Tag: flexibility

Daily Food Diary – Day 118 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is Day 118 of my Daily Food Diary. ☺️ This month I have been tracking the calories, processed sugar, and the sodium that I consume every day.

I still have work to do on my processed sugar and sodium consumption. However, I have learned which foods I need to avoid or eliminate from my diet.  And.. I have made a couple of positive changes this month.  I have switched from salted nuts to unsalted peanuts and I have started eating Lightly Salted chips – at least sometimes.

For May,  I will switch things up and track saturated fat.  That should be interesting, since I will still be counting calories and avoiding sodium and processed sugar.  And of course, I always avoid yeast! This is getting to be a juggling act.  It is getting difficult to consume enough calories each day, when I am avoiding everything that contains calories!

Yesterday, was election day in Canada.  I am glad that is finally behind us!

I am super happy with how our trip to our voting station went yesterday.  It was only about one kilometer from here so we decided to take Molly and walk over there. (We took turns going in to vote and staying outside with Molly).   Anyway… We got halfway there and realized we had forgotten 💩bags for Molly.  That is never a safe gamble to take.  I power walked home and back to where Dan and Molly were waiting for me.

The exciting part… That extra kilometer, made in record time, did not bother me  at all! I did not struggle to breathe, and there was no muscle or joint discomfort.  My blood oxygen was 98% last night.   And, even this morning, I am fine.  That is what makes this all worth while!

While I was in the polling station, I ran into someone I actually know – and really like. And… Since our polling station was at a high school we saw a lot of teenagers.  They were all friendly, polite, and happy to see Molly.  A couple of them even came over and visited with me and Molly –  the entire time that Dan was inside.   They were both  charming and they kept Molly totally distracted! (A good thing because she usually gets rather stressed when Dan has to leave us on our own when we are out and about).

Daily Food Diary – Day 118

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2) (4.7 mg)

(2) Eggo waffles (180) (300 mg) (4 grams)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(1) tbsp maple syrup (55) (12.5 grams)

(2) slices back bacon (50) (425 mg)

(1) tsp olive oil (40)

Snacks:

(30) oz water

(1) c Matcha green tea

(1) Asian Pear (180)

(4) strawberries (15) (.5 mg)

Supper:

(1) Hamburger – Thick & Juicy. (290) (440 mg)

(1) slice Havarti cheese (70) (160 mg)

(4) oz potato salad (154) (332 mg) (4.9 grams)

(24) Lightly salted Lays chips (134) (48 mg)

(1) tbsp Philadelphia onion chip dip (23) (75 mg)

(1/4) c mushrooms (12) (.8 mg)

(1/4) c onions (15)

Total net calories: 1095

Net calorie goal:  1247 – 1095 = 152 under 👍

Total Processed sugar:   20.4 grams

Processed sugar goal: < 25 grams 👍

Total Sodium: 1817.7 mg

Sodium goal: 1500 – 2300 mg 👍

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! 💗😊

Kept on my kitchen window ledge, this little vase was a gift from granddaughter Genie to my mother (many years ago).  The carnation came from the spray on my Father’s casket (1993).  The rosebuds came from my Mother’s. (2013).

Change of Season

by annemariedemyen, posted in Health and Fitness, September 2002

Despite our pool weather temperatures this week, it is obvious that our seasons are changing from summer to fall.

With my natural instinct to hibernate come mid-September, the pitch darkness when I let Molly out at 5:30 A.M. is less than optimal. My efforts to rearrange my schedule to optimize the sunlight that we do have is also proving to be a challenge. And… With everything falling,drying, decaying and generally turning to dust, my lung and sinus issues have been causing me grief. Autumn is not my favourite time of year!

Fortunately, even autumn has it’s redeeming features. Just as I am getting a bit tired of salads and barbecued suppers, we find ourselves in the season of comfort foods. Since we had a steak leftover from Sunday supper (Dan and I decided to share one) and a container of homemade beef broth in the freezer, I whipped up a pot of beef barley soup for supper on Tuesday. So good! I used the regular onions, garden carrots, parsnips, celery and cabbage and even tossed in a few (peeled) fresh San Marzano tomatoes and a couple of fresh hot peppers. 😯

And made a tray of homemade cheese biscuits to go with it!

With any number of soups and stews and casseroles reminiscent of my mother’s kitchen to choose from, I can work up a little enthusiasm for autumn and even for our up and coming Saskatchewan winter. Not a lot, but enough to keep me going on my health and fitness journey. 🙂

I finished my Zumba workout so it’s time to head out with Molly. This could be another dog park day. We have been there three times and Molly does enjoy it. Yesterday we played fetch for a while, but I got tired of going to retrieve the ball so that didn’t last long. 🙄

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

Thirteen Weeks – Positive Results 👍🏻

by annemariedemyen, posted in Health and Fitness, May 2022

It is thirteen weeks since I began my fitness routine! I continue to see improvement and to stay motivated. This week I am impressed with the increased strength and flexibility in my joints that I am noticing. I particularly appreciate the notable difference in my knees and hips. You know those old ladies who crouch down to get something off of a shelf in a store and can’t get up without the assistance of their strong armed husband? Yea, that was me a few weeks ago. Even getting off of my chair at home was problematic. Not any more! 💃

My fitness level is not the only positive result that I am celebrating this week.

This is our front lawn…
And this!

It may not seem that impressive to anyone who has a manicured lawn but this is after the first good rain of the season and for the past number of years, we have been pretty much allowed our lawn to devolve into dried weeds and bare patches. Last year we decided that since I was home to give it some TLC, we would work at bringing it back to a semblance of lawn. We spread a couple of containers of hardy grass seed, applied lawn fertilizer a couple of times, I pulled weeds, and I waterer AND watered AND watered! It is a work in progress but I am loving the results so far.

Also, the training of Molly continues and we continue to appreciate the results. No inhouse accidents for two days! And… she will give a paw, touch her nose to a fist (without trying to eat it), and she knows her bed. She is such a quick learner and so anxious to please. 🥰

I am never going to pee on the porch mat again. 🥳

Here’s a link to another You Tube Zumba class I have been using. I still zig when I am supposed to zag and my leg lifts are a bit awkward. In my defense, it is rather more challenging with a growing pup walking around me and between my legs – especially when she is dragging her toys or blanket. 🙄

Last but not least…. One more result that I was super excited about yesterday.

I threw Molly’s disgustingly dirty toy elephant in the wash and he came out better than new! Totally impressed. 😊

That is it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞