The Dawn of a New Day

Most days I wake up before the sun comes up. I work out at the local recreation center, and by the time I'm finished, the hint of a new day colors the sky like a panoramic painting of oranges, blue hues, and deep reds. This morning as I was exiting the recreation center, I happened on the dawn, and I pondered events this day would bring to not only myself, but to people around the planet. Today, we welcomed a new leader with vision, integrity, and purpose into the fold of one of the most difficult and rewarding positions of leadership. And for certain, a new day is dawning, for us all!

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Let us join in the collective community, in support of our new president, Barack Obama. And may our country be blessed.

My Current Badge of Honor

No, that's not an "alien" shirt. That's the back of my cheap t-shirt. After a really hard cardiovascular workout. These days, it's my badge of honor.

I spend my mornings at the local recreation center. I make the time to exercise (when most people are still dreaming under some nice warm blankets). I have to do this. I want to be healthy. And I am committed to the process, no matter how long it takes.

Years ago, maybe 18 or so years ago, I noticed I had a very easy time putting weight on. I always ate healthy, and very rarely "pigged out" or over-ate. I wasn't always highly active, but I wasn't a slug, either. The relationship of what I was eating and why my body processed food the way it did wasn't understood by me. And certainly, western medicine wasn't helping me understand about food, nutrition, or weight. After all, we had the USDA Food Pyramid. And more and more people were becoming overweight, being diagnosed as diabetic, and the belief in the dietetic world was "a carb is a carb is a carb". We know now that belief is a recipe for disaster, and a nation of overweight people. Now we know the pyramid was sponsored by those food companies that provide Americans with the base level of the old pyramid as over-processed, cheap, calorie-laden and nutrient-vacant, easy-to-eat foods. And of course, with the backing of the federal government.


Sometime around 2001, I had an ultrasound, because some liver enzymes were elevated. The ultrasound revealed a "fatty liver". I didn't eat exceptionally fatty foods, so there wasn't a real external reason for the liver issue. I don't drink. But, there it was; another clue in unconcealing what seemed to be a life-long challenge for me and many women. And even another way to beat myself up.

I always had some sleep problems. I had surgery for sleep apnea in 1989, and through the years, I was a problem sleeper. I slept better after being introduced to magnetics (Nikken), but still had some sleep trouble. My body would always feel hot. I was moody. As I got older, the heat and the moods got worse. Finally, after seeing a naturopathic doctor in Arizona, and taking a saliva test, I finally had a diagnosis that connected all the dots. The diagnosis is a metabolic and hormonal issue called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS.

For years, I kept off bread, potatoes, rice, all things that would increase my sugar level. With PCOS, many times there is something called insulin resistance. So the weight stayed on, even through a thorough change in my diet. I exercised a lot. I had people look at me, and tell me, "oh, just do Pilates and build those core muscles".

What I really needed to do was have a team to help me. I also had to step out of denial. Whatever I needed to do, I was willing. Willingness is the first step to recovery.

So, my team consists of a naturopath who knows about PCOS, a chiropractor, the alarm clock that gets me out of bed to go exercise, a massage therapist, and someone I can be accountable to. I hold to a very basic diet of protein, vegetables and fruits (that won't boost sugar levels), seeds and nuts, water, herbal tea and little else. No added sugars, no juice, no sauces, no grains, no honey, no dairy. And I exercise.

I take supplements. About 18 at a time, three times a day.

And I exercise. And exercise. Five times a week. Sometimes for more than an hour. Sometimes more than two hours. And I push myself. I seem to have some endurance in this area. I may be slow, at the beginning, but I am definitely steady. I can spin on the exercise cycle at 105 RPMs for 50 minutes (the resistance level is about a four for 20 minutes, then I step the resistance down). So I'm riding about 11-12 miles in 50 minutes.

I'm getting stronger, and my body is FINALLY responding. It took a while...

How long to I have to do this? I am told, all my life, if I want to be healthy. I no longer am "hot" all the time. My moodiness is gone. I am dropping weight, and my clothes are loosening up. Slowly, but steady. Like the tortoise and the hare, I'm here to win the race.

If you ever wonder what you're committed to, just look at your daily actions and choices. If you don't like what you're getting, make better choices and take action. No one said it would be easy. But, it will be worth it!

And, like the SWOOSH commercial, just DO IT!

Happy New Year 2009

It's been a while since I wrote. A lot has happened in the short span of almost 4 months:

• I completed the second module of coaching training through the Institute for Integrative Coaching; I was coached in my life for 3 months. I still have a lot to work on, now I have the tools to see more and more successes in my life.
• I decided to limit my communications with my father. (My father disappeared out of my life a few years after my mother and father divorced. I was seven. Forty-three years later, I was able to find my father. More on that with another blog.)
• I distanced myself from writing in my blog and chose to work deeply through the coaching and healing process, and that experience let me see many of my life situations and challenges through respectful, peaceful, non-reactive eyes.
• I chose to be fully in the process, and not hung up with the outcome of my decision to go through with coaching training.
• I made a conscious choice to put my need to be healthy as the priority in my life.
• I chose to stop being in denial about a medical diagnosis I received several years ago, and thought I was managing. I decided to create a health team with a naturopath, chiropractor, and massage therapist to aid me in taking stronger and more specific actions toward better health and fitness.
• I exercise 5-6 times a week.
• I dance at least twice a week.
• I take supplements regularly for the condition I was diagnosed with, and I changed my diet to increase my health benefits.
• The US had a presidential election, and the people spoke with their votes. It's an exciting time, full of hope and change. It's full of challenges, and people will face the toughest decisions they ever had to make.
  

• Financial markets are currently fractured around the world.
• I made a visit to Texas to spend time with my beloved aunt in early December.
• My brother in Washington DC got married to his long-time lady friend, with very little fanfare, but with a lot of heart.
• I became secretary of my homeowners association.
• I've continued my volunteering for etown.
  
• I've made some new friends.
• I continue to journal and meditate.
• I paid my quarterly taxes.
• I went to Fort Collins for the first time (and the second time, too).

Although I haven't written in my blog, I have been writing. I decided it was time to focus on what's ahead for me on a day-to-day basis, and take action. Sort of the one-day-at-a-time approach. Some things I had regularly enjoyed doing had to fall by the wayside, but as I learn to manage things large and small that come about in my life, I realize I have been responsible, accountable, and taking action. There are things I want to change, so, like a boat on the seas when the wind changes, I adapt, and learn and grow, and do. As Yoda said, "Do! There is no Try!"
I continue to be committed to my own evolution.
Come join the parade!