It’s been over a year since I have been living back in southern Canada. It totally has flown by so quickly. I was talking to a friend yesterday about all the changes that the last year has brought in my life.
August 18th, 2016
One downside about living in Canada’s Arctic is the crazy high cost of food..and the choices were so limited. Must admit the first few months it was hard to enter a grocery store because of all the choices. I worked with a dietician and did the hard work of changing so many different food habits! I hate “diets” and this wasn’t about ‘dieting’ it was to change habits for the long haul!
To be honest, some days I wanted to quit, but I kept at it… taking it one day at a time. Then found the balance place to still enjoy things I wanted to eat…but also making healthy choices. (Often having to re-boot…but that’s part of life right?) Along with the diet changes…I also started being more active. I’ve talked about my running and I also started yoga, but I’ll post more about that later.
Before: July 9, 2015 After: August 18, 2016
So yesterday I took a look at photos from last summer before I left Nunavut. They were taken on Nunavut Day (July 9th) by my friend Alison. I remember thanking her for snapping some of me…because often I’m just behind the camera. But part of me also couldn’t believe what I saw, I was not happy…and decided to do something about it. Hence, the healthier food choices and getting active.
Before: July 9, 2015 After: August 18, 2016
Over the year I couldn’t see the difference…it’s a head game that’s a hard one to break. Often you don’t see the real truth when you look in a mirror, instead you see a distorted view of reality. I’m not sharing this to get all kinds of ‘praise’ or anything…just sharing because sometimes just writing it and posting it makes it real.
Yesterday I was visiting my friend Michelle and we were chatting and I was like… sometimes I wonder why I even bother with all of this stuff, nothing has changed. She offered to take some photos so I could see a visual and match them up with photos from a year ago. She said sometimes that’s the only way to see it. So we took some photos and I matched them up side-by-side and I saw it…and it made me smile!
This last year has been quite the journey…one that is ongoing…but I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2016 brings.