Archive for the ‘Family health’ Category

My grandpa died from a form of Mesothelioma on September 17, 2001. It was a sad day. We knew that he had lung cancer three months prior to his death.

Six months after he died, something within me awoke. At first, I felt so devastated that he was gone. I was sad, depressed, and self-medicated with food. He was the glue that held our family together.

But then, six months later, I realized that I needed to take charge of my life and of my health. Toward the end of spring, I got my first apartment. Thereafter, I began a journey to better health. And because of it, I lost 70 pounds.

I don’t know what to say.  Things have been crazy around here.  In a matter of three days, life has gone from solid and sure to absolutely crazy.  I think I jinxed myself by commenting on Diane’s post that the weekends were usually a-okay for me diet-wise.

And then came this weekend.  For starters, the kids had been sick all week and then pink-eye hit both my oldest and middle children.  My husband had to work on restoring servers for a client.  Oh and we found out that our offer on the short sale we bid on got accepted… BUT.  And that’s where it is at the moment.  We’re not sure at this point what the endgame will be with the house.  We were given 5 different scenarios on Friday and since no one thought to call the bank between Thursday and Friday to iron out the details… we are stuck in limbo.  I HATE being stuck in limbo.  Probably because of my literal personality.  Oh and maybe because we have been waiting on this for awhile now.

So between the 5 different scenarios, 2 would work and three of them wouldn’t.  We should have an answer today on which of the scenarios is the right one.  I pray that it is one of the two that we can do.  Otherwise, we’re back at the starting line.

If it is a go-ahead, then well… I have to end my gym membership until we get to the new house.  We’re moving to a different city and if we’re going to get stuck with a crappy scenario, that means more money out of pocket and so… bye bye gym membership.  For now at least.

BUT

Even though life is changing, I haven’t veered from my path.  For the next month… i’ll be doing this from home.  Taking walks, heavy cardio on my exercise bike, stretching and doing situps in my living room and basically making exercise an easy-access thing that can be a part of my life no matter what.  I might even do lunges and squats.

I’m not gonna lie though.  I’m going to miss the gym.  All of that equipment I used to push myself to the limits.  Gah.  It’s good stuff.  And the month i’m going to be away from it will be challenging.   But hey, people have lost weight long before gym memberships and they will keep losing weight long after.

I did well with my eating this weekend and am very proud of the kinds of meals I have made for my family so far on this journey.  The fact that I know they are healthy meals and the fact that they taste great, is all the more motivation to keep me going.

Oddly enough, I don’t find myself starving.  However, I do try to load up on Fiber and Protein.  Maybe that’s why?   Of course, I have also been more in-tune to my body’s needs.  I allow my body to tell me when i’m hungry.  And I eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of big ones.

My focus, my positive attitude and my drive are strong as ever.  A game-changer was thrown into the mix, but it’s not a major path changer.  And if this all goes the way I want, then it’s all good stuff! 

Many years ago, a good friend of mine said that the secret to his success was that he checked in with himself regularly. No matter what leg he was on in his journey, he would take a moment or two to make sure that he was still on track. Did anything need to be changed in his routine? Did he have the right attitude for the task at hand? Was he still excited about the path he was on? If not, then what needed to change? Believe it or not, this did not have to do with weight loss but rather it had to do with business. He was a stock broker at the time.

This friend and I had lost contact many years ago. Still, I never forgot the lesson he taught me. I figured it was an important one. So I have kept it in my back pocket until this very moment. Because I think it’s important to check in with yourself on this journey. Make sure that you are still happy and excited. Make sure that you are persevering and motivating yourself. Make sure that you are creating an environment that spells WIN. And if you aren’t, then figure out what you need to do to get back on track and go for it!

This week has proven to be a difficult week for me to get my fitness in. My baby has pink eye, my oldest son has strep throat and my husband has been working way later due to server outages with certain clients. I haven’t seen the inside of the gym since Monday.

At first, I felt like my train had been driven off of my path. It felt like one of those moments where you throw your hands up and say… “what the F?!” Obviously, there is nothing I can do to change the kids being sick or my husband having to work late. Those are some of the facts of life my friend. Shit happens and sometimes you step in it. Know what I mean? And really in the grand scheme of things, this is only one off-week.

Instead of lolling around the house moping about it, I utilized the extra energy to keep moving. I cleaned and organized things I never thought to clean or organize. Sometimes, I found myself jumping around in the kitchen just for fun. Or if a good song came on the radio, I would dance to it with my daughter. 4 weeks of working out has me craving movement. Any kind of movement. My body wants to move. From couch potato to mover and shaker in 4 weeks… that’s me! I have also been extra careful to watch what I eat. Just because I am unable to get to the gym, doesn’t mean I should throw all of my progress to the wind.

Today, I was pacing around the house wondering what else to clean (I think I have the cleanest home in America now). Then I remembered my old exercise bike in the garage. I found it buried under a whole bunch of stuff. So I moved the stuff and moved the bike back into the house. This was no small feat and took a lot of extra effort but it was totally worth it. I moved it into my living room and got 45 minutes of straight cardio on it! And after I was done I felt this calming sensation flow over my body and soul. That is what exercise does for me. It chills me out and sends me to my happy place.

So this week, when I check in with myself, i’m going to note that I overcame an obstacle and am still managing to keep on track with my goals all while smiling.