Tag: healthy living

January 13th – Day 12 of My 2026 Daily Activity Journal

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

Things are looking up today!  My congestion has improved considerably and I  am in a much better frame of mind.  The latter triggered by a strange realization that I had this morning.

This may be trivial (and a bit odd) but I love the color of my hair!

My hair has all the body of cat fur, but in the light of day – or the light of our bathroom light fixture, my hair sparkles and shines. Photos don’t do it justice, but the color of my hair makes me happy.

Oddly, since the hair I was used to for several decades was dark brown (and naturally curly).

With daughter Jen..

It is strange how we are led to believe that as we age and change,  the changes are never ‘as good as’ or Heaven forbid  ‘even better’.

I think a lot of the changes for the better, just go unnoticed…

1) The wisdom and insight that we have gained over the years

2) The peace that comes from knowing that nothing lasts forever – not the worst, not the best

3) The  time to appreciate what is truly precious

4) The freedom to take care of ourselves – body,  mind, and spirit

Today, my day has been spent taking care of my body.  Once again, I am hopeful that my latest setback is behind me and I am back on track with my daily workouts. 🤞

And our home. .. Dan and I continued work on our kitchen project.  I can access the rest of the  cupboards on my own now – and in my own time.  They are not in dire need of clearing out.

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

January 9th – Day 8 of My 2026 Daily Activity Journal

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

It is twenty-three days  since I had my hernia repair repaired.  Today I feel GOOD.  I am still coughing – and coughing up some mucus, but the upper chest congestion that I have been struggling with since I entered  the operating room has finally cleared!

The incision is fine.  It has been fine  from the beginning – zero signs of infection and just a little swelling the first couple of days.  There was a bit of discomfort in those early days but definitely nothing that would warrant the use of OTC painkillers, much less the hydromorphone that I was prescribed.  That will go back to the pharmacy for disposal, along with the anti inflammatory.  🤷‍♀️

It has been a rather frustrating recovery, but only in regards to my respiratory system.   Thankfully that appears to be behind me.

Yesterday, my only workout was freelance dancing to some tunes from the 80’s.  It felt good to move and the music was great for elevating my mood! 

I straightened out a couple of more shelves in my closet and I packed away the Christmas wrapping paper, ribbons, etc.  It feels every bit as good to pack everything away, as it did to take it out in the first place. 😁

I spent some time outside yesterday afternoon.  I  enjoyed the fresh air, cleared the ice and snow off of our front steps and landing, and basked in the Saskatchewan sunshine.

For supper, I made a chef salad with ham,  eggs, and cheese on a bed of lettuce and fresh vegetables.   That was my forth salad in the first eight days of 2026.    I am happy with that!

After supper, I watched 911 and The Pitt on TV  before resuming my crochet project.

I now have a ball of yarn to work with 😂

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

January 8th – Day 7 of My 2026 Daily Activity Journal

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

Yesterday was not a banner day, activity wise, but it was passable – for January. 

January in Saskatchewan has always been a slower month for me – a time of hibernation and healing – planning and preparing for the year ahead.

Apparently for many,  or most,  January is a time for failing to maintain their New Year  Resolution.  According to the attached article, 64% of New Year Resolutions are abandoned within the first month of the year.

https://triplethreatlife.substack.com/p/why-we-dont-do-new-years-resolutions

Personally, I forgo a New Year Resolutions for a New Year’s commitment.  This year, I am committed to increasing the amount and intensity of my daily activities in an effort to improve my health and wellbeing – Body, Mind, and Soul.

Yesterday, I did a morning aerobics routine – once again staying focussed on form.  In the afternoon, I spent time outside getting some fresh air.   Being adequately chilled, I came back in, straightened out a shelf and a few drawers in our bedroom,  and I hit the treadmill  for thirty minutes.

Dan and I made an amazing pot of wonton soup for supper.  He chopped and  I cooked.  After supper we did the dishes and straightened up the kitchen, before retiring to the livingroom to wind down for the evening.

For the second night in a row, I took out the  crochet project that I am working on.

I do not know who came up with the idea of selling yarn in skeins.  They do not work for me.   Left to their own devices,  they inevitably self destruct at their first opportunity. 

I spent the evening untangling yards and yards of yarn, trying to find an elusive end – either end!   I made significant progress, but this evening will be spent likewise.

So far, my return to needlework has been less than productive and definitely not relaxing.  I am not sure what it has done for me – body, mind, or soul, but I will persevere because that is what I do – like the 36% of people who do not give up on their New Year Resolutions in January …

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

By February, our kitchen table will be spoting a bouquet of crocheted flowers.

January 6th – Day 5 of My 2026 Daily Activity Journal

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

Yesterday was the first Monday of the new year and I am back at it! 

To get a sense of where I am going into 2026, I took a short (4 minute) video of my aerobic workout yesterday. 

In my head, I was looking and feeling as good as the instructor  and her class on You Tube.

In reality, my effort and elegance left something  to be desired!   The video dies with me, but I did put together a few screenshots to show I am trying! 

I may  have to smooth out my moves (and my  bingo wings) before I am ready for an in-person aerobics class. 🙄

In the afternoon, I stepped outside for a bit of fresh air, did some cleaning (including vacuuming) and I did thirty minutes on the treadmill.  I did not break any speed records, but again – it felt good.

Today, I am going to do my aerobics (with extra attention to form) plus a light weight workout. 

If all goes well, I plan to take a run over to Northgate Mall to take a couple of laps around the place and possibly check out a couple of shops.  

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 364 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 364 of my Daily Food Diary! 🎊

Today is New Year’s Eve.  This year has had its challenges (as they all do), but it has been a good, productive year.  I look forward to an evening of gratitude and  reflection with my husband and our Molly dog. 

Dan & Molly 💞

Today,  my Daily WINS are worthy of being celebrated every day..

1) Nature – we are fortunate to live in a relatively rural city with an abundance of greenspace to enjoy year round.  Fresh air, natural beauty.. a win every time.

A young granddaughter Prim exploring the paths around Wascana Lake in the heart of our city – Regina, Sk. 

2) Fond farewells – this year I am particularly grateful to look back over the passing year and to celebrate everyone and everything that has been a part of it.  2025 has been a year of change, of growth, of living life well.  

3) New beginnings – I have always loved new beginnings… I love the hope, the anticipation, the fresh start, the unlimited potential, the  opportunity to start over, and to do better.. I celebrate new days, new weeks, new years!

This year I celebrated entering a new decade in my life.   The SEVENTIES  have arrived  and I am ready to embrace them!

My Daily Food Diary WIN for the day is the realization that, having become more mindful of what we consume, we have become more flexible about what and when we eat. 

For the most part, supper has  been the big meal of our day.  When we worked – that worked for us.  Now,  there are an increasing number of days when breakfast/brunch is taking over the honors.   We need the protein to carry us through the day and we both feel better in the evening following a light supper.  

Daily Food Diary – Day 364

Breakfast:

(1) coffee (2)

(2) scrambled eggs (182)

(3) slices bacon (130)

(2) potato patties (240)

Snacks:

(1) c tea (5)

(3) Christmas cookies (300)

(5) licorice babies (78)

Supper:

(1)  c tomato soup (151)

(5) soda crackers (63)

(1) ham salad wrap (400)

(1) Bicks Baby Dill (3)

(2) Chocolates (100)

Total calories counted: 1654

Total calories used: 171

(30) minutes aerobics (171)

Total net calories: 1483

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1654 = 274 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 359 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 359 of my Daily Food Diary. ☺️

Six days left to go!

Yesterday after we got back from brunch and gift giving at Genie and Alec’s, we settled in  for a peaceful afternoon with Molly. 

My afternoon snack consisted of one Gin and Tonic and three delectable chocolates.  Our supper was leftover Chinese Food from Dan & Amanda’s visit followed by a cup of hot tea.  Again, for the second day in a row – no calories were counted. 

Today is Boxing Day in Canada.  Traditionally, people would rush out today to take advantage of  post Christmas sales. (A tradition that I consistently avoided).

I prefer the rest, relax, and recover tradition.

Enjoying memories of Maddy’s very first Annual Boxing Day Sleepover… this year she will be at work hosting little ones on their way home from Boxing Day sleepovers. 💞
And,  indulging in my annual Christmas Jigsaw puzzle event.

I will also be getting into  Recovery Mode by doing my aerobics this morning and heading outdoors for some fresh air this afternoon. 

It is time to start rebuilding so that I am ready to head into the new year  with the strength and stamina to work on reaching my AMAZING, FABULOUS, GINORMOUS 2026 HEALTH AND FITNESS GOAL!

Take care and have a great day! 🤗💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 354 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 354 of my Daily Food Diary! 🌺

Yesterday after I posted my blog, I hit a setback of sorts on my way to recovery.   I did get the livingroom floor done, decorations up, and some general tidying up done before I crashed.  My surgical wound was swollen and ITCHY and I was just exhausted.  Fortunately, today I am back on track and I feel just FINE!

So,  for today’s wins:

1) I feel FINE!

2) Dan, Amanda, and family are on the road and the roads are in relatively good shape today.  (Much better than usual these days!)  We are looking forward to seeing them and their pups.

Bacardii & Cornelius

3) We have sunshine today! Once again,  Dan and Molly walked without me due to the cold and the poor walking conditions which I am not quite ready to tackle – but it is uplifting to see the sunshine, nonetheless!

My Daily Food Diary roundup WIN for the day…

Balance – Balancing calories, protein, cholesterol (saturated fats), and collagen was a challenge for sure – but it  is something that I have, and continue to, work on!

Air fried chicken wings – high in collagen, protein and calories – relatively low in fat. 🤷‍♀️

Daily Food Diary – Day 354

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(2) tsp butter (69)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Lunch:

(2) Harvest hotdogs (320)

(8) Hint of Lime tortilla chips (200)

(1) pc Christmas cake (240)

Supper:

(1 1/2) c stirfry with beefsteak, vegetables, and udon noodles  (714)

Total consumed calories: 1835

Total used calories: 0

Total net calories: 1835

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1835 = 627 over 👎

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great Sunday! 🤨💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 353 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 353 of my Daily Food Diary! 🧨

Christmas is finally starting to come together at our house.  I have some Christmas baking done. We have  most of the cleaning done.  And we have all of the presents bought –  including Genie’s Chritmas Eve/birthday present.   Tonight, I will break open a bit of Christmas cheer and get them wrapped.

A bit of Christmas decor – I like to keep it subtle.

My wins for today include:

1) Feeling fine and healing nicely!

2) Sleeping well every night since the surgery. 

3) Staying indoors to wash the living room floor this morning while Dan took Molly  for a very frigid walk through the snow and over the ice this morning!

Molly seemed to take offense at that last win? I was sure they would both be grateful not to have to wait for me to keep up with them. 😕

My Daily Food Diary win for the day…

Getting better at planning meals to work for the day that I (and/or  Dan) are facing. 

  • Serving up a nutritious  breakfast on Dan’s golf days
  • Including more protein on days when I am doing weight workouts or when one of us is in healing mode
  • Planning healthy, nutritious, but light suppers on hot summer days (avoiding those “I’m not hungry NOW but I’ll snarf down a family size bag of chips LATER”  scenerios)
  • Being extra mindful to avoid  ANY yeast, sugar, palm oil or the like if I have outings or appointments booked for the next day

Daily Food Diary – Day 353

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(2) tsp butter (69)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Snacks:

(1) c caramel corn (170)

(1) pc Christmas cake (240)

(1/3) c mixed nuts (216)

(48) Oz water

Supper:

(1/4) tortierre (400)

(1) c mashed potatoes (113)

(1/2) c creamed corn (70)

(5) olives (38)

Total consumed calories: 1608

Total used calories: 0

Total net calories: 1608

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1608 = 400 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 352 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is the 352nd day of my Daily Food diary! 💪

Today I have four really cool Daily wins to report!

First off, granddaughter Genie messaged her Mom (Jen) and I about how her Christmas Eve supper meal plan is coming together!

It is so heartwarming that our newlyweds are so enthusiastic about hosting their first Christmas.  The first of many no doubt! 💞

Second & Third wins of the day!  Getting a call from son Dan last night asking how my recovery was going.  We had a long fun chat about everything from soup to nuts – the nuts being in our annual Christmas bake-off which has been meeting with limited success for both of us this year. 😂 And,  this morning Dan’s wife Amanda has been texting about their pre- Christmas visit (and my limited standing in our family).  Apparently, being the MATRIARCH doesn’t guarantee the over reaching authority it once did. 🤣🤣🤣

Life is an adventure with Amanda & Dan 💞

Forth, last, and not at all least – Daughter Jen stopped by last night to deliver a tortierre (ground pork pie) for our supper tonight.  We had a nice short chat as her fiancé was waiting in the truck for her.

Jennifer & Tanner 💞

My win for my Daily Food Diary is a mega win today.  As part of my overall fitness lifestyle, being mindful of whatI consume and making small adjustments as I see fit has proven to have so many benefits – not the least of which has been:

1) Improving my confidence,  which made my recent hospital visit so much easier than it would have been otherwise.

2) Improving my physical strength and fitness level,  so that my recovery is coming along better than I anticipated.

3) Improving my overall wellbeing,  so that my discomfort is minimal!  All of the painkillers and most of the anti-inflammatory drugs that the surgeon prescribed will go back to the pharmacy for disposal.

Daily Food Diary – Day 352

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) poached eggs (114)

(2) potato patties (240)

(3) pc bacon (130)

Snacks:

(48) Oz water

(1) pc Christmas cake (240)

(1/2) c caramel corn (85)

(1) butter tart (100)

Supper:

(1) Hungry Man Chicken Cutlet Dinner (520)

Total consumed calories: 1431

Total used calories: 0

Total net calories: 1431

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1431 = 223 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 347 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 347 of my Daily Food Diary! 🤩

Yesterday, I had a great win! While I was making my mother’s Whipped Shortbread Cookies, my sister Lorraine called to discuss how to make … our mother’s Whipped Shortbread Cookies. 😂

There is nothing like having a random meeting of the minds with a sister to make a good day great.

A bonus win came from perusing my James Clear motivational email of the week,  and coming across this gem..

“Do not merely think that you are going to become great; think that you are great now.  Do not think that you will begin to act in a great way at some future time; begin now.  Do not think that you will act in a great way when you reach a different enviornment; act in a great way where you are now.  Do not think that you will begin to act in a great way when you begin to deal with great things; begin to act in a great way with small things.”

– Wallace Wattles from ‘The Science of Being Great’

It is so easy to feel insignificant and victimized in this day and age.  I just love empowering quotes.  We only get one life, anything that helps us live it in a proactive, productive way is a huge win! 

My ‘December Wrap Up’  Daily Food Diary win for the day has become a proactive part of my life this year..

Learning to notice and appreciate the wins in my ‘day to day’ life.

Yesterday, sister Lorraine and I were discussing our chronic health issues and how the smallest glitch can kick off a downward spiral and how the smallest win can turn it around.   

That is typical of life in general.  Notice the wins in life and there are more wins to notice every day.   😁

Daily Food Diary – Day 347

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(2) tsp butter (69)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Supper:

(1) caesar salad (250)

(9) hot chicken wings flats (383)

(1) lemon tart (175)

Total consumed calories: 1269

Total used calories: 71

(30) min treadmill (71)

Total net calories: 1098

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1098 = 111 under 👍

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