52 Weeks to Better Health - Playing Catch Up!

Okaaaay - let's just get this out of the way. It would appear that someone (whom shall remain nameless) has a bit of difficulty getting to her blog on a weekly basis. Someone has a tad bit of trouble staying focused on goals. Someone, apparently, can't keep track of time week to week. I don't know exactly who this someone is but I'm going to give her a break mainly because she's really sweet, friendly, has a great sense of humor and makes really good fudge.

Fudge, not having anything to do with good health, but, hey....

So I...ahem...SHE would greatly appreciate it, I'm sure, if you would give her a break, too.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's catch up!

In the last three weeks, I've done (am doing today) three things that are VERY important to one's health and I HIGHLY recommend that you do these three things as well.


Week 5 - Yearly Medical Examination

It is recommended that we get a check-up with the doctor on a yearly basis. I am not very good at this. I'm in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" department and, generally, feel that as long as I feel good, everything must be okay, right? Well, if that isn't just down-right stupid. Many illnesses and diseases can be warded off or fully cured if caught early enough and many illnesses and diseases don't fully show themselves to you until you are feeling like complete poop. So, into the doc's office I went.

I've always been in good health having never had any surgeries, major illnesses or taken any long-term medication. She gave me the usual once-over including drawing blood for some baseline blood work. Everything came back normal with the exception of my bilirubin being slightly elevated. I need to go back in a couple of weeks to have that re-checked. I'll update when that is done.



Week 6 - Dental Examination

It is also recommended that we get our teeth examined and cleaned every six months. I'm not even going to go into detail about when my last visit to the dentist was. Let's just say I was due.

My dental visit was not nearly as painful as I expected. My hygienist was a sweetheart though a little goofy. She reminded me of Teri Garr's character in Friends where she played Phoebe's mom. Darling, nonetheless and gentle with her instruments. The doctor was awesome though I'm pretty sure he completely forgot my lower teeth. I'm not joking. I vividly remember him examining my upper teeth but it wasn't until my drive home when I was reliving the whole experience that, for the life of me, I don't recall him checking my lower teeth. That IS part of a normal exam, isn't it?

Well, I shall ask about it when I return on the 31st to get a couple cavities taken care of. Otherwise, everything else looked good. On my upper teeth, anyway.


Week 7 - Mammogram!!

Since I have reached the 'over 40' crowd....wait, make that the 'Over 40 But Can Pass for 35' crowd, thank you very much, it's time for me to have a complete stranger fondle my boobs and take explicit pictures of them and not just for fun like usual.

My appointment is today and words cannot express how excited I am. No, really. Words cannot express because there are no words. I'm NOT looking forward to this! Are there people who look forward to this? Probably. Weirdos.

Anyhoo, I'll report back every fun-filled detail next week when I post what I'm doing week eight.

Yeah, like that's going to happen! *snort*

Heading Home

They say home is where the heart is. Well, if you know me, you know my heart is in Arizona.

And, yes, I am fully aware of how ungrateful I sound. It's mine. I own it. But if you could just understand for one small moment, I would really appreciate it. I had lived in Arizona for nearly 30 yrs. I think you can relate that, sometimes, the place you live simply becomes a part of you. Penetrates your exterior walls making the character of your surroundings part of your character as well.

You've seen Jersey Shore, right?

Paul was supposed to graduate UNL (University of Nebraska, Lincoln) this spring which would have set him up to start his teaching certification course this summer. Due to a scheduling issue, he will not be able to graduate in time. The teaching certification course starts only once a year. Neither one of us thought it was in our best interest to wait until the following year for him to start that course when there are several wonderful schools in the Phoenix valley. He will be graduating mid-summer and getting his teaching degree in AZ.

So here we come! Moving back home middle of this summer! I'm so very excited but not without the very real understanding that this move comes with it's own set of challenges.

Where will we live? What will we do for work? How will we handle child care until The Boy is in kindergarten (fall of 2012)?

Well, the good news is, we have answers to some of those questions. Where we are going to rest our heads when we first get there being the most important one at this point. More to come on that later.

For now, I'm just excited to tell you we are coming home - and soon! We are already busy going through our things, deciding what makes the cut for the very small truck we will be using to move back and what gets the heave-ho. I LOVE getting rid of stuff. Feels to cleansing. Freeing! I fell out of love with "stuff" before we even moved here. Something God worked very hard to change in me.

Hmm...think He knew what was in store down the road? :)

So, I will keep you posted and by keeping you posted I mean I will probably talk endlessly about this. Home is definitely where the heart is and since my heart is in Arizona, I need to get the rest of my booty there, too!

You're going to help me unpack, right?

52 Weeks To Better Health - Weeks 3 & 4

I tend to fall behind in my little endeavors. Did I tell you that?

It's not that I've fallen behind on my quest for better health. I've just fallen behind on telling you about it. So let's catch up, shall we?

Week 3 - Lower My Sugar Intake.

This will be a two-parter for sure. The first part, I'm just trying to be more aware of the sugary items I feast upon. This is a real daily battle for me because I have a full-blown, no doubt about it, die-hard addiction to sugar. I can't even imagine how much easier everything else about changing my health habits will become once I completely conquer this addiction.

If that's even possible. I'm sure as sh*t going to try though. So far, I've had some good days and I've had some naughty, naughty days. I think the main thing I'm trying to focus on right now is just being aware of my habits. Next, will be to strictly monitor the number of grams of sugar I consume on a daily basis and keep it to a healthy minimum.

Week 4 - Getting Enough Sleep

It wasn't until my daughter was born (and woke every two hours for much of her first year) that I fully understood the importance and value of a good night's sleep. Can I get an AMEN from the mommas out there? Having seen the evidence in the increased lines on my face, I can tell you that lack of sleep will age you quicker than smoking & drinking combined. Okay, that's not really scientific and don't quote me in any health journal or anything but, I'm telling you, lack of sleep will mess you up!

I have a bad habit of going to bed well past a reasonable bedtime. Something to do with Facebook, I think, but can't be entirely sure. I have been trying to be a good girl the last few weeks and getting my tushy in bed no later than 10:30. My alarm goes off at 6:45 a.m. so, barring any bouts of insomnia or sick kids, this should guarantee me a solid 8 hours of sleep. Woohoo!

Here is a quick article on the effects of sleep deprivation. You'll be interested to know that it really doesn't take as much as you think to become sleep deprived. Skipping out on just a couple hours of sleep several times a week can have negative effects on your health.

Well, Week 5 is right around the corner. I have scheduled a dentist appointment and a doctor appointment for next week. I don't know why I thought it would be fun to do both in the same week but I guess I'm just crazy like that. Maybe if I'm a good patient I'll get a lollipop. ;)