In February, The Great Neverending Weight Loss Story got two much-needed boosts. First, I finally admitted that Diet #113 was dead and so started a new one. Second, I was presented with a Challenge.
A Challenge?
Enter the February Wellness Challenge, sponsored by my employer. The idea behind it was: hook up with three co-workers, pick a target personal goal, and then try to beat out some two thousand competing groups by eating more vegetables than they do.
The full list of things that would earn you points:
- Eating the aforementioned vegetables.
- Also eating fruit.
- Weighing in at least once a week.
- Logging food every day.
- Exercise.
Ah, Exercise. We meet again, my old nemesis.
I’m fortunate that the day job location has an on-site gym that costs next to nothing to join. However, even after being employed for nearly a year, I still hadn’t found a good enough reason to join. But we’ll talk more about that next week.
But when the February Wellness Challenge fell in my lap, that finally put me over the edge: I broke down and signed up for gym access. This move definitely helped me with my exercise requirement on workdays. However, my office is a thirty-plus minute drive away, and I’d really rather not drive for over an hour just to walk on a treadmill for half that.
Mother Nature to the Rescue
There are more than 23,000 species of plants in North America. Almost eight percent of them grow and thrive in my lawn. Every February, when the northern half of the northern hemisphere is covered in a three-foot blanket of snow, my backyard is basking in a warm, moist proto-Spring.
At some point during the previous summer, the seeds and spores of some 1,700 plant species find my yard and hunker down. It’s not hard for them to shelter undetected during the fall and winter, what with the constant distractions of pumpkin pie and Chex Mix.
But by January, when the temperature has already been in the fifties and sixties for a few weeks (and sometimes the eighties on a good year), these dormant plants take root and take over. Our lawn, which has looked like this since August:
Suddenly looks like this:
Due to my fitness challenge requirements, I decided to start the weed-pulling early this year. This way I’d get a jump on the intruding vegetation and burn off calories in the process. However, that was upwards of six weeks ago and it’s still not finished. Believe me, it takes a long time to pull up:
- Dandelions.
- Clover.
- Broadleaf panicum.
- Goosegrass.
- Stars of Bethlehem (look it up).
- Purslane.
- Onions.
- Potatoes.
- Peanuts.
- And I’m pretty sure some Orontium mackii, a plant thought to have gone extinct in the Late Cretaceous.
On Saturday, March 21, Laura and I launched one final attack in the hopes of taking care of the last of the dandelion hoard (plus as much of the Medicago lupulina L) as possible. It was actually the perfect day for combat: not hot, not cold, with overcast skies and a light rain. The rain refreshed us, though it made for a muddy campaign.
After four straight hours, I could barely lift my arm for another strike. But I’m proud to report that we emerged victorious. Oh, to be sure, there are a few stragglers still on the battlefield. But they shall be dispatched in due time.
The important part is the fear we struck into the hearts of the remaining weeds. The sight of The Weed King Undefeated is not one soon forgotten in weedlore.
![](https://media.backtothefridge.com/images/sig.gif)
on March 23, 2015 at 8:27 am
Cool pic! hard to see it past my own constant distractions of pumpkin pie and Chex Mix but cool pic yes.
on March 23, 2015 at 10:20 am
I loved this post Charlie! We just got 4 inches of snow last night – dangit! I jinxed myself by saying just Saturday “so happy the snow has all melted!”
on March 23, 2015 at 2:52 pm
I think we got four inches of snow in the 1980s.
on March 23, 2015 at 1:05 pm
Another great post, a nice afternoon chuckle. 🙂 We still have over a foot of snow on our grass so weeding will have to wait…
on March 23, 2015 at 2:55 pm
And it’s in the 80s today. I’m pretty sure the weeds we didn’t get all the way down to the root are already plotting a counterstrike.
on March 25, 2015 at 2:49 pm
You look like that guy on “Arrow”. I’ve never seen it, just the promos.
on March 26, 2015 at 1:29 pm
I’ve not seen it either, but I know what you’re talking about. I can see that. 🙂
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on March 27, 2015 at 10:31 am
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on March 27, 2015 at 10:50 am
Thanks for the laughs this morning Charlie!!
on March 27, 2015 at 11:07 am
Whoa, I think this is the first time someone has come back days later from an initial comment to comment a second time! I just assumed nobody was reading any of this. 🙂
on March 27, 2015 at 12:52 pm
I am!! So the DietBet I am doing Charlie – the pot is up to $15,757! Only people who lose 4% of their body weight in 28 days split the pot – I won $68 the first time around, and $111 the second one – and those pots were pretty small.
I know I can win enough money to buy a grill! Wherein I will eat more and gain back the 4% I lost! 😛
on March 27, 2015 at 2:28 pm
I know you said you wanted a gas grill, but have you looked into a Big Green Egg? Ask JohnGL for an endorsement. 🙂
on March 27, 2015 at 2:36 pm
I know – I just don’t know if I can justify the $$!! Although I did just win $1500. Oh, but wait, my new fridge cost $1600 – never mind! 😀
on April 2, 2015 at 10:26 am
9/10
on April 3, 2015 at 7:53 am
Ooo, now I have something to shoot for!