Healthiness: I am Hard Core

               Wow!  I was so excited to train for the half marathon!  As I walked after work with colleagues or in my development with my husband huffing behind me (yes, huffing- regardless of his opinion), I could envision myself running.  I was positive, enlightened, and…unrealistic.  Here’s what happened in a nutshell-

·         Fall of 2009…general feeling of frumpiness, high stress, and desire to be in a couch coma indefinitely.  After chatting with my family doctor, it was determined that I needed to reduce stress (hah) and increase exercise (double hah).

·         Trained extensively in the Winter of 2010…for four weeks.  Followed the program and had made it to fast walking.  Cheated by “running” for maybe 30 seconds here and there.

·         One Wednesday at work midday, my left knee started to randomly hurt.  Couldn’t figure out why.  Trained that night, Thursday, and Friday.  Took Saturday off and shopped at Ikea.  Walking that place IS completing a half marathon.  Sunday- dying.  Could not stand on leg.

·         It took three weeks of phone calls and tests and waiting and finding the right doctor to learn I had a stress fracture in my leg.  No more training, no half marathon and no downgrading to 5K.  

·         Due to the fracture and some other medical history, crazy tests were done which confirmed some nutritional deficiencies which lead to tests which lead to a “your-cholesterol-is-high-you-can-have-a-heart-attack” comment.  I had one doctor wanting me on meds for cholesterol and one wanting me on daily injections for the rest of my LIFE for VIT D.  

              This inspired my life style change.  After all was healed, I immediately attacked stress.  I can not control stress but I can control the amount that I opt to be exposed to at any given time.  I gave up my consistent part time job and just focused on my full time employment.  I tried to be more “present” at home and return to my passion of pleasure reading.  I joined a gym with a pool (and hot tub).  Found a great trainer who gets me.  Started to see a nutritionist and set goals.  Reduced my cholesterol, increased my VIT D, dropped one size, built “crutch” arms without the crutches. Oh, did I mention that I managed to get tendonitis and swollen thumb joints from either weightlifting or excessive usage of my electronic reader?

               I AM Hard Core.  I either operate at 0% or 100%.  No middle ground.  Great for Type A at work, bad for “hey, I can run a half marathon after being inactive for years!”  I still walked the 5K…against medical advice.  Hey, I had to do it!  So what if everyone else ran and I was the only walker and the only people I beat happened to be a man in his 70’s and a woman pushing a stroller?  I did it.  I hope to be Hard Core with making this life style change.  100% Type A approach with 0% remorse.  (Right now, I am at 75% approach, 25% remorse.)  

               I look forward to exploring my successes (and failures) on my path to healthiness on this blog.  And don’t forget that I plan to talk about Lit and Shoes, too!

Done with “setting the stage” Yours,

Dr. BT