Stressing About Stress

     Who doesn't have some form of stress in their lives be it good or bad?  Life has a habit of throwing things at you, and it is incredibly important to know how to handle it before it consumes everything in your life.  Stress is unique to everyone, and there is no one specific way to handle it.  Some people exercise, others go to a movie, or read a good book, but the important thing to do is find something that works for you!
     So, today I challenge each of you to take five minutes to sit and think about what is really stressing you, and jot down some ways that might help to take some of that stress away.  Asking a spouse to do the dishes, or taking the time to visit the spa, go play some golf or sign up for that dance class you have been eyeing.  It doesn't matter what you do!  That's the beauty of it!

     Go ahead and let me know what works for you.  It might just help someone else struggling today:)

Exercising and Lupus

     One doesn't need to have lupus to have problems with finding the right type of exercise to float your boat and keep you fit and healthy.  Exercise in general brings forth thoughts of mid evil torture devices created to deflate egos, permanently maim the psyche, if not the body, and reinforce why I don't have a membership in the first place.  Sure, I've tried different gyms with their high tech machines for strength training and muscle building, and I've even tried personal trainers for help when I got stuck in a rut, and, for the most part, it helped for the first few months.  Yet, it eventually petered out to the point of canceling said membership and wallowing in froyo Cherry Garcia on the couch, chastising myself for another failed attempt at getting healthier.
     Well, I am here to tell you that you really don't need a gym membership, although kudos to the ones that do, to get fit and active in life.  In lupus, as in other chronic diseases, proper exercise elevates mood, increases range of motion, alleviates aches and pain, and might even help someone shed unwanted pounds.  I have mentioned before that I am training to walk a race, and there have been a lot of ups and downs along the way, changing strategies til I believe I have found what I have been after all along.  You see, I have needed a form of exercise that fit easily into my already crazy schedule of homeschooling, writing, house cleaning among other things.  It had to not only be relatively easy to learn, but modified specifically to meet me at the level my body is in at the moment.  Additionally, it needed to be portable and relatively cheap because living on a shoestring budget requires it.  So, what is this easy, modifiable, portable exercise routine that is still fun?
     I really wish I knew, because my perspective on fun, and easy change with the wind, unfortunately, but I'll tell you what currently works for me and also what the experts say are good for almost anyone.  First of all, I have picked up Iyengar Yoga which has helped significantly for my aches and arthritic joints.  Once learning proper alignment, apps will do the trick, but classes are frequent throughout cities and towns, and one need only look to find them.  Additionally, since walking on the treadmill sends shock waves of excruciating, knife like pain into my already pain filled body, I've resorted to walking outside along with getting an indoor walking DVD that has  walking programs for as little as one mile on up to five.  Lastly, swimming, I believe, will become my new best friend for the plethora of benefits that it brings.  Of course, swimming isn't portable, but it's one of the best forms of exercise out there.  There's a reason why swimming can be done well into the ninth decade of life.
     Now, where do the experts come into all this ?  Good question!  First, talk with your doctor prior to beginning any type of exercise, please.  Second, yoga and swimming have been the most prescribed by my rheumatologists, hands down.  Walking is also great no matter how fast you go.  It is getting up and moving that will improve health, and help with mood.  Please visit this link for the Lupus Foundation of America to see a wonderful blog post about staying fit with lupus!

Everyone is different and requires different forms of exercise to achieve the desired effects that are needed and wanted.  Please don't give up on finding what's right for you!  Sometimes it takes trying new things, like yoga, to meet your goals.  So, don't be shy!  Go out and find what's right for you and your body:-)

Happy day, my friends:-)

Flying Through Summer

Summer, Summer where have you gone?  If you've found that your Summer has flown by, you're not alone!  This summer has been full of dance recitals, trips to see both sets of Grandparents, a short, but well loved, frolic on the beach, house cleaning, race training and now to get prepared for the next school year full of drama and memories.  If there was a stop button for life, I would have pressed it thousands of times already this Summer.  Each day has brought trials and triumphs, grunts and laughs, and I wouldn't change them for the world.  Tooth Fairies, birthdays and the 4th of July blurred by in one maelstrom storm called life, and I'm grateful to be included in the lives of so many family members and friends!  How to thank each one of you properly is a dilemma and one that would be totally inadequate, but I thank you all the same!

Life is full of wonder and possibility these days.  Race training is slow but steady which is a feat in itself.  Now walking up to 5.5 miles on my long day of the week, my times are improved even with illness mixed in.  Definitely throwing a silent party for that one!  Improvement is still improvement even if it does come at a snails pace.  Staying true to my health reform for my life, I have recently taken up Yoga, again.  Yep, I've tried it before much to my frustration, but this time I've found an app that has opened a new world of exercise and one that has significantly helped me deal with my lupus aches and pains.  It's a slow progress, indeed, but a friend of mine helped me tremendously on the proper form of Yoga for my situation, and I look forward to reporting the results in future posts.  I might even post pics;-). It's all about what works for you, right folks?

Anyway, life is revving up these days through the end of Summer and will roll right into Fall as I'm closing in on finishing up my first novel!  Excited, nervous, enthusiastic are all words that would accurately describe my mood these days.  While it's been a huge learning curve, it's one that I've grabbed by the horns and am enjoying to say the least.  I implore anyone who has a dream to see it through.  Writing has always been therapeutic for me, and a living at it would be phenomenal.  Who knows what the future will bring, but at least I've given it the old college try!

My closing comments to you come from Steve Maraboli, "BREAKING NEWS: You're awesome and designed for success; live this day accordingly!"

All the best, my friends!