GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

GRETA GRYPP – Report #8

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SuperChgWomanIt is the last day and last hour of 2015.   This is my last report for 2015.    The good news I gave Greta is that I weigh less than I did last year at this time.    The bad news is I have been in RELAPSE for almost 3 months now.    Greta is steadfast and “un-hooking” all of my weak excuses.

My slide into relapse started with the plateau I hit and could not overcome because I was unable to exercise.   It became easy to revert back to old bad habits.   It was when I was in Austin for the Texas Book Festival and consuming (without guilt) a slice of the 30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory that I accepted I was in full relapse.   However, that did not stop me.   I continued through Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners with all the parties in between in the same mode.   Now, it is all coming to an end and it is time to do something about this relapse.

I read somewhere or some smart health professional once told me that the reason a person relapse is because they fail to learn something during the recovery phase.    When I ponder on this I think what I fail to learn is that one should realize that relapse periods will occur which means one needs to have a plan to get out of relapse mode as soon as possible.

A good analogy that everyone can relate to is driving a car.    We all prepare for having a flat tire.   We carry a spare tire in our trunks with equipment to help us jack up the car to change the tire.    So, when we have a flat, we don’t get out of the car and shoot out the remaining tires.    We change to the spare tire and repair the flat tire.     This is how we should handle relapse periods in our eating management plans.   We should enjoy the “relapse” meal and get immediately back on track with the next meal.

In this relapse period for me, I not only “shot out all of my tires” but I took all the wheels off and put my car up on blocks!    It is truly wonderful that I did not gain all of the weight back.   Now, this week, I have started preparations to move out of relapse mode.  I am drinking 100 ounces of water daily, my refrigerator/pantry is cleaned out, and my doctor has approved cardio workouts every other day for now.

So, tonight, I have decided to put relapse and the guilty feelings away.  Tomorrow is a new day, a new year, and a new start.

Best Things in Life #9 – A Bike Ride

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Our Bike PathI won’t say exactly how many years it has been since I threw my leg over, mounted, and rode a bike.   However, I will give you a hint – Beyoncé wasn’t born yet when I did it last.  So, when one of my girlfriends suggested joining her on her weekend bike rides I laughed – loudly.

This conversation occurred on an early cold morning this past March, 2014 while my friend was waiting for the start of the Tour de Houston.   A small group of us had decided to cheer her off, go have breakfast, and cheer her back when she crossed the finish line after her 40-mile ride.   Before she rode off, she announced to us that she was going to nag us until we agreed to join her for the 2015 Tour de Houston.

At breakfast, we munched and discussed her outlandish comment.  However, by the time we stopped for coffee at Starbucks the idea wasn’t so crazy anymore.   At the finish line, we gave her flowers and told her we had decided to join her next year – but only for the 20-mile ride.   After all, we had a whole year to train.

That was the beginning of the wonderful times we have been sharing since March, 2014.

Heidi Bike Riders

Now, the four of us meet every Saturday morning at 6:30am to ride our bikes on the trails in Deussen Park which is near Lake Houston.   We meet this early because it is September in Houston and even then it is humid.   Our weekly distance is already at and beyond 20 miles.   We started our rides on old and borrowed bikes but now each one of us has spent $1000+ on a new bike and accessories.    The guys at Bike Barn are our new best friends and we call our bikes our new boyfriends.   They are reliable, exciting, and sure do give us a thrill!

There have been some down times – crashes, chasing dogs, falls & setbacks, aching muscles – which we have encountered but mostly there has been lots of laughter and camaraderie.   Some of us have started our rides with the handle bars turned backwards, helmets on backwards, and dragging from too much fun the night before.    However, the two things we can always count on is encouragement from each other and the beautiful sights as we pedal, pedal, pedal on the bike paths, through the woods, up the hills and near the lake.  When we need a water break we hang out at Pavilion #9 which I named “Cloud 9”.   It is also our meet-up point when we ride separate paths.

Pavilion 9 -2 Pavilion 9 - 1

It only took the first ride for me to fall in love with biking again.

I can’t adequately describe to you how it feels to watch the sun rise over the lake as we pedal on our bike path with our laughter traveling on the wind but here is a photo to give you a glimpse.

Our Bike Path with Sunrise

Here are some more pictures of our beautiful views.  All beautiful views captured and presented in this post were taken by one of my fellow bikers (Veronica Owens) who was featured for her photography on my blog site during Women’s History Month.

Our Bike Path - Water Our Bike Path - Water-2

Our Bike Path with Fog Our Bike Path with Trees