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Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Nov 15, 2006 at 12:53pm

Merry Chr…NO! I’m not going there quite yet. I did replace our seriously dead petunias with pine bough arrangements today, but that’s as far as I’m going for now, don’t worry. (OK, I did also toss slimy, squirrel-gutted pumpkins – that was a pretty combo, dead petunias and moldy pumpkins – but retiring stale Halloween decorations is not the same as putting out Christmas stuff). I appreciated the lovely fresh-pine scent as I made these arrangements, but I also thought, eh, I’m not really in the mood for this yet. Kinda Scroogie, I know. Eh. I’ll get there.

PS Man was I glad that I hadn’t covered our shrubs in that obnoxious (although way cool-looking) fake spider-web crap this year. I did it last year, and totally lost my steam for picking it off our shrubs, so there it sat, blowing sadly in the wind, for a good part of the winter. Pathetic. I’ll never put it out again, I’m learning these things now that I’m almost-40: Don’t Put Out Decorations You Don’t Feel Like Taking Down. Or That You Can’t Take Down In 30 Minutes, Preferably Less (exception: Christmas tree).

Motivated to get the most out of my walks (I’ve recently read Survival of the Thinnest, good quick read, with some new concepts, I highly recommend it), I bought myself a heart-rate monitor yesterday. How fun! I discovered that my resting heart-rate is nice and low, hovers around 50. That’s good (better than I probably deserve, actually – yay for genetics, I guess. Same with my 90/70 BP, that’s just how I roll…it’s definitely nothing I’ve specifically worked for). I also discovered that I can get my heart rate up around 150-155 when I’m walking, but I do have to concentrate on movin’ my butt along at a pretty good clip – 5 miles/hour. Good to know, it kept me kickin’ it, it was fun. (Tangent Alert! Writing that made me think back to junior high – ah, such lovely days – and my sis Stacey, two years younger than me, telling me that her friend’s older sister had told her that I wiggled my butt too much when I walked. For some reason, hearing that did not make me laugh, or wiggle my butt as hard as I possibly could, as it should have, but instead crushed me and left me stiff-legging it down the halls at school trying to figure out how the hell one walks without moving one’s butt too much. Sigh.)

Product recommendation! A new Salsa Lisa (the original is terrific), Roasted Chipotle salsa. Good smoky, spicy, rich flavor. Delicious with raw veggies (that’s how I ate it) so I imagine it would be sublime on tortilla chips, mmm. There used to be a cool Garrison Keillor quote on Salsa Lisa jars, but it’s not there anymore – anyone know why? Salsa Lisa is a Minnesota product, available in the dairy section at grocery stores (not sure of its distritbution outside of MN).

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Older Comments

  1. By Stephanie on November 17, 2006 at 12:03AM

    Oh, I forgot to say that I love DDR! We do have it, and it's very fun. I mean, it's not something I'd want anyone to WATCH me do (as in, I look like a complete ass doing it), but it is a hoot. And very good exercise.

  2. By Suz on November 16, 2006 at 4:05PM

    HA, my dog thinks he's me sometimes....I guess he's really part of the family now, eh?? ;-)

  3. By Sir Digby on November 16, 2006 at 4:03PM

    Girls, you can come over to my house and use our Dance Dance Revolution any old time--we've got it. Although I have to say....you have to be able to keep up with the damn thing in order to get any exercise....!!!!!

  4. By Stephanie on November 15, 2006 at 8:53PM

    Hi Donna! Thank you for your kind words of encouragement! Nordic Walking sticks. I'll definitely look into it. I love to cross-country ski and snow shoe with poles, I'll bet they're a blast. And yes, I can imagine, send the the ol' heart rate right through the ceiling. Great suggestion! And cool that you mix things up to keep it fun - both with healthy food ideas AND fun exercise.

    Very funny, spacing out while commenting on a blog - it's like walking toward the fridge and thinking, wha? Why am I here? Haha. I have tried the green tomatillo version, also delicious. Great product line - so fresh-tasting. Makes some of the other salsas/picantes taste like tomato stew.

    Thanks for checking in!

  5. By donna on November 15, 2006 at 7:48PM

    OK...I'm back because I completely forgot to mention the original reason for my post.....Salsa Lisa. LOL LOL. I think I'm losing it!! I got so excited talking about exercise.

    Anyway, I love Salsa Lisa! Have you tried the Tomatillo Green Salsa? That is very good as well...particularly with chicken dishes!

  6. By Donna on November 15, 2006 at 7:31PM

    Hi Stephanie,

    Bravo to you and your determination to manage your health with healthy diet and exercise!!!!

    I absolutely love to walk for exercise. I recently purchased Nordic Walking sticks. They are a wonderful addition as they make you really work your upper body and control your posture.

    I too wear a heart rate monitor when I work out and I get a much better workout and burn more calories when I use them. If you have an opportunity check them out.

    Oh and one more thing...have you tried Dance, Dance Revolution! It is a video game set to music that is fun, fun and makes you sweat away the calories as well.

    Can you tell I'm always looking for fun ways to keep exercising interesting? I find variety makes it a pleasure and not a chore. :)