National Women's Health Week

May 12-18 is National Women's Health Week, and I don't need to cite the statistics re: heart disease, various cancers, obesity, diabetes, and the other health epidemics that face women today. Women who are overworked, overstressed, under-rested, and who maybe aren't as well nourished as they should be or could be. Instead, I'm going to ask one question:

What are you going to do about your health this week?

Some suggestions:

• Stop focusing on the number on the scale and focus instead on what you're putting into your body to fuel it.
• Eat one piece of fruit a day.
• Try to incorporate a vegetable into your breakfast three times this week. Spinach quiche, anyone? Tomato and eggs? (Okay, I know it's a fruit, but it counts here in the Mossy Nest as a veg.)
• Take a fitness walk. Not a stroll; a walk that increases your heart rate and gets you sweating a little. It doesn't have to be far (even around the block is a great accomplishment if you're a couch potato) and it shouldn't be long if you've not exercised before (5 minutes, that's it, just 5 minutes), but it does have to be at a faster-than-normal pace.
• Remind yourself that you are the only person watching out for you, and you are worth it.
• If you haven't seen your doctor in a while, make an appointment for a physical.
• If you've been avoiding your mammogram, make that appointment.
• If you haven't seen your dentist, make that appointment.
• If you haven't seen your gynecologist, yea, make that appointment.
• Try a relaxation technique twice this week. Acupuncture, massage, meditation, mindful breathing--let's kick stress in the butt,
• Sit outside for lunch and just breathe in the fresh air. Don't think about work, kids, family, anything--just breathe.
• Skip the soda and drink cold water instead.

Today, I made a mango smoothie for breakfast, walked both dogs at a fast pace for 0.75 miles (Pipsqueak is too young to walk farther, but with both pulling, it's almost a weight and cardio workout; besides, DoodleBug and I got a jump start on National Women's Health Week by walking a fast 2.5 miles Friday and Saturday.), and will have a salmon burger (minus the bread) on polenta and spinach for dinner.

So, c'mon, gals, we need to set aside time to take care of ourselves. Little steps add up to big changes!

DoodleBug at Work

Be Safe Saturday at the hospital, April 2013

On parade in the hospital, March 2012

Flirting with the beauty queens, April 2013

Doodle goes to college, December 2012

The big paws he has to fill. Pupgirl's photo was included in the Pet Therapy slide show, April 2013. 

Pup on a Pillow

Pipsqueak's Graduation Day

Puppy Class Graduation March 2013

Meet Pipsqueak!

Finally, the long overdue introduction to my Pipsqueak. Her mother is Ch. Dusty, her father is Grand Ch. Trace. She is some sort of great-niece or first or second cousin to my beautiful Pupgirl. Born Nov. 2, 2012, came home Jan. 8, 2013. She is growing like a weed--she had her 20-week teeth at 17 weeks. She pummels TallBoy constantly, chewing on his ears, his feet, his muzzle, whatever body part is handy. Mr. Big was ailing pretty badly when she arrived, and TallBoy really was GoldenBoy, running interference to keep her from pestering Biggie. He'd grab a toy and dangle it from his mouth to distract her. That DoodleBug is one amazing dog.

Mr. Big is feeling better, and she's doing all the appropriate puppy things now--licking his muzzle, laying down in front of him, stomach up. Of course, she also runs like crazy past him and will knock him off his feet. His balance and strength are improving, but a 32-lb puppy missile is still just a bit too much for him. Biggie has resumed his dog park cop job, barking at Pipsqueak and DoodleBug when they play too rough, which is nearly all they do, all day long, which means there is a lot of barking going on in my house right now. A lot. So much that I want to howl "Does no one have any consideration for my poor nerves?!?" Pipsqueak's bark is that high-pitched, eardrum-shattering, glass-breaking puppy bark that can drive strong men to drink. Pupgirl had that and it quieted a bit, as did she, with maturity, so I'm hoping Pipsqueak does, too.

Pipsqueak on the right, her sister, Brown Girl, on the left

"What have I gotten myself into?"

 

Doing what dogs do

Talented sideways dogs

"Human work is boring, and being a puppy is exhausting. I'm taking a nap."

Pipsqueak meets rain.

Beauty

Perks of Field Science

A lot of times, fieldwork has its less-than-fun side:

• when the portable toilet people never deliver your order, for 5 weeks
• when it's so cold, the water meter is frozen
• when it's so hot, people are cooking lunches atop the truck
• when it rains, and you have to keep surveying, as water sloshes back and forth in your boot.

But then, sometimes, fieldwork has its spectacular side. To whit, the following. We are working in an area that has 8 nesting pairs of crested caracara.  While those online photos are far superior to mine, I'm tickled pink to have been able to take these myself.

41:22/13:29!

Yesterday I completed my 13th Race for the Cure. My walking buddies from previous races have all decided that they prefer not to return as supporters after last year's debacle. However, my cousin's wife was just diagnosed with breast cancer two weeks ago, and one of my two oldest friends is only in year 2 of her cancer-free life, and the organization provides money to poor communities in my state that are not just underserved--they barely make it on the map. So, with about half of the pre-2012 racers, I returned.

Since I wasn't walking with a group, I was able to walk faster that I would have. As DoodleBug and I have been interval running and walking, I decided to try that technique for as long as I could. I ran the first half-mile flat out, thought my heart would explode, then did a few blocks at walking/running, then just walked as fast as I could. Hey, the most Doodle and I have run/walked was 0.7 miles, and recently it's only been about 0.3 miles of running, so 0.5 without any walking is a miracle!

But that push got me off to a good start, so I finished the race at 41 minutes, 22 seconds--about 25 minutes behind the female runner who came in first (18 minutes, and she was 16 or 18 years old--I could almost be her grandmother!), which I think is not too shabby. And that means I walked, on average, a 13 minute, 29 second mile! I haven't walked that fast in years! My fastest time ever was just over 11 minutes/mile, but I was about 24 years younger then. And this was pretty much without any training whatsoever. Woo hoo!!

So, M & M, this one was for you. And your daughters.