Accomplishment

This weekend I managed to knock a few more things off of my "to do" list.  

After pumping up the tires on my bike on Sunday, I went out for the first ride of the season. I was a little smarter this time than I was when I went for my first ride last year (what was also my first bike ride in close to 25 years) and limited myself to less than 5 KM.  I was wearing my bike shorts and a pair of Capri pants bought especially for bike riding, and Jasmine and I took it easy & had a good time. I’m a little tender in parts today, but that’s totally to be expected – next ride is planned for Wednesday after work – thank GOD for Daylight Savings!!

Once the ride was done, I put the bike away and decided that it would be really smart if I took advantage of the clear weather to get outside and get some more of my yard work looked after. This included planting the gorgeous Coral Bark Maple that my parents gave me as a housewarming present when I first moved in... I then spent tome cutting down the trellis and wisteria vine (and another one of the badly growing shrubs at the front of the house) and then cleaning up the rest of the garden bed under the eaves. 


There was a GOOD interesting find (not like finding the leprosy dolphins!) of an antique pressing iron – the kind that would be heated on the top of a wood stove and then used to iron and press any concept of wrinkles into submission! I brought it inside and scrubbed it down a little - it is now sitting on top of my wood stove.  I will try and scrub it down a little more - to take off the rest of the rust, but honestly, this is up there with the cloth-backed wallpaper on my personal coolness-meter.

Anyhow, I then got on with emptying out and getting rid of some of the planters that were at the front of the house and replanting some of the items that were homed in temporary pots.  I’m pretty much in “wait and see” mode this year – seeing exactly what it is that my yard and gardens yield.  In chatting with my neighbour yesterday, I learned that there is a colony of out of control Jerusalem Artichokes near my garden shed – edibles that evidently work more like a potato than an artichoke - and so I will have a few things to harvest this time around. I know there is also some lemon balm and a container that has strawberries in it – but much more than that, I’m not certain of.

I also learned that, if I'm planning on planting of anything, I need to check in with him (the neighbour) first, before I go out & buy plants - he quite often divides items and then donates them to the local garden group that puts on Seedy Saturdays (almost all of which I will miss because I work on Saturdays) and has told me that he is more than happy to pass things over the back fence to me, as and if I would like!

Sunday's day of accomplishment was followed by a WONDERFUL home-made Indian food dinner with good friends, after which I did a quick grocery shopping on my way home - and not surprising, grocery stores are EMPTY after 7PM on a Sunday night and so this may be my new favourite time to go get my groceries!!

Since I added to it again yesterday, the next pile of crap to be taken away to the dump is slowly getting larger. Removal will need to be arranged fairly soon - and in fact, with the exception of the all weather carpet that is on my front steps (yes, all weather carpet, on the front steps!) I think it is pretty much ready to be hauled away.

For today, though, I hung out in the house, relaxed on the sofa and contented myself with cuddles with each of my pets and a little light reading.  All in all, a productive weekend that is ending with a quiet and restful night!

With love across the waters,

Hypnotherapy – Part I

There’s a great explanation about Hypnosis on the University of Maryland Medical Center’s website – essentially it explains the Greek origin of the word hypnosis (Hypnos - meaning sleep) and some of the initial things that anyone considering hypnosis and / or hypnotherapy should be aware of.

While in a hypnotic state, the body relaxes deeply, and thoughts become much more focussed. Physically, blood pressure and heart rates change and certain types of brain waves can also change. What is really cool is that you are completely aware of everything going on around you and feel totally at ease. In this state many human beings are highly responsive to suggestion.

I’m seeing my hypnotherapist to get assistance with weight loss. My hope is that she will be able to assist me in “re-programming” myself for a couple of things: what I am eating and why.

What I am eating - I LOVE sugars and starches. I crave them. I see them and I eat them with gusto. I don’t crave vegetables – unless they happen to be in potato (or corn) chip format. So first of all, I would like to be able to not be so phased by sweet and salty things. I would like, very much, to be able to look at a cookie bar or cake that someone has brought into the office and not NEED to try some. I’d like, very much, to crave raw veggies (without a fatty thing to dip them into) for a snack – carrot sticks, broccoli and the like.

The “why” of my eating is a little harder for me to define. I mentioned before that I am a comfort eater. I naturally reach for the comfort of something sweet when I’m feeling a little low. I think there’s a lot to be said for chocolate cake when I’m blue. Or Wearing blue. OK – so maybe my self control isn’t so hot either! In any case, I will eat for any and all reasons out there and for no particular reason at all. My goal with this one is to eat when I am hungry – and not for any other reason.

On Wednesday night of this past week I had my first session – it was an hour and a half and did include some hypnosis.

The session was low key and very much an opportunity for introduction and discussion. We talked about her credentials a little (I always ask when I’m seeing a new practitioner of any kind) and her practice. We then went on to discuss my reasons for choosing hypnotherapy, what my expectations were (and are,) what I know and understand of hypnotherapy and then we covered a few basics. Some of the questions I was asked include things like my favourite colour, favourite place, favourite flower / scent, and my dog’s name. I assume that she will use these things when I am in a hypnotic state to help anchor thoughts and goals.

We then discussed my preferences surrounding the use of positive reinforcement versus negative imagery to help me assimilate the goals. I prefer to use positive reinforcement as opposed to negative imagery – it is my understanding that positive reinforcement works better in the human brain than negative, and to be perfectly honest, I would prefer to work with the positive rather than avoid the negative.

When all of this was done, she took me into a hypnotic state and started the process for me. I can remember the whole session and what was worked on. There was a lot of positive imagery – images planted leaving me with a feeling of strength and empowerment.

So have I noticed anything at all? Surprisingly, yes, I have. That night, though late, when I got home, I was actually craving (of all things) steamed broccoli! I had an image of it in my mind – that deep gorgeous green that it turns when it’s steamed. I didn’t steam any up that night – like I said, it was late. But the next night for dinner I did steam some up and was very happy with the meal.

On Thursday (or maybe it was Friday?) one of my colleagues brought in a plate of the most gorgeous looking cookie bars I have seen in some time. Coconut with two different types of chocolate chips and some other stuff – just the smell of them was enough to put me into sugar-crave mode. I had one. It was AWESOME. I immediately had a second one and actually regretted it – the second one didn’t taste anywhere near as good and really, in retrospect, it wasn’t worth it.

Exercise – I’ve been craving it. Thursday I took Jasmine out for an 8 KM walk. Friday was a 9 to 5 work day and so I didn’t have enough daylight to get her out for a long walk, but we did 2 short 1 KM walks. Saturday, as soon as I could get out of the office, (at 3:30 PM) I took her up to the park for a 5 KM walk and today I had her out for another 8 KM walk. Granted, the weather has been cooperating beautifully, but I am getting excited about getting to go for a long walk and then while out on the walk, I am enjoying the movement and feeling.

I’m excited that daylight savings starts next Sunday – that means that, even on work days that end at 5:00 and 5:30 PM I’ll be able to hustle home, get Jasmine into the car and get out for that hour-long walk!

My next session is this coming Wednesday night – I’m looking forward to seeing if I notice more changes…

With love across the waters,

Daylight Hours, Daylight Savings and a Canine in Season

This time of year I start to get antsy about daylight hours. I’m one of the lucky people – I do not suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, but come early February, despite the fact that this is my birthday month, I still can’t wait for Daylight Savings Time and time after work where there is daylight enough to be doing stuff outside with my dog.

In most of Canada, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. This means that, for us, this year, Daylight Savings time kicks in on March 13th – a little less than five weeks from now. Yes, that first morning is always a little harder for getting up since it’s a whole hour earlier, but by then the sun will be rising (here at least) around 6:30 in the morning and setting around 6:00 at night. That one day change means we will be getting up in the dark BUT we will have daylight that night around 7:00 at night – a good trade off, if you ask me!

For the last few weeks Jasmine has been in heat, and so I haven’t been able to take her up to Seal Bay Park for our usual hour-plus long daylight walks where she can race around like a mad thing without her leash. We have been restricted to shorter, leash-on walks around my neighbourhood and we are BOTH getting tired of it all.

Essentially the canine estrus cycle (heat) cycle has four stages. Proestrus – the stage where they are have a sanguinous discharge (OK, basically they drip red) - this is where they secrete the hormones that attract male dogs. Estrus – where they are still swollen, the discharge changes to a pinkish-straw colour and their vulva is swollen – this is where extra extra extra care needs to be taken because this is when mating can occur and pregnancy happens. Metestrus (or diestrus) which is basically a space of time after mating – if they got pregnant this is pregnancy, if not, this is where the body goes back to “normal” state. The last one is anestrus – inactivity.

The cycle from proestrus through to the start of metestrus can last anywhere from nine to thirty five days depending on the breed. Jasmine took about 28 days last time and, I would anticipate this time will be about the same. Technically, this means she should be “off-leash & park walk-able” this coming weekend. Likely I will wait until the following weekend though, just to be on the safe side.

In between now and then, I get to suffer through Valentines Day - the most hated day of the year for most single people. The day of the year where retailers and service companies alike make single people feel like they are less important and worthwhile than those people who are part of a couple. Oh Joy!

Following that, by a week, is my birthday. I don’t have any set plans – other than to not be working. I took Saturday and Monday off work, but ended up picking up a shift on the Thursday, to give myself a four-day weekend and am quite looking forward to some good-old-fashioned sleep in time! I’m thinking I may go spend a night at my parents’ place in there (maybe I can talk my Mum into making me a chocolate cake with chocolate mint icing?) and this will also be the great weekend where Jasmine and I can return to long park walking! In addition to all of this already great stuff planned for the weekend, this is also the weekend where my chiropractor (Dr. Doug) has said I can try my return to running!

Yay!

With love across the waters,