Hand made Valentines

over the weekend i made some valentine's cards. we got together and sadly saw that we had the same paper and supplies as last year. (that's how often we get crafty) i even found all of the cards i made last year that i never sent out. maybe this year i'll actually give valentines! we also made these cute and yummy mice. they were almost too cute to eat. almost.

dentist

My sister's been a dental hygienist for almost two years and I had her clean my teeth for the first time last week. It was probably one of the funnest (is that a word?) dentist appointments I've ever had. We joked about the food particles that she cleaned from my teeth (is that an apple?) and while rinsing my mouth the water dribbled down my neck causing us to laugh and me to choke on the water going down my throat. Very nice. The dentist said he could hear us giggling the whole time, but the funny part is that when I arrived at the office I turned around to see my mom walking in too! What a surprise. I guess it was a family affair. He said I had very nice teeth and no cavities which means I don't have my mom's teeth going off of what she's had to get done these past few months.

When I got my braces off 10+ years ago the orthodontist glued a bottom retainer in. My last dentist removed the glue off of one tooth last year to redo my "fake" tooth (my tooth chipped when I was young so half of it is fake) and since then the tooth has moved slightly. Teeth are so interesting to me. How do they move once they've been forced into place? So I asked. The dentist said it's called relapse and your teeth's tendons always remember where they used to be so if they're not forced they will move back. Crazy! So I'm going back in a week or so to get the retainer glued back to my tooth. Now if we can just get Ryan in for a cleaning we'll be good!

Celebrations

Today is a day of birthdays! We have two family members who turn 1 year older today, 1 co-worker, and a friend's daughter, we better not forget Oprah either.

We're off to enjoy a birthday party and a nice relaxing weekend
so happy birthday to everyone!

Check me out!

One of my New Year's goals was featured on my friend's blog: The Diabetic Diet

Check it out! She offers so many tips and recipes I just know you'll learn something.

She also has a hilarious personal blog: Life of Elders

You'll laugh. I promise. Funny, funny gal.

Jack up your body

I've been reading a lot lately. Not lengthy sci-fi or romance novels, but health books. I love learning and reading about health and fitness. There I said it. Growing up my mom has been the biggest example for good fitness. Ever since I can remember she has been a jogger. She'd go out every morning with our dog (in our old house) and neighbor. When we moved she got a new running companion and would run 6 miles everyday. During the summer I'd often go with her. Not jogging, of course, I could never keep up, but I'd ride my bike alongside them. I've danced since i was little and I've also done gymnastics and cheer. In High School I would get up before school, work out, then dance after school for a few hours. My mom has collected many videos and tapes and I've tried all of them. I've done Tae-Bo, aerobics, step aerobics, Jane Fonda, running, P90X...etc, etc. I love trying new things and trying all different types of excercise. It fascinates me! Currently I'm on a Jillian Michaels kick. I love "The Biggest Loser" and I've tried her DVD's. I recently read her book "Master Your Metabolism." She says that you can lose weight and keep it off by eating organic whole foods and by eating every 4 hours. (Lot's of information removed)

During Summer break once I read in a magazine to eat every 3-4 hours. Doing so would keep your metabolism up therefore; keeping the weight off. I've done that for years and it's worked pretty well, allowing me to eat almost anything without repercussion. In the last year or two I've been eating every two hours mostly due to my work schedule. I've found that it's had the same effect as eating every 3. So, Jillian says eat every 4. I've been doing that for a few weeks and to be honest, it's been kind of hard because I'm not used to being hungry. Waiting 4 hours seems like a long time to me.

I've read about 7 other diet books in the last month, each written by celebrity trainers and each book says something different. Why does this have to be so confusing?! Doesn't anyone know what we're supposed to eat or how often? No meat, no dairy, no canned, high protein, low carb, no fruit, no carb...does it ever end? How am I supposed to know what's best for me when everyone seems to have a different idea! I'm even more lost and confused then before. It's true that diet and excercise are the key to staying in shape. I'm a pretty self-motivated person and can follow a plan to a "T" if I choose to, I just want to know what is best for me and my body. Is that so much to ask?

I read something interested today that started this ranting. The Top 10 Diets That Work  The Daily Beast have searched through clinical studies and attempted to rank the diets according to amount of weight lost over 6-12 months, and retention rate.

Here are the top 10:

1.Volumetrics

2.American Heart Association Low-Fat Diet

3.Atkins

4.Mediterranean Diet

5.Weight Watchers

6.Slim-Fast

7.Jenny Craig

8.Ornish Diet

9.LEARN Diet

10.Zone Diet

 

Check out the full details and background info at the Daily Beast.
 
Interesting stuff I tell ya. Who'd have thought? Please tell me your thoughts on all of this. What diets have you tried? What's worked for you? What do you read or who do you follow for your health and fitness advice? Do Tell.