Reaffirmation

Barry and I went to spend a gorgeous afternoon yesterday with a couple who we met through this wonderful blogland ... HHL and Mr. G. HHL has been a huge inspiration to us from the get go.


So we spent a gorgeous Saturday afternoon touring their property, sharing wine, stories and a great BBQ. Quite a feast! Thanks guys :)

And while we shared stories and played with a certain adorable "mr. D", it made me realize that I really need to refocus on my writing. I guess I felt, and I've probably said this before, that I've really felt recently that I haven't had a lot to contribute. But the truth of the matter is that we all have something worthwhile to contribute ... And if my writing only helps a person or two, then it was worth it.

I can't believe its been almost 3 weeks since I last posted.

A lot has happened in the past 3 weeks ... I spent a week at home on vacation, went to a Tiesto concert with B (it was great!), got my annual mammogram done (ladies ... anyone over about 40 give or take or with a family history ... get one done!) and got my contact lens checked. To which my opt ometrist asked how my blood sugar was (huh). I got some work done in the garden. Went to my doc to get a requisition for blood work and then went yesterday morning for my tests.

Oh yeah, I haven't mentioned my incident with a very nasty drop in blood sugar after donating blood,  even though I did everything right. I was sweating profusely, my heart was racing, a panic attack started (thankfully I was able to shut it down quickly), I had trouble putting my thoughts together and getting them out of me.  THAT scared me. I was about 2 minutes away from asking them to call an ambulance. If you've ever experienced a bad sugar low, you'll understand.


So its time for me to get serious about watching my sugar levels. I eat well, exercise regularly, try to stay fairly active, drink lots of water ... But with a family full of diabetics, is it any wonder that at 46 I'm facing these issues.
On a happier note, I can't believe it ... it's only May 1st, and the gardens will be ready with one more full day of work. I haven't been rushed, I haven't felt overwhelmed, I just got outside whenever the weather has graced us with dry enough weather, and got to work. I only got 1 decent gardening day during my actual vacation days but I did accomplish other things.  I went to the nursery today and picked up a few more perennials.  I'm even trying my favourite flower (Blue Himalyan Poppy)  (see below) again.  I've tried 3 or 4 times to grow it but have not had any luck to date.  I'm not sure whether I'm persistent or a masochist.

via Google search

I have a major love affair with sky blue flowers ... probably because they've pretty hard to find in nature.  I also picked up a few other flowers but I was strong and walked by all the irises and daylilies (my 2 flower obsessions) .  I'm so proud of myself :)
 
On the workout front ... it's been a couple of weeks since my last workout ... but my vacation week I was pretty active, between lots of walking and all the garden work I was doing I didn't feel too bad about missing my workouts.  Last week I was fighting something.  I should have gotten up today to work out but I didn't.  But I've been watching what I'm eating and turning down lunch dates ... and my body seems to have plateaued.  So ... 4:15 a.m. tomorrow I will get up and do my cardio workout.    June 30th is FAST approaching. 
 
Can't wait!
 
 

My Second Blogoversary ... and I Missed it!

March 31st marked 2 years since I joined this wonderful community. Of course I missed it ... I seems a fitting end to that particular year. It was definitely a challenging year.


2010 was brutal at work. Almost ended up unemployed and yet I somehow kept my job and for that I'm so grateful. Things are so much better there now.

My body transformation has been off and on (kinda like my blogging). I've never given up ... Just dealt with some challenges but I'm very happy to report that I am on track, focussed and loving the process again. I check my goals every day ... The biggest is bikini shape by June 30th. When I reach that goal, I will be under 200 lbs, have lost 4 inches off my tummy and be down a couple of sizes (my other goals for this challenge).

Blogging. What can I tell you ... I have not been very consistent with writing or reading or commenting and for that I apologize. I had so much on my mind the past year, felt so overwhelmed by everything that I just didn't have the energy. Plus I didn't really feel like I had anything worthwhile to say. Sad huh ...

But that was last year, this is a new blogging year and my life is calmer and more organized. Still busy. Still don't have much time in the evenings, but I will do more blogging. Maybe not every day, but certainly more frequently than this past year.  I'm getting a BB Torch so I'm hoping to be able to actually read blogs which in transit.  While my Curve is great ... the screen is just too small to read on.  *sigh*

I'm currently doing a detox .. My skin is taking the brunt of it ... Not to mention my frequent trips to the bathroom .... Lol. I kinda feel like I'm not only detoxing my body, but my spirit also. Getting rid of all the crap ... all the emotional turmoil cauz there's been a lot. But that was then and this is now.

This is my year ...to get in great physical and emotional shape, to get our home in ship-shape and to take the next step in my career.

I'm so excited. I hope you'll join me in my journey :)

SOS

Day 2 - Adapting to Challenges

Well, my first day was great.  Terrific workout, ate healthy all day (if you don't include the largish glass of red wine LOL), got to sleep at a good time, drank lots of water, worked in garden for about 3 hours, got my meal plan for the week ready, updated my journal for both yesterday and today.  I was all set to start this challenge at full throttle.

I don't honestly know what happened.  My alarm was set for 4:15 a.m.  I don't know if I hit the "off" button instead of the "snooze", but when I opened my eyes, it was 5:00 a.m.  Crap!  Bad start to the day.  But I ate healthy, kept a positive attitude, and the weather co-operated with me.  I was able to get out for a brisk 45 minute walk at lunch.  It felt great!  I tried very hard to restrict my coffee intake to 1 cup today.  This weather was just too much for me.  I broke down and had a second around 3:30.  But I avoided my old trap of grabbing a chocolate bar while I waited for Barry to pick me up tonight.  As it turned out, he arrived at the same time I did so it would have been a waste.

Did I mention that I broke part of my temporary crown?  It's not really painful but my jaw hurts.  Maybe it's just the weather.  Cold front is moving in.  So the dinner I was going to make is going to have to wait.  I'm having softer food that I don't have to chew much.  *sigh*

But onwards and upwards.  I'm going to make sure I get my journal updated for today and tomorrow, get to bed early and get up all bright and busy-tailed for a good leg workout tomorrow at 4:15.

The "old" me, would have gotten frustrated, thrown up hands up and think "well there's my day gone".  The "new" me, however, knows that life happens and we just have to learn to adapt.  So while I didn't get my ab workout done, I did get my cardio in.  And I ate lightly.

Tomorrow's another day ... the sun will be out (albeit a little cooler), my permanent crown gets inserted, and Barry's workout is tomorrow night.  Life is looking good!

Enjoy :)

Spring ... Time to Renew Myself

I love springtime.  It's probably my favourite time of year.  The snow melts, the birds come back, twittering away, blessing us with their song.  Plantlife comes back to grace us with their presence.  The sun shines more; the temperature climbs, people are happier.  It just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

So what a perfect time to "renew" myself.  I now have exactly 12 weeks to bikini shopping day.  I think my warped little mind didn't get serious until there was exactly 12 weeks left.  Now it's do or die.  It's amazing what the mind and body can do when there's a tight deadline.  I never used to thrive on that kind of pressure but having a definitive goal helps a lot.  Thanks Celia :)

So I decided to go back to basics.  Body for Life teaches to set goals (no problem, I've done that), to take measurements and weight (yup, did that this morning (urgh!), to take pictures (see below) and to plan your workout, meals and gameplan (yup ... that's done too).  The past couple of months when I've re-set the clock to zero, I was skipping all that.  This time I'm doing it right.

Obviously I'm nowhere NEAR where I want to be.  But I'm heading in the right direction.
This morning I did all of the above, plus I had a really good upper body workout, had my protein shake right after, then had a nutritious brekkie and recorded everything I did.  So I'm off to a great start!

My weekends are often spent outside at this time of year.  There's soooo much to do.  Yesterday I cut back all my ornamental grasses and some other stuff - what a difference to the landscape!  I took a bunch of stuff out of the shed and realized that I need to empty to entire shed, scrub it down, then organize everything inside.  THAT should take an entire day.  Of course ahose would help in that regard.  So off to Canadian Tire for a hose and hose reel (our other ones died last year).  Today we have some shopping to do (the list started with 3 things ... I lost track how many are on there now) then I'll be cutting back material in the north garden.  And then the fun begins....moving a rose bush, which I need to do sooner (now) than later.  That necessitates moving about 7 or 8 other plants.  Oi!  But I love it!  This is what I live for.  Getting outside in the fresh air, working with my hands, enjoying the birds and sun and warmth.

I have made one other resolution this year though.  I decided that this year I was going to enjoy my gardens, not just work in them.  So it's mulch, mulch, mulch this year.  I can't wait to have friends and family over, sit on the deck with a cold bevvie and enjoy the outdoors.  I looked at the BBQ this morning and remembered BBQ'd breakfast (french toast in AMAZING on the BBQ), latte on the deck.  I am so grateful for my life.

So....I have to make the most of it.  And that means getting back into shape (it's been a loooooong time) so I can be the best "me" that I can be, so I can offer my encouragement and my help to those who want it.

Some aspects of my life are about to get very regimented ... especially workouts and nutrition.  But I'm good with that.  I am going to start putting Barry through his paces on a regular basis ... workouts hunny, don't get too excited lol ... but I'll still have time to deal with the house and the gardens.

I just love springtime!