Your party Left you Liz

 

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Kaleidoscope meditation to free the mind for exercise and nutrition

 Meditation can be tricky. How do you stop thinking about your problems, your schedule, your to-do list? 

Closing my eyes has never worked. Listening to guided  meditation never worked. I was looking for more of mind altering experience that I could relate to and not control. I found kaleidoscope visuals for meditation. Example:  https://youtu.be/CgAS-otKYFw 

The music wasn’t always something that I wanted. So I found brain waves audio that allows me to match an audio with a visual that works for me at the time. 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5t9l2n4rcvGkR1Ow4a6C8v?si=0gtI1bB_RImzv628fxZnfw

This is helping me to relax after a walk or some stressing news which will support me and making the right decisions moving forward for my health. 

Having contracted Lyme disease and going through the process to eradicate it and return my joints to normal I was unprepared for following that up with all the pressures in my body reacting erratically( both blood pressure and eye pressure). 2020 was one long journey But my journey for good health is not over, it’s a lifelong journey. Improving physical health will require improving mental health to keep you on track. 

If anyone else has tried kaleidoscope meditation to clear the mind and allow you to get into a meditative state please drop a line below in the comments and let me know how you feel about it.

Wall push-ups Supplemental exercise

With the onset Lyme disease, last summer, several of my joints were severely impacted for months, including my shoulder on the right side. Since this was less impactful to my daily routine than my ankle and knee swelling,  physical therapy to deal with the issue is just getting underway.

One of the things that seems to be helping and could be more beneficial in a much broader sense are these wall push-ups. Suffice it to say I cannot put the kind of pressure on my shoulder that would be required for floor push-ups of any kind. However I can actually hit 100 wall push-ups without any real pain and minor discomfort. 

I think adding this to my routine as a senior for exercise long-term is a good idea. The attached is an overview of how to perform wall push-ups beneficially.

https://www.dummies.com/health/exercise/how-to-strengthen-chest-muscles-with-wall-push-ups/

Exercise is a factor

In order to manage blood pressure and weight it is a factor. It’s winter. It’s cold. It’s icy. Regardless exercise it’s still required. 

Lyme disease threw all of my prior routines out the window with swollen knees and swollen ankles bringing me to the ER. Previously up to a 2 mile walk a day has been cut in half both in terms of mileage and in terms of frequency and for a while it was cut out altogether. Getting back to it has been difficult but to take care of oneself you must persist. 

My Apple Watch helps it’s motivating to see your progress. For days, when I can’t make it outside YouTube exercise classes like HasFit and videos are also an important resource. 

My Nutrisystem log journal, Numi has also been immeasurably helpful. Charting a course for recovery has to be flexible. Things change daily. Regrouping is a regular party of my routine. 

Pretty pictures help to motivate.

I’ve lost about 15 pounds.  If I can do this in my 70s I feel encouraged that I can meet any challenge. 

 

Starting weight management again at 72

YoYo: often as modifier A thing that repeatedly falls and rises again. the yo-yo syndrome of repeatedly losing weight and gaining it again”

This has been my experience with my weight. 

Starting over at 64, interested in dating , prompted me to again begin the weightloss journey. I was able then to lose about 30lbs.  The only program that has ever worked with my lifestyle is Nutrisystem.  There are many reasons why, of which #1 is convenience (I’m lazy) and #2 is cost (I’m cheap). So to present myself to online dating I decided to focus on weight loss. 

Since then (2012) I’ve drifted away. I entered into a long term relationship. Became complacent and with his great cooking and lack of portion control, I regained almost all of it. 

Health issues, which I’ve been lucky enough to avoid for 70+ years, have erupted and forced me to get back on the stick. 

The catalyst , for the health issues , was contracting Lyme disease this year which seemed to have brought underlying conditions to the forefront. The diagnosis, of Lyme, resulted from severe debilitating multiple joint swelling moving from joint to joint with no apparent cause. To reduce cholesterol I had started a walking program of a mile or two, three to five times a week. This was now off the table.  A blood test ordered by a savvy orthopedist uncovered the Lyme with elevated markers for RA etc. I was treated for Lyme in the knick of time. That was July. 

Following physical therapy etc , down the road the next few months (November),  erratic high blood pressure and eye pressure (glaucoma) resulted in the need for a regiment of medication I had never had before. Exercise and diet were prescribed by physicians to minimize the risks. 

So here we are. 

About 2 months in I have lost about 15 pounds. This includes getting back to walking a mile a day (or in bad weather YouTube exercise routines) in addition to a modified Nutrisystem program. 

Maybe this time (Lyme and other health conditions permitting)  I will be able to maintain. We will get into that as time goes on. 

To be continued:

15 Min Low Impact Aerobics - Quiet Cardio Workout for Beginners with No ...

My doctor said lower your blood pressure or go on meds. You have a month.  I was bummed, then I found these guys. It’s working. Check them out.