Bad Call, Ref, Bad Call

I'm not sure how many of you have been watching the World Cup lately.  Normally I'm not a huge fan of soccer, but when World Cup time comes around, you can be sure I've seen a lot of the matches.  (My husband is a huge fan, and the television becomes a soccer only zone for a rather extended period of time every four years.)  Although I will not ever claim to be an expert, I was appalled by what I saw during today's USA versus Slovenia match.  Let me start off with this disclaimer:  As I stated before, I am no expert.  I have nothing against Slovenia; this is purely in regards to the calls made by the ref during today's game.

If you saw if, you already know what I'm talking about.  The horrible way in which Team USA's third goal was "disallowed" or, more realistically, was "stolen away" by a bad ref call.  If you haven't seen it, here's a video clip of it. 
 Just as US player Edu started celebrating the goal, the referee declared that the goal was not to be allowed.  This call, along with several others against the US throughout the match, has everyone scratching their heads.  Sportscasters all over, including those who are loyal to other teams, cannot figure out what is the supposed problem here.  The ref, Koman Coulibaly, is not speaking about it either.  He has yet to give anyone a straight answer as to his reasoning for disallowing the goal.  Unfortunately for us here who support our US team, the ref's call is absolute and the US was forced to take a 2-2 draw as the final result to the game.  What could have been a fantastic comeback and victory for the US was stolen from us. This was a bad call, Ref; a bad, bad call.

Just wanted to share that..Video Credit goes to Dave Levy on Twitter.

A New Goal

For the last few weeks, I've been embarking on a journey of working toward good health.  Although I have thus far been pretty successful, the whole thing lacks a hook.  What I mean is that there is nothing there to inspire me to keep going to the gym, and not open that bag of Doritos.  Although the thought of being a few sizes smaller and a whole lot healthier are appealing, it's not enough.  I want to feel as though I am working towards something specific.

Last August I dislocated my kneecap.  Because of this, I had to wear an immobilizing brace for six weeks, and then take part in several more weeks worth of physical therapy.  Since then, I've devoted a lot of time to focusing on exercises that will strengthen the muscles surrounding the kneecap and holding it in place.  This has made me interested in running.

A few days ago, I read an old article online about a woman who had been 330 pounds and decided to start training to run marathons.  According to http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0675/is_2_17/ai_54286950/, she was able to ultimately run a marathon.  If she can do it, so can I.  Although I know that I have to be very careful not to do damage to the knee, my thought is that I can slowly and carefully train to one day (within the next ten years) run in the Boston Marathon.  I know to some this may sound like a foolish, unattainable thing, (I know that some of the people around me could not help laughing when I told them this idea), but it gives me something to work towards. 

Let me say that I have fully thought this out.  I have given myself a ten year deadline because I know that it will take me at least two-three years to get my knee and the rest of my body into the shape it would need to be in before I'm able to even start training on the running part.  This will help to give me the motivation and focus I need to continue with my healthy living goals.

Progress

I'm proud to report that there is progress with the healthy living plan.  After almost two weeks, I am happy to say that I have lost 13 pounds!  On the one hand, I worry that I am losing weight a bit too quickly, but on the other, I know that I am not starving myself or engaging in other unhealthy behaviours. I've just been making sure that I actually eat three meals per day, eat the right combination of foods, and exercise at the gym for at least 30 minutes everyday.  It's working, and I'm very very happy about it. 

Blueberries on my Sandwich (aka...My New Way of Life)

For the last several years, I've been in the midst of a downward spiral when it came to my health.  Since college, I've gained quite a bit of weight.  It seemed as though no matter what I tried, I couldn't reverse the trend.  (Well, except for when I was pregnant with my son....I lost thirty pounds during the course of my pregnancy, then gained some back during the third trimester; I gained the rest back and more after I gave birth to him). 

Diets have never worked for me.  Previous attempts at losing weight left me feeling starved and depressed.  I was resigned to the idea that I may never feel like a normal human being again.  My dream is to one day walk into a store, any store (not just a "fat-friendly" one), be able to pick something up off the rack and fit into it perfectly.  I had started to accept the idea that this would always be nothing more than a dream.

Until today.  Today I am celebrating the tenth day of the start of a new way of life.  Ten days ago I began to teach myself how to eat properly.  Instead of merely trying to cut portion sizes, I'm really trying to create a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats at each meal.  I've also begun taking notice of just how much sodium I've been taking into my body.  Salt, once my friend, has been banned from my table. 

In the beginning, I was unsure as to how I would feel about this project.  I've discovered that this time, for some reason, it's been a lot easier than I originally imagined.  This is because I'm not just paring down portion sizes and cutting out fatty foods;  I've started being a bit more creative with my diet.  For one thing, I read about using blueberries in a peanut butter sandwich to replace jelly.  My first thought was that this would be a bit disgusting.  After trying it, I admit, I'm hooked.  Simple little things like this make such a huge difference.  It's amazing to me.

On top of reforming the way it is I eat food, I've also started going to the gym.  My thinking here was that I'm paying for use of the university facilities each semester.  I might as well get something for it.  So each morning I wake up, head off to be at the gym at 7, and work out for about 45 minutes.  Because of this, I'm noticing changes already.  Since I began, I've lost 4 pounds.  My energy level is already picking up, and there is a lightness to my mood that wasn't there before. 

I know it sounds a little silly, but I walked into the grocery store yesterday and noticed a bit more pep in my step.  Having just weighed myself before going to the store, I saw my four pound weight loss.  I was so excited about it, I walked around the store feeling like I had just lost a hundred pounds.  I felt like the most beautiful woman in the place, all because of four measly pounds.  How silly is that?