Happy Ending
I got a reassessment at the chiropractor yesterday, and it shows I still have a long way to go in getting my spine straight. That being said, I have been enjoying days of a lot less pain. Last weekend was the first time in months that I have been able to get through grocery shopping without my hips being in agonizing pain afterwords. I took it for the blessing it is; it makes me feel younger and healthier to know I can move with much more ease and less pain!
I finally mentioned my piriformis sensation to my chiropractor yesterday. I guess I was more concerned with my hips and spine, but I have had this sensation for a year, off and on but most days I have that sensation that there is a cramp in my glute muscle off and on throughout the day, and even when I'm sleeping. So he worked on releasing it (even though it didn't particularly feel tight when I was there) and I am hoping that will lessen. I know that a lot of what I have going on is due to weak gluteus medius muscles, the hip stabilizers. So I found some exercises I can do for that and did them last night. I have actually been finding a whole slew of stretches and exercises to do to help my hips and IT band. So hopefully, if I can be consistent with doing those things I can make a difference. To be honest, seeing the thermal scan of how crooked my spine is surprises me because my back doesn't hurt at all. I am still going to do some core strengthening to help support my back. I don't want issues down the road.
I have been noticing how much easier it feels to wake up these days. I feel like I sleep really good/deep and wake up refreshed. I don't miss that 200 mg caffeine pill I used to pop the minute I woke up. So I started thinking about how nice it would be to wake up a half hour earlier and do some strength training to make sure it gets done. That would help me stay on track and be more consistent. If I leave it for the evening, there's a chance I'll be too tired or swayed by emotions or distracted by the dog or kids to get it done. The challenge is in getting myself to set the alarm for 4:30am. It's a mental thing, just one more mental obstacle to overcome.
I let a few sweets slip in over the last weekend,with my PMS symptoms feeling a little nuttier this time. Luckily those sweet cravings have passed and I am back to feeling calm and good about the foods I am eating. I am doing a good job of staying in control, even when I eat a sweet treat. I have had a handful of chips here and there as well, nothing binge-like but a few chips to satisfy my brain and palate. It works. In the past, I ate without limits, I would eat until there was no more discernable flavor, just the act of putting things in my mouth. Now I realize that I can be satisfied with less, it is a better alternative than complete denial because I never stayed on track with denial, but I do stay on track with acceptance in moderation. I know that eating is more than just a means to satisfy hunger, it is also sensory, emotional, chemical, and sometimes social. If I'm going to keep going and make it a life change, I have to make room for all of that and not pretend that it doesn't exist or that willpower can replace reality.
So I am moving forward calmly. I think upping my activity will be posible now, I may make a few tweaks to my food in the coming weeks, but mostly I am going to try to make me and my health/physical comfort a priority. At almost 46 years old, the choices I make now are largely going to determine how the second half of my life goes. I think that, instead of just being something I say to try and scare myself into action, that sentiment is finally sinking in. I see so many people just a few years older than me, with ailments that used to be the problems of someone much older. I don't want to go down the path I was taking anymore, I want to rewrite my story to have a much happier ending. Afterall, most of the best stories are the ones where adversity is overcome. I'm finally facing that adversity because I know what's on the other side is a happy ending.
I finally mentioned my piriformis sensation to my chiropractor yesterday. I guess I was more concerned with my hips and spine, but I have had this sensation for a year, off and on but most days I have that sensation that there is a cramp in my glute muscle off and on throughout the day, and even when I'm sleeping. So he worked on releasing it (even though it didn't particularly feel tight when I was there) and I am hoping that will lessen. I know that a lot of what I have going on is due to weak gluteus medius muscles, the hip stabilizers. So I found some exercises I can do for that and did them last night. I have actually been finding a whole slew of stretches and exercises to do to help my hips and IT band. So hopefully, if I can be consistent with doing those things I can make a difference. To be honest, seeing the thermal scan of how crooked my spine is surprises me because my back doesn't hurt at all. I am still going to do some core strengthening to help support my back. I don't want issues down the road.
I have been noticing how much easier it feels to wake up these days. I feel like I sleep really good/deep and wake up refreshed. I don't miss that 200 mg caffeine pill I used to pop the minute I woke up. So I started thinking about how nice it would be to wake up a half hour earlier and do some strength training to make sure it gets done. That would help me stay on track and be more consistent. If I leave it for the evening, there's a chance I'll be too tired or swayed by emotions or distracted by the dog or kids to get it done. The challenge is in getting myself to set the alarm for 4:30am. It's a mental thing, just one more mental obstacle to overcome.
I let a few sweets slip in over the last weekend,with my PMS symptoms feeling a little nuttier this time. Luckily those sweet cravings have passed and I am back to feeling calm and good about the foods I am eating. I am doing a good job of staying in control, even when I eat a sweet treat. I have had a handful of chips here and there as well, nothing binge-like but a few chips to satisfy my brain and palate. It works. In the past, I ate without limits, I would eat until there was no more discernable flavor, just the act of putting things in my mouth. Now I realize that I can be satisfied with less, it is a better alternative than complete denial because I never stayed on track with denial, but I do stay on track with acceptance in moderation. I know that eating is more than just a means to satisfy hunger, it is also sensory, emotional, chemical, and sometimes social. If I'm going to keep going and make it a life change, I have to make room for all of that and not pretend that it doesn't exist or that willpower can replace reality.
So I am moving forward calmly. I think upping my activity will be posible now, I may make a few tweaks to my food in the coming weeks, but mostly I am going to try to make me and my health/physical comfort a priority. At almost 46 years old, the choices I make now are largely going to determine how the second half of my life goes. I think that, instead of just being something I say to try and scare myself into action, that sentiment is finally sinking in. I see so many people just a few years older than me, with ailments that used to be the problems of someone much older. I don't want to go down the path I was taking anymore, I want to rewrite my story to have a much happier ending. Afterall, most of the best stories are the ones where adversity is overcome. I'm finally facing that adversity because I know what's on the other side is a happy ending.
Comments
Post a Comment