Saturday, July 14, 2012

How I Turned My Life Around - From Size 16 to 2.

Fall 2007


I am neither a nutritionist nor a personal trainer. If you want to learn how to count calories or how to measure your pulse, this blog is not for you! And most importantly, Consult with your Doctor first regarding any physical activities.


This blog is not about how to lose weight. Rather, it’s about giving you hope to motivate and to inspire you, knowing I turned my life around only by sheer determination. 


August 2008

This is my story...


It was right after a friend’s wedding in August 2009 that I looked at my own picture and became overcome with a feeling of shock. Up to that point, I had not been aware of the drastic changes in my body over the years. I had neglected myself emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Two months prior, I had just ended a 20 year marriage that had left me with more questions than answers about where my life was headed.  Here I was, a single mother of two with a decent job and no other means of support in any form or shape. It was me and only me. I wanted to look good and feel good. I wanted to do something for me and only me.  This wasn’t about society telling me I had to look a certain way. This wasn’t about impressing anyone. This was about me realizing that my health was in danger. I was someone who took pride in eating healthy and keeping fit but for many reasons I had decided to ignore that part of my life style and let go of it. I had taken nutrition courses while in college and I used to read a lot of articles pertaining to health. And here I was with back pain, shortness of breath, and aching muscles.

I don’t like to weigh myself. I even won’t remember the pounds or kilos to tell you. I don’t own a scale! I do remember being size 14-16. I had no money to join the gym nor did I like the idea of joining a gym. I had no money to go on a special diet or those programs that we are bombarded with every day. So, what did I do?

I knew a crash diet was out of the question. I can’t starve myself as years ago I had done it and just made myself sick. I even don’t like the word diet. This time around I told myself I am going to have a different approach. I will be working towards a healthier life style gradually, slowly, steadily, and with patience. I told myself for decades I have neglected myself, therefore, I think I can afford to be patient for an optimal result in a couple of years.  For the most part of my life I was size 10-12. I knew getting from a size 16 to 10 required time. I had to start with simple steps.  I was determined to eliminate the unnecessary stuff in my life and replace them with things that brought joy and health.

I started reading a lot online and soon I figured out all those articles are giving the same messages:

*Do not eat 3 big meals a day; rather eat throughout the day up to 5 to 6 times/day
*Eat almost everything you want in small portions
*Eat healthy (Canada's Food Guide)
*Don’t eat after 7 pm
*Drink plenty of water

 It sounded simple and the only requirement was my willingness to stick with it, be patient, and wanting to do it for me. I was determined to turn my life around and to be healthy. I had started having back pains, muscle aches, all sorts of problems that are associated with being overweight. I wanted to be healthy and fit.

I started paying attention to my daily routine and questioned them as to be necessary or just bad habits that I had gained gradually without paying attention.  I noticed that every morning I stopped by my favourite coffee shop and ordered a large coffee with cream and sugar; and a delicious, buttery fresh muffin.  I decided to go for the muffin every other day at first. I did not want to eliminate everything at once. I started reducing the amount of cream and sugar. Next, I replaced the cream with milk and eventually eliminated the sugar. It was gradual and I did not feel deprived or frustrated to say the hell with it, I’m going back to the way it was. I stopped buying a muffin every day. I had a habit of being hungry before coming to work. I made sure I had a healthy breakfast which for years has not changed, raisin bran cereal with 2% milk. I don’t have a fancy breakfast with all calories counting.  

Lunch time at work was either left over from the night before or rushing across the street to buy something to eat and I ate everything! I decided to buy a bag of bread which I kept in the fridge at work plus a jar of peanut butter. Why peanut butter? It was affordable, easy for lunch, enjoyed eating it, and it was a regular source of protein for me. 



For dinner, I ate anything I wanted to but started reducing my portion. 

But something else needed to be done.....I had to keep Moving....


Summer 2009

I have always enjoyed walking. I had actually come across an article in early 2000 that talked about “Walking it off”. In 2002, I started walking and shed lots of pounds. Based on experience and knowing that I enjoyed walking and it had work in the past for me, I added walking to my daily routine.

*I walked 15 min during my am break. A very fast power walk as strolling yourself has no effect!
*I walked 15 min during my pm break.
* I walked a very fast 20 min lunch walk and had 10 min to gobble down my peanut butter sandwich
*Every time I got back to work, I climbed 4 flights of stairs rather than taking the elevators. Learn how to walk


For a short period of time from Jan 2009 to 2010 I took up Kung Fu and boxing and loved it. I eventually bought a boxing bag to practice on my own in the basement. The bottom line is to find out what you like to do and do it. Not everyone works out in the gym! Not everyone counts their calories morning and night. Be sensible and make it easy for you and the chances are you’ll stick with it. I love boxing and it helps me tremendously to get rid of negative energy and keeps me fit. You can read many benefits of boxing here.


2009 - 2010


But what else did I do? I love dancing. I danced. Every opportunity I had, I’d play music at home and just danced away. The combination of dancing, walking and healthy eating was working faster than I expected. Again, since I don’t weigh myself, I did not realize I was shrinking till I had to use a safety pin to hold my pants up. At that point I was probably a size 8 or 10.  

Xmas 2009 

Once people started realizing my shrinkage they started asking what I was doing. I told them I’m eating healthy and I’m walking it off! When I finally decided to buy new pairs of pants as all my clothes looked ridiculously too big, I picked up two pairs of pants size 8 and headed to the fitting room.  To my surprise they were too big! I double checked the size and couldn’t understand it. The fitting room attendant said “Oh honey, I’ll bring you size 4!” I was like what? I was size four!!! In the fitting room I held my own face looking at my own body and could not believe I had gone beyond what I had intended. It was exhilarating to know I had reached my goal, and I did it without diet, or gym. That has been of one my top accomplishment in my life so far.
  
Fall 2010



I was very good in track and field throughout school years. I started reading more about my favourite athletes. I was finding my way back doing things I enjoyed, cared about and was passionate about. It was motivating to read about their accomplishments and just get excited to see their accomplishments, breaking records, and reaching their goals. I have been a huge fan of the athletics as long as I can remember.I became more motivated I started adding running gradually to my routine. 


2011



I couldn’t run far, but I felt great even for that 5 minutes. I was free. The minutes were getting longer and longer. I ran my first 5K in 30 minutes. I’m planning to do more runs and have set goals for myself.

Summer 2012

I continued steadily to a size 2, but have been sitting at a stable size 4 for 1 year now.  I try to fit walking into my daily routine. The longest walk I’ve done has been 18 Km. I can complete 4.2 Km walk in 25 to 30 minutes.  I am aiming to do bigger walks and sporting events.

I hope this blog has been able to give you hope and understanding that we are able to stay healthy and fit by doing little steps. Those little steps eventually lead you to where you want to be. 


If you have loads of money to throw a personal trainer and a dietician, go for it. If you don’t have the financial means, know that you can do it with persistence and stamina. Find out what activity you enjoy and do it. The only advice I can give you is to keep moving, eat healthy, don’t deprive yourself and most importantly do things that make you happy.






...start moving


This article was posted on Facebook today: The Ultimate Guide to Fat Loss! 

Monday, July 2, 2012

Beauties in the World


I read the email invitation from the fundraising committee for Friday night, April 27, 2012. I scanned the email very quickly and these words stood out:  “Wine”, “Art”, “Craft” and “fun”. I told myself, “This is going to be fun. I’ll get to know new people and have fun.”  On the night of the “Wind and Art” party, I had a hard time deciding what to wear! After all, it was a Wine and Art Party! I was excited. When I got there, Angie, the lady of the house greeted me with open arms. I saw some of the guests in the kitchen and soon was informed that everybody was in the basement and has already started working. As I headed downstairs I realized this was not a fancy art and wine show with women walking in their expensive gowns holding their wine glasses and critiquing art!! I saw a very organized basement full of arts and crafts stuff. I saw a table with people busy at work. We got to work. Some already were painting chimineas. We were all assigned different tasks.


As the evening progressed, I was thinking quietly about these people sitting around the table on a Friday night and volunteering their time for a great cause. They were part of the fundraising committee who have been actively meeting regularly every week and for months had put their skills, abilities and connections to work to solicit donations in the community towards “WINE, DINE, & SHOWTIME” which is Sexual Assault Centre London’s yearly fundraising event.  They had volunteered their time walking door to door, asking for donations. And here they were painting, cutting, knotting, and labelling. They could be anywhere to have fun but they chose to be there to complete the task and they were doing it while having fun. 


The basement was filled with laughter, jokes, personal stories, and just pure joy. 


I truly felt honoured to be in their company. I shared some of my personal stories and how I miss my family. And a few of them together said “We are your family now”. I had teary eyes and felt so much love and affection from these people that up to that night I only had seen their names in my emails or briefly had met. I was indeed fortunate to have met everyone that night.


 I shared with them my dilemma of choosing the right outfit that night and they all started laughing. It was pretty funny, come to think of it! Soon they started teasing me about that. We shared food and more personal stories. It was a beautiful night and we got lots done while having fun. I carry my camera everywhere with me and as I was taking their pictures I knew I had to do something to recognize their work. These women don’t expect to get anything in return. They are volunteers. But I just wanted to do something for them as they deserved to get recognition for their hard work. Without them there would be no “WINE, DINE & SHOW TIME” event!

The next day, some of us met again in the afternoon to show support for the Derby girls who were raising funds for Sexual Assault Centre London (SACL). The first thing they said when they saw me was “Did you know what to wear today? We were there from 5:30 to sometime after 9:00 pm then headed out to apk live  to celebrate with the Roller Derby girls. It was another wonderful day spent with beautiful people.

 Next Friday night I was there again. The night was filled with fun, food, laughter and I was grateful that Angie had opened up her heart and her home to us, being such a gracious wonderful hostess as well as volunteering her time.

 


The event took place on May 25, 2012. Everyone was assigned a position. Here there were again but not just as guests sitting down and enjoying themselves, but rather hard at work trying to keep everything together. They did work super hard that night and I noticed how they faced challenges that came their way with grace, kindness, and professionalism. I saw them also having fun. I also witnessed moments of triumph and sense of pride when they hugged or high-fived each other. I saw eyes making connections, smiling, nodding, and expressing relief that all their hard work paid off. I have never seen a better group than SACL’s fundraising team. What they did was the impossible. They not only made it possible, they did it with sincere love and passion that is very hard and rare to find anywhere else.   


I made a video for our volunteers to capture the importance of their work, the priceless value that they bring to SACL and to give them recognition. I would have loved to see them being recognized at the gala but the program was already full. They did get recognition at the gala when they played the video. I was so proud of them and it made me really happy to watch and hear the reaction of all the guests when they watched the video.



I also met someone else that night.  He was another volunteer who was in charge of audio/visual for our event. When I met him, he was sitting on the floor preparing balloons with the rest of the team. 



It was very easy to get along with him. He was calm, reserved, and very smart! I have to thank him here and acknowledging that without him I would not have been able to do my part! I don’t wear a watch. As stage manager you have to know what time it is to be able to follow the program. So, I was at his side constantly asking what time it was. And soon I guess he figured why I was there and started pointing to the program and the time showing where we were. I am ever grateful for my time keeper! You rocked that night and thank you!
 

The group has met two times after the event to discuss feedback, results, and most importantly, to celebrate their success and to validate the importance of the work they do. 






Last time we were together, we shared that it wasn’t just about fundraising and donations. It was about a group of people developing such strong bond and relationship that we can call ourselves “family”.  People who worked in that group were sincere and the love was portrayed through their hard work and the success they brought to the event.  Fundraising is not an easy task. 



I personally have never been involved with fundraising. But witnessing how much work and time it requires and the amount of energy spent, I salute these volunteers and am very proud to have been part of their work for a couple of hours. I would love to and be more than happy to participate and volunteer my time with any projects or any other volunteer work that each of them may have. I would not hesitate to give them my time as they gave their time to SACL. Life goes on, people move on, but I will never forget the love you gave me and how warmly you received me. Rest assured that what you’ll get back from me is pure love, affection, gratitude and sense of humbleness. I sincerely love all of you and will keep you in my heart wherever life takes me. Gratitude. 




Special Thank you to Sue and Linda for their great leadership and motivating the team. You are amazing and you did a wonderful job with your "Dream Team"!


You are the beauty in the world!




 The only regret that I have is not remembering to have a group photo of all of you on the night of the gala!!!

An Evening with Yanni


The year was 1994 and Yanni was pretty much everywhere. I got to know him through Yanni Live at the Acropolis.

 

Who is Yanni? He is a Greek composer, pianist, and keyboardist. His genre of music is labelled as contemporary classical or contemporary instrumental and new age. But Yanni himself does not like the idea of assigning labels to his music. He told his audience at the JLC that the music he composes is about lessons learned throughout his life.  You probably have heard Yanni’s compositions during televised Olympic Games and other sports events.

As someone who listens to all kinds of music from around the world, this was a great night to appreciate other cultures and world music. Yanni has travelled around the world extensively and in between his performance he shared small stories with his audience and that was a great way to know him better as person and not just a musician. The audience applauded him when he said “One World, One People”. His concert leaves the audience with that experience of multicultural music from around the world having experienced a taste of Greek, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Oriental, and add to the pile classical and rock! His concert offers something for everyone.

I believe an important piece for me is the romanticism of his music which gives it that intense and emotional feeling closing my eyes and believing there is nothing in the world but the beautiful music I'm hearing.
  

Yanni’s concert is unique in a way that he gives the spotlight to each of his band members for an opportunity to shine while playing their solos. Without his band we would not be able to experience the world music at its best. They were talented musicians in their own ways. I was impressed and enjoyed each individual performance.  






The solo drum act by Charlie Adam was outstanding. His performance was phenomenal, leaving the audience wanting more.

Alexander Zhiroff’s Cello performance was magical. I was glad to have been there listening to the heavenly pieces being played by him.


And Yanni’s vocalists Lauren Jelencovich’s performance of Nightingale was “stunning”!

Photo by: Matthew Levin / source: Lauren Jelencovich Facebook

I have been to many concerts and each artist, band or group brings their own unique quality, characteristic and music. Yes, I have been to Muse’s concerts and you can’t compare their light effects with Yanni’s. But as an open minded person, I take into consideration that Yanni is not trying to be like other super popular bands. And I appreciate the fact that Yanni has remained true to his music and the way he delivers his music to the audience. As a regular concert goer and someone who respects and cherishes music from around the world, I wouldn’t want to see Yanni becoming a copy of other artists. It is fair to say if you know yourself and you know that you do not like certain kind of music, then it is best to not go to those concerts. Then you don’t have to write or critique them negatively.  

Despite his phenomenal success performing around the world and having more than 35 platinum and gold albums under his belt, I believe Yanni’s music is well-received and known more around the world than here in North America. The audience at the JLC, which included lots of Greek supporters of Yanni participated well by dancing, singing, whistling, applauding, and standing ovations. There was lots of “I LOVE YOU YANNI” being shouted too. Overall, a great night to enjoy his beautiful music and I’m really fortunate to have been able to go and had a lovely experience.













I would like to take this opportunity to thank John Labatt Centre (JLC) for reaching out to the community and donating tickets to non-profit organizations. It is a wonderful way to spread and share goodness.