A bit of a hiatus! Now I'm BACK!

I've been noticeably absent from my blog and for good reason.  I've spent the past 6 weeks in Chicago caring for my mother after back surgery.  It was my intention to be here and share my adventures while in Chicago with you.  However, who knew that the work of a caregiver began at sun up and ended at sun down with a flop on the bed and restless sleep!  My time online was limited and my thinking was too!  One word...exhaustion.  Well, I'm back now and ready to get busy sharing and perhaps I'll even backtrack so I can share some things from Chicago.

Now the really good news is mom is on the mend and while I was stressed, I maintained my weight loss!  Woohoo!  I carried with me ALL that I've learned and I realize that this is truly my new lifestyle, that I am conscious and I will always be aware of my food intake and my exercise.

With that said, I confess that I did NOT workout daily, I did NOT go to the gym at all and I truly miss my workouts.  However, I did make time to walk daily.  I also did some jog/walks(you know intervals of walking/jogging), which felt great.  I must admit, I do NOT like jogging/running but this felt good since I could not get into the gym but I will NOT take it up on a regular basis.  LOL!  I just needed to make sure I got in some activity.  I also added a few days of strength building but not enough.

I made sure the refrigerator was filled with plenty of fruits and veggies and the cabinets healthy snacks of plantain chips, veggie chips, nuts and raisins.  Now being away and often at the hospital or the rehab center also meant that I didn't have much time for meal prep.  However, being wise when eating out was imperative and I always had salad fixings which meant making a meal was quick and easy.  I also, weighed myself daily to keep myself in check because there were indeed days when I found myself eating a burger, pizza and/or ice cream.  However, it was only one meal of the day and portion control was ALWAYS in order!

Well, I home now and it's time to get back into my routine.  I'm a little nervous because when you don't workout for just a few days it's a bit tougher when you go back to class...well I haven't been in class for 6 weeks!  Whoa!  However, today is the day!  I'm gonna ease back in with Belly Dancing and then this weekend I'll get in Barbell Strength and Yoga.  Next week it's back to Cardio Resistance Training and Total Conditioning.  I don't expect it to be easy at first but I do expect that I will get back to my norm quickly!

A lesson in it all...take yourself and your health wherever you go!  Put YOU first.  Keep moving and nourish your body with healthy thoughts and eats.  Your body will respond in kind!

Stay tuned!