When we first started this program, my blood pressure was frightening. With my medication, it was often in the pre hypertension readings. 145/90 range. Without, I was logging as high as 200/110. Harry never worried about his blood pressure, but I had him take it so we could log our progress. At first his was a little into the pre-hypertension. Well this week we took our blood pressure and mine was 120/80. His was lower as well but we thought it was a fluke. You know how those grocery store blood pressure monitors are. Well we took them again last night and mine was 108/77. His was 121/73.
So what is different, I mean besides eating like a rabbit? Walking. I started walking at work during my lunch break. last week I walked 2 miles a day for four days. This week I walked 7 miles and I am not counting the weekend. Harry also started walking more. He has a pond out in front of his building and walks around that 3 times to log a mile.
My weight is also teetering toward the down side. I fluctuate five pounds a day but I always record the lowest reading. (Hey, human nature here). From one respect, it is difficult for me to see myself at the same poundage (within a few ounces) at my low point every day, but then when I ratchet down another notch, I start dancing around THAT number. I am firmly in the 180's now, high end but 180's none the less. How often I have been told that diet alone will not melt the pounds? So true Chris, so true.
Chris is my daughter. She has two boys, 3 and 5. She put on weight with the boys and struggled to lose the baby fat afterward. She got a little perturbed when her friends returned to their pre-baby bodies and she didn't. Well Chris hated running almost as much as I did, but she started getting out there and running. She ran in the ran, night, early morning, 20 degree weather and 100 degree weather but she ran. Then she signed up for a half marathon that required a $3500 commitment in sponsored donations. Well she did it and has now made that her obsession. She has since then run 7 half marathons and one full marathon. She has so many of these beautiful medals from these runs, that she sounds like a Mardi-gras parade when she carries them. (Hey, she could make a wind chime with them). Her husband Roy runs also and is thinking about doing the Iron man. You can see the change in her. She is shrinking and toning at the same time. So my little girl nags me to death about getting out there and running too.
She has a point, but I have one also. I have problems with my ankles and my feet. Jogging at 200 pounds is NOT good for the ankles. Jogging at 190 is not much better but at least I feel like walking.
A few years back, (ok - five years back), I was working out at the gym and started noticing that I had constant neck pain. The short of it, I ended up having major surgery on my neck but only after I endured a year of intense and constant nerve pain. I don't know about other people, but that pain changed me. It sucked all of the life, hopes and dreams right out of me. After the surgery, I felt better but I still hurt all the time. It was not nerve pain this time, but constant muscle pain. It seemed that everything I did made it worse.
I finally stopped taking my cholesterol medicine about 5 months ago now. I feel better than I have in years. The muscle pain is gone, although I do get a little tight in the neck and shoulders from time to time. Anyway, I have to say that feeling a little better helped my get to the point I wanted to feel even better. So even though my doctor would rather me take the medication, I probably would not be on this diet right now or trying to exercise - any of it - if I was still taking the medicine that made me feel so bad.
My point here, is that people can get where they cannot even fathom getting up an moving, much less walking or running. The intentions might be great, but the follow through is lacking.
I have to have the healthiest coffee table in America. On it, I have exercise dvd's for Yoga, Pilates, Power Vinyasa,Tai Chi, a 10 minute work out, Zumba dance and belly dancing. I almost feel good enough to put one of those on and go at it. Almost. Haven't got there quite yet, but my coffee table is in great shape.
I have something else wrong that has been a problem for over a decade now. It feels like the connective tissue around my bones is inflamed. All the time. I can feel my ribs and that tenderness is always there, like a bruise. Around 1998 I thought I was having a heart attack. I went to emergency and they ran all sorts of test. Then the Doc came in and asked if he could try something. He wanted to press my chest. When he did, I screamed from pain. He said I had Costocondrititis. Now leave it to me to get something I never heard of. "Costochondritis is an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum. Repeated minor trauma to the chest wall or viral respiratory infections can commonly cause chest pain due to costochondritis. The reproducible tenderness you feel when you press on the rib joints (costochondral junctions) is a constant feature of costochondritis". (http://www.wedmd.com/).
Well the inflammation had gotten bad enough in the connective tissue around my heart that the pressure was similar to that of a heart attack. Well he put my on a prescription and I went on my way. The tissue has remained painful ever since but not bad enough to pressure on my heart anymore.
I now suspect I might have Tietze syndrome instead. Some doctors (incorrectly) use the terms Costochondritis and Tietze syndrome interchangeably, Tietze syndrome has a sudden onset without any preceding respiratory illness or any history of minor trauma. In Tietze syndrome, there is frequently radiation of pain to arms and shoulders as well as pain and tenderness associated with swelling at the spot that hurts. This seems more in line with how I feel all of the time since my arms, shoulders and neck are affected. I know longer think it was Costocondritis because that eventually goes away and this has not. The recommended treatment for the condition is to take anti-inflammatory drugs, or steroids until the pain goes away. I seldom take anything more than aspirin for pain, and my Doctor knows I will seldom fill a prescription for something that has a lot of side effects.
I may add cherry juice (a natural anti-inflammatory) to me daily diet and see if that helps.
I have to say I am anxious to see what this diet does for this odd condition.
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