No really, it does.  So as part of my health scare, I am now at one week of no soda, lower and sensible carb intake, and no snacks.  This is, of course, a change and my body really fucking hates me.  I don’t care.  I am comfortable that I may be lumpy in places, but I need to get in shape so that I do not feel like I have run a marathon walking from the desk to the fridge.  So, back to walking and back to the gym.

I go to a great gym that I found a couple years ago called Fit to Recover.  It is a group gym with a group fitness plan. There are many aspects of the gym that I have talked about in previous blogs.  What I loved is that I am always welcome, even when I am a fucking slacker and don’t go in like a month.  The crew is, and the encouragement is just what my body needs.  I know I am heavy, but fat shaming is bull.  Anyone who is heavy who is out there working on their fitness is deserving of at the very least, “Good job.”

Today’s routine was a core workout with Kettlebells, which always rocks my core.  It also makes me stop writing a post halfway through because I am seriously tired today.

So you hit a rough spot in your health and get a wake-up call as I did and run screaming to the gym, first thing or go on a crash diet, right? You guessed, wrong. While we all act on emotion in this situation (and most), you need to take inventory before you rush off and join the toughest CrossFit gym in town (or any CrossFit gym).

But, wait Nursie poo this is important, I was in the ER for this.  Yeah, you were, and the problem needs intervention with primary care before running off to a gym.  The “trainer” at these gyms is usually not certified (although a lot are taking a course on it or have the certification now) and certainly not your PCP (we all know what PCP is? No not the drug although some of them act like…).  If you had an intervention (such as an ER visit) for a condition, you need to get it resolved before running to the gym or starving yourself.  The cause of your visit needs to be treated and addressed with your PCP (I just love saying that), and what convalescence, medication, or changes need to be made AND what your PCP feels is a safe direction from there.  Listen to them, surprisingly we have some excellent advice in primary care.

I see an awesome PA, who has some fantastic thoughts on treating me.  She prescribed some meds, out of left field, that works for my blood pressure better than what I had been taking.  I really do let her take the wheel on my health care.  I ask responsible questions, and she explains shit to me.  Scary, I know.  We also talked about what is right and wrong for me exercise wise and diet wise. Huh, yeah when they say seek the advice of your PCP before a new diet and exercise routine, it isn’t just to cover liability, it really is essential.

My general advice is to start slow.  Walk to the corner and back, then expand the distance (take your dogs with you too).  If you go to the gym, work with a trainer first.  They know how to start a beginner, and that is important, so pay the damn money, Karen! If something is too much, back off but don’t stop.  We (me included) expect immediate results, and when we don’t get them, we give up. Don’t, that’s all I can say.

A caveat, if your condition is cardiac related, you need to work with a provider to make sure you do not damage the ticker any further.  With the constant attempt to take away healthcare insurance from us, you may not want to spend the money on the preventative medicine but are you risking your heart on that?

If you see that I only give a basic picture or that I do not explain these to the ends of the earth, I will tell you that each person has different needs, etc.  What worked for Karen does not always work for you. The critical part is move, get some physical work out that raises your heart rate for 20 minutes a day (yes that counts, and honestly no I do not think you will last that long porn does not mirror real life).  As for eating? Well, I want to talk about that next post.  I have something much more specific on basic eating.

Flying monkeys good or bad, discuss.