Oh sleep is a wonderful thing!  Went to bed with a rotten cold on Friday night & slept 18 hours a day on the weekend. (Rah.   Super-exciting 4th, oh yeah.   Rah.)   I missed all the fun, BBQ, &  fireworks but it was worth it to feel almost human again.  In my opinion, the only good thing about getting sick is that great ‘rebound’ feeling you get a day or two afterward where you feel really great, like you can do anything!  I’m definately looking forward to that!  (But I’ll really have to watch myself like a hawk so I don’t overdo–that’s a major problem of mine at times! )    ;-D

So I got in a good 20 min stretch this morning & baked my stealth-healthy banana bread for my 8 year-old son (max protein, low-fat, tons of omega-3s  etc & yes! I did have a piece, but he licked the bowl).  Then I got busy & worked on my neglected financials, class curriculum, scheduling, & emails.  Ouch!  Sitting at the computer for more than 1/2 hour at a time makes me walk like I’m 110 years old!  Yikes!  I guess I better get a timer to set while I’m working as I tend to get lost in what I’m doing for hours at a time.

Starting tomorrow morning, my son has a yoga class which is taught by a friend of ours so I’m going to sit in the back & stretch & follow along with the kids as much as feels good.  After 8 rounds of  various physical therapies over the years I’m pretty good at knowing what’s a ‘good’ kind of pain & a ‘bad’ kind so I’ll just continue to work on my flexibility while being extra careful, since my body’s so badly out of whack.

I received my 1st contact from Lauren at Renew Integrative Health Center on Friday & the group will be contacting me this week.  Kate has been assigned as my patient advocate, which I think is very nice.  After looking over their website & seeing the array of services offered–& knowing that a big issue in improving my health has been a lack of communication & respect between my previous doctors/practitioners–I feel comforted to know that my health issues will be coordinated & if something isn’t working out, all my providers will know of it immediately.

So, since I can’t wait to get started, I sent Lauren a brief summary of my health issues, supplements, medication, etc to answer some of their basic questions, & help them in their planning.  Yuck!  It’s really discouraging to write it all down & see all the junk that I’m dealing with right now, although I can see how so much of it is inter-related.  Pain, stress, sleep & energy issues–obviously they are an integrated part of my ‘circle of inertia’.   Double-yuck!!

I remind myself  this is just another reason to be happy that I was chosen to participate in this Challenge–the direction of my inertia has the force of habit driving it & I need a force greater than my intertia to knock me into a new direction! Well, I can’t think of a better slap to the backside than having great support (Renew; Trudi, Patti, & David at Ch10) coupled with public accountability (egad!  whatever shall I say in my blog–or what might get caught on tape– if I don’t stay on my path!)  It’s soooo embarrassing that I need such a drastic push right now, but the groove of putting my family & our finances first & myself at the bottom of my to-do list is deep and well-worn.  So I’m hugely greatful to get such a terriffic boost & I know I’ll be making all the progress I possibly can over the next six months.  More than enough enough progress to get new habits firmly & deeply entrenched!  (I think I can, I think I can . . . )

One thing I know will be on the top of my list is to regain my flexibility, muscle strength, physical endurance, & aerobic endurance.  So I guess I’ve got lots of swimming, walking, hiking, weight-lifting, & yoga or other flexibility & posture training in my future.  Hey!  Writing that down suddenly makes me say, “Let’s Go, I’m READY!!” I love to hike & walk!  Mind/body work is very relaxing and energizing!  And although boring, I can find swimming & weightlifitng almost zen-like if I put myself in the proper, positive frame of mind.  (Plus, I can always listen to an audio book!)

If I close my eyes & really think back, my body remembers how good I feel when it’s fit–my pain is dramatically less & I have lots of energy & enthusiasm for life!    It’s been way too long since I felt good & my hubby & son are really missing that side of me (they tell me constantly).  No to mention our huge, goofy, lab-mix misses going on walks & hikes with me too– he brings his leash with soulful eyes whenever he sees me put on walking shoes!

So, I resolve that wheneverI get discouraged, I will keep reminding myself that regaining my health will not only be to my ultimate benefit, but to my family’s harmony & well-being as well.  I will deeply imagine how I will feel once again when I’m more flexible & fit, using my body’s memory of the past as my guide & inspiration.  I will put the time for myself  on my schedule as top priority (my friend reminds me that I’ve got to put my oxygen mask on first–trite but true).  And I will hold myself to a steady pace, one day at a time, so I don’t blow it & overdo when I begin to feel better, like I’ve done too often in the past.

OK.  I’m ready, I think I’m set, I’ve started, can I GO now?   ;-D