Listening To My Body

My body has been talking to me lately. Alot. I ignored it for awhile, but finally realized I needed to listen to what it was trying to tell me. And in doing so, I've learned some rather interesting things:

I can do more than I think I can. Whether it's an untried Pilates move, a cycle class, or just keeping on walking, I continue to be pleasantly surprised by what my body can do. So I should try before I say "I can't do that!"

Just because it's on the menu plan for the day doesn't mean eating it is a good idea. Sometimes I really am too full to finish my meal. It's perfectly alright to put off eating part of a meal until later. I can eat that cup of pineapple just as well with my evening snack as I can with my filling dinner. Not stopping when I feel full is counterproductive, not to mention damned uncomfortable!

Getting enough sleep is really, really, really important. And that doesn't just mean spending time laying in bed. My Exer-Spy tells me how much time I spend doing each, and I'm often amazed at the amount of time I spend NOT sleeping, when I think I am. Going to bed earlier gives me more time to get in enough actual sleep, and makes me more productive the next day.

Sometimes I just need to rest. I spent last Friday walking around Six Flags Great Adventure with my son's Middle School band. Lots of walking, lots of sun, not alot of healthy food choices available (so I didn't eat much). I came home and was just worn out. In bed by 10:30, sound asleep before 11, and I didnt' wake up until 10:15 the next morning! If that wasn't a message from the management, I don't know what it was! I chose to take the day off from exercise, and use the hour I would have spent at the gym to pay a much needed visit to the chiropractor. Since Sunday is always my day off, I got a 2-day break. And was ready and raring to go this morning when it was time to head out to the gym!

Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. I've been on too many meds for various health issues, and have long said I wish I could get off the anti-inflammatory so I could also say goodbye to the diuretic (needed because the anti-inflammatory causes fluid retention) and the Prevacid (to protect my stomach from the effects). Well, turns out my kidneys aren't real fond of the stuff either, so my doctor told me I had to stop taking them. She prescribed a painkiller instead. I didn't feel like it was helping that much, if at all. So I stopped taking it. The jury is still out on whether I can do without it, but I'm sure hoping.

I'm not a teenager anymore. I am a middle aged woman who has been severely overweight for most of my life. I will never have a 29 inch waist again. I will never have thin thighs, or toned legs and arms. I have wrinkles and they are here to stay. I may admire someone else's figure, or legs, or whatever, but there's no point in wishing I had that figure, or legs, or whatever, because I DON'T and I WON'T, even if I weighed 110 pounds! This is partly genetic, partly age related, and mostly my own doing. I'm much better off accepting the body I have and taking the best possible care of it.

So, see, I HAVE been listening! Paying attention, even. About time, dontcha think?