I have learned for myself that we don't have to be perfect in our efforts to have measurable progress. Heaven knows, I haven't been perfect since June 2011, but I've lost 27 pounds and feel better than I have in years, including feeling better about myself.
If you'd like to feel better and do better when it comes to your health and well-being, join me. We can do it together. Here's a no-fat salad dressing to get you started. It's scrumptious. Jane's 3,2,1 Salad Dressing (from Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease):
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons mustard of your choice (I use plain yellow)
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
Mix and pour over salad. Delicious!
That's it for now. Happy, healthy eating ahead!
Debra
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Friday, July 9, 2010
Best Seller Status for Mothering with Spiritual Power
During the last month, my first book, Mothering with Spiritual Power: Book of Mormon Inspirations for Raising a Righteous Family, hit LDS best seller status in total number of copies sold! I was so excited and a little relieved to hear this. I had really hoped that a book focused on motherhood and how the Book of Mormon can support us as mothers would strike a chord with LDS mothers and it seems it has.
It's wild to think back to when my book first came out. I had looked forward to its publication for many months after I signed the publication contract and then the time finally came. It was amazing to hold a copy of the published book in my hands. If you are a writer, I hope you experience the same someday (if you haven't already). As exciting as that time was, it was also a difficult time because I was fighting cancer simultaneously with the publication of my book and wasn't able to do physically all I had planned to do to help promote the book.
It seems though that God was watching out for me. My health improved and some amazing things happened with the book. Among them, I received some excellent reviews from Meridian Magazine and LDS Living who featured it as "The Editor's Pick", and word-of mouth picked up pretty quick (not enough can be said about what a gift word-of-mouth is for any author). Knowing so many things were coming together to help get the word out on a book that meant so much to me allowed me to relax some and focus on regaining my health.
One of my favorite things about having this book out in the world has been hearing back from readers. Your emails and letters have meant so much to me. I love hearing your feedback on the book itself, but even more, I love hearing your stories of how the Gospel has supported and affirmed you in your role as a mother. As I celebrate today, I want to thank you for your part in helping to make my book a success. Thank you. And happy mothering ahead!
Love and Blessings,
Debra
It's wild to think back to when my book first came out. I had looked forward to its publication for many months after I signed the publication contract and then the time finally came. It was amazing to hold a copy of the published book in my hands. If you are a writer, I hope you experience the same someday (if you haven't already). As exciting as that time was, it was also a difficult time because I was fighting cancer simultaneously with the publication of my book and wasn't able to do physically all I had planned to do to help promote the book.
It seems though that God was watching out for me. My health improved and some amazing things happened with the book. Among them, I received some excellent reviews from Meridian Magazine and LDS Living who featured it as "The Editor's Pick", and word-of mouth picked up pretty quick (not enough can be said about what a gift word-of-mouth is for any author). Knowing so many things were coming together to help get the word out on a book that meant so much to me allowed me to relax some and focus on regaining my health.
One of my favorite things about having this book out in the world has been hearing back from readers. Your emails and letters have meant so much to me. I love hearing your feedback on the book itself, but even more, I love hearing your stories of how the Gospel has supported and affirmed you in your role as a mother. As I celebrate today, I want to thank you for your part in helping to make my book a success. Thank you. And happy mothering ahead!
Love and Blessings,
Debra
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Creative Life -- Mine and Yours
I wrote both of my books -- Mothering with Spiritual Power and It's Okay to Take a Nap -- as my part in a conversation with mothers like you. Hearing back from readers has been a wonderfully satisfying continuation of the conversation I started with those books. Thank you for your e-mails and letters. I have enjoyed hearing from you. You inspire me.
People often ask me, "What's it like to have a book published?" and I can honestly say that it's great. Writing books is what I hope to do for the rest of my life. I'll never forget the months leading up to the publication of my first book -- signing the publication agreement, seeing the cover art for the first time (authors rarely select the book cover), and then, opening the box containing my newly published books and holding a copy in my hands. It was definitely a powerful moment where a big dream became reality.
So, now that I have two books under my belt, readers are beginning to ask "When are you going to write your next book?" and while I cannot say for sure yet, I'm getting closer. There was a time when I wondered if I would write another book, if I would live to write another book. You see, the same month my first book came out (and I had just finished writing my second book), I was in the hospital having surgery for ovarian cancer.
I had always been very healthy but had felt increasingly weak and out of sorts physically. I knew something was wrong and it was. Curiously, I ended up not just with cancer but with some other serious health issues as well -- a severe back injury, a second surgery, etc., so the reality is that it has taken me a long time to feel in a condition to write again. Even once I started feeling better, it took a long time to regain a handle on my home, family and church responsibilities, but I'm there now. I'm feeling terrific overall. I am in remission from cancer and feel a growing sense of balance and well-being in my personal life.
And so, I have begun to write again, starting with this blog and continuing with magazine and newspaper articles and, yes, before long, I hope, another book. So, the next question readers ask is "What are you going to write next?" And I have to confess that I'm divided. I'm considering heading in two very different directions -- possibly another non-fiction book (something written for a wider audience) or maybe, just maybe, a novel.
Some years ago, I took a creative writing class at the University of Texas and the James Michener fellow who taught it encouraged me to turn my short story into a novella. I did not follow up on her suggestion, but she planted a seed and one I'm beginning to desire more and more to nurture.
So, I'm currently dabbling with a novel idea. I have the core characters, a plot, some scenes, and a few pages written. It's dramatic fiction with some humor and, of course, some drama. Very strong themes about love and loss, right and wrong, and the choices we make. I think the opening sentence would hook the reader and while I'm tempted to share it now, I think I'll wait awhile so I can let the creative juices marinate the possibilities a little longer.
As I write this, I find myself wondering about your creative life. What do you enjoy creating? I am inspired by my friends who quilt, garden, sing, play the piano, bake and pursue other creative paths. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
People often ask me, "What's it like to have a book published?" and I can honestly say that it's great. Writing books is what I hope to do for the rest of my life. I'll never forget the months leading up to the publication of my first book -- signing the publication agreement, seeing the cover art for the first time (authors rarely select the book cover), and then, opening the box containing my newly published books and holding a copy in my hands. It was definitely a powerful moment where a big dream became reality.
So, now that I have two books under my belt, readers are beginning to ask "When are you going to write your next book?" and while I cannot say for sure yet, I'm getting closer. There was a time when I wondered if I would write another book, if I would live to write another book. You see, the same month my first book came out (and I had just finished writing my second book), I was in the hospital having surgery for ovarian cancer.
I had always been very healthy but had felt increasingly weak and out of sorts physically. I knew something was wrong and it was. Curiously, I ended up not just with cancer but with some other serious health issues as well -- a severe back injury, a second surgery, etc., so the reality is that it has taken me a long time to feel in a condition to write again. Even once I started feeling better, it took a long time to regain a handle on my home, family and church responsibilities, but I'm there now. I'm feeling terrific overall. I am in remission from cancer and feel a growing sense of balance and well-being in my personal life.
And so, I have begun to write again, starting with this blog and continuing with magazine and newspaper articles and, yes, before long, I hope, another book. So, the next question readers ask is "What are you going to write next?" And I have to confess that I'm divided. I'm considering heading in two very different directions -- possibly another non-fiction book (something written for a wider audience) or maybe, just maybe, a novel.
Some years ago, I took a creative writing class at the University of Texas and the James Michener fellow who taught it encouraged me to turn my short story into a novella. I did not follow up on her suggestion, but she planted a seed and one I'm beginning to desire more and more to nurture.
So, I'm currently dabbling with a novel idea. I have the core characters, a plot, some scenes, and a few pages written. It's dramatic fiction with some humor and, of course, some drama. Very strong themes about love and loss, right and wrong, and the choices we make. I think the opening sentence would hook the reader and while I'm tempted to share it now, I think I'll wait awhile so I can let the creative juices marinate the possibilities a little longer.
As I write this, I find myself wondering about your creative life. What do you enjoy creating? I am inspired by my friends who quilt, garden, sing, play the piano, bake and pursue other creative paths. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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