Make my heart happy and support my walk!

I've decided to walk in the American Heart Association's Heart walk held here in St. Louis on May 14, 2011. It is a 5k walk (3.1 miles) and I need all the support I can get! Not only physically getting conditioned to complete the walk (which I WILL do!) but also you can show your support by donating to the efforts with a cash donation on my walk page.

I will be posting my progress in training for the event as I go. Last night was my first workout in such a long time, we won't mention it. I walked all of .30 miles LOL We will just focus our attentions to all future efforts since that's all I can do anything about at this point :) Please support me in any way you can. I set a very low goal of $100 and I know we can beat that to a pulp LOL

Moving status update

Wow what craziness the past couple of weeks has brought me!! In the end, all good things but it's always interesting to look back and see how it all worked out. I just kept thinking, "This time next week, this will be past me!" I haven't had time for anything, not even finding a new car insurance rate, seriously...when you move, you should check into how the rate might change with your new location.

Anyway, moving sucks. I am just amazed and appalled at how much 'stuff' I have accumulated! I do not get rid of things as much as I should, for sure! Right now I'm in my first of two temporary places, working my way to the goal of renting a house from a client at my office. I've been waiting about a year and very much looking forward to it.

At the moment I am in terrible back/hip pain. I think it has everything to do with my bed, again. I know this is not a new storyline but in moving my bed and getting it set up again, I believe I did not get the right side of the top mattress up. I was *this* close last night to calling my mom and having her drive me to the ER for pain relief and some muscle relaxers. I ended up taking 2 advil and putting ice on it and stripping the bed and flipping the mattress over. I slept well considering and woke up feeling better. Today sitting in my chair at work, I'm in pain. It's difficult to stand/walk. I called a new chiropractor. Found out I have some chiropractic coverage on my insurance!! 26 visits per calender year, $50 each for co-pay but that's not so bad. Calling back soon to make an appointment. Just as soon as I balance my $ and see where I am. I'm behind, haven't made my car pmt yet this month but I'll get there.

So things are everywhere, some at the house I'm staying in now, in the living room, bedroom, basement and the garage as well as the storage unit. One might say, "Oh, that's just you all over!" It's true... I'll post again later to update you on my storage unit woes. For now, I'm enjoying the quiet of my suburbian oasis and making arrangements for the next move in March to my 2nd temporary place. I met with her last night to discuss the logistics and price. She's really doing it to help me so this will work out great, keep praying for me!!!

Un-Silent Night

For the past 4 nights, I have had a hard time falling asleep. Even after successfully falling asleep, I've been unable to stay asleep. It's just not like me, at all. Once or twice a year, I experience a bit of insomnia like this. I can sometimes relate it to stress or other factors but lately I can't pin it down.

Last night was no exception. I cleaned for about 3 hours before turning off the tv and trying to fall asleep. I was *almost* there when I became suddenly annoyed by an unidentified repetitive noise coming from the kitchen. It was like that nagging sound you get in your head when you are trying to remember to pick up ink cartridges after forgetting to do it for the 100th time. So I quickly hopped out of bed to investigate. I have no idea what's going on inside of it to make that gurgling noise but after taking a little aggression out on it by bumping and thumping it, the sound did not relent. In the end, I had to shut my bedroom door and luckily, was later able to fall asleep. Finally.

For the next 2 nights, I am house/dog/teenager sitting for a friend and will be completely out of my element. I hear Mr. Boots, a beautiful brindle colored Boxer, will be my bedmate (something I am NOT used to having) but hopefully that won't affect my ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. I'll keep you updated.

Clown Face

I wore makeup today. "So what, you're a woman! Why is that a big deal?" you ask? Ever since I was a teenager, I always felt like a clown when I have makeup on. Not that I really ever knew the proper ways of applying it. Even when wearing the basics and being told it looked great, I *felt* like I looked like a clown.

I recently decided to start wearing eye liner only. I figure you can't go too wrong with just eye liner, right? Well, like most things I decide to start, it quickly faded and now it's been a few months or longer since I last put some on. Today I wore eye liner. At home I thought it looked ok but in the light of my office...clown face has reared it's ugly head! I don't know if it's because I'm just not used to the look of it or I honestly just don't like the look of it on me. It's just not fair that others can wear some makeup and look great and feel great about it. I guess I also need to find some eye creams that work. Maybe it would help if my face was firm and rested looking before I put it on. Well, anyway, if I just try it again and again, perhaps it will grow on me. Only time will tell, I guess!!

New year, new self?

Why am I asking you? Only I know the answer to this question. I have 3, count them...3 short years before I am 40. The sound of it is unsettling in my soul. Nonetheless, it will come.

Is it possible to be healthier at 40 than at 25? Being overweight and unhealthy is NOT new to me. I've been increasingly heavy from age 10 to present so, if I were to change things and change my intake and output....could I really be healthier now? If I don't try, I'll never know! I'll die. That's right, I will die broken hearted and alone and with nothing to show for my life other than the need to have an oversized wooden box to bury my big butt in. So...who's in? I'm not talking fad diets or various other hoodia gordonii whatnots which may be helpful to some. I'm talking: healthy foods & drinks go in & exercise becoming more than a passing thought.

I really feel like I was on a great path a few months back but I got past the follow up blood tests and began to relax on the discipline of choosing healthy foods. And I won't even begin to pretend I exercised-AT ALL. The most movement this body sees is a shift at my second job walking about the building. So! I'm going to find that track and get back on it and not only that, I will begin to move with purpose and exercise as my schedule allows. Warning: I may become even more annoying real soon, my apologies up front but if you love me at all, you will support me and go with me :) Your health is important to me too!! I henceforth give thee permission to hold me accountable to this.

Tis the week of near misses

Tuesday evening brought another round of excitement to my week. This time it was no deer in my headlights, it was a near fire in my microwave! Long story short, I'd never used this particular rice cooker before and took a friend's advice on how long to set my microwave for. Of course, I didn't realize her microwave has sensors and auto shut off. So I put the rice and water in the microwave, set it for an hour and then put my ear buds in so I could listen to my MP3 player while preparing the rest of the meal.

Once I smelled the burning, it was too late! The microwave had enough smoke inside to set off my smoke detectors and the entire building is hard wired because of the restaurant downstairs. So mine went off and theirs went off. I was able to fan mine with a towel and get it to shut off but what I didn't know was there was actually smoke downstairs in the restaurant and they didn't know where it was coming from so they called 911! 3 firetrucks and the fire chief showed up...all over some burned rice! I was so totally embarrassed. I chose brown rice since I am concerned about getting enough vitamins for women these days and thought brown rice (even though it cooks longer) would be better nutritionally than white minute rice. I am still of the same belief but I will change my preparation! LOL

This picture was taken with my cell from my living room window. I'm so glad everything was ok. Upon further inspection after the rice cooker had time to cool, I discovered it actually had been on fire inside of it. Scary!!!

What's new in death?

I just read this article about a man who decided to be buried without being embalmed or stuffed into a coffin and/or vault. There's a new and much 'greener' way to be laid to rest these days and I gotta say, I'm liking what I'm hearing about it!

No more shopping with your loved ones for coffins and vaults and all that business. I mean who cares what kind of satin & door hardware will house a body I will no longer be using? Just seems extremely meaningless if you ask me. Nope, not interested in all that. Of course there's much to consider but I'd be willing to hear more about this. Any thoughts on the subject?

What to do when you fall down?

Why, get back up again, that's what!! I've recently fell off the wagon a bit with eating and keeping up with my medicines. I haven't even been taking my best multivitamin much less my cholesterol pill. Hmm....

It all started when I ran out of orange juice and stopped eating my oatmeal. But all that is changing! I spent almost $70 at the grocery store today and plan to be back on track in no time! I'm planning to make a nice baked pasta dish with ground Turkey and low fat cheeses, mushrooms and spinach. Making a big dish of it will help me portion out meals for easy planning in the future too. Come on Becca, get it together!!! Your life is slipping by again.

Change it up!

Well, apparently I've hit a plateau on my weight loss and I need to change it up a bit. I'm still eating what I set out to eat, healthy choices all around. I suppose I need to just break down and get moving!
It's not so easy to incorporate exercise into an already full schedule. Any tips and tricks you all have, I would love to hear them! Also, anyone who lives in my area who would also care to get moving with me, I'd love to see if we can work that out. I enjoy many different kinds of exercise so chances are we can find a mutual activity to encourage each other in. I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight fast but more at a healthy yet steady pace. I haven't lost anything significant in 2 weeks! Come on, let's change it up and get moving!! Anybody in??

Get on the diabetic train...

I'm not diabetic but my gallbladder surgeon suggests I eat like I am! I can do this....
I'm just going to have to spend some time reading and learning about diabetic diets. Anyone with inside tips should pass them on in the comments. Gonna need a bit of help here. Taking away bad fats was relatively easy, to be honest. Carbs and sugars and such is something I will need to work on. I will most likely not be able to avoid the gallbladder-ectomy, it's just a matter of getting as healthy as I can before I have it, for the best outcome. Even the best wrinkle creams can't keep them away forever! As long as I have the "gallstone factory" I will have issues. So before I begin to suffer the full symptoms, I want to do all I can. So bring on the diabetic tips!

Early morning dreamin'

I hate mornings. Ya gotta get up and do it all over again. I avoid this at all costs. It's no secret that I've been chronically late to work for the past.....well, every day. Shame on me! But to me, it's almost like torture to get up and get started. I simply love and need that twilight time in the morning, it's my favorite time of day! Just rolling around in bed in and out of sleep....early morning dreaming!

That being said, on occasion I do have to get up EXTRA early. On those days, I pop right out of bed and get to it! I seem to get so much done and actually enjoy the peaceful hours in the early morning time. So what's wrong with me then? It's like I dropped my rfid blocking wallet and someone stole my identity! There's the Becca that can't seem to get out of bed to make it to work on time and then there's this other Becca who loves the earliest hours in the morning! Maybe I'm just schizophrenic to have such opposing opinions of the same thing. Maybe I should just go to bed at a decent hour at night and get up earlier to try it out for a while. I think it would give me a better perspective :)

Pulp: To chew or not to chew? That is the question.

I've recently learned that orange juice helps lower cholesterol and since that is a big goal of mine at the moment, I decided to drink some every day.

Why not? I really enjoy orange juice! The issue is, now that I've began to shop all the varieties of orange juices, I've really noticed a problem. You can have it with tons of pulp OR no pulp at all. Really? What ever happened to just orange juice with whatever amount of pulp gets in there naturally? Why is it made overly complicated with choices? Is it really that much of an issue that they had to use the wisdom of Solomon to decide? "It's either full of pulp or none at all!"

I'm sorry, I have no desire to eat chunky OJ and if there's none at all, it might as well be Sunny D. No thanks! Why are people so afraid to eat or drink something in it's natural state? The way it was designed...no, they'd rather have man made products than real produce. Ah yes, the great pulp debate lives on! Now if I have this much trouble shopping for ipods, I'm gonna be in trouble! LOL

Mmm, nutmeats!

Pistachio nutmeats that is. I love 'em lately!!! I snack on them all the time, probably more than I should actually but I just can't help myself!!

In an effort to not just fault to some sort of diet pills or other 'quick fix' type situation, I've decided to re-think my ideas about foods and how they work in my body. Gallstones are no fun, I hear and I'm really doing all I know right now to stave off surgery. Also being told my cholesterol is far too high is another good reason to add the health benefits of nuts such as pistachios to my diet.

Now, I just said the 'D' word but I am not afraid! I will not let my mind overtake me on this one. I will simply tell myself those bad foods don't exist and then I won't crave them! So far, so good. The only really tempting thing I've encountered in the past couple of weeks was some bread pudding. But I did not give in. I simply told myself maybe someday in the future I could enjoy some again. For right now, though, it is way more important for me to stay on track with healthier foods and try to get my cholesterol down down down.

Expect more topics on such subjects in the future. It's big with me now! I'm already down about 10 lbs. so that is an encouragement as well. I am far less miserable than I was just 2 weeks ago!

Diagnosis: Gallstones

Pending further investigation, the initial results of my chest CT last week are that I have gallstones. Hmm...interesting! Not exactly what we were looking for so I googled 'gallstones' and discovered some helpful info. My primary Dr.'s office simply left me a voice mail, referring me to a surgeon...which I am having big issues with.

I'm not a fan of surgery...don't know anyone who is. So if I've had NO attacks and NO other symptoms, should surgery be my first option? I think NOT! So, I'm waiting for a call back from my primary Dr.'s nurse for more info on my CT results. I'm hoping there is a healthy alternative to avoid or even stave off surgery, which I'm pretty sure there are other options such as liver & gallbladder cleanses. So far I have removed almost all the unhealthy fats I know how to from my diet. I've already lost some lbs & it's only been 5 days. Next thing I need to do is add some exercise, some good quality time on some treadmills perhaps, throw in some swimming...it's a great way to start incorporating it into my daily routine. I'll update with more info later.

Let's talk body wash!

Since I was a child, I've used the same bar soap. A couple of years ago, I switched from that same Coast brand over to Dove body bars for the added moisturizing. I have used the occasional body wash here and there....for convenience or at a friend's house. I am also a big fan of Bath and Body Works products...they just smell amazing! There was a sale and I picked up a couple of their body washes and I love them!!!

Going forward, I'd like to get some feedback on what brands of body wash you prefer? Sometimes like in outdoor rugs or say, hangers...name brands don't really come into play much, but I figure with something like this it's good to get other opinions on brands. Which ones do you prefer for scent, for lathering qualities or hey, the all important 'bang for your buck' factor. Let's face it, Bath and Body Works sure smells nice but it'll break your wallet (even with a sale!) for as much as you get in that small bottle. So, spill it, what do you prefer?

Summer, it is a comin'

Summer is quickly approaching and I'm regretting more and more, not making good use of this late winter/early spring time to take off a few pounds. I was so cozy, layered in my winter garb that I wasn't remembering that feeling of 'nakedness' I get when I begin to go out in the world with no coat or jacket or sweater to hide behind.

Unfortunately, I don't even think the best diet pills would help me shed the pounds at this point because spring is sprung and summer is knocking at the door! I am out of time! Shoot....guess I'll have to move to Alaska so I can hide behind my sweaters LOL

It hasn't been *that* hot yet...

but it doesn't seem to matter though. I've always been a 'sweat-er' and as soon as my skin takes the notion that the temperature is going up at all, I start sweating on my face! Ugh, it just wreaks havoc on my skin. It starts off with a bit of oiliness....then before long BOOM! I start breaking out. It's time to grab my acne face wash and an air conditioner. I tell ya, if it's not oily skin......it's dry skin! I just wish it would make up it's mind already :)

Seriously disgusting!

Want to know what disgusting taste I'm currently experiencing? No, there wasn't a sale on day old fruit. I'm about to throw up from the taste of my eye drops!!

Yes, you heard me right, the eye drops I just started have an aftertaste...you know all these things are connected. I didn't realize you could taste something that was in your eye but hey, they say you learn something new every day. Bleh.... My spoonful of peanut butter isn't helping. I can still taste it! :(

These are not my eyes obviously, I am not a dude. But this is a great representation of what my eyes are looking like right now. The drops offering the foul tasting backlash are dilation drops. Inflammation in my right eye has caused a myriad of issues including my iris being stuck closed...resulting in the need to jerk it back open with dilation drops. I have a way to go but atleast I don't have a half moon pupil anymore. More to come on the eye issues.

Seeing 20/20 - Not!

I've been having some right eye vision issues lately. For the past week or so, I've had a light sensitivity and everything is blurred & white-washed. Let's just say, it's a good thing I'm not an energy auditor, precision is not my friend these days!

So I went to the eye doctor yesterday and he said I have white blood cells in my eye. Also he said this is a symptom from some other issue going on in my body and that in a week, if it's not better I need to seek blood work from my primary care Dr. to find out what's going on. In the meantime, I give myself milky eye drops every 4 hours. Keep me in your prayers!!

Back pain go away, don't come again another day!

Seriously.

My back has been on again / off again (mostly off) since before I went to Branson! I know the unforgiving hotel bed did not help the already brewing situation any...and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been covered under travel medical insurance anyway. It's most likely due to my old, hand me down mattress that I desperately need to replace, but my back is killing me!

This morning I woke up feeling better and stronger and then WHAMMO! Standing over the sink doing dishes and it was good night Betty! Back spasms prompting side muscle spasms that wrap around....making me jerk...which makes my back spaz out more!!! I put ice on both spots today trying to calm it all down. I also took some Motrin but I think I need more.

I have been putting off doing laundry because I just can't imagine carrying loads of heavy laundry down the odd back stairs of my apartment but I just can't put it off anymore. This is one of those times I wish I had a nice strong helpful husband to carry all the laundry down for me! Of course, that would just mean that I would have even more laundry to do!!

Please pray for my back to knock it off and be strong for the next 4 hours. Thanks!