Week 1.

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Exhaustion. Aches. And a hint of light peeking from behind the heavy clouds.

I wake every morning in a fog. I’m uncertain whether my pain meds are causing it, or my interrupted sleep (I have an anxious ten-year-old struggling with her own sleep battles). Perhaps it’s the change in routine.

In addition to my extra work day throughout the election campaign… and a little volunteer work on the campaign… I have finally begun a 12 day group program in management of chronic pain. At a time when I need to reduce my outside projects, I am back to a full-time schedule. Most other projects have come to a halt.

3 ½ hours, 3 days/week. We sit and we discuss, we do fitness baseline testing. We learn. We discuss some more.

I have made a commitment to myself that I will walk to/from group and work in order to ensure I get a minimum of 3 days/week of walking in.

By the end of group, my goal is to create a realistic reachable plan for getting back into a regular fitness routine, with as few setbacks along the way as possible.

Goal setting. Caution. Pacing. Self-awareness. Patience. Nutrition. Motivation. Flexibility. Encouragement.

I may need a little help. 🙂

Filed Under: Health & Fitness, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , ,

Expanding on balance, and the choices we live

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Expanding upon a previous post, my thoughts on finding balance:

Until a year ago, most of my adult life has been spent spinning – one high-stress situation to the next.

And then I turned a new leaf after nearly a decade of living on edge: first with a leave of absence ? full-time studies; then graduating from university (again). I am just learning how to function in a state of “normal”. Finally: I’m done school; my new job while meaningful is low-stress (in comparison); I have a supportive spouse settled into our life/family; we’ve had our own home (and haven’t moved) for almost three years now, and I am at home one to two days each week…

I have been in over my head so many times, with my body telling me I had to make a change even when I felt like mentally I was coping just fine. I’d have Fibromyalgia flare-ups, migraines, insomnia, etc. …all effected by – if not caused by – burning the candle at both ends.

I have always struggled with finding a balance. I love working, and have a strong desire to be a leader and innovator. On the other hand I also love having time to focus on my family. I have swung on a pendulum between wanting it all and wanting none of “it” a couple of times before finally coming to the decision that I simply cannot. I cannot have “it” all. I won’t be happy with one extreme or the other. So I made a conscious decision to seek a middle ground: part-time employee and part-time at-home parent.

This was not an easy choice. I had to give up the desire to be in charge. Not being woken for urgent calls, not having to rearrange everything in my life for a crisis at work, not scrambling to get my children taken care of, not having to fix everyone else’s problems… these are benefits to my overall well being that are worth making sacrifices for.

Life is almost in perfect balance now. With a part-time, meaningful job in my field, and the ability to be flexible enough to meet my children’s needs (with the help of my very dedicated spouse) I am more content than I have been for years. I still find myself (often) straying down that familiar path of needing to be busier, more involved and more successful. I have to reign myself in. In an attempt to cater to my desire for more I have given myself permission to become involved in some personal projects that I can work on at whatever pace works for me at the time. This means when I have too much on my plate those projects take a back seat, but when things slow down they are there for me to pick back up again. 🙂

Balance is whatever works for you. Some people thrive on careers and find balance in hiring nurturing caregivers that become part of their family. Others choose not to have children at all. Some choose parenthood over the workforce and might return to a career later in life, if ever. I have chosen a middle ground. I may never make the big goals of my career, but I also will not have regrets about spending more time with my family.

Mostly, balance requires accepting the choices we make,while acknowledging that we are the lucky ones. In Canada, there are few things in life that most of us do not have some sort of choice about.

Filed Under: Gratitude, Health & Fitness Tagged With: ,

Project 365 – March 25

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Relaxation:

From 365
Filed Under: 365, Health & Fitness, Photos Tagged With: ,

Why I run for Team Diabetes

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My sister is a brittle diabetic.

Since about 2004 my sister Dana has been through a turmoil of information and emotions. For years she had battled illness causing drastic weight loss, and a low immune system. She’s been on a roller coaster with her health. Finally, she seemed to have gotten under control, what appeared to be Candida. After carefully limiting yeasts, carbs and sugars, she was back at a healthy weight and feeling better than in a long time.

The cycle began again. Within a matter of months her weight plummeted 30+ pounds to a level that left many inquiring after her health, and again came an onset of infections. While in a walk-in clinic for bronchitis, she mentioned to the doctor the concern about her weight loss, and low immune system, as well as her observations of being thirsty most of the time, and that she thought she needed new glasses.

In October 2007 Dana learned that she has Type 1 Diabetes. When tested, her sugars were at 29. Dana is and always will be insulin dependent. It is uncommon to be diagnosed Type 1 (or Juvenile Diabetes) outside of childhood. My sister was 30. There have been many, many lifestyle changes for her and a great deal of ongoing learning. Dana experienced her first two seizures (back to back) three months after her diagnosis. Since then she has experienced a multitude of health complications from recurring infections due to her compromised immune system, to kidney problems requiring multiple procedures, drastically fluctuating body weight, wrist and foot complications, vision problems and all of the challenges that come along with accepting this disease for what it is (incurable) and incorporating all of the dramatic changes required to live with it.

At the present time my 34 year old sister is unable to work, live alone, or drive a car on the highway.

After MANY challenges with balancing her blood sugars Dana eventually ended up on an insulin pump. While this has saved her many needles each day, it has not stabilized her blood sugar levels for any significant period of time.

My sister has approximately 10-15 medical practitioners she works with on a regular basis. She sees her family doctor weekly, an endocrinologist, neurologist, urologist, gynecologist, diabetic nurse, social worker, and more. She carries a heavy bag with emergency/back-up supplies of insulin, testing strips and monitor, snacks, water and more with her everywhere she goes. Walking to the mailbox can cause her sugars to plummet. A change in stress levels can cause them to skyrocket. Everywhere she goes she must ask careful questions about the food she eats, watching for sugar content, carbohydrates, as well as her many allergens. She has had to instruct those of us who accompany her places how to recognize when her blood sugars are at dangerous levels and need to be adjusted immediately.

I first ran for Team Diabetes one year after Dana was diagnosed, in 2008 at the Okanagan (Half) Marathon. Last year I ran the Bluenose 10k for Team D. My daughters (and my spouse) are mine and my sister’s biggest cheerleaders. They ran in the youth run at the Bluenose last year, and after they finished my oldest told me that she wanted to run a 5k for Team Diabetes at the next Bluenose event. She is now ten years old and we are signed up to run together.

Please help Breanna and I do something that will have an impact on the life of my sister, my grandfather, my friends Jason and Deborah, and the many other millions of people with Diabetes in Canada.

Follow this link to contribute to our campaign:

http://bit.ly/hyyZub
Filed Under: Advocacy, Diabetes, Health & Fitness, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , ,

Alright, help me out here people!:

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I would NEVER skip a run(/workout) if I were forced to ______ with every missed run(/workout).
I would always run(/workout) on schedule if I got to (do/have) ________ when I do.

Please respond with your comments below!

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My 10-yr-old daughter joins me in the fight for diabetes research & support!

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Help us raise funds for Team Diabetes Bluenose 5K!  This year my 10-year-old daughter has decided she’d like to join in.  Breanna ran the Bluenose Youth run last year and has decided that this year she wants to run for the cause and enter the 5K event!  You can make a donation in support of this cause at the links below.  :)

You can read about my 2010 Team D Bluenose 10K here!

I have once again joined Team Diabetes, a team of people from across Canada who will be crossing the finish line together and who have raised funds to support the more than 2 million Canadians living with diabetes. I will be on the course of the Bluenose Marathon 10K in Halifax, NS on 23 May 2010.

It takes dedication to be part of Team Diabetes, but I am committed to making a big difference in my life, and in the fight against type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

One of the greatest contributions of the Canadian Diabetes Association is toward outstanding Canadian research. But that is not all the Association does – it runs camps for young people with diabetes and provides education and special services to people affected by diabetes in communities across Canada.

Please help me to support people like my sister, Dana, who was diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic 4 years ago (at the age of 30) and suffers numerous health complications due to Diabetes.

As I run the course, you will be with me in spirit and your support will help me be strong all the way to the finish line. A donation for each kilometre is suggested, but whatever you can contribute matters – it all adds up!

To support Breanna on her run, please click here: TBA

If you want to support my mission, please click https://ocp.diabetes.ca/pledge/cspledge.asp?prId=td&oId=1155480&tId=16205

Thank you so much for your generosity!

Trish

Filed Under: Advocacy, Health & Fitness, Parenting, West Nova Family Tagged With: , ,

Running again… yes, I AM a runner!

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Last time I started a training plan just as I was well established in my routine I had a terrible flare-up. It took about six months for me to get my back fixed up and I am still (as always) working on my neck & shoulders. It’s been an excuse not to run (for fear of a flareup or aggravating my already bad shoulders) or bike or swim, or… well, you get the picture. However, I want to get beyond this. I need to push through it, and I need the motivation to do it.

Whenever I feel this need for motivation I pick a goal that has some other motivating factor – in many cases it includes fundraising and raising awareness for a worthy cause – Diabetes. Now is the time. I am about to sign up to run for Team Diabetes at the Bluenose Marathon, again. This time my oldest girly wants to run for them as well. We’re going to run the 5K together. However, I need more motivation than a 5k that I can probably run untrained (I will be running at a ten year-old-who-doesn’t-train’s pace).

Conveniently though I have a team of runners that I cannot let down. We are signed up for the Cabot Trail Relay again this year, just one week after Bluenose. My leg is 17.92km, just 3.2km shy of a Half Marathon. Reality tells me that I need to train for a Half Marathon and the Bluenose will be my taper race. 🙂

Once I am signed up the momentum will begin to build and I will have the drive to get myself back in shape. It is just the way I work. I expect to be registered by Monday night. In the mean time, I need to keep on with my rehabilitative exercises and start with a SLOW build up of training to avoid a flare-up.

Today was a lovely day for my first run of 2011. It was in fact my first run since September. Fortunately one of my closest friends in this city is someone I met because of running and she is happy to help me get moving. Fortunately, I also have another friend who likes my company when running, and both are people I love spending time with. We’ll hopefully have some standing running dates set this week (hear that friends?) If things get really desperate (kidding!), I suppose I can also enlist my pseudo-hubby … 😉

It was a lightly snowing mild winter morning when we headed out for my introductory run today. It was Ang’s short run day, which worked well for me. We did a substantial warm-up walk of 20 minutes, ran 3km, then the same 20 minutes walking to cool-down. It was perfect winter running weather. The sidewalks were clear, and there were runners everywhere! I felt like I was/AM a runner again. 🙂

Filed Under: Health & Fitness, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Goal planning for 2011

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Not being one to make resolutions, I look at the new year as a time to make a fresh start. I am always working towards improving my quality of life in all areas, from health and fitness, to mental well being. It’s nice every once in a while to re-evaluate and establish new goals and simply hit reboot. It doesn’t matter where you were at the end of 2010, it’s a new year now and we have a new starting point to work from in 2011.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that small successes along the way help to motivate me to work towards my goals, so I need to make them achievable within reasonable time frames. When I can check a goal off the list I can then move onto the next goal with confidence. I may have a big picture agenda in mind, but the goals I work on tend to be small and measurable if they are going to help me move forward on my larger agenda.

Some of plans include getting back into a regular fitness routine; continuing my growth in photography; reading more great books; working on my own small business projects; travel; organizing; and more. I’m going to start walking and running again; do a 365 project in photography; take a course in using photoshop; read a mixture of fiction and non-fiction while participating in one or two book clubs; add more content to my website and monetize it; continue blogging regularly and add some creative writing; make a short trip to BC then take my family to Florida; set up a better workspace for myself at home…

Each of these require a plan and small goals with deadlines. I need to spend a few days figuring out just what will work for me (realistically) while still providing a bit of a challenge. Without taking risks and being challenged, there is no growth.

How do you approach your goal planning and execution? Are you a resolution sort of person, or more of an ongoing work in progress? Or perhaps you do a bit of both? I invite you to share some of your goals in the comments section. Let’s make changes happen together!

Filed Under: Gratitude, Health & Fitness, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , ,

Rum Runners Relay 2010 – Leg 5 (or return of the mojo)

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For those who do not know, the Rum Runners Relay is a ten stage relay race starting in Halifax, NS, traveling along the South West Shore to Lunenburg, NS, where teams of ten runners (usually) each take turns running a “leg” (or stage). The legs are selected in advance by the team. All of these stages are very scenic and they vary in difficulty as well as distance. I was part of Team 16:  RunningMania.com  Long story short, due to nagging back pain I switched from my planned second shortest (8km) leg of the race to “the short leg” (3.9km), thanks to a very flexible friend.

I was in no way motivated to run this race, my back pain had prevented me from continuing my training for the last 4 weeks.  In fact I considered dropping out (Ian would have readily and easily run the leg for me in addition to his own). I actually ran because it was our anniversary.

We’ve been celebrating our anniversary at Rum Runners Relay Race every year (except last year, when I spent the day with my sister who was visiting from BC, while I recovered slowly and poorly from an injury).  Technically Ian & met online, and we met in person on the day that we did because Ian was going to run with our relay team and he needed to sign the team waiver.  We went out for supper and a walk along the harbourfront and hit it off.  This year it was kind of special.  The anniversary of the day we met  fell on the day of the race.  I felt I just couldn’t miss it.   I think if we ever do decide to have some sort of a ceremony, it will have to be tied in with the relay.   😀

I was pretty sure I could run the 3.9km leg without much trouble. I was more concerned about how my back would handle all of the time in the car.  At the last minute we decided to take our own car, rather than car pool so that I could leave after my run, if need be.   I felt pretty good in the morning and we managed to get to the race course during my previously scheduled leg and cheer on my good friend.

Leg 4 ends and leg 5 begins at one of my favourite beaches (Queensland). This summer our family had spent several beach days there body surfing.  My run starts along the road following the beach then turns up onto the secondary highway that most of the race course follows.  It then takes a little detour through a beautiful neighborhood, has a few rolling hills, with a relatively steep climb before ending with a sharp turn downhill to the Hubbards public wharf.

The only real negative for me with this switcheroo was that it meant I couldn’t do my customary swim in the Atlantic Ocean at Queensland.  I just couldn’t see getting all cold and covered in salt water before running, and I couldn’t go back and swim after because Ian needed to get to his start (leg 7).  It would have been a great day for a cool fall Atlantic Ocean swim, and one of my team-mates made up for it, by diving in when he finished leg 4.

Prepped and waiting for my start (accompanied by Ian)

Photo credit: Mike M

The run went much better than I’d expected. The lower back pain went away while I ran, but moved to my shoulder and ribs. By the time I finished it had all sort of worked itself out. My only goal was to run just a little faster than my training pace has been. After 4 weeks of not running I wasn’t sure how that would go. As it turned out, it was not a problem. But I was really feeling it when I made the final climb before turning into the downhill finishing chute.

Leg 5 start: Queensland Beach road

Photo credit: Ian M

That downhill was one of my favourite race finishes ever. I’m always afraid to over do it when taking advantage of gravity mid-race, but this was the end and I just let myself go with the pull of gravity! It was so much fun to whip past (at least) 4 runners who’d been ahead of me (perhaps all had passed me at some point). The reaction of the woman who was just meters from the finish line was priceless, she just didn’t see/hear me coming. And the only person I know who witnessed it was Mark, the race announcer. None of my team were able to get to the finish before me because it’s such a short leg and they got caught up in a little detour. I wandered around cooling down and stretching for several minutes before they all arrived. They seemed to still be expecting me to cross the finish line when I found them. 🙂

The rest of the day was your typical Rum Runners fun-filled cheering, eating and air-guitar.

Air Guitar

Photo credit: Ian L

The best part about it, I am feeling motivated, inspired and determined to make a conservative/cautious fitness routine work for me. I got my mojo back!

Happy Anniversary Sweety! 😀

Filed Under: Health & Fitness Tagged With: , , , ,

Cooking for the Rushed: great cookbooks!

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I am no Foodie. In fact I find the daily cooking to be a chore I rarely look forward to. I do enjoy (VERY occasionally) planning and preparing a big dinner for a group (i.e. family holidays). But otherwise, it’s not my favourite activity. That being said I am a health-conscious mom and an environmentally conscious citizen. I want to feed my family healthy choices, and use sustainable, nutritious food. We’re not vegetarian, but we don’t eat large quantities of meat. We eat mostly organic, and local produce from a farm share.

This spring my friends introduced me to Sandi Richard: Cooking for the Rushed, who has the program “Fixing Dinner” on Canada’s “Food Network”. We’re not TV watchers, and we haven’t got cable (or satellite) television, so I had no idea who she was or what she did. Her system of weekly menu plans with master grocery lists are ingenious! I had been attempting to be organized, making my own weekly plans, but had never thought to go the extra step with preparing master grocery lists. As soon as I had the chance I ordered the only two books available through Indigo online at the time: “The Family Dinner Fix” and “Dinner Survival”. I love them!

For the spring and early summer we have been eating fantastic and rarely felt that awful end of day “what are we going to feed these kids” crankiness that was often overcoming me previously (and had prompted my own attempts at menu planning). We’ve eaten variety, usually had plenty of leftovers in the fridge for packing lunches, and tried many new things! Then summer rolled around and our farm share harvests really revved up again. I began to find the menus more challenging. While the cookbooks offer great variety, nutritional value and interest, they are not planned around local food availability.

I have a wish now, that Sandi will make a new edition for Canadian local food consumers – or even better, for Atlantic Canadians 😉


Filed Under: Books, Health & Fitness, Parenting Tagged With: , ,
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