Countdown to 60: Journey of Vitality

Although I knew that I sometimes ate for the wrong reasons, I still believed that my issue was more of a physical addiction to sugar/carbs. I even told my naturopath earlier this year that I was not an emotional eater. Boy, was I ever wrong! My first session with Shelley included lots of questions about my relationship with food, going all the way back to childhood. When I mentioned a memory of being taken to Weight Watchers at a young age (maybe 12), I burst into tears. That and other childhood messages - from family and peers - completely distorted my view of myself. I was no longer okay - I internalized the message that I was not good enough and that I needed to be fixed. This was a huge breakthrough for me! Even though I was responsible for the unhealthy choices I’d made, I could clearly see that those choices were a direct result of believing those messages and not loving myself. Food was power and a voice as well as a substitute for comfort and love. Now, as I learn to love mysel...

  I imagine that we are all born with the ability to love ourselves. However, for most people (women especially, I think), life brings negative messages - from parents, teachers, other people and media in all forms. And even when there are more positive messages than negatives ones, it is the critical and judgmental ones that we internalize. Add in body weight issues that make us self-conscious about our appearance ... and self-love goes out the window! However, I am learning - through my transformational coach and a variety of other sources - that self-love is key to our weight loss success and to our happiness in general. Just as self-love can be lost, it can also be found again. At the beginning, you may have to say it (and repeat it often) until you actually start believing it. And if, like me, you just can’t do it on your own, I highly recommend a coach or therapist to help you reach that point.

Weight loss plateaus have often derailed me. I lose patience and either start thinking that the effort just isn’t worth it or that the process has stopped working for me. Sometimes I even try to outsmart it. Usually by eating more liberally for a couple of days with the intention of shaking up the routine and then getting right back on track to jumpstart the losing process again. Inevitably though, my body proves smarter than me. Getting back to bad habits reignites the sugar addiction and constant cravings. Instead of a couple of days, I am off track for weeks or months at a time and lose any progress that I have made before thinking I know how to beat a plateau. The truth, as Deborah Murtagh puts it, is that plateaus are normal, healthy and expected. They are just our bodies taking a break to refocus energy to recalibrate hormones after a period of weight loss before it tackles another. Important lesson - trust the process. If you know that a program has helped you release weight, tr...

Writing is something that has always come quite easily for me. But when I thought about starting a blog, I wasn’t sure about a theme. I didn’t want it to be all health or all business. So I looked at my businesses and my passions to see where there was common ground.  It turns out that all of them revolve around home, health and family. Tiny house advocacy, Norwex (chemical-free homes), Epicure (simple and delicious family meals) and my personal journey towards better health (that so many others also struggle with). Another component of all of these topics is being able to use these passions to make a difference in people’s lives. That can be sharing knowledge, using my business income to donate to worthy causes or just supporting someone on a similar journey. So, although most of my posts will relate to my journey to vitality, don’t be surprised to see references to my other passions. Being passionate is, after all, an important component of vitality that is every bit as important...

 I’m a list person. Checking things off a list gives me a sense of accomplishment and accountability. This is the weekly list that has been working for me. It could easily be adjusted with any specific goals and actions that will help move me towards long-term success. I know from experience that small consistent steps will lead to losing weight. The numbers on the scale may not go down as quickly as I’d like but I know for sure that consistency is key to success. My list consists of food goals, exercise goals and personal development goals. It also has room to record a couple of small successes - any positive step I have taken or improvement that I noticed that has made my day better. At the bottom of the page, there is also a two-column list of the things that I need/want to get done during the week. Crossing things out is just as satisfying as checking them off! 

The last three weeks have been some of the most life-changing ones of my life! On the physical side, I have released over 15 pounds and have significantly reduced the pain and inflammation in my knees. Walking is becoming pleasurable again. I feel happier and have more mental clarity. I am sleeping better. I have more energy and drive. I am eating healthy foods without experiencing any sense of deprivation. One of the unexpected benefits of hiring a life coach to help with my weight issues is the way the lessons about my weight and myself are impacting other areas of my life. I have a renewed passion for tiny house advocacy. I’d been involved with it for over three years and was feeling burnt out. This week, I went out of my comfort zone and recorded and posted an advocacy “rallying the troops” video to our THAVI Facebook page.  In addition to finding my advocacy “voice”, this blog is evidence of needing to voice my thoughts aloud - even if I am the only one to ever read this blog....

For the time being, I am feeling very motivated! Between setting goals and working with a life coach, I have made some changes. On their own, they are small changes but combining them will, I believe, yield significant results. However, those changes also use extra time each day. I am fortunate to live alone and only work part-time.  If I had a family and/or full time job, I would probably have to choose between the daily habits I am trying to pursue: ~ exercise - 2 walks (10-30 minutes each), physio exercises and an alternate workout (eg. stationary bike) ~ food prep for three healthy home-cooked meals  ~ complete “healthy habits” checklist ~ record daily food intake ~ morning and bedtime rituals - self-reflection, meditation and affirmations  ~ personal development - inspirational books, podcasts, etc. It is taking time but I am starting to believe that I am worth it!

Right after my birthday, I got back on track with healthy eating and setting some goals. However, I had tried many times during the year to get back on track but just could not stay motivated. I knew I needed some help. I followed a woman on Facebook who did transformational coaching. I didn’t think that I could afford her services but decided that it wouldn’t hurt to ask. She suggested that I sign up for her free consultation and we could decide from there. During the call, I felt like she could help me. I couldn’t do her full program but she was willing to customize a program to meet my needs. I had never made that kind of investment in myself but decided that it was something I needed to do.  As it turned out, it was one of the best decisions of my life! I’ve only had one coaching session so far but have already unearthed my reasons for overeating and self-sabotage. Eating became a way of coping with childhood messages that there was something wrong with me and that I needed to ...

 2020 got off to a reasonably good start. Although I had gained back some weight during the fall, I was getting back on track. I was seeing a physiotherapist for knee pain. I had my first appointment with a naturopath. I had registered for another Epic Life Challenge. And I had signed up for the TC 10K walk. And then, at the end of January, I went to the medical clinic to get a prescription renewed. That’s when things rapidly started going downhill. The clinic doctor suggested bloodwork as I hadn’t had any done recently. That revealed an overactive thyroid - hyperthyroidism. In investigating that, they found two thyroid nodules. I was sent for a routine ECG which led to a 3-hour stay in emergency because of a heart arythmia. This led to heart medications and monitors and being told not to exert myself. Other than short slow dog walks, exercise went out the window. I was now waiting for an ultrasound to find out if I had any permanent heart damage and a thyroid biopsy to find out if...

The present journey started on my 59th birthday - October 24, 2020. It started as a challenge to myself to lose 60 x 60 - sixty pounds before my 60th birthday.  I’m only a couple of weeks along my journey but I already see that it is so much more than just reaching a number on the scale! It is becoming a personal discovery of my authentic self by soul-searching to find my true strengths and passions and releasing the thoughts and beliefs that have held me back. I may well be the only one to ever read this blog ... and that’s okay. Combining words and images has always been powerful to me so this “diary” will allow me to journal my thoughts, my successes and my setbacks in a way that I can easily refer back to. And if anyone finds my blog (or I actually get up the nerve to tell anyone that I’m writing one), welcome. I hope you find something here worth reading and perhaps even to inspire you to embark on your own personal journey to vitality (if you haven’t already)! I would love to...