Looking on the bright side

There's at least one good thing about a daytime power outage: You don't have to light candles or kerosene lamps in order to get anything done. In other words, reading by candlelight while sitting on your ass is not an option. My pre-Fourth of July to-do list gets shorter and shorter.

I'm not praying for another one, mind you, but having the power go out means the time-sucker computer is off for hours at a time. No sneaky little breaks "just to check my e-mail." And no computer solitaire.

It sounds like we're all in agreement that both cardio and strength-training are necessary for optimal weight loss. [Even Lux's link-comment quibbled only with numbers, not with benefits.] I know one reason I resist [resisted? I'm not quite ready to say that yet.] lifting is that I've read over and over again that walking – good, old, plain-vanilla walking – is a weight-bearing exercise, enough to protect and strengthen your bones.

Preventing osteoporosis is as much a motivation for me as weight loss. I watched my grandmother lose several inches in height as she aged. Also? She could – and did! – break a bone by simply walking across a room or getting out of bed.

But to get what I really want, adding consistent, challenging weight-training should make a difference. And if it doesn't? I guess I'll cross that bridge when/if I come to it.

My busy-busy Thursday went quite well. Taking time to lift and run first thing energized me for the entire afternoon. I saw something while I was running I've never seen before, on any of my three usual routes. Are you ready? I saw another runner, complete with gear pack and compression t-shirt. He looked as surprised as I was. He was just starting a 10-mile loop; I was finishing my four-mile one.

[Note: I purposely used a positive, optimistic title for this post and have gone back and edited out all the parts that were what therapists call "negative self-talk." It's amazing how many there were!]

May your day be sunny and bright. And may all your Christmases be white. Heh.