Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Change of Heart

It's amazing what can motivate you to move (your body, that is!) For some people it's a quick glimpse of themselves in a mirror or plate glass window. They take a second look and deny that tubby person could possibly be them. For others, it's the ever familiar New Year's Resolution...that somehow is shuffled aside before we reach February.

For me, it was much simpler. The week before Christmas my primary care doctor told me I needed to see a cardiologist. I tentatively suggested it could wait until sometime in January. And she firmly replied, "The sooner the better." Hmmm.

I wasn't the only one a little shook up. The house hunk abruptly decided it would be better for both of us if we ate healthier and went to the gym every day. So there have been some changes at our house.

He took over the menu planning and meal preparation. This is wonderful. He's so OCD he'll have the menu planning down to a science and I guarantee I'll have every single meal on time (which has been a big problem for me as I get busy writing and forget to eat).

This is not a good thing for a diabetic. Small regular meals are important. Heh. He measures. Breakfast was 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of pineapple, and one piece of toast. It doesn't sound like much, but I found it more than sufficient. And as long as I don't have to go into the kitchen...I'll be fine.

At three o'clock, the writing stops and we go to the gym. He does machines. I go swimming in a nice warm therapy pool. I do my exercises (amazing how I can almost reach my toes now!) and then I walk to and fro in the pool for twenty minutes. It's less stressful on my joints, but harder than you might think. By the time I finish, I'm ready to come home and take a nap.

Is it too little, too late? Nah. Even if I go to the cardiologist tomorrow and he has bad news for me, the changes the hunk and I have instituted are still good.

I've read a lot of stuff about New Year's Resolutions on different blogs in the last week or two. What most people forget is change takes thirty days to become a habit. Thirty days. So you have to make it to February if you want to be successful.

Good luck to all of us.

anny

5 comments:

  1. Kudos to going to the gym! Do ya think your HH can have a pep talk with my SU on how to live with a writer? Hahahaha....

    I was always taught that it takes two weeks to create a habit....and one day to break it. I haven't made any formal resolutions...yet...

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  2. The pool is a lot harder than people think. Good for you and the HH...I wish someone else would plan my meals for me!

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  3. Be strong and be well - it's great to have a partner to help!

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  4. Walking in the water if one of the best excercises you can do - and it is hard because water puts resistance on your body you have to push thru' - good for you kid. I admire you

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  5. Fab, Anny. You'll do fine. If I was able to do it, you can. I did it for health reasons once I realised I was wheezing when I got to the top of the stairs. Scared me.

    GO YOU!

    :o)

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