I've been thinking...could you smell the smoke from your part of town? LOL
Honestly, I've been thinking about my fellow sufferers and survivors of heart disease. Even though I've only met a handful of you, I can feel the connection we have. It's an unspoken connection, a common thread. The one subject we could all agree to talk about upon first meeting, our trials and tribulations since being diagnosed or undergoing surgery, our success stories as well. If someone were to take all of our legion and pack us into a convention hall there would be enough stories of success to last more years than I care to count.
I myself am not very good at self-reflection. But as I sit here on this foggy morning in rural North Texas, struggling with my conscience after deciding for the first time in months to forego my weekend long run, my body reminds me how much I've put it through this week and my conscience becomes clear and calm. I need the rest after pushing through a very windy 5K just yesterday carrying Old Glory again and serving as a pacer for my very first time during last weekends Blue Red Run Half Marathon. I even got a new PR of 27:06 during the 5K race yesterday beating my old PR of 27:19. So rest is well deserved, even if I DO say so myself.
But, how many of us listen to what our bodies are telling us? After all, it's not listening to my body that put me on the operating table at only 40 years of age having that bypass surgery. Have my fellow survivors learned how to listen to your bodies? Do you know your limits? Do you know when it's time to exercise and when it's time to rest? Are you following the advice of your cardiologist and coordinating physicians? Do you take your nutrition as seriously as you should? Are you staying active? Are you staying mindful of your weight?
These are just SOME of the questions your average survivor of heart disease should ask of themselves. If, you've decided to take it a step further and really kick heart disease in the chest yelling... I AM SPARTA!!!!
Well, then you've got an entire litany of considerations within all those questions I've listed. I chose the 2nd of the two options I'm speaking of so I have to think carefully about what I do to and with my body. I've gone to the trouble of making a weekly schedule of exercises and taped it to a mirror in my bathroom to follow.
I've researched heart rate monitors to run with. I've even researched my nutritional needs considering my heart disease and my kidney disease.
Does this mean I have complete and utter control of myself and the foods I eat? HAHAHAH!! NO!!!! Not at all! I have my weaknesses. I have quite the affection for Mexican food, B.B.Q. and Beer. But, I exercise self-control and consider all things in moderation. But, as long as I'm able to answer those questions above with an affirmative, I consider myself to be successful. But, I digress from food (my favorite subject)...
I'm rambling on here, I know. But what I'm trying to say is. LISTEN. Listen to your body. Whether it's your own dang fault for putting your body through some of the worst conditions known to mankind and causing your heart condition or you're a simple victim of circumstance. I am a bit of both in my story. But regardless, make the right decisions as often as you possibly can. Are you perfect? I'm betting you're not. I KNOW I'M NOT!! But, I strive each day to make myself and healthier happier me. I've seen the way my body reacted to how I treated it years ago. And I continue to see how my body reacts to how I treat it today. Our bodies are listening to us. Are we listening to our bodies?
I've treated my body like a tent for years. Now, I try to treat it like a temple. I often use the saying, "The body with achieve, what the mind believes". It's just another way of saying mind over matter. And you can't take the saying perfectly literal. After all, I can't think my way down to 175lbs tomorrow. But, I can focus my energy on that goal and responsibly work to achieve such a goal if my body tells me it's a reasonable goal. I'm currently focusing my mind of the goal of finishing The Dallas Half Marathon in less than 2 hours with a current PR of 2:18. But just because I've thought it and believed it, that doesn't mean it will happen without the hard work required.
Our bodies are naturally equipped to take care of us if, we will listen. You only get one body. Take good care of it. There's no trading every 2 to 3 years like leasing a car. Don't let your second chance at life get away my brothers and sisters in heart disease. Take control! Live a healthier life. As your standing there face to face with your own heart condition, make the choice to kick it boldly in the chest and claim your "Sparta Moment". Ask not what your body can do for you; ask what you can do for your body.
And remember...
Happiness is a Choice; Make it Daily
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