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So I finished my first 5k!!

0
1 week ago
by Lundie in

I did it! I started an addiction! This past weekend I walked in a 5k! A friend (and neighbor) and I joined with 142 other people to walk/run in the New Thing 5k. It was awesome! We shaved 8 minutes off our previously walked times and actually enjoyed it!

New Thing 5k

My 5k ID Tag

My Walking Buddy

The Stats:

  • Place in age group: 22
  • Bib #: 107
  • Age: 40
  • Overall: 133
  • Total Time: 52:25.2
  • Pace: 16:55/M
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So I’ve signed up for a 5k…

0
1 month ago
by Lundie in

This past few weeks, J4 and I worked together to complete a Fitness Challenge run at the local YMCA. We split the task of completing the equivalent of the Road to Kona marathon. (169 lengths for swimming, 112 miles for biking and 26.2 miles for running). Though we didn’t quite finish in the allotted time (we got 3 weeks), it did have the positive result of getting me up and moving.

I got the swimming done in decent time, and J4 worked on the biking. It was the running (um, walking) that did us in. So the end of the challenge time I decided I’d start one of the Couch to 5k (C25K) programs I found online. Then, out of the blue, someone I know on FB invited me to a local 5k on May 5.

It just so happens, I’ll be turning 41 a couple days after the marathon. It seemed like a bit of a sign. I might be able to finish another one of my Life List items before leaving this landmark age of 40!

Time to go shopping for some shoes!

Healthy Fruits & Vegetables

I think I’m going Veg…

3
3 months ago
by Lundie in

Ok, so Jen‘s book, 7, definitely has sent me off on a whole new path! I’ve watched Food, Inc., Food Matters, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (Thanks Hulu!) and just today, Forks Over Knives. So, after being raised Seventh Day Adventist, leaving the church and its (then) irrationally executed “health message”, I’m finding myself seriously re-evaluating my standard American diet and reconsidering vegetarianism.

Juicing

My first step was to research juicers. Food Matters and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead both convinced me that adding juiced fruits and vegetables were going to be the quick method of getting nutrients that I’ve been severely lacking. So I settled on the Omega 8003. It’s a “masticating juicer” that runs at a slower pace so it doesn’t overheat the juice. (From what I’m reading, heating the juice kills a good chunk of the natural enzymes that make the juice so beneficial. If I’m gonna work this hard to get the juice, I’m certainly NOT going to destroy it in the process!)

Family Friendly?

The main thing that is going to make this a challenge is the wife/mom aspect. It’s one thing to make a drastic dietary change for myself, it’s another thing to change the food I serve my family. J4 is pretty cool with me moving things in a healthier direction, but convincing J5, an already finicky 6 year old is going to be the real challenge. A friend recommended I get him directly involved making the juices, maybe he’ll be more invested. He’s definitely enjoying making the juice so far, but tasting has been slow in coming. But it’s a start!

Test Kitchen

So far, we have made the following juices: apple, pineapple, pear, cucumber, carrot, blackberry/apple, blueberry/melon. I mixed the pineapple and pear, and that was nice. Also mixed the cucumber and carrot. Not as much of a fan. Need to find something to bring down the “green” of the cucumber. The carrot was a bit sweeter than I expected, but had a mildly bitter aftertaste. Hopefully I’ll narrow it down to a few balanced regulars that I can make for breakfasts. I am not a huge fan of breakfast, so if that’s the meal I charge up on, that would work for me! I found one on the Whole Foods website that looked like a good place to start.

Quick Summary

Ok, so I’m not really going hard-core vegetarian just yet, but I am definitely making strides towards increasing the ratio of whole plant-based foods in my diet. Here’s to good eats!

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Book Review – 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

2
4 months ago
by Lundie in

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

The basic summary of this book is that Jen (with the support of family and friends) decided to spend 7 months (with a few small breaks) fasting in 7 categories:

  1. Food – Select 7 foods to eat
  2. Clothes – Select 7 items of clothing to wear
  3. Possessions – Give 7 items away every day
  4. Media – Fast from 7 media/technology sources
  5. Waste – Select 7 habits for a greener life
  6. Spending – Select 7 places to spend money
  7. Stress – Practice the Seven Sacred Pauses and practice Sabbath

This book is written in journal format, with real-time reactions and storytelling as she goes through each category. One of the things I love most about reading from Jen is because she’s funny. She seems honest and genuine, with just the right blend of humor and humility. I got to walk through this journey with her, and I am coming away from it changed.

Click HERE to read what my review categories (below) are all about.

My Review
Snackable? Well, yes and no. The format is really good. Like I said, it’s in a journal format (e.g., Day 1, Day 2, etc.) though she didn’t write every day, it is easy to pick the book up and just read one day’s worth in a sitting. However, different days had different impacts. Some sections were so funny, I could just read and read. Others were pretty meaty, and thought provoking, where I read a day or two and had to put it down for a bit to ruminate.
“Lundie” ending? I guess you could say that? It’s not fiction, so it doesn’t require it. However, I LOVED her conclusion chapter. It made it all the more meaningful to me. She didn’t write this book to teach others what to do. She writes,
“Honestly, we’re not sure what’s next for the Hatmakers….However, even if I had a clear directive, I’m not sure I’d share it here. Whatever God has done or is doing in our family is certainly not a template, and I don’t want it to be….You have an entirely different set of factors. I have no idea what this might look like in your life, nor do I want that job. Your story is God’s to write, not mine.”
Best thing? She was so real, I feel like one of her girlfriends.
Worst thing? Well, I don’t know that it’s really a “worst”. There is so much stuff in this book that I want to do something about that it can get a little overwhelming! But then Jen had the exact same problems that I have when I want to take action, especially in the realm of purchasing food – multiple personalities: Frugal? Organic? or Local? She writes,
“So [Local] is horrified by [Frugal]‘s priority to buy cheap, and [Frugal] outright mocks [Organic] and [Local] for spending more….The competing voices confuse me, and I’m not sure which personality should dominate. This leaves me in a mess half the time, and I manage to feel guilty one way or another, no matter which purchasing priority wins the day. I’ve either spent too much, but cheap processed junk, or I’ve subsidized the sweatshop industry. Evidently simplifying can be complicated. GAH!”
Special Features from the Publisher
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Book Review – That Certain Spark, by Cathy Marie Hake

0
4 months ago
by Lundie in


That Certain Spark
by Cathy Marie Hake

In the Christian Historical Fiction category, this book receives a 3 out of 5 stars. It wasn’t bad, just didn’t wow me.

Honestly, it has been several months since I read this book, so it’s not particularly fresh in my mind. Standard Christian Romance storyline. Stoic man, outspoken/independent woman, in a time when women were not supposed to have their own lives. Clash then romance. Nice little book.

My Review
Snackable? Though the chapters weren’t exceptionally long, it was not enjoyable to only read a few papges here and there.
“Lundie” ending? Yes. I would say it’s rare for a book in the Christian Fiction category to NOT have a happy “tied in a bow” ending.
Best thing? It was a nice bit of brain candy.
Worst thing? It’s your standard historical Christian Fiction Romance.
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