Holy Crap - Where Did November Go??

I am dismayed that November is almost gone!

I've been playing catch-up with yard work and winter home and garden prep projects (and some visiting, truth be told) and November has breezed past me in a flash!

The bathroom renovation project is very nearly done... most of the floor mouldings are installed, most of the corner trim is also in - the few pieces that aren't now in are waiting until the bathroom window has been replaced - which (aside from the door) will, for me, anyhow, signal the end of the bathroom project.  I still have a little patching, painting and staining to do, bot those things I will take on as winter progresses and I am not feeling the mad push out be outside doing outside things while the weather still holds.

We have been having an utterly GLORIOUS autumn here.  Clear and sunny days (though the chill is now officially upon us) with cold and clear nights - leaving heavy frost on trees and leaves (and car wind shields) but the dry and the cold has also kept the streets (where I am walking Jasmine in the wee early hours of the morning) relatively ice free and so our walks are being accomplished in relative ease.

The yard has undergone (most of) its autumnal leaf denuding and I have raked said leaves up and placed them into my raised garden boxes for composting down and lovely rotting into the soil over winter. I have moved the bean trellis to a new location in preparation for spring planting, planted my garlic in a new spot this year (where my spinach was last year) and have had the winter tires put onto my car.

With the exception of having all of my winter wood burning supply in hand, I have been doing fairly well.

The wood started arriving yesterday (delivery was either two or three truck loads and I am anticipating five or six in total. I spent last night splitting a fair portion of the first chunk of wood delivered into halves and then this morning I stacked the halves into space between the two posts of my "car port" to allow for smarter wood stacking when the rest arrives, gets split (when I get to it) and stacked (again, when I get to it.) I have also split all but about 14 of the rounds that arrived yesterday and have started stacking it in my "wood area" to fully dry out so it can be burned when I am out of my current dry supply.

I put in about 3 hours of stacking and then splitting and stacking this morning.  My back started to protest (loudly) and I elected to take a break and come inside.  Good thing too - it was after 12:30 and I needed to deal with some laundry and also start the fixings for some meals that I am cooking today.

I am also starting a new job tomorrow - well, not a new job exactly, but the same job in a different branch - I was asked (by the regional VP) if I would cover someones maternity leave in a different branch.  There are all sorts of things happening in this area right now (and not all of them good) so thinking that this might be "writing on the wall" if you know what I mean, I agreed - with the request of a letter "guaranteeing" (inasmuch as a guarantee can be given or had) that I will have a job in this area at the end of this year.

This means that instead of a normal weekend, I have only today off and then start back to work tomorrow - so there is LOADS to get done today!

I have been taking a lot of pictures lately and will upload and show off some of the projects under way (and those nearly complete) soon.

In the mean time, with love across the waters...

Actually Yes, I Can!

People are notoriously hard on themselves. We constantly tell ourselves that we cannot do things.  We believe we are not capable of doing something because we aren’t skilled enough, smart enough, rich enough, strong enough, capable enough – well, you know, this list of “why not” goes on and on and on.

 

We are so good at stopping ourselves from doing things for fear of failure that we forget that, without trying to do something new, something harder than we have tried before, something that could lay us open to ridicule and contempt, we miss out on the opportunities that could MAKE us stronger, smarter, more capable, more skilled, richer, happier and more fulfilled.

 

OH – and we make excuses (lots of them) for why we don’t have the time to try.

 

So how do we change things? I don’t have the answers for this one for anyone other than myself, but I’ll tell you my internal scripts that help me not only take those first steps, but also the ones that help me move through the fear of failure.

 

The first one (and for me the most dangerous) is this: “How hard can it possibly be?”

 

How hard can it possibly be got me into running - which I ended up loving in spite of myself - and miss terribly. It got me into riding a bicycle again after nearly twenty years.  Again – something I love. It got me into trying to do things in my home – things like pulling off drywall, pulling out carpeting and has started me learning how to refinish old things.

 

Yeah – this is the one that seems to get me into the most trouble.  But honestly, once I’m in it, it is also the one that keeps me going and helps me get to my second script – which is “I can do *anything* for 5 minutes.”

 

It’s true. I can to anything for 5 minutes – and I started using this script when I was learning to love running. I was miserable and cold and in pain and couldn’t see how I could ever possibly love running – EVER.  Runner’s high was a delusion.  Running outside in Toronto at -30*C was insane.  That was it – runners has to be crazy – I’d see them out in the snow and rain and wind and they seemed to be enjoying themselves – that IS crazy, isn’t it?  What got me through was me telling myself, with every single step, that I am totally capable of doing absolutely ANYTHING for 5 minutes – its only F I V E little minutes!

 

And it worked.

 

The thing I am struggling with right now is RE-STARTING good habits. I have back-slid with diet and exercise – I’m feeling sluggish and although my mental state of being is great right now, my physical one is not where I want it to be.  I need to set myself some SMART goals, write out those intentions in red pen, focus on positive outcomes and ask myself: “How hard can it possibly be? I can, after all, do anything for five minutes!”

 

With love across the waters,

Intensity

The word intensity raises all sorts of feelings in me – emotional ones like fear, anxiety, excitement, exhilaration, and physical ones like headaches, excited butterflies and knots in my guts.

It isn’t a word I choose to seek out to describe my day or any planned activities I might want to try – and yet… well, intensity is the perfect word to describe something I tried for the first time ever today – Bikram Yoga.

WHEW.

The pre-activity nerves were intense – could I do this? People commented freely to me on how hot it would be in the room and I am so not a hot weather girl.  Can’t sleep when it’s too warm, don’t want to move when I’m too warm – would MUCH rather be feeling cold rather than feeling warm because I can ALWAYS put on more clothing.

Speaking of putting on more clothing – yes, part of the pre-attempt nerves also surrounded what to wear.  Yoga pants? Tee-shirt? Singlet? Shorts? Hm.

I ended up settling on a skin tight lycra tank top with a built in bra and a pair of lycra running shorts I had bought myself a few years ago when I was still able to run.  Things I would NEVER wear in public where actual people could see me - I know how I look!

Anyhow, in light of the amount of sweat I anticipated I would be losing, I elected NOT to have any boozy beverages at the cabin yesterday and have been drinking LOTS of water for the last few days.

I got to the Comox Valley Bikram Yoga studio and almost swallowed my tongue – the guy behind the desk (who also turned out to be the instructor) was GORGEOUS.  I mean OH MY GOD gorgeous.

He was also, however, as most yoga practitioners and teachers tend to be, extremely peaceful to speak with and very genuine in his desire to put me at ease with what to expect. He explained a few things to me and told me that if it got to be too much for me, just to lie down in corpse pose and breathe.

I dropped my stuff in the ladies change room and headed into the studio itself and walked into a wall of heat and humidity – one that reminded me very much of how it would feel to leave the nice cool air conditioned office at the end of the day (when I was in Ontario) and walk into a wall of hot smoggy air to get to the train station to head home.  Thankfully this was just hot.  BC doesn’t do smog!

I settled myself at the back of the room, set my things out (I now understand why two towels – thank GOD I read the website instructions!) and lay down in the dark to wait for things to start – and also to try and acclimatize myself to the heat.  What I read online warned me to expect 105*F (for us Canadians, that’s a good solid 40*C) (yes, you read that right!)

The instructor came in and turned on the lights and it was time to begin.  I glanced around once and noted that in spite of how little I felt I was wearing, I was still wearing more than many of the others in the room.  He welcomed us to the session (and me in particular as the only total newbie in there) reminded us all that even if we couldn't manage the whole session that the most important thing to do would be to only leave the room as a last resort, and then got us started with a breath exercise to warm us up (literally AND figuratively) and then we were off to the races.

I started to sweat as soon as the first breath exercise started.

Impression? Intense.

I was most definitely not the only person who had to stop every once in a while and re-group my bearings.  I managed *almost* all of the poses – and the ones I couldn’t manage were ones I have ALWAYS had issues with – namely balance poses where you are trying to be on one foot. I am carrying a lot of extra weight now, and so some of the poses were simply not manageable because I can’t reach around myself as easily as I could when I was running regularly and slimmer than I am now. I also had trouble with the breathing exercises done at the very end of the session - they were short burst breathing exercises that, when I started them, made me feel dizzy and lit off a whole pile of sparklies in my head - I stopped that, and went back to a long slow breath pattern and the dizzies went away.

I was not the only one running with sweat. Even my knee caps were sweating – I have NEVER seen sweat bead up on my knees! 

I was not the only one breathing like I was in the middle of running the hardest sprint ever.

I was not the only one who, toward the end of the class when the instructor opened the door, reacted with an almost audible noise of relief at the cool breeze – I thought I had died for a second there!

And then, at the end of the class, I was not the only one who was smiling. A couple of people came up to me after the class was over and commented on how well I had done – and my girlfriend Steph (who came with me for moral support) was almost as proud of me as I am.

It was hard.  It was hot.  But you know what? It wasn’t as hard or as hot as I thought it was going to be.  This is something I could see myself doing on a semi-regular basis. Yes, as Steph told me, it kicked my ass in a BIG way, but the verdict (which was “in” as I was driving home) is that I am going to try and make one class a week work for my schedule and my budget.

I now understand some of what makes this so addictive to people. I also now understand how one of my other friends could call a yoga class a cardiovascular work out. The first time she mentioned to me that Bikram is her cardio, well, I admit it, I thought she was nuts. I mean really, how the hell is yoga a cardio work-out? 

Wow - did I ever eat my words today!

With love across the waters,

Namaste

Making plans…

Sunday and Monday of this past weekend were both rather nasty days here – April 1^st saw about 2CM of snow on the ground (really, no kidding!) when I finally rolled out of bed, and though it proved to be a sunny morning, rain started in the early evening here and continued heavily almost all day Monday.

Sunday night, at a loss for things that I actually WANTED to do, I sat down and started planning home renovations. I should point out that at this point in time, all I will be doing is planning since money is tight and renovations come in at the end of the list of things requiring doing that are actually POSSIBLE to do… but regardless of when and where money comes from (maybe I’ll win the lottery?) planning is free.

I sat down with some graph paper and drafted up a plan to tackle the badly designed closet space that the two bedrooms in my house actually have.

For reference, the space I’m working with is a single closet in my bedroom and a weirdly laid out closet and inset in the front bedroom – combined the space would be a room that would be roughly 5’5” by about 7’. I’m not entirely certain how a family of four managed for 30 years with this kind of closet space!  

My thought is to use ALL of this wasted space and create a single walk in closet in between the two rooms (accessed using pocket doors,) to have a functional and practical clothes hanger system AND build in a shelving \ drawer combination unit (floor to ceiling) that will have sides facing out in both rooms.  And, of course, have lighting inside it so that items can be seen!

Sidebar: Eventually I also intent to install a queen-sized Murphy bed (side fold up) and an additional window in the front bedroom – but that will be a few years out.

Where possible, my plan is to do all of the demolition and most of the construction myself.  I’ll have a professional look at the space AND my plans and tell me if it’s going to bring the roof down around my ears, of course, but all in all (aside from the drywall) it shouldn’t be TOO hard to build what I have planned.

The other space I’m looking at drafting up plans for is my bathroom \ laundry room.  They sit side by side in the house – the challenge that I think I may have, though, is that the wall separating them is the original outside wall – which I think would make it a supporting wall.  Again, before I think to do anything major I will have a professional look at the space AND my plans and tell me if I am being realistic.

My thought with that space was to make a combination room.  One large space (with an actual window!!) that would house the bathroom and laundry facilities (as well as the hot water tank) and perhaps make the space MUCH more functional that it currently is.

I think, though, that the destruction / construction of this particular room would be much better left to professionals, and that it would be best planned to be executed while I am on vacation and away from the house for at least 2 weeks so that bathing and doing laundry isn’t a major problem!

Small steps forward, though.  The next things that are planned are to have the rest of the crap taken out of the yard and then to have my 8 bales of insulation (for my attic) and new front door delivered.  After that, the new front door will need to be installed.

Hm.  I wonder if I should paint the front door before or after it goes in? What do you think?  And yes, I am finally going to have my RED front door!

Ok… On that note, I think its time to have a hot bath and get myself ready for bed – morning seems to come early these days and, if it’s a nice morning, I’m planning to take Jasmine out first thing for a bike ride \ run.  Me on the bike, her running.

With love across the waters,

Yard Work and Magical Finds

My Mum and Dad came up to visit today and brought my Grandma with them.  Their trip up was partly to see the new house, but also, partly to help me out with some of the yard work that needs two pairs of hands.

Dad and I started out front – we trimmed back a shrub that was growing up across the big window and then Dad climbed up the step ladder and pulled out the rest of the Wisteria that had grown up into the roof line.  I had already cut away all of its connection to its roots, but some of it was too high up for me to get without help.

Once that was done, Dad and I headed into the back yard to tackle some of the overgrowth back there – namely the big dead Sumac tree and its smaller sproutlings on the left side of the yard.

When I took possession of the house, the back yard looked something like this:

Welcome to the jungle, Baby!

Believe it or not, there's a pond under there somewhere!

There's actually a maple tree back there somewhere!

Overgrown Sumac on dead Sumac...

And now, having cut down the dead Sumac as well as its sproutlings, it looks like this:

Holy smokes - I can see the yard!

A Sumac tree still destined to come down...

Huh - there were paving stones under there!

Did you notice? There’s a GORGEOUS Japanese Maple back there – one that was being choked out by the sumac and was completely invisible from the house because of it!

Here’s another shot of this gorgeous little tree:

Now… I think I also mentioned that Mum & Dad gave me a Coral Bark Maple as a house warming present? She is in the back yard right now too – until I can dig her spot in the front.  They are called coral barked trees because new growth has this beautiful coral colour to it – see what I mean?

And neato-fenito? I am finding all SORTS of interesting stuff now that I can actually SEE much more of the back yard… here are a few of the finds to date:

Dragonfly Plaque

tumbled rocks around the pond

wind chimes that were hidden in the Sumac 

PVC pipes - I think used as "fencing"

So... next up will be multiple trips to the dump with cut down trees and branches and stuff... here's just a little of what will eventually end up going:

Everything needs to be cut into smaller pieces

the whole back fence is piled high with stuff!

And just so you know she was there:

The Supervisor!

My neighbour has put me in touch with a friend of his who will, for a very small amount, load the back of his truck and haul items to the dump. Next Sunday we will haul out load #1 from the back. 

With love across the waters,

The Kid in Me

After a really lazy start to my day (I stayed in my robe and read on the sofa until almost noon) I decided that another bike ride was in order.  Knowing that my bike was about due for a quick “tune up” (which consisted of mysterious things being done to the brakes and, I think, the tires) I called Black’s Cycle and asked what the protocol for this tune up would be.

I *love* these guys!

I was told that the tune up would take about ten minutes and that I could bring it in any time.  When I asked how today was looking I was told today would be a great day for bringing the bike in because they were a little slow on the builds and repairs.

This in mind, I decided to have the bike tuned before I hit the trails.  I loaded Jasmine into the car and then put the bike rack and bike onto the car.  THEN I went back into the house and got my credit card - not needed for the tune up, but I figured that just in case I saw something I needed (like a pair of riding gloves or maybe a knap-sack with a bladder insert?) I could purchase it and take it out right away.

So, finished at Black’s (with my new gloves AND knap sack with bladder insert in hand) I headed back up to Seal Bay Park.  Just as I hit the turn off to Larch Road – where I typically park the car – the skies started to open and rain started to pour down.

Oh well!  If I relapse, I relapse, right?

Today’s ride was loads of fun – the rain had loaded the branches down and the puddles up.  Initially I started with trying to dodge these things, and then I decided that it was WAY more fun to just blast through it all. I rode the same route I did yesterday and this time I decided that I would try to ride directly over the gimungoous root. My plan was to speed up.  While in theory this may have worked for someone with more experience and better control, it just made my wipe-out more entertaining.

Yup – 41 years old, and have now, officially, had my very first bike accident.

I’m just glad that there wasn’t anyone around to see how spectacularly uncoordinated I really am.  I had to do some strange wiggling around in order to get into a position that would actually allow me to get up off of the ground (Ok, actually it was mud) and into a standing position, but nothing was really hurt.  I have a couple of places that will be sporting some lovely bruising in a few more hours, but all in all, it was a successful ride.

By the time I was finished, Jasmine and I were totally soaking wet.  I have also, now, at 41 years old, decided that there actually IS an acceptable situation in which track pants can be stripped off in a public location.  I loaded Jasmine into the car and decided that if I got into the car as I was, my seat would get soaked AND dirty. Thank God for the bike-shorts under my track pants, because I stripped those babies (the track pants, not the bike shorts) off and got into my car as was!

Home, showered, dried off, and hot cup of coffee now in me, I am thinking that I may need to get a cape.  There’s something about riding my bicycle that makes me think I should be wearing a cape. Probably the fact that it makes me feel like a little kid.  Plus, really, it would just be cool to actually have a cape. 

Maybe I’ll see if my friend Linden can sew me one.

With love across the waters,

Getting Better… slowly

I started my vacation on June 5^th, got sick on June 13^th, back to work on June 20^th today is now June 23^rd.  I’m still fighting off the remnants of the cold – mostly the cough and shortness of breath – but for the most part I’m closer to feeling like normal again.

I am still tired way too quickly.  Life doesn’t really allow for the tiredness though.  There is still a high-energy dog to walk (twice) daily, as well as all of the regular stuff that needs doing – laundry, housekeeping duties and work, to mention a few.

Today, though still coughing fairly heavily, I took Jasmine for a longer walk than I have been able to manage for the last couple of weeks. It was really nothing special – only about 5 KM, and most definitely at a slower pace. I was feeling fairly OK afterwards - yes, there was loads of coughing (no deer in sight – I imagine I scared them all away!) but needing to get Jasmine out for her second walk of the day, I decided that, darn-it-all; I really wanted to ride my bike again.

It was awesome.  Yes, I was STILL coughing almost constantly, but it was still wonderful to be able to get on a bicycle and just R I D E. 

I took her up to Seal Bay Park and rode along the mountain bike trails – this was my first time trying to ride here – and it was great fun!  I am starting to see how people become addicted to mountain bike riding on trails.

We did the 7+ KM loop that I had been walking before deer nesting season closed the trails to off-leash dogs.  I opted to actually ride in the opposite direction I normally walk it in so that I could avoid having to try to ride up a rooty-rocky-twisty-bendy-uphill trail.  Instead, I got to ride DOWN it and OH MY GOODNESS it was so much fun!

We had some rain today – and I do mean RAIN – a couple of brilliant summer down-pours – and so there were even puddles on the trails – which I blasted through and ended up wearing a lot of mud from.

Home and changed into clean and dry clothing, I am really hopeful this cough will be gone soon! I am thinking that, while the daylight hours allow, I will try for a long walk and a bike ride as many days as is going to be possible.  All of it can be up at Seal Bay Park, as far as I’m concerned – it’s gorgeous up there!

With love across the waters,

Bicycle!

I moved to the Comox Valley in September 2009, and from that point in time I have been considering buying a bicycle. I had considered it for a few reasons – health, transportation and fun being my top three.  When I got Jasmine I added a fourth reason – to run her. 

This past week I was out walking with my friend Linden and one of the things that we meandered around to in our conversation was bike riding.  She and her husband have hired a personal trainer; she’s bought a bicycle, and is making wonderful progress with fitness goals.

Knowing I want a bike, Linden challenged me to have one before the end of the month.  In retrospect, I’m not certain if that was supposed to be before a month went by (so 30 days, give or take) or before the end of this month, which is actually coming to an end on Tuesday of this coming week.

Thursday was my day off this week and I set a couple of goals for myself.

• Change books at the second hand bookstore in Comox
• Go to Black’s Cycle in Comox and get more information

Second hand bookshop was fun – I never seem to have enough time or money when I am in a book store, but I have now got a nice healthy credit to use with them next time I am in.  I’m going to try and get in again this week and pick up a few more books for light and fluffy reading while at the cabin on vacation.

Next up was Black’s Cycle.  I identified myself at the counter by telling the lovely salesman that I know NOTHING about bikes and haven’t actually been ON one since about 1987.

He was very gentle with me and didn’t laugh - I appreciated that!

Ok… so first up we talked about good starter bikes and he suggested I start with the Norco Pinnacle – and for me the 17.5” frame was the size needed.  Next up we discussed helmets.  Yup – excellent helmet acquired as well – a Bell Vela (in pink.) And the once I had test ridden the bike up and down the street a couple of times, I discussed & acquired a bike rack for my car – a Stealth F2, 2 bike carrier.

Ok.  So all of this paid for (gulp) I headed home, loaded Jasmine into the car and headed up to the Pipeline to try it all out.

AWESOME!

Except… did you note that there was something VERY important that I might need that I totally forgot to acquire…? 

That night, I managed about 1.5 KM in total and post ride I was a teensy bit sore.  Ok, really, I was in a vast sea of sore and my underneath parts (I am informed that it is NOT correct for me to refer to it as my Lady Parts since if THOSE actually hurt I had bigger problems riding a bicycle that I thought.  I was duly educated that it was actually the flesh covering my sit bones that was bruised and sore.

Whatever.  I hurt when I sat down. I hurt when I stood up.  I was moving stiffly for the next day.

Ok… so yesterday being Friday, I worked until 5 and Black's Cycle was closed when I finished my shift.  I needed the day off anyhow for recovery purposes… so tonight after work (I finished at 3:30 this afternoon) I headed BACK over to Black’s Cycle and bought myself a pair of ladies bicycle shorts – Pearl Izumis.

AWESOME!

In the trying-on phase of this particular purchase I noted that the material is actually cut so that they rest at a nice location around your waist while you are riding.  This is something the makers of panty hose could learn because, damn it all, I HATE when panty hose slide back down over my ass when I sit.

Anyhow, they have a really strange feel, especially if never having been worn before.  Sort of like having a gimungous half-diaper on.  VERY strange feeling indeed.

Following the purchase (at which time I was told, by the wonderful salesman who helped me yesterday, that inside bike shorts “skin is in” and that undies are a bad idea) I came home, got changed, loaded Jasmine into the car and the rack and bike ONTO the car and headed back up to the Pipeline for another try.

Yes, things are still tender but holy SMOKES did the bike shorts ever make a difference! And coolest of cool, I managed about 7 KM tonight and Miss Jasmine RAN the whole time!  It was brilliant!

Next ride will now be either Monday or Tuesday – tomorrow is a long walk morning.  I know my sit bones are still there – I can feel them tonight again, but it’s nowhere NEAR as sore as the other night – thank GOD for bike shorts – I’ll be getting a few more pairs of those babies. Let me tell you!!!

Ok, it’s time for this woman to have a hot bath and head for sleep!

With love across the waters,

A Little LESS Ambitious…

Including yesterday’s exercise walk, this past week I completed 58.29 KM and walked (with a teensy bit of running) that in 10 hours over 7 days.  Yesterday (the last 7 KM) it took me almost 2 KM to loosen up my calf muscles (granted, I’d been wearing low heels all day at work) and today, after using “The Stick” my calves are still a little tender… so I think, perhaps, 58 KM is maybe a bit more than I can handle just yet. 

So this week I’m going to be a little LESS ambitious exercise-wise and keep it to 7.25 KM per day for a total of no more than 50.75 KM this week.

Part of this desire is to preserve and loosen up my calf muscles, and part of it is to do with the fact that I am also going to be working six days this week… the extra money will be nice (though quickly spent) and daylight savings time will still let me get out there and have my walks with Jasmine… A few other things will have to be postponed and/or cancelled altogether.

This desire to ensure I have a less ambitious week comes, part and parcel, due to an article I ready yesterday offering tips on how to simplify things.  A couple of the suggestions involved taking on less and, much more difficult for many people, saying “no” to some things in order to ensure sanity is preserved.

I was invited to an event (I’m still not certain what it is all about even after looking at the woman’s website, but I *think* it involves direct marketing – something I’m not terribly interested in anyhow) tomorrow night and will be calling to cancel as soon as I finish posting this blog entry.  Tuesday night Jasmine and I have another tricks class – which I *will* be attending.  Wednesday after work will be a “do nothing” evening – as will the rest of my evenings this coming week.

I do have a couple of things planned through the week – Thursday, for example, I’m dropping my car off to be serviced and will pick it up after work.  No stress on me for this one since they are within walking distance to my work.

I used a fair amount of my time today in cooking.  Soup – a big pot to freeze into individual portions for lunches. I also cooked up a pan of lasagna – which I have now also divided into dinner sized portions and also frozen.  The only thing left in the kitchen at the moment is the pork roast I’m cooking right now.  That will be dinner tonight (and tomorrow night) and the rest will be divided up and frozen too.

This week I’m going to need to make some more granola, and I’m thinking I will also need to bake up another loaf of bread, but these will be done on my “stay at home” evenings and won’t cause me too much extra work since both recipes are basic and easy to manage.

So how do you plan for your busy weeks…? I’d be interested in hearing the stress busting tips as well as the time management tips that you use in order to help your week go as smoothly as possible.

With love across the waters,

Sugar Hangover

Last night's Feng Shui workshop was fun & provided me with new "Feng Shui Food for Thought" - which I will write about later today... but for now, I'm suffering with a small sugar hangover.  I overindulged a little in the treats last night - nothing TOO terrible, but still, a little too much sugar for one sitting and today I'm feeling a little ooky from it.

Today's plan?  10 - 11 KM walk with Miss Jasmine and then after my shower, some housecleaning, a little bit of yard-work (a-la the workshop last night) and some computer work. Have a wonderful day!  

With love across the waters,

Fifty Kilometers

On Saturday afternoon I sent my “Live Right Now” check in to my mum – it was a pretty good week (if I do say so myself) and I had a recap of how I had done and then I went on to set a few goals for myself…

• I was down two more pounds
• I Walked 7 out of 7 days this past week for a total of 48.77 Km (hours total) & burned off 2976 calories (1 pound = 3000 calories) (damn – still under 3000!!)
• I had one “blow it” meal this week but didn’t actually enjoy it as much as I thought I would.  Hm.
• Continued with the vegetable goal
• Made my own granola – from scratch
• Made my own naan from scratch

So the goals I set for this week (the one currently in play) were to:

• walk every single day for at least 1 hour (about 6Km) & aim for breaking the 50 KM mark
• to do 10+ Km walks
• have one “blow it” meal only
• continue with veggies at every dinner & start including them for my snack at lunch for work (I didn’t succeed so well every day the previous week with this one)
• keep on going with the no Tim Horton’s coffee
• bake my own bread & maybe tackle something like meat loaf (which I have also never made)

Today is Thursday – and including today’s walk I’m most definitely on track to break my 50 KM goal.  What about the other things? I have done one of the 10+ KM walks (actually, it was over 11 KM) and will be doing the other one tomorrow. I had a “blow it” meal on Tuesday night – and yes, the dessert was awesome.  I didn’t count on tonight – a Feng Shui workshop at which there will be many nibblies of all kinds – but as long as I keep my meals under control I should be pretty good for sticking to a VERY SMALL portion of some sort of dessert. I baked a pan of gingerbread and just finished icing it...

Veggies are still a little bit of work to incorporate into snacks – I prefer fruit and yogurt to be honest, but am trying to have at least a half cup of extra veggies as part of a snack.

I baked bread – and tomorrow night I’m going to cook a pork roast and all of the trimmings – something I haven’t cooked before.  I’m not certain exactly *how* I will be preparing the pork roast – but I’ll be able to make that decision tomorrow!

I’m still succeeding where Tim Horton’s is concerned (no stops there this week) and I’m adding extra water to every day for drinking.

So all in all, I’m feeling pretty good about how this week has been coming along!

With love across the waters,

Signs ‘n Stuff

I’m not talking about the signs on the side of the road or those on street corners… I’m talking about the ones that we all ask for – and that many times, we receive but do not recognise until long after something has come to pass.

I often ask for a sign when things are confusing in my world – when I need that guidance and support that, as much as my friends and family would give me if they could, only the universe can provide me with. Most recently I have been struggling with work and the fact that (even though I am doing my best to find a full time job within the company I am currently employed by) no matter what position I seem to apply for - they just do not appear to want me. I’ve been back with them for nearly a year – and yes, I know that the Comox Valley can be difficult to find full time postings in… but really, I am tired of flogging my guts out and getting nowhere.

So I asked, recently, for a sign of what I should do.  Should I apply elsewhere? Should I stick things out, be patient and just keep plugging away? With the valley here being so hard to get a toe in the door, I am also considering career changes and second jobs.  Ends have been a little further away than means, and so money has been becoming something I think about more and more.

Yesterday afternoon I got my signs about that one. I had an amazing conversation about Tai Chi - one that lead to a phone number and website, and also some encouragement about the general attitude toward energy medicine in the Comox Valley - leading me to revisit the possibility of setting up my own energetic healing practice here. A little later on in the day, I had an email arrive telling me about a career possibility, and asking for a copy of my resume.  This afternoon I had an initial conversation and decided, based on that information and the person with whom I was speaking (who I trust implicitly) that I need to follow this lead.  My CV has been sent and I thank the universe, gratefully, for these signs. 

It appears that my intention and Feng Shui changes are starting to kick in!  Woo hoo!!

I have also been feeling more optimistic lately.  Yes, daylight savings has a lot to do with it – as does the hour (at least) of walking I have been doing every day for the last couple of weeks. I’m feeling positive about my possibilities. When I am walking I listen to upbeat music that keeps me pumped and motivated to move.  Some of my very favourite songs to listen to right now – not only for their beat, but also for their messages are:

• Firework (The Glee Cast Version) * this one is now my personal anthem!!
• Raise Your Glass (Pink)
• Defying Gravity (The Glee Cast Version)
• Friday I’m in Love (The Cure)
• I’m Too Sexy (Right Said Fred)
• Sin Wagon (Dixie Chicks)
• U & UR Hand (Pink)

I’ve also been using an iPod application (I LOVE having my iPod back!!) a couple of times a day – it’s a collection of guided meditations called “Getting into the Vortex” (by Abraham Hicks Publications) – a recommendation from my friends Alison and Christine.  The two I have been focusing on have been “Relationships” and “Financial Abundance” – but I think I may also start listening to the one called “General Well-Being” a little more often.

Repetition being so very beneficial to absorption, this music and these guided meditations are, I think, building on what I am working with my hypnotherapist on - and leading me to a path where I can not only be successful, I can be happy and healthy and fit.

With love across the waters,

Hypnotherapy Homework

The homework for this week, if you recall, was to pay attention to what has been going right for me, and also, to keep notes on what's bugging me...

On the "what's been going right" list, I've been getting out every day for good long walks - I did two 10 KM walks (both of which included running training toward the end - woo hoo) and the rest of the days during this time frame have been in excess of 4.5 KM walks - and with daylight savings time kicking in today, I can ramp those up to however far I can get in an hour... if Yesterday is any indication, I'm going to be putting in five nearly 6 KM walks per week, starting tomorrow.

Vegetables are still an effort, but they are becoming more and more included in my meals and snacks.

The day before yesterday, my Mum told me about a challenge that the CBC is putting to all Canadians - the Live Right Now Challenge - more information about the challenge and its inspiration can be located at this link, but the gist of it is that Canada has been challenged to lose one million pounds.  Yes, ONE MILLION POUNDS. I read through some of the information and, inspired, I signed up and have committed to a few challenges of my own. Weight loss, daily exercise, and improvement of my eating habits - similar to what I'm working on already with the hypnosis.  One thing that is recommended in the process is to check in with someone in order to cement your goals and progress - Mum and I are checking in with each other.  

Finally, I'm sleeping well and generally feeling pretty good about the progress I've been making and the things I am looking at incorporating into my plan next.

All in all, these are good positives and I'm pleased with how things have been coming along.

Unfortunately, as we all know, there are usually little things that come up during the week that bug us.  Fortunately, though, there have only been two items this week that were worth note in my notebook - and all-in-all, I'll take the two small irritations - they aren't huge.

With love across the waters,

New Exercise Gear!

I have known for a few days that I needed new trail walking / running shoes – the pair I have been using for my trail walking had a hole punched into one of the air cushions, and so they have been making a hissing noise for a few days – and, of course, though I hadn’t noticed a huge difference yet, the support the shoes were providing was being impacted negatively… I had this morning’s 4.5 KM walk with Jasmine and then went in to the chiropractor.  Excellent news – I’m in good alignment and he’s pleased with where I am progress-wise.  I have received the green light to also start yoga again! 

Yay!

Yesterday (in my personal email) I received a coupon for the Running Room – buy a pair of shoes and get 20% off of any and all additional purchases – even sale items! Knowing that I was heading to Nanaimo today to take my Grandma out for her 96^th birthday lunch, I printed off a copy of the coupon and put it into my purse “just in case.”

Lunch done, Grandma dropped off at home, I headed to the Running Room in Nanaimo to have a look at shoes.  I also wanted to see about maybe getting a pair of Capri’s and maybe another long-sleeved shirt or two – hopefully with pockets where I could put my iPod, some dog-poo bags (I have a dog - the bags go with me EVERYWHERE I go) and my car keys. 

I *love* shopping for exercise clothing.  Probably the only clothing, ever, that I actually *do* like to shop for.  Work clothing is boring – I have to be “professional” and that, to me (and in a bank) means sober colours, traditional cuts and, if the mood arises, tame patterns. Exercise clothing is WAY more fun – wild colours, brilliant patterns and really cool colour combinations that I wouldn’t (and couldn’t) wear in my usual “every day life.”

Today’s acquisitions included shoes – the shoes that I have the best results with are Asics Gel Kayano (this year it’s number 17) – and so the shoes have a turquoise highlight to them. I also replaced (finally) my running coat – I bought my original about eight years ago and it really and truly has no water repellence left to it.  So I bought a bright blue Running Room brand Unisex coat with the reflective silver accents.

From the “Pink Ribbon” section of the store, I picked up a pair of Capri’s – black with pale pink accent at the calf.  Not totally flattering, none of my running wear is especially flattering – it’s VERY functional though and bought for function AND colour. I also got myself a long sleeved HOT pink running shirt.

Then, long sleeved shirts with pockets still in mind, I also got myself a couple of others – black with purple accents and a GORGEOUS turquoise one. A few other little things (some gel shots and a replacement water bottle for my water bottle pack) and I was all set.

Ouch.

Yes, I spent WAY more than I needed to spend – I know it… but the colours are so gorgeous that I can’t wait to get out there in some of my new gear and exercise in brightness! I can’t guarantee I’ll be all matchy-matchy, but I can guarantee I’ll be bright and colourful and happy!

With love across the waters,

Hypnotherapy - Part II

Tonight I had my second session with the hypnotherapist.  As I anticipated, at the beginning of the session, we discussed what went well this past week and what, if anything, I had noticed that was positive and what I am seeing improvement in.

There have been a few improvements this week:

• I was able to discern when I had consumed enough sweet stuff – and was even able to have a couple of bites of something and decide I really didn’t *feel* like eating it (and thus threw the rest away.)
• Exercise has been important to me all week – I have enjoyed being out and, yesterday, needed exercise (instead of sweets) to manage my upset.
• I’m more aware of what I am eating – and meals are getting slowly healthier. I have been incorporating much more in the way of vegetables.
• Snacks are more responsible – instead of a couple of granola bars I have been taking one and then making up a dish of fruit and yogurt, or raw carrots for the second snack.
• I actually think I have been eating a little less this week – not as much snacking.
• Ooh – and my Tim Horton’s coffee habit (which was to get one on the way to work) stopped dead in its tracks.

Once we discussed the positives of this past week, I was asked to define what my stressors have been – what’s been bugging me.  I wasn’t expecting this and so had to think a little on this - I didn’t know there was homework! I was, of course, able to talk about the things that came to mind – yesterday afternoon being the freshest and therefore the most discussed.  There were some other little things here and there. 

After this, we started to get into some of the nitty-gritty.  She asked me to tell her what I LIKE about myself. I had a really difficult time with this one.  I only have about four qualities in myself that I actually really like, and after that it’s more easy for me to clearly define what it is that I DON’T like about myself. After I finished rattling off some of the humongous list, well, I started feeling a little emotional (as do we all, I believe, when we start confronting what we dislike about ourselves) and she said something that struck me a little sideways.

She asked me if I realized that the things I listed about myself that I liked were all internal things – and yet I had started off my “don’t like” list with physical things.

Hm.

After a quick final piece of discussion about what I wanted to work on this week, we got into the hypnosis part of the session. She guided me through more work on mindful eating – but this time, she also included mindful exercise into the mix.  She also started laying the groundwork for some self image improvement. I was totally aware through the whole session – and could even hear the background music and ambient noises from the street, but if you asked me to describe the hypnosis part of the session in detail I probably couldn’t at this second.  I can describe snatches of it here and there, but not the whole thing end-to-end. I noticed this last week too – and what’s cool is that little kernels of it sort of “lit up” in my brain throughout the week – kind of like a time-released capsule.

My homework for this coming week isn’t only to keep my eyes and heart open to seeing things that are improving (in my eyes) but also to keep my eyes open to what bugs and stresses me. I’m thinking that, at this point, I might want to put my mini-notebook back into my purse so I can jot things down as I see them (positive and negative) through the week. I may also jot down notes about the “kernels” as they light up in my mind – just to reinforce things, 

My next session is on March 18th.

With love across the waters,