Battling For Good Health

moneyistooshorttomention

I just googled hopefully for Fitness TV. No joy, as its a Sky tv channel and I just have the Freeview ones.

If anyone hears of a Freeview channel thats similar ever I'd be glad to know of it.

I'm taking heart still from your fight for health Spidy. I've been surprised/not pleased to find that my thoughts on "Now I'm retired I'll get to super-healthy" have had to adapt a bit to "First get back to normal health" (ie what I had in my 30s/40s) and then work up from there to super health". Its so easy to have things "slip a bit" on getting older.

So there is leg strength to get back to normal, suppleness to get back to normal, breathing to get back to normal, etc before I can "work my way upwards" and be one of those slim/fit/super-glowy peeps.

I've just made out a health folder with sections in, which in my case is:

- cramp

- acid reflux
- weight (I've realised I must be size 20 now:eek: - as I would have to buy clothes with a size 16 label on them if I bought new ones at the moment. Must try harder and get back to size 12-14. I'll know I'm there when new clothes have labels saying they are size 8-10). This bears in mind that most clothes these days are labelled as being two sizes smaller than they actually are (that vanity sizing).

- hair thinner than before

I've made out a general overall list of what needs fixing. I bought some of that acidolphilus you mentioned and am downing that and, prior to each meal, cider vinegar (with the "mother" in), honey (realised organic probably isn't good enough and have ordered some raw organic) and aloe vera juice. Trying to eat more mindfully and stop the second I don't feel hungry any more. I've taken up one yoga class a week and will find a second one and do it on my own at home on other days. I'm on the case...

spidystrider

Wow money, it does sound as if you are really going for it and it seems that we are pretty much in the same boat, apart from the weight.

I was enjoying honey in my tea for a while, but after a few days, I found that I couldn't get to sleep. I read a lot about it online and most people seem to think that it is good in a bedtime drink and helps you sleep. I did read a couple of things that said honey was a stimulant, due to the sugar, so after a couple of weeks of sleepless nights, I decided to have a break and started sleeping normally almost straight away. I may go back to it, but would only have it earlier in the day.

I really don't know anything about clothes sizing, but didn't think the sizes were that far out. I take a size 8, which I am now starting to fill out and I am still skinny, weighing only 7 stone 6. I have to say though that I am getting happy with my weight, but could do with toning up a bit. Maybe it's my age, but most of my added weight has went on around my belly, so I'd like to get that nice and flat again.

My acid reflux has more or less disappeared. I do still get it occasionally, but my throat is back to normal now and it feels like I have that problem under control.

Where is your cramp money? Is it in your stomach, legs? I am sure that with some research, you'll find something to help.

Please do keep posting and let me know how you are getting on. Hopefully we can spur each other on in our journey to good health.

spidystrider

I also should have mentioned that if you go to the Fitness T.V. website, there are quite a few videos you can watch and join in with. I have done some of the exercises with Ryan Shanahan and they are good. I didn't sign in or anything, so I guess that everyone can view them, whether Sky customers or not.

moneyistooshorttomention

I think that vanity sizing is something that has just come around in more recent years. It may not be applied to every make - though I thought it had been.

I still have all my normal size clothes - many with genuine size 12/14 labels on (ie from before vanity sizing era) so can judge by that. I realised a bit back that I had gone overweight when I tried on a Marks & Spencers skirt from the 1970s in a shop in size 16 and it was too small (couldnt even do the zip up). Thats when the reality of vanity sizing set in - as I'm sure I could go and buy M & S skirts with a size 16 label on now and they would fit me. Anyway, carrying that much extra weight around is equivalent to permanently carrying round a bag of shopping and I wouldnt want to do that all day every day - far too tiring.

Its no use asking anyone else whether they think I'm overweight. My father is the only one that can see I am, but I think everyone else just compares me with other people they know these days and just describes me as okay/nothing to worry about - but I know modern size label 16/real size 20 is too fat frankly.

The cramp is there intermittently in the feet. So far, I've only found details of supplements that are down as working whilst they are being taken, but when that ceases the problem looks like it would come back. Still hunting for what will work once and for all and then stop taking it. Hopefully, as the overall health gets back to normal, they will stop anyway.

The lowest weight I've ever been was 7 stone 12 and I was perfectly happy at that weight and it was a reasonable-looking weight to be. I had better not aim that low now I am middle-aged. Just aim for the 8 1/2 to 9 stone range and that will be back to normal and able to fit into my clothes again (those I havent stretched by carrying on wearing them as my weight went up that is...). So far, I've gone from even these rather bigger bras I conceded a point and bought a while back being a bit tight on the loosest fitting to now doing them up on the tightest clasp - so maybe its a sign of positive things to come.

spidystrider

Day 28 :

Well it's been an interesting weekend. After giving up the tea tree oil for my polyps, I went looking for another solution. I found an exercise where you pinch your nose, hold your breath and nod your head for 10 + seconds. You then repeat another couple of times, holding your breath a bit longer each time.

I did this on Friday night and on Saturday I had a bit of a headache when I woke up. I had a shower and quite a lot of green yuk came out of my nose. My nose kept running through the day and by night, all around my eye sockets were painful, so was the area above my eyebrows and at the top of my nose. My left ear also clogged up and I am pretty deaf in that ear now.

Before I went to my bed, I used my sinus rinse bottle, filled with warm water and salt solution, but could hardly get it up my nose. I did persevere and the pain eased off a bit.

Today the pain had faded and although my nose is still runny, most of what is coming away is clear and my nose is less swollen again. Goodness knows if this will continue, but I will keep doing the exercise and see how it goes. My ear is still blocked, but I am using an earwax remover, so here's hoping that will shift soon.

Everything else has went well, including the exercises and my weight is remaining steady at 7 stone 6.

heartbreak_star

Vanity sizing is a partial myth. There's no such thing as a "real" size. Women have evolved in shape since the 1950s - we're broader in the shoulders and hips, have much bigger breasts and are less "straight up and down". We also have more muscular legs due to a propensity for running and no weight training. It's generally not well-documented but has been studied, I touched on it in both dressmaking and biology classes.

I also say partial myth because I haven't found any two stores from which a size 14 match! I have everything from a 12 (M&S) to an 18 (Topshop) in my wardrobe, and they all fit - and Primark's don't even match within the store

Mind you, I find it scary that my mum was a few pounds under six stone when she married my dad and admitted to smoking to keep her weight down, It was considered healthy then, now they'd quite rightly bung her an anorexia clinic!

HBS x

heartbreak_star

Money - also look up workout videos on YouTube, there's loads. Yogalates or Pilates is great for beginning to build up to glowing again

HBS x

spidystrider

Day 31 :

I thought I would do a mid week update, as everything is going really well.

Since the beginning of the week, I have been doing 10 & a half minutes on the treadmill at 4.5 km/hr. Another 30 seconds doesn't sound like much, but I feel that I really need to push myself to go that little bit longer. Hopefully I can keep building on that.

I have also started to do some exercises on the multi gym everyday. I do 20 x butterfly, 10 x lat pull down, 10 x underhand lat pull down and 20 x leg extension. I am not sure how much weight I am moving, so will have to find out. I do know that I can only move the small half size weight for the butterfly. I then use one and a half for the leg exercise and 2 and a half for the pull down ones.

I then go on to do either the Pilates or Dance Ab Burn, which are my favourites. These classes last for close on 30 minutes. I then follow that with 2 lots of 20 sit ups and a bit of either Just Jhoom (Bollywood themed exercise), Yoga or Ballet themed exercise. I usually only last for about 15 minutes of these ones.

I am still doing the breathing exercise where I pinch my nose and nod my head and although my nose does swell at different points in the day, it is definitely better than it was.

My BMI this morning was 18.48 and it's been this for the last 2 days. I am still just under that elusive 7 and a half stone, but I am sure I will get there one day.

I am still far from being fit and I'm surprised to find that my breath is still quite heavy when I reach the top of the stairs or when I exert myself even slightly. I do hope that it improves soon, but I do know that I am achieving things now, that I could never have dreamed of when I first started. :j

spidystrider

Day 35 :

Well that's another week passed and I have kept up the exercise. I have had a few ups and downs over the past few days and decided to put on an appointment with the doctor. The appointment is on Friday morning.

I have definitely made many improvements over the past 5 weeks and have seen some positive changes in my health. I am disappointed however, as I am still getting breathless easily and I am still spending a lot of time trying to control my cough. I am hoping that the doctor can point me in the right direction, but if all I am offered are more drugs, then I will just plod on with what I am doing. I do feel a little down at the moment, but tomorrow is another day, so who knows what that will bring.

moneyistooshorttomention

You gotta hang in there Spidy - even if at times it feels like slow going.

I'm still experimenting and have added in slippery elm powder now (as a soother to deal with that cough from the acid reflux). May have to give up the aloe vera juice (due to...ahem...side effect stuff).

I've found a 2nd weekly yoga class I shall start at later this week - so that will be 2 of them a week. Also planning on taking part in a group walk regularly one day a week. Side benefit so far - making new friends, as the yoga class I've started so far all go for coffee and a natter afterwards.

Think I will probably have to give up wine - at least for the time being. I suspect wine (white wine at least) is causing the acid reflux. I don't want to do this - as I've always been very proud of the fact that I can eat and drink whatever I please (no allergies etc stopping me - unlike many people). I won't be pleased at having a restriction imposed on me - but fingers crossed that it will be only temporary. Think there may be nitrates in white wine - but am not sure if there is in red wine - and maybe the nitrates are the problem.

Wonders if I will still be okay with champagne (a girl has gotta have her celebrations on occasion:rotfl:) and with the lager that was my usual drink when out when I was younger. More experimenting coming up.

I'm hoping that the combination of getting back to normal weight (though I am not obese by anyone's definition) and strengthening up my body with yoga will get rid of that acid reflux once and for all.