Tag: life goals

Posted on in Health, Life Goals, Spiritual, Uncategorized

Choosing Health

Image By Theresa Davidson. Flowers in three different stages of life.

Where I Have Been

It is time. Time for me to choose health. For too long, I have not chosen health. I have had fits and starts but I fall back on old habits. I have carried too much weight from my pregnancies. My first born is 27, I don’t think I can use it as an excuse anymore. I was on bed rest with her, and I just gained a lot of weight. It wasn’t pretty. But I have to give it up.

“The more a man uses moderation in his life, the more he is at peace, for he is not full of cares for many things. “

St. Anthony the Great
Image by Theresa Davidson. Monarch caterpillar eating milkweed leaf.

Last year my A1C crept up to 6.1. That is not terrible for a type 2 diabetic, but it is when the doctor says you either need to lose weight and eat right or you are going back on medication. My cholesterol was also going up. Menopause symptoms were getting bad again and the weight gain – just unstoppable.

Speaking of menopause, did you know menopause symptoms are so much more than hot flashes and night sweats? There are mood swings, aches and pains, brain fog, and man, if I didn’t have ADHD before, I sure feel like I do now! A good night’s sleep, what is that? My doctor (GP) wanted to put me on Lexapro when I said I had mood swings. I snapped at him and said “why do you only hear “mood swings? If I could sleep, I wouldn’t be so moody.” I had to laugh at myself later, but seriously, if I was getting enough rest, I think I could focus better and not be moody. I saw my gynecologist a few weeks later and she tried a different medication to try to help me sleep. Unfortunately, that med made my heart rate drop so low I thought I was going to die. No more of that. Still need to try something else.

Image by Theresa Davidson. Sunset picture from my deck, taken with my phone.

“Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow.”

Saint Augustine

Where I Am Going

Dieting is not easy for anyone. I have tried a number of different diets and have had varying levels of success with each one. Everyone’s body is different and you need to find what works for you. With the combination of taking something for my menopause (an OTC menopause remedy), the lifestyle changes I am making with my diet (low carb/healthy fats), getting a little more exercise in, and wearing a continuous glucose monitor, things are starting to change. My prayer is that God gives me the strength to keep on this path. I want to be healthy so I can do what He calls me to do.

Another aspect of health is taking care of your mental health. I am so glad that the old thoughts on mental health issues as being shameful and weak are disappearing. It’s so important to take time to do things that “keep you sane” and do things that bring you joy. Nature photography, arts & crafts, reading, and writing all keep me sane and bring me joy. All of those things are like prayer to me. Singing is like prayer to me too and I start the day by singing in the shower – mostly Matt Maher songs. I am sure my family just loves all the noise I am making. Didn’t St. Augustine say, “singing is praying twice?’ Ah, but it brings me great joy. Isn’t it lovely to take a walk outside? Taking time to “smell the roses” is so refreshing to the mind and to the soul. Prayer and receiving the sacraments also helps stay in the right place mentally and spiritually.

“I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Romans 12:1-2
Images by Theresa Davidson. Winter bridge
Image by Theresa Davidson> Winter solitude
Image by Theresa Davidson. Junco in winter

Capturing peaceful images is also soul soothing to me. What are you doing to stay healthy: physically, mentally, and spiritually?

Peace.

printed musical note page
Posted on in Life Goals, Music

Music – It Moves Me

I love listening to music. I love singing – mostly in the shower or in the car! Choosing a favorite genre is impossible. I love it all! My mood dictates what I am listening to most of the time. Sometimes I want music to just chill with, sometimes, I want music in the background while I am working or reading (usually classical). There are times I want to rock, times I want to listen to throw backs to my youth (a lot of times this is where I land to be honest), and there are times I use music for worship and prayer.

Image by Theresa Davidson. My headphones and phone!

Music has the power to move a person or to make a person move! Here is some music that moves me. I have included YouTube links to some of the songs.

Image by Theresa Davidson; My Echo Show playing Lord I Need You by Matt Maher

These are just some of the songs that move me. What songs move you?

Peace!

Managing Type 2 Diabetes
Posted on in Health, Life Goals

Managing Type 2 Diabetes

The Diagnosis

When I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes approximately 2 years ago, I was devastated.  I had fasting blood glucoses that were very high and my first A1C was 12.7!  The first trip to the grocery store was extremely overwhelming as I looked at all of the labels of the food I usually bought and saw how tiny a serving size was and how many carbohydrates each serving had in it.  I literally cried in the store that day.  I had no idea what I could or should eat. My doctor had just told me to watch my sugars and the websites I visited said to eat a low carb diet.  It really wasn’t very helpful at all.

A few months later, I found a diabetic education class that met once a week or 4 weeks in a town about an hour away from where I live. It was the best thing I could do.  I also joined the American Diabetes Association forums – click here to see the site (and subscribed to the magazine) and the support and advice I got from both of those groups was amazing.  I learned what I could eat and how to test my blood sugars to get to the optimal ranges.  I learned daily exercise is important (though I admit I am terrible at this). I was also put on Metformin. I could only tolerate a low dose, but luckily for me it really worked for me as I worked to control my numbers through my diet (and occasional exercise).  I lost weight (25-30 lbs since diagnosis – that 5 pounds keeps fluctuating).  Things continued to get better. My A1C decreased to 7 by the first time it was retaken!  By last summer it was down to the 6’s.

How far have I come with my Type 2 Diabetes.

My A1C was drawn a couple weeks ago. Last week I got the great news that it was now 5.8!  WOW.  I actually thought it would be higher because I did a lot of cheating over the holidays.  My doctor took me off of the metformin and I now have to do it all (control my blood glucose) through diet and exercise.

It’s been less than a week since I am trying this and it has not been easy.  My numbers have been high to low…I am having trouble getting things into the range I really want (they aren’r ridiculously high, but the lows are troubling because they happen quickly with just a little bit of exercise).  I think I need to go back to the diabetic counselors and get things figured out so I can do this right.  It’s a little scary being off of the medication, but it’s also exciting. I don’t want the chemicals in my body unless I absolutely need them.  Pray for me or send good vibes my way.  With God’s help I know I can do this!  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! – Phillipians 4:13.

Question for you.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes, how are you controlling your blood glucose numbers? What advice would you give me?

Posted on in Life Goals

My 2016 Life Goals

Theresa’s 2016 Life Goals

  • Make prayer a priority, not an after thought. Make it to confession (I’m Catholic) monthly – make an appointment if necessary! I also need to be more of a doer of the Word, not just a hearer.
  • Make family a priority. Not that they never were, but I spend too much time on Facebook, need to tame that beast.
  • Be creative everyday.  Do a coloring page, crochet, paint, or do any of the crafts I like – just do something. It’s my outlet.
  • Blog at least once a month, but work towards once a week).  I have things I want to say, so I am going to say them.
  • Get organized. The house needs it, my life needs it.  I already have two new binders to help organize my life.  Getting more…
  • Work toward becoming debt free (using the “Soon to be debt free 2016” workbook available free online at http://www.onebeautifulhomeblog.com/2014/12/2015-soon-debt-free-workbook/ ).
  •  Read more! Doing the 2016 Book Challenge. I love reading but often read FB instead…going to quit that habit and read a book before bed instead.
  • Exercise everyday and eat healthy (plan meals)! Health is a gift – I need to quit wasting it away.

Mid- January Update:

It’s half way into this month.  I’m doing well with almost all of my goals, except the exercise.  I’m about to get serious about that however, with an upcoming challenge at work.  I will not let my team down.  Let’s pray my hip holds up! My blog is changing…if you have been following me on my free WordPress Blog, you can switch to follow me here. I’m not savvy enough to figure out how to move all that old stuff over, so I am starting fresh! TheBattyOwl.com is so much fun. I am so glad the domain name was available.  It just fits me.  I will be working on making this website amazing over the next few weeks/months and I hope you enjoy it.

Please let me know what you think about the site so far! boots-181744_640

February 2, 2016 Update:

Prayer has definitely made it’s way back to the top of my priority list. I’ll be scheduling reconciliation soon!  Family is a priority of course but goodness, sometimes time gets away from me and I can’t do all I’d like too.  Organization wise, some things have improved, others – not so much. It’s a work in progress.  Becoming debt free – seems like a joke.  Our clothes dryer is going to need to be replaced very soon.  It’s taking several cycles to dry a load and that’s not energy efficient at all. If you know of a quick, cheap fix for an LG dryer give me a call (or email or text).  I am reading a lot more. See my post on that (I need to learn how to link to that here!). I admit I am not exercising everyday but I am eating much healthier.  We got a Ninja blender and it makes lots of green smoothies and other yummy healthy stuff!

How are you doing with your life goals?  It’s not easy to stay on track but I am not giving up and I hope you aren’t either.