Healthy Living around the World Showcase ~ June 2016 WISH Challenge!

[SarahDisney]

But why did I tell you all of this? I think there is a lesson to be learned from the Norwegians: There ability as a country to exercise moderation. Yes, some of the oil money goes to benefit the people living there. But most of it isn't. They know that spending everything would be nice now, but really bad later. How do you deal with moderation? Is this easy for you or do you struggle with it? Have you found ways to help you being better in this regard?

My father is a history teacher (American history and government), so I like the idea of learning lessons from history and government.
Moderation can be easy for me if I allow it to be. I know that makes no sense, so lets see if I can explain...
If I force myself to focus on moderation, I can do it. If I say that my priority is 3 cups of coffee a week, or two pieces of chocolate a week, or one cookie a day ... if that's what I'm choosing to focus on, then I can be successful. But if I'm focusing on something else, or giving myself too much to think about, then moderation falls by the wayside.
Right now I'm focusing on moderation with my coffee - I'm doing it in addition to other things, but I think that so far I've been successful. I think I need to make moderation a part of a routine one thing at a time, and over time I'll learn moderation in everything instead of moderation in small pieces.

I tracked my food today for the first time in a long time - so yeah. I was honest - I was going super good but then I totally ruined our dinner (accidentally left the temperature on the turbo oven on defrost/wash when I thought the chicken had been roasting for an hour!!! ooops) kids were starving and would not have been able to wait for it to cook and it would have been too late in the evening for them - so we had emergency pizza. The good thing is that whilst I ended up in the red it wasn't by all that much as I had made good choices earlier in the day.

I think this highlights something I've realized recently - it's really important to make good choices earlier in the day. If you make good choices earlier in the day, if something "goes wrong" later in the day, the damage isn't as bad. But if you make poor choices in the morning with plans to make up for it later in the day ... if something goes wrong, you're in trouble.
So the lesson to be learned here is ... make good choices early in the day!

 

[Lady Marie]

Sorry I went MIA this weekend. Usually I manage to get on and at least check in-- but it got crazy! My MIL fell and broke her nose and elbow which led to an upset in my usual schedule. Thankfully she will be ok though!

Not that is matters too much being that I am at 0% for the first week... My self control went right out the window when being with the family and eating take out. I guess that's the mask I wear-- that I have any sort of self control when I don't! It's a lot easier when self-control is part of my routine though.

I've been trying to manage moderation with no success at all. As I've mentioned previously, I'm a sugar addict and have been unable to find the balance point where some is enough... Some always leads to more, and more, and more. I've slipped from having a few bad days to not even being on program, so you need the bite and claw my way back.

This is me to a T!!! My 100 calorie packs help with moderation, but sometimes I slip right back because the sugar addiction is REAL!

 

[DVCFan1994]

Question of the Day – June 2nd

Yesterday we talked about about who we are and what our goals are. Today, tell us what makes this month a new start for you. What are you going to do different this month. Or are you keeping everything as it is? What is your plan for this month?

I actually had my most successful month in a while last month, so I am going to keep going with what works Which for me is consistency with exercise and moderation with my diet.

This June, I'm hoping that I can continue to do what I've done in May. At this point, I'm not doing anything new or different, just staying on course.

I do need to come up with some sort of running/workout plan. I've been kind of going week to week depending on if I had a race or not, but I need to change that.

Random running question - for those that run 10k's and halfs, how much slower is your pace on the half from your 10k pace?

For me its about a minute per mile difference half to 10k. There is a great predictor at https://www.mcmillanrunning.com. You plug in a recent race time and it predicts times at other distances. You can also enter a goal race and time and get an idea of what the difference is. It is accurate for me for the 5k and 10k, but the half time is of by :30 seconds a mile. But I've never run a half uninjured The screen shot below shows what I am talking about, because I'm doing an awful time describing it I think. The grey box at the top is an actual 10k time for me, and it uses that to predict my other times. At the bottom, the grey box is my someday goal for a half of under 2 hours. It shows what pace I'd need to accomplish that and what my pace would be at other distances might be if I improved that much.



McMillan has done a ton of research coming up with the formulas for what the expected differences in pace are based on increasing race distance.

Since we had so few answers on the Saturday QOTD, I am going to skip the QOTD for Sunday. But I have a

Bonus Fun QOTD for Sunday June 5:

If you could add one country to the World Showcase? Which country would that be? Tell us what you would put into that pavilion.

(And in case anyone does not remember right now which countries there are, we currently have: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, United States of America, Japan, Marocco, France, United Kingdom, Canada),

So clearly I am food obsessed because my first thought is what food would I like to have... But my answer is Greece. Love Greek food.

Question of the Day for June 6:

But why did I tell you all of this? I think there is a lesson to be learned from the Norwegians: There ability as a country to exercise moderation. Yes, some of the oil money goes to benefit the people living there. But most of it isn't. They know that spending everything would be nice now, but really bad later. How do you deal with moderation? Is this easy for you or do you struggle with it? Have you found ways to help you being better in this regard?

So to me moderation is key. I love food. I love to eat, cook, and particularly bake. My favorite childhood memories involve cooking with family, and I love cooking with my own kids. But when I had a lot of weight to lose, I struggled with my eating initially. Which is why at first I focused on exercise, then my nutrition. I was miserable when I tried to "diet" or restrict certain things. I decided I had to make a choice. To remain miserable depriving myself of things I loved, or learn to eat them in a healthy way. There are some diet plans that say you can have a percentage of your calories as empty calories for treats. I did not follow those, but I guess it is a similar model. My diet is primarily balanced and healthy (a lot like the mediterranean diet) but I have room daily for less healthy options and treats that allow me to have foods one might not normally expect of a healthy eater. For example, I eat a non fat plain greek yogurt after I exercise, and I top it with 16 (32 if its a long run DARK (lower sugar) chocolate chips. So I get a nearly daily dose of chocolate. I have wine, but only on weekends, and usually just a glass, at most two, and again only on days when I have exercised hard and have extra calories to use (I track with MFP). I eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner, and my snacks are sort of my combination or healthy and unhealthy foods. I aim to eat 30% protein, 45% carbs, 25% fat. Many nights I have ice cream, but only a carefully measured 1/2 cup. I think that learning to do this when I first successfully lost weight made the process much more of a lifestyle change and less a diet. The weight came off and stayed off until that period last spring where I could not do any exercise at all for 6 weeks. And in full disclosure, I also exercise a lot, which is probably why I gained 10 pounds super fast in 6 weeks when I couldn't exercise. But that exercise gives me a bit of leeway to have more treats from time to time, and helps me recover when I have overindulged, which absolutely does happen, but not regularly. That to me is moderation. To me that reward of a small dish of ice cream at the end of the day is much better when I know I've earned it by going out for a run or doing a spin class or whatever. Exercise is sort of my moderating factor.

And to be clear, I am not trying to say that those of you who chose a more all or nothing approach or restrict certain foods etc., are doing anything wrong. It just absolutely would not work for me, and did not when I tried. We are all an experiment of one. I have a tendency toward binge eating. If I restricted anything too much I would absolutely end up bingeing to the point of making myself sick sooner or later. By allowing a reasonable amount of anything, I ward off bingeing on foods I might be missing.

 

[Zoesmama03]

I was surprised to see my fasting glucose at 100 this morning. I'm getting so close to that normal reading. And this was with the last two weeks cutting the dose in half(I only take the night dose) so it is improving and I can see an end in sight for that medication. I haven't been to the gym in two days. I was going to go last night but my calories were low so I didn't want to put my "net" even farther down. But I did 20 minutes on my exercise bike before I went to sleep for a little something.

Question of the Day for June 6:

We are moving on to Norway today! This is a pavilion the is currently under construction and it will soon re-appear in new form. However, we are visiting real countries, so I wanted to make sure that we get there before it is turned into the Arandelle pavilion. (And I have my own personal reasons, as exactly a year ago today my sister and I boarded the Disney Magic for a cruise to Norway!)

Norway is an interesting country: far far North in Europe, it's most southern point is the most northern southern point of any of the countries around the World Showcase. Only the USA (with Alaska) and Canada have part of their territory in the area where we find Norway. However, it is far warmer than one would think thanks to the North Atlantic Current, which continues the Gulf Stream - a current that brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico up through the Atlantic. Norway was a very poor country. Summers are short, so farming is only possible a few months a year. Most of the country's area is filled with majestic mountains, waterfalls, glaciers and fjords. While pretty for the tourists, it is difficult to live from this land.

This all changed in the late 1960s when the North Sea Oil Fields were discovered. The Norwegians decided to be responsible with all the richness they suddenly had with the oil money. The oil industry is to a large part owned by the Norwegian government, so that most of the oil revenue actually goes to the state. It is used to provide some of the best schools in the world (Norway constantly ranks very high on international comparisons), hospitals, infrastructure in the very inaccessible parts of the country and such. However, the largest part of it goes into a large fund, The Government Pension Fund of Norway, also known as the Oil Fund, which was set up to provide wealth for Norway once the oil runs out. Today, Norway is one of the few countries in the world that do not have any debt, but instead has a capital reserve. It is the second richest country in the world and continuously ranks as one of the countries with the highest standard of living. If you have ever wondered why the Norwegian pavilion in its original form focussed so heavily on the oil drilling: That's why. The oil changed the country.

But why did I tell you all of this? I think there is a lesson to be learned from the Norwegians: There ability as a country to exercise moderation. Yes, some of the oil money goes to benefit the people living there. But most of it isn't. They know that spending everything would be nice now, but really bad later. How do you deal with moderation? Is this easy for you or do you struggle with it? Have you found ways to help you being better in this regard?

I can do moderation most of the time. I won't say it isn't a struggle sometimes. I do struggle with moderation on some foods like salt and vinegar chips or Doritos/chips and salsa type stuff. Sweets can be hard for me. So I try to make my ideal moderation for those foods as "sometimes" foods. Like they did with cookies on Sesame Street. Because I know if I try to say I can't have them ever it just won't work nor is it logical. Now some things I avoid now for health symptoms like dairy gives me trouble and I found that gluten really reacts with me when I consume too much. Low amounts lessen my IBS symptoms and so I have really put more moderation on those foods. So those very real and sometimes painful reactions have helped me do better. Right now putting health at the top of priorities helps me do better in this regard for sure. And of course documenting and processing the changes that have happened. Lost weight and inches, feeling better physically those things seem to have helped encourage more moderation controls.

My father is a history teacher (American history and government), so I like the idea of learning lessons from history and government.
Moderation can be easy for me if I allow it to be. I know that makes no sense, so lets see if I can explain...
If I force myself to focus on moderation, I can do it. If I say that my priority is 3 cups of coffee a week, or two pieces of chocolate a week, or one cookie a day ... if that's what I'm choosing to focus on, then I can be successful. But if I'm focusing on something else, or giving myself too much to think about, then moderation falls by the wayside.
Right now I'm focusing on moderation with my coffee - I'm doing it in addition to other things, but I think that so far I've been successful. I think I need to make moderation a part of a routine one thing at a time, and over time I'll learn moderation in everything instead of moderation in small pieces.



I think this highlights something I've realized recently - it's really important to make good choices earlier in the day. If you make good choices earlier in the day, if something "goes wrong" later in the day, the damage isn't as bad. But if you make poor choices in the morning with plans to make up for it later in the day ... if something goes wrong, you're in trouble.
So the lesson to be learned here is ... make good choices early in the day!

I agree I think keeping good choices early in the day for breakfast and lunch really help pave the way if something does go off plan. That gives us the option to work in moderation. I eat pizza weekly despite the problems I've had with IBS and such. It has been far better since reducing certain foods but I've found I can still do that moderate amounts.

Sorry I went MIA this weekend. Usually I manage to get on and at least check in-- but it got crazy! My MIL fell and broke her nose and elbow which led to an upset in my usual schedule. Thankfully she will be ok though!

Not that is matters too much being that I am at 0% for the first week... My self control went right out the window when being with the family and eating take out. I guess that's the mask I wear-- that I have any sort of self control when I don't! It's a lot easier when self-control is part of my routine though.



This is me to a T!!! My 100 calorie packs help with moderation, but sometimes I slip right back because the sugar addiction is REAL!

Yes I have sugar addiction no doubt. UGH!! But I'll tell you I have eaten take out quite a lot in the last 6 weeks yet still lost 10 lbs. You have to plan for it. Some of the days I keep very on plan and low calories to enjoy the take out. And one night a week I go over calories on purpose but try to get in a good strength workout that day too. SO I know a good portion of the overage goes towards repairing those muscles. The goal with moderation is to be able to enjoy take out sometimes. And for me if that means eating an apple and protein shake for breakfast and salad for lunch to enjoy the occasional fast food meal eaten at nice restaurants then I'll do that.

 

[4Mickeys]

My MIL fell and broke her nose and elbow which led to an upset in my usual schedule. Thankfully she will be ok though!

Sorry to hear about your MIL ouch - hope she recovers soon.

 

[ohMom]

Shewie I got behind. Been trying to keep up with nurse job as DH recovers from his shoulder surgery. This week he is going back to work half days so that's helps. Also had an endo appt and after asking for over a year she finally agreed it was appropriate to add in some thyroid meds.... I sure hope this boosts my energy I desperately need

Got my metabolic workout in today before Pilates! Score! Now to fit in three more this week and mulch....

I love the idea of adding Australia !

Moderation is not usually easy for me....that's something I need to work on

 

[Flossbolna]

Question of the Day for June 7:

We are still in Norway and even though we are not yet at midsummer, Norway is a country where midsummer is very important. Part of Norway's territory is bejond the Arctic Circle. So, some Norwegians don't see the sun at all in winter, but have an abundance of light during the summer.

(This is the Disney Magic enjoying the Norwegain sunshine in Stavanger last year - and me in the front)

But even if none of us lives in Norway, for all of us on the Northern Hemisphere, June brings long days and lots of sunlight. Do you make good use of the light? Do you find it helpful for your well being and healthy living or does it not matter.

(@4Mickeys, sorry you just need to think yourself back to December or tell us how you are dealing with less sunlight right now!)

 

[mamattorney]

Question of the Day for June 7:

We are still in Norway and even though we are not yet at midsummer, Norway is a country where midsummer is very important. Part of Norway's territory is bejond the Arctic Circle. So, some Norwegians don't see the sun at all in winter, but have an abundance of light during the summer.

(This is the Disney Magic enjoying the Norwegain sunshine in Stavanger last year - and me in the front)

But even if none of us lives in Norway, for all of us on the Northern Hemisphere, June brings long days and lots of sunlight. Do you make good use of the light? Do you find it helpful for your well being and healthy living or does it not matter.

(@4Mickeys, sorry you just need to think yourself back to December or tell us how you are dealing with less sunlight right now!)

I love the long days of June! Waking up when it's light makes me feel better rested and being able to be outside after dinner while it is still light makes me more active. When he's in town, my husband and I take walks after dinner a lot in the summer; especially in June and early July before it's super hot.

We also generally go on vacation in June, so that kind of throws off healthy eating, but on the plus side, we are usually more actively together as a family on vacation, so that's definitely conducive to my well-being.

 

[4Mickeys]

But even if none of us lives in Norway, for all of us on the Northern Hemisphere, June brings long days and lots of sunlight. Do you make good use of the light? Do you find it helpful for your well being and healthy living or does it not matter.

(@4Mickeys, sorry you just need to think yourself back to December or tell us how you are dealing with less sunlight right now!)

Thanks for thinking of me! The longer days and more sunlight definitely make a difference to my healthy living - We have had quite the cold snap here in the last week (although still nowhere as cold as some you have to deal with in winter) and it has affected my workout friends and myself - we haven't met for a week and a half now! too dark, too cold, too tired and one of us has been a little unwell. I really miss my mornings paddling on the water and can't wait till the weather/light lets us do it again. And even at the other end of the day - on Tuesdays for the boys hockey training I had been walking around the back grass fields but they are not lit and it is now dark when we arrive - so that option is out also. I just have to figure out what I am going to do to keep up the exercise in a different way. I have always been more a summer/sun loving girl - but do not like it when we get the extreme heat - that is becoming more regular the last few years.

I figure you are all out enjoying your summer weather and that is why things are pretty quiet on here lately. Looking forward to stories about your vacations - holiday exercise

 

[dsnyfn1022]

But even if none of us lives in Norway, for all of us on the Northern Hemisphere, June brings long days and lots of sunlight. Do you make good use of the light? Do you find it helpful for your well being and healthy living or does it not matter.

I really love the light for longer! It keeps me more motivated to work out. Because during the winter even if I was going into the gym when the sun was still up there would be no way that the sun would still be up by the time I got out. And I just got sleepy faster. So now, even if it's 6 or 7 o'clock and I haven't made it to the gym yet I'm still typically motivated to go just because it doesn't feel late.

Plus it's easier to be active in the summer. Gotta burn off enough calories to indulge in ice cream


_________

Busy morning for me! It's going to be one of "those" days. I can already tell. At least I'm in a decent mood? I pulled up to fill my car with gas (same car I've had for 7 years mind you) and totally had a brain fart and forgot which side the gas was on. So I sat at the pump for a solid minute trying to remember without getting out. Then I remember and determined I was indeed on the wrong side...sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself lol

 

[SarahDisney]

But even if none of us lives in Norway, for all of us on the Northern Hemisphere, June brings long days and lots of sunlight. Do you make good use of the light? Do you find it helpful for your well being and healthy living or does it not matter.

I've noticed that it makes a difference for me in two ways:
1 - It's a little easier for me to wake up early to run. I'm still not a big fan of early, but it's a little easier to get out of bed at 6 am when the sun is already up. During the winter I was waking up when it was still pitch black out, and I wasn't a fan.
2 - I can do things later in the day. I don't like to walk outside alone in the dark (especially in my neighborhood, where there are no sidewalks and a lot of winding streets where it's hard to see cars coming). But with it getting dark later, if I want to leave the house later in the day to run an errand, I can do that easily. There's a lot less pressure to get things done early in the day during the summer, which is really nice.

---

Hey guys! I was having "one of those mornings," so I decided to head to Starbucks and use my free drink for a latte. Definitely worth the calories. Now I just have to make sure I have a good lunch to balance it out a bit.
I got in a decent run this morning, which helps a bit. The only problem is that I'm using a different route than I normally do (they're doing construction a few blocks from my house, so I'm trying to avoid that street), and I'm still figuring things out a bit, so I ended up running a little bit longer than planned today - it wasn't a big deal, but I need to figure out a better way to do this so that I don't wear myself out.

I hope everyone's having a great day!

 

[courtneybeth]

But even if none of us lives in Norway, for all of us on the Northern Hemisphere, June brings long days and lots of sunlight. Do you make good use of the light? Do you find it helpful for your well being and healthy living or does it not matter.

(@4Mickeys, sorry you just need to think yourself back to December or tell us how you are dealing with less sunlight right now!)

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, I love the longer days between May and September. It allows me to feel more active and I enjoy running outside or just spending time at Disneyland with the late sunset.

I also notice that I'm not as hungry when it gets hot! It seems in the winter months that I just want to eat eat eat - and now i'm like "ugh , food. no way!"

It's all a balancing act. Also - that Cruise Shop looked amazing and I can't wait to take a Disney Cruise when I win the lottery.

 

[courtneybeth]

Thanks for thinking of me! The longer days and more sunlight definitely make a difference to my healthy living - We have had quite the cold snap here in the last week (although still nowhere as cold as some you have to deal with in winter) and it has affected my workout friends and myself - we haven't met for a week and a half now! too dark, too cold, too tired and one of us has been a little unwell. I really miss my mornings paddling on the water and can't wait till the weather/light lets us do it again. And even at the other end of the day - on Tuesdays for the boys hockey training I had been walking around the back grass fields but they are not lit and it is now dark when we arrive - so that option is out also. I just have to figure out what I am going to do to keep up the exercise in a different way. I have always been more a summer/sun loving girl - but do not like it when we get the extreme heat - that is becoming more regular the last few years.

I figure you are all out enjoying your summer weather and that is why things are pretty quiet on here lately. Looking forward to stories about your vacations - holiday exercise

So I've always wanted to know --- what is it like to celebrate the Christmas holidays when it's blistering hot outside and it's the middle of summer? I grew up with the notion of winter wonderlands and the holiday seasons, but your climate brings notions of Santa in swimtrunks and enjoying a surf holiday

It's on my bucket list to celebrate Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere. It must be strange to come to Disneyland or Disney World in June because instead of cold weather you're in the midst of our summer!

Busy morning for me! It's going to be one of "those" days. I can already tell. At least I'm in a decent mood? I pulled up to fill my car with gas (same car I've had for 7 years mind you) and totally had a brain fart and forgot which side the gas was on. So I sat at the pump for a solid minute trying to remember without getting out. Then I remember and determined I was indeed on the wrong side...sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself lol

I do this every time I have to get gas. There's a little arrow on my dashboard that points to the direction of where the tank is and I still screw it up every time.

In other words - you're not alone.

2 - I can do things later in the day. I don't like to walk outside alone in the dark (especially in my neighborhood, where there are no sidewalks and a lot of winding streets where it's hard to see cars coming). But with it getting dark later, if I want to leave the house later in the day to run an errand, I can do that easily. There's a lot less pressure to get things done early in the day during the summer, which is really nice.

This is how I feel - I love that I can do things later and not feel pressured to beat the 5pm sunset of winter.

 

[JacknSally]

The sunlight makes a BIG difference here. DH & I both deal with seasonal depression and the winters are absolutely miserable for us. All I want to do is eat, all he wants to do is hibernate.... It's a big part of the reason why I regained 20lbs of my lost-wedding-weight. He's regained everything he lost and then some. The struggle is real. But now the sun is back shining and it's so hot that eating is a real chore, haha. It doesn't help that our A/C went out Sunday and it's been 90 in the house the last two days. Miserable. I really need to re-up my water intake. We're lucky in that we both love fruit and there is usually lots around in the summer. I think DH would live off of strawberries if he could, lol. In our house, winter is all about the carbs, summer is all about lean protein and fruits.

 

[bigsis1970]

A BIG CELEBRATORY DANCE PARTY FOR YOU!! Congratulations - please keep us posted on your progress of setting up your new place and putting all of your personal touches into it.


.

Thanks so much @courtneybeth and @4Mickeys ... this week is DRAGGING ON and ON and ON I can't believe it's only Tuesday! LOL..

Question of the Day for June 7:

We are still in Norway and even though we are not yet at midsummer, Norway is a country where midsummer is very important. Part of Norway's territory is bejond the Arctic Circle. So, some Norwegians don't see the sun at all in winter, but have an abundance of light during the summer.

(This is the Disney Magic enjoying the Norwegain sunshine in Stavanger last year - and me in the front)

But even if none of us lives in Norway, for all of us on the Northern Hemisphere, June brings long days and lots of sunlight. Do you make good use of the light? Do you find it helpful for your well being and healthy living or does it not matter.

(@4Mickeys, sorry you just need to think yourself back to December or tell us how you are dealing with less sunlight right now!)

Call me Olaf.. I LOVE SUMMER!!! (and warm hugs HAAA) the longer lighter days improve my mental health which then makes me want to improve my overall health.. If we could have never go down to under 8 hrs of daylight I'd be a happy camper.. I should also tell you that I am a 6am to 2:30 pm worker in a large office where my department sits in the middle of the building so I get no actual light during my working hours unless I go outside. I get up at home at 4:30am and get home by 3:15pm so I need the longer daylight evening hours.. when it stays light out till 9ish I am pumped!! however once the daylight hours start dwindling down I feel myself also dwindling down too it's horrible sometimes in the winter I feel like I see NO SUN at all for days and I am just miserable ... If I could get 12ish hours (or more) of daylight year round I'd be golden..

No new news on the house.. Yesterday we got our pre-closing docs (5 day in advance of closing per the law) set up our walk thru one last time on Thursday evening then the hubs will sign his name a zillion times on Friday and we will be on the 25 year plan (altho we do hope to pay it off much sooner - by 5 or more years)

 

[courtneybeth]

Passholder Registration was this morning for the Star Wars Light Side races. Managed to get husband and I into the 10K with no problem, but it does make me nervous for Princess Glass Slipper Challenge next month.

 

[DVCFan1994]

I definitely love every minute of sunlight I can get. My kids get out of school a week from today, and with them home, I will need to do my runs in the very early AM, 515ish, in order to get in my miles before DH leaves for work. With the sun up that early I can do it outside safely instead of having to go use the dreadmill. I also definitely have more energy on longer sunnier days than the short dreary days of winter.

 

[DVCFan1994]

Passholder Registration was this morning for the Star Wars Light Side races. Managed to get husband and I into the 10K with no problem, but it does make me nervous for Princess Glass Slipper Challenge next month.

I get the nerves, totally, but you are an old pro at this now Just be on at 12:00 and you'll be fine assuming no disasters with Active. I've had to do as many as one glass slipper and three 5ks and gotten it done and there was still a gap until sell outs started happening. Last year I was done one glass slipper and two 5ks in under 7 minutes, they had made it easier. It is not an anniversary or anything this year either. Just make sure your active account is up to date and you have you credit card remembered by you computer or ready to copy and paste, and I am sure you'll be all set.
I am going to be so sad not to be registering this year I tried gently reminding DH I have perfect princess status for GSC, but he didn't pick up on it . Or he was not even slightly swayed away from his long promised ski trip. Either is equally possible!

 

[Flossbolna]

Just finished my exercise DVD. Now I am feeling totally drained. But in good way!!

@courtneybeth woohoo for the race registration!! And as to the Disney cruises, yes they are not cheap, but I find them comparable in price to a week at WDW at a Deluxe hotel with dining (if not cheaper, depending on season!). The great thing about the cruise is that there are no additional costs besides alcohol and spa and special dining and things like that. It kind of is an all-inclusive vacation. All normal food is included (not necessarily a good thing for weight loss though...). And even the two speciality restaurants are only an upcharge, not the full price what it would cost at comparable restaurant. Remy is only a notch below V&A in quality according to many people and it is 85$ per person. We don't bother paying a lot for a verandah, we can easily do inside staterooms, but might pay a little more for a porthole, just because it is nice to have a window. Norway was easy for my sister and me, the flight to Copenhagen to board the Magic cost us under 100 € return each. Actually, I thought that the 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises they have in fall of 2017 sounded pretty decently priced. The trick with DCL is to book early, or wait for last minute special deals. Prices rise as more and more rooms are being booked. So, if you look at a cruise 5 months from now, it will be pretty pricey. Look at the same cruise in 2017, you will see that it is most likely still cheaper. The great thing with DCL is that until final payment is due (mostly 90 days before departure), you can cancel anytime and get a full refund on your deposit. If you are really thinking about a cruise, I am happy to help you find the best deal! We always try to get our cruise for as little money as possible.

@bigsis1970 I hope you get through the next days without eating all your finger nails!! It is so exciting and I hope you will love living in the new place!!

@JacknSally seasonal depression is hard!! Hope you get to store up a lot of energy this summer!! Have you considered vitamin D during the winter. My doctor prescribed it to me last spring, I took it until May and then he told me to restart again in September. I feel that it made a huge difference in my energy and happiness levels!

QOTD:
I love the long days! They definitely help me to use my evenings in a more active and useful way instead of slumping in front of the TV or computer. I do have trouble with the sun going up so early as I find that I don't sleep that well in the mornings. I normally don't use blinds during the night as I love to be able to wake up and look out of the window. But I think I need to start using them again to ensure better sleep.

 

[Lady Marie]

But even if none of us lives in Norway, for all of us on the Northern Hemisphere, June brings long days and lots of sunlight. Do you make good use of the light? Do you find it helpful for your well being and healthy living or does it not matter.

Yes!!! The long days help soooo much! I was just wondering last month how in the world people manage to get fit everything they need to do in a day-- I feel like I get home from work, cook, clean and then it's time for bed! With the long days, it doesn't feel as late now. DH and I even went for a walk after dinner last night!

Unfortunately, down in South Florida, long summer days mean nasty storms as well. They used to come like clock work around 3pm but over the past few years for some reason they are coming later and later making it hard to go for walks and such in the evening sometimes. And the humidity is a night mare too! But the longer light hours definitely do wonders to make me feel like I have more time to do things and get out of the house more.