WW day 20, power 90 day 5

April first already. Crazy.

Had a doctors appointment today and my blood pressure is down to 116/86. The doctor was very happy with that and it appears the new medication is doing its work. I told the doctor I was in fact ready to return to work tomorrow and I stopped in at work for a second today, to see what I had missed in the last month. I work tomorrow 9 – 5:30 and I start two months of 11:30 to 8 next week. I am scheduled (have been for 3 months) for a weeks vacation the week after next, but not sure if I am going to take it or not.

Eats today were so so. Clean but low in calories again. I just don’t have much of an appetite since I got the stomach flu on Tuesday. I hope to get my appetite going again soon. I start exercising in the morning next week so maybe that will spark it again.

I haven’t weighed myself this week, and despite only not exercising on Tuesday, I don’t “feel” like I have lost. I dunno we will see Saturday morning at my official weigh in at my Weight Watchers meeting. My wife said to me today she sees a difference but I dunno. No one was blown away certainly when I walked into work today, lol.

So being back at work 40-48 hours a week will bring challenges of course to stay on track. Having been off on medical leave, I have had nothing but time to get my exercise in and to eat right. Going back to work I have vending machines and Donut shops, etc to deal with again. But I also need to get back to life and back to the “real world”. I can’t sit at home on my butt forever. I am ready health wise and head wise to get back to work.

Day 10 Quiet day

Tonight’s post will be a short one. Not a lot going on today. I got in two very short walks, and some exercise with my rubber tubing. Nothing too strenuous just enough to stretch out my shoulders and upper back. Head and other various aches and pains not too extreme today, but enough that I took a muscle relaxant shortly before supper. I HATE to take pills but will when it is warranted, but simply hate how they make me feel.

Did a lot of reading last night across the fitness/weight loss blogger universe. A lot of great stories out there. Many people walk the same path as far as fitness struggles. We all get busy, tired or lazy but we need to do what we gotta do as far as taking care of ourselves and make time to be healthy. It’s a choice. For the past ten years I have not chosen to be healthy. Going forward, I will choose to be fit. I will choose to be healthy. I will choose not to make the decisions that led to me getting to this point in the first place.

All for tonight, will be back tomorrow.

Day 9

Today was a so so day, fitness/health wise. I got a couple walks in but less than my daily goal of 10,000 steps. My eats again failed to reach 34 daily allowed points on the weight watchers system. Starting tomorrow, I will start hitting my points. It’s important for me to eat enough, and enough of the RIGHT foods.

Health wise, my head is pounding again tonight. I didn’t sleep well last night but got in a short nap before supper. I went for a walk with my oldest daughter in a local nature park and then for another walk after supper with my wife.

Going forward, once I am able to be doing stuff more intense than walking, I am planning on doing P90x. I don’t expect to be able to do that until at least July. In Dec and January, before I fell and hurt my back in the back yard I had been doing Beachbody’s Power 90. I will be going back to that and doing that for a while as I build up my strength and endurance until I can get through the p90x workouts. This coming week, I am going to start doing some light wii fit exercises and see how I feel. I have felt dizzy and nautious after a few of the walks this week so we’ll see what happens.

Day 4 Weight Watchers, and 7 hours hooked up to a heart monitor

Well, today was another one of those days that makes you realize that health is everything.

I went back to work this morning and lasted a whole two hours before the work nurse sent me to the emergency room with bloodpressure of 167/108 and chest pains (mild ones). They rushed me right in and it was a long day of ekg tests, blood tests, xrays, laying around waiting for the next test, and a non stop pounding headache. I can’t even put into words how tired I am of all this. All i could think of lying in that hospital bed was that the stuff that I can control, and work to fix my health shit. I am tired of feeling bad and its time to take control.

Food wise, I had to eat two meals at the hospital, and have no idea of my points for today but i wrote everything down and will look it up tomorrow.

I am getting off here and hoping for a better tomorrow.

Football, better decisions, time for change

So, this weekend I am really suffering from a hangover. Yeah I know, not going to get much sympathy from anyone, nor do I deserve it. I don’t drink very often anymore, most months I drink 1 or 2 times a month, mostly at poker. I am not much of a “have one beer/drink” kinda guy. I drink once or twice a month, but its usually a case a beer and/or some rye. Every time I do, I get hungover, whether its 4/5 beer or a whole bunch.

This past Friday I went overboard. It was a perfect storm of some pain medication (which I rarely take, one months subscription has lasted me 16 months) not much sleep of late, a very shitty day at work and a desire to blow off some steam. Without going into details, I overdid it as I am want to do, and I won’t be drinking again for a while. I am not going to say I am quitting drinking, cause I am not, and I will not. But I have to make smarter decisions, in matters that affect my health.

Meh…I had more to say but I just don’t feel like it all the sudden I guess. I am going to go watch some football. I hope that my Power 90 gets here soon I am looking forward to starting.

Need to make some changes

Some things have come up that I will neither discuss here, nor mention again, but the result is I need to stop talking about making better choices and start doing it. No more talking, time for action.

I am thinking about stopping writing here and just writing over at my personal blog the ups and downs chasing good health and fitness. I love to write about all the different interests in my life but I have just too many blogs on the go. We’ll see.

Still struggling with my back

Well, for the most part the all day everyday pain is leaving. However the frequent (couple times a week) spasms are still very much there. My physio therapist thinks it may have to do with being under hydrated. I can see this because I am drinking more coffee and I haven’t been drinking as much water. Today I drank more water, and I will continue to do so going forward.

I am just sick and tired of the constant pain. I am the only one who can get me back to feeling healthy. By going to the gym, taking off access weight, doing the physio exercises and making healthier choices. It is all in my hands.

Frustation

Well…..to sum it up without a sob story. I have been thrown another curve ball, in the form of a messed up back. My back problems go back 7 years ish, but I seem to be right back to square one.

A few hours after my last post on Thursday I was sitting at work, when I had a severe pain on the right side of my back. I have had 3-4 pinched nerves going back 14 years in the same spot, and this felt just like those. I am talking take your breath away pain. Shortly after this happened, started getting little what best can be described as little shocks going all over my back. Within an hour my right hand was losing sensation, accept for the severe pain in my index finger.

I ended up spending 10 hours that day in the hospital, had another round of head to toe xrays, and ended up being sent home with some inflamatories and a scheduled MRI. Sigh. So frustrated.

Since Thursday I have had random sharp stabbing like pains in my back. I have slept alot and sat with some ice to try to bring down the inflammation. I dunno what this means for activity over the next little bit. I am doing my physio exercises that were given to me the last round of physio (I start back at physio this coming week) and I will be attempting to get into my doctor tomorrow. So frustrated.

Anyway, not alot else to say. This just reiterates the need for me to get healthy. Am tired of living with the day to day pain, and the occasional flareups of severe pain like this past couple days. So tired.

How did I Get here?

Well, for the last two and a half weeks, I have done litterally nothing but see doctors, chiro’s, physio therapists (started yesterday, am quite sore today), and sit my ass on the couch, looking for that one position that doesn’t hurt like hell. I have been off work for 9 work days now, with 7 more work days off, returning on Nov 5th. I am going out of my mind, bored to death. I just start to feel better, and I do something as strenuous as brush the hair off my dog, and I am layed up again. Enough complaining.

So I have had ALOT of time to sit around, read, think and veg. I think about what I would do if my time were unlimited, money were no object, and I could do what ever I wanted. Well, I would read, write, take pictures, travel, and enjoy life. Unfortunately I have to work for a living so, for the time being I will grind away hours working in IT, but spend less time at the office (no more overtime) and start enjoying life a little more.

I wonder, how I got here in my life. 34 years old and my body is falling apart. I haven’t been able to string together 6 months of consecutive exercise in years because of my back, shoulder , knee or something else. I need to get this bullshit with my back fixed once and for all, get down to 180 lbs or so and take good care of myself. I am much too young to feel like I do most days. I was working out this summer and actually managed to lose 25 lbs and was feeling good til this latest injury and now I am back at square one. Tired of feeling like hell.

How did I Get here?

Well, for the last two and a half weeks, I have done litterally nothing but see doctors, chiro’s, physio therapists (started yesterday, am quite sore today), and sit my ass on the couch, looking for that one position that doesn’t hurt like hell. I have been off work for 9 work days now, with 7 more work days off, returning on Nov 5th. I am going out of my mind, bored to death. I just start to feel better, and I do something as strenuous as brush the hair off my dog, and I am layed up again. Enough complaining.

So I have had ALOT of time to sit around, read, think and veg. I think about what I would do if my time were unlimited, money were no object, and I could do what ever I wanted. Well, I would read, write, take pictures, travel, and enjoy life. Unfortunately I have to work for a living so, for the time being I will grind away hours working in IT, but spend less time at the office (no more overtime) and start enjoying life a little more.

I wonder, how I got here in my life. 34 years old and my body is falling apart. I haven’t been able to string together 6 months of consecutive exercise in years because of my back, shoulder , knee or something else. I need to get this bullshit with my back fixed once and for all, get down to 180 lbs or so and take good care of myself. I am much too young to feel like I do most days. I was working out this summer and actually managed to lose 25 lbs and was feeling good til this latest injury and now I am back at square one. Tired of feeling like hell.