Sunday, November 24, 2013
November 14, 2013 (Life, the Great Defibrillator)
I had kind of a scare Monday night. Something happened that forced me to wake up and take notice of my body. I went to the ER because I was struggling with breathing and had a pressure in the back of my left leg. I thought I had a blood clot again, this time in my leg. I was immediately taken back and tests were quickly ordered. As always, it started with blood work. I also had an ultrasound of my left leg, an x-ray of my chest, and was placed on a heart monitor. Needless to say, I was admitted overnight for evaluation. The next morning I was sent for a CT scan to be sure there was not a blood clot in my lungs.
Upon discharge, I was given prescriptions for cholesterol and high blood pressure. The discharging diagnosis was a heart attack. Now, I don't know if that is what actually happened, but it was enough to wake me up! I know that I don't want another scare like that ever again. The only thing I could think of was my children. What would happen to them if something happened to me? I am the one they can rely on to take care of their needs. I am the one who nurses them back to health when they are sick. I am the one who teaches them what it means to be a responsible, caring, giving human being. How could I beat cancer, but let something like this kick me off my feet?
If anything was going to bring me back to life, this was definitely it! Major lifestyle changes are definitely in my future. I still have so much to accomplish in this lifetime. I have a laundry list of things that I have yet to do. There's no time like the present, right?
November 24, 2013 (To Plank or Not to Plank!)
I have decided to try something new. I am going to take the 30-day planking challenge with some friends. According to the challenge, after the 30 days, this is supposed to strengthen my core and help me to tighten up and lose weight. At the end of this challenge there is another I am going to work my way up to. It is a series of exercises that you do every day. When this one is done I am going to take each of those exercises and work them into my daily routine, one month at a time.
I know I'm going to need the support of my friends to help me make it through these challenges. I need your prayers and your encouragement. I am going to push through my medical issues and force myself to push myself. The way I see it, I can only go up from here. At least these exercises are normal exercises and nothing like some of the crazy, push-yourself-to-near-death exercises that I've been seeing. Maybe one day in the far distant future I might feel the urge to try one of them, but for now I'm good with integrating a different exercise into my routine each month. I know it seems silly to only do one exercise a day for a month, but maybe once I get to the second month I will find myself just adding an exercise, doing two, then three, then eventually the entire challenge every day.
Along with integrating the exercises into my daily routine, I am going to try really hard to eat right and eat more often. I know I need to also boost my metabolism with diet as well as exercise. I have found a site that gives me recipes for smoothies that I am looking forward to trying. I will try my best to do better at updating my blog for those who are really interested in following my progress. I guess now is the time to also put my stats out there. I will get my weight in the morning (on my scale since that is the one I use the most) and I will see about getting my measurements. Just as an experiment I want to also measure my height. I know over the years I have lost about an inch from my height and I'm curious if I will gain that inch back as I put my body back together.
So, here we go!
I know I'm going to need the support of my friends to help me make it through these challenges. I need your prayers and your encouragement. I am going to push through my medical issues and force myself to push myself. The way I see it, I can only go up from here. At least these exercises are normal exercises and nothing like some of the crazy, push-yourself-to-near-death exercises that I've been seeing. Maybe one day in the far distant future I might feel the urge to try one of them, but for now I'm good with integrating a different exercise into my routine each month. I know it seems silly to only do one exercise a day for a month, but maybe once I get to the second month I will find myself just adding an exercise, doing two, then three, then eventually the entire challenge every day.
Along with integrating the exercises into my daily routine, I am going to try really hard to eat right and eat more often. I know I need to also boost my metabolism with diet as well as exercise. I have found a site that gives me recipes for smoothies that I am looking forward to trying. I will try my best to do better at updating my blog for those who are really interested in following my progress. I guess now is the time to also put my stats out there. I will get my weight in the morning (on my scale since that is the one I use the most) and I will see about getting my measurements. Just as an experiment I want to also measure my height. I know over the years I have lost about an inch from my height and I'm curious if I will gain that inch back as I put my body back together.
So, here we go!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
November 6, 2013 (How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways)
The hardest thing for me to do is find ways to love myself. On this, the eve of my birth, I am going to list the things that I DO like about myself. Part of the reason this is so difficult is because I'm not the kind of person who feels comfortable with talking myself up. But, since this is a journey, part of that journey is to change the way I see myself. This means I must talk myself up. So, here it goes...
1. The thing I like the most about myself is my compassion for others. No matter who you are, if I know you are hurting or going through a hard time I want to be there to hold your hand and help you get through whatever it is. I don't like to see people hurt, no matter who you are or how much you may have hurt me. I can rise above those hurts and still offer you my compassion.
2. I really like my hair. It's fluffy and soft and long.
3. I think I have a fairly good sense of fashion. I love shoes! Ideally, if I find a pair of shoes I like I can build an outfit from there. It's much harder to find an outfit and try to find shoes to match. I prefer the other way around.
4. I have pretty eyes. They are not a typical color and they can change depending on my mood. I think I have warm, inviting eyes. When you look into my eyes they don't say, "GO AWAY", but simply, "I'm worth getting to know."
5. I'm smart. If I don't know the answer, I know how to find the answer.
6. I'm talented. There's not too much that I've tried that I haven't been able to do well. I think that's because I'm a perfectionist and don't like to fail.
7. I have a very strong relationship with God. Even though I fail Him daily, He never fails me. I know that I am His child and that He loves me just as much as, if not more than, I love Him.
8. I'm a good friend, unless you do something to harm me or my family. I have had people I called friend do or say things that were very hurtful. But, when they needed someone to stand by their side I have never turned my back on them.
These are the things that I choose to see when I look at myself in the mirror. As long as I focus on these things, it's a little easier to stand in front of the mirror and see the image staring back at me. If I focus on these things I can see a beautiful woman looking back at me. For those of you reading this blog, please feel free to leave your feedback. I would love to know how you see me; the good, the bad, and the ugly.
1. The thing I like the most about myself is my compassion for others. No matter who you are, if I know you are hurting or going through a hard time I want to be there to hold your hand and help you get through whatever it is. I don't like to see people hurt, no matter who you are or how much you may have hurt me. I can rise above those hurts and still offer you my compassion.
2. I really like my hair. It's fluffy and soft and long.
3. I think I have a fairly good sense of fashion. I love shoes! Ideally, if I find a pair of shoes I like I can build an outfit from there. It's much harder to find an outfit and try to find shoes to match. I prefer the other way around.
4. I have pretty eyes. They are not a typical color and they can change depending on my mood. I think I have warm, inviting eyes. When you look into my eyes they don't say, "GO AWAY", but simply, "I'm worth getting to know."
5. I'm smart. If I don't know the answer, I know how to find the answer.
6. I'm talented. There's not too much that I've tried that I haven't been able to do well. I think that's because I'm a perfectionist and don't like to fail.
7. I have a very strong relationship with God. Even though I fail Him daily, He never fails me. I know that I am His child and that He loves me just as much as, if not more than, I love Him.
8. I'm a good friend, unless you do something to harm me or my family. I have had people I called friend do or say things that were very hurtful. But, when they needed someone to stand by their side I have never turned my back on them.
These are the things that I choose to see when I look at myself in the mirror. As long as I focus on these things, it's a little easier to stand in front of the mirror and see the image staring back at me. If I focus on these things I can see a beautiful woman looking back at me. For those of you reading this blog, please feel free to leave your feedback. I would love to know how you see me; the good, the bad, and the ugly.
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