The Heart of the Matter

Today was a great day!  Today was a follow-up appointment with my doctor.  She entered the room with a big hug for me.  I have to tell you doctors, hospitals, and the like make me nervous as I tend to have bad experiences or what we'll call "interesting" visits.  But I do believe today was the first doctor visit my doctor entered the room with a smile that only proud parents tend to share.  My A1C Results were in....*Drumroll please*  6.1  !!!! Yay!  That is awesome compared to four months ago and my results were *gulp* 10.2.  For those who don't know the A1C test is a three month average of your glucose levels.  Healthy people typically range 4 - 6 on this test.  Pre-diabetics run about 5.7 - 6.4 ( I fell in this range this time around :)  People with diabetes usually have a result of 6.5 or over.  I believe 12 is the highest score.  But doctors tend to get nervous with anything above a 7. Some would describe this as uncontrolled diabetes and research tends to push that concern as a score above 7 on the A1C tends to be a patient with a lot of complications from diabetes.  So a score of a 10.2  is cringeworthy.  It means on average my blood sugar readings were around 246 mg/dl but now my sugar readings are closer to an average of 128 mg/dl.  That's a pretty awesome change in results and now you understand why my doctor greeted me with a hug.  I am pretty excited.  Especially, as I was hoping for a little more weight loss on the scale.  But since my first visit to the doctor on October 4, 2011; I have officially lost 15.2 lbs.  So yay (and that included the feasting holidays.  Also it was the first good blood pressure reading on the first attempt I have had in the doctor's office on the first try.  As I mentioned I get super nervous and anxious in a doctor's presence and that tends to mess up my blood pressure readings.  So overall good visit with actual tangible results showing me that the extra effort is most definitely paying off.

So to celebrate my hubby and I planned to celebrate Valentine's day a day early due to our schedules.  We had a lovely steak dinner with a heart-shaped rib-eye (my husband is a meat manager) so this held some sentimental factor.  He also surprised me with a dozen white roses which happens to be my favorite flower.  They smell divine and already are so pretty.  After our delicious steak dinner with a baked potato, green beans, and lovely salad (strawberries, avocado, mushrooms on mixed greens) we tried our first chocolate souffle.  Oh they were delicious !!!  And so much fun to create together.  When cooking together we have so much fun.  We laugh, we talk, we get frustrated, but through it all we work together as a team to create something worth remembering - a treasured memory and hopefully a scrumptious meal. 

So the heart of the matter is enjoying health.  I still have a long ways to go but it was so uplifting to hear positive feedback through the test results and affirmations from a super pleased doctor.  But what was even better was enjoying a special evening with my forever valentine: who was ecstatic about the results, happy to share time with me, and reminding me that we both still have a lot we want to accomplish - as individuals, as a couple, and as a family. And by making a lot of small choices the benefits of a healthier life are already coming back tenfold.  My heart is growing stronger and filling with a bit of extra pride.

May your HealthFULL Journey help to pump up your heart; so that is may be stronger, happier, and healthier.  'Til we meet again. . .

Sometimes we NEED a victory dance!

Due to my husband's influence I have joined the legions of football fans; mostly NFL but some college.  It has become a special weekly event for my hubby and I as we don our black and gold.  I try to dress our son in the appropriate spirit wear as well.  However he usually cheers from his crib as it is either bedtime or naptime.  We do look forward to sharing this tradition with him.  I won't get started ranting about athlete salaries because that leads to celebrity and politicians vs military, teachers, fire personnel.  But the game does unite communities, families, and sometimes loners.  My hubby is from New Orleans and it is the city where we met.  It holds a special place in both our hearts.  We felt the loss as Katrina damaged and destroyed a beautiful piece of our country. But the people rallied.  Did the Saints heal the city?  They certainly helped strengthen that amazing community spirit.  I witnessed Katrina's destruction but I also celebrated in the French Quarter after the Saints won their first SuperBowl.  It truly was a memory of a lifetime.  We might not have ran the field but in our hearts we matched them yard for yard.  As I gain knowledge and seek healthier alternatives in my daily choices I have a newfound respect for athletes.  They don't take care of their bodies for simply appearances. They do it for performance and functionability.  They fight for their livelihood.  Day in and day out they push, they strain, they refrain, and hope to avoid injury.  So when they not only accomplish their goal but surpass everyone's expectations; including their own.  They celebrate.  They create humorous, touching, or offensive actions to celebrate their hard work.  And when we're rooting for that team we too share the victory and celebrate accordingly.

Could you imagine how different life would be if we shared our victory dances and joined others in theirs?  When someone earns an A we applauded instead of whispered "they must have cheated."  Or when someone loses ten pounds we cheered instead of sneered.  Maybe we don't need to pat others' fannies but we all could pass more pats on the back around.  We are quick to criticize - everyone, especially ourselves.  And with such critical eyes we forget to shout our Hoorays!

My son is at that fun age where he is starting to mimick adult patterns.  We applaud his victories and nine times out of ten he stops to applaud with us with joy in his eyes. And I get the distinct feeling he is applauding our applause.  His response is so genuine it brightens my mood, lightens my stress, and reminds me that we all do need a victory dance.  We need the victory dance; to celebrate, to encourage, and to connect. 

May your HealthFULL Journey be full of victory dances for yourself and for those you cherish.  We all deserve a celebration. ' Til we meet again. . .