I am SIXTYDAYS into my Daily Food Diary. I only have three hundred and fifteen days to go and I have this challenge in the bag. ☺️
It is Sunday morning. I am about to start cooking up our Sunday Brunch. We are having pancakes and sausage this morning, so it will be interesting to see how I do protein wise today. 😯
This afternoon, we are heading across the city to the Regina General Hospital. I am having a CT Scan that the surgeon wants to see before he does my hernia surgery. It’s odd that they book CT Scans on Sunday but it’s got to be done, and I know I am fortunate that they were able to get me in so quickly. 😉
Food Diary – Day 60
Late Breakfast
(1) c coffee (2) (.3)
(2) Potato Patties (240) (2)
(1) Egg (80) (7)
(3) Slices back bacon (52) (12)
(1) teaspoon olive oil (40) (-)
(24) oz water
(1) c tea
Supper
(3) pcs English Battered fish (390) (18)
(21) Cavendish fries (169) (2.8)
(1) tbsp Tartar sauce (85) (.2)
(1) c coleslaw (50) (-)
(12) oz carbonated water
Snacks:
1)piece of Chocolate Fudge Cake (300) (2)
Chocolate Fudge Cake needs MORE protein and LESS calories 🙄
(1/2) c sunflower seeds with shells (12) (4)
(12) oz water
Total Calories: 1529
Total Protein: 48.3 grams
Goal for Protein – 46 to 58.5 Grams
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞
I am posting my Food Diary for February 1st. In reality, today is February 2nd which of course is Groundhog Day!
I am not counting on spring magically bounding into Saskatchewan if some rodent didn’t see his shadow this morning. Incredibly, on this day three years ago that is exactly what I was counting on. Counting, hoping, praying, wishing ( THE WORKS)! 🤦
The fact was I was always hoping, praying, and wishing for something that would happen to turn my life around – something that would have me bounding out of bed to do what needed to be done, to take our little Cavalier Kat for long walks, to find myself whole and fit and healthy, and to be fully embracing and enjoying life as it is meant to be. The fact is, I was delusional. 😳
But three years ago, Groundhog Day 2022, I had a major epiphany. I realized that nothing was going to change unless I did. It took me twelve more days to act on this realization but finally on February 14th, I did act. I took my first step on my health and fitness journey and the rest is history!
My life isn’t perfect, my commitment to my health and fitness is not always perfect, but it is in my hands – and not at the mercy of some rodent who is out and about looking for his shadow today. 🤗
Our precious Kat, who we lost to congenital heart failure in March 2022.
Food Diary – Day 32
(1) c coffee (2)
(3) eggo waffles with butter and syrup (411)
(24) oz water
(1) c tea (1)
(27) onion & garlic chips (260)
(12) oz carbonated water
(1) Dbl Arby’s beef with horsey sauce (300)
(1) medium fries with gravy (465)
(1) mozza stick (115)
(1) c tea (1)
Total calories: 1555
A nutritional fail today but this diary is about reality – and ultimately a commitment to do better.
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💓😊
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 ShotGarden 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. 😁
Here we are – July 2024 ! It seems impossible that this year is half over already, but as personal progress goes, I have already accomplished more this year than I did in all of 2023.
In 2023…
I broke my arm.
I struggled through months of forest fire smoke drifting down from northern Alberta.
I went through multiple doses of oral steroids and strong antibiotics to combat lung infections caused by ongoing sinus issues.
Due to health issues, I missed more than half of my morning workouts, and doing weight and strength training was hit and miss at best.
I quit eating or drinking anything containing bakers or brewers yeast and virtually eliminated severe digestive issues. (That has been a huge win.)
I lost ten pounds.
I started hiking (in and out of the city) with Dan and Molly.
So far in 2024…
I have had virtually no morning workouts missed due to health issues. (Obviously, I still have asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis but all are relatively under control.)
I have been doing strength training workouts three days a week and have graduated to eight pound weights plus I have doubled the reps to my routines.
I have been driving further and more often in the past couple of months, than I have since retiring in 2020.
I made a trip down to Nebraska with my daughter. That was six days of traveling, hiking, shopping, hotels, restaurant meals, and visiting with family. And… I made it back not too much the worse for wear.
Dan did work up most of the garden planters but I was able to plant most of the garden. I have been maintaining it and I have been painting the garden planters (weather permitting). And… I edged and mowed our front lawn at least once!
Personal growth is about progress, not perfection. – Hal Elrod
I have written a number of health and fitness update blogs. This time, I had to go for a “Progress Update” because it has pretty much been all progress so far this year.
My strength is improving daily. I have been working out with five and eight pound dumbbells three times a week and that is paying off in spades. Two years ago, I was facing spring wondering where I would get the strength to clear up our yard and plant our garden. This year, I am working up planters, hauling seedlings up and down stairs to the kid’s playhouse (that I am using as a greenhouse), and lifting heavy bags and pails of dirt and sand. I don’t know if I have ever been stronger. I am sure that doing yardwork has never been easier.
Here’s hoping our garden will be as good as usual.
My stamina and energy are amazing. . I have been doing aerobic workouts consistently six mornings a week. I can go a solid sixteen hours a day. One day last week, I went so hard and steady that I forgot to have lunch or do any snacking. I have NEVER forgotten to eat – EVER. Plus, that was a day when I was scheduled to do weights before supper! I nailed them. 😊
And I crushed a tray of nachos for supper. I did share with Dan, but I put away more than my share.
Other than that, I have been able to get out and about in the fresh air. I have even been back to the dogpark with Dan and Molly. I have EVEN been walking Molly with a regular collar – no harness or training collar. I can’t wait to get out and do some hiking with her this year.
Molly is ready to hit the trails!
Both Dan and I have been doing pretty well at fixing and eating healthy wholesome meals. Since I had to quit eating anything containing yeast, takeout meals are few and far between. I make desserts when the kids are over for a meal, but the leftovers leave with them. 👍
Packing up the cookies to leave with the kids! 👋
My health has been holding up great so far. I still do a fair amount of coughing, but certainly nothing like the relentless coughing fits I had all of last year. It will take a while with my bronchiectasis. I started taking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar every morning with my beet juice and that seems to be thinning the mucus and helping a lot to clear it away. If the wind can keep blowing the smoke from northern forest fires away from us this year, I could experience some true healing! I doubt that I will ever be off of my inhalers for asthma and COPD, but hopefully I will NEVER AGAIN need the antibiotics and oral steroids that I was on too many times last year.
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” – Sean Patrick Flanery
That has been my motto for the past couple of years. Speaking from experience, it is worth it.
It is (past) time again for another health and fitness update.
For myself… Fitness wise, I am getting it done. My ‘go to’ is still Zumba, dancing, light weights, and speedball but I take a walk to the dog park with Dan and Molly once or twice a week and spend time out and about in our yard. Health wise, my only news is that I went for my COPD clinic Respiratory Function testing and I see my specialist next Monday to discuss the results.
For Molly… She went to the vet for her annual checkup and vaccine boosters. The vet is concerned about her weight, metabolism, and slow heart rate. She did a thyroid blood test and while it didn’t come back bad, it didn’t come back great either. It will be a watch and see situation. In the meantime we are working on getting her weight down as her joints are at risk of injury. Our current goal is to get her down from 104 pounds to 88 pounds. 🙄
Molly… 💓
And for daughter Jennifer – who went camping up north for the July long weekend with her boyfriend Tanner, his brother, and her daughters – Genie (19), Maddie(13) & Prim(11). They met up with other off-road enthusiasts and indulged in some off-roading fun and games.
That did not go as planned…
The girls were not with them at the time of the accident. Tanner suffered a severe injury to his left ankle. Jennifer fractured a few ribs, had cuts to both of her shins, and got two black eyes. 🦝
After a few hours at the hospital in La Ronge, both Tanner and Jennifer were able to return to camp. Following a relatively quiet Sunday, and with Tanner unable to put any weight on his injured leg, Jennifer and her girls broke camp and packed everything up Monday morning. Jennifer (somehow) drove the crushed Jeep onto its flatbed, secured it, and connected the flatbed to Tanner’s van – which she drove home (nine hours) with Prim and Tanner for company, while Genie followed in her Jeep – with Maddie and Tanner’s brother (who she dropped off on a detour through Moose Jaw 🤦) .
Jen & Genie at a gas stop on the way home.(Jennifer has lost five pounds since the swelling in her face went down. 🤭)
Jennifer returned to work the next day, working a morning shift at the supermarket and an evening shift at the bar. Both she and Tanner are now recovering well. Genie, who had been unwell for a few weeks before the trip, appears to be feeling much better. And… Maddie and Prim are well, happy, and justifiably proud of how they stepped up to help get everyone, and all of their gear, home safe and sound.
That’s about it for today! Take care and have a great day! 🌞💞
I finally painted the Dollar Store crate I bought a few years ago. 😁
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.
Today we celebrate the 10th International Day of the Girl. This day was created to draw attention to the challenges that girls face around the globe. Female children face particular problems dealing with their physical and mental health, accessing education, and experiencing violence throughout their lives. Specially challenged girls face additional obstacles to accessing services and support.
I find it sad that any group of people has to have a special day to draw attention to the lack of basic respect and regard which they face just because of their sex, age, race, color, or whatever else they may be judged on. Shouldn’t humanity have evolved past that by now?
I also wonder how effective these special days are, if the message is directed to those who are comfortable with the status quo? To those who feel that there are others who do not need or deserve healthcare, a proper education, opportunities for employment, or even personal protection and security.
I believe the answer lies in empowering those who are exploited, abused, or treated as less valuable than others – supporting them and encouraging them in this regard.
This morning I caught a clip on our morning news show. A number of young women were asked the question “What empowers you?”. The answers ranged from “Being a woman”, “being a mother”, “my friends and family” to “my education” and “my career”.
It has taken me sixty seven years to decide that my answer to that question would be “What empowers me is being pro-active and in taking responsibility for myself – for the choices I make, the actions I take, my own mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.” That has empowered me more than anything and coming to this conclusion has not been easy. I grew up at a time, in a place, in a family where success meant finding and marrying a good man to take care of me. 🤦 I do not blame anyone. That was just the mindset. But it was not a mindset that would serve anyone well. I can’t think of anything that would be more disempowering for anyone – than to be taught that anyone needs to rely on anyone else to ‘take care of them’ – for their entire lifetime no less.
My question for the day – What empowers you? I would really appreciate your answers to this one. I have ten grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Your answers will no doubt help me to help them develop their own power – as women AND men.
It’s a family sock thing 😂A family supper thing..A sibling love thing. 💞
That’s it for today! Take care and have a great day!💞🌞
Back in the days when I was working, I would receive a weekly inspirational email. I do not remember the name of the woman who authored these emails. I do however remember one email in particular. It inspired me at the time and it has stuck with me to this day.
This one email focussed on our comfort zone. Basically, the place, places, or situations where we feel comfortable. For any number of people, which I am one of, anything outside of our comfort zone(s) is uncomfortable to the point of being distressing. So, what to do?
We have two options. First off, we can do everything in our power to stay in our comfort zone(s). The problem with this, is that the harder we try to stay within our comfort zone, the smaller it gets. We back ourselves into our yard or our house or our bed, while our life passes us by. 😢
Our second option is to realize that any discomfort or distress we feel in leaving our comfort zone is simply growing pains. If we push through the pain, out comfort zone expands to include more and more of the life we are meant to live.
Over the years, I have been reminded of this email countless times when I have experienced these ‘growing pains’.
One situation it has specifically helped me deal with is my fear of driving. (Terror would be a better word). I have been terrified to the point of suffering full blown anxiety attacks when driving. (Which, trust me, is not good at any time but particularly dangerous when one is driving.) By recognizing the first signs of distress, and accepting them as growing pains, I have been able to get past the discomfort and embrace the challenge of expanding my comfort zone – even when I am driving.
I know that I cannot do this advice the justice of the original author, but if there are places or situations that you find challenging, try it. If it doesn’t work for you, at least you tried. If it does work – you will be amazed!
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞
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! 💞
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 