Tag: motivation

February 1st – Day 27, 28, 29, 30, 31   of My 2026 Daily Activity Journal

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

It is FEBRUARY! January is behind us and I am ready to move on and UP!

For the past three days I have been attending the 2026 Rise Up (online) seminar with Tony Robbins.  

I have been familiar with Tony Robbins forever! I have never been drawn to his program.  From the advertisements for his  seminars,  there seemed to be   a lot of noise, a lot of hype, a lot of jumping  around and hootin’ and hollerin’.  NOT  my comfort zone!  He struck me as being a snake oil salesman and his program rather cultish and goofy. 

(I am more comfortable with spiritual or metaphysical teachings.  I have never hooted or hollered in my life and jumping around has been  confined to aerobic workouts and that one time I stepped on a bumble bee.)

But, I was in a January funk and Tony Robbins has been successful for a LONG time, so I signed up.. TEN HOURS of Tony Robbins.

The seminar was free.  There was an upgrade available for a small price, but I did not feel it was necessary.  Committing to  TEN HOURS of anything is enough to ensure that I will give it my all.

My overall impression was that I like Tony Robbins.  He appears genuine and sincere. His wife Sage, who appeared for a few minutes on Day 2 seems to be very intelligent with an abudance of common sense. 

I appreciated that Tony Robbins provides a solid plan for participants to follow to overcome specific challenges and to create more control over their lives in general.  But, what I appreciated most was that he explains WHY each step of any such plan is important.

On day one, Tony touched on what it takes to succeed in any endeavor before we even begin to work towards a goal..

There are only three steps and each must be taken in turn..

1) State.. Before anything else one must get into a proper state – excitement, enthusiasm, joy!   This is where the jumping around, hootin’ and hollerin’ comes in.  The energy kicks things off strong, but the emotion locks it in.

This rang true for me.  I know it works!  I have tried all of my life to build up strength and stamina, and I have failed over and over! But, four years ago when I began my Health and Fitness Journey, that is exactly what I did.  I didn’t think about it, I knew I had to do something so I got off my butt and I danced to Buddy Holly. 

TWO MINUTES and I was dying.. but I was pumped up, ready to go, and LOCKED IN!

2) Story.. See where you are coming from, take an honest look at where you are, and decide where you want to go.

It took me months to set any kind of goal and I keep moving the goal post further out as I go.  As I become more, I want more (health and fitness). 

3) STRATEGY.. It doesn’t matter what you want or how badly you want it, you need to have a plan. 

That has also been something that is constantly changing for me.  I am changing, I am learning, the plan has to change with my changing needs.  But I always have a plan to proceed.

If I had gotten nothing more than this out of the entire seminar, it would have  been worth it.   But there is more that I will touch on in blogs to come.

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

Update on my crochet project…

January 24th – Day 22 & 23  of My 2026 Daily Activity Journal

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2026, Health and Fitness

We are still in our deepfreeze here  in Saskatchewan.  I haven’t been outside for DAYS.  I haven’t been further than our front yard in weeks. 😟

On February 14th, I will close the door on Year Four of my Health and Wellness Journey and I will begin Year Five.

Every single year since Year ONE, I have approached this date with excitement and anticipation.   Every single year, I have crashed and burned as the date approaches.

Yes, Molly… wrapping up Year One and well into my plans for Year Two, you broke my arm.   It was an accident – but still!

Every single year, January has thrown me a curve ball!  It is like the universe is hellbent on dragging a deeper commitment out of me before allowing me to move forward. 

This year is no different, but…

Yesterday, I happened upon a free Tony Robbins online seminar.  Three days –  three hours per day.  January 29th, 30th, and 31st.

I know three things about Tony Robbins.  He is a motivational speaker, he has been around forever, and my sister-in-law attended one of his retreats in Bali a lifetime ago. 

I decided to sign up for it.  What do I have to lose?

Part of the sign up procedure involved an invitation to  join a Tony Robbins 2026 Tour Facebook page.

I avoid most social media.  Not ALL, but most…

Anyway, I accepted the invitation to join the Tony Robbins Facebook page. 

Then!! I was invited to post a photo of myself, a bit of an introduction, with  a few words about why I was attending this seminar and what I hoped to get out of it.

I went with this photo, a few words about my Heath & Fitness Journey, and that I was looking for the motivation to kickstart it for another year and to reach my 2026 goal.

I completed my registration, marked it on my calendar,  and moved on.  I thought that would be it until the seminar began.

This morning, I picked up my phone and  opened Facebook to find countless posts from people around the globe who had signed up for this seminar. 

These posts are incredible! They are filled with grief and pain and joy and hope and humanity! People living their lives and focusing on becoming people who make the most of their own lives by learning and growing, accepting gratefully, and giving generously.  

I have no idea how this nine hour seminar will go.  I have no idea what to expect.  But,  I do know that I have already gotten more out of this experience than I honestly expected to.

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 299 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 299 of my Daily Food Diary. 💗

In keeping with my monthly focus of planning meals that reflect our October change of seasons, I served up a summery garden salad for last night.  It has been back and forth between light meals for warm days and hearty comfort foods to get us through the first snow of the season.  That is October in Saskatchewan!

Today is Monday.  Starting a new workout week, I was excited to come across a motivating quote while browsing social media this morning.

I do not work out to be better than anyone else.  I WORK OUT TO BE THE BEST I CAN BE.

That is the truth – and it has been my strongest motivation since I first read David Goggins’ “Can’t Hurt Me”.  The human body is amazing – and the potential for how amazing it can become is fascinating.

But the ongoing quest to find my true potential can be frustrating at times.   I can have a bad night, I can experience setbacks, I can get cocky and try to walk our dog Molly without her pinch collar….. 

Feeling my full potential this morning, that’s  the direction my day took!    By the time we got to the park, I had to take a break at a bench in the kids playground.   By the time we got to the other side of the park, I had to hand her over to Dan.  By the time we got home, I felt like I had wrestled a steer and lost the rodeo.

Someday, I will be the best I can be (I am not there yet).   I hope that by the time I do get there, I will be able to manhandle Molly without a pinch collar.  That would be incredible! 

Daily Food Diary – Day 299

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) slices low salt thin slice bacon (135)

(2) potato patties (240)

(2) egg cheese omelet (260)

(1) medium tomato (22)

Snacks:

(36) oz water

(16) oz cherry tea

(2) pieces chocolate cake (600)

Supper:

(1) chicken salad: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cauliflower, green onion, green olives, chicken breast, sesame seeds, dried fried onion, peppercorn ranch salad dressing (473)

(12) oz carbonated water

Total consumed calories: 1731

Total used calories: 0

Total net calories: 1731

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1731 = 523 over 👎

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! 💕☺️

Fun times in Deadwood, ND – Spring 2024 with daughter Jen.  Getting up there was less than half the battle.  The real challenge was getting back down. 🙄

Daily Food Diary – Day 261 of 365 Days

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today it is 261 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary. 💓

Today it is also my sister Elaine’s BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday Elaine! 🎈

Speaking of birthday cake… I love cake, I love icing, and I especially love the icing on commercially made cakes. 👍

Unfortunately, I (as well as my daughter and her daughters) cannot eat yeast and commercially baked anything these days is made with powdered egg whites – which are made with yeast. 

That is just one of the allergy/ intolerances discoveries that I have made recently. 

A few weeks ago, I ate something that should have been perfectly fine.  I immediately got seriously bloated and started experiencing violent abdominal cramps.  🙄

I checked the ingredients and the only thing that was slightly questionable was that the product contained palm oil.  I decided to keep that in mind.

A couple of days later, daughter Jen messaged  me that she was violently ill.  She sent me the nutritional label/ingredient list for what she had just eaten…and it noted  palm oil.

I have been fine since, but Jen has been checking anything she eats for palm oil (she has several severe food allergies so she is generally extra careful). 

She has not been feeling well for some time and been experiencing allergy type issues – but she couldn’t pinpoint the issue.

This morning she messaged me that she happened to notice that the margarine that she has been using for cooking and baking has palm oil in it now. 

No doubt, palm oil is becoming as ubiquitous as yeast!

That is the issue I have with a number of professionals – business administrators, doctors, investment counsellors, chefs apparently… They find one thing that works and that becomes the norm for the entire industry  – until it turns out that the norm doesn’t work all that well. (At least for some  of their customers) 🤦

In the meantime  buyer beware, be mindful, be alert…

Daily Food Diary – Day 261

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) paratha (240)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)

Lunch:

(1 1/2) oz ham (43)

(1) tomato (22)

(12) Doritos (153)

Snacks:

(1) vodka Caesar (168)

(48) oz water

(12) oz lemon water

Supper:

(11) chicken air fried wing flats (468)

(2) tbsp Frank’s Honey Garlic sauce (80)

(1) Serving Caesar Salad (250)

(1) c Apple crisp (227)

Total calories consumed: 1808

Total calories used: 439

(30) min aerobics (176)

(30) min walking (53)

(30) min garden/yardwork (88)

(30) min housework (67)

(30) min food prep/cooking (56)

Total net calories: 1369

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1369 = 139 over

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 246 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 246 of my Daily Food Diary.  119 more days to go until the end of my 365 Day Diary – and the end of 2025. 💖

I am thinking that I need to really buckle down to make the most of this experience before I wrap it up!

This week I have been sidetracked by a lung infection.  I don’t know if everyone has their own special weakness, but my breaking point is fever.  Even a low grade fever – anything above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and I am useless. 

I am also pretty much the medical community’s worst patient.  Stress triggers my asthma, so walking into any medical facility,  doctor’s office or pharmacy is a major health event waiting to happen.   Then there is the time warp!  I can lose hours at home waiting for my nail polish to dry or for a pot of soup to cook.   Waiting five minutes for a blood test tries my patience.  And finally there is the medication…

I think the main reason I have these little health events is to remind me to have more empathy for people who truly suffer from chronic health issues.   People who regularly deal with frequent visits to health facilities, painful procedures, and multiple medications.

When I have these lung infections, I have to take THREE pills a day.   I take one antibiotic in the morning – on an empty stomach, no less than two hours AFTER I take any vitamins, followed by one hour before I can eat.  Then I have one Prednisone tablet to take, with food, but no grapefruit!  Then life proceeds as usual until after supper (except that I have to avoid sunlight or the Prednisone will turn ugly on me).    After 7 pm,  I cannot eat anything to be prepared to take my second antibiotic tablet on an empty stomach, at least one hour before going to bed.

I can’t imagine how people taking multiple medications, all with their own unique rules keep everything straight.  I would need some serious organizational skills update or things would go south PDQ.

I don’t know if it was the first pills yesterday or the chicken soup from the night before, but I felt pretty good yesterday.  I mostly took it easy, mostly relaxed outside in our gazebo, and mostly stayed out of the sun and avoided turning into a Prednisone werewolf – even when I was watering the garden, weeding, trimming plants, and picking vegetables.

Last night my appetite returned and I totally enjoyed the supper that Dan served up.

Salzburg steak, fries & gravy, broccoli & cauliflower. 😋

Today, I am doing good so far but I do have to go get X-rays and blood tests done.  😥

Daily Food Diary – Day 246

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c milk (28)

Lunch:

(3) oz Rotisserie chicken (150)

(6) Hint of Lime tortilla chips (150)

Snacks:

(1)2 c caramel corn (85)

(1/2) c chicken broth (27)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(5) oz lean ground beef patty (304)

(1/4) c onions (15)

(1/4) c mushrooms (11)

(1/2) c gravy (50)

(2) tsp olive oil (79)

(16) crinkle cut fries (126)

(1/2) c broccoli (27)

(1/2) c cauliflower (14)

(1 1/2) tsp butter (51)

Total calories consumed: 1266

Total calories used: 176

(1) hour gardening (176)

Total net calories: 1090

Net calorie goal: 1229 – 1090 = 139 under

David Goggins

by annemariedemyen, posted in August 2022

This morning I learned of one of my newest inspirations from my partners in my Volley fitness group. David Goggins is one of the world’s best endurance athletes. He is also a genius as a motivational speaker and as the author of countless thought provoking quotes.

These are a small sample of David Goggins quotes. These ones spoke to me personally in a big way so they are the ones that I chose to share.

“Nobody cares about yesterday.  What have you done today to better yourself?” – David Goggins

“When you look in the mirror, that’s the one person you cannot lie to.” – David Goggins

“I don’t stop when I’m tired.  I stop when I’m done.” – David Goggins

“Every day do something that makes you uncomfortable.” – David Goggins

“Success is based on your willingness to work your ass off no matter what obstacles are in your way.” – David Goggins

“I thought I’d solved a problem when really I was creating new ones by taking the path of least resistance.” – David Goggins

“Don’t limit expectations of yourself and settle for anything less than what you are truly capable of.” – David Goggins

“Most people who doubt you doubt you because they can never see themselves doing what you are trying to do.” – David Goggins

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