There are some good things, too...

... in between the stress and sadness that is my job now.

Like so many other people, I don't get any exercise, yadda yadda yadda, my muscles are congealing into an ever-expanding Jabba the Hutt style mound of goo, blah blah blah.  Virtually everybody, other than, I assume, actual professional athletes who have negative four percent body fat and work out for 12 hours per day, bitches and moans about needing to get more exercise and eat healthier.  I do not know for sure that professional athletes do not also bitch and moan since I do not know any actual professional athletes, I mostly know people like me who sit down all day and then come home and eat mashed potatoes for dinner and then complain about having to walk more than two feet to get from their car to the grocery store.  But I have had so many sincere, heartfelt, passionate conversations with my husband and my friends and my coworkers about how much I need to get some damn exercise every now and then, and then not actually doing anything, I am sick of hearing myself talk about it.  Shut the hell up until you actually do something, me.

And then a month ago I discovered that our cable provider has a whole On Demand exercise channel, with buttloads of workouts.  They have one entire section of ten minute workouts.  TEN MINUTES.  Who am I kidding to say I don't have ten freaking minutes?  So I looked around, some were too hard for me, but I found one I really liked:  Denise Austin's Daily Dozen.  It's actually twelve minutes long, and it's one dozen different exercises, stretchy and jumpy and lungy moves, one minute each.  It's mostly cardio, and it actually makes me sweat.

It was hard, and I had to seriously force myself to do it.  I am amazed at those people who really enjoy pushing their bodies and exerting themselves physically, I have never, even as a child, liked that.  During each 12 minute workout there are at least two or three points where my body is yelling at me, quite convincingly, to stop it right now and go sit down.  Stupid body, what does it know?  I keep looking at the clock and telling myself: for heaven's sake it's only a few more minutes, don't be such a wuss!

But I am now in my fifth week, and I can honestly say that I can actually see a difference.  The workout is less hard than it was in the beginning, my back feels better, my sore shoulder feels better, and I do have a bit more energy.  And that's with only doing 12 minutes a day, four or five days a week.  I have no doubt that this has made it easier for me to deal with the stress at work, and I have to admit...  I am proud of myself.

:)

Medical Blah Blah

I got the full report back from my blood test yesterday, and I do not have either thyroid problems or arthritis.  I still wonder what's up with the occasional pain in my joints, but since it is not bad I won't worry about it.

 

Apparently I have somewhat high cholesterol levels, so I need to work on that.  I know everybody says this all the time and it's just boring old empty words, but I need to change things.  I eat fairly well -- occasional trips to potato chip land or fried food town, but I spend more time eating baked chicken and steamed broccoli.  My main problem is that I don't get any real exercise, and now would be a fine time to change that, when my medical difficulties are still no big deal. 

 

Also, oddly, I have a Vitamin D deficiency!  I live in the Sunshine State, for heaven's sake.  The doctor actually wrote me a prescription, saying the over the counter Vitamin D wouldn't be strong enough for me.  Apparently Vitamin D deficiency is becoming a more and more widespread problem because of people wearing sunscreen, which blocks Vitamin D absorption. 

 

Internet research has not convinced me that I have roseacea, but I am giving the cream a chance to work, and I'm hopeful that the Biotin will help my hair loss, as I am currently a hideous mess.

 

No, really!  A HIDEOUS MESS.