Getting Well

It's no secret that 2015 was a rough year for the Altman adults physically. Altman injured his knee in May and rehabbed all summer only to find that there was in fact a tear in his meniscus and he needed surgery. He's up and running literally and just ran a 2:50:01 in LA.

I injured myself in January last year at a trail race and things just never got better. I did some rehab and kept plugging away. I had a cortisone shot in June and that should have set me up for a good summer of running.

Unfortunately, in an attempt to catch a falling toddler, I sprained my glute. And no, I didn't catch him. It was awful. That was probably the worst pain I've ever felt. I seriously thought I had torn something or broken something. I couldn't sit, I couldn't stand, I couldn't lie down and there was constant pain. I did rehab three days a week for several weeks. We were making great progress and I headed out on a Sunday for a short, easy run. About 1.5 miles in, my calf locked up. I stopped and stretched and kept going thinking it would loosen up. By the time I got to Jason and the kids, I couldn't walk.

For the first time in my life, Krusenklaus told me not to run. He said that my calf so was sprained that it may tear at any time. So, we rehabbed the calf.

In the midst of all of this, I pulled a muscle in my chest that caused my shoulder, clavicle and and pectoral muscles to stay in a constant state of pain and I had little range of motion. It was hard to run because I literally couldn't breath.

No, none of this is an exaggeration.

I have always been a proponent of taking care of oneself. That doesn't just mean cardio and strength training are enough. Taking care of ourselves is a whole approach to being healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. Stress, exhaustion, and random eating schedules counteract any work done on the road or in the gym.

As a certified fitness person, you would think that I'd be the first to recognize some of the root causes of my physical misfortunes but alas....

Fast forward to March 2016, between a chiropractor and my massage therapist, I am happy to report that my shoulder/chest/neck are in great shape.

I am not happy to report that I have gained an incredible amount of weight and that I broke down an had an MRI this week on the hip.

I am possibly in the worst health of the last decade. Not possibly. My health is in a terrible place.

I've taken it easy this week and with that extra time, I have had some realizations:
1. I am tired. I don't sleep well. I can't blame the kids or Altman. I just don't sleep well these days. I need to make a habit of turning off the phone/electronics well before bed. I need to stop reading emails at 10 pm. I need to unwind before bedtime each and every day.
2. I need to say "no" more often to extra things. I have two kids and work full-time plus. I have a fulfilling schedule of volunteer activities and I love them all. I don't need more. This one will be hard. It's hard for me to say no but it is an absolute necessity.
3. I have to eat regularly and I need to be purposeful in what I eat. I can sometimes go a whole day and realize that I literally forgot to eat. Who does that? Apparently I do. I've been buying us lots of vegetables and good foods. I need to eat more protein and I am already working on it. I need to lay off the chocolate chips and almond butter. ;)

I have an arsenal of experts in my circle that will be very willing to help me lose the weight and get back my good health.

And I have an initial plan.

1. I am tracking all of my food every day.
2. I have also started a journal to track how I feel physically from aches/pains and sore muscles to sore throats and sinus issues. I'm not sure that my allergy shots are doing their job anymore so we may need to address that soon. When my allergies are bad then I am tired and feel sick. But, I am so busy that I can't keep track of how I felt and when. A good friend recommended keeping a journal and I think it is a great idea.
3. I am also tracking my workouts. I firmly believe that some of the strength exercises that I've tried lately are not good for my hip. Once I can identify those triggers, I can avoid them.

After tracking everything for a few weeks, I am going to make an appointment with a general practitioner. If I am still tired and exhausted and not making progress, we may need to run various tests. At that same time, I am going to call my friend Eddie and set up an appointment with him to refine my diet.

Hopefully I hear back from the MRI soon. Then, we can determine next steps on healing my hip.

It's not easy to admit to the world (at least those reading this) that you aren't at your best. But, if it helps anyone else out there think about their own health and habits then I've done a good thing.

I turn 40 this fall and I plan to be back in great health. Stay tuned...

Do Something Nice For Someone

I went to Jackson's school today and it was awesome. It is always awesome and I say it every time. Kindergartners are the best. They are kind and funny and inquisitive. They bring such a fresh perspective on what's important in life.

My favorite part is that many of them give me the biggest hugs. If you know me then you know that I am a hugger. I may never be able to run for political office because I like to hug people. When I walk into the class, several of the kindergartners rush up and give me great BIG hugs. We tried to stop them because not everyone likes to be touched and hugged but we gave up. I told their teacher that I don't mind and I guess she felt like that it was okay then.

Those hugs brighten my week. Their little minds at work and their exciting stories about their favorite things make me so happy. I schedule myself time every week to go to school. It's the best part of my week and when I leave, I am not nearly as anxious or stressed or uptight as I was when I walked in.

Those kids do something nice for me every week. Not something tangible but they make me so unbelievably happy and when I don't visit, I don't feel the same.

What do you do that is nice for others?

What every day activities do you do that bring happiness to others? I'm not talking about the obvious stuff. It's great if you volunteer your time or donate to causes and I give you kudos for doing so because I do both and they make me happy too.

But, what do you that's just nice?

I have a few thoughts of things we could do for others:
1. Have some patience. Instead of emailing and calling and emailing about something, take a breath and realize that the recipient may be having a busy day or week (aren't we all soooo busy all the time????). Consider that maybe they are overwhelmed with any number of things and that they'll get to your request when they can. Consider how you feel when someone badgers the heck out of you for something...I'm betting it irritates the fire out of you but maybe not and maybe you don't mind.
2. Put down your phone. Instead of spending entire meetings, conversations, and more with your face turned down to your phone and not making eye contact, put down the phone. In a meeting? Maybe the person leading the meeting or presenting to you worked really hard on the agenda or their presentation. Maybe they need you to pay attention to validate their work. Maybe they need you to pay attention so that you can make informed decisions. Or maybe they just need you to have the courtesy to give them your attention because if you don't then no one else in the room will do so.
3. Smile. Make eye contact with people and give them a smile. Maybe that guy in the hall has had the crappiest week ever and he just needs a positive nudge. Or, maybe that mom in your office has had the most challenging week with her kids. Instead of angry little faces, it would probably make her day for someone to just smile at her. I've always like the idea of setting up a high five station on the greenway on a Saturday and just giving high fives to people as they run by. No real reason except to give them encouragement and recognition for their miles. Stay tuned...that may just become a reality. ;)
4. Invite someone for a drink or dinner. The parents that never get out...ask them to go out. Now, you can't do it on Friday afternoon and expect them to be available Friday night (unless they have a nanny or a thousand available babysitters) but set something up for a few weeks out. Call the friends you haven't seen in ages and ask them over for dinner. Doesn't have to be fancy. Just a time to catch up (with the phones out of sight). Ask the new guy or gal at the office if they'd like to meet up with their significant other and then take them to a few fun downtown restaurants or bars.
5. Send a note in the mail. A few years ago, a very thoughtful friend did a "Thank You" note writing project. I still have the note he sent to me. It was probably the greatest piece of mail that I've received. It wasn't the standard Christmas card (but I do love pictures of your beautiful families) but it was just a note of thanks for my friendship and support. It was unexpected and it made me cry happy tears.

Let's get back to being kind to one another. We aren't nice to one another these days. Watch the news. You can't argue. Fine, you're nice to your close circle but I am talking bigger than those people that you see every single day. And heck, maybe we could be nicer to those folks too.

I fully admit that I have my moments but I try very hard to consider other people around me when making choices on how I am going to behave. There are a lot of days that I just smile and smile when I would rather cry and bury myself under my covers and never come out again. I could choose to be hateful but I either keep to myself or choose to be kind.

Ask any of my old restaurant friends, I could be a bit aggressive and ruthless but I left that gal on the expo line years ago. I've threatened to break fingers over under-cooked food....I could choose to bring her back out on my bad days but I don't because I don't want to treat others badly.

So, going into the weekend, think about what you can do for others that would make them happy. Let's set a goal to do something nice for someone else. When you do, it will make you feel like a million dollars.

Happy weekend!

Cheers to 2015

I sat down yesterday and wrote an entire blog post on saying goodbye to 2015. Then, when I couldn't sleep last night, I decided to delete it and start over. I rewrote the whole thing in my mind.

That's my way of writing. When the words come, I write furiously then let them sit. I reread them. It's funny because there are times when I instantly know that I hate what I have written and then I delete all of it and start over without giving it a second thought.

Other times, I can take the foundation and morph the words into a piece that I love. This is the process that I've used my whole life. Even in middle school and high school (before computers and even typewriters), I would hand write entire papers and then mark them up and rewrite them or just throw them away and start over.

That brings us back to this blog post. I wrote this long post full of things from 2015. I knew the minute I saved it that it wasn't what I wanted to say. I decided to let it simmer and reread it today.

My writing mirrors my life in so many ways. I create content by making life choices. Once a choice is made, I give it time before I evaluate it. Some times, I can take the choice and its' foundation, make adjustments and produce amazing results. There are other times that I realize that I just need to let go and start over.

Life is a continual cycle of making choices, evaluating them, letting go, making adjustments, learning, and moving forward.

After I wrote the first post, I found this great quote on Facebook:

"Do not move on to 2016 without letting go of something significant from 2015, an old idea, habit, fear, concern of ego. Let go to free up the whitespace for something new to enter." - Brendon Burchard

How appropriate.

2015 was a fine year. It certainly had some amazing moments but like any other year, it had challenges. As I get older, I try to learn from the choices I make so that I continue to pick the best option next time. As a wife and mother, the option I choose doesn't just affect me but in many cases, it has the ability to change our whole family cycle.

If I add another commitment to my plate, will it take time away from Altman and the children or will it allow me to spend more time with the boys?

For example, I chose to be Room Mom this year for Jackson's class. I was hesitant about saying yes. But, I found that it allows me to help the teacher and to see my son regularly during school hours. I get to watch him learn and grow as a person. Good choice. I'll be more than happy to choose this option in the future.

What will you let go from 2015?

I've started my list. And I plan to remind myself of it every day. I have a lot to leave behind in 2015. What I leave behind has helped me grow to the person I am but it's time to look ahead to a new year, a new chapter, and the fun that lies ahead.

Happy New Year friends!