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Working it Out

So I have taken this week off after the great overdo of last week. I have walked a couple of miles here and there but have kept it real low key. I'm happy to say my blood pressure is back within a safe range, although it's not perfect yet. My weight hasn't changed in 3 days (and that's monumental); and my heart rate has stopped spiking. It settled down about Tuesday but I'm still being nice.

I've been changing my diet over the last few weeks. I've done some experimenting and testing to see what really works for me and what doesn't. We are all individual and have to figure out what does work for us. Even those of us with similar conditions have to figure out our own bio-individuality. So my conclusions include these tidbits:


  • Salt is a no-no, period.
  • My body cannot handle prepared foods, at all.
  • Fast food is poison to me.
  • I can live without a lot of grains/breads.
  • I can eat whole grains like rice and whole oats.
  • I do well with more fruits; and I don't do well with meat.
Over the last few weeks I've been able to make the move off sugars and I think that has helped me a lot. The last few months I've learned to cook and prepare all the foods I enjoy without using salt. I can now make my own salsa, humus, and spaghetti sauce. I'm sure there's other things I just can't remember them now. I think I'm winning for the most part - or have at least set myself up to win when it comes to food. But exercise? That's where I'm stumped.

I know for those of us with conditions like CHF exercise can play a key role in helping maintain our health. What's frustrating is not being able to be consistent with it. For me, I can run a half marathon one day and feel wonderful. But the next one my heart rate is all over the place and I feel like I'm trying to move through sludge. And sometimes - there's no way of knowing what you are going to feel like when you get there. Other times, I do have some subtle clues (like my resting pulse or my bp) that let me know to be more cautious. Honestly, it's very frustrating.

This time, I added too many miles and more intensity too fast. I think. So I have to figure out a plan that is going to work for me and keep me running without getting sidelined like I was this week. I won't give up - I may mess up - but I won't give up!

I'm rolling a lot of things around in my head. Maybe just 3 runs a week - one short, one medium and one longer - with breaks in between. Maybe run one day and rest two? I've thought about taking a week off after every two weeks of running; but that really frustrates me and if I overdo it on the running weeks I'll be right back in this spot. There has to be a balance that works right for me. I will find it....

Thanks for listening to these crazy thoughts running around in my head. I'll let you know what I decide but for now I'm still resting even though I feel better. I want to give my body time to fully recover from the overdo. For the rest of the week I will be walking some, might try some yoga and maybe a gentle ride on the stationary bike to give me some easy cardio. No matter what - I'm still upright, still trying to figure this all out, and still moving forward. Because no matter how slow, fast or how frequent - 
Every Step's A Victory


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