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As a mother you know you influence (good and not so good) your family but this week I had the joy to see the planet Mars in all its glory at 5.30am running in the dark with two of my family. I think I have motivated them to get up and get physical but perhaps they were just as tired of themselves as I have been of myself.  It was not a pleasant thing to not be able to see the road (I don’t think I will do that again) or to in fact be able to even see your jogging buddies due to the darkness of the hour. However the pleasant experience was to think that by my taking the initiative and starting the training my family then were (shamed?, coxed?) encouraged to get motivated.

The lessons learned this week:

1. Get up and keep going! The jeans are still not fitting! but that is not what you are doing this for…health is my WHY. I actually examined this closely this week. Why am I wanting to run? Just to do a fun run of 10Ks so I can say I did it – Or to loose weight – or to defy the age of 50. Although all of those are ok answers I honestly came to the conclusion I really like the feeling of feeling well, achieving a goal, and knowing I am doing good by my body. Regardless of the other side benefits which are not enough to continue to motivate especially when the bones are aching, and the mornings are miserable.

2. Enjoy the moments! Mars is a once in a lifetime experience. Enjoy it! I loved seeing my grandbaby being dragged out of bed by her mummy with sleep still in her eyes, to see this phenomena. The sunrise on the beach with the incredible lights and colours….can’t find that in a gym. Enjoy the feeling of muscles firming up. Even if the scales tell a different story..

3. Stay the course!  Work the Plan. The training program is great. By following it and be willing to change my technique I am less sore and feeling more positive without loosing motivation. Usually I would run a day or so a week and then get side tracked. This plan gives me room to live and work while keeping me on track.

4. Employ your own masseur! Oh girls I do have a good man. He is great in supporting me but also being practical. He ensures I turn out the light before I leave! Seriously though he did help this week by giving me the best leg, feet, and toe massage. Oh my goodness – let me tell you it certainly made a difference! He also challenged my technique which has helped with the leg pain.

So nearly at the end of this week and I am happy to report – the bones and muscles are doing good, the family is great and Mars is great in the morning!

Health and fitness to you all!  Check out these links to discover the secrets to a better you and yours.

http://digitalebooksunlimited.com/wellness/better-health/

http://digitalebooksunlimited.com/wellness/get-healthy/

http://digitalebooksunlimited.com/self-improvement/betteryou/

“On Monday I start my training.” I told my husband this as I ate the second scone! He has been my inspiration and encouragement over the past two years of working out a fitness regime to loose and keep weight off.  He just smiled when I said it but was pleasantly surprised when on the Tuesday I did my first run.

Hal Higgdons chart gets you to do stretches and strengthening the first day. This I don’t have too much trouble with because I really love yoga and stretching.

DAY 1. 20 mins basic yoga moves and 15 mins of a training program from another source which included leg lifts, part push ups and also some table holds (I call them that) you look like a table and have to hold it. The push ups and pull ups killed let me tell you and the arms wobbled considerably but hey, it helped and I could imagine the shape of those tuckshop mothers arms making way for the nicely toned shaped arms of the woman I once was.

DAY 2. Mind set challenge – do I want to get out of my nice warm bed! Shoes at the ready and I am off. It kills – I do as they suggest. 5 mins walking – 5 mins running.  I try to increase it but it hurts and I am a woos. But I persist.

I remember the story of the man who had severe arthritis and used to run – he couldn’t walk for a day or so after but figured he wouldn’t be walking at all. Use it or Loose it. So I suck it up and despite pain to a knee press on. I run 3miles or 4.8 kil. Preeeetty darn proud of myself.

DAY 3. What a shame! I have to go to Sydney. Mind you I can hardly walk anyway. However, the sitting makes it worse. I determine that tomorrow I will have to go for a run. Why do they call it a fun run?  That muscle in the leg is attached to places unmentionable and all up it hurts! And yet! – there is a secret smell of succulent success in myself in knowing I have achieved something for myself that I haven’t done before. Hmm someone mentions half marathon again on FaceBook. Perhaps -??

Day 4. Down at Coloroy Beach in Sydney. The kookaburras and parrots wake me up early and the clothes are all ready. I set out down to the beach just on sun rise. It is delectable. I have been told that running on the beach counts for double the distance on normal land. This is a real comfort as I struggle to get those darn muscles working again. I work off time as I didn’t want to disturb my roomy rummaging for the pedometer. I take the sand count as gospel and decide the 1 hour run on sand must count for nearly a 2 mile cross country run. Good enough for me at this stage anyway.  But then they spring a run around the beach in the afternoon as part of our leadership training. So another hour running the foreshore. It all counts!

DAY 5.  Slept in and too late to run in the afternoon. Oh well. Can’t give up. Will try again tomorrow.

DAY 6. This is delegated rest day anyway and travelling home didn’t get time to run anywhere.

DAY 7. A run with my man. He is injured so plodded along. I think he was faster than me with two reasonably good legs. However, 30 mins was all we had to do and did much more up hill too…Was not a great time. I felt very woosy and did not seem to have much stamina. However I will persevere.

DAY 8. Wanted to run – I actually felt like it but too many visits to people and church.

Oh well. Week one ends and what have I learned. Just keep running – Just keep running. Every step is worth it. Every finish is a victory. Even if you miss a day get back up and keep going. A plan is paramount. It really helps you to stay focused and literally on track.  Smile…it helps ease the pain!

I learned that wellness and better health cost time and effort!

http://digitalebooksunlimited.com/wellness/better-health

Back again after a long interlude. Today I start my diary of my “jalking experience” – running and jogging for health. Two years ago I was involved in a car accident. My injury was severe whiplash. After a lot of visits to chiro and massage and some good hits of Valium I was good to go – but found something distressing. I couldn’t walk far. A few minutes meant a day or two in bed from pain. So started my bed exercises. Some old stretches learnt from the Readers Digest many years ago called Joe’s Back started to strengthen my back, legs and tummy muscles all while lying in my bed. Pilates, yoga and stepping to music started my exercise regime. It took me quite a few months to strengthen and tone muscles that hadn’t moved that well for a long time. Well then 50 rolled on and I decided two things – I didn’t want to diet ever again and I wanted to run. Close your eyes and imagine yourself running down the beach in slow motion. That’s what I started to see. The beach beckoned and I started to walk each day at a quicker pace and for longer distances…Oh how I hated watching the back of “that” 30+ girl with legs that came up to her neck, jogging off down to the next beach some 10 kilometers away. She looked like a gazelle while I felt like an elephant. Or “Miss Pink” the 20 something who in the middle of winter had a singlet top on and tight butt encased in black shorty things, make up and smelt great. I checked my heavily ladened shadow out and wondered if I would be mistaken for the abominable snowwoman. But I persisted. My first 3 kilometer part jog was a time for celebration. Ecstatic I told my Saudi homestay student my good news. I “jalked ” 3 kilometers today I happily told him. “You Joked?” he said in his new language.  I laughed and said no but I looked like a joke…and so now I “jalk” – jog and walk. I have gained weight since the death of my mum a few months ago but I love one of my books http://www.digitalebooksunlimited.com/diet/weight-loss which has a really common sense approach to weight loss and health. Again I realized I needed to get the shoes back on regardless of excuses. So regardless of weather, pain I was off. Hear is an account over the next few weeks of how I have done it, and how I am progressing. I am passionate about staying healthy to see my grandbabies walk down the aisle and even have their own babies and explore their worlds…can’t do that from a nursing home bed. Come on follow me and lets do health and fitness together. http://www.digitalebooksunlimited.com/diet/weight-loss get the info and lets get started.

How to overcome depression naturally perhaps homeopathy or do I start taking drugs?  That was a question that engulfed me as depression crept up on me with the speed of a freight train. Having suffered from depression – at one time crying for three days straight and unable to get out of bed – I know only too well the black tunnel that engulfs you and threatens to smother every light of hope or feeling of joy that you should expect to enjoy in life.

Would you recognize symptoms though? As a counsellor I “knew” the symptoms but still failed to recognize that I was totally on the brink of clinical depression. As a counsellor I fortunately had the tools to help make a full recovery. These are some of the questions this new ebook asks and answers. A must have for any family – teenagers and children are not exempt and more and more are going the drug therapy route before looking at other solutions.

What is depression?

What are the causes of depression?

Do you know someone or could you be suffering depression and how do you know?

Bipolar Depression and 6 other types of depression and how to recognize them?

Cognitive Therapy as a tool to fight it

Homeopathy and how it works as an alternative to Drug Therapy

How to overcome depression and live a happy, healthy life?

Check out alternatives before taking the drug route.

Battling depression can be like fighting fires! You think you have it conquered and then it springs up again on another front. Australian Bush fires and floods, earthquakes, other natural disasters, victims of violent crimes or accidental death, unemployment, financial hardships from world economproblems, illness – all of these things can produce incredible depression and depressive episodes. How can you deal with depression using alternative methods and could Homeopathy methods work? Depression is an illness that all of us face at sometime or another whether or not it is clinically diagnosed as depression or you have periods of depression as we all do. There is help for you! Personally as a counsellor I have seen many cases of diagnosed and undiagnosed depression and I have seen many “remedies” undertaken to cure people. I am happy to offer a book that is offering an alternative method to the usual pill popping solution offered by the medical profession. As a counsellor I do recognize the need occasionally to bring balance back to your system but it is no easy matter to then separate yourself from the “drug” and its symptoms once you are feeling better. Check out the Homeopathy option!

Christmas is always considered one of the most stress filled times of the year. How do you combat that urge to overspend, overeat and over-party. As I sit in my cold apartment in a small village in an earthquake ravaged region, in China, where people lost nearly everything, I reflect on why we must have so much "stuff". This nation is the world's largest supplier of "stuff". Do you worry how it will all turn out and yet be able to have a wonderful time of celebration with family and friends? This book might offer some solutions for you. Remember friends and family members will remember the laughs and the games with a vague recollection of good food, and even less of expensive gifts. Don't worry about the stuff? Go and roll in the snow or sit with a grandchild watching the snow fall, or maybe like here in Australia, join the family for a game of backyard cricket or football. Happy holiday season to you all.

As a 50 year old woman with three grown daughters and grandmother of three beautiful granddaughters, I recently found  I needed to get well and healthy. Diet, motivation, fitness, health these were all words I didn't like but was familiar with. I had to make some changes to my life and well being. I have always been conscious of not putting on weight as I have a family history of obesity but needless to say as the 40's came and went so did the kilos or pounds. Last year I was told by my doctor, "You're too fat! Loose weight or expect a heart attack." I had not considered myself obese but according to the weight scales for size, age and sex I was obese!! What to do? After listening to many self help books, tapes etc. I discovered I needed to make not only a diet change but a mental change. Diets keep you on a merry-go-round of weight loss and gain. So I decided – I was not going to diet but would change my thinking about health and fitness and in effect change my lifestyle. Anybody out there hear what I am saying about the struggles of weight loss!!

Women Love Life