Life is Life-ing!

It has been a while since my last post. Life has been BUSY!

My oldest son decided to play a sport this spring. I quickly became THAT MOM. At the same time, I have been working on ME, MYSELF, and I. The slowdown has impacted my business but it is well needed. How can I help others when I am not helping myself?

Here is what has been happening…

My hubby started a walking program about 8 weeks ago. Somehow, I got caught up with the Sunday number of steps ramp-up transitions. I resisted participating because I was doing no other training during the week. Plus, my knee has been giving me problems since last year.

I knew I had to do SOMETHING. So, I committed to Sundays.

I started using a program through my job called Hinged Health. The idea is to have virtual coaching and training to improve bone and joint health. The program was nice but I knew I would need some in-person assistance. While attending a local convention, I found a new chiropractor. Luckily, there was an office near my home. The experience was amazing (topic for another post). The adjustments and regular stretching helped my body to heal naturally.

I was motivated to improve my range of motion and build strength to protect my knees.

From there, everything snowballed.

I got sucked into weekday 5:30am trips to the gym with the husband.

I got sucked into getting a Fitbit to track my steps. One day during a long water polo tournament, I took advantage of the school track to get in my steps for the day. The youth soccer game carried on while I circled around the children and their parents. I got those steps IN!

I got sucked into tracking my calories. My food choices started to change once I saw how my daily calories were being allocated. As a result, it has:

1.      Forced me to relook at my favorite processed foods.

2.      Drastically reduced my Dirty Chai tea consumption and overall sugar intake.

3.      Made me aware of when I was not eating enough.

4.      Made me aware of my splurge meals.

Doing the real work can be painful at first. Once you get into a rhythm, it is easier. I sucked it all up, put on my posture belt from the chiropractor, and dragged myself up every single day to at the very least WALK.

After a couple of weeks of walking daily, the ultimate test was the unexpected trip up 8 flights of stairs to get to my car at work. The garage is old and the elevators have been slow and inconsistent. I took a chance on those stairs. I figured I could always catch the elevator on a different floor if it became painful. I made it with no knee pain! I literally did a dance once I made it to my floor.

The excitement and relief have been gratifying. All the hard work and sacrifices made a significant difference in my overall wellbeing. One thing I recognize is that you MUST pay attention to your body. Nip it in the bud before your mobility, mental health, motivation and health are drastically impacted.

Although my transition into menopause has been relatively easy, my aches and pains had been increasing. It was a side effect of inflammation, 10 pounds of weight gain, lack of exercise (overall movement), and corporate work stress. Taking a few steps back and accepting the adjustments, quickly moved me to into my own holistic healing. My blood panel drastically improved since my bacterial infection that landed me into the hospital in the Fall. I still have to work on my vitamin D levels. Nothing that a healthy dose of sun and a supplement cannot fix. My resting heart rate has dropped into an Above Average range. I have lost the 10lbs.

LOOK…I am not stopping. Momma M.A.D. (Ms. April Danielle) has more work to do! Protecting my physical and mental health is top priority. My first 50 years of life has given me a multitude of information, resources, and tools to use to my advantage. I will continue to share that information to those who will listen. MORE TO COME!

Now, I'm on my way to losing a few more pounds, build muscle, and live the best life holistically!

Hugs and much love,

Momma M.A.D.