The new me is changing for the better.
I am working on one thing at a time
(more than one thing and it hurts my chemo brain.)
The move to London is a chance for a fresh start and to get my life back on track. I already knew when I moved here that I would get a personal shopper (ended up getting two for the price of one). I had an amazing day with Claudia and Michele from Partners in Style and bought just the right amount of clothes and shoes to make a difference. (www.partnersinstyle.co.uk) Quality was amazing. It also gave me some more self-confidence because all my friends here have noticed and liked my clothes. Never hurts to get a compliment....... If anyone has asked I have willingly and gladly told them where I bought it and that Claudia and Michele were the reason I even tried it on. I can say that I would have never tried any of these things on if I had been by myself. I am thankful for Claudia and Michele.
I got great new clothes but I still had the goal of decreasing my body size. I am happy in my body but wanted it to be more shapely. (translated: lose all those kilos that the pregnancies and excess eating had left on me)
I need to be fit and healthy. I want to end this year on a positive note. My goal was to have a personal trainer to kick my butt and get me moving. I made an appointment at a GYM. I mentioned to some of the other moms about this appointment. One mom (and friend) Avery said you can't go to that gym you have to meet Ben at G14. (www.g14.co.uk)
Well, little did I know it would be just what I needed and that it was my lucky day when I got to meet Ben. THANKS AVERY for making Ben see me.:)
I started in October with a consultation and then I was told - ok we work on your nutrition and eating habits for the first month. WHAT? I wanted to get in to the gym and start losing that body fat from Day 1.
Luckily, I am focused and have been through much harder things these past nine months that eating healthy food and getting it right has not been the hard part. I am amazed that I could go from eating mostly just processed foods (junk) to eating vegetables, meat and the right carbs. Now it is a lifestyle. I am still learning but I am on board with healthy eating.
After almost a month, I am allowed in to where all the workout machines are set up. The anxiety before the first workout with Ben was intense. Crap, now I really have to put my money where my mouth is and do some hard work. How hard can it be? Well, it was scary to see such a low level of conditioning in my body. I have, in effect, been sedentary for more than 15 years.
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| Very pleased with my new shoes. |
Once a week I meet Ben and he changes my workout and makes it harder just after I have gotten used to the previous one. THANKS BEN. He adds weights, changes the number of reps and then teaches me new exercises so I am totally confused in my chemo brain. He does it with a smile on his face and a wink here and there so that I find the will and energy to push myself.
I see progress because I can bike longer with a higher intensity and I don't feel like I am going to pass out like I did the first day.
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| Always have one of these in my hand. |
Each workout by myself is 60 minutes of cardio and weights. I put on the headphones and take the best songs from my Teresa's Kick Ass playlist from the chemo days and get into the zone. as I follow Ben's instruction sheet. The first workout by myself was hard work. It was harder than I thought it could be. I got through it and felt the sense of accomplishment.
I had also accumulated a massive amount of points from my heart monitor. The monitor tracks how long I am in each zone of heart rate and you get points for each interval. The harder you work the more points you get. My competitive nature sets in and for the last workout I did an extra 2 minutes on the bike just so I could break 200 points. The monitor gives you feedback on your workout via an email after the workout is done.
I am more than 6 weeks into this new phase of my life. I have more energy. The pain in my joints has lessened a bit. I can walk further without getting out of breath. I sleep better. I have a longer attention span and can read books again.
I still have bad balance, crappy nails, curly chemo hair and super curly chemo hair when its humid and a central line still in my body.
I have great friends and family. I have Ben as my PT. I still have the guy from the Crepe restaurant waving like crazy at me every time I walk by. I have torrential downpours in the morning on the way to school. I have the sun shining in a big blue sky in the afternoon as I go to pick the kids up. I have meat, potatoes and vegetables for dinner with water. I have new workout clothes because I didn't have any before. I am enjoying every minute of life!
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| The sun shiniing through after the rain |
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| Yum YUM YUM |
I am one of the members of the G14 fan club. I am very impressed with Ben who manages to make me give it my all, who challenges me and who can see the bigger picture even though I don't always see it myself. He puts up with my chemo brain and repeats himself when I ask the same question more than twice.
My goal is to end this year on a positive note. It's looking good so far.
GRATEFUL. PERSONAL TRAINERS ROCK. LOVED. KICK ASS. CARDIO. PERSONAL SHOPPERS ROCK. ACHIEVE MORE. GET PERSONAL.
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