"Do you have a secret that makes you so productive?
Want to know my secret? BIC.
That’s right. BIC. Butt in chair. There is no other single thing that will help you more to become a writer."
-Jane Yolen
As a writer who hopes to one day have her own book published, the most important thing I can do is to write, a task which entails applying my butt to the chair, according to the grand dame of children's literature, Jane Yolen. Often for an hour or more each day. The same can be said for artists, although I must admit, many do stand as they paint. The arts I love mean using your mind and your memory as well as your imagination more than your body.
This is great for my writing and my art; not so great for my physique or my diabetes 2 which I've been battling hard this summer. A few months ago, my blood sugar was spiraling out of control and I was, well, chubbed out. According to all the recommendations for women my size, I was within the normal weight range but I was not happy. I had love handles, felt sluggish and tired and my usual size 4 was getting harder and harder to squeeze into. Something had to be done about it. And soon.
I did some research on the internet and found Dr. Fuhrman's website. Fuhrman is a family MD who specializes in nutrition and disease reversal. According to him, I just might be able to reverse - or improve - my diabetes. So I began following a vegan diet and exercising vigorously 5 days a week. To most people, a vegan diet sounds extreme. In actuality, it's amazingly diverse. Over the course of any given day, I often eat as many as 20 different kinds of foods. For exercise, I either run for half an hour or ride my bike for an hour or longer. The weight came off. Since the third week in July, I have dropped 17 pounds and gone down a size or two. My blood sugar has plummeted and I no longer take as much medication to control it.
My writing and art? I'm still at it. I've learned to apply the same philosophy to my life as I applied to my library when building a collection. Balance. As a writer, an artist, and a diabetic, I need to balance the needs of my body with the needs of my soul otherwise, I may not be around long enough to see any book published.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Six Things On a Saturday
1. Tomorrow we're having Thanksgiving in October to celebrate Derek's homecoming. He's here for a week to attend a friend's wedding and to see his family and friends. He hasn't been home since January. Welcome Back, Boo! I know he missed New York and its yummy pizza - the best in the country.
2. After nearly two and a half months on the vegan diet (at least 95% of the time) I've lost 15 pounds and my blood sugar has plummeted. I'm also taking fewer meds. Yay! I'd like to drop another 10 pounds, if I can. We'll see. Dennis has dropped about 10 pounds and just had his best cholesterol test ever. A vegan diet is the healthiest there is, IMHO.
3. I'm going into my third week of Atelier Armetta and enjoying it immensely. It's such a treat to work on art 4-5 days a week, instead of 1 or 2 - or none. I feel privileged. On the down side, it's not leaving me much time for writing but I hope to work that out eventually.
4. Now that I've lost a fair amount of weight, I'm going out to buy some new pairs of pants. I picked out all my "fat pants" yesterday and, determined never to have to wear them again, placed them in a donation bag. I could take off one pair without unzipping them. Is that a good way of determining that you need a new pair or what? The jeans I ordered online months ago and couldn't pull up over my hips now fit easily. I'm thrilled. I have to say, however, that I've been working out vigorously 5 days a week and when winter comes it will be a mite harder to stick to that kind of schedule.
5. I'm meeting some friends for lunch on Thursday, some still working who I don't get to see much now and one retired (like me). Am so looking forward to it. I don't miss the commute or the administrative crap heaped upon us but I do miss the kids, the books and many of my colleagues.
6. Some members of The Poet's Garage have started An Eyeball In My Garden blog and it looks awesome! Check it out.
2. After nearly two and a half months on the vegan diet (at least 95% of the time) I've lost 15 pounds and my blood sugar has plummeted. I'm also taking fewer meds. Yay! I'd like to drop another 10 pounds, if I can. We'll see. Dennis has dropped about 10 pounds and just had his best cholesterol test ever. A vegan diet is the healthiest there is, IMHO.
3. I'm going into my third week of Atelier Armetta and enjoying it immensely. It's such a treat to work on art 4-5 days a week, instead of 1 or 2 - or none. I feel privileged. On the down side, it's not leaving me much time for writing but I hope to work that out eventually.
4. Now that I've lost a fair amount of weight, I'm going out to buy some new pairs of pants. I picked out all my "fat pants" yesterday and, determined never to have to wear them again, placed them in a donation bag. I could take off one pair without unzipping them. Is that a good way of determining that you need a new pair or what? The jeans I ordered online months ago and couldn't pull up over my hips now fit easily. I'm thrilled. I have to say, however, that I've been working out vigorously 5 days a week and when winter comes it will be a mite harder to stick to that kind of schedule.
5. I'm meeting some friends for lunch on Thursday, some still working who I don't get to see much now and one retired (like me). Am so looking forward to it. I don't miss the commute or the administrative crap heaped upon us but I do miss the kids, the books and many of my colleagues.
6. Some members of The Poet's Garage have started An Eyeball In My Garden blog and it looks awesome! Check it out.
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