Where Am I in My Journey?

What is next for me?

I want to say thank you to all readers out there and hope this blog does some good.  We added new readers from Malaysia yesterday.  During my sad rant in the morning, I noticed that as soon as I create a post my pages read number goes up, meaning some must get this automatically or via email.  Anyway, over 45 people are getting each new post as soon as I write it.  I am really grateful for the support.

Also, yesterday we reached a new milestone as over 100 people come to the blog and opened at least one post.  I am just blown away by all of you reading this and again hope my journey can help you.

I also hope that means 100 prayers went up to higher powers for Dora and our young mother needing strips.  By the way, I decided to reach out an offer those strips.  Turned out she was okay and was not offended by my reach.  Nice to know it is still okay to offer a hand to a stranger.

BS - 110 this morning.  I am the VP of our church's men's club and on the first Thursday of each month we have our meeting.  Someone always cooks the meal for the guys.  Last night, Matt, one of our better cooks, prepared the meal so I did not worry too much about my carbohydrates - it was the day I was going to enjoy.

Since we had a couple of long series on journaling followed by a heavy sad post - I felt today I would take a lite day and take stock of where I am at and where do I see my journey going next.

Am I healthier?

I am asked this question and I know the answer is yes - but I also want to say I know I am a rookie when it comes to understanding my body and what will make it work more efficiently, effectively, and take care of itself.  

I weighed 224 pounds in March 2013 when I reached my rock bottom.  Today I weigh 179 pounds.  I do not have a goal or established weight in mind.  I am working out each day, eating right, and I think my body at this age will tell me how I am doing.  When I left the Marine Corp in 1979 I weighed 170 pounds - but it was structured much differently than it is today.  Will I get back to that weight - not sure and not my dream.  I do this so if I do not succeed, I do not set myself up for failure.

While weight has always been one of those things in the back of my mind and I always wanted to lose the weight - I did not feel it was the most important factor in being healthy.  The weight loss has helped my blood glucose level and high blood pressure - there is not doubt.  I just do not believe it will be the thing that drives me forward.

My A1c was 8.1 and during my September visit it was 6.4.  A 6.4 puts me in the medical classification of pre-diabetes.  But I know better because I know where I have been.  But again, I do not use this number to drive the healthier question.  This number is what the doctors use to see how I am doing long term.  For me, it it is still the constant testing and knowing what I am eating and what it does to the body.

I seldom exercised and thought walking the dog 2 miles was enough.  I still do that but have also added 1.5 hours in the gym.  Do I use any of those numbers to define my health.  No, as I know my body now wants and demands this exercise.  I missed yesterday to play golf and it is crying out - please go do something.  It is telling me what it needs and wants.

So am I healthier - yes I am.  But not by the numbers.  I am healthier because I have learned to listen to my body, my support team, and my God.  I am healthier because I do understand the impacts of foods and drinks on my body.  I am healthier - BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT ME NOW!

My challenge - get yourself healthier.  Do not let a number drive you - let your heart, your spirit, and your mind drive you.  All of these together will put you in a healthier place and that is the true goal.

New beginnings.

Now that I have become healthier, I want to learn to live a healthy life style.  My ADA support community has helped me understand there is more to live than a number - there is a style of living called Living with Diabetes - and enjoying life.  I want to know what that means.

I want to spend more time loving my wife.  Now that I can be more active, I want to spend more time going places and enjoying things together.  I want to learn to spend time just enjoying live versus marching through it.  I can only do this when my life style changes include her and for the moment - they have been about me.  My entire family does Hot Yoga.  That would give me 2 hours three times a day with my wife - sound s like a plan.

I want to spend more time with my support family; specifically my children.  I have two lovely children and have missed a lot of time with them because I have blown through life.  I want to spend time playing golf with my daughter and letting her make me better.  I want to spend time with my son developing some software or learning software together.  They are special and I need to learn to enjoy and appreciate what God gave me.

I want to get to know my extended support team - and that includes all of you.  When I started this blog, I think it was about me and telling my cousins what I have done.  Little did I know it was about me; gaining knowledge and learning from all of you.  I have received more from this blog then I have given and I thank all of you for that.  By knowing you are there is keeping me on the journey and that makes me the winner.

I want to learn how to eat healthier and know what is healthy in a restaurant.  I want to know more about cooking with almond flour or being gluten free.  I want to know what organic products do for me versus the ones on the shelf at the store and I want to know if the price difference is worth it.

I want to know more about my body and how to replenish its natural minerals, vitamins, and nutrients.  I want to understand all of those crazy tests they run and what do they tell me each time I take this body in for a checkup.  I want to know how this great machine given to me by a special God, can heal itself.

Finally, I just want to get to know my God better and learn to appreciate the good things in this life I am given and the challenges.  I want to be able to understand how they are all good for me in the end of time.

Posting future.

So where does that leave us and where this blog will go.  If you have ideas - leave a comment.  If not, then here is where I am going to take it going forward.

I will leave Sundays as a day for God.  It gives me a chance to think of things he does for me and how wonderful life can be.  I like the God and Science theme and that will stay for sometime in the future.

I will leave the form as a journal of my journey.  There are some great blogs out there that have lots of information and organize them as a catalog of information.  That is good - but I want this blog to be about a journey that can help people relate and create their own journey.

I will start a series on eating and what I learn from that.  I will share things I learn and hopefully will create some great recipes that can be added.  Many of my extended support have already done that and I will call on them to help learn as I go through that portion of my journey.

I will also continue to pull forward education on diabetes and how I am learning more each day.  I will often point to sources of information and allow you to read for yourself as well.

I hope this direction works for you all and you continue to get from this blog as much as I do.

Remember our goal is to help one person help themselves to a healthier life style.

By the way, in searching for some information on how to build a journaling product for the community - I found a very good beginning of a site.  It is mainly around food but also has diet,  A1c or sugar level readings, and exercise management tracking.  That site is - http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ and in the middle of the page is SuperTracker.  I am going to give it a try and see how it does.  It, along with my VA health portal should give me some excellent ideas.

May god bless us on our journey.  May he give us the strength to set new directions when we have reached a junction in the road.  May he give us the ability to see into the future by knowing and understanding our past.  May he grant us the courage to go beyond our current boundaries and explore new horizons.

Bob,