"Nothing changes if you don't change anything". Or something like that. It might be more appropriate to say that, as we get older, if we don't change anything, things will change but not the way we want them too. This has been my experience in the last few years, as I've hit the dreaded "M" word (that would be menopause, just to be clear), and my body has suddenly started hoarding calories and fat in the form of extra pounds, accumulating exponentially.
It would be really easy to make excuses, like "oh, I never used to have to exercise and so now it's taking a long time to work exercise into my routine", or "now that I've downsized to an apartment I don't have as much housework or outside home maintenance to keep me active". But the bottom line is that I've gotten lazy, and tired, and the less active I am, the lazier I get. And I know that if I got off my ass and moved more, I would not feel as tired - opposite to what one would expect. And beneath that layer, I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, and having it be such an effort to appear happy and well-balanced, when I'm not.
OK, so let's be real. I have been making excuses. But it's not easy to just stop making excuses. Essentially, excuses are somewhat invalid reasons for not doing something. Is there any underlying valid reason? Semantics? So, this is the first thing I need to change, in order to change the changes. Let's face it, I'm not old. Not even a little bit. I'm only 55. That means, according to standard life expectancy, I'm really only 2/3 of the way through life. Heck, I still have to work and earn a living for a few years before I can afford to retire. Do I want to still be healthy and active at that point? Damn straight. And that means I need to be more healthy and active now, otherwise another 10 years of this bullshit is going to see me not enjoying my retirement doing the things I love, because I won't be able to.
So setting a lot of other goals, like travelling, photography, hiking and adventuring, seeing places others don't get to see, won't be possible if I can't walk/maneuver because of my weight (no I'm not that big yet), or because my knee has gone completely arthritic, or my feet are in pain all the time.
Excuses. Yes, and I hate when others use them. So another change will be to lose the hypocrisy.
What are my excuses? One is the dreaded "change of life". Although I managed to avoid most of the commonly related symptoms of menopause, the weight gain made up for it. The onset of this magical time in every woman's life coincided exactly with my move to a condo apartment in a highrise, and although the living space I have now is almost what it was in my last place, I have no outside lawn care or snow removal to keep me active. And living on the 15th floor makes it less "available" to simply step outside for a bit of a walk.
Enough excuses. I need to substitute other activity if I'm not getting it by necessity. And I haven't been. And there are no excuses for that. So I joined a Zumba class. And that's when the plantar fasciitis kicked in yet again. (another excuse? Excuse me, but...)
OK, let's start fixing this shit. If it means I can't do any weight-bearing exercise or activity, then I will work first on healing this damn heel, and eat less to compensate. Starting today. That's right, not tomorrow.
This blog will hopefully give me the support that I need to keep motivated, and stay on track. First the heel, and the diet, then the exercise. Today went well. Kept my foot elevated for most of the day, and purchased some gel arch supports designed for this condition. I can wear them even if I'm not wearing shoes. Went outside and clambered about through a farmer's field shooting a sunset (with the camera). Felt great. Came home, ate a healthy snack, and now on my way to bed for a decent sleep. Tomorrow, ah, what will you bring me tomorrow?
It would be really easy to make excuses, like "oh, I never used to have to exercise and so now it's taking a long time to work exercise into my routine", or "now that I've downsized to an apartment I don't have as much housework or outside home maintenance to keep me active". But the bottom line is that I've gotten lazy, and tired, and the less active I am, the lazier I get. And I know that if I got off my ass and moved more, I would not feel as tired - opposite to what one would expect. And beneath that layer, I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, and having it be such an effort to appear happy and well-balanced, when I'm not.
OK, so let's be real. I have been making excuses. But it's not easy to just stop making excuses. Essentially, excuses are somewhat invalid reasons for not doing something. Is there any underlying valid reason? Semantics? So, this is the first thing I need to change, in order to change the changes. Let's face it, I'm not old. Not even a little bit. I'm only 55. That means, according to standard life expectancy, I'm really only 2/3 of the way through life. Heck, I still have to work and earn a living for a few years before I can afford to retire. Do I want to still be healthy and active at that point? Damn straight. And that means I need to be more healthy and active now, otherwise another 10 years of this bullshit is going to see me not enjoying my retirement doing the things I love, because I won't be able to.
So setting a lot of other goals, like travelling, photography, hiking and adventuring, seeing places others don't get to see, won't be possible if I can't walk/maneuver because of my weight (no I'm not that big yet), or because my knee has gone completely arthritic, or my feet are in pain all the time.
Excuses. Yes, and I hate when others use them. So another change will be to lose the hypocrisy.
What are my excuses? One is the dreaded "change of life". Although I managed to avoid most of the commonly related symptoms of menopause, the weight gain made up for it. The onset of this magical time in every woman's life coincided exactly with my move to a condo apartment in a highrise, and although the living space I have now is almost what it was in my last place, I have no outside lawn care or snow removal to keep me active. And living on the 15th floor makes it less "available" to simply step outside for a bit of a walk.
Enough excuses. I need to substitute other activity if I'm not getting it by necessity. And I haven't been. And there are no excuses for that. So I joined a Zumba class. And that's when the plantar fasciitis kicked in yet again. (another excuse? Excuse me, but...)
OK, let's start fixing this shit. If it means I can't do any weight-bearing exercise or activity, then I will work first on healing this damn heel, and eat less to compensate. Starting today. That's right, not tomorrow.
This blog will hopefully give me the support that I need to keep motivated, and stay on track. First the heel, and the diet, then the exercise. Today went well. Kept my foot elevated for most of the day, and purchased some gel arch supports designed for this condition. I can wear them even if I'm not wearing shoes. Went outside and clambered about through a farmer's field shooting a sunset (with the camera). Felt great. Came home, ate a healthy snack, and now on my way to bed for a decent sleep. Tomorrow, ah, what will you bring me tomorrow?
