Week 24 To Health and Fitness

by annemariedemyen, posted in Health and Fitness, July 2022

I persevered through another week on my mission to health and fitness. This week has become another turning point in my journey – mostly in a good way but I do have a bit of a challenge going.

Starting with the POSITIVE – my physical and emotional health are definitely going well. We have been getting a lot of heat and rain so very humid (for us). Despite that… I have managed to keep up with my daily walks with Molly and my daily You Tube work outs. The workouts run 30-45 minutes and I can work through them without a single pause.

This is the one I did today. It is one of the videos that I have been using regularly lately. 🤗

Molly is still having her difficult days on our walks and today was no exception. I am expecting a package from Amazon today which includes a new training harness for her. I sure hope it helps settle her down a bit!

I did clear out some clothes in my closet that has gotten to be too large for me now. That has to be a good sign and I am sure happy to see it happening! ☺️

I am noticing a definite shift away from just pushing myself through workouts, walks, salads, and cold showers. I still do all of those things but now those things are a natural part of an overall active and healthy lifestyle. I am still excited about getting fit – and my goals are going beyond myself to others –

  • Being able to provide Molly with the active lifestyle she deserves
  • Being a stronger, healthier partner for Dan
  • Being a better role model for our grandkids
  • Being more active and outgoing in our neighbourhood
  • Being an inspiration to others who are toying with the idea of adopting a healthier lifestyle
  • AND something that has become increasingly important to me – Doing everything I can to avoid being an unnecessary burden to our already overburdened Health Care Services. Even without my chronic health issues, I think that is so necessary.

The NEGATIVE this week is that I am finding myself dealing with a mental meltdown of sorts.

I have been on this journey for five and a half months. I have been more than happy with how it has been going and the results I have been seeing. Whoo hoo! Yay me!

Living LARGE!!!

But during the past few days, I have been finding myself interacting with likeminded souls. I have met a number of people in our local parks – one here, one there, walking their dogs, jogging, on their bikes and I have joined a small group of fitness conscious individuals online. This should all be great! They are all friendly, amazing people working towards a common goal.

But here’s the thing. My mind is suddenly flashing back to high school phys-ed classes. My Saskatchewan highschool phys-ed classes of the early seventies were NOT about physical fitness or developing a healthy lifestyle. They were about discovering the next hockey or football star or the next Olympic athlete. They were about competitions between teenagers who were not even close to being on a level playing field but being judged by who could run faster or jump higher or throw a ball further. They were about winners who were given trophies and medals and losers who were abused mentally, emotionally, and physically.

I know, this is bizarre and rediculous. I am sixty-seven years old. I have done things in my life – big things – major accomplishments. I should have the confidence and capability to see someone who can outperform me physically without coming unglued. But here I am…. judging myself and finding myself lacking. 🙄

The good thing is, I know it is just one more challenge to face and overcome. Just like the physical challenges that I have pushed through and the emotional challenges that I have pushed through, I know I can and will push through this and come out all the better off for doing so. Hopefully sooner than later. 🙂

Just another bridge to cross!

That’s it for today and this week’s fitness update. Take care and have a great day!💞🌞

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33 thoughts on “Week 24 To Health and Fitness”

  1. Isn’t amazing that high school stuff comes back to haunt us?! I remember having to do “forward rolls” and such that gave me headaches. The gym teacher even had us do calisthenics to a song called “go you chicken fat, go”. Kind of funny now but still! As Taylor swift would sing, shake it off! You are impressive with this lifelong achievement!

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Wow, your description of Phys-ed back in the day aligns perfectly with my experiences at high school and junior high as it was called. It wasn’t a good thing either as I felt so intimidated by the other kids. Not such a good memory!

    I like that bridge and huge flower! I envy your dedication to your workouts and doing your best for Molly, your hubby and staying out of the medical system which I totally agree with. Be well! ❤️

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Thanks for sharing this, super helpful and might give that workout a go myself! Hoping that your week is lovely and the “break downs” improve – we’ll all human, and totally normal ☀️ ❤️

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  6. Thank you! There are countless workout videos on You Tube for every level of fitness. I find them really good – especially since I am not one for in person fitness groups (at least not yet!) And ones like this one don’t take up much floor space – really convenient for a small house like ours. I know, it is all part of the process but it’s frustrating. 😞. Have a great day!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. You are an inspiration! I’m 49 years old and I had to take an extra gym class my senior year of high school because I skipped gym class so much. I remember them picking 2 popular people for captains and they chose who they wanted on their team so all that was not so popular people were always last. It was awful. Usually me and one other girl at the last and they didn’t know which they even wanted of us. Demoralizing. Now I want to be strong, inside and out. I’m so excited to see/read all your progress! Even if we have days we didn’t make progress, that’s okay! Have a wonderful week! 😃 Jackie ( from Volly )

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  8. I always feel inspired and reminded why I am doing this when I read your updates, Anne. Sometimes it is difficult to be kind to ourselves, but to have those “breakdowns” can also lead to breakthroughs. Just watching a movie last night, I was reminded of losses. It triggered emotions from times long past, that I have accepted as who and where I was, but it still feels. And I love that video! It is a mood lifter!

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Thank you, Jackie! I loved your and Dwight’s Volleys today. I am 67 and went 50 some years before finding out through my grandchildren that I was born with a genetic collagen disorder. I still had no idea how little muscle tone and joint weakness I had until I started working out with low impact aerobics early this year. I have had asthma forever and a couple of years ago I was diagnosed with COPD and bronchiectasis so this fitness thing is a life changer for me. I really appreciate you and Dwight supporting me and holding me accountable and I am sure happy to do the same for you guys. You look amazing! I would stand at the back of a gym class with you any day. 😂. Or the front – we’ll show them! Have a great week, Jackie!

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I get Salus Red Beet soluble crystals. I make it up in a 1 litre container and add the juice of one lemon and one tsp grated ginger. The pure bottled beer juice was okay but way too sweet for me so I had to add lemon juice. It was also stupid expensive here. The beet crystals are way more economical and they have worked wonders for me.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Thank you for this! That bottle of juice I bought was 10 or 12 bucks I think. In any case, it’s stupid expensive. I just looed that brand up, it’s available from Amazon here for $22 bucks. I wonder which is best, the juice I bought yesterday, or these crystals? I’m lazy and don’t want to bother mixing it all up.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. You don’t have to make it like I do. You can just put 1 tablespoon of crystals in an 8oz glass of water. If you find it too sweet add a shot of Real Lemon. I make it the way I do because Dan uses it too so it’s worth it to do three or four days worth at a time. You make 16 eight ounce glasses out of each 200gram box. (It’s actually a jar of crystals in the box). You don’t even have to put it in water. You can sprinkle a tablespoon of crystals on a salad, bowl of soup, whatever. Personally, I think that would be wierd but people do it. Nutritionally, I don’t know if one is better than the other but the crystals help my lungs and my blood pressure is doing great.

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  21. I really like the part where you talk about walks. Walking exercise is an exercise that is overlooked by many and seems light when practicing than other exercises but it is very effective. Good for mental and physical health.

    Liked by 2 people

  23. I absolutely understand the “high school” throwback issue. I was one of those star athletes… which complicates things for me on two levels:

    1. I find that I try and push my body harder than it can be pushed — for my current fitness level and age (sometimes causing slight injuries and setbacks) — because I still feel like that determined athlete inside.

    2. When I look around the gym and find that I am one of the heaviest individuals in the room, I have flashbacks to being teased as “The Chairman of the “Itty-Bitty Titty Committee”… only now I’m the woman with all of the extra wobbly bits (donning full-length yoga pants and long-length t-shirts) in a sea of young women with fabulous figures, working out in hot pants and sports bras.

    I adore that you are getting out there and building a community of support for yourself. I find that really hard to do, because I prefer to lone-wolf it in the fitness arena.

    I’m also going to try the video that you posted, because belly fat is definitely my biggest challenge. Thank you for that, Ms. Anne Marie! 😍

    Liked by 2 people

  24. Thank you and you are more than welcome! I also tried the hardcore workouts – either I was so exhausted that I ate more than I took off trying to make it through the rest of the day or I ended up hurting myself. The last straw was ending up waiting several months for hernia surgery. It is great that you are getting out there despite the discomfort. Keep it up and you will be one of those fabulous figured, hot pants and bras women. (Who I am sure are all cheering you on!). Have a great day!

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Congrats on your efforts to date. Admire your motivation. I started on a similar journey about 2 months ago in conjunction with a Fitbit. Just joined their FB page. The efforts I was so proud of for myself are minuscule compared to others. It’s a very personal journey so there should be no feelings of inadequacy. However………..!

    Liked by 2 people

  29. Thank you! Your pace has to feel right for you and the activity has to feel right. Also, there are some results that seem to be so slow coming but I have experienced benefits that I never dreamt possible for me. Anyway, good luck and enjoy YOUR journey. 💞

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  31. Congrats! I know the struggle with the Saskatchewan Phys Ed history 😦 I believe those negative thoughts and feelings will sneak up on everyone though! I need to get myself back at it too, so thank you for this!
    I came looking for you because I had not seen any posts from you in a very long time! Turns out that somehow there were quite a few people that I had unknowingly unfollowed! Not sure how things like that happen, but I sure am glad that I found you again during this journey 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  32. It happens to me too, Angie. 🤦Thank you – and I imagine there are a lot of us who have negative thoughts from our Phys Ed days – and it doesn’t just seem to be us in Saskatchewan. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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