Blogger Challenge - Week 2

Thanks to 12wbt I've decided to give myself a whopping big dose of my own medicine. Many of my clients are sad, depressed, fed up with how they look/feel/think. While I'm listening to them pouring out their thoughts I make a note of them and later I email them with a summary of what's they've told me, more or less in their own words. I ask them to do a simple exercise ... to rewrite the whole paragraph without using 'not' or n't (LOL - yes, I've cottoned on to the cheating!!). In honour of this week's challenge, well, here it is ... my OWN medicine. Time to take a few minutes to spend on 'me'. This is what I need to do ... to allow myself time to concentrate on myself a little. I'm taking up 'me-time'! I'm also thrilled to be back rowing again. I haven't belonged to a gym in a couple of years, but 12wbt suddenly gave me the urge to get back in there - mostly so I could use the erg (rower). I'm really happy to be able to use that evil machine once more. And for the next 12 weeks, I'm also going to give myself the gift of attempting to be proud of myself once in a while for little achievements. 

Now ..... the medicine:

MY OWN MEDICINE - PART 1 : How I'm feeling (the negatives):

This last week couldn't have been worse. It started off relatively stressy and the stress continued to rise and rise. I've felt bitter and angry and downright sorry for myself. In retrospect, I think I could've given any teenager a run for their money with the number of tantrums and tears. I haven't felt like that for a long time. It eats me up inside and I can't do anything about it other than wait it out. I was so excited about 12wbt. I couldn't wait for it to start ... and then I found I couldn't concentrate on it or give it the attention it deserved. Nothing was going right. My February budget ran out. I have NO money - and 6 people to feed. My daughter's shoes have holes in them and it breaks my heart not to be able to buy her new ones. My dog is dying and I can't afford to take her to the vet! Yep! I'm not used to it and it tears me apart. Roll on March! My nutrition has been fine apart from the weekend. I shouldn't have had wine and a second helping of dessert at my brother's house - but nothing was going to stop me. One blow-out - and then my first weigh-in I put on weight. I can't really see how I deserve that, but it happened. There's just no escape sometimes and I can't see the wood for the trees. I hate being 'down' and I don't often feel sorry for myself, so apologies to anyone who's reading this. I hope you've rolled your eyes, given up and gone and made a cup of coffee. There's nothing worse than reading other people's drivel ... which is why I don't do this - ever!! But I promised I'd do what I get my clients to do, so ... now I'm going to turn this around. I have to! I haven't done very well today and it's only 10 a.m. My breakfast is too high in calories so lunch isn't going to consist of much - and let's not mention the dreaded Pilates at 2 p.m. - if I haven't shot myself before then at the very thought of it (just kidding)! 

PART II - MY OWN MEDICINE - A GIFT TO MYSELF (the rewrite):

This last week has been a real challenge. It started off relatively stressy and the stress continued to rise and rise. I've felt bitter and angry and downright sorry for myself. In retrospect, I think I could've given any teenager a run for their money with the number of tantrums and tears. It's been a long time since I felt like that. It eats me up inside because I'm generally such a positive person, but my positive nature tends to help me in these circumstances because I find it so difficult to sit around simply riding out the storm. I have to do something! I was so excited about 12wbt. I was chomping at the bit, waiting for it to start ... and when life throws a curve-ball and distracts me from my main focus, I tumble - because I'm a firm believer that you give everything 200% and anything less is unacceptable, so I was miserable because 12wbt needed all my concentration and deserved every bit of attention, but LIFE was screaming from elsewhere and pulling me away! It's challenging, to say the least, when everything cosy and wonderful starts to go pear-shaped. My February budget ran out. Trying to feed 6 people on zero pounds has been a real lesson in financing - but hey! I've done it so far ... and only 4 more days to go until I can breathe again (if shallowly) ... and the kids are still healthy and smiling and loving my inventiveness!!! That's got to be good, right? My daughter's shoes have holes in them and it breaks my heart to tell her she'll have to wait another couple of weeks for new ones, but this is a good lesson for her! It's got to be positive to learn that the best things in life are those things you have to wait for - even if it's a pair of shoes! I think perhaps this week is teaching her valuable lessons - that money trees lose their leaves sometimes, too - and need rain to be able to grow again! (excuse the crap analogy, but actually, I think that works quite nicely lol). My dog is dying and the vet will have to wait! This is difficult, because she's given us only the most wonderful gift of unconditional love and loyalty and I wonder what this lesson is? I need the lessons, perhaps, but Misty? All I can think is that if she passes away in the next week, then it was meant to be - and she's surrounded by a family who adores her and it will be peaceful. Perhaps it's her time, after all. Roll on March! Now, back to 12wbt ... My nutrition has been fine apart from the weekend. Should I have had wine and a second helping of dessert at my brother's house? I think that as long as I remain completely accountable for it, then why not? I suppose what's wrong with that is that I'm regretting it, so next time - wine and dessert, OK, but without regret. Accountability. Action. Guilt-FREE! Life will happen. One blow-out, however, affected my first weigh-in. I put on weight and felt rubbish, but - as I've said above - it's all about accountability. Moving forwards. Let's do it! There is ALWAYS an escape route. Sometimes it's just difficult to see the wood for the trees, but the sun still shines in the densest of woods, and rain still falls to enable growth.


I hate being 'down' and feeling sorry for myself, so apologies to anyone who's reading this because it IS unlike me. I hope you've rolled your eyes, given up and gone and made a cup of coffee. But perhaps you've got something from this, too. Perhaps you'll also see how your thoughts, feeling and actions affect the thoughts, feelings and actions of everyone around you. This is why I really avoid admitting negativity - because I need people around me to be cheerful and happy. Life is often uncooperative, but I feel that if I'm smiling, at the very least, somebody  somewhere will smile with me. 'Drivel' is a harsh word, perhaps, for an outpouring of stress and tantrums - but maybe that's a good way of looking at it. It makes it less perfect and it makes it more trivial. I like the idea of turning stress and problems into trivia. Wait! Did I say 'problems'? I meant 'challenges'! Yes, that's it! So, you see  ... I promised I'd do what I get my clients to do, so ... and I did - and I've turned everything around. It works! It's now 11.23 and things are looking a lot brighter than they were at 10 a.m., even though my breakfast calories were a bit on the high side! Lunch will have to be light, yes, but that simply means I need to think carefully about the calories and what I'm putting on my plate - it can still be a large portion, so long as it's the right kind of food! Another learning experience. But ohhhhhhhhhh a stumbling block called Pilates! How can I write something positive about Pilates? I would rather have that bullet in the head. But hang on! The sooner I get there, the sooner it'll be over, right? And it IS helping my knees, even if it's killing me brain cell by little brain cell LOL There are, after all, worse things than Pilates. Just imagine DOUBLE PILATES!!!!! :)


For anyone who listened/read/heard .... THANK YOU! But regardless, thank you to Whirlsie of http://nutritionally-yours.blogspot.com/ for this challenge - and for, in effect, giving me this gift.