Here’s a quick recap (my friends can stop laughing now).  For those just joining the us, the “joke” is that I have a reputation for *NEVER* telling a story in 10 words when 10 paragraphs will do.

Siiiiiiiiigggggghhhh

Today’s post is all about patting myself on the back.  Bravo!  Cue the Applause!  Yay!  Woo Hoo! Yippie!  Good Job!  I rock!  I am FAB-u-LUS!

I’ve actually done quite a bit this week towards my goal of “being healthy” and “living healthy”.   Each of the things, in and of itself may seem tiny but each tiny step is still a step.

So here, in no particular order, are some of the things I’ve done this week which move me closer to my goal:

• Coffee: Finally bought a bottle of plain white vinegar to use in my coffee maker to clean accumulated oils and coffee gunk from the guts of the machine. (How to Clean a Coffee Maker With Vinegar)
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• Morning drugs: For two weeks now I’ve been taking my morning “pills” which consists of (1) a daily mufti-vitamin and (2) my high blood pressure medication.  I’m not counting this as a “done” thing yet because you really need to do something regularly for three weeks before it really becomes a habit.  On my shopping list for this week is “Calcium with Vitamin D”.  There is a history of bone problems on both sides of my family in the guys and the gals so I figure it is time for me to start doing the supplement.  (Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Calcium) (Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Multivitamin/mineral Supplements) (18 Tricks to Make New Habits Stick)
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• Pillows: I actually have some very good pillows.  Well, I guess I should say “had” some very good pillows.  Because I compete in Country Western Dance, I travel fairly regularly.  And it finally “clicked” that I slept VERY well whenever I slept at a Sheraton Hotel.  So I did some quick web searching and discovered that, for a price, I could have my very own Sheraton bed and bedding in my very own little room  I have enjoyed my current set of pillows but they are now worn out so yesterday I ordered a new set.  On the “to do list/shopping list” for this week, I plan to buy new allergy covers for the pillows (which should arrive in about a week) and for my mattress to replace the current set of allergen protectors which alas have seen better days. (Sheraton at Home) (House Dust Mites by Michael F. Potter, Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture)
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• Reduce Caffeine / Switch from Diet Coke to Green Tea / No Caffeine after lunch: I’ve made a start.  Long way to go yet but hey, Rome, and my round body wasn’t built in a day!  😉  Here’s the positive things:
  — No longer taking the third cup of coffee in a mug “on the road” with me as I drive to work.
  — At home in the evenings and on weekend, I’ve *mostly* been drinking green tea instead of Diet Coke.  There is no longer any Diet Coke in the apartment.  The only Diet Coke that I’ve drunk at home was a couple of times when I brought my “fast food” or “restaurant” dinner home with me and of course got the combo meal with the soda so I brought that home too.  We will NOT discuss the lack of progress on the “eat out less” goal.  This is rejoicing time, not beat up on Tony time!  Remember?  One thing, one step, at a time!  And right now the focus is on soda-tea-caffeine.
  — I’ve been giving quite a bit of thought about how to make the whole switch over from Diet Coke to Green Tea thing work at work.   And I have a plan which I hope to execute a bit at time over the coming two weeks.  Watch for posts on that later. (My Love-Hate Relationship With Caffeine) (Caffeine, Straight Up! Confessions of a Java Junkie) (Getting Healthy is Complicated… …so do it one step at a time.)
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• Track my progress: I have this Excel spreadsheet where I record my daily weight and body fat percentage.  During the time where I had “fallen off the health wagon” I did not weigh in on a daily basis and if I did, I rarely recorded the data.  I am self-aware enough to know that I need that daily, constant, feedback to stay on track.  For the past week, I’ve managed to weigh in and record the data about 50% of the time.  So it is a start, but not a habit yet.
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  To ensure an accurate picture of what is happening with my body, I take six measurements a day: two total body weight measurements (AM & PM) using the Body Fat Monitoring bathroom scale. Model TBF-531 by Tanita (TM) which is where I also get one set of Body Fat Measurements.  The other set of AM & PM Body Fat Measurements comes from a handheld device: the Body Fat Monitor (HBF-306) by Omron (TM).  I average the two AM Body Fat measurements to get the AM average, do the same for the PM, and then average the AM & PM Body Fat Measurements to give me a Daily Body Fat Measurement average.  The average of the AM and PM body weight measurements gives me my daily weight.   (Measuring Body Fat…. Eeeeeeewwwwww!!!!!!)
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• Snoring / Sleep / Sleep Apnea:  Again, a start, but a long ways to go.
  — I’ve started a spring cleaning of my room to de-dust it as much as possible.
  — I replenished my supply Allegra D and I’ve started using them nightly again.
  — Ordered new Pillows (see above)
  — Did a little bit of research about possibly using a dental appliance to reduce the snoring.  My fabulous dance partner told me about this.
  — I’ve been making an effort to move toward a regular bed time and wake up time.  Not much success yet, but I’m working on it. (Getting Healthy is complicated… …and it takes sleep, if you can get it) (House Dust Mites by Michael F. Potter, Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture)
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• Progress Photos — they’re on the list to do today.  🙂  High hopes!  LOL
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Related Articles / Links

• How to Clean a Coffee Maker With Vinegar (eHow.com)
• Dietary Supplement: Fact Sheet: Calcium (Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health — ods.od.nih.gov)
• Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Multivitamin/mineral Supplements (Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health — ods.od.nih.gov)
• 18 Tricks to Make New Habits Stick (www.lifehack.org)
• Sheraton at Home (www.sheraton-hotelsathome.com)
• House Dust Mites (by Michael F. Potter, Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture)
• Getting Healthy is complicated… …and it takes sleep, if you can get it (txcowboydancer.wordpress.com)
• Measuring Body Fat…. Eeeeeeewwwwww!!!!!! (txcowboydancer.wordpress.com)
• My Love-Hate Relationship With Caffeine (txcowboydancer.wordpress.com)
• Caffeine, Straight Up! Confessions of a Java Junkie (txcowboydancer.wordpress.com)
• Getting Healthy is Complicated… …so do it one step at a time. (txcowboydancer.wordpress.com)