Hello to all. Happy Wednesday. Hoping you are all well today.
It is about 45* right now (still dark) outside and it is 69* in the house. The bed sure did feel good this morning, as it has the last few days. I guess my body likes being all snuggled up under the covers lately! Bitsy likes the throw I have on the bed as well - it is kind of like sheepskin, and he sure loves laying on it and making 'biscuits' on it.
It looks to be another wonderful day in my area. Sunlight and 70's.
Today I just want to talk a bit about taking control of your life and your health and doing all you can to stay healthy or healthier. Staying healthy is one of the best 'frugal' things you can do. Staying away from doctors and meds (when you can) saves money.
This is my story of the summer. I know it isn't for everyone, nor would it work for all.
I was a sickly child - rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, anemic...that was me. I had a couple bad years. I had my appendix out at 4 and my tonsils out at 8. I used to get strep throat every year, spring and fall, until I met Glen. Then it stopped. At 17 I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia - I was really supposed to watch my sugars. Yeah, that didn't last long!
Years and years ago I smoked - I stopped that cold turkey. I have an occasional cocktail, but that is it. (that wasn't always the case when younger). I abused my body in my younger years - now I know so much better.
You all know I hate doctors and do not take any meds. I take my vitamins (when I think about it) and try to just do the right things.
This summer I made a lot of changes. I seemed to always feel tired and wanted to nap a lot. I lacked energy. My restless leg was awful at nights. I had constant headaches. I mean every single day - I can't tell you how many over the counter pain relievers I took!! It was crazy. I was actually thinking something bad was really wrong, and I was contemplating going to doctor. Now those that know me, know that is a huge thought!
I changed the time of the day I eat my main meal (yes I eat one), then I have a snack later on. I never eat anything after 5PM. I changed up WHAT I eat a lot. I have pretty much cut out all sugar. I do have an occasional sweet treat, but nothing I like I did. I love sweets, so that was a biggy. I am trying to eat more real food and not processed. I have had absolutely no fast food. I have done lots of walking this year.
With those changes I have lost 20 lbs.
I have energy, hardly ever nap, and haven't had a headache in months (since end of June). Hardly ever have a restless leg bout anymore - and something I discovered just this week - I can sleep on my stomach again! I love laying on my stomach, but it hurt my neck so bad - so I quit trying. This week I rolled over and fell asleep on my tummy for 2 hours, and my neck didn't hurt when I woke up!
I have waaaaayyy fewer aches and pains. Sure, if I overdo it, I hurt some, then it is done. I am not hurting all the time now. Even my feet were hurting last winter, and now they are not.
Now you can call me crazy or think I am just imagining this - but it is very real in my life. I feel better today than I have in years, and I will soon be 72.
WHY? Just a few simple changes in diet and activity.
I know this is totally my experience and would not necessarily work for everyone. BUT stop and look at ways you can change things up some in your health journey - it may make a difference - a big difference.
We all want to take control of our finances, our pantries, our homes, etc. Well, take control of your health too - that is so very important. Diet and exercise can make such a HUGE difference in our lives. We are what we put in our bodies. I have always known this, but this summer it finally really clicked and now I am feeling that difference.
**You know it all started by accident too!!!!! I didn't set out to make changes, life just kind of happened and then I saw the positive change occurring.
So, as you go forward, think about some little things you can do to change up your life. I know there are many things that are bad that are affecting people, and I hate that. But if a tiny, miniscule change can be made that may help, it would surely be worth it.
Just thought I would share my journey.
Have a fantastic day my friends!
Cheryl, this is great! Our health is our most valuable asset! Im happy you shared and happy you feel better!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right - it is our most valuable asset.
DeleteThanks, I just feel good, and thought it might help someone know it can be done.
YAY YOU!!!!
ReplyDeleteSitting is the new smoking....for real! Since getting my 2nd knee replacement, I have cleaned up my eating by 80% (I do NOT believe in denial diets because then it's all I think about) and I have walked off 75 pounds. What I don't do? I don't sit around very well ;-)
I do believe that is correct - sitting can be so bad for us.
DeleteNo, you have to have those treats now and then - because you tend to go overboard if you don't. I know that is how I am.
75 lbs!!!! That is fantastic. Congrats to you.
I made a standing desk for my computer. I like it a lot. I'm trying to eat more fruits and veggies, fewer plain old carbs. I adjusted my bedtime and wake up time and follow that every day (unless I need to get going extra early for some reason). My annual doctor appointment is coming up the end of next month, and I'm curious to see what my lipid panel is like this year. For sure health is the most vital thing to control. :)
ReplyDeleteMaryB
Sounds like you are making good decisions and having a set schedule is really important, I think. My bed and wake up are the same every day as well. I get up early - always have, I just wake up, so might as well get up.
DeleteGood luck!
Cheryl, I often think I don’t belong here. I DO take Rx. Three different drops for my glaucoma and a blood pressure pill - and I have an anxiety pill to take “as needed.” And I’m not like you in so many ways. I’m not perfect, that is for sure. I AM proud of all I’ve accomplished and how I’ve lived my life putting others first. But so often here I feel like a loser and I refuse to feel that way. Barbara M.
ReplyDeleteDear Anon, you MUST take meds for those conditions, please do not feel like you don't belong. You have vision because you take meds. You avoid a stroke because you take a med. You function because you treat anxiety! GIRL!!!! That is WINNING!
DeleteDear Barbara M.,
DeleteYou are not alone. I take 2 meds, and they are for life. Without them I am finished. Some are fortunate and do not need meds.
For sure it is important to maintain our health. Diet and exercise do make a difference, and our meds can be just as important.
I doubt you are actually a loser, but it's easy to feel that way. Comparisons can be dangerous. I have plenty of loser moments myself.
Please stay. Keep posting. Other voices are important.
MaryB
Please don't feel like a loser, Barbara. You were prescribed those drugs for a reason. I am pre-diabetic and I do what I can to stave off the day when I will need drugs to treat it. When that day comes I will take the drugs and be grateful for modern medicine. I won't be happy about relying on them, just as I am not really happy at having to use spectacles, but without them I would be in a pickle.
DeletePrescribed drugs for actual diagnosis's are soooooo very important. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER feel like a loser. As Elle said, getting help for those problems is winning!
DeleteI am fortunate - most are not as lucky. I always said I got all my sick out as a child - but you never know. Things can change in an instant. You DO BELONG here and never think you don't and never feel bad for doing what you need to do. Every single person on this planet is different, has different health issues, has different thoughts and wishes - that is what makes the world great to me. I love that you are here and never think you shouldn't be! You are loved my friend.
Barbara, please know this gal is ANYTHING but perfect. I have vices, I have anxiety, I have regrets, I have desires, I have what might be construed as bad habits. I try hard to stay healthy, I just want quality. I have been blessed in many ways, and I have messed up in many ways. NO ONE is perfect, NO ONE. I am so glad we are all here to share and to hold each other up!
DeleteMy father had his first stroke at 72, my current age. He was fit and rode his bicycle everywhere. He never walked again but mom cared for him for 6 years at home. Then dad had his second stroke and lived his remaining 3 1/2 years in a nursing home. (Mom paid it in full from savings from scrimping all her life.) Both macular degeneration and glaucoma run in my family. Mom did not care for her eyes and was almost blind her last 7 years. I am TRYING to avoid these same fates. I just don’t like the idea that it is somehow a negative to take Rx. Barbara M.
DeleteCheryl, that’s wonderful! I do loooove sugar but it wipes me out anymore. What you did this summer is my ultimate health goal. Congratulations!!!! Carol
ReplyDeleteThank you. I do believe that was my biggest problem, the fluctuating blood sugar levels. I love sweets too - and still indulge a little, just to satisfy myself and make me 'smile'.
DeleteWe have to take care of us.
Well done Cheryl!
ReplyDeleteThank you mam!
DeleteI find it interesting that you mention just going cold turkey when you gave up smoking. My grandfather started smoking at 12 when he started work as a coalminer. He was NEVER without a cigarette in his hand. His doctor told him to give them up at 80 years old and he screwed up the packet he was carrying and never had another one. I accept that smoking is highly addictive, but I'm sure many people find it so difficult to give up because they are constantly told that it is next to impossible. You are living proof that it isn't.
ReplyDeleteSmoking is an addiction 100%. I watched my dad pass from cancer and he smoked all his life, as did my sis and she passed at 48. After her, I just said I don't want that to happen to me. It IS very difficult to give up. To say I quit cold turkey doesn't mean it wasn't extremely difficult - I fought it a lot. I ate baby carrots, chewed gum, etc. There was always something there for a replacement. To be honest after all these years, if I have a drink - I still want a cigarette!!!!! They went hand in hand.
DeleteNo perfection here - I still crave and have the desires, I just work really hard to get past it.
After many many years and tries, I also quit. It was not easy. My solution was prayer. I spent hours in prayer to have the strength to just STOP. Everyone must find their own path out of that addiction.
DeleteMaryB
I am glad that smoking is something I never did. I was lucky that my circle of friends never smoked so neither did I. Barbara M.
DeleteWe need to take care of the Temple! You are doing just that, and it's good to hear about your experience. There are some sweets that aren't near as bad as refined sugar, honey for example. Even too much of a good thing is still too much. I read Susan Street's blog susanaftersixty for years and she is very careful about her eating (just like you have done with good results!), and is very healthy. It's comforting to know that we can control what goes into our guts. Some prescriptions are necessary but we are very careful about what we take and prefer a more natural solution.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I didn't mention about the washer installation debacle yesterday. While they were trying to get the hot water hose loose, one of the guys reached up and turned the lever for the gas. Good thing the garage door was up! I'm not too sure either man was trained at all. The same guy needed either/and a tighter belt and longer shirt. We were treated to his "plumbers' crack". At the time it wasn't a bit funny. I did several loads of wash yesterday and am finishing up today. It's amazing how it stacks up!
This is a gorgeous day! I have clothes on the line. Got several things to fold and put away and then I'll be caught up.
Amen.
DeleteI do love and use honey - not the same in my book as refined sugar. Exactly, too much of anything can be bad - good or bad things.
I want to be around for many more years, and I hope this helps. It may, it may not - no one knows but our Maker. I just want quality no matter how long I have.
Men and their belts (or lack of) and falling pants - it is just nasty!!!!! The big guy across the street is bad about that - nothing like looking out the door to a view of the 'moon' in the middle of the day!!!!!!!!! Ick
It is so pretty. I have the window open right now.
It's interesting that you posted about this today. I have been kicking myself for the way I've been eating since my husband passed. It isn't grief--it's that it's hard to make myself cook for just one person.
ReplyDeleteMy latest idea is to keep healthy food in the fridge. I have a tendency to graze and I will eat whatever I find first. Today I am boiling a few eggs and shopping for foods that I will eat and consume before they go bad (hard for a single). I also am thawing some hamburger meat and plan to make chili in the Crock Pot and freeze single servings. Making "ready meals" and freezing is too much work upfront, but chili will work.
I take several meds, but fewer than most people my age (80) and I am thankful for the results. Elle, do not feel like a loser.
Now, smoking. My mother smoked for 42 years starting at age 16. All of her siblings quit when their older brother, whom they worshipped, got lung cancer. She did it cold turkey. It wasn't easy, but she discovered that, for her, smoking was more tied to routines than actual physical addiction. Get up, have a cigarette. Cook and eat breakfast, another cigarette. Get dressed, another cigarette. You get the idea. She smoked a pack a day, all tied to what she was doing at the time. I think a pack a day was about average at that time. This isn't to say that smoking isn't an addiction, but it is also a routine, and getting through the routine without lighting up just might help some people quit.
--Maxine, who doesn't smoke because she hated the filthy habit due to her parents' smoking.
I should add that I REALLY hated the ashtrays! That in itself might have encouraged me not to smoke. Also, Cheryl, my appendix ruptured when I was 10 but I still have my tonsils.
DeleteIt is tough cooking for one - or getting used to it. I don't mind now. I just made a big pot of chili a couple days ago, and have lots in the freezer for another day. I love chili. I do the same with soups of all kinds. Maybe get some of the dry soup mixes and make those - they are easy and pretty tasty. Gives you a few days and there are lots of options.
DeleteSalads and such are good too. I keep lots of fruit and like you hard boiled eggs. Just making an egg sandwich gets me through some days.
It is a nasty habit - to have or to be around. I now think about back in the day and how offensive I must have been. I get near someone who smokes now and it is so obvious.
Start slow and figure out things to make each week. Try something new, and next week maybe something else. You got this!
I can't seem to stop writing! (Sorry if I'm boring you--no more today!). I spent last weekend in the hospital due to nausea. I was in a two-bed room with a 67-year-old lady who looked older than me. She had that "smoker's voice." Her skin was terrible. She has been hospitalized several times for conditions related to smoking--some were things you've never heard of or associated with smoking. She is VERY SICK.
ReplyDeleteYou are fine - write as much as you like. I have a neighbor who has that voice - just crackly and scratchy. Poor lady.
DeleteI hope you are feeling better. Sorry you had to go to the hospital!
Congratulations on your changes and the great results. I have two meals a day, well really one main meal and the other is a piece of cheese…nothing after 3. Hilogene in Az
ReplyDeleteThank you! Same here one main meal, then something little a little later on - not a real meal, just a snack as I say.
DeleteHope you are well.
My dad was a smoker. He had his 1st heart attack at 42. He died at 61. He just couldn't quit. It caused quite a lot of tension between my parents. Thus it never appealed to me.
ReplyDeleteSince Aug 8th I've lost 12 pounds. My main goal is blood sugar control & then to get rid of some visceral fat plus feed my gut good things but happily that comes with some weight loss. I don't count calories. I still basically eat the same except no sugar and very little white flour. What I do is follow the suggestions of the Glucose Goddess and Dr. William Li. So I emphasize the high value nutrients suggested by Dr Li and eat my food in the order suggested by the Glucose Goddess. I also eat within a specific window. I'm concerned about getting enough protein for my age so I was researching that today. I think I need to increase my protein serving size and I should be ok.
I've always found nutrition an interesting subject so I read a lot about it. I rarely share about it though as I found most in my family aren't interested.
That is so young. Daddy couldn't quit until they told him he had cancer! Then it was too late.
DeleteGood for you! that is great. I don't count calories either - just eat differently.
I do a protein drink each morning to start my day - then eat later on.
It seems a struggle to lose when trying. I wasn't really trying, it just happened, and I am glad it did. I never have looked overweight - I just had too much weight at my waist/belly. That feels so much better.
Keep going, you are doing so good.
You are one smart cookie Cheryl to recognise that you could make changes that would improve your health. I feel overall I eat pretty healthily, I do try to stay in a general weight range, I don't smoke but I do drink too much coffee, and I have two beers on a Friday night. I don't take any medications. I never have been a good sleeper, even as a child, and I feel that impacts my health more than anything. I have tried 1000's of things over the years, nothing works and have now accepted that is just how i am. Take care, Louise
ReplyDeleteThanks. It all happened by accident, I was just really in a funk/depression over sis, and I got out of my routine, then started noticing good things happening.
DeleteI have never been a coffee drinker - just never liked it. Nothing wrong with a couple beers.
I wish you could sleep well. It does make you feel icky some days. I sleep a couple hours, look at the clock, and then do it again. That is my pattern.
I guess we get used to our ways! Glad you don't have to take meds! Good to hear from you.
All positive steps to better health. I was having lots of the same symptoms. My daughter suggested a B12 and Vitamin D blood test. I was very low on Vitamin D and have started taking a tablet daily and feel so much better. In 3 months I will be retested as you can get too much vitamin D in your system. I am also in my 70's. Something for all of us to consider as we age.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Wyoming