My Health Journal

I can’t believe I hired my own Personal Trainer.  Doesn’t it seem like the height of self indulgence?  I’ve always associated personal trainers with movie stars – certainly not ordinary people and definitely not little old me.

Then it struck me.  What’s more important than my health?!  I need to lose a huge amount of weight.  That means eating better food in better portions and it means EXERCISE.  I don’t just want to look better, I want to feel better.  I want to be stronger, more limber and suffer less pain as a result of my osteo arthritis.  (I have had one total knee replacement (in ‘07) and am scheduled to have the second knee done this spring.)

I realized I needed help.  Like most of us my financial resources are limited so I had to make a choice.  Would I spend my money getting help with my eating or my exercising?

After a life time of reading books on nutrition I actually know how to eat healthy.  But I realized I didn’t know how to workout safely and effectively.  When I tried exercising in the past I either worked too hard and injured myself or didn’t work hard enough and therefore didn’t see results.  Plus, I find wandering around the unfamiliar environment of a gym to be a scary and lonely experience.  I believed that if I could figure out how to exercise regularly that would motivate me to stick to a healthy eating plan.  Therefore, I decided to monitor my own food intake and spend my money on getting fit (instead of paying for Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem, etc.)  For me, hiring a personal trainer is a shrewd investment in my own health and longevity.

I found my personal trainer on staff at a small, reputable gym that offers physiotherapy, massage therapy and athletic therapy.  Like all the personal trainers employed by this gym he has a university degree in Exercise Science/ Kinesiology.  He’s a very pleasant young man who is incredibly fit but not at all ‘jock-ish’.  I’m old enough to be his Mom and he treats me kindly and gently, while at the same time ensuring every workout we share is super effective.  Sometimes he pushes me harder than I realized I could go.  (I was happily surprised to learn my upper body strength is pretty good considering my lifelong aversion to regular exercise.)  Other times he holds me back so that I don’t hurt myself.

Sometimes I workout at the gym with my trainer, while other times I workout at home by myself.  When I work out by myself I am following my trainer’s plan and I keep a fitness log so he can give me feedback on what I’m doing at home. Knowing there’s someone to guide me in my workouts so that they’re both safe and effective really means the world to me.  Knowing there’s someone who will meet me at the gym = automatic motivation for me.  I’ve been working out with my trainer for three weeks now and I plan to continue indefinitely.  Yes, it costs money but I’ve decided to make my health a priority.

The Dreaded "Before" Picture!

If this seems selfish consider the following:  you can’t take care of anyone else unless you first take care of yourself.   I’ll keep you posted on my progress as time goes on.  I’ve also bravely included the dreaded “before” picture so you know that despite my super organized health record keeping, I too struggle with health challenges.  That’s OK because what defines us is not the challenges we face but how we choose to face them.  Wish me luck!

Fever!

Wow!  This is my first symptom-free day since I came down with a ‘flu that lacked a specific name but packed a powerful punch.  I was bed ridden for 7 days with a high fever, headaches, chills, a slight cough, acid stomach, vomiting, diarrhea and a general feeling of ‘Please take me now Lord!’.

Because I’ve had the H1N1 vaccine I at least had the comfort of knowing it probably wasn’t THAT flu.  This may seem like a minor point, except that my reaction to feeling so profoundly awful so suddenly was that I started to imagine doom and gloom scenarios.  Being able to rule out H1N1 at least meant I knew what my malady was NOT, even if I didn’t know exactly what it was.   (What can I say?  May as well admit that a high fever increases fear and decreases clear thinking.)

Why, you may ask, didn’t I call my doctor and try to obtain the Tamiflu medication that is supposed to somewhat lighten the effects of the flu?  Probably because I didn’t think of it until it was the weekend and by then my doctor was unavailable.  I believe non-emergency cases shouldn’t clog hospital Emergency Rooms so I was loathe to try that route.  Besides, I didn’t have the strength to sit in a waiting room anyway!

When I first got back to my email I wrote to colleagues and friends to explain why my husband had to cancel my business meetings and social lunches all last week.  Several people responded that they understood completely because either they or people in their circles had caught the same flu.  Apparently this flu doesn’t discriminate.  My exceedingly unscientific survey found that the large number of people in my area who contracted this flu included children, seniors and middle aged adults.

Here’s how I coped (would you believe ’survived’?) my flu: constant application of a super cold washcloth on hot skin, regularly taking Tylenol or Motrin, avoiding any nourishment I couldn’t see through and whimpering softly to my wonderful husband who frequently visited me during my stay on Pain Island.

An important thing to remember:  after the flu replace your toothbrush to avoid re-infecting yourself!

I fervently hope that none of you get this flu and extend my sincere sympathies if you do.

If you have any coping strategies that work for you PLEASE consider sharing them with us at the Comments section.  I know we’d all appreciate it.

Cheers,

Virginia