Oct 18 - A Giggle & Some Inspiration

  Giggles surfaced on Skype shortly after I posted last night's blog so I got to catch up with her after all!  I called and we talked for an hour before I had to concede that at least some sleep would be a requirement for me.  She's coming home!!  The intrepid Giggles has been living in a mining town in Queensland for far too long so I'm stoked that she'll be back soon.  I've missed her and the two mini-Giggles.
  Mr Smart often refers to my place as being 'in the country' because I live further than ten kilometres out of the CBD.  He's aghast at Bertie who lives even further out than I do.  I wonder what he'll think when he realises I might invite him to visit the farm with me?  Giggles lives nearer to Ballarat than to Melbourne and has real farm dogs.
  It was a very early morning for me today.  5:45am *beep beep beep beep beep snooze* 5:53am I drag my not-yet-human self out of bed and into the shower.  It's a bit of a blur but I managed to make myself presentable and drive to the Clarion Hotel on Springvale Road by 6:45am in time for the 'Work Life Balance Breakfast'.  I will let you all smirk at the irony of getting up almost two hours early to attend a corporate function of that nature.
  That aside, it was an enjoyable breakfast and I met some interesting people.  The speaker was also very good. not necessarily a natural born presenter, but an honest, earnest communicator.  He has conviction.  The speaker was Walter Mikac from the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.  For those of you who draw a blank at that name, sixteen years ago in Port Arthur, Tasmania, Walter lost his wife Nanette and his two young daughters Alannah and Madeleine in the massacre of thirty-fve people perpetrated by one Martin Bryant.
  His speech opened with news footage from that day. I wondered at how he could stand to watch it over and over as he talks at a lot of functions.  Sure he has remarried and had more children and moved on to do good in the world, but that must still hurt I would imagine.  The four key elements he covered in his speech were:

• Courage: Finding the ability to move on with things even in the face of adversity, even when it seems like there is no way forward or nothing left.
• Commitment:  Deciding to take action and telling others what you plan to do so that they can encourage and support you on your journey.  He described commitment as the difference between saying "I want to spend more time with the family" and actually doing it.
• Action: Doing what you set out to do and taking steps towards your goals.
• Being Unstoppable: Not letting go of your resolve and staying the course, dealing with any road blocks thrown your way.

  It was quite simple (hence I remembered it clearly all these hours later) but quite an effective set of concepts.  I believe they quite apply to this process I'm going through now.  He actually said at one point, when talking about commitment "deciding to go out and exercise is actually harder than the exercise itself a lot of the time".  I'm glad I got up early, it was worth it.
  The rest of work today... if I look at it objectively, was a pretty good day but you know sometimes it only takes one thing to make you feel crap about yourself?  Unfortunately I had one of those moments this afternoon.  It's weird how someone's reaction to you can make you loathe things about yourself.  Ah well, it's nothing I can change about myself and they certainly didn't intend it to hurt me so I'll be fine in the morning.
  I've had a pretty good week so far diet and exercise-wise.  It's been up and down emotionally as I deal with continuing introspection, but I'm pleased that I haven't binged as a result.  I definitely wanted to binge tonight.  I was feeling irritated and sad and good golly did I want warm cinnamon donuts.  Luckily none awaited me so I just did some chores, ate dinner and did my exercise.  Also chatted to Gub for a while.  She is a little annoyed that she can't get my blog in China.  She is at Ecohealth2012 in Kunming Province at the moment and then she gets to tour around for a bit!  So for when she eventually reads this: 歡迎海內外

  Today's food and exercise were:

• Breakfast was a cup of tea, a glass of orange juice, 40g of Sultana Bran with milk and then a cooked breakfast of: mushrooms, sausage, bacon, half a buttered muffin, scrambled eggs, one small hash brown and a roasted half tomato.  You don't often get a two course breakfast!
• Morning snack was a yummy tart juicy passionfruit.
• Lunch was a Mission Wholegrain Wrap spread with 27g of Philadelphia Exra Light Spreadable Cream Cheese then topped with 120g of Dorsogna triple smoked ham, cucumber slices, six halved Perino snacking tomatoes and rainbow salad (beetroot, carrot and broccoli stalk).  I also decided to have a refreshing beverage with lunch so I had a 500ml bottle of Lipton Light Green Iced Tea with Lemon.
• Afternoon snack was 125g of fresh blueberries.
• Dinner was a 105g salmon cake with baby pak choy salad with Red Kelly's Sweet Chilli and Lime dressing.
• Dessert was 20g of Lindt 85% Cocoa dark chocolate.
• Exercise was 42 minutes Buffercising on the cross trainer.
• Blood sugar two hours after dinner was 4.7.  My readings definitely seem to be a lot lower when I exercise shortly after eating.

 

  I guess I should head to bed.  I don't have to get up early tomorrow, but I do have to get up.  I liked Mr Smart's suggestion that I should just have every Friday off.  Maybe I'll look into that at some point in the future.
  Jess

PS: Tonight I learned how to fold a fitted sheet.  My first attempt was not perfect but it was a hell of a lot neater than my normal 'bundle and stuff' method!