I have done something new in the past week. It is time for me to be stepping it up when it comes to my health. I was sent information from a friend in an email, about a medical study at the local university. As a person with type 2 diabetes, I was able to apply. I made a call, and I am glad I did.
When I connected with the person working on the study, I was asked some questions on the phone. They needed to know when I was diagnosed, and what medications I was taking. I went through them all and made an appointment for the first session. When I did, the person I was speaking to asked me when I would like to do the second part of the qualifying session. I chose Wednesday and Thursday this past week.
Next, I was given a brief overview of what would happen. The first session was to fill out the paperwork and to get my measurements recorded. They needed my weight, height, waist and hip circumference. Two blood samples were taken, one by a nurse, and the other by the person I would be working with. The nurse used a needle to get a blood sample, similar to when the doctor sends you for bloodwork. They needed to establish some baselines for my sugars and lipids. The second blood test was just a finger prick, similar to what I do to test my blood sugars myself. It is for a 3 month average of my blood sugars, called an A1C test. We went over the numbers, but I do not remember them all. I was assigned a number for the study.
The Bod Pod
I was told on the phone that in the first session, I would need to go into something called the Bod Pod. It was described as an oval machine, shaped like a spaceship. Of course, I asked for the details of what it was used for. It uses changes in air pressure to get an estimate of the fat and muscle percentage in your body. It sounded neat, and then I asked one more question. With the description of the Bod Pod, I asked if they played any Lady Gaga music while the test was running. I made my contact person laugh, and he surprisingly admitted nobody had ever asked him that question before.
Since I am a blogger, and I have this category, I wanted to document the interesting parts here. We will start with some pictures of the Bod Pod.
The Bod Pod
Inside the Bod Pod
As you can see, it has a seat inside. I was asked to wear something similar to a bathing suit for the test. My Zumba clothes worked for this purpose. There are magnets to hold the door secure during the test, and there is an emergency release button if for any reason a person would want to stop the test. It has never been used, and I did ask if the person who I was working with for the assessment wanted to test it after my test was done. My offer was declined, as it was uncertain if it would affect the calibration of the expensive machine. I did not test the emergency button.
For a few moments, I could pretend I was Lady Gaga arriving at a music award show.
The person who was assessing me to see if I would qualify for the study did agree to help me with pictures for the blog. They use the equipment for their job, so they are used to it, but for someone like me, it was worth documenting the whole experience.
Since the machine uses air pressure to record the measurements, I was advised of this. I was also warned that just like my ears, the machine may pop while the test was running. Thankfully, although I felt the pressure changes when it was running, it was not a huge difference, and my ears were not affected. For statistical reasons, they run duplicate tests for certain qualifying factors. This test was run twice and will be necessary again once or twice while the medical study is being conducted.
Waving for the camera
OMG! I am INSIDE the Bod Pod!
I had to wear a swim cap also, to help with the test. It was okay for me to wear my stockings in the Bod Pod. At the same time the blood tests were run, my feet were also checked. One side effect of diabetes is neuropathy, which affects the nerves, especially in feet. I have had this test before, and I usually feel the apparatus on my feet when it is lightly pressed on the sole of my feet. After completing these tests, I was able to go home, with a pedometer to wear for 7 days, to get a baseline average of my current activity level.
The fitness test.
Day two had a new test to run. First, I was given an explanation of what to expect. I would be fitted with a heart monitor to start with. I do not have a picture of this because it was put right under my sports bra (which I am SO glad I wore that day!)
Next, I was set up for the apparatus to measure my oxygen levels. If you thought the Bod Pod was glamorous, you haven’t seen the best parts yet. I had to wear this frame over my head, which would be attached to a tube that was placed in my mouth. The air goes in on one side, and out the other, to be measured in another machine. I was advised to drink a bit of water before it was in my mouth because my mouth would get dry during this test. The paper towel was there for me to use for saliva. There was a part of the tube made to catch any drool dripping around the mouthpiece. So attractive, I know.
There were goals to beat in the fitness test to qualify for the study. A speed was selected, and the incline was increased at several intervals. I was shown a clipboard with numbers on it. They ranged from 6 to 20, and since I would not be able to talk during the fitness test, I would point at the number which corresponded to the level of exertion I was feeling when asked. I was also advised to give a thumbs up or down as answers to questions and to move my hand back and forth by my neck if I needed to stop for any reason.
All hooked up and ready to go
It was uncomfortable, but not as bad as it looks.
To get the most accurate measurement of the air I was breathing, I also had to wear a nose plug. I walked on the treadmill, and if you know me, and you caught the musical reference above, you probably guessed that I had a song in my head while I was walking my way through this test. I will reveal it soon. First, I want to assure you that my breathing was fine once I got settled into the test. I did feel short of breath near the end, but with increasing intensity for the duration, it was to be expected. When my heart rate was checked as okay, and the machine to measure the oxygen I was using as I breathed was full, the test began.
There was a short warm-up period, to adapt to the treadmill and the breathing apparatus. Once I found my groove, the incline was increased. It was increased by one increment until it reached 11.0. At this time I was asked if I wanted to keep pushing or stop, and I chose to stop.
I qualified for the study.
The good news is, although I will need to repeat the measurements and tests, it will not be every time. I will have to wear the heart monitor every time I go, but that is not an issue for me. It is the lease intrusive piece of equipment I have to wear. Except for testing and measurement days, I will be working with a trainer to help me work on my treadmill game. I will want to push myself as I get used to walking regularly again. It is going to be a good change for me, and my hope is that I excel while I am participating in the study. I will not be getting paid for my participation, but if I can lose some weight and increase my activity levels, it will be worth it to me.
The study is testing to see what the impact of regular exercise is on the A1C levels in people diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and people like me, with type 2 diabetes. As the study progresses, I hope to have more to share here. At this time, I am glad I Trusted My Gut and applied for the study. I needed a change, and this could be just what the doctor ordered.
The song I had in my head when I was on the treadmill on day 2 was Good As Hell by Lizzo. As I finished the test on day 2, after I was unhooked from all of the apparatus, I told the people in the room, “I would like to thank Lizzo for getting me through this fitness test.” My statement was met with laughter, as it was intended.
Hello, Beautiful Friends! I am catching my breath as I have just completed reorganizing my stash of makeup. What began as a simple project evolved as I gave myself time to think about the possibilities.
In case you don’t remember what my counter looked like the last time I wrote about this… here is a reminder to show you the clutter I was dealing with:
The Current Makeup Situation
It is hard to use makeup when it is stored like this
Makeup is taking over
Originally, I was going to clear off a shelf in the storage unit between the vanity and the whirlpool tub, which is also known as my kitten’s racetrack. I had previously started storing crafts on it. There was room to shift things to clear one or two shelves for my makeup.
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to make a bigger change.
Not that long ago, I took the bottom half of a closet storage set and moved it to the bedroom. When I did it, I was sure it would stay, so I screwed it into the wall and put it to use.
Fast forward to January 2020 and the annual cleaning challenge I participate in. I usually choose one project to improve our home. We don’t have a lot of extra funds set aside for home improvement, so one project is all I can really manage to purchase supplies for. With this in mind, I am preparing to makeover my mini laundry closet. Therefore, if I am going to make any other changes in y home, I need to work with what I already have here.
As the project grew from a simple reorganization of makeup to a shelf system swap, I started by taking more pictures, before I started.
Before: In the master BedroomBefore: In the Master Bathroom
In the top picture, above, you can see the two white cube storage pieces I had repurposed from my master closet. In the second picture, you can see the cluttered counter, and the shelving unit I wrote about above.
I went to work.
After getting a screwdriver and a duster, I cleared off the black shelving unit enough to slide it out of the place it was in. Then I unscrewed the white cube storage pieces from the wall in the bedroom, one at a time, and moved them to where the black stand was.
Finally, I had them switched, and I began placing items where I wanted them. This process may not be entirely complete at the moment, but for now, the main parts are done!
Craft storage moved into the bedroom.More room by the jacuzzi tubFrom craft storage to makeup storageThe new look in the Master Bathroom
I have not gone through all of my craft supplies at this point. It was more important to get the bed cleared off to sleep tonight. It is ready for the clean and dry comforter. I changed the sheets before I got going. I am sure I will sleep well tonight.
Here is one final look at the project.
Being able to access all of my makeup is important. I am learning new tips and tricks, and I need to be able to access it easily to enable me to continue. I am glad I decided to take on this project. Here are some final looks.
3 shelves hold my makeup and supplies now.Makeup is easy to find, and neatly organizedNow there is more room on the counter.Clutter-free!
When I get to the week for organizing craft supplies, I already have a great start on it. When I get to the week for the Master Suite, I can focus on cleaning and not have to work at reorganizing. I am also closer to tackling the laundry closet with these steps done because I needed to empty the clothes basket at the foot of the bed and change the bedding. This is now done, so I can keep working towards the next project.
I feel like I have accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. I also know that when I want to wear my makeup, it will be so much easier to take out what I need now that the counter is clutter-free! How do you store and organize your makeup? Do you take on a project every year to improve your home? Let me know in the comments what you think about this new setup!
Happy New Year! Here we are in a new year, and in a new decade. I did not magically wake up skinny. 2019 had a rough couple of days during the holidays, and things got a little out of control. When things got bad, I was able to turn it around, and now they are better.
I’m seeing signs of going through the change. I’ve been having hot flashes at night. I am not sure if they are related to the next phase of my life or my sugars or a combination of the two. After a few restless nights, I got up and checked my sugars. They were very high. When someone with diabetes is sick, this is normal, however I don’t always do the right things for my health.
Sometimes I forget to take my medications.
Creating a health tracker helps me to remember, but I have not been using it. With a brand new agenda, I am ready to start fresh in 2020. I have worked really hard to create my health tracker, but I slacked off. I haven’t followed through with using it. So, I am getting it ready this weekend, and I will be using it starting today.
I haven’t been feeling well. I have had a stomach bug and more than one migraine in the last month. When I am sick, I am more likely to skip my medicine. When you have diabetes and you are under the weather, you need to keep taking your medicine. Just like you need to keep eating and stay hydrated. I know this, but I don’t always make the best choices. Especially when I am feeling ill.
Changes were made this week.
I started checking my sugars more frequently and I’m taking my medicine. I bought new vitamins, and have taken them for the last 3 days. The holiday treats are disappearing, and things are going to be getting back to normal. As I think about this, back to normal is not going to be enough for me. I need to do more, and I need to do better.
I bought a sports bra style workout top in November. The goal was to wear it at home, when I am alone, to do Zumba in my living room. So far, it is still in the bag, with the price tag still attached to it. I am going to cut that tag off on Monday and put it on with my shorts and Zumba sneakers. Then I will complete my look with my Zumba headband and dance by myself in my living room. I want to schedule it into my 2020 planner, 3 days a week. My only resolution for 2020 is to dance more. Now that I have put this into writing, I will have to follow through.
Accountability Matters
Accountability is something which I have learned is important when you are setting goals, but also for building online businesses. I need to get things accomplished to move on to the next tasks. The only person I am accountable to is myself until I have paying clients. Once this happens, I will be accountable to them also.
It is also a term that is immensely important to me and my health. It is so important, I decided to turn my weight loss support group from a beta to a membership group. This was a difficult decision because the current members are in it for free. Their participation means they are getting value out of the year and a half we have spent together.
It makes me sad that some have already left the group, and I understand why they are choosing to leave. I have also learned a term since joining the makeup industry.
Bless and release.
This is such a simple concept, and easy to apply. If someone does not want to buy makeup, let them go, and move on to the next person. It takes a rejection from being personal to being a manageable response.
The other thing I am learning to accept is that having people leave means they are creating space for the people who do need to be in the group. This is a new concept to me, and I am discovering how to include it in my thought process.
It is harder for me to let go of people in the beta group because we have built a connection. Therefore, we have a history. I have been preparing for new members by organizing the posts into topics. This allows for easier management and navigation within the group. I am refreshing the experiences of myself with the beta group as a whole during this process. It will help me to focus on what is working, what is not working, and what to change.
Each new member will be given a free, personalized health record (tracker). It will be designed on two pages, to fit in seven days. I’m planning to meet with each member online before the end of January to determine what they need help with, and what they need on their tracker. I create my own in my agenda, and it covers everything I need for now. I asked the beta group what they would need, and I have ideas on how I can modify what I created for myself to be useful for other members.
It is a customizable concept.
It has been useful at my doctor’s appointments. I have also had it in appointments with a dietician and at the diabetes clinic. I am not giving it the attention it needs, or rather, I am not giving my health the attention it needs when I am not using it. This will change today!
I opened the Membership group to new members for the new year. I am working hard to make sure that people get value out of the group for their membership fees. So far, it has involved a lot of housekeeping in the group. When it is organized, I will be able to create new content and schedule the accountability posts again. I find this so helpful, to just set aside a block of time to schedule posts for a month or two. It frees my time up to interact with the group and makes it more fun for me to be in there with the other members.
I’m not a medical professional.
This group is a support group, not for a plan or program, but for the members. I will not tell them what plan to follow, or what to eat or what not to eat. I am not the boss of the members. We are all adults and in charge of our own lives. Instead, I work on helping them to be accountable for activity, for drinking water; while sharing tips and recipes. It is general knowledge that staying active and hydrated promotes a healthier lifestyle. With the scheduled posts, it is something that the members will see every day, and it will remind them to work on these things.
All members are required to sign a confidentiality agreement, and the standard Facebook group rules will apply. Anything which goes against these guidelines will not be tolerated, and I am very upfront about this.
Payment Options
I have decided on 2 payment options. Members can choose a monthly payment of $54.00 CAD. It breaks down to each member paying for four hours of my time, at minimum wage, for me to run the group for the whole month. As the group grows, people may wish to pay a lump sum for the year. $550.00 CAD is the annual membership fee, and if a member chooses to pay annually, they will save $98.00 CAD on their fees.
I am working from home, and I need an income. It is not a decision I made lightly. It wasn’t easy to tell the beta group members that things were changing. I need to get the word out, and cannot afford to pay for advertising.
Sharing this blog post and sharing the posts from my personal Facebook account will help me to do this. It is going to be better than you can imagine, because I am right there, in the trenches with the members. Not telling you what to do, but reminding you that we are in this together, and we can help each other because of it. One of my goals for 2020 is to help people who can help me in return. I do have to stop doing everything for free, though. My heart wants to help people. I am asking you to help me by either joining the membership group, if you need the support or to help me get the message out to people who do need it.
This is my Facebook Profile for you to find the posts to share:
If you are not already a friend, you will see that my wall is a fun place to hang out. I am not only focused on business building. Sharing fun things I find, creating my own content, keeping it a positive enjoyable place to hang out online. Most of the time it is light-hearted. Once in awhile a dose of reality sneaks in, when I have something important to share. I have room for lots of friends in my life, and I have made some really great ones online.
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to sharing my future successes with you all, dear readers.
Last time, I started to introduce you all to more makeup adventures with Tish. For me, makeup is a thing. I was buying it anyway, and I am working hard to build a business based on something I am already involved with. I am not limiting my options to where my next source of income comes from.
You see, I am currently looking for work. I am trying to only choose jobs to apply for which I can see myself doing, and in the meantime I am putting in some time with this makeup business side hustle. I want it to work, but I do have other things on the go.
Currently, I want to share some more information with you regarding the hashtag in the title. It is one I thought up for this makeup business, and I hope it does well. I am working on graphics to start sharing on my social media platforms, and getting help from people inside my Tish MacWebber Always Beautiful Facebook Group before I launch them into the internet at large. You get in by my invitation, only. I am not limiting the number of members. If you want to join, there is no purchase required.
To join this group I have created, to watch the many adventures of Tish with makeup, you may send a message to request an invite through my Always Beautiful with Tish MacWebber Facebook business page. It is set up to encourage more people to join my group. I want to see it thrive and grow, just like I want to see the makeup business do the same.
I am neither shallow, nor conceited nor vain.
I do not obsess about how I look every day. When I wear my new makeup, I feel more confident and professional. I like how I feel when I wear it, and I am trying to wear it more frequently to promote the business. As you saw last time, I am not shy of being a little silly or sharing selfies of myself with no makeup on. This is being done on purpose, because we are truly Always Beautiful and I want to help people learn this first.
It all started about two years ago, when a friend had an online Facebook party for makeup. I was offered the opportunity at that time. I took two years, and I thought about it. When I was ready, I reached out to the person who initially made the offer to me.
It goes deeper for me, though. I am working on myself, and this means I am also learning to be kind to myself. I am beautiful with or without makeup, just like a homemade cake is wonderful with or without icing. We all have our preferences and I love the extras. I know this analogy is not diabetic friendly, but just go with it, okay?
You can have cake. You can have cake with icing. You can have birthday cake. You can have cake with ice cream. You can have cake with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry on top if you want to. It all starts with cake, and don’t get me started on all of the flavours cake comes in. My point is, that we are all beautiful, and we can enhance our beauty, just like we can enhance a wonderful cake however we want to.
Back to the hashtag.
#makeuphappens is the hashtag for my business adventure. I was in my washroom, just looking at the makeup I have in my possession. It adds up, quickly, when you start trying new brands and colours. I can say I do have a decent collection of brushes and makeup. I have tried to organize it on my bathroom counter in my master suite. My makeup has outgrown this space, and I need to reorganize my storage options to make it more accessible and easy to use.
Here are a few before pics of the current makeup organization situation :
Makeup is taking over
It is hard to use makeup when it is stored like this
I have a plan. In the next Makeup Monday, I will share pics of how I reorganized my makeup to free up some room on my counter, and make it easier to get to all of my makeup.
Hello Makeup Monday fans! It has been a really long time since my last makeup post, and I hope you won’t hold it against me. I did a thing. I joined a direct marketing makeup company, and I am having more fun than ever with my new makeup.
Wait a second, don’t bail! I am still going to be reviewing my new products, and sharing my new looks with you. It’s what you keep coming back for, I hope. I will be inviting you to join me in my Facebook group if you want to cheer me on regularly, and writing here on occasion. This is not, at this point, an affilliate marketing strategy. You can still read, check out my pics, learn about the products I use, and it is totally up to you if that is all you want to do. If you love makeup like me, and want more, the invitation will be at the end. No purchase required, but of course greatly appreciated if you decide to get something for yourself from Tish MacWebber, Always Beautiful.
First of all, that group name took a few days to think up. I have my logo for Always Thinking and Always Blinging, and I needed to come up with the right name to go with the logo. That in and of itself took me about a week, which in my world is too long to take to think something up.
Next I created a hashtag.
With social media marketing, I needed to come up with something catchy, clever, and with meaning behind it. After a quick Google search, I realized I had found one I could claim.
You see, I have always loved makeup, but never wore it frequently. I am wearing makeup a little more often now, and for me, it kind of just happened. I did a purge and wrote about it on my first Makeup Monday story. This is number seven. I have added and removed products to and from my stash. I purchased clear storage containers to organize my cosmetics, and I have found that while it was sufficient last year, or even two years ago, whenever I started the makeup habit again, it’s now taking over the counter in y bathroom. So, I created the hashtag #makeuphappens for this new adventure I am on.
During the month of December, I plan to work on the reorganization and storage of my makeup. I have a plan, and I have taken the before pics. When I finish, I will share the whole process here. Makeup Monday fans, this means at least one more Makeup Monday blog post in 2019. 🙂
My New Looks
Now we get to the good part. My new looks. I have been promoting both a blank canvas and a fully made up face as being Always Beautiful. I believe that makeup enhances one’s own natural beauty. Hence the Always Beautiful name for this business. So I have new pics. I am learning how to take better selfies, with the camera I have. I am not sure if it should be upside down like they recommend for selfies on a cell phone, but I am playing.
Here are a few pics I have taken with no makeup and no filters:
Tish with no makeup 1
Tish with no makeup 2
Here I am with my blank canvas. Tish MacWebber Always Beautiful promotes natural beauty, positivity and inspiring others.
When I first got my kit, I was encouraged to try wearing only mascara on only one eye, to show the difference. I can see the difference, can you?
Tish with 4D Mascara on one eye 1
Tish with 4D Mascara on one eye 2
Tish with 4D Mascara on one eye 3
Here I am wearing the Moodstruck Epic 4D one-step fiber mascara on one eye.
If you know me, you know I like to play, and have fun with makeup and looks. Here are two looks which I will guess you were not expecting to see.
Tish with an exfoliating mask on
Tish with makeup on half of her face.
If I am not having fun, I won’t keep working on it. As you can see, I am having loads of fun with different products and looks!
Finally, here is what my new current makeup looks like. I have worn as many products as I can from the kit I got when I signed up. What do you think?
Tish with a full face of makeup
I would love to share my makeup adventures with as many people as possible. I do have a business page, on Facebook, where you can send me a message if you would like to be invited into my Tish MacWebber Always Beautiful group. I do hope to see you there!
I have learned a little bit since I started this new chapter of Makeup Monday. One thing I learned while writing this post is that to get the least reflection on my glasses for my selfies, I will need to lay down on a chair to take them. I will need to practice this, to make it look right, but this afternoon I had a lot of glare on my glasses, and now I have something to try the next time I play with makeup. Until then…check out my business page, and if you want to, come on over to the group. There is a lot going on there, and I am planning so much more!
