New Year, new resolution: healthy living and positive thinking in 2009

[eemie]

Welcome to 2009 everyone.

This is where we try to support each other to eat healthily, take better care of ourselves and think positively.

It used to be called a 'bootcamp' but it's really more forgiving than that, especially if you're poorly (as most of us were in December) or you've just had a baby (congratulations Chutneymary).

Everyone is welcome (I would put that in capitals but don't want to shout).

Our suggestions:-

Eat healthily;
Exercise regularly;
Drink plenty of water/other clear fluids;
No alcohol during the week;
Use body lotion/hand cream/extract of donkey testicles regularly (can you tell what I've been watching with dd over Christmas?);
Get enough rest (Ha!);
Focus on three (well, at least one) positive achievements, however small, every day and try to post it/them here.

Have I missed any?

Join us! Or if you're (still) here already, stick with us!

Hello everyone.

I went to bed 10.30 last night....and couldn't sleep! After watching CBB on C4+1, I started to reread IPD, not doing the diet, but find the book useful.

Did 30 minutes on the wii-fit, and 45 minutes on the exercise bike;
Sunscreen - eventually, once I got to work...
No booze;
Lots of water/weak tea. My tea is very weak (two cups a bag weak) and often fruit teas.
Apply body cream at bedtime.
Use hand cream - yy
Eat healthily. fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch, DH cooked me fishfingers for tea (yum) but with plenty of salad, and I had a round of toast for supper, with some more fruit.

It's been a good start today. Work is grim, but I feel good about getting back on track.

Three positives:
Getting back on track;
Positive meeting at school about DS2;
No arguments tonight (admittedly I wasn't at home for very long this evening...)

Now, where's L&S, amongst others, and how was work??

Hello to all old and new bootcampers! I am back in, just rushing through and marking the thread but can I just rewind.....

JJ - your dh gave you 'his annual "Spa Dubiosa" in which he treats me to a hand and foot scrub and a full body massage. Twas lovely. So happiness high.'

Do such men exist in the world ?

I see we have a long way to go in the moonshine household....

mm, thanks for hotpot instructions. I cannot throw things together like that successfully. At best their bizarre and they're usually nearly inedible. sigh. Thankfully I am handy at googling recipes.

ureb, I'm the same with the ipd book. I find it very motivating even though I don't do the diet.

Today was ok - no exercise and food not horrible but not great. Am going to bed now, so that's good. Lotions, tick and water, tick, I think. No alcohol, tick.

My three things:
1 - getting all of ds1's clothes sorted with him
2 - everything laid out for first day back tomorrow
3 - got boys through all the stuff they needed to do without too much fuss

moonshine, yes but he's mine, poor thing.

This is shaping up nicely - lots of motivated people showing up.

Good day back at work for me (tho' felt sad leaving dd and puppy playing in the snow this morning);

Happy wedding anniversary with theatre date (The 39 Steps - v. funny) and no alcohol;

Hand cream and sunscreen yy
but not enough clear fluid - will do better tomorrow.

Just about to have an early night

JJ you are an example to us all: 'Everything laid out for first day back at school' - that'll be me tomorrow, I vow

Great idea about the birthday cards too mammyofET

Aargh. Woke at 1 am sneezing and streaming all over again. Brain hadn't recovered from the last bug and now back at square 1.

In bed all day

No achievements but will slather self in body lotion and sort out school uniform before giving up for the day

Hope others doing better?

• up early, long lovely bath, washed hair, moisturised self to within an inch of my life

• put mascara, benetint and lipbalm on

• v active day, must have burned millions of calories

• 87kg of mashed potato for supper tho

Wow, mm, am very impressed by all of that. The first for different reasons than the last, of course!

eemie, hope you feel better soon! I always find rest helps, too. The theatre date sounds great.

I put "everything laid out for school" as an accomplishment because it's quite rare. I was going to do it tonight but remembered after the boys were in bed so thought there's my excuse then didn't do it because I didn't want to wake them up.

Ticked all boxes except exercise but made plans to restart jogging tomorrow morning after school run.

Three things:
1 - got necessary bits sorted for son's surgery in Feb
2 - made plans to catch up with friends (a necessary but oft overlooked - well, for me it is, for everyone else it's probably obvious - step in getting together)
3 - put on decent makeup for afternoon school run and felt much better for it

Eemie - that's not fair, hope you feel better soon.

muppet - will take me more than a day to rediscover my kitchen's former glory And as for the rest of the house (hangs head in shame emoticon needed)

Hmmm, not a bad day really though this needs to be quick if I'm to do the dishes and make it to bed by 10.30pm.

1. Made ENORMOUS rice pudding in slow cooker, most of it for us but some for surrogate grandparents up the road. Also made quiche and coleslaw for tea (and ate it when it was -6 outside, not the best advert for meal-planning!!)
2. Did the whole morning/back to school thing on my own as DH is out by 6am on Tuesdays and DID NOT SHOUT
3. Sorted out creams for DS's excema

positive things for this year will be:

a) to go to bed at a reasonable time
b) spend more time letter writing. I know emailing is commonplace, but I think it's lovely to get a letter in the post
c) keep a tidy house (a clean one will have to wait til next year )

A warm welcome to the newcomers and returners.

As I have time on my hands between sneezes, will request updates:-

(not in a persecutory way, you understand - just interested)

Merlin, how's your new skin?
Glinda - are you eating well?
Earthymama - hope the burn on your face is better?
Deckmuppet - congratulations on your pregnancy. Are you drinking enough water?
CatMandu - make-up off last night?
Doodle2u - did you ask gorionine?
JJ - done your taxes yet?
mysterymoniker, how was the chickpea soup, and what's benetint?
MammyofET and Saggars, how do you manage gym in lunch hour?
feetheart, well done on healthy meals...still thinking about chocolate?
ureb - hope work less grim. What are the best fruit teas? Am stuck on lemon and ginger.
moonshine - how goes it?
p1umpudding - you're right about letters. I'm starting with postcards and working up.

all the best

.

Hi eemie

trying to drink a large glass with every meal and 1 in between but it isn't easy as I'm not a big drinker plus I wee for England!!

Had a good day today as I cleaned the house as it was a bombsite after Christmas, I cooked a stew last night which everyone seemed to enjoy but I haven't managed to get out for an hour's walk. Will try to aim for 1/2 an hour as is more realistic.

I asked ds 1 (4.9) to get his uniform out (we had practised socks, pants and vest last term) he managed it all so that's his job just before he goes to bed to get the uniform out and put it on the coffee table ready for the morning. Dh and I also laid out the breafast last night and that made things go more smoothly this morning. Tomorrow I have to go for a blood test which I really don't like but it's overdue due to the Christmas hoildays and me having the children.

...and hoping you're a little better with your cold!

Feetheart - I have no excuse as it was a new kitchen last year so cupboards aren't cluttered and everyhting is still gleaming though my 14 month old ds 2 does like to decorate the floor every mealtime

So long as you're thinking about water, Muppetgirl, you're doing fine. No need to drink it if you're not thirsty .

Some of us go for hours at a time without thinking about it and get used to being a bit dehydrated - which is unhealthy. Especially if we have a caffeine habit too .

Dd calling...

Hi all!

Not doing too bad here - have been to the gym today AND walked to school this afternoon for pick up!

Removing make-up and applying night and eye cream religiously - but it's bringing me out in spots [hmmm].

Hey ho tomorrow is another day!

Hi Eemie - thanks for keeping this going btw.

Our gym is in the building in work so I go down straight from the office, change 30 - 40 mins exercise quick shower then eat a sandwich when back at my desk.

My positives for today are:

• I was up and left the house by 7.15 to miss the traffic (DH happily did drop off).
• I have not had any alcohol (big thing for me on a Wed as it's my last day in work for the week and I love a glass of wine)
• I had pre-made chicken soup for dinner in the slow cooker.

I read somewhere that it does you good to appreciate the smaller things in life and I can't tell you how happy I was tonight walking through the door after work to be greeted with the smell of my lovely soup.

*Made soup
*Wrote thank you cards and got stamps
*Phoned Mum
*Booked babysitters for choir rehearsals

...er, that's it. Pleased with the soup though. And Dd ate it (eventually)

merlin, I think that happens sometimes with new skincare routines. You might just have to work through it for the lovely glowing skin. Good luck with the blood test, muppet and coming home to the smell of homemade chicken soup sounds lovely, moet! eemie, hope sneezing is subsiding and tax pin applied for, so getting there sloooowly. p1umpudding, yes, I need to work on a tidy house - I am and therefore my house is always in some sort of chaos. feetheart, I love rice pudding, that sounds wonderful.

Jogged this morning, so yes to exercise and all the rest except getting to bed on time have been done.

Three things are -
jogging
played golf with friend (cheaper than therapy!)
lovely dinner with husband out tonight

Bit of an early start as my brain was whirring so I thought I'd get up and get going.

JJ - I need to do tax return too, planning to do it when DS goes back to pre-school this morning - may explain whirring brain.

eemie - did not succomb to chocolate yesterday inspite of going to supermarket, paper shop and local Fairtrade shop. However DH produced final Christmas chocolate orange in the evening and I had to 'help'

muppetgirl - I find it hard to drink water too, I don't like tea and coffee so just not used to drinking very often. Tried hot water with slice or two of lemon in it yesterday as far too cold to drink cold water. Must have drunk lots as wee'd more than 3 yr old DS!!
Well done to your DS, I'm still working on getting nearly 6 yr old DD to not dump clothes in a heap on the floor! Must try harder.

Mmmm - lots of soup being made. I love soup.

Three things for yesterday were:
Insisted on doing shopping for surrogate grandparents who were thinking about going out to do it - neither in good health and ground treacherous
Drank lots of clear liquid
Cooked DD's favourite salmon for dinner

Poor you Eemie - hope you feel better soon.

THe 'lurgy' is still rife at my workplace and I am trying to avoid it but people with it will insist on virtually dribbling all over me and my desk .

And my baby ds started school on Tuesday, sob. It's only for 3 hours per day this week so am having to get into work super-early as I have to leave early. And please can I get my 2 more moans out of my system. Dh is going to America for a week this weekend, so have to cope with a killer-work week condensed into shorter days and no childcare help to cope with earlier school pick-ups and I have no opportunity to go to the gym (and has been the case this week). And breathe...

3 positive things....

1. Being busy at work, although stressful this week, is still better than being bored witless
2. Have lost 2 of the 6 pounds I managed to 'find'over the holidays.
3. Have not had any alcohol now for 4 days and won't do until Friday night.

Hey and it's already nearly the end of the week.

Happy New Year all you bootcampers

JJ good luck with the tax paperwork and I am impressed with your night before uniform laying out. All too often I find myself sponging down my ds2's trousers 5 minutes before we are due to leave for school.

But no probs with that this week. DS2 has chickenpox but is bearing up well.

I will be back soon, when I have thought of three positive resolutions for me.

Welcome, tigermoth, good to see you, happy New Year .

Sympathy on the baby ds being ripped from your arms starting school, moonshine, esp with dh abandoning you going away.

Was rubbish today. But three positives:-

1. did get to work for a meeting I didn't want to miss;
2. got a fantastic thank-you letter from a colleague, which makes me smile every time I think about it;
3. Remembered to get lamb on way home from good butcher, for guests at w/e.

And a positive negative - didn't pick on dd for not eating her veg. It doesn't make her want to eat veg, it just makes her miserable. At least she's healthy, which is more than I can say for me just now.

Bit of sunshine and birdsong today, things thawing out a bit here

I want to start making soup. I am not a great cook, not helped by the fact that I have a vvvv fussy eater and my husband is (almost randomly, it seems sometimes) doing a low carb thing.

The laying out of uniforms is an occasional thing; it requires me to remember and do it before the boys go to bed unless the uniforms are still in the 'to be put away' pile (sky high) or dirty. Hi tigermoth! Hope your ds2 gets better soon.

three from yesterday:
1 - shopping with a friend, much fun and bought a size medium dress at Jigsaw (medium not usual, but it's fitted where I'm thinner and not so much where I'm not)
2 - made dinner which everyone liked except fussy boy
3 - just an overall good day - know that's not very specific but it was a lovely day so am putting it down

And now I need to rush a little bit (no uniforms out!)

My achievements for today...

1. Sold the house. Completed and confirmed
2. Notified everyone except water and council tax people.
3. That's it really