So much has been happening lately.... Where do I start? I've been neglecting this poor blog lately. Been addicted to Facebook. And in denial. I've always been "overweight". At some point, I crossed over the line and am into the "obese" area now. Even though I was overweight, I wasn't really limited physically. I would go on hikes with my sister in the local mountains and do fine. Some of them were pretty strenuous, yet I had no trouble keeping up with my healthier sister. Something happened though. Last year when I hit 45, not only did my eyesight go. (I now wear prescription reading glasses), but it seemed my health took a turn. I first noticed it when my sister and I went to Sequoia National Park, back in May 0f 2009. We went on a couple of hikes and I was winded. The moment we started climbing up even the slightest elevation I was breathing hard and unable to keep up. I lagged behind my sister and had no energy. I usually have a reserve that I can count on to help push me. That was gone. I vowed to get into shape. I would pull out the Wii fit and get started. I didn't do it. When I went to the doctor for my Pap Smear, I weighed in at 222 pounds. She wrote on my chart that I was overweight according to the BMI. (I am 6' 1"). Months later, I started to try to start to work out on the Wii Fit. It pegged me at 230. I coasted along, in denial. Vowing to walk the dogs, get on the Wii Fit, etc. Then, this past February, my Dad died. And something happened. It seemed to have taken both a physical and mental toll on me. I became depressed and not only did my weight shoot up, but I lost all muscle mass. The simplest tasks seem to exhaust me. I made an appointment for a physical. They won't be able to see me until the beginning of May. Then something happened. My aunt had been diagnosed with breast cancer. When I saw her, I expected her to be really down. Instead, she was really positive and optimistic. She decided to fight it head on. She started exercising by doing the treadmill for an hour every day. Treadmill!!! I thought of a great idea. Why not buy a treadmill? The whole family could use it. An hour every day. No problem. We could watch TV while we use it. I ended up buying something a little different. It's called a NordicTrack Pathfinder, an Elliptical trainer. Mike and I brought it home from Sears and Mike put it together. And there it sat....
Come April 13th 2010.... I have to take Mike to downtown Los Angeles, to Kaiser Sunset. It's supposed to be a routine angioplasty. A six hour procedure and then I drive him home. We were even talking about hitting Lowe's on the way back to pick up some items. Mike goes off for the procedure and I sit in the waiting room. A couple of hours later, the doctor walks in and talks to me. I don't remember exactly what he said, bits and pieces come to mind. Blockages, bypass, admitted to the hospital, surgery. Mike was going to need a Quadruple Bypass.
We are now talking lifestyle change. It couldn't have come soon enough.
After Mike was discharged, one of the things they wanted him to get was a scale. So we went to the drugstore and bought an el-cheapo digital scale. I weighed myself..... And almost passed out. I tipped the scale at 254 pounds. That was in the afternoon. I decided I am going to weigh myself every day, in the morning and write it down. Actually, journal it, in this blog.
Today, Facebook went down. So, I used that opportunity to finally start using the NordicTrack. I popped in the DVD of the movie 300 and started the machine up. I set it to a half an hour routine, climbed up and started. I made it for 3 minutes. I was sweaty, exhausted and my legs hurt. I couldn't go on. I sat down on the sofa and watched the rest of the movie. Considering that this is the first time I've started any exercise program in a while, it was pretty good.
I am going to try to come here every day and keep track of my weight and exercise routine. I really want to stick with it this time. I'm getting older.
April 23, 2010:
Weight: 249 pounds
Time on machine: 3 minutes
Calories burned: Hardly worth mentioning
Every journey starts with a single step. Today, I took the first step.
Posted by Valkyre at April 23, 2010 07:38 PM