Battling For Good Health

spidystrider

elantan wrote: »

Hi just reading your diary, you have done really well so far, great news about the polyps coming away

Can I ask have you ever considered using kefir as your probiotic ? Was thinking it may work out cheaper in the long run for you ?

I have never heard of kefir before, so I'll have a look into that, thanks. The probiotics I bought from Holland & Barrett seem to be working well and weren't too expensive. My stomach feels really healthy and I am have no acid reflux at all now.

spidystrider

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Well done Spidy, sounds like you're coming on in leaps and bounds

HBS x

Thanks HBS, I do feel that I am slowly getting somewhere. I am still breathing from the diaphragm and the exercises are going well. I just have to find some more variety. I feel reasonably comfortable with the pilates that I have recorded and at the moment I find aerobic exercises too difficult and get out of breath easily. The 10 minutes on the treadmill is enough for now. I could just do with some more pilates type exercises.

spidystrider

Day Ten :

I got up this morning determined to not let my cough take over. Every time I felt I was going to cough, I stopped for a few seconds and controlled it. I had a really good morning and my breathing was the best it's been in a while.

I am still at 3.5 km/hr on the treadmill for 10 minutes. I had hoped to be walking a bit faster by now, but I have found breathing from the diaphragm made everything harder again. When I breathed from the top of my chest, I could breath quicker, but that's not possible from the diaphragm. I know that in the end it is much healthier for me though, so will be sticking to breathing this way.

I know my half hour of pilates off by heart now, I am also practicing yoga and hope it won't be too long till I can do the full half hour of this too.

I am shocked at how unhealthy I have become and am determined to get healthy and stay that way this time.

elantan

It's very easy for time to skip by and with it your health, your working at it now though... And I'm sure discovering that it doesn't take much to improve your health either

Need to try this diaphragm breathing ... Can you give me a simple a,b,c of how to do it ?

spidystrider

elantan wrote: »

It's very easy for time to skip by and with it your health, your working at it now though... And I'm sure discovering that it doesn't take much to improve your health either

Need to try this diaphragm breathing ... Can you give me a simple a,b,c of how to do it ?

You're right about the time skipping by. I always had plans to do something about my health and start looking after myself, but never made the time to really do it and stick with it.

I am already starting to notice a difference, but I do feel that as I get older, it definitely is harder to get back to feeling really fit.

The diaphragm breathing is something I was originally taught about 10 years ago, when I started breathing exercises. It seems that we all breath using our diaphragm when we are born, but many of us start breathing higher in our chest area as we get older. Also people with chest problems tend to breath high in their chest too.

I got my instructions from a video on you tube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYu1IK71ApM

You can tell if you breathe from your diaphragm or upper chest by lying on your back, flat on the floor. Put one hand on top of your chest and the other on top of your belly. Breath as you normally would and if your hand on your belly rises, you are breathing from the diaphragm. If the hand on your chest rises, then that is where you are breathing from. It is far healthier for you to breath from your diaphragm.

heartbreak_star

Have you thought about getting some light weights and building some muscles?

HBS x

spidystrider

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Have you thought about getting some light weights and building some muscles?

HBS x

We do have a multi gym in the house. One of the cables broke a couple of months ago and it was difficult to find a replacement. We did find somewhere which custom made them and I placed an order for a new cable about 3 days ago. Hopefully it won't take much longer to arrive and that will be another way for me to exercise.

heartbreak_star

Awesome

HBS x

spidystrider

Day Eleven :

It's been another good day for me today. I managed to get through the morning without coughing and I have coughed less in general today.

I did my 10 minutes on the treadmill but went up to 4 km/hr this time and although I was a little puffed out, I did manage it. I then went on to do a half hour of yoga this time. This did go reasonably well, although there was one exercise that I couldn't keep my balance for. I will have to build up a bit more strength and balance before I can successfully get through it all.

Later on I did some exercises for my abs, which I still have problems with. I just don't seem to have any strength here at all. I will plod on though, and know I will get there at some point.

heartbreak_star

Nice work I like reading your posts, it's encouraging reading about someone working hard to be healthy

HBS x