Category Archives: health & happiness

still walking…

30 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by in health & happiness, sevilla

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, ,

Loving my daily walks. Since I started I’ve only missed a couple due to work and other obligations, though I still rack up between 10,000 – 16,000 a day. I actually feel a bit bereft it I can’t do it, a sure sign that it’s doing some good for me. The great thing is that I can do this any time of day that I have a spare hour or so, and that I can also do this in my normal clothes (not gym clothes) which means I can do errands before or after the walk. This photo was taken after seeing my GP early evening, so I did the walk in reverse and caught a lovely sunset on my way home.

time to get walking!

06 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by in health & happiness, home

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

I’m usually pretty good at walking every day, though during the summer heat it’s more difficult to reach that 10,000 step goal (and even then it’s mostly strolling, not WALKING). After I moved I stopped going to the gym because there isn’t one close to me here, and I’ve really been missing some sort of daily exercise. And so this morning I decided that this was the day to start serious walking again. By that I mean doing a proper fast(ish) paced uninterrupted walk for an hour each day.

To be honest, I’ve been planning to start doing this for ages, and thought that having most of August off would be a good time. But in fact I used August to learn how to sleep again, giving myself “permission” to get an extra hour or so in after feeding the cats first thing in the morning (anytime between 6-7 am). Which also means I’ve got better at falling asleep again after being woken up, so more sleep for me!

I’ve worked out a nice morning walking route along the river that is similar to what I used to do on my bike, but it finishes in the city centre so if I need to do any shopping or errands I can get that done after the walk. Perfect! Not quite the Camino de Santiago, but it’s a start.  🙂

tied up in knots

26 Friday Jul 2019

Posted by in health & happiness, home

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, ,

It was a normal day. I was working on this and that, spent most of the day at home thinking I would go out in the evening for a walk. Made a healthy “fridge forage” lunch that had plenty of fresh veg, some chicken and noodles. Then I relaxed a bit late afternoon, and then… OMG.

Suddenly I was hit by serious sharp abdominal pain, though not the same as what I experienced last week. This was way more intense. Thinking I could maybe “walk it off” I headed out to buy some ink for my printer, at the new shopping mall over the river. Halfway across the bridge I thought – uh oh, this isn’t normal – but then the violent cramps subsided and so I kept on. Bought my stuff, headed home, almost vomited in a public bin on the side of the street, but somehow made it back. And then it got much worse.

I crawled into bed, scared and in PAIN… it was so bad that I was actually crying out. Like all my insides were tied up in knots, like I was being turned inside out. I was so afraid I would end up back in emergency. Finally I fell asleep and when I woke up again in the middle of the night I drank some water (kept it down) and things seemed okay from then on in. But you know… WTF?

on travelling (and living) with anxiety

23 Thursday May 2019

Posted by in cancer, friends, getaways, health & happiness

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , ,

crossing bridges…

As I put together the posts for last week’s London Getaway (done after I got home) I realised I was almost enjoying the visit more in retrospect than when I was actually there. Don’t get me wrong – it was wonderful meeting up with my friends, and going to the Spanish Embassy party was an amazing experience. And Nicola’s apartment was lovely. But when I wasn’t with friends or otherwise occupied I felt quite stressed and anxious most of the time. In fact, this anxiety started about a week before I left, since I am actually terrified of flying. I was lucky that Peter agreed to stay over while I was gone to take care of the cats, as that was one less thing to worry about. But still, I was very nervous about my trip to London, even before I got there.

Continue reading →

sick day

13 Saturday Apr 2019

Posted by in health & happiness, home

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

,

So there I was, about 2/3 through a tapas tour, when I started to feel a bit woozy. Then when we got to our final bar my stomach started cramping and I was decidedly not okay. But I soldiered on and, luckily, my group had been up since 3am to catch their flight to Sevilla, so they didn’t linger after finishing their desserts. I walked them most of the way back to their hotel as it was on my way home, feeling worse and worse with each step, but still managing to be chatty. But as soon as I got home… WHAM.

Thus started a long night of violent vomiting, diarhhea, fever, sweating and shivering. This morning I felt totally wrung out and only managed to sit up for a couple of hours before heading back to bed. Finally woke up again around 5.00 thinking I needed to eat something, and for some reason that something had to be boiled potatoes. But even that simple meal rushed right through me and now I need to lie down again. Everything is aching… my eyes, my fingers.

Sad to have missed a lovely day planned with Kalé and her mother, who just got into town, which was going to include a horse carriage ride and lunch. But somehow I don’t think I’ll be eating out again for awhile.