Wedding Blog

I know it’s expensive, but consider it a long-term investment. Getting chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, COPD costs a lot too.

For cooking, meal planning can help you cut down on waste. For example, if you need eggplant and zucchini for one recipe, find some other recipes that also incorporate those ingredients. Also, I often cook double or triple servings when I make a particular recipe and freeze the extra servings. I wait a week or two and put the leftovers into the fridge to defrost, so I can microwave it when I get home.

As for exercise, uggh, it’s hard especially when you live in Virginia where it’s frequently either freezing cold outside and icy or super-hot and humid outside. It might be worth investing in some flashcard/ books with some weight-training moves. That way, you can put together your own workouts and avoid the monotony that comes with videos. I’ve found a pilates studio near me that is surprisingly affordable ($13/ class with a multi-class card). I can’t wait until the public outdoor pool opens because the public indoor pools have so much chlorine, they destroy my hair! And joining a gym with a pool is cost-prohibitive.

I joined Planet Fitness last December and they’re $10/month in many places. No pool and kind of a crappy class selection, but since all I really want is cardio and weight machines, it’s worth it.

Also, Farmer’s Markets = awesome. Though here in Maryland, they’re pretty sparse in winter. We eat a lot of frozen veggies. There’s a Sysco (the foodservice folks) outlet store here that has crazy prices on frozen vegetables– $2 for like 2.5 lbs of vegetables. Also check “ethnic” grocers for deals and steals on produce. H-Mart (our local Asian superstore) is fantastic for produce. Costco is also good and worth the $40-50/year, even for just two of us. Can’t get a better price on cat food. The price for mushrooms is also great. And minced garlic.

I tend to be extremely tough on people who find excuses for not working out, so if you are not serious about getting fit, read no further!
I have rheumatoid arthritis, and permanent joint/ bone erosion damage in my feet, wrists, and shoulder (in fact, I am getting my shoulder replaced soon), yet I did my first Olympic triathon last year. Your knees are troubling you, but they will most likely improve with the right exercises to strengthen the supporting soft tissues around them (if all of your medical advice is from one person who says ‘don’t work out’, then see another medical professional! Oh yes, my father is also a rehabilitation doctor).
Most people can’t find the motivation to work out because the end result seems too distant and they only think of weight or physical appearance as the benefit. The key to a lifetime of fitness is to actually recognize that you feel better when you take care of yourself. The path to reaching that feel good stage is to set both long and short term goals. Long term goal: do a century bike ride (or maybe walking all the way to the gym?). Short term goal: each week make a schedule of what you will accomplish each day. Increase your goals by a small percentage each week. Spark your inner competitor and enjoy seeing yourself progress. Try signing up for events to commit you to your goals. Programs like Team in Training are wonderful life time experiences that will also keep you sticking to your goal!
As for food, keep making those short term goals. Try cutting out refined sugars (or maybe just ‘prepared food’)for a whole week. It may seem tough, but you can do it for a week! Have oatmeal for breakfast (add some honey or brown sugar; it’s still better for you than most any cereal; way cheaper; and fills you up!); keep all meals similarly simple. Look at your food and say: “can I name everything that I am about to put in my mouth?” If it’s some fancy diet frozen entree, probably not. Do yourself a favor and just have some chicken breast, spinach and sweet potatoes instead (all relatively inexpensive foods). You may already start to feel more energy at the end of a week! Then maybe you can do it for a few more days…and a few more…or just add in a treat once in a while…and soon you will retrain your palate. I know, because used to eat tons of refined carbs, and now my body actually knows what it needs (and it’s not sugar!). If you have a day where you fall off the wagon, that’s okay. Tomorrow you are back on! Same with working out. Little goals and big goals, and remember that the real goal is to enrich your life.

Miss Joey I’ve noticed your posts lately have a complain-y vibe. I hope that Seattle weather isn’t getting you down. Cheer up, the sun will be here SOON!

I have a lot of problems with my ankles and knees too and I know it can be really hard to find something that really works. Have you ever considered buying a bike? I know it sounds like a major investment, but you can get solid bikes at relatively good prices from a second hand store or even Craigslist. Biking would offer you a low impact cardio work out, and a fun way to get around too. On top of that I use prevention.com to find great work outs (sometimes with video), healthy recipes, and diet/fitness tips.

Good luck!

I’ve been active my whole life and have had a couple knee surgeries already. I’ve found that the only thing that really conditions my body to support my knees is yoga/pilates. There are so many variations of these two activities that it’s really tough to get bored! Plus, you do them indoors & they require minimal equipment, which makes them perfect for all that Seattle rain. On the weekend, I choose which 3 classes I’ll go to during the upcoming week, and I don’t let anything get in the way of attending them. My knees start to ache if I miss workouts, and that affects every other part of my life, so making it to these workouts is one of the top priorities in my life!! I highly recommend it.