Christmas is Coming, The Goose and I Are Getting Fat

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat

Please put a penny in the old man's hat

If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do

If you haven't got a ha'penny, God bless you!

It is safe to say that the end of 2010 did not go as well as the start. Knee problems then a hip problem then getting knocked sideways by a flu have left me sliding backwards as far as my goal go. Clothes that were loose are feeling a big more snug. There are a few shoulda-coulda-woulda moments in the last three months, but I also cried on three separate occasions from the pain and discomfort in my hip so I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I'll just pick myself up and move on from here.

I attended a Christmas get-together in my apartment building last night. Our awesome building managers put out quite the spread along with their homemade wine and kid-friendly punch. I came away from the afternoon realising that other than a grand total of five plain chips I ate very healthy. Maybe the holidays don't have to be a worrisome time of year!

I am making Grandma's Molasses Cookies with my mom today. Grandma always had these cookies all year round so I'm not quite sure why it became a 'Christmas Only' cookie in our house but they're one of my favourite traditions of the season. To be honest, this is one treat I always overindulge in so I've already started mentally eating my 30 molasses cookies and seeing if it stops the random snacking throughout the afternoon.

I'd Jump For Joy But I Might Break Something

Somewhere over the very busy past five days, I stopped limping and started walking like a normal person. My hip is still sore, but it's that dull ache from over-compensating it for so long and that seems to get less and less every hour. I had my ergonomic assessment on Tuesday and regardless of if that was the cause or it was just added to an underlying issue, I'm really happy I had the assessment done. Even after just two hours in my adjusted workspace, my body was feeling better.

I was really looking forward to taking my much-less-sore hip to West African Dance tonight except I was out very last last night at a very awesome Leonard Cohen concert so I came home, opened my email and fell asleep sitting upright on my couch. That's what 5 hours of sleep does to me.

When I awoke 40 minutes later (with my fingers still over the proper keys, I may add), I decided a short walk was in order as I missed the dance. I didn't go to far, but I walked for 20 minutes then even ran for 2 minutes. I am very happy to report that there was no pain. It did feel a little tender and sore, but gone was the tear-inducing pain of my last running attempt. Could this be it? Could my days of feeling like an invalid finally be over? Could I actually be back to regular runs before the end of 2010? Could Ross really be the one for Rachael after all this time?

I don't want to get my hopes up too high but my body isn't 100% yet (and given my track record, I'm sure I'll pull a back muscle tomorrow) but things are definitely looking up.

Menu and Blog Overhaul

I'm not going to lie, I'm in a funk. My right hip still hurts... a lot. The ergonomic assessment I was planning on this week didn't happen because a big dump of snow hit Victoria and apparently it's more important to shovel and salt the walk-way in front of our office so people don't slip and actually break a hip then it is to fix my new chair. I know, I know, 'the greater good'. I have an appointment for next Tuesday so fingers crossed it goes well and I'll soon be able to walk without limping (which ranges from 'barely noticable' to 'why doesn't that lady have a cane?' depending on the day).

Despite the snow, I've walked to work every day. Depending on how my hip is, this might be

the only exercise I'm able to get in so I'll be damned if I'm going to let a little snow stop me...

even if a few of the drivers did skid through the crosswalk on my light.

The funk probably started back in September with my knee issues, but that had a solution, an end date. Plus I was still able to continue with lots of my activities, it was really just running that was a no-no. With my hip, I don't have an end date. I had to feebly hobble two blocks to the gas station and back for milk the other night. There is nothing like not being able to cross the street before the blinking hand pops up to make you feel like some sort of invalid.

What's a girl to do?

Well, how about start looking a bit closer at her eating habits which had fallen of track. I committed the cardinal sin in healthy eating and stopped paying attention to what I was eating for large chunks of the day, usually the chunk of the day that includes lunch... sometimes morning coffee break... occasionally afternoon coffee break... possibly even breakfast if I hit the snooze button too many times. At least I kept my dinners healthy!

Does this count as a book for my monthly reading challenge? No? Drats!

If I can't exercise, I'm going to have to be very conscience of every single item I put on my plate. I've decided to treat myself like I'm five. I've pulled out the Weight Watcher intro books and I'm going through them again. I'm taking notes. It's the equivalent of taking notes while reading Dr. Seuss (Grinch hates Christmas) but I'm going to do whatever it takes to get this information to become so ingrained I have no excuses for making bad choices.

The other thing a girl can do to help get out of a funk is spend some time playing around with blog layout. With my sore hip, it's a lot easier than playing around with my furniture layout.

Question: How do you get out of a funk?

Pray For Mojo*

The whole hip thing has me pretty bummed. I have been writing and rewriting a post for four days about losing my workout mojo as a result but I've even lost my mojo for writing about it. With my knees I had to stop running but other activities were still on the table. With my hip, not only is running off the table, but depending on the day so it walking or dancing or yoga.

There is, however, some good news at the end of all this. I think I may have found the culprit. We got these new ergonomic chairs at work and that's when my hip problem started. I also notice that I find I slump over to my right side when sitting at my desk but I never did with my old chair. Armed with this knowledge, I spent a huge amount of time on Thursday and Friday trying different positions. My hip has felt better but it's still sore. I'm hoping an ergonomic assessment this week will be the end of it. Then hopefully I'll get my mojo back because I need to write about the awesomeness which is Swiss comfort food:

I know it doesn't look like much but it has bacon, potato, onion, apple and pear in it.

It is the sweet and savory stew to end all stews!

For now, however, I'll get my mojo back through material goods. Today's purchase: Leonard Cohen tickets!

*Obligatory Simpson's reference. If you don't get it, watch this.

The Hip Bone's Connected...

I skipped flamenco on Monday night because my hip was still really bothering me. By my Tuesday walk home from work, my hip problem was affecting my knee and my ankle. I didn't think I was compensating that much for my sore hip but I spent Tuesday night lying on my floor because my knee and ankle hurt when I stood and my hip and knee hurt when I sat. Damned if you do...

I took it really easy on Wednesday. I wore the most comfortable, supportive pair of shoes I own and I took the bus to and from work. That part really pains me because I live a 20 minute walk from my office. I couldn't even walked 20 minutes. I haven't been out on it yet today (I nixed my plans to go to a service, opting instead to remember at home, because I really didn't want to be limping around in front of the veterans. "Hey guys, thanks for your service. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go be a total pansy ass because I have a sore hip.") but so far today it feels pretty good so I'm planning on a long walk this afternoon.