Kickoff!

No, not football, although there's plenty of that to look forward to today. [Actually, watching football for me really means dedicated knitting time more than rah-rah-rah-sis-boom-bah.] I only watch three regular programs on television – Jeopardy, House of Cards, and Grace and Frankie. The latter two won't be back until spring, so my knitting time has been limited to half an hour daily. But with games all day, I should be able to finish two more Pussyhats.

The kickoff in today's title is for a Whole 30, which is a good way to plunge back into paleo. I've been collecting meal ideas on Pinterest and printing out recipes. The idea behind a Whole 30, though, is to keep things uncomplicated – wholesome foods, simply cooked.

Breakfasts [for me] usually are eggs, and when I visited my son last month he had a super-cool frying pan for omelets. I bought this model and it works perfectly for Whole 30-compliant, cheese-free egg dishes. Three whisked eggs covers the bottom of the pan nicely. Fill with a bit of cooked sausage or bacon and whatever vegetables are handy – tomatoes/onions/sweet peppers/mushrooms – and serve.

So Whole 30, Day 1, has commenced, and I'm actually kind of looking forward to eating cleanly and well for the next month. The last week of the project will be our week at the beach. I may or may not be really strict about it then. One thing's for sure: I'm not worrying about it now.

I logged 3.5 miles of outdoor walking yesterday. It was probably around 45° and I was sweating before I was halfway finished. Thank you, climate change. I wonder what the lasting effects of too many too-warm Januarys will be? It's always best, when considering anything, to think things through to their logical conclusion. Since I'm not a scientist, I'll take their word for it that the effects will definitely have an impact. Oh, and that there is such a thing.

Thanks for reading, as always. It was nice to see so many "likes" on Facebook yesterday. It only takes another minute to leave a comment. Bloggers love comments, hint, hint. Ask me anything … or tell me I'm crazy. Your choice! HAH!

Here we go again

Last time we met, I was full of hope and confidence and optimism. Hillary Clinton had secured the Democratic nomination for President and we were going to elect a woman to the highest office in the land, damn it.

Didn't quite work out that way. Sadly.

Sadly for women, sadly for the country, sadly for the world, in all likelihood. Because the guy who got elected just isn't good for any of us.

IN MY OPINION.

I'm going to do what I can to #resist, but I won't be marching in Washington, D.C. the day after the inauguration. My husband and I had already planned a little winter getaway. Instead of showing up there, I'm knitting hats for the Pussyhat Project. Three done, at least three to go. I've promised six, but hope to get a couple more done. We'll see whether that happens.

As always, when I start blogging at the beginning of the year, it's about my weight. Blogging has helped me lose weight in the past – that old accountability factor – and I'm hoping it will help again in 2017. Other actions which have had a positive effect in the past are:

• Keeping a food log (I'll use the LoseIt app)
• Taking progress pictures (not sure if I'll do this)
• Following a paleo eating template (will begin tomorrow)

I've been counting my steps every day for two years now, using a FitBit One (the little clip-on model), and I'm happy to report that even though I had hip surgery last year, I still walked an average of 4 miles a day in 2016. Total miles = 1,465 and total steps topped out at 3,607,004. Those are TOTAL steps/miles, not intentional ones. I've been using MapMyRun to measure walking distance. 2015 sucked (due to hip pain), but I improved a little bit last year and hope to do much better in 2017. (And you'll note the change in the blog's title – there is no running with artificial hips, but I can certainly improve my walking pace, which is currently a glacial 23-minute mile.)

Why am I not starting back on paleo today, the first of the year, new beginnings and all that? Because we're going to eat Hoppin' John, for dinner and for luck. Legumes are restricted on a paleo plan, but I think we're going to need all the luck we can muster this year.

Besides, diets are supposed to begin on Monday, amirite?

You can help me help myself this year, by leaving an occasional comment, suggesting recipes, and sharing your own struggles and successes. I'm determined, and I know you are, as well. Let's do it.