So I’m just going to sit here in lala land (a place you can get to by way of the Ativan train). It’s a lovely place to visit.

I didn’t and don’t want to make a huge deal about what has happened between Eric and me. It’s a private matter. The short version is that we both decided things were not working the way we’d hoped they would and neither of us was happy.

We are now divorced. Still talking to each other. Still care about each other. But not married to each other.

That’s it, really. The big news I’ve been holding onto for the past few months, wondering whether I should let it seep out slowly or just blurt it out. I opted for blurting. It feels good. Everyone’s stunned just the same as if I’d said it slowly.

The truth is, I don’t want to get into details. I don’t want to gossip. I refuse to speak badly of Eric. I still care about him very much. That’s never going to change. Both of us have had some rough times in the past few years. I hope anyone who knows us will extend their concern and prayers (if you do that sort of thing) to both of us.

Here I am living in my parents’ house, biding my time until they’ve had enough of my company (I believe that’s scheduled for July 1). In the meantime, I’ve started taking a course to become a Certified Fitness Trainer. I’ve tried to keep my head financially above water (and I would have done it much better if it wasn’t for those meddling taxmen!).

That’s the news. That’s everything. Well, not everything, but the main parts. I’m hoping to become more active in something soon. Probably fitness stuff. I’m become amazed at how much difference you can make in your health, your mind, your appearance, and your self-esteem simply by sticking to a decent exercise and diet routine. I’m like a new person.

Oh — and I discovered last weekend that I’m actually 5′ 2″ tall, not 5′ 1″ as I’d thought for the last 20 or so years.

Mary

One bad habit I’ve had since high school (and I’m not saying how long that’s been) is that I use Sweet-N-Low in my coffee in the morning. I never considered it a problem. And it probably isn’t, but I thought I’d give a healthier alternative a try. So I bought some Stevia packets at Trader Joe’s. It’s a bit like sugar, flavor-wise. Not bad. I don’t love it, but I can get used to it. I think if you use sugar, it’s probably easy to make the switch to Stevia, because the taste is really that similar.

One minor change, but it’s a step in a healthier direction. Anyone can start with something that simple and be successful. Then success breeds success. That’s the theory, anyway.

Another diet thing I did was to try egg protein powder. Now, I don’t know if it’s the brand or that flavor (chocolate) or just egg protein powders in general, but … yuck! I’m glad I spent only $11.00 on it. But I’m frugal to a fault sometimes, so I’m going to keep trying to stomach the stuff. This morning I tried mixing it with vanilla yogurt. Not a good idea. I managed to choke it down, but it was unpleasant.

This afternoon I tried a different tack. I mixed half a scoop of the egg protein powder with a half a scoop of Designer Whey (chocolate), some water, a couple of splashes of half and half, and some natural peanut butter (Trader Joe’s brand is yummy and cheap!). Then, for good measure, I tossed in another little bit of the Designer Whey. I put all of this in the blender. The result? Not very thick, but extremely palatable. Peanut butter can cover up almost any bad taste.

I really like the idea of egg protein. It’s a good protein. Since I’m tiny, I need to make sure whatever calories I take in have the nutrients I need. When I’m lifting heavy, I need to get some amount of protein from “easy” sources, instead of whole foods or I end up overeating. Having learned my lesson, however, I plan on doing some research before I try a different brand or flavor of egg protein. In the meantime, I’ve found a new post-workout shake.

The point is that you don’t have to make sweeping changes all at once to start on the road to better health. In fact, you’re much more likely to stay healthy and continue your good habits if you add them into your life gradually. Because we are talking about changing your life — not just limiting your calories and jumping around like a nutcase for a few weeks.

Eventually I’ll post about some of the supplements I’ve added to my diet. Vitamins, minerals, herbs — stuff like that.

Mary

Jeremy tells an amazing story and provides excellent information about adopting a healthy lifestyle. Just take a look at the cover!

While I’m on the topic of transformations … Here’s another book you’ll want to get your hands on:

Another great story and helpful guide to getting the most out of life.

–Mary

Now I eat breakfast every day. After all the downtime overnight, your body needs fuel. The best fuel is something that combines protein and carbohydrate. You can get this in many forms: eggs and whole-grain toast; oatmeal and skim milk; a meal-replacement shake; a meal-replacement bar (this is useful when you’re in a hurry).

One of my favorite breakfasts now is some protein powder in a cup of coffee and a slice of sprouted grain bread with a little whole fruit spread.

First off, it’s not ideal to mix your fruit with other foods, but I do like it and I use only a small amount and, well, this is my life so I need to do what I’ll stick with and what makes me happy. When I say a small amount, I mean about a teaspoon. It’s also usually a berry spread — blackberry, raspberry, or strawberry.

Second, the sprouted grain bread I eat is a multi-grain. It’s also a little pricey. But, there are 5 grams of protein in each slice of this bread. No kidding. Whole grains are good for you — processed grains are bad for you. I have only one slice of this bread in a day and I keep it in the refrigerator so it lasts me a while.

What is sprouted grain bread? They let the grains sprout before they grind them up to make the bread. The bread is heavy and hearty. It tastes wonderful, almost a little nutty. Yes, you can see some unusual little “artifacts” in the bread. They don’t pulverize the grains, they grind them. When you look at a basic white bread, you’re looking at something made from pulverized, bleached wheat. Your body sucks up the carbs from that and rapidly turns them into sugar. The sugar spikes your insulin. This is bad. When the grains are ground up, but not pulverized, your body needs to do a little work before it can make the carbs into sugar. Thus, the sugar is released into your blood slowly, which gives you a gradual increase in insulin. This is much safer.

The third thing about this breakfast is the protein powder in my coffee. I put in half a scoop just to pump up the amount of protein in my breakfast. Chocolate is yummy. The problem for me is that this only gets me up to about 15 grams of protein for my breakfast. It’s probably better for me to get 20+ grams of protein. But an eating program is all about what you can live with and what you will continue to do for the rest of your life. I make up my protein requirements in other meals during the day. If I’ve had a heavy lifting day the day before, I might forgo my toast and just have a meal-replacement shake with 18 – 20 grams of protein. (Your body builds muscle for about 24 hours after you lift; you need to feed it protein to provide it with the materials to build that muscle.)

That’s the story.