Celebrating Scale and Non-scale Victories

I'm celebrating two victories today, but the NSV (non-scale victory)  is the one that excites me the most.  I've dropped from a sz 16 to a sz 12 in jeans in the last 12 months, and those quickly became looser in the waist, and now I have a little wiggle room in the thigh and butt area too, although they still fit ok. I tried a couple different sz 10 recently and they didn't work out, so figured this was it.  And I was ok with that.  As I mentioned in a previous post, if I never dropped another pound, I'd be perfectly content.

Well I was able to check that box this afternoon when I put on a sz 10 and they fit perfectly! Bonus: Found them at the thrift store, so they only set me back $3.89. Also grabbed three tops and a denim blazer, for a grand total of $21.89 with tax. I couldn't have found just the jeans for that price, so you know I'm a happy girl all around.

In fact, I was so excited about the jeans fitting that I took pics in the dressing room, LOL. Hair is a mess and needs to be dyed, no makeup, and I'm barefoot. Don't judge!

And for those of you who might be thinking that all the walking/running/biking I've been doing is the reason for the weight loss, and you can't physically do what I'm doing, you'd be wrong. Before starting this particular journey, I was running anywhere from 3-8 miles almost every day (usually 5-6), and it made little to no difference either in the way I looked or on the scale ... I still stayed between 185-200 flipping pounds. I was killing myself for nothing, because you can't outrun a bad diet. I used to have big goals to reach a certain number of steps per day, usually over 25,000, and often reached 30,000 or more. I still get 20,000 or so sometimes but that's not a goal. More often lately I'm averaging 10-15,000 steps per day, and when I first started making changes, I was only walking a mile or so here and there, choosing to focus on other changes first. I still lost weight in those first weeks, and even with that pretty significant decrease in the amount of daily activity these last months, today's scale smiled back at me with 144.5, my lowest since before retiring from the Marine Corps more than 24 yrs ago.

It's all about nutrition. I'm not taking any pills or following any fancy program that will do little except take my money. I'm eating REAL food, not packaged junk, and have eliminated sugars (except natural sugars from fruit). I'm staying low carb (because of the past threat of diabetes), but even without that, just saying no to the processed crap found in boxed and convenience foods has made a tremendous difference. Decades of that junk will kill you! I don't feel deprived at all, and trust me, I eat plenty! I just make sure it's the right stuff ... meat, fish or other seafood, vegetables, cheese, fruit, either fresh or frozen. And I snack on nuts throughout the day. That's it! It's not rocket science.

I've lost a chunk of weight a couple of times in the past, but deprived myself of too much and wasn't able to sustain it for more than a few short months at best. It was a struggle, and for what? As soon as I deviated at all, the weight came back with a vengeance. Last year I decided instead to just eat healthy to stay healthy and not focus on my weight, yet the weight-loss has been a very welcome by-product. It's been almost a year and I still don't feel like I'm missing anything; when I dine out with friends, I do sometimes allow myself a little something from my 'no-no' list, but I don't go crazy with it. I'm pretty confident now that what I'm doing is sustainable for the long term.

I'm not pushing my lifestyle on anyone, but if you want advice or to hear more about how I got here, I'd be happy to answer questions, and can point you to some eye-opening reading material that made a big impact on my decision to stay processed-food free. Again, I'm not following any costly program or taking any supplements or buying foods touted by a specific company ... I'm just being careful about what I put in my grocery cart, bring into my home, and put into my mouth.

~ Marie Anne

Team RWB March Madness Round 2 - March 7, 2021

Sunday, 7 March brings us to Round 2 of Team RWB's March Madness Challenge.  The brackets are set up by state (with a team for overseas participants too), and my team (NC) had a poor showing last week so is already out of the running for the bracket challenge.  There's still an open category, so I'm going to continue get my max points every week in hopes that we can finish with some level of respect.

There are three different events on challenge Sundays, worth 1, 2, and 3 points, and if you complete and check in on all three events, you can grab six points for your team.  I ran over 6 miles last Sunday so got them all, but I  mixed things up a little this morning.  

I started off with 26 pushups for the free-throw (had to do the one extra for Chesty Puller, ya know), then a 3+ mi run on the treadmill before breakfast for the 3-pointer.  Around noontime I grabbed my pack and went out for a 2-mi ruck in my neighborhood, capturing that 2-point layup before fixing lunch and settling in for a relaxing afternoon.

I think that'll be it for me today in the workout department, but since it's nice out I'll probably spend some time in the yard with the dogs, in between binge-watching sessions while parked on the couch. I don't want to overdo it as I still hope to walk that 11+ mile route on base sometime this week, in preparation for running the Marine Corps 17.75K.

What're you up to today? Whatever else you're doing, make time to get up and move!

~ Marie Anne

How I prepared my body to complete my accidental marathon, Part I - Fat Adaptation

If you haven't read my earlier post about how I completed a marathon I didn't know I was going to run, please do that first so that you have the background on how it came about, and understand why what I'm going to share today is so impactful.

So I completed a marathon the other day (I won't say I 'ran' a marathon, because much of it was at a walk, but I did complete the distance).  At 63 yrs old and still overweight (for now), with various injuries under my belt and at risk for more, completing even a half-marathon was only a dream.  

In recent years I'd been running off and on, sometimes doing between 3-6 mi almost daily at a slow run, but never really improving in speed, and it didn't help with weight loss.  They say you can't outrun a bad diet, and I'm here to tell you that is the absolute truth.  You could run a marathon every week, but if you suck in the nutrition department, you won't realize much benefit from it.

I don't know where it first started, but in following some running and general fitness blogs and podcasts, I landed on the term fat adapted, which in general means re-training your body to burn fat while exercising, and not to rely on carbs for energy. You've likely heard about carb-loading before a race (the traditional spaghetti supper the night before), and most people carry gels and/or carb-laden snacks for fuel during a race.  Until a few weeks ago, I was one of those people.  But the problem with relying on carbs for fuel is that your body will burn those up quickly and need refueling often if you're going any distance at all.  If you keep replenishing carbs as you burn them, guess what?  You never get into fat-burning mode, and if weight loss is your goal, you're probably not going to see much for positive results.  So you probably tell yourself you need to work longer and harder, and since you're still adding the wrong type of fuel, the cycle continues.  Sure, you're burning more calories, but only those you just added when you scarfed down that energy bar.

I've been pre-diabetic/insulin resistant for years, and a sugar/carb addict (yes, it IS a thing).  I've never been able to go a couple of hours without eating something, and the thought of working out before breakfast, or without at least some sort of bar or snack seemed unattainable to me.  Running on an empty stomach?  I'd never make it around the block!

But you know what?  Our bodies are amazing works of creation!  We're adaptable, and with minimal effort, they can be trained to do all sorts of things we didn't think we could do.  And honestly, I don't think we were originally designed to have to eat something every few hours, or require sugar for energy to carry us through a race.  Did our ancestors carry energy gels or Honey Stingers in the pockets of their leggings to get through a day's work plowing the fields, or stalking prey for hours to bring home dinner?

Hardly.  They ate real food, and I seriously doubt it was every few hours or full of carbs.  I could go on about this for pages, but I'll limit this post to just share what I've been doing, and point you to some good information from the experts out there. (I am not a medical professional in any capacity, nor do I have formal training in nutrition or fitness.  I just follow some professional, very knowledgeable people, and am living proof of the benefits of what they preach).

My usual routine of late is to have cup of black tea when I get up, then do a one or two mile walk (if barefoot), occasionally 2-3 miles at either a fast walk or walk/slow run (if wearing shoes). I'm an early riser, so all that takes place well before sunup at this time of year (and yes, I'm wearing appropriate safety gear).  When I get back home, I'll wait an hour and often two before fixing breakfast, which usually consists of a smoothie and a hard boiled egg.  (See what I put in my smoothie here).  My body has adapted to this just fine, and I haven't yet felt the urge to eat something before heading out the door.  Even if you don't work out every morning, you can still enjoy some of the benefits of fat adaptation by delaying your first meal and encouraging your body to be fueled by your fat reserves.

How this helped me get through my unplanned marathon 

I'd been following this morning routine for just a couple of months, and because I had been going such short distances (intentionally ... again, a topic for another post), I wasn't sure what I might need to carry me through whatever distance I ended up doing Saturday morning.  I had eaten a light dinner earlier than usual the night before (chicken vegetable soup with a homemade bone broth base, no rice or noodles, and a small bowl of salad greens), so when it was decided that a couple of us were going to be up very early to help a friend with his virtual marathon, I figured I'd better pad that a little, so I drank a small smoothie before bed.  I had peeled two hard boiled eggs to have ready for Saturday morning pre-run, but only ate one of them about 4:30am.  I loaded my camelbak with a small amount of water, and tucked a snack-sized baggie of mixed nuts, and a couple individual packets of trail mix (with the little M&M-like candies) between the bladder and case and called it good.  Oh, and I found a Honey Stinger Waffle in there from a previous run months ago! 

We set off Saturday morning around 6am or so,  and I didn't take in anything until I think around the 17-18 mi mark, which was hours later because we were going so slow.  I ate a handful of nuts then only because my legs started to cramp and I wasn't sure of the cause, because I'd never pushed my body that far and experienced that before.  The weather was perfect and I never did break a sweat since we were going so slow, so I don't know if I was lacking sodium, but whatever the reason, the nuts apparently helped, because that cramping sensation went away shortly afterwards. I never felt tired or that I couldn't finish because I'd run out of gas at any point during the 26.2 mi.  I was on my feet for probably 12 hrs before all was said and done, and still wasn't hungry!

Read that paragraph again.  An overweight, senior, pre-diabetic woman who has been prone to carb binges (and I mean REAL binges) for decades, completed 26.2 mi and a total of 12 hours on her feet on just a hard boiled egg pre-run, and a handful of mixed nuts halfway through, and never felt hungry or felt any loss of energy.  Meanwhile, my partners in crime had snacks at several intervals ... energy bars, granola bars, gummy bears, energy gels, etc.  I'm not bashing or shaming them; they gave their bodies what they needed, and it worked for them.

By working on the fat-adaptive approach recently, I had been training my body for this event without even knowing it. If my experience that day isn't testimony of what eating right and teaching your body to use proper fuel can do for you, I don't know what else would.

Now for acknowledgements - my biggest influence while following the fat-adaptive regimen has been Dr. Mark Cucuzzella - Physician, Professor of Medicine at WV University School of Medicine, Air Force reserve Lieutenant Colonel, owner of Two Rivers Treads, author of Run for Your Life, Executive Director of the Natural Running Center, race director, and competitive runner for over 35 years with 24 marathons completed in under 2:40.  (None of these are affiliate links; I'm not compensated in any way for sharing them).

In addition to the above, you can find a vast amount of nutrition, running, and general health information by searching Dr. Mark's name to find articles, blog posts, and podcasts where he has been a guest contributor.  Warning ... there are a lot of them, but all worth a read/listen. 

That's Part I of what got me through my first marathon experience.  Stay tuned for further installments on how good nutrition, and footwear (or lack thereof) made it all possible.

~ Marie Anne

Unplanned debut marathon

So, Saturday I did a thing.  Totally unplanned, totally unprepared, but totally amazing.

I completed a 26.2 mi marathon.

Yep.  At 63 yrs old, overweight, with osteoporosis and at risk for fracture, a propensity for injury (both from overuse and plain ol' clumsiness), pre-diabetes, very high cholesterol, moderate arterial blockage, and never having done even a half-marathon distance before (even walking), I completed a marathon.  Oh, and I did it fueled only by a hard-boiled egg a couple hours before start, a handful of mixed nuts at about halfway, wearing $15 Walmart shoes with almost zero padding and support (and I even took out the insoles), and working on about 4 hours sleep. (Much more on the 'whys' of the nutrition and footwear another time).

So just how did this all come about?  Let me tell you the story ...

A few of us from Team RWB were going to get together to do a couple mile walk/slow run Saturday morning.  A fellow team member mentioned the night before that he might see us on the trail somewhere as he would be doing his virtual Marine Corps Marathon along that route.  He had been doing a half-marathon just about every weekend up until last year (sometimes a full marathon), but the whole COVID thing set him back (emotionally as well as physically), he had put on a few pounds, and hadn't been out and done ANYTHING since March.  Oh, and he had no crew along his route to support and check on him - he was flying solo.

Ummm, no.  Carrie (our Team Captain) and I decided that wasn't acceptable, so at 10pm Fri evening we agreed to meet up with him at zero-dark-thirty to at least start him off and maybe take turns doing a couple miles with him. Again, no real plan, we were flying by the seat of our pants.  I met her at the main gate on Camp Lejeune at 0545 where I left my car, and we drove to the designated starting point in town to meet up with Mac and help him do this thing.  Another member, Terri, jumped in and said she'd crew for us, and planned on driving to various points with snacks and water available should we need them.  (She also had the traditional motivational Eye of the Tiger blasting as we went by each station. She rocks!).  Terri had run the Marine Corps Marathon 50K (just over 31 mi) virtually the previous weekend, alone.  (Yes, she's a bad-a$$!).

Headlamps in place, Mac rucking 20+ lbs and carrying Old Glory, Carrie with the Team RWB banner, off we went.   I hadn't been doing more than a mile or two at a time for months, mostly at a walk barefoot, so the basic plan was that I'd stay with Carrie and Mac to the main gate (just over 6 miles), where I'd get my car and drive to the next stop, and maybe jump in with him there for a couple miles, and Carrie could drive my car to the next stop, and we'd leapfrog. Well I got to the gate and decided that as slow as we were going, I could definitely do more.  Terri was available to pick me up if needed, so I felt confident in continuing.

After a couple more miles, I decided that since we were so close, I'd at least stick with it to the halfway point so that I could scratch the half-marathon off my bucket list.  I guess 13.1 mi wasn't enough, so since Mac had slowed down even more, I waved Terri off and we kept going, sometimes at a walk, sometimes a slow trot.  We got back to the main gate (18ish mi) and Carrie needed to leave for other commitments, so Terri drove her back to the start to get her car.  That left me and Mac, and there was no way I was leaving him alone out there, so I shrugged my shoulders and we set off again.  

Mac has a number of previous injuries from his time on active duty, including nerve damage, so because he hadn't been training at all for months, and was carrying some extra poundage, he was hurting pretty bad.  The last 6 mi or so were seemingly at a crawl, and the muscles in my legs were tight and starting to seize up, so for a couple of miles I trotted loops back and forth around him, just to stretch a bit while still keeping him in sight.  I relieved him of Old Glory during that time, doing a hand-off later to allow him to finish with flag waving. 

We did it.  Super-slow and much of it at a walk, in well over the cutoff had we done the in-person event, but we did it (there is no time limit on the virtual).  Could I have done it faster had I not stayed with Mac those last few miles?  I'm sure, but this was his day, his marathon, so it never entered my mind to leave him and do my own thing for a better finish time. 

Neither of us could have done it without Carrie along for support, and of course our super-crew, Terri, cheering us on and providing fuel at numerous points along the route.  They are both active duty Marines who are spread pretty thin already, and they willingly gave up their Saturday to help fellow Marines get 'er done.  (I think there's something wrong with  my eyes right now; they seem to be leaking for some reason).  And I wouldn't have even been out there at all had it not been for Mac's determination to complete his 8th consecutive Marine Corps Marathon.

It's a Marine thing, and also what Team RWB is all about.

So there you have it.  I crossed something off my bucket list that wasn't even ON my bucket list.  

Could I have done it (without feeling hungry or needing fuel for energy) without having made the nutritional changes I've made the last few months?  Nope. 

Could I have done it without injury had I not been doing the barefoot/minimalist footwear thing I've been working on the last few months?  Nope.  

I made those changes, not in preparation for any race (much less a marathon!), but for me.  The fact that they allowed me to go a distance that I never in my wildest dreams thought possible is a testament that you can make changes at any age that will allow you to do great things, and feel great doing them. 

~ Marie Anne

 (Part I of how I unknowingly trained my body for this event here).

Reviving, reevaluating, and moving forward

Yes, I've been a bad girl and let this blog die out yet again.  I've also been scarce on social media and since that's so out of character for me, some friends have been wondering if everything's ok.  Yep, it is!  

I've had a couple things pop up health-wise (some old, some new) that had me reevaluate the crappy lifestyle choices that sent me down that path, so I'm once again on a journey to better overall health through proper nutrition and healthier fitness activities suitable for my age and current weight.  I'm happy to report that in just a few weeks I've already experienced a number of very positive effects from those changes, and I'm excited to continue on the journey to be the best ME that I can be!

So instead of posting inane nonsense on Facebook all day (Full disclosure:  I have been playing Farmville, but that's going away at the end of the year, so I'm allowing myself that guilty pleasure for now), I've been devouring books and blog posts, and listening to several good podcasts ... all of which I'll be sharing with you here.  Some of the things I'm doing might seem laughable as they're not exactly conventional, but hey, they work for me, and if I can't make any converts, at least I will have entertained you (and those who see me out on the road), and I'll still take that as a win.

So what positives do I have to report so far?

• 12 lb weight loss since late June (taking it slow and easy, the right way)
• BP is back within normal limits (wasn't extremely high, but still not good)
• Much better sleep, both quality and quantity (NO episodes of insomnia for months!)
• Better balance and coordination (nope, I haven't tripped over my own feet!)
• General overall feeling of wellness

I've been pre-diabetic for years with an HBA1C of 6.2 - 6.4, and my total cholesterol level is always very high (often over 300), so I'm anxious to see what my next round of labs reveal.

No, I'm not selling supplements or snake oil, just eating good food and eliminating the junk, and not overdoing it in the exercise department.  I am taking a few supplements, but no crazy fad diet stuff, and nothing that I'll be peddling for financial gain.  Any books, podcasts, or supplements that I mention will be just to share as a part of the overall better me, not for promotional purposes.  (In the off chance that I do become an affiliate of something down the road, it will be fully disclosed, and I still won't promote it just for what I might get out of it).

My goal is to post at least several times a week, even if it's just to mention what physical activities I undertook that day and how I felt, and any positive progress to report.  I hope you'll follow along on my journey, and maybe learn a little something along the way.

~ Marie Anne

Lawnmower Woes - And Solutions to Stupid Problems

In case you're wondering how complaining about lawnmowers fits into a fitness blog, it's one way I get more exercise in.  I refuse to pay someone to mow my lawn as long as I'm physically capable of doing it myself.  It might be at the expense of my sanity, though.

I sold both my riding mower and push mower before I left Ohio, so I needed to purchase at least a push mower when I got here to NC.  I found a good deal online and eBay was offering a 20% off coupon one evening, which made it an even better deal, so I jumped on it.  The mower arrived two days later without issue, or so I thought.

When I got the lawnmower out of the box, I realized that the inside piece of one wheel had popped off, and it was hard plastic so wouldn't bend to go back in.  The level that adjusts the height was also bent pretty bad, enough that when you tried to adjust it, it wouldn't stay in the little groove thingie.  I might have been able to bend that back into place, but if it broke or otherwise damaged further, anything that I had done would have voided the warranty, and I didn't want to take that chance.  It was a hassle, but I boxed it back up returned it.

While waiting for the refund, I opted to go to Lowe's and buy another.  By now my lawn was a crazy overgrown mess, so I needed to get this thing up and running.  I pulled it out of the box, followed all the directions in the order specified, and got ready to make things happen.

Only they didn't.  The pull cord wouldn't pull.  It would come out a few inches, and stop.  I could get it to come all the way out if I stopped when I felt resistance, and pulled a little again, and pulled a little again,but that didn't do me any good in starting the mower as of course you have to give it a good yank to fire it up.

I tried numerous times with the same result, and after griping about it on Facebook, I searched online for a possible solution.  One troubleshooting recommendation was to make sure that there was nothing under the mower that blocked the blade from turning.  Oooh, maybe that was it!  Since I had just taken it out of the box, perhaps there was packing material under there that I hadn't known about.

Nope.  What I found underneath was something completely different.  There was what appeared to be a black rod sticking out that prevented the blade from turning freely.  What the heck?  It took me but a second to realize that it was actually the end of the handle that wasn't pulled up all the way.

I scratched my head, then looked at the directions again to see if I'd missed anything.  Nope.  One part said to pull up the handle and line up with the holes on either side, and insert the bolts and tighten.  I had done that.  There were two sets of holes, and I lined up the one that made the handle a little lower, that felt more comfortable for me (I'm not really short, but certainly not tall).  Well that was the problem.  Once I moved it to the other hole, the bottom of the handle was out of the way of the blade.

Why would a manufacturer make two sets of holes available if lining up one of them prevented the blade from turning?  Definitely a design flaw.

Once I had the handle moved in the highest position, the pull cord functioned properly and I got it started on the first try.  I let it run for a few seconds, then stopped to change into my yard shoes before tackling the front yard.  When I went to start it again, the cord was acting wonky, like it was meeting resistance again, but I tried pulling gently a few times and it finally 'gave' and fired up. I was pretty tired by this time (I had run 4 miles earlier in the day, and it was now 84°), but I made sure to finish the whole front yard without stopping just in case it wouldn't cooperate again, leaving a job half done.

I still have the jungle in the back yard to get through, but was too pooped to tackle that yesterday, so it's on the to-do list for today.  If the pull cord doesn't work again ...

~ Marie Anne

When Every Day is a Bad Gray Hair Day

Background:  Thanks to a genetic double-whammy (both of my parents grayed very early), I started getting gray hair in my 20s, and was coloring it in my early 30s.  The few times I decided to let it go back to the natural gray mix, it never went well.  I'm not opposed to having gray hair, but my particular shade really makes me look washed out.

Several years ago after deciding to embrace the gray again, I thought I'd try adding a few black streaks to break it up, and was pleased with the result.  But like so many things, I was never able to duplicate it, so always ended up buying a box of whatever I could find on sale to cover it all up again.

I stopped coloring again mid-2017, and a month or so before leaving Ohio, decided to splurge and went to the local salon and had the stylist add some black foils for the salt 'n pepper look again.  I figured that would be enough that as my hair grew, gray roots wouldn't be as noticeable.  She did an ok job, but it wasn't as good as my own first attempt.  Still, I figured I could freshen it up every couple of months and it would be fine.

Wrong.  Black fades.  News flash - gray with brown 'highlights' looks ridiculous.

The back of my head (that doesn't get as much sun exposure) is still gray peppered with black, and isn't too bad.  The top and going down the sides is fading, so I have a (not-so-attractive) head of gray hair, with streaks of various shades of brown and black.  Yuck.

I've been spending time outside running and walking the dogs, and do wear a hat sometimes, but even if I kept my head covered while outside, basic shampooing will still cause it to lighten some.  It's a no-win situation, so - one more time - I give up.  Today I will again be joining the ranks of untold number of women who pour chemical-laden junk on their head, stinking up the house, and likely scattering little blotches of dye on the walls of the bathroom that would make Rorschach proud.

Where's my MOPP gear?  I'm going in.

~ Marie Anne

Goodbye Ohio, Hello NC and a New MA!

So ... in a less than 60-day period, I listed my house in Ohio for sale, sold it, packed and moved to NC, found a house, moved in, and closed.  What a whirlwind!  

During the months preceding all this, my fitness and activity level bottomed out.  I wasn't eating right, often bingeing on carb-laden junk food, got very little dedicated exercise in, and just overall wasn't taking care of myself.  It definitely showed on the scale and directly affected how I was feeling.  After the first week in NC, I was once again at my highest weight.  Nooooo!!!!!

The move is now behind me, and while I'm not completely settled in the house yet, things are coming together.  More importantly, much baggage was left behind in Ohio (and I don't mean the kind you pack), and I feel a great weight lifted.  With that weight gone, it's time to work on the numbers on the scale, fit into some summer clothes, and start feeling better.

This last week has been a good one as far as food choices and exercise.  There's a short paved trail just a block from my house, and I did a mile or two the first few times out so I could see where it went.  The last three times, I trotted around a couple of the cul de sacs in the neighborhood before/after hitting the trail and stretched it to a full 5K (3.1 mi), then hitched up the dogs for a short walk to cool off.  It's not a scenic route by any stretch, but it still works out well for me since I can get a run in right here at the house without having to drive anywhere!  I'm told there are longer trails a short distance away and I want to work up to 10K (6.2 mi) again, so will be checking those out also.

I lost about 1.5 lbs the first few days, but the scale hasn't moved since, but that's ok.  I feel good, and the rest will happen all in good time. I'm a little tired from the added activity, but it's a good tired, not a sluggish, too-fat-and-don't-even-want-to-roll-off-the-couch tired.

It took me 11 years to make it happen, but I'm over-the-moon excited to be back in NC once again.   This is where the road ends, yet welcomes new beginnings.

~ Marie Anne

P.S.  Did I mention I can drive to the beach for a run (or just look for shark's teeth) any time I want?

I Passed the First Test!

I was up and out of bed shortly after 5am this morning, and went about my regular routine - morning ablutions, cup of tea and quick breakfast while I caught up on online stuff, wrote another blog post and published it, mailed a package from an eBay sale over the weekend. Pretty normal morning around here.

I hadn't done any dedicated stepping yet, but as I walked back from the mailbox at 10:30am, I was curious to see what my step count was so far today, so reached down to check my Fitbit One - only to realize that it wasn't on the bottom of my shorts where I was sure that I'd clipped it.

Uh oh ... apparently I had taken off the wrist band when I washed my face and hands this morning, then left it on the bathroom vanity.  MA has only 211 steps right now, when I normally have at least a couple thousand by this time of day.  Oops.

© Marie Anne St. Jean

So what was this test that I passed?  I didn't freak out or say bad words when I found that my morning steps were 'wasted' - go me!  I just clipped my tracker in place and went about my business (and then of course came here to brag about it).  Read this to see why this is such a huge deal for me!

There's hope for this ol' gal yet.

~ Marie Anne

New Name ... Whatdya Think?

© Marie Anne St. Jean

After much deliberation over renaming this blog, I decided to leave the word 'fit' in there, since nutrition, exercise, and most anything else I write about will be about fitness in one form or another.  It also keeps the name similar to what it was before, just switching the decade and exchanging 'staying' for 'getting'.  It's not totally alliterative (the old one wasn't either), but I think it's a good 'fit'.

So, drumroll please ...   the new name is "Staying Fit in My 60s".  What do you think?

The main blogger url will be the same since I don't want to create a whole new blog, and I'll be keeping my custom domain name of fitinmyfifties.com until it expires this fall, and then purchase a new one that fits this new decade of my life.

I'm glad to have the blog name situation put to bed ... now to get down to the business of writing and posting something worth reading!


~ Marie Anne

New Name to Start a New Decade?

© Marie Anne St. Jean

I know I haven't kept up with this blog as I should, only posting here and there in fits and starts, but I'm thinking about making the effort again.  But ...

Since I celebrated my 60th birthday in July, Gettin' Fit in My Fifties no longer fits!   I can't change the original url on blogger unless I start a whole new blog and I don't want to do that, but I can change the name that you see at the top of the page.  But to what?

I plan on continuing to share what I'm up to in the world of fitness, healthy eating and workout/fitness tips, product reviews of anything fitness related, etc.  I do, however, want it to still reflect who MA is today, and that would be a 60-year-old mémé who is still struggling to stay fit and healthy!

So ... who should I be?  I'm open to suggestions!  I lean towards alliteration, and the only thing I can come up with before breakfast is Stepping Into My Sixties (or 60s).

Help me out here ... toss some ideas in the comments!

~  Marie Anne