66 Days ... Learning to Change

Inner Talk

2012-02-02T11:08:00.001-07:00

I’m having lots of inner talk lately that I need to address. I especially encounter it during Hot Yoga. What was getting easy for me a year ago is now very difficult and painful. It is a shame I let myself get to this point over the last year when I was doing so well. And that is what conversation goes through my head.

Why, why, why did I stop?

I feel like I have never exercised before, my hips are so tight, my back is so weak, and sore. I can’t bend over as far because of all my junk in my trunk and 18 months ago I remember writing about being excited about reaching personal bests in most of the poses. How it was getting easier and that I was actually getting into the poses properly.

Now I’m starting over.

But at least I am starting over right? Gotta start somewhere and as long as I don’t stop, I’ll get back to where I was and then some.

But the inner talk has to stop. It’s demoralizing. If I continue it, it will program my mind and I’ll get back into my frumpy mood. I don’t like that mood, it’s not the normal me. I’m a happy person normally, I don’t like not being happy, especially with myself.

Yes, I am doing good with no drinking. I’m very proud of myself. But this past week, I’ve wanted to go out this weekend on a date night, and have a beer and something special for dinner. I’m only 2 weeks into Jenny Craig (full two weeks that is) and I’m already tired of the “packaged” food. I’ve never eaten like this before and quite frankly I’m not sure how long I am going to last. I miss my home made healthy food…. I’m grieving for my old normal.

Just need to remember this:

“A lot of people make the mistake of starting something like this with the thought, "I can't wait until I am at my goal because then I can get back to 'normal' and not have to think about this". However, this is the start of something that will not have an ending: conscious food choices, moderation, exercise and proper 'mind management' (otherwise known as how you think about food, diet, exercise, your body, body image, the scale, etc) will be a part of your day every day. So, while it is going to be such a tremendous milestone when you reach your goal weight, enjoy the process too. "Sit back and enjoy the ride" as they say because it's fun (to feel light), it's empowering (to overcome challenges or cravings), it's a confidence builder (to fit into smaller clothes and look great) and it's energizing (to be able to go farther longer or faster while you exercise)."

I am creating a new normal and this is just a part of the adjustment process.

No stopping for this girl anymore. I want to be like Helen and write a fantastic post on how well I am doing with weight and health… you ROCK Helen!!

I hope you are all having a FANTSTIC day.

ttyl

Sandra

Week 5

2012-01-29T13:32:00.001-07:00

Can't believe the month of January is almost over. It sure does go by fast. I feel that it has been a very successful month for me and my motivation has not lessened as the month progresses. My Mojo is still intact.

I'm not seeing that so much else where on the blog. Some folks are really struggling. Change is hard and you really need to be in the right head space to make it successful.

For week 4, I did pretty good on all my goals. I still can improve on my exercising though and Christine's 100 days is going to help me there.

I also got to Hot Yoga this week, and although my back and hip give me grief, I did the best that I could. Baby steps... small adjustments, push myself more each week to get the strength back and the range of motion opened up again. I'm going to go 2x this coming week.

I did my month end weigh-in and measurements and I am happy to report I am down 10.2 lbs, and 6.5 inches. I knew the inches were going because the belt was one notch tighter.

This week I am going to continue the momentum:

Drinking all my water on the weekends.
Exercising 6/7 days. I plan on getting on the treadmill and going to Hot Yoga 2x.
Start organizing my gardening plans. I am now at the acreage full time (well except I work full time) and I am going to plant a garden. I start the seedlings in my grow-op in the basement so need to get that all setup and start reading the best way to get things growing. It's been a hit and miss for me the last year or so. I need to learn to do it better.
Still working on organizing my life.

I am busy as usual this week at work but hope to get around to as many blogs as I can and see how everyone is doing.

I hope you are having a fantastic weekend!!

ttyl

Sandra

Why do I want to lose weight….

2012-01-26T13:31:00.001-07:00

Question Number 1 from Christine’s 100 Day Challenge is “Why do you want to lose weight?” Thought I would share with all of you my reasons….

I’m tired of not feeling good about myself. I was an insecure teenager and it went into adulthood until my 40’s. Even when I weighed 135lbs I thought I was fat. Oh how wrong I was. I want to be comfortable in my own skin. I finally have accepted that outside approval is not necessary.
I want to be able to get up and just walk without pain. As it is, I am bent over like an old lady tenderly taking her first 30 steps until my feet, hips and back warm up enough to not give me extreme pain. Yes, it hurts that much… Once I’m up and moving I’m fine but after sitting for while, it’s ridiculous how much it hurts. I don’t want to have this anymore….
I’m getting up there in age and the last thing I want is to be an inactive retiree (and in a wheel chair if I don’t get # 2 under control). I’ve still got a huge amount of life to live and I want to live it moving. And while being overweight doesn’t entirely stop me from experiencing life to its fullest, it sure helps if I have more energy to get out there and get it done.
I love to dress nice. For years and years I hid behind baggy frumpy clothes. Mostly black. Lots of sweats and sweat pants…. the baggy type. Now I like to wear the more form fitting clothing and including jogging pants – like LuLu lemon clothing. But when you are overweight, they either just don’t fit right or not at all. I want to look fit and healthy.
I’m tired of thinking about calories, what I can or cannot eat but I also realize that I must continue to make good choices natural part of my normal day to day life. If I go back to not caring what I eat, then I will get back to this weight again. I just want to be one of those people that just eats to fuel their body and not to nurture its emotions. Enough of the mind games.

Need I say more ?

I want to be fit, healthy and happy!

Why not….

2012-01-25T09:52:00.001-07:00

Christine is hosting a 100 Day Weight Loss Challenge. I thought I would join it because she is planning on triggering one question every 10 days that the participants are to answer/journal. They can either post it publicly or journal it privately. So although I am doing my own little 66 day challenge, and the Spring “Chick” Challenge, I am joining in with this one as well.

I find Chris very inspirational and have been following her story for a few years now. She writes great stuff every single day but every once in awhile she writes something that resonates with me – like someone took a cast-iron frying pan and hit me over the head. So my goal is to answer her ten questions as honestly as I can and I will choose at the time whether I am going to post it or not. I am also going to spend the next 100 days focusing on getting in more exercise.

My 66 day challenge is turning out to be 66 days alcohol free. My SCC Challenge is focusing on maintaining small goals each week, and the 100 day is going to work on my mind.

All in all I think this is a good combination.

I hope you have a FANTASTIC DAY!!

Look who’s growing up. She had her first puppy training class last Saturday.

Little Ms. Maggie

It's the way things are going....

2012-01-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

IngestibleMicrochip

Technology....

I hope you are all having a FANTASTIC Day!
S

Random….

2012-01-23T12:42:00.001-07:00

This post has no rhyme or reason to it…. just stuff…

Video on YouTube I liked: I Believe

Facebook:

One way to get around in the winter

I found this at a farmers market this summer. With two dogs, melting snow, and muddy feet – this certainly is how it is at my home. Good thing I have hardwood floors but I feel like I am constantly cleaning them.

January is almost over – can you believe it? It has gone by so fast. My days are becoming the norm for me. I’m establishing new habits, new way of eating, new outlook on my life.

Bout time wouldn’t you say?

And finally, I do not like the Jenny Craig Southwestern Chicken and Rice or the Fish and Chips. So far those are the only two meals I haven’t liked. Not bad considering..

Hope you all have a FANSTIC week!

Wk 3 Update & New Goals

2012-01-22T08:31:00.001-07:00

I am darn proud of myself this past week. I did very good in eating well and not partaking of the golden stuff. When going on these business trips, where the company pays for all foods and drinks, it is very easy to over-indulge. I was not one of those people. Even for lunches, I took off the bread and only ate the inside fixin’s of all the sandwiches. And I didn’t eat any of the deserts, just the fruits and vegetables. I lead an example to the rest of them that you can eat healthy when traveling. Each of them commented on my success.

However I did not exercise. Since it was a two hour time difference for me, getting up any earlier that 6:00 just wasn’t going to happen. They were extra long days as it was with a lot of work and thinking. The result is that I have enough work for two people for the next 2 years. Guess it’s job security

So based on this, I did well on my last weeks goals, as my main focus was to stay on track and I did that.

Week 4 goals are:

1. Increase my exercise. I’ve been on the treadmill on the weekend and I’m just going to continue that momentum. And I am going to Hot Yoga on Thursday. Would do it a couple of times this week but Mr. Sandra and Ms. Maggie are leaving for a couple of days again and it’s me and Ms. Kate. Can’t leave her alone that long (being late after work isn’t an option). So it will be more treadmill work this week.

2. Eat my JC foods as programmed. So far I’m liking most of the food. I’ve got to learn to “volumize” them with veggies etc. to add new flavors and get my veggies in.

3. Get my exercise organized into a binder. I am really good when I have my exercise laid right out, scheduled in a calendar. So this week I’m going to work on getting my program together. I have a ton of magazines to get example workout programs from so I’ve just got to get it on my own paper. I like spreadsheets…

And of course the standing no drinking goal. I’m not going to list this any more as a goal as I feel I have accomplished it. I am still going to keep it a focus point, but not going to keep listing it as a goal. My daughter asked me yesterday what I was going to do at the end of the 66 days and I said I’d see when the time came. My goal is to only drink (if I should choose to) on special occasions and not make it a habit again. It has to be a once in awhile thing. Maybe date night ? Will see when I get there. Who knows… I may decide to not drink at all… I like how I’ve been feeling.

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC week!

Mid Week Check-In

2012-01-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

Well I have to admit that I am darn proud of myself. I’ve been doing pretty good.

I met Melinda at the Airport at around 10:30 Monday morning – this is the one that was going to start the 66 day plan with me January 1st, then decided January 9th… well she was already into her first beer when I got there. I had a club soda.

It’s been like that since we got here. There were 13 of us for dinner tonight and I had a virgin Caesar (Canadian drink I think). It was salty, but oh so tasty. I get so bored with club soda and/or water, so having something with some spice was really a nice change.

Kyle (and everyone else), I’m sorry I did not mention which program I was on. It is Jenny Craig.

I had tried JC when I was in my 20’s and lasted about 2 weeks because I was a single Mom and not only couldn’t afford the food, I didn’t like how it tasted. 25 years later, I can afford it (at the discounted price I am getting) and they’ve improved on the choices and flavor of the foods. Their food choices aren’t something I normally would eat but I’m giving it a go for the next while. I have to be able to give this a full honest attempt for myself and for my cousin. I will be blogging about other challenges I am going to encounter with eating prepared food – it’s called – Mr. Sandra eating regular food and the fact that I still have to prepare it……

It hasn’t been easy to eat on track while travelling. I did bring some JC food with me, but mostly the snack bars, I brought some fruit and veggies (yes on the plane) and some canned tuna/crackers etc. But so far I’ve made the best choices I could for what meal was available to me. For example, today was huge sandwiches and a macaroni and vegetable salad. I took the chicken breast sandwich, took off the top and bottom bun and ate the good stuff in between – along with some of the salad. It was good thing because at about 3:00 p.m., everyone else in the room was getting dopey eyed, but I was still feeling good. Bread does the same thing to me (along with any high carb lunch) and today I was more alert than them.

I don’t expect to have lost much weight this week because of the salty drinks, the travel bloat, etc. but I am proud of not drinking and facing the challenge I was worried about. My entire team is also proud of me…..

I hope you are all doing FANTASTIC and I hope to read some of your blogs by the weekend!

ttyl

Sandra

SCC WK 3 Goals…

2012-01-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

I am out of town for 5 days this week – two days of travel and 3 days in meetings. This was the week I feared to face with my “no drinking” challenge. This is the week where there is a lot of socializing after a long day of working meetings. Everyone looks forward to chatting over a drink or two at the end of the day…after all the company is paying.

Yeah … well not me this week I am on track!

I did join up with my cousins weight loss facility. I decided to give it a try. It’s totally not what I am used to eating but I have to tell you, it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

I am eating 6 times a day, 3 meals, 3 snacks. The last snack is putting me past the 7:00 eating timeslot so I can’t use that this week. But they are controlled snacks and therefore I’m not feeling “deprived”.

But it is expensive and I can understand why it is not for everyone. One of the main reasons I am doing it is because I get the food at a discount. I can live with that.

My goals this week are:

Get in some exercise. At least 4/7 even if it is just walking.
Stay focused and on track all week. Eating out will be challenging so my goal is to eat as close to on plan as possible. Make healthy choices at all times.

Since starting this on January 1st, I’ve lost 7lbs. I can imagine how much better this would be had I been exercising as well…

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC week!

Sandra

Accepting Change and WK2 Results

2012-01-14T20:56:00.001-07:00

I got this amazing comment the other day from Kyle in response to my post about an opportunity I have and an email my cousin sent me. I wanted to share it with everyone because it is another great way of stating what a person goes through when experiencing a big change in their life. Of letting go of the past…..

He said:

“It’s the battle between bargaining and acceptance in our stages of grieving really. Having our previous life die is no different than the passing of a loved one that forces us to go through all the stages of grief and until we get all the way through it, we are always at risk to return.”

I will never be going back to my normal, I am creating a new life. Waiting, hoping, wishing this diet was over so that I could go back to normal, will never happen. Change is hard but it is worth it…

On to my Wk 2 results:

#1 – no alcohol. This was and is a huge success for me. Day 14 and more to come.

#2 – No eating after 7:00 p.m. Did not do well here. Week was messed up with son and wife coming to stay late Sunday night until Tuesday. Each night dinner was late – so I ate late. Now that in itself is fine, but I did snack a couple of times. I really need to get this one under control.

#3 – Increase my exercise. My goal is to do 4/7 days this week. 1/7 – epic fail. I preach to other bloggers they shouldn’t use the term “failure” because I don’t think people themselves are failures – maybe the results of their actions are, but not them personally so depending on how it is penned on how I react to it . But this goal was a big fail for me this week.

I am out of town this coming week and I am not sure how much exercising I will be able to do. There is a two hour time difference (I will be up earlier) and getting up even earlier to exercise may not happen. I have plans though and hope to be able to get them in action.

My Week 3 goals will be posted soon.

I hope you are all having a FANASTIC week!

Sandra

I have an opportunity..

2012-01-10T20:02:00.001-07:00

My cousin is a high-level Manager at a very popular weight-loss facility and she has offered me an opportunity to join and get the food at a discount.

She had made this offer some time ago but I didn't take her up on it as I didn't feel I was able to commit 100 percent. I wasn't sure I was willing to give up the beer.

And since she is high up there in this company, I didn't want to disappoint her or waste the time of the ladies at the clinic. Or my money and time on something I wasn't going to give all my attention to.

Now I am not so sure I still feel the same (10 days people) :)

This is a segment of the email she sent me yesterday:

"The number one way for this to be successful for you is to think of it as a lifestyle change. Beer is a part of your lifestyle so we can work around it when the time comes. Keeping clear of it right now (66days) will help get a good jump start to your weight loss but know that when things get into a routine and beer once again becomes a part of it, please don't stop. You can still lose weight! And manage your goal weight easily while incorporating beer.

The only way this wouldn't work is if you stop. Just don't stop, keep going no matter what. You just celebrated New Year's at your start weight. Now you will be able to celebrate next New Year's at your goal weight!

A lot of people make the mistake of starting something like this with the thought, "I can't wait until I am at my goal because then I can get back to 'normal' and not have to think about this". However, this is the start of something that will not have an ending: conscious food choices, moderation, exercise and proper 'mind management' (otherwise known as how you think about food, diet, exercise, your body, body image, the scale, etc) will be a part of your day every day. So, while it is going to be such a tremendous milestone when you reach your goal weight, enjoy the process too. "Sit back and enjoy the ride" as they say because it's fun (to feel light), it's empowering (to overcome challenges or cravings), it's a confidence builder (to fit into smaller clothes and look great) and it's energizing (to be able to go farther longer or faster while you exercise)."

I wanted to share what she wrote because it doesn't just apply to me but everyone else who reads this blog. After all the New Year's excitement wears off, it is so very easy to go back to the same old habits and routine. The ones that got us to why we want to lose weight or get fit. The key is to not STOP.

She is so right there.

For me, beer is what got me to where I am (it is not the sole reason but a big part) and therefore incorporating it back into my life style may not be a good idea. Maybe once I am at goal the occasional beer during camping (Kelly I'm with ya) or our Mazatlan trips it may be acceptable but I don't want it to become a part of my lifestyle again.

So hard to say right now what is going to happen.

I think I should give it a try. What do you think?

Hope you are having a Fantastic day!!

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

SCC–WK 1 Results & W2 Goals

2012-01-09T09:30:00.001-07:00

1. Exercise daily. Get some type of activity in once a day. Well I did not do well here. I exercised 2/7 days.

2. Drink lots of water Aced this one

3. Eat mindful and healthy food all week. I tracked everyday at MyFitnessPal but I did not eat 100% on track. Wasn’t even 80%.

4. This is the most important goal for me this week – no alcohol at all. 7/7 I did great this week

Overall I think I did OK. I certainly could have increased my exercise. I didn’t make it to Hot Yoga because Mr. Sandra was away from the home for a couple of nights and I couldn’t leave Ms. Kate alone too long. As it was on Wednesday, I came home, let her out, played with her, fed her, and then left and went back to the city for dinner. It was extremely windy that day too and driving was interesting.

Food wise, I did great during the day. Got the munchies a few times and on the weekend, I could have made better dinner choices, but overall (other than the face feeding frenzy I experienced Tuesday night), I did OK.

Week 2 Goals

#1 – no alcohol. I’m moving this to the top of my list as it is very important for me to keep it in focus and successful

#2 – No eating after 7:00 p.m.

#3 – Increase my exercise. My goal is to do 4/7 days this week.

Focus point for week: I am going to continue to keep track of the food in MFP. But make better food choices. Last week I focused on goal #4 the most – no drinking. I’m pretty confident now that I’ve got that under control. Now I’m going to focus on the food and making better choices. This week it will be goal #2 that is going to be my main focus for this week.

I hope you all have a fantastic week! I’m in all day meetings so my blogging is limited to evenings this week.

ttyl

Sandra

Doing it on my own…

2012-01-07T21:35:00.001-07:00

Back in December, Melinda and I decided that starting January 1st, we would do 66 days of no alcohol. Hence my post here where I talked about my plan. You all know how this week has gone for me because I’ve been quite open about what I’m doing and how I’m tackling things.

Well on Friday, Mr. Sandra called and said that since we didn’t have the young man this weekend, can we meet in the city and get together for a game of Golden Tee Golf?

This immediately set me into a bit of a panic – really wasn’t sure if I was ready to meet him at the bar. So I sidled down the hallway to Mel’s office and told her what was going on – that I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle things.

So she said “Ah don’t worry about it, start out with a couple of club soda’s, and then have a beer or two. With the guys coming next week and dinners out, and then us going away for the week to Ontario, well let’s just start in February!”

Ahhh… excuse me?

How about “No, not for me”.

I decided right then and there that I’ve done well this week and am noticeably seeing a difference in a couple of things:

I am sleeping much much better – which in turn ups my energy
I have not experienced any night time heart burn – again aiding in a better sleep.

I wasn’t going to stop and start again with her because I don’t need her support to keep me in line. She hasn’t started yet, and it would be day 7 for her as it is for me . I’m doing good all on my own. I did not have any booze at all – I caught the waitress before she automatically brought our drinks to our table and told her I’d have a club soda. Yeah, we go to this place way to often, and we just walk in, sit down, and get served before we actually say anything. So it was important I catch her before we sit.

Being home this weekend has been fine. We (as in Mr. Sandra) and I are modifying our habits – because that is exactly what they are. Instead of having a baileys/coffee sitting outside in the sun (yes I live near the mountains, in Canada, where it SHOULD be cold and snowing) watching the birds feed and dogs play.

And after a busy day, I was fine having my club soda with lots of ice. Club soda on it’s own is pretty bland – carbonated water would be – so I add flavored soda’s. I found them at my local grocery store awhile ago and they come in some pretty cool flavors. Pomegranate and Elderflower (haven't tried that one yet), Lemon, Cranberry and Orange. Since I’m only putting in about 2-3 ounces with my Club Soda, the calories are not that high.

OK, enough blabbering for today…

I hope you are all having a great weekend!

The real test is here…

2012-01-06T07:42:00.001-07:00

Yahoo it’s Friday!! My head hurts and I’m looking forward to spending time at home. After having 10 days off, coming back to work for 4 days is tiring. And I keep thinking about all the work that is about to start up – ouch.

My head hurts because our weather is so strange – we have hardly any snow left because we are experiencing all time record high temperatures for January. I suffer from headaches as the air pressure changes and since we live so close to the mountains, when the warm weather comes over them from the West, the warmth gets pushed down and we experience a Chinook. This fluctuation in air pressure causes my brain to hurt. I’m a walking barometer – I can tell you when the weather is going to change.

So again Yahoo the weekend is coming but this is going to be the true test for me for not drinking. It is the time when I do drink the most. During the week is a synch. And everyone was right yesterday – it was/is a habit – wanting to have a beer with Mr. Sandra when he got home to discuss his adventure. We breezed through it, I had a club soda, he had a diet coke – worked out just fine.

But the weekend has me stressed, it is a time that in the afternoon, after working out, cleaning my house, doing laundry….. I crack open a beer about 4:00 p.m., maybe think about relaxing, and then the evening is on. Habit, habit, habit…

I will make it through just fine – I may just whine to you fine folks about how miserable I am… aaah just kidding. I’ll be a happy camper and breeze right through it by keeping myself busy, and not busy by stuffing my face – but busy by moving around and maybe getting that office completely painted. Would LOVE to show you another before and after picture of that sucker – it’s gross right now….

I feel like I did when I was quitting smoking – trying to find other things to do during the times the habit craving kicks in…..

I hope you all have a successful, FANTASTIC weekend!

ttyl

Sandra

p.s., why do people think that when you are seated on a train seat, as far over as you can, that sitting practically on your lap is going to make you move over more?? I don’t know what they are thinking – my wide butt isn’t going anywhere…

Hmmm I wonder why….

2012-01-05T13:50:00.001-07:00

Mr. Sandra has been away from the house for the last couple of days. It’s just been me and Ms. Kate hanging around at night.

Well he just texted me that he is on his way home and will be there shortly after I get home from work.

You know what one side of my brain said?

It said “It will be nice to sit and have a beer with him while talking about his adventures the last couple of days”. (He was out snowmobiling)

My other side of the brain said “no freakin way are you breaking your 66 days”.

But I’m wondering why it was the first thing I thought about when I thought about him coming home…..

Weird…

Hope you are all having a fantastic day!!

What was I thinking??

2012-01-04T08:08:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was overall a pretty good day… during the day! I was hungry though. Not sure if it was because I was back at work and I was “munchy” or if it was real hunger because of the extra activity first thing in the morning. In the past I remember getting a bit more hungry on the days I did the Jog/walk program. I drank a ton of water so that wasn’t the issue.

But man, when I got home…. I did the ugly jig. It was just me and Kate and I made sure I got home by 4:30 so that I could get her out and get her some exercise. She was kenneled which is a small space for a big active dog but since getting Ms. Maggie, Ms. Katie has taken it into her mind that it is OK to get into things when the MR. and MRS are away. Anyway, it started with a handful of ripple potato chips. Mr Sandra had left a few ounces in a bag on the counter. They aren’t there any more.

Then I had my sensible dinner of homemade chicken/vegetable soup. Cleaned up space along another wall in the office as I want to continue painting in the room.The office became a bit of a dumping ground when we moved in and I still need to unpack some stuff that is in there. But at 6:00, the Biggest Loser Season 13 started and I wanted to watch it. The 9:00 show is on too late for me. Well while watching it I was dozing off, so I got up and made myself some popcorn. Yup – just to keep me awake…. and I love popcorn.

Now all in all it wasn’t a bad day per se but I felt like I ate for the sake of eating last night. I used food, instead of beer, to keep me awake and occupied. That’s not going to work long term but for today I am OK with what happened last night. I have to make sure that food isn’t a replacement for the boredom/tired days.

It is my baby’s 29th birthday today and I’m going to have to go home to let out Ms. Katie (I did leave her out of the kennel and loose in the house this morning) and then head back here to the city to have dinner with him, his spouse and my Grand daughter. That’s going to keep me occupied beyond normal and I won’t succumb to the mouth stuffing incident again (for tonight anyway).

I am feeling good though….. I’m heading in the right direction folks – it’s about time!

I hope you are having a FANTASTIC day!

Isn’t she getting big

I snuck by the puppy

2012-01-03T11:50:00.001-07:00

Good day folks, hope all of you are right into your New Years resolutions, goal setting, plans, hopes, dreams – or whatever it is you are doing for 2012. I certainly am…..

I planned on spending yesterday getting my stuff ready for the work week – kind of like my Sunday cooking spree, but Mr. Sandra had different plans. I had gotten up and got right on the treadmill (after attending Ms. Katie, and Ms. Maggie) and spent 45 minutes walking then 15 minutes stretching. I really really need to keep stretching, everyday, all day. Anyway, after my walk, I put a second coat of paint on the feature wall in the office and Mr. Sandra walked in and asked me to go shopping with him. I so didn’t want to go, I wanted to stay home and organize my days, but I went anyway.

He was planning to go away for a couple of days snowmobiling out in the mountains (he told me the night before) and needed some gear (he left today and he is such a last minute person – not organized at all). So we went and bought helmets and he got pants/gloves to hopefully keep warm. We have purchased a snowmobile from his son, but due to the lack of snow we have here, it is still in Fernie, BC with his son.

So today, I left for work and he left to play in the snow (can’t wait until I’m retired).

I had a good day overall eating and was happy I got some exercising in. I actually slept pretty good last night for once.

This morning I got up at 4, got dressed, snuck by the puppy (like she didn’t hear or see me …) and went downstairs. I did a slow walk/jog of C25K session and then stretched. When I was done, I snuck back past the pup, and went upstairs and showered and then from then on it was the same routine she is used to. She didn’t bark once. I was so happy. So having successfully done day one, she will get used to me going by without talking to her or letting her out and that eventually I will come get her. I am glad I can get my routine going again….

Since Mr. Sandra is away for two days, he took Ms. Maggie with him as she is still too young to be home alone for 10+ hours (which is the amount of time I am away from the house). Ms. Kate is 3 yrs old and can handle the wait. So it’s me and the big girl for a couple of days. But this means I won’t be going to Hot Yoga tonight because that would make it 13+ hours for Ms. Kate to be alone and that’s pushing it.

Mr. Sandra’s timing is perfect because this is day 3 of completing Goal #4 100% and it is usually day 3 he wants to go out for a beer and a game of golden tee golf. And I ALWAYS give in. This time I won’t. While out shopping yesterday he wanted to stop by before going home and I said no. He pouted but didn’t say any more. He can have some fun with his son and leave me doing what I need to do right now.

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC day!

Sandra

SCC–Wk1 Goals

2012-01-02T10:29:00.001-07:00

The Spring Chick Challenge starts today and my goals for this week are:

1. Exercise daily. Get some type of activity in once a day. Tuesday/Thursday I will attend Hot Yoga, M/W/F/S/Su I will be walking on my treadmill. I have to ease into it because of the shape my hips are in. They are so tight and sore that I don’t want to hurt myself and not be able to do anything. So baby steps for this one.

2. Drink lots of water – I used to be so good at this. Being on a spring well at home, I’m finding I’m not drinking as much water because I am very very fussy on the taste of my water. We purchased a water cooler when we moved in but the unit makes the bottled water taste like metal. I seem to be the only one that can taste it but if I can taste it, then I’m not drinking it often because I don’t like the taste. So I’ve been using the Brita filter for the tap well water and so far I’m drinking it. Once back to work I drink lots there.

3. Eat mindful and healthy food all week. I decided to track on MyFitnessPal because I can add the app to my Blackberry and it will be easier to keep up to date. I LOVE the FitBit program for the reports etc, but I have to write my food down, then enter them if I am not right in front of my computer. FitBit states it will soon grab the data from MyFitnessPal so I will get the same results in both places. One program says I need to eat 1200 calories, the other one says 1400. I’m just going to enter in my exercise, and food and go from there.

4. This is the most important goal for me this week – no alcohol at all. I’ve asked Mr. Sandra to not have any beer in my presence and he has agreed. Not that he drinks much at all but why flash it my face when I might be wanting one. NOTE: I must get a bit personal here and admit something publicly so that you understand that this goal is going to be a struggle – I am not an alcoholic but I did drink beer to keep myself occupied at home. Sounds sad I know but if I get bored, I immediately want a beer. Stupid habit to get into. And I like the taste on a hot summer day, out camping, sitting by the fire, or on the deck at the end of the day……. blah

If I can get through this week with 80/20 on 1-3 and 100% on #4, I will be a very happy person. I am bound and determined to make this work people.

I hope you have a fantastic week!

#1, Happy New Year

2012-01-01T19:24:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!

I hope all of you had a fantastic holiday. I know I did. I took the entire week off more or less. I worked a bit but I worked from home. I have the luxury that I can do my job anywhere there is an internet connection and although I have one at home, and it isn’t reliable, I can still get some work done. But most of all, I enjoyed time with my Grandson, my family and my home…. Even got some painting done (renovations will be on-going for some time I think).

I have this feeling that 2012 is going to be different somehow. I don’t know what it is but it’s like I’ve been waiting for this year to come for some time now. That this is the year of change for me. I am going to see some good stuff in the coming 365 days.

Today was day 1 of my 66 days of clean and I will rate it at about a 80/20 success. I had a couple of Pepsi's today, which is against my future plans but I had them instead of the other “pop” so I’m OK with that for day one. I ate good, healthy food and only a few crackers which isn’t “junk” per se but is still a carb loaded treat I didn’t need.

One of the things that I’ve noticed since I’ve gained this weight back is that my night time indigestion came back. I wake up frequently with heartburn and that was the first thing that went away as I lost the weight I was carrying around my stomach. I’m looking forward to that again as it is difficult to get a good night sleep when you are uncomfortable.

Admittedly I don’t get a good night sleep regardless because of the pain in my hips, but I don’t need the extra burden.

I didn’t get any formal exercise done today but I did get my Christmas decorations etc, taken down, boxed up and put away. And then cleaning in between all that. Then I painted a couple of walls in my office. I know I didn’t get my heart rate up in anyway, but I was moving all day long and now I’m tired… Well my feet are sore for sure.

I’m still working on my plan for attacking the battle of the bulge but in the meantime I’m going to just make the best choices I can. I was going to start out with a cleanse and although they are good for you, I think stopping too many things all at once is a recipe for disaster so I’m going to do this one day at a time and when the time is right, I will get to the cleanse. I’ll post on that when I start it.

Talk to you all soon.

Spring "Chick" Challenge 2012

2011-12-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

I suck at challenges – don’t’ know what it is about them but I never seem to end them. Well except maybe the Hot 100 that Steve first put on. I did good on that one. But I find that if I start straying from the correct path, I tend to not finish the challenge because I’m too ashamed to admit that I’m failing. Really? What’s up with that, and at my age, shouldn’t I be facing up to my faults and get on with the challenge?? Yeah, I think so to, time to grow up !

I was invited to join the Spring “Chick” Challenge and it starts Monday, January 2nd, 2012 and ends on Monday, March 19, 2012 (The last day of Winter)

The challenge motto is:

“We are starting 2012 off by breaking the shell of our old self and getting ready for Spring by becoming more fit and healthy.”

These are my focus points for this challenge:

Commit to a NSV (non scale victory) to be assessed at the start and the conclusion of the challenge.
- My non-scale victory is to fit back into all those nice clothes that I bought last year for work. Most are getting very uncomfortable and I am not wearing them. I have a lot of nice stuff in my closet and it’s time to get them out again.
Commit to a set of nutrition parameters and track via MyFitnessPal or Sparkpeople or WW.
- I will use my FitBit program as it tracks my activity, my mileage, food, sleep… just about anything I want to track and I’ll probably set it up to post my weekly results to here. I also post them to facebook.
  - How much water will you drink daily? My water consumption has dropped and I’m going to work on increasing that. I’m planning on going to Bikram Hot Yoga twice a week so really will need to stay hydrated.
  - How many calories daily or weekly? I am not sure about this yet. I’m going to go with the paleo/primal way of eating as it works best for me, and the calories aren’t really a part of this way of eating. But I am going to track and make sure I am not going to high. I would like to stay below 1800 but it depends on how much I increase my activity. And if I am not losing any weight, then track religiously and keep it at 1500.
Commit to a set of exercise parameters. These can be as loose or as flexible as you feel work for your personality, schedule, etc.
- I have to stay flexible but I have to put something down on paper and stick to the schedule. I can’t keep on not exercising as it is extremely important in how I feel. I plan on going to Hot Yoga twice a week but living out in the country kind of limits that if there are any weather related issues that prevent me from going. I am able to modify my work hours to allow me to leave early enough to get to yoga but I can only manage that twice a week
- Rest of the time, I’ve got to get back into a strength training and cardio training. They are so important to how I feel – right now I feel like crap.
Commit to blogging at least twice weekly and 1 of those times must be you check in with a complete up date on your progress.
- I am going to try my darndest at this one – it will be difficult to do at work so I will have to commit to writing it at home, then posting it the next day (my internet sucks at home – problem with living out in the middle of no-where).
Commit to support... both giving and receiving. Check others blogs and comment as you feel motivated to do.
- Yeah, I’m going to do this one, because I’m likely going to need the support back. I hope to comment as much as I can (along with my favorite folks that are not in a challenge – just want to say HI). But again, work will be an issue because I anticipate a very very busy 2012.

This challenge isn’t going to be about the scale weight – Helen I wished I could get a Zero Scale but they won’t ship to Canada – talk to Rick will ya? This challenge, along with my 66 days is to just establish the good habits again and get back into the swing of things. I have to stop letting outside factors sway me and get my shitz together. It’s ME time again folks – watch me rock this…. Yes I will!!

Hope you are all having a FANTASTIC DAY!!

66 Days to make it permanent….

2011-12-27T12:21:00.001-07:00

We have all heard it takes 21 days to develop a habit – and 7 days to break it. I’m living proof that this pattern is easy to follow – especially the breaking part.

But then I heard it really takes 66 days to make a change really count. My friend/boss was telling me about it and that together we should start on January 1st and together develop some good habits. Rather a team motivation process. Motivate each other to make the right choices. And give each other crap if we stray from the path. She’s good at that

I liked the idea – and it scared me at the same time. I am so tired of failing myself.

We are both going away on a business trip the 3rd week in January where I will see my favorite work peers and we really have a lot of fun when we get together. It doesn’t happen that often so we tend to have social nights while away. This year Melinda and I will be partaking in club soda during these events.

Hmmm… had I been alone without Melinda there doing the same thing… I am sure I would give in to the party atmosphere with the guys but with Mel there right beside me not partaking along with me, I think it will be doable. Some of these guys I have worked with for 20+ years – we are almost a family this team of mine. They will support us, but give us a hard time at the same time. But since they are almost family – I can tell them what I think of their antics… LOL.

So starting January 1st (and yes I could start today but am not), we are going to go 66 days living a completely clean and healthy lifestyle. And I guarantee it will continue long after that. It has to, my future happiness depends on it…really it does…

Mr. Sandra will not be happy because to make this successful for me, he has to start cleaning up his lifestyle too. I’m not buying anymore crap and putting it in the house. He eats it more than I do but for his sake I’m going to stop purchasing it. I keep wondering what he is waiting for…. I have to tell ya folks, moving out here to the country where he was going to be active, and participate in life – well it hasn’t started yet. I’m not sure what he wants to do with the rest of his retired life because if he continues on the path he is on, he will not live past 60.

So you will find boring posts coming starting January 1st, Day 1 of 66 blah blah with all the details on how I am managing. I was going to do one new thing a day but not sure I can think of 66 goals…. so will just journal how I’m doing.

I might even join in a challenge in blogland to help me keep on track. I mean the more of you giving me heck about falling off track, well the better for me it will be

I hope you all are doing great and have a wonderful holiday!!

Sandra

Digital Christmas

2011-12-15T10:29:00.001-07:00

Enjoy!

Christmas 2.0

I am alive….

2011-12-14T09:55:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone is doing great! I’ve been so busy here at work that I haven’t had time to write or read any blogs. In years gone by, December was a month to clean-up and finalize the past years projects. I even use December to plan for my own personal goals etc. – getting ready for the new year. But we are instead busy working on our current projects and getting ready for new ones to start in 2012…. there is no end in sight. Which I guess means I’ve still got a job for the next 5 years or longer. I have to admit I am enjoying all the new stuff….. (I work in IT and part of my job is to investigate, test and deploy new technology to the infrastructure).

I got on the scale this morning. I’m depressed. Yup, wasn’t good news. I currently weigh more today than I did January 1st, 2011. I’m ending my year higher than I started. Blah! I’ve not had my stuff together this year and it shows…. big time!

So I’ve got to get down to business and get my business done. No one can make this happen except me. I’ve got to schedule time with myself. I know, I know… I’ve written this before. But someway, somehow folks, I’ve got to make this happen.

Having a young puppy at home has totally screwed my early morning schedule up. She barks – a lot – when she hears someone up. Ms. Katie used to do it as well and I used to sneak down into the basement to exercise and she never heard me – or at least she didn’t until I was already down there and on the treadmill. In this new house, I’ve got to walk by the puppy and she will put up a fuss big time. So I’ve avoided it. Time to just get doing it and allow her to get used to MY schedule on my terms and not hers.

BTW – she has grown a LOT in the last 2 months.

Aren’t they cute?

My biggest issue right now is my back and hips. They are seizing up and if I don’t get moving on a regular basis, it is only going to get worse. I’ve been going to Hot Yoga once a week lately and I need to get there a couple more times a week – if anything just for the massive stretching it allows me to do. I hurt, I ache, and I can hardly move if I’ve been sitting for awhile – pretty sad eh?

I am alive …. but barely!

Time to organize, plan, and get my shit together. But most of all it is time to get MOVING!!

I hope you are doing just FANTASTIC!!

TTYL

Sandra

Ahh.. busy life :)

2011-11-23T07:40:00.001-07:00

I hope you are doing great – I haven’t had time to read anyone's blogs lately. Been so busy at work and quite frankly I don’t get on the computer much at home. When you sit in front of one for over 8 hours a day, it’s not something I want to do when I get home.

My hips and back are still pretty sore. I went to Hot Yoga again last week and this time rather than push myself I took it easy. I made the class more therapeutic than a workout. I took my time stretching and only as far as I felt comfortable. Because the week before that, I pushed myself and then my back/hips were sore for days after. I’ve got to get them back into moveable shape and by forcing them to work seems to put me back a few days. One day at a time….

I’ve been doing good otherwise. Still trying to get my stuff together and get back into the swing of things. I’ve taken out my old journals and started reading through them. I have quite a few it seems.

But I seem to work much better when I am organized and planned. When I journal what I’m eating, exercising, feeling and thinking. Helps me put my head where it’s supposed to be.

Do you journal?

I find it very therapeutic as well. It lets me get the days thoughts out of my head at the end of the day and allows me a better sleep. Which is a touch and go thing with me (sleep that is).

Keeping it short and simple today – just wanted to let you know I am still around, just keeping busy at work. And there is nothing in the future that shows it will slow down – in fact I think it is about to get worse.

ttyl

Sandra

How I did and Today I will…*3

2011-11-09T13:16:00.001-07:00

Well I was hungry yesterday for some reason. Might be a sugar detox because I’m craving it big time and I don’t even eat the stuff per se. In the middle of the afternoon I wanted a really big chocolate bar. So I cheated and had a protein bar that is covered in what looks like chocolate but I’m sure it’s not. I normally do not crave chocolate except during one session of the month and lately that isn’t an issue.

And I was a bit cranky as well yesterday, not sure why. Hormones, time change, alcohol withdrawal (sugar), or people were just extra stupid at work. Could have been any one of those or a combination of all of them. My cube neighbor said “You aren’t crabby, you aren’t yelling at anyone”. My answer was “I internalize, you aren’t hearing my inside voice”. I rarely take my bad moods out on others – except maybe the people closest to me like my spouse and my kids. I try really hard not to do that but sometimes it just slips out.

I went to the 5:00 p.m. Bikram Hot Yoga class and although I was hot (stupid hot flashes today), moody, and nursing a headache prior to going into the class, I again did my best and enjoyed every minute of it. OK maybe not EVERY minute but I did enjoy the class in general. However my back was extremely sore and still is. Since not exercising as much since July and hurting my back in August – the darn thing has gotten weak. I’m going to have to really focus on getting it stronger again. My ENTIRE core for that matter.

I also went and had some x-ray’s done of my hip and lower back yesterday so hopefully between Yoga and my back cracker I will get more mobile again. At least to the point where it doesn’t hurt to get up and move (or sleep). Sucks being a side sleeper when your hips hurt like the dickens.

Today I will:

Focus on not eating the wrong stuff. I am hungry again. I am guzzling the water, I could almost fall asleep on my feet, and I want to eat. Don’t care what, just want to munch on something.

I know why I want to eat/drink when I get home – I get bored. I really noticed that last night after I got home from Yoga. I played with the pups, and then they wanted to nap. Mr. Sandra was watching the hockey game and if I sit down to read, then I will just fall asleep. Guess the key is to just go to bed but sometimes hitting the hay at 8:00 just seems to early (And I had just gotten home at 7:30). Oh what a life we live in the country.

Today I think it is because I don’t want to fall asleep at my desk. I’m busy enough at work, just don’t have the mojo to get it all done.

Not sure if this is all symptoms of withdrawals or what it is…

I will work through it

Hope you are having a fantastic day!

How I did & Today I will … *day 2

2011-11-08T12:24:00.001-07:00

I did great eating on track all day at work. When I got the munchies, it was a toss up between feeling true hunger or just being thirsty. I fed the thirst rather than the stomach. But on the way home, during the drive I was hungry and have organic nut/fruit bars in my truck just for those emergencies.

My gym appointment at 3:30 didn’t work out – the gym was full. So I went home and worked out. I came home, cuddled with the dogs for a few minutes, then gave Mr. Sandra a hug (although he was Mr. Crabbitz yesterday). Then I got changed and headed to the basement. I warmed up, did some strength training, some more treadmill work then lots and lots of stretching. I definitely have to work on making that space more comfortable – something I enjoy being in. Right now it is a basement with a ton of boxes in it.

For dinner last night I could have made a better choice. But I had left overs in the fridge I did not want to throw out and so I ate them. Nothing bad, just more carbs and likely a bit more fat than it should have had. Otherwise, my night was a full success.

Today I will:

Eat 100% on track – no sugar, no alcohol, no junk.
Attend 90 minutes of Bikram Hot Yoga – yahoo

I noticed the gym here opens at 6:00 a.m., so I am going to see if I can leave home by 5 and just come here to workout first thing. I have a much better day if I workout first thing in the morning. I have more energy, eat less (depending on what type of exercising) and then I can mark it as completed for the day and not have to worry about getting it done at the end of the day.

“What? That coat was here all along!!”

Hope you have all had a fantastic day!

Today I will…

2011-11-07T10:32:00.001-07:00

I am struggling with commitment – it sucks but it is my own fault. It’s that “can’t stick to strict” mentality…. lame dumb @$$ed excuses to tell the truth. This is something I have to change – I can change – I deal well with change. I cannot blame any outside source for my lack of motivation. I am responsible for my own actions, I’m going to take some positive steps forward to make the changes I need to do in order to get where I want to be – fit, healthy and Happy!! I

Because quite frankly, I’m not happy right now because I don’t meet any of that criteria!!

And I don’t like being unhappy!

So today I will:

Eat 100% on plan – this means absolutely NO sugar in any shape. I don’t eat sugary foods (candy, pop, etc.) but sugar comes in many forms and in order for me to get rid of any junk food cravings, I must eliminate it for at least 3 days. This includes alcohol….. especially this.
I will exercise at 3:30 today – I have scheduled it in my calendar, brought my workout clothes and HR monitor here to work and I’m going to hit the gym before I hit the train. Because once I get home, I struggle with getting down into my basement to workout because I want to play with puppy and then start dinner. This way I get it done before I even get home.

Tomorrow I will report on my results!

Hope you have a fantastic week!

Well it’s finally here…

2011-11-04T10:55:00.001-06:00

It’s snowing outside. Was clear this morning but while I sit here at my desk looking out the window, the white stuff is now falling. Lots of it..

This is going to be my first drive home in the slippery stuff to my acreage out in the middle of no-where. And like most first snow days of the season, everyone out there has to re-learn how to drive in the stuff. I bet there will be hundreds of accidents reported by the end of the day and I am going to make sure that I am not one of the statistics.

Promise…

It is pretty out there though!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Home Reno’s–LVR

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

When the renter was given permission to renovate the house at the acreage what we saw in the beginning had promise. What we ended up with once she moved out was a different story.

So not only having to move and unpack, we had to fix the place up as well. We also went on a 3 week camping vacation in the middle of it. But my goal was to have the place presentable for the party we were going to have on September 3rd for my 50th Birthday. There are over 50 people coming and I was stressed as heck about it.

Anyway, I’m slowly getting a room done at a time and thought I’d share the before and after shots.

First is the Living room:

Since this house was built in the 1970’s, the color of that time was a pale lime green. All the walls at one time were this lovely green (yuk). The renter had partially painted some of the walls, and I had to finish it off. I’m not 100% happy with the color as I think it is too light, but it will do for now. You can always paint over light colors in the future. And after painting this room (and others), I’m not half bad at it.

Yes those are pink blinds and yes they are about a foot too short for those windows. We still need to have every single window replaced in the home but that will be coming later.

This is the before picture. If you click on it, you can see behind that cabinet that she didn’t use much masking tape.

And yeah, that rug is green too and will be replaced with Hardwood in the future. You can’t see it in this picture very well but it is black in spots and I spent quite some time with the rug cleaner getting out the worst of the dirt. Ripping it right out will fix it good.

This is now:

Funky chandelier there !!

I guess looking at the pictures there isn’t really much of a difference but inside, in person, the room is quite a bit different. It’s my favorite room so far and I’ve made it my space. I find it warm and comfy which is important to me.

In my Favor

2011-11-01T07:23:00.001-06:00

One of the many nice things about living out in the middle of nowhere is that I did not have to buy one single bag of candy. There are no kids out there Trick or Treating and therefore I have no need to purchase any bags of temptations.

I used to buy bags of junk that Mr Sandra likes but now that we are watching his Sugar intake I did not buy a thing. Even though I don't have a sweet tooth per se (I much prefer the crunchy, salty stuff) if there are small chocolate bars that I like, I would get into them. So I am glad to not have any in the house.

This is a really good thing for both of us.

I hope all of you had a great Halloween - now take those leftovers to work and give it all away!!

:)

S
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

Yoga Mat For Sale - Funny

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

Found this on a blog and had to repost:

Yoga mat for sale. Used once at lunch hour class in December 2009. Usage timeline as follows:

11:45a
Register for hot yoga class. Infinite wisdom tells me to commit to 5 class package and purchase a yoga mat. I pay $89.74. Money well spent, I smugly confirm to myself.

11:55a
Open door to yoga room. A gush of hot dry air rushes through and past me. It smells of breath, sweat and hot. Take spot on floor in back of room next to cute blonde. We will date.

11:57a
I feel the need to be as near to naked as possible. This is a problem because of the hot blonde to my left and our pending courtship. She will not be pleased to learn that I need to lose 30 pounds before I propose to her.

11:58a
The shirt and sweats have to come off. I throw caution to the wind and decide to rely on my wit and conditioning to overcome any weight issues my fiancée may take issue with. This will take a lot of wit and conditioning.

11:59a
Begin small talk with my bride to be. She pretends to ignore me but I know how she can be. I allow her to concentrate and stare straight ahead and continue to pretend that I don't exist. As we finish sharing our special moment, I am suddenly aware of a sweat moustache that has formed below my nose. This must be from the all the whispering between us.

12:00p
Instructor enters the room and ascends her special podium at the front of the room. She is a slight, agitated Chinese woman. She introduces me to the class and everyone turns around to greet me just as I decide to aggressively adjust my penis and testes packed in my Under Armor. My bride is notably unfazed.

12:02p
Since I do have experience with Hot Yoga (4 sessions just 5 short years ago) I fully consider that I may be so outstanding and skilled that my instructor may call me out and ask me to guide the class. My wife will look on with a sparkle in her eye. We will make love after class.

12:10p
It is now up to 95 degrees in the room. We have been practicing deep breathing exercises for the last 8 minutes. This would not be a problem if we were all breathing actual, you know, oxygen. Instead, we are breathing each other's body odor, expelled carbon dioxide and other unmentionables. (Don't worry, I'll mention them later.)

12:26p
It is now 100 degrees and I take notice of the humidity, which is hovering at about 90%. I feel the familiar adorning stare of my bride and decide to look back at her. She appears to be nauseated. I then realize that I forgot to brush my teeth prior to attending this class. We bond.

12:33p
It is now 110 degrees and 95% humidity. I am now balancing on one leg with the other leg crossed over the other. My arms are intertwined and I am squatting. The last time I was in this position was 44 years ago in the womb, but I'm in this for the long haul. My wife looks slightly weathered dripping sweat and her eyeliner is streaming down her face. Well, "for better or worse" is what we committed to so we press on.

12:40p
The overweight Hispanic man two spots over has sweat running down his legs. At least I think its sweat. He is holding every position and has not had a sip of water since we walked in. He is making me look bad and I hate him.

12:44p
I consider that if anyone in this room farted that we would all certainly perish.

12:52p
It is now 140 degrees and 100% humidity. I am covered from head to toe in sweat. There is not a square millimeter on my body that is not slippery and sweaty. I am so slimy that I feel like a sea lion or a maybe sea eel. Not even a bear trap could hold me. The sweat is stinging my eyeballs and I can no longer see.

12:55p
This room stinks of asparagus, cloves, tuna and tacos. There is no food in the room. I realize that this is an amalgamation of the body odors of 30 people in a 140 degree room for the last 55 minutes. Seriously, enough with the asparagus, ok?

1:01p
140 degrees and 130% humidity. Look, bitch, I need my space here so don't get all pissy with me if I accidentally sprayed you with sweat as I flipped over. Seriously, is that where this relationship is going? Get over yourself. We need counseling and she needs to be medicated. Stat!

1:09p
150 degrees and cloudy. And hot. I can no longer move my limbs on my own. I have given up on attempting any of the commands this Chinese chick is yelling out at us. I will lay sedentary until the aid unit arrives. I will buy this building and then have it destroyed. I lose consciousness.

1:15p
I have a headache and my wife is being a selfish bitch. I can't really breathe. All I can think about is holding a cup worth of hot sand in my mouth. I cannot remember what an ice cube is and cannot remember what snow looks like. I consider that my only escape might be a crab walk across 15 bodies and then out of the room. I am paralyzed, and may never walk again so the whole crab walk thing is pretty much out.

1:17p
I cannot move at all and cannot reach my water. Is breathing voluntary or involuntary? If it's voluntary, I am screwed. I stopped participating in the class 20 minutes ago. Hey, lady! I paid for this frickin class, ok?! You work for me! Stop yelling at everyone and just tell us a story or something. It's like juice and cracker time, ok?

1:20p
It is now 165 degrees and moisture is dripping from the ceiling. The towel that I am laying on is no longer providing any wicking or drying properties. It is actually placing additional sweat on me as I touch it. My towel reeks. I cannot identify the smell but no way can it be from me. Did someone spray some stank on my towel or something?

1:30p
Torture session is over. I wish hateful things upon the instructor. She graciously allows us to stay and 'cool down' in the room. It is 175 degrees. Who cools down in 175 degrees? A Komodo Dragon? My wife has left the room. Probably to throw up.

1:34p
My opportunity to escape has arrived. I roll over to my stomach and press up to my knees. It is warmer as I rise up from ground level - probably by 15 degrees. So let's conservatively say it's 190. I muster my final energy and slowly rise. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. Towards the door. Towards the door.

1:37p
The temperature in the lobby is 72 degrees. Both nipples stiffen to diamond strength and my penis begins to retract into my abdomen from the 100 degree temp swing. I can once again breathe though so I am pleased. I spot my future ex wife in the lobby. We had such a good thing going but I know that no measure of counseling will be able to unravel the day's turmoil and mental scaring.

1:47p
Arrive at Emerald City Smoothie and proceed to order a 32 oz beverage. 402 calories, 0 fat and 14 grams of protein -- effectively negating any caloric burn or benefit from the last 90 minutes. I finish it in 3 minutes and spend the next 2 hours writing this memoir.

3:47p
Create Craigslist ad while burning final 2 grams of protein from Smoothie and before the "shakes" consume my body.

4:29p
Note to self - check car for missing wet yoga towel in am.

Posture

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

I know have very poor posture and it adds to how fat/fit I look. After 23+ years of sitting at a desk, it is no wonder that I have hip/back problems as well as extremely bad posture. I hunch over like the Hunch back of Notre Dame … well maybe not that bad but pretty darn close.

I was walking by the office of a co-worker the other day and she was so slouched over, I wondered if that is how I looked. It probably is. During the summer my cousin (who is a nurse) came up to my sister and I and said that our Great Grandmother suffered from Osteoporosis and had a severe curved back as well. What does she mean “as well”? Both my sister and I questioned that comment later on and it’s made me think ever since…

Since going to the Chiropractor and RMT for the last couple of weeks, I have been trying hard to correct my sitting and standing posture. But it isn’t easy. My back quickly becomes fatigued because it is just not used to holding me up in the proper form. It likes being slouched over.

So throughout the day I stretch and correct myself. I feel that each time I do this correction, the longer I can hold it, the more natural it will eventually feel and the stronger my back will become.Here are some websites that talk about this topic:

Exercises to Improve Your Posture

Posture Exercises for Back Pain

How to Correct a Women's Posture

Maybe once I get my back strengthened again, this will become easier and more natural but for now I have to concentrate and focus on making it a habit. I need to retrain my muscles.

I’ll be at this desk job for many more years so I’ve got to work on undoing the damage.

And I’ll look 10lbs lighter too which is an added bonus ….

Me & Strict don’t mix well….

2011-10-26T14:17:00.001-06:00

In a previous post titled “To Paleo or not to Paleo” I listed a pretty strict list of foods I couldn’t eat. Strict is the key word here on whether I will follow it or not. I don’t do well with strict anything. In fact, I don’t do well with the word “diet” either because to me it implies “a strict way of eating”. I need something that is easy to work with and something I can do as a way of life and something I will keep on for a long time.

It doesn’t matter which method of eating I decide to follow as they really all follow the same guidelines. Eat less processed food, more lean meats, vegetables and fruit. Some allow for grains, some don’t. Sandra – grains does not mean Old Dutch Arriba Tortilla Chips… or the rest of the junk you put in your body.

But if I am not strict with how I eat, then I am cheating (my personal opinion here). Yup, there it is. I’m a cheater…. I can’t stick to strict because I frequently cheat. I can eat 80/20 clean but that 20% is going to continue to keep me where I am now. 20% cheating is not good. I used to do 6 days good, 1 day my cheat day (BodyForLife Program) where I could eat what ever I wanted. Sometimes that 1 day ruined 6 days of good eating. (I did lose 50lbs though that I quickly gained back when my Mom was sick) It was a mix of Strict/Cheat that I could live with.

But now I’m finding it hard to get motivated to get started…..

I need to do a cleanse, a reboot (yeah I watched the Fat, Sick & Nearly video). I need to detox my body of all sugar which then removes the carb cravings. This helps me keep on track, get me started on eating clean consistently. Helps slow down or stop the cheat snacks/meals/days/weeks.

But a cleanse is strict and I don’t do well on strict.

My body is whispering to me… I think I had better start listening to it. I need to get serious about how I am treating it. It is the only one I have so I need to take better care of it. Or as I get older it’s just going to completely shutdown and make me truly miserable.Payback’s a biatch!

Exercise is only part of the equation but it is an important part for me. As I’ve personally experienced the last four months, it is actually critical for me to exercise. The walking I have been doing the past week has felt good – it hasn’t been “exercising per se” but it is movement and now it is time to up the anti. - I need to exercise more.

So I went to Bikram Hot Yoga last night – do you know how long it’s been??? Way to long. I’ve been afraid to go back because it is such a hard class and I’ve fallen so far behind in my fitness level the last 3 months. Well it was obvious just how weak I have become. Hurting my back in August was noticeable during this class. I focused on not judging myself (which all by itself was not an easy thing to accomplish) and just doing each pose the best that I could. I am proud that I did each and every one of the poses, maybe just not both sets, but I did do them.

It’s time to stop hiding…and face up to my cheating ways….

Hunt Em Up!

2011-10-25T07:47:00.001-06:00

It’s that time of year again where I get to go out and watch my girl work. It’s what she LOVES to do. I get lots of walking in and I take a ton of pictures.

Here are a few of my favorites

My lovely girl! Those ears are something else but they sure get full of burrs – ouch!

Kate loves to run through the bull rushes or cat tales (depending on what you call them). They are hard to see the dogs in but she just dives in looking for birds.

Oh Look – there is a pheasant.

I am amazed at what they run through without getting too hurt. Kate’s brother seems to constantly get these stuck in his feet but she doesn’t. Not sure if she is watching where she is running or what but her feet seem to survive quite nicely.

These dogs will not quit no matter how tired or sore they are and once they see the rifle, they are eager to get back out there and run. On Friday, I told the guys the dogs weren’t running and needed a day off. They didn’t argue as they knew as well that they needed a day of rest. I spent that day brushing out the burrs and massaging their muscles. They love it!

Ms Maggie will be able to get into the field next year but likely won’t do much other than play around and follow the other dogs. It takes a few years before they figure out exactly what they are supposed to do. Of course lots of pre-training is needed as well. She is left in the safety of her kennel during the hunt.

Now that we are out at the acreage, working the dogs is easier and I may just start getting involved (in the training, not the hunting part).

How to Find Motivation with Cancer

2011-10-24T07:12:00.001-06:00

The following is a guest post from Liz Davies:

Trying to find the motivation to exercise is hard enough for healthy and fit adults. So how do people do it when they have some major obstacles in the way?

There are different symptoms that arise during different phases of cancer treatment. Nausea, depression, exhaustion, anxiety, and pain cause patients to behave in different ways than they might normally and it takes an extra push to become or stay active. Exercise is more important than ever for people with cancer. It has shown to have astonishing health benefits that can really turn around someone’s life.

Exercise is especially important because it can help alleviate the side effects of cancer treatment. Staying active can increase the quality of life by reducing exhaustion and increasing energy levels and many other benefits.

When looking for motivation, cancer patients need to look at the vast benefits from the activity before they start and see how important the activity they are doing is for their health. Writing down reasons for the exercise leaves a visible reminder of why the activity is important. But the best cure for lack of motivation is to look for results. Usually after about two weeks people can see results from their work. It is important to set goals so that these results are even more visible.

Many people look inward for motivation but others find greater inspiration from others. Reading blogs is a good way to stay connected to like-minded people. There are also support groups for different types of cancers like breast cancer, liver cancer, and they even have mesothelioma support groups.

The amount of appropriate activity varies from person to person. Criteria such as age, cancer type, stage of therapy and the fitness level prior to diagnosis are important when determining daily fitness routines. Running three miles could be appropriate for one cancer patient while taking the stairs instead of the elevator might be a good goal for another patient.

Speaking with an oncology team allows cancer patients to create the right activity schedule and often gives them the extra push to start their routine.

Liz Davies is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She became particularly interested in ways cancer patients can cope with the side-effects of their treatment after her mother became an oncology nurse for lung cancer.

When it rains…

2011-10-13T13:13:00.001-06:00

I’m in trouble.

Look what happened over the weekend!!

Yes that is my ceiling.

Yes that is a hole.

Yes it was leaking.

I noticed the stains showing up starting Friday. It had rained all day Weds/Thursday and some into the morning of Friday.

Then Sunday, after a lovely Turkey dinner I made for my family (all 20 of us), my brother decided that he should touch one of those stains. Well that started the dripping. Just below this is my lovely leather couch and no way was I getting water on it. So we grabbed a pail, and stuck a nail in the ceiling. The water started to pour out. Got about 2.5 gallons out of it (if not more). We widened the hole to have a look above to make sure there were no water pipes. The layout of the home does not warrant pipes there, but we needed to make sure. We have now confirmed, it is coming from the roof.

I have a leak in my roof and need to get this fixed before it rains again or winter sets in. Having a house that is almost 40 years old, like my body, it is going to slowly need repair. Oi Vey!!

But look at the highlight of my weekend… she is getting so big, and is slowly allowing me to hold her longer than 5 minutes. My son is her sunshine and she is completely attached to him. Will not go to others when he is around. I feel for him as he is primary care giver (she likes Mom well enough but she doesn’t shine like daddy does).

Hope you all have a great week.

p.s., I’ve noticed I don’t get very many comments any more and I’m thinking it is either because no one has anything to say about my boring posts (hee hee) OR all of you are having the same problems I am with commenting on blogger blogs. Feel free to send me an email of you like, it’s listed in my profile!

Hmm.. to Paleo or Not to Paleo

2011-10-05T14:47:00.001-06:00

Well I’m not finding eating the Paleo lifestyle all that easy to do so I’m working my way into it by paying attention to what is going into my mouth and if it fits into the lifestyle or not. It is going to take a lot of pre-planning for me to make this work. Because so far I’ve failed at making it even close to being 100% Paleo. Not even 50% at this point.

Have a look at this list that I should not eat (according to one source):

Dairy Foods

All processed foods
Butter Cheese Cream
Nonfat dairy creamer
Skim milk
Dairy spreads
Powdered Milk Frozen yogurt Ice Milk Low-fat Milk
Ice cream
Whole milk Yogurt

I’m OK with eliminating the dairy but it will not work for Mr. Sandra. He drinks a lot of milk.

Cereal Grains

Barley (barley soup, barley bread, & all processed foods made with barley)
Corn (corn on the cob, corn tortillas, corn chips, cornstarch, corn syrup)
Millet
Oats (steel-cut oats, rolled oats & all processed foods made with oats)
Rice (brown rice, white rice, top ramen, rice noodles, basmati rice, rice cakes, rice flour, & all processed foods made with rice)
Rye (rye bread, rye crackers, & all processed foods made with rye)
Sorghum
Wheat (bread, rolls, muffins, noodles, crackers, cookies, cake, doughnuts, pancakes,
waffles, pasta, spaghetti, lasagna, wheat tortillas, pizza, pita bread, flat bread, & all processed foods made with wheat or wheat flour)
Wild rice
Amaranth
Buckwheat
Quinoa

Umm… I love quinoa – it’s my favorite. AND technically it is a seed and not a grain so I may include it regardless.

Mr. Sandra loves rice (well so do I) and there is no way we are completely eliminating sushi out of our lives. I mean we won’t eat it every single day, but once a month or so…

Bread I have no problem with. Mr. S might.

No Corn? No Oatmeal?

Legumes

All beans (adzuki beans, black beans, broad beans, fava beans, field beans, garbanzo beans, horse beans, kidney beans, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red beans, string beans, white beans)
Black-eyed peas
Chickpeas
Peanuts
Lentils
Snow peas, Peas, Sugar snap peas
Peanut butter
Miso, Soybeans & all soybean products, including tofu

Oils

Corn oil
Cottonseed oil
Peanut oil
Soybean oil
Rice bran oil
Wheat germ oil
This includes products, such as mayonnaise, which include these oils.
Starchy Vegetables

Starchy tubers Sweet potatoes Cassava root Yams
Potatoes & all potato products (French fries, potato chips, etc.)

Salt-Containing Foods

Bacon Processed Meats Pork rinds Cheese
Salami Deli Meats Frankfurters Ham
Hot Dogs
Ketchup
Pickled foods
Olives
Salted nuts
Salted spices
Sausages
Smoked, dried, & salted fish & meat
Virtually all canned meats & fish (unless you soak & drain them)

Fatty Meats

Bacon
Fatty beef roasts
Beef ribs
Chicken & turkey legs
Fatty cuts of beef
Fatty ground beef
Chicken & turkey skin
Fatty pork chops
Fatty pork roasts
Lamb chops, Lamb roasts, Leg of lamb
Pork ribs Pork sausage
T-bone steaks

Soft Drinks & Fruit Juices

All sugary soft drinks

Sweets

Candy Honey Sugars

This list does not include absolutely everything but as it is, it sure looks like we can’t eat much of anything doesn’t it? But there is a lot left we can have. This is just one list of many. Quite a few folks are NOT this strict with their food and do allow exceptions once in awhile. Guess they aren’t 100% Paleo either.

Any lean protein source works perfect (fish, wild game, grass fed beef, chicken, pork), along with plenty of vegetables and some fruit.

But as Mr. Sandra said last night “I’m a steak and potato kind of guy” so he had potatoes for dinner.

Old habits die hard…

To eat Paleo day in and day out is going to be very difficult until I have my house equipped with None of the above from the list of forbidden and full of everything we can have. It is too easy to throw something together that is quick and filling and likely has something in it we can’t have.

My desk has rice crackers, protein bars, almonds (these are OK), but I need to find other things I can snack on if I must have something to tide me over.

You know where I’m coming from?…..

Still working on the plan…

Maggie

2011-10-04T09:53:00.000-06:00

I want to introduce you to the newest member of my family.

We picked her up on Saturday and I got to spend 3 hours driving with her and bonding. We are best friends already.

Kate likes her well enough as long as she stays away from her “stuff”. First day was hard on her as puppy has new chew toys that Ms. Kate no longer needs but certainly wanted to have. As soon as puppy dropped the chew, Ms. Kate dived in and grabbed it, sending puppy flying. Maggie didn’t know what hit her. So I went out and got some more chew toys because Kate can’t fit them all in her mouth.

One thing that Kate and her bigger pal Kiwi do is tease each other with bones, treats, balls, etc. They hold the “treat” in their mouth and prance back and forth in front of the other “teasing” them. Eventually the ropes would turn and the other dog would tease. Well Kate did that on Sunday to Maggie, grabbed a chew toy and ran back and forth in front of the puppy… teasing her. Maggie just laid down and went to sleep – she couldn’t care less.

Yet….

Kate is a powerhouse of energy (English Springer Spaniel trait) and little Ms. Maggie is only 8 weeks old and needs frequent naps. Last night she fell asleep beside me on the couch and this is how she ended up. Complete trust.

Eventually she will keep Ms. Katie happy and running around chasing each other.

Every time I take Ms. Maggie outside, she chases me all around the yard. She instinctively is a follower which is a Lab trait I think. She heels too well and I’m constantly stepping on her. She will eventually learn not to walk between my feet. And eventually will wander out away from me but right now she is stuck to my legs.

She is doing so well I think life with her will be a lot of fun (until she chews all our leather furniture).

Hope you have a great day!

ttyl

Sandra

Chiro Adjustments

2011-10-03T07:58:00.001-06:00

I finally went back to the Chiropractor Office last week. I had stopped going in 2009 because the Dr. I was seeing left and his replacement left, and I wasn’t happy with those that were left in the office (doesn’t say much for the office since all the good ones were gone). But I called them again the other day and got in with another new Dr. I knew that Active Release Therapy would help heal my foot and I specifically asked for a Dr. who practiced it. It is extremely painful to get done but after it has healed the end result is much less pain and hopefully a healed foot.

But instead of using his hands he used the Grafton Technique where he used a small instrument. It was a cross between very ticklish and very painful. It was a very weird sensation. He said that the majority of my pain, being in the heel, was caused by fat pad syndrome. I had never heard or this before but after reading the above link – it makes sense. He said because of the Plantar F. and the inflammation, the nerves in my heel are very sensitive and the padding has moved and therefore causing me the extreme pain in my heel. I wondered why my orthotics weren’t doing me much good. The other day I wore my sketchers (the ones with the curved sole) because they are like walking on air and it was less pressure on my heel. The pain was a lot less that night.

While he was at it, he adjusted my hip. I could almost immediately tell the difference. He said my Si joint was out of alignment and would greatly contribute to my hip pain. So he fixed it – but of course I have to go back (today) and likely will for a while until we get this old body straightened out. I slept that night for the first time in a long time with little to no pain. It was very refreshing.

He also adjusted my neck, which immediately got rid of the pain I was having in my right shoulder/back…. I tell ya folks… I’m falling apart. The pain was gone for a couple of hours but eventually came back. It will take some time to get everything back into place on a permanent basis.

Even though I don’t like to visit a Chiropractor 3x a week, I think I’m going to have to just to keep things in alignment while I ramp up my exercising and then the muscles will strengthen around the joints while they are in the right position. I think I will encounter a LOT LESS pain that way.

I hope you all have a great week!

ttyl

Sandra

This will make you smile

2011-09-30T10:38:00.000-06:00

This will make even a bad day go away !!

A baby horse on its mom's lap

Some pictures just don't need captions.
There is nothing like Mom's lap no matter who you are. This is precious !!!!

This is a newborn offspring of Taskin, a Gypsy Stallion owned by

Villa Vanners of Oregon .

These pictures were taken immediately after his birth on April 6.

The mare laid down, and then he trotted around and

crawled right up into her lap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~It's just one of those Animalriffic days

Mom, Dad, Uncle Jim ~~ ~~ ~~ DON'T MOVE YET!!

He's not my brother ~~ ~~ He's just HEAVY!!

I promise I won't do it again, Momma!

Just wait a couple'a years and try that again! YEAH!!

Come on, throw the ball, throw the ball, ~~ ~~ I'm ready ~~ ~~ yeah ~~ throw it!

Hmmmmm. I know you think you understand what you thought I said, but I'm
not sure that what you heard is what I actually meant!

We gotta get a bigger bed!

Hey, can I have a bite'a that?

HEY!! What's with this 'warm spot' ?

You woke me up to tell me THAT??

HIIIIEEEEEEYAAAAH!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This one is destined to become a classic!

Send it to a friend who needs a smile

Self Talk

2011-09-29T11:02:00.001-06:00

I know I’ve talked about this before but I think it is very important to bring up again. How many times during the day do you find your self saying negative things about yourself? If you were to carry around a notepad and put a check mark down each time you had a negative inner dialog with yourself – how full would that page be?

It is so important to change your thoughts to positive ones. Keep telling yourself you are fat and your body just agrees with you and keeps you fat. Keeping negative images in your mind, keeps you in that state. It is a self fulfilling prophecy. Stop judging yourself. Stop comparing yourself to others.

When I’ve lost some weight and I am feeling good about myself, my motivation is high and I’m raring to go. But when I’ve gained weight, my clothes fit tighter, and my motivation is low, I am my own worst enemy and it drags my mood down. It affects almost everything I do. It is important to me to stop this chain reaction of negative self talk and start talking my way back to where I want to be.

While reading a blog on Paleo, they were taking about breaking through these negative barriers and I came across this link: It’s a bit long, but this lady is amazing and has such an important message to share - Aimee Mullins

As Dr. Wayne Dyer states “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life”.

Turn Around the Negative Self-Talk (lots more links at the bottom of this page)

You Are What You Think

I am a beautiful, healthy, fit person – how about you?

Barefoot Woes

2011-09-27T08:44:00.001-06:00

Every summer I love to wear sandals. I have several pairs that I find extremely comfortable (most days anyway) and I love it when I don’t have to wear socks.

As a child I used to run around barefoot all the time. I think the soles of my feet must have been as tough as leather because I remember running down the back alley between my home and my grandmothers…. barefoot. I remember being chased by the boys and getting away even though I was barefoot. … hmmm.. how come I hate running today?…Ah how I digress.

Quite a few years ago, I suffered severe pain in my feet. It got so bad I could hardly walk and when I went to a podiatrist, I was fitted with some orthotics. They saved my feet. I was suffering from Plantar Fasciitis.

It is a very common ailment and I know a lot of folks that suffer from it (and I’m sure some of you do as well so you can relate to what kind of pain I’m talking about). Over the years I’ve had several different types of orthotics. Some that worked, some that didn't and the unfortunate part of it is that they are darned expensive – anywhere between $250 and $500 dollars. Not something that is easily put aside if they are working right.

Last year when I walked the Kidney March (100Km Walk over 3 days), I started out wearing my newest pair of orthotics but they actually started to hurt my feet more than they did any good. So I bought some arch support Asics and I loved them. I got two identical pairs of shoes and an extra set of inserts and between the two pairs, I trained and walked the March last September. My feet survived and did fine.

But then came the summer of 2011 and my sandals again. Did I mention I LOVE wearing sandals? Unfortunately though this means my feet start hurting all over again and this summer has been especially hard on them. My new home has hardwood and linoleum floors and with all the unpacking, organizing, cleaning, renovating going on, I should have been wearing my running shoes. Does not help that I’ve gained 15lbs either.

As of today, I can hardly walk on my left foot. It is so painful. I spend a few minutes stretching my foot/heel before I get up and start walking or I wouldn’t be able to walk at all right now. Although this discomfort has been going on for awhile and I stopped wearing my sandals about a month ago and back into my runners, it is not getting better – but worse. I have a feeling my Asics are wearing out.

So I’m back to my neutral shoe with my prescribed orthotics (that hurt my feet last year) and I’m going to have to remember to wear them ALL the time and not just when I’m away from the house. With trying to increase my activity by walking (getting in more exercise), my feet hurt quite a bit after. Hence why today they are giving me grief – I’ve been getting in extra walking sessions lately.

So my #1 priority is to get this weight off and to heal my feet!

I’d get some Active Release done on it but then I’d need crutches to get around while they healed….. anyone ever had that done? And I’m open to any other suggestions on how I can make them feel better. I have this foot roller that I’ve tried on two occasions but I think I’m allergic to something in them because afterwards my feet are so itchy I can hardly stand it. Maybe latex?

I hope you have a FANTASTIC day!

ttyl

Sandra

W2D13 and On to Other Things…

2011-09-26T13:44:00.001-06:00

I’m a bit behind on my journaling for my work BL challenge. Ok I’ll admit - I suck at it. I’m all gungho and right into it in the beginning but then I get easily bored (and I’m sure you do as well) with reporting the same things over and over again. It’s boring… blah blah blah blah

So I’m not going to anymore. Instead I’m going to share stuff that I’ve been reading/investigating and maybe you will find it of interest as well.

I’m learning some stuff. So before I get to the good stuff, here’s my recent update on what I’m now working on:

I’ve always known that I must eat more protein than carbs. My biggest downfall has been drinking beer in the summer. I didn’t drink every single day, but I did on the weekends and especially while camping (never mind the Mexico trips). Even though I was not eating a whole lot of calories, didn’t eat a lot of bread or pasta, I was downing the brewsky and the empty calories weren’t doing me any good. Even when I switched to the lower calorie version which cut the calories in half, it didn’t make a difference. There is something in beer that was still making me fat … I’m pretty sure it was Sugar. Not that beer has sugar per se but the body’s processing of the ingredients in beer and how it converts it to sugar.

Almost a year ago I bought this book – The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain. I didn’t pick it up to start reading it until about a month ago. It’s pretty detailed and so I haven’t gotten all the way through it yet. Mostly because I started to read Primal Body, Primal Mind. And again it has a lot of detail so I’ve started The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and it so far is my favorite one to read. I like how he explains things and adds some humor into it as well. I’ve got about 4 books on this subject on the go.

I’ve not been counting calories (too restrictive and my brain/body rebels), but I have increased my protein intake and decreased my carb intake. I eat fruits and veggies but am trying really hard to cut out the rest of the stuff. It’s not easy as I still have to feed Mr. Sandra and he likes his Rice and Potatoes. It is amazing just how much junk goes into your body once you really start looking into things.

So far what I have noticed is that I’m not that hungry as often and I am much more alert – when I am on track. It’s all about developing new habits (or getting back into the old ones that you know work) and getting into the flow of things for me. I’ve got to make the right choices and sometimes what is in front of me isn’t exactly the right choice – but they are getting fewer and farther between (the bad ones that is). I’m still learning… You’d think I would have had this down pact by now…

Here is some stuff I’ve been reading/watching:

I found this website from another website I was reading through and thought a lot of the short interviews they have published are quite interesting. Here are just a few of what they have posted:

Why You Got Fat

Big Fat Lies

The Food Pyramid … hmmmm - Sugar and Starch

Another link on Sugar

And of course while watching the above video’s I found the below link as well.

The amazing story of a woman who lost 500 pounds

I guess this is why we all blog and love getting comments/support from each other.

I hope you are all having a fantastic day!

ttyl

Sandra

Ms. Katie was bad :)

2011-09-25T12:26:00.000-06:00

I got up to a wonderful mess on my rug this morning. Ms Katie must not have felt very good. And upon further investigation I discovered just how much she likes my Wheat Grass.

She munched it all down.

Devil child :)

Why I Like Where I Live

2011-09-24T15:46:00.001-06:00

Unfortunately the blackberry doesn't show the Mountains but they are there.

W1D4,D5,D6

2011-09-19T07:58:00.001-06:00

Yeah, so the weekend didn’t go as I planned. I headed down to the basement to workout first thing Saturday morning but my exercise equipment was surrounded by boxes and I started to move stuff around and ended up organizing some of the space so that I’d feel comfortable exercising…. Then I had to get ready to leave the house and went shopping with my daughter – walking the malls counts as exercise doesn’t it? Sure as heck didn’t do what I planned that morning that’s for sure.

Food was pretty good all weekend. Problem I have is that I don’t drink enough water (I talked about this on Day 2) and I don’t eat often enough. I find I get busy and forget to eat. Then when I do eat, it is a larger meal. Not good, not good at all. I need the 6-7 smaller meals a day to lose weight and ALL of them must contain protein.

Sunday, I did no exercise at all except cleaning the house. I had my grandson over for the weekend and when he gets up early I tend not to abandon him to go into the basement to exercise – unless he can join me. In this new place, that isn’t the case … yet. I know excuses excuses.

What I’m going to to do later today is sit down and think about some small goals I want to achieve. I think striving towards meeting small attainable goals will help motivate me. If I do stretch goals, that take months and months to reach, I’ll get bored and move onto something else (or nothing at all). Maybe I will do daily and weekly goals to start.

In the end my goal is to be healthy and fit at whatever weight that is but to get there I need some stepping stones.

Do you think setting goals helps you in your journey?

Day 3

2011-09-16T08:40:00.001-06:00

Oh how boring that title is…

The reason I need a treadmill is because I’m not that comfortable yet walking the country roads. Our road is not paved per se but is oiled and compact so it is much better than gravel. But truth be told, I am afraid of dogs. Yes I have a dog but she is my dog and I am completely comfortable with her. Other dogs that come out on the road barking at you make me uncomfortable. And on our road, I’ve seen quite a bit of this. I must get over this though because it is a perfect road for walking/running as it is starts out with a hill on my side of things, then about 4K down the road towards the main highway, you walk up another hill and to do that back and forth to get in at least an 8K walk would be a good session (I hate hills therefore I must do more of them).

So… I want a treadmill…

So back to dogs… Our Ms. Katie is a lovely dog, and has been raised as a hunting dog. (Oh don’t be fooled by that – she is a princess through and through). She is good for upland birds (Pheasants) when she goes hunting and doesn’t do so well retrieving heavy ducks and geese out of the water. Katie is thriving living out there and she loves it. We had considered getting a pet safe fencing system put in as we weren’t sure if she would wander but so far so good. She is such a home body, and such a people dog, she never leaves the vicinity of the house. And she NEVER barks unlike all the other dogs in the surrounding farms/acreages (one in particular can keep me awake at night). Katie is such a good dog it is impressive.

So Mr. Sandra wants a dog that will retrieve game birds out of the water and make it a bit easier for Katie (she won’t have to work as often or as hard).And since we are now in the country rather than in the city, I’m all game for it.

Let me introduce our newest family member - Maggie – a Charcoal Lab (not quite black, more silver/grey)

One week old

Almost 4 weeks old

This was taken on Sept 4th. We went out to pick her and we introduced Katie to the pups at the same time. She didn’t mind them but they weren’t moving around much. Won’t be the same when Maggie comes home.

6 weeks

Look at that face

We are going to pick her up at the end of the month and go through all that new puppy stuff all over again. The training, the chewing, the puppy sillyness and both of us are looking forward to it! Ms. Katie on the other hand will need some delicate gloves as I’m sure her nose will be out of joint. We will work through though.

Not a darn thing about my diet in this post was there ….

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC weekend!

Sandra

Day 2

2011-09-15T12:18:00.001-06:00

I’ve decided I don’t do so good when at home when I’m not busy moving around. I’m working from here today as I have a sales consultant coming over this afternoon to give me a quote on my house windows (oi vey it is expensive).

I notice I get the munchies and I don’t drink enough water.

I haven’t exercised yet but went downstairs, moved some boxes around and got the Tv and DVD plugged in for use when I’m done working. I really need to hit the basement and get all my equipment setup the way I like it. With moving the country, it is a good thing I own every thing except a treadmill… I miss my treadmill…. I want a new treadmill..

My focus today is to try to get in lots of water – which seems to be easier at work than it is here. I bought a new water dispenser and the water tastes like metal. I’ve cleaned it, soaked it in vinegar, ran almost an entire 18L jug of water through it to wash it out and the water still tastes funny. I am very very fussy on the taste of my water. Up until now we’ve been buying small bottles of water but they require more recycling and storage for the empty bottles. I like the bigger water bottles with dispenser…. except mine. If it doesn’t get better after this next bottle, I’m buying another new one and this one goes into Mr. Sandra’s shop. He smokes, he can’t taste the metal taste.

We are on a well, and although the water is fine it is very hard. I could drink it, it doesn’t taste funny but I want it tested before I consume large amounts of it … ya know what I mean.

I went for a massage last night as I need some work on my hips. She was a new RMT for me and I’m not sure how much I liked her method. She does deep tissue which is what I wanted but she really really digs deep. Which hurts so much you tense up through the entire thing and then it hurts even more. I had to ask her to back off a bit a few times. It was what I asked for, and it is what I needed but it sure hurt. There are a couple other places in town that I want to try so will schedule with another practitioner for the next one and then evaluate how I feel between the two. It helps me so much to get it regularly done so it is important to find the right one. Mine is on mat. leave and will come out here after she has had the baby (she will work part time for a few select folks and I’m one of them… yeah). But in the meantime I still need a work over.

Today I am sore but not as sore as I thought I would be.

Look 3 posts in a row…. Yeah!!

Have a FANTASTIC DAY!!

Sandra

Day 1

2011-09-14T14:06:00.001-06:00

I did my weigh-in this morning. Different than what it is at home because I'm fully dressed and have eaten breaky and a snack but I expected that. But quite honestly I was a bit disappointed in how they are sharing information.

A few pamphlets included in the package but you are on your own for exercise and diet - which I am 100% OK with because quite frankly I know what to do. But there are folks that don't that signed up for this and I guess I was hoping for more for them. ?See here I am wanting more for others... :) I know what is good for me and how to eat properly. I just need to refocus and get it back together again to make it work. I know I need more protein than most diets call for, and most programs run by a health clinic would focus more on the 40-60% carb ratio. I need it less than that…..

Anyway….

So far today my food is on track and my blood sugars are right inline where they should be. Please note that I am not diabetic, nor do I have any borderline symptoms. I'm using my body as a scientific experiment (insert evil laugh here) and I'm testing my blood every two hours after I've eaten something to see how I feel and what my blood sugar is at. I had started it some time ago when Mr. Sandra was told he was borderline diabetic and I started testing mine too to see how different we were and how we reacted to food differently. It’s been interesting.

As for exercising – none done yet today and not likely going to be any either. I was going to go out at lunch for a walk but work got in the way. Can you imagine that …. Work stopping me from getting out and enjoying a nice break. If people would stop breaking things then I wouldn’t have to fix them (wait… it was me that broke it… and I must tell ya, when I break something EVERYONE knows about it. Today the folks in the EAST couldn’t access the internet. Imagine that… no Internet… and Yeah I did it and I fixed it too)… And then after work I have scheduled a massage with a new therapist in the town we live near. My massage terrorist is on mat leave and so not coming over anymore and I haven’t had a beating since May sometime. My hips and back are very tight and it is very uncomfortable so I need some working over to get my muscled moving again. Right now walking hurts.

So I’ll get on the exercise bandwagon tomorrow – I promise! Self – I hold you to this….

Hope you are all having a FANTASTIC day!

Ttyl

Sandra

Day Zero

2011-09-13T13:15:00.001-06:00

Well if any of you are still reading my blog, I will be surprised. Not been too active on here lately have I? But I have been busy… guess priorities were not the blog. But I’m going to have to come back…. it seems to keep me on track.

I have successfully gained weight over the summer. In fact, I am above what I ever wanted to be ever again and I am very unhappy about it. In fact I am up about 20lbs from where I was two years ago. My fat clothes that I gave away… well I need them again. I am uncomfortable in my body again and I really hate it because I remember how good I was feeling when I lost the weight.

Between entering menopause and not exercising, my body got fat and weak and boy can I tell.

So starting tomorrow, I am joining in with a group of people here at work with a 12 week challenge. The health department is sponsoring it and we can win prizes. But for me the best prize will be to get re-focused again. There are a couple of us here that are 50 and experiencing the exact same thing so we are going to work together to beat this.

I’ve got to start exercising again and I am still not finding time to do it much. Home time just isn’t going to work out until I can get the schedule a bit more relaxed. So since we have a “free” gym here at work, I’m bringing my workout clothes and will be spending some time down there – either first thing in the morning or before I go home after work.

My travel schedule changed a couple of weeks ago, well actually it truly did when I moved out of the city but there has been an additional change. I was driving right down town and parking (for free) and it took me about 50 minutes. Slower going home of course because more traffic. Well on Sept 5th I lost my “free parking” so am now taking the train. I drive to the city limit (35 minutes) and then hop on the train (40 minutes). So I’m getting here later than I like and leaving later which means I get home later. By the time dinner is done, I get ready for the next day and then head to bed because it has already been a very long day.

So really, my option right now is to take some time for me during the day and get it done. Work is extremely busy right now so I’ll just schedule it in like an appointment – it’s the only way until I get used to the longer days living out of the city.

As for food, I’ve got to clean that up a ton as well. I still eat fairly healthy but I skip too many meals, then eat the wrong stuff because it’s handy and quick. Too much processed food. I’ve got to get re-organized again and now that my big BD party is over and the stress and all the renovation headaches are less, I should find more time on the weekends to prepare for the week.

And speaking of renovations – there is a ton of work still to be done at the acreage but we have made huge progress so far and it looks so much better.

I was thinking of posting before and after pictures if anyone is interested in seeing them.

Feel free to kick my butt if I’m not posting more often – I need the friendly reminders to move my buttocks.

ttyl

Sandra

Future Dancer

2011-08-26T06:30:00.001-06:00

Had to share this with you. She is still shy towards me (when I want to hold her mostly) but she loves loves to dance. She’s walking but still a bit unsteady…. as you will see in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o4Hczz6vwU

She is dancing to the LMFAO music video – enjoy

ttyl

Sandra

Sleep

2011-08-23T06:59:00.001-06:00

We all know how important sleep is for your overall well being. It is when your body does all of it’s healing.

I’ve struggled for quite some time to get a good nights sleep for several reasons but the main reason is the pain I experience from my hips. I’m a side sleeper and laying on my sides causes me to be in considerable pain after awhile.

So, I went bed hunting in June, and laid on many beds on my side to see which might work for me. It is so hard to really tell in a store because you don’t really lie on them long enough to really determine if they will work or not.

And since I was about to move, the bed I ordered, I had it delivered after I moved (why move it twice). After watching the delivery guys trying to get this bed up the stairs, I’m very very glad we waited and had them deliver it.

I almost need a step ladder to get into it and it is a King size so I really feel like I’m sleeping alone as Mr. Sandra seems to be so far away. Honestly that works most nights in the summer when you get so hot….

Anyway, I slept in the bed for 2 weeks then went on vacation and slept on my trailer bed for 3 weeks. It is like going from a comfy cloud to a hard floor. 3 weeks on a harder mattress hurt my back. But I am back home and giving the new bed a try again.

Unfortunately I’m still in pain and I’ve concluded that I just won’t get rid of it and will have to try to get as good of sleep as I can. So I’ve been experimenting trying to get what sleep I do, as solid as I can.

Going to sleep is not an issue, I can fall asleep instantly. But staying asleep is another matter. I toss and turn, back and forth, all through the night.

I had turned my Fitbit on to sensitive tracking so that it will record all movement and this is what I see:

3hrs and 29minutes of actual sleep time. Not sure how accurate that is but some mornings it does not surprise me by how I feel. I’m just not getting enough sleep.

This is affecting my energy levels and my weight – I know it is.

So I bought some lavender scented stones and have them beside my bed and the last two nights I’ve rubbed almond oil (good omega absorption) and dabbed lavender on the bottom of my feet. And even though that picture above says I only slept 3h29m, I feel like I slept better. Much Much better!

So when I switched it to normal tracking, I saw this:

Last night I feel like I got 6 hours of sleep. Big difference between those two trackers but I KNOW some nights, the sensitive one is accurate and other nights like last night I know the normal one is correct. I had changed it to sensitive because just because I wasn’t moving didn’t necessarily mean I was asleep. I can lay there perfectly still and be wide awake.

Either way, I need to get more sleep than I do….

Solving the hip pain should become my number 1 priority…. Then I will sleep sounder/longer.

ttyl

Sandra

Summer Life….

2011-08-17T07:43:00.001-06:00

Hey remember me? I used to post here regularly and then it seems like life got in the way – imagine that!!

I’ve been a busy gurl and instead of getting smaller like I had hoped before my 50th BD, I’ve gained weight.

Why, when I eat more salads and fruit in the summer, do I put on weight rather than take it off? Maybe it’s that extra “stuff” I stuff in my mouth? Yeah, I agree with you, it’s that other stuff…..

The move went well but I’m still not done. I’ve got so much renovations to do in the house, I didn’t want to unpack, then pack it all up to move the cabinets to paint the walls behind ... ya know what I mean? Almost every single room needs work and we have been slowly plugging away at it with 3 weeks of camping holiday right smack dab in the middle of it all. I was on vacation camping longer than I had lived in the house.

Had a great holiday though – probably one of the best ones I’ve had in some time. Here are a few pictures – didn’t take out the camera as much as I normally do…

We floated down the St. Mary’s river one day for an 8 hour fly fishing float and fished all day. Both of us caught up to 20 fish each. It isn’t easy for me fishing out of this boat. I was in the back and always afraid I’d hit the guide in the back of the head with a fly or something like that. I’m 100% sure if I did, it wouldn’t have been the first time he was caught

Lunch is quite the affair. He (our guide) pulls out this little table, chairs and fantastic food out of a cooler. Fresh raspberries in the salad. They were picked the night before. We really enjoyed it.

I thought this looked pretty cool. Was hollow quite a ways in.

A storm came through in the afternoon where we got rained and hailed on but for the most part the day was very nice.

Another day we went up this narrow winding road into the mountain to see a water fall. I don’t have the pictures here with me at work as they are still on my camera but it was a very nice view. Then we stopped at the bottom of the mountain at this lake and spent some time throwing bumpers for the dogs to swim. Can’t beat the view….

And then we came home and started to work on the house because I’ve got a BD party coming up in 2 weeks where 45+ people are coming over and the perfectionist in me wants to have the house as perfect as I can. So How come I cant look at my body the same way? Hmmm…. The yard needs a ton of work as well. Turns out our ride-on mower isn’t working and the renter didn’t bother to tell us. It explains why she had all 7 horses she had roaming around freely. They kept the grass down… when we got back from vacation, the grass was so long around the house, I just took the gas mower and plowed through it to make my lawn at least look like a lawn and not part of the hay field

So far the commute isn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I get up in the dark and when I leave the house at 5:30, the sky is just starting to brighten up and it is very pretty. Our house faces the East with no obstruction to the view so it is very lovely and peaceful to wake up to. The drive is only taking me 50-55 minutes which really isn’t that bad. I know it the winter it will be much slower and longer but I’ve got other plans for then.

What I really need to do is find some time to exercise. I come home from work and start working on the house. Then I’m in bed by 10 because as you all know, 4:30 comes pretty early. I’ve just got to get back in shape because after a couple of months hiatus, I can really feel it. I feel weak, lazy and unhealthy. I was worried that none of my work clothes would fit me because as I started to lose the weight, I gave all my big clothes to the Salvation Army. There was no way I was getting back into them… I’m still not but I’m heading in that direction if I don’t get my shitz together. And for eating I’ve got to find something that is easy to do, and works for me. I know how to exercise and eat properly. I’ve just got to get it together and get down to it! I’ve got to get Mr. Sandra under control as well as I think his blood sugars are doing bad things to him. His motivation to get things done around the acreage are not where I want them to be… my worst nightmare about moving out to this place…

Hope you all haven’t abandoned me…. will promise to post more often to keep myself more accountable.

ttyl

Sandra

Catch-up

2011-07-13T08:06:00.001-06:00

I’ve moved in but am still unpacking. It has not been easy and has been a lot of work. I’m not sure if I mentioned it in a past post but the renter only did half a project when renovating the house. In each and every room there is something that needs to be completed and as I’ve been unpacking, I’ve found more and more. We haven’t started to “fix” it up yet but I think this weekend it’s time to get out the paint cans and brushes and get working. I figured it wasn’t worth unpacking my china and decorations for the walls until we finished the painting so right now those boxes are still sitting in the shop outside. Some are inside….. I hate moving and if I EVER mention I want to move out of this place, remind me of all the work getting into it.

Sad news in my family – lost my Uncle on Sunday to complications from a routine surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his intestine. Still don’t know the exact details because when I talked to my Aunt yesterday, she is still pretty upset. Kept saying “This wasn’t supposed to happen, he was going to be back to normal within 6 weeks”. My Uncle (my dad’s youngest brother) took my orphaned family under his wings when my parents passed on. He rather became our father – the older, wiser one we could go to if we needed to. He was very healthy and very active so this has come as a shock to everyone. I tell you people, live each day like it’s your last because tomorrow things may change – don’t waste your life!

Fortunately the night I got the news, my children were over for the “thanks for helping me move “ dinner and little Lilyana was there to entertain us all. This little monkey loves music and as soon as she hears it she starts to move and dance. Very cute. She isn’t walking yet (stands well on her own) but crawling all over everything. She even let me hold her for quite awhile. She is EXTREMELY attached to Daddy and when he is around, she doesn’t want anyone else. Her making strange to me seems to be wearing off the more I see her (naturally).

Yesterday was Mr. Sandra’s BD and we were coming into the city for dinner so I went to the city house to wait for him (no use driving the 30 miles home and back again) and so I saw little miss again and took some pictures with my phone.

Forgive the crappy pictures – I think my lens is dirty.

She scrunches up her face every single time that I point a camera at her. I’m not sure if she is posing or squinting ahead of time from the flash It’s cute though…

Watched this go by Monday night – completely destroyed all the flowers I just bought for the new place.

White crap is hail and lots of it. Thing about living in the country – you can see this stuff coming and I should have moved the plants into safety – however in this case we were eating dinner and I wasn’t really watching out the window – until it went by, turned around and came back for a second round of hail.

I’ve gained weight – not sure how because of all the activity I’ve been doing with packing, moving and unpacking but I have. Part of it is the menopause bloating but the main part is just plain “I’ve gained weight” facts….

I’m the same as I was when I started out in January. So thinking along those terms – I haven’t gained weight, I just haven’t lost any

Blah! Mr. Sandra got the Treadclimber and Bowflex put back together again last night … now I’ve got to figure out when I can exercise. I’m getting up at 4:30 each morning to get out the door and to work by 6:30 and when I come home at night, I’ve been unpacking, cleaning or organizing something. Maybe I need to make it a habit to come home, get changed into workout clothes and then head to the basement to get a workout in. OR I stay in the city and go walking with my daughter. We do have the Kidney March coming up in 60 days or so and really haven’t had time to do any walking training……. OH yea!

Hope you are all doing FANTASTIC!!

TTYL

Sandra

MIA

2011-06-30T08:16:00.001-06:00

I’ve been such a bad blogger of late. I’ve been so busy at work and at home… well it’s nuts. I move in two days and I have to tell you all I HATE moving.

It’s living around the boxes and the mess that drives me nuts. And my daughters BF is moving in so he is moving his stuff in, while I’m packing mine up. It makes it tough on space with four people living in a small house and full spaces. I am so looking forward to living with just the two of us and the dog.

The only exercise I’ve been getting is walking at the end of the day with my daughter as we have to practice for the Kidney March in September. Otherwise, my house is off limits because there just isn’t any room. My bowflex and treadclimber have been taken apart to make it easier to move and my weights are in a carton (several cartons actually cause you can’t lift it if all of them were in one).

I’m tired, I’m cranky, I have a permanent headache.

Mr. Sandra has not been much help I hate to say.

I’m worried about moving out there now with so much work ahead of us. I HOPE with everything inside of me that he doesn’t let me down and will get the work done.

We went there a couple of weeks and I got in the house to see how the renter had painted it. Let’s just say I have a LOT of work to do to make it look better. In some rooms she “half” painted the walls. I’m serious, in the back hallway, it looks like she painted around a table against the wall. I took a lot of pictures of inside the house so as I get the rooms done I’ll show you before and after versions. Not every room is bad, just some of them.

It will be Sandra’s Home Makeover Challenge

Guess who turned one last weekend!

Time flies by…

She makes a face every time I take a picture. Would scrunch up her nose and eyes. Was really cute! She still doesn’t like anyone other than her daddy. I still can’t hold her (but neither can anyone else). Breaks my heart

I hope you are doing well!

ttyl

Sandra

Had to pass this on

2011-06-10T06:58:00.001-06:00

Horrible for the country but what amazing pictures.

Thousands flee their homes and flights are grounded as Chilean volcano sends plumes of ash showering down

Booming explosions echoed across the Andes as toxic gases belched up from a three-mile-long fissure in the volcanic complex which began erupting Saturday.

Full Story:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1395070/Thousands-flee-homes-flights-grounded-Chilean-volcano-sends-plumes-ash-showering-down.html

10 June 2011

www.dailymail.co.uk

The New Place….

2011-05-31T07:36:00.001-06:00

Starting July 1st, this is going to be my view out my front window. There is a nice big window that I plan on putting a comfy chair in front of so that I can always just go sit and look out here when I need to.

We went out on the weekend to take some boxes from our current home and to store them in the shop. Our renter won’t be out until the end of June and my house is so small that all the boxes are starting to get in the way. We thought it would be easier to slowly start bringing them out. So while there I took lots of pictures to share with you all. That’s Mr. Sandra’s shop behind the truck there. Used to be a two door garage but he has all his wood working equipment in there and the well house is inside. He’s excited to get back out there and start making things.

The house is about 30 or more years old and needs some tender loving care. Repainting, windows replaced, roof and fascia work but all in all it is in pretty good shape. I have tons of dreams of decks, gardens, flower gardens, rock gardens and firepits. But it is all going to take some time because all of it is a cost and a LOT of work. This picture is taken from where we store the trailer looking towards the house. I took close ups of it but not going to share them all here. Will use them as before and after pics .

This was my garden about 6 years ago. It hasn’t been used since. I’ve got some cleaning up to do. My plan is to actually make this into a Chicken coop area and raise layers and maybe some meat birds. I love love love fresh eggs – especially when I know what goes into the hens . I feed them healthy stuff and keep them free roaming. As much as I can with land that will have bird dogs running around and coyotes I suppose as well.

Mr. Sandra has a mile long list of things to do but building the chicken coop is at the top of the list. So my new garden plans are to have a raised garden, like the square foot gardens, in a tiered fashion. All with a fence around to keep the deer out. I can’t have a huge garden because I just won’t have the time so until I’m ready to have a big one, the smaller square foot type will suit me just fine.

This was a fire pit area the renter put in but I like where she did it and will be creating a new space there.

This shows the back of the house. There are no decks anywhere around this home and I really want to build something nice and cozy back there. and out front. Eventually I’d like a hot tub cause we are going to need it after a day of working out there. That’s my little man Mr. Aiden who I had over the weekend. He hates bugs and there were a lot of mosquitos out and he eventually ran back to the truck and stayed in there. I’ve got toughen up that little man.

This is the view towards the fire pit. We own a bit more on the other side of those trees. Altogether we have 10 acres.

Winding road out of the place. We have a tractor that will clear it of snow in the winter. Otherwise, it might a tough drive out.

My biggest concern is that I still work full time in the city center. I’m going to have a 75 minute one-way drive each day. I’m not going to mind it so much in the summer as I know a ton of shortcuts through the country to get back and forth but in the winter I’m going to hate it. I know that now. And I can’t take any of the shortcuts because it won’t be safe. I’ll have to stick to the well travelled roads. Since I am in IT, I can work from home if I need to but my boss won’t like it if it becomes a habit. However, living in the country is something I love and as long as I don’t stress over the amount of work to be done and the drive, I will LOVE being out there again. Difference in my life this time compared to the last time I lived out there is that Mr. Sandra is retired and can help out around the place. My Ex, worked with me in the city center but when we got home, he didn’t do anything. It was really tough on me.

My current home in the city is going to be taken over by all my kids. My son, his GF and my lovely little Lilyana, along with my daughter and her BF will all be sharing the home and taking care of it. So in the winter if it does storm while I am at work, I will always have a place to stay.

I’ll keep you updated on the renovation progress of this place. Can’t get inside yet to see what it looks like but I know the renter has painted it and tore out most of the rug and put down hard wood. I know she painted it pretty dark so will see what needs to be done (if anything) when she vacates. Hopefully we can just move in with little work.

Look who else I got to see on the weekend. That is her daddy behind her. She is standing but not walking yet – time flies doesn’t it…. She is a daddy’s girl and when he is around there is no one else in her world. In this picture she is looking at Katie. She makes strange to me still, even though they come over every weekend so that I can see her and she gets used to me. I can hold her now but as soon as she see’s her dad, she wants him and if she can’t see him she cries. They are going to have issues this little family….

I hope you all have a fantastic week!

ttyl

Sandra

Goal Setting … Again

2011-05-26T13:53:00.001-06:00

“The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”

- Michelangelo

Oh how true that statement is for me. I’m pretty sure that my problem these days is that I don’t have any goals. At least nothing concrete that I’m sticking to. They are too wishy washy and have no substance and therefore easy to break.

How am I going to get where I want to go if I don’t plan on how I’m going to get there?

I know what to do, I know how to do it, I’m just not applying the knowledge and taking the right steps towards getting there.

Setting goals is going to help me get there.

I need to ingrain these goals into my subconscious so that they become a natural thing. I think I’ve been sabotaging myself enough that what goals I thought I had, I’d never reach because… well because I thought I’d never reach them. My negative naysaying and putting myself down has done a bit of damage over the years.

Last night was a perfect example. I put on a two piece bathing suit and had Mr. Sandra take pictures of me (100 Days to 50 personal challenge). All I could think of was “is he looking at my fat belly” where he was thinking “Man she looks sexy in that bathing suit”. I didn’t believe him when he said that and immediately tried to make it negative. I really need to learn to take a compliment and I need to really stop the self damage thoughts.

Unless I change my attitude and drop the negative talk, I will continue to sabotage myself. The negative programing in my subconscious mind is determining my behavior/habits. It doesn’t know any better. It just accepts what I tell it. If I repeat something enough times,that is what is going to be the outcome. You know the definition of insanity right?

So it’s time to make a change, go off the normal beaten track and get my affirmations in place. And I need to make up my mind to get to my goal and focus on reaching each and every one of them. I’m going to develop long term, 90 day, monthly, weekly and even daily goals. Make each day a success by accomplishing the daily goal I have assigned myself.

My problem is that I get bored or easily sidetracked… so I will need to focus on making this a natural part of my day. Redirect any negative thoughts into positive ones, stop comparing myself to anyone other than myself and get back on track!

I hope you are all doing great, and have a FANTASTIC weekend!

ttyl

Sandra

Tired

2011-05-18T07:51:00.001-06:00

I am beat today. Worked a 16 hr day yesterday, first half of the day was cross-training with my old team, and the last half was to do a major server outage. As I sit here this morning, I feel like I haven’t left.

I have had no time to exercise lately either and am I ever noticing the difference in how I feel. My energy levels are definitely low. The more I exercise, the more energy I have, the better I feel. I need a Bikram Hot Yoga session but not sure if I will have the energy to go tonight or just go home and get to bed early and hit the mat tomorrow night …

But why put off for tomorrow what I can do today….

Vacation’s Over :(

2011-05-16T09:35:00.001-06:00

The trip was busy and over way too soon. I didn’t take as many pictures as I normally do because I’ve already got probably a thousand pictures of this place because we have been there so much. But I thought I’d share a few with you.

Our room was on the 8th floor this year as I wanted the huge balcony. It looks out over the ocean and I love the view. This picture is to the NW of our hotel.

Mazatlan has what they call the “Gold Zone”. It is basically the hotel portion of the city and very safe for us to wander through. Lots of vendors and shops to buy “stuff” at.

We went out for dinner most nights and at one of the places they had this young lady walking around singing and then she started to dance and one of the waiters danced with her. They tried to get me up to dance with them but I’m not that much of a exhibitionist - don’t like to get up in front a bunch of people. Not that the restaurant was busy but I just don’t like to get up in front of folks much.

We ordered a banana desert and they made it right at our table. The two waiters put on quite a show and at one point when the flames were high, the young man grabbed the fire extinguisher just to get us laughing… it worked.

Cliff divers…. I love my camera and I did manage to get him as he jumped from the top to the ocean, so I grabbed a lot of pictures – looks like a motion picture if you go through them fast enough.

Fish Market – fresh seafood every single day. It is located in Old Mazatlan and we go down there every year and grab fresh shrimp and take it back to our hotel and cook it up. We get Rice and Veggies from the kitchen and have a feast. We didn’t do all-inclusive this year and cooked for ourselves quite often.

I like taking pictures of birds and this one flew by pretty close by our balcony.

LOVE the sunsets

We went Mangrove fishing one day. It was about a two hour drive from Mazatlan and was extremely foggy on the way there. Rather sucked as I couldn’t see much of the country and the driving scares the crap out of you. You couldn’t see 10 feet in front of the truck and our driver kept trying to pass the trucks in front of us and there was a lot of swerving back into the lane because of on-coming traffic. There was no napping on that trip.

So in this picture, to the left you can see a thatched roof – that is a restaurant. Since our boat did not have a washroom, Pam and I asked if we could use a bathroom before we got on the boat. They took us to this restaurant and as we travelled through it to the back of the yard, I got a good look. First I’ll explain what we found for our bathroom….

It was the top section of a boat – the cabin part. The door had a cloth curtain and inside was a toilet stuck in the ground. No flushing, just squat and hover as far away as you could. The men’s room was outside around the fence and into a cut-off bleach bottle. The guys had to watch for splash back.

So back to the restaurant, dirt floor (fine – we are in a small fishing village). Bloated dead fish on ground, flies galore, dirty dishes everywhere… not very sanitary. No running water that I saw but they listed prices and served food here.

We then spent the day fishing and caught a ton of fish and I took a ton of pictures. My camera bag was in my beach bag and I had switched my smaller lens with my telephoto one and unfortunately didn’t secure my bag properly. The cabin boy grabbed my bag to get a net and my lens fell out and hit the floor. The impact broke it and it wouldn’t work again. He felt so bad about doing it but it wasn’t his fault – I should have taken better care of it. But this meant that I couldn’t take any close-up pictures for the rest of my trip.

At the end of the fishing day, part of the trip was to have a lovely lunch at a restaurant by the beach where they would cook the fish we caught. I asked Tony our guide if he actually meant the restaurant where I used the banos and he said “Yes”. And I said… “ah No”. I’ll take my fish back to my hotel thanks. We would likely have gotten a bit sick if we ate food prepared at that place. No running water and if there was running water we couldn’t have eaten or drank anything used in it. Inside Mazatlan, in the Gold Zone, the water is filtered but even then we drink only from bottles. Nice day, and appreciate the different culture, but there was no way I was eating there.

Pepper farm – saw tons of workers out in the fields harvesting the peppers and they would lay it out on these mats and let them dry. There were also big furnaces for roasting them. I loved seeing them.

All in all the trip was good but we made a decision while there that I am not feeling good about. Our friends and Mr. Sandra and I got suckered into purchasing another timeshare. It is absolutely gorgeous but too good to be true kind of thing. I didn’t feel right during the whole transaction and I should have stayed with my gut and not gotten involved. When I got back to work last week, I did some research and there is nothing but bad press about this company….. Live and learn I guess… Should have known better.

But I can’t get it off my mind and it’s driving me nuts.

It’s an expensive mistake.

And I haven’t exercised much and need to get my butt moving again. I need a kick folks!

Hope you are all doing well!

Sandra

Ahh… the time is near

2011-04-26T14:13:00.001-06:00

I’m off for 8 days to warm sunny Mazatlan as of May 2nd. I have gone there enough times now it is like going home. The same people work there, the same people visit at the same time we do and eventually friendships of a sort develop. We are bringing our friends again but without their son this time. I’m kind of disappointed in that part because although he is now 14 years old, he is a lot of fun to “play” with. He loves to go swimming and so do I and so I always had someone to splash around in the pool with. Mr. Sandra is a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to swimming. We don’t swim in the ocean all that much these days due to the jelly fish but if they aren’t around, then I will go. Seen too many people over the years getting stung and I would just rather stay safe and sound in the pool.

We are bringing our own ping pong paddles and balls because like most resorts (at least in Mazatlan) the economy has hit them and they don’t’ seem to replace their worn out broken down toys. Maybe it is because there are a lot of kids there and truthfully they don’t treat things the same as if they were their own. So we are bringing some because I love playing it and getting a good laugh in. Works up a sweat too!

We aren’t doing “all-inclusive” this time either. Decided to try out various different restaurants which is actually good for me. I can pick and choose better meals than just what the hotel provides. Quite frankly they LOVE using tons of butter in their food so this should work out to my advantage. And when you don’t do all-inclusive you don’t feel like you must eat/drink your money’s worth. $1100 between two adults is a lot of food/drink to make it worth while the cost.

I didn’t lose all the weight I wanted to before I left but there is no one to blame but myself. It isn’t like I didn’t have the tools basically handed to me on a silver plate. I just made choices that didn’t follow the plan to the letter and because of that, I didn’t succeed like I originally planned. I haven’t given up, my timeline has just been extended. I’m strong, healthy and feel pretty good about myself and that entire persona helps with my exterior presentation So too bad to anyone else that doesn’t like me in my bathing suit – they can just look the other way.

When I get back I am going to get those bad choices under control and see if I can’t make my goal by my 50th BD. I’m also going through that menopause thing and like my sister says, no matter how much you work out, or eat on track, that pouch is going to stay until you get through this. She works her ass off and is about 30lbs less than me and I think she looks great but she has the little tummy pouch that didn’t show up until recently, that she just can’t work off. It’s all connected…. I just know it is….

I won’t be blogging again until I get back (I don’t think) as I don’t have much time. I’m so busy here at work, especially with leaving for a little over a week.

And my personal life is just nuts.

I hope you are all doing FANTASTIC!

TTYL

Sandra

Body Action System

2011-04-21T09:55:00.001-06:00

I finally found something that Mr. Sandra likes to do for exercise. It’s the Body Action System or BAS. I think it was from watching the BL show and seeing how well some of the girls were doing with boxing and when we saw the Infomercial for this product, I said I’d love to try this and he said he would love to give that a try as well. So I ordered it and within less than two weeks it showed up.

It folds away when not needed but we have it set up downstairs in front of my Bowflex – which means it’s hard to get to the Bowflex but I’m not using it right now anyway.

This is the one we got:

I think it will be fun to use. I haven’t tried it yet but Mr. Sandra said he got on it right away yesterday and starting punching the daylights out of it. It gets his heart rate up and it is something he likes to do. Yeah!! I really hope it works for him because the treadmill daily walk is starting to wane for him and it’s like pulling teeth when I ask him if he has “walked” today. He shows great momentum for about 2 weeks then drops off.

Now I really have to move to a bigger house because my basement is full – hardly have any room to move down there with all my workout equipment. I have way too much exercise stuff and could open my own gym

But with moving to an acreage I need to have this stuff at home as going to a gym isn’t going to be all that easy.

Have I mentioned I’m moving in July? Probably not…. will save that for another post and will post pictures of the place.

Hope you are all having a fantastic week – I’ll let you know how it goes with this BAS and if I can rock it or not….

ttyl

Sandra

p.s., I just found out our IT department is getting re-org’d as of May 1st. Oh the joys of change… happens around here every few years and since I’ve been here for 23 years – I guess I’m used to it. I’m now apart of a group called “Emerging Infrastructure Technologies” which really means I get to investigate, test, play with anything new that comes out and decide if it is a fit for the company. I think it will be fun!

Body Confidence–Book Review

2011-04-14T00:15:00.000-06:00

About The Book

I was contacted by TLC Book Tours to give Mark MacDonald of Venice Nutrition’s new book “Body Confidence” a review. I figured since I just about own every other book there is available, that I’d give this one a go. In the beginning of the book he talks about his own struggles and at first I thought “he has no idea”. But as I got going through the book, a lot of information he presents I have read before and I do believe in the theory. In some cases a bunch of these went off…

This book is not only for those that want to lose weight, it is for folks that want to gain muscle as well. It’s really about Body Confidence – feeling good about the skin you are in.

In the first chapter – “Why Diets Fail”, I thought I would read the same thing I read all the time. But I was pleasantly surprised – enough to want to keep reading the book. I kind of sat up and started to pay attention. Mark says:

"We’ve all had that moment in life when we felt in control of our health. We got there somehow through diet, exercise, our genetics or whatever other means. For whatever reason, things just worked. Then for some other reason everything that was working seems to vanish suddenly. We spent endless hours focusing on the past, trying to figure out what had changed. That moment becomes our hope, out future possibility--our ace in the hole. We believe that at any time we can pull out that ace and get back to where we were during that moment. We have justifications for not doing anything like “life is too busy, or After the holidays”. We take on each day feeling just a bit worse, having less energy, getting more stressed, watching our weight and body fat slowly increase. We tell ourselves that is not a problem, that we know what to do, we are just not doing it. We keep tight hold on that ace in the hole ready to use it at any time”.

Sound familiar?

So what's the solution? According the Mark, blood sugar stabilization through meal intervals, nutrient ratios and calories per meal. He believes that nutrition should be used to create an internal balance. With Ron’s blood sugar being so high right now, I really started to pay attention to this part. If I could keep Ron’s blood stable through out the day, I figured he would be much healthier for it. Stabilize your blood sugar and your body won’t store the excess as fat. hmmm…..

He talks about set points – which is the scale weight your body is used to – comfortable at. And when you gain weight, and go on a diet, you can quickly lose those 10-15 lbs you gained right up until you hit that set-point. He talks about how to get beyond that, how to re-program your metabolism. Again another fitness guru that talks about not getting on the scale but rather focus on the body fat percentage. For me this is huge – I get depressed when I get on the scale on a daily basis and see it go up and down 2-3lbs every day depending on what I ate the day before. If I could get on the scale and only look at my Lean Body weight and see that go up (or down) then I’d be happier

Ever heard of the Kaizen method – we get the speech here at work all the time and it does apply to our bodies as well. Small attainable goals, that is the best way to lose weight. Mark has some great examples in his book that really get you thinking. Setting small attainable goals to reach your final destination. But he wants us to ask ourselves the “WHY?” of why we are wanting to achieve those goals.

Why do I want to achieve my goals?
What will I get from achieving my goals?
What happens once I reach my goals?
Is my why strong enough to keep me focused on my health during life’s challenges?
Is the why I’ve chosen only short term? if so what is my long term why?

Being clear on the above will help us with the reasons to stay the course and live fully.

He helps you develop a plan for your “Body Confidence” in the final chapters. You focus on :

Sleep
Nutrition
Exercise
Vitamins, minerals, Omega’s
Water
Stress.

I could go into more detail about all of the above but this post would be way too long. I guess you are going to have to just get the book and have a read

Overall I think it’s a pretty good book!

ttyl

Sandra

Fitbit Weekly Stats

2011-04-12T09:28:00.001-06:00

They have finally created a weekly summary and are emailing it out… J I like it! (not 100% this is going to post correctly via email to blogger).

I've gotta move more this week!!

Hi Sandra, here are your weekly stats.

4/04/2011 to 4/10/2011

WEEK'S MOST ACTIVE DAY
Tuesday, Apr 5

WEEK'S LEAST ACTIVE DAY
Friday, Apr 8

	TOTAL STEPS 33,106	DAILY AVERAGE 4,729 steps WEEKLY BEST 6,627 steps
	TOTAL DISTANCE 15.16 miles	DAILY AVERAGE 2.17 miles WEEKLY BEST 3.03 miles
	TOTAL CALS BURNED 15,930	DAILY AVERAGE 2,276 cals WEEKLY BEST 2,686 cals

	AVG SLEEP DURATION 7 hrs 4 min	AVG TIMES AWAKENED 7 AVG TIME TO FALL ASLEEP 0hrs 5min

April Update Wk1

2011-04-11T11:17:00.001-06:00

Well after a busy weekend of watching kids, having company and going trap/skeet shooting on Saturday and Sunday I did not get in any exercising. I LOVE exercising on the weekend because I can workout longer. And now I feel guilty about it. I did go to Hot Yoga on Friday night but I’m not counting that for weekend workouts.

So here’s how I did:

1. Drink 120oz of H20 per day. This is especially needed on the Hot Yoga days. The more I drink the better I feel.

This isn’t a problem M-F but can be an issue on the weekend. I need to work on getting in more water Sa/Su

2. Strength Train 3x a week. More muscle I have the more fat I’m going to burn.

I did 1x session last Monday and nothing for the rest of the week. I was just so freakin tired all week. I could not get up in the mornings. I went to Hot Yoga after work but I just couldn’t get up in the morning. I was dragging my ass all day at work too. Finally felt human at around Friday.

3. Cardio sessions 2x a week. Not much more than that because I will need days to recover as well. I do not classify walking on my treadmill as cardio. I want hard, heart pumping, interval cardio.

Blah – nope nothing but a lunch time walk one day and that did not even come close to “cardio”.

4. Hot Yoga 2-3x a week – this is an interval training of sorts – not an easy workout and I get very dehydrated so need to make sure #1 happens daily.

Yes!! I did this one three days in a row. First time I’ve done that – usually it is every other day. But by Friday I was bending further so the more you go the better it is.

5. Complete 2 cycles of a parasite/candida cleanse (My biofeedback specialist recommended I give this a go before I go to Maz).

So far so good – taking it every day.

a. No sugar, no fermented foods, no alcohol ß huge for me if I can get this done

ummmm…. not so good here

6. 8400 calories in for the week. No more, no less. This does become difficult on some days because of the increased exercising. But if I’m eating good, whole fruits and vegetables and lots of lean protein – then I should be more than satisfied.

Again – I do great M-F but suck on the weekends. I am not tracking it well enough nor following the plan exactly. Need to fix this.

7. Spend some time recovering every week. I am pretty tired by Fridays and I do need at least one day off each week. Even having a sit down job where I don’t do much activity, I still need some down time at home.

Well I was just plain tired all week and I guess taking all that time off from exercising was my recovery WEEK not recovery day

8. Be consistent in my supplement routine. I’m on and off some days and to really take advantage of the anti-oxidants, EFAs etc, I need to take them every single day.

Yes – even on the weekend I managed to get it together.

So this week I must do much better than the previous week. I’m already scheduled for 3x Hot Yoga but that is after work. It’s getting my butt out of bed that I’m having an issue with. Today wasn’t much better. So my plan is to get home tonight and work on the muscles!!

I hope you all have a fantastic week!

ttyl

Sandra

April Plans

2011-04-05T09:58:00.001-06:00

I have 27 days until I leave for Mazatlan. I am going to try to make April my best month ever. Hopefully I will also learn a ton and apply it from now on.

Here’s my plan and goals:

1. Drink 120oz of H20 per day. This is especially needed on the Hot Yoga days. The more I drink the better I feel.

2. Strength Train 3x a week. More muscle I have the more fat I’m going to burn.

3. Cardio sessions 2x a week. Not much more than that because I will need days to recover as well. I do not classify walking on my treadmill as cardio. I want hard, heart pumping, interval cardio.

4. Hot Yoga 2-3x a week – this is an interval training of sorts – not an easy workout and I get very dehydrated so need to make sure #1 happens daily.

5. Complete 2 cycles of a parasite/candida cleanse (My biofeedback specialist recommended I give this a go before I go to Maz).

a. No sugar, no fermented foods, no alcohol ß huge for me if I can get this done

8. Be consistent in my supplement routine. I’m on and off some days and to really take advantage of the anti-oxidants, EFAs etc, I need to take them every single day.

Just having Mr. Sandra eating as close to clean as I can get him, his blood sugars have lowered J He is not liking the portion sizes however, so he is starting to eat more frequently (smaller meals spaced out) … see my evil plan is working. So between the two of us, we should be in good shape to get out of shape in Mazatlan ;)

I think to keep myself accountable I may do a weekly update on how I’ve done during the week. Keeps my journal up to date and me on track.

I hope you all have a fantastic week.

Sandra

Ah... Spring Time

2011-04-03T08:44:00.001-06:00

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

March Review

2011-04-01T13:39:00.001-06:00

This past weekend marked my Phase 1 of my strength training 90 day workout. I gained a ton of strength in the last 4 weeks and my endurance is a lot better. I worked out about 30 hours in total in March. I had about 7 days off from exercising. Every once in awhile I need a break because I just plain get tired out. Especially by the end of the week.

My weigh-in didn’t show much of a difference but it is going down which is positive.

And my measurements are down.

People have NO idea that I weigh as much as I do…. Folks at work keep asking me how much more I want to lose and when I tell them 40lbs they think that is too much. Truth is I want to lose about 50 more…but will see when I get there.

Silly….Here’s are my Jan/March “public” comparison pictures…. Not much but I can see a huge difference in my core. That’s where I’ve lost most of the inches and that is just fine with me – 12.5” in total.

Mr. Sandra wants to seriously get healthier (yeah!!) so for the month of April I can see HUGE changes going on around our house. It won’t be easy but it can be done. I eat correctly 90% of the time, now it’s time to get the rest of the house in order. Normally I spend Sundays getting my week stuff ready and now it will be both of us getting our week stuff ready. I want to get everything sorted out for him so that it is an easy decision each day. If you don’t plan, you eat on impulse and it isn’t necessarily the best choice at hand. In my house they are generally lazy when it comes to food, if it isn’t easy and fast, they can’t be bothered. I have full cupboards but it all takes prep time. My kids often open the cupboards and say “there’s nothing to eat”. Oh yes there is, you just have to make it….

I hope you all are having a FANTASTIC weekend!!

ttyl

Sandra

W.T. Loss vs. Trap Shooting

2011-03-31T10:19:00.001-06:00

My oh My – this blog can go all over the place sometimes can’t it? My title doesn’t exactly say “weight loss”, it just says “ A better ME”. So today, getting involved in outdoor activities is creating a better more active “ME”. Some times you get pictures of me fishing, sometimes I’m walkin, sometimes it’s the scenery. Today it is about my new purchase….or rather Mr. Sandra’s purchase because I am not a licensed firearm user. He bought it for me .

Yup, I am the proud ~~owner~~ user of a Mossberg Silver Reserve O/U 20 ga.

I don’t just ease into something, I get all excited and get all into it. Helps that Mr. Sandra is an avid hunter and previous active marksman but he is all excited about me liking this Trap/Skeet shooting adventure.

It gets us out together doing something that we like. Better than him sitting on couch watching TV and me cleaning the house. The only physical thing about this is using the upper body strength to hold that gun up but it is still exercise of a sort.

Crazy…..

Last weekend we went out on Saturday all bundled up because it was cold and snowy (well I was bundled up). But we went anyway. Problem with doing a summer sport in the winter is those extra layers you need to wear. Which for me means that I have a hard time getting the butt of the gun to stay in the right place and not slide out onto my arm. Saturday I got hit several times on my bicep. Bad Bad Bad recoil. Although this gun does not have too powerful of a kick, it kicked my arm. I normally don’t bruise easy but I have a bruise now. One to many times being hit in the wrong place it sure makes you correct yourself before pulling that trigger.

This time next year you may see my name in the papers as an expert markswomen winning all the local competitions… ha ha… dream on….

Ttyl,

Sandra

p.s., I got two tickets to WICKED yesterday! Looking forward to it on July 5th.

Wow - how to stay young

2011-03-29T10:36:00.001-06:00

I think this is cool – started track and field at 70 years old and is now 91 and still going strong! I’m going to be like her when I grow up.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/9439116.stm

Since posting that sugar link last week I’ve been learning a LOT more about diabetes and blood sugar levels. Last summer Mr. Sandra was advised from his doctor that he was pre-diabetic, pre-high cholesterol and borderline high blood pressure. Most of my regular readers know all this as I’m mentioned it before. His Dr. recommended that he stop drinking regular pop – which he did. I recommended he start exercising – which he did for about 2 weeks. I’ve tried over the last 6 months to get him to get healthier – to give this a better effort. To him, he is fine. To me, he is a walking Heart Attack waiting to happen. But his Dr. only said “stop the pop”. Me… I don’t know what I’m talking about.

So I bought a glucose meter. I tested myself, tested his son when he was here last week and tested Mr. Sandra. I was 4.4 (this is the Canadian numbers), son was 3.8 and Mr. Sandra was 9.7. Ok, not a good sign. So yesterday morning I left a note with instructions on when to test, to get on the treadmill, and what to eat. He followed my instructions. But when he tested before lunch (after exercising lightly), his reading was 16.6. That’s diabetic folks, there’s no PRE about it. It just about floored him. Fortunately it didn’t stay that high but it never went below 10 all day.

So last night we had a talk (again) and he is finally taking this seriously. I just knew having the proof right there in his face, like the glucose meter, would jolt him into action. But what it means is that even though he is 51 years old, I have to outline exactly what he needs to do and eat. He needs help.

And this will help me stay on track as well. Since I have the meter, I’m frequently testing my blood too to see what affect certain foods have on me. It’s interesting and I think I’ll get it all figured out in a week or two what I should or should not eat in order to not experience any of those crashes. I’m a human experiment and I’m having fun!

My exercising is rockin – I’ve been doing the Peak 8 HIIT once a week, then strength training 3x a week. I’m about to start the heaving lifting section of this program. The last month was building up to that. And of course I’m doing the Hot Yoga 1-3x a week. Lately it’s been more 1x a week because I’ve been so busy. And I’m also doing other cardio sessions but not HIIT – just walking.

I weighed, measured and took pictures on Sunday. I’m going to send out another post about that one….

Hope you are all having a fantastic week – we actually have blue sky today so I’m happy J

Ttyl

Sandra

The Effect of Soda on Your Body

2011-03-22T10:00:00.001-06:00

Spring Time!!

2011-03-21T07:50:00.001-06:00

Ahhh… spring! What a lovely time of year. Unfortunately where I am living, Mother Nature has NO IDEA what time of the year it is. It’s SNOWING outside! I’m so so tired of it I tell ya. Me and everyone else around me…

And this is what I get to look at this morning – even the plants are confused as to the time of year. Normally these bloom around Christmas… not spring.

They opened up over the weekend. Very pretty.

I had a great weekend. Worked out on Saturday morning using my video and did a full body strength training session. My Grandson was watching me and when it came to do the pushups I said “Ah I struggle doing these”. Well he got down on the floor with me and did the pushups with me “See Grandma it’s not so hard”. He’s right – when you are 7 and weigh 50 lbs but oh so cute getting down there and helping me out.

Then after that I walked on the treadmill just to burn more fat while he played his Wii.

Mr. Sandra, Young Mr. Sandra and I went to the gun club and I had another lesson in Trap shooting. I wore layers as it was cold out and I didn’t want to get cold. However, the coats that I wore did not allow me to get the butt of the gun up tight to my shoulder. After a couple of shots, the butt slipped and was resting against my bicep when the recoil hit… anyone that has shot a shotgun will know that this hurt like the dickens. So I stripped off the coats and that allowed me to get the gun positioned right. This is why I am taking lessons. I’m not a good shot yet but I am learning technique before accuracy. But those I hit I was proud of. I have another lesson next Saturday. There is something about learning to shoot from someone that is not close to you… instructor versus Mr. Sandra…. You know where I’m comin from?

But one thing I need to not do next Saturday is do a shoulder workout an hour or so before I go shooting as holding that gun up gets tiring after awhile – and of course hitting my bicep with the gun didn’t help… But fortunately I had no bruising the next day (it takes a LOT to bruise me).

Sunday was my HIIT day – I did 30 seconds of 7.0 mph throughout a 25 minute treadmill session. I think I got in 7 or 8 stints of the 30 second runs. 7.0 mph is pretty smokin fast for me folks. But I enjoyed it and felt great after.

Afterwards I did a LOT of stretching. My hips are getting tight again from all the leg workouts I’m doing and I’m not comfortable sleeping at night right now. I need to keep the legs and hips limber or I am asking for trouble.

I hope you all had a great weekend and have a FANTASTIC week.

ttyl

Sandra

Trap Shooting

2011-03-14T08:20:00.001-06:00

This is always a tough time of the year for me to get up at 4:00. The first week is the hardest.

But I got up this morning and did my 40 minute strength training session. In most of the exercises I have increased 2.5lbs in the weights each week over the last 3 weeks. I love the Bowflex Select Tech dumbbells. It is so easy to change weights and progress in the smaller poundage.

My HR watch went nuts this morning though, kept getting up to 220 and alarming, then I’d pull the band away from my chest, it would drop to 0 (of course) and I’d pause it and start it again to see my real HR. Was disruptive to my work out because I couldn’t take the beeping when it was going up to the 220 mark. I KNOW my HR wasn’t that high. It was just stressin out because the watch face still said “3:30” instead of “4:30” J

Yesterday I did something new. I went trap shooting. Yup I fired a shotgun for the very first time. We joined a trap and skeet club that is about 10 minutes from my home. Mr. Sandra used to do it all the time as a teen/young adult and wants to get into it again. We had gone there a couple of weeks ago for our Hunting Dog club annual meeting and before the meeting they had a fun shoot. I had my grandson with me so I didn’t shoot but we watched. Mr. Sandra’s son who is 12 did some skeet shooting with his dad. He loved it and I thought that it was something I would possibly like to do.

I am not interested in hunting but this is something I could like. So yesterday I had a quick 10 minute lesson from the site instructor and during that session the wind picked up and made it a bit miserably cold so I only shot 5 times. I hit the disc the very first shot I made, then missed the other 4. I was ok with that. Need to learn the correct form before I worry about actually hitting those little discs. It was quite the adrenalin rush for me. Those were real guns and real bullets and I was a little nervous because of that. And I wasn’t sure at first what the recoil would be like. I could tell when I wasn’t holding the gun right when it went off. So I now have an hour training session set up for next Saturday where the instructor will teach me more. I’ll get Mr. Sandra to take some pictures next week so I can share them.

Oh and I got to see Miss Lilyana yesterday, she is almost 9 months old now – can you believe how fast time flies by. She is almost crawling. Gets up on her knees and rocks but she mostly pulls herself along. Unfortunately she makes strange to me L not Mr. Sandra but her Grandma she does. It upsets me but nothing I can do about it. In fact, turns out I am the only person she does it to. I don’t know why… my colors are good and bright. But man she is going to be one beautiful little girl. She has bright blue eyes with long lashes and pouty little lips. They are a perfect shape. And it looks like strawberry blonde. Dad might be learning how to use that shotgun by the time she is a teenager J

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and hope your week is even better

Ttyl

Sandra

ABCs of Me

2011-03-11T09:59:00.001-07:00

Why not…. Enjoy a little of me….

Age: 49
Bed size: Queen but my next bed is going to be a KING!
Chore you hate: cleaning toilets – ick!
Dogs: One (so far) – Kate my English Springer Spaniel (she is part human you know)
Essential start of your day: Getting out of bed J Well it is important …. the Morning is when you get the “best” me.

Fave color: Blue and then pink is second. Well maybe Pink then Blue.. hmmm… What color is my website again? Oh yeah – it’s blue.
Gold or silver: Silver – have I mentioned I go to Mazatlan every year and there is this little silver store that LOVES it when I stop by.
Height: 5'1.5" And like Chris states – yes that .5 is important
Instruments I play: Piano

Job title: Enterprise Domain Administrator, (or Systems Analyst, Network Analyst, Jack of IT Trades… )
Kids: 2 Natural Born Girl and Boy, 3 Step-children from second marriage (one of which still calls me Mom and is a HUGE part of my life), and 3 more almost step-children (if Mr. Sandra and I ever get married). I consider them my kids… And I have 2 Grandchildren (I know.. not part of the question)
Live: Calgary
Mom’s name: Bette (she has passed but I still love her)
Nicknames: Sas – and there are probably others I am not aware of and probably don’t want to know about J
Overnight hospital stays: 2 (birth)
Pet peeve: People that chew with their mouth open. Ugh! (I keep seeing this one in other posts and it’s mine too).
Quote from a movie: Can’t think of anything right now.
Right or left handed: Right
Siblings: 1 Sister and 1 Brother – I’m the oldest
Time you wake up: Usually at 4:00 a.m.

Underwear: What you looking for color? Shape? Or do I wear them? J
Veg you dislike: Eggplant – for some reason I can’t handle that one. I LOVE everything else (I think)

X-Rays: chest

Yummy Food you make: I have had very few flops when I cook. Not sure what is the most yummy though. Would have to ask Mr. Sandra that. I have a ton of favs.

Zoo animal favorite: Eagles – which is rather boring since I see them in the wild and hate the fact that they are in the zoo in the first place but I can get closer to them there. In another life I wanna fly!

Workin, Stiff & on Track!

2011-03-10T09:37:00.001-07:00

I’ve got to say I’ve been exercising like crazy lately and my body is hurting. I don’t think there is a single muscle in my body that isn’t tight or sore. So the Massage Terrorist is coming over tonight to work some of that stiffness out of my body. So that means I will be really sore tomorrow J But all for getting healthier and fit.

I’ve been focusing on more strength training than cardio right now but when I do do cardio, it is interval style and is kicking my butt. Literally – Mr. Sandra commented last night “I hope you realize you are losing weight, you can really see it in your behind”. I told him that I do struggle with accepting it because the scale is not showing such huge losses but we all know muscle takes up less space (hence smaller butt and trunk junk) so when it catches up to the fat and starts burning it off, the scale will show the results. It’s hard not to focus on the scale when I have to report it every Sunday to Allan, so I tried to get out of that by opting out of the challenge and not weighing in. However, it’s like a drug addiction that I need to satisfy every morning to see where I’m at. Phffft! AND I miss Allan’s words of encouragement every morning. I actually looked forward to reading it every morning on my blackberry. So I did some {{smoochin}} and I’m back on the list. Yea!

Oh how I digress – I was talking about exercising wasn’t I? I have also been adding walks on the treadmill. Some days it is 30 minutes some days it is 90 minutes but not at an aerobic pace. Just moderate and steady. I need to keep my hips flexible with all the strength training I’ve been doing so keeping the motion going is required. My hips have been stiff and tight and hurt like heck so the more I stretch them the better. I do not want to have any sciatica problems again.

Stretching out my hip flexors will help me in Yoga as well. Get me into the back bending poses so much further and easier.

Short, getting old, and tight all at the same time… J

Ha ha ha…

Work is NUTS! I don’t know if anyone knows what I do, but I manage my company’s domain, email, Virtual Server infrastructure (and a whole bunch of other stuff) – I’m the head dudette here in the world of men. We are implementing a ton of brand new technologies and it is very very busy. This is good considering 2 years ago we were all worried about our jobs. I’ve always had job security but it was scary for a while there… now we can’t keep up with the work. Weekends aren’t long enough to rest the brain….

Hope you are all doing great! Have a fantastic weekend!

Ttyl

Sandra

Workin Hard!

2011-03-04T10:38:00.001-07:00

I did triceps pushups the other day and my arms hurt yesterday!

Why am I so excited you may ask?

Because a year ago I could not do this.

Well maybe one.

This time, although I couldn’t do too many, I could do 75% more than I did before.

The set includes one triceps pushup, one regular pushup and one spider man pushup one right after t the other, moving right back to the Tricep… until you have completed 12 pushups with no rest in between. And this was after my 30 minute weight workout. I know … that’s only 12 pushups but I am impressed even if no one else is J Yeah!

Tuesday night Hot Yoga was a disaster. Couldn’t do half the poses, kept feeling dizzy and sick. Sat out a lot of them. AND the room was especially HOT!! Yuk.. Had been 3 weeks since I last went because of the nasty cold and headaches I’ve had lately.

Last night was different! Did every one of the poses and even got into a few further than ever before. Even though that number on the scale is going down slow as molasses this year, there is way less junk in the trunk. I could make myself smaller last night which allowed me to get into some of the positions better. And I felt GOOD after.

This morning I did a burn interval cardio session for 50 minutes (It’s the Chalene Extreme Burn Interval DVD) and that thing kicked my butt. I hate jumping, always was an extreme effort for me (duh that’s what exercise is all about). Today was no different but I did it the best I could (feet actually left the ground 95% of the time) and I was tired after but I sure burned a ton of calories. I am getting stronger.

And I’m finding I’m hungry.

Working out a LOT and eating low calorie should make the weight drop off but it isn’t. Not sure what is happening but not going to worry about it just yet. Going to just keep going with the flow.

But I’m hungry.

So drinking my water, eating my fruit, staying clean!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Ttyl

Sandra

I'm alive...

2011-02-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

I thought I had better send out a post to let you all know I was still around alive and kicking. I had come down with a pretty good cold and had headaches from hell for the last 3 weeks so to be honest my exercising hasn’t been up to par. I’ve gotten some in but not like I wanted.

However I am feeling good again (even with some headache but not as intense as last week). I’m back in the game as they say.

And tomorrow is March 1^st, 62 days away from when I leave for Mazatlan. Hmmm… I’ve got some work to do to make that bathing suit look good on me… or is it me look good in it? Ahhh….

My fitbit stats have been suckin big time – low burn and steps. Food has been OK, not 100% on plan as it should be, but better than it used to be. I’ve got it all laid out for me and although I have to make some adjustments due to food triggers or allergies, I follow along pretty well. But I need to do it 100%.

Weighed, measured and took new revealing pics yesterday. I’m actually OK with the inches lost, it’s just the scale that is slow. Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up a lot less room so I guess I’m balancing out. Eventually that muscle will take over that fat and the scale will see better results. That’s my theory anyway.

I just have to keep at it and do it with enthusiasm and pride.

It helps when folks mention they see a difference. Especially after a Sunday when I do a weigh-in and I’m only down a pound or pound and a half. Shouldn’t complain I guess, it is going down. J

I hope you are all having a fantastic week! I’m so busy at work that I can’t even read some of your blogs right now. As it is I’m working some overtime and figured I’d better send out a note just to say “HI”.

Ttyl

Sandra

Wow It's Friday!

2011-02-18T08:50:00.001-07:00

Last post I sent out I was tellin ya all how sick I was feeling. I’m still sniffling and coughing today but I feel like a million bucks compared to this time last week. I did have my grandson over for the weekend and I tried really hard not to pollute him. So far I think he is safe (at least his Mom hasn’t called me to tell me if he got sick or not). But we did have a lot of fun together.

I’ve been back at work all week and three other folks have come down with the cold, so whether I polluted them or they got it somewhere else… well we will never know.

And thank goodness it is Friday. When I came home from work on Monday, Mr. Sandra had a lovely dozen red roses lying on my pillow. I loved it. I have dried every bunch of roses he has given me and quite frankly I’m getting quite the collection these days. Anyway back to Friday – we are going away for the weekend. I am so excited. It’s just the two of us. Ms. Kate is going to be looked after by my daughter so we don’t need to worry about her. It’s going to be like a little valentine get away and spending some quality time together.

On the diet and exercise front, the hotel has a pool and a fitness center so I’ve packed my swimsuit and my runners (not to be worn together though J). And we plan on going for walks out in the country if the weather smartens up. It’s a bit cold here right now. But we will be in the Mountains and hopefully some trails will be open enough we can get our feet cold. For food, since I’ve never been there before I have no idea what kind of restaurants they have or the type of food. So I’m bringing along 2 dozen bottles of water (I can’t drink tap stuff) and although that still isn’t enough water to hold me over for 3 days it will get me started. And I’ve packed apples, oranges to snack on. I should be good.

I hope you are all having a fantastic week and have healthy active plans for the weekend.

Ttyl

Sandra

Sniffle…

2011-02-11T17:41:00.001-07:00

I’m sick and it sucks…

Started coming down with a cold on Wednesday and rather than go to Hot Yoga (which might have done me some good) I chose to go home and get a bath in and hit the hay early. During the night however, it hit me hard and I’m just starting to come up for air.

Well I would if I could actually breath through my nose.

I actually have one of these Kleenex boxes..l Iove it!

I tell ya, drinking water when your mouth is parched… is not an issue. I’m drinking lots.

It’s food I’m having an issue with. Don’t want to eat, nothing tastes like it should – basically no taste at all.

My back hurts from all the lying around I’m doing.

I hate being inactive… really truly do not like it.

I’m hoping that I’ll feel good enough to just walk on the treadmill tomorrow. Nothing strenuous right off the bat, but just move….

I also have my Grandson this weekend so I’ve got to be extra careful not to pass this on to him.

I wish you all a FANTASTIC weekend!!

ttyl

Sandra

B4 Pic

2011-02-08T13:01:00.001-07:00

This is going to be my before picture for this 120 day challenge (119 today)

I know it isn’t a very good one because I took it today at work in the bathroom. I don’t have any full length mirrors at home and since I was at work, I kind of took it fast so no one would walk in and wonder why I was taking pictures of myself in the mirror… mind you, they all think I’m nuts anyway.

I do have other ones that are for my eyes only, you know the kind, the ones in that 2-piece bathing suit that no one on God’s green earth is going to see publicly right now. Maybe when I get to goal and I actually look good in a two piece will I show that before pic in public.

Yesterday was a good day, I hope to have 119 more of those good days. I burned calories in Hot Yoga and loved every minute of it. Even when struggling with the poses that I can’t do very well yet… if at all. Even the heat doesn’t seem to bad anymore. If they open the door too much, I actually get cold now. Weird…

Today I got up and did intervals on the treadmill. I was supposed to do that yesterday according to the challenge schedule but I actually didn’t read it until last night and so am running a day behind. Doesn’t really matter as long as I get exercise in (which really isn’t an issue for me). I will follow along and do everything that is required because I have a feeling this is a stepping stone to bigger stuff and I want to make sure my body can handle whatever gets thrown at me…. Allan’s a sneaky one

But I will also be doing more of my own stuff without over training my body.

I hope you all are having a FANTASTIC day! Keep on track!

ttyl

Sandra

Choices

2011-02-07T12:40:00.001-07:00

I’ve read this statement twice in the last week, two different sources.

“You can’t out train a bad diet”

Last year I started training for the 3-day Kidney March and walked miles upon miles each week. But I didn’t lose any weight. In fact, I gained 10lbs over the summer. I shouldn’t have gained any weight because of all the walking I was doing.

However I was eating whatever I wanted and it counteracted any benefits I was seeing through all that exercise. And I stopped going to Hot Yoga.

This year I’ve been trying to get back on the “diet” bandwagon and attempting to keep my calories where they need to be in order for me to lose weight. I’ve done OK so far this year but am only down 5lbs. 5 weeks. 5lbs. Blah! This isn’t good enough anymore.

Yesterday I booked my yearly trip to Mazatlan in May. With all this cold weather and snow we have had this year, I am really looking forward to this trip. But I want to get this body into a swim suit AND feel good in it.

So for the next 120 days (I’ve joined Allan’s Phase 5 challenge), I’ve got to kick my butt and make sure that I am keeping to the calories allocated every day not 5 out of 7 days, but 7 out of 7 days. I am tracking my calories in FitBit and I can see a pattern. I eat really good for 4-5 days, mess up for one, back to good for 3 days, mess up for one, back on track again. The days that I forgot to track, I just entered 1500 calories for the day. Might have been less, might have been more (but not much more than that). The red line is where I should be no higher no lower.

And this shows my Activity Calories – stuff I actually record like Hot Yoga and my cardio/weight training sessions and it includes how many steps I’ve taken during the day (so if I walk around the floor a LOT to go to my other office - cause I’m drinking so much water - it all counts).

I am Active compared to others in my age group – but my body still doesn’t need all the extra calories at this stage of my life. I need to control even more what goes into my mouth.

Keeping to my calorie limit is not an easy task. But to make this work, I need to make the right choices – which I’ve talked ad nauseam about before. No one is forcing me to drink the beer or eat the chips… or the burger, or the pizza, or whatever it is that is not only high in calories but high in fat … bad fat.

Mrs. Fat Sandra just needs to stop holding onto her covers and let FitnHealthy Sandra come out from hiding.

I will do this!

I hope you have a fantastic day! Make the right choices!

ttyl

Sandra

Bikram, Fascia, Stretching

2011-02-03T11:23:00.001-07:00

When I was waiting for class on Monday night, I was talking to someone who had only attended her first class the day before and was back for seconds. She said that she had just spent two weeks at another “hot yoga” studio but not Bikram Hot Yoga and she said that there was a HUGE difference between the two classes. She referenced Bikram as being more boot camp style and much more difficult.

I guess that’s why I like it so much – I really feel like I am getting a good workout.

I was looking at a bunch of websites today (yes I’m still busy at work but I needed to take a break ) and I found this link to a YouTube piece on Bikram Yoga.

The website that I found the above link to, this was his comment:

This is tough, it doesn’t matter your level of fitness and how strong you are, exercising in a room at 42 Degrees Celsius and 40% humidity will break you if you’re not used to it.

I must note here that you do get used to the heat and I haven’t broke yet

The point I am trying to get to here is that lately I’m really realizing how important it is for me to stretch. It is more important than just about anything else I could possibly do to get fit and healthy. I was reading in a Men's Health book on Monday night after Yoga (I bought the book for Mr. Sandra as a hint to get started on the fit trip), and found an article on Muscle Fascia. It was a terrific article and I learned quite a bit about muscles and the fascia. So of course coming in to work the next day I had to “google” fascia and found tons more information (Raymond, that is how I found your website). Anyway, in the article he talks about a certain movement that I try over and over again to do in Yoga and I can’t.

"Connective tissue is the Saint Bernard dog of the body -- it's slow and loyal," Schleip says. "Once it's formed into position, it'll stick there." You can contort all you want in search of that mythical ideal alignment, but the odds are against you. The pull of your fascia is so ingrained in your movements, your friends can recognize you instantly at a distance before they even see your face. Making some kind of fundamental shift in those movement patterns is unlikely, at least in the short term. So if you can't make the fascia instantly obey, what's the alternative to injury?

"Easy," Schleip says. "Recruit one movement to enable another. Instead of straining to loosen a major fascia and muscle area, loosen a minor one instead."

To demonstrate, he has me stand up and try lifting my right knee until I can grab my foot with both hands. I make it only halfway before I'm tense and wobbling.

"Now grab your knee and swing your leg around," Schleip says. I lift my knee to waist height, grip it with both hands, and swirl my entire thigh for a few rotations. Then I try grabbing my foot again. This time it comes up easily. "You just loosened the minor fascia around the hip-joint capsule," he says. "You've increased the range of motion in your hamstring instantly, without stretching or working the muscle at all." If you've ever watched a cat yawn or a horse stiffen its rear legs, you're watching the same kind of joint extension in action. "That's why you feel such a feeling of satisfaction after yawning. You just popped a few joints loose."

But after reading this, I stood up and gave it a try and although I still can’t grab my foot properly (it’s the junk in the trunk syndrome), I was able to reach down much farther just by trying the additional stretch he mentions.

Last year when I joined the Kidney March, I started strength training at the gym and doing a LOT of walking. I almost stopped going to Yoga entirely. I did some stretching but I now know it wasn’t enough. Because since the summer, and with all that walking, I am tight all over again (maybe worse) and when I started back faithfully to practice Yoga in December, I felt like I hadn’t made any progress from when I had started last January. My calves and hip are so tight that I struggle in most of the poses … It’s time to stretch that elastic band so I can strengthen those muscles more and just feel better.

I hope you all have a fantastic day and remember to always stretch!

ttyl

Sandra

Things of note...

2011-02-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

I’ve been making some positive changes and so far they have been sticking.

· This one I am proud of - I am no longer snacking at night. Have been trying really hard to break that “habit” or “vice” of mine to munch on crunch at night time. It was actually harder to break than I thought it would be. But I have succeeded. I sleep much better because of it; less work my body is doing by having to digest food when it should be sleeping. And this helps me with keeping my calories where they should be right now.

· Because I’m getting a better sleep, I am able to get up with more energy at 4:00 and get a good workout in. AND I’m able to get in a Hot Yoga session after work without feeling too tired. Hot Yoga alone takes a lot out of you but so far doing the dual workouts isn’t hurting me. Mind you, I am not doing it every single day. Only going to Yoga 3x a week.

· I love Bikram Hot Yoga - J although it is not for everyone the classes are sure getting busy.

· Even though the scale is slow as a snail, my clothes are fitting better, measurements are down slightly (not completely satisfied with those results) but folks are commenting that they notice a difference. Not sure if it is because I am standing taller, stronger back from the Yoga work, or what it is. Maybe they are just right and seeing something I’m not really seeing just yet.

· Trying really hard not to sweat the small stuff. Less I stress out about the better. Also trying not to stress out so much about the life of my kids. They are grown adults and if they’ve got problems, well they’ve got to figure it out for themselves (I’m still available for talking to and support if needed). But I can’t continue to lead the way or bail them out. They’ve got to stand on their own two feet or they will never let go of “mom’s apron strings”. Live and learn…

· Been working on the emotional eating thing. I know now that it comes from being lonely or bored and I’m starting to recognize the triggers. I’m trying really hard not to succumb to it. I need to comment here for everyone’s understanding that food is not my only vice in this area.

You’d think at my age I would have had all this figured out by now J

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC week!

Ttyl

Sandra

Snow Day

2011-01-29T19:36:00.001-07:00

Only here can we go from +13 Celsius to –13 Celsius in less than 2 days. All our snow was nicely melting away (making for some pretty mucky roads) and overnight we have a TON of snow (and it is sti coming down). I know everyone is experiencing the same thing all over the country– others more than we are but just the same – that’s a huge temperature change for such a short time. Mind you, it happens all the time around here.

And because of all the snow, Mr. Sandra didn’t want to drive to the Kidney March Alumni party that is tonight and I really wasn’t all that keen on trying to dig out my truck either. So we stayed home. I watched cartoons with the kids instead. Besides, Aiden is still in his pjs and didn’t want to get dressed. It’s what he does when he is here – just hangs, has fun and doesn’t get changed all day. He calls it his special time at Grandma’s.

I had a good day today – I exercised, I cleaned, I danced, I stretched. Overall I had a pretty active day and it feels good. I am feeling much more like myself this weekend. I’ve been focussing on just letting things flow over me and not to give anything negative any hold on me. I’m trying to really not sweat the small stuff – not worth it in the end.

And speaking of the small stuff – tomorrow is my weigh-in and measure day for the month. I have not done as well as I should have but I also know where I can improve so February is going to be a month spent applying those corrections. But whatever changes I record tomorrow I will take. I feel like I’ve lost some inches so I hope it shows on the tape measure. Tomorrow will tell the truth.

I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend!

ttyl

Sandra

Wow... I've been missing...

2011-01-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

I'm actually surprised anyone still follows this blog. I've been MIA lately and am really finding it hard to find something interesting to share.

I've been extremely busy at work, so stressed out I can hardly stand it. In fact I had a bit of an incident last Thursday and Friday I took a "me" day. I was off sick. I felt like crap all week long and by Friday I couldn't take it any more and just didn't want to go in. So I didn't.... Not really good work ethics but I had to do it.

I felt like crap only because I let things get to me. I ALLOWED it, gave it more presence in my life than it deserved. Home life is better because I have gotten things out and off my chest and there is an obvious attempt to remedy what wasn't working. So I'm good there. But work.. I've found it best to keep my mouth shut. Unfortunately for me, my boss is also my friend but right now she is mostly boss. On an ego trip. Or power trip... not sure exactly how to call it. Anyway... things are bugging me and I am not the only one.

So because I'm not the only one, folks find it really easy to talk to me, and I am a sponge. I absorb peoples negative energy - not that I become negative, it just wears me out. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone at all but after awhile, I get worn out mentally and emotionally.

However, I have been getting to Yoga twice a week and although I would love to get there more, my schedule hasn't allowed it. But when I do go, it is a HUGE help. I've been concentrating to NOT beat myself up at all (the fat, junk in the trunk comments) and have been focusing on getting better at the stretches. My hip still hurts a lot but in other positions I am getting a lot better. But there is a long ways to go before I would even consider myself a true Yogi. I was fortunate last weekend and the weekend before to attend a workshop presented by the studio I attend, and they went into deep discussion on all the positions. I got to see the instructors demonstrate how it should be and I was able to learn enough that the sessions I have attended since, I have been able to correct myself in a few of the positions therefore allowing myself to get a little deeper. It's all cool... (well actually it's quite hot :)

I've got a busy weekend ahead of me. I've got my Grandson coming over tomorrow (YEAH!!) and Saturday night we have a Kidney March 2010 Alumni/2011 Kickoff party to attend. I'm all excited, they will be showing video's and pictures and lots of folks will be talking about what we did last September.

I signed up again this year and will be walking 100KM for an excellent cause (my link is over there to the right if you would like to provide support).

You all know you will be hearing more about it in the future. The walk isn't until September so I've got some time yet to get really into the long distance training walks.

Thanks for being here for me! I hope you all have been having a fantastic week. Trust me.. I am trying to read all the blogs, just can't always comment...but I'm there. :)

ttyl
Sandra

I’ve got the Bug…

2011-01-18T10:14:00.001-07:00

It’s happened again, just like last year. I’ve got the Bikram Hot Yoga bug. I just can’t get over how much better I feel after attending a couple of sessions of Hot Yoga. It’s tough, it’s hot, it can even be miserable during the class but the benefits far outweigh any of that. Because it’s tough, it is really doing me some good. And the nice part of it is that I get to spend some “me” time between poses re-adjusting my attitude. It’s called “Savasana” and we do it between the floor poses. I do the same pose standing up between the standing series.

SAVASANA: Corpse Pose

BENEFITS:

Returns cardiovascular circulation to normal
Slows heart rate, reduces blood pressure
Teaches complete relaxation
Stills and calms the mind
Allows the body to absorb the benefits of the standing series
Build the ability to access relaxation when necessary – in stressful situations, before bed, etc.

I’m emotionally struggling these days, guess I’m trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. Might have something to do with approaching 50 or it just might be how unhappy I’ve been feeling lately. I’m stressed at work, stressed at home… and I hate winter.

I only have control over the first two things… and attending Hot Yoga regularly is going to help me with both of those. I’ve been feeling a bit out of sorts because my scale isn’t moving very fast in the right direction but my saving grace is that I “feel” thinner. In Yoga, I have what I refer to “a lot of junk in my trunk” and some of the positions are just impossible for me to get too deep into because the junk just gets in the way. According to one of the instructors, that’s not entirely bad as I am causing more compression against my organs than say a 100lb young lady is… blah… I’d rather not have so much compression thank you very much. But back to the feeling thinner…. I am noticing a difference and am feeling “flatter” if that makes sense. Scale sucks, but the body is telling me differently.

And it is amazing how much better I feel (less stressed) when I start to notice a difference in my body. I just start feeling better about myself. If I feel good, then I have a good day. If I’m not feeling so good, then it affects my mood. You know the saying “If Mama is happy, everyone is happy, if she’s not… look out”. I’m not normally known to be a moody person but lately that’s not the case. However I am in inwardly moody person – I don’t yell, scream or stomp my feet. I keep it all internally. And that in itself is not a good thing. I’ve got to make some decisions, make some changes and attending Yoga is going to help me through it all.

I hope you are all having a FANTASTIC DAY!

Sandra

p.s., I think I need to blog more often as typing out my thoughts lets me release some stuff. All is good….

Friday is here Yeah!

2011-01-14T10:18:00.001-07:00

I’ve managed to keep really busy all week at home and at work. Work is crazy and I suspect it won’t change for a couple of YEARS to come. I am happy I have job security but man, I could just use some slow time once in awhile. And I thought Christmas was going to give me that time… Not!

Tuesday I worked from home and quite honestly I got a lot more done than I do when I am in the office. I get so many interruptions here it is ridiculous and if I could, I’d work at home every day. But my boss doesn’t see it the same as I do. She thinks folks don’t work as hard when they are at home. I’m not saying I work harder at home, but I can work steady. Yesterday as an example, at one time I had 4 people at my cubicle waiting to talk to me. It’s the problem with being the one that is in the “know” about all our new technologies, but man it’s hard to get work done around here.

Back to Tuesday…. Mr. Sandra’s son and his new wife came into town to visit (they live about 4 hours away) and since they were unable to get here for Christmas, we opened presents in the afternoon then went shopping later on. I got in lots of steps that day. I had also gotten on the treadmill first thing in the morning before I started working. It was nice to just finish that, stretch then immediately sit down and start working.

Wednesday I went to Hot Yoga again. This time I brought another co-worker and she just loved it. In fact she went again yesterday. I’m glad she enjoys it so much. I’m scheduled for an information session at the studio for Saturday. I won’t be doing any of the poses, but all the instructors will be there to explain each of the poses in detail from various directions. We are reviewing the standing series this Saturday and the floor series the 22nd. I’m excited to learn them properly. Even though I have been doing this for a year now (wow, it’s been that long), each time I take the class from a different instructor I learn a little bit more about it as each of the describe the pose differently. It is important for me to really know the correct way to do it so that I don’t develop bad habits and possibly hurt myself. Injuries are not a good thing.

Thursday I was up early and back on the treadmill doing some cardio first thing in the morning. Today I got up and did another weight session (Jackie Warner’s Circuit training) and after work I’m going back to Hot Yoga. My abs are still sore from Monday’s workout – both Jackie's core session and my after work Hot Yoga session. I really worked my abs that day. Tomorrow I will likely feel the same – sore

My eats have been pretty good except yesterday. My calories were a bit high but not too bad. Need to know the caloric information of something BEFORE I eat it (when eating out) so that I can balance the remaining days meals. But since I couldn’t get to my PC until this morning to plug it all in, I really was kind of eating blind. Reason for this is because yesterday was not planned. I NEED to plan my food and bring it to work. Yesterday was a fly by the seat of my pants food day. Bad idea!

Planning, planning, planning… key to weight loss for sure (at least for me).

Hope you are all having a fantastic day!

ttyl

Sandra

My Monday Musings…

2011-01-10T14:07:00.001-07:00

One thing I hate to see is someone who parks in a Handicap parking stall and although they do have a sign hanging in their window stating they are allowed, they get out and walk just as able and fast as I do (or faster). Maybe I am being judgmental, maybe not… I mean really.. I don’t know the persons story. But if you can walk just as good as the person next to you, and only have the sign because you have a spouse that does require it, I think you should NOT park in the stall to allow those that really truly do need it use it. When my Mom was sick, I drove her around a lot, and she had that sign in her car window, but if I drove, I dropped her off at the door then parked in a regular stall and caught up with her (unless she wasn’t able to get to the building on her own). I was more than capable of walking from anywhere in the parking lot and never wanted to take a spot when I was able to walk freely. I’ve also been known to walk up to folks that are sitting in the stalls, knocked on the window and asked them if they truly need to be parking there. I get a lot of “Mind your own business” and I suppose I deserve it for sticking my nose in the window – but it is a pet peeve of mine

But what did make me smile shortly after seeing the above, was an older man with ear phones plugged in and he was singing at the top of this lungs to the song in his head. He wasn’t that great of a singer but at 6:00 a.m., I thought it quite cute. Most people just scowled and looked away.

It’s been cold, windy and snowy here. Yesterday was a great back\arm workout as I had to shovel at least foot high snow drifts from my sidewalk. I got smart and shoveled it in smaller pieces so that I could heave it across my lawn. First two shovelfuls were into the wind – silly me.. face full of snow. You would have thought I learned from the first shovelful but I was in a momentum and was moving to fast to stop that second heave.

When we left our meeting location last week, to fly home here, we left in a snow storm. Our flight got delayed, spent hours on the tarmac, missed my connector, found another flight two hours later, had NO clue where my bag was but didn’t care – just wanted to get home at that point. Bag finally showed up the next day at 8:30 p.m. Might want to lose my bag more often, they carried it right to my door, I didn’t have to haul anything. Because we were so delayed, I got in quite late (after midnight at least) and just walking outside and hailing a cab was kind of nice.

I got up early today and tried out a new DVD. It is Jackie Warner’s Circuit training and it was 40 minutes long. Since I kind of slacked last week, I found it particularly hard this morning and that just means it will only get better as the week goes on.

Tonight I’m going to Bikram Hot Yoga! Yeah!

Alright, that’s enough for today…

Hope you are all having a fantastic day.

ttyl

Sandra

First Week of 2011

2011-01-09T12:37:00.001-07:00

Well I didn’t exactly start 2011 under the best circumstances to allow myself to be on a diet and get lots of exercising in. Nope, didn’t happen.

Was away for the week for business meetings in a different time zone and getting up early to get on the treadmill just wasn’t going to happen. My body just wasn’t going to allow it. That two hour difference had me staying up later than normal and getting up early not that easy. I walked around the room while getting ready doing squats and stepping high etc. I’m positive if anyone would have seen me, they would have put me away. I also made sure I took the stairs to the room (3rd floor) rather than the elevator. Even got my coworkers to do the stairs as well.

But the food was an issue. I had all three meals supplied all week and although I tried to chose lite, it didn’t always work out that way and quite frankly I was too hungry some days to bypass the meal entirely. And in working meetings, you need the brain power.

All excuses… I know.

But I am back today, tracking my food, getting in the exercise and drinking my water.

Sunday’s are weigh-in days and it wasn’t pretty today. Gained a lb this week.

ttyl

Sandra

198.4

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

I wish you all a Happy New Year and I am looking forward to the new year and all the great challenges we will complete.

I AM going to be one Hot 50 Year old lady come September and I need all of YOU to hold me to it!

Have a wonderful night/day.

Sandra

Final Hot 100 Update

2010-12-31T14:01:00.001-07:00

Well here is my final post for the Hot 100 for 2010. Click on this link to read my goals on for week one and one thing I must note – I just posted for the last 14 weeks a list with spelling mistakes in it … how sad is that

To summarize it all, I have finally realized where I need to improve in my wellness goals. This past year has not been all that successful for me and that is because I was playing with it. I wasn’t taking myself seriously enough. I thought I knew what I was doing.. but alas… I’m still learning.

For this challenge I focused on working on more “Me” time and to a good extent, that worked. But I could do so much better and will continue to work on it in the years to come because it is very important to your well being. I need down time, I need to de-stress, I need to be happy and free in spirit.

My exercising was on and off and that happens with me but it was never completely gone. I did something each week. Maybe not 5x a week but I always did something. In the past it might have become months and months of inactivity. Walking in the Kidney March in September showed me I can do anything I want to if I set my mind to it cause believe me, it tried very hard during that first night in that tent to try to convince me that I could not do the walk. But I not only finished it, I felt great after.

Eating – well to be completely honest with myself and with you, that has been a joke. It wasn’t until I started to really watch the calories that went into my mouth that I realized I’d only been fooling myself that I was “eating for life”. Well I guess I was but it wasn’t going to be a long life. I AM on a diet until I get to the weight I want to be at, and then I can "lifestyle eat”.

Steps – that’s a work in progress. Now that I got my Fitbit it is helping me get more active during the day. It increases my activity requirements each week so I have no where else to go but up…

Wasting food – that is an ongoing lifetime thing. I really have improved but can still do better.

So that pretty much summarizes my take on the Hot 100 Challenge. I really love the friendships that grow out of these things and the support you get from everyone. I especially love the fact that Steve goes to all this work for people he doesn’t even know… thanks again Steve for being such a powerhouse of support to everyone.

I wish all the best today, the last day of 2010 and looking forward to new challenges and friendships in 2011.

Have a fantastic night.

Sandra

Hot Yoga and Water Bottles….

2010-12-30T14:21:00.001-07:00

Hey have I ever mentioned that I LOVE Bikram Hot Yoga!

It has almost been 1 year since I first went. It was last year on New Years Day. I can still remember how hard it was, and when you don’t go for a couple of months, how hard it can be again. I’ve managed to go 4 times in December (only once a week) but I really plan on picking that up again. Starting the second week in January, my goal is to go at least 3x a week. It just makes me feel so much better: I sleep better and my hip doesn’t hurt so much. In the end it helps me exercise more to my fullest.

However some of the poses still hurt as much as they did on day one. This one in particular. When you have a desk job and type all the time, your elbows are always bent – this pose has you lie on them elbow up, palms down and lay your fat body on them and try to lift your legs. First two poses are one leg only – this picture is the third. I MAY get my legs up an inch or two but it hurts so much I have to quickly get off. I do remember it not hurting quite so much in February after I had been regularly going so I still have HOPE!

I bought one of Bikram’s beginners book that shows all that poses in better detail and although I only read the second chapter last night, he has injected quite a bit of humor into it and I can’t help by laugh while I read it. Often the instructors quote him and some of the comments I thought they exaggerated but after reading this book, I have no doubt he actually talks like that. He can describe a pose exactly like you personally would be feeling it – like you are going to break in half.

So the above position that I hate so much , this is how he describes it:

“The undulations, heaving's, rolling's and grunting as you try to maneuver your arms into this new and unusual position are marvelous to see and hear.” ... he goes on with how to best get into the position then continues… “You will thus have both arms nicely pinned and you will feel like a trussed goose. Your head will be bobbing around trying to look casual..” The above is the third part of this particular pose to which he comments “The third part of the Locust is usually voted the “Pet Hate Number One”. To this I shall simply say that eventually it will be as easy as falling off a log. Until then, if you have been fussing about your aching elbows with the first two positions, lifting both legs and your hips off the floor will give you something NEW to complain about” I have to laugh when I read this because it is oh so true

Also while there last night, I bought a new water jug (surprise surprise, I have about 20+ different water bottles).

I like this one because it has two openings – smaller one on top, larger one to base. And inside that one is a screen for tea. So you can have either hot or cold with this puppy. I freeze my water before going to Yoga so that it stays at least cold through the 90 minutes but I don’t think I will risk freezing this one. I never do it full, only about half to allow for expansion. Maybe if I left the lid open I would be safe… what do you think?

I am finally able to take some time this week to organize my desk, and read some blogs. I am enjoying everyone’s recap of 2010 and what their plans are for 2011. I haven’t decided yet if I am doing a re-cap or not – I did one last year… so maybe I will again…

Well I hope you are having a fantastic day !

Sandra