Absent

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted.  I felt so run down which turned to feeling blah, to not caring, to pick yourself back up, lack of activity won't make it any better.  So yesterday instead of driving to my 8 am meeting and having to worry about parking I biked, from home to Joseph Brant Hospital (at Lakeshore and Maple), then up Brant to CIBC, back down Brant and over to Maple and Lakeshore for a Nia class (It has been at lest four years since I have done NIA and it was delicious and lovely) then I biked home.  My gluts were tight, and once I stopped biking my legs felt very heavy.

Today I went into the pool for Aquafit and that was nice.  In the evening I was hot from cleaning so I biked out to Tim's (instead of driving) to get a frozen lemonade.  On my way back I bumped into a client who mentioned she could see some weight loss in my face.  Hooray, more incentive to keep going.

I really enjoyed the bike ride and want to do more.  I am done with running for now.  Our pool is open so more swimming instead.  Unfortunately I do have a lot more desk work to do so I will integrate exercise breaks to stimulate mind and body.

Anyway now I must get some sleep, I have a long day ahead of me and I need to vacuum and want to get a bike ride in and maybe a labyrinth walk in before my interview for June birth at 10:45 am in Mississauga and a prenatal class from home from 1 - 6 pm.

In a funk

I don't know if it is PMS, result of over-training (which I don't think I am doing), lack of good sleep, the stress of cash not flowing as readily as it should or a combination but I am really struggling with motivation.  I feel like I want to hibernate, curl under a blanket and do nothing.

I had a hard time falling asleep and woke up at regular intervals throughout the night.  I went out for my run at 6:30 am despite the fact my alarm was not set, because on Friday I wasn't sleeping well either and woke up before my alarm so I shut it off.  I only managed to do 5 minute warm up, 8 minute run and 5 minute cool down then I needed to come home and go to the bathroom.  I had planned on doing my strength training after but I just can't muster it, all I want to do is climb into bed, plus I am feeling emotional and melancholy.

I have an Aquafit class to teach this morning and that normally perks me up, then home to get some work done, at 4 pm I am meeting up with a girlfriend and we are car pooling to a meeting from 5 - 9 pm.  Anyway, time for my tea, pity party is over.

No energy

Today I woke up before my alarm.  I went to the bathroom and started getting my stuff on to go for my run.  My knee was not feeling good, I pushed myself to try anyway, no maybe just a walk, if it's a walk maybe I should ask Marc to come along, but it looks like he is sleeping I shouldn't wake him, I wish I was still resting, I feel depleted.  Not to mention a yeast infection, I was not looking forward to running with.  Off came the pants and I crawled back into bed.  I felt okay with that, if I needed the rest that is what I would do.  I still had time between Elizabeth getting on the bus and Aquafit that I could still do my strength training.

I had my breakfast and was feeling really good, my knee felt fine.  Maybe I could go for a run from the bus stop.  Or maybe it is better just to do the strength training, because if I was feeling depleted maybe it will not be good to stress the body with the run and then be on the humid deck for Aquafit.  Maybe I could not do the run routine but time myself and see how long I could comfortably run for, that would be cool.  I have a long day planned so I decided to err on the side of caution.

I took my vitamins and decided to start on my B complex again.  I think the early starts to the morning have more to do with increased daylight and adjusting circadian rhythms, the night sleep is okay.  Hopefully that would help my energy as well.

So I walked Elizabeth to the bus and it was fatiguing.  I guess my body or some of its systems are stressed.  Maybe I will see if I can switch my reflexology session from next Friday to today.  I will increase my water and focus on really clean foods today.  I was planning on working from the computer but I think I need some time in the fresh air and sunshine.

I am covering two extra Aquafit classes (one Saturday and one Monday).  Tonight we are taking Marc out for his birthday dinner to avoid the pandemonium of Mother's Day, I hate when his birthday and Mother's day fall on the same date.  Then Juliet and I are heading to Toronto to see Rent.  Time to drink my Earl Grey Vanilla tea, recharge my batteries so I can give them my best on pool deck.  I am really looking forward to my head hitting the pillow tonight.

On track and rearing to go

Happy hump day.  Last night I was having issues sleeping again.  I am wondering if it is the Vitamin B complex I am taking.  I have it as early as possible in the morning.  I think I will stop for a bit and see if things improve.  Anyway it lead me to an early start this morning, and the sooner I start the more accomplished I can be.

My muscles are still a bit sore from Monday's strength training, I was hoping some hair of the dog (more exercise, not alcohol) would help get the lactic acid moving.  I did my 5-8-5-8-5 run followed by 4 minutes of body weight hi intensity exercise, got to stretch, pack my gear for the day, my water should now be at 80 degrees so I can make my green tea and prep a smoothie with spinach, pear, 1/4 banana, greek yogurt and some protein powder.  At 9 am I will teach my Aquafit class and rush home to work on the computer for six hours, followed by dinner and dishes, woohoo.

New game plan

Yesterday I did not end up going to water running.  I decided instead that I really want to work on defining my upper body and the time I had the best upper body tone was when I was teaching a class called Tone in Motion.  It combines simple steps to keep the heart rate elevated with hand weight strength training.  So I chose to do that instead.  At the physio appointment she taught me some cool things about how I hold my body, where I have limited mobility and proper umbrella (diaphragm) breathing.  Despite how tight my gluts may be they are not stabilizing me properly, which is what my chiro said as well.  So that is something I need to work on daily.

Today was weigh in day and I was not overly surprised to see there was not much change.  I am 178-179 lbs and lost 1/2" off my waist.  I would have liked to have seen more of a change but not surprised it wasn't there.  I realized that I have stopped having smoothies three times a week which really increases my protein intake, also my water intake slowed down.

Time for a new game plan.  I will continue to run on M/W/F and do 8 minute runs, with 5 minute warm up, recovery and cooldown walks.  On M/F I will do my Tone in Motion routine, and Wednesdays do a quick high intensity body weight resistance training.  Next week Juliet and I start a yoga class Tuesday nights and I plan to add yoga from home on Thursday mornings.  Weekends are for rest and house keeping.  M/W/F I will go back to smoothies for breakfast.  We will see how that progresses things along.  My goal is to get down to at least a 35" waist, which is the borderline for increased health risk.  Currently my waist size is 43".  I have far to go but I know I can do it.

Do over?

If at first you don't succeed try, try again.

Yesterday I was getting pain in my knee that I haven't experienced for 20 years.  It was so bad it close to immobilized me.  I started with heat and that made it worse, I had the TENS machine on for most of the day and that helped immensely.  By the end of the night there was no pain except when I did stairs.

This morning it felt okay until I brought my leg up to put on my socks.  I decided to go for my run anyway and listen to my knee, I don't want to do harm and be out for longer than necessary.  Today was a 5 walk, 10 run, 5 walk, 10 run, 5 walk and I was nervous about that mentally.  The first 10 minute stint my knee was good, by 8.5 - 9 minutes it took a lot of convincing to keep running and at 9.5 minutes I started walking, mentally I had no desire to keep running.  I walked for 5.5 minutes and started into my second 10 minute stint.  This time it was my body that was revolting.  First it was my hamstrings so I refocused my breathing to ensure I was getting in lots of oxygen for my hard working muscles.  Next I felt a twinge in my knee, I kept breathing to see if that would improve and it did.  I stumbled on a branch and that torqued the knee, a proverbial stumbling block could I overcome it, for about 20 seconds then I started walking.  But I didn't give up.  I walked for about 30 seconds and started running again for 1.5 then back to walking, ran for another 30 seconds but now my knee was saying not to push further.

So I here is my plan.  Today I have a physio appointment at 10:45 am.  There is a combo swim at 2 pm at Tansley Woods, I am going to go there and do my running in the water, that will better support the joints.  If mentally I cannot do the 10 minutes I will go back to last weeks routine.  I hope to get my strength training in before the water running.

I have just registered Juliet and I for yoga once a week and that starts next Tuesday.  It is one week sooner than I planned to add yoga but I think I can hack it.

Overall I am disappointed but not discouraged.  6 weeks ago I wasn't running at all and now I can run for 9 minutes comfortably.  I had no intentions of duration when I started out.  In fact I would be very happy to do interval training of 9 minute runs with body weight strength training in between the runs.  I want to maintain what I have achieved and possibly build my speed.  I still want to push for 10 minutes to overcome the mental challenge but for now I think the physical challenge is more of what I need.

I exceeded, I think

Yesterday was a "Do what you need" without judgement kind of day.  Thursday night I taught until 10 pm, I couldn't fall asleep until after 12 am and received a call from my third time repeat client that it was time to head to the hospital at 3:30 am.  I desperately sent out an email for coverage of my 10 am Aquafit class but no one could help out.  The baby was born at 8:05 am, I stayed until 9:40 am, arrived to class just in time, taught with very sore feet while ridiculously hungry.  I decided to get a milkshake, Santa Fe veggie wrap and orange cranberry muffin at Mc Donalds for my brunch.  It was lovely.  I rested and slept on the couch, watched the first episode of Downtown Abbey (it took three attempts to see it fully as I keep falling asleep.  I ignored the phone twice and a knock on the door.  For dinner we had french fries and honey garlic chicken.  I didn't drink enough water.  By 10 pm I was falling asleep on the couch so I went to bed.  I honoured my body's cues and it was a great day.

This morning I was awake by 6:15 am but stayed in bed until after 6:30 am.  I was very ready to get my run and strength training in so I could get the rest of my day going.  Elizabeth left for horseback riding camp just before 7:30 am and Juliet is off to work which means Marc and I have the day to ourselves.

The run today was 5 minute warm up, then two 8 minute runs sandwiching a 5 minute recovery walk, ending with 5 minute cooldown walk.  I left the house at around 7:25, the whole routine was supposed to be 31 minutes.  My iPod was not fully charged but I thought it had enough juice in it to cover me.  The first run was mostly into the wind and man was that ever tough.  You can't get the same breath in when a huge gust is hitting you in the face and the added resistance made it challenging.  I knew for the second run I needed to change my route otherwise I would once again be running head first into the wind.  I started running when it prompted me to and at one point I had this lovely little thought "My body is a shell, let you soul soar with the music." and that is what I did, it felt incredible.  I noticed tones in the music I had not experienced before, and I was experiencing them not just listening to them.  That lasted for a bit and then I started struggling.  Physically I felt fine but mentally I couldn't hold it.  I wanted to stop because I was simply tired of running.  I pushed through refocusing on my breath, thinking 'I am only failing myself', thinking of how accomplished I would feel once I was done.  I started mentally pleading with my iPod for the beep and "Begin 5 minute cooldown walk" but it was not coming.  I wanted to reach into my pocket and see how much time I had left but I thought that would make it harder.  I kept setting targets, 'I will run to the garbage can and it will beep', 'Okay to the car' 'To the yellow and black pole and then I am finished'.  As I neared the yellow and black pole I was mentally done, I reached into my pocket my iPod had a low battery warning.  When I cleared it the routine said it was completed.  I looked at the time and it was 7:58 am.  Does that mean I ran for over 13 minutes straight???  I cannot be sure but I think so.  That is awesome that physically and cardiovascular-ly I could do it comfortably.  It makes me concerned that motivationally and mentally it was rough.  I wanted to start running for the endorphins, the challenge, to get back into cardiovascular health and for the weight lost.  I never set an intention of how much of a run I wanted to do.  Will I be able to run for 20 + minutes?  What will I be happy with as I continue to increase my workout load?  Is there a set running time that mentally I tap out at, and the need for physical strength training will need to increase?  Where is that point?  Time will tell.

One thing I will say is on Thursday I was shaving my legs and my soleus muscle is back.  That was always my crowning achievement when my soleus muscle popped out from behind my calf (gastrocnemius) I love the look it and I have got to say it looks fierce.  I tried to take a picture but the light just didn't highlight how amazing it looks.

Now that I am almost done my coffee and have adequately come down from my long run it is time to do a bit of strength training, have a lovely warm shower and eat.  Have a great weekend everyone.

Half and half

I don't know if it was the chiropractic or sleeping for as long as I did on Tuesday but yesterday started out good, and got better to amazing energy as the day progressed.  Unfortunately I slept very poorly as a result but I got my run in earlier and it was an amazing run.  I took a sneak peak at it last night, two five minute runs sandwiching an eight minute stint, yikes!  I decided to run a different route so I had no expectations of how close I should be getting to the end of each running stint, the ground was really wet so I ran on the bike path, concrete versus grass, even that went well.  What was great was during my 8 minute stint the song "Long time running" came on which was comical and lovely, followed by "Here comes your man".  Now the brilliant part of that was

1. As I was running I had thought about the time Marc dreamed we were in an open field running towards each other with outstretched arms.  As he dreamed this his stretched out his arms and hit me in the face.
2. Marc had said he was going to come out and it was okay if I got ahead of him.  I woke up early and decided not to wake him.  As I was running I saw a figure coming through the fog.  ' Was that my man?', I would need to keep running to find out.  But alas no it was not, he had hair on the top of his head.

After the 8 minute stint there was what I expected to be a 3 minute walk and it seemed to drag on forever, I just wanted to run again which was lovely.  It was actually a 5 minute walk.  So overall I was back to half time walk, half time run (which warm up and cooldown) but 8 minute run, that was two minutes longer than Monday and I rocked it, it felt good and I was not struggling at all.  Woohoo me.

No run this morning

Wow yesterday I listened to my body and tried not to judge however I slept most of the day, woke up to drive Juliet to her chiro appointment, where Dr. Laura said "Let's get you adjusted too."  I felt nauseous in the car, while picking up dinner and carrying it into the house, when pee and felt better.  Slept solid through the night and feel better today.  I don't know what hit me but I am glad I took the day to care for myself.

I really didn't eat or drink much yesterday so I don't want to push myself with a run and then Aquafit this morning.  After Aquafit I have a reflexology appointment coming in then a quick lunch and up to Kinstruct for my first all staff meeting.  After that my calendar is clear for the day so I may opt to go out for a run later today if I feel up to it otherwise I will run tomorrow and Saturday.

Nauseous again

This sucks.  Nausea is not fun, it is physically exhausting.  I hope I am not coming down with something.  This morning I felt like I was burning up and nauseous.  Now I am cold, nauseous and tired.

I did my measurements.  My weight is 180 lbs and I lost 0.5" from both my hips and thighs.  I am a little disappointed it was not more however to nauseous to be worried.  I just want to lie back down again.  For the passed 4-5 days I have been feeling less than ambitious.   All I want to do is sit down and zone out so I guess the results are not surprising.  I think I need to get myself into a better sleep pattern, that should help.

The kettle has boiled so I am off to make my peppermint tea.  Lots of love to all of you.

Hell yah

It was great, then good, then tougher but I officially with warm up and cooldown ran the same amount of time as I walked.  It was 5 minute warm up, 5 minute run, 3 minute walk by which point I was itching to run again, ran for 6 minutes which went really well, I started to feel my legs working hard so I breathed deeper and that helped immensely, another 3 minute recovery walk and 5 minute run in which was harder.  I did it, there was a lot of wanting to give up, positive self talk, breath, mini targets, more positive self talk, I kept hearing the beeps alerting me to stop but knew I had to wait for the voice prompt, the beeps were just wishful sounds in my head.  In the end I was so freaking glad it was over, that last stint was tough.  It is likely because I got under 6 hours of sleep last night.  Totally my fault, I just couldn't sleep.

I got home and did my strength training, 1 minute burpies, 1 minute push up, and 2 minutes of chops.  Now I am waiting for my water to cool down so I can make my green tea.

Yesterday we went to the Aquarium which was cool except my family was so fast I didn't really get to fully explore, boohoo.  Also I got a piece of dirt in my eye and it got really swollen.  I put ice on it and disinfecting drops and it looks better this morning but I will need to do it again this morning.  It feels so much better than yesterday.

I am in a meeting from 9 am - 12 pm in Burlington, then to Stoney Creek for a postpartum visit with a client.  Tonight I have an interview in Oakville for a birth and will stop off at David's tea because they have a Lavender tea that I love.  I can't wait.  Have a great day everyone.

Accomplished morning

It is 9:07 am as I sit down to type this.  I have finished my run and strength training, drove Juliet to work, finished one load of laundry, prepared for my 90 minute reflexology session today, finally put away my teaching material from Thursday night and cleaned two floors of the house.  What a great start to a Saturday.  Today will be a fun and accomplished day and I will sleep brilliantly tonight.  Tomorrow is Juliet's 17th birthday.  What a wild and wonderful trip it has been.  My goal for the next 5 days is to constantly stay connected to the love.

By the way just for curiosity sake I stepped on the scale yesterday, I normally fight temptation to wait until Tuesday but I wanted to see if the water retention of the Chinese food was gone and it was, I was back down to 179 lbs.  That is just crazy and why it drives me nuts people get so hung up on the numbers.  Feel it and don't beat yourself up, learn from it and move on.

Happy Saturday everyone.

Unexpected

Last nights prenatal class was great but we went way over time.  Therefore Marc and I had a very late night.  This morning I am feeling very nauseous so I decided to do my run and strength training tomorrow.  Marc will be leaving early to help my mom, Juliet has work.  If I get up early enough I will go on my own, otherwise I will ask Elizabeth if she wants to bike beside me.

I am off to make a cup of "White Christmas tea" which has ginger and peppermint in it.  I hope that helps.

Glad it is over

Today was an accomplished day.  I cut my hair, vacuumed and cleaned the house, all before getting Elizabeth to school.  I finished the birth story, returned my re-hiring documents to the City of Burlington to teach Aquafit over the summer, took Grandmaman to the hospice and visited with Grandpapa briefly, went to Walmart to pick up a few things.  After that I ate lunch and completed my run/walk course and I am so glad it is over.  It was totally not what I was expecting.  There were ridiculous equations and all sorts of stuff I was not expecting.  I took the test today and failed the first time by 2%.  I put together the birth story and had a client come for reflexology. Then I paid an additional $11.95 to do a re-test of my course and passed with a 97%.  The book I got along with it looks really interesting and we only had to read 10 pages of it.  I think the book will be more appropriate to what I was hoping to learn.  Anyway at least now I got my 4 continuing education credits so I can easily recertify.  Now I just have to wait until June to recert for CPR and I can submit both documents and get my certificate to submit to the City of Burlington so I can continue to teach over the summer.

Now I need to prep the welcome bags and my props and material for my prenatal class tonight.  Tonight I will have a glass of wine and rest with my feet up the wall.  I am looking forward to tomorrow.  I hope you all have a wonderful night.

Holy crap

Hello everyone, happy hump day.  I woke up this morning with ease.  I didn't want to stay in bed.  That is a change for Wednesday.  Let's see if I can get through the day without needing a nap, that will be the true test.

Today's run was something else.  Marc came out with me which sometimes I find distracting because I pay attention to him and question my pace.  I had thought it may be helpful because there will be someone there watching me and I don't like failing in front of others.  There was an added two minutes of running today, bringing me to 16 minutes in total.  It was run 3 minutes, walk 2 minutes, run 5, 3 minutes twice and run 3 minutes, walk 2 minutes.  Holy crap.  When I put on my shoes my hamstrings were tight and all day yesterday my knee was bothering me.  I was not feeling overly confident as I started.  Not to mention there was a strong cross wind was strong at the bottom and head on wind along the first long straight.  The first 5 minutes went well until the last 20-30 seconds which was when I started noticing my hamstrings.  I preserved and felt so accomplished.  I was worried for the second stint but I found my stride and repeated the mantra "I can do it" on each exhale and it was easy.  For the final stint I was in the head on wind but I told myself  "I am stronger than any element, stronger than I believe, I can do anything".  Before I knew it time was up and it was time to walk home.  The whole workout was 36 minutes.  Friday it is 34 minutes, I will still run the same amount of time but on the 5 minute stints there will only be 2 minutes for recovery walk.

Today I will be heading out to teach Aquafit from 9:05 - 9:55 am, quick shower, then to Exquisite Taste in Wine to grab Girl Guide cookie money and make a batch of summer white wine.  Next to Kinstruct Health for a chiropractic exam and possible adjustment for 11 am.  Then home to polish and put together a birth story, work on my run/walk course and whatever else comes my way.  Tonight I will be going to a meditation circle at 7 pm and that will conclude my day.  But now it is time to stretch.  Ahhhhh

Disappointed but not discouraged

Yesterday was a decent day.  On top of my 75 minute workout in the morning Elizabeth and I went for a 30 minute bike ride, she played at the park for 10 minutes, I spent 3 minutes on the swing swinging side to side to engage my obliques and after dinner we went bowling.  I got a little frustrated during the day, Marc massage helped to relax me as did the glass of wine that followed.

This morning I woke up with a bit of a headache.  I am hoping between the green tea and headache balm and more hydration that it will be gone soon though I am at the computer all morning and afternoon, then driving and appointments all evening.

This morning I was so eager to come and do my meditation that I almost forgot to weigh in, maybe secretly I knew it was not going to be good although I would be surprised if I lost another two pounds I still thought I would have lost something.  I guess two days straight of Chinese food and dessert in a row was too much and literally tipped the scales.

I was back up to 182 lbs, that is 4 lbs up : (
The measurements held the same with the exception of my thighs.  Last week they were down 1.5" which I think may have been an incorrect measurement because this week they measured the same as the week before that.

Facts are facts.  I am confident with the added running load and the strength training this week that next week there will be more changes.  I do plan on having the last bit of Chinese leftovers we did not freeze for lunch or early dinner but then back to cleaner eating.  In regards to running with the exception of the warm-up and cooldown walk I am now running longer than I am walking which is wonderful.  We will see what next week's measurements look like.  I am not discouraged just disappointed, I can understand why the weight was increased, I know I do not have to work harder but just return to what I was doing.  I am confident I am on the correct path and feel good about this coming week.

Marvellous Monday

I was sleeping so soundly when my alarm went off this morning.  It was the sleep where it takes you a little bit to figure out what the sound is, then you realize it is your alarm and you wonder why it is going off, what day it is and if you really need to get out of bed.  So refreshing.  Marc chose not to get up but I did.

Wow what a run.  The most I have run was 10 minutes in total, today was 14 minutes and after the first 4 minute stint I felt incredible.  This was the second time since I started running that during my walk home my legs felt a little jello-y.  Not bad, just noticeable that I had worked them.

Once I got home I went to an upper body strength training routine.  All in with run, strength training and stretch it was 75 minutes.  The strength training felt great.  I forgot how much I love doing it.  Tomorrow my upper body will be tender but in a good way but for today I feel strong and very proud.  I would love to get a massage today.  Maybe I can convince Marc to practice the massage techniques we learned from the lovely Lara Stewart-Panko.

Today is all about hanging out with the girls.  I have absolutely nothing planned.  What a marvellous Monday!

What a profound experience

As I woke this morning I decided after driving Juliet to work I would take a coffee down to Paletta park and sit by the lake on the rocks and do my meditation.  Marc woke up as I was getting dressed and said he had a really weird dream.  He dreamed I was going to church this morning which made us both laugh but for me because in a way I was.  I was going to the park to sit and connect with the universal powers (wind, sun, water and personal).  To make it even more profound I had fallen behind on my meditations so the meditation I listened to today was on power and strength.  Seriously?!?!

In the passed at least 10 years I have known I am powerful beyond my beliefs.  I know there is unlimited power within me if I come to it from a place of trust and love with openness to learn.  As soon as I heard what the mediation was about I was a little put off, thinking I don't need to hear what I already know.  But I stuck it out knowing meditation is good for me.  There came an incredible point in my meditation when I closed my eyes and connected to the raw power, just then the wind picked up blowing a strong cold breeze, the waves became more intense and loudly lapped against the rocks, the sun seemed to beam even brighter.  It was an amazing culmination of energy and it was radiating so strong.  I felt so connected with everything in that moment, I allowed the energy to expand and the feeling was incredible.  Connected with everything and everyone, a truth and power from within and also external.  Raw matter, force, energy, love, hope in everything I saw and felt.  It was my "ta da" moment for the day.  What a great start to a sunny Sunday morning.

A day so full of potential

Marc and Juliet both had to go into work this morning so Elizabeth decided she would come into my bed and snuggle for a bit.  Wow did that ever bring back flashbacks.  I feel her legs against mine and her feet did not stop at my thighs but continued down passed my knees and to my shins.  She is still my baby but not my baby.  It wasn't long before she said "You know Mom, I don't normally sleep in this long." she was ready to move on with her day, as was I, I was just enjoying the closeness.  I guess I needed that because even the cat slept not only in our room but either beside my face, on my belly or by my feet all night long.

Today we have no commitments, no plans, just potential.  I am so excited and curious to see where it takes us.

I am feeling the need to be very active.  I am looking forward to not only increasing my load in running but also adding in two days of strength training.  It is something I have really missed doing and have managed to slot it in in a manner that will be manageable not overloading while still respecting my off days.

Now it is time to start my day. no more time in front of the computer.  Wishing you a strong Saturday.

My mantra

Sorry I did not post yesterday.  What started out as a shitty morning literally turned in to a really good day and high anxiety night.  I woke up yesterday morning to prepare for a very busy, lots of driving and sitting kind of day.  I finally put away the laundry I started last Friday, cleaned up my sheets and reflexology room from Monday to then have Elizabeth announce the upstairs toilet was clogged.  Marc bought a new plunger which he loves.  I was not so lucky with it.  After struggling with it for 20 minutes, sweating, with my clothes and the floor covered in poop coloured water I finally got it flushing.  Elizabeth had to pack her own lunch so likely not the best choices.   I got redressed, did a few more things and had to run out the door without breakfast.  Luckily I was meeting up with a friend at Starbucks (Trafalagar and Dundas).  That meant an expensive and not overly healthy breakfast of yougart and granola with a black coffee as I figured it would not be a good idea to get anything with milk or flavour shots.  From there I stopped off at Joe Fresh and did a bit of business casual clothes shopping although I ended up purchasing two cotton t-shirts, red solo cups, shampoo and underwear for Juliet and two bottles of white wine for Easter dinner on Sunday.  I then went to Payless Shoes stores and bought some super cute shoes (business casual) so overall I met my goal.  Down to Lakeshore and Trafalgar for a laser hair removal treatment and walked seven minutes (or so Google maps predicted) to The Green Bean Coffee Company to meet with a Holistic Nutritionist/RMT who wants to start networking.  Had an amazing lunch and London Fog, yummy.  Walked back to the car.  Stopped off at Dollarama because my cat litter scoop broke that morning and then home.  I received a text from a client while I was driving.  She was getting some prelabour signs.  Now this is my client I have already supported through two births and her labours are fast.  Now I didn't know what to do because I had class one of a prenatal class series starting at 7 pm.  It was 3:35 pm.  Do I go ahead with class knowing she will not need me until 9:30 - 10 pm once class is over, or do I postpone for one week?  I called my back up and another doula for advise and both said postpone it, ever just for the peace of mind and energy preservation.  In the end that is what I decided to do.  I had to stop several times and remind myself to breathe, I felt like I was just buzzing with anxiety of the hyper alert of being on call.  At 6:47 pm she texted to say everything settled down.  Crap, I should have gone ahead with class.  So that was yesterday.

Today is a new day.  I didn't realize but my run was 2 minute run, 2 minute walk, then two 3 MINUTE RUN, 3 minute walk, ending again with a 2 minute run, 2 minute walk.  It was tough, there was a lot of self talk going on that I adopted the mantra "I am stronger than my hormones" and that helped me overcome the negative self talk.  It did not help however with the menstrual cramps which got me wondering in women are endorphins and oxytocin constantly linked?  Because I seem to start getting menstrual cramps while walking after my second long stint of running, they cease while running and come back excessive strong on my final and cooldown walk.  I almost wanted to double over today they were so strong but "I am stronger than my hormones."

I will have an easy day today.  I am on high alert not only for my client but also tonight as a back up for a second time mama who was having early labour symptoms last night as well.  It could be a busy weekend.  Also Monday I took a sneak peak I have 3 minute run, 2 minute walk, two stints of 4 minute run, 3 minute walk, ending again with the 3 minute run, 2 minute walk.  Wow, it is amazing how far I have come.  Now time for breakfast.  Have a spectacular weekend.

I love Burlington

I live in such a protected bubble here in Burlington.  There was barely a dusting of snow scattered here and there.  The grass was quite crunchy but totally clear to run on.  The run went well however just before my last running stint I started to get menstrual cramps.  I was hoping the endorphins would kick in to ease them but not in the moment  which made the last run a challenge but still doable.  I was amazed that in two minutes I almost ran the whole soccer field.  I was not doing that before.  It was awesome.

I realized this morning that I did not get any yoga or feet elevation happening.  Court went extremely well for my friend (a happy surprise for her) that I did not even get a lot of work done.  I didn't drink as much water as I would have liked but I can get back on track today.  Juliet also had her first chiropractic assessment and adjustment and she was very pleased.

Today I have Aquafit at 9 am, a date with a friend at 11 am and then need to get some work done as the rest of the week is busy with appointments and family time.  But for now it is time to drink a tea.  Happy Wednesday.

I have become one of the converted

This morning I woke up with things on my mind.
1. How am I going to run tomorrow in the snow?  What will I wear?  I can deal with the cold but do I wear my shoes or boots?  Does that mean I need to run on the sidewalk instead of the grass?
2. What am I going to wear today while I sit and support my friend in family court?  What should I bring with me?  Can I work on a lap top?  Should I bring my online prenatal class material?  Will there be wifi, I could working on my run/walk course?

All these things that I almost forgot to weigh in.  Well now I am truly a running convert.  Yesterday I asked Marc do you think I lost more weight this week.  I never thought I would put him in such a position but I was curious what other people were seeing.  He says he couldn't really tell as he sees me everyday.  I feel I am starting to get thinner in my cheeks. Here are the results

I am down another 2 lbs this week bringing me to a weight of 178 lbs.  I am in shock and amazed.
Neck, shoulders, biceps, and chest were all the same.  Now here is the extra good news.
Waist 43.5" - down a full 1"
Hips 46.5" - down 0.5"
Thighs 25", hold on to your seats that is 1.5" down, holy crap!!!
My calves were up 0.5" but I am totally fine with that.  I have lost a lot of muscle mass and gorgeous shape off of them.

So all together 2.5" down off the areas I measure and 2 lbs in seven days.  Running is pretty spectacular.  I was nervous too because I did not do as good of a job on hydrating and ate well but not completely clean.

I started a new 21 day meditation with Deepak and Oprah.  It was good just to take the time for myself. Today will be all day sitting so I plan to do some yoga tonight with my feet up the wall for a while to help the lymphatics.

Hoping your day brings you at least one pleasant surprise.

I am awesome!

I am a power house.  Today was my 2.5 minute run stints and I did them with ease, it was incredible.  I feel amazing, capable of anything, stupendous.

This weekend was a great prenatal series.  I got out on Saturday for a quick 20 minute walk while drinking a smoothie for lunch.  Saturday night Marc and I did some yard work, because is there any other way to spend a Saturday night.  Sunday I thought the last bit of the prenatal class outside which was interesting as it was a bit windy but it was nice to be outdoors.

Today I need to send photos to Costco, check in on a doula client, do all the dishes that built up over the weekend, do a quick tidy, and then I have a girlfriend coming for coffee at 11 am.  An "Ultimate renewal" reflexology appointment from 2 - 3:30 pm, reset the room for regular reflexology, clean the rocks and have a smoothie for dinner at 4 pm, then a standard reflexology appointment at 4:30 - 5:30, reset the room and start heating the rocks for another "Ultimate renewal" appointment from 6 - 7:30 pm.  Then clean the room, start washing the linens, maybe have a little snack and go for a walk/bike ride if the weather is nice to the bank with Marc, deposit money, pay bills.  You know the typical Monday kind of stuff.  And of course at the end have energy to burn because I am awesome!

Friday

Sorry I did not post yesterday.  It was truly a rest day for me.

Let me rewind to Wednesday.  I ran, napped, and the family went for a walk (Marc and Juliet) and bike ride (Elizabeth and I) to Paletta park.  The past two weeks I cannot get through Wednesday without a nap.  Last week was 5 minutes, this week was 30 minutes, but if that is what my body needs that is what I will give it. I stayed up way too late, reading, cleaning and working on a revamped prenatal class page for my website to include the Waterdown classes. Yesterday I spent most of the day on the computer though I had a great reflexology session with a client.  It was so cool, her body is so responsive.  The second I touched her digestive system it started gurgling, I love it.  I almost opened the chocolate bar yesterday but didn't and drank more water instead.  Stronger in body and mind, I love it.

Today I did my run which was an increased load.  It feels really great, this week when it prompts me to stop my breathing is controlled and the muscles are not yelling. Next week I am apprehensive but at the same time confident.  I have to progress from running 1.5 minutes to 2.5 minutes.  I only have to do that twice for the first two days, so it should be manageable and I am strong yet that is a full minute difference.  I am sure I will amaze myself, as I said I feel I could continue when I am prompted to stop so there is no reason to doubt.  I rise to the occasion, bring on Monday morning.

Today I am receiving reflexology from Bonnie Smith of Soul's Journey.  Thanks to my Mom for the gift certificate.  Groceries will need to be purchased, the house vacuumed and laundry washed.  We will be spending some family time tonight.  This weekend I am teaching from 10 am - 5 pm both days.  A lot of sitting so I hope the weather is nice after dinner so I can get out and do something.  If not maybe we can plan an active family challenge.

Happy Friday everyone.  Lots of love.

It's Wednesdays

So this morning I really didn't want to get out of bed and it was totally refreshing.  It was not lack of motivation last week, just a case of the Wednesdays.  I still went out and ran.  I couldn't find my headphones which was disappointing.  It meant I needed to hold my iPod as I couldn't hear the run/walk prompts from my pocket.  I did however run without music and it went well.  Marc came out with me and has decided to be active, walking on my rest days and running with me on run days.  I am happy for him and know he will feel better for it.

I am still in shock that I lost 2 lbs in 7 days with such small changes.  Yesterday I was really feeling the need to have chocolate.  I went to my sash and grab a mini Kit Kat.  It sat my desk the whole time.  Twice I picked up and decided I didn't really want it.  I think it is good to have it there because it keeps me focused and reminds me to drink more water or change my activity so on my desk it will stay.  Until PMS hits and then I might cave.

Marc and I did get an extra walk in during the evening when Elizabeth was at Guides.  We stopped off to hi to my friends Maja and Cam Edgar from Edgar Chiropractic and then walked along the lake for 75 minutes.

I forgot to take my vitamins yesterday.  As I typed this revamped post I must admit I am feeling pretty low on energy but I know that as soon as I am done teaching Aquafit I will be back to my boisterous self.

Today was a good run.  I am off to teach Aquafit at 9 am, at a Pathways meeting at Kinstruct from 12 - 2 pm where we are talking about temper tantrums and then back home to spend some much needed family time.

Happy hump day.

Celebrate every moment

Every moment of every day is a gift that is why we call it the present.  As I sit here on the Breakfast shift with Marc's grandfather and I see from the book the visitors he has had and the out pouring of love and support I am thankful for this opportunity.  I am in awe of how family pulls together and gets stronger through illness. I continue to see blessings through hardship.  I am grateful that I can spend time I may not make otherwise to show my love and support.

Other things to celebrate
I am down 2 lbs in 7 days - wow
I have lost 0.5" from both my arms and thighs.
This morning Marc and I went out for a 40 minute walk in the cold drizzle.
The coffee I left at home in my insulating mug will be the prefect chugging temp when I get home and I will not have a prickly tongue all day from burning it this morning.
I know get some time to read a book I have had for 20 months.
And for the day. That though cold and drizzly is full of potential.

Impressed

Maybe this is more information than any of you wanted to know however I will share it anyway.  Today my pants and underwear are falling down.  That is awesome.  Now could it be the underwear is a little stretched out, possibly, but I choose to see it as a more encouraging sign.  I can't wait for tomorrow to find out.

Great close and start to the week

Absolutely incredible is how to describe it.  On Friday we went to my grandfather house to bring my Mom some boxes and ended up coming home with a whole bedroom set for Juliet.  As a result both girls without any encouragement completely cleaned and reorganized their rooms.  Juliet's room looks phenomenal.  Elizabeth got a bunch of Juliet's old stuffies and her book self.  Her room now looks much more open and gave her a ton more storage.  So most of the weekend was spent cleaning but what a great feeling.  Also Friday I did yoga at home and the feeling of zen when I finished was OUTSTANDING.

Today I got up and did my run, it exceeded my expectation.  I had four sprints of run 1.5 minutes, walk two minutes and two run and walk for 1 minute.  I was nervous because I had two days off and the increase in load but it was great.  Three times the inner dialogue started (two negatives and one positive)  but they were short and easily filtered.  I feel amazing pride in myself.

I realized this morning that I have not set any weight goals.  I am so curious to weigh in tomorrow.  I am not sure if anything has happened but I am still curious.  The only goal I did set was in regards to physical activity and taking vitamins.  I think that is adequate for me for now.  I don't want to stress over multiple things.  I am running (WOW) and increasing my load, with better sleep and hydration habits.  Now I need to focus on mindful eating and the weight loss will happen without needing to dictate and end goal.

Today I will be at the computer most of the day.  Tonight Marc and Elizabeth are off to a concert so Juliet and I will go to yoga.  What a great way to start the week.

What a difference

Firstly I want to say a big thank you to my friend Anne Weeks of Mother Matters.  I did not want to get out of bed this morning to run, really didn't want to get up.  But she texted me at 6:30 am (the time I generally get up) to arrange a coffee date for Sunday.  I then realized there was no point in trying to get back to sleep.  My original plan was not to run until after I got Elizabeth on the bus but with how I was feeling today I knew if I stalled I would likely find another excuse.  I still didn't feel like running and as I headed out the door I thought, I just walk it instead.  As soon as my first prompt to run came on I ran, and it was over before I knew it so I just kept running whenever prompted.  IT WAS AMAZING.  I could never understand people who could run without music and yet today I found the meditative state in running.  I didn't have to think about my breath, there was no self talk (negative or positive) because the run was never challenging, it was comfortable and brilliant and renewing and relaxing and recharging, and freaking awesome.  As I was on my cooldown walk the song "Friday I'm in love" came on.  It brought I huge smile to my face.  It made me think I am in love with myself, in love with running, in love with endorphins, in love with life.  I am so thrilled and feel so accomplished.

I am only supposed to run three times this week but I am nervous how Monday will feel after three days off.  I think I will bike to my friends house on Sunday or do a nice walk with Marc.

Yesterday was good I fought my craving for mini eggs and dessert as the rest of the family indulged, though I did save it up for a glass of wine.  I did not drink my second jug of water but other than that it was a great day.  I got a plant and beautiful card from my clients, and an ego stroke from them and a fellow doula.  It felt great and made me feel wonderfully successful and full of further potential.

Today I am heading out to teach Aquafit at 10 am, have a meeting with Laura from Kinstruct Health to discuss in further detail my spot at the clinic, grocery shopping, some me time, dinner and then to my Mom's to bring some moving boxes.

So I am off to spread the love.  Happy Friday everyone.

What a day

I am continually astounded how good stuff can come from frustration, you just need to look for it. 

Firstly my massage was AWESOME.  It was weird she was doing fascia stripping on my gluts and it felt like I had the TENS machine on boost while she was working on my right cheek.  It was fascinating and weird that it didn't happen on the left.

After she left I got an email from a friend about a teleconference that was going to be starting in 30 minutes.  I quickly made my lunch and joined in.  It was PHENOMENAL.  So I got nothing done on my online prenatal class but that was totally worth it (surprise present #1).

I did get a chapter of work done on my run/walk course so that was great.  Another step forward.

Marc and I were supposed to bottle wine last night.  Marc has always been in charge of preparing the bottles.  On Tuesday night I asked if he wanted to get the bottles ready and bring them upstairs and he said "We can do that tomorrow."  As I was preparing dinner he let me know he was running late and he would meet me at Exquisite Taste in Wine.  So I quickly ate and went to get our bottles.  And to my surprise most still had the labels on them, grrrrr.  It was 5:15 pm our appointment was at 6 pm at Brant and Upper Middle.  I called Joanne, the owner of Exquisite Taste in Wine, to cancel because I was so frustrated and didn't think I could get it done and get there on time.  She gave me a tip on how to remove the labels, asked what I wanted to do and said she could help.  She also let me know my friend was coming in as well to bottle and I had Girl Guide cookies for her so I decided to keep the appointment.  I called Juliet and Elizabeth down to help me.  They were awesome and super sweet.  I arrived at Exquisite Taste in Wine at 5:59 pm.  During the drive Marc called to say the whole Louisana office was down and he would not be able to help me bottle, grrrr, I have never bottled on my own before.  Joanne was super helpful and I got the bottling done very fast, Tree arrived and helped me even more.  Friends are awesome.  I told Tree I had Girl Guide cookies for her.  In actually took 4 boxes in the car.  The other ladies who were there wanted cookies as well.  Joanne even said if Elizabeth wants to leave some there with her she could sell them at the desk and if Elizabeth wants Joanne would give her permission to sell in front of her store on Saturday, which is next to No Frills and across from Tim Horton's.  When Elizabeth was out selling in the neighborhood she noticed a group of Brownies, that would make selling harder (surprise present #2).

Today I was supposed to get together with a friend for coffee but she has cancelled.  I just wonder what little surprise will come up as a result of my free time.  Today is an office day.  I have not picked from my self-care jar, but I am sure it will be excellent.  I am meeting with clients tonight for our final visit, I love holding babies. 

I hope each of you has a day filled with wonderful surprises.

Run day two

Yesterday was a good day.  I got caught up on a ton of work for CRS (140 emails, entering 119 resumes and doing a performance review), and put together the birth story.  I did not get my afternoon walk in nor did I drink my second jug of water but otherwise it was very good.  I slept very well. 

Today was the second day of running.  Marc came out with me which was nice.  Instead of doing six sprints of running and walking it was eight.  After the fourth there was some self talk going on, "Mind over matter", "You are powerful" "I can do anything for one minute" and each one was very manageable, the fifth required some encouragement, the sixth was great, the seventh a bit of self talk at the end and the eighth I really started to wonder (probably by 45 seconds) how long a minute could be.  Marc started walking but I powered through with lots of perserverence self talk.  It was awesome.  My legs felt like they were half mine and half jello at the end.

I will have some breakfast, take Elizabeth to school, teach Aquafit, quickly shave my legs, get a massage at 11 am, work on my prenatal course and run/walk course and tonight Marc and I go bottle our wine.  I am looking forward to it.

Measurements

Yesterday was a great day.  Not only did I get my run in, I got a bike ride to Central library and back (of course) and started and finished a birth story.  It was an extremely efficient and accomplished day.  Now part of that may have been I was up at 6:30 am and didn't go to bed until 12:00 am.  I don;t know if it was the active that made me more alert or the B vitamins I took in the morning.

This morning I took my measurements.  I really don't want to look back and see what they had been because I may resent the fact I let things go this far.  However I was very pleased with the weight.  I was expecting to be between 190 - 200 lbs and I was a mere 182 lbs.  Not that I want to stay there but that is better than anticipated.

Neck 14"
Shoulders 43.5"
Arms 14"
Chest 42"
Waist 44.5" (yikes)
Hips 47"
Thighs 27"
Calves 15.5"

Today is a computer day.  I plan to get out for a walk around lunch time.  I wonder how sitting all day with impact the energy.  I am also teaching a prenatal class tonight.  It will feel nice tomorrow to run again and teach Aquafit.  I am meeting with a RMT who does travelling services and specializes in pregnancy massage.  She is going to give me a sampling of her work.  I think that will be very enjoyable, the perks of networking.

I'm baaack

Now is the time.  I have a lot of exciting things on the horizon and for that I want to be the best me possible.

I am joining Kinstruct Health in Waterdown as their reflexologist and birth professional in June.  I will still continue both in Burlington as Birth Beginnings but now have a Waterdown location as well.  It is very exciting to be part of a team. 

I have started a online course to get my CEC's for my fitness certification.  It is on walk/running program development.  I have been really drawn to running lately so I thought it was quite timely.

I am working on developing an online version of my prenatal class.  That way parents anywhere can take it, at their leisure.  It is soooo time consuming but once it is finished, other than the occasional update to the material, it will be residual income that flows without taking time away from my family or me.

Since I last posted I have also started working for the same company as Marc, though many of you know that already.  It is a sedentary job which was challenging for me and has had a big impact on my physical wellbeing.  Financially however it has been very beneficial, the hours are extremely flexible.  Overall it has been a great venture, my challenge as always is to find the balance between my hats, my physical wellbeing and my family.

Reflexology has been very busy the passed two months.  It has been lovely.  I have a new service called "Ultimate renewal" which includes facial massage and hot stones.  I love the session, it is so relaxing for both me and the client and holding the hot stones after doing an hour of reflexology is wonderful for my hands.  I switched to a new online scheduler which is very nice looking.  I have also got the Square reader so I can now process credit card payments.

I have created a schedule in which I will run M/W/F in the mornings. On those days I will also study and work on my online prenatal program in 90 minute clusters (as that is all I can muster before my brain starts wandering).  Tuesday and Thursday will be solid with CRS work.  Of course births and reflexology appointments will trump all of those, it may change the time I run but I still plan to run.

I really love running.  It is physically and mentally challenging and so rewarding.  I just got a learn to run app and went out for the first time this morning and I freaking loved it.  The last two running sprints were mentally tough but at the end I triumphed.  In three weeks I will add strength training into the program, in six weeks yoga and come June swimming.

I have also created jars for self-care and family, and will create one for Marc and I as well.  In my self care jar I have 5-30 minute activities I can do that I really enjoy.  Some are indulgent, some are physical, some are creative and right brained and others are left brained and distracting (like puzzles).  I pick each day and it is funny how they are exactly what I need and when I think "How am I going to fit that in?" the opportunity opens up somehow.  So cool.  It really forces me to be "self-full" that otherwise I tend to skip. 

The family jar we started last night.  Each of us has put things in there we like doing as a family.  Last night Elizabeth picked out Pictionary.  Marc and Juliet did not want to do it but we played for an hour or maybe even longer.  All the sudden we realized it was Elizabeth's bedtime.  It was a blast and so great to be playful and do things together. 

Today I have three reflexology appointments booked and will do some studying in between and work on the prenatal class tonight as Marc has an online course he is doing and behind on.

Things are looking exciting and positive.  Each morning I wake up looking forward to what is next.