Still on the uphill

5k in 41 mins 30 secs

I'm still at 2 and 1s....that's 2 min walks and 1 min runs. Next up 2 and 2s I think in another week. And more importantly a more regular gym attendance. One week between runs is too much.

In with the new and out with the old?

I don't know about you but when it comes to resolutions, I rarely look back on past ones. I suspect that's because they tend to be very similar year to year. But in the interest of progress (hopefully) I thought I'd review last year's before making new ones this year.

Last year:

Get my body in better order aka Get my a** back to the gym or into some kind of exercise regime and stop eating the leftover Christmas baking. I did mention Hiphop Abs in passing previously but I was only half joking...it might be worth a shot! A subsidiary of this resolution is to get my closet in order...looks like it's time to pitch some more things and tidy up again. I also need to figure out a better way to store shoes, purses and jewellery so that I actually might use them to better advantage. Of course if the ladies from the Cityline fashion segment want to stop by and help me pull together some outfits that would be fantastic.

Get my financial house in better order - this will involve getting up the guts to speak to one or more mortgage consultants about refinancing with a better rate and shorter amortization which on paper should result in paying down the mortgage quicker as well as decreasing my payments a little. Next up, if I get a raise (which I'm supposed to so I should say "when" not "if") I should increase my RRSP contributions (which are paltry right now) since I can't contribute to a pension plan for another year and a half. And there is always the ongoing battle to pay off the credit cards. I managed not to use them for Christmas purchases so hopefully I am off to a good start. I know that you should pay them off monthly but I haven't ever managed that so that is a big goal for me.

Get my home records in better order - there is a new desk and file cabinet waiting to be put together in my office...in truth the file cabinet is part ways together but it wasn't going well so it needs to be continued. I have lots of filing to do but am hopeful that once I get started I will have a system that I can stick to.

So how did I do?

Well, I fell off the gym wagon sometime in late summer after an attempt at a boot camp. And I bought Hiphop Abs but never felt compelled to bounce around my livingroom to it.

I did kind of refinance the mortgage; I couldn't bite the bullet on the giant penalty but I did blend and extend. Essentially keeping the penalty about the same but making some better progress on the balance...minor but still some progress. I haven't done anything with RRSPs...oops I bought an old pick up truck....but it's shiny red...maybe I could retire with the truck and trailer? I did make some progress on credit cards but there is more to go.

And the filing cabinet is together but the desk is not. I'm due to go through the pile of old bills and mail and file again but there is somewhere to put it. I doubt I will ever be the most organized person in the world but hey, baby steps.

Soooooo what does that mean for this year?

Well I hauled butt at work last year and that has paid off with a new job. So one of my resolutions is to take advantage of that learning opportunity as much as possible. And at the same time try to find some balance.

Which leads to the next resolution - to not fall off the gym wagon altogether. I actually started back at the gym in late November. I even managed 3 times on the treadmill over my Christmas holidays - not stellar but better than nothing. Tonight was 5k in 43 mins. A far cry from where I was but I'm at 2.5 min walks and 1 min runs and hope to get to 2 and 1s and then start increasing my runs.

Beyond that it's to figure out what next. Am I still leaning towards a 5 yr plan with a return to the prairies? 'Cause this Easter I will have been here for 4 yrs already. Or am I starting to settle in here? And if I am, is that in this house/area or am I starting to feel ready to move? And am I happy being a party of 1 or am I going to shift my focus to being a party of 1.5? Or should I work on being a party of 2 and then 2.5?

Maybe this is the year to find the start of the next path I want to be on? And to get my bod and brain in shape to take it.

It's getting there

I should be out shovelling (it snowed some more!!) but since I did 2 hours of that yesterday I'm finding myself coming up with other things to do today. One of those things was to hang some mini mirrors in my bedroom and kind of finish that room up.

Here are the befores:





































And the afters:




















Of course not from the same angle...I'm not that organized!


You can't really tell in the before photos but the carpet was a gray-blue; at least where it wasn't stained or where there was a giant bleach spot. I'm not thrilled with the pale cream-beige-gray I chose because now I think it looks a bit dingy but it's still better than the previous stuff. The baseboards before were simple casing and not really baseboard. And last weekend I figured out how to finally replace the lightswitch and outlets to the decora style that was started in the rest of the house. And of course I missed it in both sets of pictures but there is a new light fixture up now and new hardware on the closet doors along with new trim around them. The nice wooden blinds behind the curtains were repurposed from my cousin's house. And the curtains were made for my previous house and have been put up in a few different rooms a few times since then. I finally gave in and bought a new bed this summer when I woke up aching every morning and it's quite high which makes it feel kind of luxurious even without room service.


There are lots of things remaining to do in the house but it's nice to take a look back at the initial photos and realize that I'm getting somewhere.

Now if I could just find someone to replace the kitchen counters, fix the fallout drawers and replace the ugly tub and surround!

This is not my idea of personal growth

So for the last 2 weeks I have been chasing the wagon...meaning I have been back to the gym 3 times a week. And I've been watching what I eat; well mostly. However, I am still increasing in size. WTF?!?

I have weight in places I have never had before such as a muffin top and a belly going on. Initially I attributed this to stress weight gain since work has taken everything I've got for about the last 6-8 months. But now, although there is still some drama, the pressure is mostly off. Any time the jelly belly and muffin top want to go away so I can fit back into my clothes would be great.

I know in the past my routine of walk/run and weights worked so I'm hoping that it's just a bit early to see results and my body just needs a reset. I'm really not sure what to make of the ongoing increase that I feel in my clothes; I actually bought a size larger jeans today just so I'd have some that aren't cutting into me. Deciding to do that was extremely tough...I'd like to think that I'm headed back for some other jeans in my closet but at the same time, feeling like I have nothing to wear isn't working so well.

So....3 more weeks before I head home. And I'd like to be packing less of me and more of my "mid-range" clothes. Here's hoping that what's worked before will work again!

2.5 miles in 39 mins

Next week is 3 and 1's

Yes I bought Coldfx at Costco

And it doesn't seem to be helping...I am sick again! I was sick earlier in October too and I'm tired of it. This seems to be a similar bug that involves a splitting headache, body aches, stuffiness and fever and chills. Lovely. This time I toughed out 2 days at work since we had roadshow presentations and then dropped on Thursday. Today is Sunday and I felt even worse this morning including *new!* nausea. Of course I went out on Friday night and ran errands most of the day Saturday mistakenly assuming that I'd done my share of sick days. (On the up side I am down to 1 bank account so less monthly charges!)

This is interrupting my intention to get back on the fitness wagon once work became mainly sane again. Which is worrisome since I don't seem to be slowing down on putting on a few more curves. And yes, the elliptical is still in the living room...with a nice layer of dog hair.

So aside from the coldfx and lots of naps, I'm not getting anywhere too fast.

Tonight I've packed a spinach salad with chicken breast for lunch tomorrow - sounds healthy, right? A step in the right direction I hope. Once the bug is gone I think I have to check out the rec centre again...and try to get back to the routine that used to work for me.