Urgency and All That Jazz…

The past two weeks have been difficult for my family. My younger brother passed away and though his health was bad, it blindsided everyone. Seeing my parents hurt has been the hardest part. I’m a “fixer” and I’m used to being able to fix everything and this can’t be fixed. It’s going against all that I’ve believed about myself and what I can do and that is hard to live with.

Besides that it has created a renewed urgency in my life that I had nearly forgotten. In that sense, something good has come of the bad. I had become a bit ambivalent about my health, my life, and my goals… Okay, I admit it, I got lazy. I’ve always known that I was going to achieve amazing success, but just started sitting there waiting for it to just show up (like that would happen). Now, I feel that I have to act fast if anything is to happen at all.

My determination to get more fit than I’ve ever been has exploded and suddenly I’m aware of everything I eat and do to my body; which is long overdue. I feel like sponge, taking it all in and focusing in ways that I never thought possible. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m NOT giving up chocolate or ice cream, but the way I look at food as a whole has changed. I eat because I’m hungry, not bored or depressed and I don’t eat just because everyone else does (I’ve never got the whole must have three meals a day thing… I’m just not that hungry).

I’ve officially registered for the Pretty Muddy event in Columbus for September and am in the process of getting registered for two other events in March and April. So now it’s a matter of building my endurance back up and learning more about trail running, which is something very new to me. I’m excited in ways that I’ve never been before about fitness and ways to stay strong over forty (Age is also playing into this, as I see others my age looking and acting twice our age… Which should be a crime!).

So, now to move even more aggressively toward what needs to be done to stay healthy and hang around to torment those around me (and I’m planning on doing that for MANY years to come… Go ahead, be afraid). My advice to you is not to wait for the death of a friend or loved one to give your life a sense of urgency, take care of yourself now because I can tell you one thing… It doesn’t get easier with age.

Have a great week and get to work on you and your future.

Hugs!

“The idea is to die young as late as possible.”  ~Ashley Montagu

 

Caring for What You’ve Been Given…

For the survivor each day is a blessing or so it should be, but in the beginning we live in fear, worrying about recurrences. After a while we start getting back to “normal” (not real normal, but our new normal) and we promise that we will NEVER take our bodies for granted, again… Time goes by and we get comfortable (another word for lazy) and little by little we often get back to the bad habits we had before cancer.

Why do we do this? We should learn and steer clear of repeating old mistakes, but complacency often returns and we simply get too comfortable. Let’s not allow this to happen… Thirty minutes a day could make a huge difference.

Ideas for 30 minutes that can help take care of what you’ve been given:

1. Go for a walk because fresh air is good for you, as is getting off the couch (take your dog, too, it’s good for him also).
2. Take a hike! No, really, just do it.
3. Dance the night away (won’t even feel like exercise).
4. Play a game of basketball with the kids (the outside kind, not in front of the television).
5. Take a class like Zumba and it actually feels like a party (there’s both classes for the ladies and coed).
6. Get a punching bag and let go (relief on SO MANY levels!).
7. Play golf (personally, this just makes me angry, but to each his/her own).
8. Take the kids bowling (have fun and relax)
9. Join a 5k and whether you walk or run, you’ll likely be helping a great cause and create a habit.
10. Just get up and move!

Just remember to get a doctor’s approval before beginning any exercise program after being inactive and get moving… You won’t regret it (in the long run).

“Exercise should be regarded as tribute to the heart.”  ~Gene Tunney