Becoming Healthier

In my desire to become healthier over the past year, I made the decision to participate in a 5K walk/run.  Not just any 5K ~ the Green Bay Packer 5K in July.  My husband walked in it last year and completed an activity on his bucket list ~ to walk on Lambeau Field. I was going to walk with him but I was on walking restriction from my doctor but this year, I have been given the "all clear" to participate.  Only I can't seem to find out the correct date.  I called yesterday and was handed off to 3 different people ~ all who found the lack of updated information on their website to be "interesting".  I will continue to prepare for my goal regardless because none of the three people told me there was no 5K ~ they just didn't know when.

Eating

I have diabetes so I am required to monitor my food intake and check blood sugar every day. I am also plagued with inflammation throughout my body and find that certain foods cause "flareups". Like most people with diabetes, I eat the wrong things from time to time. The result is a painful inflammation flareup and higher sugar count.  I have decided that in order to be at my best health possible for a 5K, I need to limit my "bad" foods to holidays.  By that I mean just the actual day of the holiday and not the 2 weeks on either side of that day. I have been eating less red meat and starchy foods like pasta and potatoes, more vegetables and fruit, and I've already lost 28 pounds since Christmas. 

Exercise

If anyone had told me last year that I would enjoy exercise I would have laughed.  After my knee surgery I was sent to physical therapy.  Between Mike and my sons, and being inspired by my husband's 5K walk last year, I had a lot of motivation. I found that moving can be fun! I've always liked walking, but I needed to strengthen my core muscles and my hip flexors in order to improve the strength in my knee and back. Mike taught me a lot about the anatomy of the body and how certain muscles worked with each other and when you strengthen one set it helps another set of muscles. When I would grimace during physical therapy, Mike would say "This is all necessary in order for you to walk in a 5K".  That sold me on the benefits.  Having a goal is important for your attitude while learning to like something new.

On Saturday, my granddaughter and I were laying on the floor lifting our legs.  She moves without even thinking but I have to concentrate sometimes.  I was only lifting one leg at one point and she says to me "No Gaga!  One ~ two legs!!" (At two years old, she is still not using the word both.  If I had four legs she would have said one, two, fee, four legs!) Apparently I was doing it wrong by not lifting both legs at the same time.  After lifting both legs right for a minute and resorting back to my one leg lift move she stood up and came to the end of my legs and said "OK - one, two!!" and lifted both feet. 

She is one tough personal trainer!