Tuesday, January 29, 2008

work it...

And lo... the saga of the Choconots and Frenemies is drawing to a close.

We've seen our fair share of comic ugliness as the choconots tried (successfully) to avoid the lure of the chocolate while the Frenemies taunted us mercilessly...

Or... not so mercilessly really, we've all been pretty nice I think and a good time seems to have been had by all... right?

But it is nearly time for this tale to come to an end, and when it ends, just as the chocolate is once more a consumable good for us, something else altogether will begin.

Where in January we sought to avoid the bittersweet goodness of chocolate in all its forms, in February we don't seek to deny ourselves a thing. Only to do a little something to better ourselves, our hearts, our bodies and our minds by exercising 3 times a week.

3 times a week!!!!!!! Oh no... I couldn't possibly... unless of course you count fun things, like:

walking
riding my bike
roller skating
yoga
wii boxing
dancing in my underwear

because if you count those things and add in... oh I don't know... maybe weight lifting here and there... that I could totally do.

Could you?

Could you if you read a post that scarily laid out for you the reason that you should want to get a little more exercise?

February is the American Heart Association's Women's Heart Health Month and that means a lot to me.

There's something you might not know about me, I have high blood pressure.

I fall into the large percentage of women with heart problems. Mine is minor compared to so many others and I am being treated. Though knowing that I'll have to take medication for the rest of my life is daunting even after being on medication for several years now.

When I was pregnant with K my blood pressure became dangerously elevated. Anyone who has ever heard the tale of K's birth knows that I was induced 3 weeks early. My blood pressure was the most significant reason for that happening.

She was born, we took her home and went about our life but something funny happened. My blood pressure never went back down to a normal level. I underwent more tests than I care to recall to find the source of the issue. They found other issues that had nothing to do with the blood pressure that required more tests. They never found the source of the problem. It was a mystery why a 5'3" 120 pound 26 year old had dangerously high blood pressure. I cut back salt I tried to eat even healthier but to no avail. Over the next year or so I had to try 3 different medications with varied doses and unpleasant side effects until my doctor and I were finally able to find a medication and a dose that worked for me.

It was scary. It was overwhelming. It was time consuming. It was invasive.

But the alternatives were too horrible to think of.

So for the month of February I want to give back. To you and you and you and you. All of you. I want us to all be a little healthier.

Anybody want to join me?

I'll make you a badge...

25 comments:

Lisa Wheeler Milton said...

Am I the first one?

Please count me in. I'll try not to complain one weensy bit.

Anonymous said...

Do you have to be a girl? Because if you don't I'm in.

I need to get in shape for my walk and any extra motivation can't be a bad thing.

mielikki said...

You already know I am in, and, as an added bonus, I'm tossing in MM as well. He got right on the bandwagon when he heard our plan for this month.

CamiKaos said...

Lisa: Hooray!! welcome.

Dan: Everyone is welcome, I'm happy to have you.

Mie: You and MM... FABU baby

holly said...

you know i'm with you. all the way, baby! this is an awesome plan, significantly trumping mine. :)

Korie said...

I can definitely try to take a few more evening walks or a biweekly bike ride. We're too po' for the gym but there's nothing wrong with extra cardio till I speak enough Dutch to get a job.
(I'm a new reader, so I guess all that info is probably pretty nonsensical hehehe)

Marcus said...

All in

Velma said...

All right, I'm in. Sigh. I don't want to be in, but I know I need to be in, so I'm in.

CamiKaos said...

Here is a further list of people that expressed some degree of interest when Mie and I first brought up the idea... are any of you on board? I want to get link love set up and make some decisions about the badge.

groovy mom
jamie
lindy
Jo (who can join even if she misses part of the month for recovery)
missburrows hadn't decided
daddy kaos
kami
lori
sybil

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

Me too please!

123Valerie said...

I'm in! I adore you, and I may also have a fondness for badges.

Thank you for putting a face with the scary, but sometimes hard-for-young-women-to-grasp problem.

Get yo booty on the floor tonight!

Lia Hollander said...

I'm off the fence...count me in!

Can I safety pin the badge to my workout shirt? That oughta get me some attention at the gym.

Gen said...

Ah, the blood pressure thing. Scary. I'm glad you're being treated.

Count me in on the exercise thing!

Lori said...

I'm definitely in. And you can add my kids, they all workout with me. We've got exercise balls going this way and that, good times!

sybil law said...

Although joinng the crowd has always made me feel squeamish, I will join this crowd for that.
THERE IS A KICKBOXING GYM DOWN THE ROAD FROM ME!
I am freaking PSYCHED.
In case you couldn't tell.
:)

CamiKaos said...

sybil: I know you're all in. I only wish we had our tunnel sorted out so we could kickbox together.

Lori: that is awesome and fun

groovy mom: good to have you!

missburrows: OMG I see a picture. OF YOU. Awesome to have you.

123valerie: I have a fondness for lovely songstresses named 123valerie who have a weakness for badges.

Kim: You're in babe.

To all: Some of you have already been on the receiving end of your new badges. If you haven't gotten your badge by Friday PLEASE LET ME KNOW. OR, if I don't know you well and I wouldn't have easy access to a picture of you to put on your badge please contact me so I can work something out. Don't use your image on you site? no problem. Someone already has darth vader... I'm open to suggestion.

mommifiedme at gmail dot com

DaddyKaos said...

I'm in, and I think I have NK convinced to start walking again.

Amy said...

Of course I will join all of you! I guess since I have already been doing 5-6 days a week it shouldn't be too much of a sacrifice.

Jo Beaufoix said...

Cami I'm in. As soon as I can do it I will. Does doing those little foot movements after an op count? I will do hundreds of them, I promise. :D

My dad has high blood pressure and is on statins now. It's crappy isn't it? Hugs.

landismom said...

Three times a week? I'll give it a shot. As long as I can count climbing nine flights of stairs at my parking garage, and then collapsing into my car in a wheezing puddle of me.

Anonymous said...

I'm in, especially after seeing my body in a full length mirror this morning. Oh, I am so in.

AngelConradie said...

wow... giving up chocolate for a month and now getting healthy as well!?! i am impressed!

Avery Gray said...

Dude, I'm in! Wii boxing? I can do that!

Gonna dust off the old bike, too. Looking forward to it!

CrankMama said...

I'm a little nervous about this 3 times a week thing but I'm totally in!

Thanks for rallying the troops, it should be fun.

Not the Maid said...

Oooh! Oooh! Me too please!