Good morning to you! I hope you are enjoying this fine Thursday morning as much as I am – I'm on my 2nd cup of coffee, the birds are singing their little hearts out, and the spring air is coming through my window... and I'm loving it! Yes, I'm sure that many of you feel that I'm a little too "Pollyanna-like," but I'll be the first to admit that I do focus on the good things in life... I refuse to focus on the bad! And believe me – that would be easy to do since that open window also allows me to view a yard full of dead leaves and yard debris to be cleaned up. But, you know, the grass is still too wet to rake so I can put it off for a week or two. I would rather do something for the kids anyways... so I think I will bake up a batch of some "healthy cookies!"

Wow, hasn't this weather been just wonderful? I am definitely loving it, along with the fact that it's only going to get "better & better" as the weeks pass by! In fact, this morning I took my daily walk instead of during the afternoon hours like I normally do... but I have a feeling I'll be taking another walk this afternoon since I just can't get enough of that spring air! While walking this morning, I was thinking about all the blogs that I post each week and I started to wonder if I have inspired YOU to live a healthier lifestyle? I truly hope that I have... since that is WHY I do what I do!

Good morning! Thank you for visiting me here again on WalkyTalk! Today I would like to continue focusing on our nation's childhood obesity rates – rates that all of us can help decrease with some simple knowledge. Now any of you that have been on a diet know how calories work, right? Basically every single food and beverage includes calories, and if you consume more calories than your body "burns," you will most likely gain weight. One pound of body fat is equal to about 3,500 calories, so if you consume 500 more calories (per day, over 7 days) than you normally consume, you'll gain one pound of fat in a week.

Good morning to you and welcome to Monday! I hope you enjoyed the "spring-like" weekend and made the effort to go for a walk (or two) in the bright, March sunshine. Wasn't it great to see the amazing blue sky and the thermometer reading 40+ degrees instead of what we saw outside a couple weeks ago? Yes, I'm so ready for spring... and summer too! I think the children in our area are ready also as I've seen a few of them riding bikes already, which isn't the norm around here when the snow is still on the ground; but honestly, I love that they are getting outdoors for some fresh air and exercise!

"I'm happy just the way I am!" I just smile when I read that statement because it sounds way too familiar because I was the one who said it. But I also shake my head in disbelief when I read it. You see, I know it was just another form of my denial, one more attempt to convince others that I was not thin "on purpose" – that I didn't fail at losing weight, but that I truly liked the size that I was... and being morbidly obese made me happy. Okay, sure, whatever.

When I was growing up, I remember my mom using the quote, "misery loves company," especially during my teenage years, hoping to help me understand why some people acted the way they did in particular situations. Back then, I thought that I understood what she was trying to say – somewhat – but now I look back and realize that she was not only trying to help me understand the actions of others, but my own actions too...

"I am ready to start feeling better!" I think many people forget about that when making the decision to focus on living a healthier lifestyle, often overlooking the fact that physically feeling better accompanies a weight loss just as much as looking better does! I want you to think of how much harder it would be for you to climb stairs if you were carrying around a backpack filled with 5- or 10-pound bricks. Now imagine how much lighter you would feel without the backpack. That's the feeling you get from losing as little as 5 pounds or 10 pounds.

People are always complaining about not having enough money, which isn't news to any of us! I bring this up because I was listening to a radio show this morning and a 50-year-old woman was upset because she never has any extra money to spend on "fun stuff" since she has to pay so much on prescription costs to deal with her high blood pressure; oh, and she also mentioned that she was overweight. You know, I often wonder... what would society would do if we knew we could have improved health for FREE? That's right for NO COST AT ALL and there wouldn't even be any pills or prescriptions required!

We made it! Today is the first day of March... just a mere 3 weeks away from the official beginning of SPRING! Don't ya just love it? I am in a better mood already as I know that the coldest, snowiest months are behind us and we have warm, sunny days to look forward to! That not only means I will be storing my winter clothes away, but I'll be able to "store away" my ol' treadmill also.

In yesterday's post, I focused on the subject of giving up one of your favorite vice foods, which will most likely cause you to shed some pounds. I mentioned that I, myself, gave up a vice food... well, two of them actually – my favorite fast-food hamburger and a chicken sandwich with extra mayo that I loved to pick up at my local drive-through. Yes, it has been over nine years this January since I have tasted either one of them... and I can't say that I miss them one bit!

Good morning and welcome back to Walkytalk! Today I have a helpful tip for you... a tip that may help you continue on your healthy lifestyle while most likely allowing you to shed some pounds too! Did you know that letting go of JUST ONE of your favorite vice foods can make a huge difference in your struggle to lose weight? It's true! In fact, I have one "vice food" that I gave up in January 2001, and still have NOT consumed this particular item to this very day! I realize it wasn't the key factor in my 162-lb. weight loss, but it sure helped, since giving up this item has allowed me to BE in control and STAY in control for nine wonderful years!

Sometimes I look back at my morbidly obese days and wonder what my children thought about their mom being so big. They really never said much about my "larger than average" size, and I don't recall them commenting on whether they were worried about my health or not. If they were, they surely hid their feelings well. I'm not certain if that's a good or bad thing. Then I began to wonder: what if they had told me they were scared about my health years before I started my new, healthy lifestyle? Would I have made the change "earlier" for them?

Have you shoveled yourself "out" yet? I'm wondering if this is the end of the snow... but then realizing that I do live in Michigan, I know that it's going to continue to fall, possibly into the month of April. Lovely. Oh well, complaining about it isn't going to make it stop, but I really do wish it would fall somewhere else besides here! I'm "extremely ready" to walk outside every day instead of on my treadmill, to me it just isn't the same workout.

Good morning! I hope you enjoyed your weekend? I surely did. It included attending a fun-filled family gathering while I was partaking in one of my favorite things... talking! Yes, I enjoy that just as much as I enjoy walking, thus the name Walky-Talk!

I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to all this snow melting and for the first of March to arrive! Honestly, spring will be here before you know it; in fact, summer will be here soon too even though that sounds "hard to believe" when you look out your window today. But haven't you noticed all the swimsuits in the stores already?