My, how time flies...

It's Thursday, May 27. Let's see, I haven't blogged since... oh, May 13? Wow, time has flown by. Well, that's Commencement for you. They like to keep me very busy here. Fortunately, keeping busy keeps my mind off other things, like my progress towards my fitness goals. Actually, some of the progress has been great! And some, not so much.

Here's how my goal of 10,000 steps/day has fared, so far:

Week 1: 8143.9
Week 2: 6899.7
Week 3: 10767.3
Week 4, to date: 11,367.5

Yes, friends. My AVERAGE for 1.5 weeks has been OVER 10,000 steps/day. Isn't that fabulous? I think it's because I'm wearing this pedometer daily and have sworn to be faithful in reporting my steps. I fear my own punishment of me, should I fail, lie, cheat, steal, litter, gossip, etc. So I'm diligently stepping up. Even though due to the heat in Rochester, I am sweating in places I didn't know could sweat. (Bah-dum-bum.)

**ALERT: Side note** I'm listening to Pandora.com and have programmed it to play "Carpenters-like music." (So I'm an old fart; so sue me.) The song on playing is "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi. Question: in what universe is Bon Jovi "like" The Carpenters? ** We now return to Donna's regularly scheduled blathering.**

So, I'm sure you are all waiting with bated breath (Yes, it's "bated," not "baited;" I looked it up. "Baited breath" would be, like, worms. Gross.) to see how I'm doing on my fruits and veggies. Well, I'm not doing so hot. Yes, I'm getting them in. No, I'm not getting enough of them in. Unfortunately, I'm not prone to punishing myself for lack of food discipline. It's my guilty pleasure.

Here's my "cups" goal of 5/day update:

Week 1: 3.21 cups (off to a decent start.... hey, that's probably more than I've gotten in per day my whole life!
Week 2: 2.29 (boo, hiss, throw the bum out!)
Week 3: 2.64 (better, but not by much)
Week 4, to date: 3.13 (almost back to where I started. This is progress?)

My overall averages so far are:
Steps: 9294.6 (this is because I sucked wind in the beginning)
Cups: 2.82

This is an 8-week competition, and we're almost at the half-way mark. Ok, so I'd better step it up. OMG I just realized... the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge is, like NEXT WEEK!!! Ummm.... keep walking, D. Keep walking.

I have a 4-day weekend, starting at the end of the day today. In the past, I would have spent the long weekend lying around, reading, eating and just generally being a blob (albeit a happy one). NOw, it would seem, I no longer have that luxury. Ah, the curse of getting older.

I promised myself one day of immersing myself in reading. That day will be tomorrow. I'll get my steps in, but NO chores. I've earned a day of respite. Saturday through Monday are going to be for cleaning the gutters, washing the exterior of the house, cleaning inside, and hopefully a couple of nice long bike rides.

Food-wise, I'm going to buy some fresh fruit and make a salad, and maybe grill some veggies on a kebab. Mmmm, doesn't that sound good? Ok, I've never actually DONE that, but I do have kebabs. How hard could it be? (image in brain: Eddie Murphy comedy sketch about huge flames coming out of grill and Dad rolling around on ground to put out fire on his clothing because Uncle insisted on using lighter fluid. "Now THAT'S a FIRE! Just roll him on the ground, he'll be all right.") Beyond that, I don't know. I'm taking suggestions for quick and easy holiday weekend meal ideas that will help me strive for five. I promise to let you know how your ideas turn out.

Happy stepping and fiving, everyone!