Can Barely Keep My Eyes Open

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Mama Cormier

When I got home today from Mono Cliffs I set up my laptop and checked my emails. I was literally falling asleep over my keyboard. If it wasn’t so early I would have gone to bed but I hate that feeling of waking up at 8:00 or 9:00 pm and not knowing where you are.

I’m pretty proud of myself and even if I don’t lose any weight I feel I have conquered a major hurdle in the last 3 days. I passed on dessert, the homemade bread and fries for 6 meals in a row and for snack instead of the homemade cookies I ate vegetables and salad that I brought from home.

The other thing I noticed on this trip is that I purposely took longer routes for my walks and didn’t look for short cuts when travelling from activity to another. The one thing I haven’t been too successful with, though is getting to bed earlier. Part of the problem is that I’m sitting at this computer longer because I’m writing this blog. So tonight I’m going to keep this post short so that I can get at least 6 hours sleep.

Installation art using objects from nature.

Sweet Dreams, everyone.

Doing the Best I Can Under the Circumstances

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. scorching sun, rough terrain and hills

Today I had a choice of doing a long all day hike with the kids and eating lunch during the hike or doing activities closer to the centre with some hiking during the day. I opted for the first.

The weather was fantastic and while hiking through the woods the sun didn’t bother me but when we were in the open the scorching rays were almost too much to bare. Thank goodness for sun screen and a goofy cap I borrowed from the centre.

The day started with a hardy breakfast of oatmeal and yogurt but I passed on the French toast. For lunch we made our own wraps. I loaded mine with meat and cheese and lots of lettuce and tomato and topped it off with mustard. Again I passed on the cookies but I did eat half an apple. Dinner consisted of spaghetti and meat sauce and a salad. I loaded half my plate with salad and took about a half serving of pasta. I passed on the banana cake.

The hike itself was beautiful. We went along the edge of the cliffs, around a lake, through forests, across board walks over swampy areas and explored the contents of a pond. In total we walked about 7 km, although it seemed much further. We were outside for about 6 hours.

I loved being one with nature but I could have done without the the final climb back up the cliffs. It is incredibly steep and even the stairs are difficult to ascend. I spoke to one of the teachers who regularly runs the course we took today and she admitted that sometimes she will run an additional 3 km just to avoid the climb.

I’ve posted some of the many pictures I took of today’s hike. Enjoy!

Mono Cliffs

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. beautiful, serene, quiet….. maybe not!

Just a quick post. I brought my computer with me to do some school work and discovered that Mono Cliffs has added WiFi to their location.

Busy day. Archery, lacrosse and orienteering were on the agenda for today. Beautiful weather and friendly staff (as always) made for a great start to our 3 day stay. Now if only I could get the boys to stop shouting (having too much fun) when they’re inside the dormitory. Early lights out last night. Ahhh…… peace and quiet.

All day hike today! That should tired them out.

I’m a Happy Mom

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. to all the moms out there, “Happy Mother’s Day”

What a great weekend!

On Saturday I got out for my first long walk in over a week. K and I woke up early and took Frances for our usual walk around the neighbourhood, about 3 km. Then we picked up some champagne and drove to our daughter’s and son-in-law’s apartment, where my other daughter and her partner joined us for a special Mother’s Day brunch.

I was a little worried about what might be on the menu but my children are such good cooks that I knew I would have to try a little bit of everything. We started with half a glass of champagne topped with orange juice. There were lots of things to choose from and I certainly didn’t feel pressured into having to try everything. I started with fruit salad, topped with yogurt and a little bit of granola. Daughter G made a wonderful egg strata and served it with bacon. A cup of good coffee and I was a happy mom. I passed on the homemade muffins.

For the rest of the day my other daughter and I did a little bit of shopping for the gardens, after dropping K off at the house. It took us longer than planned so I ended up picking up ready made chicken and salad for dinner.

…. more success on the scale

This morning I had a pleasant surprise when I weighed myself. I thought I might be up slightly after Saturday’s brunch or at least be the same. I am actually down another 1/2 pound for a grand total of 9 pounds in just under 3 weeks. Hooray!

This morning, K and I and Frances went for another walk but we went further today, 5.8 km. I haven’t started to add any running yet to my walks. So far my knee hasn’t given me any more grief.

… a new challenge!

Tomorrow, I leave for 3 days with 56 grade 5 students for Mono Cliffs, an outdoor education centre. I’m not worried about getting enough exercise because we’re outside for about 6 to 8 hours (rain or shine) everyday. The food there is amazing but it is somewhat geared for kids. The good thing is you can take as little or as much as you want and there are always lots of choices.

The evenings are a little worrisome for me because I won’t be eating the snack they provide. The cook there makes the most amazing cookies and muffins and I know they will be hard to resist. I think I’ll have to pack some veggies and dip to take with me.

Wish me luck!

I’m Back!

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. the worst is over (for now)

The week is over and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

Last Monday was my breaking point. I started crying the moment I pulled into the parking lot at school and I finished crying as I left school at 8:45 in the evening (working on timetables for next year). The good thing about allowing yourself to cry is that all the frustrations and emotions are purged from your body. I need that occasionally because I tend to internalize everything.

The next morning when I weighed myself the weight fluctuations had ceased and I was finally down another 1 1/ 2 pounds for a total of 7 1/2 pounds in the last 2 weeks and a day. It may not seem like a lot to some of you but for me it signified my first milestone. First of all I’ve shed all the weight I’d gained over the winter and secondly I was down 1/2 pound more than I was at my daughter’s wedding last September.

The irony of weighing less than I did for the wedding is that it took me all summer to lose the same amount of weight and I didn’t have the stress of school on my back. I know some of you may counter with the argument that weddings can be very stressful as well but my daughter did all the planning and I was pretty much ‘hands off’.

People are starting to notice that the weight is coming off. In fact one of my colleagues commented on my size when I had only lost 3 pounds. Earlier this week one of our supply teachers who hadn’t seen me in a few weeks told me that I was ‘wasting away’ and was I ‘okay?’.

Yesterday when I weighed myself I was down another pound and today I started walking again. I’m feeling good and can’t wait till I start running again. The knee feels ‘normal’ again so I’m going to slowly start doing some interval running.

Lot’s more to share. Off to my daughter’s for an early Mother’s Day brunch.

Cheers

I Love to Create

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. today I needed to make art.

Whether it’s photography, painting or stitching, I find comfort and solace

in the act of creating something beautiful. I needed that today and found it while teaching my grade five students how to make unique flags that depicted their favourite books from the Forest of Reading program. They were encouraged to think outside the box, be creative, experiment and love what they were making. Their creations are wonderful.

Some took my lead and tried some of the new techniques that I demonstrated and others were more thoughtful and careful in their approach. Children who are normally cautious and uncertain about their artistic ability created some of their best art today. It turned out to be a great stress reliever for me. I only wish it could have lasted the entire day.

I’ve brought the projects home for the weekend to stitch the casing on the sewing machine. I will take pictures of the ones that are finished or close to it and post them later.

….. advised to take it easy this weekend

My knee continues to give me grief. It’s definitely on the mend but it has been suggested that I give it a good rest before I start my walking/running again.

In my last post I wrote about how stress affects my weight. Despite walking a fair bit, going to yoga for 1 1/2 hours and eating well (1250 calories) I was up 1 1/2 pounds the next day. I’ve learned not to give in when this happens and I continued to make good food choices (even when I went out for dinner). This morning when I got on the scale I dropped 1 of those pounds.

It’s the start of the weekend and I want to do so much. My garden needs a little TLC, a few books are calling to be read and I’d love to find some new recipes to test out. Those are some of the fun things. Maybe getting on my bike won’t aggravate the knee. I’m already anxious about NOT exercising. Do you think I can forgo some of the ‘not so fun’ things, like housework and school work?

I’d love to do some painting and I don’t mean house painting (although some of that should be done as well).

Any words of advice are always greatly appreciated. TTFN

Yoga, a great way to combat Stress

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. that nagging pain in the knee was back again today

It amazes me how much a little discomfort in your knee can affect your mood. I had a good night’s sleep but I was rushed this morning to get to soccer practice. Arriving a little late and then getting side tracked by my colleagues didn’t help. Most of the morning I spent on the field with students supervising the long jump so most of my planned lessons for the morning didn’t happen.

I think walking on the uneven grass for hours aggravated my knee. Every movement in the afternoon seemed like a chore. The worst part of my day though was trying to deal with all the planning and work that needs to be done in the next two weeks. I’m also the go to person when things go wrong with the computers in the school and when people need a sounding board.

So my biggest fear and nemesis on my weight loss journey is Stress and I’m about to experience a lot of it. Years ago I regularly visited a naturopathic doctor to give me advice on weight loss. After months of sessions my doctor concluded that all my significant weight gains over the years happened when I experienced a lot of stress, i.e. my mother’s death, dealing with a difficult principal, conflict with an angry colleague, my husband losing his job, etc.. I think you get the picture.

Tonight I could easily have backed out of going to yoga but I knew in my heart of hearts that it would do me a world of good. It did. I was able to completely relax and stretch out some tired muscles. Even my knee cooperated and it only complained once over one of tonight’s moves.

Sorry Frances, but no walk tonight. We’ll see how the knee feels tomorrow. No point in ‘stressing out’ about not walking. Besides I walked a lot of steps this morning on the field and I did just complete an hour and a quarter of yoga.

Cheers

Thank you Frances!

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Mama Cormier

I knew that if I didn’t get out with the dog tonight she would drive me crazy for the rest of the night. Her normal 45 minute walk was cut short this morning because K started his 5th round of chemo today and had to be at the hospital early. I had a transition meeting at the board office first thing in the morning as well and in the afternoon I went straight to the hospital to keep my husband company.

After dinner Frances kept wanting me to throw her ball. She’s a very vocal dog if you try to ignore her. I finally gave in to her demands and hooked her onto her leash and headed outside. I didn’t even change my shoes. I only planned on going around the block but once I started I just kept going.

I took a new route today. My neighbour recommended it and thought that it covered about 5 km. I was glad that I followed the path. It was so beautiful. It took me past ponds, beaches, rocks, marsh birds and lots of walkers, runners and playful dogs. I’m naturally drawn to water so walking next to the lake always puts me in a “happy place”.

When I got home I checked out the distance on g-pedometer.com and discovered that the route covers 4.5 km. Bonus! My tired little dog is going to sleep well tonight.

Cheers

Best Day Yet!

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. in running/walking

I started off with my husband and the dog this morning and when we got to the rugby pitch I continued to the high school track. I surprised myself by running an entire 400 m lap without stopping and then I continued to walk another lap and half way around it I started to run again and finished another 200 m without stopping.

I left the school and continued following my new route. About 1 km from home I started to run/walk again. I figured in total I walked/ran about 5.5 km today and in that distance I ran at least 20% of it. I feel great.

I think I’ll time myself next time and then set a goal for myself for completing the 5km in June.

I just hope I don’t injure myself before then. My right knee is a little sore after today’s activity. Any suggestions?

Yesterday was a “piece of cake”!

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Mama Cormier

No need to worry……….

I guess I was too slow getting ready for our walk yesterday so I ended up going on my own. There’s something very zen like when you walk alone. It gives you time to reflect.

I also increased the distance on Saturday and went for 3.6 km and for 1/10 of it I ran. When I got home I mapped out a 5 km distance on g-pedometer.com. Maybe I’ll give that a whirl today. It looks like a fantastic day, weather wise.

The party was not an issue, food wise. I had 3 shrimp, no wine and I didn’t even see a cake.

Later in the day I took Frances for a short walk. We always start in the park, about 50 m down the street from the house. I’ve posted some pictures of the great view I’m blessed to see everyday. I don’t care what others say about Toronto, I think I live in one of the best cities in the world. The entire walk probably added another km to my total walking distance today.

I think I’ve figured out what’s going on with my pedometer. After walking 4000 steps yesterday and probably more I noticed that the little gizmo had reset itself back down to 0. It happened again later in the day. I guess you get what you pay for and since this this one was given to me for free I can’t really complain. Time to visit the Running Room and invest in a better one.