Tag Archives: health

my hurty knee

18 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by in health & happiness

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

, ,

So there I was on Friday night walking with clients after finishing a tapas tour and suddenly – whump! – I was face down on the pavement. I had tripped over a small curb (which shouldn’t have been there!) and my palms and my right knee took the brunt of the fall. After taking a moment to check pain levels it seemed like nothing was too seriously damaged and so I gingerly got up. I could walk okay but the area just below my knee was very badly bruised.

Next day I took it easy and by yesterday I barely noticed my knee at all during my day trip to Sanlúcar de Barrameda (more on that mañana). Then today I went to the gym and all was fine until I went to do a bit of stretching on the mat. Without thinking I got down on hands and… knees! … and YIKES!! Now my poor knee is more hurty than ever.

Anyhow, the thing that stuck in my mind after the fall was how embarrassed I felt. I mean, it was clearly an accident, nothing that was my fault or anything to feel embarrassed about. But it seems this is a common reaction to falling down. I wonder why.

keeping hydrated

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, health & happiness, home, sevilla, weather

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Here is the love of my life (aka Azar) having a nice long drink in the middle of a very hot afternoon … it always tugs at my heart when he asks to have a drink and then takes his time, with his tail doing that lazy contented flicking back and forth, bless him. Yeah, he could always drink out of the communal water bowl, which is changed several times a day in these temps to keep it fresh, but he prefers to drink out of his own glass and with someone paying total attention to him. Spoiled? Well, I do my best.

Meanwhile I am drinking at least three litres of water a day and have taken to putting bottles in the fridge so they’re nice and cold. I remember with a shudder when I was on chemo – both times during the summer – and couldn’t drink, or even touch, anything cold. I had to sip on room temperature (hot!) water, which wasn’t thirst-quenching at all. Strange after all this time that I still think of that every single time I pour myself a glass of nice cold water…

How much water are you drinking these days?

jump start

19 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in fitness, gym, health & happiness

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

, , ,

After what was probably one of the best Christmases ever, by the time my birthday was over and done with I’d had quite enough of holidays and celebrating… I’d also put on 1.5 kilos of the 5 I lost in September! So it was back to the gym big time. I decided that what I needed was to jump start my metabolism and for the past almost two weeks have been going to the gym every day (except Sundays). Not really sure if it works that way, but an hour of sweating it out on The Bike and light weight-machine workout has to be doing some good. And Sledpress has told me that after getting my heart rate up like that my body burns more calories for several hours afterwards.

In fact, I feel like I’m getting hooked. Originally I was just going to do this for two weeks and then go back to my usual 2-3 times a week routine. And I may have to do that soon if/when work picks up. But instead of plucking up some enthusiasm to get me out the door I find myself planning my mornings so that I can squeeze in my hour at the gym.

Which was an hour and a half ago. Now must dash out to meet a new client. Go me!

plz sir, we can haz sum more?

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, diet & nutrition, health & happiness

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

, ,

It’s official. Since last week’s visit to Yolanda the vet Loki & Luna are now on a diet. Or better said, their food intake is now being strictly monitored so that they end up getting the required amount and nothing extra.

To my chagrin, I knew Yolanda was right when she pointed out the obvious – that Loki was way overweight at 7.1 kilos and that even little Lunita was getting a belly on her. Thing is, I do measure their food every day and they don’t get more than they need of their own stuff, but they hang around like vultures when Azar gets treats and scoff whatever he leaves behind. And yes, I am guilty of leaving out food for Azar. I didn’t think it was that much but when you think about it, a few extra biccys several times a day can really add up. Obviously. Duh.

So now Loki & Luna are being fed three times a day and when Azar is given snacks (really, an all-day activity) either Peter or I grab a piece of string and keep the other two occupied. This has two benefits – L & L don’t eat Azar’s food and they get some exercise chasing the string. And they don’t even seem to mind. I mean, they are hardly going hungry, and after just a few days Loki has stopped begging for food (an annoying habit that he picked up from Azar), plus they seem to know when real mealtimes are now and start hanging around their bowls then.

I’ve always been a bit envious of people who can just dish out the cat biscuits in the morning and that’s that. Though with Sunny and Azar I noticed that the times both Peter and I were away for a few days and a big whack of food was left out, they barely ate anything. If I did that when we were at home they’d binge eat themselves into a cat food coma. Cats, eh?

más malta

02 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, health & happiness, home

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , ,

So remember when I was waxing lyrically about malta and how using malta has made it possible for me to give Azar his daily kidney supplement pill (crushed up and smeared onto his paw) and how the other two end up wanting malta too? Usually I give Azar his spiked malta when he is quiety curled up somewhere, usually on my bed, and then lure the other two away to the “treat stand” so they’ll leave Azar alone. But yesterday all three of them got up there and Azar was clearly demanding a treat, so they all got their malta at once. Needed about three more hands…