I have been sick the last few days-- well, either sick with a cold or allergies but whichever it is has me sneezing, blowing my nose, wiping my eyes and is also affecting my balance. It's been a low key weekend. I am not going out for a walk as even with my hiking sticks, I am not very steady on my feet. I fell taking off my pants last night lol and am running into the walls more than usual. I am thinking I may be able to go outside and do some yard and patio cleanup -- not really exercise but it is outside and it is active.

I will be sending in a new grocery order for the week. I had a little food waste last week so I think I need to make smaller orders more frequently. The one thing I am eating regularly are my large navel oranges-- at least one a day. The grazing lunch plates are working out well too but I will need to pull back on the variety to avoid more food waste. A couple of triscuits, turkey and these babies are plenty ...

Love these Orange Poppers -- such great flavor for a tomato this time of year. Even the kumatos have been disappointing this month but the orange poppers never disappoint!

Not much else to share today. I apologize for not having much energy, enthusiasm or motivation. Hoping to knock out the crud in a day or 2 and get a little more fired up.

How are you all doing with your goals?

Feel better, soon, funky!!

I must have had that same thing last week, when I was sore in my lower ab's from the dead bug chest lifts, then it progressed up to my back and shoulders. I did the class Thursday, and the rest of the soreness came on Friday night, then Sunday, I could not bend over, then stand up without dizziness! Saturday was fine.....

I was way better last week (after I got the GS cookies out of the way, iykwim...)

The sun is FINALLY out here, but it is cold and breezy. I got some gardening done in the back yard, and tried to prune water sprouts out of the apple trees, but the saw would not cut them. I am not sure I want to go to town on a search for something! The day will be gone.

Have a great week!

Funky, I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Take it easy. A fall injury will set you back far more than a cold. Be careful.

Springroz, it's sunny here, too, and a bit warmer (45 degrees), and I'm heading out for a walk soon. I'm glad you're feeling better.

I'm still on my same track: focusing on strength training and protein intake to build muscle. I had 4 really good workouts last week, and a few long walks. I'm listening/following plenty of healthy aging stuff on social media and podcasts. One of the discussions was about the importance of lower body strength and doing squats and lunges. A commenter noted that one of her friends got "stuck" on a toilet and couldn't get up because she had no strength. Talk about an awful image! That's enough of a goal for me: I never want to be stuck on a toilet.

Circling back to safety, too, Funky--a dear friend fell and broke her ankle last year. She was healthy going into it, but the accident has since set her back in so many ways. It's why I've included more focus on balance in my exercise, too.

So true about the strength training. I've been doing a couple extra squats whenever I stand up from any chair, trying to add is some strength training. I believe in it so much, but am really having a hard time being consistent enough to get stronger.

I was out of town for a few days and ate horribly. We really didn't have great food options and I feel pretty awful today. I've been thinking about my weight gain, and how I really do have about 20 more pounds to lose and how to go about that. And I think I'm going to try yet another diet tweak and just try even harder to eat better and unprocessed foods. There is something in my diet that isn't quite working for me digestively, and obviously weight wise, so I'm going to mix some things up and see what I get.

It is so hard for me to eat unprocessed foods. Even though I think I cook a good bit, I haven't hit the sweet spot of having foods available that I like enough to stop me from eating other things. And even some things I cook with could be considered processed. I don't want perfect to be the enemy of good or however that saying goes, but I do think I have some improving to do.

On a good note, we walked for hours yesterday and I hit 100 hours outside last week. We are headed to California later this week, so I'm hoping for good weather, and maybe some great grocery stores and better food choices. DH is completely on board with better food goals, so we should be able to find something.

<<It is so hard for me to eat unprocessed foods. Even though I think I cook a good bit, I haven't hit the sweet spot of having foods available that I like enough to stop me from eating other things. And even some things I cook with could be considered processed. I don't want perfect to be the enemy of good or however that saying goes, but I do think I have some improving to do. >>

This is a struggle for me too when I am busy ... many days lately (and for the next few months), I start work at 5:30am and am not done until 7 or 8pm. I take breaks but not long enough breaks to prepare a meal. I am not a crockpot cooker/eater. I often feel stuck .. or I give in and use processed or semi-processed food. Wegman's "ready to cook" has helped ... but they are expensive and not always low calorie.

Just last night I tried a new place I think I mentioned here: Clean Eatz. It is a very good option for me as they have both a cafe/fresh made food and also frozen dishes that looked *very* fresh (though not all meals appeal to me or in the calorie range I prefer.. more on that in a moment). I had a "Make your own Bowl" .. nothing new there, many restaurants offer them-- but I was pretty struck by how good and healthy my bowl was ... and how affordable it was. I hadn't eaten prior to going for dinner last night. I had a medium bowl for $11 and change. It included chicken, brussels sprouts, asparagus, herbed carrots and brown rice -- and the bowl wasn't loaded with brown rice/carbs. It was loaded with veggies. You are limited to 3 veggies but there are plenty of them. It was plenty for starving me last night and also leftovers for lunch today. I can't eat at McDonalds that inexpensively for 2 meals. There are a selection of sauces-- supposedly also "clean". I haven't seen an ingredients list but I assume they are also low calorie. I had thai peanut which was fine-- not the best I ever had or made but good. They also have clean wraps, burgers (salmon, turkey, bison and blackbean) and some other dishes. Really, i was very pleased with the experience and the cost.

They are pretty widely available in the mid and southern east coast ... and a light scattering of them on the northern east coast (Ct, MA, ME)

Not sure where you are, Legomom but maybe keep an eye out in your area or where you travel? I definitely think the cafe will provide me options for days when I run out of time.

I am also going to try some of their frozen meals -- I'll be honest, not all of them appeal-- but they change the menu weekly so even if i like 1 or 2 options, it will help on a busy week. Some have more calories than I want ... some just sound like they're targeting a much younger person. I am not all that interested in a "cheeseburger bowl" ... but an adobe chicken bowl sounds great!

I don't usually rave about restaurant chains or "fast" food ... but really, this is going to be such a help to me. I thought I'd share in case it would help someone else too .. either if there's one in your area, if you mail order their meals or you find one while traveling.

Funkyart...I'm also sending YOU feel better wishes. 🌹

I made a small pot of green chile using ground turkey, instead of pork = less fat. Then using half baby spinach & half tortilla chips to serve it over. It's delicious! Topping it with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I made enough for several days.

Thanks, Nicole .. I am feeling much better!

Thanks for that recommendation Funky - We don't have one in town, but they do offer delivery. I just can't see an ingredient list and don't really want to substitute same for same, IYKWIM. Just for example - one of my gotos is/was chipotle. I do a bowl with chicken, veggies, half and half black and pinto beans and pico. No blood sugar spike, 6-7 different plant products, good protein value. I guess a winner, but-all the veggies and protein are cooked in seed oils and they supposedly cook the beans in the plastic bag giving them one of the highest microplastic ratings around. Should I worry about those things? I don't know - everyone seems to have an opinion about it. It's the perfect vs good enough I guess. I have cut back, but that leaves a gap in my diet I need to fill. I grew up eating a lot of fast food. My mom was a great cook, but I came later in life and I think she was tired of cooking. I had things after school every day from middle school on and so we stopped on the way home and got something. Then it was fine, because exercise and young, but now I think I have those taste buds and desire for eating out/convenience foods even all these years later. I like healthy foods, I enjoy cooking, but I still have some bad habits too.

yeah, i get it -- and really not a fan of the frozen offerings this week (and maybe not ever). The in cafe bowls I will order again for sure.

I never tried chipotle -- do you believe it? There is one about 1.5 mi away. I could walk to it!

Funky, I ate at a restaurant similar to what Clean Eatz looks like a month or so ago. It's called True Food Kitchen, and they have locations around the country. I was surprised at the quality of food for a reasonable price. I don't recall what I had, but I do remember thinking I could probably take half of it home and serve it over greens and quinoa or something. There were ways I could "stretch" the meal itself with healthy fillers. It's great that options like these are becoming more available.

Legomom, I haven't eaten at Chipotle in several years, but it was a family favorite when my kids were younger and in sports. I recall getting the bowls, and would divide it in half and serve each half over more lettuce and added salsa for fillers. That might be an idea, and technically would spread out the seed oils/plastic exposure. I understand your concerns there. I recently switched to loose leaf tea because of microplastics in many tea bags. I found a great local source, but guess what? The bulk tea is sold in plastic bags.

And last night I watched the What the Health documentary on Netflix, and now I don't know what to eat anymore. It seems all of our food sources have been compromised in some way. But the documentary did include Dr. Michael Greger, who I follow on IG and who my trusted dietician friend recommends as someone who's advice is science-based. He helps run this site:

https://nutritionfacts.org/

It's a rabbit hole, though.

I will have to give Chipotle a try-- it is not only close but delivers. I just always wrote it off as "fast food". I knew my nieces and nephews liked it-- but they also like mcdonalds lol.

It can be a full time gig keeping up on what foods are in favor and what preparations/packaging etc are contaminating our foods. I had food poisoning or some related bacterial infection from salad last year. It was a big salad and I was very sick lol. I am still struggling to enjoy salads almost a year later.

Thanks for teh link, Feathers!

But it also makes me feel like a fraud lol ... some weeks I am just proud that I stayed away from the chips!

I’m always proud if I stay away from chips! 😀 They are my weakness for sure!

Check and see if you have a CAVA nearby. They do bowls and wraps and such. Can be healthier depending on what you pick. https://cava.com/locations

Yeah, pretty sure my feeling crappy over the weekend all goes back to allergies. I feel much better this week but yesterday I slept for over 12 hr and that just isnt like me. Definitely not 100% and the pollen has only just started.

I really really need to try a sheet pan meal! I am so slow to catch the trends!