It's a really grey day at the farmette. We got more than an inch of rain over night - possibly remnants of Hurricane Harvey. We managed to put the pads from the deck furniture away just before the heavens opened up...after a lovely, though belated birthday dinner (for me) at the Flying Chestnut in Eugenia. What a great little out-of-the-usual place with unexpectedly delicious gourmet fare!
Having just passed the 54 mark, I've been taking stock (again), and made a fall resolution to shed some of the added baggage that has snuck up and planted itself mostly on my belly over the past few years.
Funny how that happens. One day you're a 22-year-old who's barely a size 4 with a tail wind, and the next day, you're trying on size 14 (!) dresses.
Okay, the resolution comes with action, so I've joined Weight Watchers on the good advice of my Vancouver Island friend Jane who - at 70 - is svelte, with no discernible baggage at all. I really like the 'plan' as the pros call it, because it's based on humans and their need to eat - unlike so many fad diets.
Basically, it's a way to make me accountable for how active I am and what I put in my mouth. I have 30 'points' a day. Each food is assigned a different amount of points - fruits and veggies are zero, and filet mignon is eight, for example. I can eat whatever I want. As long as I stay within the allotted points, I'll lose weight, they say.
I also get fit points for being active - like doing my morning yoga and walking. It's great because everything that gets me going counts - including gardening, doing housework and, yesterday, looking all over the farmette for a huge orange cat. The pedometer I installed on my iPhone ticked over to about 4,566 steps or 2.2 kilometres, without me going for a hike.
It's up to me to stay on track, but to keep me extra accountable, I decided to go to weekly meetings in Mount Forest where the ladies (and one man) get a weigh-in and have a supportive session trading stories about how everyone's doing. Nobody judges - we're all in this journey to better health together.
So there you have it - new age, new resolution. Except last night - heavenly crab cakes, lobster tail, and a vat of wine would count for about a week and a half! That's okay, though, once-in-a-while indulgences are allowed with the 'plan'.
Hopefully, in six months' time, I'll feel healthier, stronger and maybe even clearer of mind. Rather than wandering around the yard, scrabbling through the bushes and hedgerows, calling for Hobbes in vain, I'll shake the Temptations bag right away. He actually turned up, looking nonchalant - just like the cat in the commercial. I guess he likes his treats, too.