The past few days have been hard.
I went to NYC for a friend’s birthday. I planned ahead by bringing plenty of healthy snacks and a good mindset. However, it was so difficult being around people doing the things that I’ve been eliminating from my life. It’s crazy how many activities are centered around food and drinks! These activities used to be some of my favorite things to do.
So, we arrived at our Air BNB and immediately a tray of cheese, crackers and meats was put out. Then, drinks were made. I was a little bummed but still felt good. After three days of restaurants, stops for hot chocolate (NYC in December is cold!), and missed cocktails, needless to say my foundation was rocked. I started thinking “I can’t wait until I can have this or that.” Then, I realized how damaging this mindset could be.
Health isn’t a 21-day fix or a small challenge to get through. It’s an approach to your habits for the rest of your life. Not to say that people shouldn’t indulge here and there, but I think that until a good mentality is solidified, be cautious about the floodgates to disaster opening. It’s only been 11 days but I don’t want that time to be wasted. Right now, my focus will be to get back to that positive place I was at before the trip.
* Results * Results * Results *
My blood pressure
When I started this process, my blood pressure was not at an all-time high, but it definitely wasn’t good. I was at 134/85.
In just 14 days it has dropped to 112/80! I haven’t seen those numbers in years. I was diagnosed with hypertension and given a prescription for Metoprolol. I started taking this, then looked up all the side effects and how hard it is to get off the medication. I weaned myself off and have been trying for months to bring it down. I’ve had some success but nothing that compares to the past two weeks. Incredible. If only my doctors would have suggested these changes years ago I might be in a very different place. But, there’s no time like the present!
Another victory
I’ve included running three times a week in my workout routine and today, I ran for 20 minutes straight. This might not seem like a big deal to some, but it’s a huge deal to me. I feel like my body has the energy to push through and my mind is strong enough to not give up. I have never felt so dedicated to this process. If after a couple weeks all these changes are happening, I wonder how I’ll feel at three months, six months, one year, two years…