120 Days - Life Loves....

Well, I just did the calculation - 120 days into my quest to a healthier me.  I have faced challenges but not given up on the journey.  My knee has now been diagnosed as a torn meniscus - possibly it will repair itself; maybe it won't - either way I continue on.  The doctor has warned me not to take on any demanding athletic endeavours - jumping, running, jogging - that got an internal giggle out of me.  Really!  Looks like well chosen exercise to strengthen my quad's and a positive attitude is what is required.  Weight loss would also be in order - although this 300 plus pound doctor did not suggest that!

The Sun Will Come Up ......

As I listened - and, yes, I confess, sang along to - the familiar song from Annie this morning, I felt a smile building inside me and coming to the surface.  I had been revisiting my journals this morning also and that had set me on a path of counting my many blessings over the past three years.  It has been a long journey of self-discovery - a conscious decision to live authentically no matter what!  I have jumped into situations openly and lived life to the fullest while still giving myself permission to retreat into my still, small place when a respite was necessary.  I have made bad judgment calls, geat decisions and broken some debillitating patterns - all at the same time.  I have decided that that is life - the good, the bad and the ugly!  It has been such a wonderful, challenging and enlightening time.  I have dropped tons of heavy, ugly baggage.  I walk with a lighter step (although the PHYSICAL me is not much lighter!) because I am not carrying such a difficult load - I have started to figure out what belongs on my shoulders and what others need to carry themselves.  The very best realization is that being honest with myself about what I believe and what I don't believe has set me free from the bondage I placed myself in trying to be whatever everyone thought I should be! 

Next!

With my knee pain responding to physio therapy finally, I have now turned my eyes inward to what is going into my body - that old data entry adage  "garbage in; garbage out" - seems to apply to my eating patterns over my life.  I have come to the conclusion that if I want something better from my body I need to put something better into it - whether that is food, exercise or emotional/spiritual well being. 

I firmly believe that things do not happen in isolation and that some things just fall into your world at just the right time, never too early or too late - and it is then that you really need to pay attention!  Through my blog and then as a result of my whining about my knee, two friends have independently stepped forward to share with me their experience and what they have implemented for better health and wellness - the same program for each of them.  As weight loss is definitely part of my plan that seemed to be the key to opening the door to Melaleuca - both the vitamins and their Access Bars.  I am a sceptic when it comes to magical answers to lifes tough problems and have resisted such approaches over the years.  Sometimes it just sounds too good to be true and sometimes it is just too expensive to consider.  When I was approached the first time about Melaleuca it was about weight loss and of course healthy living - interesting but sounding too suspect.  I was not open to joining anything - especially if it was going to cost money.  The second time it was about weight loss, healthy living and pain relief - now you have my attention! 

With trepidation, I signed on the virutual dotted line and became a member of Meleuca.  I ordered the Access Bars and the vitamins plus a whole lot of other "good for you" things and jumped in with two feet.  I started eating an Access Bar every morning on an empty stomach on March 13, 2012.  I pack my breakfast to work and eat it at my break.  I have conscientiously increased my water intake to 4 cups plus a day (I know - that is not the recommended but it is all I can do right now and it is moving in the right direction).   Other helpful things - I started physio therapy March 13 also and slowly we are discovering my knees are connected to my hips which are connected to my back........stretching my hips has started to alleviate some of the knee pain.  Yeah!

I have officially dropped 4 pounds as of this morning (ten days).  Much of that has been water, I think, as I was unfortunately retaining fluid on my trip to PEI.  Maybe sitting in an airplane for five hours is not good for me - or maybe it was the chocolate bars and mixed nuts I had for lunch and dinner that day did me in!  No matter what, I am relieved that some of this weight is moving in the right direction even if it is weight that I keep finding.  If the weight loss continues I will know it is not just the water and then, ladies and gentlemen, I will be truly excited!