Tag: healing

Farewell to 2024

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2024, Health and Fitness

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.

July 16th Update

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2024, Health and Fitness

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 Shot
Garden 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. 😁

Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

September 1st Update

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2023, Health and Fitness

“Time flies when you are having fun!” Albert Einstein’s wisdom is obviously as relevant today as the day he coined this phrase. I have been having fun and this year has been flying by. 😁

I have been doing quite a bit of cleaning, yard work, and work on the spare bedroom. It is exciting to find that such tasks are so much easier, now that I am in better shape.

I took down ‘The Mirror’, polished it, and rehung it. It is one of those jobs that I have always dreaded but it went surprisingly easy this time. 😁

I have been upping the intensity of the Zumba workouts that I do and have been dancing almost every day. Or I was, until the smoke from the northern forest fires drifted back our way. It is supposed to clear up by tomorrow morning. We can only hope.

I splurged last week and ordered myself a new pair of dress boots. They arrived today and are a perfect fit. My wardrobe could use a bit of help these days too, but I would like to lose a few more pounds before I start investing in anything I will outgrow. (ungrow?). I’m not sure what the correct term is for that – when you lose weight and your clothes get too big for you.

These boots are made for dancing. 😊

Speaking of losing weight, that is one area where I have not seen a lot of progress. I have been working on this lately, by addressing my diet and eating habits. Deleting yeast from my diet has made such a huge difference to my health and well-being, that I have started to focus on what I eat in general.

Snacktime – fruit and nuts
Supper – homemade baked beans and salad

I have even, for the first time ever, started writing down what I eat, counting calories, and noting nutritional values. It has been interesting – and not that difficult. It has been very interesting seeing actual recommended portion sizes and adjusting accordingly, seeing how easy it is to cut calories without losing out on taste or being left wanting, and seeing how different foods affect my appetite – for better or worse. It isn’t really anything I didn’t know, but I just assumed I was doing ok diet wise. Maybe not!

When I began working out, last February, I was amazed at the benefits, and how quickly I noticed them. I have no doubt that being more mindful of what I eat, or do not eat, is going to be an equally exciting and beneficial part of my health and fitness journey.

Onwards and upwards – this one might stay on my fridge for another month – or two.

Take care and have a great day!💞🌞

Year Two – Week Eleven

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2023

It is May and it’s all good!  Our t-shirt and shorts weather has returned, as well as our furry and feathered friends.  Our back door is wide open, and Molly is loving the freedom of coming and going. 

Nuts for nuts.  I’m having a hard time keeping the peanut feeder full.
Molly enjoying a little alfresco snack.

Moving on to my health and fitness report for the week – it is all good. Better than good! I have been doing my Zumba six days a week. Yesterday, I did one that had an exercise routine where both of my arms were behind my neck. I crushed it without even thinking about it. I was so excited. A week ago I did not have the ROM to do that with my left arm (the one I broke mid-January). Yet here I am – doing it!

I have also been doing my weights six nights a week. This week I am alternating nights for upper and lower body, so each has a day to recover between workouts. I am using five pound weights to do seven sets of seven reps of seven exercises. I thought I would struggle advancing to the five pound weights, but here I am – doing it. 💪

In the afternoons, Dan and I have been out working in the yard. Yesterday, we cleaned the patios, the sidewalk, the patio furniture, and Molly’s pool. Dan did all the heavy lifting and scraped all the edges of the patios of winter debris. I power washed EVERYTHING! I had spaghetti arms when I got done but I still did my evening weights – AND it was an upper body workout. 😁

The only other health/fitness thing we have been doing this week is having a full breakfast every morning and a very light supper every evening. That has actually been going really well. We have also been having fresh fruit every day – raspberries, pineapple, and kiwi and Dan bought some blueberries this morning to add to the mix. I’m not a fruit eater but so far so good.

That is about all for my health and fitness update for this week. I am beyond excited by how far I have come in the past fifteen months (despite the setbacks). I can’t wait to see how far I can go. It just amazes me what our bodies can do if we get on the right track and put a little effort into caring for them.

Take care and have a good day! 💞🌞

Year Two – Week Eight

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2023, Health and Fitness

Before I jump into this week’s ‘Health and Fitness’ update, I wanted to explain why my blog writing – and READING has been so sporadic over the past few months. 

With weeks of being down with the flu before Christmas, and then with a broken arm in January/February, one would think I would have had all kinds of time on my hands.  Which I did… but I also had a big bored dog on my hands who took offence every time I sat down to do anything.   She has been getting better these past couple of weeks. Hopefully, she will only improve going forward. And hopefully, I will have more opportunity to read and write on WordPress.

As for this week’s update…

My health and fitness journey has been a bit rocky these past few weeks.   My fractured arm has healed, but there is still random pain or discomfort when I move or stretch. I understand it will take a while for any tears or tweaks to muscles, tendons, and nerves to heal completely. But… It does get rather frustrating.

That being said, there has been a lot of positive movement – and more than I had anticipated a few weeks ago. 😁

I am back to doing full on, two armed, Zumba most days. I am not as comfortable or capable as I was last fall, but I am excited to be back at it. There are days that I just dance, but even the dance workouts are more intense as time goes on.

I have been getting out and about with Molly as often as possible. I am still going only when Dan or Jen are free to handle Molly’s leash. That is due to treacherous walking conditions, which are quickly improving thanks to our double digit (Celsius) temperatures this week.

At the dog park on Saturday where Molly had a bit of a run with Rocko.

I have also taken on a 21 Day Stretching and Balance Challenge, starting this past Saturday.

Molly makes any horizontal workout a challenge.

Finally, and best of all, I have been doing my strength training six nights a week and I am crushing it! I am going to stick to three pound weights for the next couple of weeks, increasing the reps and sets each week. Then, I will switch back up to five pounders. Yay!!!

That is it for this week’s update. I am anxious and excited about getting back on track and enjoying all the benefits of health and fitness, going forward.

Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞

Year Two – Week Five

by annemariedemyen, posted in Health and Fitness

Whoo Hoo!!! It is nine weeks since I fractured my proximal humurus and humurus head. I saw my orthopedic specialist today for an update on my latest x-rays and ultrasound and the news was amazing! I am healed – ALL healed.

I had natural healing, my bones stayed in place and healed perfectly and I am off of ANY restrictions. I can do Zumba, lift weights, wave my arms in the air like I just don’t care! I have to work on my range of motion for a bit but the doctor said I was a very good healer. 😁

I know it may partly be genetics but personally I think that it has helped considerably that I was in good shape before the ‘incident’ and that I have taken care of myself since.

I have been following doctor’s instructions and maintaining the limitations he had me on. I have been drinking my beet juice, taking my vitamins D and B12, and taking calcium and zinc. I have been doing aerobics virtually every day. And I have been meditating and keeping a positive attitude. 🤗🤗🤗

I am so excited. I never asked about a prognosis but at my age (almost 68), I kind of wondered whether I would ever be healed well enough to full on Zumba again or lift weights. I just didn’t know how strong a bone could be once it broke right through like that. Who knew?

Anyway, this is the best news I could hope for. I came home and did a full You Tube Zumba lesson. Our weather is mild today so I will go spend some time outside soaking in the sunshine and enjoying the fresh air.

Tonight, we are going to celebrate with KFC. Dan did buy steak and shrimp to barbecue for me but since I asked for chicken, we will do the steak supper tomorrow night.

Molly will score a few treats herself, even if she was responsible for breaking my arm in the first place. 😂

That is all for today. I am so excited to be back to my full fitness routine. In a few weeks, I can look forward to garden planting and getting some much needed outdoor maintenance and painting done.

Keep safe and have a great day! 🌞💞

Empowerment

by annemariedemyen, posted in Health and Fitness

NB.. I woke up at three A.M. this morning with my mind swirling and my heart pounding.  I was awake for a couple of hours, thinking  and working through my angst.   I feel better, so I thought I would share for anyone who has ever been there or who is there now.  💞

There is nothing worse than feeling trapped in a situation that causes overwhelming fear, grief, anger, resentment, and anxiety.   I know because many years ago that was my reality. 

Bizarrely, I thought that I was coping.  I thought that despite everything that was wrong with my life, and the way that I was reacting to it, I was relatively functional.  I had to be firing on all, or at least most of, my cylinders.  I was a wife,  a  mother,  a  full-time homemaker, a responsible reliable employee.   I was good!  Except that I wasn’t –  and the stress of doing it all in the confines of a volatile, dysfunctional marriage was too much for too long.

One day I reached my breaking point.  I hit my knees, looked up to the heavens, and said “I can’t do this anymore”.  

The heavens did not open up and make all of  my problems go away.  My life did not instantly change.    But, I did.   (And for that I do give total credit to the heavens above).

It was like a huge weight was lifted off of me.  I was determined, fearless, confident, pro-active,  and happy.  As my state of mind changed, my life changed.  It wasn’t anyone’s idea of easy, but somehow it was easy for me.    I left my husband, created a new and peaceful home for my family, built a career  and  worked countless hours to support us.    I didn’t have time for doubts or fears or grief to set in.   As time went on, my life got better and easier.  I met and married a good man. 💞

My life did not become the proverbial rose garden.  There have been challenges along the way.   Lots of challenges!

But, way back from that day that I hit rock bottom, I began to learn how important the right mindset was to living  a good life. 

Over the years, I have learned…

  • That once I hit ‘rock bottom’ and climbed back up, I never fell that far again.   The climb gets easier, taking  me higher every time – stronger, happier,  and calmer.
  • That coping mechanisms are endless.  By searching them out, I have  discovered self-help  books, social media accounts, podcasts, and You Tube channels that have been invaluable in creating the life I wanted and always knew I deserved.
  • The importance of making my physical, mental, and emotional health and well being my top priority.  
  •   That I cannot control everything and everybody in my life – and they cannot control me.  The more I focus on improving my mental, physical, and emotional well-being,  the less judgemental and stressed I am by outside influences.   
  • That the healthier I get – mentally, physically, and emotionally – the more I am drawn to like minded people and the more they are drawn to me.  😁
  • That all of the power in MY life is within ME.   As my favourite Rumi quote goes  (with a bit of tweaking) …”It’s my road, and mine alone, others may walk it with me, but no one can walk it for me.”

Have yourself a good day.  You deserve it!

Begin Again!

by annemariedemyen, posted in 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! 💞🌞

One Week To Go

by annemariedemyen, posted in 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 💓

Still Down!

by annemariedemyen, posted in Uncategorized

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! 💞🌞