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38 days.....

Note: this isn't exactly about weight loss, but it's still important.

In 38 days, I will hit the Big 4-0. I am actually very, very excited about this birthday. The x-5 and x-zero birthdays from 20 on were tough -- until I hit 35, which was fabulous by comparison! It was as if a light bulb came on in my head on a number of things, and that I was comfortable enough in my own skin to do some things I needed to do. I wasn't quite perfect at first, but I was making progress and getting there. The last five years (almost) since then have been amazing. There are the obvious changes, but there's so much more that people don't see. I'm not a new me, I'm not a different person -- I'm a BETTER version of the old me.

So, with all that in mind, I visited my doctor this week. I think in my main blog, I've touched on family medical history before, so I won't rehash the details. Suffice to say that it isn't good on either side for cardiovascular stuff. I have worked so hard to get healthy by 40 that I want a barometer of what I've done, if there are still trouble areas to watch for, etc. So after talking with me, and doing a brief exam, my doctor said he thinks I've done quite a bit to help my own cause with heart disease. He ordered some labwork (Comprehensive Metabolic, Lipid with HDL/LDL ratio, Hepatic Function, and CBC with Differential Panels) and a mammogram -- because I begged for that. I had that done today as well ..... that's a different post for later. Anyway, I can't wait to get the results back and see where I am at this stage, look for any potential problems, and get cracking on a way to head things off or keep on the right tracks.

This is fuel for the rest of my life. Lately, I can't stop reading enough about nutrition, exercise, childhood obesity (a special pet project of mine), school lunch programs, our food supply, etc. Our nation has got to do something to make preventive medicines and examinations a priority. I forget where I read it but it was profound: our healthcare system is far more interested and invested in treating the diseases instead of preventing them. I don't get it. At all.

38 days until 40. I'm excited and happy and hopeful and ready to fuel the next stage of my life. I'm so glad I am in a better place at 40 than I was at 35, 30, 25, 20........... I just hate that it took so long for my body and brain and heart to all work together to get me here.

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