The Elephant---"It Could Always Be Worse"

This is a very personal post, the toughest I have written. My intention is not to whine, but to offer hope and encouragement.

“It could always be worse”. I must have gotten that saying from my mother because I have been saying it as long as I can remember. I have been saying it to myself more and more in the recent years facing challenges with injuries, disease, and most significantly my husband’s heart. After reading this post may you be encouraged to find that I can still say that.

I repeated it to myself each time I assumed the role of “Nurse Nanci”, caring for Bob as he recovered from yet another emergency or life-saving procedure. Each time he would make it through a surgery he would call it another “bump in the road”. If you have been following my blog you have seen recent posts about the “bump in the road”.

After 28 years of marriage we faced our biggest ever “bump in the road”. You might say it was the size of an elephant.

Fitness Derailed--Attack the "Bumps in the Road"

See if this sounds familiar...You have set your sights, you are headed down the right path, you are taking care of your health and fitness. You are proactive, determined, you finally have it---your workouts are part of your regular routine and you have managed to create a healthy diet as well. Everything is going along smoothly, you are feeling great, gaining momentum, and BAM!!!---something knocks the wind out of your sails and derails your best efforts. You fine yourself stuck and unable to continue with your commitment. This can happen because of an illness, an injury, a vacation, or an unplanned life event.

I am in this place myself, right now as I write this. I recently faced what my husband refers to as "another bump in the road". The unplanned life event that has me derailed is his recent heart-attack (his second MI, a major event). After already having undergone open-heart surgery, valve replacements and stents to clear blocked blood vessels, his heart function already compromised, he was very fortunate to survive this episode.

Changing to Healthy Habits-- "Turkey" vs. "Weaner"

Everyone has a different attitude or system when they look at making changes or improvements. 

What’s your style?

Turkey vs. Weiner

When it comes to diet and exercise, or changing habits—are you a “turkey” or a “weaner”? I coined these terms because of the difference between the way my husband and I approach a challenge to change our habits or up our game.