Plant a Pineapple
I received a pineapple in this week’s co-op bag, so it had to be kismet that I saw this “Planting 
a Pineapple” link on Twitter. I noodled on the internet a litle more and found a more detailed tutorial, too. I’m going to plant a pineapple this weekend; stay tuned to see if I can turn my brown thumb around with this one!
Thank You Thursday
I missed the last couple of Thursdays, but I’m back and as thankful as ever!
Today, I’m picking up where I left off with big thank you to Michael Sponhour. I first met Michael when he was a reporter at The State, picked up with him again when he started dating a friend who eventually became his wife and finally reconnected with him when he became Public Affairs Director for the SC Budget and Control Board.
It was SC’s loss when Michael and his family moved to Ohio in 2011 so he could take the position of Executive Director of Communications and Outreach for the Ohio Department of Education. Business communicators and public relations folks also took a hit when Michael left as he had become quite involved in the profession. He was a champion for good communications and doing things right, and one of the things he did right was to manage a SC Public Professionals Linked In account, over 500 members strong. I visited the site a few days ago and was surprised to see that Michael was still managing the account, more than a year after leaving South Carolina. I thought that deserved a BIG thank you:
Dear Michael:
I visited the SC Public Relations Professionals Linked In account recently, and I was surprised to see that you’re still managing it, all the way from Ohio! I was excited to see all of the discussions, networking and other activity happening on the site, and I’ll be visiting a lot more often now.
If you’re still managing the account so well more than a year after leaving the Palmetto State, you deserve a big thank you. Your love for both South Carolina and the public relations profession is evident, and I’m glad to know that we haven’t completely lost you. I hope your activity means that The Sponhours may find their way back to South Carolina one day, but until then, I really appreciate your dedication.
Please be sure to give lots of South Carolina love to Laura and the boys! The Midlands is a better place for having had you in the community for so long, and we miss all of you!
Sincerely,
Mary Pat Baldauf
Posted in Thank You Thursday | 
Tags: Linked In, Michael Sponhour, SC Public Relations Professionals, South Carolina | 
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Eating Clean and Healthy on the Road
Did I mention that I was in USA Today? I struck up a Twitter conversation with their travel writer, and the next thing I know, I’m in the article. Pretty cool, huh? Anyway, I’ve been meaning to write a post on eating on the 
road, and now seem about as good a time as ever to do just that…
In my job, I’m fortunate enough to travel to some pretty neat places for sustainability training: Kansas City, MO.; Madison, WI; and Washington, DC, just to name a few. BEFORE my lifestyle change, I always enjoyed eating at local restaurants to get a flavor for the locale, but now that I’m a clean eater, it isn’t as easy.
In general, restaurant dining isn’t easy. Even when you pick something from the menu that you THINK would be pretty basic, there are some sneaky additions that throw you off. If you read this blog, you probably know that most chicken in any grilled chicken salad is chock full of sodium and that something as simple as a lean steak is often topped with butter.
Blue Bird Bistro, Kansas City
I will give a shout out to Kansas City’s Blue Bird Bistro, a delicious all-natural restaurant, as well as my sustainability cohorts Keith and Julia, who pulled out their adventure fork to accompany me there during our last trip. Their menu featured great options for even the cleanest of eaters, and it was a really nice experience to boot.
Conference food also leaves a lot to be desired. Many of the meals are working meals, featuring boxed lunches with processed meats, chips and, if you’re lucky, maybe an apple.
My nutrition counselor, Traci, taught me early on to take responsibility for myself and not to rely on anyone else to get it right, and that was wonderful advice. When I’m in a new dining situation, I always check out the menu beforehand, eat before I go and/or bring my own food so I’ll know there is a clean and healthy option. It may sometimes look a little weird to bring a lunch bag of goodies, but it looks a lot less weird when I slip into a size eight skirt. (Like I did today!)
With the many carry-on baggage restrictions, it’s pretty hard to bring too much food aboard, so I’ve learned to shop local markets upon my arrival. The past year, I’ve even discovered local markets that offer online shopping and delivery, which allows me to place the order before my trip and have it delivered within hours of my arrival.
Groceries from 2011 Trip to Kansas City (I was still drinking milk; now I get soy milk.)
Here is a list of the standard foods I like to have on hand in my hotel room:
- Whole wheat bread
- Peanut butter
- Fruits like bananas, raisins, grapes – things that don’t HAVE to be refrigerated and are fairly portable
- Salad veggies such as Bibb lettuce, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots (If the hotel has a mini-fridge)
- Nuts
- Light soy milk (again, depending on a mini-fridge)
- Instant oatmeal (can have for breakfast or dinner)
I’ve also learned to pack the following:
- Paring knife (checked baggage only!)
- Measuring cup (my favorite is a silicone cup with assorted measures)
- Ziploc or reusable bags (for sandwiches and snacks)
- Lidded plastic containers (for salads)
- A set of utensils (I like a real set, not plastic)
- Sweetners (Equal and Sweet n Low are still vices!)
- Travel water containers (one for water, one for soy milk)
- Insulated lunch bag
- Cloth napkins (not necessary, but a nice touch)
And finally, here are a few tips:
- Don’t be shy about bringing your own food. It used to feel weird, but people are actually usually jealous that my food is better than what they’re being served.
- Dress it up! I bring a couple cute cloth napkins and reusable sandwich bags. It makes it more fun.
- Check out facilities beforehand. Is there a mini fridge? A microwave? Is there a local market that will deliver? The hotel staff is always very helpful.
- Check with conference staff beforehand. Given enough time, you can usually get a vegetarian or vegan option. Be careful, though. I once got a “vegetarian” plate that included a whopping helping of French fries.
- When purchasing food, keep your receipts. I think I was the first person who turned in a Whole Foods receipt in my travel reimbursement, but the APWA was happy to pay for it as they would regular meals. In fact, I spent less on groceries for three days than some people did for a single dinner.
- Be prepared. There MAY be something you can eat, and if so, you can always save your lunch and/or snacks. But better to be safe than sorry.
- If dining out is part of the program and/or you just don’t want to miss out, go to the restaurant’s website beforehand and check out the best options. You can even do that on your smart phone. Also, don’t hesitate to ask for substitutions, special preparations (grilled vs. fried) and/or ingredient lists.
What tips do you have for eating on the road? Any special restaurants or markets to recommend? Is there a hotel, facility and/or meeting planner that has been especially accommodating?
Posted in Healthy Eating/Nutrition | Tags: Blue Bird Bistro, Healthy Eating, Kansas City, local grocery, USA Today | No Comments »
Under Pressure!
When it comes to my weight loss, I mostly relate change to the way I look and the size clothes I wear; I sometimes forget the physiological changes my body has gone through. I was reminded of those changes last week, when I was diagnosed with a form of low blood pressure.
For about a week, I’d been having what I best describe as a “head rush” when I would rise from sitting or laying down, sometimes even just stepping off the elliptical at the gym. My peripheral vision would get dark and I’d see stars, though I never fainted. Usually, nausea would also accompany the symptoms. Once or twice, I didn’t think much about it, but when it started happening on a regular basis, I scheduled a doctor’s appointment.
It turns out that I have a form of low blood pressure, orthostatic hypotension in which my blood pressure drops when I stand up from sitting or lying down. In the doctor’s office, my blood pressure dropped from a sitting 120/84 to a standing 80/something. Dr. Word said that it is most likely a result of my 90-something lb. weight loss, and that it’s not uncommon. He did some blood work just to rule out other causes — I’m not anemic — but said that my body likely just needs to reset . To help, he prescribed a low dose of Midodrine, which will raise standing blood pressure.
I really find it odd and strangely satisfying that before I lost weight, I had borderline high blood pressure, but less than two years later, it’s actually gone down enough to be classified as low. That being said, it’s not a good thing, and I’m ready for these head rushes to subside.
I’ve been on the meds for five days now, and I haven’t had any full-fledged episodes in that time. I did have mild 
lightheadedness when I hopped off the elliptical this a.m., but it wasn’t even close to where it was last week. It may be psychological, but I also find that I’ve had more energy, especially in the last few days.I am having trouble remembering to take the meds, though, because I have to take them three times a day. I put the morning dose with my other morning meds, but it’s harder to remember the lunch and dinner dose.
Do you take or have you taken meds that require multiple daily doses? How did you remember to take them? Any great products out there to help, maybe a pill box with reminders? Any tricks or tips to help?
Posted in Changes and Milestones | Tags: head rush, low blood pressue, Midodrine, orthostatic hypotension | No Comments »
Weight of the Nation
This is a copy of an email that I received from Michael F. Jacobson, Executive Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest about an HBO documentary series, The Weight of the Nation. This was the first I’d heard of it, so I wanted to share it with blog readers. I hope to order the DVD; Amazon says it will be available in July. I may go ahead download the Kindle edition of the book; it looks good, too.
Tonight is the premiere of The Weight of the Nation, a four part HBO documentary series that takes an unflinching look at America’s obesity epidemic. The series airs tonight, May 14, and tomorrow evening, beginning at 8:00 pm ET/PT on HBO and online at http://theweightofthenation.
An unprecedented collaboration with the Institute of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health, and with funding from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, The Weight of the Nation draws on interviews with many of the nation’s leading experts, including Margo Wootan, DSc, director of nutrition policy at Center for Science in the Public Interest.
“We really have to come together as a nation and treat this as a priority,” says Margo in Part 1: “Consequences,” which begins the series by exploring the grave health consequences of being overweight or obese. Margo has lead efforts to require calorie labeling at chain restaurants, improve school foods, and reduce junk-food marketing aimed at children. She appears throughout the series.
In Part 3: “Children In Crisis,” Margo presents a nuanced perspective on the environmental factors that have led 32% of America’s young people to become overweight or obese. “Government has a responsibility to act, but they’re not the whole answer,” she explains. “We also need companies to step up, to reformulate their products, to change their marketing practices and to make healthy options available in restaurants.”
I applaud Margo’s role in The Weight of the Nation, and I hope that you will tune in tonight and tomorrow to view this groundbreaking documentary series. Please share it via email, Facebook, and Twitter, and use it educate your family and friends about ways to address this epidemic. The documentary will be available online, free of charge, at http://theweightofthenation.
A Great Morning Message
Quite by accident, very early this a.m., I discovered Zen Habits. And in this morning’s post, look what jumped out and spoke directly to me:
Forget about productivity and numbers. They matter not at all. If you are driven to do things to reach certain numbers (goals), you have probably lost sight of what’s important. If you are striving to be productive, you are filling your days with things just to be productive, which is a waste of a day. This day is a gift, and shouldn’t be crammed with every possible thing — spend time enjoying it and what you’re doing.
I’m thinking this is no coincidence given last night’s post: Never Been a Numbers Girl Anyway.
Never Been a Numbers Girl Anyway
This morning, I had a revelation. Now that I don’t see Traci every Wednesday for nutrition counseling, I’ve gotten a little off course. I’m still using MyFitnessPal to record my food, which is good. But instead of reviewing my weekly log with Traci – discussing the good choices and perhaps things I need to work on – I’m just looking at the bottom line, calories.
MyFitnessPal has always been numbers oriented. When you first sign up and add your weight loss goals, it gives you a calorie “limit,” which Traci informs me is probably a little low given my muscle mass and metabolism. When you add a food item, it adds the calories and nutrient totals to a tally, which is available both by the week and by the day. And while I don’t doubt that counting calories works, for me, it is distracting me from my real goals: to incorporate clean eating and more plant-based foods into my eating.
This morning, I decided that I would take a break from MyFitnessPal and just record my foods old style, on paper. If I focus on what I’m eating and the amounts, the calories will take care of themselves. This decision was confirmed today when I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension (OH), a form of low blood pressure.
For the past week, I’ve experienced a regular “head rush” when I stand from sitting, get up from bed and/or get off of the elliptical. Turns out, my blood pressure is dropping when I change positions, thus causing said head rush, often accompanied by nausea and a dull headache. In the office today, my blood pressure went from 120/84 sitting to 80/something when I stood up. Dr. Word took blood for some tests, but said that it is likely a result of my weight loss, which is not uncommon. He explained that usually your body will “reset” itself after a large weight loss, but sometimes needs some help. I got some meds and go back in two weeks.
The OH isn’t caused by not eating enough or focusing too much on calories, but it brought home to me that the reason I started this lifestyle change was to improve my health, first and foremost. That, and Dr. Word said that until we got this under control, he would recommend that I not focus too much on losing those last eight pounds.
All of that being said, I did get Dr. Word’s nurse to look through my chart so we could find my 
all-time high weight. It was 235 in December, 2007. When I do decide to focus back on the weight loss side, I will shoot for 135 lbs., which will mark 100 lbs. lost from my highest “official” weight. Dr. Word said that he understood why I wanted to reach that milestone, and that it wasn’t an unreasonable goal. He added, however, that he is pleased with where I am now, weight-wise and health-wise, and that he would be perfectly thrilled if I simply maintained that weight.
There’s time for me to figure all of that out later. For now, I want to focus on listening to what my body needs, feeding it clean and green foods, and continuing to build strength through my training and work outs. Stay tuned!
Posted in Healthy Eating/Nutrition | Tags: calorie counting, calories, numbers, orthostatic hypotension | No Comments »
52 Windows Gala, an Evening to Benefit MIRCI
Did you know that one in four adults—approximately 57.7 million Americans— experience a mental health disorder in a given year? Or that one in 17 lives with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder? Would it surprise you to learn that about one in 10 children live with a serious mental or emotional disorder?
In the Midlands, there is a wonderful non-profit – Mental Illness Recovery Center, Incorporated or MIRCI – whose mission is to provide community based services to individuals recovering from severe mental illness or emotional disorders through counseling, housing and financial management initiatives. They have some incredible programs and 92% of every dollar goes directly to services for folks in recovery of a mental illness.
On May 10, I’m supporting MIRCI through 52 Windows, and I’d like to ask you to consider doing the same. In this 52nd year of service at MIRCI, 52 artists from around the state have created 52 Windows to be sold at a silent auction beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 10 at 701 Whaley.
Yours truly created a window for the event, a sustainable piece titled Pop. Art. This funky piece is created from 100 reclaimed materials, included soda cans, pop tabs, even a piece of foam core destined for the landfill.
Join us as we celebrate the vision of South Carolina artists through a collection of individually unique hand-crafted vintage windows to benefit MIRCI’s Housing and homeless programs for Midlands-area individuals facing chronic mental illness.
You’ll enjoy a delightful evening featuring:
- Unique Works of Hand-Crafted Art
- Local Artists from the Midlands and throughout the state
- A Lively Silent Auction
- Live Music & Open Bar
- Heavy hors d’oeuvres from Aberdeen Catering
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://52windows-facebook.eventbrite.com/. Money raised will bolster housing and homeless services for those in the Columbia area facing chronic mental illness.
Posted in Go Green!, Healthy Lifestyle | Tags: 100% reclaimed materials, 52 Windows, 701 Whaley, mental illness, Midlands, MIRCI, Palmetto, Pop Art, recycled | No Comments »
Another Angel on My Side
Since my father died in December, I’ve called upon him on many occasions at the gym. While Dad was active throughout his life, but more importantly, he was determined. On those mornings that I’ve faced a challenge I don’t think I can handle, I think of Dad and push forward. And now, as I continue on the road to health, I have another angel on my side, my Uncle Ray.
I first met Uncle Ray and his wife, Nan, when I was around ten. Out of Dad’s 11 brothers and sisters, they were the first who had ventured to this side of the Mason-Dixon line when they moved to Pittsboro, North Carolina. Because they lived close to Grandma and Grandpa, and perhaps because he and Dad were closest in age of all of the siblings, Ray is one of the few of Dad’s siblings that I really knew growing up.
Ray and Nan were pioneers in the healthy eating movement, and they ate things like tofu and whole wheat pasta some thirty-something years before they became mainstream. My first memory of Ray and Nan involved food; we were traveling together and struggling to find a place where we could all eat. I think we ended up at Wendy’s, one of the few fast food places that had a salad bar that long ago.
I also remember spending some time with Nan and Ray in my early teens at their fabulous house in Pittsboro. Ray was in construction, and he and Nan built their house from the ground up. On a beautiful wooded lot, it was – and still is – like a magical retreat. I don’t remember much of what I ate while I was there – chances are that Nan bought some junk just for me – but I did try whole wheat pasta for the first time during that visit.
Back then, I remember thinking that tofu and whole wheat pasta were quite odd, and while I loved Ray and Nan, I couldn’t quite understand the food they ate. When we visited, I made sure that I ate before we got there, and I always made sure to bring a soda with me.
Fast forward thirty-something years, and time has a funny way of changing things. After working with Traci at Doctors Wellness Center, I know why Ray and Nan ate the way they did, and while I still struggle with the veggies, I eat that way, too. Now when we travel, I’m the one struggling to find a healthy option amongst the sea of fast food. When I eat pasta, it’s always whole wheat, and I love tofu. The thing that continues to amaze me is how they were able to eat like they did “back then.” Now, there are places like Whole Foods, and even the “regular” grocery stores have organic sections. Tofu and whole wheat pasta are almost mainstream, and there are even healthier dining options, even in Columbia. But 35 years ago, not so much.
Last week, Ray passed away after a ten year fight with prostate cancer. Despite his cancer being advanced when diagnosed, he lived with it for quite some time. And until the last few years, he lived quite normally with it. I’m convinced his longtime healthy lifestyle — plant-based eating and lots of physical activity — helped him in his valiant fight with cancer.
When Dad was dying in December, Ray, too, was nearing the end of his days. For a while, we thought that Ray and Dad would pass within days of each other, but Ray lived on another four months. In that time, we made several visits to see Ray, and I was pleased that he was able to see how I had turned my eating habits around. I was able to thank him for his early influence, which took me quite a while to embrace. I was even able to share some of my recipes with him, and he and Nan loved my Taco Soup, modified to exclude MSG, of course.
At his memorial service yesterday, there was a time for personal tributes. I waited for his friends to finish, and while I felt called to speak about Ray’s influence, it still seemed like it was just too much about me. So I’ll make the tribute here. I’ll probably never eat as well as Ray did. I still indulge in ice cream and pizza, and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough greens. But as I continue to incorporate more plant-based selections into my menus, I now have a new angel to call upon, Uncle Ray. Just as I call upon Dad to help me get through morning sled pulls or leg presses, I’m counting on Ray to give me the extra motivation to pack a side salad for lunch or try a new vegetable here and there. And like Dad, Ray will not only be happy to give me that extra nudge, I’m certain that he’ll get a big kick out of doing so.
Posted in Healthy Eating/Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle, Motivation | Tags: angel, healthy eating pioneer, Uncle Ray | No Comments »
Another “What I Ate Wednesday” Busted!
It’s not that I don’t want to share my food logs — I really want the accountability – but today’s not sharing issues are technology related. Apparently, I can print a report from MyFitnessPal.com, but can’t save it as a pdf. Some of that is a limitation of the website, the rest is a software issue on my part.
I’ll continue to try to find an easy and inexpensive way to do this, but suffice it to say that:
- The entire week wasn’t perfect, especially the weekend
- After I took Sunday to cook, clean and re-focus, Monday and Tuesday have been much better
Restated from Sunday, these are my goals for this week (M-Su):
- No ice cream or trail mix
- Eat at least one vegetable every day
- Work out every weekday morning
- Do at least one day vegan
This is the best recap I can do during my lunch hour, but again, I will continue to work on saving the food log as a pdf so I can share. Whether or not you want to see it isn’t the issue, but my accountability is…
Posted in Healthy Eating/Nutrition | Tags: busted, fail, goals, What I Ate Wednesday | No Comments »
