I’m 60. It’s weird looking at that number. It seems like such a long time – 60 years. Yet I don’t feel like I’ve lived for 60 years. Then I look back at my life and realize just how much has been packed into it. At the same time I feel far from finished. There is still so much to do!
Then I step on the scale. Somehow over the past few years 60 crazy pounds have been added to my 5’6″ frame. Not such a good 60 that one. How did that happen? Much the same way the 60 years happened. Busy doing life. And in my case living a pretty crazy one the past five.
Somehow while I was trying to keep my family alive through our adoption hell 60 pounds grabbed onto me and held on. When I look in the mirror after showering I wonder who the woman is who is looking back at me. She looks tired and there are rolls of fat in places that used to be thin. I never thought I would have fat knees, but there you are.
I’m told stress can do that to a person. When I recently told someone in the mental health field, who I met at an event and had mentioned my book, how long I went without good sleep and the stress I lived with 24/7 he told me I was lucky to be alive. And he was dead serious. I’m actually in pretty good health in spite of it all – well, with the exception of those nasty 60 pounds.
To that I give credit where credit is due. Without my daily Arbonne protein shake, vitamins, fizz sticks and most especially greens I’m pretty sure I would have much more serious issues than 60 pounds. I guess those things at least balanced out the fat-laden, nutrition deficient, salty chips I pounded down to help make myself feel better between each crisis. Those chips that on a lot of days took the place of any type of healthy food. It was a grab and go world.
It’s a common issue among those of us in the midst of trauma adoptions. Many of us have packed on the pounds just trying to keep our families from disintegrating. The person in the home who needs the most self-care is getting the least because she is doing all she can to juggle the chaos around her. There is nothing left for her. This lack of self-care leads to many extra pounds and in many cases, autoimmune diseases like lupus, diabetes, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. Most of us have PTSD. The human body is not meant to handle this much stress for this long and it breaks down.
What is my point to all this? Because I’ve gotten to a point and enough is enough. At 60 I imagined myself so differently. Not fitting into clothes I like because my arms are just too darn large was not in my plan. Or just feeling so tired because of all the extra weight I’m lugging around. A gallon jug of water weighs around 9 pounds. That means I’m carrying 6-1/2 of those buggers around everywhere I go! UGH! That’s crazy! No wonder I’m exhausted all the time!
This week I started a new plan. I’ve been working into it for the past several days and today was my first “all-in” day. It all started last weekend. I was home alone for most of it, the weather was dreary and I was feeling horrible and huge so I binge watched nutrition documentaries on Netflix and Amazon. (I think that was better than binge eating chips – although I will admit I ate some while watching the first film. After that I couldn’t eat anymore chips watching what they did to the people in the documentaries.)
On Sunday I watched two films on juicing and thought, hmmm…we used to do that before the adoption turned everything upside down. I decided – and this is the thing – the deciding. I decided enough was enough and I was going to get healthy again.
I’ve already got great tools and knowledge thanks to Arbonne and I’m adding in juicing and exercise. I’ve been to the gym every morning at 5:30 this week and plan to go at least five days a week. I’m cutting out all meat for 30 days and eating whole plants as much as possible, including juicing. And Arbonne protein and the rest. No more fried, junk or otherwise nutritionally devoid “food”.
Stay tuned for updates and if you’re like me and have let yourself go, join me and make the decision to get healthy! If I can do it, so can you! Keep me posted on your progress and we will encourage each other!
I put a stake in the ground and said, “NO MORE!” I’m done allowing the stress of life to take away my good health! Are you with me?
Kathe
www.adoptioncombatzone.com
www.katheray.arbonne.com
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