Still Alive and Kickin' -- And Doing Good on the Side

Gosh! I've definitely been M.I.A for way too long. I suppose, it's about time to correct that wrong.

A little over a year ago I was at crossroads of my life. The spring of 2008 wasn't the easiest of my life with me being laid off, my Mom being laid off, too and my grandma being in bad shape. But we all pulled through the hard times. For me getting a new job and moving to Helsinki was something that really made me a new person -- or it actually made me find the person in me again that I really am.

Last summer came and went. I enjoyed my time in Helsinki but when I went to "home" in Turku, I felt numb, exhausted and like I was suffocating. It occurred to me that it was time to make a move that should've been made a long time ago but didn't happen due to lots of things. J. and I broke up in the beginning of September '08. Even though I was the one to bring the issue up, it was mutual in the end. We are still in good terms and keep in touch occasionally. After all, we were together for over 10 years and even though the love died the friendship remained.

So, I've been single since last fall. I've made tons of new friends. I've felt good while being able to breath freely and do as I please. The only one I really have to take care and take into consideration is Cati who, by the way, turned 4 this Saturday on the 4th. But I love having her around, she's my baby after all.

There's also another major change in my life worth mentioning. Those of you who are my friends on Facebook are well aware of this. Over the Christmas break it finally occurred to me that it was the time to make major changes in the way of my living. In the beginning of 2009 I joined a gym and was about to start training again when my back begged to differ. I went to see a doctor and got my back X-rayed. It appears that I've got structural defect of sort in my lumbar section as I've got one extra vertebrae and this L6 also has spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis. The only way to keep my back in shape is to have strong abs and back muscles.

Once my back was okay, I started to train again. Short after starting I hired a personal trainer to help me get on right track. I listed weight loss, exercising becoming way of life and just gaining permanent results as my goals upon start. I started training with enthusiasm and really altered my eating habits and all according to my personal trainer's recommendations. My weight started to drop quite fast, at the rate of 1 kg per week at first. Now, after about six months I've lost at least 13 kg (I've still got the about 7 more to go). My dress size is 2-3 sizes smaller. As a matter of fact, I've had to renew my entire wardrobe as almost everything had gotten too big on me. Frankly, I don't think I've ever been this size as an adult. Maybe when I was 15 or so... And the best part is that exercising and doing sports have become an important part of my life and way of living.

Also, I've started to play golf on regular basis this summer. As a matter fact, I did so well last round that my HCP will drop by 10.

All in all, life's good. Better than it has been in years.