Let's Get Moving

In my annual New Year's post, I said that I wanted to spend 2014 getting healthier.  Let's face it....I'm not as healthy as one could be.  So in that end, I've done a couple of things.

I joined a yoga workshop.  I tried it out last year as part of my Day Zero list, and decided to make it a habit.  So every Sunday you can find me at a yoga studio 25 miles away from my house, stretching into forms like the Cat Stretch, Reverse Table-Top, Warrior and Child's Pose.  You can do a pay-as-you-go plan, dropping into classes and paying a fee.  But I know myself, and if I pay up front I'm more likely to go.  And yes, there are yoga studios closer to home; I chose this one because it's all plus-size women so I don't feel so self-conscious.  Additionally, the instructor modifies things for people like me with herniated discs, or other people with arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc.  I really am enjoying it!

Something surprising has come out of yoga for me....it leads me to want to do better in my quest for health!  I am making it a priority to add more fruits and veggies, and for the first time in my life I actually want to exercise more.  Most mornings I find myself doing strength exercises or a yoga pose or two while waiting for the shower to warm up.  It's only five minutes or so, but every bit counts, right?  And once all this damn snow melts I want to walk more.  I'm actually looking into my daily routine to find pockets of time for this already, there are two tracks here in town and I'm pretty sure that I could get around one a few times before work a couple mornings a week.  And this may be the winter blues taking again, but I want to be outside!  I've never been an outdoorsy type, so this surprises me.  The house that we bought came with a basketball hoop in the driveway, and I'm going to buy a ball and throw it around with the kids.  Again, not a lot of exercise but it is something!  And this summer, I want to go to some of the state parks, and maybe even try an easy hike.  If mindset is part of the battle, then I'm getting there.

I've also started seeing a chiropractor for the sciatica, which reared its ugly head in the past month or so.  Again.  I forget how much that pain hurts when I don't have it.  I never thought I'd want to see a chiropractor, I've kind of always thought of them as a bunch of hooey.  But I'm at the end of my rope...heat wasn't helping, ice only helped a little, and I can't take Aleve forever.  It was this before I decided that I would give in and get the cortisone injections in my spine, I wanted to be able to say I tried everything before it came to that.  So far, I've been to two visits and I'll admit, the first one was a bit scary.  But I felt SO MUCH BETTER after the first visit!  The night before I was in tears from the pain, and the next day I could feel it at the end of the day but it was much less intense.  So I think it's worth it to keep going and see how I feel before more medical intervention.  See that?  I'm eating my own words, and they don't taste that bad.

I think one of the reasons that things are going well right now is because I am not making this about weight loss.  Sure, I could still stand to lose weight.  But I'm not putting all of my focus on just THAT.  These two things  are a small contribution to the journey to health that lies ahead but for the first time, I feel like I am getting somewhere.