We are wrapping up January and for those of us in Saskatchewan, we are fortunately enjoying some unseasonably warm weather. Our temperatures have been straddling the freezing point for a few days now and I have been showing my appreciation by getting out and about.
I have even been heading to the dogpark with Dan and Molly every morning. Walking there is a bit challenging because our streets and sidewalks are, for the most part, icy ruts and snow banks. Navigating them while walking an excited hundred pound dog is a workout. Yesterday, although the temperatures were mild, the wind was anything but. My lungs did not appreciate the wind. By the time I got home I was pretty much exhausted by constant coughing fits, but after a bit of a rest the coughing subsided and I was able to do my morning aerobics and get on with my day.
Food Diary – Day 28 of 365
(1) c coffee
(3) waffles with butter and syrup
(3) slices thin sliced bacon
(24) oz water
(1) c tea
(2) sm bowls of Hint of Lime tortilla chips with salsa
(24) oz water
(1) Large chef salad
(1) c tea
I came up a bit short on my water yesterday, but my salad included a generous serving of lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumber, radishes, orange pepper, and green onion. Plus I had a couple of cups of tea. 🙂
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
Twenty seven days and I am still here – keeping track and posting my food diary. I am making a little progress and building habits to carry me through the year.
I have been getting outside for some fresh air and a bit of exercise. I kicked that up a bit yesterday.
Dan and I walked Molly to the dogpark in the morning and we spent an hour watching her and her friends cavort, while we got some fresh air and socialized with the other humans.
In the afternoon, I drove our granddaughter Maddy to Walmart to grab a new pair of sneakers. She was in high spirits as she had just finished her finals from her first school semester and was confident that she would make the honor roll. She not only found her new sneakers, but had the funds left to pick up a couple of small things for herself and her younger sister Prim. We came back to the house and I made her favourite Toasted Bacon and Tomato Sandwich and grabbed a box of costume jewellery that I wanted to send over to Prim.
Maddy & Prim with big sister Genie on the left.
I always enjoy time spent with any of the grands and yesterday was no exception. They never fail to amuse me, enlighten me, and inspire me to be better. Whether it is your children, your grandchildren, or any young people that you have regular contact with…
YOUR CHILDREN WILL BECOME WHAT YOU ARE; SO BE WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO BE…
For better or worse that is the truth!
Food Diary – Day 27
(1) c coffee
(1) 2 egg omelet with ham and green onions
(24) oz water
(1) c tea
(1) sm bowl chips and dip
(12) oz carbonated water
(1) Roasted chicken drumstick and thigh (with skin)
(2) c air fried French Fries with Gravy
(1 1/2) c green beans
(3) sm scoops of Butter Pecan Ice Cream – with 12 pecan halves, 2 tbsp butterscotch sauce and 1 tbsp chocolate sauce (which is why I avoid eating ice cream 🤦)
(16) oz water
That’s it for the day. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
Maddy helped me pick out a few packets of seeds to start flower plants in February. 🤗
I have been noting and posting my daily food and liquid intake for twenty six days. I have found some room for improvement, made some adjustments, and have begun to realize some benefits. 🤗
Obviously, my health and fitness journey is about more than what I eat and drink. I do aerobics six days a week, typically do strength training Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and I rest on Sunday.
Yesterday, my rest day included time spent grooming our dog, Molly and time outside enjoying a rousing game of fetch. It is a bit challenging when you have a hundred pound Pyrenees who is less than co-operative. 🤦
* My husband Dan helps position and brush Molly. He also gives the porch a good vacuuming when we are done. 💞I don’t fetch.
Food Diary – Day 26
(1) c coffee
(3) Thin slices pcs of bacon
(2) Eggs
(1/2) Tomato
(2) Potato patties
(12) oz water
(1) c tea
(1) Apple
(24) oz water
(12) oz carbonated water
(1 1/2) c pork souvlaki with mushrooms
(1) c cheese ravioli with minimal butter and fresh garlic
(1) sm side salad
(20) oz water
(2) chocolates
(1) c tea
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
Twenty two days in and I am still here and on-target to finish what I started – maintaining my food diary for one full year.
Today, I am off to our neighbourhood clinic for blood tests. For the past couple of years my tests have come back good, other than indicating infections. That isn’t ideal but an ongoing battle when one has chronic lung conditions.
My last tests were not great. They were a reflection of my allowing myself to get way off course on my diet. That was three months ago. I have been working to get back on track ever since, so it will be interesting to see how well I have done. 🤞
I have tried!
Food Diary – Day 22 of 365
(1) c coffee
(4) slices back bacon
(2) eggs fried in olive oil
(2) potato patties
(24) oz water
(24) oz water
(1) c tea
(2) cabbage rolls
(12) oz carbonated water
Note – Keeping a cruet of olive oil on the counter beside the stove has been a simple game changer for me. I don’t fry anything in butter anymore and it is one place where the butter is not missed at all. 👍
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day. 💞🌞
It is Day 21 of my Daily Food Diary. Three weeks since I began recording my intake and sharing it here on JetPack. 😊 (I cannot begin to express my appreciation for those who have checked in and especially those of you who have been regular visitors to my blog. Your support and encouragement goes a long way to keeping me on track!)
My diet still needs improvements, but daily tracking has already helped me to up my water intake substantially in the past few days. This has had two major positives for me.
Number 1 – My between meal snacking has decreased naturally and easily.
Number 2 – My sinuses have improved significantly, which in turn is beginning to improve my sleep and my lung function.
The best thing about building healthy habits is how easily one good thing leads to another. 🤗
Our cold weather snap broke yesterday, so with the our sun shining and feeling good, I went outside to feed the squirrels. I also took Molly’s new Frisbee to play fetch with her. Molly does not play fetch particularly well but I did get fresh air and a bit of exercise (fetching Molly’s Frisbee) in addition to my regular morning workout. I’ll take that as a win!
An older pic of Molly heading outside not to play fetch.
Food Diary – Day 21
(1) c coffee
(1 1/2) Cinnamon swirl pancake with cream cheese icing and maple syrup
(1 1/2) slices of thin sliced bacon
(12) oz water
(12) oz water
(1) c tea
(12) oz water
(12) oz carbonated water
(1) pork chop
(1 1/2) c Sidekicks Herb and Butter noodles
(1 1/2) c Brussel sprouts with butter, salt, and pepper
(12) oz water
(1) c tea
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💗☺️
It has been eighteen days since I began my daily food diary – recording everything that I eat and drink and sharing it here on JetPack.
It soon became obvious that hydration was an area that needed some work, so I have spent the past week focussing on drinking more water than I typically do.
In a few days, I was noticing benefits – clearer sinuses, smoother skin, less cravings for between meal snacks, and more. I know from taking up regular exercise, meditating, and working on my diet, that it will only get better.
I have learned more about myself and proper self-care in the past three years than I have in my lifetime. I have recognized benefits that I never imagined possible – at least not for me. And definitely not in my sixties!
My one regret has been that I did not get my 💩 together sooner.
Recently, I read an article where people like me were referred to as ‘LATE BLOOMERS’. At first I was offended and trotted out my lame old excuses. I grew up before the Internet and all of the information readily available to younger people now, I was always sickly and wimpy – I didn’t know anything else was possible, I was busy taking care of other people!
Then I started thinking about it. We have a large yard and garden. In the spring and summer and into the fall, we have an abundance of flowers. I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate them all.
But late in the season, when the weather has turned cold and our yard becomes a wasteland of Saskatchewan greige, the flowers long gone, there is always that one intrepid little petunia blossom that opens up to brighten my day.
That ‘late bloomer’ is special. I will make a dozen trips out of my way to pay it a visit and appreciate its beauty and resilience, before it fades away. I realized that being alate bloomer isn’t a bad thing.
People notice late bloomers – and that’s a good thing, especially for later boomers like me who have special people in their lives – people like grandchildren. They are aware of my efforts to get fit and healthy, they see the results, and hopefully they are inspired to follow my lead, sooner than later, because they deserve to bloom for a lifetime.
Food Diary – Day 18
(1) c coffee
(1) 2 egg omelet with back bacon, mushrooms, onion, and cheese pan fried with olive oil
(12) oz water
(12) oz water
(1) c tea
(12) oz water
(12) oz carbonated water
(1) tortilla wrap with filling of ground beef, onion, mushroom, spinach, red pepper, garlic, salsa, and cheese
(1) handful of Touch of Lime tortilla chips
(12) oz water
Total 60 ounces of water! 🎉
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
I have been tracking my food and liquid intake for seventeen days. ⭐
It is funny how changing one part of our self-care, automatically affects others. This week, I have been focused on upping my hydration. This has helped to subdue cravings for snacks throughout the day, especially sweet snacks. Mostly relative to improvements in my respiratory system from the increase in fluid intake, my workouts have become easier and better. And the quality of my sleep has improved – sort of.
Monday and Tuesday night, my sleep was typical. Wednesday night was a trainwreck. Thursday night was great! Ten hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep.
Last night started badly and only got worse. My soft sleeping headphones were dead. Since my bedtime routine involves listening to soothing meditation music, I was forced to use my earbuds. I cannot sleep on my back, so every time I even thought of turning onto my side, I had an earbud drive into my brain. (That will wake a body up.) I finally gave up and put the earbuds away. I woke up briefly when Dan came to bed, but managed to doze back off. I had barely gotten back to sleep when Molly, who generally sleeps on my side of the bed, let out a small, quiet ‘woof’. With a normal dog, one could assume she was talking in her sleep and ignore her.
Molly is not particularly normal.
One small ‘woof’ leads to a meltdown complete with racing around the house like a crazed animal, jumping up and off of the furniture, and of course enough barking to wake up every dog and their human on this side of the city.
Last night, Dan cut her off at the pass, by getting up, having a quiet chat with her, taking her for a tour around the house, and finally getting her to settle down on his side of the bed. That was all appreciated, but by that time, I was wide awake. I did manage to get some quality sleep when I finally drifted off some time later.
Molly had no problem settling back down, as usual.
There is only so much adequate hydration can do when it comes to dogs and other outside influences but, I continue to focus on drinking water and working on making it a natural part of my day.
Food Diary – Day 17
(1) c coffee
(1) apple
(1) granola bar
(12) oz water
(12) oz water
(1) c tea
(2) sm bowls Hint of Lime tortilla chips with salsa
(12) oz water
(3) small battered fish fillets, (1 1/2) c fried, (1) c peas with butter & pepper, (1) side salad with lettuce, onions, radishes, cauliflower, sesame seeds, fried dried onions, and salad dressing
(12) oz carbonated water
(12) oz water
Note:
* (60) ounces of water 🎊
* The fish came prepared and packaged, unlike most of our main supper dishes which are homemade from scratch – mostly in an attempt to avoid yeast or yeast related ingredients
* My afternoon snack was somewhat larger than usual, but being a Friday I did do my afternoon weights workout. 🤗
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
Day sixteen of 365. I am still here, although I am running late for the 2nd day in a row.
Yesterday, I was late to the party because I had had a rough night sleep and just finally fell asleep when I should have been getting up.
Last night, I slept like a rock for a solid ten hours. 🤦
I’m up already! Ok, maybe finally? I love the housecoat Dan got me for Christmas. ❤️
Another day this week to focus on drinking water. Proper hydration is so important to everyone, but I am noticing more and more how important it is for those of us with chronic health issues.
For myself, with multiple respiratory issues, proper hydration is key to dealing with mucus. The good news is – water works! I have been gradually upping my water intake this week and my sinuses are so much better! I usually sleep well, with occasional wakeups due to coughing fits, most often triggered by post nasal drip. Last night, no coughing – nothing!
My sister Lorraine commented on my post yesterday (as anonymous). She noted that one of the rules for organ transplants (hers was kidney) is proper hydration – two litres a day of water, and double that if you have an alcoholic drink.
Speaking of kidneys, I have had previous issues with kidney stones – for which plenty of water is advised.
This morning, my daughter Jen sent me an interesting post on Instagram, from an account dedicated to those who have EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome – a genetic collagen disorder). https://www.instagram.com/share/p/BAMZdhiVBc
This post notes that not only is proper hydration important but so is sodium, potassium, and magnesium to support cellular hydration, fluid balance, and nerve transmission.
One thing that I have learned the hard way, is that while medical intervention is available during a chronic health crisis, one has to be proactive in maintaining one’s health and controlling one’s flare ups between the crises. Adequate hydration is one such proactive measure that is necessary.
Daily Food Diary – Day 16
(1) c coffee
(3) crumpets with butter and jam
(12) oz water
(12) oz water
(1) c tea
(1 1/2) sm bowls chips and sm crackers
(12) oz water
(1) lg taco salad – lettuce, spinach, baked chicken, onions, radishes, cucumber, red pepper, olives, shredded cheddar cheese, dried fried onions, Salsa salad dressing and a few Hint of Lime tortilla chips
(12) oz carbonated water
(1) chocolate
(12) ounces of water
Total water : 60 OUNCES 🎉
That’s it for today! Take care and have a great day! 😊❤️
Day 12 and another day in the life of my sometimes questionable eating habits. But then that is what this exercise is all about – catching those habits that I allow to creep into my life, dealing with them, and building better ones along the way.
I have had a couple of good questions/suggestions on here that I decided to touch on this morning.
The first has been “It would be interesting to see you include all of the water you drink in a day”. Actually, I do. Unfortunately, my water (especially plain straight out of the Britta filter jug) is limited. Carbonated water is limited to supper and into the evening. It is something I should work on so I will make that my mission this week…
The second has been “Do you skip lunch? It seems you only eat two meals a day?” Yes and no. If I have something light for breakfast, fruit or a bowl of cereal, I will have it relatively early, have lunch at about twelve noon and supper at about six. If I have a larger breakfast, bacon and eggs type thing, it will be later in the morning so serves as brunch. Breakfast has likewise always been a struggle for me and is moreso since I have had to quit eating yeast and had to cut back on sugar. I feel much better – but it’s a struggle!
I appreciate any questions and/or advice. I’m never too old to learn something new, or to take a bit of outside pressure to push through change. 🤗
Daily Food Diary – Day 12
(1) c coffee
(3) slices thin sliced bacon
(1) c hashbrowns
(2) eggs
(12) oz water
(1) c tea
(1) sm bowl caramel corn
(1) Dinner plate fried rice, spring rolls, Tempura shrimp, gyoza, riblets – with plum, gyoza, and seafood sauce.
(12) oz carbonated water
(8) oz water
That’s it for today! Take care and have a great day! 😊💕
Molly puppy looking for a drink on a hot summer day. (2022)
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 