Cheers!

Out with the old and in with the new... let's talk about New Year's resolutions: I resolved to eat better and exercise more in 2015. On our way home from visiting my MIL at the rehab late this morning we turned into the parking lot of the brand new Dairi-O restaurant for a milkshake. Well, it's not my fault that this happened... after all, it is "in with the new"... right?... and, since I had only just vowed to eat better this year what's better eating that a chocolate-cherry shake? C'mon, really.

I guess we'll be taking a long walk this afternoon.

Hi-ho... here we go...

Cheers!
Life is Good!

Making Adjustments...

... for a better life. It's a new year, what better time to change things up? Let me back up and give you some history as to what precipitated the adjustments that I am making in my daily life. On the 26th of October last year I woke up with such terrific chest pressure and pain, plus shortness of breath; I was absolutely convinced that I was having a heart attack! The next few hours saw no relief after taking some aspirin; I was scared (okay, petrified!) and after a short discussion with my husband I agreed to a quick trip to the emergency department of our local hospital. I was seen immediately. After four hours on a heart monitor and a barrage of tests I was sent home with the reassurance that my heart and lungs were just fine. I was given two recommendations ( Prilosec in case I was suffering from GERD and Motrin for the chest pain) along with strict advice to see my own primary care physician as soon as possible. It was a relief to know that I wasn't having a heart attack, but I still didn't really understand what was happening. I went on a 14 day regimen of Prilosec and took Motrin as needed for pain, and over those next few weeks I began to feel better. I hoped that might be the end of the symptoms. I saw my family doctor in the meantime and he concluded a few things: 1. I did the exact right thing in going to the E.D., scary things always need to be eliminated first. 2.  he explained that the recommendations of Prilosec and Motrin were broad strokes to cover my symptoms without really getting to the bottom of the situation. He felt that I might be suffering from stress-induced Costochondritis; a harmless condition with acute  chest wall pain that could be recurring. We talked about that and the symptoms for awhile and he suggested that I go home and do some research on the condition; especially looking for the triggers associated with flare-ups. By this time I had had a second bout and was willing to figure out what I could do, if anything, to change things and get back to normal.

My father has cautioned me for years about burning the candles at both ends. I knew he was right and  I gave up a few responsibilites where I could and learned to say "no"; albeit weakly and half-heartedly. I read everything that I could about Costochondritis and absorbed every associated fact, like a sponge. Still, I had two more attacks, the most recent one coming on December 20th in the car on the way back from lunch with friends. The only thing that works to treat the pain is rest, Motrin and a heat pack on my chest. I spent a full two days in bed this time. It was clear the time had come, once and for all, to take more drastic action. That evening I told my husband that I was giving up coffee from now on. That may seem trivial to you, but if you know me you would realize that this is a HUGE step. (Think: giving up quilting or sewing!) Coffee and I have been inseperable for years; actually, my entire adult life. Both of the last two attacks came after two cups of coffee. It was a start. I was worried about the inevitable caffiene withdrawal headache and decided to switch to tea, at a third the caffiene level per cup it seemed like a logical step-down. I haven't looked back and I never had even one headache as a result. Again, if you knew me you would realize this is a major lifestyle change. I told my husband that we needed to start walking for exercise again, ever since that first attack at the end of October we hadn't been walking at all; the Costochondritis was promoting a viscious cycle of inactivity that was working against me. I began sleeping in later in the mornings, an additional hour to an hour and a half... another MAJOR adjustment for me! These were three triggers that I had stumbled upon, all ones that I was guilty of pulling every single day, like a loaded gun pointed straight at my own head. Too much caffiene through coffee, not enough exercise and not enough sleep; all risk factors contributing to stress and my condition. I still needed to do something about conscious relaxation. My sister-in-law pointed me in the direction of breathwork techniques by Dr. Andrew Weil. She happened to have a copy of his CD and loaned it to me; in it there is a lecture about breathing correctly and exercises to practice relaxation through breathwork. This is a practice known by yoga experts, but it was all new to me.What did I have to lose? Breathing is free and I have to do it anyway; so, I began dedicating a few minutes each day to relaxation breathing and practicing the techniques prescribed by Dr. Weil to make every breath a more conscious and deliberate action that improves focus, general overall health and well-being. Each one of these steps is a small one (yet, some just seem very large to me!) but, combined, they do seem to be making a positive difference. I feel good, very good; this isn't something that I would have (or could have) said over the last few months. You may have noticed periods of blog absence from me and a marked reduction of comments and visits to your blogs, for that I apologize; I simply haven't been up to it. As of today, I seem to have turned a corner. I am keeping a journal now on what I eat/drink and jotting down any activity or emotional stress that could possibly promote more of the symptoms, I am quite familiar with the early onset twinges and so far being aware of those and taking corrective action ( relaxation breathing) by  has worked in averting another full-fleged attack. Keep your fingers crossed along with me. I don't know if this is the end of all of this for me or not, but one thing that I do know is that I am working to effect change and I've never felt better with the adjustments that I have made. Time will tell. I know this has been a long post, if you've hung in for all of this you're to be commended; or, maybe, you've been suffering from something similar and are interested in practicing your own preventative cure. I do firmly believe that we can be our own best health advocates by taking better care of ourselves, reading the signs posted by our own bodies and paying attention to them. After all it's our life and our life alone... and, as I keep telling you:

Life is Good!

...it really, really, is!

Fancy? No, Prancy!

Just in case you've missed it, I was educated on this exercise craze (or at least the You Tube video) sweeping the country only yesterday. Think of this as a public service announcement; go ahead and prance yourself to fitness, it looks easy enough to learn, the bouffant hairdo is going to take some extra work  and hairspray though! 

Life is Good!

Full Steam Ahead!

At the beginning of December Hannes was diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in his neck; physical activity was curtailed, replaced by daily pain and ant-inflammatory medication.  He was one sad puppy-dog, as were we. That was then, and this is now! Slowly, over the past few weeks, he has been weaned off all medication, his activity level has returned as well as his customary spunk. We began our ritual morning walks in the neighborhood once again, gradually adding in a little more distance every day. He's chomping at the bit for more!

 His collar has been replaced by a soft body harness, the leash

clips to a ring the middle of his back as opposed to his neck.

Here's more evidence that he's feeling better... almost every toy has

been removed from his basket in an attempt to initiate playtime!

"C'mon, Mom... Please... What?...You're tired from walking?

Hey, I thought we were just getting started!!"

Life is Good!

Keep Moving

My husband, Hannes and I are back to our pre-dawn walking schedule; thankfully. We've been able to concoct all sorts of  excuses for putting it off; but, the bottom line was, we needed to get back into the routine. Now that we have there's nothing stopping us... certainly not the weather, we've had no winter so far this year. I talked to a friend who has had some mobility issues lately, he told me that his Physical Therapist said that the single, best thing he could do for his health is to walk every day. It gets harder the older we get, that's the bad news. But the good news outweighs the bad... we're never too old to begin a walking regimen. Start slow but go as far as you can, increase your speed and perhaps your distance as your stamina improves. You don't need any fancy equipment, only shoes... and motivation! I feel better all day when I have walked; I have more energy and a happy, positive, attitude. The strong physical benefits are numerous too, there's just no downside to walking. We're lucky where we live, we can walk outdoors. I am thankful for the nature that surrounds me as I put one foot in front of the other, for almost two miles, and the glorious sunrises that we witness at the conclusion of our neighborhood hikes. Wherever you have that you can walk, do it; do it for yourself, do it for those you love,  make the commitment and then... just keep moving! Remember the quote attributed to Helen Hayes: "If you rest, you rust!"

Timely, from our devotional booklet this morning: "The goal is to stay on course with the team, for Jesus' sake. Each day is a new beginning." -Carolyn Coon Mowchan

Life is Good!

Side Trips

While in Steamboat we took some side trips. On the day off from skiing my husband and I snow-shoed up Howelsen Hill, in town. Not much rest for the legs, but it was a great (and fun) workout involving a whole different set of muscles! I was most happy to discover the advances in snowshoes over the past 37 years, these lightweight (and much smaller) snowshoes are light-years away from the heavy, wooden, "tennis rackets" that I wore in college, back in 1972! We tracked some small animals and learned about their winter habits and habitats from the Naturalist who led our tour.

There was a great après-ski restaurant and bar at the bottom of the ski area across from the gondola, featuring live music and and an active social crowd. Part of the entertainment there, for us, was observing ski "shots" of Jägermeister; six shot glasses mounted on a very long Atomic ski! This was a popular sight on Friday evening as tables were challenging each other to step up and chug from the ski. We thought that the musician there that night was just fantastic, Dave Hudson; so much so, in fact, that we brought home one of his CD's to remind us of our great week away. Not that we'll soon forget either the phenomenal skiing or the fun side trips, but it's always nice to have a souvenir to treasure (and listen to) as a happy memory-jogger.

Life is Good!

Virginia Creeper Trail

It's fall, the sun is shining and it's a Saturday... what else to do but get outside and fully enjoy the day? Early this morning my husband and I piled into our son's car, with him and his bride, and drove to Damascus, in southwestern Virginia. Once there, my husband and I rented mountain bikes to tackle the Virginia Creeper Trail. From Damascus we took a shuttle van, with the bikes on a trailer behind, on up the long and winding road to White Top where we entered the trail head on our bikes and started the seventeen mile "coast"; it was, truly, all downhill from there! An easy ride, the weather perfect and the bike seat was cushioned and comfortable, it really doesn't get any better than that! Here's our little group, almost near the bottom, posing at the Laurel Creek bridge. Yes, that's me, the dorky one who didn't remove her helmet for the photo.

So, how do you top off a near perfect day?Let me tell you how:
with two scoops of Moose Tracks in a freshly baked Waffle Cone!

Life is Good!