A Beautiful Gift...

One of the lovely things my husband does for me is that he takes me to church! He does not attend church himself and so it is a very special gift.

When we are at home I usually go to the evening service at my local church because it is the easiest way for me to be consistent and to get my grandson to church too.

My husband works twelve hour shifts and doesn't finish till 6pm .... He works three Sundays out of six and even after a long day at work he comes home straight home to pick me up and take me to church which starts at 6.30pm.

When we get to church he waits outside for the length of the service so he can take me home again and doesn't get to have his evening meal until were are home again.

I am so grateful for this loving gesture... this really is love in action.

Even when we went away he took me to this lovely church in Ambleside, Mater Amibalis...

I seems to fitting that my husband most amiable took me to the church of Mother Most Amiable.

Romance is not Dead.....

I have just had a lovely romantic break with my husband to celebrate nineteen wonderful years together. We stayed for three nights in a wonderful historic farm bed and breakfast in the lake district.


It was so lovely and peaceful in the farm house where we enjoyed wonderful views and satisfying breakfasts. Although the farm was tucked away it was very handy for driving to Windermere, Bowness, and other towns and villages in the lakes.

We relaxed and enjoyed each others company and had some lovely romantic meals out together.

On our last day we bought a beautiful wolf's head statue to remind us of our trip.

Relationship Building....

 

August and February are the months I review my relationship goals. I chose these months because that is when I celebrate the Anniversary of meeting my husband and our wedding Anniversary.

If at all possible I my husband and I like to get away for a few days just to be together and during this time we talk over memories of our times together. These memories make a wonderful platform on which to build plans for the future.

It is a great time for me to think about all the things my husband does for me and how we make each other better people and think of things (even little ones) which I can do to make him happier and more content.



As well as my relationship with my husband I also think about how I can build strong ties with other family members and old friends.

It is so easy to let things slide when things are busy and relationships don't build themselves they take work.

This is even more true with old friends who we mean to keep in touch with. So one of the things I did before going away was to arrange a day out with a good friend to look forward to in September.

 

As well as building old relationships I feel it is time to make some new friends too as I love mixing with people, but these days I see very few as much of my time is spent at home looking after my son.

So before going away I also made an appointment to see the practice nurse at my GP's. The doctor recently told me that there was a new scheme which would refer patients to a slimming club and if I went to see the nurse she could do that for me.

I thought it would be a great idea as it would help me with my weight loss journey and also give me the opportunity to meet some new people. People with whom I already have a common interest.

 

I am very blessed .... I have a lot to look forward to.

Just to show I care.....

I thought I would share some of my most useful discoveries from my weight loss journey...

When deciding what kind of exercise to do I was strongly drawn back to Callanetics which I had done several times over the years.

It seemed ideally suited to my present lack of fitness, as it is very gently and builds flexibility as well as long lean muscles.

I had thrown away my old videos, not because they were no longer wanted, but because the video format was no longer useful.

So I set about looking for some Callanetics DVDs.

I wanted to get the Beginning Callanetics DVD as it shows the modified positions for different health problems and is a shorter work out - this was one of the videos I had previously used.

But I also wanted to get something new. In the end I opted to pair it with the am/pm dvd as that would give me something new while at the same time keep to shorter workouts.

After time I also added the Cardio Callanetics DVD and the Quick Callanetics which has 3 workouts to target different parts of the body.

Callanetics is very gentle but because it works very deeply on the muscles you have to be careful not to over do it at first.
 

While looking on You Tube for information on Callanetics I came across a lady who had been giving one of these Magic Measures (by Rosemary Conley) away and it seemed like a really great idea so I ordered one.

There are two sets of plastic tabs, you put the big on your first set of measurements, then after that you put the second smaller set on and these move about over time as your measurements change.

As time goes by it is really encouraging to see the gaps get bigger between the 2 sets of tabs.

Another top tip is to get a workout partner .......

 

These are mine, not much good for the exercise DVDs or going to the gym, but great for a long walk!

To make keeping an eye on your food intake the diet plate could be helpful....

Keeps things simple, but make sure you get the right on, male or female!

I cut out the sugar in my tea and found that my coffee tasted too sweet so I managed to cut down the sugar in that too!

I have never been fond of drinking water, but the more I drink it the more I am starting to appreciate it!

This site has loads of foodie information...

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

And above all don't forget to set ......

 

And when you reach your goal, celebrate and set another one!

Less of Me....

I had been keeping a private blog about my efforts to loose weight and get healthier, but I have decided to share bits here, because the results do make my life more joyful and just might be encouraging to others.

So far I have lost over 30lbs. I also had sleep apnea which went away very quickly and now I am much more comfortable. Also it is now much easier to get clothes I like.

It has taken me a long time to get to this point. Many factors have made it more difficult, such as my son's illness and there has been the odd step backwards I am pressing ahead.

I have learned to cherish each pound lost...

On this journey it is very easy to forget that food is not the enemy......

Food is a wonderful delight created by our amazing Father who made us with taste buds so that we could appreciate his gift. Take time to choose food which will not only taste good but will do you good and don't forget to say Thank You for the gift.

Neither is your body your enemy....
God made it... look after it!

 

The "experts" say that keeping a journal helps with weight loss and so I did. At first I kept it on a page on my private blog, but started a 181 Day Health Diary on 11th January which shouldhave run up till 11th July (my husbands birthday).

Unfortunately my plan got derailed in May (sigh) between back problems and other health issues, but I have started on my journey again.

Between Christmas and New Year I lost my 4th (out of 6) sibling and have already lost a nephew.

It's scary... The life expectancy in my family is very low - averaging out at just about the age I am. It's not that I am scared of being dead... I am confident of where I will end up by the Grace of God.

What scares me is having to face my God knowing that he had more for me to do but that my choices brought me home sooner than he intended

Also I want to be strong and healthy enough to do the job he put me here to do.

I can't do anything about any genetic factors (but God can handle them) but I have to take control or the choices I make.

I don't have a particularly unhealthy lifestyle.... I have never smoked, or done any drugs and I drink very little alcohol so the only factors I can improve on are diet and exercise.

So back to the Health Diary....

 

It's a hard back notebook with Russian dollies all over it (ideal shrinking lady symbol don't you think?)

I attached a matching two sided pencil case, to keep all the bits and pieces I need to fill it in.

 

Everyday I keep a note of what I eat and drink and any exercise I get. There is a space once a week to make notes and at the back I write hints and tips which are particularly helpful.

This is where the child in me comes in the thing is covered in stickers...

I have butterflies for when I have done a workout dvd, flowers for when I go for a walk...
Now I have added stars for 5 minutes on the bike and circles for a glass of water...
Not to forget my favourite... I have Russian dolls and symbols from their tummies... every weigh-in I get a symbol for a half stone and a doll for a full stone... so  now I get 2 of each!

I am such a big kid .... but that is OK because.....

The Great Escape....

Today I am really grateful that I still have my two dogs

Yesterday Pepper was being naughty and not coming in from the garden when called,
but this morning I realised that her barking was not coming from in the garden at all.
On further investigation we found 2 broken fence panels which we have replaced

I am so relieved that neither doggy got away.....