Did you join C2M to get off blood pressure medication, lose weight, improve your heart health?
So did I. We may have a sneaky shaky problem.
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the Affirmative
Don't Mess with Mister In-Between.
That song by Johnny Mercer sung by Bing Crosby in the 1940's could be our theme song.
I'm not talking about those 'beautiful' people in the fashion magazines. I'm not talking about the actors or actresses in the movies or on TV. The skinny people I see are close by.......
Even though I have made a lot of changes towards healthy eating there is always room for improvement. I have been drinking 6 galasses of water a day and I'm going to make it 8. I usually take three 16 ounce bottles of water to work and line them up on my desk. My goal is to have them gone by the end of the work day. I am going to make it four and aim for them to be gone by dinner.
I 'm not being cocky but you know I really thought at least weeks one and two would be easy. All that enthusiasm and positive focus should at least last two weeks. I didn't expect trouble till a little farther down the line. Actually the "doing" of the exercise was okay it was the "getting to the doing" that was still hard. I know that if I was not doing the choose To Move Challenge I would have skipped 2 if not 3 of the days of exercise I did last week.
So why didn't I do this before? I told myself I was too busy, too tired. I said I would do it when my girls were older, and I didn't have all their games and activities to attend. After they were older, I had my mother that needed extra attention. I needed to run errands for her. I had bad knees. I didn't like the thought of going to a gym where you just see young people who dont't look like they need to exercise in the first place. The time I had available for exercise wasn't enough to really do any good so why start if it wasn't going to help? I could lose weight and get healthy by dieting. And something always happened when I was ready to go to exercise.
So I mentioned that I was wife, mother, daughter etc, etc,.....and on and on. All of us have lots of roles to play in our lives, and sometimes we can get stuck being more one than the other. I think I have been stuck in all of them at one time or another except individual woman, self. Haven't spent alot of time in that role but now that the girls are grown I find that I am looking for that person. I also want to improve that person.
I am a 56 year old wife, mother of three daughters, sister of seven siblings, daughter, aunt, cousin, sister-in-law, friend, school nurse, hospital nurse, co-worker, and real woman from Houston, Texas. I applied for the Choose To Move Challenge out of concern for my health. Of course I will be thrilled with any secondary benefits in the body shape and looks department. I admit to having tried every diet that came my way in my 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s, and to even signing up for the trial of a weight loss drug. I was looking for quick and easy weight loss, primarily to improve my looks. I really didn’t think much about diet related to health. I really wanted to lose weight and then continue to eat the way I always had. My only excuse is that I must have been so busy being wife and mother and working that I was too busy to be smart about it. When my husband was diagnosed with diabetes in his late 30’s, he made some changes but basically it was his diagnosis, and they were his changes to make. When he had a heart attack in his mid 40’s we had a wake up call. We made some changes as a family in the way we ate, and my husband made a commitment to exercise that he has continued and improved on. I admired him immensely for his commitment. He would invite me to participate, and occasionally I would, but I never felt I could do what he did on a regular basis because of time. Time with work, time with children meant no time for an exercise routine that is boring and monotonous. I also looked at exercise in terms of loosing weight, and I could do that with my dieting.
Posts
At the end of any journey, it’s always nice to reflect on the experience and enjoy the exhilaration that comes with accomplishment. During the past 12 weeks, seven real women have opened their hearts and minds to women across the country. They’ve revealed struggles, shared empowering messages, offered valuable tips and served as genuine advocates for this program.
During the Choose To Move challenge, these women not only engaged in physical activity, they discovered a community of women who share a common goal – increase physical activity in order to develop a healthier lifestyle. Their success is a direct result of determination, commitment and the support they received from those in the Choose To Move community.
From a mom with three kids to a full-time college student to women in the workplace, our real women take on many important roles. And as women juggling multiple responsibilities, we want to be the best we can be - a common thread among women in America. However, in order to be the best for our families, we must do what’s best for ourselves. Our seven real women did exactly that! Each woman, in her own way, learned how to make time for physical activity and develop better eating habits!
For Ruann, Kara, Lisa, Melanie, Vernita, Kathleen and Zulema, the 12-week challenge has come to an end. However, the ultimate reality is that their life-long journey to maintain a healthy lifestyle has only begun. No matter where you are in this journey, I encourage you to rely on women in the Choose To Move community, as well as those around you. Take advantage of the Choose To Move program and turn this challenge into a way of life.
My total chol. is 184
HDL is 46
LDL is 106
Trig. is 184
I have been on a low fat, low carb diet since Sept (NutriSystem). Should I be concerm about my Trig?
Comment by on February 12, 2008 2:54 PMDr. Mieres,
I'm very much an internet girl. As soon as I found out I had high blood pressure, I found this site. After going through all the 'choose to move' selectees, I chose Vervita, for the reason that she update often and replied to those that posted comments.
Well here we are, 6 months later, most of those chosen have yet to update.
Considering these are all busy and accomplished women, perhaps some slack should be cut. Ok.
The forums are worse. I have had to hunt and peck to find true posts, some of which should be answered by a professional, not a jr. high social studies teacher.
I'm sorry to be so negative. In truth, AHA diet and recipes have made it possible that I may be coming off meds next week. My diet plan has been based on your cookbooks.
When I called in my numbers today, to get a refill, the office called me back and said the doctor said when I want, to stop meds for 4 days and make an appointment for the 5th. If bp is in the 100-120 range, we'll stop the meds. Woo hoo! Diet and exercise may pay off!
Comment by on June 12, 2008 8:17 PMDr. Mieres,
I'm very much an internet girl. As soon as I found out I had high blood pressure, I found this site. After going through all the 'choose to move' selectees, I chose Vervita, for the reason that she update often and replied to those that posted comments.
Well here we are, 6 months later, most of those chosen have yet to update.
Considering these are all busy and accomplished women, perhaps some slack should be cut. Ok.
The forums are worse. I have had to hunt and peck to find true posts, some of which should be answered by a professional, not a jr. high social studies teacher.
I'm sorry to be so negative. In truth, AHA diet and recipes have made it possible that I may be coming off meds next week. My diet plan has been based on your cookbooks.
When I called in my numbers today, to get a refill, the office called me back and said the doctor said when I want, to stop meds for 4 days and make an appointment for the 5th. If bp is in the 100-120 range, we'll stop the meds. Woo hoo! Diet and exercise may pay off!
Comment by on June 12, 2008 8:17 PM
