a new start

 A whole week has passed and what have I done? I've walked on the treadmill for 7 hours and 40 minutes! That's 460 minutes! Today I did 6 km in 60 minutes - my fitness has improved tremendously and I look forward to improving even more. I can push myself harder and longer :-) And I get off the treadmill feeling energised, not drained, and in a great mood! I think I've made the transition from dread to anticipation 😀 

Yesterday morning I drove into town to visit my parents (and of course Graham), and then Mom and I did some serious retail therapy! We had fun! Mom scored some patterned leggings and matching scarfs (and purse!) - she looks fantastic! 

lunch: 4 cups mixed greens, ½ cup chickpeas, roasted sweet potato, roasted mushrooms, steamed broccoli, grilled tofu. 

Since last wednesday, I've been focusing on healthy foods and thinking about food as medicine. There is so much research coming out about what foods fight cancer and other health conditions: tofu, mushrooms, berries, cruciferous vegetables - they all play a role in nourishing our cells and reversing disease. With all that in mind, as well as wanting to lose some weight, I've mostly transitioned back to plant based eating. I know it works, and I know I feel great… 

I won't cut out all animal products but will reduce them significantly (we have a big steak dinner planned for Carm's birthday next week and I won't pass on a giant chunk of beef!). Over covid, I started adding too many unhealthy meals and it showed. It's time to think of our health again! (and I've lost 2 pounds in a week! probably lots of water though…)

Lupa got a haircut today - it's much less of an ordeal than it was with the two poodles - 45 minutes from start to finish, vs over 2 hours. Still, I'm always glad to have that job out of the way for another 60 days! She's pretty good for the whole thing, but I do have Carm help to steady her. 

(before her haircut!)

We are under a winter weather warning today!

Awesome!

“Lupa's haircut done!”

“a few beautiful days”

“feeling good driving”

“fun outing with Mom”

“walking with Kirsten”

“tulips pushing their way out of the earth”

“Carm saw little green garlic shoots (gosh, I hope this isn't too early - forecast for -16 tomorrow night”

spring forward

 Sunday morning, while I was lying in bed struggling to find a reason to get up, I decided that instead of dreading my time on the treadmill, it will be something to look forward to. Don't get me wrong, I do look forward to chatting with Kirsten, but the physical effort? Not always. 

Looking back I can see that all my failed attempts at consistent exercise were based on mindset. I'd tell myself that I only had to get on for 10 minutes, like it was some sort of punishment, in the hopes that I'd get into the groove and walk longer. It usually worked but I'd go through the same mind games the next day and the next - motivation did not endure! 

The times that I've been most successful was when I was fired up about the exercise and feeling of getting stronger. This is what I have to recapture, and I think I'm starting to get there. All that said, I cannot discount the absolute awesomeness of having an exercise buddy!

down by the creek

Sunday was mostly rainy but finished off with some snow that stuck to the ground. We had to scrape the car when we left Trudie & Leo's after supper. By the time I got up Monday, (shockingly late again!), the snow was mostly gone. It's sunny this afternoon with the forecast showing above zero across the board for the next week. Unheard of.

Several weeks ago I might have mentioned that I made preserved lemons - well, Saturday was the day to try it. I took one quarter of a lemon, rinsed it, chopped it finely, then stirred it into garlic & fennel that I was sauteeing for a rice pilaf - it gave a delicate lemon flavour to the rice. The jar should keep in the fridge for several months :-)

I also made lox from some salmon that we got on sale. Easy and so so good!

Last night we had Trudie & Leo over for a quick supper. They were gone by 7:30 - we are definitely all getting older and sleepier ;-)

I had to get some imaging done at our small local hospital this morning. The technicians were all friendly and helpful, and it was an easy shift from one area to the other. In the city I might have even needed to change hospitals for the second image - yay for small towns!

Scamper… a word that aptly describes Lupa running from room to room with her toys. The dogs have scads of toys, some of which are around 2 years old. The little monkey, with the long brown tail, still survives despite it being Adia's favourite. Lupa prefers the giant toys that are almost as big as she is! She wrestles and drags the dragon all over the house, and can even jump onto the bed with it, although not always on her first try!

Awesome!

“walking for an hour on my own”

“small town hospitals”

“salmon”

“a gorgeous sunny day - almost shirtsleeve temps!”

“dogs asleep in the sun spot”

“Lupa lying flat on her tummy with her legs stretched out behind her - so cute!”

"daylight savings time"

just when I thought

It seems that anytime things are looking like they are getting back to normal, something else pops up. Sunday night I twisted the wrong way and screwed up my back… very painful with spasms at every movement… I was in slightly better shape when I got up on Monday morning but it wasn't ideal and movement was painful! Kirsten was walking so I figured I'd just gimp around the house while she did, but at the last minute got onto the treadmill and being careful with my movement had a huge improvement - I was able to keep it up for 50 minutes - at a snails pace again but hey! I even went out for a half hour walk with Carm later in the afternoon 🤪

I think the initial walking and lots of careful stretching ‘massaged’ a nerve back into place, so now I'm just left with some inflammation but no spasms. I've walked every day since which seems to be helping!

I continue to carry on as if I were normal!

Last week, a few days before we went to Olaf's, our hot water suddenly became SCALDING hot! We don't know what caused the change, perhaps one of the thermometers malfunctioned. Over a few days he was able to adjust the temp until it's acceptable, but why? He chatted with the hot water tank company and they sent replacement thermometers :-)

There are only a few tiny patches of snow left where the snowblower had piled it especially high! We've had record breaking heat for a few days, even today, with the cold front dropping the temperature from the teens, it's still unseasonably warm at 5C. We should still be in the thick of winter…

Eleven percent of Americans have type II diabetes. Photos of kids lunchboxes have been showing up in my feed lately - it is shocking what is considered food in the US. Lunches with mostly pre-packaged sweets and chips seem almost the norm. And often a sandwich on white bread with nutella is included for protein...

Having said that - I am not a perfect eater - not by a long shot! But I hope I'd send real food in a lunch box! It’s time for me to do better with my own nutrition!

I’ve been doing a pretty good job of tuning out the nightly news but sometimes it intrudes and I'll have to say, the world is shit.

Awesome!

“record breaking temperatures”

“goulash with white beans instead of pasta”

“Carm's garlicy crostini”

“cuddling back into the sofa with a hot coffee after an hour of walking”

“cold cucumber”

carry on

 Carry on as if you are normal is my mantra these last few days, and carrying on I am! Thanks to Kirsten I've gotten back walking - an hour Thursday and Friday, 50 minutes yesterday, and another hour today. Today was a bit faster, but the other days I wasn't walking at record speed, in fact I was moving at a slow amble, but I did it! Having an exercise buddy is awesome!!! Especially on the days when I really don't want to do anything other than curl up on the sofa 😀

Friday we lost Lupa for about half an hour!!! Panic! She'd been missing for 10 minutes before Carm came in to get me - I took off towards the creek with visions of her drowned body being swept downriver, Carm went towards the back before going to the road… where she was waiting to be let back in 😱 She must have gotten through the underbrush along the road where there is no fence and found herself unable to get back. She could have LITERALLY walked under the gate to get back to us but instead made us freak out for ages!

The red-wing blackbirds are busy staking their territories - first come first served I guess. It sounds like spring! High of 6C yesterday and again today with mid teens forecast later in the week. It's overcast though. The grey sky is like an incubus sucking all energy and life as it lies heavily on the earth.

We watched a segment on the news the other night about a group of swimmers who have kept a ‘lane’ open in the Ottawa River and swim daily! Yikes - they have to cut the ice out to keep it clear… I think my new swimming temp will be 15C/60F… If they can swim in near freezing temps I guess I won't die if I go in at 15C! Think how many more swimming days there'll be! At least I'll try…

Last week I got Carm to pick up carrots at Costco - yes, another 10 pounds! That 20 pounds that I complained about a month ago are long gone. It was handy having them already prepared so we cut up and froze half of them yesterday, keeping some for a ginger carrot soup to serve to Pat last night. The lowly carrot is not so humble when married with lots of garlic, ginger, and lime! Or when dressed with parmesan and hot honey!

We finished watching ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ last night while Pat was here. It's a great series but if you've read the book be forewarned that the story is wildly different in some aspects! Good but different.

Awesome!

“my exercise buddy”

“almost all the snow is gone”

“Lupa showing up at the gate”

“feeling better getting off the treadmill than I did getting on! REMEMBER THIS!”