Hi. I'm Nicole.

I'm the blogger who's been attempting to become healthy. Well, I haven't been so good about that lately. In fact tonight was the first time I worked out since Saturday.

I could dwell on that fact and give you my reasons ("cough, cough" excuses), but I'm not going to.

Today was 64 degrees here in Iowa. After a blizzard two weeks ago, this was a welcome warm-up. In fact, most of the snow (except for the large mountains of snow from the plows) is gone. So, to celebrate, my hubby and I grilled out for dinner and then went for a 40 minute walk afterward.

I've missed this. Let me tell you why. First, grilling. OMG....nothing is much better than grilling. Burgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, steak, tilapia (looking to try this, so not sure I love it yet), veggies, fruit (again, want to try it). It's a healthy way to cook dinner (read: no frying, oil, added salt) and it smells wonderful! Nothing beats making the neighborhood smell like a grill!

Secondly, I've missed the walks after dinner. Not so much last summer, but the summer before, this was our nightly ritual as long as the weather cooperated. We cook/grill dinner, let it settle a few minutes and then venture out in the neighborhood anywhere form 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how we felt. It was great. Bonding time, plus a little burn time.

Now, 40 minutes tonight got me about 360 calories burned according to my trust 'ole Polar F6. Not bad. We've got some hills around that we like to climb, so that helps. Right now, I'm looking at the fact that I moved today.

I don't know what my funk is. My stomach has been giving me issues from time to time this week and that really affects how I feel. For those of you who have followed me know that my stomach issues have been plaguing me for a while now. I completed breath and blood tests with my gastroenterologist. They all came back negative (which means I'm not lactose intolerant, fructose intolerant, have celiac disease or bacteria in my bowel....yay), so I am classified as having irritable bowel syndrome. I can be constipated, have diarrhea, or anything in between. Lately, I've been sliding back and forth from one to the other. Sorry if that was TMI....

Funny as it is, exercise can help alleviate some of the symptoms, especially if I have constipation. Tonight's walk proved that. It was in the door and to the bathroom (not in an emergency manner). But it's been proved that the movement of your body helps the movement of your bowels.

So, now that you know about everything about my bodily functions, it's time to check me some fourth graders' tests. Today's the end of the trimester, so that means assess the crap out of your kids to help you do report cards. Yay for me! Tomorrow's a work day for report cards, so that'll be good to have some quality time int he classroom.

Tomorrow, I'm also participating in a wellness blood screen at my school. My district offers a discount for nurses from a local hospital to come in and do a blood panel for cholesterol, triglycerides, etc., so it's worth the $15. Anxious to get the results!