Life Update - Highs and Lows

The past six weeks were challenging for me.

I like to remind myself that it’s been challenging for everyone and am keenly aware that many, many people have it much, much worse than I do.

But let’s not get into the habit of gauging someone's worthiness of struggle.

This is something I remind myself of often.

My life, just like yours, has multiple stories playing out at any given time. Some of those stories are exciting and joyful, and some of those stories are stressful or disappointing.

It is important to acknowledge the things that are happening in our lives instead of pushing them off and saying “I can’t be sad because someone else has it worse”.

That’s like saying you can’t feel joy just because someone else has it better. And, we all know how ridiculous that sounds.

Over the past seven weeks, here are some of the stories that have played out that have been challenging:

I started to get a sore throat mid-December. I, of course, hoped that it would go away after 24-48 hours but it didn’t. 5 days later I booked a covid test and while waiting for the results (which were negative) the government of Ontario implemented a province wide lockdown.

Because I was sick and waiting for my covid results, I had to cancel my hair appointment, nail appointment, and massage that I had booked for some pampering before Christmas. This was disappointing (yes, not the end of the world) but really poor timing with the lockdown.
I must say at this point of writing I am going to assume that half of you understand my pain here and the other half think I’m some spoiled princess that couldn’t get her hair done. To clarify, I am not high maintenance and no my world did not crumble like a Nature’s Valley bar...it just sucked to miss those appointments because of the poor timing of my cold.

Part of the lockdown was that gyms shut down. After 6 strong months of pushing myself in the gym, being not allowed to go was/is discouraging.

On the covid front, the very same week of my test and cancelled appointments, my Dad was hospitalized with Covid-19. He was alone in Arizona and this was a scary, stressful situation for him and all who love him. I didn’t know if my facetime call with him would be my last.
Covid affected his heart rate giving him an atrial flutter. With his resting heart rate being over 140 beats per minute. His temperature got so high they had to pack his body with ice packs overnight in an attempt to cool him down. I was getting updates on his oxygen levels and heart rate throughout the days rolling into Christmas.
He was discharged Christmas day and ended up being taken back a day later by ambulance out of concern for his heart. He has continued to deal with ongoing issues like extreme weight loss and muscle fatigue, newly diagnosed type two diabetes, and the continued heart complication. He will be having his heart shocked, hopefully back into a regular rhythm by the end of February.

The same day my dad was hospitalized, a woman decided that she didn’t like a well intentioned joke I made on social media about there being sugar in the covid-19 vaccine (funny because I’m keto and we try to avoid sugar).
She decided to figure out where I work and message multiple co-workers including my boss in an attempt to get me fired. Can we just not do this to people? I don’t know about you but I prefer to keep my personal life and work life separate. Poor timing as I really didn’t need this added stress. If you’d like more details let me know. I feel like this could be an entire blog post on its own.

After Christmas we were told that the kids would not be going back to school and that they would be participating in remote learning. I work full time, and have my KetoinCanada work (So happy to HAVE a job, no reminder needed) and the remote learning was challenging for me and the kids.
I think the most difficult part was the distractions and interruptions. For my 6 year old, it was non-stop. My 10 year old said everything was going really well until two weeks in when she had a meltdown because none of her assigned work had been completed. So I had to take the time to guide her through each assignment to help her get caught up.
Because of the constant distractions, I was no longer able to compartmentalize my days and my work. I was on 24/7 either working either of my two jobs or taking care of the kids. The house turned into an absolute disaster (we’re still getting around to cleaning things up) and I’ve slowly turned into someone that just can’t relax.

Because there are always positives during challenging times, some of the good things that have happened these past 7 weeks are:

I got to spend more time with my kids due to remote learning!
Carter turned 7 years old and we made a Reece’s Pieces cake together.
Everyone has stayed safe with no other family members contracting covid-19.
I finally published my Keto Diet for Beginners guide. This was something I sold for two years before deciding I needed to improve upon it.
My mindset had changed since I first wrote it, and I was no longer comfortable with the all or nothing messaging being presented. Not having something available to help the people who were asking for help was frustrating. I am thrilled to have something that I am proud of that can help people again. This was a big weight off my shoulders.

I decided since the gyms were closed that I would start jumping rope. I was inspired by a few women I came across on TikTok who were doing really cool tricks and moves with their jump ropes. I thought a good place to start would be to get comfortable with jumping rope.
I started doing 1,000 jumps a day and tomorrow will be 30 days of keeping that commitment to myself. Sometimes it’s the only exercise I get so it’s been a really important movement habit for me to establish. I can’t do any tricks yet but I think with time that will come as I improve my endurance and get more comfortable with the rope.
Click here for the beginners jump rope I bought.

I won the Diet Bet that I hosted, losing over 8 pounds in 30 days. It was the first Diet Bet that I won and I did so by following the keto knowledge I share in my book Keto Diet for Beginners.
I recommitted to Keto in a big way. After a rocky 2020 helped me realize that I am still very much addicted to sugar, I’ve happily returned to the way of eating that makes weight maintenance effortless for me.

Steve’s mom got a new puppy named Bobby and he is the most adorable Mini Sheepadoodle. We’ve gotten to see him a few times and our dog Molly enjoys running in the snow with him. It’s sweet to watch.
My TikTok took off, surpassing Instagram as my main social platform. After a few years of losing followers on Instagram, it’s been really cool to see growth over at TikTok. I’ve been creating content and sharing my life online for over 23 years and it’s always been a fun, creative outlet and a way to connect with others. One of my most latest videos there was viewed by over 2.6 million people and even made CTV News.
I launched this website, ketoincanada.com and have intentions to blog frequently and share my life with those who choose to read along
I started talking to a therapist once a week. I was having more sad days then happy ones in November and thought it couldn’t hurt. It’s actually been so great to speak with someone once a week about what’s on my mind and things that I want to improve in my life. Maybe I need a life coach more than a therapist, but none-the-less our conversations have been helpful to me.
My stock portfolio (I started self investing in August) is up 47% as of writing this. WHAT!? And no I did not invest in Gamestop. Actually my heart is broken for anyone who got caught up in that and lost their life savings. If my investing journey is something you’re interested in learning more about definitely let me know.

Moving forward this month I am excited for the following:

I just started reading the book Atomic Habits, which was recommended to me. I have a lot of goals but really no systems in place to achieve them. My main focus this month will be to establish those systems so that I can do less work, work, work, work, grinding and more mindful creation of the life I want.
I think gyms are going to re-open and I’m really motivated and excited to get back in there to challenge myself again.
The kids are back in school. There was a covid case at their school this week but luckily not in their cohort. I just finished my first week with them back and it was immensely refreshing!
It’s February, which means it’s almost March. Which means it’s almost spring. I can feel the light at the end of winter. I only wish I had gotten around to planting bulbs last October.

That’s it for this lengthy update!

I hope you are doing well right now and have more things that are joyful than stressful.

Thanks for reading!

Joanna

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