It's February once again, a month has passed and my resolution has just taken off. I'm focusing on health as always, well, at least ever since I started to feel old enough and realized that truly no one is invincible. I'm telling myself that I have to be conscious and disciplined more than ever in my diet and exercise.
When the year is ending and a new year is closely in our midst, many of us take a breather from the holiday hassles and find time to reflect on making better the coming year.
While we give thanks for the blessings of the year that was, we always look forward to a better year ahead. Most of us like to do more and be more than what we presently are. We want to improve ourselves, our career, our home and everything in our lives; new hope, higher ambitions, better dreams, renewed enthusiasm and greater aspirations.
But what and how?
I don't need to ponder much on the "what" for I could always work to improve my living environment, inside and outside our home.
In this age of minimalism, the advocates will tell us to free more of our time so we can live a more rewarding life. Declutter, keep only things that would bring us joy like Marie Kondo says; be organized, not only in our homes but at work and limit time for social media and other commitments so we can focus on more important things.
However, at 71, my real priority is being healthy so I could be mobile and physically independent for life.
In late December, I felt a familiar muscle pain on my right knee, the same one I experienced in March. I couldn't walk straight again, I had to limped since my right foot is painful and weak to carry my weight. My chiropractor earlier then cleared me of any dislocation or fracture but advised me to apply cold compress to heal anything swollen if any; and along with several foot massage sessions, it went away.
As I recalled the circumstances in March that brought me to this predicament today, I surmised that I've let up on exercise again, since mid-November and through December when I prepared and entertained my holiday visitors. Moreover, I indulged not only on holiday food but on rich and calorie-laden meals from then on.
Once my visitors arrived, I ditched my usual breakfast of oatmeal and green tea cream frap. Instead, I ate along with them Filipino breakfasts of tapa, tocino, longanisa, (Filipino processed beef and pork) with omelettes and garlic fried rice and indulged in sinful desserts. I also ate white rice instead of the usual regular brown or red. We also ate out a lot, at the same time friends and family brought desserts that I couldn't resist.
January and July are the months I usually do my medical tests. Since I'm experiencing this pain again, I wanted a prognosis straight away so I thought better to undergo my complete blood test immediately and consult my doctor on the results.
Sigh... true to my suspicion, my results were high on those my doctor warned me about. What can I say, it's my own doing, I can't blame anyone. I guess I never really learned but it's not too late, right? I'm hopeful that I'll be more disciplined this time around.
As usual, my two girls are concerned and encouraging but not saying, "I told you so". The younger one sent me a link from The Minimalist; Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus titled:
"Your own advise is the hardest pill to swallow";
here's a part that got me bullseye.
"Sometimes all we have to do is look in the mirror and ask ourselves for advice. Who knows you better than you? Nobody is more aware of your situation, nobody is more aware with every scenario and potential outcome."
And it's true, it further says that most often, it's easier to listen to others for advise but then it doesn't mean that it's the best option for us. Besides, it is us who will live with our own decisions.
What about you, what challenges have you put upon yourselves this new year?
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