The Lady Hooligan’s Page

This time with a look at my image in the mirror and a struggle to fasten my corduroy pants! Same eating plan, but more motivation and NO maternal sabotage! I hope. O ya, and this round I might even do some exercise!

Let’s revisit the reasons why yours charmingly (that’s ME, by the way!) wants to gain slim:

• I shall have less pain in my pelvic and knee joints and won’t twist my ankles that often.
• I’ll fit into sexy, fashionable clothes - even be able to wear a dress without looking pregnant!
• My skin will improve - less pimples, less hair.
• I won’t be out of breath so often
• I’ll be attractive to members of the opposite gender
• I’ll be confident in front of a camera and on stage!
• I shall have normal, stable blood sugar levels.
• I shall be a good ambassador for a company that focuses on health and wellness.
• I will get in and out of cars and chairs much easier.
• I shall have acquired healthy, balanced eating habits.

Once again, I’ll go the HealthPointe route. Religiously. Steps and all. And with a good record-keeping system and decent rewards!

Watch this space!

I woke up this morning unable to breathe. My mom rushed me to the hospital emergency room, where they gave me oxygen and adrenaline. The local ENT-person and I aren’t really on good terms so no, I did not let them admit me. I don’t like ICU’s anyway.

The rest of the day was spent quietly at home, sorting out paperwork.

I’ll go back to work tomorrow, doing only light work, and then at the Weekend Seminar this weekend!

What I figured out happened, is that I had too much of a good thing recently - dairy products! Yogurt, cheese, milk… The result is that a whole lot of slimy yuck built up in my airway and got stuck there! For the next two weeks I am going to lay off dairy completely and see how that remedies the (lack of) breathing situation. O yes, AND sugar, now that I’m on it! If nothing else, I’ll lose a few kg’s and that alone would help me breathe easier…

Naughty thought - if I can stick to this decision through the medium to long(er) term, I’ll save a heck of a lot of money on groceries! And for the sweet moments, there’s always Lindt 70%…

I’ll let you all know how this turns out. Today was day one!

… But my clothing says I’ve gained slim!

And so does my mirror image.

That’s a big consolation in an environment where I’m constantly bombarded with all kinds of negative energy.  I wonder if it is a given that the moment a woman steps over the 50-plus line, she turns into a crone, magically turning every bright vibe into a sour one.  Hopefully it’s just the environment I’m working in and I can escape before I hit that mark!

Thus my habit of going walkabout during lunchtimes has developed.  I walk about four big blocks in any direction and four back, giving me a km’s worth of exercise and a lot of thinking time. I go to places where I feed my soul, sometimes buying something, sometimes not.  When I get back to work, after that, I feel better…

I am toying with the idea of resigning my job and going walkabout on a permanent basis.  Unfortunately I’d still need an income of some description to be able to afford the walkabout… Thinking…

My Vital/Lethal Statistics (You decide which!)

And - of course! - my pictures…

I suffer from severe attacks of the Munchies, especially when I’m bored, lonely, or depressed.  It’s especially severe when I’m all three at the same time, which happens more often than I would like to admit, even to myself!

So, since I’m on this mission to gain some serious slim within the next 9 months (eish, I’m planning a pregnancy!) it seems fitting that I devise some alternatives for the Munchies when I’m bored, lonely or depressed and share it with the world at large…

First, the obvious ones:

• Take a 5 minute walk to somewhere.  Time it! Only 5 minutes!  See how many steps I can fit into those 5 minutes of walking, and improve on it on a daily basis!
• Go into a meditation of some sort.  Imagine my ideal life as if it is already mine!  That’s a good way to invoke the Law of Attraction as well!
• Have a glass of water when I feel an attack coming on!
• Snack on cucumber sticks instead!

And now for the Hooligan ones!

• Put on loud music with lots of beat and start dancing!  Yes, I know it’s in the middle of a library.  Who cares, anyway?
• Be creative.  Scrap my day.  Get out some bright paint and paint something!  Draw a picture with wax crayons on a big sheet of white paper! Plan my dream home and create story boards for each room!
• Tidy something. Yes, that’s shocking! Just do it!
• Send something positive to a friend! Any friend, but never to the same friend more than once a week!  See how many friends I can cheer up!
• By the same token, subscribe to the “Pay it forward” principle. Do something really, really nice for three different people and ask them to do the same!  See where it leads to.
• Start an imaginary movement. Write a monthly newsletter to its members!  Visualize the movement becoming real and gaining momentum.
• Create a garden.  A potted one, if needs must, but a garden all the same!  Remember to weed it and water it regularly.  Grow flowers and herbs in it, and learn to use the herbs both in cooking and for medicinal purposes!
• Learn to cook proper food, with messy plates.  That way, half the satisfaction will lie in the creation of the meal, and I won’t need to munch in between meals and snacks.
• And - last but not least - inspire someone to devise their own list of cures for the Munchies!

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states: “Dig the well before you need the water”. More recently, I heard that one should “find your why before your why finds you”. I guess that makes a “why” pretty important, not only for a project to gain slim, but for life in general. After all, you need a reason to get up in the morning, otherwise you’ll develop bed sores!

And since this is my umpteenth (and final!) attempt at going the distance towards a slimmer, more toned, me, I have concluded that without a good reason, I might as well not even start! A reason (or six!) will help keep me on the road less traveled and from indulging in my favorite hobby – munching!

Here, then, are my top 5 reasons…

1. I would like to look good in a dress, not at least 7 months pregnant!

2. By the same token, I would like to look good on family photographs, especially since I’ve recently seriously started scrapbooking!

3. If I look good, I shall have more confidence to talk to people about health and wellness, and – this is important! – they’ll actually believe me!

4. Being slim would mean less strain on my pelvis and other joints and I’ll be able to move easier.

5. If my body fat percentage is lower, I shall have a better chance of conceiving and carrying a healthy baby, once I’ve attracted Mr Right-for-ME! (Men tend to go for slim women – it’s an instinctive thing!)

I know members of my support team will be reading this, too, and I hope they’ll remind me of these reasons whenever I deviate ever so slightly or even feel like giving up on this lofty goal! Thanks in advance, everyone!