Possibilities

Hi Blog!
My week's been very heartening. I'm loving the 'little and often' approach. The poor Spousal Unit had to go back to hospital on Tuesday morning In A Big Hurry because the kidney stone wasn't moving, but luckily he's all better now; but to actually get to the point, Tuesday was the only day I didn't work out. I can get my head around the don't-wanna/too-fat/so-much-lost/what's-the-point DREAD, for that is what it is, when I'm 'only' doing 20 minutes, or a quick spin into town, or 800m. And every day I do it, I feel better and better, more energised and more determined. Most some most of the time anyway. It's even spilling over into other things, like 'I'll just (hang out that washing, take down those cobwebs that have been annoying me for ages, put that op-shop bag in the car) while I have a minute'. I vaguely recall that this is how I used to be....
Stuff that's working: little and often, as stated.
Getting things ready the night before so I'm not looking for my socks at 6am when I want to be out the door. Charge the ipod.
Writing the blog.
A missed workout is gone.
This is not a chore, it's about getting to do what I want, eg: 'I want to (ride my bike tomorrow morning) so I need to (buy myself some new lights on the way home from work today). Totally Captain Obvious but it got a bit lost over the last few years.
Drink heaps of water and keep on top of the household stuff during the week. It pisses me off that our current household system leaves me doing a fair majority of All The Stuff, but that's how it's working at present, I don't have the energy to re-train and re-organise everyone right now, and if I just do it, I get to do my stuff too. If I sulk about it and put it off I don't get to do my stuff.
Meal planning and shopping ahead. When the Spousal Unit cooks, he's cooking what I want to eat. 
What's not working: sleeping in on Fridays. Not happening again.
I'm thinking of entering the Run Melbourne half marathon in July, but part of me thinks it's a bad idea when my focus this year is developing overall consistent fitness and exercise habits again. Will it shift my focus too much? Do I need the pressure? I'm not dealing too well with pressure at the 'mo. But then, you know, bling! And racing! And showing off! Hmmm.....

 

More anon, jugglers!

plans

My plans for the weekend didn't go ..as planned... sorry, that's terrible.
Saturday was supposed to be the usual morning shouting at Noddie being Mrs Music at dance practice, then a bike ride, which didn't happen becuase of horrible indigestion from trying a new sort of pie for lunch - and I never get indigestion so it tool me about three hours to realise I should have just popped a couple of antacids and got on with it. DOH.
Sunday was the day I caught up with all the undone stuff from when I was sick last week, like a million loads of washing, and meal planning, and food shopping so we wouldn't be eating strange things from the back of the freezer for two weeks in a row. Then I was going to the pool, but ended up at the hospital until 11pm while my poor darling Spousal Unit tried, unsuccessfully, to pass a kidney stone. Horrid to see him in such pain. They admitted him for better pain relief (which turned out to be far worse, and i am going to have their guts for garters, but that's another story).
But this is the Year I Do Things Better, and am CONSISTENT. So I got up at 6am and began My Running Plan. My legs are strong again and I can walk for hours. Time to up the intensity! This involves winning the suck up your pride and start where you REALLY are mind games that I have been practising with swimming. I went 2km today, run 1min walk 2 min. Whoopee friggen do said my Mean Comparing Self. STFU, MCS, said my Doing Everything Better self, and enjoy yourself! Look! You're running! It feels great! There are birds and flowers and people walking their dogs and morning mist. It's grouse! And it was. I'm going to keep up this run/walk schedule, with gradual increases, until I can smack out 5k without soreness, then increase the running. See if I don't.
The weekly schedule will run as follows: M run T bike W run T bike F swim S run or bike Sun swim. Lots and lots of little short repeatable consistent workouts. I can do this. I'm looking forward to doing this!

More anon, problem-solvers!

Better

This is The Year I Do Everything Better, so I got sick better! I allowed myself to be calm about it, and just rested and let the non-essentials go, which was anything except work and sleep. Having the antibiotics available the day I needed them, rather than several days later, has made a huge difference - I'm pretty much better already! The whole revolting, exhausted, head-full-of-nauseating-pressure experience has lasted only four days, not well over a week as usual. But I will take the whole course, I promise... I'm going to talk to a GP about getting more for next time. I might fluke meeting one who doesn't freak out when you want Drugs In Advance.
Today is 16 years since our wedding day! The Spousal Unit and I have had many great times, ups and downs, meanderings and abrupt changes of course in our life together. He's a top bloke and a terrific Dad and I'm looking forward to many more years of it.*Mwah!*

More anon, cherubs!

bastard sinuses strike again

One of the things I'm going to log this year is how often my sinuses get infected (told you this blog is no longer about being entertaining!). My sinuses aren't irritated - I have a good management strategy for when they are, involving disgusting nose-washing-out - but you didn't want to know that (see 'no longer entertaining' above). These are full-on, head full of painful, nauseating pressure with extra bonus shortness of breath, sore throat and aching joints infected. Luckily I have managed to procure an emergency antibiotics stockpile (thankyou France and your very different dispensing practices!) so I could start beating the little buggers into submission yesterday rather than having to wait until Friday to beg for some pills at the quack's.
I've managed NO exercise since Sunday, though. This is extremely disappointing. If I'm not better tomorrow - come on, drugs! Do your stuff! - I'm planning a walk or ride for Friday when I can go back to bed afterward if I have to. Bugger the housework.
More anon, poppers!

She's right, you know!

HI Blog!
Sorry I'm late! *insert usual excuses about life etc etc here*.
It's been a busy week and a reasonably good week, lots of life in it. But what I've been thinking about is some wisdom from the magnificent Tea, my good and kind internet friend. Tea took notice of my lame sooking about the scales not moving, and wrote down for me what she eats. It sounded brilliant, but also very daunting, nowhere even adjacent to what I eat now! Ever-patient, Tea explained that she didn't make the change all at once - change one thing each week and all of a sudden she was eating in a way that fuels her lofty athletic ambitions and extremely hard work.
She is, of course, spot on. Thanks goodness for kind, patient people who wait for you to work out totally obvious things! This week's change is ...drumroll... less bread!! Aim: less than once a day. It's going to be more of a habit-changing than a self-discipline thing - bread is so convenient! As are noodles and rice (future change targets). So far so good.
As for the other goals (because 'being interesting' is no longer the primary aim of this blog):
Water each morning: tick!
Exercise: three bike rides (including on the hotter 'n hell day of my birthday party), 2 swims (including the slightly overtired day after my birthday party) and a walk. I'm sucking up my pride and sticking to the very small distances in the pool. The key word for this exercise program is reproducible - can I do it again in 2 days' time? That will lead to consistency, and that will lead to progress.
Didn't weigh myself this week (see 'birthday party', above). 
Alcohol-free days - not 5 (see 'birthday party', above), also see 'emotions/feeling manipulated' (below). I'm on it. My circus, my monkeys. This week will be like the Sahara!
Didn't clean out a drawer, didn't ring a friend BUT invited a new friend to my party so that counts toward my goal of widening my social circle, no?
No piano. Must find a way to work that in.
I find the biggest obstacle to exercise and eating the way I want to is emotional. I'm noticing how manipulated I feel by my family's needs. This is MY  PERCEPTION. I have to find a new way of managing my responses to their/my 'shoulds'.
Sometimes focusing on myself so much is very boring, but it's less boring than feeling as though my life is pouring away before my eyes.
More anon, wanderers!

That went well

Hi Blog!
What an interesting week it's been inside my ever-chattering head.
I'll make this quick: a short recap is a good recap!
Rang a friend, cleaned out a cupboard, played the piano, drank lots of water, did core and weights.
Punching on with Inexplicable Swim Dread - I talked myself out of talking myself out of it on Saturday: ever so proud I was. Bike = happy.
I was thinking I wouldn't start back to walk/running until the slightly higher-intensity riding and swimming and the significantly lower alcohol consumption made the kgs melt away, but IT'S BEEN A WEEK AND NOTHING IS HAPPENING ON THE SCALES OMG WHY WHY *smacks self on head, gets grip* so I might have to re-think that. I have Goals, my friends, running Goals and I need to get started smartish. More on that later. I am disappointed though. I need to focus on how well I've been feeling, and the several nice comments I've got about my appearance. IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS wellitkindofisbutnotreallythat'swhatI'mtellingmyself.
As coyly alluded to above, Operation Abstinence-Adjacent is going great guns. I'm very pleased with my strategies and my progress. Buy shares in Schweppes - soda and lime = yummo.
More anon, ivory-tinklers!

Psst

Wanna know a secret?
I'm doing a secret FebFast! Very slightly modified, but still, a radical departure from my current norm. NO drink at all from Sun-Fri - no light beer, no one glass of wine, no nothing. I'll celebrate on my birthday and our wedding anniversary, and that's that.
I'm not telling anyone except you, blog. It seems when I tell people I start to make excuses and then they let me get away with my excuses becuase they're kind and then there we are back at the old ways. So it's our secret, ok?

More anon, plotters!