Today marks the first day of sharing my 2025 food diary. If you checked in looking for hummus or tofu, you will undoubtedly be disappointed. This diary is more about tracking my eating habits and making small adjustments as required, than eating food that tastes like navel lint. (Not that I have ever tasted navel lint, hummus, or tofu.. just saying.)
January 1st didn’t follow our typical meal plan, as it was January 1st we had breakfast a bit later than usual. Being a Wednesday, I was working around a morning AND an afternoon workout. AND ….Being a ‘Dart Night’ for Dan, we had a quick and early supper.
Anyway, here goes. Food Diary Day 1…
(1) cup coffee (to was down my lutein & vitamin D) and to keep from choking on my Advair and Spiriva inhalers
2 egg omelet with ham, cheese, mushrooms, and green onions – light on the salt & pepper
(12) oz. water
Hungry man fried chicken tv dinner (the only Hungry Man that does not contain yeast) with 2 tsp. butter
Dan’s brownie from his Hungry Man dinner
(12) oz. Carbonated water
(1/2) bag extra buttery microwave popcorn*
(8) oz. Water
(2) chocolates
* Full disclosure – I would have eaten more of the popcorn but it is (almost) the only snack I share with Molly and she got excited and stuck her head in the bowl. 🤦
A new year has arrived and with it a chance to recommit to a life where health of body, mind, and soul is a priority. 👍
This year, February 14th will mark THREE years since I began my journey to health and fitness. It has been all good, and amazingly, I am still discovering benefits that I would never have imagined. This past year, I have remained relatively healthy – no significant flare ups of my asthma, COPD, or bronchiectasis. I have discovered an impressive amount of strength and stamina in my day to day life and in working with my husband to complete a number of projects around our home. AND.. Most of all, I have noticed a marked improvement to my emotional health and wellbeing. A lifetime of struggling with anxiety and grief is melting away to be replaced by feelings of peace, contentment, and well-being. 🤗
This year, I will mark my 70th birthday at the end of July. I look forward to celebrating this auspicious milestone with hope, enthusiasm, and anticipation for what lies ahead. I am excited knowing that I can and will keep doing what I am doing to maintain my quality of life throughout my seventies and beyond. It is so worth the effort!
This year, I intend to maintain the positive health and fitness habits that I have built over the past three years. I also intend to create and maintain a NEW HABIT to better manage my daily food intake. It’s not that I eat poorly. It’s just that I discovered this year how easily poor eating habits can creep into my life. I need to pay more attention to what I am, or am not, feeding my body. SO …this year I am going to keep a food diary and share my daily entries here on Jetpack. Over the past three years, the best thing I have discovered is that I can build good habits as easily as bad ones so I know that I can do this!
I don’t have a diary entry to post this morning so am sharing a photo of the ham, cheese, mushroom, and onion omelet Dan whipped upto start my year off on a nutritious note. 👍🌹And with a photo showing where I am now.
And a few photos showing why I seldom share photos of myself….
This is it – the final day of 2024. For the first time in what seems forever, I am excited to bid farewell to one year and to welcome in the next!
2024 was a good year for us, not perfect (there were a few hiccups) but overall a really good year. 🌟
This has been the first full year of retirement for my husband Dan. We have settled into a pretty good daily rhythm. Dan’s been kept busy dealing with our shopping, spending time at the dogpark with Molly, and keeping up to granddaughter Maddy – who’s highschool and work schedule often clashes with her mother’s busy work schedule. I keep busy working out, cooking, baking, and generally keeping things neat and tidy.
We have also both been catching up on some home and yard maintenance projects that had been avoided during my years of 8 to 5 and Dan’s 24/7 shift work.
Our December project – painting and refurnishing our livingroom. I finally have the Steel Blue sofa that I fell in love with thirty years ago. 👏The new microwave and stand – the stand was all Dan’s project. While the end result is perfect, the execution was a bit painful.The freshly painted spare room that became Molly’s room. 😂
All was not work and no play, as daughter Jen and I took a long anticipated trip through the Dakotas to help my sister Jeanne celebrate her birthday.
Always a warm welcome and a good time at Jeanne and Don’s.
A couple of more great moments from 2024 came via granddaughter Maddy…
Celebrating Maddy’s Grade 8 graduation, addition to the principal’s honor roll, and academic award for literary excellence.Dan and I also had the honor of attending Maddy’s indoctrination visit to high school – Arch Bishop O’Neil.
To round off the year, we had an early Christmas visit from son Dan, Amanda, Gabby & Cason.
And Bacardi and Cornelius who stay with us, while Dan and family stay at a nearby hotel with a waterpark for some R & R between visits.
Christmas itself was a fairly quiet day, topped off with a traditional turkey supper with daughter Jen and family.
Overall, Christmas this year was just a nice stressless time where hiccups happened, but everything ultimately worked out well for everyone.
That is a wrap for 2024. Tomorrow, we usher in a new year with all of the hopes, wishes, and intentions to make it our best one yet.
It’s been a while, but with holidays here (or around the corner) I thought this would be as good a time as any to check back in.
I’ve had a pretty good year and I hope the same goes for everyone out here in Jet Pack land.
To catch up… I am mostly on track with my health and wellness journey. Fitness wise, I have managed to stay consistent with my workouts – aerobics six mornings a week and light weights Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Health wise, I have been pretty decent. Despite my chronic issues with asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis, I have avoided any major flare-ups and ZERO rounds of antibiotics or oral steroids this year! I do use my three inhalers – two regularly and one as required, but they are just for maintenance and prevention purposes. Recently, I went for my COVID, extra strength flu, and pneumonia vaccines. Unless I get hit by a bus, I should be good for another year. 👍
The one area that I have struggled with has been my diet/nutrition. Last May (2023), I realized that yeast was causing my severe digestive issues that had been giving me grief for years. Avoiding yeast wasn’t too painful – except for breakfast, which APPARENTLY sets the tone for the rest of one’s day.
At first I did fairly well, eating bacon and eggs, potato cakes and the like for breakfast. That got tiresome to deal with, so I switched to fresh fruit – which was fine for a while until I realized (remembered) that I don’t much care for fresh fruit. 😧 So.. I started mixing it up with waffles (and syrup), pre-sweetened cereal, crumpets (and jam), grapefruit (with sugar) or store bought muffins (basically sugar held together with a bit of bran or a couple of blueberries).
As the weeks went by, the insidious “sugar creep” kicked in. Ultimately, I would have my sugary breakfast, followed by a sweet midmorning snack, lunch (with dessert), a sweet afternoon snack, happy hour consisting of a mixed cocktail or a can of Pepsi or root beer, supper (with desert), followed by ice cream (with butterscotch AND chocolate sauce), and finally a bedtime snack of caramel corn. It wasn’t that I would snarf down an entire cake in one sitting – I was just indulging in bits and bowls of sugar ALL DAY.
Obviously, that could and did not last. A few weeks in and feeling miserable, I reviewed my diet and realized things had to change.
I circled back to the traditional breakfast of eggs and bacon/sausages/ham and potato cakes. Pretty much salt and saturated fats!
About this time, I met with a nurse practitioner who sent me for a complete blood work up. Surprisingly, my tests came back with a few borderline issues – glucose, salt, cholesterol… My nurse practitioner set me up with a dietician. She gave me some helpful advice for getting my diet (and bloodwork) back in order.
The best advice I got for tracking cholesterol intake was to check nutritional value labels on food and choose food products with less than 15% DV saturated fat per serving. ONE sausage patty contains 26% and I occasionally (frequently) indulge in two at one sitting. 🙄
If I haven’t lost you yet, this has led me to make a commitment to getting a better handle on my diet. I decided the best way for me to do that, is to keep a food diary for the next year. AND to keep me accountable, I have decided to share said diary with anyone out there who chooses to (or inadvertently) reads my blog in 2025.
Bottom line, you should be seeing more of me in the upcoming months.
In the meantime, MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR! All the best to you and yours this holiday season and throughout 2025!
Summer has finally settled in Saskatchewan! None too soon for me and all of the rest of my news for this week is positive as well.
Our garden is showing signs of growth. I took a few photos last Sunday and tried to repeat them this past Sunday as well.
Tiny Tim Tomatoes Garden ShotGarden and Pond
Molly is thriving despite the heat that she is unaccustomed to. Dan has been taking her to the park before it gets too warm out. Her friends have been going earlier than usual as well, so it’s all good. Yesterday, we took her for her annual vet checkup. She passed every test with flying colors. Her weight is a perfect ninety three pounds and her teeth are clean and white. (Yay Greenies!)
Molly 💞
As for me, all is going well! I have not missed a single Monday thru Saturday morning aerobics since the beginning of July. Even more impressive, I have not missed a single Monday, Wednesday, or Friday afternoon strength training session. I have also been clearing my lungs with my Aerobika (morning and night) and have been using my neti pot at least a couple of times a week. And… I have been getting a decent amount of sunshine and fresh air each day.
All of this consistent effort has kept me healthy despite the fact that I spent an evening at our new urgent care centre last week (supporting Maddy who had a severe bout of the flu and a brutal ear infection). The next night I was doing likewise at the Pasqua hospital with Jennifer. Fortunately, they are both pretty much recovered with only minor lingering effects. And YAY for me, I did not catch anything from them or from anyone else at either health center.
There’s not much else to report on. I have a Spirometry test with my respiratory therapist on the twenty-fifth of this month and I am celebrating my sixty-ninth birthday on the twenty-sixth. My goal is to keep nailing my workouts, keep healthy, and crush both my spirometry and my birthday. 😁
Here we are – July 2024 ! It seems impossible that this year is half over already, but as personal progress goes, I have already accomplished more this year than I did in all of 2023.
In 2023…
I broke my arm.
I struggled through months of forest fire smoke drifting down from northern Alberta.
I went through multiple doses of oral steroids and strong antibiotics to combat lung infections caused by ongoing sinus issues.
Due to health issues, I missed more than half of my morning workouts, and doing weight and strength training was hit and miss at best.
I quit eating or drinking anything containing bakers or brewers yeast and virtually eliminated severe digestive issues. (That has been a huge win.)
I lost ten pounds.
I started hiking (in and out of the city) with Dan and Molly.
So far in 2024…
I have had virtually no morning workouts missed due to health issues. (Obviously, I still have asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis but all are relatively under control.)
I have been doing strength training workouts three days a week and have graduated to eight pound weights plus I have doubled the reps to my routines.
I have been driving further and more often in the past couple of months, than I have since retiring in 2020.
I made a trip down to Nebraska with my daughter. That was six days of traveling, hiking, shopping, hotels, restaurant meals, and visiting with family. And… I made it back not too much the worse for wear.
Dan did work up most of the garden planters but I was able to plant most of the garden. I have been maintaining it and I have been painting the garden planters (weather permitting). And… I edged and mowed our front lawn at least once!
Personal growth is about progress, not perfection. – Hal Elrod
This weekend, we finally had consecutive days of summer-ish weather. It was warm and sunny, with relatively little wind. We did our best to take advantage of it.
Most of Friday was spent tidying up around here, inside and out. Later in the evening, Prim came over and we hiked across the street to the ball diamonds to watch the Indigenous Day fireworks. Dan stayed home with Molly, who is not such a fan of loud noises and bright lights.
On Saturday, we hosted a slightly belated birthday party for our daughter Jennifer’s nineteen year old son, Rory.
Our new gazebo and barbecue were both up to the task and served us well. Jennifer and her brother Mark set up our previous barbecue to celebrate Father’s Day and Rory’s first birthday. I’m not sure how long these things tend to last but I’d say eighteen years was a decent run.
Genie brought over Nerf paddles and balls, so the younger generation spent a good part of the evening across the street engaging in some friendly competition. In true Martel fashion, Maddy and Prim came back with more than their share of scraped knees and mud stains.
Standing on the back landing, staring into the sun. 🙄The girls and Ronan decorated the gazebo before Rory arrived.
Yesterday, Prim returned and we headed over to the Regent Park Pool. She spent four hours splashing around with her friends. I spent four hours in the shade of nearby trees, enjoying the fresh air and park ambiance.
Regent Park
Today we are looking to enjoy another warm and sunny day. It would be nice to sit back and soak it in but yard chores are calling so it is time to get to work.
Yesterday was officially the first day of summer and I was finally able to get outside to enjoy a bit of heat and sunshine! Our spring was one long stretch of cold temperatures, rain and more rain, and strong winds. My asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis have not been happy.
I have maintained my Monday through Saturday morning aerobics and my weight and strength training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Since I could hardly blame the weather for poor eating habits, I have also stayed on track there as well.
I saw both my respiratory specialist and therapist over the past couple of weeks. Despite the weather, my lungs have stayed clear of any infection and healthwise I am doing okay. I have been coughing A LOT, especially these past couple of weeks but that is to be expected. Hopefully, that will clear up as our weather does likewise.
I have been doing a fair amount of driving, which is a good thing. We have been helping daughter Jen out while she works, getting her daughters around the city for various appointments and events.
Our main ‘event’ this week was granddaughter Madison’s grade eight graduation.
Maddy accepting her ‘Top Reader’ and ‘Honor Roll’ awards and medals.Maddy with her sisters Genie & PrimMaddy with her friend Ronan.
We could not be more proud of our little ray of sunshine. Not only did she excel in her academics this year, she earned her place on the Saskatchewan Youth Honor Band, and she started working part-time as a hostess at one of our local restaurants. Everything Maddy does, she does to the best of her ability and she makes it look easy by doing it with her charming attitude and beautiful smile. 🥰
Finally, we have been working on, and enjoying, our yard as weather permits.
We skipped the pool this year and went with a gazebo to protect us from the heat and bugs – neither of which have been an issue so far.The garden is struggling but coming along. I am trying to get the planters painted but that has been a process as well.
My health and wellness update takes a bit of a left turn this week. I am fine and I have been fine, but I took a break from my regular workouts last week to take a trip with my daughter Jennifer.
Our first day (Wednesday) was spent driving to Rapid City, South Dakota. We were in my daughter’s Jeep and she did all of the driving –driving, driving, and more driving! Between taking the long route to cross the border, slowing down for every small town along the way, slowing down for road construction between small towns, and taking a hundred mile detour to go for lunch in Williston, North Dakota, we managed to make the eight hour drive in thirteen hours. We finally arrived in Rapid City, checked into our hotel, and ran into my brother Pete and his wife Janice when we stepped out of the elevator on the forth floor. We went our separate ways for supper but met up (this time, as we had planned) for breakfast the next morning.
After a few hours of shopping in Rapid City, we all drove to Chadron, Nebraska to celebrate my sister Jeanne’s birthday. We spent a couple of days with family, friends, and an adorable little dog named Buddy. Despite the fact that this was somewhat of a surprise party for my sister (as she was unaware that the Canadian half of us would be there) she and her husband Don were as warm and welcoming as ever. Our time in Nebraska was great.
Late Friday afternoon, we turned back north and drove to Sturgis, South Dakota. That was a relatively short and uneventful drive. We turned in early after a good supper in one of the local bars.
On Saturday, we headed into the Black Hills. We stopped in Deadwood for a stroll around their scenic main street and did some shopping. We left with a few good memories and a lot of South Dakota Beef Jerky.
Doing the touristy thing in Deadwood. I managed to get up on my own but Jen may have had to lend a hand on the way down. There were a lot of amazing chainsaw sculptures but this one was my personal favourite.We loved the cobblestone street and horse drawn carriage.
After Deadwood, we took the scenic route South to a bar in Lead for lunch and on to Mount Rushmore.
Waterfallsand cavesAnd huge rocks!
The drive through the hills was beautiful and relaxing. Of course, I wasn’t the one maneuvering around hairpin curves, through rock tunnels, and on gravel detours.
It wasn’t raining mud. By this point, a LOT of bugs had tried (and failed) to fly through Jen’s windshield.Driving by a ‘fluffy cow’. Fortunately, it did not try to dash in front of Jen’s Jeep – like the THREE deer that she barely missed. Cliffs on one side.Sheer walls on the other. On to the road less travelled.
From here we headed to Mount Rushmore. I didn’t take any photos. I did go up to the main area and in to the gift shop for a few minutes but I sat on a bench while Jen walked to the look out point. When she got back, we left and made one more quick stop at a small tourist town, drove to Rapid City and back to Sturgis.
Sunday morning we headed back to Canada.
Driving back through North Dakota – and MORE construction.
A few notes on our trip:
– The Americans we met along the way we’re as friendly and good natured as ever. 🤗
– The food was great but the restaurant meals just did not sit well with me. 🙃
– My lungs struggled. I don’t know why for sure but I felt much better as soon as we got home.
– My daughter is an amazing driver. I knew that but I had forgotten how good she is!
– The border crossings were quick and easy. No problem whatsoever!
– I was surprised by the lack of traffic – anywhere, everywhere, even during the Memorial Day weekend.
– It was good to go, a great time there, and a joy to be back home!
I have written a number of health and fitness update blogs. This time, I had to go for a “Progress Update” because it has pretty much been all progress so far this year.
My strength is improving daily. I have been working out with five and eight pound dumbbells three times a week and that is paying off in spades. Two years ago, I was facing spring wondering where I would get the strength to clear up our yard and plant our garden. This year, I am working up planters, hauling seedlings up and down stairs to the kid’s playhouse (that I am using as a greenhouse), and lifting heavy bags and pails of dirt and sand. I don’t know if I have ever been stronger. I am sure that doing yardwork has never been easier.
Here’s hoping our garden will be as good as usual.
My stamina and energy are amazing. . I have been doing aerobic workouts consistently six mornings a week. I can go a solid sixteen hours a day. One day last week, I went so hard and steady that I forgot to have lunch or do any snacking. I have NEVER forgotten to eat – EVER. Plus, that was a day when I was scheduled to do weights before supper! I nailed them. 😊
And I crushed a tray of nachos for supper. I did share with Dan, but I put away more than my share.
Other than that, I have been able to get out and about in the fresh air. I have even been back to the dogpark with Dan and Molly. I have EVEN been walking Molly with a regular collar – no harness or training collar. I can’t wait to get out and do some hiking with her this year.
Molly is ready to hit the trails!
Both Dan and I have been doing pretty well at fixing and eating healthy wholesome meals. Since I had to quit eating anything containing yeast, takeout meals are few and far between. I make desserts when the kids are over for a meal, but the leftovers leave with them. 👍
Packing up the cookies to leave with the kids! 👋
My health has been holding up great so far. I still do a fair amount of coughing, but certainly nothing like the relentless coughing fits I had all of last year. It will take a while with my bronchiectasis. I started taking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar every morning with my beet juice and that seems to be thinning the mucus and helping a lot to clear it away. If the wind can keep blowing the smoke from northern forest fires away from us this year, I could experience some true healing! I doubt that I will ever be off of my inhalers for asthma and COPD, but hopefully I will NEVER AGAIN need the antibiotics and oral steroids that I was on too many times last year.
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” – Sean Patrick Flanery
That has been my motto for the past couple of years. Speaking from experience, it is worth it.
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 