A Sunny Morning!

on June 18, 2009

So, my full-time work schedule has changed a little bit. Instead of working Monday through Thursday from 7 AM to 5:30, I’m now working Monday through Thursday from 8 AM to 5:30 and a half day on Friday. It’s still 40 hours, but I get to start later, which is soooo exciting.

I took advantage of the extra hour with a little bit more sleep and a nice walk with the doggies:

I drank a coffee while we walked about 0.3-mile. It was so nice outside. 🙂

Maggie and James loved the walk! They wouldn’t stay still for a picture! Haha.

I came home and did a quickie workout:

10 15 Minute Strength Routine

My formerly 10-minute routines are going to get a little bit longer now that I have to do my Physical Therapy stretches and strength moves everyday (which I promise to share at the end of PT). They are very time-consuming, but I’m not paying all this $$ for nothing — I’m going to do ALL my homework!

40 push-ups
100 bicycle crunches
Physical Therapy stretches
Physical Therapy strength moves

My knees feel GREAT this morning. I have not woken up the day after a run without knee pain in like…. a year and a half! I think the athletic tape is AMAZING and will definitely be buying some from my PT on Friday!

Oatmeal Green Monster

I decided to make a Green Monster this morning because I’m really lacking in the veggie department. To make my GM more sustainable, I added 1/2 cup of oats:

It was basically Green Monster PERFECTION!

My Green Monster contained:

1 cup unsweet almond breeze
1 banana
2 cups kale
1 tablespoon flax
1/2 cup oatmeal

More Operation Beautiful Notes!

Operation Beautiful is a SUCCESS! So many of you have left some AMAZING anonymous positive body image notes for others to find! To read all the Operation Beautiful notes and learn how you can participate, click here.

Lauren from Team Giles posted this note:

From my lovely Heather at HangryPants:

Alyssa at Love, Laugh, Lyss sent in not one but TWO Operation Beautiful notes. The first was placed in an elevator:

And the second was placed in the BEST SPOT EVER! Love it, Alyssa!

A reader named Kim sent me this story about her Operation Beautiful note, "I left a Beautiful note in the Publix [supermarket] restroom tonight! I later overheard a little girl asking her mom about it… maybe these could open up a few mother-daughter dialogues?"

Leah at Simply Fabulous posted these Operation Beautiful notes on her scale. She hasn’t weighed herself since! 🙂

To read all the Operation Beautiful notes and learn how you can participate, click here.

Have a BEAUTIFUL day! (I’m grinning from ear-to-ear).

{ 46 comments }

katherine June 18, 2009, 4:56 am
I love all the great notes Operation Beautiful is generating!! You've really started a movement 🙂

I'm glad the athletic tape helped and you're feeling good – hopefully this is a sign of good things to come!!
Erica June 18, 2009, 4:57 am
Awesome notes! I love the idea of putting them on the slim fast boxes at the store! Glad you are having such a nice morning, I'm sure the puppers are thrilled! The green monster looks thick and delicious!
haya June 18, 2009, 5:04 am
yay so glad your knee is improving!

loving the pictures.
does this mean no more fridays "off" (from regular job?). how do you feel about that. i guess better hours all week long might be good for sanity.
Zesty Cook June 18, 2009, 5:21 am
Glad to hear your knee is improving Caitlin. It is sunny here too so zesty is smiling!
Allie Katie June 18, 2009, 5:21 am
I got excited because I thought it said Obama Green Smoothie. But oatmeal sounds good too–and makes more sense! Have a great day!
Stacey June 18, 2009, 5:29 am
yay for a beautiful day! It has been so rainy here the past week, but we are supposed to get some sun tomorrow 🙂 I love early morning walks!

My note will come tonight 🙂
K from ksgoodeats June 18, 2009, 5:31 am
Love, love, love the notes! I think that's a great idea!!

Aww the little wiener dogs! I love them!
Bec June 18, 2009, 5:35 am
I love this idea, this is such an amazing thing!
Island Girl Eats June 18, 2009, 5:39 am
You have really started something amazing with Operation Beautiful.

It looks like a beautiful morning in Florida – it looked like a nice walk with the doggies. My dog never likes to have his picture taken either!
RhodeyGirl/Sabrina June 18, 2009, 5:41 am
love these notes.

new schedule! do you think you'll prefer it this way?
Kim June 18, 2009, 5:51 am
Loving Operation Beautiful!!!

I can't wait to leave my note today! 🙂

Kim
Christina! June 18, 2009, 5:58 am
I love the notes, great idea! I especially love the last one you posted on the scale, kind of hits home.

I have horrible knees and something I found really helpful for running when I played basketball was a knee strap. Your PT or specialist might be familiar with them. Basically they're a thin strap that is adjustable with velcro to help your knee cap track correctly. It might be an easier alternative to using tape, just an idea!
Susan June 18, 2009, 6:00 am
8am sounds much more reasonable, especially when it gived you time to walk your dogs 🙂

I'm working on my post-it. I want it to really hit home with where I struggle the most, which is surprisingly not on the scale, but in the workplace.

Love the slim fast note!!
Quinn June 18, 2009, 6:01 am
LOVE this! So inspiring!
Erin June 18, 2009, 6:05 am
I love your idea for Operation Beautiful. It reminds me of a project I did in college a few years ago called The Dressing Room project. It was the same idea, but the emphasis was on dressing rooms. I'm going to see if I can find any of the old materials, but I thought I would suggest dressing rooms as a great spot for this. I can't think of a spot more notorious for fat talk than dressing rooms!
Leah @ Simply Fabulous June 18, 2009, 6:11 am
I can't wait to start this movement out of my home, once I get back to work. Seriously, I think it is this that can really start something in the world. Kudos to you Caitlin for starting such an amazing thing.

Another thing, I love morning walks… the spot you walked to looks beautiful! Enjoy your day.
Melissa @ For the Love of Health June 18, 2009, 6:15 am
oh man I love Florida!! It absolutely looks gorgeous outside! I will definitely be posting some notes over the next couple of days!

Great green monster.

if you get a sec,check out my giveaway 🙂
Samantha June 18, 2009, 6:17 am
I'm in such a good mood today because of all these positive posts in the blogging world. It's brilliant.

http://www.smallchangesaddup.wordpress.com
Catch Me If You Can June 18, 2009, 6:22 am
I love the Slim Fast and Scale one. I just read an article saying one way to stay healthy is to weigh yourself daily. BULL it just makes you obsess over a number that doesn't matter. I felt horrible at my lowest weight.

I start PT soon too so excited, hopefully it works as well for me!
Bricklyrknitter June 18, 2009, 6:30 am
Caitlin, thank you so much for Operation Beautiful! I work with high school kids and we're always looking for random acts of kindness. This is perfect for us, and a chance for me to teach high school girls some great things about body image!

I wrote about your blog the other day in my blog 🙂 http://bricklayerknits.blogspot.com/2009/06/this-just-in.html
havefaith4ever June 18, 2009, 6:30 am
Operation Beautiful is wonderful! LOVE where Alyssa put hers. Perfect!
<3 jess
xoxo
Rebeca @All Vegged Out June 18, 2009, 6:37 am
Yay for extra sleep+doggies

I can't wait to go out today so I can do this!
recipesforcreativity June 18, 2009, 6:38 am
I have chills reading about people's results with Operation Beautiful! I must get on the bandwagon.
Meg June 18, 2009, 7:05 am
What a great way to start the morning!

I love all the Operation Beautiful notes!
Fitzalan June 18, 2009, 7:07 am
I loved Leah's post. I recently have weened myself off the scale. It is one of the most empowering choices I have ever made for myself.

When you said you did oats + GM, I was thinking you blended up am + greens and used that as the liquid for oatmeal. Hmmm, maybe I'll try that combo. Green oatmeal. Who knows how that could turn out.

Happiness Awaits
Tami June 18, 2009, 7:10 am
we are going on a 15 day road trip, i have some messages on my blog that i am going to print out and post along the way.

the messages were from my daughter's preschool, visit my blog to hear the story about them.

http://tcarpentiere.blogspot.com/
Matt June 18, 2009, 7:22 am
Good to hear you are pain free!
Heather June 18, 2009, 7:25 am
Okay, the notes on the Slimfast & the scale brought tears to my eyes. Really great stuff girls!
Kelly June 18, 2009, 7:32 am
I'm so happy for you that your knee is feeling better.
A little jealous too 🙂 I have been doing PT for three weeks with no improvement at all 🙁 boo.
Oh She Glows June 18, 2009, 7:33 am
OMG I LOVE the slim fast one!!!

You are such a good little PT patient! haha
Peanut Butter Swirl June 18, 2009, 7:36 am
loving the green monster with oatmeal! thats fabulous!!
congrats on the late starts! sounds like operation beautiful is going strong! love all of the positive messages 🙂
Jess June 18, 2009, 7:39 am
Love the note on the slim fast…I had a similar thought for note placement myself.

I've got to try the oatmeal in the GM, what a great idea!
Rose June 18, 2009, 8:04 am
Ah! Such good placements for the notes! I'm loving it.

I especially like the scale one – because I just weighed myself this morning and immediately felt bad. I might have to attach one to my scale too.
Julia June 18, 2009, 8:15 am
Wow, I really enjoy reading the inspirational notes people are coming up with. I need to put one on my mirror so that I can read it everyday. I also need to get a blender so I can make some GM! They look super good.
Oh and early morning walks are the best 🙂
Jenny June 18, 2009, 8:19 am
this operation beautiful positivty is warming my heart! I love it – can't wait to get started =)
Beth June 18, 2009, 8:20 am
thanks for the Green Monster inspiration – just added oats to mine as well! hope that makes it have a little more staying power…
ari June 18, 2009, 8:23 am
hey caitlin! I love your idea for operation beautiful so I decided to put two notes up at my gym this morning. I put one on two separate mirrors (I don't have a camera or else I would have sent you a picture) then I went to do my ellipticalling. I came back 45 minutes later and they were both gone! it just shocked me that whoever took them down like, must not want people to feel good about themselves. unless it's like a rule at the gym, but that's a stupid rule. anyway, just wanted to share!
nicole June 18, 2009, 8:24 am
i absolutely love those notes. they are SUCH a great idea. and they def. brightened up my day reading them!

oxox,
nicole
Becci June 18, 2009, 8:25 am
These are great! It is wonderful to see the response you have gotten!
Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point June 18, 2009, 8:25 am
ari – i bet that someone took them WITH them to keep 🙂 i would take it with me!
HangryPants June 18, 2009, 8:27 am
Love the one on the slim fast. I am hitting up the diet drug aisle!!!!
Leah (Nutritionista) June 18, 2009, 8:32 am
Caitlin,
I've been reading your blog for awhile but this is my first time commenting. I think Operation Beautiful is an incredible concept. The idea it promotes, that everyone is beautiful, is something that so many people I know could stand to really internalize. I plan to promote it on my blog asap! Thanks for doing this.
Diana June 18, 2009, 8:36 am
I LOVE the message you're spreading! So worth it! Thanks for keeping things like this in mind – especially in this blog genre, it's easy for people to get caught up in the "body" aspect of health, but we can't ignore "mind and spirit!"
Anonymous June 18, 2009, 8:41 am
this is such a wonderful thing caitlin

thank you so much!

kate
Tyler June 18, 2009, 1:07 pm
I LOVE the note on the Slim Fast! I think I will do that next time I'm at the grocery store 🙂
Emily June 18, 2009, 1:08 pm
The note on the scale almost made me cry! I love this idea Caitlin. You are making a difference in lives by doing this!!!!! Including mine! 🙂

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