Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Diet, exercise, and Blogger

Treadmills at the Y
Those of you who have been following me for awhile know that I am addicted to exercise. Five years ago, I retired from working every day, and we moved from Colorado to Washington State. And now instead of working, I work out on an almost daily basis. It's not like I didn't exercise before, but it was not the center of my day. Today, it is. I wake in the morning, have breakfast, dress and take the bus to town. After a leisurely latte at the coffee shop, I leave fifteen minutes before my class starts, walk to the Y, change into exercise clothes, and make it to class by 9:00am.
Exercise class, instructor Joanne on the right
I see the same people there every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Another Tuesday-Thursday class is also held at 9:00am, and I'm there on Tuesdays but hike with the Trailblazers on Thursdays. I wrote a blog post back in 2009 where I talked about seeing all the overweight people here in the Pacific Northwest and how different it seemed from Boulder. (I just re-read that link and was pleasantly surprised to find it is still relevant and interesting.)

What triggered this post was a recent visit to the mall and again noticing all the really overweight people in the Food Court. Notice in the above picture, not one person is overweight. The thing we all have in common is consistent exercise. I have had a lifelong struggle with my weight, as some of you know. I wrote a post here about having gained ten pounds in 2011, which was brought home to me at my annual doctor visit. They weigh you every time you come in, and I had been avoiding the scales at home, because I knew I had put on weight and wasn't ready to acknowledge how much.

I read a very good book about Mindless Eating in April of that year, and then I read The End of Overeating. Little by little I was able to lose that extra weight; in fact, I lost more than my goal weight. But I knew I had to maintain it, and that is always the hard part. My sister Norma Jean introduced me to Lose It!, an app available for the web or a smartphone, and I use it religiously. It has helped me know how much I'm actually putting in my body every day.

On another note, a couple of blogging buddies have wondered what those of us dependent on Blogger's Reader are intending to do when the first of July comes and it goes away. I tried Feedly and then The Old Reader, and I am very very happy with the second one. It's really easy to use, and I was able to import all the blogs I follow into it without any trouble. In fact, I like it much better than the one that is being discontinued. It was created when Reader was changed a while back and people preferred the old version, and here it is. There's no advertising or annoying ads, either. Let me know if you've found any other solutions in your comments, so others can know what else might be available.
:-)

27 comments:

  1. hmm interesting will have to check out the old reader....sounds like it might be the trick...i have just been watching and waiting to see what worked before i made the jump...

    i think we eat to eat at times...something to do to fill the boredom, pass the time...and that is a scary thing...working with my boys right now on reducing summer snacking...and learning limits...

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  2. DJan, I went to Old Reader and registered, but still don't get how to transfer the blogs I'm following from Google reader to Old Reader??
    Any hints?

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  3. switched to feedly the day google announced they were closing reader. have been pleased with it. but a new one, digg, is launching tomorrow, per my pal, sandra. if i can, i'll import my subscriptions from reader into it as a back-up plan. :)

    and you ARE an exercise nut! good for you!!

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  4. Obesity is a very serious health risk. It's also very complicated. Exercise is a good tool but not the complete answer. My daughter & I have weight issues. She exercises faithfully with a trainer but remains significantly overweight. The thing exercise has done for her is keep her blood pressure in near perfect range. I believe there is a genetic component to obesity in some people. Our bodies don't all process food the same. Some of it is mental. No easy answers, need more medical research.

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  5. This post brings up a few questions from me :
    Why retire from Boulder to Bellingham?
    What type of exercise class pictured?
    You're an avid hiker, do you think exercise class is the primary reason you maintai your weight or is it more of an augmentation?

    Hope you don't mind my Nosey Parker approach.

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  6. Tried Reader and didn't like it, so I usually just read blogs from the Blogger dashboard.

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  7. I've never used a reader of any type - always read straight from the dashboard. As long as they don't do away with that, then I'm good.

    Exercise - ugh! One of these days I must get around to making time for that. *sigh*

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  8. Good for you on the exercise DJan, that and eating right are the best ways to stay healthy. I exercise moderately but I'm not addicted to it like I once was as that got me in trouble health wise.

    I'm still using the Dashboard. I tried Blogger Reader but never liked it. Maybe I'll give one of the new readers a try.

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  9. I used to walk a lot when I didn't own a car and found the buses too slow. Then, at age 33, I bought my first car and have become sedentary and overweight. However, I now take hula lessons once a week and feel better for it.
    I don't use a reader of any kind. I simply click on my favorites list and visit blogs that way.

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  10. You've successfully made your exercise a way of life. it will stick with you. I wish I could lose 10 lb.
    I'm behind on the reader stuff. good for mentioning it . I will try the one you like. wish me luck.

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  11. Gracious! I didn't even know about the Reader or Feedly. I hope it doesn't impact me.

    I do need to exercise more. My Zumba classes are only once a week in the summer so it's not enough. It's also raining so difficult to go for our walks.

    I'll need to do better once I'm over my jet lag after returning from Vegas on Sunday night.

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  12. Thank you; thank you; thank you!
    I have just gone to the Old Reader site, and I would have never known about it had it not been for you.
    I have transferred my blogs to that reading site, and I am eternally grateful, Jan. I can't tell you enough.
    Hugs to you as you enjoy your exercising. My hat is off to you. Always.
    Hugs,
    Jackie

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  13. I don't know if I use a Reader. I have my blog list in my side bar that lets me know when there are new posts. Is that a reader?
    I have always had weight issues. My weight gradually crept up in my 40's and 50's until I was obese. I am no longer obese, just overweight, and a lot healthier. But it takes constant vigilance to maintain. I really like food and I really like to eat. I do not eat to live, I love to eat. That is problematic. And I get really hungry on a weight loss caloric level. But I keep working at it, and I keep exercising and moving. I have to.

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  14. I use my dashboard, but will see what blogger changes after July 1. I wonder whether anyone has suggested to them that there is no need to fix things which are not broken.
    I wrestle with my weight. Exercise is a part of my life, but probably not enough. More work needed.

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  15. Good for you for trying so hard to maintain a good quality of life. Exercise and eating in moderation is a life long obligation. It isn't easier for people who are not overweight, they are just more committed to that goal. It becomes a habit to go to the gym daily, and eat veggies and protein. I know what would happen if I gave up that approach.

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  16. My Mother in law is also addicted to exercise. But not in a good and adventurous way like yourself. She'll walk in circles around her condo for hours. Rain or shine and 365. Big sigh.

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  17. Oh I envy all the thin people!
    I tried Old Reader couldn't import anything..I suppose I could do it one by one..is that what you had to do? I also tried Feedly..no luck there either obviously I have no clue of what I am doing:(

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  18. My motto...tho with meds it's difficult NOT to add pounds [what I take for my heart rhythms, the side effect is weight gain]...anyway, my motto is Eat to LIVE not live to EAT.

    And as for this followers, I began quite a while ago to add a blog roll from Blogger that is on my sidebar, it tells me which is the newest post for everyone I've added so far. I like it much better than any of the alternatives. SO FAR.

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  19. I came back to report I am going to try Bloglovin..we will see. It imported all the blogs I follow..so that was a plus. I have today off ..off to do laundry and clean now that I have that issue settled:)

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  20. Dear DJan, as someone who is "technologically challenged" I don't know what "Blogger Reader" is. Nor do I know about a change in July. I use blogger for my two blogs. Do I need to so something different now????? Peace.

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  21. Have just read the comments which basically sum up my thoughts about google reader. I don't even know if I use it. If everything goes down the drain after July 1st I'll be knocking on your door for advice!

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  22. I looked at the link you gave on Lose It but cannot figure out if it is a gadget or a telephone. I do not have a working cell phone right now so I wonder if I could use something like that? I know I need to move all the blogs I read before the week-end is over. My daughter said Feedly is easy but I don’t know how to chose – could I use both Feedly and The Old Reader and then decide - or once you use one of them you can’t go to the next one? So many questions when one is not a techy…

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  23. Without exercise at least 5 days a week, I feel less me. I understand your addiction completely. My parents were both runners. My knees and the Florida heat didn't mix, so I found alternatives - the gym! Swimming!

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  24. I checked out Old Reader shortly after it was announced that GR would be more. I tried importing my feeds at that time and was told I was something like several thousand behind others who were switching over and that the switch would happen when it was my turn.. probably months away. So I gave up. Maybe it was a glitch. I did like how the layout was described so maybe I should try again. Failing that, I have Feedly up and running, though I'm still using Google Reader till the end.

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  25. Your exercise routine is truly inspiring, and I think it's fantastic that you bring to discussion (and attention) the issue of obesity.

    I never liked Google Reader.
    I use the Blogger Dashboard reading list of blogs I follow, which - from what I understand, and I hope is the case - isn't going anywhere.

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  26. I'm like Dee. I had no idea there was going to be this change and I have no idea how it's going to affect me. I'm now a little nervous about what will happen tomorrow when I open my blog.

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  27. i agree with this thing that for maintaining your body or for becoming heather exercise is really important but along with the exercise you have to follow the proper diet for maintaining your body and i think that the rachel ray diet chart are the world best diet chart.....

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