My Journey

I had many poor reasons not to do any exercise today.

Got to bed just before midnight
Talked with DH for over an hour
Got a visit from DS1 at about 2.00am
Then again at 3.30am
I am exhausted
I am sore from weights yesterday
I was on the phone with a customer and missed 12.15 cardio-kickboxing (which I was really looking forward to)

But luckily I had one great reason to do exercise today.

I am not going to get to goal if I sit on my butt.

So I got my gear on and headed out to Hyde Park and the Botanical Gardens. As I was thumping along I thought about AGR as the runners in their short shorts (thank you Summer ;D ) ran past me in their dozens. There were the corporate guys with their beer guts and their black work socks and sneakers (which is never a good look by the way) and the guys who look like they run a marathon everyday, there were the girls who ran with a concentrated effort and those that talked a million miles an hour as they ambled along. And they all looked great to me. Real people doing their thing their way. And that is when I stumbled along a sign wedged in amongst the roses in the Botanical Gardens: "Suitability = Sustainability".

How true. There are many ways for me to burn energy in order to lose weight. And after trying 'this' DVD, or 'that' type of exercise I think I have worked out what works for me - right now. My walking, my short bursts of jogging, my weights. These are suitable for me. And therefore I want, not just need, to keep doing them. I read on lots of blogs the types of exercises people are doing and think "Oooh I want to do that" or "I have to go and buy that now" and sometimes when I do I am over it so quickly because it does not suit me. It doesn't suit the hours I work, the responsibilities I have, the equipment I own. So for this part of my journey I am happy not to do everything the same as everyone else. I am not everyone else. I am me. I am tired me. But I am me all the same :D

Posted by Margaret at 1:06:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

Todays weight is exactly 78kgs so no loss no gain. I therefore congratulate myself on learning how to maintain and remind myself that I do not wish to maintain at this weight. I want to maintain at 68kgs. So I have come up with a plan to get me there. Actually it is the same plan but I have written it up in both a contract and an action plan which I have printed out and copies of which will live on the fridge, on the bathroom mirror, on the back of the wardrobe door, pinned up at my desk (discretely) and in my bag. Typing it up like this showed me that by breaking it up during the day I can get quite a bit of exercise in without taking up too much time in any one block. This contract ties in with the end of Paulene's 12 week challenge and with DH's work "Biggest Loser" challenge which begins on Wednesday (more on that later)

I know that these things are just gimmicks and triggers and the real work lies in actually getting the job done. This is succinctly captured by the saying in my daily calendar today:

"Between saying and doing many a pair of shoes is worn out" - Italian Proverb

But I am good with lists and checksheets. So here are mine. I think they will go a long way in getting me back in the game :D

Posted by Margaret at 9:56:00 am | Permalink | Comments

Today I have wracked up my quota of daily steps walking around a carousel. That's right. To ensure that DS2 did not fall off said carousel I walked with him. Around. And around. And around again. It was fantastic!! We went to a 4 yr old party held at Tribal Zone in the North Ryde RSL Club. For an hour we had exclusive use of the games palour where the kids could bowl, ride on the carousel, play air hockey, fooz ball, and a host of games machines, then on to lunch and another hour of chucking themselves around a huge ball pit and jungle him. I, I mean, they had so much fun LOL. I did overhear one of the staff saying that they thought the parents were enjoying themselves. Well I did have to climb in to ensure the children were safe. I suppose I didn't have to stay in there for the entire hour and tackle every child and bury any other parent who dared enter my domain. It was hilarious and I sure earned my ice cold d.coke when I got out. We will be back :D

I read Sue's post today about her brilliant batting average at the weight loss crease. Over 1kg a week for a total of 45.4kgs. That is absolutely fantastic. Loads of us are fantastic. But what this post of Sue's has done for me today is shown me that whilst we are all different it can be done. And I sat here and realised (not for the first time - but this time really clearly) that if I am honest with my food. Honest with my exercise. Honest with my drinking. Then I should lose weight. If I am honest every week and still don't lose weight - then I need to go and see a Dr because something else is going on. Right now I am not losing the weight I need because I either eat too much or exercise too little or both. Today my balance was good. And it was fun too.

My weekly check up
3 x weights sessions - Only did 1. Can blame Australia Day and day off on Friday but I knew these were coming and I needed to plan better.
2 x cardio sessions - Done.
Min 12,500 steps a day - Done. One day was lower but was made up over the rest of the week.
Eat 140 pts for the week - Not done. I ate well more but as I did not track consistently I could not even say how much.
Plan my me time for Wednesday - Done. Not fully successful but getting better.

Posted by Margaret at 5:09:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

I have been having the greatest time over the last few days. It seems like only yesterday that I posted but looking back I have been so busy that I have made little time to sit in front of the PC. And there are benefits. Jobs have been done that I have been putting off for months and I feel so much freer for it. Good time has been spent with the boys and with DH. A one sided argument last week could have spilled over and carried on but we fronted up to it (when both of us were sober) and things are clear and resolved on that front.

Wednesday night's me time was half a success. Half meaning that DH went out to a BBQ on the assumption that the boys would be in bed, asleep, and would not get up so therefore he does not need to be on deck to look after them. I could have been livid, but a phone call with Linda more than made up for it. And DS1 eventually went to sleep at about 9.30 LOL. We have since discussed at some length the meaning of 'me' time and I think the message is clear now.

Australia Day was fabulous. We slept in (yeeehaaa) and did some shopping then some friends came around to have a look at the pram (which they took) and measure up the cot and other baby stuff (which they will take). The stay spilled over into dinner and a rousing game of Pictionary which I am ashamed to say that I did not win. I partnered Mark's work friend Sam(antha) and it took me a while to decipher her drawings. To be fair she was upfront about her skills so I went in with my eyes open. But, the boys did not have it their own way as we caught up a full half board to both be on the last square together. It was a great game and years since I have played. I am a bit of a sucker for board games but they all refuse to play scrabble with me so I have build up my stock I think.

I had a day off on Friday and spent it in blissful alone time. I ignored the phone, allowing the machine to pick it up and only answering the mobile if Mark rang. (Though if any of you guys had rung I am sure I would have picked up :D ) I got into the tasks at hand and really made progress. Sure I looked at the PC a few times but knew if I started it would be hours later and I still would not have achieved anything. I even fitted in two walks to the village to get d.coke. I only purchased a 600ml bottle on purpose knowing that I would need more later and would have to go for another walk. Yay me.

Today was brilliant. We had another sleep in then headed off to the beach for the first swim of the year. It was great. DS2 nuded up and built sandcastles and swam with me and DS1 and DH spent the whole time in the water. A big move for me - no boardies on at the beach. I was thinking of taking the tankini top off (remembering that I do have another top underneath) but chickened out. My belly is still not ready for public viewing, but it was so great to walk around and be silly and splash about and not be so self conscious. I know that my body is not perfect - and never will be - but it is nothing to be ashamed about either.

Now back to DH to finish watching the movie and off to bed. Another 4 yr old party tomorrow before I can get back here and do a HUGE catch up. I can't wait :D


Thank you for all your lovely kind comments. I know that the friendships on here will be here no matter where I live and for that I am eternally grateful. And when I am game enough to show anyone my stories, you'll be the first to know :D I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Posted by Margaret at 10:42:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

To honour Kellee and all of the other pregnant bloggers out there I was going to do this post in dot point, sort of inserting ready made toilet breaks in case you had to dash off to the loo before you could finish reading the post. And if this has not yet happened to you - it will *insert evil chuckle* But I can't think in that structure today so sorry ;D

I have not posted much lately, not because I am disinterested in the blogs or have gone off the rails with my journey (though the recent runs on the board may have begged to differ) but it is because a latent desire to write childrens picture books was suddenly awakened in me and I have immersed myself in this world. I have been writing silly poems, strings of prose about face painting clowns, and children who talk with their thumb in their mouth. I have been visiting sites that specialise in the how & why of this genre and have been reading a great book on the subject (for which I give thankful and private thanks) that has given me both hope and cause for concern that I may ever be able to do this. But if it is only my fear of failing that is stopping me then I realise this is a load of bollocks and I am going to do it anyway. I understand that failing will be part of the process and if I can grow through my failures then my successes are going to be all the more rich for it.

At the same time this was all going on in my head I have been dealing with the very real possibility that we may have to consider moving back to Adelaide. This fills me with both joy and great sadness. More sadness than joy. Even though I would be very happy to be close to Mum & Dad. And I think this is why I have allowed myself to feel sorry for myself and have been not as kind as I should have been in the food department. When I was little, my family and I moved lots of times. Sometimes within the same State but it meant changing schools, changing sporting clubs, making new friends. After the 2nd move I didn't bother making 'best' friends any more. I always had friends and would invite people over, or go and visit their house, and always had plenty of parties to go to, but when we would pack up and move I would not give them another thought. I believe now it was a very early self-protection method. I didn't want to get close to people because I didn't want to feel the hurt. This has been my way for over 20 years. In 2000 when we moved to Sydney DH & I had the best time. No strings, no committments, we just hopped on a train at any time and went everywhere and did everything. It was great. When we got pregnant in 2001 we made our first friends in the antenatel class. They are great friends but I still have been careful not to get too close.

But now, with the bloggers I have met, I have let down my guard. As I have lost weight I have broken down a few of these walls and allowed myself to get close to people. And the thought of having to leave that behind, before the friendships really have a chance to cement is driving me mad. And it may never happen so I should stop worrying about it and get on with something more constructive. Like moving my butt a bit further every day. LOL.

After a pretty dreary start to the day a lovely email from Philippa has really brightened me up. I realise that we all have our ups and downs. I am not the only one who has ever felt like this, is ever going to feel like this. And it is just the way that I deal with this that will see me come out of it quickly or have it drag on. I can be positive and still have down days. So after that I strapped on the Ryka's and headed out for a 45 minute walk in the extremely stong wind and wound my way through all the construction vehicles that dared get in my way in Hyde Park today. As they are setting up for the Australia Day events I can't really be cranky at them, and looking at some of the more muscular and attractive construction crews was a bit of a bonus. So my day is now good. Good points. Good exercise. Good thoughts.


Good friends :D

Posted by Margaret at 2:40:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

Gained 1kg this week bringing me back up to 78kgs. Need to take more responsibility for my actions. Need to think more before I take action. Particularly the action of putting things in my mouth.

Anger is no excuse.
Frustration is no excuse.
Hopelessness is no excuse.

I would rather be thin and all of those things than fat and all of those things.

This weeks plan (and this time I will check it off on Sunday to see how I went)

3 x weights sessions
2 x cardio sessions
Min 12,500 steps a day - to achieve the new WWA Africa challenge requirements
Eat 140 pts for the week
Plan my me time for Wednesday

Posted by Margaret at 8:06:00 am | Permalink | Comments

Kathryn tagged me so here are my answers:

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

In 1996 I was living in Adelaide, at home with my Mum & Dad, planning a wedding and embarking on WW for the very first time. As you may remember I did OK, never quite got to goal, and started putting on weight on the honeymoon. This year it will be my 10 year anniversary. My goal has always been to maintain my weight loss for that day. I am hoping I will get at least a few months under my belt.

2. What were you doing a year ago?

Still working in the job I have now. 95+kgs. Staying at home. Avoiding social situations. Not looking in mirrors (now I am a certified mirror whore LOL)

3. Five snacks I enjoy:

Pancakes and as I make brilliant ones from scratch it has become a challenge not to make them when all there is in the house is flour, milk, eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla essence.
Pate and crackers. Ooooh have not had this in months.
Fresh strawberries that are so juicy they run down your chin (especially nice wrapped in a pancake)
Macadamia Nuts
Chocolate Mousse (tastes great over pancake covered strawberries)

4. Five songs to which I know all the lyrics:

I have never been that good with songs, or lyrics. I have no real favourites and those that I am more likely to listen to, I never listen to closely enough to work out all the words. That being said I remember quite clearly playing my tape of the "Hits of '81" over and over again until I could sing the words.

Too Many Times - Mental as Anything
pretty much anything and everything by - The Wiggles
The National Anthem
A lot of Hi-5 (which could soon be called Hi-4 as Kathleen De Leon has just announced she is pregnant)
Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do - from Sound Of Music (I will not admit to knowing any other song from this movie :D )

5. Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:

Buy a house so I never have to pay rent again. (In Sydney I would need several millions)
Put enough money in a trust to ensure the boys education is covered right up to the end of year 12 (the interest should cover university requirements)
Pay off all my debt
Plastic surgery. Get rid of the baby tummy, pick up my knees to my butt, lift up the girls.
Laser Eye Surgery (so when I can wake up I can actually see who I am sleeping next to)

6. Five Bad Habits

Watching too much TV
Blogging at work
Procrastinating about everything (But I am so much better than last year)
Talking too much (I don't think this is a bad habit but others tell me it is)
Not varying what I eat

7. Five Things I Enjoy Doing

Blogging - preferably at work
Playing with my boys
Exercising. As long as it is varied I actually really enjoy this
Eating & drinking in good company
Watching TV

8. 5 Things I Would Never Wear (or buy or get)

A g-string (alternatively called a thong)
Crop tops that show my belly, or god forbid are so short they show the underside of your boobs. Though in my case they are probably the same thing LOL
A size 20 again, or an 18, or even a 16 (whoo hooo)
Hipsters that show your butt crack before you have even had the chance to bend over
Those beanies that look like tea cosies and are supposed to make you look tough. Sorry I just don't get it.

9. Five favourite toys:

- The Foxtel Remote
- My pedometer
- DS's
- DH
- The car :D

I won't tag as I have seen this in a few others and I am sure we will all get covered this way :D

Posted by Margaret at 4:14:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

As we all know and have read about it seems we as women give ourselves the lowest priority in our life. Initially it is all about me, me, me then as you build relationships it becomes about sharing and eventually only about giving. This giving in itself is not a bad thing. We need to give. Give love, give protection, give ourselves. But. It means nothing if we cannot give to ourselves.

In order to ensure I make some headway into reaching my goals set for this year I am making myself a priority in my life. Not all the time. But definitely some of the time. Wednesday is my day. My day to leave work early. My day to choose to do what I want to do. My day to sit back whilst DH does the dinner, the bath, the bedtime rituals. Oh I will be there, and I will probably choose to participate, but I will not run it - nor will I feel guilty if I choose to have a bath whilst it is all going on, or come into the study to blog for a couple of hours. My day. Today I put a load of wash in, tidied the kitchen, and now I will catch up on blogs. I will probably get all the boys dinner stuff ready but I will retreat when they come home and have a hot bath. Doing things for me, not selfishly, and not to the detrement of my family, is going to be something I will take pleasure in this year. I think it will allow me to approach the other hectic days of the week a little more calmly.


Today was good at the gym. I did another weights session, so this would make it 3 days in a row. Whooo Hoooo a record I think. LOL. It was very busy today and there were a couple of exercises on my program that I could not do. This normally would have got me in quite a spin and I would have left. Today I took a step back and approached a machine I would not normally use and thanks to this months Slimming & Health Magazine that had an article about this particular piece of machinery I substituted my exercise. I am feeling pretty proud of myself.


I have been doing some research on what we can do, where can we go for the Sydney get together and thanks to Jodie for her fantastic suggestions and help today we have come up with a plan. I have asked Linda and she is all for it. I will email it out to those that are interested (still need to be a bit careful in such a public forum) but thought as that weekend is the last weekend in the Chinese New Year calendar and they have a fantastic assortment of things to do in Cockle Bay Wharf we could go to a place there for lunch on Saturday the 11th. I have rung and they currently have space but I am sure it will fill quickly. It is low to medium priced, is Asian, and has quite a few vegetarian options. It is also quite central to everyone and easy to access by train or bus. Then we can hang about or not, and just do anything we like. The Dragon Boat races will be on so will be a very loud and colourful affair. Just like us ;D

RSVP So far - Jodie, Linda, M, Mary

Posted by Margaret at 4:50:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

... not to go for a walk today. It was absolutely pouring at lunch time and usually I have my gym gear on at about 11.45 then head out at 12.00. Well today I hadn't even got changed at 12.20. I looked out the window, picked up my bag, and went and got changed. I was still undecided about whether to walk in Hyde Park or hit the treadmill but when I stepped out of the building into the rain I decided the treadmill it was to be. And what a workout it turned out to be. It was so hot that I actually took off my t-shirt and walked in my trackies and sports singlet. The long kind that covers my belly. I only walked for 30 minutes but I was dripping when I finished. I felt so good that I actually did it. I think I will need to push myself to go for the next few days then hopefully the instinct to go will take over and it won't seem so hard anymore.

I pulled up a bit sore this morning but not overly so. I am very glad I only did 2 sets yesterday. Tomorrow I will start to add 2 reps of the third set in and build it up slowly that way. I want to keep going back so need to avoid any reason not too - like "I'm too sore to go to the gym".

Eating was good. I had a chocolate Freddo out of the fundraising box (which I went to Coles for and set up!) but counted it in my points and have just had a really great dinner with DH, sitting at the dining table and actually had a conversation! Both boys are in bed (miracle) and I am crossing my fingers that I make it to my bed tonight to have a good nights sleep. LOL. Though the lounge is really comfortable so I can't complain.

In other news Daniel Hatadi has entered a short story competition where we can vote for our favourite stories and earn the winning authors a fantastic prize (actually a t-shirt but I am sure it is a fantastic t-shirt). With the topic having to cover an armored (sic) car and kids clothing it amazed me that each author had a completely different spin on it. Makes for some interesting reading. It is a blind competition (not meaning that you have to be blind to enter, or to read and vote) but that we won't know which story belongs to which author until the end. Worth a look. Links are on Daniel's site.

And in other other news Linda is coming to Sydney for a visit. (Whooo Hoooo) She will be here on the weekend 11/12 February and I thought it a great time to organise the next Sydney bloggers get together (or two). How does a meet at one of the beaches sound, for a walk then lunch at a cafe. Perhaps on the Saturday. Or dinner on Saturday night. Or both. I will scout around for options but am more than happy for recommendations if so provided. If you are interested let me know then I will set up an email group separately. I am very lucky that Linda has agreed to stay with me for the weekend so I get to monopolise her time but I am very happy to share LOL. Have car - will travel.

So on all fronts things are going well. Looking forward to tomorrow :D

Posted by Margaret at 8:36:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

( If I had not fallen asleep on the couch last night - not to awaken until the alarm this morning, this is what I would have posted - and all I had to do was hit "Publish Post" D'oh)


It's a funny thing to get a reality check sometimes. I could have sworn that I had been to the gym more often last year. And I was absolutely certain that my last weights sessions was just before Christmas. But. It was not. The last time I did weights was Monday 10th October!! That is over 3 months ago. I knew I had to take it easy today, so that I can go back tomorrow, but blooming heck. LOL

Today has been great on pretty much all fronts.

I ate 21 points exactly and all were comprised of good, healthy, whole foods. I do however need to add some fruit in tomorrow.
I drank 2.25 litres of water at work. So will probably go over 3 for the day.
I went to the gym and did a weights session. As it was the first for 3 months I did 2 sets of everything instead of 3. I will build up the 3rd set slowly.
I walked to Central to get the bus. I think I sweated off 20kgs on the way (I wish!)
I have cooked dinner.
I have cleaned the kitchen.
The lounge room is still tidy.
The bath toys have been disinfected (don't ask).
And now I blog before bed. (well I didn't quiet get around to doing this one LOL)

A good start to the week :D

Posted by Margaret at 9:30:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

It's gone. The Christmas gain was neatly disposed off by a loss of .8kg bringing me back to post Christmas weight of 77kgs. It could have been better and this is the driver for this week.

In the blog catch up I have been doing I have read many brilliant posts. One post in particular really caught my attention. Lucinda wrote a post about how our environment shapes the decisions we make in regards to eating and exercising and how easy it is to slip into old habits when faced with an old environment. Say when you visit home during the holidays. Sue then replied with a simple but true comment that if you can make changes in your own environment you can make them anywhere.

I find it too easy to make excuses for my lack of eating correctly, tracking, drinking water, exercise, anything! when I am out of my comfort environment of work. My home used to be a comfort environment but has not been for a while. It is time for me to stop making excuses and focus on the goal I am aiming for. Is it worth stretching out my achievement just because I am too lazy, shy, embarrassed, lazy to make sure ALL my environments are safe ones? Because they all are. Everywhere. It is just up to me to make them so.

Posted by Margaret at 8:21:00 am | Permalink | Comments

Kids parties that is. I missed two on the weekend we drove back from Melbourne so today was the official kick off for me. In the next 4 weeks we have 6 parties to go to. All 4 year olds. And other than today - all boys!! I loved going to the girls party. It was all pink, and floaty, and fairy inspired. Which was OK until DS1 insisted on wearing fairy wings and running around with a wand. (Very very glad DH stayed at home LOL)

I did OK on the food front. Ate a few bites here and there of childrens food but more than countered it with my manic bouncing on the castle. Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone I did that.

Then putting together a Thomas the Tank Engine track set when we came home. That definitely worked off the frankfurter I ate. Now if I can just find the last piece..... Of track that is :D

Looking forward to a cooler Sunday *praying for a cooler Sunday*

Posted by Margaret at 6:32:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

It is now 4.00pm and I have only been out of bed for 2 hours. Supposed to go to work but I was so sick last night and this morning that I wasn't going anywhere. Not sure if I can blame the muffins on that but I now live in a muffin free home (no I didn't eat them DH threw the rest away).

Am feeling better now and have had toast, lightly buttered, a small yoghurt, and lots of water. Much more sensible.

Now that I can sit upright without wanting to hurl I am going to read blogs - well until Bold & the Beautiful start anyway :D

Posted by Margaret at 4:06:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

I was on a roll today. We went out for lunch to farewell a colleague who is moving to Tasmania and as we always secure a menu and pre-order to save some time I was able to leisurely choose what I wanted. I ordered a steak sandwich - with NO FRIES PLEASE. It was delicious and a good step for me.

First day back at work and I drank loads of water, ate sensibly, went for a little walk. I had hunger pangs when I left work but that was to be expected after eating the amount of food that I had been lately. I got home, organised the boys dinner, then it hit me. Full blown snack attack. There was nothing ready made to eat. But there was a pack of Greens 97% fat free banana muffins *groan* I baked. I ate 4. I feel unwell. I need to go and have a lie down and a good old fashioned chat to myself.

But, and this is a stretch, I was on 13 points. Plus 8 for the muffins, I am still only on 21 pts. 1 over for the day. I can't have dinner now (not that I really want anything - even a wafer thin anything will probably be enough to make me puke - yuck)

Tomorrow will be better
I am such a dufus sometimes ;D

Posted by Margaret at 8:55:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

Must go up..

And this is what I have loved most of all this summer. As my weight has gone down, my tan lines have gone up. Last summer I had the traditional truckie tan. Elbows down and v-neck up. Everywhere else was snowy white. Well this year I actually have bather tan lines (which I tried to cover up today with a spot of backless tanning on the deck). I feel healthier, fitter, leaner. I wear sunscreen but as I tend to be out a lot more in the heat than I used to I am picking up a lot more incidental sun. I wear singlets, and today I wore shorts. In public. And not just on the beach kind of public. I wore my board shorts to do a bit of shopping and pick the boys up in. I actually don't hate my legs much any more. I still don't love my knees or thighs but I at least respect them for what they are now LOL.

Last day of leave tomorrow. I have culled the toys. I have changed the boys rooms. I have had a couple of sleep in's. Just have to finish the washing, and unpacking (damn I was going to have it all done in one day this time!) and I should even have time to paint my toe nails before the boys come home. Black of course :D

Posted by Margaret at 10:44:00 pm | Permalink | Comments

It makes sense to me that if I wrap up one year, I need to kick another one off. During my time away I did a lot of thinking. Mostly this can be dangerous territory, when you think but not think all the way through. Well this time I had enough time to think, analyse, think some more. I thought mainly about what it is I wanted to do this year. What I wanted to change. What I wanted to do the same. And I started to formulate a plan. I suppose you could say they are New Years resolutions but the connotation behind those 3 words is that you set yourself up to fail. My plan is not something that is going to happen in the first few weeks of this year. Some parts of it may take me all year to begin to get right, and others may take longer. This is fine. As long as I am consciously working towards them I consider it to be a success.

2005 was all about weight loss. Well 2006 is going to build on this. I put a lot of effort into educating myself about the better, healthier way to lose weight and to get fit. This year I am going to expand myself into other areas of my life. Weightloss is only one, but it has been the catalyst to get me moving (figuratively and literally) in many other areas.

Physical
The physical aspect of my journey will be more consistent this year. Last year it was getting to the stage that someone had to only mention a sale on in the city and the gym fell away quicker than the quilt did on a 45 degree day. This sort of inconsistency reflected itself accurately in my results at the end of the year. I have paid for a gym membership and I am not going to waste it. I will be going back to 3 weights sessions a week, and 2 cardio sessions. Weekends are usually not a problem as I walk so much in our outings. I am going to add in some morning rituals (see below in books read) and some evening rituals. These should help to tone up the body and also the mind. I am so ready to get this body moving.

Health
After a particularly sluggish holiday where I have realised that not only do I need vegetables and salad, but I want vegetables and salad I will be addressing the health aspect of my food this year. Not only will I be endeavouring to cut down on processed foods (not cut out) but the whole foods that I choose will also be looked at. Will I go organic? Will I grow my own? How do I choose better meat? Do I cut some meats out? Lots of things to explore. I am excited about discovering new foods and new ways of preparing foods. This journey should be fun, and a learning experience, and I am going to make it both.

Mental
In four years I have read very few books. I miss reading but I know that my time needs to be shared amongst many tasks so I will make a promise to myself to read more, learn more, but not to put a number on it. Even reading one book is going to stretch my mind. I did read two books whilst I was on holidays though so that is a good start to the year.

Ancient Secrets of the Fountain of Youth - Peter Kelder
This was an amazing book. In a nutshell it gives a series of exercises, or rites, to do each day to allow your body to possibly reverse aging and return you to a younger age physically. These rites were shared freely by the Tibetan Monks and are what they do (did) daily to keep their minds, bodies, and souls aligned. Fascinating stuff. Based on the bodies Shakra's it delves into areas that are logically hard to accept. I accept that I don't have to understand and if it does little more than make me more supple, agile, and fit - I will gladly spend 15 minutes a morning doing it. If it removes my grey hair, fades the age spots and firms up my saggy baggy bits - more power to it. LOL. I will post an excerpt and a description of the exercises on the Absolutely-Flabulous site in the next few days. I am currently reading Book 2 where it goes into more details regarding breathing, cautions, and tips.

Hidden Messages in Water - Masaru Emoto
The ability to clarify water that Masaru does is an amazing concept. The study showed that by taking dirty water and placing it in a receptacle that had positive messages printed on it, or played positive messages through music to it, you could clarify the water to a point where it was immensely more healthful to you. I know a little more about this gentleman as my Spiritual Healer has taken some classes about him and has spent some time explaining how it all works. Me. Again I am going to stop asking myself "How is this possible?" and I am replacing it with "Why can't it be possible?". When I get back to work I am going to cover my water bottle with positive labels. People may laugh at me but my insides will be laughing right along with them :D

Spiritual
I am not a regular Church goer. I have faith that there is greater powers than mine and I believe that there is an energy that binds us all together. This year I am going to allow myself to explore this area a little. This does not mean that I am going to start going to a Church every week, or every month. It means that I have a spiritual side that needs to be fulfilled. I may find this by donating my time to charity on a regular basis. Or sponsoring a child. Or becoming a safe house. There are many ways to show and to encourage a spiritual side. Maybe spiritual is the wrong word. I will work on this.

Financial
Having security is very important to me. I want to make sure that if DH or I lose our jobs we don't have to have the added worry about where we live. This year I will be doing a budget - early. It will emcompass both the actual in's and out's that we have today but it will also show where we want to head - and why. This was a big one that we discussed a lot on our holiday. What are we heading towards? Why do we want to get there? What does it mean to us? We have been going along with very little plans other than "we want to have lots of money. we want this, we want that" We now know that is the wrong way to go about it. This is an area we will work on all year but having the budget and working through some of the areas in which we are wasting our money will go a long way to sending the right message to the universe that we are now able to handle the financial levels we expect.

Relationships
With all the other things I wish to achieve this year I am going to ensure that I give plenty of my time and energy to grow relationships with the people I love, and to foster new relationships. This will be both physically and over the internet. One does not replace the other, but both have to work in order for me to feel balanced. I spent a lot of time on the computer last year and some personal relationships faltered due to this. These have been recovered and rectified and I need to ensure that I keep the balance. I can do it.

Personal
One challenge I am setting myself this year is to become less judgemental. I do feel that I am quite a tolerant person and embrace people as they are. But. I have a sharp tongue, and a mind that is sometimes a little too quick to criticise a person that I don't know. This could be from something as insignificant as fashion sense to something as shameful as commenting on their size (whether large or small). Most of these comments are not spoken but even thought is not right. I know there is a difference between an observation and a judgement and I will patiently teach myself the difference and become less judgemental.

Well. I think that will give me enough to work on through the year. In the words of a famous South Australian "Bring It On" :D

Posted by Margaret at 9:30:00 am | Permalink | Comments

Today is the day. My first step to continuing my journey. The scales this morning have been a lot kinder than I expected them to be. So much so that I got out my 5kg hand weights and double checked the scales. They are right. So I am happy to report that I start this year with a beginning weight of 77.8kgs which is only 0.8 higher than what I finished last year on. My goal is still the same so only 9.8kgs to go till I begin my maintenance program. I can't wait :D

I have taken my measurements too and the starting ones for this year are below. Some are slightly higher than I ended the year off last year but this is the starting point for now.

This means that last year I lost a total of 89 cms from around these 7 points. This year the number will not be as high but even 5cms is going to make a huge difference to the fit of my clothes and the confidence in which I will wear them.

This week will be all about back to basics for me.

Tracking daily
Drinking water
Adding back the fresh vege's and salads
Cutting back the sugar
And walking
And walking
And walking some more LOL

I go back to work on Thursday so have 3 blissful days by myself. I will use them wisely.

I will catch up on blogs (and try not to take the whole 3 days doing it!)
I will do another toy cull and put all the Christmas toys in their places.
I will move the boys into one bedroom and make one room a toy / playroom. This will solve my sanity problem of having toys spread all over the house. At least now I can begin to teach the golden rules of tidying up toys to the boys (wish me luck LOL)
And many more things



During my time away I chose to spend the evenings with Mum and family rather than shut myself away with the p.c.(and no - Santa did not deliver a laptop - I am now working on the Easter Bunny) But on the few occassions that I checked my emails I was blown away by the comments you guys had left. Either on my blog or directly on email. This made it easier to say no to the extra slice of Christmas cake, or to have half glasses of wine instead of full ones. Part of me wishes I could have kept up with the blogs, and sent emails but I know that I spent my time the way I needed to. Thank you and a Happy New Year to us all. It is going to be a GREAT one.

Posted by Margaret at 9:00:00 am | Permalink | Comments