New Year

My husband and I took a mini vacation to the West Coast of Vancouver Island for New Years. We stayed at a beautiful place called Terrace Beach Resort that is nestled on the edge of The Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet, BC. While we were there we hiked awesome trails and combed beaches, and soaked in the fresh air. It was an awesome way to bring in the New Year. I admired the people surfing , and look forward to the day when I am healthy and strong enough to try it. It's so awesome to have so many things to look forward to.

When we were there we made collages about our goals for the upcoming year. I'm really looking forward to all the wonderful things that this year will bring.

Making Better Choices

I haven't been on Sparkpeople for awhile. I have been letting my everyday business get in the way of much needed time for myself, and reflection on my health goals. For the last two months I haven't totally slipped off the wagon, but I also haven't been putting me first, or staying true to my goals all of the time. How my body feels right now and the scale really demonstrates that.

But the one thing that has come of all of this, is I'm learning to make better choices. Halloween being one of them. It is a difficult holiday for me eating wise. Only because for last 30 years I have developed some really bad Halloween habits of eating way to much chocolate and candy. But as I am making better choices for my body, there was a definite switch this year with choices. Instead of getting all excited about consuming many little chocolate bars, I was excited about trying a new recipe. Pumpkin Soup. I carved my Halloween Jack-o lanterns for the kids, on Halloween night, and after the candles blew out, and all the trick or treaters went home, I brought the pumpkin inside and chopped it all up and roasted it in the oven.
SO here is my healthy version of Pumpkin Soup to share with everyone. A better choice to mini chocolate bars that your body will just love.

Jen's Jack-o-Lantern Soup

1 Large Jack-o-Lantern cut up
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups of carrot, chopped
10 peppercorns
1 large apple, chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1tsp nutmeg
1 cup skim milk
2 cups brown mushrooms, sliced (optional, but I love them)
1 tsp butter
2 litres of chicken stock.

Halloween Night 9pm, cut jack-o-lantern into large chunks and roast in the oven on cookie sheets skin side up for an hour or until flesh is soft. Add a dash of salt and pepper to the pumpkin at this stage if desired.

In a soup pot add onion, garlic, carrot, peppercorns. Add enough chicken stock to cover veggies, and simmer for 30 minutes, checking that stock doesn't all evaporate. Add cooked cubed pumpkin, apple, thyme, nutmeg, add more chicken stock as needed, and simmer for another 15 minutes until all veggies are soft, and almost mushy.


Using hand blender, blend all veggies in pot. Add milk, and remaining chicken stock. Makes a yummy soup, and if you are feeling a bit decadent, a nice slice of brie cheese at the bottom of your soup bowl, sets this soup alive!

Mushrooms Optional - cook sliced mushrooms in a separate pot with the 1 tsp of butter and 3/4 cup of chicken stock. Simmer until tender, then add mushrooms and stock to soup, after it's blended. Adds a yummy earthy flavour to soup!

Am really glad I am breaking out of a 30 year tradition of chocolate binging, to make better, healthier, choices for my body.

Time to Refocus.

I promised myself that I would write a blog entry this morning, and so here I am.

It has been an incredible start to my school year, but also the worst.

Let's start with the good part first. I finished my Masters Degree. 2 years of really hard work came to a conclusion on Friday September 18th when I passed my Masters panel. I was extremely proud of myself, and earned My Masters degree in Educational Leadership. Then I went into celebratory mode, of the old kind. And when I say that I mean going back to my old eating habits. Desserts, heavy rich foods, and neglecting to log into Spark, with the attitude, oh I 'll start again tomorrow.

Well 11 pounds later, one month later, I feel awful. My body feels heavy, bloated, and I lack the energy that I once had. I haven't exercised properly for two weeks, and I feel like I have really wasted this month when I could have been losing 11 pounds and and be closer to my goal.

But the feeling sorry for myself stops here. The yoyo stops here.

The first thing I am going to do is track my food. That tool alone helped me lose weight when I couldn't exercise, last May when I injured my back. I know for a fact, when I eat a healthy balanced diet full of vegetables, proteins and carbs, I lose weight.

SO step one, track food.

I am also more successful at losing when I exercise. Not to mention that my energy level goes up and I just plain feel better. The one thing that has happened since starting school again this September is that I have not made time in my schedule to exercise. I am now teaching full time, and my husband is going to school full time...our days seem so full from 8:00am, right to 4:30pm. So I have to make some time in my schedule each day for some exercise.

Right now I AM my number one priority. I am not going to continue to allow myself to come second in my life, because without a healthy body, life becomes more difficult. I need to look after this in a hurry.

So Step Two: Exercise Plan

M-Run day 45 minutes - on days when the weather is not so good, plan to go to the gym
T - Swim 40 minutes, strength training, 30 min
W - Run 45
Th - Swim 40, Strength training, 30 min
F - Run 45
S - Walk 60 minutes, strength training 30 minutes
Sun -Walk 30 minutes, geocaching, hiking (make exercise date with hubby)

I am making a copy of my plan, and posting it on my fridge and calendar, as well as at school.
I want to lose 20 pounds by the end of November, and with this plan I know it's possible. I am very determined to make a better start to my year.

I just needed to take the time for a reality check. Now off to make a healthy shake to start my day, and ask my husband what we are going to do on our date today. Walk? swim? Canoe? The possibilities are endless, and now after a month long sabbatical, positive.

Inspiration From Terry Fox

On Thursday morning at my school our students took part in the Terry Fox Run. This has been a tradition in our schools ever since I walked the halls as a young student, not a teacher.

Terry Fox was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete, and cancer treatment activist. He became famous for the Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada run to raise money for cancer research, which Fox ran with one prosthetic leg. He is considered one of Canada's greatest heroes and is celebrated internationally every September as people participate in the Terry Fox Run, the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.

On Thursday morning, our students gathered in the assembly and watch a short video of Terry from his Marathon of Hope in 1980. His stride was not that of an easy run, for after losing one of his legs from the knee down to Cancer, running was not something that came easily. But Terry was an athlete, and had determination. He had a dream of a Cancer free world, and set to raise money for a cure for Cancer. His stride - hop through Canadian streets was inspirational, and students everywhere were glued to television sets watching to see how far this young man from BC made each day on his journey across Canada. Fox was unable to complete his run, as his bone cancer had metastasized to his lungs. X-rays revealed that Fox's right lung had a lump the size of a golf ball and his left lung had another lump the size of a lemon. He was forced to stop the run on September 1, 1980 just north-east of Thunder Bay, Ontario, after 143 days. He had run 5,373 km or 3,339 miles (roughly 23.3 miles per day) through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. Eight days after Terry Fox was forced to stop, the CTV television network organized a nationwide telethon in hopes of raising additional funds for the cause of cancer research; it proved so successful that $10.5 million was raised that day. The campaigns were so successful that by February 1981, $24.17 million dollars had been raised and Terry Fox's dream of getting one dollar from every single Canadian for cancer research had been realized.

Terry Fox is today considered a national hero of Canada. He was named a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour, on September 18, 1980 by Edward Schreyer, Canada's then serving Governor-General. Schreyer travelled to Port Coquitlam to personally present the medal to Terry himself.

In June 1981, Fox developed pneumonia, and on June 27, he went into a coma. He died on the 28th at 4:35 a.m., which was his favourite hour of running, a year after his legendary run, and exactly one month shy of his twenty-third birthday. Flags were flown at half-mast on Canadian government buildings across Canada and overseas while tributes poured in to Terry Fox's family who retreated home to prepare for his burial. Canada's serving Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in his address before Canada's House of Commons said that Terry gave far more to his country than his country was able to give to him. Trudeau also noted that:

"It occurs very rarely in the life of a nation that the courageous spirit of one person unites all people in the celebration of his life and in the mourning of his death....We do not think of him as one who was defeated by misfortune but as one who inspired us with the example of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity."

On July 3, 1981, Terry succumbed to the Cancer which he so ardently tried to overcome. But the Marathon of Hope did not die with Terry. Every September, school aged children all over the world participate in Terry Fox Runs. It is an important part of our history, and culture not only to continue Terry's dream of fundraising to find a cure for Cancer, but also to reconnect to the strength within ourselves to achieve our goals and dreams.

One of my favourites quotes from Terry is this:

"I just wish people would realize that anything’s possible if you try; dreams are made possible if you try. "

When I saw this on the gym wall at school on Friday I cried. I was so moved, even after all these years by a young man who had one leg, Cancer, and who never gave up on his dreams.

So I won't give up on mine. Thank-you Terry for the inspiration that I needed to refocus my dreams of becoming a healthier me, and for everyone that's striving for a goal, just remember anything is possible if you try.

Celebrations bare gifts.

I am still on a high from completing my Masters. There I said it out loud. Well Not that anyone around me hasn't already figured it out. I am damn proud of myself. Two years of extremely hard work and I am very proud of myself for not only completing my degree, but also that transformation it has made in my life. I am living more authentically, and gosh darn it I have some pep in my step.

My Mom called me at work this afternoon and asked me to come over to her house before I headed home. This is not unusual, as she only lives a couple blocks from my school. I went over, and she handed me a box. Inside the box was a ring. A white gold ring, with pave diamonds and a large garnet stone. It was beautiful. "Congratulations Master." she said, "I am very proud of you." I was so touched, and it hasn't left my finger since she gave it to me. Love from my Mom, in no matter what shape or form it comes in, is always incredible and meaningful. It's amazing to feel proud of yourself, and really nice when others feel the same. Especially by the ones you really love.

Celebration Time Part Two

Celebrating the completion of an amazing learning journey with my professors and mentors.

Celebration Time

I am so happy.

Yesterday after two years worth of work, I presented my learning to my professors to earn my Masters degree. My University was amazing. We had to weave our learning into a metaphor, that demonstrated growth over time. My metaphor was health. Because along side of my Masters Journey has been my health journey, and they morphed into the same journey...leading an authentic healthy life. Health for my body, mind, spirit, soul, which spilled over into my profession.

One of the professors that was on my panel was the director of the Canadian branch of the University. It had been a long time since I had seen him. At the end of my presentation he was very honest in saying he did not recognize me when her first came in the room. My physical appearance and demeanour was so dramatically different from where I was 2 years ago. Two years ago I was 50 pounds heavier, and really unhappy in life and work. I loved my job, but my physical health was so bad, I was away a lot from work, and so exhausted at the end of each day. I knew I had to make a change, and he said the change blew him away.

So when I got up to tell my Masters story, I also told the story of health. How focusing on the right tools that I needed to help me lose the weight made all the difference. I showed them Sparkpeople, and how it was a quality tool that enabled me (and still does) to track my daily nutrition intake and fitness output. By tracking my nutrition and fitness, and reflecting about my successes and setbacks, I made myself accountable to my vision of becoming a healthier person. Now I'm only half way to where I want to be, but I am so excited, because I know I have the strength and fortitude to get there.

Now I have to be honest. As this Masters presentation was coming closer, I slipped into some old habits. Instead of making time for exercise and planning healthy suppers, I went into survival mode and was glued to my computer for weeks. Now that it's over I have the freedom to get back on track, and realign with my health goals for myself.

I was so fortunate that one of my very best friends did the Masters with me. Last night we both presented, and both passed. During the course of the Masters, she joined Sparkpeople too. She has lost 30 pounds and now is at her goal weight. Last night we celebrated with our husbands for supper. We had yummy healthy meals, shared bottles of wine, and ate creme brule for dessert. We also did not turn away from the champagne that our professors sent over to toast our successes. It truly was one of the most amazing days of my life. I now know and believe I have the strength to accomplish anything.

So today is a new day, and after the celebration comes the accountability. I got on the scale and was pleasantly surprised that I have only gained 2 pounds after 2 weeks of no exercise and not tracking my food, as well and drinking my weight in wine last night. But it really does speak volumes to me that my ways have changed. Even though I maybe was not tracking, I was really listening to my body and not overindulging, and keeping potions in check. I know how easy two pounds is too shed, and looking forward to the next leg of my health journey.

So this morning, I am celebrating a new chapter, a new health goal, but also celebrating how far I have come, and all I have accomplished.