21 days

Woke up to the winter storm blowing in...the wind had most definitely shifted to the north, and was picking up speed. It's going to be brisk out there!

I was up bright and early to go get my hair done. It's only been 7 weeks, but I was this close to chopping it all off myself! I hate it when it starts to curl up in the back, touches my ears, gets in my eyes. I am so not a girl when it comes to my hair! You'd never know by that last sentence that my hair used to be to the middle of my back. What was I thinking?! Oh, that's right...it was the '80's! Big hair was so in then...yes, I am THAT old. Graduated from high school before many of you were born - that would be you, Amber. LOL!

Returning home, with greys destroyed and hair short and sassy once again, I stopped quickly into London Drugs before heading for home. I had to pick up some more night cream, for my 21-day test. More on that later. Once home, I was starving (had a 5-shot latte for "breakfast"), so whipped up a quick egg bake. Into a ramekin went a slice of back bacon, a slice of polenta, some herbed brie cheese, 2 cracked eggs and another slice of bacon. Bake till the eggs are set (I over baked just a tad - the eggs would have been awesome if they were a bit dippy) and turn out onto plate. Ate with a sliced tomato. Heaven.


Did some work around the building, hauling the recycling off to the drop point - which in gale force winds was a ton of fun, by the way - and then a quick stop for some milk, OJ and other items I forgot on Tuesday, and then to the vet to pick up needles and food for George ($70 for needles...good thing his insulin is cheap) before returning home to deal with the maintenance dude regarding my empty suite. Tried to do laundry, but was beaten to the machine. I'll grab it first thing, as I've decided I'll run in the afternoon, when the winds are supposed to die down. It's not that cold out (-14C right now, but the windchill is double that) but it's just plain miserable to run in a high wind. Since I'm technically not training for anything, and not pacing, I don't feel guilty about staying inside, nice and warm, until later in the day.

Made an awesome dinner of Ravioli Lasagna (in this month's Chatelaine, along with some other yummy recipes I can't wait to try). Into a frying pan went celery, onion, garlic and mushrooms. Fried up a bit before adding Yves Veggie Ground Round (the recipe called for Italian sausage...ground round is what I had) and then a tin of diced tomatoes and some fat-free evaporated milk (again, the recipe called for heavy cream and milk - skinnied it up a bit). Add some S&P, chili flakes, red wine and basil, and the seasoning was done. Mix in a handful of spinach (for green and more veggie oomph) before adding a package of fresh spinach cheese ravioli (not cooked). Mix well, pour into baking pan and top with shredded cheese (4-cheese Italiano, to be exact). Bake till golden. Worked out to 12 PointsPlus points, as this whole pan was divided by 4. Nice, large servings, tasty and easy. Next time I'll mix some cheese through-out, just for more a lasagna feel, as this will be made again.


So, back to 21 days. It has been said that it takes 21 days of repetitive behaviour to form a habit, whether good or bad. And I've put that theory to test...take flossing, for example. I challenged myself to floss every day for 21 days...that was January 12, 2009 and I have not missed one.single.day since! Seven hundred and twenty-six days and counting! So, one night, I was feeling...I don't know...old (?!) and decided that I needed to be more "girly" when it comes to myself. This is a fine line for me though, as I believe (and have seen evidence) that over use of cosmetics and creams and such leads to really poor "old" skin, which I don't want! But I thought, okay, I floss, so what else can I do? I've almost always gone to bed with make-up on, I've usually removed any mascara by rubbing it off with my fingers, etc. I admit to some genetic luck however, as my skin isn't that bad, and I haven't really had many problems. But those dang birthday numbers keep racking up, and one day there won't be enough dye or money to cover up anymore, so I should start acting like a grown-up. Perhaps there was wine involved when I came to this conclusion, but whatever. I went to the drug store that day to buy eye makeup remover (which I have been using for quite some time now, along with a face cream with SPF in it for day time use) and walked home with over $200 of stuff!!! You'd think my face was "hungry" or something.
The 21-day challenge started then, as I remove the eye makeup, then use a makeup cloth to clean the face, finish with a wet facecloth (I abhor soap on my face), dot some eye cream around my eyes (although I have earned every single one of those lines, dammit!) and then finish off with a night cream that is supposed to even my tone. After the flossing and brushing, I apply a lip balm that has really helps with my dry lips. That was 27 days ago, and I am proud to report that I haven't missed a single night. Oh, and I'm also trying that stuff that's supposed to help grow your eyelashes, as mine are pretty short. I also started really wearing makeup during the day now too - not just mascara and blush, but foundation, eye shadow, lip stick. I have to say, looking closely the other night, I really do think my fine lines have reduced, and I admit to not having any sort of breakout since. I used to have one spot on my temple that looked like a minefield...I hate being proven wrong! Can't really tell if my eyelashes have grown, but I'll keep tracking that. Maybe it takes longer than 4 weeks.

Now, if I'm so good about starting these kinds of habits, why am I having trouble losing weight?? So, here's my next 21 day challenge. I will follow the PointsPlus program, as it is stipulated in the handouts, online, at the meetings, and I mean really follow it. I will purge my fridge, cupboards and pantry...I will ensure my kitchen is a "cooking-friendly" place again, not the disaster zone it is now, and I will have all my running/boot camp gear lined up and ready for use every day. Twenty-one days...that's all it takes. Simple. Right?

Right?!?

Later,