I didn’t get quite the amount of work done this weekend that I had planned, but overall I am satisfied. I really am very bad at painting, I have the skills of a 9-yr-old, and it shows in the splatters and drips. I don’t care though, I will be happy with it when it is done. I went for a beige colour scheme, which is unusual for me, I tend to like more dramatic colours.
I have been working on getting back in the habit of logging food and exercise, and I am ready to commit to it again. I was very dependent on the nikeipod thingy and not being able to run and track time and distance has been very bad for me, I have lost that habit now. The good thing is that when I finish this room I will be using it as an exercise room too. I even almost bought a rowing machine today but had to postpone it cause hey! I’m broke, remember? Paying off the credit cards and saving for a new car does not allow for impulse purchases over a certain limit.
Ok, I have a plan for prepping for the next couple of weeks. Since there is about a foot of snow on the ground, I have to admit that once again, I missed the tulip-planting window. Another $30 left on the floor of the carport…
Saturday - paint the den, and fix the bathroom tap, and if I am really efficient install the new door handle.
Sunday - a bit of organizing of the basement and starting to put the den back together.
There, I feel better already. I am away next weekend, and so I have to do the big jobs this weekend and then fit the rest in on the evenings, which for me is always tough.
(Please do not comment on the fact that exercise is not scheduled in. I know, I know….)
My house is such a mess. Just cluttered and messy, and I have to decorate for the staff xmas party next week. I host it at my house each year and as the group gets bigger it gets more fun and more festive. Last year we did karaoke and it was SO BAD the neighbour came over to make sure we were all right.
I don’t know what to do about the food though. Part of me wants to cook a bunch of exotic party things but I know I will not have the time to do it. If I can get the place decorated it will be a surprise. A couple of years ago I had it catered but that was so expensive. The middle ground seems to be rent the dishes…it does cost a bit but what a treat especially since I do not have a dishwasher and the last thing I would want during a party is dirty dishes piled everywhere. For food I will get take out from one of the supermarkets and just do one or two easy things (so it looks homemade…lol)
Animals are flat out in front of the fireplace. It’s quite amusing to watch the cat move the dog out of the way when it decides it’s time. The dog seems so puzzled by it all.
I am telling myself that I am already seeing the difference from switching to herbal tea as an evening drink, instead of delicious red wine. The bloating is disappearing; my face is less puffy. I hate to admit there are benefits to abstinence, at least Sunday to Friday…:)
My friend the personal trainer read me the riot act about my ankle today, and explained all the reasons why I must be very careful not to re-injure it again. He even used the phrase, ‘at your age’ which I choose to interpret as ’at your young age’ and not ‘ at your advanced state of decrepitedness’. So no weight-bearing exercise - no running, no stairclimber, and no squats or lunges with weights. Rowing machine, bike with no resistance, stretches and some very specific strengthening. That means the nikeipodthingy is temporarily retired, but Lance can still coach me. I just ignore the running advice and do the intervals on the permitted machines. Ouch, the rowing machine uses a whole new set of muscles.
Also, chagrined as I am to admit it, the frequency of wine is definitely contributing to the weight retention. I really hate this, because I have come to love wine. I belong to a wine club and am learning a lot about it, how to match to food, etc and that requires experimentation. However, I have to start treating it as a special occasion drink, and savour it then instead of a nightly beverage. Even one (big) glass a night is really adding up, I think. Add in the Fri night after work martini and the frequent Sat night jazz club and its no wonder my body is staying so pudgy.
Not that there aren’t other bad habits to take into account, but I can only face one at a time.
I am getting ready for the gym. I haven’t gone more than twice in the last 10 months, but now that the exercise has to move more indoors I will have to work in bringing it into the lifestyle. One of the reasons I don’t like to go is that it is the health club on campus, and in my mind it has become associated with work. It is convenient, but I don’t want to work out with students and colleagues - some people I just don’t want to see me in shorts. So I am considering one of the other options in town - there are a few, all further away from my house, and each has different features:
Curves, of course, an all women environment is comforting but I hear it is very social and I am not too keen on chatting while I sweat.
Good Life, which apparently has a big facility and lots of classes. I am somewhat interested in that, but I know that at least 2 exes go there too, and I am not sure I could cope with running into either him or him.
The Y, which has lots of stuff but also lots of kids programs and I am becoming a grouchy old lady around youngsters.
Two hotels offer ‘club’ membership for exercise and their pools and one has a gorgeous water spa, whirpool and sauna set up too. That sounds very tempting for the winter. When I have been there I see it gets used a lot by seniors. The downside is it is fully visible from the hallway leading to the meeting rooms and banquet area.
Maybe I will tour some of them over the next couple of weeks and make a decision. In the meantime I have to start moving again, I want to go someplace warm and sunny this year with my sister who has lost over 100 lbs and now wears smaller clothes than I do. I am proud of her, but sibling rivalry will not allow that to continue uncontested!
Snow snow snow, it is way too early for this. All week, every conversation has been about the weather and the stock market, two things we cannot control. I have to stop participating, I can’t listen to myself talk about the weather for the next 5 months.
I have noticed that people who live in more temperate climates never talk about the weather, it has minimal impact on day-to-day life. Here, for about half the year, as the poet said, “this is a country where you could die simply from being outside.” What the heck are we doing here?
I am staying inside today.
“As you pour that glass of wine or two when you get home tonight, you might want to think about the price you’re paying for the daily ritual of taking the edge off. That drink – which, admit it, is usually two or three as you ease into the weekend – costs you about $2,000 a year. It’s adding up to at least 100 extra calories a day and, if you’re an average sized, 50year old woman, about 15 pounds of unflattering weight over 12 months. In the course of a year, you will have downed some 520 drinks and been under the influence of alcohol 1,161 hours. That means your throat is often inflamed, your liver and pancreas are under stress and you are boosting your chances of developing some cancers.” (full article under ‘important things I have learned)
My most significant weight retaining strategy….
I have become interested in the paleo diet, and think I will start working the principles into my life. Coming from someone who has allowed fatty fried and processed stuff to take front and centre over the last 2 weeks this might be hard to believe…lol.
I just need to refocus and I am looking for a framework to rely on to allow my resurging bad habits to fade away. Also need to stop eating at the caf at work, it is expensive and nasty food.
Last whine about my ankle, I promise. It still hurts and I have been reading up on ankle rehab….apparently I should take things very slowly. The fact that I keep reinjuring it, even mildly, is not good. So I am not running at all for another couple of weeks, and I haven’t got to the gym either….I am not very happy with myself right now. Feeling really lazy, and spending too much time playing online when I could be doing other things. It is more entertaining than tv, but has the same effects on my butt.
Whine whine whine.
