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Pre Planning the “comeback”

And because I have a jukebox of a brain, I now have the song “Don’t Call it a Comeback” rollin’ around up there in my head. AHH, such is life.


I think I said at the end of last week or over the weekend that I am using the first 10 of my next 100 day plan to actually get ready to jump back into physical fitness. A bit of background on that would be that last year, I was actually planning an international move to South Korea (yay! Love the country and the people–we go waaaay back to the 80’s) all the way into Mid-October before it all changed. The particulars of that story are definitely going to be addressed at some point but 2020 was gnarly on many fronts for me and picking through it should prove to be interesting.

Anyway, that is for another time and another blog posting.

Back into how I got to where I am right now. So October, not moving internationally, but have to now move as the lease for the house we were in was up in November. When situations this unknown slap ya in the face, things drop off, know what I mean? I am sure anyone reading this has some comprehension to some point of your life (and I’m willing to bet at least one of them also happened in 2020, because well…it was 2020). Physical fitness was it for me. It is not that I got lazy (which is not beyond the realm of possibility, but not applicable in this case), its just that I was way too busy.
As a side note, I also have fibromyalgia and what used to be called CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). CFS is called something else now, but I can never remember–M____ something or another. I should maintain some pretty strict activity boundaries to save myself future pain. This was not something I could regulate in that way though because of time constraints.

I also lost my medical team in this whole transition (not unusual in a regular PCS move–but this wasn’t to be a regular PCS move). Not just the team, but the parameters of insurance also changed (this will be ranted about in a future post—believe me—I am HHHHHOT on the subject). My heart decided it wanted to do weird things and so I was told by new medical team that until they could figure what was happening (It had already been determined that I had a hole in there, but worry was that it was larger)–no exercise.

I was doing somewhat well— gaining weight, sure, but not too badly. The thing about my body is that I am (or can become) what others would deem as “skinny fat”. I remain pretty steady on the weigh-scale–but my body fat starts to shoot up.
I am not particularly attached to exercise itself, but I also seem to have this impulse in my brain that is like, “You aren’t supposed to–but I’m sure you can a bit” so I picked up a mobility and flexibility program (cause– you know— aging)

Had to stop it all.

But now the heart docs say I can start up again. My body tells me I absolutely need to start up again. My Mind tells me “Where the heck do you start?”

Thought about it yesterday, and I think I should probably start again with the mobility and flex program–to rebuild a good foundation and so I don’t hurt myself in the future.

Then two weeks after that—I think I’ll start working in a toning program. Get the metabolism going. Start actually cooking my meals (I can count on two hands how many meals I’ve actually made here in The Kitchen @ The Mill).

I’ll try and figure out how to keep track of my measurements (Cause, lets face it, I’m not posting pictures for comparison on the internet LOL).

Be prepared for a lot of moaning and groaning—with some progress on the sides.

Anyone else out there getting ready to start (or re start) a healthy life journey? Are you making plans or just winging it?

Gonna finish my cup of coffee and try to get something done (probably won’t, but I’m tryin here folks!).

‘Til I share again!

Issa LorenLeave a comment

Quick tip

Sundays, I generally try to stay off the computer as much as possible, BUUUUUTT


I am trying to build a habit here, so this will be a quick tip that I will share. Some may know this already, some might expect it to be true, and for others it will never cross their minds:

When looking for a new stylist (GRR- This is the norm in military life) don’t go back to the one who won’t show you the cut after a blow out, but instead immediately reaches for the flat-iron to put in those “beachy waves” you never asked for.

I’d invite you to ask me how I know, but I don’t think I have to.

Got a trim on Friday and back to my natural hair color (cause that fun cherry red from October doesn’t look so hot at the end of July– especially considering lots of pool time in there) and was reminded of this standard I’ve set. I won’t be going back to that particular lady.

And the search continues!


P.S.

I have been informed that I should ask for participation— SO!

If you want to share a tale proving the effectiveness of said tip (or to disproving it) Feel free to do so in the comments 🙂

Issa LorenLeave a comment

Not an app for that

You know how when you’re sitting around, or driving around, and an awesome idea pops into your head for no apparent reason. You think about it and think about it, knowing that it is something that could be utilized across existing media–

And amongst the hundreds, NAY Thousands, of apps out there in the internet-verse there isn’t one (that I’ve found as yet) like it…

THERE IS NOT AN APP FOR THAT!

Yes, I realize that is yelling. I’ll tell you all very broadly that I was driving to the pharmacy for my regular pickup and starting to kind of plan out in my head my fitness goals for, say, the next 100 days or so (FYI: we can already put 10 of those days on the front end as planning days LOL). Was thinking about how to record my baselines so I know where I am starting from…and can check in where I’m at over tie

And it hit me…like a bolt of lightening (incidentally there was also a crack of thunder, but that’s cause I was driving into a thunderstorm).

These are exactly the kind of times when I wish I had the skill set to actually make an app… or an app add-on (does that make sense?) I also wish I knew people in this particular area. I have many many contacts, in many different fields– but I don’t think any of them do app development.

This idea is so good, I’m not even going to put it here because it is most definitely getting tucked away until I can do some research.

Lots that I want to say today, but don’t know that I will get to it. I went on a trip this past week and I have yet to actually unpack the mess.

Also gotta work on the Bee Mill. Things keep disappearing. It could be my ADHD…

But just so I feel a bit better about things lets just say that there may be a resident fairy..or maybe a gnome? LOL.
Til we meet again!


P.S.

Okay, lets face it–today might be a double post day–mainly because of aforementioned ADHD combined with my procrastination superpower.

Issa LorenLeave a comment

Look at that… Twice in a day

Yep. Look at me.

On a roll with this posting thing!

Anyway, I will be resuming my fitness quest…

But, wait.

Do you see what I did right there? I was extremely declarative.

BUUUUT–

You will all come to find out that when it comes to fitness–I am very much a stuttering Nelly. To be honest, it is not something I ever really had to worry about in the past, but with the shutdowns of 2020 and the general aging that has been going on, I find that I can’t maintain myself the same way I had been used to doing in the past. This has made it difficult to pursue or set aside specifically a time for “working out” or exercising. I find it boring and repetitive. I feel like after all the work I don’t have anything tangible at the end of it. Alas, in spite of that, I now (in the interest of my health) have to start incorporating it.

There were some issues as far as doctors wanting to switch up my meds that results in some nasty nasty side-effects. I was only on it for maybe three weeks (barely got that far) and was most definitely past the first phase of the step-up and it took me a full SIX months to get somewhat back to normal. My hair is growing back out (I lost about 50% hair density), the med weight is mostly gone, I still deal with some tinnitus.

The worst thing for my mental well-being, however, was that I completely lost my muscle-tone. As in I am soft and smushy right now and I don’t like it. It’s not even that my weight has changed, because it hasn’t. My body shape and the way my clothes (don’t) fit are completely different. Anyway, this post is to sort of bookmark that aspect. I guess branching off of that I’ll (at some point) get into my particular medical issues. It can all go under Health and Wellness. So for today, that’s the start of another category.

Hope the morning has been good to all of you.

Issa LorenLeave a comment

Trying out a new time

This is an experimental post.

In all seriousness, I am writing now to see how I like sitting here and doing something other than coffee and social media check-up (which is usually how my mornings roll).

The tile of this post is two-fold. I believe I have mentioned before (ahem) that my husband has retired now and so that means some adjustments and transitions for the both of us in the near and middle-distant future.

Let me be 100% real with you all right in this second.

The biggest transition is going to be not being able to rely on training missions, temporary deployments, schools, etc etc to get some space. At the moment, he has good work, but that work has him on the other side of the world and he’ll be back at the end of the year. We are praying that he’ll be able to get a transfer to a location that is only about 45 minutes from the Bee Mill so that he can come back with relatively little hassle. Military life is hard for a lot of people. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve never had that issues, but it may be because I was born into the lifestyle. What concerns me is civilian life. There is a built in structure that provides a sense of security even when things are unpredictable and precarious. The Civvy world does not have that.

Chances are high that I’ll share thoughts and concerns and frustrations of this particular transition. Those chances are so high that I’ll even establish the very first category on this blog about it. In this moment alone I have thought about a subject which I have some deep rants about on this whole retirement business. Ohh. That’ll be a doosy for sure!

Hope the day finds you well in spirit if not in body or location, folks!

Issa LorenLeave a comment

Feeling Old…and then not

“I’m so frigging old.”

That is precisely what I was thinking this morning as I was getting ready to leave the house for my eye appointment. Testing for possible glaucoma.

Then I walked into the VERY full waiting room where I was very clearly the youngest person in the room.

So, I guess that’s a win for today?

Issa LorenLeave a comment

A Niche that isn’t…Is?

Been having a look-see around the new digs.

Algorithms have apparently picked up my not previously detected time on wordpress- so now I’m getting “tip” and ledes to articles on how to target an audience and plan a blog.

Thing is I don’t have any specific thing to write on. I have no specialized knowledge and I’m not necessarily pursuing that. I just know some stuff about some things and wonder about random things that I then want to find out about. I am sitting here watching my tele and thinking these things when—VOILA

I realize that I could probably drop a quick note on it. Why? I realize that even to blog about nothing in particular still requires a type of mental click in the brain to trigger the inclination to write. I remember, way back in the day, how I’d live my life and yet made the mental notes necessary to make fairly consistent posts. I am so out of practice in that mindset that my first series of posts just might happen in these random minutes. In fact, I even downloaded the app (GASP!) to act as a sort of notebook in my phone to maybe expand on here at a later date.

I was also thinking about the nature of blogging. This is where the train came full stop and refused to move again with my last blog. It was so hyper niche that when I no longer wanted to dwell on the topic, I no longer felt I had to say anything my very specific audience wanted to hear. How to balance life and privacy? Hum.

Anyway, to get back to the title:

So maybe my niche is simply being so broad that in and of itself is niche?

Sounds feasible.

Issa LorenLeave a comment

An Introduction… Of Sorts

Jumping back into the fray of the online world.

Once again.

For I think the third time in the last few years.

One would think that getting back into blogging would be like riding a bike, but it isn’t.

So. Why am I here?

I think about a lot of different things and I keep losing my notebooks. Or mixing up topics. I used to blog a long time ago–ancient history in the online world– about our lives as military newlyweds and building our family. It was fairly popular. I found it difficult to keep posting on increasingly personal situations and balancing the whole point of the blog- so I kind of just ghosted the entire community, before “ghosting” was actually a thing.


Anyway, I digress (full disclosure- I do that that often). “Why am I here?”, right.

Now that I am much older and we are newly retired from military life, I find myself wondering what I want to be when I grow up. Been reading and wondering what path I should go down. So why not just throw it all on the wall and see what sticks? Excerpts from the old blog may pop up here and there. I think it’d be interesting to see how I’ve progressed (or not). I study a bunch of different subjects as they interest me. I ask a lot of questions about life, my faith, my family, and the world at large.

I hate being objectively wrong, so I constantly reassess myself.

In that, I come across interesting sayings, quotes, opinions that I want to make note of but end up not.

I should probably note: I am very ADHD.

My intent here is stream of conscious. I’ll be pretty light on the editing.

I’ve named this little corner of the internet as “Bee Mill” because (rather unimaginatively) it is my home, and the “Contending Existence” part because all of these previously mentioned things have to do with learning and living. There are things we fight for and against and through to what will be real truth. I am not an expert in anything. Just another rando on the interwebz. The web addy: well its that not not BeeMill because the dot com was already taken apparently. Pretty straight-forward.