Skip to main content

Reflecting and recharging

Tomorrow night, we shall again sing "Auld Lang Syne" and bid a big ol' sayonara to 2010! I think we ought to sing a different tune: "You say you wanna revolution, well, you know...."

Last year, I wrote that I had decided I would not do resolutions, but do revolutions instead: "Revolution: a turning around. What are you doing to turn your health ... your lifestyle ... your family's health ... around? How are you moving from the negative into the positive? Join the revolution." In 2010, we had revolutions along with revelations. And I'm glad that I was part of a move toward being even healthier.
  • I learned to be proactive and take charge for health -- both mine and for others. The words that kept coming up for me, over and over, were "educate and advocate" ..... in ways I never imagined, I find that I am doing exactly that.
  • I took great joy in learning more about preparing food, and finding just how much better my own food could be. And sometimes, the simpler the better.
  • I learned about strength training and worked on it all through the late spring into now. The one regret is that I didn't do enough steady-state cardio on the off-days. I fully intend to remedy that in the coming year.
As I said, the phrase "educate and advocate" were my buzzwords, and it happened in ways I never expected. I expect to educate people about healthy choices, both in my work in HR and in my work for Weight Watchers. But I never expected it to hit home as it did this summer with my mother's health. And the message was, "Never settle for less than the right answer." Keep digging. Had I stopped, we might never have known that my mother had a silent heart attack. We may have pushed her to do more than she was physically capable, and I'd be sitting here typing out a eulogy instead of a story of moving toward wholeness.

I've also become involved with a support group for those of us who live with lymphedema. We are working to educate and advocate.... we all seem to share the story of healthcare providers, and most especially insurance companies, who have no clue about lymphedema and do not understand all that the condition entails. And sadly, some neither know the facts, nor want to know more.

So the journey continues..... viva la revolución!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

At the risk of sounding like a Spanish soccer announcer,

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! It took 3 years and 3 weeks, but I am finally 44% of the woman I was on May 11, 2006. When I started the journey, this day was not even in sight. All I could honestly think about was how to take those first steps to get through the first day and the first week. I had no idea how I was supposed to do 5 minutes a day of activity, when it took all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. But if nothing else, once I make up my mind to do something.......... Here it is, June 4, 2009. I am 228 pounds lighter and a quadrillion times better. I made it through that first day, that first week just fine. I did the 5 minutes -- okay, really 10 minutes, all huffing and puffing and barely able to walk out two blocks and back. Then 20, then 30, and joined the Y, and ..... got the dog and had to walk him. Then said, "I can do a 5K." And then watched my race time improve each time I tried. In losing 228 pounds, I have gained so much. I wasn't e...

Quick brag

Apologies for the drive-by posting, but I am proud to report that my brother has hit his 10% goal!!! AND did it by 3 whole pounds!!!!! WAY TO GO, BRO!

Motivation and endurance

This week, a loss of 3.8 pounds leaves me with just 2.4 to go ..... 225.6 gone!!! And once again, it remains *personal* to get rid of those 2.4 pounds!!! They will. get. gone. And soon!!! This week's topic is on motivation -- remembering the motivation that got us through the door. Finding the motivation that keeps us going. Thinking of what we need to do to get ourselves to our goals (weight and otherwise). The funny thing is, I was just considering motivation and endurance at lunch today as I was walking in the nice warm(!) Carolina midday sun. My initial motivation hinged on three things: (1) needing to get in better health, and knowing my doc had recommended WW above all else; (2) seeing a horrendous picture of me and thinking, "My God do I really look that bad?"; and (3) realizing that as independent as I am, this was one battle I could not fight alone. Fighting it alone had gotten me into this pickle. I would have to swallow my pride and rely on others for assistanc...