Think About it Thursday

It's Thursday! Indeed. Thursday is going to be a highlight of what I am thinking about right now. I have entirely too much in my brain and I have gotten away from regular blogging to sort of declutter myself. So now, Thursdays are specifically for that.

First of all, does anyone use a desktop publisher for their blog? I don't really like the way blogger handled adding photos to posts. It's clunky and placement is a pain. I started researching them yesterday, but if anyone has a recommendation, I would love to have it.

Also I feel myself slowly transitioning into a reading phase. I love to read, but I go through phases. When I am in a reading phase, I devour books and can be at times insatiable and a bit irritable when the library has the nerve to be actually closed. But when I am not in a reading phase, even books which I adore can take me months to get through. I think it might have something to do with focus. Sometimes I simply feel too antsy to sit and be absorbed.

But I am reading two books in particular right now. One is called The Four Day Win by Martha Beck. It's generally about how to approach eating and your health from a non emotionally charged standpoint. I have long said that my biggest goal is to be in charge of my food and not have it be in charge of me. That is essentially what this is about. I've not yet gotten very far into the book because it is some heavy reading. But I have been enjoying it very much so far. She employs a visualization technique that while I haven't mastered, I am enjoying. Basically you begin to visualize both halves of yourself that take control when you are trying to lose weight. The little super soldier that says you must do everything absolutely right, and the wild child that in an effort to protect you, tells you to do everything exactly the way you want to do it at that moment. The idea is to eventually realize that you aren't actually either of these personae. It's a bit complicated to explain.

The second bit part of the book though deals with goal making. I'm a very goal oriented person so I am loving this part. Basically, it breaks it down into 'four day wins'. If you want to change your behavior, you start with 4 day bursts. This is actually working. 4 'four day wins' strung together is enough to build a habit. This part I am identifying with regularly.

The other book I am working through right now is Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. This book is basically all about understanding the natural cycles of the female body. I have long been envious of women with 'normal', natural, and predictable cycles. When I still had insurance, I was going to the doctor for help with my cycles. (Remember that whole honesty in posts thing, this is your chance to check out if TMI bothers you) I don't menstruate on anyone's schedule. Over the course of my life I've been known to go for MONTHS without a cycle, to the other extreme which I am living through now where I only get at most a week or two between bleeds, and those can last upwards of 2 months. It's sucks. But I had a bajillion tests run and everything seems to be fine with the exception that I am morbidly obese. The doctor feels I really need to lose the weight to see an improvement. The fat cells in my body are altering the amount of estrogen that should be there and as a result, there are not the normal rise and fall or hormones. These are the natural indicators your body uses to do what it's supposed to do. SO essentially, by body is without directions.

But the book is a good read. It's allowing me that much more insite into something my body should do naturally and will do again when I am healthy. I REALLY wish so much of this information had been made available to me when I was young and just starting to learn about my body and menstruation. I think this should have been core reading for health class. This book is definitely going on the amazon wishlist as even if I do manage to finish it before it needs to go back to the library, I am sure I will want a copy for reference.