La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life) - on a tiny budget.

helensbiggestfan

Happy Magic Monday. 

Good Morning lovely ladies.  Here we are again, a new week ahead, all bright and new and shiny.  I'm aiming to make it a good one.  Magic Monday has got off to a cracking start.  

I have lost 1.1lbs and my BS levels are coming down nicely. The healthy eating and exercise are starting to pay off.  So feeling chuffed. I have some nice social engagements planned this week too.

 The only fly in the ointment is my car is playing up. Mechanic is popping round tonight to take a look, then I'll decide what to do.    My car is a bit long in the tooth now and I need to decide whether or not to replace her or go car free.  Where I currently live I could manage well enough without a car.  Shops and amenities are all within walking distance and I'm literally two minutes from a bus stop.  I'll think it over.  Summer is coming so a good time to see how I cope without a car. 

I don't particularly enjoy driving these days, I much prefer to be chauffeured......😂

Time for breakfast.  I am trying to get back into intermittent fasting, to bring my blood sugar levels  to heel so I don't eat until at least 10am.  I am aiming for the 16:8 ratio.  Not quite there yet, more like 14:10. 

I am a work in progress........😂

.I've got chiro later. I will walk, a few raindrops won't hurt, in fact I rather like walking in the rain.  

Have a great day y'all.  Hope you find some magic.  

newgirly

Morning, I hope the car issue isn’t too serious 🙂 Our car is in an auction today as it has to go due to the ULEZ daily charge coming soon, very annoying as it was my dads from new so reliable. 

helensbiggestfan

Transformation Tuesday. 

Feeling a bit groggy and headachey after my chiro treatment yesterday.  Will probably need a nap later.  🤣

have been thinking a lot about Transformation and Reinvention.  

It's a journey and like all journeys you don't reach your destination by spending all your time looking in the rear view mirror.  Just need to keep looking forward, planning, taking small steps every day.   

So what steps can I take today.........nothing too mind blowing, I need to recover from chiro. Food shopping for healthy and nutritious produce, gentle exercise, give myself a skin peel.   All small insignificant steps by themselves but when compounded taking me just that bit further forward.  

Remembering the tortoise and the hare.  😉

Mechanic couldn't find anythjng obvious, despite using diagnostic equipment. He suggested I tried premium grade unleaded fuel  than the basic I'm using . Apparently Fords prefer it...... So basically a wait and see approach.    She was my dads car from new and although getting on a bit  she has been very reliable.  But maybe it's time to let her go,  

Beautiful day here. 😎

artistlifestyle

Hello all.
lovely conversations and breakthroughs. Blue skies here today now. 

Unfortunately I’ve been in bed since Friday, saw GP yesterday got nasty chest and sinus infection. 

Double trouble! 😳 Feel very unwell, antibiotics not made a difference yet. I’ve had Covid twice, (Delta, badly, and Omnicron) despite vaccinations and this is worse. 

@helensbiggestfan is right about all the things women do, without thinking of themselves, and for the first time in my life I feel somewhat alone and vulnerable especially as I can’t currently talk without coughing to oblivion, so phone calls are not an option just now. 

This too will pass, I know that, but it concentrates the mind on what improvements to make and the main one is to continue to build strong local connections. I’ve been here 4 yrs, but Covid delayed so much networking and making new friends. With working full time it’s tricky, but rolling shifts help me to sometimes go to some community things in the week. I was able to ring a friend to get a lift to the Dr, so that made a huge difference. 

The plus side of this unexpected episode is the clearing of the freezer and the variety of unknown soups I heat up daily. I have no appetite but try to eat some porridge and fruit for breakfast, and soup for lunch and tea, plus yogurt for the sore throat. The pain in my jaw is set off by temperature so this too is sometimes challenging. I took part in some research on nutritional drinks a while back and I am trying one of these leftovers today for a change and for additional protein. 

The body keeps the score is so interesting. Look up Dr James Gordon on you tube and learn his ‘soft belly’ breathing, and shaking and dancing. He has a brilliant book too. These two techniques really work. Another good book is Dr Joe Dispenza - Breaking the habit of being yourself. It explains all about individual biochemistry and this in part is why people get stuck in behavioural patterns. 

Our brains like the familiar, and the brain’s one job is to keep us alive, and since it reasons we’re still alive it resists even the slightest change. I could write eons on this as some of my work is helping people to make changes using evidence based talking techniques including CBT, ACT and more. @helensbiggestfan is doing a fantastic job of her own life laundry and leadership and choosing her own path. 

Widowhood brings so many changes, one of the biggest is we get to choose EVERYTHING. I remember my Mum saying this is the first time I get to choose everything when she downsized a couple of years after my Dad died, they’d had almost 60 years together. I learnt so much from her in that time, I just didn’t expect it’d happen so soon. Most of the time I’m absolutely fine and I will be again. Antibiotics are known to lower the mood dramatically by destroying the gut biome, but this too can be mended once the bacteria is vanquished and I am restored once more. 

Here’s to spring and better days to come, plus tomorrow is wellness Wednesday so everything will be better. 💐😊👍

Floss

helensbiggestfan said:

Mechanic couldn't find anythjng obvious, despite using diagnostic equipment. He suggested I tried premium grade unleaded fuel  than the basic I'm using . Apparently Fords prefer it...... So basically a wait and see approach.    She was my dads car from new and although getting on a bit  she has been very reliable.  But maybe it's time to let her go,  

If your car is over 8 years old, it is likely that the basic petrol blend is not suitable, it would have been designed for the previous blend (now sold as premium). My Alfa was 12 when I sold it and it definitely ran better when it had a tank full of the premium petrol from Tesco or Sainsbury's.

SIRENS

Artistlifestyle, sorry you are feeling unwell, hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon, I am off work also at the moment with tonsillitis, not too bad but not sleeping well and sore throat, am debating returning to work tomorrow but shall see. I know what you mean about choices, I find that the hardest thing to be honest, all decisions, from the most trivial to important rest with me alone after being part of a couple for 31 years. But I'm getting there xx

helensbiggestfan

Wednesday Wednesday. 

Hope the poorly ones  are feeling a little better today.  Plenty of rest and TLC, allow your bodies to recover and heal.  

I am being very good, heeding my own advice, upping the self care, eating well,  movement/exercise.  Nothing drastic but just step by step, steady as she goes.  It's definitely starting to pay off, less pain, easier movement,  have lost 1lb this week and my blood sugar levels are starting to come down.  It's a journey.....with a few roadblocks and detours along the way.

Floss...thanks for the petrol info.  I didn't know that,  yes my car is  over 8 years old.  I will definitely try premium blend fuel next time I fill up.  Actually she behaved beautifully yesterday.  Typical.  I think she knows I'm on to her. 😂🤣

Meeting my baby sister for lunch today at our 2nd favourite restaurant.  

have a great day y'all  and don't forget to put your well-being at the top of your to do list. 

 If you don't take of you, no one else will.  ❤️

iris

Pleased to hear you are feeling much better @helensbiggestfan

Wednesday2000

leftatthetrafficlights said:

My Super Sunday has consisted of a yoga practice; a lovely lunch of buckwheat 'lasagne' filled with a smoky dark speckled lentil and courgette sauce and a side salad of leaves, black grapes, strawberries, watermelon and blood orange balsamic dressing; a long hot shower where I exfoliated and moisturised afterwards and several cups of chamomile tea 😁 

A spa experience at home!:)

Wednesday2000

I had a runny nose the past couple of days that I thought was early hayfever, but I started to feel slightly feverish last night and took paracetamol and went to bed. I woke up this morning and I had fallen asleep with all the lights on in my bedroom. I took ibuprofen and went back to sleep. I feel okay today, just slightly headachy. I don't know if that was Covid again as I don't have any tests. I must have caught whatever it was at the cinema at the weekend.

We have booked some of the work to be done in our house for next week. The weather has improved so we could have had it done today, but the workman has already got work lined up this week. 

I am sticking to cutting down drinking alcohol and cutting down on sparkling water. My brother bought me some Trip CBD drinks for xmas and I liked the peach and ginger flavour so I thought I would try to replicate that at home next.

I did reorganise my airing cupboard this week as I ordered some hanging shelves from Amazon and it looks a lot better. I just need to keep it that way. I saw my exercise mat while I was tidying that I barely use. I want to start doing some stretching daily so I left the mat out.

I finally lost a couple of pounds too, which I should have done as I am having less calories from wine the past week and a half! I'm happy that the clocks are going forward soon. I really struggle with motivation when the days are shorter. I want to get back to doing long beach walks like I did last Spring and Summer. I need to find some interesting podcasts to listen to. I don't have much planned for today. My husband is off work because of the tube strike so we might watch a film later.

I hope everyone has a nice day.:)