Seven Weeks…

by annemariedemyen, posted in Health and Fitness, March 2023

I am only three weeks into Year Two of my health and fitness program, but it has been SEVEN WEEKS since Molly and I collided and I walked away with a broken arm.  (Literally walked away!  We were at the dog park a few blocks from home, so we had to walk home. Ouch, ouch, ouch!)

Molly racing with a little French Bullie at the park last week.  I stayed outside the fence with my broken arm.

I think that I am healing quite well. The fractures in my proximal humurus and humurus head do not bother me at all.  I do feel frequent and considerable pain in my shoulder, elbow, and wrist.  Go figure.  I am pretty sure I pulled or tore something in my shoulder, but I am three weeks from getting my ultrasound report so who knows.  This morning, I had ripping pain down my right side from my shoulder, down my arm, and down my side from my armpit to under my ribs.    Since I did not injure my right side in my fall, I have to assume it was either sympathy for my left side or something I pulled compensating for my left side.  Who knows?

Either way, that brings me to where I am at with my physical health and fitness levels.  I think I am doing okay all things considered.  I work out, try to sleep well, try to eat healthy, take my vitamins and beet juice, and try to get outside for a bit of fresh air every day.   🤗

Mentally and emotionally, I have struggled a bit this past week.  It’s nothing serious – just frustration, sadness, and good old grumpiness.  Nothing debilitating for sure, but something I have had to work on.  

  • I have backed away from checking my online ‘Fractured Humurus Group’.  There is way more bad news than good and it just isn’t helping me.  I do still drop in once or twice a day and send ‘Caring Hugs’ to those who are struggling, but I don’t let myself get too engaged.
  • I have made daily accomplishments a priority.  Yesterday I made breakfast for Dan and I, did dishes, vacuumed, dusted,  cleaned and re-assembled our humidifier, made a dental appointment, AND I did our taxes!!!
  • I have been meditating every day.   I think that is really helping me to feel more grounded and focused.  It also is helping me to sleep better.
  • I have been watching You Tube video clips of comedy sketches – mostly ‘Golden Girls’ and ‘Bob Newhart’.  I wasn’t really a fan of ‘Golden Girls’ when it was on tv, but their clips are funny.  I always loved ‘Bob Newhart’ – especially Larry and his brothers Darryl and Darryl.    🤣🤣🤣

My efforts seem to be helping to get my mental and emotional self in a better place.    And… Our March sunshine isn’t hurting the cause. 🌞

That is my health and well-being update for this week.  

Take care and have a great week! 💞🤗

Our flowers are still seeds, roots, or bulbs buried under feet of snow and ice, but I thought this photo from my archives would make a perky and promising Header Photo for March.  ☺️
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Year Two – Week Two

by annemariedemyen, posted in February 2023, Health and Fitness

Another exciting week in the life of a somewhat invalid.  It has been two weeks since I hit the reset on my health and fitness program and six weeks since Molly took me down at the dog park and fractured my humurus head and surgical neck.

Molly acting out her guilt (or boredom).

Today, we had a family outing.  Dan drove me across the city for an ultrasound on my shoulder.  I thought this was to determine whether my bones were mending. Unfortunately, the tech said she was just checking out tendons and ligaments – not bones.  I was sitting on a chair, holding my arm in awkward poses for a solid hour! And… I still have no idea if I am on the mend. 🤦

Meanwhile Dan and Molly walked around the mall parking lot. They put on a few miles. Tonight I am rather sore and Molly is rather tired.

I have been struggling to sleep soundly for the past couple of weeks and the pain in my arm seems to be getting worse. I’m not sure if that is from the lack of sleep, a natural part of the healing process, because I was overdoing the dancing and/or therapy exercises, or if this situation is just starting to wear on me. I am still working out every day, but trying not to overdo it for now. On Saturday, I did a Zumba class – but I was very careful not to engage my left arm.

That is about it for this week’s update health and fitness update.

Meanwhile, Molly is definitely bored.

Weather wise we are welcoming back some warmer temps at least for a few days. Our snow and ice won’t be going anywhere any time soon, but at least the sun is shining. 🌞

Take care and have a great week! 💞😁⛈️

Year Two – Week One

by annemariedemyen, posted in February 2023, Health and Fitness

I am barely into the second year of my new life of health and fitness, but I am feeling it and it is feeling pretty good! 😁

It is five weeks since I broke my arm (humurus surgical neck and head). That has put my Zumba, dog walking, and weight lifting on hold – but I have improvised.

My fitness plan these days is mostly dancing around our kitchen and doing my therapy exercises.  That doesn’t sound too impressive, but I do both three or four times a day,  so it keeps me active and I can feel the benefits….

  • My range of motion for my arm is improving daily.  I did my hair up yesterday.   It wasn’t perfect, but I did it myself with my own two arms. 😉
  • I seldom use anything for pain – day or night. I used regular Bayer aspirin for the first week or two but only used it one night last week.
  • I feel good – physically, mentally, and emotionally. 😁😁😁
  • I went shopping on Saturday, bought myself a new outfit, AND I was pretty happy with the fit. (I don’t have a photo but will post one on Thursday after my follow up appointment.)
  • I am sleeping okay most nights.  Last night,  I slept so well that my arm was stiff and sore when I got up.  My workout this morning shook it loose. 🤗

That’s it for today but I have to wrap things up with the latest addition to my You Tube dance mix. 💃💃💃

From my friend Jackie – going out to anyone looking for that motivation to get you through whatever you are going through.

Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

Molly is ***ONE***

by annemariedemyen, posted in February 2023
She can hardly contain her excitement!

Molly was born into this world on February 16th, 2022. After spending her first few weeks with her Mom and siblings, we welcomed her into our home on April 22nd.

April 22, 2022
Eating one of the many cedars we had pre-Molly.
Molly’s first ‘official’ walk – 4 weeks post final round of vaccinations.
Genie’s lap dog.
Summer splash pool – I was trying to clean it and give her fresh water. She just couldn’t wait!
Fresh out of responsible pet control.
Christmas 2022 with Cason, Lucas, Bacardi, & Cornelius
Yes, Molly! You did this to me. 🙄

Our big girl is an entire year old. It hasn’t all been easy, it hasn’t all been fun, but every day is so worth it! 😁 Happy Birthday, Molly!

Begin Again!

by annemariedemyen, posted in February 2023, Health and Fitness
Happy Valentine’s Day

It is Valentine’s Day!  Last night my husband and I celebrated with an awesome supper of steak, lobster, crab, baked potato, asparagus, and mushrooms – all barbecued by my husband Dan (after doing the shopping, cleaning up the yard, and shoveling the snow and ice off of our walks). Today, he went out to run errands and returned with this bouquet of roses.   I am too fortunate to have such a good man in my life. 💞 

Today also marks another special occasion for me. 

One year ago today, I was sitting on my rocking chair, wrapped in a shawl, and feeling miserable.  I was cold, tired, and struggling to breathe through my asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis.  I was seriously overweight.  For days, I had been thinking that I would take it easy for one more day and hope that ‘tomorrow’ I would magically feel well enough to get up and do something to improve my situation.  Finally, one year ago today, I realized that the magic was not going to happen unless I made it happen.   I got off my chair, put in my earbuds, turned on some Buddy Holly, and started to dance.  It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t long until I was wiped out, really struggling to breathe, and my heart was pounding harder than my music.   I had no plan and I had no goals. But… It was a start, the start of my journey to health and fitness.

The next day, I got off my chair and danced again.  It still wasn’t pretty, but I did a bit better and I knew that I was on the right path to regain my health – and my life.

I wasn’t wrong.  This past year has been amazing.  My health has improved, my strength has improved, and my life has improved.  I have discovered and experienced benefits of my fitness journey that I never, ever imagined.

  • Finding my Volley friends Dwight and Jackie, who share this fitness journey with me – every day! Two strangers who have become family to me during these past months.
  • Finding a way to LIVE, and live well, with Asthma, COPD, and Bronchiectasis.
  • Finding peace, and happiness, and hope – despite what happens around me.
  • Finding that I have so much more potential than I ever realized. Finding that I have so much power to create my life, as I wish to live it.
  • Finding how effectively I can use ‘setbacks’ to motivate myself to push forward.
  • Finding that a fitness program is not only for the athletic, or the already strong and healthy, or the young, or those who spend limitless funds on equipment, gym memberships, or designer workout clothes. With free Zumba classes (or Yoga, Pilates, etc.) On You Tube and minimal equipment (dumbbells, resistance bands, yoga balls) one can put together an entertaining and effective workout program – even if one is working with limited workout space.
  • Finding that all one needs to live better is the will and the determination to make it my priority and focus.

 I cannot begin to detail how much, and in how many ways, I have come to appreciate this journey that I am on. I have loved this past year and I am excited and ready to move forward into Year Two. Broken arm and all, I am excited to see where this next year takes me.

Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

Follow up 😁

by annemariedemyen, posted in Uncategorized

I have a few random notes to put out there today.

First off, I had a follow up appointment at Ambulatory Care for my broken arm this morning. Everything is healing in place! I do not have to wear my sling indoors anymore! Dr. S. gave me a couple of more exercises to do to regain use of my arm. I go back in two weeks and I think that is when I start therapy. 🤗

Slingless!

Meanwhile our mild 2023 weather is holding for another week! Temperatures are in Celsius, but they are hanging around the freezing/melting point (32 degrees F) and we have sunshine!

There should be a ‘LIKE’ button on The Weather Network for weeks like this in February – in Saskatchewan. 💝

One last bit… This post by ‘A Brave Soul’ came up on my Facebook feed yesterday and I thought it was pretty cool. 👍

Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

One Week To Go

by annemariedemyen, posted in February 2023, gratitude - August 2021

One  week until I will be celebrating a solid year since I began my health and fitness journey.  🥳

I am not celebrating the strong finish that I had hoped for.  With a broken arm,  it is difficult to get as physical as I had planned.  But, I am still doing my darndest to dance my way into Year Two and to  finish Year One on as positive a note as possible.

I made a motivational sign for my fridge.  What I lack in creative talent, I make up for in determination.  🤣

I have also been….

  • Getting lots of rest – as in eight to ten hours of sleep per day/night.  (Yes, I have been having an afternoon nap. 🥱)
  • I have been meditating.
  • I have been reading and following my favourite motivational speakers on social media.  Specifically,  those who ‘walk the walk’ and live the life they preach. 
  • I have been eating healthy and have added calcium to my supplement routine of B12, Vitamin D, Lutein, and zinc.  The zinc is another temporary supplement that I have been taking to help heal any lingering effects from my pre-Christmas flu.
  • I have been relaxing  with loved ones.
I still love my dog. 💞
  • And I have been checking in with my Volley (online fitness group) every day.  I couldn’t start my days nearly as well as I do without their enthusiastic morning messages. 😁
  • And of course, I have been doing my best to do all that I can in our kitchen and around our house. It is the least I can do to show my gratitude for everything my husband has done for me in these past few weeks – and the past twenty-four years. 💞

That’s it for this week. One more week until I begin Year two of this fitness journey I am on. I am excited to see where this upcoming year will take me. I can’t believe how far I have come and how beneficial this year has been for me – despite a couple of rather major setbacks.

Take care and have a great day!💞🌞

And love 💓

Sunday Morning

by annemariedemyen, posted in Health and Fitness, January 2023

All is quiet on the home front today so here I am checking in from the very frigid Saskatchewan. 🥶

Things are going ok around here. I am getting relatively capable of taking care of myself and Molly and the household chores – meals, dishes, laundry, dusting, sweeping, making the bed and such. Although, I did have some much appreciated help this past week.

Granddaughter Genie stopped by for tea and stayed to make us Taco Salad for supper on Friday. 💜 That was very much appreciated as chopping is a one armed challenge for sure.
Dan has been helping me as much as possible when he is off shift – including doing my hair. 😁 It is super nice to have it out of my eyes and he does a pretty adequate job of it for a steel worker. 💞
Molly is being really good and keeping an eye on the neighbourhood. I especially appreciate the being good part. 💓

Dan also took me back to the Pasqua for my first follow up with the orthopedic surgeon. Everything went as smoothly as my trip to the ER. There is not much to be done for two weeks when I go back for x-rays and another follow up. The doctor and his nurse did give us a bit more advice on things I could, should, or shouldn’t do. They also have me a new sling which is way more comfortable than the original one.

And… I sent Genie home with a treat for George and Nova – a small bag of sunflower seeds.

When you can fit in the bird cage you built for your miniature parrots. 😂

Other than that, I do not have much news. I would like to thank everyone for all of the love and support and encouragement that I have received on WordPress for the past year as I worked on my health and wellness. I know that my current level of fitness helped to minimize the injuries from my Molly mishap and that it is making my recovery far easier than it would have been otherwise.

It is funny that we (at least I 🤦) have always recognized the importance of having funds set aside for the unexpected financial glitches that arise in life. Likewise, I have always recognized the importance of maintaining my residence, vehicle, furniture, electronics, etc… But, I never really considered how important it was to maintain my own body – until now. Now I realize that the few minutes a day that I invest in my health and wellness pays such huge dividends in making my life so much easier and better – every day and through any crisis or challenge that comes along. So… thank you for helping me to get to this point in my journey. 💞💞💞

A pic from my albums. It reminds me of my Mom and her love for yellow flowers. I hope it brightens your day. 🌟

Take care and have a great day! 🌞💞

Three Weeks To Go

by annemariedemyen, posted in Health and Fitness, January 2023

There are only three weeks to go until it has been a full year since I started my personal health and fitness program.

It has been (almost) a year of celebrating surprising benefits and struggling with unexpected setbacks. With the endpost in sight, I thought I was on track to finish year one STRONG, TRIUMPHANT, and ready to begin Year Two with determination and DRIVE!

Then, last Tuesday, life happened. A careless moment at the dog park with Dan and Molly, and I was sidelined by a broken humerus. (Which I did not find the least bit humorous 😢). My year was shot. Everything I worked so hard for was gone. Poor me.

Of course, I realized that all was not lost. I started to discover what I could do, to stay on track and in the right mindset to finish out the past year and start a new one.

I can do quite a bit actually. I am to the point where I can totally take care of myself and Molly while Dan is at work. I can do dishes, do laundry (except for hauling baskets of clean clothes upstairs, folding it, and putting it away – which Dan did), make meals (chopping is challenging), dust, sweep, and make the bed. Since the pain in my arm has subsided, I can even start working out – to a point. I did ten minutes of step ups yesterday, I dance (somewhat), and I just keep generally active.

Last night’s chicken supper. Dan diced the chicken. 😉

I have also been reading (Wayne Dyer – “Being in Balance”), meditating, and keeping up with my Volley group. Which brings me to this morning’s Volley by my friend Jackie. In it, she reminded us of something to help keep us motivated. “All or something“. It doesn’t have to be “All or Nothing”. Life happens. Sometimes “ALL” just isn’t possible. But ‘something’ is, so that is my ultimate goal for the remaining days of Year One. I am going to do something each and every day. It won’t be all I had hoped for at this point, but doing what I can is better than doing nothing at all – which is pretty much what I was doing a year ago. 🙄

That is my health and fitness update for this week. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

Still Down!

by annemariedemyen, posted in January 2023

I may have spoken too soon. Last night my arm started turning a purplish shade of black and blue. And… this morning my pain was reaching new levels.

Dan drove me to the Pasqua Hospital Emergency. Contrary to everything we have heard and read lately, the care was timely and efficient AND if the staff was exhausted and stressed, they were way too professional, caring, and kind to show it.

We were in and out in three and a half hours (which included a trip to radiology for several x-rays). The bottom line is I broke the surgical neck of my humorous. Fortunately, it remained in place, so no operation was required. My arm is supported by a foam sling and I will have to see a surgeon to ensure healing is going as planned.

And… The doctor told me that not only could I, but I should maintain my physical workouts – while avoiding engaging my left arm for the time being, obviously. 🤗

On the way home, Dan swung by A & W to pick us up hamburgers, onion rings, and gravy. 😊

So that was my update for today. Take care and have a great rest of the day! 💞🌞