I posted this a few months ago. And while I put together today’s blog, I thought I’d share it again π
No truer words than these. There have been days during this journey where it would have been WAY easier to throw in the towel, but instead I stuck it out and persevered. The only good thing I ever quit, was smoking cigarettes… Quitting Dukan? Ain’t gonna happen…
Stop quitting!
On my way out the door here at work… we’re doing a team building mountain hiking trip today! Should be a lot of fun…
Thought for the day…
I decided to go BE it… and the rewards have paid off!
What do you want to BE?
Ciao π
Excellent information… just makes me want to lose more fat and gain more muscle so that my body burns more calories…. even while I’m sleeping π
I love when I take a few minutes to click a link and learn about others… our days are usually so busy, we don’t take the time… Take the time, dear readers… This video is only 10:59 and it is worth every second for the great feeling you have after watching it.
Now, go read!!! It’ll make your day… Caine is an awesome kid!
Ciao!
Well, I’m sitting at the Guangzhou, China airport waiting on a delayed flight with a migraine, yippee! So I thought, what the heck… Write your blog π
Weight, up 200 grams from the other day. Did 2 pure protein days in a row, hoping for the best tomorrow.
Taught classes to moms & dads to be on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Also taught staff development classes those 3 days.
Then an early morning train to Hong Kong on Friday morning. Busy day, I specifically went to see Troy the travel guy, to book tickets for my mom to go to North Carolina and me to go home for 2 weeks in June. I got my tickets, didn’t get my mom’s (mom I’ll Skype ya tomorrow!).
I also got some shopping in on Friday and Saturday. I also did the 90 minute KYA Ashtanga yoga class with Miranda at Yoga MΔlΔ. I did a few modified poses due to the inability to bend the left knee more than 90 degrees without pain, but only a few… It was an awesome class.
Saturday morning up at the crack of dawn and lounged in bed. Then went out for a run…. A LONG RUN!
Did you know that 6.54 miles is over 10.5 kms? I ran 75% of this… I ran the first 5.42 kms without stopping, then I speed walked and then I did a 5 minute stretch and meditation and then ran a bit more, then when I got into traffic I just speed walked… Too hard to run on the crowded sidewalks.
According to RunKeeper the elevation I climbed was 2300+ feet!
Here are pics from some of my run… The first 2+ kms were UPHILL on the street…
I even recorded some of it… You can see that here: Sandi street running in Hong Kong
Then I found Bowen Road which is a 4 km path specifically for pedestrians!
And this is what bliss looks like after figuring out you’ve done gone more than 10kms!
I also treated myself to a foot massage both days… I deserve it π
So, that’s my update… THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO VOTED FOR CELESTE IN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS AND A HUMONGOUS THANKS TO THOSE BLOGGERS WHO REPOSTED IT. My family thanks you with our WHOLE heart! You can vote daily until May 13. I will be putting a little box on the right side of my blog, once I’m back home and have my lap top π
Ciao!
Something a bit different than my Dukan diet… A story about my oldest grandchild, Celeste and a special request for my blogging community.
Celeste was born with a brain abnormality called microcephaly, which means small head, which results in a small brain. She also has agenesis of the corpus collosum. The corpus collosum is a thin, tendon like membrane that separates the two sides of the brain. In Celeste’s case this has caused severe developmental delays. She does not sit or stand on her own. She is unable to feed herself or even roll over… But she has the most amazing smile and personality of anyone you could ever meet.
Celeste will be 13 on April 25th. When she was little it was easy to move her from one place to another, put her in a carseat and buckle her in safely. This isn’t possible anymore. For starters she’s growing and is dead weight and difficult to transfer into the car. Because of her brain abnormality, her limbs are rigid and my daughter and her hubby have to use extreme caution getting her into the car without hurting her.
My daughter Jenni has signed up for a contest to win a wheelchair accessible van. This would be a God-send for them. Purchasing a van is cost prohibitive (contrary to what a lot of people think, insurance does not pay for this).
If you could take a moment of your time and click the link below, I would be so very grateful. If you’d really like to increase Celeste’s chance of winning, you can click everyday π
The PROMO CODE for the first time is 873… If you use that code, she gets 5 votes from you!
http://nmeda.com/mobility-awareness-month/heroes/florida/jensen-beach/883/jenni-macmunn
Here’s a pic of my sweet girl… If she could, she’d tell you THANK YOU π
Here’s a message from Celeste’s mom:
As many of you know, Chris & I really need a wheelchair van to safely transport Celeste. As she gets older & bigger, it gets more & more difficult to lift her in & out of our vehicles. The company below is being very generous by giving away 3 wheelchair accessible vehicles. It would be a huge blessing and relief for us if we were to win one of them. The winner will be selected from the top 10% that recβd the most votes. Voting is going on now & ends on Sun., May 13th. We really need your help! Please vote for Celeste every day by searching βMacMunnβ on http://www.nmeda.com under βLocal Herosβ. Right now, some people have over 3,000 votes & so we have a long way to go. Please share on your FB pages, blogs, etc. We really appreciate it. Enter promo code β873β the 1st time you vote to get 5 entries instead of 1. Thank you all so very much!
And thank you, from my WHOLE HEART!
I am WAY behind on many things in blogdom. I’ve had a fairly busy travel schedule this past 3 weeks and I apologize! I was given several blog awards that I still haven’t been able to get around posting (blogging on my ancient, ornery lap top is much easier than, my shiny iPad or worse, iPhone!)… I also want the blogs that I follow know that I read every word in your blogs and always, at the least, click the LIKE button… That is my WordPress peeps! Blogger makes it VERY difficult to acknowledge you’ve been there OR leave a message π¦ But, I’m reading those, as well!
Today I opened an awesome post by http://laborofwonder.com/2012/04/09/fine/
She’s a young busy mom who cooks homemade gluten-free food for her beautiful family. I like getting to know more about others, so here’s some stuff about me : D She tagged me in her post, and this is my response…
1. What is the worst advice youβve ever been given? Did you take it?
To switch professions (midwifery)… Heck no… Once a midwife, always a midwife, you just figure out better and different ways to do it!
2. What are your top-3 favorite meals?
Steak & Asparagus
Salmon & Asparagus
Shashimi with LOTS of wasabi
3. What fact about you are you most embarrassed about?
I could have been a way better mom.
4. Whatβs the worst name youβve ever given a pet?
None isΒ Miss Kitty, not very original. She lives with my mom now, she renamed her PITA (Pain In The Ass)… Seriously… Lol
5. What is something you do that drives your significant other crazy? If you have no significant other, substitute a parent or friend.
No significant other… I used to drive my friends nuts by answering questions with song lyrics… It was a Hard Habit To Break! π
6. What was the last thing to really make you laugh out loud?
Reading this guy’s blog… The Sandy Tongue
He’s rude, he’s crude, he’s says the most politically incorrect stuff, but I love reading his posts!
7. What was your worst first date ever?
Egyptian guy in Abu Dhabi, told me after one hour that he wanted to take me home to Egypt to meet his mother! Um, no… LOL
8. What is the rudest thing a stranger has ever said to you?
Drawing a blank… I usually tell people to eff off and then remove it from my mind.
9. What was your favorite childhood toy?
My Salty Dog… He was made of jean material, I have no idea what happened to him.
10. What was the last stupid/crazy/un-you thing youβve last done?
Do I *have* to answer this one? Let’s just say my reaction to the lady who blew her nose on my EFFING HIKING BOOT in the taxi que at the Hangzhou train station a few weeks ago, will probably never do that again. I’m lucky I wasn’t taken out by the mob… Instead they parted and let me and Kitty through… I’m NOT proud of myself π¦
11. Pick your own question… What is your favorite place you’ve ever visited?
This is a toughie for me… But I’d say my family’s village in Italy. Pennapiedimonte. Nick and I traveled there in August 2009 and it was amazing!
The village hugs the side of the mountain…
This is what we saw from our bedroom every single morning… The sun coming up over the Adriatic Sea… Breathtaking!
OK….
Post the rules (and here they are:)
Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
Create 11 new questions to ask the people youβve tagged.
Tag 11 people and link them to your post.
Let them know youβve tagged them.
Questions I want to know about you:
1. Why do you blog?
2. What is your biggest accomplishment?
3. What is one awesome place you’ve visited and would like to go back? Why?
4. Tell me about your 7th grade English teacher…
5. Describe your living room…
6. What is your dream vehicle? Why?
7. What is one thing your momma doesn’t know about you?
8. If you could change one thing, what would it be?
9. Three wishes…
10. What is your favorite day of the year? Why?
11. Why do you follow my blog?
Who I’m tagging and who you should check out… I follow these bloggers cuz they’re awesome!
OK, have at it! I’m off to teach a class… I have 3 minutes to get down 5 flights of stairs π
Ciao!
Monday was a PP Day π
And God said, “Sandi needs a break today” and so it was….
Daily weight loss: 1.1 lb/0.50 kg
Total weight loss: 81.4 lb/37.01 kg
I needed that whoosh! Even with that whoosh I only lost a pound this week, but I’m going with it! I think I’ll do another PP Day today to keep the ketones up and hopefully lose 2 pounds this week. The original goal was to be at 165 by April 15th… That ain’t going to happen since that’s 8 pounds away and the 15th is 2 weeks away and this week I’m taking a 4 hour train ride each way to Wenzhou and then flying to Guangzhou next Monday for a week (with a train ride into Hong Kong). But, that’s OK, because even if I lose 2 lbs a week, that’ll be 85 pounds down in less than 8 months and that’s a pretty awesome accomplishment!
Knee update: I got a brace last night and feel 100% better… like its stabilized. I also got treated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and have a plaster patch on with TCM stuff on it now. I’ll see the TCM doc today for a manipulation/massage/acupuncture. I had a total and complete melt down about the knee yesterday. My friend Julia reminded me that it’s OK to have melt downs and I’m sure there was way more going on, and the knee was a good excuse to work through it. I’ve accepted that I’m not going to run until the end of the week and then give it a try… With the brace. I think it’s totally hysterical and ironic that I am so bummed about having to take 5 days off from running. 8 months ago I couldn’t climb 2 flights of stairs without stopping to catch my breath. Now I run 30 minutes and I’m not out of breath!
And lastly, I took a muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory pill last night and went to bed at 911pm (I’m a number freak, lol)… Anyway, I got a call at 1001 saying A was having mild contractions, I told her hubby to keep an eye on them, but for them to try and get rest. I got a call at 1033 saying they were very strong and every 4 minutes, I say get in taxi, lol. I get a call at 1046 that they are in taxi, I tell them I’m walking to work (I’m shocked that I’m up and alert and dressed and walking the 1 mile to work without swaying!). I get to hospital at 1101 and she’s upstairs and apparently 4 cms and already in the water birth tub. She’s behaving like she’s going to have a baby any minute… And at 1142 she did. Baby T came peacefully into her daddy’s hands in the water. I kept the vultures, errr other staff away from suctioning, stimulating or otherwise interrupting the beauty of normal birth and this baby just opened her eyes, looked at mommy and daddy and took a little nap… It was amazing to watch. She was totally unaffected by her very fast labor! What a beautiful transition to be part of. I delayed cord clamping by nearly 10 minutes. I love showing my staff here that the baby needs to be with mommy and daddy and not with them. Baby T never cried, just pinked up beautifully and rested on her mommy’s chest in the warm water of the birth tub.
I was home just over 2 hours after I left… π
Ciao!
Baby T enjoying her gentle water birth at 3 minutes old.
I have no idea why the fact that I can’t run for a few days/a week, who knows… would effect me the way that it is. I feel like a train wreck today. I’m weepy… which is ridiculous, well, maybe not ridiculous, but it’s ridiculous given that I’m AT WORK.
My amazing personal assistant, Kitty, was able to chat up the CEO long enough for me to dab my tears and pull my silly self together for an impromptu meeting in my office about my tummy tuck… LOL. (More on that later… it’ll be a whole post later this week after my consult.) He was very concerned that I had my leg propped up and wanted to know what was going on, so Kitty translated. He made phone calls (always animated) and set up a healing massage with a TCM doctor and they’ve already mapped out where I can get a brace to support my unstable knee and someone will get it for me. It took every ounce of strength to not burst into tears while he was in my office. I guess you could add guilt to the pile of emotions… as I really don’t like living here, but I do like my job AND the support from everyone is always just simply amazing.
And just when you REALLY, REALLY need the support, you open a blog post that is exactly what you need to hear or think or feel. First the pic from the Feel Good Tribe who reblogged a post from another blog I follow Marc and Angel
And the number one way to Nurture Your Happiness on the list…
“Act like today is already an awesome day. β Do so, and it will be. Research shows that although we think that we act because of the way we feel, in fact we often feel because of the way we act. A great attitude always leads to great experiences.”
So, I’ve changed my desktop wallpaper to the above picture and written the message on a Post-It and attached that to my monitor and I’m going to make this my mantra for the day. I’m going to spend my lunch time meditating on it and pulling my self together… keep your fingers crossed for me! π
Saturday was a PV day π
Daily weight loss: 0
Total weight loss: 80.3 lbs/36.51 kg
Well at least I stayed the same. LOL – Trying very hard to keep my humor about all of this!
I had a fantastic Saturday… worked half a day and taught an awesome childbirth education class on nutrition and pregnancy and breastfeeding. Childbirth education really is my forte… I love it and wish I could do it full-time.
Then Vivien, Reena and I headed out for The Vineyard to watch my very first Australian Football League game. I am apparently a Geelong Cat fan π They lost, but it was a tight game and very exciting to watch. And I have to say much more physical than American football… WITHOUT all of the equipment! AND they don’t stop for anything… including INJURIES! They just keep going. It was a lot of fun to watch and I’m looking forward to the next match on Easter Monday!
While watching the game I simply crossed my right leg over my left and rested the heel of my right foot on the area just above my left knee. And when I put my right foot back down I had the most incredible pain in my left knee! So I stood up… no problem there, and then I sat back down and screamed out in pain… I can’t SIT down and put weight on that knee while sitting… I have to stretch it out and use my right knee and the heel of my left foot to sit. I can straight leg lift it, no pain, I can walk on it, no pain, but I can’t bend it to sit π¦ I’ve self diagnosed myself with Runner’s knee and will heed the advise given in the article. I am beyond bummed… I was suppose to run last night after I got back from the football game. I am bordering on obsessed about when I’ll be able to run again… as in how many days will I rest it before I run again, and do I even do my walks? I’m getting ready for work right now and I’m planning on walking to work (1 mile)… I’ve never gone to work any other way in the 6 months I’ve lived here… I’ve actually walked to work every day for over 6 months… I’ll see how that goes… there are taxis if I need to hop in one.
Food for the day:
Breakfast: 2 tea eggs
Lunch: 100% beef burger and a side salad
Dinner: Chicken wings w/ hot sauce not dipped in anything for breading… the chef at The Vineyard makes these special just for me π
Exercise prior to knee failing me: 3.5 mile round-trip walk to see K and H and get some baby snuggle time in.
I hope everyone else has had a fabulous weekend thus far!
Ciao!
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