Motivating myself through physical pain

This week has been super busy.  With not working right now, you'd think I have some lazy days of summer like my kitties (they have such a rough life!).  I remember a time, when I was younger, that summer meant going to the beach all day long, sliding down the hill in cardboard boxes and just really not having a care in the world.  That's not the case for me, though.  I am taking two classes this summer while also trying to continue working on my health.  My Spanish class meets Monday-Thursday, 4 hours each day with just as much homework every night.  There's a lot of memorization in this class, so it's a lot of study time.  Then I have a Communications class that meets online.  That's not any easier though because we're assigned a multitude of online lectures, several chapters and summaries due each week.  Both classes have tests each week and research papers.   Let's just say it's a lot for the brain to take on.  I know I can handle it, but I'm definitely not just sitting around wasting the time away while on vacation from work.  I am definitely grateful, though, that I'm not doing this while working at the same time.  That would be pretty difficult for me, I think for most people.

On the health front, I'm religiously following what the doctors are prescribing for my diabetes, leg pain, carpel tunnel and intestinal issues while also trying to continue losing weight.  Yah, I know it's a lot.  Yesterday, I had an appointment in the evening with a surgeon to have a minor procedure done.  I'm not going to say on here what it was for exactly because it is definitely TMI, but with it comes a lot of additional pain.  It was at 6 p.m. about an hour away from me.  I left in plenty of time, but wouldn't you know that there just happened to be an accident on the freeway as I'm heading down.  I had to check in by 5:45 and it was already 6 p.m. by the time I barreled into the lot to try to find a parking spot.  I'm practically running into the hospital, attempting to find the department, thinking the whole time that if they're  going to check my blood pressure, I will be sky high from the stress of getting there on time.  If you're really late, they just move on to the next person and put you at the bottom of the list.  Thankfully, they were able to still take me and off I went to meet with the surgeon.  So we discussed what was going on and she took a look at what was going on.  She said that I actually would not have to have surgery after all, that it is treatable in another way.  That's always a good thing.

So today my plan for exercise is to go walking for 3-4 miles and enjoy some of our beautiful weather since I don't have school today.  I do have errands to run, but taking care of me is first on the list.  I had a really great gluten free breakfast, so I'm energized.  Exercise is painful for me so I have to remember to take it easy and spend some good time stretching beforehand.  The exercise is good in so many ways and I know I'll feel better afterwards, so I try to remember that in the moment.  Not only is it good for weight loss, but it helps with the depression, keeps my blood sugar down for my diabetes and keeps my heart healthy.  These are all really great reasons to go out there and just do it.  When I have moments of wanting to avoid exercise, I just need to look back at the beginning of my posts on this blog and realize that I was able to do it at 420 pounds.  When I think about that, it gives me a huge sense of motivation.  I travel the same paths and roads now as I did back then so I definitely can do this.  When I think about it, I've walked many, many miles over the last year and a half when I first started Optifast so I know nothing for me is impossible.  Obviously I can't compare where I was then to where I'm at now, nor should I, but I am reminded that I really am able to do so much more than I think I give myself credit for, especially when I'm feeling pain.