The Fair! Shakeology and Coaching

I made it through the Fair. Yes I brought my own food and no I didn't eat clean the entire time! I did watch what I ate and picked the best of what was available. I did drink TONS of water!! I also worked out EVERY day! YES! I didn't skip not once and I really wanted to sleep in. Its one of my favorite things to do! But I DID get up EARLY and worked out even when I was tired and didn't want to get up! I think that I am more changed then I thought. For the BETTER!!

So I FINALLY got my Shakeology! I got the Greenberry because I just could not see myself drinking a chocolate drink EVERY day. I am not into chocolate that much. I do LOVE fruit smoothies. I could drink them every day. What?! I AM!! LOL!!!!! At first I thought that I should make a drink from a recipe. And the first day I did. But then I started thinking. What if I just tossed in a cup of fruit and a 1/2 cup of fruit juice with 1/2 cup of water and just blended? Nothing fancy. Nothing to look up. Just the basics. It was delicious. And simple. And perfect. I find that frozen fruit works the best because it makes it really thick drink and no need for ice. I do want to get a set of chocolate packets to change it up from time to time. I have heard they are coming out with vanilla. Hmmmm... I like vanilla better then chocolate so this is really great for me. YAY Shakeology!

Ok. I decided. I am signing up to be a coach at Beachbody.com! I am doing it October 1st! I am just been thinking about it. And thinking about it. And more thinking about it. This is my nitch. My friend D. told me ( a VERY long time ago) that I should get into fitness or nutrition. She could see that it is my passion. She saw it before I saw it myself. I LIKE to help people. I did have some reservations about it because I am NOT at my idea weight. My Coach Brenda (go girl!) said that she is not at her ideal weight but sometimes not being at your ideal is more motivating to people then a fit person! I never thought about it like that. Super fit people can be VERY intimidating! Plus I get the 25% discount on ALL products! WOOT WOOT! I have already been welcomed by Brenda's trainer Francee. Everyone is SO nice! There is TONS of training. This stuff sells itself anyway. Its gonna be good. I feel.

Things are good. I feel good too. And posting my workouts everyday is certainly keeping me accountable. It feels great! Eight hour shifts certainly help! ;o)

Ciao

USMCdaffy

PHASE II today! Goal #2. Starving!!

ChaLEAN Extreme Update...
I finished Phase I of ChaLEAN Extreme. YAY me!! I don't think that there have been any changes other then I am starting to feel stronger and I could do almost all of the burpees (which I HATE!) and I am getting better with my form. I don't see a drop in weight in my face. I did notice that in other before and after pics from other people that day 30 picture does not have that much change and even in day 60 picture there was not that much change BUT on day 90 there was a HUGE change! So I am not discouraged that my pants are not just dropping off me! LOL It will come if I keep going plus it has only been 30 days. That is such a short time. I officially started Phase II TODAY. It was not as hard as I thought. It was hard. Have not doubt about it. BUT I had previewed it and already had an idea how heavy of a weight I was going to use to start. Its only 28 minutes after the warm up. AND my son did the workout with me, just CE!!

Goal #2-Add Cardio
Ok for Phase I I did very little cardio because I was just learning the program and I was not very strong plus my nervous-ness of the knee issues. So my Goal #2 was add as much cardio as I can in Phase II. Today I did the first day-Push Circuit #1 and added Fat Blaster/Turbo Jam. It was tough but not so tough that I could not finish. I did mainly low impact because of the Push Circuit and because the steps of this workout are not easy. The camera is not always on Chalene so I have to watch others at a weird angle at times. It was fun because she makes it FUN but I need some serious practice. I also found on her website www.turbokick.com that she has other cardio sessions on YouTube (which I joined today!) So I am trying to have a variety of cardio to use. Tomorrow is rest and then on to more Phase II! I feel very good about this and myself. I am proud that I am committed to this now. This is different then other other times. I can FEEL it!

Starving!
I don't really like food because it has been the bane of my existance for some time (10 years anyway). I am desperate for vatiety and overwhelmed with the choices. I feel so unorganized with food planning. To add to this I have been getting hungrier. Granted I was warned by Chalene and her crew but I could actually HEAR my stomach after my workout! What the??? I only had a bite before I worked out and definately drank my water. I did have a good breakfast after my workout. I only have a couple of bites before hand because I don't want a full stomach to work out with. I think that this is where the Shakeology will help me. I just want something I can zip together and just drink.

Tomorrow back to work!!
Ciao!
USMCdaffy

It works!! Shakeology and temptation

ChaLEAN Extreme Update...
I am now on week three of ChaLEAN Extreme/Burn Circuit (first 30 days). I only missed one work out BUT I did a THREE mile hike (I am sure it was for GOATS) I KNOW it was call Iron Goat Trail but I didn't know it meant literally. More on that later...Anyway, I can feel myself getting stronger. I can go lower in my squats and lunges. My knees are feeling good and I don't have to take tylenol every day anymore. I only needed to ice once. I took a bike ride today and although it was short I could make it up the hill without a struggle AND I was hardly sweating. In terms of progress-that is LOTS of progress. In terms of a workout it was LIGHT but it is a REST day. Which by the way I have come to hate! I feel like I am wasting my time NOT doing something. And nowadays I am always thinking of new ways to workout/exercise/get out and more around. Progress!!

THE HIKE
Oh. I wanted to do a hike. A simple, easy hike. Ok. It looked okay to start. It said it was wheelchair access. SWEET! It was me, my son, and my BFF who was in town to visit. It started because of Michael (friend/co-worker). He went to Mazama with his family on a hike and it looked FUN! So I got this book called "Off The Beaten Patch-Washington". My hike was in it and it was very close to where we were staying! YAY! What happened was we actually took the wrong path. It was HARD. It was LONG. But we FINISHED!! That was cool. I felt good about the whole thing (other then the initial shock of our situation!) but I am SURE it was FOR goats!! http://www.irongoat.org I forgot my phone so D. took all the pics. Once she gets back to the boat she is going to send them over.

Shakeology
I got my samples of Shakeology from my coach Brenda from Beachbody.com. She is AMAZING! Back to the samples! They are delicious. I tried the chololate one and the greenberry one. They are expensive but I think it is worth it. I am going to ramp up my workouts next month so I am going to need that extra fuel (so to speak). I really want this to work. I have been working on my diet-ok-my lifestyle change. (If you call it a diet YOU will fail!)I have NOT been to a vending machine since my last traumatic incident previously blogged! I have been preparing my work food on my days off and that also helps with stress too. I have been making better choices too. Today instead of eating regular tacos at Taco Bell I ate the cantina tacos which are like carne asada tacos. I also stopped when I was full NOT stuffed. I have been working on my water drinking at home.

Progress! YEAH ME!

Ciao
USMCdaffy

ChaLEAN Extreme! Blood Sugar and Shakelogy

Today was the first day of ChaLEAN Extreme (aka CE)! It was not as difficult as I thought it would be but that is not exactly what I mean. Difficult as in unable to walk after the work out because of the intensity. The idea behind CE is that muscle burns fat and that lifting weights will not bulk you up. The best part is that you don't have to watch every second like when it is cardio. Chalene wants you to choose the right weight for you. Form is very important and the reps are sllooowwwww. I am unsure about what lb of weight I need to use right now but she recommends 5-12 lbs for newbies. Chalene also says that you underestimate how much weight you can lift. It is sooooo true! Once I started the first CD I was able to figure out that I could do more weight! I already enjoy it! LOL I can already tell that it is worth the money it cost. Plus I LOVE Chalene because she is such a motivator! She also has a motivational CD that came with the workouts so I am going to listen to it hopefully this week. Tomorrow is a rest day but I might try to squeeze some yoga in there to stretch out some muscles!

I feel I am progressing with my food. I have had some slip ups along the way but eating every three hours is working. As a matter of fact it makes me feel worse if I don't eat like that because my blood sugar does drop! On Monday we had a meeting so there were two dispatchers from another agency that were coming in to take over while we were gone. That meant that they came like four hours before the meeting to get some background on how we do things. All dispatch centers are not the same. The two that came to replace us is a very very small center. So it makes me nervous to leave my station, my people, my stuff but I am also nervous for them and HOPE I remembered all the basic info that they needed!! It turned out fine but while all that is going on I didn't eat. By 5pm and getting ready to leave for the meeting I am STARVING and shaky. So my blood sugar was low low low! I am scrambling to find something with sugar in it to eat. Lets see some crackers, two red vines, and the rest of my Starbucks coffee (fat free, not sugar free).I made it through the meeting which was TWO hours. I had even planned that I would be at work longer that day but time disappears very fast in the dispatch center. Feeling like that is horrible because I have to struggle to get my blood sugar back up to where it is supposed to be! I think that the three hour diet is PERFECT for me. I am going to be concentrating on that way of eating. it has been working so far.

Shakeology. I want to try it but it is on the pricey side. I am worry about the taste. I already make my own smoothies with protein mix and I love them. Shakeology is the same idea but it is crammed full of nutrients among other things. Lots of people drink them but it is a commitment. I am considering buying into it! I want a sample so I can tast it before I make my FULL commitment!

Ciao
USMCdaffy

Yoga with some love

Yoga Chat...
I have not been doing my yoga because I am focusing on trying to get back into cardio. Fortunately my knee still appears to be healed. So far, so good. As a matter of fact I was more sore from yoga then the cardio I have been doing. The cardio has been 20 minutes at the most and yoga is about 45 minutes (if I cut out the commercials). Every inch of me gets a work out with yoga even if I choose a specific workout plan directed at a specific issue. Today I was able to work through my soreness and do 45 minutes of cardio. My knees did not collapse and I didn't have a heart attack!! LOL It was fun and it did not seem like 45 minutes. I have been working with my TurboJam DVDs. It is the most intense cardio I own right now. I have not tried my pilates as of yet but tomorrow might be a good day to try it out.

Love in Dispatch?
There are many times in dispatch on 911 there is a lot of screaming. Some times it is for urgency and other times it is out of anger. Most people in their frantic state yell to get their point across. This is useless most of the time because the louder the caller the more difficulty to understand what is being said. Yet in the midst of this there are the callers that are calm and listen. They are not as common as the others but they are there. Those are the calls that can be the toughest because I feel like I am evesdropping on them. Caller with husband having a stroke. She was terrified but calm. Part of the EMD (emergency medical dispatch) is telling the caller to reassure the patient that help is on the way etc... This the evesdropping. It like listening to someone's feelings of their loved one. Even though she was terrified she was able to keep herself together and keep talking to him, reassuring him that help was coming and she was going to stay by his side and take care of him. For people waiting for help, the waiting feels so much longer. The whole time waiting she would go back and forth gathering things and talking to me on the phone while talking to her husband. Once the ambulance got there she started crying but I think it is from relief. I will probably never find out the end result of what happened to him but it calls like these that make me rethink there is love out there. That there is hope and people can be there for each other. I think that these calls come when we (as dispatchers) start doubting if we make a difference or we start to give up on humans. Because many times in many days I have doubts there are people out there that love each other when many calls it doesn't feel like ANYONE loves each other anymore. Perhaps the wife and her husband will have a happy ending. I hope so.

Ciao
USMCdaffy

Vending Machine Part II, plus a little training.

I know vending machines are bad. I know that I should not be visiting a vending machine (of ANY kind...) no matter what. But there are circumstances that are necessary and if you have some kind of control of yourself it should be fine once and awhile. I am not going to say that the vending machine was out to get me (weirdo...) but I do think that it is a SIGN of sorts if you have a mortifying incident at a (you guessed it!!) vending machine.

I can say with COMPLETE confidence that ONCE and for ALL I am CURED of any visitation between me and (any) vending machines. Now don't get me wrong. There are some vending machines that are filled with more nutritional items to purchase or they are filled partially with items you may have forgotten on a trip. But the candy/naughty ones and I are OVER. Once you hear it you will understand.

I was at training all week. The last night there we have a large banquet. There is a cash bar but I don't normally drink and yes I did have one the night before. One cosmopolitan cocktail with friends for networking purposes ONLY!! So at the banquet my boss leads L (co-worker also attending the conference) and myself to the bar. I decline and he insists. L is allergic to alcohol so she gets a soda (nothing wrong with drinking or not drinking whatever the reason). I order ONE cranberry and vodka. They are in low ball glasses so they are small. I put my money down and he says he is buying. Ok. That is nice. I promise I will get to the vending machine incident... Fast forward two and half hours plus three additional cape cods (cranberry & vodka). After the banquet I feel fine because it was a very LONG banquet with awards and speeches. I go up to the bar in the hotel to meet M. She is a dispatcher too and SHE has LOST 58 pounds. She looks great!! I am slightly jealous but I am happy for her! It's just another motivation for me anyway. I have two more drinks. Turns out one vendor a night during training pays for drinks for EVERYONE in 9-1-1 ALL night. Two more is quite enough. I had a great night and I go back to my room. Gee. I am hungry.

I am hungry! Crap!! Now I absolutely cannot drive anywhere and there is no where near any place to eat PLUS it is after midnite. Ok. I am going to go down to the vending machine. *sigh* I am just going to get a bag of chips. I am SURE there is something somewhat acceptable to eat so I can sleep. I am on floor six and the vending machine is floor one. I go down to the first floor. I get one bag of sun chips. I say to myself, I should get one more because if I don't eat it tonight I can eat them on the way home. I put my money in for bag number two. The bag. Is. Stuck. NO NO NO NO!! So think okay if I buy one more it will push it out and I will addional bag but I can take it home. I put the third set of money in. The SECOND bag is ALSO stuck. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I have to to the lobby (floor #2) and tell the front desk who as to get on the portable radio and call the maintenance person to meet me down on the first floor. She and I are looking at each other and there is no way that she or we can shake this out. So back up to the lobby to get my $1.60. Really? I took my chips and my $1.60 and go back to my room to eat my snack alone.

NO MORE VENDING MACHINES. EVER. I WILL EAT THE TWO YEAR OLD CAN OF BEANS AT WORK BEFORE I GO BACK TO ANY VENDING MACHINE...

There are times that there is just a sign of what you should have done. I probably should have gotten my snack before the banquet. This was my sign. My resolve to be finished with the vending machines as a whole is now stronger then ever... Aside from that I had lots of fun and did a bunch of networking! Training was great and I brought a lot of ideas back to work!

Ciao
USMCdaffy

Mini Meals, Chi & Acupuncture!

Unless you are like my friend D., who has self control of steel-unwavering, you may find yourself at the drive thru. Now my friend D. says you should never eat anywhere that you can get your food through a window! But there are times when it is necessary. There is a McDonald's where I live and I absolutely NEVER EVER sit inside. There is something about inside that place that I just can't deal with. So the drive thru is the only option for me. So for the most part if I go there (which is not that often) I go through the drive thru. And driving and eating a salad is sentencing you to bad juju via vehicle collision. Eating & driving is just has dangerous as talking on the cell or driving while tired! Anyway my son and I were there and I got a mini-meal. They are under three dollars and they are basically a happy meal without the toy. And we have to consider that the Happy Meal is actually an adult size serving NOT the regular meals! And I am not even talking about how the Supersized everything either! Happy meals are the CORRECT serving for an ADULT! So now don't get the regular meal if you decide to roll through McDonald's get the mini meal its enough food and without the silly toy!

Chi. Maybe my Chi is askew? The Chinese believe that Chi is the natural flow of the universe. There are all kinds of chi- organs have their own chi, blood flow has its own chi. They believe that if your chi (which ever one) is blocked then that is where medical problems occur. One way to put your Chi back where it should be or unblocked (which ever!) is to get acupuncture done. I personally have never had it done before but I know a few people and they say it works! AND bonus! My insurance covers it! HA!! So perhaps my Chi is off and I need to get it back to where it supposed to be. It is something certainly to think about. If meds are not working and you have done all that you can to make yourself better perhaps acupuncture is something that could work for you. Pain is only a symptom and pills only cover the pain so you can live. What if you had to chance to get rid of the pain once and for all without pill? Its worth a try. I am really considering it. My friend D.? She had it done and she is said it worked for her ailment. Plus I don't think it hurts like we think it is going to hurt! ;o)

Ciao
USMCdaffy

PS If needles completely freak you out.. There acupressure therapy! No needles involved!

Caulifower.

I used to hate cauliflower. I didn't like the smell or the taste. It was mainly the smell that did it for me. As a child I don't think I actually ever ate it. I was a picky eater. I could skip meals with the best of them. I remember everyone else eating ham for dinner and I would make a sandwich after dinner. I found that I didn't like cauliflower raw. I found that I really enjoy eating it steamed. It is so easy nowadays to get steamed cauliflower (or other veg) during the winter by buying the steambags. YUM!

There are so many good things about cauliflower! It prevents cancer! But of course your veg helps greatly in the fight to stay healthy!! It is when you over cook the vegetable is where problems arise. First off over cooking a vegetable makes the taste not so great AND you can cook the nutrients out of it! That is why steaming is so popular and recommended so often. It takes the least amount of nutrient out of your veg!

Cauliflower has phytonutrients. These little fellows help the body promote liver detoxification! And lets just say we are really hard our livers (those babies are constantly working to detox our bodies with all the meds and junk we eat!). Plus phytonutrients also help as antioxidants to fight free radicals. A little research goes a very long way but be careful! Some of that information is not always the whole truth!! When looking online you must check the website and where it gets the information! I look on www.whfoods.com. This site is called World's Healthiest Foods and they post on Google every week-healthiest food of the week! This week is cauliflower!!

Tonight I am making cauliflower grautin and the recipe is from Food Network Magazine. The recipe is probably on the website too but I discovered it in my magazine a few months ago. Now I don't know how healthy it really is because the recipe calls for heavy cream and Gryere cheese. It is the cheese that is used to make fondue. It is a very simple recipe and I think as long as you watch your portions you will be fine. I am trying it this time as warm, not warmed up! Try something new! What if you like? Just because you don't like something prepared one way does not mean you won't like it another!

Ciao
USMCdaffy

TurboJam! Power90! I love Beachbody.com

I love exercise. I love it more now because for a long while I was unable to do it. I love my yoga but there is something about that heart slamming lung screaming cardio that makes me happy. Endorphins. I am sure that is the reason but I feel so accomplished when I finish. I say that it burns the hate out. And sometimes as a dispatcher I have a LOT of hate to relieve! When I used to go the gym I would use the cardio machines with my ipod. I could feel all the tension and stress slip away. I turned to yoga because it was easy on my injured knee and I could modify the moves as I needed.

When I got hurt I could not do my cardio and it actually caused my injury. Well at least that is what the doctors guessed. I tore my meniscus. There are two of them. Unfortunately I tore the one on the inside of the knee. It is also the one that gets the least amount of blood flow which is important in HEALING. It also didn't help that it took months to diagnose. Two doctors and one cortizone shot later I was still hurt. And I was eating pains meds like candy. I won't take anything stronger then motrin or tylenol so I take a lot of them at a time. Which is not exactly great for your liver! I used my knee brace for every time I did my yoga. Its supposed to heal on its own. It wasn't... I started researching. I started icing. Icing is what helped me the most. It started feeling better. I went back to bits of different exercises. I was really scared. But I needed to try. You can really hurt yourself... WAIT! I did!! And I was very aware of my form and the doctor said injuries can just happen quietly like that. *UGH*!

I put on my brace and I put in my Power90 VHS (yes! VHS!!) tape. (Oh Tony Horton how I missed you!!) And I started. It did the sculpt tape (38 minutes) instead of the cardio tape because I was testing the waters. I DID IT!! I made it through with no pain!!! I got done and I immediately put some ice on my knees for about 10 minutes. So I sat sipping my water and icing my knees. Waiting. Hoping. I got up. I walked around. YIPPEE!! OK. This is where I can go terribly wrong. I did the one thing I normally don't do. I took it slow. Instead of getting over motivated I did yoga the next day. It's so easy for me to go full throttle. The next time I did a workout on the exercise ball (25 minutes). The time after that I used the ball workout but during intervals I got on my ellipitical machine for five minutes each time for a total of 15 minutes. Still icing my knees and sipping my water!!

Today. Today I did TurboJam. TurboJam is full on cardio. It was the 20 minute workout and I was terribly rusty but I DID IT! HA! No pain. No pulling. AND without my knee brace. I still iced my knees and sipped my water.

Before I go today I wanted to say that I get a lot of my work out DVDs (or VHS before the popularity of DVD) from www.beachbody.com. I have been going there since before they were selling DVDs AND only had the Power90 programon VHS tapes. Its a great site and now they have lots and lots of different DVD exercise programs. And it is home of the P90X. It's hard to pick a favorite but I love Shawn T. and his Hip Hop Abs (dancing! fun!!) And I adore Yoga Booty Ballet with Teigh & Gillian which is how I got so intersted in yoga in the first place! And of course Chalene Johnson & TurboJam. Go there and check it out. There is something for everyone. If you have Facebook everyone is on there too!

Ok! Time of finish my water and snack.
Ciao
USMCdaffy

Venti vs Vending Machine....

I should have had the Venti. I love love love Starbucks. I don't have it often because it is very addicting for me! I try not to drink too much caffeine and I try to get as much sleep as possible. No matter how many energy drinks or coffees or sugar you consume eventually you will crash. Being tired is only cured by sleep. I am the FIRST person to say that it can be very difficult to get that sleep. Back to the Venti. Usually I get a hot venti non fat white chocolate mocha no whip or a hot venti non late latte with hazenut no whip. Most of the time I don't have time to pick up a coffee. Because usually I am racing to work and getting there in the nick of time. I should have made time last night. I should have made time for the coffee.

Last night I was tired. Dead tired by midnight. That is B-A-D! That means I have another SIX HOURS until I go home and then it is a 40ish mile commute home. It is a painful ride home when I am tired. OH so painful many times over the years.. Anywho! I did an unholy thing. I made a trip to the vending machine. I slinked over there and got some bad bad stuff. I don't do energy drinks and there was no coffee. I bought a Mountain Dew. The soda with the record number of caffeine. Also rumored to make men drop sperm count... People DRINK this stuff. Then I got some Cheetos. That color is not of nature! Its totally man made!! Then of course a Snickers bar. Was it necessary? At the time I thought it was but I have to take into account the delirium. Severe delirium! I wasn't tired after that. How could I be? I had enough sugar and caffeine (only 1/3 of the soda drank!) to last me for the night right? Not exactly. I was okay for a while. Then I started to feel myself come down off my sugar/caffeine high. I didn't crash per se but I could feel it slowly lowering... BOO! Dang! UGH!! Two more hours!!

I can say I made it home safe and sound. Beat down tired but home... And yet another discovery about myself. I prefer the Venti over the vending machine and sleep over the Venti. And that overloading myself with sugar and caffeine is no bueno my friends... I'll be working on my sleep on days off AND I am staying away from vending machines. Yuck.

Ciao
USMCdaffy

Scary... Lost goal- FOUND!!

Last night I woke up gasping for air... It scared the holy crap out of me! My fear? That its sleep apnea! What?? Sleep apnea?? Ok. It's probably not but it still scared me. So I really started to think about taking this turn around health thing seriously. I have to be honest and I have been in denial PLUS I find that I can pretty much use any excuse for poor eating. I can find ANY excuse. This in fact is my main problem. I don't eat when I am bored. I don't eat when I am upset but I can eat some bad things... I love salt. I prefer savory over sweet. I can go for months without candy, ice scream, cookies, sugar, etc. Its the fat, the salt, the potatoes... ANY kind of potatoe!! Oh fast food.. Deep fry..

As I was doing my workout today I started thinking. A very long time ago I wanted to do the Marine Corps Mud Run. It's world famous and its open to the public now. As I was huffing away at my elliptical machine I started trying to figure how long it would take to get in shape. This 10k mud run is NO JOKE. If you are not in great shape you can really get hurt. I already have torn my meniscus and it totally derailed my cardio for a very long time. I was forced to do yoga while I was waiting to heal. Now I love yoga and it is helpful mentally/emotionally (especially as a dispatcher) but I miss my heart pounding lung screaming cardio! So I just don't want to get there and get hurt because it SUCKS!! As I have been injured I have come to realize how much I need that cardio because of my job. It burns off the hate.. LOL All my stress leaves and I feel better. But adding yoga into my workout has made me a lot happier and more relaxed.

SO! I my goal is to do the USMC Mud Run June 2012. I officially have stopped the BS and the denial in my food. Better food choices is a MUST. Its all about free will!

Ciao
USMCDaffy

PS Memorial Day weekend for a dispatcher is in fact EXTREMELY busy! But we all made it out okay!!

First Day

Everyone has a blog. Me too! The irony? I had all these thoughts about what I would write and now as I sit here I am not sure what to write. Once it is online it is permanent. Typos AND thoughts. Permanent as in FOREVER. It can be daunting but I think I will enjoy it once I get rolling.

Dispatch!
When you are a dispatcher you have everyone's secrets. Dispatching is about keeping them. I don't want to write all about dispatching because there is a lot I can't say. Its all a secret. People tell you things that they would not tell their friends and family. Sometimes they share a lot more then necessary but talking has always been a kind of therapy for many people. People don't call 9-1-1 on the best day of their life, they call on the worst day of their life!


Diet!
I am the dieting dispatcher. Because.... Well I am always dieting. Dispatch is not a stress free environment. It has a very high stress level. Sure there is down time but most of the time there is activity. Its fight or flight a lot of the time. Which makes you.... HUNGRY! Even when you are not actually hungry. I don't eat all the time but its the weird hours and how much of the job consumes your life. I don't get a lot of spare time. A twelve hour shift schedule takes over a large part of your day. Plus I drive 40 miles EACH way. Then when I get to my days off I frantically catch up on what I could not do because I was at work. Its a vicious cycle. But I like helping people. So I stay. For now. And I am grateful to have a job.

So this is not going to be about dispatching. Its is a journey to get healthier and to feel better over all. Ok, there will be a little dispatching in here but most I want to share the journey of better health. PLUS I have a Marine Corps reunion in Vegas in October and I CANNOT feel like this. oh no no no!!

OK! Typos checked. Here we go! Welcome to my journey!

Ciao
USMCdaffy