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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Menopause, Apples and Hoola-hoops!

I had noticed lately that my weight had crept up like a devious cat moving stealthily towards a bowl of scrumptious cream. Instead of entering a pity-party/depression-like state of mind, I travelled back in time to how that might have come about…. where did I go wrong?

It occurred to me that every time I went on an exercise regime, something
would happen to halt my progress…. just when I was going so well, influenza would step in to slow me down to me bring to a standstill so that I could conserve my energy to heal, or I would unthinkingly pick up my grand-daughter up the wrong way and feel a twang snap in my back and that also would bring me so a screeching stop as the pain was too much to bear and didn’t want to do any further injuries.

Another setback was the interruption of routine as we had to move house, again, due to the ex-landlord wanting to have the house for his permanent worker, and, just when we had agreed to this house and had packed up half our belongings, he tells us that he had changed his mind and we could stay….but by then, it was too late, as we found this gorgeous place to be better suited for what we needed…. and so it was a while before I got back into it as I was packing and slightly lifting things, not too heavy, because king Willem was at work and it was faster doing it myself, even with a sore back and I had our big strong son to help lift anything I thought would injure me more.

Now that my back has 97% healed, and I look after my grandbabies on regular days, I am able to work out some kind of timetable before I become all shlumper-dunk and rotund.
I got angry with the state of my body and decided that there will not be any more excuses! So, I went to the bathroom and wrote on the mirror; “No Excuses!” and on my bedroom mirror as well. I found that the white tiles in the kitchen acted like a whiteboard and so I found places on there where my eyes couldn’t miss them and wrote on there too.

Apart from the anger to spur me on, I realised I needed some mental balance in all this and now have an attitude of gratitude to go with this new life-change of mine.
I am grateful for my two legs to get me places, two arms and hands to give my children and grandbabies lots of huggles and my family and friends their massages, my voice to sing and talk with, my super-hearing ears, a gratitude for the sense of smell so I know if there is toast burning, a nappy/diaper to change, and best of all, the heavenly smell of Roses and Jasmine flowers. I am also grateful for my eyes that I can still see out of, even though I need glasses.

Yesterday, I went and bought a hula-hoop and a skipping rope to add to my weight-loss artillery… like my fitness ball; an ancient exercise bike my parents gave me one Christmas, saying I needed it more than them (hint hint;) my collection of Pilates DVD’s (Mari Winsor); and a few dumbbells.

Last night, I went to do some skipping with my brand new skipping rope and nearly gave up, well, for the night anyways, as it was getting late and it was such a long time since I have skipped like this and was only breaking it in, getting a taste for what it was like again. It pays to wear a sports bra too!

This morning, I tried the hoola-hoop….over and over and over again…. and wondered why it wasn’t working for me anymore. When I was younger, I was so good at it but now it kept spiraling down all the time…I couldn’t understand why. After ten minutes of stubborn-as-a-bulldog spiraling and failing, I had worked it out…..you cannot expect a ring to stay spiraling in the middle of your waist if you are rotund like an apple!!!!!

Oh my heart! I was feeling so clever and positive about this…..I will keep moving it around my waist everyday until this metallic pink and gold hoola-hoop wears a groove around my middle to give me a waist like I use to have, before kids and emotional-eating happened, when my ex-boyfriend use to touch his fingers together as he put his largish hands around my then-smaller waist!
Of course, I will also use the rest of my “equipment” to help it along……and maybe make a big bundle of $$$$ to hire The Commando and get good training like they have in the army or SAS!!!!

My other goal is to get my behind back where it should be…. to bring it from Tasmania up to Queensland…. That’s quite a lot of squatting, lunges and walking-on-my-bum to do!