The Bear Necessities! April 2019 W.I.S.H Goals

[Zhoen]

Hello, Dis-ies!!! Happy April, no foolin’!!!

So much going on this month! There’s all-things-Easter, there’s springtime and gardening in the northern hemisphere, and the arrival of fall in the southern hemisphere… So much to see, so much to do, so much to eat! It’s easy to find yourself overwhelmed, overcommitted, and over it all! So the theme for this month is to look for The Bear Necessities (while allowing the joys of life to surprise you!)

And, pun intended, as the weather warms up, there just might be a call for shorter hemlines, summer is coming (to some of us, anyway…) so some of us might be feeling motivated by the BARE necessities, literally.



Fill in the blank: All you need is _______________________.



For today, let’s start with: We need a plan! Let’s stick with the rotation from last month, with a slight adjustment or two. For Thursdays, let’s try “Thankful Thursdays,” which might seem similar to “Woohoo Wednesdays,” but not quite. We can be thankful for things that aren’t exciting, aren’t new, and maybe aren’t even great, but we're thankful all the same. And we’re TOTALLY keeping Foodie Friday, but with the minor tweak that instead of “new, healthy recipes,” we’ll go with “new, healthy foods.” For those of us who don’t cook or who have unadventurous families, this should help keep us motivated to try new things, even if it’s just from the bar at Whole Foods…

Motivation Monday: What has you motivated this week?

Topic Tuesday

Woohoo Wednesday

Thankful Thursday

Foodie Friday

And “Whatever Weekends!”



So… Non-Disney Monty Python Reference…. What is your name, what is your quest?

 

[Zhoen]

My name is Joan (with a Z,) and my goals this month are to recover from last month! More specifically:

-Plan my meals ahead every day, and maybe even occasionally stick to that plan!!!
-To walk a combined 30 miles for exercise (it doesn't get more basic than that)
-To lose 8 lbs (because that is 28000+ calories that are unnecessary for me to be carrying around with me!!!)
-Weather permitting, to do something active with the kids during their spring break
-Respect that I have limits (but never concede that I can't push them!!!)

My other, non-diet/exercise, but still health-related goal is to get the front and back yards cleaned up and planted for spring, as weather allows, which breaks down to a million mini-goals. Also I "need" to put away the area rugs and flannel and freshen things up around the house for spring... but it's hard to let go of the cozy inside when it is still chilly outside... and I'll be continuing to try to declutter over on the Budget board decluttering thread, but that is TOTALLY health related.

We have planned our dinners for the month (H and the kids each take a day over the weekend,) and done most of the shopping. Next I have to plan around the less-healthy meals, either tweaking or substituting as necessary at dinner and planning lunch, breakfast, and snacks to meat my nutrition goals (basic USDA guideline stuff, tracked via Sparkpeople.)

My big challenge is physical (dis)abilities. I have a bad leg that most of the time is merely a nuisance, but it's a delayed reaction sort of situation, and I frequently don't know I've done to much until I'm awake all night with cramping and pain. With gardening, yardwork, and housework, it's so easy to get caught up in the go-go-go, and I don't realize I've overdone it until it's too late. Yesterday I overdid it, so today, even walking around the store was uncomfortable. Ironically, actual walking-for-exercise generally doesn't hurt me, because I am paying attention to how much/how far, and I stop before I do too much. So instead of minutes this month, I've set a distance goal, and that could be a mile a day, or 3 miles every third day... just depends on how badly I'm hurting from the yardwork and housework, and how well the weather cooperates.

 

[verleniahall]

My name is Lena - my goal this month is 2 hours of active activity a day according to my fitbit.

More Specific Goals:
*At least 3 gym days a week (when I can)
* Plan meals a day or two in advance
* Loose 10lbs

We ended up planning an extra 4th of July Trip to WDW and I just bought a new swimsuit at Dillards yesterday that MADE ME SMILE!! I didn't feel like a Cow in it, AND it had cute little "mesh" sides in it like a suit for a slimmer person!!

Here's to a month full of fantastic goals!

 

[sjrec]

I’m in!
I’m Sandy from south central PA. I’m enjoying the third year of my retirement from our local HS library. It’s been a long winter, but I haven’t gained the weight back that I lost last year.

One of my goals from last month was to up my activity level and I think I have finally turned a corner there. I could always do more though, so one of my goals for April will be to increase my steps, even if it’s just a little! My other goal was to check out/join our local Anytime Fitness Center, but I did not do that. So, two out of three.

So, what has me motivated today? Our 8yr old grandson stayed with us this weekend and I can’t imagine keeping up with him if I don’t take care of myself. We have a Disney trip planned next August, so I better stay on track!

Looking forward to a great month chatting with everyone!
Zhoen, I love your tweaks!

 

[4Mickeys]

We ended up planning an extra 4th of July Trip to WDW and I just bought a new swimsuit at Dillards yesterday that MADE ME SMILE!! I didn't feel like a Cow in it, AND it had cute little "mesh" sides in it like a suit for a slimmer person!!

That is fantastic - what a nice feeling

 

[4Mickeys]

i'm in for another month, I'm Sam from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. I need to refocus on my need to get healthy for medical reasons.

My goals are:

• Increase walking to twice per week
• Add strength training minimum 1 day per week
• Meal plan and shop for it! when the food isn't there waiting - its easier to get off track. -

In other news my mechanic rang last yesterday with bad news - my car is done - the are investigating second hand engines for it it went in leaking coolant and for its regular service, but now it seems an issue that showed up a little while ago was worse than they thought. I was not expecting this to happen - especially when I asked them at the time of the other issue about 18 months ago, if I needed to get rid of it - no no they said - as long as we service it regularly (which I have done) it should last another 200000kms - ah not it didn't and now it will be worth nothing its not even drivable yet to try and trade it in - and given my current $$ situation the cheapest option is probably to go with the second hand engine - if I had to get another car it would be second hand also - so probably have as similar amount of risk. It was supposed to last me another 3 years so that I could pay down debt ready to switch to another car. I cried and cried last night.

 

[sjrec]

i'm in for another month, I'm Sam from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. I need to refocus on my need to get healthy for medical reasons.

My goals are:

• Increase walking to twice per week
• Add strength training minimum 1 day per week
• Meal plan and shop for it! when the food isn't there waiting - its easier to get off track. -

In other news my mechanic rang last yesterday with bad news - my car is done - the are investigating second hand engines for it it went in leaking coolant and for its regular service, but now it seems an issue that showed up a little while ago was worse than they thought. I was not expecting this to happen - especially when I asked them at the time of the other issue about 18 months ago, if I needed to get rid of it - no no they said - as long as we service it regularly (which I have done) it should last another 200000kms - ah not it didn't and now it will be worth nothing its not even drivable yet to try and trade it in - and given my current $$ situation the cheapest option is probably to go with the second hand engine - if I had to get another car it would be second hand also - so probably have as similar amount of risk. It was supposed to last me another 3 years so that I could pay down debt ready to switch to another car. I cried and cried last night.

I’m so sorry-when my husband and I were your age when something like that happened it was just awful. I hope a new engine works out for you.

 

[MickeyMom76]

Count me in again!
I'm Cristin from southeastern PA. I'm a kindergarten teacher with boy/girl twin 14 year olds, a husband who drives for UPS, and a 10 year old black lab named Dexter. I've made a lot of progress since I first found these threads in January. Now that I've lost about 20 pounds, I think I'm turned some of my goals into healthy habits.
I'm going to continue:
daily workouts
maintain my 12,000 steps per day (at least 5 out of 7 days)
meal planning, including one new recipe or food item per week

But my focus will be more on burning fat and toning muscle rather than weight loss. I suppose I will track that by measuring waist, hips, thighs, chest and arms. I know I will still check my weight, it's a habit now. But that will help to keep me in check

My motivation continues to be my July Disney trip with my nephew who turns 5 months old tomorrow. He was just here for a walk on Saturday. We need to get him used to that stroller and being outside!

@4Mickeys I'm sorry about your car. I know it's more than the car...it's the plan you had just fell apart. But I read a quote once that I constantly need to remind myself of since I'm such a crazy planner. "Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place." I hope you see things start to fall into place soon

 

[Zhoen]

I just bought a new swimsuit at Dillards yesterday that MADE ME SMILE!!

Don'tcha just love when you find something that feels just right for you! Congrats!

I’m in!
We have a Disney trip planned next August, so I better stay on track!

(Jealous, jealous, jealous...)

my mechanic rang last yesterday with bad news - my car is done

Oh no, Sam! So sorry to hear this!!! I will keep my fingers crossed that they find you something workable quickly. You don't need all that extra stress!

My motivation continues to be my July Disney trip with my nephew who turns 5 months old tomorrow.

Everybody is planning trips but me. Boohoohoo… Maybe I "need" to plan a trip, too. That's a necessity, right??? ;P



It's exciting to hear everyone's plans and progress so far! Cristin, 20lbs is AWESOME!!!


Well, my report for Monday, before we move on to Tuesday... Mother Nature was in an April Fool's mood, for sure! Some years I am dying to plant by the end of March... but today it was 31F outside when I woke up. So, no, I did *NOT* take down and put away all my flannel just yet! I also did not go out walking, simply because I was doing other things. But I *DID* take care of a social thing off my to-do list, and I *Did* stay within my calorie range, though what I ended up with for the day was a bit different from the plan... It is hard getting back into the swing of things, but that's why I wanted to do this this month-- y'all will keep me honest!

 

[Zhoen]

Topic Tuesday: Calcium and Vitamin D... what do we really NEED, and are we getting it?



I learned something interesting while getting ready for this topic! Here in the US, it was drilled into me as a child that women and children need 3 servings of dairy daily to get their recommended calcium each day. More recently, people have gotten a little broader-minded about getting calcium from non-dairy sources, but the number has remained the same, 1000mg calcium daily, 1200mg for post-menopausal women. This is the USDA recommendation, it’s the 100% on my tracker, and even when I used to do weight watchers, there were 3 boxes to check for dairy each day.

But while double-checking those numbers just now, I stumbled upon a report that says that the World Health Organization only recommends 500mg as a minimum, while the UK goes with 700mg. Who knew!?! (Sam, the source I found for Australia recommended 840mg from ages 19-50, then 1100mg from then on...)

What standard do you use, or don’t you? How well do you keep track of your calcium? Are you a dairy person? Or are you all about the broccoli? (Or, lets be honest, the caramel chews…)

Personally, I wasn’t very good about dairy for years, but I’m trying to be better about it (specifically skim milk) because of all the OTHER good stuff in that 80-calorie package (more on that another time.) But I took a nutrition class a couple of years ago at the local college, and one thing they highlighted with calcium is that certain forms are more ABSORBABLE than others. That made me so mad! There I was, choking down Popeye-esque quantities of spinach, feeling like a low-cal calcium *BOSS*… only to find out that the high levels of calcium in spinach aren’t really all that absorbable… grrr. In the class, we were told that it is about a 30% absorption rate, but I’ve seen numbers as low as 5% on a casual google search. Don’t get me wrong, spinach is still my fallback when I’m trying to get a lot of nutrients in as few calories as possible, but take that calcium number with a grain of salt… no, wait, don’t… take it with vitamin D, instead.

While reading up on how much calcium you should/shouldn’t be striving to get, you can’t help but run across references to Vitamin D, which they say helps us to absorb calcium from our food (which is why it is added to most commercially available milk.) But did you know that about 1 billion people globally are estimated to be deficient? (That's 1 in 7!) And guess what? The deficiencies appear to be the worst in *DEVELOPED* countries!!!??!!! The going theory is that we are staying inside more, using UVA/UVB sunscreen, covering up when we’re outside… you know all those things we’re *SUPPOSED* to do… and the downside is that our skin is not getting the stimulus it needs to produce vitamin D naturally, which in turn can mean we’re not being as efficient with our calcium.

The bare necessity? According to the Mayo Clinic, for ages 1-70, 600mg of vitamin D3 in the diet daily (800mg for over 70, because your body has an even harder time as you age, apparently.) The real kick in the teeth? There’s not a lot of foods that have D3 in them naturally, which is why so many foods (milk, cereal) are fortified.

(Now, if you *REALLY* wanna go down the rabbit hole, research how magnesium deficiency can play into all this….) But this is jungle. No rabbit holes here!

So, are you getting enough calcium and vitamin D? Are you getting them in a way your body can use?

Quick, to WDW! We all *NEED* that Florida sun, *STAT*!!!
(And since it's medicinal... shouldn't insurance pay for it???)

​

 

[Flossbolna]

Hello everyone! My name is Magdalene, I am a 47-year-old lawyer from Germany. I think I have been taking part in these threads for years and years now... But I slipped last fall and have decided that with the arrival of spring I need to spring clean my habits and come back to the threads! I was lurking last month (some of you might have noticed my likes), but being active on the thread is always a far bigger motivation! So, any other lurkers out there, make April the month you come out of lurkdom, too!

Last year was not good for me with regard to weight and over Christmas during a long vacation I managed to gain even more. I used to be on the low end of the overweight range, now I am sitting at the upper end just before the first obese category. I don't like this. I started a new gym last month and have been very good at going twice a week. I am determined to keep this up. And I need to add my running back in. For March it will be only once a week as a goal (but twice a week as a hope). My other goal is not to eat any sweets and candy until Easter.

Looking forward to chatting with all of you this month!

So, are you getting enough calcium and vitamin D? Are you getting them in a way your body can use?

I am taking a vitamin D supplement, but I need to get better about actually taking it when it makes sense. Vitamin D needs fat for your body to actually absorb it and I far too often take it just before bedtime instead of with dinner. Here in Germany no foods are fortified with it and during the winter months there is no chance of the body making any of its own because of the way the sun is at an angle. That's why in most of Europe (which to a large extent is far more north than the US, New York for example is as far south as Rome in Italy!) used ot have huge problems with rachitis, an illness where kids' bones don't form correctly. But my skind doctor actually advised me that I should use sun screen with moderation and not overdo it in order to help the body develop vitamin D. It appears that vitamin D deficiency creates an increased risk for skin cancer, too.

The calcium is something that I do not track very much even though I know that I ought to. Three servings of dairy a day do not work for me. However, the water I drink the most (our local tap water) is quite rich in calcium. While I hate it in my bathroom, it does have a good side effect on being one source of calcium.

 

[4Mickeys]

So, are you getting enough calcium and vitamin D? Are you getting them in a way your body can use?

I am not actively tracking my intake - I also am not great with dairy serves and haven't been for some time - There I was thinking I was doing better eating berries with cream, lots of cheeses etc on my Keto diet and then my healthy life coach informed me the other day that cream isn't really considered in dairy serves because of its high fat content and little calcium. I was told to start on tablet form calcium about 2 years ago - for some reason I could never form the new habit to remember to take them! So maybe I need to add that to my things to do this month - The ones I bought had vitamin D as well as Calcium. Living in a sunny area - I would say I get the vitamin D - and I am not so good with remembering sun screen - but when I having couch surfing weekends without much activity the sun can't get to me - so there is another reason for me to get outside of a weekend

I was lurking last month (some of you might have noticed my likes), but being active on the thread is always a far bigger motivation!

I did notice your likes Welcome back - I have missed your chatter.

Thank you everyone for the support about my car - I will try to look for the signs of something better falling into place. I had a second not great thing happen today - I won't bore you with details - but it involved running into someone who was an unwelcome surprise - and interestingly enough before even reading your comments about things falling into place I had already reframed why it happened - at first I was like "why is the universe picking on me this week?" Then I realised this person had been on my mind the last couple of weeks and I got to get a few things of my mind in speaking with them and walked away quite calmly - so I thought "actually I think the universe gave me the opportunity to do this and move forward" it was really freaky and had me rattled at first - but I regrouped and made the best of it. Now I really don't want a third thing and we know things tend to happen in 3s - I am going to pray for a good rest of the week! I am walking tomorrow as long as weather permits to download off of this with my good friend.

 

[sjrec]

Zhoen, your info gives me a lot to think about. I used to take those calcium chews but not in the last couple years. By eating a balanced diet I thought I was getting what I needed. I need to start taking a supplement or vitamins again.
I had one of those bone density tests recently and the results were good, so I want to keep it that way!

 

[piglet1979]

I am back. I missed the last part of last month. Kids were on Spring break and I took the week off with them. We did a lot of painting and made any appointments for that week that need to be made. It was a busy week. I didn't get as much painting done as I wanted too though. I was hoping to have all the trim painted and the first coat on the walls but that did not happen. We did get the kitchen done and part of the trim in the living room. 4 short weeks to have it all done.

March ended being not a great month food wise. Too many kids selling stuff. So I am going to get back on track. As the weather gets nicer this will be easier to do.

Right now I am at DD orthodontist appointment (she is getting her braces today) and she should be done soon so i will come back later with my goal.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Fill in the blank: All you need is _______________________.

So… Non-Disney Monty Python Reference…. What is your name, what is your quest?

I'm Nicole, 48, living with DH and (as he has been excitedly reminding me lately) soon-to-be-off-to-college DS, in southeastern Massachusetts. I do some substitute teaching and take care of my little niece and nephew (almost-4-year-old twins) a couple of days a week as well.

My overall goals are to stay healthy and active, and maintain a reasonable weight. To those ends, I've been focusing lately on getting a little bit of exercise almost every day, drinking enough water, and making healthy eating more interesting.

So, are you getting enough calcium and vitamin D? Are you getting them in a way your body can use?

I don't really love milk, so I do take a calcium supplement - with D3, magnesium, and zinc. I find I feel much better when I'm fairly consistent with that, but I didn't know about it absorbing better with fat. I currently take it at bedtime (because I've heard calcium helps you sleep better) but maybe I should push it more towards dinner??

I do think vitamin D makes a big difference - my mood tends to follow the sunshine, and I have a better winter when it's broken up by a trip to Florida.


P.S. - Did I say thanks for picking up this month's hosting job? - You rock!

 

[MickeyMom76]

I used to take those calcium chews. I’m not much of a milk drinker...never have been. And since my healthy lifestyle change, I don’t eat as much cheese (or even yogurt) as I used to. But I do drink Shakeology every morning. So your question has me look into that. It has 250 mg. Not bad, but I don’t really track otherwise. We do tend to eat a lot of broccoli, but not daily. I should probably be more conscientious.

As for vitamin D, my cousin who live in Texas was extremely deficient. So that prompted me to look into it a few years ago. I was definitely low in the winter, but was rechecked and fine inthe summer. So that year I took vitamin D supplements in the winter. But I completely forgot about it he last two winters. Hopefully I’ll be out in the sunshine enough soon that I won’t need the supplement. But I should probably start taking it again in the late fall! Hopefully I’ll remember them. I like the idea of medical insurance covering vacations to warmer climates (aka Disney World) in the winter to boost our vitamin D levels!!! Great thinking!

 

[Zhoen]

So, proof that you guys are good for me and I *NEEDED* (as in it was a bare necessity) to do this this month is that I am sitting here drinking an extra cup of milk (I have room in my calorie range) to make up for the spinach I am refusing to eat (can't do it, I'll barf if I try...) Because after allllllllll that calcium talk, I couldn't come on here and say I only got to 88% for the day... Well, I could, because that's 880mg, but then I'd have to leave America and move to Australia with Sam, where 880mg is enough!

I was thinking about the 500mg WHO recommendation today, and I realized, we can now absolutely *PROVE* that Americans are *NOT* fat, shooting for twice the calcium of the rest of the world, we really ARE just "big-boned!!!" (teehee!)

That's why in most of Europe (which to a large extent is far more north than the US, New York for example is as far south as Rome in Italy!) used ot have huge problems with rachitis, an illness where kids' bones don't form correctly.

(our local tap water) is quite rich in calcium. While I hate it in my bathroom, it does have a good side effect on being one source of calcium.

We call it rickets, here, but yes, it used to be a problem here, too, with children, which is why they started adding vitamin D to foods. That's cool about the calcium in your water!... at least from the health standpoint... it's probably a pain to keep the tub and porcelain clean...

Zhoen, your info gives me a lot to think about. I used to take those calcium chews but not in the last couple years. By eating a balanced diet I thought I was getting what I needed. I need to start taking a supplement or vitamins again.
I had one of those bone density tests recently and the results were good, so I want to keep it that way!

That's awesome that your test was good! I need to get one of those, but I'm kind of afraid to... denial and all. On the upside, I've been overweight for a long time now, and excess weight is said to actually PROTECT against osteoporosis (the extra stress on the bones stimulates the body to keep them strong... silver linings!)

Too many kids selling stuff.

Know what's worse than kids selling stuff? The pirates at Keebler stole the recipes for a lot of the Girl Scout cookies years ago (they briefly owned the bakery that was producing them, and magically they started making really good copies... sneaky tree elves!!!) And worse than that??? My local grocery has started producing pretty good generics of the Keebler copies!!! So now it's all year round and cheaper, too! It's horrible!!! Also, when I was a kid, our school music program used to sell World Finest Chocolate for a fundraiser... so once a year you'd get it... Now they sell it year-round at certain places (my local hardware store is one) for the children's hospital. I made the mistake of letting DD12 try some, and now it's one of her favorites... and she very sweetly always tries to share... argh!!!

Hehe! I love this!

 

[Zhoen]

Alright, it's already Wednesday for some of you, and I am *NOT* an early riser whenever I can help it, so Let's get on to Wednesday!

What's got you doing the happy dance today? Big or small, health, fitness, or anything at all!!!

I'll start... and it's a rotten one... I am super-happy (but shh! don't tell!) to have a test today in my horrible statistics class. Why? Because it gets me out of going to Baltimore to DD15's even-more-horrible doctor's appointment.

 

[glss1/2fll]

I'm back, too. I got so far behind in my March life (don't even know why it was different than any other month) that I never managed to come on here until we were a couple weeks in. Decided to bag it and get my dis-act together in April!

So I'm Linda, an empty-nester from the Pacific Northwest. I have been taking a vitamin D supplement for years and years and years. My doctor here said that the angle of the sun isn't correct to get the rays we need--this after I asked if she knew how many daily walks I'd taken and baseball games I had sat through?! But I also take it before bedtime, so maybe it doesn't work as well as it should. Whatever. And I don't take a calcium supplement. I do eat Greek yogurt for breakfast every weekday, so that'll just have to be enough.

Goals this month...I will continue to log food and steps. I noticed last month I did a poor job of meeting my step goal. A lot of time that was deliberate because I was doing tons of yard work (spring break) instead of going for walks. I'm adding weight lifting. Just my little five pound hand weights, but three times a week one rep of some basics is where I'll start. Another goal I just want to be mindful of, not necessarily track--because I don't know how!--I just want to try to hold my belly in more and for sure for sure try to stand/sit taller. I know everything is doable so I'll just get crack-a-lackin! Looking forward to chatting with everyone.

 

[Flossbolna]

Wednesday woohoo:

I am back in these threads!! We finally sprung forward last weekend and while I hate the time change I love that it’s now light until 8pm! Should help with getting out for runs in the evening!