Alaska IS "God's Country"!

Whether you believe in God or not, which I do, you can gaze at the natural beauty of Alaska and question the existence of a higher being. Simply put, humankind would never be able to create such wonder!

Hello poppits! I am back and still on Alaskan time, which is why I'm typing with such feverish energy at 10:34 pm!

Well, it was an AMAZING trip. I joined the other 4 travelers in Vancouver where we hung out for a day, meeting up with old friends (The Hamades). The weather was awesome and so was the company. John, Lorry, Sandra and Joanne were in great spirits, having had 4 days of fab weather and good sight seeing. They all love Vancouver...what's not to love?!?

We boarded the cruise ship Wednesday afternoon and just hung out until we left port. I got my first experience with the voluminous food that was to taunt me for the rest of the week...oie! For those of you who have never been on a cruise, lemme paint a little picture....

- imagine sections of hot food ... everywhere ... all the time ...
- imagine the food sections with various countries of origin...like Mexican...Chinese...Greek...dessert....
- imagine every kind of food you want ... then imagine a never-ending supply of said food...
- imagine this food representing all of the essential food groups...like dairy...and protein...and fruit..and dessert...

So, I indulged a little bit...ok, that is a bare-faced LIE! I indulged ALOT. Even though after every meal I said the same thing..."OMG! I can't believe I ate so much!" and rolled back to my cabin. While it was, indeed, a glorious pig trough the entire time, I did manage to get four workouts for the duration. Well, actually three really hard workouts (like sweating and hating the machine workout) and one walk around the ship workout. I stepped on the scale today (it took me two days to work up the courage) and found I was up only 2 lbs. from my last weigh in. That's miraculous, to be truthful, so I'm waiting until my "official" weigh in tomorrow. We'll see where that goes!

Before I left, I did a self-directed, (insert expletive here) sled pull and saw Roland and Werner. Roland forewarned me of the "evil buffets", but I pish-poshed at him and touted my self control. Who was I trying to kid?!? So confidant was I in my ability to resist the evil buffets, that I committed to The Evil One that I would be down 5 lbs. by the time I returned. Seriously...am I brain dead?!? What was I thinking?!? So, basically, I have ... um ... two days now ... to purge myself of 7 lbs. Any suggestions on how to do that, without causing myself to go into shock or murder mode?!? Sigh....I can only imagine the next step....

I'm looking forward to this month, though. I have my third and final week of the Adler course work this month and my practicum starts. Yeah! I'm a little nervous about getting clients for the practicum, so if anyone's interested in career coaching, executive coaching, management coaching or life coaching, give me a call! My rate is real cheap. so get me early!!!

OK...end of shameless plug...

Well poppits, although I enjoyed my trip I must admit that it's good to be home. Believe it or not, I enjoyed my last 2 days of non-gourging. It was nice not to want to visit a vomitorium after every meal!

I hope you are all well. Thanx for sticking with me!

BTW, if you want to see pics of my Alaska trip, feel free to go on to Facebook and check 'em out.
Cheers!
(a)yt xox

He's baaaaack!!

Well, the universe is right again. The heat alert in Toronto is gone...as is the smog alert. And Werner is back to being his Holy Crankiness. Oh sure, he's all kind & compassionate and everything, but he's back to riding my ass...bless his wee little heart.

It's been a very busy 5 days, poppits, so I'll only give you the highlights....

I'm typing quickly because I'm waiting for the cab that will take me to the airport for the beginning of my Alaskan cruise. Yippee!! I've had a little drama in anticipation for the trip...like for two days I thought I'd lost my passport. Needless to say there was alot of angst, tears and profanity. Thankfully, I found it and I am good to go. Also, had a few moments while packing, but I managed to cram (& I mean, "CRAM") my clothes into the smaller suitcase. Most things are dispensable which means I will have room for souvenirs. For the record, I feel that I may be taking this whole "purging" things a little too seriously. I mean, dispensable jeans?!?

I scratched some more things off my imaginary "to do" list, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. My home is in reasonable order now, including my schwanky, new sofabed in my spare bedroom. I just have a few, little piles of stuff to shred and deal with so coming home will be really nice!

So, at the expense of my Journey to Good Health, most other things are in order. It's true that I've been focused in some areas of this journey (like I'm still exercising regularly), other parts are pretty friggin' lame....like my eating habits. So, The Evil One can sense this...or perhaps it was the smell of the M&M I ate....whatever. Anyway, yesterday he made me get on that damn scale again and said my weight out loud, which he knows I hate...bastard! OK, so he whispered it, but still he said it! So, he made me make a commitment. While I tried "I'll exercise as often as I can" and "I'll only take little niblets of everything", he didn't buy it. So, I committed myself to being down 5 lbs. by the time I weigh in with him in 2 weeks. What was I thinking?!? How will this impact me?!? I had to sacrifice real clothes so that work out clothes could make the cut. In addition, I will have to forgo the midnight buffet and, most likely the dessert buffet. Oie! I keep telling myself "it's only food", but it hasn't quite registered yet. I've been debating about telling the people I'm traveling with. Most of them will be sympathetic to me, but sister Lorry will be merciless. She's got this whole "honesty & accountability" thing...yeesh! All she has to do is ask "would Werner be ok if he saw you eating that?" and I'm toast...sigh....I guess I'm gonna have to tell them. I'm thinkin' that telling them and being policed is lesser pain than having to face The Evil One if I haven't lost any weight.

Well, it's time to pack up the laptop and get ready for the cab. It's not likely that I'll be typin' at 'cha until after the cruise so have a good few weeks my friends!!
(a) yt xox

SURPRISE!!!

I know, it's only 2 days since my last entry...I know, it's shocking isn't it?!? Well, I'm feeling a little better so I thought I'd write about it.

First of all, my ass hurts...which is a good thing! It means that The Evil One is back to being his 'ole "not-feeling-sorry-for-you-and-you're-gonna-work-'til-ya-die" self again! Yippee!!

Yesterday, the first thing he did was pull out the "contract" I signed and asked "How many times have you been in to work out on your own in the last two weeks, Yvonne?" He knew...and I knew he knew....but he made me say it anyway...which was just once. That's when he flipped to the back of my folder and pointed to the page I signed committing myself to working out at LPS 2x/week in addition to my guided workout. DOH! Even though I told him I was still working out at home, he didn't care. His response..."it's all about the accountability, Yvonne." The evil, beautiful bastard I've come to love and hate is back...I'm so happy! And boy oh boy, did he work me yesterday..oie! I did many lunges, squats and bench presses. At one point, he made me do squats and I asked him why I had to do them. I mean, I had just done lunges, what's the dealio? Apparently, he was concerned about my "form". I'm guessing it was because I was bobbin' & weavin' like I'd had a few too many as I was doing the lunges. He was squatting beside me watching & counting & at one point I was close to toppling over right onto him. I mean, what's he doing squatting that close to me anyway? Yeesh!

ANYWAY, it turns out my "squat form" leaves much to be desired. Yes people, it's possible to suck at squats! According to Werner, I need to "open up my hips", whatever that means. Quite frankly, given the spread of my hips I would've thought they were plenty open. Soooo, I'm off to do my own self-directed work out tomorrow and dammit it if I'm not watching what I eat now. I'm sure Evil One's next move will be to make me stand on that friggin' scale again...sigh...

I met with my coaching buddies Monday night. Can I just say how wonderful it was to see them all again? We had some GREAT discussion around the moral/ethical side of coaching, which was our group assignment. It was so good to hear the diverse opinions. They really are a great group of people - smart, caring, compassionate and pretty darn fun! I'm diggin' this stuff.

I've been able to check off some things from my "to do" list. For those of you who know me, the fact that I even have a "to do" list is quite an accomplishment! I'm feeling quite motivated and am getting lots of ymt Strategies opportunities going, in addition to putting plans into place for the community event for ACP International. It's all so good!

Yesterday, I met with an old acquaintance from CIBC. Her name is Katy and she went through the Royal Roads Executive Coaching program. We met to compare the two programs, but got to talking about how we can help each other out. Having been in Learning & Development at CIBC for over 10 years, Katy is certified to do so many amazing programs...and she likes facilitating courses. So, we were talking about how we can help each other out and increase our business opportunities. Once again, I'm really psyched about the possibilities that can be ymt Strategies!

With less than one week to go before heading out on my Alaskan cruise, things are coming together quite nicely. I'm cleaning my condo one room at a time, leaving the spare bedroom clean up for Friday when niece, Jennifer, comes over to help me declutter and do my Value Village dumps. It's all good, people....

Remember how I told you The Evil One went to Squamash two weeks ago? Well he gave me a card that has some words of inspiration on them. I quite liked them and thought I would share them with you. The program was called "The Warrior".

Ways of the Warrior
I am a warrior:
I create every moment of my life
My choices are my reality
My response creates my outcome
There is no "can't", I choose to or choose not to
There is no "try"; I do or I do not do
I am true to my own heart
I speak my truth...with compassion
I keep my commitments
I approve of myself... now
I don't have to please everybody
I don't take anything personally
I understand that how others judge me is about them
I look 'em in the eye; I tell 'em who I am & if they don't like it,_'em!

Waddaya think?!?

Take care!
(a) yt xox

Monday, Monday....again!

Whoever said that "taxes & death" were the only sure things, forgot about the cycle of a new week. Regardless of the weather, your job situation, your financial situation, etc. the weeks still come and go without warning!

Well, it's been almost a week since last I typed. Since I'm in my pre-menstrual-analyze-everything mode, I started to think about patterns in my short blogging life when I'd go for long phases without typing something. In general, there are 2 reasons for my delays:
1) I can't get to a computer either because I'm too busy or out of commission traveling or
2) I'm too bummed to want to sit down and reflect on how bummed I am!

Right now, I'd say I've been in the #2 phase for a bit of time. Although I've got glimpses of good changes on the horizon...like, my niece is coming over Friday to help me clean out my spare bedroom and area...I'm still having challenges getting settled into things. This whole work-from-home thing really poses a challenge for me. Like today, for instance. My one objective was to finish my bio for my website and my "hire-yt" email campaign. Is it done? Well, a rough draft is. But what am I doing instead of proofing and editing it? Reflecting on the reasons why I can't get motivated to do it...what's wrong with this picture?!?

So, the bio isn't the only area that's been a problem for me....let's talk eating, shall we? On a positive front, I'm sitting at the laptop with my belly full of salad and grilled chicken. On the less than positive front, this is the first meal I've had that hasn't had some kind of carb - grain (like the rice & lentil dish I made for Tracey last night); sugars (like the honey-coated almonds I had Friday) or dairy (like the latte I had Saturday). In stepping on the scale this morning, I find myself up 2 lbs. Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty poopy about that! Soooooooooo, I'm back to trying to self-motivate...'cuz that's worked so well for me in the past....NOT!!

Tonight I'm meeting with some of the Adler coaching crew. I'm going to see about engaging one of them to help me get back on track. I need the accountability again...or more like a good, swift kick in the pants! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've missed The Evil One these past weeks.

Speaking of "Werner-the-evil-trainer", he's come back from a week away in Squamish, BC. He did another self-development/awareness thing. It sounded pretty cool and he got some great insights. I heard some of them last week as he was torturing me, but I have to admit, he's become a much "gentler" torturer. Last week, instead of yelling at me "Come on, Yvonne. You can do this!" He said..."What's your goal, Yvonne? What are you at now? How many do you have to go?" While I did get the motivation required to go from 10 to 25 leg presses, I didn't like having to actually a) do math and b) speak while pushing 75lbs on each leg....but I did appreciate the new perspective. I guess my having to do math and speak were the distractions I needed to get to 25. Anyway, I'm going to have to get used to this new approach, I suppose. Take comfort in knowing that The Evil One rolled his eyes and made a disgusted sound when I told him my eating wasn't going well...now, that's ma boy!

On the exercise front, things to be taking shape there. Although I didn't hike this week, I did get out and do a 7.5 KM walk and hit the treadmill twice for the hill program. I felt great after each workout! Tomorrow I'm back with Werner and Thursday I'm going in to LPS to pull that (insert expletive here) sled. For the balance of the week, it'll be another walk and/or bike ride and treadmill. At least I'm still exercising.

OK poppits...time to get back to my bio. Thanx for indulging me while I was distracted!!
(a)yt xox

Hold on to your skirts, poppits...

..a storms a-brewin'!!

Once again, we seem to be in the endless weather turmoil of back-to-back thunderstorms. I don't know what's going on, but it sure is a wacky weather summer for us! Weather like this just makes me want to curl up with a good book or movie and escape everything - the disaster that is my home; the outstanding homework assignments; the many administrative things I should be doing for my work - see why I want to escape! But alas...I have not allowed myself to indulge completely. No sirree, bub...I've done a few good things to keep me moving forward. Like.....
- I walked 6.7KM of the 10KM path I mapped out Saturday
- I went with Lorry and walked around Crawford Lake Sunday morning
- I have regained control of my bad-boy eating habbits
- I completed one of my Adler coaching assignments today, forwarding to my buddy Svetlana for review and comments before submitting to the rest of the group
- I purchased some spiffy organization boxes and magazine holders to put my office supplies into, so it can look schwanky AND be organized

These are all good things, aren't they?!? Lately I'm in verbal "self-flagellation mode", abusing myself whenever I get the opportunity. I'd say my inner critic "Michelle" is working overtime! Yeesh..."my place is a pig sty" (which it is!); "my plants are drooping so water them already"(which they are); heck! even my hair is not above reproach! OK, it really is time to refresh my colour and let's face it, the humidity in the air is never helpful, but yikes! I can't even look in the mirror without rolling my eyes and praying for eternal darkness. This is not a good thing, is it?!?

Tell me that other people experience this level of self-doubt and self-abuse?!? Surely to goodness I can't be the only one who's going through this...am I?!?

Well, in the spirit of being the friggin' Ambassador of Positivity, I need to remind myself of some of the great things I've got going on in my life...for the love of God....

OK, here goes...
- how 'bout those friends and family, people?!? Like new-found gift, Maggie, who is committed to doing a hike with me, even if it kills us both! Or what about my sibs & nieces/nephews who CONTINUE to make me proud to know them? And what about all the folks I've met through my Adler courses? These people rock, ya know! And for those who continuously read my blog, despite the inconsistency in my entries...thank you for that support. It's so great to know that SOMEONE is listening!!

- how 'bout all the good stuff happening with the coaching career...like the 6 sessions I just did in Chatham...and the individual clients I have...and the courses I'm taking through Adler...and the stuff I get to do through the Association of Career Professionals? All good stuff....

- oh, and how 'bout the fact that, even though I struggle on occasion, losing focus and patience, I'm still down 47 lbs. from a year ago?!? Not to mention I'm the most active I've ever been in my life.

RIGHT ON FOR ME!!!

Ya know, I've always felt that it's not always a good thing to "toot your own horn". I was brought up to be humble and to not worry about recognition...just do your best. Well, forget that my brothers & sisters!! Toot away! It's so great to acknowledge the good things in your life and how you've been instrumental in bringing them to life. Oh sure, give credit to others, when it's required. BUT at the end of the day, if you can't accept the greatness in yourself, how can others accept it?!?

So, I encourage you to write down all the wonderful things about you. If you can't think of any, email me and I'm sure I'll be able to think of at least 10 things for each of you! That's why you make me proud to know you....

Feeling good, poppits...feeling good!!
(a)yt xox