WEEKLY HEALTHY LIVING CHECK-IN AUGUST 3rd, 2019

**This past week was another incredibly fast week!...... I started off this past week welcoming my 8 YEARS being a Licensed ZUMBA Instructor on Sunday!....Its hard to imagine that I've been instructing this long (I actually took off a year+ for personal reasons) But, I never stopped paying for my license during that time~..... Going from a very athletic Child, to a competitive teen, then to a Very Sedentary Adult after having my son,......Finding Zumba, has surely been quite the ride, and a "Wake-up" to get myself in gear to leading a MUCH healthier lifestyle for myself~ I'm surely not perfect, but Finding "something that I LOVED to do that NEVER seemed like a workout" is what gave me the tools to stay on this journey especially when I saw the results that I wanted by staying "consistant"~ Zumba was my "gate-way" to finding other activities that I did actually enjoy as well (Like Bootcamp)... and trust me I hadn't run since I was in Junior highschool...so "learning" to run all over again 20 years later, and being pushed to do it, because I found the results in it, kept me going~.......

**This past week was back and forth with the weather (had some rain a few mornings and evenings, BUT... it didn't keep me from getting in my set activity each day.~....

**So far I've been doing really great at staying on track this summer... its usually this time of year, where I do start to have some issues, because of birthdays, anniversary etc... and then holiday after holiday with a "birthday" in between there~... On Sunday is my Step-dads birthday, (and my Dogs birthday is Monday) "yes we celebrate him too"!... Since my son has to work the weekend, we will have a little double-party for both on Monday~ Already I have thoughts about how I will stay on track~ With my son around, we can't have a party "WITHOUT" having "Pizza" ~ Luckily, I teach TWO Zumba classes that day before the party that evening~ But I have every intention of trying to "both" enjoy, as well as do my best to not back-slide on any progress that I've made this summer~

**Saturday is my FREE day, (No tracking anything).. Just allowing myself to enjoy the day without having to "think" too much~ My friend is teaching a 'New" Zumba class and there is also the Bi-monthly Pound class... I had planned to do "just" POUND, but.. with my friend teaching her class, I will probably end up doing 'Both" since I haven't been to Pound at all in July~ So....it will be busy morning with various errands to run afterwards!

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND~

Hello.

This week was a little worse than the last one. I argued with my boyfriend a couple of times, over my mental health. He's tired of seeing me like that, not doing anything of my life and never at peace. Several times throughout the week I started dissociating (at least I think it's dissociation) and it's really hard to think or do anything when I'm like that, people start noticing and I'm too out of it to come out with an explanation to why I am staring at the void not moving, barely talking or reacting, not able to complete the simplest tasks, like walking from one side of the room to another, I have to follow someone who walks ahead of me or to grab their arm, I can't find solutions for the simplest issues, for example I'd like to buy chocolate but there's nothing written about allergens on the package, what do I do? Nothing. Stare at the void with the package in my hands until my boyfriend noticed that I wasn't following him anymore, came looking for me and solved the issue. I can be in this confusion state for hours sometimes, I also have feelings of dread, sadness, anxiety, worthlessness that come with this state of mind, and the strangest things happen, like I don't feel connected to my body, I don't recognize the looks of it as mine, especially some parts, this happens also with my face, also I see distorted shapes, or colors where there are none... I've also started having memory issues with this thing going on. Last week, for 2 days in a row I couldn't remember for the life of me anything that I had done prior to that day. Void. All gone. I've had people help me reconnect and remember, but I really struggled. After 2 days I started remembering on my own everything as normal, the things I had done, when, where, who was with me and all.

My therapist finally pointed me towards a psychiatrist. It's public health and I have to wait until the end of September, hoping to find someone experienced and skilled, but my doctor said they're all young, so... Wonderful.

In themmeanwhile, I know people with DID and I'm feeling very bad for comparing my situation to theirs even at the slightest, so I'm not really going ahead with this "parts of me" thing. I feel so disrespectful.

I'm still drawing a lot. My brother and I started mastering for dungeons and dragons pretty much out of nowhere. He played 4 sessions as a player, then their master abandoned the team and my brother took his place. I came in to help him with the ideas. He's obviously inexperienced, but he likes mastering a lot and I think he's a wonderful master! He draws too, and he makes all the maps and some characters sketches. I make sketches too, we added a lot of graphics to our story, which has a complex plot, by the way, and is filled with lots of little optional quests, minigames and interesting events. Our players team is so spoiled lol. I've always loved to organize activities for others, from when I was a child, and this d&d thing is making me crazy excited.

Mermaid tail project is still there. I think I'll first learn to swim in a monofin without the tail, and see how it goes. Then I'll build the tail around it when I'll have learned to safely swim with the monofin

This is our "FIRST" check-in for the Month of AUGUST~.. What are you looking forward to this month? Loving my body even more after changing it!! Probably have to buy new clothes as well.

**What goals are you looking to set (or Maintain) for yourself in this month ahead?! Being the happiest and positive I have ever been. Spending more time with my gf and my girl tribe.

**Just for Fun.....What's your favorite thing to do in the Summer, or your favorite activity? Lake, Volleyball, Beach, Hiking, Going out Dancing.

**What have been your "Highlights" Or "Struggles" over this past week? What are your weekend Plans?! Trying to gain weight without feeling tired the next day is a struggle. So I am trying to do it in the most healthy and efficent way. Highlight is hanging out with my new friend

Another busy week, but pretty much staying on track. Time is still going too fast, but I am enjoying the weather. Swimming is my favorite pastime this time of year. Still on track with goals. Seems to be easier making goals as the summer moves onto fall. Hopefully not too fast. At least I am on a good routine for exercise going into August. One more family reunion to watch what I eat, then should be clear until September. Enjoy your weekend.

**Hey there All~..Welcome to August! How has your past week been?! Pretty good - spent time with my boyfriend and invited my friend to come on holiday with us

**This is our "FIRST" check-in for the Month of AUGUST~.. What are you looking forward to this month? The holiday's, spending time with my boyfriend and going further with him, holiday next week

**What goals are you looking to set (or Maintain) for yourself in this month ahead?! Keep dating my boyfriend, become more confident

**Just for Fun.....What's your favorite thing to do in the Summer, or your favorite activity? Sleep!

**What have been your "Highlights" Or "Struggles" over this past week? What are your weekend Plans?!

Highlights - Holiday, seeing my boyfriend, seeing friends, inviting my friend on holiday

Struggles - Argument with my mum, boyfriend going on holiday, menstrual cramps

Weekend plans - Pack for holiday!

@ PoliteOcean This past week has gone by really fast. My laptop broke down for two days, but it could have been much worse as far as the cost and inconvenience is concerned. I got it fixed much quicker then expected, so I'm pretty happy about that. I have no friends in real life, all my friends are on the internet because of my disability. I am much more dependent on my laptop than other people. I used to have a lot of friends but they gave up on me a long time ago. I should be released from the hospital in 3 days after spending 16 weeks here for kidney failure. My favorite thing to do in the summer time is to log in to 7 cups. I want to get going with getting treatment for my shoulder injury within a week of moving into my new place. It's my shoulders that have been my biggest problem over the past several years. The shoulder is the most complex joint in the body, so has the most potential to cause distress. Right now I'm studying the poetry of Ezra Pound.

My week beginning August was very good and productive! I had grocery money again, so I bought lots of healthy food to eat!
I'm looking forward to being more proactively healthy! My life got a bit uprooted financially and health wise last month, so this month I'm getting back on track with things! I had a good weekend of rest and now I'm prepared to get back at it!

My goal this month is to EXERCISE! and to EAT WELL! I'm gonna track my calories and (hopefully) go outside this week for some physical activity! I really wanna lose weight!

My favorite summertime activity is going out on the town at night. Usually shops are open later, so lights are up and you can smell food in the air, and it's warm enough to be out after hours!

**Hey there All~..Welcome to August! How has your past week been?!

My week has been stressful. It's my senior year and I'm involved in many things and I have several commitments. This brings up this point: make sure you are able to balance your activities carefully! Learn to self-care! Other than that, I'm happy to see my friends and I am very pleased with the way my schedule worked out! I love my classes and teachers!

**This is our "FIRST" check-in for the Month of AUGUST~.. What are you looking forward to this month?

I'm looking forward to meeting new people and doing the things I love! Life is much more interesting when you pursue your hobbies! I'm looking forward to finishing this book of poetry that I'm trying to write and hopefully publish it on Amazon.

**What goals are you looking to set (or Maintain) for yourself in this month ahead?!

My goal is definitely to exercise more and eat better. I found this home workout calendar online and I'll try my best to follow it diligently. I also need to add more vegetables in my diet. Another goal is to plan my college applications efficiently. I'm apply to several schools and each school has varying materials and I must be organized.

**Just for Fun.....What's your favorite thing to do in the Summer, or your favorite activity?

I used to be so afraid of swimming, but suddenly out of the blues, I love swimming! I've mastered the back float and now I'm working on the backstroke.

**What have been your "Highlights" Or "Struggles" over this past week? What are your weekend Plans?!

As I said previously, my struggles include starting school. I'm also struggling with the fact that I'm in 12th grade and in one year I have to pay my rent and my food! Yikes. My weekend plans this week is honestly just trying to relax and get some sleep. If I have time, I'll go look for a part-time job.

**What would "YOU" like to talk about or share with us?! WE want to hear from "YOU"!!

The new group I have been exercising with has been going well. Had a bit of a laugh when I expressed interest in a kicking boxing class and I was texted later as the instructor really recommended against it - it's a contact class, not anything like the cardio kickboxing style I've tried out before. She must have had a bit of a moment like what is Affy thinking saying she's interested in that?!

I do find it surprising just how different the classes are in how they feel. Many of the exercises are similar to what I have done. The classes are shorter though, and the working periods are longer. I often feel like I'm not really working as hard (there are no weights). I don't get as sweaty and sometimes I feel like I'm slacking kinda, although I can't really be pushing myself more. Fitbit shows my heart rate is higher consistently, which makes sense on the class. Some classes I have not fallen below the cardio zone the entire class, and I do tend to hit peak more frequently and a bit longer. Not that I really care about the zones as I have zip for information about what I need to be doing heart rate wise, but it is interesting to compare. So what I did before was a bit more interval training, at least in terms of my heart rate. No clue which is actually better for me.

I do dislike the 'out of shape' feeling I get in terms of how fatigued I feel working for the longer periods. The atmosphere of the classes makes it easier to stay positive despite that feeling though. I'm not experiencing any major DOMs issues, just generalized stiffness afterwards. I was a bit concerned and took it really easy the first class as there is a fair bit of repeatition, ie. legs legs legs, arms arms arms instead of alternating. So far though I haven't noticed this to be more problematic health-wise so will continue.

My best guess is this is going to do more to improve my endurance compared to before. I don't want to lose my strength gains though, which is a concern with this style. I'm wondering if finding something more strength based is needed and I switch between both. The problem is the way the passes work though, I would have to do ~4-6 weeks of the endurance aspect at once. No indoor location yet either, but I know that's being worked on.

I want to get some gardening pictures up! I took a picture of my stevia plant just for you I need to find a better site to upload and then transfer here though. Last few days the mosquitoes have totally taken over. I spent time out yesterday and got chewed up plus affected my breathing with bug spray - used a ton. It rained last night, so hubby will go out and deal with the few pots that still need water for me today.