Artslim, weight, life, health management.

 
 
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The family photo shoot, My husband and I, our children, their spouses and the grandchildren, :-) xxx but with the not so loved, VPL's (visible panty lines) , cut out. :-). A great motivator for my own, short term goal. I am thinking I coud do with a better hair style or something, any suggestions welcome, I feel I could look better than this.
With a new diary for 2010, it is an ideal time to make new goals and action plans.

During the Christmas to New Year, period, I have been a little quite in my blog.  I have been doing a lot of thinking, rather than writing.

 Today I have completed my planning phase. I feel ready to share what I have been doing.  I have:-

Planned GOALS. :-for my Life, Creativity, Home and garden, Family, Travel, Weight and Fitness,

I have made

ONE WEEK GOALS

ONE MONTH GOALS

MID TERM (30 week birthday) GOAL.

ONE-YEAR GOAL

FUTURE PLANS .I have thought ahead for the future and have a varied option range of plans, to adapt in a positive way, to what the senior years might present for my husband and me. Life is to be anticipated with pleasure, not over planned ahead of time, at our age. 

I am refining my ‘ACTION PLAN’to achieve each of these goals.

Click here to read:- How to write an action plan

This is important, without the believable action plan, the goal is only a pipe dream.

Right now, I am planning my ‘TO DO LIST’,based on my action plan.

My goals, action plan and to do list are private.  They are not a New Year resolution; I always have these in place. New Year is just a useful time to review where we are, begin a new diary and write down out goals, action plan to achieve the goal we desire and make our daily ‘to do’ list at least 50%  based on our action plan, within.

TIPS  for goals achievement.

This does not all need to be serious focus stuff or nor seemingly hard to achieve goals. In fact your goals need to be ‘bite size’, manageable, achievable as mini goals you can 100% visualize yourself being able to achieve, if you are going to succeed in attaining them.  When the full task s too great to visualize, try focusing on 10% of the task at a time and make ten present goals and 10% changes in lifestyle to achieve them, don’t try to 100% change yourself, to achieve a gaol, that is not something you would want to or should need to do.

Get started with gaol setting.

Set a few ‘easiy’ goals so you can have an immediate taste of success.

Often the motivation to set a goal comes from a ‘shock horror,’ moment and this is a great stimulus to follow through with an action plan to achieve success.  

Lol J, I got a shock when I saw the family group photo, this year. My new party frock, I felt so good in, did not look so good photographed in sunshine, with the dreaded VPL (visible panty line, showing, right across my hips.  A mini goal was to NEVER, ever be caught out in a photo like that again. Action plan, reducing just a couple of kilo will remove the small muffin top over showing through the clingy jersey dress, and I have a plan of sensible portion controlled eating and physical activity that transfers well into my to do list, that will achieve that before the end of a one month goal.  I put buying a slip, on my ‘to do list’, and I took action and did that immediately and a better choice of panty, not one that ends right on my hip where my dress clings the most, will all ensure I do not repeat that family photo shoot, faux pas, again. J. Goal achieved.

 
 
 
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Corymbia (Eucalyptus) ficifolia Red flowering, Gum tree is a true beauty.

Reg and I stayed overnight in Narre Warren at our youngest daughter, Carla’s home. We lived close to her for three years before deciding to sell up the brick and mortar home and change to homes on wheels, swap paying council rates for seeking cheap auto insurance

This morning before I left Carla’s home, I put in place my new action plan to be responsible for my own fitness level. I went for an early morning walk at 6am, through the green belt between the rows of suburban houses and then into the court to stand and enjoy the garden I had created, at my former home. 

I have always loved designing gardens and this one,  is now five years old, the structure and plantings are as I originally planned and planted, the trees are 18 months more advanced and even more beautiful than when I left this garden, to live and travel permanently in the country.

There are two grafted Eucalyptus ficifolia, (flowering gums) in the nature strip, at my former home, looking beautiful. Red-flowering gum is a prominent tree in the sand belts in the southern Melbourne suburbs. Because of its tidy, rounded shape, elegant foliage, and showy summer flowering, C. ficifolia is a breathtakingly beautiful sight in full bloom in sunshine. This tree grows at its best, when grafted onto sturdy rootstock ensuring a stronger growing tree and a more reliable colour than if the tree is grown from seed. 

On our drive home from Narre Warren to Northern Victoria, we stopped firstly at the Glen Shopping centre, I had pleasure in being able to buy two size 12 (US size 10 ), dresses that fitted me, and I had a good mall walk of 45 minutes, then Reg and I stopped and walked again around the town of Yea and it was here I took these photos of a young, spectacular, red flowering gum.

I ate healthy and portion controlled all day,  so feel I scored myself a ‘fitness effort', point for today J.

 
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I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place
but, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.
by Portia Nelson


 
Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas, New Year and holiday season, enjoying the best that the holidays have to offer and leaving in their past those aspects of the holiday season they do not want to repeat.
 
 
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I have an interest in drug rehab. I have worked professionally with drug addiction from the emergency ward, through into the psychiatric wards and in several of the best private drug rehabilitation centres in Victoria.  I have combined my certificate in health sciences with my arts training to become an arts therapist, working in this field of health care. I have always felt compassion for those with addictions, I have had my own battle with overeating in the past and not so, past, I have no reason to feel superior to people fighting worse demons in their lives. 

I watch the released reports from studies about addictions, with interest and I report here in my artslim blog, anything I think is of interest, to those seeking lifetime weight management.

Dr, Nora Volkow, is a passionate advocate for addicts of all kinds, she is determined to find a cure. Her work with drug addiction may offer help for overeaters.

Dr. Nora Volkow is determined to change people’s minds and make them realize, it is not only the weak that become addicted

Dr Volkow is the director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA, part of the National Institutes of Health) and is one of the leading addiction researchers, Volkow says brain science is proving that we all have the potential to become addicted to something: drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, gambling, even food. Overeating and substance abuse are "two sides of the same coin,"

The brain chemistry of over-eaters and drug addicts was very similar. Drug addicts, alcoholics and smokers all have the same type of brain chemistry, which prevents them from quitting their habits, except with great difficulty.  When people eat, way beyond their need and store the excess fat, there's a debate as to whether you want to call that a disorder of the brain

Addictive drugs hijack the normal food reward system that humans need to survive. For example, the dopamine signaling system in the brain is activated, by food cues, such as the smell of turkey roasting in the oven. This system drives us to eat and feel satisfied after eating. Brain-imaging studies show this same system is at the core of drug addiction.

With understanding of what triggers addictions we will more easily be able to manage them.  This research certainly backs up what statistics tell us, that it is stress management, changing our thinking and lifestyle rather than going on a diet, that is the only long-term pathway out of obesity for a former overeater like myself.

 
 
 
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"Achievement seems to be connected
with action. Successful men and
women keep moving. They make
mistakes, but they don't quit."
- Conrad Hilton
I have a NEW fitness trainer. ~  ME.
I need to review the reasons WHY, I will motivate and guide myself toward continued fitness. I want to make sure :-), I take on this job of self-guidance and see it through, with commitment.

This is the lead up to my assuming full responsibility for my own fitness training, for now. I will occasionally book a gym assesment, if I feel I need it, I don't believe in having a fool for a teacher, if I need an expert, I will use one.

Sunday 20th December. 2009

I had another personal fitness assessment at my gym with one of the excellent trainers. I took in all my own fitness equipment, my adjustable dumbbells, skipping rope, stretch band, Gym stick, DVD’s ankle and wrist weights, pedometer and a couple of fitness training booklets. I asked to be shown  a few exercises using my own equipment that would replace the equipment I had been currently using at the gym. I had a program made out for me, to allow me to work on increasing my fitness and releasing excess body fat, on my own initiative, something I could do now, at home or when travelling in the caravan.

Tuesday 22nd December. 2009

Reg and I saw our doctor. Based on Reg now becoming more physically active as he recovers from his recent illness and is staying up out of bed, all day and into the evening, (no more sleeping time when I would go to gym), I was given a letter saying ‘I could not attend gym due to carer duties for a chronically ill family member’. This allows me to cancel my gym membership without a $100. cancellation fee. I have enjoyed having a great local gym to attend.

Today 23rd December 2009

I now need to make sure that I do not slack off; I need to do as I say I will and motivate myself to follow the exercise plan I am going to draw up, today, to do, 6 days per week.

I am beginning today by getting my mind into the right place.  Today I am thinking about the BENEFITS to me, of maintaining and increasing my fitness.  I have to want to be fit, if I am to make the time in a busy life, to do the actions.

·         Fitness Benefits

·         Fitness will allow me to deal with and handle the daily stresses of life.

·        Fitness will allow me to lower my med high blood pressure, aside from obvious personal health benefit to this; I can obtain affordable health insurance.

·         Physical Fitness Exercises

·         The added exertion of physical fitness exercise is the catalyst my body needs to boost correct body composite of strong lean tissue, muscle and bone density and the right balance of fat for good health.

·         When I exercise, I experience a decrease in emotional hunger, and an increase in blood circulation lowering my risk of stroke and PE, both events I have had in the past and need to guard against.  

·         Mental Fitness

·         The peace of mind that comes from knowing I am doing all I can to bring my body up to top shape, ready to deal whatever comes along, is a priceless possession. To know I spent my day wisely, and invested in myself is a real accomplishment.

·         Raised self-esteem and confidence in my appearance are also benefits to keeping a fit body.

·         Fitness brings me the joy in being able to participate as a productive citizen, a creative artist and be able to continue in a carer role, well into my senior years.

 
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Visual images speak louder than words.

"If you don't move, you get fat'.  That is a message I need to keep in my head and act upon. In this busy pre Christmas season it is all too easy to not make time for my exercise.  I love the motivating impact of this image. I found this on facebook.

Apparently this statute, and another of Lincoln grown portulant just sitting all these years in his chair at the Lincoln Monument for too long, was part of an advertising campaign by Advertising Agency: Scholz & Friends, Hamburg, Germany
 
 
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Kathy Shell's art card of the Frech Rose, Dioressence, is available from the artist for $5.00 free postage within Australia. Enquiries welcome.
"Our approach isn't to put France on a diet - we try to keep the variety, the pleasure and the conviviality, with high-quality products " ~ Dr Arnaud Basdevant.

"When you really enjoy good quality food, it sounds strange but you tend to eat less."

Patients in Dr Basdevant's department learn to make classic French dishes. The only difference is that they're shown how to use water instead of oil or butter, but still achieve a tasty result.

Read the typically French approach to shedding the surplus kilos.
By David Chazan
BBC News, Paris
Fighting Flab the French Way
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The small business card size fridge magnet, reproduced from the art work by Kathy Shell, is available direct from the artist, $5. includes postage within Australia. Enquiries welcome.
 
 
Dove Evolution
 
 
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The first Christmas party of the season and I think it is time I reviewed my year and saw where it has taken me.  In January with the discovery that I had osteoporosis, I became fearful of losing weight at a cost to my bone density and suddenly fitness was my first body priority.  I eased back on the slimming and focused on toning, building muscle, and in doing so strengthening my bone.  This proved beneficial; I can do a lot more without injuring my back these days.

The main concepts I follow are to listen to my body, eat when hungry and stop when satisfied, eat what I desire to eat, as I am interested in health and nutrition this will inevitably lean toward the healthy, I do however allow myself to eat whatever I choose.  I learn to respond to my emotional needs in ways that do not involve food.  I observe what does not work, learn from this and plan ways I can make things easier and more successful next time.  This is my version of Intuitive eating.


Intuitive eating is:


- Eating when you are hungry. Tuning in to your body's hunger signals and responding to them.


- Eating whatever it is you feel like, be that chocolate or apples, ice-cream or salad. Throwing away any rules about what is a 'good' food and what is a 'bad' food. Ignoring rules about meal times, what is an 'appropriate' food to eat at a certain time of day, etc. All of this with the knowledge that if you trust your body to choose what it wants, it will eventually, naturally, lead you to a balanced, nutritionally sound food intake, without you having to restrict what you eat.


- Focusing on your food. Removing distractions such as TV, books, magazines etc from your meal area. Putting anything you eat on a plate, sitting down with it and focusing on it.


- Listening to your body's satisfaction signals, and stopping when you're satisfied.


- Working on the emotional issues. Owning your body. Satisfying yourself in ways other than eating. Understanding the emotional cause of your weight gain, and working on those issues.

The sources for the above description of Intuitive eating, are from the book Thin Within by Judy wardell (original version)  Beyond Chocolate, as well as a few other resources (Geneen Roth, the Normal Eating website).

INTUITIVE EATING books:
"Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole Elyse Resch
"Thin Within" by Judy Arthur Halliday  Kathy's suggestion:-For an eaier read, try to get a coppy of the original 'Thin Within, by Judy Wardell'.
"Diets Don't Work" by Bob Schwartz
"Why Weight?" by Geneen Roth
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My dream goal size 12, (US size 10) Christmas party dress, then a day sun frock, was my present to myself today. :-).
I haven’t earned it from any special exercising nor good eating feat but I have spent a week and a half, helping to clean up the family home of one of my daughters and I think I got rid of the last of the mouldy not eaten school lunches hidden away by the youngest granddaughter, today.  I have to laugh to think, ‘like mother, like daughter and myself  I have vivid memories of searching for the mouldy lunches in my daughter's dressing table and wardrobe.  My daughter was so like me and now my adorable granddaughter takes after her mum.

So I have been working very hard this last two weeks, not achieving a personal goal I have mentioned here, but a goal non the less.  My daughter’s happiness means everything to me. I do not mention my family much, I respect their privacy and do not speak of them a lot, but I love them dearly.  My daughter works very hard, and like all mums, gets tired at times, children do not help a lot, they make lots of creative mess. My daughter is a great mother, encourages creativity, after school interests, and allows the mess that goes with being creative.  I was happy to help but it was hard work.  Work enjoyed and I will keep doing it, though I will not keep rewarding myself spending money on presents for myslelf.

But here are my two treats :-). My new dress and gorgeous denim coloured shoulder bag, just great to wear with jeans and hold my mobile phone, camera and diary. I will use that a lot during my travels.

Oh and lol, 'did I boast that the dress is a size 12 J ?'  lol, I know I did. 

When I was a size 22 going on 24,, size 12 was my goal size.


My husband saw the specialist today. They will do some more tests, just for precautions but no sinister expectations from them, the specialist seemed to think, as I think, it was just a setback that he had, that he is gradually recovering from :-).  All is well :-), and glamour gran is going to shock her husband and the children by showing her cleavage for the first time this Christmas, lol, :-).

Wherever you are in your preparations for the Christmas holiday season, have fun :-), take it a day at a time and enjoy life :-).  I know Christmas can be a strain for many and there is as much grief as there is joy as we remember family members who are no longer with us more at this time than at other times.   

This isn't so hard for me, my parents left this earth when i was in my 20's, I've had so many Christmases now without my mum, and my own children have grown and given me wonderful grandchildren that I am easy with the partings and see this as a part of life moving on.  This season is very much like this, a time not just for party frocks but also for reflecting about the family now, and the family past. 

I spoke to my daughter this week, I gave her my father’s military records to keep for the next generation, I also mentioned to her that my mother would have been 100 years old, soon, if she had been alive.  There was no pain for me, at all, in talking of loved ones long gone and lol  ( as family skeletons exist in all families), the not so loved ones. 

So (((hugs))), if this season brings more grief or stress to you than joy and I hope if that is the case, that soon your special season, however you celebrate it and whatever its meaning, will be one where you can feel joy in the family and friends that are present. I hope that you soon will, feel pleasure recalling the best of the past and let go of the pain in past memories. I am wishing you a wonderful Christmas season.

For those struggling with weight issues, and self-doubt, remember I was a size 22 going on 24 at Christmas 2006. Today I ate half a take away Asian meal, half a small lemon and shortbread tart, and tonight I am eating a few chocolates (see I am not fanatical about my diet J ), and I'll be loving wearing my size 12 dress and counting my many blessings :-) and sharing the season with loved ones.