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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Sometimes it takes a punch in the face.....

Hi Folks.  Remember me?  I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't.  It has been nearly a year since I last posted on this blog.  I have spent most of that last year just living life, not paying attention to taking care of me or those I love.  Just going through each day with my head in the clouds trying to make myself believe that we can get by in life eating whatever we want, drinking to excess and exercising very little if at all.

Image result for no exercise

Life keeps sending you little reminders. 
  • Your clothes don't fit right
  • You suffer from heart burn every time you bend over
  • You can't reach behind you to wash your own back
  • You have no energy
  • You have aches and pains you never used to have.
Life nudges you and nudges you and you keep batting it away like a fly that is buzzing around your head and won't leave. 

Then, one day, life gets tired of being subtle and punches you in the face.  Wake up Idiot!!  Your husband has heart disease and you are probably not far behind him!!

My husband and I talk all the time about how we need to exercise more, drink less and eat healthier. Usually while sitting on the couch, eating pizza and drinking wine.  Then, last month, we went on vacation and that is when I noticed how out of breath he would get with very little exertion. 
We climbed to the top of a lighthouse and it took him several minutes to catch his breath.  We took a walk to see some waterfalls and he had to stop between the parking lot and the falls to rest.  Even accepting that we were out of shape did not warrant the breathlessness and difficulty breathing that he was suffering.  He also started having a cough that hadn't been there before.

As soon as we got home, he went to his primary care doc, who took some chest films and started treating him for a bronchial infection.  He also encouraged him to see his cardiologist. The first appointment available was 3 weeks later.  He went to the cardiologist who sent him the following week for a stress test.  The day following the stress test the cardiologist was phoning and setting up the appointment for Frank to go in for a heart catheterization.  This procedure was done yesterday morning and resulted in him needing 2 stents in the main artery going to the back of his heart.  This main artery was 90% blocked.  No wonder he was breathless!!

Image result for no exercise

So now I am not only back to blogging here on A Day in the Life on My Quest to Fitness, but I am bringing my husband with me.  We will be sharing with you our life changes as we start to incorporate more exercise, less alcohol and heart healthier foods into our days.  This is step one for me, writing about this so I am kept accountable.  Frank is resting right now as he did not get much sleep last night in the hospital.  While he rests I am preparing dinner.  I am using whole wheat flour in the bread I am making, substituted coconut oil for the butter in it and added a can of heart healthy pumpkin.  The chili is now being made with ground turkey and extra veggies including 3 different types of beans.  

Image result for heart health

After dinner, we will go for a walk.  He is limited to 15 minutes of walking at a time today so we will walk our property, checking on our animals and gardens.  Tomorrow morning we will be able to go for a little longer walk and hope to make a habit of walking each morning instead of sitting in bed with our computers for the first hour of the day as we are in the habit of doing.

Wish us luck.....See you tomorrow!!


7 comments:

  1. Good luck. It is NOT easy to be healthy!! I should jump in and join you on this quest. I'll go sit in my recliner and think about it for a bit!!

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    1. You sound like me Paula LOL, but please do take care of yourself. You are very important to so many people.

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  2. Good luck, Wendy! This is a great journey and it starts with little steps. Cheering you and Frank on!

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  3. Wendy we had the same wake up call the week before Christmas last year, and have fallen back in to bad habits. Trying to get back to better habits.

    Good luck to you & Frank! We will be cheering you on!

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    1. It is so easy to fall back and so hard to stay on task. I hope you take this opportunity to join us and journey back with us Christy.

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  4. Hugs and good luck - it is so hard to make those every day changes when pizza and wine are easier and taste so good. I'm right there with you - needing to make better choices, be more active, and be a good example for my kiddos. I just got a fitbit and am doing a 2-month challenge at work, so hoping I can get myself back on track.

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    1. Good luck....it is so hard to stay determined but it is really important for our health and well being.

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