Highs:
I realize that most women dread getting their yearly "well woman" check ups but these check ups are SO important in order to ensure good health. I've struggled with lots of stress, pain and treatment in my reproductive areas for the last several years, so I find it absolutely necessary to be diligent in my well-women appointments. I strongly encourage all women to go to their yearly well-woman exam and perform breast exams even if you feel great and have a healthy lifestyle. I'm finishing out this year with GOOD news about all of those lady areas.
- First, (sorry if TMI guys) my periods are regular for the first time ever. I've had periods two weeks apart, two months apart, etc.and that is not the sort of variety I need in my life. However, since I started eating (mostly) paleo friendly foods and exercising regularly, my periods come much more regularly - every 29 days plus or minus only a day or two. Praise the Lord! It is much easier to prepare for and deal with something like that when it comes on a regular schedule.
- Second, my pap results were normal. Woot woot! I've actually had to go to the dreaded well-woman exams every 6 months (instead of the 1 year standard) due to an irregular pap a while back. Having an irregular pap was a huge scare for me. I am so used to going to my appointment & hearing from the doctor's office shortly thereafter letting me know everything was regular. It was pretty traumatic getting a phone call from the doctor saying "your results weren't normal - we need to follow up". I vividly remember that I was in downtown Dallas walking past a McDonald's near the courthouse when I received that call. My mind immediately jumped to every worst possible conclusion. Do I have cancer? Can I not have babies? Do I need major surgery to get things removed? My doctor performed a colposcopy shortly after that irregular pap to rule out the worst possible scenarios and remove some tissue. The procedure was not a pleasant experience at all but I'd go through it 5 more times if it means I don't develop something serious. I am so thankful that we detected the problem early and were able to deal with it before it became serious. I am also thankful that my Hubby is so supportive and encouraging when it comes to staying on top of my health. He knows that I get major anxiety about these tests and procedures due to issues from the past, but he is always there to be supportive of me. He absolutely will not let me miss a scheduled appointment and he is always in the waiting room after any procedure, even if means taking time off of work, to give me a gift and make sure that I'm okay. After all the anxiety that I now associate with these tests, having a normal pap was the highlight of my month!! It is so much easier to appreciate something like that when you have had an issue in the past.
Lows:
I hurt myself and it stinkin sucks. Looking at my weekly workout updates...it's not too hard to see why I'm injured right now. Instead of being consistent with my routines, I pushed extra hard with weights one week, neglecting runs, and pushed extra hard with runs the following weeks without a gradual buildup. Also, I ran in the dark without paying attention to where I was running and managed to step into an area that was deeper than expected. I could feel the unnatural stretch in my leg at that step. Ugh. Now, I get to pay for my carelessness with mandatory rest!! Booo. The worst part is that I hear injured hip flexors can take several weeks or even months to heal. I'm going to try to rest my legs for three weeks (today is only day 5 and its killing me not to run!) because I really don't want to re-ignite the injury and put myself out for longer period of time. Rest days are no fun for me but, again, my overall health is what matters - not my weekly stats. The whole point of the weekly stats is to ensure regular exercise and promote my overall health. I won't be thrilled about my running/walking stats for the next few weeks but I'll keep doing other exercises and focus on all the things I can do to stay healthy.
Weekly Workout Updates:
Week 7
Running - 2 miles
Walking - 1 mile
Bootcamp - 3 hours 15 minutes (this is a record for me! - up from a Week 1 time of 1 hour 50 minutes)
Week 8
Running - 5 miles
Walking - 2.1 miles (up from a Week 1 distance of 1 mile)
Bootcamp - 3 hours 5 minutes (another strong week! - up from a Week 1 time of 1 hour 50 minutes)
Week 9
Running - 6.1 miles
Walking - .35 - I didn't track some other walking I did here and there because my speeds are ridiculously slow and my walks are completely sporadic due to my injury.
Bootcamp - 1 hour 55 minutes (I'm killing my arms & core here while my legs heal - go biceps!)
