6 Week Challenge

I'm not very good at remembering to post, am I?

6 Week Challenge - Day 11

Went to the end-of-semester dinner for my ESL class night.

There was a chocolate fountain.

A chocolate fountain.

Besides that, this is getting easier. I'm not craving sweets as much, which can only be a good thing.

But seriously, a chocolate fountain. How I resisted it I will never know.

6 Week Challenge - Day 4

pH.

Part of the deal with this challenge is a goal to better my pH - to get it as close to neutral as possible. Why do I want my pH to be neutral?

A neutral pH leads to increased energy and vitality, improved mental clarity, glowing skin... or at least that's what they tell me. So far I'm not noticing any increased vitality, but it's still early.

I have a chart of foods that shows which foods make your body's pH more acidic and which make your body's pH more alkaline. Given that my pH is a little acidic, I have thus far been trying to eat the foods that will make me more alkaline.

I'll let you know once my skin starts glowing.

6 Week Challenge - Day 3

I'm grumpy today.

It could be perhaps that my shoes were too tight. It could be that my head isn't screwed on quite right.

But I think that the mostly likely reason of all....

Is that my body has used up its sugar stores and now I have to deal with the withdrawals that come when a person gives up something that he or she is addicted to.

I'm hungry.

6 Week Challenge - Day 2

Tough day to be off of sweets and alcohol. Here's why:

1) Boss brought in doughnuts for the morning team meeting. I love doughnuts. I really, really love doughnuts. Glazed doughnuts. Chocolate-filled doughnuts. Mmmmmmm.

2) Baby shower at lunch. There were cupcakes. I love cupcakes. Not as much as doughnuts, but still. Moist, delicious, chocolate cupcakes.

3) Wine tasting party this evening. I enjoy wine. I had to just sit there and eat my crackers like a lame non-wine drinker.

Sigh.

I want a doughnut.

6 Week Challenge - Day 1

pH: 6.5.
Bicep: 10 3/8" around.

My pH is more acidic than it should be; the goal is to be as close to neutral (7.4 or whatever it is) as possible.

My bicep is quite small. Lots of room for improvement there.

I don't expect the no caffeine thing to be difficult. At work I drink decaffinated black tea all day every day. I don't really like coffee. I usually don't drink that much pop, mostly because I'd have to pay for it, and there are many other things I'd rather spend my money on. Like dresses. The no alcohol thing shouldn't be too terribly difficult either. Memorial Day weekend will be tough, but my pH will be closer to neutral by then (in theory) and I'll be so serene that I won't need alcohol.

The tough part will be the junk food. I have a full drawer at my desk at work that is dedicated to chocolate. My favourite foods, unsurprisingly, are the ones that are the worst for me. This morning I put all of my chocolate into a big bag and gave it to one of my friends at work to hold for me until my 6 weeks is up. I would not be strong enough to resist temptation if the chocolate was so close at hand. I should have counted it, though, so I would know if she takes any. I'm watching you, KO.

Yes, the junk food will be the tough part. I missed my traditional after-lunch chocolate treat today, but I have made it through day 1 with no caffeine, no alcohol, and no junk food. Day 2 will be tough. Team Meeting tomorrow morning. Team Meeting with doughnuts. Sigh. I love doughnuts. Perhaps I should bring some tree bark to nibble on.

6 Week Challenge - Intro.

My Dad is a personal trainer. One of latest and greatest ideas for his gym was a 6 week challenge in which participants (a) had no caffeine for 6 weeks, (b) had no alcohol for 6 weeks, (c) had no junk food for 6 weeks, and (d) had to work out for at least 3 hours a week, for 6 weeks.

My Mom decided that this sounded yoo fun to pass up, so I got recruited so she'd have someone to "challenge". I have "challenge" in the quotation marks because to pretend that I'm actually a challenge is... laughable.

We started by taking two (and only two) measurements: pH and left bicep. The aim of the game is to grow that bicep (and the rest of my muscles) and bring my pH to neutral which should result in more energy, better moods, and so on. The interesting thing about this is that we're not competing directly against each other. We're trying to improve as much as we can on our own measurements, and whoever improves the most wins. I got The Husband in on it too, though he remains rather skeptical.

Part of my process will be to blog about this, hopefully every day. This will hopefully also remind me that I like blogging.

So it begins.

Age

I don't know if I like being 24.

That is all.

Brief Recap

#1: I haven't posted in a while.
#2: It's because I've been busy.
#3: No, seriously.
#4: Stop laughing.
#5: I will use the rest of this list to explain what I have been up to lately that has been stealing time away from my computer habits.
#6: Decided that while I liked my job well enough, and I liked most of the people well enough, I wanted something more. This ambition, it's a curse, I tell ya.
#7: Started sneakily looking around for better opportunities.
#8: Found one.
#9: Emailed a contact that I had made back in the day (when looking for a job was my full time job) about a position with his company (publishing house!!!) that I saw on the company's website. This contact had been one of many to reject me (it still stings) but in the process, I got his email address (sucker!).
#10: Somehow snuck away from my actual job (I took 2 2-hour "lunches") for interviews at the publishing house.
#11: Was offered job at publishing house (yay!!!!).
#12: Handed in resignation letter at employer. Almost passed out from the stress.
#13: Family came to visit, did a hell of a lot of stuff (Eagles concert, Muny, Cardinals game, Melting Pot, Mark Twain caves, Quincy, Gems game, Forest Park, etc, etc)
#14: Tried to recover from family visit.
#15: Back to work for 4 days (shortened week after July 4th holiday).
#16: Started new job. Quaked in terror entire first week.
#17: Attended wedding.
#18: Second week at new job. Quaking a little less.
#19: Attended another wedding, at which The Husband was the Best Man.
#20: Drank too much at wedding.
#21: Slept.
#22: Am currently in the middle of my third week at the new job. Trying very hard not to single-handedly run the company into the ground. Too soon to tell if I am succeeding.
#23: Blogged about it.

Pickle Keg (Or, Why The Husband Cannot Be Trusted Alone At The Grocery Store)

A few days ago The Husband ran out to the local grocery store to pick up some pop, and when he returned, he had the pop. But he also had this:

(Please note that the keg of pickles is taller than my Brita water filter. Seriously. It's a big mother.)

How the heck do I explain this massive keg of admittedly rather phallic pickles to my family when they arrive on Thursday?