Day Two of my journey to fitness was a session with tiny Kimberlee and involved a physical assessment and a few simple questions about my eating habits. The physical assessment involved me standing on what looked like a weight scale with a pull up bar attached. "Stand on the platform hold the bar and wait: one, two, three ... PULL as hard as you can." The bar doesn't actually pull up, it just measures your ability to pull up. It felt like I was trying to lift a garbage truck. There was no …
Playing the Odds with Our Health.
I am reeling from a scare yesterday. Someone very dear to me suffered a mild stroke in her home. She is younger than I and lives alone. Luckily she was able to get out and get herself to the hospital within an hour of the occurrence so she is expected to recover 100%. But this reminds me of two important things: we must keep track of our loved ones especially those of us who live alone and we need to stop playing the odds with our health especially those of us of a certain age. …
The Knee Chronicles: Thoughts In the Waiting Room
It's morning and I am sitting in the doctor's waiting room. The doctor's office is located in an area hospital. It's not posh or fancy in any way. This comforts me for some reason. There are people of color here, working people - quite unlike the last time I was in an Ortho clinic (four years ago) which was located downtown off fancy Michigan Avenue with copies of the Wall Street Journal, Crain's Business and Chicago Social laying about. The next thing I notice is how sick I am not. …
The Amazing Adventures of Permanent Lifestyle Change Girl: Litmus Test – The Movies!!!
I did it!! I went to see a movie in the theater for the first time in over a month and I ordered no popcorn or a soda or candy or anything!!! And I lived to tell the tale. I can watch movies at home without stuffing my face with extra buttered popcorn and a hot dog. It seems like I oughta be able to do the same at an actual movie theater. This may not mean much to most of you out there but it was an absolute first for me and a sure sign of further commitment to getting healthy again. And the …
Waiting for the Shoe to Drop
I sent a "Happy Birthday!" email to a friend today, thinking how fortunate it was that a mutual friend reminded me of the birthday in time. She is a gorgeous woman, smart, funny and vivacious. She responded: Thanks so much..50 can u believe it!!!! I'm sitting at... hosp waiting for my 3rd radiation treatment..3 down and 13 to go!! But doing well. Miss you! Happy New Year X0X0 Picture my stunned reaction: mouth dropped open - stunned face. She went to the doctor. Had her mammogram. Bam! …