1/13/2018 0 Comments A Healthy EpiphanyMy 48th birthday was approaching and I was in a solemn mood. My "major" birthdays never give me cause for reflection. I turned thirty and forty without remorse or trepidation yet on other birthdays I found myself re-evaluating my life and this impending birthday one of them. I had been in a funk for several months and I wasn't quite sure why. I'm happily married have a wonderful daughter but I had gained fifty pounds since my wedding, my house was in a constant state of disarray and my finances were out of control. I was feeling sorry for myself and helpless to do anything about my condition when I had an epiphany - my house, the weight and my finances were a reflection of my emotional state, which obviously was not in good shape. I was planning on using a new supplement to make things easier on myself.
My previous experience with low periods taught me to let my mood play out to see where leads rather than force myself to break out of a funk. I trusted my instincts and soon one of the issues bothering me was that both of parents had health problems by the time they had reached my age. My mother was stricken with Bells Palsy at 47, which left her disfigured and very self-conscious. My father was diagnosed with high blood pressure around the same time and died of lung cancer three years later at 51 years of age. My mother out lived him by thirty-two years succumbing to a massive stroke at the age of eighty-three. With stroke, cancer and high blood pressure in my medical background I decided it was time to start taking better care of myself and work on getting rid of some of the weight I had gained - the problem was I hated to exercise. I have held memberships to various health clubs and gyms over the years but would be enthusiastic for a while then become bored and stop going. I had recently joined a new gym in our area and was falling into the same trap. I enjoy walking my dog and on a trip to the park it occurred to me that in order to be successful at exercising I needed to find something that I enjoyed the way I used to love to dance and practice yoga. My daughter loves to swim and was on a swim team but gave up after a disappointing swim meet. Swimming is an excellent form of exercise for the entire body and I encouraged her to return to the pool but she refused. It occurred to me, if I felt that strongly about swimming as an exercise why was I not doing it myself? The gym I currently belong to has an indoor leisure pool in addition to a lap pool so there was no excuse for me not to swim - the truth is I was afraid to try. I never had formal swimming lessons as a child and while I could hold my own in deeper water I didn't consider myself to be very good. One Sunday afternoon during family swim time I asked my husband to stay with our daughter while I tried out the lap lanes. After seeing adults of various ages and shapes I realized this was something I could do and I didn't have to be good at it - I just needed to swim. The first time entering the pool area on my own was hard but I soon found my endurance building and my confidence growing. I realized I did not have to swim at break neck speed; I could swim at my own pace and not be in competition with anyone else in the pool. As I began to see and feel results my swimming routine quickly blossomed from a few minutes in the pool to an hour-long trip to the gym and included a soak in the hot tub followed by a visit to the sauna or steam room. The swimming victory gave me the courage to rediscover dance and yoga that I enjoyed in high school and college. When my daughter's Irish dance studio offered a beginner adult dance class last Spring I gave it a try and found not only was it fun, it was an excellent cardio workout. My fitness routine now includes swimming, yoga, ballet, Irish dance, Zumba, strength training and walking my dog. I love the variety and the challenges this routine gives me and so far I've been to stick with it. A few weeks ago I celebrated my 49thbirthday with a different outlook than the previous year. I've lost 15 pounds, dropped two swimsuit sizes and can fit into clothes that I have been unable to wear for a few years. For me the answer to my fitness questions was not in what pieces of gym equipment to use but more of what I like to do, what is fun and create a workout that is perfect for me. In breaking free of the conventional approach to fitness I've rediscovered myself.
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