April 8, 2013
I just couldn't get to the gym real early this morning, I was awake at 2:30 am and could not get back to sleep. I think its this cold I have. So I went back to bed after my hubby left for an hour and go up at 7:30 am feeling a little better, so I made it to the gym before 8 and did an hour work out. I didn't push it to hard but did all that i could, maybe tomorrow will be better. 
I had a great weekend scouting out places to live when we retire, on some of the most wonderful lakes in Ontario, the weather co-operated as well on Saturday. Looking forward to going again in a few weeks.
This is how far I have come in 4.5 years a pic of me having chemo, my daughter and her now husband came to visit for 2 weeks.

I want to remind women to take the time and do your breast self exams, you are the one in charge and if it doesn't feel right make sure you get it checked out, push for answers, also to all those lovely young women out there, please remember this is not a middle aged women's disease you have to be diligent and be checking, breast cancer is so aggressive the younger you are, because most young women think it won't get me, I am to young, cancer knows no boundries, one of the most inspiring fighters I knew was Jane McGrath, she was 31 and fought for 11 years, read her story, she has done so much to bring light to the problems of Breast care nurse shortages in country hospitals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_McGrath
I don't have to do an exam anymore as I have had a double mastectomy, but it doesn't stop me from putting the word out there, when I was diagnosed I encouraged the women where I worked to get checked and it saved 2 women's lives, that makes it all worth while.
Today"s quote.
“Life is not measured by the number of breathes we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” — Maya Angelou
Have you done your breast self exam today?

April 5, 2013
Well now I have had a very productive day today, I started it with an herbal wrap at my favorite Spa http://www.ilparadiso.ca/ I'll add a ling for it. If you go ask for Kay she is amazing. I came home and headed to the gym for 45 minutes on my favorite Elliptical machine.  
She looks a bit like this. 

I seem to have a bit of a sore throat today, so I hope all the extra vitamins I have taken today will ward it off.
Then I changed around a couple of rooms in the house, to make room for a lazy boy chair that belongs to my Mom, so she will be able to get some sleep the next time she visits. In my cleaning out stage today I found a few Oprah magazines to put in my gym bag so I can have new material to read when I go. Gotta Love Oprah. I am looking forward to the weekend, hoping to get out for a few walks, if it stay warm and doesn't rain. Spring where are you?????
What are your plans for the weekend? Do you have a favorite machine at your gym? I hate it when someone is on mine lol.
Today's Quote : “Motivation is knowing you are learning, growing, and succeeding toward your desired outcome while sustaining positive momentum.”
Jaren L. Davis -

April 4, 2013
I woke in alot of pain today, my lower tail bone is really painful, just a reminder that I am still on tamoxifen, I am counting the days till next April when I see my Oncologist in Australia and see if I can get off this drug. It can be so debilitating. Some days I can hardly walk my feet joints hurt so bad and it seems to get me in the wrists, on the weekend my knees ached so bad I could hardly get up out of a chair.
So my work out at the gym suffered today I did 45 minutes on the elliptical, resistance of 4. I cringed through the pain and decided not to push it to much, maybe I can go back later this afternoon, I'll see how I feel. 
Today would be my youngest brothers 49th birthday, he passed away suddenly from a brain aneurism, 5 years ago. It kinda reminds us that life is to short and life the best one you have, I guess maybe that is partly why I am so determined to get healthy and fit, I miss going on the long walks with my husband, hiking, camping in the wilderness, all this was taken from me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, now I want to get this back, I want my life back and I want to be able to live it to the best of my ability, be here for my husband, children and grandchildren for a very long time, I am done letting Breast Cancer define who I am, I'm taking it back, my life that is.
Are you fighting some health demons? Do you want to regain strength and vitality? Maybe check out your local gym, YMCA or Curves, we all have to start some where.
Today's quote.
 Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.
Samuel Smiles  

April 3, 2013
Well its Wednesday, the Glebe day. So I headed to the gym early, I was there by 6:30 am, darn my favorite machine was busy, what to do, so I tried one of the other elliptical machines, I did 30 minutes on it and then went to the treadmill for 15 and wow my machine is free now so I quickly jumped over to it and did 30 more minutes at resistance of 4, so that wasn't to bad. I know why I like this machine so much, I can easily read a magazine on it, I find that really helps to get get me through, most people ask me, how do you stand to do that for an hour, I find it easy if my mind is busy, I just wish they had better magazines, I hate glamor mags and  the life of the real house wives, lol I FEEL GOOD, I did an extra 45 minutes tonight on the treadmill and burned way more calories than ever before, must have been the music on SONGZA, love it.
Do you find it hard to get through your work outs? What keeps you going? I also listen to music I love the 80s. What are you listening to right now?
Please leave feedback or questions I will try to answer as many as I can. 
Today's quote 

April 2, 2013
I completed 2 paintings today, just need to frame them, I thought I would share them with anyone who may be reading my blog. This what relaxes me, I enjoy seeing a blank canvas come to life.

 

April 2, 2013
I took a moment today while on the elliptical machine to reflect back to where I was 4.5 years ago as I read an article in a magazine about breast self exam. A women had her mammogram and nothing showed, 4 months later she found a lump herself. This most likely saved her life. All to often lumps go undetected for a year or so and it spreads so damned rapidly. I was in a situation that my lump had a cyst right near it if not attached to it and I was booked to have it drained, but the Christmas of 2007 we were home to Canada and I put off the drainage till February. The cyst broke while home so when I got back and went for the appointment to have it drained I told them it was gone but that I had a hard lump where it was, the technician called in the Dr to take a look and they both agreed it was nothing just the outer layer of the breast. I kept feeling it and even asked my husband his opinion, he felt it was getting bigger to. So I made an apt with a breast specialist at Strathfield Hospital to have things checked out. They did the routine mammogram and she came out to talk to me and said I need you to go back in I want a few more pictures with a cone view. I said you don't like what you see do you, she said not at all. Get these done and we will talk. I did and was then taken into her room and she started to do an ultrasound as well and talking about treatments, I said to her, do you think this is cancer, she said I thought you suspected it as well or you wouldn't have come to see me. She was right, my worst fears were coming to light, the tumor was about 3 inches or so. I had a biopsy the next afternoon and was called the day after with the results I had ductal carcinoma,she was sure it had spread beyond the duct to the lobe and later the pathology from the breast confirmed it when I had a right mastectomy, they wasted no time after that, this journey be can June 4th 2008. I saw a surgeon on June 10th and surgery was booked for June 23rd. I had a consultation with an Oncologist Prof. Philip Beale, he was wonderful, explained it all, held my hand and told me his best chance of curing me would be now, so he was going to hit me with everything he had. I also so a radiology Oncologist and was going to have 25 treatments with them after the chemotherapy was done. It was a long road, FEC was ok as far as chemo went and I continued to work full time, but Taxol was another story, it nearly killed me, so in thinking how many good sells it destroyed we were hopeful that it got all the bad ones as well, 1 of these treatments put me off work for 12 months, and they went back to FEC for the last 2, Radiation was very long, each treatment took 2 hours or more depending on extra testing, I made it to number 24 and refused to go back, the Oncologist agreed with me and felt they had done enough. it has taken me till now to feel well and strong enough to start a journey back to a healthier me, so as I reflect back I am so glad that today I can and I did 90 minutes on the elliptical machine and I feel empowered to keep going so today I signed on for a year, I have lost another pound so now I am down to 192.5, getting closer to that first 10lb mark. Today's Quote is

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy."

Norman Vincent Peale

April 1, 2013
Well it has been a very busy and tiring weekend, my sister came down with her hubby and brought my Mom for the weekend. Mom had never been here before, her health hasn't been the best in the past so my sister figured while she was feeling good it was a good time to come down, and no notice to me. I had a feeling she would be down so I was sort of prepared. We had many games of domino's and enjoyed a lovely ham dinner on Saturday afternoon. I was sad to see them leave as all I could think of was it was probably my Mother's first and last time to visit, she was so tired out as I don't have a lazy boy chair for her to sleep in.
I had meant to get to the gym on Friday but was put off by comments like its a holiday, I said I know it is but its also Friday and I go to the gym 5 days a week, si I said I will go after lunch then, The next comment was that I was addicted to the gym, like others. I felt defeated, I am far from addicted to the gym, I am trying so hard to increase my strength and lose the weight that has found me after beating cancer, why is it that others feel the need to sabotage instead of being supportive. Being over weight is hard enough on my self esteem let alone being brought into others negativity. The ones who will make comments on your blog and they have never even read it. We had a conversation about using cream and I said I often put a splash of cream in my tea instead of milk as it has less sugar content in it. The next thing I know I am being asked if I want some orange juice, I said just a very small amount, I was then reminded that it has sugar in it. OMG who knows better than I what is in food, one of my goals is to utilize my Nutrition Management course to try to help others, I know it won't be today or tomorrow, but I will get there. http://voices.yahoo.com/how-keep-others-sabotaging-weight-loss-7300456.html  
So today I tried to make up a bit of time from last Friday and did 30 minutes on an incline of 3 and then did another 45 minutes on an incline of 4, hopefully it doesn't rain today and I can get out for a walk. I also took a before pic of me today, hopefully I will see a big change by summer.
Today's quote,

“The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.” – Joel Brown