Tag: Valentine’s Day

Daily Food Diary – Day 45 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Yesterday was the first day of Year Four of my health and fitness lifestyle.  🎊🎈🎊

45 days ago, I began noting and posting everything I consume from one day to the next.   Meeting my nutritional needs (and breaking unhealthy eating habits) is just part of this lifestyle that I am creating for myself, but one I am ready to tackle.

There are three other major parts of this equation.  

The first part, and the first step I took to  improve my lifestyle was literally taking that first step, doing that first dance, lifting that first dumbbell, completing that first You Tube aerobics workout.   Over the past three years I have gradually increased the intensity, the amount, and frequency of the activity in my life.    

Most of my fitness routines come from Emma Fitness, Eva Fitness, and Aerobics Inc.   I remember the first time I tried one of these workouts.  It was Eva Fitness, I lasted a miserable two minutes and thought I was going to die.   Now, I go through one of these workouts every morning (with the very very occasional miss) and I am energized, breathing easier,  loosened up, and happier coming out than I was going in. 👍🤗

The second part of my health and fitness lifestyle is working to improve the quality of my sleep.  To this end, I purchased a pair of soft sleep headphones and have adopted a habit of going to sleep listening to You Tube meditation videos.  For the most part, I sleep like a rock from the time my head hits the pillow until I wake up to Molly’s smiling face.

Every Morning MOLLY!

The third  part of my health and fitness lifestyle is the ‘health’ portion of my lifestyle.   I have a number of health  professionals who monitor my health, help me to prevent issues, provide me with the means to maintain my health, and when worse comes to worse – deal with any issues that arise.  I am fortunate that I don’t have to see them too often, but also fortunate that they are there for me any time that I do need them.

Cycling back to nutrition – Looking at any day of my Food Diary, it doesn’t look like I am making a lot of progress so far – but overall I do know that this exercise is helping.   There are a lot of things I am choosing not to eat (that I would have previously mindlessly munched on).  There are also the healthier raw  fruits and vegetables that I have been making more of an effort to incorporate into my day.  I have increased my water intake.   AND..  while I have never been a heavy or regular drinker, I have decreased my alcohol intake. 

“It’s about progress, not perfection.”

Food Diary – Day 45

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) Eggs (160) (2) slices back bacon (40) green onions (10)

(13) Tater tots (210)

(24) oz water

(1) c tea (1)

(1/2) c raspberries (40)

(25) Salt & vinegar chips (270)

(1) Gin & tonic with lime (179)

(6) oz sirloin grilling steak (no fat)  (280)

(1) c mushroom fried rice (200)

(1 1/2) c steamed asparagus with butter, salt, & pepper (100)

(1) sm side salad (150)

(2) mini chocolate cupcakes (200)

Total Calories:  1842

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 44 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

First off today…Happy Valentine’s Day To You and to all of the significant others in your life!

It is the 44th day of my Daily Food Diary and the very FIRST day of of the FOURTH YEAR of  my Health and Fitness Lifestyle. 

While losing weight has never been my number one priority over the past three years, I was hoping to weigh in  less than 130 pounds today.   I have been fluctuating over and below that magic mark for at least a week and today I am …. Ta Da..   slightly over. 🤦 I am in the normal range for my height (5′-1″ tall)  and age (69 going on 70 in July).   But still… 🙄

Three years ago, I would have been upset at the fail.  I would have made excuses, blamed God, the universe and anyone who always had it easier/better than me.   I would have  wanted to give up trying for anything that I wanted in  my life.  My day and my life would have been a bust!

One of the benefits of the work that I have put in over the past three years, is that today I am in a way better place attitude wise.   I could have done better and it was only through lack of effort and better choices that I did not. 

While I did not nail this goal, I have gradually come a long way in the past three years…

I feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally.   I am better as proven by my weight,  blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, and all of my other health markers that are in the normal range (naturally – without the aid of prescribed or OTC drugs or herbal remedies).   I am less judgemental of others and more aware of what I am doing, and what I can be doing better.  That is far more empowering and way less frustrating.  I am stronger.  A few years ago, I retired to take life easy.  I learned that life is easier when I do the work to make, and keep myself,  stronger.   It hasn’t been difficult, time consuming, or expensive.   It has meant moving more, eating better, and meditating at bedtime.  Most of all it has meant being consistent and developing a desire to Do Better, Be Better, Live Better.

Food Diary – Day 44

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) Potato patty (120)

(3) Slices back bacon (60)

(24) oz water

(1) c tea (1)

(1) Robin’s Walnut Crunch (360) ***

(12) oz carbonated water

(2) Bowls homemade chicken soup (238)

(12) oz water

(1/4) c sunflower seeds – with shell (65)

(1/6) c almonds (150)

(17) mini licorice allsorts (148)

Total Calories: 1126

N.B. The Walnut Crunch was the treat Dan got me for Valentine’s Day.  I ate it yesterday because he also got the mini cupcakes I had requested.

Spoiler Alert…. Today’s Daily Food Diary,  which I will post tomorrow morning, will include mini cupcakes, pan seared and oven baked steak, and probably a Caesar. 😉

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

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! 💞🌞