Thinking of trying this..

Interesting article on housewalking from hungrygirl.com.

Housewalking is my new obsession! I coined the term to refer to my recent habit of walking around the house whenever I can -- instead of sitting or standing, I'm constantly housewalking! It all started when I began wearing a Fitbit to keep track of my daily steps -- I was aiming for that recommended 10,000 per day. I found that when I was low on steps in the afternoon, I'd just stroll around my house to get the number up. Then I realized how easy it is to rack up major steps this way. So I started housewalking whenever I could, and now I'm averaging 20,000 steps per day. Amazing! All those extra steps mean extra calories burned. Plus, I have so much more energy, and I feel better, in general. 

Why is housewalking so great? It doesn't require much -- no gym membership, treadmill, or warm weather needed -- and anyone can do it. You don't even need a house! An apartment or even a hotel room will do. And walking (or jogging) in place totally counts. You don't need a Fitbit either (although I do love mine) -- any pedometer or other step-counting tool works. Once you've got it, start walking or walking in place wheneveryou're at home. Brushing your teeth? Housewalk! Texting? Housewalk (in place)! Watching TV? Housewalk (around the room)! You'll be blown away how quickly it all adds up. The other day, I clocked 600 steps while opening mail, 200 while flossing, and a solid thousand while chatting with my mom on the phone! 

Try it and, trust me, you'll soon be obsessed too. In fact, I'm challenging everyone right now to start housewalking and see how many steps per day they can get in. Report your progress on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #housewalking. Can't wait to see how everyone does! 

By the way, I read that Old Order Amish walk significantly more than other Americans, and they're among the communities with the lowest rates of obesity in North America. That's great! Let's give them a run (or should I say, a walk) for their money. 

Happy housewalking! Stay in touch, and let me know how it's going onFacebook and Twitter!

How I Know I am 36

• I actually catch myself watching the news and talking about the anchors personal lives like I know them.
• I think the idea of repurposing items is interesting.
• I like farmer's markets now!
• I find myself wanting to buy more casual clothes than I used to-I want to buy holiday tee shirts. I love yoga pants.I love the basic shirts from Maurices. I used to be more prissy.
• I pack things better for when I go places..ex; will think to bring water, use bags that are easy to tote, sneak water in the movie theatre.

Scout's First Fall Festival

Scoutie and I had fun at our first fall festival together!! She is allowed to go to the one at the Rescue Ranch! We enjoyed getting our pictures made as little turkeys and seeing the owl show (real owls-they were so cute!!). We also got to take a hayride and get a red velvet cupcake from the cupcake truck! Scout really loved being able to be included in our fall fun!! What a great time!

Dr Oz!!!

I got the opportunity to see Dr. Oz yesterday! He came to Mooresville, he is really great friends with a family here and also helps out with charitable efforts when he is here. He was going to speak at a school, help out at a free health clinic, etc. They did a presentation in Downtown for free where the Mayor declared it Dr. Oz Day. So I went with my reporter (I got to stand really close too w the media)! It was so neat and great for our town. He was really cool and very thin! Here are a few pictures!

Trying New Things!

This weekend, my friend Terri had tickets to the Festival of India and we also had tickets the Sip and Stroll in Downtown Charlotte. We had a yummy lunch at the first festival--I had some kind of spicy chicken, jasmanti rice, and some kind of chickpea dish with a yummy sauce. It is always fun to try new things (I've had Indian before but it's been a while). Then we went to Sip and Stroll. They mostly had manufacturers there with samples. I like Barefoot but they did not have that much selection. It was a neat locale and still fun though. 

Sunday I went to church with my neighbors. I have gotten really close to my neighbors over the past year and they all go there. I really liked the sermon and I liked that it was so relatable..all about the ant vs the slug -what are we in areas of our life including health, work, relationships with others, etc? As someone who is really wanting to get it together, I really enjoyed it. 

It was fun to mix it up and try new things!

Inspired by a Friend

I just read my friend Susan's blog and it occurred to me that even though our situations are different, we are the same! I can so relate to her. I miss you Susan!!! I wish we lived closer and could go to Ulta tomorrow.

I feel there are so many things I would want to say on a blog but fear of being judged. If I talk about Pete, I am not moving forward. If I complain, I am not trying hard enough or am depressed. I am very liberal thinking. My family is me and my pets. I am defintely different. Of course, I am probably my own worst critic :).

I have decided to embrace being different and find my own path. I try to be open and know that my path will be unique. Sometimes I really don't know what I should be doing and I feel alone. Other times, I am so busy and feel that I am on the right track.

I have thought about Pete a lot over the last week because we met ten years ago this week! I read some of the emails he sent me. He was really over the top and hilarious and I really miss him. It occurred to me that one reason I have had such a hard time is I lost him twice. His illness was horrible..I had no idea what he was thinking..it took away the guy who wrote the emails and planned crazy fun dates (hey! Let's go to the library and take a class on fung sui-it's free!!). Then I lost him physically. I couldn't really remember any good times or funny stuff because memories of this illness were so forefront.  It was good to revisit the magical time we met and I hope something like that will happen again.

I hope that I can be bold and blog more. I love reading Susan's blog. She is so open and that makes her even more likeable/relatable.

Ronan Farrow!!

For once the highlight of Taste of Charlotte wasn't the food (still good, lots of samples!!)..this year, MSNBC had an area set up.."Growing Hope". You could plant your hopes in their garden and they gave us a free tree to take home too. And best of all, Ronan Farrow was going to be there from 1-2 pm. That worked perfect for us and we got to meet him. He was really nice. Ronan is the son of actress Mia Farrow and Woody Allen. He is estranged from Woody and many believe Frank Sinatra is his real father (he looks just like him too). He is a lawyer, activist and has his own show on MSNBC. I was thrilled to meet him and know we will see great things and more from him in the future.