betsyschow

Freedom of Speech or Freedom to be a Psycho

Current events and public sentiment mystify me. Sometimes a thing is only right and just until it blows up in your face. Here is what is currently causing my nose hairs to twitch.

Recently there was public outcry over the detention of a former marine, Brandon J. Raub, who made some off kilter and well, violent remarks on Facebook. The sentiments were anti-government or anti-establishment I believe. Something to the effect of a revolution coming, day of reckoning. Saying he was sharpening his axe to sever some heads. The FBI and local police dept had some concerns for public safety as well as the man’s own mental stability. They held him for questioning and a psychiatric evaluation. People are outraged. They have set up donation pools for him. He has had his right to free speech violated. How dare big brother step in?

Other side of the coin. Recognize this guy?
Colorado shooting suspect James Eagan Holmes sits with public defender Tamara Brady during his first court appearance in Aurora, Colo., on July 23, 2012. (RJ Sangosti/REUTERS) ‘
This is James Holmes. The man responsible for the Aurora “Batman” mass shootings. Currently there is public outcry because a month or two before the incident, he made undisclosed and vague threats against the school establishment. The threats were reported, he was kicked off campus. Cue public outcry. Why wasn’t more done? Why wasn’t this maniac pulled from the streets and locked up before he hurt someone? The police knew he made violent statements, yet they did nothing.

Have you seen the problem with these two stories? If Mr. Holmes had been detained at the time of his statements, would there have been public offense and outrage at his detention? Would his rights have been violated? Why is it only after someone follows through with the violent and awful things they say, then… then it’s no longer freedom of speech.

Here’s a crazy idea. If you say violent, radical, psycho things… people should treat you like a violent, radical, psycho. I’m no law professor. I don’t have a fine knowledge of the constitution. I just don’t think we should have the right, or as a society should tolerate, the violent rantings of madmen. Much less hold them up as torchbearers for the freedom of speech. Freedom of speech should protect those who wish to oppose the ideas of the government. You can disagree vehemently without threatening to kill others or start a war. I’m pretty sure the founding fathers did not intend to the first amendment to be the freedom to be a psycho.

No Crap Challenge

I’m down to goal weight again. But I still feel like crap. In talking to my friend, she implied it’s probably because of the crap food I use to fuel my body. You are what you eat and all that.

So on Monday, I invented the No Crap Challenge. It’s 30 days with no fried foods. No refined sugar. And no enriched white flour.

As of today I am 4 days crap clean. Suprisingly, I am less hungry than I’ve been in weeks. The cravings have subsided mostly. Amazingly, I even resisted the cinnamon roll my friends shoved under my nose. (They are my kryptonite)

I’ll keep you updated. Just to be clear, my calorie budget hasn’t changed. I’m not trying to lose any more weight. Just fuel my machine like a high end Ferrari instead of a POS Pinto.

Snack Smart: Healthy chicken nuggets and fries

My kids eat utter crap. It’s totally my fault. Well I’m trying to fix that. Their fave food is Dino nuggets and fries. They tend to turn their nose up at anything else. So here was my attempt from this weekend.

The chicken isn’t dried or blackened, so you can tell my husband cooked it 🙂

Of course me kids wouldn’t eat it… At first. I told them daddy made healthy chicken nuggets and fries. The nuggets were naked and the fries were squished. Behold, 10 minutes later the plates were empty.

Have figured out any healthy ways to remake the classics or your faves?

Foto Fiction: Unmentionable Vacation

I’m trying a new thing. Taking photos of odd sights I run across then writing little stories or thoughts for them. Gets the creative juices flowing. I took this picture while in Yellowstone last week.

Have you ever noticed that a sock is mysteriously absent after a wash? Or maybe your favorite bra has taken a hike? Well perhaps it really has. Yellowstone national park now boasts an all inclusive vacation package for lingerie that’s tired of the same old spin and rinse cycle. Activities include hiking, climbing flagpoles, swimming and sunbathing (as pictured below). No people necessary for the trip, your unmentionables can take the magical wormhole in the dryer. After they are rested and relaxed they will be ready to return to their daily duty. So if you come across that camisole you haven’t seen in a few weeks, and it smells vaguely like s’mores, you’ll know exactly where it’s been.

Park City Half Marathon and the Philosophy of Finishing

So yesterday was the Park City Half. Nothing particularly worth noting about the race itself. My knee hurt when I started, it hurt worse when I finished.

What I thought about while I ran was more than the beautiful scenery, even though Park City is a gorgeous race. It was more than, “Wow I really hate these hills”. I was thinking about how exactly one year ago, I reached my goal weight and my goal of running a full marathon here in Park City. And that in the one year since, I have kept the weight off and kept running. This race gives me my 6th finisher’s medal. They are a constant reminder to me of my Philosophy of Finishing, “Not everyone can win the race, but everyone can finish.”

My husband was there with me last year and ran the marathon as well. He hasn’t run a step since, but he was waiting for me at the finish line. Because he also believes in the power of the finish. It’s not just about fitness or weight goals. Finishing should be applied to any aspect of your life. He really set this to work by going back to college after he quit 10 years ago. Now he’s ripping through all the classes he needs to get a degree in Biology with a Computer Science minor.

So I want to take this moment and tell you, the reader, that whatever you have left undone in your life — you can finish it. It doesn’t matter if you’re not the fastest, or a spring chick any more. Just get it done. Get that finisher’s medal around your neck – either real or metaphorical – and you will find that the weight of your accomplishment will lift a weight that has burdening your spirit.

How Do You Tell a Loved One They’re Fat?

YOU DON’T!

poking the stomach fat

If they are truly overweight, I guarantee you they already know.

Parents, if your kids are overweight, don’t sit them down and tell them so. I had that done to me and it scarred me for life. You are the parent, lead by example. Make healthy changes without making it a body image issue. If your kid comes to you with a concern, then you can address it. Lovingly and without judgement. You can give them ideas to improve their lifestyle, not how to fit into smaller jeans.

Spouses… beware. Trust is a delicate issue. Never tell them unsolicited that they have a weight problem. Don’t lie if asked either. Once again, subtly lead by example and work together to have a healthier lifestyle. I promise that you will create a world of issues about rejection if you start hinting about your partner’s pudge.

Friends… Oh boy. Depending on your relationship, you might have more latitude. I only offer advice if asked. But I will full on tell you if those jeans make your butt look big. But only if you ask me. Or if it would be a crime against humanity to let my bud go outside and be seen in public.

In case you didn’t catch the common theme, don’t point out other people’s flaws unasked. Work on your own. If you are asked, offer support and honesty. Find solutions, not problems.

free image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Snack Smart: The Road Trip

Ah, the dreaded road trip. The bane of any dieter’s existence. The cure? Plan ahead!!

If you know you are going to be driving for umpteen hours, bring your own snacks. Don’t rely on gas station stops. You will end up getting the Twix or something equally not good for your. Pack your own dehydrated fruit. Or nuts. Pre-portion them out like I showed in Portion Control Made Easy. That way you are not eating the whole bag of trail mix. (Has more calories than you might think. Good for you though)

Plan ahead what you are going to eat if you stop at fast food along the way. Or use a smart phone app that tracks calories. That way you can make a good informed choice if you have to eat at those golden arches.

Fitness Tips: Marathon Training Tips

Sometimes the best thing I can do is point you to some super info that someone else has posted.
Here’s a great article run by Shape magazine last week. 25 Marathon tips to get you across the finish line.
http://www.shape.com/fitness/training-plans/top-25-marathon-training-tips
Preparing for a Marathon

Setting an Example

Do you ever feel like you’re being watched?

If you are a mom, then you know exactly what I mean. Children have an amazing capacity to soak up behaviors like little sponges. So what are you giving them to learn?

It is an established fact that overweight and obese parents are more likely to have overweight and obese children. Why do you think that is? Genetics. Maybe a little. But more importantly, we share eating habits as a family. If mom has dessert after every meal, the kids will grow up and expect that dessert is an essential part of dinner rather just a treat.

What about exercise? My family growing up did a lot of wonderful things together. Not one of them was active. Lots of learning, reading, playing an instrument, etc. No sports, no hiking or biking. So as an adult, I didn’t have any of these things in my repertoire.

free image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

You don’t have to shove your kid on a treadmill for 30 minutes a day (That was done to me. Don’t do it!) Lead by example and family fun. Show your kids now how to lead a healthy HAPPY active lifestyle. If I complain constantly about working out and being on a diet, I guarantee my little girls will grow up having issues too.

School’s Out for Summer

Finals are finished! I survived my first semester back at school after an 11 year absence.
It wasn’t easy, and not just because of the shortened summer block, or the 6 hour Anthropology final.

College is a whole different world from when I was there the first time in 1997. We didn’t have cell phones. No Facebook either. Heck, one of my first classes was on how to use the internet.

These days, every co-ed has their phone out – during class – texting or updating their status. I feel like an old mother hen with my consternation glare and clucking my tongue at all the young’uns.

It’s easy to forget that I was once one of those kids that might skip class to meet up with my boyfriend. Now I’m a mom trying to fit a few classes in here and there, and I want every ounce worth of tuition I paid.

Oh why is youth wasted on the young? I wish I could go back and give myself academic advice. Which classes to take. To stay in school and finish a degree before the kids and the mortgage. Not to blow off that one psych class. Ouch.

Instead I will settle on giving everyone else on campus academic advice. So while school’s out for summer (all of two weeks) and before fall starts, feel safe young co-eds. But in two weeks looks out, because I will be back in full force with wagging finger equipped and the patented mother guilt trip.