My Health

 I've decided to add another page.  "My Health".  A page to think of the little things I do and challenging me to do better.  I'm hoping this page will inspire me to think about and improve my health.

(The following are things I do and will do for myself.  In NO WAY is this page or blog intended to be used for advice for anyone else's life other than mine.  Please consult a doctor, nutritionalist, personal trainer, etc. for information on maintaining or improving your health.)




January 8, 2015

Failing.  Met our friend Wes for wings in Maryville.   I ordered water but ended up with coke.


Fried, fried, fried. Wings and onion rings. Carrots?  I didn't eat those......





January 7, 2015

Nothing.  I've done nothing. ...except eat Wendy's for lunch.  I know low fat diet and exercise are an essential elements fromantic reoccurring breast cancer.   Why am I so unmotivated these days??  Is it left over fatigue from the surgeries this past year or laziness.   Good note: I finish my 50,000 iu's of Vitamin D in two weeks! Realized that with my dose today.



January 4, 2015

Wow.  I've not even looked at this page since 2013???  Where does time go?  Well one excuse I'll make is two major surgeries -one in December 2013 and the other in January 2014.  Since I had horrible open infection in my chest I couldn't exercise for six months.   My physical stamina is gone.   How to get back......



October 7, 2013

Ugh......Nothing.  I've done NOTHING since my last blurb on "My Health".  Officially Lazy Exercise tonight!  




August 1, 2013
Maybe I should have read the directions, but didn't see any.  How does Insanity work?  Am I supposed to work out to a new DVD everyday?  Or the same DVD for a week and then move on to the next?




July 30, 2013
I walked in the bedroom in an Insanity stupor after migrating around the living room waving my hands up and down trying to work up a sweat without bursting my heart or falling down after slipping on that sweat which really wasn't that hard to work up and see Chris, who was DYING to buy Insanity six months ago, playing on the lap top.  Chris looked at me and said, "Gaw, that really works does it? You weren't in there 15 minutes."  He then proceeds to wipe the sweat off my brow.  Thanks babe....




July 28, 2013
The theory of strengthening your core is lost on me.  I migrate around the living room like a goose flying South for the winter.....




July 26, 2013
I do not believe the guy on Insanity knows how to count.  I always reach 0 before him.  
My eating habits have been soooo bad the past couple of months and I haven't been doing my
"Officially Lazy Exerces" for two months.  So I've lost a lot of my strength.  I've gained several pounds as a results.  Trying to eat better and incorporating the Insanity DVDs into my "Officially Lazy Exercises" I'll start losing those pounds I've gained since our New York City trip.



July 25, 2013
Cardio Recovery night?  I'm more out of breath and my legs are burning worse than the first two nights.  
Also, if I tried to walk across the Grand Canyon on a wire (which I would never do), I MIGHT get my big toe out there before plunging off the cliff to my death.  Insanity proved that fact tonight.


July 24, 2013
No insanity tonight.......



July 23, 2013
Love DVD.  Insanity is actually sane in slow motion.




July 22, 2013
Water break.  Ummmm, I'm already sitting by the water cooler.  Insanity?  I reckon.
(After giving Insanity a go since it's been sitting at the TV for weeks and weeks and weeks after Chris just having to have it.)



July 21, 2013
NEGLECTED!  About like my blog...
But I did do my "Officially Lazy Exercises. 



June 24, 2013
I've been ignoring my health and, well, it's catching up to me.  My visit to my Oncologist went well except low Vitamin D levels. So back on 50,000 units per week for 4 months.




May 28, 2013
Cokes.....are............killing.................me...




May 23, 2013
I have mentally tried to forget I have this page of my blog.  I have totally been crazy lazy the past two months.  Crap.  Now I am behind.  Lost what I built.  Back to the beginning.  I will rest tomorrow!!!




April 24, 2013
Oh my, I've been slacking.  Just started my officially lazy exercises again last week.  My hip has been bothering me - that's my excuse.

Doctor's appointment today.  I'm having a bone scan next week to check out the ole bones.  I worry about what chemo has done to them and hope they haven't be depleted.

My cholesterol is 231.  Last year it was 190.  I have been slacking on fiber so I'm going to have to make sure to increase that.  Try to being my cholesterol below 200 again.  It's still better than the 310 it was in 1996!





March 29, 2013 
Did my "officially lazy exercises" last night. First night I've done those in probably two weeks.  It's amazing how fast you lose flexibility and tone in several days.  I've been on a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup kick for a few months.  I do swear they are helping me maintain my weight.  Well, I'm going to keep testing that theory until it works.







March 25, 2013
I've neglected my health since March 5........Although I did have my yearly physical last week.  So all is not lost.  This week, this week I will make sure Chris and I start Insanity.  Wondering if he makes it past the Fit Test?  I didn't......





March 5, 2013
Decided after playing for about 2.5 to 3 hours with my soon to be two year old great nephew that no one needs exercise tapes or officially lazy exercises.  One only needs a great nephew.  Whew......





March 1, 2013
Popped "Insanity" fit test DVD in the old DVD player.  Glad no one was there to watch!  I'm so un-coordinated.  Jumping and doing something else at the same time-it ain't going to work-plus my knees hurt a bit.  Maybe it was my "form".  I tried all of the exercises.  Didn't write anything on paper.  The fit test?  A test?  Well, I want to make an A of course.  I'm thinking I'll start writing my answers when my beginning Fit Test numbers match the End Fit Test numbers of the girl on the tape.

(I'll keep posting my experiences with "Insanity" and if I stick with it, which I doubt or if I go back to my "Officially Lazy Exercise" program.)





February 27, 2013
"Insanity" came in the mail today.  It's sitting on the kitchen counter.  Un-opened..........





February 26, 2013
Ordered "Insanity" last week.  DVD's have still not arrived.  Maybe that's a sign.....





February 24, 2013
FAST FOOD BURGERS
I've almost totally stopped a lifelong addiction to having fast food, McDonalds, Wendy's, Krystal, Sonic, Burger King.  I used to eat a cheeseburger meal at one of those at least 5-8 meals a week!!!  Bad, Bad, Bad.  For several years I tried that whole lie to myself, telling myself on Friday "Oh, it's the weekend.  I'll enjoy a few last bad for me meals and on Monday I'll not eat fast food." or  "This is my last Krystal combo.  Tomorrow no more."  That doesn't work.  So I changed my mind's thoughts to: "I'm not going to have that burger today, but, I'll have one on Thursday."  Thursday would come and I would tell myself "Well, I've waited a few days, maybe I'll not have it today but I'll give myself permission to have it on Saturday."  It was hard at first because of my deep addiction to fast food burgers.  But after three weeks I didn't think of Big Mac Meals at all.  And a month later when I had one, well, it just wasn't satisfying as it used to be.  I've had maybe 10 fast food burger meals since last September.  Before that I was seriously eating those meals 5-8 times a week!  Lamp Post.  I have to have reward myself with a Lamp Post cheeseburger each week if possible.  Those are healthier though, than fast food burgers, at least I keep telling myself.






February 23, 2013
Hips, joints, and pain.  I have always had a lot of trouble with my right hip with pain and limping from hurting.  I believe one of my legs is slightly shorter, probably genetic because my nephew, daddy and sister always walked alike.

About ten years ago I'd read a joint and hip article with some tips.  One of the best common sense tips was never to prop on one hip.  When you are standing and standing and standing for a long time in the same place don't prop on one hip while kicking the other out.  Propping on one hip puts stress on that hip joint because it's bearing all the weight of you upper body and bearing it alone at an odd position.

Also, about five years ago I began taking joint supplements after my sister-in-law made a comment about me limping after getting up after sitting down for a while.  I really didn't notice.  But she has seen me doing that for sometime.  I started taking the supplement and within three days my limp was almost gone.  The pain became less and less as time went by.  Thank goodness for that supplement.






February 22, 2013
Weigh.  I weigh myself.  Almost every day.  I didn't use to but after 20 pounds gained from chemo I started.  Some feel weighing yourself is bad.  Others good.  I like to track mine.  I feel personally I'd rather know I've gained 2-3 pounds in a few days and work from there than next month realizing I'd gained 10.  But that's just me and what I discovered about myself after treatments.






February 21, 2013
Well, I tried it tonight. My exercise ball.  I've had it for, oh, probably five years, three years inflated.  The ball didn't work out so well.  I think it's because it sat in the corner of my bedroom, on top of the coat rack disguised as a treadmill and developed a flat spot.  You know, a flat spot like tires on an old car that develop when it sits unmoved for a long time.  Yep.  The flat spot has ruined my exercise ball.  









February 20, 2013
Flexibility
I've found my flexibility has grown less and less through the years.  My biggest discovery of how bad it was becoming was when I had an itch on my back that needed a scratch. I couldn't reach it!  I started to practice stretching exercises just for reaching across my back.  I don't like the idea of not being able to scratch my own back someday.  Since beginning my lil experiment I am happy to report I can scratch an itch almost anywhere on my back!  What a relieve that the exercises worked!






February 19, 2013
Fiber
When I was around 24 I had a free cholesterol check at a local health fair.  The results were terrible.  I think my "score" was around a 312 or 320 or something crazy like that.  Maybe it was because the health fair was late in the day and I hadn't fasted???  My regular doctor re-tested.  Still high, just a few points below the first.  The doctor put me on some type of cholesterol lowering med.  I think Lipitor.  The med worked.  My cholesterol fell below 200.  The problem?  Routine doctor's visits to check my liver.  Kill my liver to save my heart?  Just didn't seem right.  I was too young to be on Lipitor.  Or at least I told myself.

I decided to take matters into my own hands and increased my fiber intake.  The materials I've read are varied. Some articles say your should aim for 25 grams of fiber a day.  Others 35 grams.  I didn't care but just tried to get as much as possible with cereal and fiber pills.  I hadn't had my cholesterol in probably 3 years after beginning to skip the cholesterol lowering pills, but decided to do so one day.  My cholesterol was around 190!  My doctor was puzzled as he knew I'd been off the Lipitor.  He asked me if I'd changed my diet of fast food.  I said no, just increased my fiber.  I've never been sure if he believed the increase in fiber was the total reason for the drop.  And maybe it wasn't the only.  I just know my cholesterol still falls below 200.  That's enough for me.  Plus, fiber is good for the guts.  If anyone know that it's me.......







February 17, 2013

As I sit here eating my Bert's buffalo chicken pizza, sipping a coke for supper after having a Lamp Post cheeseburger and fries for dinner, I'm thinking about ways that I do try to take care of myself even though my eating for the day (and many days) isn't so great.

A couple of things I'm currently working on:


Balance. I've never, ever been really good at balancing.  As one grows older balance fades.  Since I've never had the best I worry about what mine will be like in 15 or 20 years, especially since it's already going away.  Soooo one thing I'm personally doing, which I "invented" last week, is to pull my socks, shoes, tights, boots, leggings, etc on in the morning while standing on one foot and a leg at a time.  This is pretty hard!!!  I think when I was young and on the run I probably did this a lot.  But the past 15 years I've sat on a chair or the edge of my bed.  The first day I tried this last week was almost a disaster.  But I pushed myself to balance just a few seconds more each day and not to sit down, even though at times I had to lean with my back to the wall or on an arm on the wall.  Today I managed to put my socks and shoes on each foot without falling over!  However, I did hop around a lot!  I'll probably end up breaking my ankle.....


Vitamin D

My oncologist keeps a close eye on my Vitamin D level since I'm a breast cancer survivor.  Some research has shown a link between low Vitamin D and re-occurance of cancer.  Or risk of developing in the first place.  Vitamin D is also very important for your bones.  Especially to those who've had chemo.  Vitamin D can help replenish those calcium zapped bones.  I guess women could ask their doctor at their yearly appointment what their doctor feels about Vitamin D?  I do know people shouldn't add additional unless probably told to by a doctor.  Vitamin D-you can have toooo much and that's dangerous.  






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