Walking the dog

I really don't like to exercise. At all. I have never found enjoyment in playing a sport, either. I know many other people who feel exactly the same way. Many of them overweight, though it's not exclusive. Fat or thin, we just don't like to move around a lot. And we've formed a club. It's the "couch potato" club. We have lots of members.
Watching sports is different. Watching sports is a food-related activity. Ball games and hot dogs, it's American! Football has tailgate parties, and wings and nachos. Football is a very fattening spectator sport. And pizza is always available for any games on TV. But going out and actually playing the game? Too much work.
For me, I think the reason is that I just don't like to sweat. Or get dirty. Or muddy, or have leg cramps, or feel tired, or out of breath, or hurt myself. The list goes on, but you get the idea.
However, a diet will only take you so far and then you "get stuck". "Plateau". It's frustrating. You're being good on your diet, but you're not losing. That's when it's time to move to the next level, exercise.
I put it off as long as I could.
I started swimming laps, because it was hot, and I like to go to the pool during the summer. I was already there, so why not swim a few laps? A few laps turned into 74 laps over the course of several weeks and I was swimming a mile. Two important things about this: 1) I AM NOT A GOOD SWIMMER. I am not fast, smooth or fluid like some of the swimmers you will see doing laps. But, I don't have to be. I just have to, as they say on the commercial, "do it". It takes me almost two hours to do a mile. I've seen good swimmers do it in a 1/2 hour. I take comfort in the knowledge that the end result is the same.
2) I found I enjoyed doing it. I find a tranquility and peace that surrounds me and I find myself relaxing and just being in the moment. I do some good thinking while I am swimming. I do some good praying while I am swimming, too. No distractions. Now, here is the important part about exercise. IF YOU DON'T ENJOY IT, YOU WON'T DO IT.
So what does all of this have to do with walking the dog? Let me explain. First some statistics. They've done a bunch of studies, and found out that people who walk their dog lost more weight than those people who don't walk their dogs. As a group, they weigh less in general. They also have lower blood pressure, better cholesterol, less depression, recover quicker from heart attacks, and reduce their chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
You may say, "so what!" We've heard it all before, "walking is good for you..." blah, blah, blah. Yeah, walking IS good for you, but we don't do it. However, dogs need to be walked or accidents happen. And people will make themselves take the dog out, whether they want to or not. Rain or shine. Hot or cold. Plus, they've found out that people who walk their dogs generally are happier and healthier than someone who just walks for exercise. Why? Because we love our dogs. We enjoy being with them.
And, when you walk a dog, you don't have to be a speed walker. You can enjoy the scenery while you walk. An added benefit: anyone who has a dog has witnessed the utter joy your dog will show when you pick up that leash. It makes it a lot easier to go out that door on a chilly day.

Years ago, when I was pregnant, the doctor ordered me to take a daily walk for exercise. We lived in a condo complex back then, but up until this time, I had left the dog walking duties to my husband. So, huffing and puffing I would walk around the complex, my 2 little Chihuahuas and our Boston terrier pulling me uphill and down like little tug boats towing a great barge. After my daughter was born and we bought a house, I made sure it had a fenced in yard and my dog walks were over. Those 3 sweet dogs are gone now, and I feel sad when I now realize that I deprived them of a source of joy when we stopped walking.
Until now. Yes, I've started walking the dog. Not all the time. We do have that fenced in yard. But I aim for once a day. And I find that I am enjoying it.
Ginger, our miniature poodle loves these walks so much, that as soon as she sees me reach for my athletic shoes, she assumes it's time for a walk. If I am just running out to the store, I try to put my shoes on without her noticing, or she has a fit. She also has learned the word, "walk", and will react immediately to it even if what you are saying has nothing to do with her.
Dogs, you gotta love them.
Unlike those joggers and fast-walker types, I'm not plugged into music while I walk. I listen to the birds, and the wind rustling the leaves. I look at the various yards as I go by and after a while you start to notice things. "Hmm, they planted a new bush", or "they've painted their shutters." Sometimes you run into other walkers. Some with dogs, some alone. You start to recognize each other and smile and say "hello". It's nice. I'm in a new club now. It's the "I want to get off the couch" club. You should join. And bring your dog along.

Sugar-Free Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookie recipe

One weekend, I experimented with 3 different sugar-free peanut butter cookie recipes and baked a dozen of each and held a taste test to find the best-tasting one. The judges were my daughter, Ariane and her best friend, Natalie. The recipe below is their favorite. It's an cross of Paula Deen's sugar-free Magical Peanut Butter Cookies and a couple of sugar-free PB & J cookie recipes I found online.
We compared regular "Jif", & "Simply Jif" peanut butter in the original batches. The difference was minimal, and the fat and calories less with the "Simply Jiff". Then, I also lowered the sodium by using "Crazy Richards" natural peanut butter and cooked another batch for yet another test. In that taste-test, Natalie couldn't tell the difference between the lower sodium version and the "Simply Jif" batch. My daughter, actually preferred the "Crazy Richards" batch.
I used Smuckers sugar-free jelly to make the PB & J version. There are several good sugar-free jellies and jams on the market. I found all of the ones I used at my regular supermarket.
NOTE: "Crazy Richards" peanut butter is a natural peanut butter, which means when you open it, you will find the oil separated from the peanut butter. Simply stir the oil into the peanut butter with a butter knife until totally incorporated and smooth. This only takes a minute or two. It is the same fat and carbs as "Simply Jif", but lower sodium. If sodium is not a issue with you, feel free to use the "Simply Jif" peanut butter.

I've also included the instructions for Paula's basic recipe for the PB cookie purists.

Sugar Free PB & J Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup Crazy Richards peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1 1/3 cups Splenda
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Smuckers Sugar-Free Jam, Jelly, or Preserves of your choice. I used the Sugar-Free Blackberry Jam.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a large baking sheet.
In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, 1 cup Splenda, the egg and vanilla, and stir well with a spoon. Using a teaspoon measuring spoon, scoop out a spoonful of dough and form into a ball. Place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart.* Using the back of a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, press into the center of each ball to make a well. Fill the well with 1/4 of a teaspoon of the sugar-free jam. Bake 12-14 minutes, then cool. Makes about 24 cookies. Serving size is 2 cookies.

*If you wish to make Paula's original recipe instead, at this point, instead of adding the jelly, take a fork, dipped in Splenda to prevent sticking, and press a crisscross design on each cookie. Then bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cookies with some of the remaining Splenda. Cool slightly before removing from pan.

Here we are again

Hey! I'm back again.
It's been a long time since I posted here. Sometimes life sneaks up on us and seems to demand all our attention, with nothing to spare for anything else...or at least it seems that way at the time.
So we have a lot of catching up to do. I just don't have the energy to go through the past year and a half moment by moment, so I will just hit the high (or low) spots.
Where to start...well, Jim lost his job, looked for a job, couldn't find a job and got depressed. Money was tight and spirits were low. This went on for months. I started doing what I had always done, turned to food for comfort. Not a good plan. However, I didn't fall all the way back into my old habits. I couldn't. Something (or SomeOne) held me back, and kept me from going too far off the pathway... but I came close!
God was still working in me. I could still hear His voice, but I had the volume turned way down low.
I gained back some weight. I'm not sure how much, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say 20-25 lbs. or so. I mean I had lost over 100 lbs, so what if I gained a few of them back, right? Wrong. I started feeling crummy. Sick. Every night. Blood pressure up, heart beat irregular. I felt God tapping on my shoulder again, and I knew I better get my act together before He kicked me in the pants...again.
OK. I came up with a plan. Started being more careful with my diet, measuring my portions again. Blood pressure wouldn't come down. I started cutting back on the sodium in my diet. Still high. Started walking around the neighborhood. Feeling better. Swimming laps through the summer. Better still, but not great. What more can I do? Pray.
It should be the first thing we do, but often, it's the last.
So, here we are again. Still on this same pathway, bumpy as it is. As my journey continues, so will this blog. I thought counting carbs was difficult, but watching your sodium is harder than anything else up to now. But more on that in another post.
God is faithful and so were those who were praying for us for all those months. Thank you. About one week before our COBRA insurance ran out, Jim got a job. He works nights now, which was an adjustment we had to make, but WE HAVE INSURANCE, and A PAYCHECK!