Health

[llcoolvad]

When I moved in with Mom a couple of years ago I started to get back on the health maintenance thing. I'd been kind of slack about going to medical appointments, but gradually I worked my way up to regular everything. Dentist, gyn, regular doctor, even getting my regular mammograms.

I started taking vitamins over the summer. I drink more water. And two months ago I even went back on my meds. Right now I take my daily vitamin, several prescriptions, Rx mouthwash for my teeth, an inhaler, and another inhaler. I also decided to be proactive and I bought myself a blood pressure wrist cuff. Every time I go to the doctor (or dentist, or red cross) my blood pressure is all over the map; my Dad had white coat hypertension and I wondered if I might, too, so I bought the cuff. And I must have it because my blood pressure is perfect every single time I check at home. On the low side, even. Good to know I'm a basket case rather than about to keel over.

I bought a new mattress because I thought my old bad one might be less restful than it could have been. I lost 50 pounds. I floss regularly (although I always have, so that's not new). I get my hair trimmed regularly. I bought new clothes. I got new glasses last year. I guess I probably look a little better.

So I've done all these things and my numbers are good and so forth, but I don't feel even the slightest bit better. Not that I feel particularly bad. I "oof" when I get up. If I sit too long my knee gets really stiff. If I stand too long my knee starts to throb. I never feel completely rested. I drag around with no energy at all. My shoulders hurt often.

I know these aren't much to complain about in the grand scheme of things, but I was really thinking this maintenance thing would start to pay off, you know? As if it was just benign neglect that was causing my ailments. But I really want to have energy again. And to feel completely rested. I'm ok with a little pain, as long as I have the energy.

And yes, I recognize that the two things I haven't added yet to the whole get healthier/feel better package is eating more nutritiously and exercising. And therein lies the key, I'm sure.

I am seriously lazy and a major procrastinator, though. My key to successfully adding the other basic maintenance things back to my life is I just trick myself into doing them. I have a nightly routine, so I added taking meds to that routine. Now it works pretty much unconsciously. I put haircut reminders in my Treo with an every-three-month repeat so it nags me when it's time. I keep floss and the bp cuff near the couch where I watch tv, so I never forget to do that, either. I leave the mouthwash stuff along my path to the bathroom (if I left it IN the bathroom I'd forget it existed; I put it in my path so I see it as I walk by and then remember to use it -- I am sad, I know). I make sure to make the next appointment with the doctor/whoever before I leave the LAST appointment, and I put it right into my phone again so I get nagged to do it.

But how do you slide exercising and eating right in the back door? I eat dinner with Mom most nights, and she's not the most nutritious eater (left to her own devices she'd have a muffin and a bowl of ice cream for dinner, which is why I shop and cook). And exercise involves, like, leaving the house! How does THAT just happen? Sigh. The last time I went to the gym regularly I went with my Dad, and he's been dead for three years, and was in the hospital off and on for eight months before that, so minimum four years? That was back when I had my knee injury, so I eased back on the frequency then.

I should stop pondering and just start doing, I guess. Shop better, eat better, plan meals, and join the gym. If I take the time to create my own TV grid so I know what I'm tivoing and what I need to watch live, I can certainly get organized enough to do this. There are a couple of minor barriers in my way that I just need to go around, and then just do it.

Comments

[p-j-cleary.livejournal.com]

I'll go to whatever gym you decide to join, with you, as many days as you want to go. If we made it a regular routine (like, I met you every day after work and we went together) out of it, it'd become automatic, like everything else you're doing.

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

You won't mind when I bite your head off, and curse, and blow the whole thing off after the second day? Cool!

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

(Oops, I read "gyn" as "gym" the first time.)

Dang, that is disappointing.

My way to eat healthier is to make myself eat my own cooking. (As you've read, that's still not the healthiest, but it's better than restaurant food.) I think you said bringing your lunch to work helped, so you're already sneaking in some better food.

For exercise, here are some ways to slip it in: Use walking or bicycling as your form of transportation (this works best if you can get to work this way, or at least to a bus or train that gets you to work). Make yourself get up and do push-ups or whatever during commercials. I've started doing squats and calf raises during teeth brushing. Do more things manually instead of using a labor-saving device (I use a manual can opener instead of an electric one. I usually use a fork instead of electric beaters because I'm too lazy to pull out the beaters and have to wash them afterwards.)

Some people like playing Dance Dance Revolution. Maybe wii games work. Exercise videos (try some from the library before committing to buy any).

Dang, that mattress should have helped. And I guess you've been tested for hypothyroidism and other problems that make people tired.

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

I probably should have more blood work done -- my doctor focuses on really only one area of my treatment. The other thing I haven't been tested for that I have been told I should check out is sleep apnea. The more I read about the symptoms the more likely I think it is. Mom says I sounds like I have it, P says I sound like I have it. Of course the main treatment I've read for it is a face mask and machine that you attach yourself to when you sleep, and I am way too claustrophobic for that, I think. So I don't know if diagnosis will help!

Anyway, I am just beginning this stupid cycle. I haven't given up yet. And I guess not everything can be snuck in the back door. Some things I actually have to commit to.

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

I think there might be a less masky-type machine now. You should definitely learn more if this turns out to be relevant. My mom says it's not that hard to learn to breathe with one (and fall asleep) and it made a big difference to her.

Yea! No giving up!

Definitely get more tests. And find out some good things to do that won't hurt your knee too much.

Meanwhile, the more you can sneak in, the less you have to commit to. Yea for making weirdo psychological traits work for you sometimes!

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

...weirdo psychological traits...

What exactly are you trying to say, here?!

Seriously, I do take pleasure from figuring out how to make things work for me. For example, first thing in the morning I just don't have a whole lot of brain power to spare for things like remembering to put on earrings. So instead, to get through my morning I've set myself an autopilot series of things (shower, dry off, apply moisturizer & other products, dress, brush hair, put on earrings, shoes, take bag 1 with me to kitchen, add bag 2 (lunch bag), grab keys from hook, leave house) -- to get it to the autopilot part I put all the stuff in a path, that way I just wander past and things magically happen. The only time I forget stuff now is if something's in the wrong place, or if I have to bring something extra and I didn't add it to the pile.

Crazy...or crafty?!

[jostajam.livejournal.com]

Not that I've been good about exercising, but I have an eliptical machine that is easy on my joints, and quiet enough that I can watch TV or movies while on it. It makes it much less boring when I can look at Hugh Laurie while I sweat.

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

I am looking at Hugh Laurie right now, oddly enough.

House would be mean to exercise with, though, because he'd say something about pointless thrashing about, and tell me I might as well give up since we're all going to die anyway.

[zanzjan.livejournal.com]

At the same time, don't forget that we're also getting older. So maybe it's best to look at it not as "not as far ahead as you'd hoped to be" so much as "not as far behind as I could be otherwise".

Yes, exercise would help more. You know this. I know this. *I* don't do it. Exercise is also totally fucking boring, and nearly impossible to stick to if you don't have a companion to keep you going and keep you entertained. Losing weight would also help. You know this. I know this. *I* haven't done it. Diets are totally sucky things that are nearly impossible to stick to when your life is unhappy because food is, ultimately, the most immediate satisfaction available to us to tell ourselves that we are biologically successful, other than sex, of course. Food is also much less complicated than sex, easier to obtain, stores 'til you want it, and comes in much better variety.

So don't beat yourself up over this. Sounds to me like on some level you've taken a smarter road towards trying to change your life, adding in small behavioral changes a few at a time and assimilating them into your daily routine before adding more. Sure, add more, but don't give yourself such a hard time over what you haven't done yet.

And the mattress will help, give it time. Backs aren't always easily forgiving.

[kicking-k.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know you wrote this, like, two weeks ago. I'm catching up as best I can!

I used to despair of ever making myself like exercise, and actually do it, either. I thought I hated all kinds of exercise and was also totally untrainable. (I ended up joining a gym because I wanted to look good in my wedding dress, which may not have been the healthiest motivational tool.)

But the wedding's been and gone 18 months ago and although I have had to cut back on the exercise at times because I was too busy, I've discovered that I like doing things I'd never tried because I assumed I'd hate them. Such as weight training, and running (running! At school I'd have done anything rather than run in public).

As opposed to increasing the frequency of the things I only liked well enough to do occasionally. (Does that sentence make sense?)

I don't know if this works if you're less poor than me, but I find that paying out hard cash for gym memberships and so forth is a good motivator, because I'm wasting the money if I don't go. One-off payments (that is, buying myself equipment to use at home) haven't been so successful, because the stuff isn't costing me MORE money by existing unused.

Anyway, I'm rambling. But I'm sure you will find whatever peculiar triggers work for you. I think you have to reach the right mental stage, though...

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

I can't believe it's already 18 months since your wedding!

Money reasons never work for me, I can rationalize with the best of 'em. Sigh. I do, however, also like weight training. Running isn't happening anytime soon...I do need to start going to the gym soon, though! Holidays are vile horrible things for waistlines.