All posts have been uploaded. If there are any problems, I haven’t found them yet.

I hope you’ll join me at Down Under Views.

Ever since Teresa brought her blogs together – including her health journey blog – into one blog – Mom Grooves – I have been thinking about doing the same.

When I first started writing online, I couldn’t get enough blogs. Granted, most of them were paying jobs, but there were still plenty of them. One per subject, and you never blended them. At one point I think I had nearly a dozen blogs, both personal and professional.

But as the years have gone on, the jobs have been cut and I’ve moved on to different projects. I’ve cut down a lot on blogging, but I still had that mentality of one blog per subject.

While I’d still like to keep my fiction writing blog separate, I am thinking of putting all of my content from here onto my ‘life and stuff’ blog Down Under Views. What Teresa said about making her health journey a part of the rest of her life makes a lot of sense to me.

Plus I think it would be great to have one blog with somewhat regular posting rather than two with barely regular posting. Haha.

I know switching URLs can be a death stamp for some blogs because readers don’t follow, but I am hoping people would be willing to make the jump with me.

I’m not doing this right now because I want to have the time available to fix issues that might come up. I will let you know when it’s happening, though.

So that’s what I’m thinking. I’m hoping the people here don’t mind posts on crafty stuff and daily life stuff, and I’m hoping people over there don’t mind health stuff. Either way, I think it could make a better blog overall.

How many times have I meant to post here but not gotten to it…? Way too many, it would seem, if I haven’t posted for so long! Haha.

I have missed it here, but I have still been quite busy. Stress management and pain management classes have ended and I am going slow and steady at the gym. After Easter, a lifestyle class (a bit of group therapy, doctor and dietician) will be starting.

Job help is progressing, too, and I’ll be taking my first class since 2006 in May. Woohoo!

But here we come to the grit of it.

I have always been about standing up and dusting yourself off when you fall off the horse. I’ve said that, if nothing else, at least I am a person who keeps on trying. But the trucking has been very difficult lately.

I’ve started a food diary, cut calories, become more calorie-aware, have been going to the gym, cut out almost all alcohol… and things have gotten progressively worse. The tiredness that has plagued me off and on for years has been happening a lot since I had the flu last year and came to a major peak in the past fortnight.

I’ve been so exhausted that putting on my clothes in the morning is a major effort – and that’s after a full night of sleep. You can imagine how going to the gym has been going. That along with a bunch of other niggles that are happening more frequently finally got me to go to the doctor to address the problems.

So today I started on the road to getting the mystery sorted out. Tomorrow I get some blood tests. After Easter, I will get the results and go from there.

I’m hoping it’ll be a short road to answers, but it may be a long one. For those still reading, thanks for bearing with me while I try to get my energy levels back up.

Say hello to my little charms.

Almost since I started out getting healthier, I have struggled with the whole rewards thing. I’ve gone from saying that I don’t need rewards whatsoever, to giving them a go, to tyring to figure out what would work for me anyway.

For a long time, I have worked without them. Frankly, I was too busy trying to figure out a multitude of other things to sit down and figure out how to reward myself. But after a talk with my psych about rewards and how they really can be beneficial to helping one accomplish any goal, I decided to rethink the situation.

I’d tried books, gift cards, magazines and other stuff before, but I never had a reward that really stuck with me. The magazine was read, the gift card spent, so on and so forth. I’ve struggled to find anything that I would find both rewarding and encouraging.

I sat back and looked at myself. Not always a pretty prospect but valuable nonetheless. With the kind of person I am, I needed something fun and pretty to keep me attracted. But I also needed something permanent – not a book I would read and be done with or something that would be spent and gone. Whatever ‘it’ was, it needed to stick with me.

And, knowing me, (here’s the not so pretty part), I needed it to be in my face as much as possible. I get distracted. I get emotional. My head often has one or more cast of characters for whatever novel I’m working on in it. Being healthy isn’t always first on my plate. However, having a visual reminder either on my desk or on my body would have it right there nearly all the time.

Taking that all into account, I came to getting a charm bracelet with charms and beads to mark my progress. It’s pretty and fun, something permanent, something that marks my progress and something that will almost always be within my eyesight.

You might think that buying all the charms first up might take away the pleasure, but I don’t get to wear the charms until I reach the corresponding goal. That is enough to keep me going and working toward the next mark.

In the end, I’m quite proud of myself. It took some time and self-examination, but I think I have come up with something that will prove to be a good motivation.

Now only .8 lbs to go until I reach my first goal…

PS. These charms are the ohm symbol and the hamsa. Combined for strength, serenity, peace and protection.

Woo! I have new ticker. Haha. I was doing some virtual dusting around here and remembered how much I just to like tickers and that sort of thing. I also remembered how messed up I can be with numbers, so I decided just the ticker is more than enough.

Things have been going along nicely, as you can tell from my silence. I finished up my stress management course and am the better for it. I must admit that I did go in thinking that they wouldn’t be able to teach me much, but I did get more into the importance of breathing. That alone has helped me since with dealing with situations that give me anxiety. All up, a good thing.

I’ve had the first half of the pain management course, which set me off a little emotion-wise because I feel like I don’t deserve to be there. My aches and pains are weight-related, while many of the people there are dealing with accident recovery and complications due to aging. I’m nearly always the youngest one in the room.

I try to acknowledge the feelings and then let them drift by, though, because I reckon I’m there because someone thinks I need to be there. Done and dusted.

I had my first session at the gym there as well. I tried not to go ‘mind reader’, but I got the feeling that the instructor was a little confused as to why I was there. But then I explained my personality (all in until I injure myself) and my history, and things seemed to go well from there. I could swear we barely did anything, but I am feeling quite sore.

It’s been nearly a month since I started my food diary, and I’m managing to keep up with it. I think this is the longest I’ve kept one, to be honest. It does have me thinking more about balance, what/how much I’m eating, etc, so it’s all good.

All up, things are going pretty well. The weight loss so far has been entirely through food diary and what I like to call ‘calorie awareness’. I’m excited to see what happens when I add in the gym work.

It’s not Friday, but still…

I haven’t been blogging much here or anywhere else for that matter, but it’s only because I’ve been living a lot. With more appointments than ever (and more coming) to keep up with, I have been adjusting. I’m thinking that I’m finally settled in for the time being.

My husband and I are just back from a lovely trip into South Australia, and I feel like I have a new breath of air in my lungs. After what 2011 put me and The Bloke through, it was wonderful to be able to get away and enjoy.

The Bloke has been able to enjoy a lot of things lately, including a well deserved “I told you so.”

As I mentioned in Back to Square One, I bought a notebook to start tracking things again. Mainly, my food. The Bloke has suggested a food diary a few times now, only to be met with snarls from my end.

I hate keeping food diaries.

But I have been. And the results have been… enlightening.

As much as I hate the process, the food diary has helped me address a lot of key issues. The act of having a food diary has helped me with mindful eating. Just having to take the moment before I eat something has helped me to become aware of not only what I’m putting in my mouth but why I’m putting it in my mouth.

I also used to have a tendency to eat every meal like it was my last. Keeping the diary has taught me to look ahead a bit and get my mind used to regarding each meal as one of many to come. This, in turn, has helped me to eat smaller deals.

After I’d kept the diary for a week or so, I began to get curious about calories. It turns out that I’m doing a decent job, but there were some things that were hitting me for more calories than I realised. My favourite chai latte? Over 200 calories – and that’s just for a regular. That ‘every once in a while’ splurge for a fast food wrap? Over 500 calories and it’s not even that filling.

I must confess that I had gotten into a headspace of feeling like I didn’t need to learn anymore. That it was something wrong with my body. While I was right in regards to my body – and am feeling a bit more energy since I started taking iron – I was wrong in thinking that I could sit back and stop learning.

Even if it involves doing something that annoys me.

Though I must confess, it’s not nearly as annoying as it used to be…

But don’t tell The Bloke. He’ll just say, “I told you so.”

(Just kidding. He’s not like that.)

About the Book

The key to a better body—in shape, energized, and youthful—is a healthy brain. Based on the latest medical research, as well as on Dr. Amen’s two decades of clinical practice at the re¬nowned Amen Clinics, where Dr. Amen and his as¬sociates pioneered the use of the most advanced brain imaging technology, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body shows you how to take the very best care of your brain.

With fifteen practical, easy-to-implement solutions involving nutritious foods, natural supplements and vitamins, positive-thinking habits, and, when neces¬sary, highly targeted medications, Dr. Amen shows you how to:

* Reach and maintain your ideal weight
* Soothe and smooth your skin at any age
* Reduce the stress that can impair your immune system
* Sharpen your memory
* Increase willpower and eliminate the crav¬ings that keep you from achieving your exercise and diet goals
* Enhance sexual desire and performance
* Lower your blood pressure without medication
* Avoid depression and elevate the enjoyment you take in life’s pleasures.

Whether you’re just coming to realize that it’s time to get your body into shape, or are already fit and want to take it to the next level, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body is all you need to start putting the power of the brain-body connection to work for you today.

The Long Story

I must admit, when I first held this book in my hands, I didn’t think it would tell me much more than I already knew. I’ve been reading about and researching all things weight-related for years. But, it wasn’t yet another diet book, so I was willing to give it a go.

And here’s the part you’re probably expecting: I’m glad I did.

Yes, this book covered territory I have already been through, but it does so in a new way. A brain-oriented way. Dr. Amen’s foundation of changing your life all starts in the brain, and I find that fascinating.

Amen had me from the moment he posited that early life brain trauma (well, any brain trauma, regardless of when it happens) can help create the bad habits that we have today. Poor concentration, poor follow-through, anger issues… All of it can have to do with how you are or have treated your brain.

That sports injury you got when you were a kid because you weren’t wearing a helmet? That could be the reason you exhibit ADD symptoms. Or why you might have trouble sleeping. The implications of what he covers in this book are far reaching, and I quite like that.

Like I said, this is not another diet book, and that’s a relief. Yes, there is advice to cut sugar and the ‘white’ things, but that’s about it. Everything else engages you to think about your brain and the life of your brain on multiple levels. It’s not just about weight but about overall health.

The Short Story

This book is a great way to start thinking about your overall health in a new light.

***
Change Your Brain Change your Body
Dr. Daniel G. Amen
http://www.amenclinics.com/
Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 0307463583
ISBN-13: 978-0307463586

When I say that the program I am in is diverse, I certainly mean it. They are looking after my mind and my body. While the body side hasn’t really started yet (I’m waiting for the next open slot), the mind side is well underway.

Yesterday I took part in my first stress management class. While the content wasn’t much of anything that I didn’t already know (causes of stress, responses to stress, etc), it was a lesson in being in an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar people. It was very upsetting at first, but I settled in quickly. I have always loved taking classes and learning.

One quick tip I did learn that seems to be going well for taking down anxiety and stress is to step back from the situation just long enough to give it a rating out of ten. Just pausing to think about the situation objectively like that can make it easier to calm down. Or, at least, to start calming down.

I was kind of amused (and a little bit disturbed) that on our break, most of the people went and got a coffee. I was thinking, “Hello, we’re in a stress management course and you’re drinking coffee?” As it turns out, some people geniunely didn’t know that caffeine can make stress symptoms worse.

All in all, I’m very happy. I feel like I’m in the right place where I’m going to set the groundwork I need.

While it hasn’t been as long as I thought since I last posted, it has certainly been a while.

Problems started around mid-month when I started getting exhausted with the half an hour of exercise every morning. Given it was gentle exercise, I became quite depressed and got a first class ticket on the ‘what’s wrong with me’ train.

After a few frustrating appointments, a few frustrating doctors and some blood tests, I’m back on the right track.

As it turns out, I’m skirting but still not stepping into diabetes territory – thank goodness. My vitamin D is low (which doesn’t surprise me, seeing as I skipped supplements for a while before the test to make sure I got a real reading). And, for the first time in my life, my iron is low, which is likely the cause of my exhaustion.

I’ve finally gotten started with the local program that will get me on my feet in all ways. There are classes about pain management (yay aching knees and ankles thanks to weight), stress management groups, a dietician and even some gym time for me. Not to mention a new psychologist who covered a heap of things in the first session. I also managed to find a good GP that doesn’t buy into BMI, understands that PCOS is a real condition and who puts an emphasis on balanced eating.

For so long I have struggled, tripped, gotten up again just to trip later down the line. Always I have wondered what was wrong with me that I couldn’t just keep going. As it turns out, my GP slapped me across the face with it:

“You can’t keep doing this alone.”

While I have never been truly alone, it occurs to me now (in a ‘duh’ kind of moment) that I haven’t set up a proper ‘team’ for myself in the past. Not only friends who know what I’m going through but the kind of professional sort I need. Partly, I must admit, because I’m not all that keen on taking care of myself and have always seen getting all that support as playing into the victim mentality. But now I see that it’s not wrong to need a lot of hands to hold.

Today I’m back to square one, but I don’t mind being here. I started with exercise, I’m starting up the supplements, I got a new hair cut to make me feel good and even a new notebook for tracking things (the GP said that the dietician will want a food diary, so I may as well start one).

Another start. It may not be the last. But then again, it just might be.