June 30th, 2016
I need to apologize right off the bat for my title. It's self-indulgent and silly but I just had to do it. You see, the topic for today is my weight. I am puzzled by my own behaviours. Right now, I am eating some BBQ chips as I type. As I reach for the bag, leftovers from the girls' sleepover party, I know it is not a healthy food choice and yet here I am. What is even more surprising is how many times throughout the day my brain reminded me that I really need to resume my exercise routine and eat healthy. I had loads of veggies and fruit earlier today, more leftovers from the party.
In 18 days, my mother-in-law will fly from England to Canada to meet the girls and I for the first time. Can there be any more motivation? I want to have a healthy weight and fit into my pretty dresses when she visits. I also want to feel fit and energized so I can keep up with my girls this summer. So, why am I eating chips? Why have I dumped the gym? Why is my workbook detailing all the exercises I can do at home still in the car? I don't know!
This is not a post with advice for you. There is no story about how I turned it all around and ended up on a beauty pageant. This is an exploration of what the heck is going on. It baffles me. I have always been skinny. For most of my life my body looked very much like a stick figure, no bumps or curves just one straight line. When I got pregnant with my first and my body got voluptuous I was ecstatic. I looked and felt like a woman. I walked every day because there were sidewalks where I lived at the time and there were places within walking distance. I could get groceries, do some banking or grab a Tim's before heading home. After my second pregnancy, we lived out here where there are no sidewalks, nothing is within walking distance and I knew no one. I mainly sat on the floor to play with my eldest or sat on the couch to breastfeed. I shed some of the weight but the stress in my life led to my midsection staying bigger than the rest of my body.
This worries me because carrying more weight in your midsection is correlated with a higher risk of many illnesses including heart disease, stroke and diabetes. I want to live. I still have so much to do. I love my daughters and want to see them grow up and be a part of their lives. I know what to do to lose weight: eat more veggies and healthy protein, drink more water and less coffee, cut out sugar, processed food, limit my grain intake and exercise three times weekly.
I buy the green tea, the lemons and the veggies. I eat really well then I panic. Why? I am so hungry! I always hit this point where I am starving and I can't find anything to eat that is ok and satisfying. I love salad! I can make really good ones but I need to buy the ingredients and because they are fresh I may not get more than two days out of them. Also, even a succulent salad can be boring after a week. So I give up, I give in and I go back to eating whatever is available. I know I am not alone.
The sad thing is I love my body. I am strong, I have fantastic genes and I have been through some pretty stressful times. My body has pulled through for me. I am so grateful to my body. I did a meditation the other day. I sent love to every cell in my body and felt love flowing through me. I pledged to take better care of my body. I meant it.
So why am I eating BBQ chips? Good question. If you struggle with your weight, have successfully lost weight or know the answer to this question, I would love to hear from you.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Showing posts with label weight management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight management. Show all posts
Thursday, 30 June 2016
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Know your heart
March 15th, 2016
Do you know a woman who has suffered a stroke or heart attack? I don't. I do know many women who have battled breast cancer. I guess that's why it comes as a shocker to learn that heart disease is the number one killer among women. For many of us, heart attacks are what happen to older men. Most of the research has used men and the results reflect this. You have an expectation of what heart attacks look like, based on this gender-biased research: sudden chest pain and difficulty breathing. The thing is, for women, a heart attack can feel more like indigestion, a pain in the back or arm, discomfort in the jaw, flu-like symptoms or fatigue. For some women, there are no symptoms other than the persistent fatigue. They consult their doctor and discover they have had a heart attack.
I only know half my family history so it's a little unsettling for me to not know if this runs in that part of my family, especially since I once read that african-americans were more at risk of cardio-vasculaire disease than caucasians. I do not smoke, I am not diabetic and my blood pressure is low but I am not consistently physically active, my cholesterol levels are high and I have gained weight, mostly in my midsection.
So, what can I do to reduce my risk? Exercise and eat healthy food. The goal is not a short-term diet but sustainable, healthy food habits. I can work on reducing my stress levels and floss my teeth. Letting plaque accumulate in your gums contributes to the presence of plaque in your blood stream. I can also make time for friends. Feeling loved and supported reduces stress levels, so does playing with the dog or having fun with my kids.
Another unfortunate factor that contributes to the death of women due to heart disease is that we ignore the symptoms, we deny that we are having a heart attack because we don't have time to deal with it, it's just not a good time. Check out the video by Elizabeth Banks on www.goredforwomen.org. I could relate to Elizabeth as she plays a mom with children and work responsibilities who is trying to get everything done, multi-tasking and gulping coffee. When symptoms occur, she ignores them and just pushes through. Her son and husband notice something is wrong but she denies it. It's a great way to raise awareness about the need to take care of ourselves, not just our loved ones.
There's more information about the symptoms of stroke out there. I have witnessed a lady having a TIA (transient ischemic attack) when I worked in long term care. When you are having a stroke, you may notice half of your body losing its muscle tone, your face looks like it's drooping, your arm goes loose and you are unable to pull it back up, your leg loses the ability to stand so you fall, your vision could become blurry, you may be unable to speak or what you say makes no sense. It is really important to call 911 immediately if someone has these symptoms. The TIA is a smaller scale episode that is often a precursor to strokes. Residents who had TIAs were more likely to recover quickly and not have long term impairments. The same habits that increase your risk of heart disease also increase your risk of stroke.
I don't know about you but I am motivated to eat right, exercise, drink water and manage my stress. How about you?
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Do you know a woman who has suffered a stroke or heart attack? I don't. I do know many women who have battled breast cancer. I guess that's why it comes as a shocker to learn that heart disease is the number one killer among women. For many of us, heart attacks are what happen to older men. Most of the research has used men and the results reflect this. You have an expectation of what heart attacks look like, based on this gender-biased research: sudden chest pain and difficulty breathing. The thing is, for women, a heart attack can feel more like indigestion, a pain in the back or arm, discomfort in the jaw, flu-like symptoms or fatigue. For some women, there are no symptoms other than the persistent fatigue. They consult their doctor and discover they have had a heart attack.
I only know half my family history so it's a little unsettling for me to not know if this runs in that part of my family, especially since I once read that african-americans were more at risk of cardio-vasculaire disease than caucasians. I do not smoke, I am not diabetic and my blood pressure is low but I am not consistently physically active, my cholesterol levels are high and I have gained weight, mostly in my midsection.
So, what can I do to reduce my risk? Exercise and eat healthy food. The goal is not a short-term diet but sustainable, healthy food habits. I can work on reducing my stress levels and floss my teeth. Letting plaque accumulate in your gums contributes to the presence of plaque in your blood stream. I can also make time for friends. Feeling loved and supported reduces stress levels, so does playing with the dog or having fun with my kids.
Another unfortunate factor that contributes to the death of women due to heart disease is that we ignore the symptoms, we deny that we are having a heart attack because we don't have time to deal with it, it's just not a good time. Check out the video by Elizabeth Banks on www.goredforwomen.org. I could relate to Elizabeth as she plays a mom with children and work responsibilities who is trying to get everything done, multi-tasking and gulping coffee. When symptoms occur, she ignores them and just pushes through. Her son and husband notice something is wrong but she denies it. It's a great way to raise awareness about the need to take care of ourselves, not just our loved ones.
There's more information about the symptoms of stroke out there. I have witnessed a lady having a TIA (transient ischemic attack) when I worked in long term care. When you are having a stroke, you may notice half of your body losing its muscle tone, your face looks like it's drooping, your arm goes loose and you are unable to pull it back up, your leg loses the ability to stand so you fall, your vision could become blurry, you may be unable to speak or what you say makes no sense. It is really important to call 911 immediately if someone has these symptoms. The TIA is a smaller scale episode that is often a precursor to strokes. Residents who had TIAs were more likely to recover quickly and not have long term impairments. The same habits that increase your risk of heart disease also increase your risk of stroke.
I don't know about you but I am motivated to eat right, exercise, drink water and manage my stress. How about you?
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
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