For this week’s Flashback Friday, during which I try to participate in the Sleeping with Bread meme with these fine ladies, I would like to be short for what I am grateful and not so grateful this week.

Not grateful

The main thing, of course, for which I’m not grateful, is the flu, which I have had since Monday and shows no signs of lessening despite heavy doses of Vitamin D3 as suggested by one online friend (although I do think it’s helping some) and regular doses of Dayquil and Nyquil (definitely  helping with the sleep).

Grateful

And the main thing here is family and friends. No. 1: my wife, who is bearing through all my whining and my “man flu,” as another friend has dubbed it. Thank you, honey. No. 2: My mother and sister, for putting up with my phone calls to update them on the progress, and lack of progress, on the illness. Fever’s up. Fever’s down. No fever….No. 3: My friends, most of them this week because of my quarantine, online. Thank you for all the distractions on Facebook and the words of encouragement on my blogs, via Facebook mail, and just in the silly banter we have back and forth about which is better: mayo or Miracle Whip.

So this song goes out to all of you:

…thanks for helping to chase the blues away.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

– Saint Francis of Assisi

It’s been more than two months since my last Just A (Running) Fool post (and Motivation Monday post too). Today, hopefully I can begin a new streak of not only posting once a week for Just A (Running) Fool and Motivation Monday, but also exercising several times a week and continuing to motivate myself (and maybe, in turn, you).

How? A three-pronged approach:

• WeightWatchers
• SparkPeople
• Team Beachbody with coaches Jen Mangum and Traci Davis

It was the latter two, whom I met through Facebook, that helped re-motivate me to get back on track with a 90-day Fitness Challenge, starting today. I’ve committed to at least 30 minutes a day of exercise 6 days a week. That may change to 60 at some point, but I’m starting small so I won’t get too discouraged quickly.

However, in the past, I have had much success with both WeightWatchers and SparkPeople. First, WeightWatchers spurred me to my initial weight loss a few years ago (started by losing 50 pounds, and then with exercise, lost another 50, going from 280 to 180) and then SparkPeople kept me going when I didn’t want to go on with a great support system with teams there.

I’ve been paying for WeightWatchers Online since August (I believe, it’s been so long and I haven’t done that well yet with it), but am recommitting myself today to the program, because it’s the one thing that has helped me lose weight with diet.  SparkPeople has helped me in the past with motivation, and I’m still friends on Facebook with many of the people I’ve met there even though I haven’t been active on the teams there for at least six months. As for Team Beachbody, we’ll see…but anything that can help get me going is a plus.

Now where’s the beach? I have a feeling I’m not going to find one too nearby in northcentral Pennsylvania.

This one’s for my wife, who really loves this group (okay, not so much):

This post also can be found on my running blog, Just A (Running) Fool. If you only are interested in running-related posts, you can subscribe only to that blog, if you so choose.