Refuse To Regain

The Baby. The Bathwater.

By Barbara Berkeley Ever feel like you’re running a mad dash just to keep up with the latest diet and exercise recommendations? Instant communication is a wonderful thing, but it can be frankly overwhelming when every day brings a new study, a new conclusion and something new to worry about. The most damaging period in my personal dietary history was the “fat-free” era. It was during these years that I gained 20 pounds while eating “healthily.” For me, the no-fat... Read more →

Muscle: It’s the Real Deal

By Barbara Berkeley The common wisdom tells you to build it. Most people think they don’t have enough of it. Fitness experts tout it as something almost magical. But what’s the real deal with muscle? I have the strange habit of reading certain research papers repeatedly. The tendency to read things over and over may be inherited. My father loves to read certain books dozen of times. We have a copy of “Shogun” at my house that is literally falling... Read more →

Refusing Under Stress

By Barbara Berkeley Refusing to regain the weight you’ve lost is a big enough challenge on ordinary days, but what about on life-crisis days? Years of habit dictate that stressful times deserve food relief. Let’s call it “Food Soothing.” Drowning sorrows in a hot fudge sundae is such a cheap, accessible (and delicious) solution. Hey! You’re stressed out…no one will blame you! There would be nothing wrong with Food Soothing if we were only in a Food-Worthy crisis once in... Read more →

I’m Back!

By Lynn Haraldson-Bering Happy August, everyone! But where, oh where, did July go? I’ve been MIA from Refuse to Regain for almost a month – I’ve missed you! Also neglected were the gym, my gardens and almost every other ordinary day-to-day thing, like my own bed and my own food. (Ever notice that not even the finest restaurants can make a salad as good as the one you throw together at home?) July was a month of family chaos –... Read more →

794

By Barbara Berkeley I must admit to sleeping poorly on Saturday night. Earlier in the day, I had dragged Don along to the Holden Arboretum where I was to pick up the registration materials for my first 5K. The informational package didn’t amount to much. A trail map, a T-shirt, a rectangle of white paper with a number and four safety pins. On Sunday morning, I was to become number 794. I was fearful about the course. Up until now,... Read more →

Automation Overload: How Long Before We Don't Have To Move At All?

By Lynn Haraldson-Bering Weekends are really noisy in my neighborhood. Not from loud parties, but lawn care. It’s the same all across the country. People have the weekend off and so the sunny ones are often dedicated to mowing the lawn or cutting the grass, depending on what part of the country you’re from. Some people love it and others dread it, but mowing the lawn, at least in town, is a necessary evil if you don’t want to face... Read more →

Takes a Licking…..Keeps on Ticking

By Barbara Berkeley When I was a kid and my family used to watch the antique form of television that was around in those days, there used to be a well-known ad for Timex watches. John Cameron Swayze, an authoritative announcer-type, would strap a $5 Timex onto an outboard motor. The motor would then be lowered into the water and the watch would be dragged around some lake until it was thoroughly abused. Amazingly, when Swayze unhooked the unfortunate watch... Read more →

The Green House Revisited

By Lynn Haraldson-Bering As Barbara and I mark our one-year blogging anniversary, and Refuse to Regain enters its second year, I want to revisit my “Green House Philosophy.” I liken my reduced body to the green house in which I live: a 1910s Cape Ann with pale green asbestos siding, an evergreen porch “skirt” (which we’ve since painted brown), dappled moss green shingles, and Astroturf glued to the porch and front stairs. As I wrote in my first blog, my... Read more →

LeBron is MVP, Barbara Runs Week 3

By Barbara Berkeley It’s been an auspicious week. My sports hero LeBron James was named Most Valuable Player of the 2008-2009 NBA season. The Cavs dominated round one of the NBA playoffs and focused with laser-like intensity on their new opponents, the Atlanta Hawks. In the second round, they have already gone up 2 games to none and thus far, it hasn’t been close. A few nights ago, Don and I were at the game as we watched the Cavs... Read more →

C25K…..4BB

By Barbara Berkeley For the past ten years, I’ve longed to be a runner. I like the way runners look and I like the fact that they can’t live without their sport. Then there are the practical aspects. You can run anywhere and anytime. If you’re a runner, you don’t have to wait until 5:45 for your step class to start. You don’t have to schedule your work around that kickbox instructor you favor. You don’t need to be bummed... Read more →