My first grey hairs!!

Hello little blog,

So, today I went to Aquafit (will write all about that in my next post!) and I had just stopped quickly to dry my hair before I went out in the cold. I was brushing my hair, just about to pop 20p into the machine to get the hairdryer working, when I happened to glance in the mirror on the wall, and there they were! Two bright, silvery-grey hairs on either side of my parting!

Now for some of you out there, this would be cause for alarm and a flying visit to the nearest supermarket to grab a bottle of hair dye quick! Or booking the first available slot at your favourite hairdressers, to get rid of any traces of those pesky grey hairs!

Well, I'm weird I guess, because instead of the shock and horror of finding those little grey hairs, I just started to smile!

You see, I don't see them as a sign of old-age in a bad way at all. I see them as a kind of badge of honour! That I have finally reached an age where my hair is starting to show signs that I'm not a spring chicken anymore, and I love it!!

When I was a teacher, (over 8 years ago now!) my one dream was to grow 'up' to be an old teacher with round glasses perched on the end of my nose, and long, silvery hair tied up in a tight bun! My aim was to be one of those slightly 'batty' old people, who when they enter the room, people are ever quite sure what they're going to do next! It would have been so much fun!😂

image source here

Alas, my teaching days are far behind me now. So my original aim has been tweaked to leave out the 'teacher' bit and replaced with me sitting with my grandkids (I can dream!) and my Little Man and Little Miss (though obviously all grown up by then) wondering what their batty, old mum is going to get up to next!

I have absolutely no intention of 'growing old gracefully!' I fully intend to be as mischievious as possible! 😉 I'm not going to worry about the 'should I' or 'could I' but will make the most of every day; living life to the max! Then, when my time is up, I'm going to look back on my life and think 'wahoo! What a ride!' instead of a just seeing a list of the things I didn't do, or should have done!

Those little grey hairs just gave me the reminder that it's never too late to 'tweak' my life goals. Plus how lucky I am to have reached this age, where grey hairs are starting to show, when others have not been so fortunate!

So, I am going to wear my silvery- grey hairs with pride! They are my visual reminder of how lucky I am to be this old! How life is for living, and now is as good a time as any to say 'yes' to scary things, or make changes before the regret kicks in!
Thank you little grey hairs, you certainly cheered me up! 😂😂😂

I don't have a broken elbow!!

Soooo happy right now!

I ended up having a little trip to minor injuries yesterday, as I managed to wallop my bad elbow on the sideboard and due t the amount of pain I was in, I feared the worst!

When I got to see the nurse for my assessment, she had a look back over my records to see the x-ray I had before Christmas and told me that I didn't have a fracture at all!

Apparently all x-rays get checked over by a specialist and even though bother the lady who did my x-ray and the nurse I saw in minor injuries had flagged me as having a broken arm, the specialist decided that I didn't!

Ecstatic doesn't come close to how happy I felt - I had a celebratory hot chocolate and marshmallows with the kids at bedtime 😄

The only thing is, that I have spent the last 3 weeks being overly careful as thought I had a fractured elbow. Wish someone could have told me the good news back then. 😕

My right arm is still sore, but I'll take injured soft tissue over a fractured elbow any time!!

Trying to Get Fitter Challenge!

Hello lovely little blog!

I'm aiming to try and write an entry a week, then I won't feel guilty for being neglectful like I did with my old blog 😉

Well, Little Miss turned 5 on Saturday! (don't know where that time has gone!?!) she had a lovely little birthday party at our local pottery painting place, with some of her friends and family.
We've enjoyed loads of party food and an amazing cake (from Costco!) so now the fun is over, time for me to get down to the serious business - my 'Get Fitter Challenge'

It's safe to say that although I'm not the heaviest I've ever been, I'm definitely not happy with my current weight! I have too many wobbly bits too (sorry if TMI 😉 ) and so have decided that there's no time like the present to start making changes!

After getting diagnosed with gallstones and a fatty liver last year, we made some changes in our diet as a family - swapped to brown pasta and rice. My mum and I eat mainly brown /rye / multi-seed bread now, or rice crackers. Mum and I have swapped the big bars of chocolate that we would share every night for single small bars (like Freddo's!) Some nights, I don't even bother with them at all!
Those steps have all helped, but not enough!

So, to give me a good 'kick start' on my journey to becoming a 'fitter, healthier me' I have decided to do a 14 day shake challenge! (started yesterday - Sunday 7th January)


For the next 14 days, I am going to try to;
- have a shake for breakfast and another for lunch
- try and have only healthy snack if I need them (carrots, celery, special 'protein bars' that should help fill me up and fruit)
- try and go for a 30 minute walk every day (rain or shine!!)
- eat a healthy dinner with the rest of the family every night
- swap my latte coffees with 2 sugars for a cup of hot lemon and a spoonful of honey

I already had a very 'naughty' moment last night, where having been good all day, I gave into my urges and had a piece of Little Misses birthday cake and some cookies! Felt very bad, but I think if I'm going to make it through the next 14 days, I'm going to have to practise showing myself a little kindness! If I slip up, then I'll try again the next day!

I did manage to stomp up to our local lakes and back before dinner last night, so that was something 😊 took me about 40mins to do the 2.2 miles in total, as with one arm still in a sling, my balance is surprisingly off! I couldn't walk straight, or swing both arms to help me keep going!
I also learnt that the best way to keep my headphones in was to turn them upside down and have the wires trailing down behind my ears! (I learn something everyday!)

I'd love to hear from any of you about your new years challenges!
Or have any of you got any tips on how to keep hunger at bay, when trying these shake / other weight management challenges?? I need all the help I can get! 😉😊

Hugs xxx