Makeover Diary - How it all began

Tim came home after a wonderful experience at the games. And off I went full speed ahead again. We were also going on a 10-day trip to Mexico with Tim's mom, Patricia -- our first "exotic" holiday since our honeymoon eight years earlier.

Tim's first week home I was able to keep up many of the past month's routines, including exercising (after all, I had to be in a bathing suit in three weeks). Then my contracts got in the way and I was working more than 75 hours for the next two weeks. After two weeks I heard back from Canadian Living saying they were interested in the article -- I was so thrilled that I had a response.

Mexico was awesome; basically we spent our days at the beach and went out for dinner each night. We did a lot of walking and playing -- and not too much snacking (my mother-in-law, who is just over 60, is a total health fanatic and is in excellent condition since she eats right and exercises regularly. In light of my up-coming public life-balance program, she was an excellent role model to be on vacation with.

April 2002
The big Olympic and Paralympic Salute were happening this month, requiring lots of last-minute details for a formal government dinner hosting more than 400 people. KidSport events were happening, school was busy and I was conducting some public-speaking workshops. I was also volunteering for our Olympians Canada annual dinner committee, Sparks was wrapping up and I volunteered in the classroom, too! Looking back I don't how I made it through that month. Tim was at a planning stage in his job so he had more time to be at home, with not as many evening and weekend meetings and events -- so he was instrumental to my survival.

Physically my weight was holding out between 175 and 180 pounds and I was completely and utterly exhausted. I also had no time to exercise. Mentally I was a write-off -- work was all I could focus on and I just did the bare necessities with my kids. I only had two hours a day with them, but because I wasn't dealing with all of the little things it was at least quality time. Tim got them ready for school as usual, but now he was doing all of the grocery shopping, cooking and bedtime stuff too! He even took on most of my chores; usually it is 50/50 but because I was so very busy he did about 70 to my 30 per cent.

May 2002
With the Salute over I had one big thing off my plate, and managing the other three jobs became easier; the Canadian Sport Centre athlete speakers program was winding down and I could focus mostly on teaching in the mornings and KidSport in the afternoons. I was exercising randomly and inconsistently. The article was to be a go and Canadian Living was busy coming up with the concept. I was to try and stay status-quo physically so that by the time the article went I wouldn't have already lost too much weight or changed my life style too much. No problem there; I was still booked up solid till the end of June.

I had more time to rest this month but wasn't motivated to exercise a lot. My headaches from the accident continued to occur about three times a week. During March and April I just had to forge ahead, take some medicine and forget the pain. But this time I gave into the headaches and slept. I was so exhausted that I would come home and spend an hour and a half with the kids, then fall asleep on the couch or in a chair as soon as Tim walked in the door from work. He'd cook dinner and I would rouse myself to help during the bath routine. Then I'd either sleep or work for a few hours. On weekends we'd go for walks or bike rides or visit family. (I sometimes tried to clean the house -- which by this time looked like a tornado had hit it.) No time for exercise and mentally I was mush.