When You Know

It was a beautiful weekend and it's going to be a short week. What's better than that? The only thing challenging about a short week is that every one tries to cram 5 days worth of work into 3. Why, people? Why?

Whatever, I'm not going to let them get to me. We can only do what we can do.

I got out on the trails on both Saturday and Sunday. Three miles on Saturday and five miles on Sunday. I also managed to sneak in a big salad. Yay me.

As many of you know I have been dealing with anemia for several years. In fact, I've probably dealt with it for my entire adult life. Anyway, it's become more of an issue lately and even though I have no symptoms of an anemic I started to worry. So what do we do when worry sets in? I don't know about you but I begin to self-diagnose and the diagnosis is never good. For whatever reason, my body just won't absorb the ridiculous amounts of iron that I put into it. Whether it's through my diet or supplements.

I became scared and I'm planning to see a specialist at the beginning of the year. My mind was telling me that I was sick. Really sick. At a recent prayer meeting I asked for prayer and you wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) the absolute peace that came over me. Ever since that night I haven't really thought about it. I haven't been back to webmd.com. I've stopped giving myself a death sentence.

I still may not know what is going on with me but I know the One who does.

Health and Fitness Update

Pain Free!!!

For the first time in four days I have no pain. I went to the doctor yesterday since the 1000 mg of ibuprofen every six hours wasn't helping. He couldn't determine the cause for the headache but he did give me a prescription which, at first, didn't help either but after another dose the pain subsided and this morning I woke up pain free. My sister said that the med may have not worked right away because I allowed the pain to get out of control and once that happens it's hard to reel it in. So, if this ever happens again and I have a headache for more than 24 hours it's off to the doctor I go. I never, ever want to go through that again.

Pre-Game Show

I went on my first vegetarian grocery shopping trip today. I expected to spend less money but somehow it turned out exactly the same -- about $150 for the week.

This is what I have planned for the week:

Minestrone soup with sun-dried tomatoes and white beans
Veggie fajitas
Veggie pizza
Cheese enchiladas
And a pasta dish that includes sauteed zucchini, squash, mushrooms and tomatoes served over linguine. I used to toss in shrimp. Not this time though. I'll have vegetable soup and/or salads for lunch.

I also went to the gym this morning and my current weight is 137.5 pounds. I'm wondering if my March diet will affect that. While at the gym, I spent 40 minutes on the treadmill alternating between walking and jogging. I burned 350 calories. I worked on the ab machine and I did lateral pull downs. It was a productive day.

What I Do Know

Currently, I do not know enough about health, nutrition and fitness to be an expert. I'm not qualified to speak intelligently on the subject.

However, I do know that it has been more than a year since I was able to wear this skirt:



Since the last week of February I have been concentrating on losing inches. I didn't plan on losing them from my booty but I guess you really can't control those things. I'm hoping these kickbacks will get the butt where I want it:




My typical routine is forty minutes of cardio and twenty (or so) minutes with weights and abs. In the last week I have increased the time with weights and moving forward I will concentrate on strength training and slightly reduce the amount of time on the treadmill.

Regarding the diet, I really just pay closer attention to what I eat. I've switched to brown rice and whole grain pasta. I snack on raw veggies instead of chips and cookies. You generally won't see me without a bottle of water close by. I now eat breakfast every single morning. Today I had two hard boiled eggs, yogurt and a glass of juice. Everything else is pretty much the same. I had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner on Monday and I had a lobster tail with brown rice and broccoli last night. Tonight I'm having a steak. I'm faithfully taking my iron pills because I have got to get my levels up by my next checkup in October.

I feel so good right now.

Sadly, many of us continually postpone our happiness--indefinitely.

Longevity

This morning I bought two things that I have never purchased before: fat free sour cream and a Shape Magazine.

I will be totally honest and say that this whole "going to the gym" thing was initially all about being able to look good in a two-piece this summer. I only bought a 3-month membership after all. Does that sound like someone who is serious about her health? But now, after two good months and a couple of visits to the doctor it has turned into something else entirely.

I have never had a weight problem and I have always been perfectly healthy. With the the exception of the anemia I have never had any health issues. Blood pressure is good. Cholesterol is beautiful. I sleep well at night. Well, now there's something going on that can't be explained and we're in the process of trying to identify it with x-rays and mini-scopes to reach the hard-to-reach places. I'm not overly concerned but it has gotten me to think. I am going to be 45 years old in six months, kids. My body has changed. I can't do all the things I used to be able to do. I have to take an active part in my health and well being. I have never done that before. I go to the doctor and the optometrist every year. I go to the dentist every six months. I don't neglect myself but I don't do anything extra either. That is until now.

Getting off my butt these past two months has made a significant change in how I feel about myself. I want to stick around for at least another 45 years. I realize now that potato chips and Lifetime on a Sunday afternoon will do nothing to help me reach that goal. I have good genes (thanks Mom!) but that's not enough.

So, I'll be extending that membership. I'll be paying closer attention to the things that I put into my body. I'm going to stay active. I'm going to take better care of myself. I'm going to live.

Oh, and I'm going to have those abs!

Jelly Belly

Lately, I've been obsessed with the state of my midsection. I'm a girl, sue me! I bought a 3-month membership at my sister's gym at the beginning of the month and I've set certain goals that are to be met by June 1st. If I reach them, then I'll keep the membership in order to maintain, if not ... I'm not spending another cent at the gym. I'm just going to buy bigger clothes.

Anyway, I read a few interesting things this morning from the YOU docs:
First of all they say that stress makes you fat. Well, it doesn't make me fat because when I'm stressed I CAN'T eat. I think the calories in wine have made me fat. Well, not fat but not where I used to be. Just to be clear, I'm not unhappy with the weight that I am. I tried for many years to gain weight now I just wish I could redistribute it. They also say this:

Blasting belly fat isn’t hard. If you’re not overweight but still have an oversized waist, the fastest way to shrink your omentum is by walking. Taking a brisk 30-minute walk each day will keep those fat cells from expanding. Pick up the pace some, walk a little longer, and you can give your omentum a makeover, turning a flabby apron of omental fat into sheer mesh again. After 30 days of walking, start doing resistance exercises as well to add muscle and lose inches -- otherwise you’ll hit a plateau.

I can do that with a few modifications. I won't walk outside because it's still cold out and I'm allergic so I take advantage of the treadmill and I usually jog for twenty minutes and then lift weights. I forgot to mention that with the membership I got three free appointments with a trainer. The first two visits were easy but the third visit, which was yesterday was a killer. I think this guy secretly hates women or something ... or maybe it just seemed so bad because I hadn't been inside a gym for about fourteen years. In any case, I am hurting this morning. My calves, thighs, biceps, triceps and chest. All of it. Which is how it's supposed to be I guess. When I was lifting on my own I stayed in a certain comfort zone which wasn't helping me at all.

Here's another interesting tidbit from the docs:

First, don’t rely on your scale. As you start to reduce risky belly fat, your weight may temporarily go up. So ditch the scale in favor of the tape measure. If you’re a woman, your waist should be 32.5 inches; if you’re a man, 35 inches. Creep past 37 inches for women or 40 for men, and the health dangers increase.

I don't have a scale at home so I don't rely on that anyway. I was recently weighed at my doctor's office and at the gym and both scales said the same thing. I do have a tape measure though. According to these guys my waist is just fine ... but they've never seen me naked.

I'm on a mission.

There's Always Something

I'm not a fan of auto mechanics and I'm not a fan of medical professionals. I know everyone has to make a living and they are providing a service and they are supposedly looking out for our best interests ... but why come every visit to the auto shop turns into, "Well, while I was in there I found this..." Same thing at the dentist ... I can't stand how much money I have dropped in the past year for dental work, between crowns and wisdom teeth removal and root canals and bridges ... I'm over it. I dropped my son off at the optometrist's office on Saturday for his routine exam and to renew his prescription for his contact lenses. Apparently he has a choroidal nevus. Which is a mole or a freckle in his eye. There is a very low risk of it developing into a choroidal melanoma (cancer) but the risk is still there so ya'll be praying for my child, please. It is believed to be more common in the Caucasian population than in African Americans. Really? I know my baby is fine but this is just one more thing to occupy my mind today. And another thing ... HMO's suck! I had a PPO for the longest but when I changed jobs I chose an HMO because of the cost. The cost of my insurance was already doubling when I switched jobs and I didn't want to pay for the convenience of a PPO (no referrals). Stupid, on my part. Because since my PCP has never seen my son there is a possibility that this heffa won't send a referral to the optometrist which means that she can't bill the insurance company. Arrrrrrgh!!!!!!

On a happier note, I went shopping on Saturday and bought two suits and a blouse and only paid $18.99. I love gift cards! $100 at Macy's and $65 at JCP. Life is good.