Tomorrow's the big day

Actually, since it's 1:08 am, today is technically the big day.

Here's the skinny on what this is all about: I am faced with a nasty case of fibromyalgia, my joints are aching, I've inexplicably gained tens of pounds this year, and my health is going somewhere in a handbasket. Rather than motivating me, this has led to a "what the hell" attitude towards food, and a somewhat lackluster physical activity regimen. Gone are the days of daily swimming, sweaty workouts, and leafy greens at every meal.

Then, this fall, I discovered hula hooping. Seriously. Now, I can do a lot of things, but I had never, not once in my entire life, successfully hula hooped. All that has changed, and I am squarely on the road to being a hoopdancing diva. I have learned to love the sound of the hoop hitting the floor, and have whooped and grinned my way through learning new tricks in the company of friends, both old and new.

Meanwhile, I had kind of let the ball drop on nutrition...sort of. Stopped reading the books, stopped paying attention, pretty much just closed my eyes and sung, "La La La." Sound familiar to anybody else out there?

Because things always happen when you least expect them, this weekend a book jumped into my hands at the bookstore. There I was, on a date with my husband, looking for a fun word game, and suddenly, my nose was buried in You Are What You Eat. Here was a book that concisely and accessibly presents all the information that I have ever accumulated. It is the book that I would write, were I to take the time to sit down and synthesize all the nutrition-related knowledge that is swimming around in my head. Instead of agreeing with some, and not with most, I have found a book that has won my wholehearted attention and commitment.

Before the excitement begins in earnest, I'm going to catch a few zzz's. But first, let me start this blog in style, with the post I just wrote...

Tomorrow’s the big day. I am actually excited and looking forward to it, rather than feeling dread and dismay. At the same time, I have been keenly aware and thoroughly enjoyed my food choices over the last couple of days. Ahh, the last sips of coffee, chocolate chip cookie, soft peppermint candy, and french fries were delectable.

My juicer is waiting patiently to get taken out of the box for its inaugural use tomorrow morning.

My flax seeds are soaking in hot water, my dandelion tea bags are at the ready.

My marathon grocery store trip has resulted in a refrigerator full of an astonishing quantity of fruits and vegetables, all of which I am evidently going to consume in the next ten days.

When I made my shopping list, I went through the menu for each day and noted the ingredients needed. At the end, I wrote the total number for each item next to it. Here are some that stood out for me: 4 fennel, 14 cucumbers, 53 carrots. No, I am not kidding, and I am not exaggerating. No matter what else happens as a result of this plan, I will not be in any danger of consuming less than the recommended 5-9 fruits and vegetables a day.

My only flub so far is that G. recommends going to bed by 10:30…while this is usually a no-brainer for me, tonight, the choice was bed or grocery run. I chose the groceries, and hopefully can have a low key day tomorrow.

Let the games begin.