BODY KNOWLEDGE...

The other day I was talking to a girlfriend and she was bemoaning the fact that she had gained about fifteen pounds. She told me she was going to get new clothes. I kept quiet, I am like a man when it comes to that, don’t know what to say, so say nothing. I have to be really close to someone to even go there. Noticing my quiet, she asked how was that in the ten years she had known me I had stayed the same size. I told her that I know my body. She looked at me and I explained to her;
My body tells me when it is time to do something, when I am eating too much, or not moving enough, I feel tired and sluggish, so I change what I eat and move a bit more.

That is exactly what happened recently, I started off the new year eating really well, then about late February I started eating junky. Caramel macchiatos and cake at breakfast, chicken tenders at lunch, I would eat lots of fruit and veggies, but the other stuff too. I didn’t feel good. I knew I had gained some weight, even though I was still fitting my clothes. On Friday the doctor confirmed it, I had gained eight pounds. Immediately I knew it was time to handle it. Back to non-fat yogurt and cheerios for breakfast, a bowl of vegetables with olive oil for lunch and a light dinner. Because what I know for sure is that ignoring the signs lead to places I don’t want to go, I know my body and I listen to it. When I am tired, I rest, when I gain weight, I cut back and when something ails me I go to the doctor.

I recall years ago working with a woman who hadn’t had a pap in over twenty years, I was horrified when she told me, because this woman had health insurance. I asked why. She told me that when she had her youngest child, she just never went again. As life would have it, she was now going because something had gone awry. She ended up having surgery that probably could have been prevented if only she had kept her annual appointments. A couple of years ago, my doctor told me that it was decided that if a woman had several normal paps, she could go up to three years without one. I told him no thank you very much. Though, there are few things that I enjoy less than putting my feet in those stirrups, I will do it every year because knowledge is power and body knowledge is life-saving. PLEASE HAVE YOUR PAP, MAMMOGRAMS AND ANNUAL CHECKUPS, THE LIFE YOU SAVE MIGHT BE YOUR OWN.

LOVE PEACE AND BLESSINGS!
Angelia

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