One month down...

...11 more to go! It’s time to check in with myself and see how I’m doing. 

How you doing, Grace?
I think I’m doing quite well, thanks for asking.

So, do you think you need/want to change anything?
Yes, I do. Although I do really love my walks, I think I need to change them slightly; my thighs aren’t getting enough of a workout. I may speak with my walking partner and ask if he’d be willing to split the time up a bit—maybe a half hour walk and then 15 minutes on the stationary bicycle.

Good, good… and your fitness class…what do you think about it?
I am loving it. I am definitely feeling stronger, less clumsy, more able to keep up with the pace… I’m pushing myself just the right amount. Not to mention, I get to see awkwardly-uncoordinated guy develop some coordination!

Well that’s good to hear, and your eating and drinking?
I’d say this is probably the biggest struggle for me, but I’m doing okay. I miss peanut butter, but I know it is best for us to stay away from one another.
I am peeing all the time! Man, I was sleeping the other day and started dreaming about my mom’s dog peeing on someone’s leg… while I was dreaming I thought ‘huh, that’s weird, mom’s dog is a female dog, and yet this dog in my dream is lifting its leg’… then I woke from my dream and had to run to the bathroom because I was about to pee the bed (thankfully, I didn’t). Another close call… got home from walking one day, headed into the bathroom to pee and couldn’t get my pants off (I neglected to untie the waist)… of course, panic struck and I nearly peed my pants. I didn’t, and hopefully I won’t (knock on wood). Well, that’s what drinking 2-3 litres of water a day will do!

Okay then, er, so not peeing your pants. Good to know. How do you feel about your nutritionist?
I am so, so, so happy to have a nutritionist because I think I’m learning a lot from her. Her challenges are interesting. Every one of the challenges she’s given me has seemed like an impossible task at first (like drinking 2-3 litres of water a day, or cutting back my coffee intake), but when I get home and actually try to implement those changes, I realize they’re not as difficult as I thought they’d be. 

So overall, the lifestyle change is working for you?
Yup. It is.

Can we expect anything different this month?
I think that now I’ve got a routine started and I’m starting to gain a better understanding of food, I’m going to try to kick it up a notch.

What do you mean?
Nothing serious, but, just try to walk a little faster, lift my legs a little higher, broaden my food knowledge.

Good, good stuff. Well, anything else you’d like to add here?
There is something else I’d like to add: I have amazing friends, coworkers, and acquaintances. I am really blown-away from everyone’s support and words of encouragement. Thank you. Some people have even said that I am a source of inspiration to them… this is so, very flattering.

I think though, that everyone is an inspiration… like my friend who is a stay-at-home mom raising 4 amazing children; or my friend who moved all the way to the other side of the country because she knew it was best for her family. My friends who suffer from depression and no matter how difficult it is for them, they still get out of bed in the morning and face the world, they are inspiring. I’m inspired by my friends who have quit their comfortable jobs and returned to university to pursue what they love, and my friend who has so much passion for her sport that she has a black belt. I think that my Christian friends and my Muslim friends who speak about their religion are inspiring because they are challenging stereotypes in a world where religion is no longer cool. I could go on, but you get the picture. All of us, each one of us, we are all sources of inspiration; we just need to notice it. Getting up and doing something out of our comfort zone because we know it’s the best thing for us and those around us, is an inspiring action. 


As I come to the end of month one, I am proud of the changes I’ve made. I’m excited about the changes I will make, and I hope that everyone else who is on their own journey (whatever it may be) is enjoying theirs as much as I am loving mine!