When It’s Time to Move

Posted on January 20, 2012 by tigersluv

Organization is key

This blog is about changes – the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s about transformations and it’s about life.

One of the hardest things to do is move. I had a long discussion with a friend this morning who is absolutely stuck as she’s facing a big move. She hasn’t moved in years and is overwhelmed at the enormity of the task at hand. She’s not a very organized person, which is making it even more difficult for her. I dug up a piece I wrote a while back for a newsletter I was asked to contribute to, and I thought I would post it here. I think it’s information that would be helpful to a lot of people.

Nobody likes to move, but sometimes we can’t avoid it. If you are moving (within Canada) or thinking of moving one of the most important tasks is to ensure that you change your address with the proper authorities. You should notify the federal and your provincial or territorial government to ensure that your benefit payments continue to arrive on time. Service Canada has compiled a checklist to ensure that you contact the right people.

Major Checklist:

Contact your provincial or territorial health ministry to update your address. This will save you a headache when you go to the doctors office and have to update everything at the time of your visit.
Contact the Canada Revenue Agency to update your address in order to continue receiving payments from them.
Visit your local post office or change your address online with Canada Post prior to you moving. You can specify the date to start having your mail forwarded to your new address. There is a fee for this service, but it’s worth the hassle of having your mail go to the old address.
Contact your province or territory ministry responsible for transportation to change your address if you have any licenced vehicles.
Change your address with the Employment Insurance program, if applicable, so that you will continue to receive your benefits on time.
Change your address with the Canada Pension Plan program and/or the Old Age Security program, if applicable, so that you will continue to receive your benefits on time.

Minor Checklist:

Contact your utilities and have your addresses updated if you are moving locally and transferring services
Contact your doctor/dentist and advise them of the new address
Be sure to cancel any newspaper delivery

1 Week Before Moving Day

Most of your packing should be done one week prior to moving day. This helps you be organized and saves the panic of last minute rushing around.
Set aside the items of importance you wish to transport to your new home yourself (i.e. jewellery and passports). You might also want to take your delicate/fragile valuables yourself, so there is no question as to how they are treated.

A Few Days Before Moving Day

Pack a travel bag with the items your family may need on moving day such as tooth brushes, change of clothing, medications, hair bushes, soap, toilet paper, paper plates and cups, aspirin, etc. Have the essentials, in case there are delays and you don’t have it all unpacked before you have to go to bed.
If you are moving yourself, start dismantling beds and other large furniture. If furniture has a lot of pieces, label the pieces so you know what goes with what.

Moving Day

Make a note of all utility metre readings (new and old home). This is important so you don’t get any surprises on the hydro bill after you have moved. If there is a delay in them shutting off your power, you don’t want someone plugging into it without your knowledge.
It’s important to be present when the truck is being loaded and unloaded just in case your movers have questions. It also helps to have an extra person to watch the truck, especially if you are moving in the city. Movers tend to not open and close the doors as they are loading it, making it attractive to anybody who might walk by and swipe a box or something from the truck (I speak from experience on this one).
Before the movers leave, check your belongings and be sure to note on the inventory paperwork any damaged items. Obviously you won’t have unpacked everything, but check for visible damage on the boxes and on the furniture.

The Body Challenge

Posted on January 16, 2012 by tigersluv

The title of this post alone makes me cringe. My body has been a challenge my whole life. When I was 8 my mom made a disparaging comment about my weight and I have been on the couch talking about it ever since! I was always the tallest kid in the class, until high school and the boys finally got taller. I wasn’t always the biggest kid in the class, but I did go through a long period of being big and unhealthy. I managed to go through high school never taking a phys ed class. I guess it wasn’t required or I chose a different option. My Dad didn’t allow me to go trick or treating at hallowe’en one year, because I was too fat. I had to show ID to get into a movie as a child when I was eleven (what eleven year old carries ID?). I used to carry around a cancelled passport when I was going to the movie. I went to a children’s activity when I was twelve and everyone got a reward or something, I don’t really remember. I just remember I didn’t because the lady told me it was for children and she didn’t believe that I was a child. My body was a challenge from a very young age.

Now that I have you thinking I was a heffalump, I really wasn’t. Looking at the pictures now, I wonder what all the fuss was about. I was a perfectly fine looking young person. I didn’t really have a problem until I hit puberty. Then all those years of being so self conscious, combined with being mortally shy and having to go to a new school plus adolescent angst, led to a body challenge. I hated my body and became more and more aware of it.

Jump forward a whole bunch of years, and once again the body is a challenge. In the past twenty years I lost 150lbs, ran a triathlon, ran a couple of marathons, battled cancer, travelled extensively, fought workplace harassment, lost my religion, faced rejection because of my body (they told me that to my face), found freedom and finally got to the place where I could embrace life. My life.

Today it’s a new game. Since embracing Isagenix, I have felt amazing. I feel clean, I feel healthy, I am aware, I have boundless energy and I feel strong. What better way to get even better than to embrace the Isabody Challenge. I’ve been losing weight and transforming already, and have been for a few months, so I’ve decided to take it to a new level. I remember how great I felt after losing 150lbs, and that is my goal again. NO, not to lose that much weight, but to regain that feeling of feeling so great. There is still an athlete buried inside me and I look forward to the day when I can go on a bike tour again, without dreading it. Stand back world, because my second awakening is just around the corner.

IsaBody challenge

If you want to have the opportunity to transform your life on so many levels, click here.

Healthy Sunday

Posted on January 15, 2012 by tigersluv

I awoke this morning to find the power out. The usual red glow from the clock projected on the ceiling wasn’t there. I immediately panicked and wondered what time it was. It was dark, but that means nothing as it is dark until 8:30 in the morning. I looked at my bedside alarm and it was dead. I got up and strolled through the house in darkness and realized there was no power. I should have just gone back to sleep after ascertaining that it was only 4:35 in the morning, but I didn’t. I got on my iPhone (doesn’t everyone keep it beside the bed?) and immediately went to the Hydro website to see where the outage was, or if it was even known. It was a “scheduled outage” and was due to be over by 5am. This annoyed me because there had been no notification or warning of this outage which covered a large area of the city. Had I known, I could have done things like turn off the computers, set my telephone to be an alarm clock etc. Sigh. I had planned to get up early and do all kinds of things on the computer and now I could just sit there in bed thinking about them at 4:35.

The power came back on as scheduled and I went about my day. I sat through a couple of episodes of “Coronation Street”, and “The Mentalist”, then wasted even more time watching “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” which is my little secret! I can’t believe I watch that! I procrastinated some more and puttered around doing this and that. I realized it was almost lunch time and then I made myself an Isagenix shake. I love the flavour of the vanilla shake, but today I threw in a tube of Energenix citrus flavoured powder (known as Want More Energy in the USA). Wow, the flavour explosion that hit my mouth made me smile a big old kid sized grin! It was like drinking an orange creamsicle. I was so excited. That alone gave me a blast of energy. The sad part was that it was gone too soon! (The drink, not the energy).

Today I am committing myself to doing the IsaBody Challenge. Another Isagenix program. They have such an amazing record of weight loss and health improvements among people who use it, that they have developed a challenge. I have already lost a lot of weight using their products, but this is further inspiration to kick it up a notch, as they say.

It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, I’ve set some goals, done some cleaning, had some exercise and now it’s time to grab my camera and go and take some pictures. Sadly the snow has vanished which fell yesterday, but the mountains are glorious and beautiful.

May I Help You

Posted on January 13, 2012 by tigersluv

I work in IT in a building that I have been in for a long time. A lot of people know me and I swear they can smell me coming. (No, I do shower regularly and practice good hygiene). Today I went upstairs to a floor that I was intensely busy on before Christmas, but I have avoided for the last three weeks. Today I thought it would be safe so I ventured upstairs, book in hand, prepared to do some work. I had barely gotten through the door when I was approached by someone wanting me to “come and look at my computer”. I asked if they had a ticket, and the response was, (as usual), it’s just a quick thing. I rolled my eyes and went over, as I have a soft spot for people who are nice to me. As I was standing there listening to her tell me her problem someone else came up and asked me for help. I told him he should call the help desk for fastest service, and he told me that since I was here, that was fast enough!

I asked him to explain his problem and he started talking, but all I heard was words. He had me so confused, that I couldn’t even try to process them anymore. I think he saw my eyes glaze over, and I told him he really should call the help desk as this problem needed to be escalated and I couldn’t do anything at this time. He wasn’t impressed and told me he was going to call one of the guys I work with and have him help. I chuckled to myself because 1) the guy is on vacation and 2) if he was here, he would tell him to call the help desk.

Finally I had my eye on the desk I was hoping to sit at. I started to move towards it and someone stepped out of the kitchen in front of me, blocking my path. “You have to help me” he said. “I’m glad you came, come to my desk now”. I looked at him trying to process in my mind if I had a ticket (NO), so I asked him if he had called the help desk and put in a ticket. He scoffed at me and told me he didn’t need to, as he just waits until we come to his floor to help him. I told him that didn’t work as I had a long list of things to do and was very busy. I couldn’t just help him. He argued with me about not getting into his computer because it wasn’t working. Ok, I thought, not working computer needs attention so I walked to the other side of the office with him to look. By now another ten minutes had passed and I was getting more than a little annoyed. I know I have a magnetic personality (ha ha) but I just want to be anonymous and do my job when I’m on the floors. They all know the rules (call the help desk), but that’s for the other guy to do, not for them. I finally got to his problem – and he had locked himself out of his account. I couldn’t help him. He had to call the help desk!

The Snow is Coming

Posted on January 12, 2012 by tigersluv

It is the middle of January and we have yet to see “winter” conditions here. There was no snow at Christmas, which was odd. Odder still was the fact that there wasn’t even any rain to speak of. December was dry and warm. I’m not complaining, but it made for a strange Christmas. I’m not one who NEEDS snow on Christmas Eve, but it would have been nice!

The weather is now getting colder and they are saying it might snow this weekend. I will believe it when I see it. It will be chaos if it happens, and that is always fun to watch. The Skytrain breaks down, people can’t drive up the hills and there is panic all around. Being an Easterner, it’s still fun to watch all these years later. My favourite part is the people who walk around in the snow carrying big golf umbrellas so they don’t get wet. That is a sight I have never been able to get over.

As much as I love living here, it’s always fun to be amused by the simple things. I like to go to the dog park and watch the dogs play in the snow, confused by what this stuff is. Maybe dogs have a sense and like children, they know it’s just FUN!

New Years Resolutions

Posted on December 20, 2011 by tigersluv

We are days away from Christmas, and already I am hearing the awful phrase “new years resolutions”. I don’t have any and I don’t generally make them. I try to make positive changes in my life on a constant basis. I set myself a goal and then I work to achieve that goal. This year I have been abominable at making the goals, and it wasn’t until this fall that I decided to lose weight (seriously) and get back into shape. Isagenix has been a major factor in getting me kick-started on that path. As a result of the 30 day cleanse, I feel amazing. My head feels lighter, my body is showing a 17lb weight loss (so far) and I have found the will to start training for a 10K run again. I ran one years ago (about 10) and I also ran a triathlon. I then got sick, took a downward spiral and exercise left my vocabulary – but I digress.

I thought I would hate the cleanse. I’ve done them in the past and found them to be foul assaults on the system. This one is almost enjoyable. The drinks are good, the snacks are tasty and I have no feeling of hunger or longing. As I read and learn about healthy eating and what a “normal” amount of food is, my mind is being opened to no end of possibilities and excitement. I used to sit at work in an afternoon fog of forcing myself to stay awake. Now I find myself alert and awake, being social and accomplishing a lot.

My goal for today is to get on the treadmill and run after work. I’ve slacked a bit with all the Christmas busyness, but I’m working on it. I want to be ready for the run this spring.

I found an amazing cook book. While I have loved the recipes from Jillian Michaels, I love even more the recipes from Rocco DiSpirito “Now Eat This”. They are low cal, very tasty, very easy and they don’t use a lot of all the processed things that are killing our bodies. I think that is a big part of why I like it. I don’t eat a lot of processed foods as I am very aware of the consequences, but I do eat more than I should. I love to cook so it’s not an issue following a recipe but I do want it to be easy and quick. Rocco’s book is exactly that.

The most important lesson I learned in this weight battle – portion control. You have to measure everything. You can’t eyeball it and say “that’s it” because nine times out of ten it’s not. Measure and weigh everything. That’s how I was successful before Isagenix and that’s how I’m doing so well on the Isagenix program now. I never thought at my age I would feel this good.

December is a Breath Away

Posted on November 30, 2011 by tigersluv

Tomorrow is December 1st, the beginning of the last month of the year. I didn’t do everything I should have this year where diet and exercise was concerned. I had the best intentions, but we know where they lead us. I did take my bicycle out of the garage once this year, but I never actually swam in the swimming pool or used my skis. I was glad to find out that today I weigh the same weight as I did two years ago give or take a pound or two.

In the last several months I have had a change in my paradigm. There has been a gradual shift and now I am starting to recapture who I was meant to be. The person I was several years ago, who was amazed at life and trying to be a better person on all fronts – social, physical, mental and emotional. I know that now it is possible, and I have hope of the changes that are to come. Ionix Supreme by Isagenix has done an amazing job of helping me think clearer and not feel so stressed out. I noticed a change immediately after taking it for only a few days.

I’m giving myself 30 days to kick start my routine. I’ve been slowly putting things in place over the last few months and the final preparations will be done in time for the new year. 2012 is going to be the best year and we’re going to put the “p” back in positive.

October!!!!

Posted on October 27, 2011 by tigersluv

Not only is it October, it is almost the end of the month. Summer was busy ending with a two week trip to Southern Utah in mid September. That was when the gas tank got refuelled and I just kicked back and relaxed. I started my “new” diet…restarted the old….took another look at everything three weeks ago. I immediately gained two pounds. Yep, that’s what a diet means to me, the weight immediately jumps on. Last week I settled down and lost 5.5 pounds. That’s more like it. I watched everything I ate and wrote it all down. I didn’t deny myself anything, but I just re-evaluated things.

It’s a New Day

Posted on June 22, 2011 by tigersluv

We all have our challenges and we all have things that make us stop and re-evaluate where we are at in life. I’ve spent the last few months taking a long hard look at things and the time is finally here to start making some changes. Next week I am being forced to go back to my old job and needless to say, I’m not that excited about it. I’m trying to be positive and go in with a different head space, but it’s a challenge.

I got back on track with my diet and have lost 4 lbs in the first week. The time has come to make me the priority in my life and stop feeling like the victim. The riots in Vancouver really shook me up and woke me up. I was so angry at what had happened, but I was angry because I was forced to be involved in it. My partner had to cross town during the riot and go to work. The hospital had declared a disaster situation and was calling in staff. Another friend of mine was in the drug store that was broken into after two hours of bashing at the doors, and he was forced to wait out the riot in a locked room while the looters ransacked the store. The next day I was so angry with the whole situation and these hooligans and punks that had done this. What was more annoying though was hearing the parents of these kids defending them and making excuses, and listening to them make excuses.

I keep telling myself that I will do things when….when my desk is cleaned off, when the office is cleaned out, when my bike is tuned up, when the sun shines, and all this did for me was give me the excuses to not do anything. Well, the time for excuses is over and it’s time to kick some butt.

Finding the Balance

Posted on April 17, 2011 by tigersluv

I learned something new today about working out. I always wondered how much cardio I should do (it’s very good for you) and how much weight training I should do (harder to fit in). I was cruising through some email and found the following advice from jillianmichaels.com.

1. Resistance training will help burn intramuscular fat and create lean muscle tissue, but you can’t build muscle mass unless you are lifting extremely heavy weights and eating more calories than you are burning in a day. Additionally, it is VERY difficult for a woman to gain muscle mass because we simply don’t have the testosterone needed to build muscle tissue the way men do.

2. Resistance circuit training burns more calories than straight cardio both during the workout and after. This is because you are getting the benefits of a resistance-training workout and a cardio workout all in one. Additionally, you will burn more calories for up to 24 hours after weight lifting than you would with cardio alone because your body has to work hard to return your muscles to a pre-lactate state (the state before training). Here is what cardio is good for: weight-loss extra credit. In other words, you can only train your muscles so many times in a week without overtraining them, which is counterproductive. Your muscles need adequate rest and recovery time for best results, but you can do as much cardio as you want. I mean, you can’t run a marathon every day, but you can jog, bike, use the elliptical machine, or swim pretty much as often as you want.

Changing All The Time

Life is too short to just stand still.