Day 8 - Get 8 hours of sleep tonight

Read about the full challenge here:

Day 8

Ok, I get it. I really do. This whole 8 hours of sleep thing, and I can do it. I can sleep for 8 hours. In fact. I can sleep longer if the opportunity arises. The problem - no, no - the challenge is... life. Simply - life.

Eish but you know how life gets in the way of so many things. For example, my natural time for waking up is at 7 if I hit the sack at 22:00 or thereabouts. For my body, that's optimum. That's 9 hours of sleep peeps. 9 hours. Do I get 9 hours of sleep. No sirree. I most certainly do not. Why? Do I hear you asking? Well get comfortable and I'll tell you a story.

Reason 1: I have a job. I am a teacher, and for some absurd reason schools always start really early in the morning. For example, my school starts at 8. To get to school we are obliged to begin our trek to the other side of Cairo by 7. So my alarm goes off at 5.

Reason 2: it takes me a while to transform back into a human after I wake up. I used to be able to roll out of bed and get ready to go in 20 minutes. Not any more. I have discovered that I am a nicer person to know if I take it slow in the morning.

Reason 3: I am less of a monster if I have a cup of tea and some breakfast before I leave for work. I also like to take my time in the shower, getting dressed etc. I am more *there* when I get to work.

Reason 4: I have cats. And they demand attention in the morning - and not just to be fed, they want loves and playtime. So I have had to build an extra 15 minutes into my morning routine for my furbabies. And it's totally worth it.

Reason 5: I have to build in time for Facebook. I am living far away from my children, grandchildren and friends. so I absolutely have to spend 15 minutes or so checking out what they've been up to while I was sleeping. And it's worse at the moment with this challenge - keeping up with all the posts takes a lot of time!

Reason 6: I like to meditate or do my I-Ching for the day before I leave for work so that I feel focussed for the day ahead. This is not a not-negotiable like time with my cats or Facebook, but I do like to do it.

So you see, I have to be up by 5:15 every morning.

If I go to bed earlier than 22:00, I just don't fall asleep until about 22:00. If I go to bed at 22:00, I'm asleep by 22:05. So my default sleep time is 7 hours or so. And I function well on that.

BUT this is a challenge is it not? So I will endeavour to get more sleep.

Last night was good. I read Eric's post about sleep habits and I put the following into practice:

No Electronic screen 2 hours before bed

Closed the curtains

Set the aircon at 24

And I slept very well until Solly decided that it was play time at 3. So I turfed him out and closed the door, and woke up again at 7:15. Brilliant!

No work tomorrow, so I'll have another go at 8 hours tonight.

And today - drink 8 glasses of water - easy peasy!

Day 7 - Take photos of yourself in your underwear.

The full description of this challenge can be found here:
Day 7
It has been interesting for me to read the different reactions of people to this challenge. I guess I am very fortunate in that I have a positive body image now, but it was not always the case. I am a born naturist. I love clothes, don't get me wrong, but if given the choice, I prefer to be nekkid. And this is why...

This is how I see myself in my mind:

And this is how I really look:

Now those of you who know me well, know that I have been a fervent admirer of Cher since I first saw her on the Sonny and Cher show back in the 60s. To me she epitomises everything I always wanted to be - tall, slim, beautiful and have an amazing singing voice to boot. She has followed the music trends of every genre, and she is still gorgeous today. This photo of her is a screen shot from my favourite video of her singing "Turn back time". If I could have plastic surgery that would make me look like Cher, I'd do it.

Sadly though, I am more the "Dolly Dimple" type.

But... I was very fortunate to have had a husband who adored me and accepted me as I am. Well, I had three husbands actually, but number three was so very good to me (for a few years - until he dumped me). He loved to take photos of me. He was forever taking photos of me. And in the beginning I hated seeing myself on film - and then, in pixels, once we got our first digital camera. I was used to being on the other side of the camera - taking the photos. But because this man genuinely loved me as I was, and he wouldn't stop taking photos, I got used to seeing myself. I also started scrapbooking somewhere around that time, and this was also an exercise in acceptance. When you're making pretty pages of yourself, you have to learn to look at yourself with acceptance not judgement.

I once told someone very dear to me that the best thing you can do for your self esteem is to stand naked in front of a mirror. If you don't like what you see, do something about it. If you don't want to do something about it, than accept it. But learn to love your body one way or another, because you can't love others if you don't love yourself.

I have heeded my own advice over the years, and have learnt to put myself first in my own life. I accept that I will never look like Cher (even though I still see myself like that in my mind!) but I know that I am the best Jane Bowles/MacKenzie/Egan/Elliott that I can ever be. And I know that I will not transform the body I have over night, or even in 30 days, but I can start today by accepting this challenge and making small changes that will impact positively on my lifestyle and my body.

I don't think I can say that I love my body, but I accept it as it is, and look at it as a starting point to better health. And if can be as fit at 68 as Cher is, I'll be happy!

Day 6 - 50 squats

Day 6
Squats. It seems to me that somebody - obviously a MAN - and a sadistic man at that - made up an excruciating exercise for women and lied about it being good for them.

To be perfectly honest, I do not want a butt that looks like this. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but I have no need for a shelf sticking out behind me. And I find it difficult to understand why anyone would want to look like this. 

However, that said, I accepted this challenge knowing that squat day would be just that - a challenge - and I'm up for any challenges.

So I read the email, watched the YouTube video and managed 20 squats before I left for school.

I must have done them right, because walking up the 3 flights of stairs to my classroom nearly killed me. And of course today I was up and down to the auditorium for my Grade 8 and 9 plays. I did those stairs 4 times... and at the back of my mind was those remaining 30 squats...

So when I got home I fed the kitties, then made a cup of tea, then did 10 squats.

I drank my tea, and then made the beds in readiness for my guests that are arriving tomorrow. After my supper I did another 10 squats.

And after my bedtime tea I'll do the last 10. And then I'll take 2 Grandpas and a Myolgin so that I can sleep.

What's in store for us tomorrow? What was that? Take what?

No! Watch this space - or not!

Day 5- Eat Green Veges with Dinner

Day 5
I like green vegetables. I do. I like spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts and green beans. But now that I am on the low FODMAPS diet - which is working well btw - I can't eat any of these. And if I do, it hurts.

But hey - this is meant to be a challenge, right? The only green vegetables they had at Dina Farms store last week was zucchini, so that's what I bought. I also bought some carrots and celery. So when I cooked my nice chicken shish, I made a low FODMAPS coleslaw with grated zucchini, carrot and celery. And it was delicious. I also had oven roasted coloured peppers and sweet potato. The sweet potato wasn't very nice, it was a bit fibrous.

I took 1 shish to school for my lunch, and made myself some coleslaw to take with me as well, and it was delicious.

Day 4 - No Caffeine After 13:00

Day 4

I gave up coffee some years ago and suffered excruciating caffeine withdrawal, so I vowed never to become dependent again. However, some things are not simply black and white, on and off, caffeine or decaf...

In my lifetime I have given up smoking 3 times - twice for pregnancies and finally for my health. The third and final time that I postponed that next cigarette indefinitely was definitely the hardest. I now have a phobia of starting again. Living in Egypt the Shisha culture beckons, and I dare not sample it lest I crave a ciggie. I can't imagine myself smoking now. So yes I have an addictive personality, but I can say no. But I digress.

I have recently discovered that I have a problem with my gut, and in the process of healing this I am trying very very hard to give up sugars and processed food. I am a biscuit addict, and I have (almost) given up eating biscuits. I am down from quite a few per day to one or two a week. I am proud of this. But the sugar withdrawal has been hard - I get grumpy and short tempered. Not good for a teacher...

This brings me back to coffee. I drink a lot of herbal tea. I drink my rooibos, rooibos with cinnamon, lemon and ginger, chamomile, majoram, hibiscus, hibiscus with cinnamon, the list is endless. When I drink these teas I drink them without milk or sweeteners of any sort, and I enjoy them immensely - I can't imagine starting my day any other way than with a big mug of lemon and ginger tea. And. of course, all of these are caffeine free.

BUT...

When I get to work I have a cup of coffee. Sometimes there's perk on the go which is a bonus, or I'll just have a nice hot cup of Nescafe. Black. With 2 sugars. Now, I'm not sure if it's the sugar or the caffeine that makes me human, but without that kick before the first bell, I am not a nice person. I have learnt this over the years, and in order for me not to be arrested for murdering one of my students I have given in and had that cup of coffee. Now it has got to the stage where if I don't have it I get a caffeine withdrawal headache, which is a bad thing. I hate the thought that some external force has such an effect on my body, but I know the consequences if I don't. Drink. That. Coffee.

After that caffeine jumpstart,  during the day at school I drink rooibos tea, or at least, herbal tea of some sort, and I'm fine. Human. Accommodating. Probably even nice to my students. I get home from work at about 16:00. Now, 16:00 is my limit for having coffee if I want to sleep at all that night. Coffee after 17:00 and I'm ready for an all-nighter. So I like to have a cup when I get home, as it sets me up for the evening when I'm out tutoring. I discovered the Nescafe cappuccino range, and particularly enjoy the vanilla flavour. They have just brought out a caramel flavour which I just bought yesterday. Which I now won't be able to try today. Or ever, actually, if I'm to incorporate these healthy habits into my lifestyle... I justify these drinks because I don't add sugar to them. (They probably already contain huge amounts of sugar anyway.) Maybe I'll bring them to school and have one in the morning instead of in the afternoon, and go back to rooibos in the afternoon instead.

Who would have thought that just not having caffeine would be such an epic dilemma?

Do you think that maybe I'm overthinking this whole thing?

Sigh.

I guess this is what I'll have to do - edge my way out of my comfort zone. and fake being nice to my students!

Thank you for reading all the way to this point - and hopefully we'll meet again tomorrow when we have to eat green veggies with dinner...

Day 3 - List three things you are grateful for

Day 3

The challenge for me with this one is to ONLY find 5 things to be grateful for!

This is a daily practice for me, I have a gratitude journal, and I find 5 things to be grateful for every day, so it's not a new way of thinking for me. I find it an incredibly humbling experience.

I also use a gratitude stone which I find works very well. Find a stone or crystal that resonates with you, and carry it around with you during the day. Every time you become aware of it, say thank for something to whoever you believe is the source of your abundance - be it God, your angels, the Source, the Universe. In my case it's my beloved goddess Aradia whose continuous care and abundance is a constant source of pleasure to me.

So now - 5 things I am grateful for today.

1. I am grateful to be living in Cairo where I am surrounded by friends who have become like family, and have a standard of living I would never be able to have in South Africa.
2. I am grateful that I have a rewarding job, and that my employers value me.
3. I am grateful for my beautiful home. I look forward to coming home every day.
4. I am grateful for my darling kitties. They give me a reason to come home.
5. I am grateful that the streets of Heliopolis are safe enough for me to go for the lovely long walks that I enjoy so much.

Day 2 - 6000 Steps

I'm not going to get into the whys and wherefores of walking, when Eric says it so eloquently here:
http://ultimateyou.co.za/30day2/

Of course this day would have to be a Friday, when I'm not at school and would have to purposefully walk these steps. Nevermind, I told myself, I'll have Canon (the cleaning man) here in the morning, and then I'll go shopping in the afternoon, and out to Ocean Basket with Sandra in the evening, and that should do it.

Huh. When has life ever actually run smoothly for me?

First of all, Canon took way longer to clean my flat than I thought. Turns out he's a bit OCD - which as a cleaner is a good thing - but it meant that he was here a lot longer than I thought he would be. And then, just when I was looking in my empty cupboards and feeling happy that I was about to go out shopping, Sammy called and said he had to go to Upper Egypt for an emergency and couldn't take me to the shops. Sigh. So I arranged to go shopping tomorrow with Ceresa instead. And then by the time Canon was finished cleaning it was almost time to meet Sandra. And my S Health said 2 minutes active...

Luckily the Ocean Basket is a fair distance away, and by the time I'd walked there and back I'd done 4000 steps. So I then did so power walking around the block until I'd made up the balance.

So it ended up being a win-win for me! I got to achieve my step target, had a relaxing day, had supper with my friend, and read my book. And I made sure to eat slowly and mindfully, enjoying every tasty morsel of my prawns and mussels supper! 

So here's looking forward to Day 3!